21A. Good name for a Gateway City gun dealer? : ST LOUIS ARMS
26A. Good name for a Windy City nudist festival? : CHICAGO BARES
43A. Good name for a Motor City butcher shop? : DETROIT LOINS
50A. Good name for an Empire City comedy club? : NEW YORK JEST
figuring out the clever theme helped a lot with this one.
melissa here.
across
1. Harebrained prank : CAPER. that's a great word.
6. Casino freebie : COMP. complimentary.
10. Slow-cooked entrée : STEW. it's that time of year again.
14. End of a series : OMEGA. last letter of the greek alphabet.
15. Away from the breeze : ALEE
16. The gallbladder is shaped like one : PEAR. did not know that.
17. Noted storyteller : AESOP. wikipedia: Although his existence remains uncertain and (if they ever existed) no writings by him survive, numerous tales credited to him were gathered across the centuries and in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day.
18. Circulate, as library books : LEND. i think it was crockett who first linked this:
19. Like some borrowed library books : LATE. another great library tune:
20. Blast cause : TNT
24. Slugging pct., e.g. : STAT. baseball.
25. Be ready (for) : GET SET
31. Air traffic control device : RADAR
32. Thing : ITEM
33. "Holy Toledo!" : WOW
36. The Bard's river : AVON
37. Dig (into) : DELVE
39. Andean capital : LIMA
40. Actress Harris of "thirtysomething" : MEL. fiftysomething now.
41. Stink : REEK
42. World Series game : POKER. tricky.
46. Certifiable : INSANE
49. Civil disturbance : RIOT
53. Geologic time frame : ERA
56. Colorless : DRAB
57. Fall from above : RAIN
58. Swinelike beast : TAPIR. strange looking creature, below is a brazilian tapir.
60. Just sitting around : IDLE
61. Hamburg's river : ELBE. see?
62. Are : EXIST
63. Didn't let out of one's sight : EYED
64. They're below average : DEES. grades, not cups.
65. Floors : DECKS
down
1. Winter wear : COAT
2. "You said it, sister!" : AMEN
3. Crop threat : PEST
4. It might need a boost : EGO
5. Andre 3000, for one : RAP STAR. no idea.
6. Beckon : CALL TO
7. Pats on pancakes, maybe : OLEO. yuck.
8. Array of choices : MENU
9. Dog's breeding history : PEDIGREE
10. Impact sounds : SPLATS
11. Result of a sad story? : TEARS
12. Invitation on a fictional cake : EAT ME. alice in wonderland.
13. Take forcibly : WREST
22. Place for a price : TAG
23. Appear to be : SEEM
24. Read quickly : SCAN
26. Pull an all-nighter, maybe : CRAM. doing that a lot lately.
27. Contain : HAVE
28. One put on a pedestal : IDOL
29. Sitcom noncom : BILKO. non-commissioned officer, in the sitcom sergeant bilko.
30. Off-rd. conveyance : ATV. all terrain vehicle.
33. User-edited site : WIKI
34. Broken mirror, say : OMEN
35. Serious hostilities : WARS
37. Dissuaded : DETERRED
38. Racket or rocket extension : EER. racketeer, rocketeer.
39. Booty : LOOT
41. Gambling town on I-80 : RENO
42. Schemed : PLOTTED
43. Convertible sofa : DAYBED
44. Castle and Cara : IRENES
45. "Whether __ nobler ...": Hamlet : 'TIS
46. Many a low-budget film : INDIE. independent.
47. Totally square : NERDY
48. Low, moist area : SWALE
51. Leafy veggie : KALE. in season, having this often lately.
52. Correspond : JIBE
53. Many a high-budget film : EPIC
54. Game of world domination : RISK
55. Skills : ARTS
59. Cut from the staff : AXE.
Melissa
86 comments:
Morning, all!
Delightful puzzle today. I got the theme early on and was able to blow through the theme answers with a little bit of perp help. I may not be the world's biggest sports fan (especially when it comes to golf and baseball player names), but I do know my NFL teams...
Had a minor snag in the West when I put in RADIO instead of RADAR. It didn't help that Andre 3000 was a complete unknown and therefore RAPSTAR didn't exactly spring to mind. I got that sorted up pretty quickly, though. Amazingly, what saved my bacon in that area was MEL Harris. I have no idea where I pulled that info from, since I never watched "thirtysomething" and can't even picture what she looked like. Somehow, though, I just knew that MEL was the correct answer. Go figure...
Thanks mb, a very quick Wednesday with a nice anagram theme. No klunkers but no super clues, few three letter fill and all kinds, rhymes, misdirection and nothing too obscure. Scan and cram followed by Bilko (scam) made sense. Happy hump
Good morning everyone,
Nice effort by Dan with an appropriate theme for the season. Figured it out as soon as I saw ST LOUIS ARMS.
And does anyone who follows the NFL not find NEW YORK JEST so appropriate?
The NW corner was my only sticking point. Just left it alone until last, OMEGA & EGO got it rolling for me. I thought Andre 3000 was some sort of game. RAPSTAR was filled in entirely by perps.
Thanks for the nice write up Melissa.
Kuddos to dan for the puzzle and to melissa for the write-up on of the few puzzles i actually figured out the theme prior to the reveal. this was almost but not quite a speed run, and as i am writing this post I it appears I may be one of the first comments. Enjoy hump day to day my son turns 10. Up early as my wife had to leave for work at 6 cause she is going to meetings in Seaford, DE.
Thank you Dan and thank you Melissa.
Good thing for perps. I first thought Andre 3000 might be a cyborg from a movie, or as Hondo said, some kind of game.
Good puzzle for me today. Got the theme with Chicago nudist festival. Crosswords are new for me so really enjoyed this one. NE corner was last fill. And I thought Andre 3000 was a mountain to trek!
First snow here yesterday but nothing stuck. A little warmer today here in Cleveland.
Hello Puzzlers -
My first theme fill was Chicago Bares, so I thought it was a homonym thing. Was soon corrected on that error. All in all a straightforward solve, even though I don't know the names of football teams.
Morning MB, thanks for the write-up!
Good Morning, MelissaBee and friends. Fun Wednesday puzzle. I loved the "merchandizing" of the cities.
Time to get the COAT out of the closet today. It's pretty cold here, relatively speaking, of course.
I use my local public library often. There is a branch within walking distance of my office. I have been known, however, to call in to renew a book in the summer to avoid it being LATE, when it is too hot to walk to the library.
QOD: Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will. ~ Jawajarlal Nehru (November 14, 1889 ~ May 27, 1964)
Could not find that definition of jibe in any dictionary.
Rob
That doesn't jibe with what I found - Link - but you have to go down to the third meaning.
Good morning melissa, C.C. et al.
I had the same problem as everyone else in the NW - I just did not know Andre 3000. Newbie - I was also thinking along the lines of a mountain! I finally got **PSTAR, so filled in "pop star". Bzzzzt!! Incorrect.
It took me forever to take it back out, but working the downs, I finally got COAT, AMEN and PEST - which led to OMEGA, and RAP STAR became apparent. Whew! Just barely squeaked by a DNF...
Good morning, everybody! I enjoyed your writeup and links, mb.
I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't realize the theme answers were anagrams of actual teams. D'oh! I never watched Thirty Something, but I do remember that Mel Harris had a recurring role in Stargate SG-1. I had RADAR for 29D (BILKO) until it reappeared at 31A.
Have a great hump day!
What Lemony said. For me this was the quickest solve of the week so far. I had RAP before I got to Andre 3000/RAP STAR. The only question was whether it would be STer or STAR.
ST LOUIS ARMS gave away the clever anagram theme very early on.
It turns out Kelley in re the generals lived in a glass house and was foolish to cast stones at others.
Hi Everyone ~~
This one went quickly and was enjoyable to solve. As others have said, picking up on the theme early helped in a number of places. My first theme answer was CHICAGO BARES so like Dudley, I was thinking that we were dealing with homonyms. I got DETROIT LOINS next and I then saw what was going on - fun!
Hondo ~ I agree about the Jets/JEST, although my husband's team is the Bills and they're even worse.
My only slow-downs were in the SE. I had 'age' before ERA and for 52D - 'Correspond' - I was stuck on thinking of sort type of correspondence.
Thanks for the write-up, Melissa. Nice pics and links and I liked you 'football steam' title!
Time to get one of my kitties ready for her monthly checkup/bloodwork. Her meds seem to be controlling her illness so I'm hopeful that she'll continue to do well. Now if only she won't disappear before I can "round her up!" =^.^=
Easy Wednesday puzzle.
One question:
In reference to “They're below average : DEES,” the person who did the write-up said “grades, not cups.”
How do "cups" relate to "they're below average"?
Good morning everybody. I liked this puzzle, cute theme. Not many people go BARE around the time the Chicago Bears play (brrrrr!)
I knew Andre 3,000 from the movie Four Brothers. Although it looks like he went by his real name there.
I never knew what gall baldders looked like, or thought to ask!
I suspect Dennis doesn't think DEES are below average. Unless they're compared to Double Ds :)
Here's a comic for our resident cat lovers. /\ /\
Good morning all.
Fun solve. The theme fill gave good anchoring; I sussed the anagram team names with ……BARES. No real nits. EAT ME might be viewed as a little DF. TAPIRS may appear swinelike but they are an odd-toed ungulate more closely related to the rhinoceroses. BILKO was aptly named. Always liked Phil Silvers' comedy.
Have a great day.
I had a much fun getting the anagram of the teams as I did the rest of this fun puzzle. JEST, LOINS and BARES elicited laughs!
Musings
-Hilarious alliterative Jack Webb/Johnny Carson CAPER (2:49)
-Another hilarious comedy bit with same rhythm about a LIBRARYcop (3:43)
-Those COMPs aren’t really free, are they?
-I had _M_G_ and put IMAGO as final stage of an insect first and PELF came to mind for Booty. Talk about your over thinking.
-Sister’s surgical gall bladder removal took 6 weeks of recovery. Joann’s was arthroscopic and recovery was only a few days.
-This Petraeus thing has grown from a triangle to a pentagon. It REEKS and something doesn’t JIBE.
-ERA seems too short and AGE seems better for geology to me. Age of dinosaurs/Era of good feelings? You?
-Dennis could have FLOORED/DECKED that jerk the other night!
-How much of that crap we CRAMmed in for one test do we remember?
-ROCKETEER trailer (2:22)
-Breaking mirrors, walking under ladders, spilling salt and black cats serve as no OMENs to me. You?
-They’re NERDY and geeky until you need your high-tech device fixed.
-RADAR was in its infancy on December 7, 1941 and we ignored all those blips coming in from the north.
-Fabulous QOD, Hahtoolah. Is this a corollary? That explains what you did but it doesn’t excuse it.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Dan Schoenholz, for a great Wednesday puzzle. Thank you, Melissa Bee, for the great write-up.
Watched your librarian tunes. The first one was pretty good.
Got through this pretty easily. Did not really catch the theme until I had all four done. At first I thought he was looking for body parts, is in ARMS and LOINS. Finally figured it out.
Anonymous 7:03: My Webster (copyright 1969) says for Jibe: "to be in accord, Agree"
Wrote down SWAMP for 48D. Quickly changed that to SWALE.
RISK caught my eye. I used to play that game ferociously many years ago. It was exciting.
Remember Phil Silvers as Sgt. Bilko very well. Great comedy.
Someone hijacked my email yesterday. So I changed my password. Hope that kills that episode.
See you tomorrow
Abejo
Good name for a Queen City handwalking championship?
Good name for a Space City outdoor coitus festival?
Good name for a Federal City TBBT scene?
Good name for a Brotherly Love City off the grid conger catch?
For me this felt like a Monday or Tuesday puzzle. It is always a good feeling when you can whip through a Wednesday offering.
I too am a long suffering fan of the Bills. Since I live outside of Houston I can cheer for the Texans, so much more enjoyable.
I thought some of you would like this article about how some words are spelled the way they are.
Mental Floss
Good name for South Beach bra accessories?
Good name for a Crescent City butt complaint?
I mentioned OutKast a few weeks ago while discussing Cee Lo Green. Andre 3000 is a member of OutKast, and as Mari mentioned, has crossed over into acting.
Rumor has it that he will soon star in a biopic about Jimi Hendrix. (can't wait)
OutKast's biggest hit was probably Hey Ya!
The previous song is more Hip-Hop style while this one is more Rap style: Ms. Jackson. Probably outside the comfort zone of most here on the blog but I'm always trying to expand my music appreciation. :)
Good morning and happy hump day to all. Thanks to Dan for a fun puzzle, and MelissaB for your write up. Loved the football anagrams,hard to believe the season is half over already.
To Tinbeni , how about those Tampa Bay Scubs hard to believe a team known for stellar defense is now an offensive force in the league. No matter what I will always root for the pewter pirates.
Have a great day to all RJW.
Miami Hold Pins
Hello, fellow solvers. Thanks for a great write up, Melissa. STEAMS! LOL
I whipped through this one and wrote in the city names once I realized that's what was clued. The rest came with perps. Never saw the anagrams, though.
WEES. I remember seeing a TAPIR at our local zoo.
Ditto for RAPSTER before RAP STAR.
WOW! No clunky fill in this puzzle. Good job, Dan.
LaLaLinda
Cute cat at the end of your post.
Carpet cleaning today so I'd better get to it.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!
Klilly, that Mental Floss was fascinating. Thanks for posting it. It dredges up memories of Robert McNeil (remember the McNeil/Lehrer Newshour?) and The Story Of English.
Thank you Dan Schoenholz ( beautiful- wood/timber ?) for your wonderful, challenging but doable puzzle. Enjoyed it very much. Thank you melissa b for your thoughtful and interesting commentary.
The theme certainly helped - at least I got the cities down pat. After I got Arms, Bares and Loins - I was thinking a little DF.
Tapir are related - believe it or not - to giraffes.
I did not know Andre 3000 - I had 'RACE CAR' before 'RAP STAR'.
For 9D - I was trying to fit in Bloodline, before Pedigree became apparent. I also had JIVE before JIBE.
Thank you, klily for the 'Mental Floss' article, it was really informative. I happen to know one of the founder/editors. It is a really fascinating magazine. If only English was phonetic like many, many other world languages - then we would have no spelling 'errors' and of course, no spelling bees.
Have a good week, you all, and best wishes.
Melissa: Wonderful write-up and links.
FUN puzzle, easy to decipher themes. Good stuff!
Ron Worden: The "kids" are playing some great football.
Wonder how many points they'll put up this Sunday.
Geez, we finally get our ballots counted and these Bimbo's, with I.Q.s the size of their "fake" breasts, pop-up!!!
Yellowrocks: I contacted the Tampa Bay News Organizations to get in touch with you (since you apparently have ALL the info on this "Kelley twins/Generals" messy situation).
It's always FUN living in Florida!
Cheers !!!
Tinbeni
Congratulations on the vote count. We're still at about 300,000 to go!
Good morning:
Congrats, Dan, on a clever, tricky Wednesday puzzle. Got the theme early which helped to move things right along. Had age before era, and dull before drab, otherwise smooth sailing. Nice expo, Melissa.
47D Totally square = Nerdy made me think of you-know-who.
Another sunny, crisp autumn day in the Northeast, sans rain or snow.
Happy Wednesday.
Wow! I actually got a sports theme for the first time in my life, probably--but chiefly because I recognized all the city nicknames. So, many thanks, Dan, for a totally enjoyable puzzle! And Melissa, many thanks for the great pics: especially that sweet TAPIR, the cute EAT ME cake, and SGT. BILKO, one of my favorite sitcom figures when I was a kid. What a great name for that clever dude!
Have a great Wednesday, everybody!
AM - I think you are thinking of Okapi. Giraffes are 2=toed. Porcines are 2 toed. Tapirs are 3 toed; same as rhinos. Horses are 1 toed so they are also classed as an odd-toed ungulate.
For Fermat - some math
Hi gang -
Finally figured out the excellent theme with NY JEST. Was scratching my head over ST LOUIS ARMS.
Difficulties everywhere today.
Finally made it through, but it was a struggle.
Lots of fresh looking fill: CAPER, TAPIR, OMEGA, SPLATS.
Gotta run.
Cool regards!
JzB
Got Bilko fast. It is my favorite. Radar is a noncom yes, but answered in 31a already, MSG (Master Sergeant ) Bilko is a higher ranking NCO. Did not like tnt cause no abbreviation in clue. Swale, tapir, kale, jibe and alee perfect wednesday words.
Good Puzzle. Fun to fill.
CORRESPOND--> JIBE. C'mon there are much better alternatives than this.
Klilly, thanks for the Mental Floss. Its fascinating how our language came to be, cobbled together from many cultures and eras, and it is still evolving.
I'm a fan of Sgt. Bilko. Thanks for the links.
Tinbeni, your Florida really does provide a lot of (FUN?) such as this latest CIA flap, Casey Anthony, and the Trayvon Martin/Zimmerman viglante story.
How can anyone avoid being up on the latest developments in the story of the generals' bimbos. It is everywhere, even crowding out the Fiscal Cliff stories.
I found JIBE easy. The Thesaurus gives correspond as a synonym for jibe. Both mean agree.
Your story corresponds with what I have heard.
Your story jibes with what I have heard.
Todays puzzle was a walk in the park. I never did realize they were anagrams, i just thought it was a play on words...
The write up & comments on the other hand are giving me trouble, how am i going to top that Librarian Clip???
Seen@9:36, ??? I can't do Bill Gs puzzles, how am i to figure your stuff out??? (Hmm, maybe a nap might help.)
HG, Rocketeer clip makes me want to see the movie again. Does any one remember who the original rocketeer from the 1950s TV?
Also, HG,@8:36 Imago??? where you doing a different puzzle??? I'm confused...
Hi all,
Nice write up Melissa!!
Desper-otto and Lucina: I didn't get the anagrams either, but I seldom, if ever, do. Never was good at that sort of thing.
Mari: Cute comment about the "Dee's"...with the new business Dennis started he is 'in his cups' on a daily basis.
I didn't know Andre 3000 either, thought it might be a computer.
Ah Me! Here I am a NFL & PGA Golf fan and while got all the theme answers, I didn't recognize the theme. Oh well, I am an Engineer and we are very literal.
Good morning Melissa, C.C., et al,
Enjoyed your write-up and the librarian ditties.
I assumed that I was doing really well as I filled in the 1st dozen answers breezily... well, 9 out of the 1st 12 were incorrect. I knew it should have been Aesop, not Remus (as in Uncle R. LOL). I liked folly for caper, and ribs for stew, used for late, and who knew the pear thing. I had lima (bean). Coke was a weak answer for comp, but,hey, they do give you free drinks in NV (not CA).Knowing "eat me" put me back on the right path in that corner. So, my little Magic Rub got a work out.
Kale has become "the appetizer." Put a little bit of olive oil and nutmeg, s & p on it, bake at 350 or 400 for about 10-20 min, and voila!
Spitzboov, you're right, of course - the giraffe is related to the Okapi - what was I thinking ? So the tapir is related to the rhinoceros ? ... I must read up on that. I was quite unaware of the fact that number of toes could be such a major criterion in zoological classification. Thank you.
@ Anonymous 8:15 AM:
"How do 'cups' relate to 'they're below average'?"
They DON'T. I think that was Melissa's point when she wrote "grades, not cups". DEE grades are below average, but DEE cups are not.
hello all, fun puzzle, huh?
c.c. informed me early this morning that andre 3000 is half of the outkast duo - kudos to the others who knew.
this is a great cover of hey ya
thanks for the comments. hi dudley :).
mari and buckeye bob, you are correct of course about the cups comment. we have so many above average minds here.
jd, i've never baked kale - i presume it gets crispy that way? i need to bring a dish to a party for a bunch of massage therapists tonight - they'd probably love that. i'm waiting for someone to jump on your magic rub comment ...
Enjoyed the puzzle and the write-up Melissa. Funny librarian song.
Husker G: Love the Carson/Webb copper clapper caper LOL
Here is one for all you "Happy Hump Day" wishers.
Scroll down to number 4
HUMP DAY
Hello everybody. Fun puzzle today. Like JD, I blithely started filling what I thought were right answers that turned out to be wrong. Wanted STUNT instead of CAPER and CHIP instead of COMP.
Like Dudley, I thought the theme was a homonym thing when I got CHICAGO BARES. And I thought ST LOUIS ARMS was the name of a hotel. But knowing the cities helped a lot.
MEL Harris, Mel C, and Mel B are the only females named Mel that I can think of. You don't go by the name Mel, do you, Melissa? If you do, then that's four. Lots and lots of male Mels, though. Some of you might be inclined to DELVE into that more deeply.
Several years ago, while sailing in the San Francisco Bay, our captain broke the boom while doing a JIBE. We had to use the motor to limp back to the marina.
JD, we cook KALE pretty much the way you described. I like it slightly underdone so it doesn't get dry.
I kid one of the guys at work by calling him EPIC instead of by his name (which is Mike.)
Would you rather slosh through a swamp or a SWALE? Me neither.
Melissa Bee, how is your CRAMming coming along?
Melissa, great appetizer...crispy enough for finger food.
LOL Everyone should have a "magic rub"
Hi Y'all, Great puzzle, great commentary! WEES
DEE cups are "below average" only because they tend to sag a little.
Argyle, Thank you for posting the link to the Dorothy Parker poem "War Song" for me last night. That haunted me because I could not find it. I first read it as a bride whose husband was shipping out to Japan. Very poignant then.
In Dorothy Parker's era, women were more tolerant of men's proclivity to infidelity than today, I think. Also the "other woman" didn't usually broadcast her conquests like they tend to do today. Of course, it's easier to broadcast on the internet. Privacy is a thing of the past.
I live such a sheltered life. I don't think I've ever seen KALE to know what it is.
Melissa, For your Massage Therapist party, I suggest you
KNEAD some dough and make ROLLS.
Put a spice RUB and OIL on a roast and put it in the PRESSURE cooker.
Seen @ 10:07 am: Andre 3000 would make a good Jimi Hendrix.
PK, I'd be surprised if you haven't seen kale. Ornamental Kale is widely used as a landscaping plant. You see it a lot in median strips and places like that. It tolerates poor growing conditions pretty well and adds a lot more color than ornamental grasses.
Can't say that I've ever tried it though. And I've eaten most greens that I've heard of: Collard, mustard, beet tops, spinach and basella malabar.
OMG! It was Jeff King, the Rocket Man! my 1st hero...(i think,)
Ah memories...
Melissa Bee @1:48, I tried yr link, but got scared when my PC asked if i was sure i wanted to download an outside app to view it. After yest Email, i don't trust anything anymore.
Learning moment... I never knew "Magic Rub" was a brand of eraser! However, my research had led me to my Halloween costume for next year!
Avg Joe, beet tops are my FAVORITE. I ate them as a kid back in Virginia. I was surprised when I discovered that many people just threw them away at the market. At the local Farmer's Market, I often go to the produce seller and ask if they have some. They have a box with discarded produce, carrot tops and often beet greens. She just gives them to me. It's like finding buried treasure.
There's a local vegetarian restaurant that serves kale as a side dish. They have a wonderful sauce to put on it. I need to go by there again and see if I can just buy a container of their sauce for when my wife cooks kale.
I remember a rocket man from the Saturday matinees. Also, there was a movie a few years back (1991) called The Rocketeer. Nobody saw it but me I'm guessing but I really enjoyed it. It also introduced me to the gorgeous Jennifer Connelly.
JD, had to laugh at your Magic Rub comment...never heard of that put quite that way then I realized you were talking about some sort of eraser. LOL
As to Kale, I've only planted the ornamental kind in the late fall so I have some color in my containers over the winter. Eat it? Never!!
I'm not even a salad person unless it's my potato salad.
CED, yeah i got something odd too when i just clicked on it. i posted from my ipad, so there's that.
anyhoo the link was to the obadiah parker cover .. posting this time from imac.
With all this talk about the Rocketeer, I can't help but think of Tim Wilson's Jet Pack
Strong warning. Very R Rated.
Avg Joe, who is Tim Wilson??? It is rare i like a song the 1st time i hear it...
Melissa bee, Thank you for reposting! (Seen yr version was good, but Ms B's got me dancin')
I have to learn it on my guitar, i can just hear my Daughter Sara backing me up on piano, & she is a natural at singing harmonies...
Anywho... I almost forget, i have a librarian link ready to post,,, & i think i got you guys beat!
Dave, Tim Wilson is a comedian that's a regular on the Bob and Tom show. That's where I'm familiar with him from (intended preposition:-) He's a pretty decent musician, but his schtick is comedy, not music.
My goodness! We need some wholesome librarian music and here's the man to deliver...it.
The only librarian clip I could think of. Bake a pie
What would we do without Santa to even things out...
Aw Crap, i think Al Bundy beat me!
(but secretly, i think it's Santa in disguise!)
Re: @Yellowrocks (last night) - I'm sorry, I wasn't criticizing Anony-Mouse (with a hyphen), who I know is a valued blog contributor. My comment was aimed at a "real" anonymous poster. I was harking back to a (rather weak, I admit) joke I made a while back where I referred to the "wee timorous beasties" who infest the blog and often leave behind their droppings, whom I termed "anonymice".
Hello, All,
It’s been a while since I’ve been WOWed by a puzzle. I loved it and the write up, MEL. Great job on a tribute to you puzzle! Just look!
As a massage therapist you COAT your clients w/oil that doesn’t REEK, probably not sold by AVON, but maybe, if the supplies are LATE. You may have him/her GET SET on a DAY BED, where ‘dah’ BARES ARMS SEEM to be at WAR(s) with each other, all WRESTled up into knots. You DELVE into the sore muscles like a wRAPSTAR, wrapping your COMPetent, tRAINed hands around them, rubbing, massaging, TAPIRing down to the smaller pARTS of the body, (avoiding the LOINS and an ensuing RIOT) and taking the aches away mercifully. You work magic! The women and MEN U help are WOW’d and swear by your talents, even bragging that you are gentle and didn’t even POK”ER. They may come in with TEARS but they leave smiling and without RISK of going INSANE b/c of chronic pain. You rock in EPIC proportions! AMEN!!!
It's all good.
Ah, Lois, you are a special talent and it's soooooo good to have you back and in such good form - LOL
I'm still laughing, thanks for the wonderful, witty, FUNNY comment!!
PedantTheBrit:
You are a Gentleman & a Scholar, We all love Anony-mouse (who i wish would go Blue, to avoid misidentification.)
carol, Tx for pointing out Lois' post. Sometime i scan the Blog too fast, & miss the details. I would hate to miss an LOL!
Thanks again...
lois, brilliant! if you ever roll through these parts, i have a gift certificate with your name on it ;).
Thank you Melissa for an enjoyable write up today. I really enjoyed this puzzle and found it easy for a Wed level. Thanks to the constructor for a fun mid week work. My brother in law recently went through six surguries after arthroscopic/robotic gall bladder surgery that went WRONG. They are calling for a freeze here tonight!
CED:
Following up on Avg. Joe's reply, Google or search YouTube for Tim Wilson's tune "First Baptist Bar & Grill".
Funny, in a Southern way.
PedantThe Brit, mea culpa. I checked back. You were not responding to our dear Anony-Mouse, but to Anonymous. Sorry.
Good evening everyone! Thanks for a really enjoyable Hump Day puzzle Dan. Loved the expo, MelissaBee, especially the library links. Our youngest daughter is a reference librarian at a southern university, and loves librarian jokes. Her favorite T-shirt features a cartoon of a very fuss-looking library lady with finger to her lips with the word “SSSHHHHH!” in huge letters. At the first annual conference she attended, her team won the Book Cart Drill Team competition performing to “le Danse Macabre” dressed in skeleton outfits. (Ya can’t make this stuff up!)
Thought the theme was especially clever, although it took me a while to unscramble ARMS for RAMS. But when I saw BEARS/BARES I got a mental picture of a bunch of nekkid football players – and it was all aboard the DF train with LOINS, CRAMS, EAT ME and so on. Not a good direction to go when you solve the puzzle on your morning bus commute – the other riders start to look at you funny when you get the giggles at 7:00 AM.
Thanks for the cat cartoon, Mari, it’s too true.
Seen, I’m going to be up all night trying to figure how to scramble Cincinnati BENGALS to fit your clue. Maybe by the time I post this someone will have sussed it. (It was way more fun being a Reds fan this year than a Bengals fan, at least so far.)
Hahtoolah, I always look forward to your Quote of the Day, but today’s particularly hit the right note for me. Like I would tell my daughters “Time to put on your Big Girl panties and deal with it!”
Have a great night all!
Have you ever heard of Max Raabe? I hadn't but Julianna Marguiles of The Good Wife was on late night TV last night. She said she and her husband are big fans and traveled to Berlin recently to catch one of his shows in his homeland. I really enjoy his recreation of some old standards from the 30s and 40s. MAX RAABE.
Hola Everyone, I ran through this puzzle in record time today. Figuring out the theme did help a lot. I'm usually not one for anagrams, but these made sense to me. I Thought it was easier than the Tuesday puzzle.
Thanks MB for an informative writeup. I didn't know about the Gall Bladder and the information on Aesop was new to me.
Tapirs are strange looking animals and quite large. I've never seen one with stripes such as you pictured today. The ones we had in Colombia were all one color--grey-black.
I loved watching Sgt. Bilko on TV. So funny.
Jibe in my little OLD dictionary was a variation for Jib, (the sail). I see that Jayce used Jibe in that sense today.
How many have seen the Downston Abbey previews? I saw them today and heard on the news that it is one of Michelle Obama's favorite programs. She asked for a disk of the new season and they sent it to her. The rest of us will have to wait until January!
Have a great evening everyone
I had a mental image of the tapir's shape and size as depicted, but like Chickie, mine was mono-chromatic gray-black.
All day my librarian ear worm has been this:
Link Librarian
Java Mama: I had to go back to my notes for the answer. Seemed funnier at the time. I must have still been on my first cup!
Cincinnati Legs Ban
Houston Tan Sex
Washington Nerd Kiss
Philadelphia Gas Eel
Miami Nip Holds
New Orleans Ass Nit
Cutting room floor:
Good name for a Mile High City prison basketball.
Good name for a Titletown City wine salesman.
Good name for a Titletown measurement for Noah,
Good name for a Bright Side of the Bay city salutation.
My last trip to the librarian
Library
Fun crossword and fun day on the blog. I think I finally woke up today since returning home. Got cities right away and soon realized the end was anagrams. Melissa, enjoyed " Librarian Song " and then all the librarian humor to follow.
BTW, the gallbladder is only the size and shape of a PEAR before a meal. After the meal it is flat. Unfortunately my daughter had to have it removed at early age of 26 yrs as did some aunts and cousins in the family.
Lots of IRENEs, Maureens, Colleens, Aileens, etc on both sides of our Irish families.
PK, the KALE is a dark leafy green vegetable near the lettuce. You have probably seen it as a food garnish in restaurants. I use it when I make Zuppa Toscana like the soup at Olive Garden.
Good evening, everyone!
Seen, liked the LEGS BAN answer! I never would have gotten that one. My alternate answer for Crescent City Butt Complaint = New Orleans STAINS (ewww!)
For all you KALE lovers: Here is a recipe for St. John's Club Kale Soup. BH makes it a couple times a year. I don't care much for kale generally, but I do like this soup. Bon Appétit.
Ced, hysterical librarian link!
Al, yours cracked me up too.
Lois, U R 2 FUNNY!! Luv ya! I have missed your idiotic clever write ups.
Spitz, that kale soup sounds great. There is a very similar-sounding soup at Olive Garden that I've tried and really liked. Your recipe sounds even better.
Michele here..from my phone.i have some swiss chard just about ready to pick. do you think the soup would task good with this in place of kale?
Swiss chard has a much different taste and consistency from Kale. Still, it might be good though. If you like Swiss chard, you probably would like beet greens. They're closer in taste I think.
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