Theme: Ear Worm - This Video(4:04) was all the rage when it came out.
20A. *“I’m counting on you!” : "DON'T LET ME DOWN". Title of a Beatles song, could be a theme sometime.
27A. *Nervous Nellie : WORRYWART. I wonder how many will be familiar with this term but I'm not worried. The Word Detective will explain it. Link.
36A. *“By all means!” : "BE MY GUEST"
46A. *Bar’s business booster, in theory : HAPPY HOUR. It's five o'clock somewhere. Cheers!
53A. Singer of the feelgood a cappella #1 hit whose title begins the answers to starred clues : BOBBY McFERRIN
Happy Argyle here. I was half way through a clip when I realized it wasn't McFerrin's, so I linked the original. Sorry about any ad you had to watch.
I wasn't getting the theme until the unifier. And while it seemed a little tough while I was doing it, looking back, it doesn't seem that hard. Some nice down fill and a shortage of foreign words makes me happy.
Across:
Across:
1. Jellystone Park bear : YOGI. He made Mister Ranger worry.
5. Mazda roadster : MIATA
10. Pre-K basics : ABC's
14. Mary Kay competitor : AVON
15. Crop up : OCCUR
16. Female WWII gp. : WAAC. Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, changed to just WAC in 1943.
17. __ ring : MOOD
18. Cub-turned-radio co-host Ron : SANTO. A Chicago Cub legend, who was also a diabetic who lost the lower half of both legs before succumbing in 2010.
19. Thornfield Hall governess : EYRE. From Charlotte Brontë's. "Jane Eyre".
23. Foil giant : ALCOA
25. Chi.-based flier : UAL. (United Air Lines)
26. Rebellious Turner : NAT. Led a slave rebellion before the Civil War.
31. Wind-borne silt deposit : LOESS
33. Set (down) : LAY
34. Suffix with hero : INE. (heroine)
35. Last inning, usually : NINTH
39. Miserly : CHEAP
41. “__ little teapot ...” : I'M A
42. Rank above cpl. : SGT.
45. Unhappy spectator : BOOer
49. Saturn, for one : ORB
50. SoCal ball club, on scoreboards : LAA. (Los Angeles Angels)
52. Teeny-tiny : EENSY
58. Madison Avenue award : CLIO. (for advertising and design)
59. Congo creature with notable stripes : OKAPI
60. Look (like) : SEEM
63. Vocal quartet member : ALTO
64. Send payment : REMIT
65. Sporty car roof : T-TOP
66. Piece of work : TASK
67. Like a Siberian Husky’s ears : ERECT
68. W-2 IDs : SSN's
Down:
1. Thanksgiving veggie : YAM
2. Lacto-__ vegetarian : OVO. A vegetarian who does not eat meat of any kind, but consumes dairy and egg products.
3. One way to relieve pent-up emotion : GOOD CRY
4. Like some pools : INDOOR
5. Majority : MOST
6. Suffix with myth : ICAL. (mythical)
7. OXY target : ACNE. Their website, link
8. “Shame on you!” : "TUT, TUT". Well, tsk tsk if you didn't get it the first time.
9. Bakery lure : AROMA
10. Spellbound : AWED
11. Civil War weapon : BAYONET. Why the Civil War?
12. School fundraiser : CAR WASH
13. Hunting dogs pick them up : SCENTS
21. Aye’s opposite : NAY
22. Novelist Bret Easton __ : ELLIS. 1985 bestseller "Less Than Zero". Any reviews?
23. Shoemaker’s holemaker : AWL. Not Willie Shoemaker.
24. Hawaii’s Mauna __ : LOA
28. Chicken : WIMP
29. Whichever : ANY
30. Aqua __: platinum dissolver : REGIA. Why would you want to dissolve platinum? Wikipedia link.
32. Great Lakes prov. : ONT. (Ontario)
35. Spring tide counterpart : NEAP
36. Quilting party : BEE
37. Ahead of schedule : EARLY
38. Plate cleaner, at times : UMP
39. Top-selling Toyota : COROLLA
40. Tolkien’s Shire dwellers : HOBBITS. The movie is opening next week here.
42. Petrarchan works : SONNETS. Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch), was an Italian scholar and poet.
43. “Good Will Hunting” director Van Sant : GUS
44. Test, as one’s patience : TRY
45. Lynx family member : BOBCAT
46. Unauthorized user? : HACKER
47. “__ out!” : Y'ER. Last of the baseball clues.
48. Stickups : HEISTS
51. Dean Martin’s “That’s __” : AMORE
54. Reserve : BOOK
55. Starlet’s goal : FAME
56. Homer’s “Iliad,” for one : EPIC
57. “Hud” director Martin : RITT. IMDb.
61. Forever and a day : EON
62. AWOLs avoid them : MP's
Argyle
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteMan, this one started off easy enough, but it wasn't long before it veered sharply into the Twilight Zone.
Definitely wanted TSK TSK for 8D. I'm sure TUT TUT is used correctly, but that's not a meaning I have ever used for it before. More "never you mind" than "shame on you." Having ARISE instead of OCCUR in that same area was deadly, and I had no idea who SANTO was.
Other decidedly non-Monday fill today included REGIA, RITT, LAA and OKAPI.
I managed to get it all done in the end, but definitely more of a challenge than I was expecting today...
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Youch! I thought this puzzle was quite tough for a Monday. I needed BOBBY McFERRIN to help me out with some of the starred clues.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite clue was Plate Cleaner = UMP, but I wanted Get Out instead of Y'ER Out, which is what the Ump would say.
Interesting to have AROMA and SCENTS just a few clues apart.
A Zebra is a 5-letter, striped animal in Africa, but apparently not found in the Congo. That would be the Thursday word of OKAPI.
I am still fighting with UAL about my damaged luggage. (which they damaged, then lost, then a week later found, but alleged we couldn't file a claim because we had not notified them within 4 hours after landing. A letter to the UA: President got some action, but I am still awaiting the check.)
William Styron wrote the first person narrative historical novel, The Confessions of NAT Turner.
Aqua REGIA will not be retained in my memory for long.
QOD: Creativity is intelligence having fun. ~ Albert Einstein.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteCruciverb is asleep again today, so far. Most inconvenient for an iPad user.
Used the LAT site instead on an old laptop. Quite a few unknowns for a Monday! Bobby McFerrin seems to have dropped from the radar. He was certainly entertaining in the day. I have a CD of his duets with Yo Yo Ma.
Morning Argyle, I never worried about where Worry Wart came from, but thanks anyway!
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
ReplyDelete"What, me worry?" I caught the themewhen I entered BE MY GUEST. But i also thought it a bit crunchy for a Monday. Exactly WBS.
Have a nice day, everyone, and be happy!
Thank you Amy Johnson, for a nice, relatively easy, my-kind-of puzzle. Really, really loved it. Thank you Argyle, for a scintillating commentary. Loved you Kinder garden link.
ReplyDeleteThe top part of the CW, was relatively easy .... I've worked, (long ago - ) with Acqua Regia, dissolving Gold, but not Pt, so that was a 'gimme'.
I've flown UAL, owned a Corolla, have an SSN and heard about Okapis. But .... The problem was the unifier - I had heard of the song,'Dont worry, be happy', (The Lion King ?),but I did not know the name of the singer.
Also, I had HOOKER for 'unauthorized User' .... and I'm like, how could it be 'unauthorized' ? But it all worked out in the end.
Have a great week, you all, and best wishes.
Happy belated, Birthday Hahtoolah. I just saw yesterday's special, made-to-order puzzle, and I'm definitely going to try it out. Great and Wonderful Marti - You go girl ! Wow, what talent !
ReplyDeleteGood morning everyone,
ReplyDeleteI agree.... this was a difficult Monday. Most of my dilemmas were in the South. Perps helped quite a bit in the Central and the North filled up without too much difficulty.
Knew the song, but BOBBY McFERRIN was an unknown, as was REGIA, RITT, GUS & ELLIS.
Just to make my Monday a true Monday, I'm off to the dentist and his chamber of horrors.
I agree, this was a bit crunchy for a Monday, but perps came to the rescue. REGIA, especially, seems like a late week word. I had HACKER, so OKAPI was easy.
ReplyDeleteMom used to say, Don't be a WORRY WART. BTW, I enjoyed your link for this, Argyle.
Marti, I had fun with Hahtoolah's birthday puzzle.
SPOILER ALERT:
Rather than letter substitution, it was sound substitution - long O for the L sound. I've never seen that gimmick before.CREDO can be pronounced with a long A or a long E. It works with the long A, CREDO/CRADLE.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThis was a nice start to the week even if it was tougher than normal. I tried to over-think too much of it. When I saw a 3-letter Saturn, I immediately penned in CAR. And what kind of SOCAL school is LAA? Los Angeles Academy?
Today I go back to studying for the IRS exams so I can be a volunteer tax preparer next spring. This is my third year, and the exams don't get easier with repetition.
Definitely tougher than usual for a Monday. Had no clue what ear worm meant, had to wiki it. Did not know REGIA and had to look up spelling of okapi. Knew Bobby Mcferrin, but not sure how to spell it, wanted to end it "an" but heist fixed that.
ReplyDeleteEasy Monday puzzle with a few hangups: REGIA, RIT and GUS.
ReplyDeleteRon SANTO was nominated for the Baseball Hall of Fame for several years. Right after he died he was accepted into the Hall.
I liked: 38D Plate Cleaner, at Times: UMP
I saw the film Less Than Zero years ago, but haven't read the book.
Ugh! Another Monday. Hope this week isn't as hectic as last week.
Hi All ~~
ReplyDeleteAgree with those who pretty much sailed through the top part and got bogged down at the bottom. The theme answers were easy enough but I didn't catch on to the theme until the unifier. As Argyle said, looking back it's now easy to see. A wonderful write-up, Argyle - so much good stuff packed in!
~ REGIA AND RITT - unknowns, solved with perps.
~ 55D took three tries - Part/Name/FAME
~ Favorite was 46D - Unauthorized user/ HACKER. Anony Mouse ~ chuckled at your 'unauthorized hooker' comment.
A checkup at the vet for one of my kitties, and some Christmas-y stuff on the agenda for today.
Enjoy your Monday!
Fun Monday morning puzzle once I was able to access it. Had the same trouble as Dudley and had to resort to the laptop too.
ReplyDeleteLove the Bobby McFerrin song, even though it does stick in your head!
Happy birthday Hahtoolah. Good luck with your UAL claim. Have you heard about the viral video by the guy who had his guitar broken by them? He managed to get a LOT of attention!
Hope everyone has a good Monday! (Well as good as one can be.)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo
ReplyDeleteHello, Monday solvers,
ReplyDeleteThanks for rather crunchy puzzle, Amy! Nice write-up, Argyle!
WBS.
Woke up suddenly. Hope to get more sleep or will be too exhausted to drag myself to swim.
Have a good week!
Hi Y'all, My MOOD ring would be jet black after this puzzle. However, I had a MOOn ring, having neglected to go back and check the "pool".
ReplyDeleteThanks, Argyle, for your considerable efforts.
Has anyone actually ever heard anyone say, "TUT TUT"?
I knew BOBBY MCFERRoN, but spelled him wrong. Then for some unknown reason put dEEM not SEEM. The puzzle wasn't at fault, just the solver. I kept looking at HEodTS and thinking it was a brand of sticky notes or something. DUH!
Our local paper came out with a front page story Saturday saying MY bank reported a $12 million loss for the 3rd quarter. Oh gee, Merry Christmas, patrons! Did the story came out Sat. so WORRY WARTS could calm down before Monday and avoid a run on the bank? I've lived through two S&L shutdowns. The deposits are supposedly government insured, but with this so-called "Fiscal Cliff"... I may have to get some AQUA REGIA and start melting down my gold. Not LOL!
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Amy Johnson, for one tough Monday puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the write-up.
ReplyDeleteWell, this puzzle seemed like a Wednesday to me. Got through it, but not a cake-walk.
I bounced around a lot. Several write-overs.
SANTO was easy. Too bad he did not live to see his FAME.
Pencilled in NAME for 55D. Fixed to FAME after I read the review. Did not know BOBBY MCFERRIN.
I saw the movie HUD decades ago. Paul Newman was great. Remembering the Director is beyond my mental capabilities.
Lucina: Left you a note last night. I was a late arrival.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Great video NYTAnonimo!! I certainly hope Hahtoolah has better luck with her claim than the poor guy who had his guitar broken! Here's the link.
ReplyDeleteCrunchy for me too today--I hope the degree of difficulty the rest of this week doesn't match the degree to which this varied from the normal Monday!
ReplyDeleteWEES--top fairly smooth but for NAT and REGIA. Bottom had rough spots due largely to unknowns FERRIN and LAA and my wanting WEENY before EENSY.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Argyle's comments about the difficulty. In hindsight, not so tough. Actually, no searches were needed and had no strikethroughs. The theme was fun; I sussed it near the end. Had to guess at the MCFERRIN spelling. Favorite clue was of the UMP cleaning the plate. Always like to see OKAPI in a puzzle.
I vaguely remember that aqua REGIA is one of the few acids which dissolve the noble metals; a mixture of sulfuric and nitric acids, I think. I suppose one might want to dissolve such a metal if one wanted to plate another metal surface, such as jewelry or switchgear.
Gone fishing
Have a great day.
Such a relaxing walk in the park that I sleepwalked though it.
ReplyDelete"'Less Than Zero'. Any reviews?"
Yes. Pedestrian and repulsive.
Good morning Argyle and Monday crew. WEES. A bit challenging for a Monday, but not all that tough looking in the rear view mirror. Regia and Ritt with the only complete unknowns, but they perped and the other ??? marks came with some mental prodding. Needed the unifier to get the theme, but with that it was clear to see. Enjoyable overall.
ReplyDeleteSpitz that osprey video is amazing! The first catch looked like trout, the third a salmon of some type. But what was the second catch? A halibut maybe?
Oh, and I can't get "Don't Worry" out of my head. And I didn't even listen to the clip in hopes of avoiding it.
I agree; that osprey video is amazing!
ReplyDeleteAlso, that anon should stay anon.
Two directors, OVO, REGIA and trying to make a theme out of the 4 * answers before the reveal was not a gimme. Still a fun run for this Monday offering on a day where the temps are in the single digits.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-My lovely bride is a WORRY WART.
-The guy’s name who took my teaching position here was YOGI Martin. Hey, his real name is Ogden.
-A MIATA in Nebraska winters is a true hog on ice
-MOOD rings and pet rocks OCCURed when I was teaching. There’s one born every minute
-The LOESS Hills are located along the Missouri River 30 miles from here and the pronunciation is always an issue
-In an office POOL you may have to LAY the points
-Being a BOOER at a pro event is okay but being one at a high school game, TUT TUT.
-Every fund raiser CAR WASH I’ve gone to the kids did a lousy job, but of course I keep going.
-We are approaching a new moon, so NEAP tides are two weeks away
-My cold made me a HACKER for a week. TMI?
-Don’t Worry Be Happy was done by Bobby “singing” all the parts and mixing them and it was just fine. But this is my favorite use of that technique where Billy Joel mixes 14 tracks for this wonderful, acapella doo-wop song.
Gary, the Loess Hills of IA are reportedly the second largest such formation in the world. The largest being in China. Among the most fragile soil on earth. Highly erodible! The pronunciation I've always placed the highest reliability on is "less". But that hasn't been without dissent.
ReplyDeleteAnd you can never hear that Billy Joel song in the same way if you have been to the Sidetrack bar when the band was playing.
Great Monday puzzle, Amy--thanks for getting our week off to a good start! And, Argyle, thanks to your pic I finally know what an OKAPI looks like! I've always wondered about those stripes, but knew the critter only from crossword puzzles.
ReplyDeleteLots of clever things in this puzzle, such as adding TUT TUT and DON'T CRY to the overall emotional theme. Plus two cars, MIATA and COROLLA. Great fun!
We're hosting our annual Christmas Party on Sunday, but even though I'm getting it catered in my later years, still have lots of work to do. Wondered why the house looked so drab and then finally remembered I needed to buy some pointsettias!
Have a great week, everybody!
For no apparent reason
ReplyDelete-I have noticed this phenomenon since I’ve reached a certain age and then I ran across this Doonesbury Cartoon which says it all. Ring a bell with any of you? Oh well, don’t worry, be happy!
Good morning and happy Monday to all. Nice puzzle Amy and great write up and links Argyle. I thought the good and mood crossing was clever. I used to sing the Bobby McFerrin song to my mom she was the epitome of worrywart.
ReplyDeleteLater I have an Appt. with a community college advisor DW thinks I have to much time on my hands so I am going to some extended education classes.
Happy Birthday Hatoolah sorry I'm late.
Have a great day to all. RJW
Trickier than a usual Monday, but fun.
ReplyDeleteArgyle: Because muzzleloading firearms were very slow to shoot and reload, more soldiers died at the end of a boyonett than by a bullet in the civil war.
ReplyDeleteAs Spitzboov mentioned one would want to dissolve platinum in order to plate another metal. Dissolving does not make the platinum disappear, it just separates the individual atoms as ions that are free and uniformly dispersed into solution. This allows them to be electrically attracted to another base metal with different properties. Platinum plated metals are used in many different industries I.e. electronics, military, machining, computer circuitry, jewelry.
PS. What is Ear Worm?
ReplyDeleteanon@11:07, I think Argyle's point was that the bayonet was in use almost continuously since the Civil War as well. Hell, even in Vietnam, we were told to 'fix bayonets' in one particular dicey situation. You can't imagine what THAT does to one's pucker factor.
ReplyDeleteanon@11:08, an ear worm is a song that gets into your head and likes it there. Can't get rid of it.
Good afternoon:
ReplyDeleteHad to retrieve the newspaper from the recycle bin when I discovered Cruciverb took the day off, again!
Nice job, Amy, although a little spicier than usual, for a Monday. Had arise before occur and perps solved the unknowns such as Ritt and Regia, and the spelling of McFerrin. Swell expo, Argyle, as usual.
The picture of the okapi reminded me of Sheldon dressed as The Doppler Effect for Penny's Halloween Party.
Have a great Monday.
Re: LOESS -- I have a little trouble with the way loess was clued. It is a wind borne deposit. The inclusion of 'silt' implies a water borne deposit. It's one or the other. Loess was wind-borne. Sometimes termed aeolian or eolian, also great puzzle words. JMHO.
ReplyDeleteAnon, my point (get it?) was the bayonet has been at war since the 17th century, so why the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteAnon, pick a moniker and stick (get it) around.
I just did! This is my first official non-anon blog post. I have posted many times to this blog in the past, but always anon. I never bothered with s Google account... thanks for the dun write ups! They have keep me entertained over the last month while I have been recovering from my second cervical vertinrate fusion.
Delete"Fun" "kept" sorry for the typos.
DeleteRon Santo was a third baseman for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 to 1973 (plus one year with their cross-town rival the White Sox). He was a slugger and a good fielder. The Cubs during that time were terrible early in his career and mediocre later on but never a winner. He was on that same time as Ernie Banks, Ken Hubbs, and Don Kessinger who one year all appear in the starting lineup of the NL All Stars.
ReplyDeleteHe later was a Chicago Baseball Annoucer even though he last the lower part of both legs to diabetes.
This from a Chicago native who lived there then, me.
HAPPY, HAPPY Day!
ReplyDeleteNice speed run today and at first pass filled all the way across but ARISE before OCCUR stopped me for a minute. Didn't know SANTO but it emerged.
I have been a BOBBY MCFERRIN fan since that song appeared and found that he is really a classical music director. He's a greatly talented and well respected musician.
Also wanted OCELOT for striped creature but of course it's too long.
Thank you, Amy Johnson, for a very nice puzzle and thank you, Argyle, for demystifying it.
Thanks, Abejo. I'll have a look.
Have a wonderful Monday, everyone!
For Spitzboov:
ReplyDeletesilt
ironriteguy, congrats on your 'blueness'. Good luck with your recovery from back surgery.
ReplyDeleteI loved listening to Ron Santo in the broadcast booth. Did you know that he wore a toupee?
ReplyDeleteIn honor of today's baseball mini-theme, here some insight to the Hall Of Fame election process.
Hello everybody. Exactly WEES. I agree Bobby McFerrin is extremely talented, and he has lots of charisma to go with it. I spent more time getting sidetracked watching McFerrin videos on Youtube than I spent solving the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteIs LOESS spelled that way because it comes from German Löss or Löß? Never mind, I found the answer already.
Wanted USC at 50A rather than LAA.
Sure enough, after seeing MIATA I put in CAR at 49A, but COROLLA showed me that wasn't it.
We just had EENSY in a DuGuay-Carpenter puzzle recently, didn't we?
Happy Monday.
Jayce @ 12:55, right - clued as "Itty-bitty." Sharp of you!!
ReplyDeleteSpitz, awesome osprey-fishing video. It looked like he almost couldn't carry that last one, it was so huge!! I bet lots of fishermen would love to know where that fishing spot is, LOL!
Ironriteguy, welcome to the corner!
Wiki: Loess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt.
ReplyDeleteHi gang -
ReplyDeleteLike most of you, I found this more difficult than usual, and don't know why.
Took wags at EYRE and HACKER.
With BE MY GUEST, thought the puzzle might have a Disney theme. But that's BE OUR GUEST.
Feel very clumsy navigating the puzzle at the LA Times site. Really makes me appreciate Across Lite.
Glad to see a little baseball in the puzzle.
I'm going to see The HOBBIT with my son and three grandsons some time soon.
Missed my assignment to link Sunrise Serenade the other day. Here it is - though I associate the song with Glen Miller.
Also late - my HBD wish to Hatoolah.
GOOD CRY SONNETS are sad poems.
BOBCAT SCENTS and AMORE AROMA. Not sure what to make of them.
ABC'S are simple TASKS.
No SSN's for YOGI and Booboo.
Cool regards!
JzB
Hi Kids,
ReplyDeleteWelcome Ironriteguy, to the playground.
WAG at ELLIS AND LOESS
Thought OXY was the stuff you add to wash protein based stains out.
Fundraiser ...Bake sale??? Nope
Owned three Corollas and wasn't sure how to spell it.
Liked UMP for plate cleaner.
Managed to get a lousy cold, so singing this past weekend was a challenge.
Good thing I can transpose my keys a whole step lower.
Have a good day, everyone.
AvgJoe, since that 2nd fish seems to have both eyes on the top side, isn't there some kind of walleye like that? Terrific osprey video. Wish we knew where it was.
ReplyDeleteDon't you guys know it is in the MOM'S Legal Contract that she MUST be a WORRYWART? Of course, we keep the contents of that secret when we take the oath. I know of several times when my worrywartedness got my kids out of a bad situation when ol' Dad poo-pooed my concern, but I made him get up and come along. "Ever vigilant" is our Mom's Motto.
HG, re Doonesbury: Women reach the invisible stage earlier even than men. Takes some very high tech grooming to stay visible after 40. I read in the paper this week where two 40+ men got marriage licenses with 23 & 24 yr-olds. They'd have to stay pretty frisky to keep up with those. Must be $$$$
Spitz, that is a great Osprey video.
ReplyDeleteThe fish in question -- isn't it just a flounder?
Am i the only one that had to Google loess? & i did not know i screwed up until i came to the Blog! 7D Oxy target, i put ache? (i was thinking oxy-codin?)
ReplyDeleteDon't follow baseball, Don't know French,,, ( i must be a masochist to do crosswords.)
DNF a Monday, Ouch!
I am sure you have all seen
Don't worry, be happy
but have you seen these Flip Flops?
Sptizboov, that fishing video was awesome! (but i am a little pissed that the bird caught a bigger fish than i ever did!)
NYTAnonimo@8:18 I never saw that UAL video, Thanks!
Welcome Ironriteguy!
Dennis @1535 - Coming from an unlicensed fisherman, it looks like a flounder to me. The pictures on Google look like that.
ReplyDeleteHow about the last fish caught by the osprey? Looks like some kind of salmon.
Loved the fishing link. Spitboov!
ReplyDeleteNext time TALONS appears in a xword, I'll have that mental picture.
CED I WANT those flip-flops !!!!!!
JazzB I went the the Sunrise Serenade link, but clicked on Glen Miller's and got this commercial first:
Airline Commercial
And this is my favorite
Public service announcement
I loved the UAL video and the osprey video. The last fish was so huge I was afraid the osprey couldn't carry it. Outstanding.
ReplyDeleteToday's Cryptoquote was:
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled. -Plutarch
That explains why this blog is so effective. Our discourse over the words and ideas, whether serious or playful, kindles our minds to interact with the words and mostly remember them. What a pleasant way to learn! I know you all light my fire.
Hello yellowrocks,
DeleteI agree with your perspective on the learning (primarily the expansion of vocabulary) from doing crosswords. I am a chemistry teacher at both the high school and college level. As extra credit I allow my students to turn in one crossword per week. My stipulations are that it is the LA Times, is cut from the newspaper, and they work on it with their family at home. I also encourage them to center see me for help as well. I have about 20 of my 150 who do them every week.
Cheers.
OK, looking at Wiki, the primary flat fish are sole, flounder, plaice, turbot and halibut. Plaice are entirely European and turbot are described as being pretty small, so those are prolly ruled out. If you google for pictures of the sole, flounder and halibut, they all look a lot alike. But the Wiki article shows halibut looking quite a little different (more pronounced outer fins). So it can probably be ruled out. Besides, it can get enormous. That leaves sole and flounder, which look very similar. And both have a serious BU factor. Don't know which it is, but it's likely one of them.
ReplyDeleteAs for where that video was shot, I'd lay heavey odds on it being between Seattle and Anchorage, but that's just a wag.
PK, I meant to comment on your observation. When that Doonsbury toon was published a few months back, I seriously related to it. But I hadn't thought about the female equivalency. Excellent point!
ReplyDeleteOK, maybe i am pulling some long shots here. I was not sure how to tie this in with the puzzle (other than acapella) but it was so cute, i knew you guys would love it!
ReplyDelete& then when Yellowrocks said "you all light my fire" i thought maybe, maybe i could add this backpackers Xmas wish! (see more @ biolite campstove.com) imagine boiling water & charging your iphone at the same time!
& last, not apropos of anything...
Dogs.
Spitz:
ReplyDeleteThat fishing video is spectacular! It looks like a flounder to me, but I have only eaten flounder, never seen a live one up close.
Flounder fish and chips!! Yum!
Hello All:
ReplyDeleteThank you for the commentary today. I also thought this a bit tougher than average but enjoyed it nonetheless. Re-learning moment for me was Nat Turner. My Dad would be upset as I had him as my U. S. history teacher in 7th grade so those details should be seared into memory banks.
Enjoyed the osprey link Spitz, and the comic strip Husker (I have many of those moments).
Cold here today! BRRRR.
I'm glad you all liked the osprey. I think sole, flounder and turbot are all very close; all either some kind of sole or some kind of flounder. Turbot is a European flounder; very delicious if you can find it in American fish markets. I highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteIMBO to play some bridge.
Forgot to add my Happy birthday wishes belatedly to Hahtoolah. I hope you had a family filled, loving day.
ReplyDeleteSorry, CED (watch at 3:00)
ReplyDeleteCats RULE
Sheesh! (I just had to say that.)
ReplyDeleteHow very interesting that my linked cartoon drew sympathetic comments from our female residents. Young clerks have been treating me like a persona non grata for years and I thought only those of us with one X chromosome noticed or cared. How ‘bout that? Sexism can be very subtle, can't it?
ReplyDeleteI stand corrected on the fish. I used to go take pictures at an annual walleye tournament 20 yrs. ago. I should have known it wasn't them. I went to Google and figured I had the wrong fish. I've never seen a live flounder. None locally.
ReplyDeleteHow strong must those talons be? For awhile that bird had that last big flopping fish hanging by one talon in a gill, it looked like. You'd expect a "toenail" to break or pull out.
Husker: My first aggravation with invisibility was with my doctor's new young nurse who acted like I shouldn't bother her and the doctor and should stop whining about some rather serious matters.
ReplyDeleteWhat was really funny after my husband died was the men who were asking me out were 10 to 25 years older than I. Couldn't decide if it was because they were half blind or needed someone young enough to be a nurse. Men my age were asking out women 10-25 years younger. Since I wasn't much interested in romance then, I just laughed about it.
I enjoyed the osprey video too. Beautiful photography. I can't help feel a little upset when one animal is about to get eaten by another. When I see a TV show that includes wildebeasts getten eaten by lions, I always have to change the channel. Fish vs. birds of prey, not as bad (unless you're a fish). When I was a youngster, we'd often spend Sundays at my grandmother's place out in the country in Upperville, Virginia. Thinking back, I know it bothered me a little seeing her chop the heads off of chickens though I enjoyed the fried chicken dinner that followed. There must have been some process where they put the chickens in boiling water in order to pluck the feathers off. I remember a pungent unpleasant odor coming from the kitchen later to be replaced by the smell of fried chicken cooking.
ReplyDeleteAverage Joe.... I was thinking the same thing about the fishing location..... have no idea what the middle fish is other than a bottom fish as we would called them.... :) and as for the first ones... ? trout but small... perch ? maybe ? and the last one could possibly be a Steelehead ? don't know of course but they are part of the trout family... and delicious smoked... :)
ReplyDeleteGreat video... good puzzle and write up... thanx to all that put so much effort into this little place to escape to... :)
thelma
Welcome to the blog Ironriteguy. (At least today's post is first I have noted from you.)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and YR. I keep a list of the new words I learn from crosswords. What a great idea to have your students do the puzzle! I used crosswords as a way to re-teach some skills with my head-injured patients and stroke patients. Many times adults would be "insulted" to work on simple words unless I made sure the format was as adult-like as possible. So I often used simple crosswords for them.
Just finished. I could compose a comedy sketch out of the many mistakes I made. I had 3 errors going south thru worry wort. Nae instead of nay wasn't too bad, but I won't mention the others, and regis is not in my wheelhouse.
ReplyDeleteHappy Hour did not happen. I see I still have toy for "test-as one's patience" so I'll have to check the real answer.
Isn't this MONDAY?? I'm an unhappy spectator at the moment,but knowing that tomorrow is another day.
BTW, I really liked alert, instead of erect for 67 A. sigh.