Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit
Theme: Happy New Year - The when, where, and how of the December 31 celebration.
17A. When to don a 40-Down or prepare to throw 11-Down : NEW YEAR'S EVE
62A. Ball-dropping site, or what this puzzle's circled letters form? : TIMES SQUARE
11D. See 17-Across : CONFETTI
40D. See 17-Across : PARTY HAT
Then the visual parts (all the words can precede TIME, and they form a square in the middle):
30A. Extra : SPARE. Spare time.
45A. In the area : LOCAL. Local time.
30D. Tee size : SMALL. Small time.
31D. No better, no worse : EQUAL. Equal time.
Argyle here today. How ya' feeling? I hope you are well enough to appreciate this gem. That visual in the middle is what got this published; took it from OK to GREAT. Maybe it should have been on Monday, the actual New Year's Eve and Monday's "Oh Oh" would have been right for Tuesday.
Across:
1. Telescope parts : LENSES
7. On hiatus : IDLE
11. Metered vehicle : CAB
14. Develop gradually : EVOLVE
15. Landing place : QUAY. For boats or Capt. "Sully" Sullenberger.
16. __ Miss : OLE. (University of Mississippi)
19. Lakers' org. : NBA. (National Basketball Association)
20. Former "Grand Ole Opry Live" network : TNN. (The Nashville Network)
21. GPS suggestion : RTE.
22. Phrase on a diet food label : LESS FAT
24. Has the mike : IS ON
26. Big galoot : APE
28. Confident crossword solver's choice : PEN
29. "Parks and Recreation" actor Rob : LOWE
32. Bluesman Redding : OTIS
34. Pinnacles : ACMEs
36. Airline with a kangaroo on its logo : QANTAS
38. Interpret without hearing : LIP-READ
41. Thai or Chinese, e.g. : CUISINE
42. Dental layer : ENAMEL
43. Memorable Texas mission : ALAMO. "Remember the Alamo!"
44. Longfellow's bell town : ATRI. A copy of the poem. Link.
47. Auditioner's goal : ROLE
51. Sci-fi film extras : ET's
52. __ Moines : DES. Iowa.
53. Close with a bang : SLAM
54. Met secretly : TRYSTED
57. Entertainer Zadora : PIA. What ever happened to Pia Zadora? Ask the flying monkey. Strange web site.
60. Add to the soundtrack : DUB
61. Sigh of pleasure : [AAH!]
65. Victrola corp. : RCA
66. Port east of Tangier : ORAN. Map.
67. Thrust forward, as with a sword : LUNGED
68. Baseball great Mel : OTT
69. Hang in the balance : PEND
70. Stands in studios : EASELS
Down:
1. Legume used in the Indian dish dal : LENTIL
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2. Despite all that : EVEN SO
3. "Take it easy!" : "NOW, NOW!"
4. Shrewd : SLY
5. At any time : EVER
6. Ticket specification : SEAT
7. Mensa figs. : IQ's
8. One settling a score, in olden days : DUELER
9. Bathe : LAVE
10. Watches suspiciously : EYES
12. Greek's neighbor : ALBANIAN
13. Wiped out : BEAT
18. Cut with a scythe : REAPED
23. Program interrupters : SPONSORS
25. Close call : NEAR MISS
27. Faux __: blunder : PAS
33. Opposite of NNW : SSE
35. Average average : CEE
37. Prepare to shoot : AIM
38. Country expanse : LEA
39. Work together : INTERACT
41. Purse fasteners : CLASPS
43. Hotshot : ACE
46. Extra one who's "out" : ODD MAN. The square peg in with all the round ones.
48. Golden years : OLD AGE
49. Leafy crown material : LAUREL
50. Sets securely (in) : EMBEDS
54. Polynesian tuber : TARO. Related to oca. Interesting site about root vegetables.
55. Sporty sunroof : T-TOP
56. The Auld Sod : EIRE
58. King Kong's home, e.g. : ISLE. (Skull Island)
59. Turquoise hue : AQUA
63. Close : END
64. Young __: tots, in dialect : 'UNS
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
1) Don came up with this wonderful theme. Isn't he a genius? The grid went through a few revisions. Below is my favorite skeletal grid. Rich thought it's a bit complex for an early week puzzle, esp the leap from the isolated X to "Times sign" to Times Square.
2) Thanks for the support in 2012. I wish a happy and healthy 2013 to all of you!
1) Don came up with this wonderful theme. Isn't he a genius? The grid went through a few revisions. Below is my favorite skeletal grid. Rich thought it's a bit complex for an early week puzzle, esp the leap from the isolated X to "Times sign" to Times Square.
2) Thanks for the support in 2012. I wish a happy and healthy 2013 to all of you!
92 comments:
Greetings!
Happy New Year to all!
Great puzzle, CC and Don; swell expo, Argyle!
Lots of fun!
Cheers!
Morning, all (and Happy new Year)!
Aside from a couple of minor bumps in the road (ATLI, QUAY), this was a pretty smooth solve for me. I had no idea what was going on with the starred clues until I finally hit the theme resolve at 62, but when I did I thought it was brilliant.
Happy New Year from beautiful Ulster County ("Where the Catskills meet the Hudson").
A typical Tuesday puzzle. Or so I thought until I read the write-up. The larger square and the small square completely eluded me. Very clever! [8:35]
And now, please, a short survey. All day yesterday I listened to people on the radio talk about the old year and the new year. So how do YOU pronounce it?
1. two thousand (and) thirteen
2. twenty thirteen
What a great start to a New Year! Thanks, Don and CC.
Thank you, CC, for this wonderful blog site. I have truly enjoyed it this past year. And of course, thanks to Argyle for all the early in the week, reviews.
I did the puzzle last night before bed. I wondered about all the circles as I started. It was easy and fun, except I had to WAG for the R in Oran, as I didn't know Eire, either.
Grandson flies Qantas to travel between his grandparents. Montana daughter spent last evening in Times Square area with new friend from Australia. They kept us updated by text and Facebook of their activities.
Hope 2013 is a great year for us all,
Montana
Wonderful New Years puzzle Don and C.C.! I hope you all have one!
Good morning all. Early to bed, early to rise. Couldn't make it past 9:30, as much as I tried. Up by 4 AM as usual.
A collaboration by Gail and Bruce yesterday, and another by CC and Don today. How neat is that ? A great theme puzzle for today. that center area was amazing. Loved it, loved it, loved it. I suspect it would have bit a bit too hard for a Monday puzzle. Especially with intersecting answers like Lave / Quay, two 10 letter fills, six 8 letter fills and a number of 6 and 7 letter fills. And ATRI as Longfellow's Bell Town. And all of this time I thought only Hersey had a Bell Town...
Got off to a rocky start by typing PRISMS (doh) at 1A, proved by the esses at 4 and 6 down. Moved on. Took a while with the good cluing, but finally got back to the NW and took out prisms and put in LENSES.
Many favorites in this puzzle. Where does one get ALBANAIAN CONFETTI ? Can we get some LESSFAT CUISINE around here ? How can I INTERACT, seriously, while wearing this PARTYHAT ? He claimed to have LIPREAD PIA, even though the LENSES covering his EYES were covered in ENAMEL. Honey, ODDMAN Rob LOWE ISON TNN. QANTAS had a NEARMISS and LUNGED... Today's headlines brought to you by LOCAL SPONSORS....
Argyle, great job kicking off the New Year ! Enjoyed the Pia Zadora link and catching up on her. At the time, I wondered what all of the fuss was about with her as I thought her neither attractive nor talented. I also bookmarked that Cooksinfo website and learned about Hogmanay. Neat.
Al, for me, Fourteen Ninety Two, Seventeen Seventy Six, Nineteen Eighty Four, and Twenty Thirteen.
Good Morning Argyle and friends. Well, we are certainly starting the new year of 2013 off right with an excellent puzzle by Don G and CC B! I loved all the Qs that helped to make up this puzzle.
Good morning everyone,
Thanks to Don G & CC, a wonderful start to the new year. Same slow downs as Barry, otherwise pretty smooth solve.
I say Two Thousand Thirteen, last year was Two Thousand Twelve.
Boring New Years Eve.... the flu I've been battling for the past couple of weeks came back big time yesterday. Doing much better today.... so far.
Let me join in the shout -- Happy New Year! And the hits just keep on comin' -- congrats, Don Hard-G and C.C. Great work. I saw SMALL change and SPARE change and wondered what word EQUAL and LOCAL would pair with. D'oh!
My only misstep was INK/PEN. Otherwise it was smooth top to bottom. Don't know if you knew it, but QUAY is pronounced KEY. Back in the day our aircraft carrier tied up at the quay wall at North Island, just across the bay from San Diego.
Hand up for twenty thirteen. The single-digit years like 2001 were two thousand one, etc. Then came twenty ten.
Rabbit, rabbit...
Good morning Argyle, Don G., C.C. et al.
Wonderful puzzle and write-up today! I almost filled in the longer theme entries as soon as I read 17-Across. But I did wait for a few perps. Then the square in the middle made sense, and I just waited to see what kind of "times" would put this one over the top. Brilliant!
Al Cyone, hand up for "twenty thirteen." But unlike desper-otto, I really had fun calling 2001, "twenty-aught-one."
Just finished reading the "late" (after 2:30 PM) posts from yesterday...
TTP, I did run a full scan of my ancient PC yesterday -- it didn't find anything but a few cookies. I tried Pinto's links about Minnesota Nice again this morning. Couldn't view the first one due to missing plug-in, but the other two worked just fine. No warnings. I think those Minnesotans learned it from the folks in Wisconsin.
Bill G, my bike rides are never that interesting or uplifting. The occasional loose German Shepherd nipping at your pedals does get the blood pumping, though. PK's comment about your bike ride was priceless.
Happy New year all Nice puzzle CC and Don, and a great write up Argyle.
Al, love ulster county went to the mountain house for vacations for about 10 years, and there is a nice farm store on the road outside of new paltz I used to stop at on my way home always had really nice melons and other friuts and vegatables.
What a nice surprise to start the year off with a DonG/CC collaboration! And good to see you back in the saddle this morning, Argyle.
A bit crunchy for Tuesday, but entirely doable. Quay and Lave, specifically. I couldn't sleep, so the paper hadn't arrived yet, and I printed it from here and solved sans benefit of the circles. Didn't get the center square significance until I reread the clue for 62A a few times. But really enjoyed that extra layer once I figured it out.
It's a 7 degree morning with a couple inches of new snow here on the plains. We're looking forward to the noon bowl, with a crock pot full of ham and bean soup cooking since last night. I'll be happy if the Cornshuckers don't embarrass themselves. Not sure what to think of the 9 point line.
I can switch hit on the year pronunciation poll now that it's beyond 2010. But in the aught years, I never felt comfortable with either method. Nothing sounded right.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Don G. and C.C., for a great New Year's puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the great review. Glad you are back.
Al: I call it twenty hundred thirteen. That's my fraternity.
I started South today. Worked my way up. Had few problems.
Really enjoyed 28A PEN. That is my tool of choice. I do have a few write-overs, however. So be it. I still like a pen. It causes me to be more thorough when mentally debating answers.
If I had not read 47A as Auctioneers, instead of Auditioners, I would have had one less write-over. Fixed to ROLE from SALE.
Of course I blundered into 17A and wrote in NEW YEAR'S DAY. Another write-over. Fixed that to EVE.
Liked the theme and the square in the middle. Clever.
I am still ill with a chest cold. We cancelled out on our party with friends last night. We were in bed by 10:30 PM.
New Year's Day traditional dinner for us. Roast pork and sauerkraut. Mashed potatoes. Applesauce. A few brewskis to go with. Wow!
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Forgot to mention, I read the entire poem that Argyle provided. Atri, Longfellow. What a great story. Good for the horse!
Abejo
Happy New Year everyone. I think I know the REAL reason Argyle and C.C. switched the Mon-Tue blog intro.
I did this with PEN and ink so 28a was a gimme. What a nice way to start a new year of solving with a Don/C.C. offering. Got the theme words easily enough but was trying to suss anagrams out of the 'square' but it was not necessary. Only other pause was assuring verb tense agreement of 'cut' with REAPER. We used a REAPER and Binder on our farm prior to about 1946. I liked seeing QUAY - so much nicer sounding than 'wharf'. Had to remember that QANTAS has no 'u'. A hearty BZ to Don and C.C.
Welcome aboard to CanadianEh and Jimmy Graham.
Easy to get cross references, a fun center gimmick and early week fill (not sure I would have gotten the X in the bottom experimental grid). What a way to start the New Year! Thanks Don and C.C.!
Musings
-I told my kids if they allow them to put a PARTY HAT on me in the nursing home, they’re out of the will
-The networks never give Mountain LOCAL TIME for their shows. Do you get TV out there, Montana?
-Galileo changed the world with his telescope LENSES
-That talking GPS can be annoying/persistent if it doesn’t know a bridge got wiped out last night.
-Some embarrassing moments have occurred when someone did not know the mike IS ON
-The 1933 APE movie King Kong on the ISLE remains a marvel even now
-My choice is a #2 Ticonderoga and not a PEN.
-It’s 7°F here; I’d rather be here with OTIS
-If you head east out of Omaha on I-80, it’s 2 ½ hrs before you get to a city of any size - DES MOINES
-I had forgotten the PIA story, Argyle. What a fun link in your always good expo.
-Can anyone else see where “NOW, NOW” could also be the opposite of “Take it easy”?
-STUB HUB will get you a SEAT, but prepare to pay 2 – 10 times face value
-I agree with Joe, I’d lay the 9 and bet Dennis’s Dawgs and hope I lose the bet. Common sense can trump loyalty.
-What great, recent movie had a young man investigated for signing with step-mom’s alma mater OLE MISS at the end?
Post script
-It’s twenty thirteen for me but I always say/said Two Thousand One because of Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick. BTW, I was not born in one thousand nine hundred and forty six; it was nineteen forty six ;-). I hope this year is a good one for everyone here, especially those of you with medical issues you and your families face.
-Let the Rose Parade begin!
Desper-Otto, I scanned this morn with no issues detected. Then watched each of those Minnesota Nice videos again. Then scanned again No probs.
Glad you mentioned the Chrome warning. Am not sure when I picked up that Trojan. It must have been very recent. It's removed, and I updated Java to the latest level as part of the recovery.
Thanks for a great puzzle.. Enjoyed 64 down clue..
Happy new year..
Ben Franklin said, "Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man."
Happy New Year! Nice to see you back, Argyle.
What a great way to start twenty-thirteen! C.C. and Don G. with TIMES SQUARE! They deserve the LAUREL crown!
It was almost a speed run, more like a speed walk, though. One write over, PAPER HAT before PARTY HAT. TRYSTED and ET changed that.
OLD AGE may be called the golden years, but in fact tarnish, in the form of health problems sets in very quickly.
Hondo, I'm sorry to hear you are ailing. Be well soon. That goes for all you who are under the weather.
In Spanish the years are fully pronounced; to shorten it would sound very strange.
Have a fantastic day, Everyone!
BTW, my Norton security system automatically scanned the computer and cleared it of any malware. There were in fact, several.
I actually knew everything in this gem of a CW today! I still needed a perp however to prompt a write-over for INK/PEN. but that was all. Lots of fun!
I wish you all a wonderful 2013 and thank all the bloggers and especially C.C. for continuing to create this friendly atmosphere for us all.
Good morning:
A very Happy New Year to all. I hope 2013 (Twenty Thirteen) brings good health, happiness, and peace.
My Cruciverb did not have any circles so imagine my surprise and delight coming here and seeing what our Dynamic Duo achieved with this terrific puzzle. Many kudos, Don and CC, for starting the year off with a resounding bang! Welcome back, Argyle, and thanks for the expo.
Not only did I stay up to see the ball drop at Midnight, but I then ordered The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel from On Demand. Watched it until about 2:30 am when all of a sudden my tv's sound became so garbled you couldn't understand a word. All channels were affected. I checked this morning and everything is normal, so I'll watch the movie later.
HG-The Blind Side?
Have a great first day of the New Year!
Rabbit rabbit.
Hello Puzzlers -
An amazing grid design from the veteran DGCC team! Just enough pepper in the puzz to keep it from being a run-away.
Hand up for saying Twenty-Thirteen.
Wow, this reply box is really buggy today, at least on the iPad.
Happy New Year, All!
Husker - I forgot to put in "The Blind Side" with Sandra Bullock. It's one of those movies I'd never have seen if it weren't for Netflix.
Happy New Year, Everyone!
Loved this C.C. and Don creation - so clever - and sailed through with no problems. My only slow-downs involved verb tenses that threw me off a bit, i.e., 'Thrust forward' - LUNGED and 'Cut with a scythe' - REAPED.
~ A great write-up as always, Argyle!
~ QANTAS always reminds me of the movie RAINMAN.
~ HG ~ LOL at your NOW NOW comment. Yeah, I can see it.
Wishing all at the Corner a peaceful, happy, and healthy twenty-thirteen!
Ooooh, circles! I took one look at this puzzle in the paper this morning, saw it was from Don and C.C. and knew the New Year was going to get off to a good start. A total delight from beginning to end with the terrific themed answers and TIME SQUARE in the middle. Ironically the only word that gave me trouble was PEN for the confident solver's choice. You can guess that I do mine in pencil, can't you?
Argyle, great pic of the laurel wreath. TTP, the narrative you wove around those theme answers was totally hilarious.
And Hondo and Abejo, I hope your flu and cold get better soon. It's no fun to be sick on a holiday.
Finally, glad I learned to call the new year TWENTY-THIRTEEN--a lot quicker than two thousand thirteen.
Have a great New Year's Day and a great New Year, everybody!
Pinch, Pinch ...
Happy New Year, Twenty-Thirteen!
This is my FAVORITE puzzle of the year. (Somebody had to say it!)
Thank you, Don G. & C.C. & Argyle, Nice write-up & links.
Dang, I forgot to Remember the ALAMO.
Well, I made it through 20 "toasts" yesterday(today) ... but I faded before the West Coast had its celebration.
Cheers !!!
Rabbit, rabbit
I cannot imagine a better way to begin 2013 than with Don G. and C.C.
The theme is creative,the cluing great and Argyle the perfect foil.
BUT Antonio nice to see you.
twenty thirteen for me.
-Fantastic puzzle, Don and CC. I loved the TIMES SQUARE in the center.
-Argyle, your blog was very informative. I enjoyed the article on root vegetables.
-Although I have often had ATRI in puzzles, I never before read the Longfellow poem. Thanks. It is now one of my favorites.
-HG @ 9:07, I had the same thoughts on NOW NOW. It all depends on tone of voice.
-Lucina at 9:45 I agree about the Golden Years. For me the Golden Years are the years between retirement and disabling health issues. I think I am still in them, except for my creaky knees. My most golden years were the four years after retirement when I baby sat my grandson 3 days a week – the most precious years ever.
-My solving style is better adapted to paper. I use PEN because of my eyesight, even on very difficult puzzles, where I may need write-overs. Pencil is too faint.
-I wish a happy, healthy 2013 to all.
fun puzzle, didn't have the circles so appreciate the blog to show the other theme. Happy New Year!
YR:
I know what you mean. I also took care of my newborn granddaughter until she went to preschool. It was a good time.
She is now sixteen.
I wish all the Cornerites a healthy, safe and prosperous New Year!
Off to lunch at a friend's home.
Happy New Year Argyle, C.C., and all Corner cronies,
Off to a great start in two thousand thirteen (sounds more historic)with the trio of C.C., Don and Argyle.Loved the grid, and was able to get the theme early to speed the process. Had to change oaf to ape, and paper to party.Our family knows those hats well, and will add one more in July.
Are atri and Oran ones I should have memorized by now? No problem; good perps.
Thanks for being here each day; this really is a special group.
"BTW, my Norton security system automatically scanned the computer and cleared it of any malware. There were in fact, several."
Norton is a waste of money. Use Spybot (and install its "Resident"). It's free, and you'll never have problems again.
Lucina and YR, I too think the greatest joy of our Golden years are our grandchildren.It has put a BIG dent in my blogging time. LOL!
Bill, I thought all men could spot a ho ho ho a mile away. ;)
Morning all,
Just wanted to wish everyone a happy , healthy and successful new year , may god grant you all your wishes.
Special thanks to CC and the blogging team for all you do.
Twenty - thirteen , if I can shorten it even more I would !
It's Time to NowNow and play with the kids.
Good morning and a happy and healthy new year to all you new corner folks, as well as the not-so-new folks! (Old folks? NEVER!)
Thank you CC, Don, Argyle and all the rest of the dedicated bloggers and constructors. You all do a bang up job.
I wouldn't have gotten the "square" without the write-up this a.m. Boy, I'm thick headed some times.
Two thousand thirteen, for me. Anybody cooking black-eyed peas today?
PS - I received an email from our long-lost Dodo right after Christmas. She spent the holiday with family and was just going to sit down with a pinch of Scotch. (It might have had something to do with spending time with the family...just sayin'. LOL) She's a hoot.
Thank you Don. G. and C.C. for a very nice, interesting and appropriate puzzle. Thank you, Argyle for your always charming commentary.... I especially liked your links to Pia Zadora and Longfellow's poem.
My wife is home today, .... a Tuesday,..... so I gave her a chance to solve one clue in the Xword - Legume used in Indian dal. She guessed, then I guessed, and then we both gave up and I did all the perps, and got the answer. 'Lentil', was a disappointment. Lentil is a whole genera - class of legumes, of which 95% have never been known in the Indian sub-continent. The correct answer would have been - Toor dal ( pigeon peas), Masoor dal, Urad dal (Black bean - ) , Mung dal (Mung peas)etc. But crosswords go by a different set of rules, I guess.
BTW, the word, lentil is indeed used colloquially for 'toor dal', BUT only in 'Indian English'. I don't know if that qualifies. Anyway, enough about the nit.
The wife and I went out late last night looking for our first (replacement ) TV in 20 years. I was surprised to find that the TV's have become 'Smart', ( - presumably 'smarter' than the viewers, who IMHO, have steadily deteriorated - ). Needless, to say, we were overwhelmed, and made no decision. Perhaps we need a MENSA consultant.
Have a great rest of the year, you all.
Happy New Year everybody!
I enjoyed the puzzle and writeup though I didn't have any circles on the Chicago Tribune version.
I was watching the Rose Parade, about 25 miles from here. I've never camped overnight so I could get there early and watch it in person. We have driven up to Pasadena afterward and looked at the floats when they are parked.
JD, I did spot her pretty far away. I just wasn't sure of her intentions. She certainly knew how to dress to get attention...mine anyway.
Happy New Year! It's twenty thirteen for me; it's just faster and easier. The aughts were either or.
A treat to start the year with a puzzle from C.C. and Don, and Argyle's commentary. I goofed when I put a "u" in QANTAS (with a PEN). I didn't pick up the relationship of the four words in the square, but really enjoyed it after Argyle's explanation. Thank goodness for this blog, or I would miss so many nuances...and quite a few downright obvious things!
Glad to hear that Tinbeni is okay today!
Thanks, Don & CC for a great puzzle to start the New Year.
I am like Desper-otto, Two thousand one & Twenty Thirteen.
In my extensive international busziness travel I only flew QANTAS once, in 1984. It was from London to Sydney with stops in Bahrain andSIngapore. It was fantastic.
Interesting cross of lenses and lentil, as the word lentil comes from the same root as lens and is so named for its lens-like shape.
Thanks for introducing me to this Longfellow poem. Not one I knew. The puzzle was nice to do in pen...
A group of people sitting at a table when a man turned to another and asked what's your IQ ?
The man answered 187
Wow , you must be a brain surgeon?
As a matter of fact I am
Asked another , how about you?
The second man answered 180
Wow , you must be an astronaut ?
Yes I am
Asked another man , how about you ?
The third guy answered 45
Oh , how many cars did sell last month ?
Super clever, scrabbly and perfectly themed New Year's puzzle. Made me want to put on a PARTYHAT, blow a horn and toss some CONFETTI!
3 Q's!
Don & C.C. definitely know how to eloQuently ring in the New Year!
I initially had trouble seeing 47A "Auditioner's goal" as ROLE 'cause I misread the clue as Auctioneer's goal. Silly me!
My first three of the year:
A three-legged dog goes into a saloon, sidles up to the bar, looks the bartender in the eye and says "I am looking for the guy that shot my paw!"
Two guys heppen to be sitting next to each other at a bar. First one says to the other, "I drink to forget. How about you?" Second one replies, "Me too. Why do you drink?"
A duck walks into a bar and asked the bartender, "Have ya got any duck food?" Bartender says, "No we don't have any." A little while later, the same duck walks into the bar and again asks the bartender, "Have ya got any duck food?" "No, I told ya, we don't have any." A third time, same duck, "Have ya got any duck food?" Bartender says,"No,and if you come in here and ask me again, I'll nail your bill to the bar!" The duck comes in one more time and asks, "Have ya got any nails?" "No," is the bartender's answer. "Well, then," says the duck, "Have ya got any duck food?"
A Los Angeles Dodger races into a bar. The bartender throws him out.
Wees, ink before pen, & i cannot write in a Q without automatically adding a "U", so i had 2 inkblots. But unfortunately for 20A i put TNT, which gave me 3D Take it easy = nowtow??? nownow never came to mind.
I cannot pass up 24A, has the mike = is on without linking Leslie Neilson!
An Irishman walks out of a bar. Hey, it COULD happen!
A dyslexic walks into a bra....
I agree with YR about the PEN being easier to read on newsprint; much better contrast. If I print out the crossword onto white paper, I find a #2 pencil works well enough.
Did you know there are only 4 common words in the English language which end in 'dous' ? (They are: hazardous, horrendous, stupendous and tremendous).
Did you know 'Bookkeeper' and 'bookkeeping' are the only 2 words in the English language with three consecutive double letters?
Congrats to C.C. and Don,a good puzzle which became great after Argyle's help!
No circles in mine. "Starred clues"
Forgot to welcome Canadian Eh!!
Hand up for PAper HAT.
Never know if it will be AHH or AAH
Think I posted before, but here is
BRAIN SURGEON
HAPPY NEW YEAR !
Got it - easy enough!
Like many other commenters, I didn't get the point of the circled letters until reading the explanation. Even then I wasn't persuaded of the cleverness until I saw the reference to 62 across. Fact is, I hadn't even read that message because I'd been able to fill in the answer (TIMESSQUARE) without reading the clue.
The very ease of the puzzle caused me to miss its wittiness.
Thanks, pas de chat - loved the Brain Surgeon sketch!
-- Oh, and my vote is for twenty-thirteen, although I'm never sure what's going to come out until I actually say it. Same for either/Either, etc.
Great start to the new year! A Tuesday puzzle from C.C. Don G. that gave me some pause in a lot of sections and now I see we're back to bar jokes. Soooo.....
A giraffe walks into a bar. "High balls are on me!"
Two guys are sitting at a bar. One guy says to the other, "Do you know that lions have sex 10 or 15 times a night?". The other guy says, "Damn, I just joined the Rotary Club."
So a guy walks into a bar after a round of golf and sits down at a table opposite a flashily dressed blonde who says to him" I'm a hooker" and he says "well, if you turn your hands on the shaft a little bit to the left... you'll tend more towards a slice.
Qli,
No. Actually Cantonese and Mandarin are pronounced very differently. Movies made in Hongkong, where Cantonese is spoken, have to be dubbed when released in mainland China. Jayce here on the blog speaks Mandarin, his wife speaks Cantonese, but they can only communicate in English.
Gary, it doesn't seem as if the game is going your way. I'm sorry. Being from Cornell, I'm used to being disappointed at football games. No football scholarships in the Ivy League. But then again, Cornell didn't always do so well against other Ivy League schools either. Ice hockey was a different story. But then, I didn't enjoy hockey that much.
Spitz, your list of 'ous' words seemed OK to me until I thought of doing a Google search. How about Abstemious? Adulterous? Adventurous? Ambidextrous? Amorous? ... Zealous?
Happy New Year (twenty thirteen) all. Thanks for the warm welcome. Great puzzle today - completed (in pen) after a short 3.5 km (2 miles for you Americans!) cross-country ski in the park. Beautiful sunny day at -6C (21F). Loved the theme and squares. Thanks Argyle for the great explanations. Watched the ball drop in Times Square on TV last night. Was in Niagara Falls the night before for supper and to see the lights, but avoided the huge crowds and had a quiet New Years Eve with friends. Yes I'm really in Canada and the Corner is international. Granddaughter loves lentils (her Mom was born in India and started her on lentils and rice for practically her first solid food).
Bill G - - I mentioned only 'dous' words.
Did you know the dot on top of the letter 'i' is called a tittle?
P.S. Anybody know why there is no U in Qantas?? based on local dialect??
Found the answer (don't you love Google!) QANTAS stands for Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Service which was the name of the fledgling airline which grew to become international.
Spitz: Oooh right. D'oh! Sorry!
No I didn't know about tittle. It's a little factoid similar to aglet that I enjoy knowing. Thanks for the info. So if you're known for having dotted all of your I's, you're Tittledous?
Good afternoon, Argyle, C.C. and gang - damn fine puzzle today as we always get with the Dynamic Duo, and the theme was superb. I got through it pretty quickly, but I did manage an inkblot when I hastily wrote in TIMESQUARE.
'Victrola corp.' made me smile, thinking of their corporate symbol, Little Nipper. I mentioned before that my dad worked for RCA for several decades, and as I was growing up, we had beagles successively named Nipper, Skipper and Tipper.
An absolutely spectacular day here in Boca - I got to sit on the lanai (80 out this afternoon) and watch Georgia pull out a hard-fought win. Gary, the Huskers played well; it was an excellent game. Sorry, Bill G.
CanadianEh!, Jimmy Graham, welcome to the best blog online - just a great group of people.
Let's see if we can get through the entire year with everyone staying well and injury-free. Day at a time.
Happy New Year! When I read the constructors names and saw the circles, I was filled with happy anticipation for something special. I wasn't disappointed. Not a speed run but doable and fun.
Great expo, Argyle! Hope yesterday was a nice time.
I almost had a miss-start with 1A as "mirror". Didn't write it in though.
The difference in form for 3D would be the punctuation: NOW!! NOW!!
Klilly, I was shocked that Ben Franklin would advise us to "let the New Year find you a better man". Did he think we girls are going to be unfaithful or promiscuous? I, for one, am not going to comply!
Spitzboov: You have REAPEr? That would leave you with LIP REAR, not a good mental image.
Anonymouse: before I bought my new TV, I read all the newspaper ads on them. I had never bought one myself and mine on the farm was 40 yrs. old. The ads gave me some idea of what was available so I
could talk more intelligently. I bought what I could afford at the time.
So far, the best puzzle of the year!
Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if it holds that position for the next 52 weeks. Fabulous idea and perfectly executed.
Belated kudos to C.C. and Dennis for their NYT acceptance. That's one hell of an accomplishment. Can't wait til 2015!
CanadianEh!,
"...completed (in pen) after a short 3.5 km (2 miles for you Americans!)..."
What part of North America is Canada in that doesn't make you American ? :)
I get your meaning, but had a friend in Toronto take great umbrage over my usage of "Americans" to mean citizens of the USA. I think it may have had to do with the quantity of Labatt Beers that had been consumed...
Misty, thank you. The words just looked like they needed to be paired.
H-G, Avg Joe, I was pulling hard, but it wasn't meant to be. They played well for the majority of the game. Am happy for NW and watching Wisc / Stan now. I want to see NIU win tonight in the Orange bowl, but...
Time for another kielbasa, sauerkraut and pork sandwich. And a cold beer to go along with it. Same as Abejo.
Spitzboov- The why is there not a dot above Y.A.?
Hola Everyone, What a wonderful way to start off the new year with a great New Year's puzzle from our Dynamic Duo and an expo from Argyle!
A fun puzzle, and after getting new Years Eve, I was able to start filling in some of the other "party" clues.
We watched some of the Times Square activities last evening, but ended up going to bed early, only to be awaked by fireworks and firecrackers from 11:30 until after 1:00 A.M. These weren't just little pops, but huge bangs--5 or 6 in a row followed by smaller bangs, then huge bangs again.
I don't mind people honking horns, and using noisemakers, but I'm almost sure some of the pops and bangs we heard were gun-fire. It has become routine apparently to shoot guns in the air. If a bullet goes up, it has to come down. Dangerous for someone in the wrong place. My soundoff for the New Year.
Have a great day everyone.
Al Cyone, Almost everyone I heard yesterday and today have pronounced the new year twenty thirteen. Last year was twenty twelve. This would be my choice.
Hondo, I hope you are feeling better soon. LOL Tinbeni. This was my favorite puzzle of the year, also.
Stanford has made two touchdowns so far, so I need to go watch the game. Having a local team in the Rose Bowl makes it so much more exciting.
Thank you Garlic Gal for sharing about Dodo. She is one of our specail people. This year our Calif Coven will further our real friendships discovered on this blog. Many thanks to you C.C. for giving us this gift and the gift of virtual friendships as well.
May 2013 be the best year ever for everyone on the Blog.
Garlic Gal @ 1:05, thanks for the update on Dodo…I was just thinking of her today, as I reminisced about all of the wonderful people who contribute to The Corner!
Bill G. @ 3:36, since Spitzboov mentioned “common” words ending in “dous,” I guess “arthropodous” or “mesomyodous” wouldn’t qualify, either!
And I did know about “tittle” and “aglet” (…I have been doing waaaaay too many crossword puzzles!!!)
I thought with the time theme of todays puzzle, it was appropriate to mention the Time Travel protest movement!
PK - REAPEr was a typo. Guess I was concentrating on getting the link down correctly. (I had it correct in the puzzle)
Jerome, that was hilarious!!
Careful with jokes like that, SL/ZCarGuy. A similar one on my part caused a lot of grief a few months ago:-)
But what the hell......Did you hear about the lesbian with a reading disorder? She had lesdyxia.
The Huskers did OK. Not the outcome I'd hoped for at halftime, but it was actually the point spread I expected before the game started. All told a good game.
Glad to see Stanford leading the Badgers!
OK. I'll try this again
A man buys a lie detector robot that slaps people who lie. So he decides to try it out at dinner.
DAD: Son, where were you today during school?
SON: At school *robot slaps son*
SON: Ok, I went to the movies.
DAD: Which one?
SON: Toy Story *robot slaps son again*
SON: Ok, it was A Day with a Porn Star.
DAD: WHAT?! When I was your age, I didn't even know what porn was. *Robot slaps dad*
MOM: HAHA!! After all he is your son, *Robot slaps mom*
Before I read the blog I just wanted to thank the constructors, Don and C.C. on succh a great first day of the year puzzle. I enjoyed this so much. Awoke not feeling well today and this perked me right up.
Loved seeing LENTIL in here and PEN. Learning moment with QUAY and added it to my crossword notebook.
We are eating and relaxing today. I wish everyone here a great year.
Q: Is google a boy or girl?
A: Obviously a girl because it won't let you finish your sentence without suggesting other ideas.
Happy twenty thirteen! Not only a great puzzle, but the bad jokes on the blog here were pretty funny!
This must have been Tin's Morning today.
"I woke up this morning to my neighbor mowing his damn lawn. I was gonna get up and yell at him but I thought, screw it, he can mow around me"
Dennis, I did the same thing you mentioned on 62D.
Speech pathologists teach "speech" reading and the term LIPREAD is considered old fashioned. I enjoyed seeing it in the puzzle however.
Spitz, thanks for the interesting word info. I love doing the word jumbles and these tidbits will help. ACME is one of those old time crossword synonyms you don't see very often anymore.
Argyle, thanks for the links and writeup today. The New Year has you in fine form!
Bill, loving the jokes.
Hello everybody. Busy getting my new computer up and running and configured. It is a lovely present from my wife, whom I love dearly (and she me, I trust). Great puzzle today; very original, clever, challenging, and doable. Best wishes to you all.
Manac, Heh heh.
Michele, thank you. I'm glad you liked 'em.
Pas, funny brain surgery sketch!
Chickie, there are stiff laws around here about firing guns into the air.
There's a Persian restaurant near here that makes great lentil soup. I asked the owner what the seasonings were but he wouldn't tell me.
I just had a nice experience. It was time for my afternoon macchiato. I pulled up to the coffee shop, could see lights inside and one lady was just coming out so I was hopeful. Alas, I tried the door and it was locked. As I headed back to my car, a barista I have become friendly with opened the door and said that they had just made my coffee and his co-worker headed in my direction with a cup. "On the house," he said. They were in the process of closing and cleaning up so I stayed and chatted for 20 minutes or so while they worked. Very nice. I guess it pays to learn people's names and be friendly. Karma?
In 2013 I am turning over a new leaf and I resolve to finish everything I
Chickie and Bill"
Here in AZ the laws about randomly shooting guns in the air are also strict. A young girl was killed a few years ago and the law was subsequently passed in her honor.
Before the holiday police go house to house in certain neighborhoods and pass out flyers with information about that law.
Love the jokes, everyone!
Bill, A Persian restaurant.
Do they offer Barbari bread? We would get it hot, right out of the ovens on the streets of Tehran and it was second to none !! Nothing stateside compared to it IMHO.
Bill and Lucina, The laws here are also supposedly in force. Fireworks and gunfire are banned--but we hear it every Fourth of July and like last night it sounded like a battle outside.
It doesn't seem to make much difference even if there is a law, since nothing seems to be enforced. Supposedly they can tell where the shots come from, but we still hear them. Some people are scofflaws and if they aren't caught, then they continue the behavior.
Even I went back to read my links; they were that good.
I thought some of you might especially enjoy this one. (You know who you are!)
Knock Knock
Who's there?
For
For who?
(pause) Ah..., that should be "for whom." I thought you were an English major.
Timing is everything.
Argyle, very nice.
Argyle, I just went back to read all of your links too. The "Life if Pia" cracked me up.I think her name and possibly her scanty magazine "lay outs" are why we even remember her.
Learned LOTS of new words from root article:corms, crosne, yamagoboo, and still don't get what a swede is..must count its chromosomes!? Fun stuff.
pas de chat..great brain surgeon sketch!!!
Welcome Canadian Eh!Sometimes we get a few international bloggers, which is always a treat.Do you live close to the Niagara Falls area where they make yummy ice wine?
Manac, love your avatar!
Bill, nice story.Somehow, in this growing world of ours, it is hard to get acquainted with the butcher, mailman, grocery clerk, etc.. Our world is always in flux, so it is nice when we do get a chance to get to know those working people in our communities.
JD, I agree it is a nice story and appreciate Bill sharing it. When we have human interactions it makes the world a much richer place. Like this blog. As varied as we are we become friends.
Michele, I'm glad you enjoyed the little macchiato story.
I just looked up Kemah. It looks like a nice little place. Tell me more about it please.
Bill,
For the Texas coast it is a nice community. It has become a "tourist" area for Houstonians however, which has rendered it a crowded area. When I moved here in the late 80's it was a fishing village with Gulf front family-owned eating places. There still are some of these around. One of the many attractions is the Space Center. This area has a high concentration of sailors and thus many marinas. This is what drew me here. My significant other, runs a marina here so we are always around boats. (I used to have a 27' sailboat myself.)
I don't like the weather here much since we have such high humidity. If you ever visit Kemah you want to do so in April or October. The summer months are just too hot.
I hope this gives you a little idea of the the area!
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