THEME: Oh Gee, no G.
Each of the four theme answers modifies an existing phrase by removing "G" from the first word of the phrase, and then using a sound alike for the remaining letters. A slight variation on last week's punny theme with each of the four changed words losing the beginning G. We have two 10 letter and two grid spanning fill, all of which present nice visual pun humor. The constructor appears new, and other than it perhaps being a man from Orono, Maine (self shout out?) who wants Dunkin Donuts to stop using styrofoam cups, I know nothing about him. Some nice long non-theme fill like PATROLMAN, ARMSTRONG, ARMOR PLATE, etc., I will let you all discuss the rest. So let's see what this Black Bear has left in our woods,
21A. British bathroom plant? : (G) LOO (GLUE) FACTORY.(10). Does everyone call factories "plants?". Some alliteration to start our theme day.
34A. Review July 4th festivities? : (G) RATE (GREAT) BALLS OF FIRE.(15). The rock and roll CLASSIC (1:48) by Jerry Lee Lewis, the only surviving member of the Million Dollar Quartet. He came and played at the Music Hall in Gainesville back in the 70s, A real thrill to watch him play and to meet him
41A. Headline about rudeness in the House of Lords? : (G)EARL (GIRL) INTERRUPTED. (15). Perhaps it was the Earl of Grantham with his maid Jane. I am only two episodes behind now. I did enjoy this MOVIE.(2:50), but the scenes are very disturbing.
54A. Academy for special operatives? : (G) RAID (GRADE) SCHOOL. I would have clued it as Academy for Exterminators.
And the unifier,
70A. Weightless state, and a hint to 21-, 34-, 41- and 54-Across : ZERO Gravity. Actually there are a number of non-theme "G"s in the grid. Is that GGGGGrrrreat? We do not have J,K,Q,V,W,or X.
Across:
1. F. Scott's spouse : ZELDA. I really enjoyed this MOVIE.(2:04)
6. Major NCAA 8-Down : ACC. Atlantic Coast Conference, the home of Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State as well as Florida State and Miami. 8D. Sports div. : CONFerence.
9. Buff : TONED. ladies?
14. Homer work : ILIAD. Not Simpson's job at the nuclear plant, but the 9th Century BCE author of this tome and the Odyssey. The books chronicle the tales of Achilles, the Trojan War etc. Among the earliest extant epic poems.
15. 2014 World Cup final site : RIO. The official SITE. The prelims will be played all over Brazil.
16. Home of the NCAA's Black Bears : ORONO. The state university of Maine, and a shout out to our own Mainiac and Hahtoolah.
17. One keeping a beat? : PATROLMAN. Wicked clever clue, can't beat it, you should drum it into your head..
19. Portsmouth pop : PATER. The Latin for father. Mater, pater, very snobby.
20. Narrow strip : SLAT.
23. Center of attention : STAR. Our sun is a star. The clecho, 38A. Center of attention : IDOL.
25. At that point : THEN.
26. Medical office responses : AHS. Open your mouth and say....Less invasive than "Cough." Just worry when he has hands on both shoulders.
29. Bass player's tool : AMPlifier. Only if he plays the electric bass.
30. "Wheel of Fortune" buy : AN E.
31. Wriggly swimmer : EEL.
39. Man on a mission : AGT. Agent like 007.
40. Disney duck princess : OONA. Not Mrs. Chaplin but a cave woman Duck introduced into the Donald Duck saga. Remind anyone of a famous caveman in comics?
46. Mucky place : STY. Is mucky really a word? Yucky too.
47. Actress West : MAE. She was an original who wrote many of her own lines. CLIP.(1:52)
48. Tool for some summer Olympians : OAR. I bet they are used by the ones who row.
49. Barnyard beast : ASS. It is a real burden to not say something nasty.
50. Home in the woods : LAIR. Do all world animals live in the woods?
52. Summer sunset hour : NINE. It is interesting how that varies from time zones and proximity to the equator.
58. Kuala Lumpur locale : ASIA. So easy, but it took a bit.
62. Long bones : ULNAS. So many choices, even fingers are long bones; they are longer than they are wide.
63. Musician for whom New Orleans's airport is named : ARMSTRONG. Symbol is still MSY. The great LOUIS.
65. Attack from all sides : SIEGE. Hmm, attack?
66. Big name in casual wear : LEE. Just ask Bret Favre.
67. Thomas associate : ALITO. Two of the nine current US Supreme Court Justices.
68. Gave quite a shock? : TASED. This too was from GAINESVILLE.(2:24).
69. In support of : FOR.
Down:
1. Closes, in a way : ZIPS. Especially if you use Ziploc products.
2. Mideast carrier : EL AL. The Israeli airline used to a very common fill.
3. Rocker Ford : LITA. She has done some powerful SONGS (4:39) after starting out along with Joan Jett and others in a made to fit band, the Runaways when she was a teenager.
4. The maximum score with three of them is 180 : DARTS. The center bull's eye is only 50 points, so it from the the triple 20, that you can achieve the highest score. Now explain why 3 darts and we know all.
5. Fuss : ADO. But do not make a big deal about it.
6. Bank truck protector : ARMOR PLATE. Nice 10 letter fill.
7. "Bye!" : CIAO. Chow chow? Those Italians do like to eat.
9. Show with a "Just Desserts" spin-off : TOP CHEF. My dessert would be chocolate covered....
10. Grandstand, say : ORATE. Ehh; to me as a stand alone, the word means either to show off, or a place people sit to watch a game.
11. Absolutely none : NOT ONE IOTA. Another long fill.
12. Steven Chu's Cabinet dept. : ENERgy. As far as I know, he is the only cabinet member to ever have won a Nobel Prize.
13. Small craft : DORY. A handsome craft, it is hunky-dory.
18. Andean creature : LLAMA.
The Lama
22. "...___ additional cost!" : AT NO. Yes, clues revealed and free poetry.
The Lama
The one-l lama,
He's a priest.
The two-l llama,
He's a beast.
And I will bet
A silk pajama
There isn't any
Three-l lllama.*- Ogden Nash
Of course in Boston, a big fire can e a three alllamah.
22. "...___ additional cost!" : AT NO. Yes, clues revealed and free poetry.
24. Looseleaf divider feature : TAB.
26. Pisces follower : ARIES.
27. Went after : HAD AT.
28. They may have twists : STORY LINES. A nice clue for a simple answer.
32. Maritime birds : ERNES.
33. Has followers : LEADS.
35. 90-degree turn : ELL.
36. Clothing catalog choice: Abbr. : LGE.
42. "My aim was off" : I MISSED.
43. Buster : NARC. Never in a million years without the perps, even though the clue/fill are straightforward with one who busts (buster) being a narc.
44. Roller coaster guides : RAILS.
45. Spigoted vessel : URN. The coffee ones, not the Grecian or the one with Aunt Agatha's ashes.
51. Bit of wisdom : ADAGE.
53. Baseball Hall of Famer Combs : EARLE. Probably the least known of the Yankees dynasty in the 20's but he was a great BALLPLAYER. Not related to Robert Crawley.
54. Deteriorate, in a way : RUST.
55. Et ___ : ALIA.
56. Word seen twice on some dairy cartons : HALF. Do you us Half and Half or powdered stuff?
57. Dipped cookie : OREO. Got milk? I am lactose intolerant. These two are the dairy section of the puzzle.
59. Évian evening : SOIR. The place in France where night is SOIR with rhymes with NOIR, black
60. Excited by : INTO. I am into words.
61. Dumbfounded : AGOG. They often leave me dumbfounded?
64. Toon devil : TAZ. Tasmanian devils are assimilating.
Well we are off on a new month (January is gone!) today is the anniversary of both my parents and grand parents; time to get ready for Phil. Lemonade out.
Well we are off on a new month (January is gone!) today is the anniversary of both my parents and grand parents; time to get ready for Phil. Lemonade out.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteMade slow and steady progress throughout the puzzle today except in the NE corner where I totally ran into a wall. The entire section was completely blank after everything else was solved and I wondering if I was going to have to turn on the red letter help and start just randomly guessing letters.
I finally got the ACC/CONF crossing, however (after running through the entire alphabet in my head at the last letter of ACC), which gave me LOOF______, and, since I had figured out the theme already, that was enough to let me finally get LOO FACTORY. That really got things going, and I threw down DORY, ENER, ORATE and even TOP CHEF in quick order.
After a little more thought I got NOT ONE IOTA, which finally let me get OONA at 40A. Sorry, but cluing OONA as anything other than "Mrs. Chaplin" is just cruel and unusual punishment, even for a Friday...
[Here's hoping my fourth try with the capcha will work]
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Alex Bajcz, for a swell friday puzzle. Thank you, Lemonade, for the very good review.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing Alex's name is Polish.
I could not sleep, so I got up and started the puzzle with the help of cruciverb.
I could not get started up North, so I headed to the bottom. Got all that and worked my way up.
The theme came easily. Got ZERO G first, then GRATE BALLS OF FIRE.
Had ALII for 55D, then fixed to ALIA.
Liked the long Down answers. They were not too tough once I got a few letters.
OREO sure is popular.
The NW corner was my hold up. Had DIES for 1D and DELLA for 1A. I was getting nowhere. Finally got through it.
When I got up at 4:00 AM, it was 2 degrees. Not sure what the rest of the day will bring, but it has to warm up a bit.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Good morning Lemonade, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteFun write up as always, Lemony! I thought of Alley Oop when I saw OONA the duck. Oh, and thanks for the TONED pic. Hmmmm...I think Paolo from yesterday has some competition today, LOL!
Loved this one, because all the theme entries brought a chuckle when I filled them in. My fav was LOO FACTORY.
I wasn't familiar with LITA Ford, so she was all perps - thanks for the link. In every section of the grid, there were enough familiar entries to help me out with the unknowns. So it's all good!
TGIF...
Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. I had fun with this Friday puzzle. The clue was fun, but some of the clues were corkers! Still, I loved all those long non-theme clues.
ReplyDeleteOne Keeping a Beat = PATROLMAN was my favorite clue.
Thanks for the Shout-Out, Lemonade. It's always nice to see my school in the puzzle.
QOD: I'm not the type to get ulcers. I give them. ~ Ed Koch (RIP, Mr. Mayor)
Good morning everyone,
ReplyDeleteFor once I had to decipher the theme in order to make progress and fortunately I succeeded. There still were plenty of trouble spots that gave me pause. For example, I did not know either ZELDA or LITA,. It came down to a coin flip between the L and N. The L won.
A couple of wrong guesses slowed things down. Started with Policeman before PATROLMAN and 45D went in this order ... Keg, Tun, and finally URN.
The ACC is not as major as the , Big 12, PAC 10 (or whatever the number is today) or the BIG 10 (or......).
Of course there is no malice towards the ACC from this Big East fan either... of course not!
Thanks for the challenge Alex and Lemon, thanks for your fun and informative write up.
Enjoy your weekend. See you on Monday.
EZ Friday. Love the "Downton Abbey" reference.
ReplyDeleteWhoa! Is it Saturday already? Happy February, all. Rabbit, Rabbit! Or is it Groundhog, Groundhog? Guess that's tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI finished this one, but it was a struggle -- particularly in the frozen north with ACC, RIO and CONF. I needed the ZEROG reveal to finally get LOO FACTORY. I'd been thinking more of a potted plant than the manufacturing variety. The long verticals were nice, as were PATROLMAN and ARMSTRONG.
Have a great Friday...
Let me add he SEC to the list of conferences before the South rises again.
ReplyDeleteHated it. Too much sports. Didn't get PATER or CONF (by the way, where is your explanation?)
ReplyDeleteThe theme was easy for a Friday.
Still time in the day for it not to be ruined.
I found the puzzle rather difficult, so many thanks for your explanations, with added humor and poetry, Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteMarti, your prophecy has, alas, come too true. A raccoon turned up and scared the bejeesus out of 'my' feral cats. It then proceeded to hog all the food. I put a small rotiss. chicken in the bowl and it walked off with the whole thing.
Now, I have 2 options:- one, rent a Lynx or a Bobcat, to scare off the raccoon - or, number two, build a 'cathouse', like a birdhouse, with a small opening so only the ferals get entry. Ironically, the raccoon fur is cuter than the cats' .
Lemonade, all the animals don't live in the woods, they all seem to be turning up on my front doorstep.
TGIF
This was a trek for me. Started out with El Al and Iliad, but bogged down quickly. Bounced around and got a few...Armstrong, Taz, Leads. First theme fill happened when I had enough perps to wag Rate Balls of Fire, then I could get the unifier since I already had the Z. Was very hung up on 21A because I had Loofa and thought that might be the "plant". So, it was a slow crawl to the finish, but an enjoyable one.
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday Everybody! Now if we could just get a few more degrees on the thermomoter things would be great.
ReplyDeleteI liked this puzzle. The first theme answer I got was RATE BALLS OF FIRE. That opened things up quite a bit.
I enjoyed seeing ORONO and OONA clued differently.
My favorites were:
- 43D: Buster: NAC
- 56D: Word seen twice on some dairy cartons: HALF
I tried PATROL COP (instead of MAN), and I was thinking of flora for the British bathroom plant. It looked like there was going to be something with lilacs in there. But the LOO FACTORY was pretty clever.
Here's hoping everybody has a great weekend!
Thanks for the very enjoyable write-up.
ReplyDeleteThe NE corner threatened to be my Achilles heel but, much as it did for Barry G., it finally fell into place. [9:59]
Anony Mouse @ 7:57 am: I had the same problem. I feed 3 feral cats and have seen raccoons and opossums coming around. It's just dry catfood, but I guess they'll eat anything.
ReplyDeleteI started putting out the cat food in the mornings because the raccoons and oppossums seem to only come around after dark. The cats will come during daylight, so this gives them a fighting chance to get some grub.
I had Chicago Code in the DVR and just watched it last night. I don't know if many of you watch it, but it was a very eventful episode.
As for last night's TBBT...I'm still on the fence. Not too many laughs.
Very challenging puzzle Alex Bajcz. Thank you. And Thank you Lemonade for the excellent write up. Like the puzzle, I think you had a little something for everyone. I preferred the picture of Padma Lakshmi over the over-exercised dude. He's probably compensating.
ReplyDeleteAs to the puzzle it self, nailed Zelda right off the bat (from repeatedly watching "Midnight in Paris" and just kept going. Thought It was going to be a speed run even though I was having a bit of a time making out in the middle. Finally came to a screaming halt.
Finally saw my error. ARMedgun. What was I thinking ? One of these days I will actually have a cup off coffee before attempting a Friday or Saturday puzzle.
Off to work. Talk to you all later.
-Fun puzzle and write up. The theme definitely helped in the solving.
ReplyDelete-I didn't care for the BUFF dude. Those overly developed muscles look so phony. I like em just nicely toned, but real looking.
-I thought of Alley Oop for OONA, but she is really Oola. Oona Gosseberry is a character in Nancy.
-If you think of some of our grandstanding pols, ORATE makes perfect sense.
-My father in law was a quality inspector at a manufacturing plant. My mother in law was quick to point out that it was not a FACTORY, although technically it was.
-At 19A I was looking for a British musical group instead of thinking of pop as dad, and then the snobby term PATER.
-CONF, a conference is an association of sports tems
Good morning all
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Sfingi. Parts of it were bright enough; LOO FACTORY, and RATE BALLS OF FIRE, there seemed to be too many amorphous answers, such as AN E, NINE, TONED and PATER. Good anchors like ARIES, ILIAD, and ARMSTRONG helped, however. While I know it's Friday, I just had trouble settling into a solving rhythm. I was impressed with the inclusion of the four 10 letter downs.
Have a great day.
Clever fill and laugh out loud theme answers make for a fun Friday, Alex!
ReplyDeleteMusings
-Hormel has a PLANT here not a FACTORY
-Jerry Lee Lewis seems less scary than some of the profane performers of today
-After last week, Lord Grantham might wish he had that maid back. Hell hath no fury…
-How many STORY LINE twists can DA have, for crying out loud? Will (character) (verb) (character)? You addicts can see a lot of possibilities can’t you?
-Orbiting astronauts are said to be in ZERO G only because they can’t feel it. It’s still pulling on them!
-In a few years most experts think the big boy FB schools will have four 16 team CONF’s and no NCAA
-LETA, LEDA, LIDA, LITA? Oh, ILIAD/LITA
-Crime seems to go down when PATROLMAN walk that beat instead of driving it
-My AH’S just precede my gag reflex. What a wuss!
-Donald is stepping out on Daisy?
-The word ASS in What Child Is This elicited many an adolescent Sunday School giggles
-It’s great to see earlier Sunrises and later Sunsets. Spring is coming!
-Was the most important SIEGE in American history at San Antonio, Petersburg or Yorktown?
-Have you ever seen a Senator that didn’t like to ORATE instead of giving a simple answer?
-Those “As seen on TV” commercials say Free but mean AT NO extra cost (except for S/H in small print).
-I use TABs in Excel spreadsheet too.
-Hubble? A TELESCOPE and A SATELLITE fit but…
-After the cars had wheels on top and bottom of the RAIL, Roller Coasters could do THIS!
-Who used a “stand-up”, no AMP Bass while playing with his sarcastic brother on TV and in concerts?
Sfingi: My explanation for 8D, CONFerence is located with its cross-reference 6A. If clues are interrelated whether by the author, or in my mind, I will present a joint comment.
ReplyDeleteI thought TBBT was well done on many levels last night, as the characters do need to progress and the episode sets up some future funny conflicts. IMO it was the first Kripke episode that was not a complete waste.
Quite a challenge today, and the NE corner was a bear. I also didn't like so many sports clues, but eventually sussed out all the answers totally unassisted.
ReplyDeleteI did love the themes, and caught their drift early, with the unifier coming only after I'd got them all. PATROLCOP slowed me for a while until I decided to try ZONE for CONF. That at least gave me the ON, but the E had to change to F for FACTORY and so it all finally fell into place.
On the whole, a nice end to the workweek.
Although, Lemonade, I did like the TBBT episode where Kripke got all the muck dumped on him and the bigwigs in his lab. I think that was followed up with his laughing gas revenge episode, and it was nice to see that Sheldon could be vulnerable too.
ReplyDeleteI used to love Dick Smothers and Tommy.Is that the one?
ReplyDeleteDICKIE.
ReplyDeleteHi All ~~
ReplyDeleteI found this to be challenging but enjoyable. I was thrown off early with 17A - thinking PATROLMAN was part of the theme because of the ? but then I discovered the theme with EARL INTERRUPTED. On 21A - when I started with LOOF... I thought it was heading to 'Loofah...' but the theme idea soon gave me FACTORY. Lots of fun, Alex Bajcz!
~ I had two write-overs: 'Pro' / FOR and 'Pearl' / ADAGE.
~ I was thinking of seating in a ballpark for 10D - Grandstand, so ORATE came took a bit.
~ On 19A - 'Portsmouth pop,' I was trying to come with some kind of soda from New Hampshire. Yikes.
~ I really liked the clue for 56D - HALF. I like my coffee black, so no half & half or powdered stuff for me, Lemon. Thanks for a great write-up - enjoyed your comments, pics, and links. I'll keep Paolo from yesterday over the buff guy from today. ;-)
Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit. Greetings to all on this frosty Friday February first (how’s that for alliteration!) Single digits here in the Ohio Valley with just enough snow to make for a tricky commute. Thanks for a rib-tickling theme, Alex, and plenty of meaty fill. Loved LOO FACTORY and RATE BALLS OF FIRE. Your write-up had me chuckling, Lemony, especially your bonus Ogden Nash offering.
ReplyDeleteGot tripped up at the crossing of OONA / FOP, so I’ll call this one a DNF. Surprised myself by getting ZELDA right off the bat. Had nOIR before SOIR, but AnIA just didn’t look right.
I see a couple people beat me to the answer to HG’s question re: Dickie Smothers. Just loved their TV show. Remember when Pat Paulsen ran for President?
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
Lots of openings on this puzzle to get toeholds. The NW was my last corner as I originally though that it was going to be theme fill. Most of the puzzle fell nicely but surprisingly the theme took the longest to grok even knowing what it was. Overall a nice add the letter with a twist puzzle that let it rise above the standard ones.
ReplyDeleteOONA, LITA, and EARLE were learning moments even though I'm pretty sure I've seen them before clued that way.
Addendum
ReplyDeleteYeah, it was little Dickie Smothers but probably the most famous R ‘n R BASS player was a left-hander from Liverpool and here he is with the other lads playing and singing 6, count ‘em, 6 songs on their last appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show
Notice
-Paul actually says B SIDE which we see here, Ringo sings Act Naturally which has graced this venue as well and this is pre-ONO (not OONA) and we all have seen her here and, well, you know what happened with her.
-They are singing live with the traditional BASS, lead and rhythm guitars and drums supplying the BEAT (not the beat in today’s puzzle)
-They are not clad in Goodwill Store garb but have, gasp!, long hair!
-They have no pyrotechnics, lasers, blue screens, histrionics, lip-synching, echo chambers or other audio tricks. Just good old R ‘n R.
-Ed is amused by the screaming and then gets testy about it
-Girls are screaming in the audience amid well-dressed, indifferent/annoyed adults (there to see Soupy Sales?)
-Ain’t it amazin’ that so much of the entertainment for the “ute” of a lot of us here is available online? Cool!
-Gotta get my vacuuming done and then it’s off to the YMCA!
I saw the actor who plays Kripke on another show. He looked familiar, but it took me awhile to place him without the speech impediment.
ReplyDeleteDang! It's cold outside!
Not much time to read or comment. I will just say this was GGGreat fun and challenging as well. Managed to finish missing ORATE and TONED. Not enough coffee!
ReplyDeleteLoved it though. Have a wonderful Friday, everyone. Later!
Good morning:
ReplyDeleteFound this to be a typical Friday offering with just the right amount of bite. Clever theme and cluing and some great fill, so congrats Alex. And a nice, zesty expo, Lemony.
Mari @8:20 - I assume you meant Chicago Fire. Yes, that was a very intense episode. I really like the show and am hoping it will be picked up for another season.
I completely forgot to watch TBBT but I'll catch it On Demand. According to the review Fermatprime posted recently, the show has a new head honcho which
explains the lower level of humor and consistency that several of us have complained about, IMO. "New" isn't always better.
I DVR'ed Person of Interest and Elementary, but did watch Suits. Bill G, do you still watch Suits? I love to see Lewis get his come-uppance. Tonight brings one of my fav's, Blue Bloods.
Happy February 1st.
WBS, this puzzle was cruel & unusual punishment. I don't know exactly why, i guess it was that i was not not on the constructors wavelength, & a lot of the clues/answers just rubbed me the wrong way... Maybe i should take Thumpers advice & go back to the Comics Page puzzle!
ReplyDeleteStill, i am in it to learn, & there is a lot to review with todays write up!
Hi lite of my day, Bill G's paperman from yesterday. Followed by roller coaster rides i can't go on because of my back (Tx Lemonade!)
Speaking of puzzles, can any of you constructors use info from this video to construct a puzzle theme with brain misdirecting clues? Food for thought... (except i would probably complain about the puzzle being too hard!)
Loved the theme but it took a while before the light dawned! Was looking for a flower for the British loo, and the earls were the last to fall!
ReplyDeleteWas not a great fan of Buster/Narc
I use half and half or even 5% cream - powdered stuff is just not the same.
Nice change of cluing for AHS.
I wanted MAINE before ORONO so that took a while to figure out.
I'm with Yellowrocks and LaLaLinda on the buff dude.
Can someone explain Portsmouth pop? How does Latin term related to Portsmouth???
QOD: “I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it.”
― Mae West
Rabbit Rabbit.
ReplyDeleteWow! I got a Friday puzzle! This has been one of my best weeks ever! Mind you, it wasn't easy. I was elated to get ZELDA and ILIAD right off the bat, and then ZIP--I mean nothing more, except for a partial AN_ and stuff like that. But I remembered Marti's advice and persevered and slowly, slowly it all filled in. So, many thanks, Alex, for getting our new month off to a good start! And thanks for all the Gainesville allusions, Lemonade. I was gone by the time Jerry Lee Lewis played there, but I did get to see Peter, Paul, and Mary in the 60s.
ReplyDeleteLove the Ogden Nash l-l-lama poem!
AnonyMouse, I think you're wonderful to care for your outdoor cats like that (no matter what others may think).
And poor fermatprime--I hope you finally got some well-deserved sleep.
Have a great Friday everybody! Tomorrow is James Joyce's birthday and anniversary of the publication of "Ulysses" (besides being groundhog day). So I'm going to a party!
Oh rats, I thought I was going to be the first to say Rabbit Rabbit, but I see Java beat me to it.
ReplyDeleteHello Puzzlers - tricky puzzle today. That NW corner wouldn't make sense until at last I realized that 17a wasn't involved in the theme. Patrolman made sense afterwards.
After the first pass on todays puzzle, there were lots of blanks still open. Had the NW filled in, but the rest was rather spotty. When I got RAIDSCHOOL, and figured out ZERO G, That was the key to get the rest. After that, all went smoothly. Well, except in the NE, where it was still blank. NOTONEIOTA then made its appearance, and then DORY, TOPCHEF, PATER, and finally ORONO. Whew! Glad I finished, but it was a workout. Wonder if I am TONED now?
ReplyDeleteGood morning! I watch TV using the closed captioning. On TBBT that adds a bit of humor when Kripke is on it--the closed captions have lisps as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great write-up and an interesting puzzle. I had problems in the NE but they soon were solved.
Happy Friday!
I recall Kripke on an episode of Bones and I was so distracted waiting for him to speak, I do not remember his character. He apparently is/was a regular on a TV Land original series.
ReplyDeleteOgden Nash's poem/puzzle appeared in
ReplyDeleteNov 13, 2006 New York Times (There the answer to Three-L lllama was BLAZE IN BROOKLYN
)
Rex's blog
Pinch, Pinch ...
ReplyDeleteLemon: Nice write-up & links (as always).
I think you need to "catch-up" on DA so Fermatprime, Michele, Et ALIA can discuss it (in detail) here.
Last to fill was the NE. I needed all the "perps" to get ORONO & PATER.
I'm (somewhat) an expert on Sunsets ... but the latest it 'Sets' here, in the summer, is Eight-Thirty (8:30).
But it wouldn't fit so I went with NINE.
Just glad I changed my "toasting" hour until "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere!"
Cheers !!!
Tinbeni, of course your correct about Tampa's sunset schedule.
ReplyDeleteI noticed Chicago's latest sunset is 8:30 also but Detroit, being on the western edge of the eastern time zone is 9:13.
This e-mail from a friend shows that dogs can be cute too. Well, at least the puppy is cute...
Thanks, Lemonade, for the terrific Lita/Ozzy link.
ReplyDeleteOpened my eyes this a.m.
Too many sports clues for my taste in today's offering, but a pretty straightforward solve nonetheless.
We'll be pushing for eighty degrees here in the Dezzert this weekend.
Wonderful.
Pinto @12:17
ReplyDeleteThank you FOR the cute puppy link.
You could almost see if he was going to figure it out.
(we need more dog links here. JMHO)
And now you know "why" I said 8:30 ... and NOT 8:31. LOL !!!
Hi Y'all, Caught onto the theme early which helped a lot and brought some chuckles. Thanks, Alex! The biggest remaining puzzle: Alex can you give us a clue on how to pronounce your surname?
ReplyDeleteLemon, your blog was enjoyable as always. More chuckles. Only nit: I like my muscle men with hair on their chests. Call me old-fashioned.
Never heard of Oona the duck. I knew Zelda. The NE was almost a no-fill, but finally got it.
I don't know the Eastern Conferences at all and couldn't think of CONF for a division. Duh! No matter how many times I see it, CONFerence just seems like the wrong word for sports. They don't confer, they CLASH!
I did get 'er done, but I have to admit to red-letter help.
I'm CONFused. I thought Tommy was the bass player. MEEEMMMM'Ries, oh how soon they go away. Left with misty colored meeemmm'ries... can't remember the rest...
Anony-mouse, put out food, they will come: 'coons, possums, rats, mice, coyotes... I had a mink once.
Go Go Go Bandit !!!!!
ReplyDeleteAlways bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.”
― Abraham Lincoln
re: 18D
ReplyDeleteor...take the Ahbaway cah to Paahk or drahv yoh Toyoter...love Boston!
ARMORED CAR fit! Wrong...
ReplyDeleteFinished but it wasn't easy.
Paperman was great! Thanks Bill.
Anybody see
Partly Cloudy
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteHit a wall with this one, put it down to do other things, came back, had a big aha! moment with LOO FACTORY, then it all fell into place.
Had to get from agriculture to manufacturing.
Quite a good puzzle, though I'm not sure what Portsmouth has to do with PATER
Perps gave me the totally unknown OONA.
BAR before OAR got in the way.
Turned in the Calber and got one of those DARTS this week.
Sunday we're seeing a local production of Les Miz, with two grandsons in the cast. Hmm - their sister was just got out of a cast, having obtained a buckle fracture on her wrist on Christmas Eve.
Hunky DORY is a small Hungarian boat.
Cheers!
JzB
Hey Irish Miss, yes I still watch Suits and enjoy it. Interesting that the original concept where Mike was not really a licensed lawyer has become mostly unimportant and the show has just turned into a good legal drama.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad some of you enjoyed the Paperman video from yesterday late. I thought it was really special.
Here's a new Budweiser commercial for the Superbowl. Really good I thought. Clydesdales
Aaaw, that poor puppy! You can tell he feels so ejected.
ReplyDeleteFunny, PK!
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday all - Thanks for a very challenging puzzle today - def a DNF for me. Had DORY but took it out because nothing else would fit. Had ZIPS, ILIAD and PATROL... but still didn't get the whole fill in. I even got ZEROG and that didn't even help with the themed answers. My first pass through I got less than 10 fill-ins. 2nd pass a few more. In the end I had to look up 4 or 5 to try and ahead, but it was no use. Oh well - can't get em all. Still enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteDennis - Taking your suggestion and reading a Brad Taylor book. So far so good. I was reading a Justin Cronin book - The Passages, Didn't even get 1/2 way thru and gave up - not my cup of tea.
Have a great weekend everyone!
I finished quickly, but I don't think I'll ever become a fan of grid spanning or 10+ letter puns. But that's me.
ReplyDeleteBrain not working. Like the puzzle anyway. Liked the wriet up. Youngest son from NYC here for a visit. His 3 siblings (all live close by me) here too. @ have moved in for the duration. 4 grandkids 6, 4,4 and 2 all here. Plus assorted friends, other family members. Mass chaos. So much fun! So, can someone explain the meaning of rabbit rabbit. 70 degrees in my backyard. No groundhog. Happy Friday1
ReplyDeletePK, body builders have been clean shaven since back when Arnold dominated.
ReplyDeletePerhaps because of this RESEARCH .
Good afternoon, gang - very late to the dance; slept most of the day, and still need more. Whatever this is, it's got legs. I seem to get a good one once every decade or so, so at least I'll have it out of the way for the next seven years or so.
ReplyDeleteCertainly not a speed run for me today, as I struggled my way through most of the puzzle. As much of a baseball geek as I am, I was blank on a Hall of Famer named Combs. And for 35D, when I saw the words '.....degree turn', my mind automatically assumed it would be 'UEY', which was pretty stupid. I'm not familiar with too many cooking shows, so I put THE CHEF for 9D, so there was that too. I'm left with an inkblot that any shrink would be proud of.
Still a fun puzzle, and a great write-up from Lemonade.
AnnieB, which one are you reading? One Rough Man is the first of his books, followed by All Necessary Force and Enemy of Mine (just released). There is a continuity to them.
Belated Happy Birthday to my good friend, Bill G. - many, many more.
Have a fun weekend.
mksmoothy, and so?
ReplyDeletenedplat
ReplyDeleteA fine Friday puzzle IMHO. Tough as some clues were, they all added up. The plays-on-words worked nicely.
I kept reading "plant," for instance, as a floral growth rather than a hint at FACTORY. "Grandstand," of course, I took for a seating arrangement.
Perseverance paid off! Victory makes the challenge enjoyable.
jilldinCA @4:16
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to Wiki Rabbit rabbit
Practically anything can be looked up just by entering (whatever) on Google.
I just entered "rabbit rabbit" (without the quotation marks) at Google and I had the link.
Hope this helps.
Cheers !!!
Tinbeni - thank you for explanation and link to rabbit, rabbit. I use Google all the time but this time thought you would be even smarter! Also, remember, I said my brain is not working - kids are great, grandkids even better, but I have not been able to hear myself think for 3 days! Cheers to you as well.
ReplyDeletejilldinCA
ReplyDeleteWell I don't have kids or grandkids ... that's why @11:30 I said:
Pinch, Pinch ... (there probably should be a bunch of "!!!!!" marks) on the 1st of the month.
Of course, my pals here know I'm just ordering ...
because "It's ALWAYS Five O'clock Somewhere!"
HBDTY and many more Bill G.
ReplyDeleteHello everybody. Fun puzzle today. Had many of the same difficulties as several of you, and the same nits. Excellent writeup, Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteSteve, I wish to compliment you on your terrific writeup yesterday. Loved your caveats and the "fine print" at the bottom.
Best wishes to you all.
Lemon, Well, I guess I always knew I was unique (or something). Nobody ever accused me of being a girly girl, but neither was I a tomboy. My man was very muscular and had a lovely hairy chest. No chest hair was equated with "Low T" in my day in our neck of the prairie. LOL!
ReplyDeleteDennis: sounds like you have whatever I had for six weeks around Sept-Oct. Started in throat, went to chest, then nose. If you start getting lots of strange sounds in your chest, seek antibiotics. Took three different antibiotics to clear that up. Good luck!
Many thanks to the hateful person who made the first post. I dare you to confess. You must think a lot of yourself, so why not?
ReplyDeleteFermatprime: Didn't think that sounded like you at all!
ReplyDeleteYikes! fermatprime! I guess that is a good reason to go Blue!
ReplyDeleteI am not a big fan of missing thing puzzles...
wait a sec, i could still have fun with this missing thing
LOL!
Feel better Dennis
(it's a disco clam/flame scallop with a cold...)
PK, thanks for the chest warning. By the way, I have about 7-8 hairs on my chest, so there you have it.
ReplyDeleteFermat, I was wondering why you weren't blue, and it didn't sound like you.
CED, that was great! It did look a little familiar...
The importance of an occupation after retirement:
ReplyDeleteAs we get older we sometimes begin to doubt our ability to "make a difference" in the world It is at these times that our hopes are boosted by the remarkable achievements of other "seniors" who have found the courage to take on challenges that would make many of us wither.
Harold Schlumberg is such a person:
QUOTED FROM HAROLD:
"I've often been asked, 'What do you do now that you're retired?'
Well...I'm fortunate to have a chemical engineering background and one of the things I enjoy most is converting beer, wine and whisky into urine.
It's rewarding, uplifting, satisfying and fulfilling. I do it every day and I really enjoy it."
Harold is an inspiration to us all.
Dennis, Lemon, Jayce and everybody else from yesterday; thanks again for the warm birthday wishes and kind comments. They mean a lot to me.
ReplyDeleteFound on my wife's Facebook page: Studies have revealed that the kind of face a woman finds attractive on a man can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle. For example, if she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with rugged and masculine features. However, if she is menstruating, she tends to be more attracted to a man with duct tape over his mouth and a spear lodged in his chest while he is on fire. No further studies are expected on this subject.
Hey all. Just wanted to say hi and thanks for all the nice comments on my debut puzzle! I happen to be a PhD student at U Maine--hence, ORONO's clue! Also, my last name is Hungarian, pronounced BADGES. Go figure. Any other questions/comments, feel free to drop me a line: bajcz475@gmail.com.
ReplyDeleteAlex - Thanks for checking in. I look forward to your next puzzle.
ReplyDeleteWere you in Minnesota as an undergrad?
ReplyDeleteWe don't need no stinkin' BADGES! Oops, that's not nice. Yes, we DO need some stinkin' BADGES!. Hmm..., that's not good either. Oh, nevermind. But Mr. BADGES, it was nice to have you stop by. Good luck with Orono, your studies and future constructing.
ReplyDeleteThe Lakers are playing the TWolves tonight. Neither team is at full strength. In past times, it might have been a mismatch but the Lakers haven't won an away game so far in 2013. So, who knows?
Dramas I enjoy these days: The Good Wife, Suits, Vegas, NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles, Person of Interest, Downton Abbey, (Rizzoli and Isles), (Major Crimes), reruns of Boston Legal, reruns of Veronica Mars.
Dennis, you can't grow thick grass on a playing field would be my guess with you.
ReplyDeleteAlex, thanks for solving the puzzle of your name for us and congratulations on your first great puzzle. What is your field of study? Good luck to you in pursuing your degree. Hope for another great puzzle if you find time.
ReplyDeleteBillG: Guess I'll go see if the Lakers can pull this second half out of the slump. Probably boils down to who has the most crucial players out with injuries. The Laker's have had more than their share as has Minn. I watched Miami lose earlier and that one almost turned into fist fights. Many technical fouls.