Theme: Did you get the memo? - No? Look for it in these three theme entries.
20A. Residential loan : HOME MORTGAGE
35A. "I'd like to hear the rest" : "TELLME MORE"
42A. 1974 Jimmy Buffett song : "COME MONDAY"
56A. Office communication, and what can literally be found in 20-, 35- and 42-Across : INTERNAL MEMO
Argyle here. A theme reveal that could hardly be clearer. Gail and Bruce seem to be on a two week schedule, though today's isn't as complex as the last one. Straightforward, easy-peasey. Four nice long vertical entries. A musical flair today, also. Feel free to link your favorites.
Across:
1. Tip, as one's hat : DOFF. Word Origin & History - A contraction of do off, preserving the original sense of do as "put." At the time of Johnson's Dictionary [1755] the word was "obsolete, and rarely used except by rustics," but it was saved from extinction (along with don) by Sir Walter Scott.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
5. Empty spaces : GAPS
9. Subsides : WANES
14. Suffix with switch : EROO
15. Wilson of "Wedding Crashers" : OWEN. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn play a couple of rogues who mingle and tango at the receptions of weddings to which they weren't invited.
16. Texas shrine : ALAMO
17. Tall tale teller : LIAR
18. "Deck the Halls" syllables : FA LA la la, la la la.
19. Tear to shreds : RIP UP
23. About to happen : IN STORE. As in, "What's in store for us this week?" and 4D. Hint of the future : FORETASTE. As in, "Is this puzzle a foretaste of the coming week?"
24. Bronze from a day at the beach : TANNED. From one day? I doubt it.
28. René's friend : AMI
29. Appear to be : SEEM
31. __ Lingus: Irish carrier : AER
32. Russian fighter jets : MIGs. Strap yourself in a Mig. Link
38. Italian violin maker : AMATI. They say it's all in the varnish.
40. Squeak stopper : OIL. Is that what C.C. used to get rid of her mouse?
41. Rigs on the road : SEMIs. Tractor-trailers.
45. Reasons for extra innings : TIEs. Possible reason for the end of ties, 63A. Paths of pop-ups : ARCs. One more baseball reference: 29D. Base runner's option : SLIDE
46. "Tastes great!" : "YUM!". "Less filling!" : "Burp!"
47. Poet's inspiration : MUSE
48. Sow or cow : SHE
50. What social climbers seek : STATUS
52. Curtail : SHORTEN
59. Gangster John known as "The Teflon Don" : GOTTI. He died in a federal medical center, June, 2002, at the age of 61.
62. Twice-monthly tide : NEAP
64. Place on a pedestal : EXALT
65. Show some spunk : DARE
66. "That makes sense" : "I SEE"
67. Saunter : MOSEY
68. Vehicle on runners : SLED. NorthEast needed dog sleds.
69. Proof of ownership : DEED. 51D. Proof of ownership : TITLE
Down:
1. New __: India's capital : DELHI
2. Hunter constellation : ORION. Prominent in winter sky(Northern Hemisphere)
3. Heads on beers : FOAMS
5. "Take a shot!" : "GO FOR IT!". The result of too many 3D's?. 22D. "Lemme __!" : AT 'EM
6. Informed (of) : AWARE
7. Attack, as with snowballs : PELT
8. Stocking tear : SNAG
9. Military practice : WAR GAMES
10. Visitor from afar : ALIEN
11. Treat jet lag, perhaps : NAP
12. Earthbound Aussie bird : EMU
13. Dip, as bread in gravy : SOP. Shakshuka with a sop.
21. Dad's partner : MOM
25. Vocalist Judd : NAOMI
26. Really strange : EERIE
27. Bride's purchase : DRESS
30. Scat legend Fitzgerald : ELLA
32. Flagship store at New York City's Herald Square : MACY'S
33. Words from one with a bad hand : "I'M OUT". Think 'poker'.
34. Letter after beta : GAMMA
36. Long, long time : EONs
37. Parking ticket issuer : METER MAID
39. Resistance to disease : IMMUNITY
43. Expel : OUST
44. Like a slingshot handle : Y-SHAPED
49. Christmas, e.g.: Abbr. : HOL.. (Holiday)
52. Simple trap : SNARE
53. Far from talkative : TERSE
54. Intro giver : EMCEE. A lot of emcees on TV award shows this time of year.
55. Snooped (around) : NOSED
57. Pulls the plug on : ENDS
58. More than lifelike : REAL
59. Precious stone : GEM
60. Big name in kitchen gadgets : OXO. Reasonably priced.
61. Profs' helpers : TA's. (teaching assistant)
Argyle
102 comments:
Morning, all!
All dug out around here, but I think I may have damaged my shoulder in the process. Hopefully a few days of rest and lots of Tylenol will take care of it...
Fun puzzle today. Blew through it pretty quickly, but then had to spend an extra minute or so trying to track down an error that prevented me from getting the *TADA*. Turned out I had AROO instead of EROO at 14A and it took awhile to notice that DAHLI wasn't right. Once of these days I will remember that it is switchEROO and buckAROO and never the twain (or Mark Twain, for that matter) shall meet...
[onclessu]
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Easy Monday puzzle. I am all too familiar with Internal Memos.
TELL ME MORE is also a program on NPR.
I didn't have to purchase a wedding DRESS. It was my "something borrowed" as my sister let me use the dress she wore at her wedding.
Mardi Gras is a Louisiana HOLiday, so for many today and tomorrow. The final crunch for all the parades.
I recently visited another Texas shrine.
QOD: I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. ~ Thomas Alva Edison (Feb. 11, 1847b ~ Oct. 18, 1931)
Thanks for those interesting comments about "cheater squares". No cheating needed on this Monday puzzle so I'll blame cold fingers for not breaking the five-minute mark. [5:07]
Good morning everyone,
It was a finish today, albeit an incorrect one. I filled in 4D before 23A and one letter was "boffo". I had FOREcASTE for Hint of the future, never bothered to review the finished product so I never saw INScORE. I am not sure I would have changed though because FORETASTE is a head scratcher to this Dodo. Nothing else really stood out today.
Our street wasn't plowed until 8:25 last night, so the driveway sits just as Charlotte left it. S/B plowed by end of day. There's no way I'm snow blowing up to 3 feet of snow to clear a 490' driveway. I've been told the town streets are barely passable. Now it's sleeting and rain is forecast later. Ya gotta "luv" winter.
Argyle,Bruce and Gail:
great write up I actually watched the videos as I like both buffett and the beatles. The puzzle was a nice and easy Monday morning speed run. The theme clues were easy enough that I did not notice the theme until I read it here in the blog. well its monday and a short week is in store as my son has 3 and a half days of school this week. 2 days if you count that he has a field trip on one of the days and a party on the half day. I hope every one has a good week.
Good morning!
This was a definite speed run. Reading Argyle's expo, I realized just how many clues/answers I'd totally missed, because they were already filled in. And Argyle, thanks for the "reasonably priced."
Hahtoolah, it's surprising how many Houstonians have never heard of the San Jacinto Monument, let alone visited it. For those of you who speak Spanish, the J is pronounced like a J, not an H. The community college of that name is affectionately called "San Jack." Texians, you've gotta love 'em.
Interesting thought for the day from today's AWAD: If a rabbit defined intelligence the way man does, then the most intelligent animal would be a rabbit, followed by the animal most willing to obey the commands of a rabbit. -Robert Brault, writer (b. 1938)
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
Love the song "COME MONDAY," so thanks for the link that is so appropriate for this beginning of the week!!
My 24-Across was more lobster-colored that "bronze" last week. And I also thought of C.C.'s "squeaker" at 40-Across, LOL!!
I hope everyone is getting dug out and back to normal in the Northeast. We are supposed to get rain today (do you believe???) So it will melt some of the huge snowbanks a little....before they turn to icebergs as temperatures dip into the 20s overnight. Ugh, I am sooooo ready for spring!
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Gail and Bruce, for a refreshing Monday puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the swell review.
Got started easily in the NW and just worked over and down.
A couple I needed perps for: OWEN and COME MONDAY.
Had FORECASTS for 4D for a while. I knew that was not right. Fixed it after IN STORE appeared.
I appreciate the description of cheater squares this morning. I put my 2 cents in last night and I was wrong. I think I will save that description so I do not forget. Thank you, C.C.
I am home now. Got home last night. I missed my original flight due to our meetings/degrees running over on Sunday morning. Flew standby on a later flight. I got the last seat on the plane. Whew!
Reading about all the snow-bound folks in the NE. I will have to call my sister who lives in Melrose, MA, and see how they are making out.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
I will have to call my sister who lives in Melrose, MA, and see how they are making out.
Well, I don't know who your sister is, but in the part of Melrose where I live they have brought out the heavy construction equipment (back hoes, front loaders and dump trucks) to try and widen the roads. All the supposedly two-lane side roads are all one-lane at the moment, which made driving my wife to the train this morning verrrrry interesting. Thank heavens for all wheel drive!
Complete speed run today. Only write over was OXO for OXi. Lot's to like, not much to not....well maybe Foretaste. BWTHDIK.
Come Monday is the sole reason I became a Parrot Head before Latitudes and prior to Jimmy going to the dark side of makin music for money. A1A was my first album, but it was soon followed by 3/4 Time. The oddest thing about his music is that it is either heart wrenching, or it's complete pablum (fun, but devoid of significance). There's no middle ground. My second favorite tune from 3/4 Time is West Nashville Grand Ballroom Gowns. Next would be Ballad of Spider John, but he didn't write that one.
Pure speed run for me today--as it should be on Mondays. Fun and easy.
We got the rain all day yesterday and it produced glare ice everywhere where the snow was too deep or dense to melt completely. Now it's snowing again, but doesn't look like it will accumulate much.
Good morning everybody, welcome to another week. We are slowly inching our way toward spring.
This was an easy Monday puzzle. Not much to say.
Where I work group email has pretty much done away with internal memos. We save the email to our electronic file cabinets as a way of preserving our "memos".
GOTTI's Teflon must have scratched off, as he ended his days in a prison cell. (Sort of similar to Al Capone's fate.) The smart Don keeps a low profile.
It was a fun puzzle.
@HondoHurricane,I have learned to park the car near the end of my driveway before winter storms. But I couldn’t this year because I had a renter. So I hired a plow.
Argyl,
I loved Orion with different amounts of visible stars due to “ground glare”. Where I live in the inner ring suburbs of Cleveland, I often can only see Orion's belt.
I also loved the implanted videos.
Hi All ~ ~
I zipped through this with just a couple of pauses - FORETASTE?? You're not alone, Hondo. I also started with 'Lala' beofre FA LA and thought about 'Cat' for 40A - 'Squeak stopper.' That's what it is in my house. =^..^=
Schools are closed again and the snow piles and all surfaces are now covered with ice. At least the street was plowed last night - one narrow path. I'm glad I can stay put for a while!
Enjoy the day!
Good Morning!
An easy, fun puzzle today except for the FOREcASTE/INScORE thing that I didn't even catch until I saw the write up. That's what you get when you don't go back and review your work. 30+ years later I am still ignoring the advice my elementary school teachers.
All in all a good way to start a gray, rainy Monday.
I hope everyone has a good week!
TTP,
I've never been to Houston. But it's indeed very hot and humid in Guangzhou. The New Year's meals (Turnip cakes & Tarot cakes) and traditions there are also very different from Northern China.
Dudley,
I just don't think men who are capable of taking good care of themselves should go to a nail salon. I know Lucina disagrees :-)
Avg Joe,
Did you make noodles yesterday with your hands or machines? If former, I'm very impressed! In Xi'An, you eat dumplings on Chinese New Year and noodles on your birthday. Noodles symbolize long life. Also, Trader Joe's has great Dumplings and Gyoza packages in their Frozen Food section.
Argyle: Thank you for the excellent write-up & links.
Gail & Bruce: Enjoyed your COME-MONDAY puzzle.
TTP (yest) Changed all the passwords. Ran full scan.
I NEVER open ANY spam emails. They get deleted ASAP (ALWAYS!!!).
Good morning Argyle and all.
COME MONDAY was apt. WEES. Interesting theme. No real hangups once I sussed out FA LA, vs LA LA. Ha ha. No searches, no erasures, no nits. Good start to the week.
Mari observed that we are 'inching' our way toward Spring. Yesterday we had to deal with 'inch'worm. It's tough going metric, isn't it?
Pjmugs & Ree,
Welcome!
Cuban tortilla guy,
Argyle and I finally figured out why your post went. You wrongly misplaced it on Nov 25, 2012 blog. Also a John Lampkin puzzle.
C.C., thanks. I'll have to check out Trader Joe's dumplings. They have wonderful stuff in that store.
For my noodle making I have a Marcato Atlas. It eliminates the rolling pin and makes the noodles far more uniform, but you still have to hand mix the dough and do a lot of kneading to get the flour right. It's not much less work than doing it all by hand. Probably saves a half an hour overall. I've never tried the electric models that do it all for you.
Thank you Gail and Bruce for a nice and easy Monday puzzle. Thank you Argyle for your explanations and the Buffet song, with the all important lyrics.
I thought Gotti was shot, in broad daylight, while dining midafternoon, on a street corner bistro in NYC, by a hitman. Must have been some other guy. I knew one of his nieces who worked with me. Just an ordinary gal. She used to be somewhat nervous about giving out her last name.
Have a good week you guys.
-We woke to freezing rain this AM, but it soon warmed up and changed to all rain. I was able to drive safely by 8 AM. For those in colder climes, freezing rain on top of deep snow is abominable.
-Today I am planning to try the Cuban Tortilla mentioned yesterday. Thanks for the recipe. Argyle's Shakshuka, my next experiment, also looks delicious.
-FORETASTE seems such a common word. I come across it frequently.
NYT 8/4/10 headline “For Cuomo FORETASTE of a bitter ideological divide.”
Mexico City, 10/12/10 “Tortilla riots give FORETASTE of food challenge”
And that old time revival hymn, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a FORETASTE of glory divine.”
NYT 2/10/06 headline “FORETASTE of spring at flower show”
Toall of you who are longing for spring the annual NJ Flower Show is being held this week. What a great FORETASTE of spring.
Morning all and Happy Monday. Thanks Gail and Bruce for a speedy Monday puzzle and Argyle for super write-up and JB link. We went to Jimmy Buffett's bar when we were in Key West last fall. Cool place. A quick one for me today. Worked on printed copy, no lookups, no erasures, but fell into the FORECASTE/INSCORE trap as some of you. Same FALA or LALA option as discussed. Love OWEN Wilson in the movie. MIGS made me think of the movie Firefox with Clint Eastwood - great movie! My son used to rebuild semi motors - he's now a diesel mechanic for NYS DOT. Love OXO gadgets. Got the theme right away as all clues were filled in.
Wonder if there has even been a Monday Monday theme..
The rain and sleet up in the NE sounds like it will make good clean up a chore.
A good week to all!
I got the MEMO and the theme! How ‘bout dat?
Musings
-How about this incomprehensible MEMO that is worthy of Dilbert?
-COME MONDAY? Hey, I’m retired and everyday looks the same.
-A guy in a fedora will probably DOFF it. They guy in the ball cap? Not so much. No big deal.
-Breakfast Crashers? It seems anyone could walk into a hotel for a free breakfast.
-No oil here, just WD-40. Here’s 45 other uses for this magic elixir!
-Pool also uses INNINGS
-The Moon is very near the Sun right now and so it will be a week until a NEAP tide
-Don’t look for beef in a DELHI DELI!
-ORION is so easy find and I have used it to show teenagers how to find many other celestial objects.
-I saw SNAGGED nylons on a mannequin in a store window Saturday that represented high fashion
-WAR GAMES was a disconcerting movie about trusting machines with our security
-I’m worried about Jet Lag if I fly out to Kauai to see Chefwen but think of the meal I’d get!
-Check out this METER MAID!
-Was Gary Cooper the most TERSE movie star of all time?
-Hahtoolah – very nice QOD but I thought Texas shrines had goal posts and yard lines.
-Well, we’ve got a leaky washing machine and a balky water heater and are waiting for repairmen. Now what would be the non-gender specific synonym for that word ;-)?
Somehow lost my blogger account. I will try this again. WBS about EROO and AROO. Easy, speedy run thru the puzzle today. Love the song COME MONDAY! No snow here in Phx, but it is a cold dreary day.
Good morning:
A nice, easy speed run this morning. Thanks, Gail and Bruce, and thanks, Argyle, for your witty expo.
At 7:00 am, we had sleet and ferocious (sp?) winds. No precipitation now but still very windy.
Do any of you Time Warner subscribers have any idea why Person of Interest is not listed in On Demand? I taped it Thursday night but when I went to play it, I inadvertently deleted it.
Have a great Monday.
My latest OXO purchase is Good Grips Tongs. I like the fact that they lock in the closed position so they don't mess up the "tool" drawer.
Husker, I've gotta disagree. It's still about 93 million miles from the sun to the moon. I wouldn't call that "very near." :)
C.C., Thanks for the explanation of cheater squares. I think I'm finally starting to get the idea. Probably won't remember it, though. BTW, I live near Houston, and I've been to Guangzhou. Yes, the climates are similar.
YR...thank you for the FORETASTE education. Must have been banned in CT.
HG, been a long time since i held a pool cue, but INNING is an expression I don't recall. What is it?
Re: INNINGS and pool: Click here (though it's new to me too).
C.C. - Thanks for the cheater squares explanation.
Hahtoolah - Love your QOD
Husker Gary - My husband loves WD-40. Enjoyed your MM clip.
Hola, amigos y amigas. Argyle, thank you. Your commentary was the opposite of TERSE.
C.C.
Thanks for the explanation of cheater squares. Maybe I'll remember it. As for men in the nail salon, I doubt that even a man who can care for his own nails can do as good a job as a pro nail tech can. And the foot and leg massages are wonderful. I'm sorry to disagree with you on that subject.
Oh, the puzzle. Ay, caramba! If I can do it in four minutes, Dennis must take one or two on this one.
It's really fun to fly through it with a FORETASTE of what is coming next.
I DOFF my hat to Gail and Bruce. That would have been yesterday actually as I wore one to the High Tea.
Have marvelous Monday, everyone! Glad all are safe from the storm.
This was posted in FB the other day. Very cool to watch.
Time-lapse video of last night's "snow-pacolypse" in Hartford, CT
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4376792628960
Haven't figured out how to 'link' a website here yet using a 'link feature'. I have googled it but I'm using google chrome and haven't been able to figure it out yet. Would appreciate any instructions.
Sorry - don't think that is going to work as it sends it to FB. :(
-Hondo, an inning in pool has been completed when both players have had a turn at the table and each has completed that turn by missing or committing a foul. I have seen it most used in straight pool which was the game Fast Eddie Felson and Minnesota Fats played in The Hustler.
-Otto, all right ya got me! The Moon and the Sun are both in the same area (in the constellation of Aquarius) of the sky on the ecliptic but still 93,000,000 miles away. Thanks for keeping me on my astronomical toes!
-Well, my repair person says it’s going to cost $500 for a new gas valve on a 9 year old heater or $700 for a completely new heater. Gee, I wonder what I’m gonna do.
-Annie, the show Parking Wars illustrates some of the very tense situations in which those people find themselves.
Very nice puzzle.
I enjoyed Argyle's write-up as well.
Interesting crossing of OIL and SLIDE smack dab in the middle.
GO FOR IT
Turn it up and walk away. Your spouse/co-workers will thank you.
Gary, I realize you've already made up your mind, but it can't hurt for you to know that the avg expected life of a water heater is 7 years. You're already into bonus time.
Also, I'm a fan of WD-40, but a few years back at the insistence of my gear head son I tried PB Blaster (as seen on TV!). I think it actually does a little better job of breaking things loose that are rusted. YMMV
I love a speed run on a Monday morning, and this was a great one--many thanks, Gail and Bruce! The SE corner took a little longer, so enough of a challenge to make it interesting. But great fun. And Argyle, what an awesome moving picture of ORION! I had no idea what that configuration of stars formed. Wonderful to see it!
LaLaLinda, I wondered if FALA was going to be your favorite today.
I'm so glad we now have a MACY's in southern California. "Miracle on 34th Street" (did I get that address right?) is one of my favorite movies of all time.
I'm hoping that all of your snow filled streets will be cleared up soon and stop being icy. What a difficult winter you northerners have had!
Have a great start to your week, everybody!
WBS! + 33D I fold inkblot had to be corrected to imout.
TTP, Tx for the info on the Spam IP address! i never realized it was there! Now my question is, once you have the IP, is there anything i can "do" with it??? (maybe send some spam back?!?!?) :)
Hatoohlah! Tx for the Texas site link. Spitzboov would like the Battleship Texas link contained therein. It has slides, interactive pics, & a video! Beats paying the $12.00 entry fee!
44D Slingshot "Y"? How archaic!
Argyle, i am having trouble with my PC today, a lot of pictures come up broken in Facebook. The same happened to your Orion pic. So i opened it in a new window, & there it was, a moving GIF! But it had no words with it. I did not know it represented Light Glare until VirginiaSycamore posted!
Lastly, a soon to go viral video. I found it because of the final photo, then the preceeding video explains it. There is a news clip that explains it better, but i put it here because now i understand Fermatprimes lamenting the lack of swimming...
Ok puzzle. As a beer drinker i never heard of foams for heads on beer, wtf. I have heard of foamy heads on beer. I guess the authors are wine heads. It must suck on the east coast, it is awesome here on the left coast, had the top down on the convertable yesterday. Will do again today and hang at the beach. Its awesome here in paradise!!!!
CED:Heartwarming video.
On a lighter note: Fun in the snow
I like the 0:34-0:39 section. You could see Scooter thinking, "I know I left my ball out here last night. Where'd it go?"
HG
Thanks.
Familiar with straight pool, but never heard the expression. My innings were short thanks to a missed (badly) shot or a scratch. I was dead meat vs the Fast Eddies & Fatmen in the world of table pool. But i enjoyed playing the game.
Hi gang -
Never would have sussed the hidden word without the reveal. Found this just a bit on the crunchy side for a Monday.
EROO and AT 'EM are on the lame side, but the rest is solid.
Lots of cool 7-9 letter fill.
I think OWEN Wilson is annoying.
There's a NAP in my future.
Cool regards!
JzB
I may be retired, but I love Mondays. It means several days of crosswords I can solve w/o help.
Thanks, Gail, Bruce and Argyle.
Once across and once down and puzzle complete! Nice!
Ave Joe, I know I have had my water heater a long time. Just went and looked at its purchase date--Oct. 1993. Is it living on borrowed time?
We have huge piles of snow but it is a beautiful day in eastern MT,
Montana
I would say the avg. lifespan of a water heater is closer to 12-15 years depending on the type of water in your area. Longer if you drain it once or twice a year.
You can reset the clocks, change batteries in smoke and CO detectors and drain the water heater all in about an hour.
Addendum to 32A, Strap Yourself In!
(my fav part is the 1st comment, smokes like my old Ford!)
I found this under "funny memo"
A search of sending emails to an IP Address reveals that it is possible, with brackets & other doodads, but probably fruitless as you could be sending to a Coffee Shop. So beware if sites that claim they can do it for money.
IP Lookup
Hello everybody. What JzB said.
Having solved HOME MORTGAGE and TELL ME MORE, I thought the theme had something to do with an internal MOR. Didn't even see the internal MEMO until the reveal, which confused me (Sheesh, I'm so easily confused!) because it itself contained MEMO.
I had a hard time with WANES because for some reason I read the clue as "Subsidies".
Best wishes to you all.
D-O - grew up east of main san jac campus in pasadena tx. We called it Harvard on the highway :-) Scott
Grandma's house had an old Red Crown hot water heater and it lasted over thirty years. They were built to last back then (late 40's) plus they used copper and such. Grandma's house has soft water and that helped.
Yellow Rocks beat me to it, but here it is anyway. Played it MANY times in church.
Blessed Assurance
Good afternoon Argyle, C.C. et al,
I didn't get the memo, but I bet Gail and Bruce had fun sending it. Had only a few hardnicks: foretaste. I don't do the NYT. For some reason I could not see DARE as the answer to its clue:show some spunk. It wasn't even obvious when I filled it after going thru the alphabet.
Glad all is well with those of you who are living under piles of snow. Allergies have started for many here in the west where the acacia trees are in full bloom.
That was a pleasant Monday puzzle from Gail and Bruce. Thanks. Also, thanks to Argyle for his usual excellent job. And thank you to CC for another explanation of Cheater Squares. It's starting to make sense now. But back to the two black squares to the left and right of PRETTY WOMAN. How would I know not to think of them as Cheater Squares? You put them in when you designed the grid but I can't tell that. If you took them out, the center fill gets longer but the word count stays the same. So I guess I'm still a little flummoxed though I understand the concept better than before. I appreciate the explanation.
JD, I had trouble with "Show some spunk" = DARE but it made sense when I got a couple of crossing letters. I DARED to sing karaoke. I showed some spunk by singing in front of everybody.
Story time: Among many others, I love that old hymn Blessed Assurance. Thanks Pas. I grew up going to a Southern Baptist church in Virginia where all those great old hymns were sung all the time. I took them for granted. When I first went to Cornell, I found a Baptist church in Ithaca and went one Sunday. There wasn't one hymn I recognized or liked very much. My father never liked Elvis Presley until I played him songs from a gospel album by Elvis with backup by the Stamps quartet. He immediately became an Elvis fan.
Bill,
To put it simply, the black squares beside theme entries should not be counted cheaters.
Look at John's Sunday grid again: the one to the right of FLINCH WORM & the one to the left of DEAR FLABBY are not cheaters.
When designing a grid, constructors always put theme entries in first. John put the two black squares there so his theme entries could intersect.
The two cheaters (one to the left of PAPER HAT and one to the right of RIFFRAFF) are put in the filling process.
Beating the water heater conversation to death, I wasn't just plucking numbers from the air when I made that comment. I was quoting information provided by the NAHB...admittedly a little old, but not my own opinion nonetheless. I used to get an annual report on such things (I think it came from NAR passed on by NAHB) and was published in the national Realtors rag. It's been a few years since I've seen it, and evidently things have changed a little. They now estimate the avg life of a water heater to be 10 years~ Here's the PDF, I think it was on page 7.
I've personally seen water heaters that were 35 to 40 years old, but they're rare. In our own house (former house, not current) we went through 3 while there, and the avg life was almost exactly 7 years. They die from one of two reasons. They rust out or they calcify. Periodic draining will help with the calcification, but it won't do a thing to prevent rust-through. All of my dead ones were due to rust.....and every damned one of them happened on a Saturday.
The PDF is interesting reading. Most folks have a tendency to think that things last longer than they actually do...especially when they are the owners. There really aren't that many components of a house that are "lifetime". Not unlike the old story about the ax that had been in the family for 4 generations. The handle had been replaced six times and the head replaced twice.....but by gum that ax had been in the family for a hunert years!
Hi all,
This was a fun puzzle; thank you Gail and Bruce.
I didn't know gangster John's last name. In 59A I had an A instead of 0. but pushed on and finally got it done.
For those in the NE, I hope you get plowed out soon. We have had snow fluries for about 10 days.It wasn't like you folks in the east Yesterday it rained all day and much of our snow melted.There is still some on the ground. C.C. I'm wondering how it is up where you are.
Have a good evening all!
Marge
Marge,
Still lots of snow on the ground. We got 4" of new snow yesterday.
I'm not happy with our water softener. I don't like the water stains in our kitchen sink. This repair guy came the other day and told me that the cold water in our kitchen does not actually go through water softener. I was shocked. Does it mean that I can't drink the kitchen sink cold water?
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/t/video/meet-boo-worlds-< A warm-up for the dog show tonight! My first link from iPad, thanks to Dudley.
My husband and son put most of our basement furniture in storage yesterday. It will probably take us a year to finish remodeling. Unfortunately, I'm not much help. Slept most of the weekend.
HG, Thanks for WD-40 link. Shared some ideas with hubby.
I finished today's offering easily.
Had my husband help me TODAY
with Sunday's Lampkin. He gets frustrated with misdirection in cluing sometimes, but laugh from beginning to end.
Thanks for tutoring "cheater squares" but I fear I probably won't recognize when they appear again.
I still have my homemade YSHAPE slingshot made from a whittled down tree branch. I decorate with all my old wood toys at Christmas.
Pas de chat, I love the old hymns and received Alan Jackson's hymn album a couple years ago.
BillG, thought we didn't have songbirds anymore...then had my hearing checked. Now with hearing aides, I hear birds singing, every squeak in the floor, and when the furnish come on, etc.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/t/video/meet-boo-worlds-Woof, woof
CC, thanks again. It is finally starting to make more sense. I don't know why I was so thick about trying to understand Cheater Squares.
I came across a movie on cable late last night. I realize it is one of my favorites. I saw it when it first came out and have seen all of it once more and bits of it several more times. It's a funny, sad and thoughtful movie about raising a family and being parents that really rang true for me. It stars an actor who's probably thought of more as a comedian. He plays Cowboy Bob at his son's birthday party.
Some quotes: [after finding her 15-year-old son's bag full of porno tapes]
l assume you're watching these because you're curious about sex... you know. Or filmmaking.
You know, you need a license to buy a dog, to drive a car - hell, you even need a license to catch a fish. But they'll let any a&&hole be a father.
Do you really have to go?
My whole life is "have to."
Can you guess it? I highly recommend it and suggest you add it to your Netflix queue.
CC, don't be shocked. It is normal for the cold faucet in the kitchen not to be connected to a water softner. The 'softened' water is supposed to be better for washing machines, dishwashers, etc. but not for drinking.
ragnotecLIFE IS GOOD AGAIN
As I type, the snow in our driveway is being cleared. That's the good news.
The bad news is the secondary & tertiary town roads are barely passable. Our road is after tertiary.
Irregardless, tomorrow the Tahoe rolls! This is not FORETASTE, it is FACT!
Fingers crossed!
C.C. I wouldn't worry about drinking hard water if you like the taste. There's lot's of opinions on how it should be configured, but the more common one is that people don't care for the taste of soft water and therefore the kitchen (and often bathroom) sink(s) are plumbed with hard water to the cold line.
If you have seriously hard water, a high iron content, a high sulphide content and/or find the taste offensive, one alternative is to have all domestic water plumbed through the softener, then get an RO system (reverse osmosis) that feeds a separate tap at the sink and the ice maker. They're pricey, but they do a good job of filtering out impurities and getting the water back to a palatable taste. We have a private well and with brutally hard water have exactly that system. But on an urban system, we always had just straight hard water.
This is one of those areas where everyone has an opinion. Some well informed, others not so much. What you described in your own house is very common, but it might not be what you expected it to be.
Another day late to the dance, but it was a fine Monday. Thank you GG and BV. As always Argyle and all the comments and links. Does this define SNOW WHITE??
BillG, Parenthood?
Yeah lemony, a blank white page could be called snow white!
Anon at 4:59, do you not see the pic in the upper left, which when clicked reveals a young lady shoveling snow?
ummmm, no. do you?
Going back to the original theme of the day, I saw Jimmy Buffet twice. The first was the best concert I've ever seen at McNichols in Denver 1977, the second was the worst I've seen at Rosenblatt 1983. Focusing on the first, he shared the bill with Emmylou. (Have I mentioned that Emmylou could have her way with me?)
I tried to find some video of Emmylou in that era with the Hot Band. No luck. (Too bad, cuz they really kicked butt) But I did find one tune worth posting since it included Rodney Crowell as co-author and who was in the Hot Band. Not exactly what I wanted, but it'll have to do.
Til I Gain Control Again
yes I show a link to a picasa web album
Lemon - For the record, I get Picasa with a "couldn't find" message.
Irish Miss - Looks like you're getting close! The first two links must have had a syntax error. The third almost worked - it took me to ABC News but the video didn't play.
Hola Everyone, The same mistake as Barry. Aroo made Delhi look rather funny until I changed it. I also started out with Eases for Wanes. When an ache eases it subsides--at least mine do. Everything worked for a while , but Ear Games made for a funny Military practice! Other than that this was pretty straight forward and a fairly quick fill.
Hands up for not enjoying Foretaste. I haven't used that word in my vacabulary.
I tried forked for Y shaped sling shot handle. It didn't fit so Y shaped had to come with the perps.
My granddaughter-in-law to be just bought her wedding dress last week. Looks like plans are beginning to jell for this fall.
Hatoolah, my girls didn't want to wear their sisters' gown, but the veil I made for our oldest was worn by the others.
C.C. Softened water in many cases is put through a salt "bath". If you drink the softened water you are getting way too much sodium in your diet. This was the explanation we were given for not hooking up our kitchen faucet to the water softener.
Have a great evening, everyone.
SW
try again?
*yawn*
Yeah, that worked. The image is small, but evidently you knew that already.
the other link let's me click on the pic and make it bigger, obviously you get th idea of a very pale young lady in the white snow, but it can be saved and made larger. The idea would have been fine if the link worked properly
Now that it is boring and stupid, I figured it out, MAYBE .
Thanks for the feed back Dudley
5 and out
Dudley @ 5:52 - It works when I click on my link, but there is a short delay before it starts. Anyone else try the link?
Aren't Mondays the worst, lemony? Link still doesn't work and you miscounted.
Irish Miss, I get the link and it works on my iPad, however, I came to my computer to post a note to you and the link doesn't play.
Montana
Evening everyone,
Today's puzzle was pretty much straight forward but today's topic(s) seems to be all over the board. I don't know much about water softeners but I do know a little about water heaters. For example: A home with a gas water heater and bunch of teenagers is a lethal combination. I would give the life expectancy of the heater about two years. The expansion and contraction of the tank from their 45 minute showers and the quick recovery of the gas can be brutal. On the other side of the spectrum, an electric heater in say, an empty nester home, won't see the massive quick drain and electric is slower in recovery so the heater may very well last 15 years or longer. Still, there are other variables. Just my two cents worth. Anyhoo, two days to dig out and then got hit with snow and sleet today. Tin's pinch never tasted so good!
Avg Joe, Barbara and I saw Emmy Lou with the Hot Band years ago. It was in a club and we sat at a table that was abutting the stage. I could have polished her boots (though they didn't need it). They opened with "I'm Movin' On," a Hank Snow song. I loved her early stuff but then she began experimenting and I didn't enjoy her new stuff as much as her old stuff, a common occurrence for me. Thanks for posting that.
WILLIE NELSON SAID IT BEST WHEN HE SAID, "THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF MEN. MEN WHO ARE IN LOVE WITH EMMYLOU AND MEN WHO HAVE NEVER MET HER."
Here's an old one with the Hot Band I think. I'll Be Your San Antone Rose.
Irish miss, even though I can't open your link, I am also looking forward to the dog show. Thanks for the reminder.
Irish 6:37 - What Montana said. When I tried your link earlier, that was on a PC. Just now I tried on the iPad and it worked just fine. Mystery, that.
Montana, did you get your shout out from JB?
"Remember that night in Montana,"
@ TTP - Thanks for the great write-up on spam on Sunday's blog!
CC: my present house is a rental with horrible tasting/ smelling water. I bought a Brita filter that attaches to the faucet outlet. Also bought an in-line filter for the ice maker. Both made a huge difference (for the better) in taste. The Brita has a lever that lets you filter the water when you want it. Filter lasts about 4 months or so.
Manac: I never thought about water heater life the way you explained it. Makes perfect sense!
CED, I was waiting for and ending similar to This. from your "Strap yourself in" Link.
Anon@11:34, You are obviously an amateur beer drinker! When you first tap a keg it is all foam. You give the bar keep your mug and say "Put a head on it". And snow up here in the North East is part of our paradise! So much more to do than you could ever imagine. Wouldn't leave it for anything.
My attempt to link Boo, world's cutest dog.
Link
Argyle, No, I don't see a shout out about "Remember that night in Montana" from JB.
Argyle, your link to Boo works on my computer.
Montana
Argyle - your link works on the iPad too.
However, my wife and I share the opinion that Boo is not all that cute. Just sayin'.
My Mom has a salt water softener...you can`t rinse the soap off in the shower and my hair won`t hold any set when washed with it. I hate it!
anon@9:46,
I guess it is time to move out then!
Montana, that is a line in Jimmy Buffet's song, "Come Monday".
Best Anon exchange in weeks.
Three stars.
My favorite Buffet?
"Miss You So Badly".
"Battlin' Motel Maids and chewin' on Rolaids".
As several of you guessed, the movie that I've enjoyed so much is "Parenthood" directed by Ron Howard with Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Keanu Reeves, Jason Robards, et al.
From Rotten Tomatoes: This feel-good ensemble comedy tracks a quartet of suburban siblings and their families over the course of a single summer. (BTW, I think this movie is much more than a simple comedy. There is a lot of truth about parenthood to be found here.) Hardworking Gil Buckman (Steve Martin) and his stay-at-home wife, Karen (Mary Steeenburgen), have just a few months to help their oldest son, Kevin (Jasen Fisher), overcome his high-strung behavior problems before he'll be relegated to special-education classes. Gil's difficult relationship with his own father, Frank (Jason Robards), has led him to become a would-be super-dad for his three kids, so he takes his son's difficulties more than a little personally. Gil's sister, Helen (Dianne Wiest), is trying to raise a moody, adolescent son (Leaf Phoenix) and an independent-minded daughter (Martha Plimpton) with no help from her well-off ex-husband, who's more interested in his new wife and family. ... When long-lost brother Larry (Tom Hulce) show up with yet another get-rich-quick scheme, he brings with him a surprise addition to the family. Screenwriters and Ron Howard negotiate their varied subplots with a deftness and comedic touch that transforms this conflicted clan into a suburban everyfamily.
Argyle, cute link.
Can't resist being the 100th to weigh in today.
Loved hearing Come Monday for the first time in a gazillion years.
And enjoyed the instructive write up on cheater squares.
Thank you Gail and Bruce; I enjoyed the puzzle. Thank you Argyle. The write up made it that much better. Work intervened very early yesterday, and I didn't get a chance to pop in.
CED asked, "Now my question is, once you have the IP, is there anything i can "do" with it??? (maybe send some spam back?!?!?) :)"
You aren't really getting their specific IP address. You can read a few articles about proxy servers and NAT routers and you'll get a sense why.
Your call, but I would leave well enough alone and move on. Unless you have mad skills like Abby or McGee or Mr Finch, you aren't going to be able to isolate back to the perps.
To "Dad": I visit her often...she`s widowed and I make a 2,000 mile round trip several times a year to see after her. Now don`t you feel snarky!
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