Theme: A Trip Down Lover's Lane - Follow the three steps found at the end of the first theme entries and you will arrive at the fourth.
17A. Soft hit that barely makes it over the infield : BLOOP SINGLE
28A. Archaeological age-determination process : CARBON DATING
45A. Completely absorbed : FULLY ENGAGED
59A. Sign in a limo that aptly concludes the sequence formed by the last words of 17-, 28- and 45-Across : JUST MARRIED
Argyle here. Straightforward Monday. A little something for everybody. Easy to find cheater squares. An obscure name or two. A bit of crosswordese. If you can't find a nit, you're not trying but you would be hard-pressed to say you couldn't get it done.
Across:
1. Apt. parts, in ads : BR's. (bedrooms)
4. Talking head : PUNDIT. Originally meant "learned Hindu" before sinking down to a talking head.
10. Big name in ATMs : NCR. (National Cash Register)
13. Charged particles : IONs
15. Black-and-blue mark, e.g. : BRUISE
16. Suffix for pay : OLA. Payola/Graft
19. Cranberry-growing area : BOG
20. Africa's Sierra __ : LEONE. On the west coast. Map.
21. Fed. retirement org. : SSA. (Social Security Administration)
22. "T" on a test, usually : TRUE
23. Like dodos and dinosaurs : EXTINCT. But not 'our' Dodo.
26. Foray : INROAD. (encroachment, raid)
31. Texting units: Abbr. : MSG's. (messages)
34. Rowboat mover : OAR
35. Wish granter : GENIE
36. "How was __ know?" : I TO
37. Abrasions : SCRAPES
40. Sinus doc : ENT. (ear, nose, and throat)
41. Not exactly robust : FRAIL
43. Simpsons neighbor Flanders : NED
44. Makes really angry : IREs
49. Lawyer's customer : CLIENT
50. Accessory often carried with a wallet : KEY CASE. So you won't jangle when you walk.
54. Merle Haggard's "__ From Muskogee" : OKIE
55. N.J. neighbor : DEL.
57. Lightened : EASED
58. Libertarian politician Paul : RON. And small-government proponent. (yesterday)
62. Mystery novelist Grafton : SUE. 'S' is for Sue.
63. Houston team : ASTROS
64. Statistician's input : DATA
65. NHL tiebreakers : OT's
66. Tinkers (with) : MESSES
67. Figs. : NO's. (figures/numbers)
Down:
1. The Good Book : BIBLE
2. Pricey watch with a gold crown logo : ROLEX
3. Nose-in-the-air type : SNOOT
4. "Nova" airer : PBS
5. Ocean State sch. : URI. (University of Rhode Island)
6. Convent dwellers : NUNS
7. Starts to eat with gusto : DIGS IN
8. Manhattan is one : ISLAND. The Manhattan I like.
9. Golf ball's perch : TEE
10. Choice you don't have to think about : NO BRAINER
11. Metaphorical state of elation : CLOUD NINE. This site explains (sort of) where the term comes from.
12. Violent anger : RAGE
14. Former (and likely future) Seattle NBA team : SONICS
18. '90s Cabinet member Federico : PENA
22. Lug : TOTE
24. Gator's kin : CROC
25. Skier's way up : T-BAR. Back to our usual.
27. Glad __: party clothes : RAGS
29. Long-armed primate : ORANG. Informally; an orangutan.
30. Comprehends : GETS
31. Tick off : MIFF
32. Went down swinging : STRUCK OUT
33. Touchdowns require crossing them : GOAL LINES
37. Leonard __: Roy Rogers's birth name : SLYE. Trivia.
38. Mountain top : PEAK
39. Advantage : EDGE
42. Nastase of tennis : ILIE
44. Security checkpoint request : ID CARD
46. Ultimate application : END USE
47. Big bomb trials : N-TESTS
48. Binoculars user : EYER
51. Made in China, say : ASIAN
52. Look after : SEE TO
53. Icelandic sagas : EDDAs
54. Estimator's words : OR SO
56. P.O. box inserts : LTR's. (letters)
59. Printer problem : JAM
60. Stooge with bangs : MOE
61. Pack animal : ASS
Argyle
88 comments:
Morning, all!
Fun Monday puzzle from our original Dynamic Duo. It was all smooth sailing except for a spot on the West Coast where I went off the rails for a bit. Had LIST instead of MIFF at 31 (I guess I was thinking of ticking items off a list, even though that doesn't really make sense here). And then I thought that texting units were LTRS instead of MSGS. It was only when LTRS showed up later at 56D that I realized my mistake. The fact that SLYE was a complete unknown to me didn't help things in that spot...
[tequage]
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. A fun Monday puzzle. Like Barry G, I had a spot of trouble on the West Coast. MGSs and FRAIL were the last fills to fall.
I also initially tried Snobs instead of SNOOT, but then realized the clue was singular and my answer was plural.
My first thought for Manhattan was the drink, but ISLAND has the requisite number of letters.
Some fun long down answers, such as NO BRAINER and CLOUD NINE.
Lots of severe rain here, and predicted to continue throughout the day.
QOD: All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much. ~ George Harrison (Feb. 25, 2943 ~ Nov. 29, 2001)
[dowenian]
Hello Puzzlers -
WBS. An easy-to-do puzz from the DGCC Team.
Hahtoolah - until reading your QOD I didn't know it was George Harrison's birthday. I recently watched the DVD set about him, "Living in the Material World". He seemed like a gentle soul.
Hello all,
Swell puzzle, D. D., fine expo, Argyle!
Went by rather quickly.
Possible spoilers for Oscar-cast:
Seth MacFarlane not very good, IMO;
Sound terrible--not just on my TV;
Something wrong with R. Zellwiger's eyes;
Loath tank-sitter;
Only 2 actors died last year(?);
D. D. Lewis speech terrific!
Shirley Bassey too old for song. (Lung capacity gone.)
Have a nice day! (I have to go to derm. Yuk.)
Good morning!
My experience was pretty much like Barry's, right down to LIST/MIFF and LTRS/MSGS.
Buy I did know that Roy Rogers was Leonard SLYE. Roy had Trigger stuffed and mounted. I could make a remark about how Dale felt about it....but I won't.
Here's the key case I prefer. They're hard to find here, but MIL can get them in Munich. Mine doesn't have a zipper. Leaf springs sewn into the top keeps it closed.
Thank you Don, and CC. What a neat theme! In sequence no less. Plus all of the answers with 9 to 12 letters. I liked it. And thank you Argyle. It looks like a 19A fell into your 8D.
Hi Everyone ~~
I enjoyed your puzzle, Don and C.C. ~ it was a java half-mugger, but I had fun sailing through.
I thought we might be headed for a baseball theme after filling in BLOOP SINGLE and then shortly thereafter CLOUD NINE (number of innings) and STRUCK OUT. Also, I often hear of the batter, "He DIGS IN at the plate." OK - that one's stretching it a bit!
I was jumping around so didn't get the theme answers in order. It took me all the way to FULLY ENGAGED to see the light ~ loved it!
~ I miss our DODO - I thought of her at 23A.
~ Thanks for a great write-up, Argyle - I liked your comment at 62A "S is for Sue." :-)
Enjoy the day!
Thank you Don. G. and C. C. for a nice and easy puzzle. Really enjoyed it. Thank you Argyle for a terrific commentary.
'Pandits',( never pundits), are still very highly regarded in India - where the word retains its original meaning and designation. The honorific is a great compliment, never derogatory or a pejorative. It means a scholar and sometimes, a teacher, like a Guru but more so as in 'Maestro'. The late P. M. - J.L. Nehru and Ravi Shankar are still referred to in India as 'Pandit', even now. It can also be a surname, viz. Vikram Pandit was CEO of Citigroup, until last year.
'Kashmiri pandits' is a caste of Kashmiri brahmins, who were a majority in that state, now coerced into leaving most of the state by terrorism unleashed against them, by a so called minority.
Have a nice day you guys, and best wishes.
@Fermat - apparently the reviewers agree with you. I didn't watch it.
DNF! on Monday! I had a couple Naticks: 1. BLOOP crosses PENA. Sports crosses someone I just didn't know.
2. SLYE crosses FRAIL crosses GOALLINES crosses MSGS. My sports guess was fOuLLINES, so I had a mess. Also, I need to learn to text, I young person has promised to teach me.
Roy Rogers isn't his real name?!#
Didn't care for ENDUSE as a back formation from END USEr, but got it.
@DESPEROTTO - Love Kitty.
Happy New Week Everybody. This week we see the end of February and inch closer towards spring :)
An esay, straight forwad puzzle. For 65A I wanted SOS (Shoot Outs), instead of OT. In hockey if there is a tie at the end of the third period they go into OT. If they are still tied they go into shoot outs.
I learned the word PUNDIT from watching Fox News.
Cute kitty D-Otto.
Sfingi: I didn't watch the Oscars either. I get bored with all those droning speeches. DH and I watched the Blackhawks win their 18th straight in regulation time last night.
-With SINGLE and DATING I had the theme and anticipated ENGAGED and MARRIED.
-BLOOP SINGLE had me hoping for more baseball, but found only ASTROS. After all, it’s spring training time.
-With --AIL for perps, FRAIL fell easily. Having 31A -SGS and 31D -IFF it had to be M.
For 1A I confidently wrote RMS and then looked at the downs. I quickly changed it to BRS, my only glitch.
-I wish my ex had carried a KEY CASE. I can't tell you how many holey pockets I replaced. You cut away the old pocket leaving only about two inches or so and then attach a replacement pocket found in sewing stores,
-At age 18 when I was a waitress in Atlantic City I placed an order at the service bar for a Manhatttan "and make sure it’s just right." The barkeep asked if I needed a PERFECT MANHATTAN. I did. Boy did this innocent country girl get razzed. For the uninitiated, a Manhattan, contains SWEET vermouth, a dry MANHATTAN contains dry vermouth and a PERFECT MANHATTAN contains both. In my 20's I liked a Bourbon MANHATTAN.
-There’s plenty of praise today for Naomi Watts’ gown. I don’t like that little cup up there off on its own.
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
Fun puzzle and write up! It took me longer that my typical Monday, but that's good, because I get to sip my coffee for just a wee bit longer.
I had the same crossing Naticks and mistakes as others- BLOOP / PENA, ltrs instead of MSGS. But I did have another original error of my own: "rms" instead of BRS at 1A. But it all got straightened out int he end.
Happy Monday, everyone!
Good morning everyone,
Happy to see the baseball clues.... spring must be "acomin". A fun day with only a couple of self inflicted slowdowns. Wanted Texas Leaguer for 17A, but it wouldn't fit. BLOOP SINGLE appeared as soon as I began to fill in the top row Downs.
I alway want IBM for big name in ATM;s and after a whack on the head, NCR makes its appearance.
For 50A I started with Keycard. Quick fix.
Thank you CC & Don... a nice start to the week.
Argyle: Nice write-up & links.
Don G. & C.C. Thank you for a FUN Monday puzzle.
After JUST MARRIED ... shouldn't there be ENDS-IN-DIVORCE ???
(It happens 50% of the time ... just sayin').
FAVE today was 7-d, DIG-SIN. (I am a Hedonist after all).
Cheers !!!
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Don and C.C., for a swell puzzle. Enjoyed it. Thank you, Argyle, for the swell review.
Got up and got this done early. Was able to start easily in the NW with BIBLE, BRS, IONS, etc. Worked my way down toward the SE. Left the NE corner and SW corner for later.
Could not get the theme until I got JUST MARRIED. All made sense.
Leonard SLYE was easy. He was from Portsmouth, OH. I have been to the museum in Victorville, CA, and have seen the horse. that was many years ago when I lived near there. Hope its all still there.
Liked OKIE from Muskogee. Merle Haggard is a favorite of mine.
Due to my very busy weekend I never finished Saturday's puzzle until late last night. I think I will check the blog for the last couple days and see what is happening.
See you tomorrow, or maybe later today.
Abejo
(misehnl)
Good morning!
I got such a kick out of this puzzle's romantic theme. Saw BLOOPERSINGLE, and immediately looked to see who constructed it. Not a bit surprised to see C.C and Don. Thanks, guys!
MOE came with perps, and I expected to see another Simpsons clue, after filling in NED. Nice variety, DD.
(Dyamic Duo)
Cool key case, DO. I put in KEYRING first, which MESSEd up that corner for awhile.
YR, I didn't care for Naomi's dress either. But how about Hallie Berry's gown! I only watched the Red Carpet segment for the fashion. The interviews seemed a little lame to me. Missed most of the singing and awards, since I had worked a twelve hour shift and fell asleep watching the show in bed. The MC had his moments; the "boob" song wasn't one of them.
We saw stuffed Trigger at the Roy Rogers museum in CA (on our honeymoon; now the museum is in Branson, MO). Seeing that beautiful horse stuffed was a little sad. but the museum was cool since I had loved and read about Roy and Dale since I was a kid. That's how I got Leonard SLYE.
PS, Tinbeni, you are too funny!
ok, I guess Seth MacFarlane was the emcee, not the MC of the Oscars
I need more coffee.
BTW, learned something new about PUNDIT/pandit. Thanks, Anony Mouse.
Good morning everyone.
Nice kick-off to the week with a BLOOP SINGLE from the dynamic C.C. D.G. combo. Puzzled slightly at T for TRUE; true/false. Perps help was ample. ORANG utan - "person of the forest" in Malay. No lookups needed, no strikethroughs, no nits.
Hahtoolah, in case you missed my post late yesterday, the Kidd, a Fletcher class DD, is at Baton Rouge. We've seen and toured it; it is a very nice exhibit.
For my daughter, CC and Don would have had to insert match.com in this lovely puzzle somewhere which is where she has seemed to find her mate. Beats going to the Zoo Bar in Lincoln, doesn’t it Joe? Getting the theme early got me to wondering how MARRIAGE would appear.
Musings
-Baseball people always say those BLOOP SINGLES are payback for screaming line drives that get caught. Baseball minutiae - the latter are called atoms because you hit the ball right “at ‘em”
-We threw out some cheese last week that I think needed CARBON DATING
-PUNDITS can look at identical DATA and write completely different columns
-Anybody wanna risk the grocery money on taking a test on naming African states? I don’t either.
-We called T/F tests “Pick a winner!” in the lounge
-Millions of species have gone EXTINCT and now the gov’t is spending big money to save this.
-Did you see this hilarious commercial where Big Bang’s Kaley Cuoco as a genie grants WISHES (1:01)?
-ITO? Lance you’re out, pronoun/preposition, you’re in.
-Are KEY CASE, fanny pack and coin purse in the same accessory category?
-Everyone seems to add a letter when pronouncing ORANGATAN and omitting a letter when pronouncing the current month.
-If you did not accomplish CC and Don’s progression today, you must have STRUCK OUT somewhere or 50/50 chance on afterwards according to Tin.
-Eniwetok Atoll from last week was the site of an historic and horrible N TEST
-No Oscar stuff here either. You know what you’re gettin’ if you do and to each their own.
-Where would you find Rick Harris who seems very good at knowing if a watch is a real ROLEX or not?
Husker:
I am SOOOOOO glad they are trying to save that creature.
Money well spent. lol
Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas (featured on Pawn Stars).
TTP, Mari:
Saw your note from Saturday. I was gone all day and never read it until now.
Abejo
(reerpor)
We did the Oscars differently at our house. We watched Argo instead of the Hollywood extravaganza.
Sfingi/Mari: He's the youngest of our pride. And the most expensive. In addition to neutering he needed hip surgery to correct a birth defect. He also got the wrong name. It should have been Nemesis.
The Orangutan's scientific name is Pongo. Who knew?
LaLaLinda, thanks for pointing out the baseball clues. I saw them very early this AM when I did the puzzle, but couldn't find them with a quick skim later.
QLI I didn't watch the Oscars at all. I don't have the patience. I read the reviews and saw the pictures on the Internet and in the paper. I guess I'd give Halle's gown a 5 out of ten. Anne Hathaway's gown wasn't too bad in front, but oh, my, the weird back! Sometimes I agree with the best and worst dressed lists, and sometimes I don't.
Smooth, easy puzzle today. Originally wanted ANCHOR for PUNDIT, but that soon went by the wayside. Also, I had SkYE instead of SLYE for Roy Rogers. That too got fixed quickly.
I had to laugh/ agree with Tinbeni.
Anyone notice the sort-of self shout-out to CC? MADE IN CHINA-ASIAN. You have come a long way since the early days of the blog, CC! Congratulations!!!
cioperl?
Good morning all - Thanks Don and C.C. for a fun Monday romp and to Argyle for your fun write-up.
Only one little bump today. As I didn't know 14D or 18D, I had BLOWNSINGLE - thought it was logical until I read the blog. I've never heard of a BLOOPSINGLE.
My husband managed our local ski area for a number of years and we are both ex-skiers so TBAR (and JBAR from last week) were NOBRAINERs for me. McCauley Mountain in Old Forge NY has gotten 22 inches of snow in the last 5 days. It's been a great winter for winter sports in the Adirondacks.
Beautiful day here - me thinks a beach afternoon. Supposed to be a bit cooler the rest of the week.
fermatprime - I agree with you about Seth MacFarlane and Rene Z. He was not that good and she always had those squinty eyes - very unique to her. But last night they did look different. However, consideirng Shirley Bassey is 76 yrs. old, I think she did a great job with the song - after all it is HER song. IMHO
Have a great Monday everyone.
eyanvasj
My wife and I first met at her dads business , we started with the end of 28A and later 45A , we were both in Cloud Nine which made the end of 59A a No Brainer.!
-Yeah, it’s the Pawn Stars who evaluate high priced timepieces
-On this day after honoring movies, enjoy this amazing video of Past to Present ladies of Hollywood
-Re: Hollywood fashions - It ain’t the dress or the dresser, it’s the dressee!
-One last link on this Hollywood/Marriage day. Well employed lawyers who work a lot where some marriages last as long as junior high infatuations
-Off to the Y to do some REPS working on my ABS, LATS, QUADS and other cwd anatomical areas taking care not to strain my “hammie” like our “Made in Asia” leader ;-)!
Cmon people. If you like and know baseball terms 17a should be "Texas Leaguer." Its a "No Brainer." Other than that , pretty easy puzzle. Love single to married. Good job.
Enjoyable Monday level puzzle. Didn't know SLYE. Glad to see TBAR not J. We have cranberry BOGs near Bala, Ontario.
We had poor sound for Oscars and had to turn level up into 50s! Thought it was just the Canadian feed. LOL.
Nice to see Argo with its Canadian connection win for best pic.
Good morning:
Thanks to CC and Don for starting the week off with an easy but clever and enjoyable romp. Nice expo, Argyle.
I warched most of the Oscars but fell asleep before Best Actor, Picture and Director were named. I could not believe Ang Lee won over Stephen Spielberg, not because I saw either movie, but because SS was so heavily favored. I did not care for Seth McFarlane nor did I expect to, as I'm not into his brand of humor.
Have a great Monday.
I LOVEd the theme of this Monday puzzle--many thanks, Dynamic Duo! But I MESSEd up on one letter in the end since I never heard of either BLOOP SINGLE or Frederico PENA. My first thought was BLOOD single (ick), then BLOOM single (just doesn't sound sporty, does it?), and never thought of BLOOP as a word, so that didn't come to mind. No matter, it was a lovely puzzle, with a fun expo by Argyle. And Tinbeni, I'd follow your cynical ending to the theme with AWESOME RE-MARRIAGE, which lots of us, including my sweetie and I, have experienced.
Call us old-fashioned, but we had a great Oscar party last night. Maybe because of the good vibe of being with friends, we thought the MC was funny, loved all the gowns, moaned that stars aren't more articulate when no one gives them a script--except for that awesome Daniel Day Lewis--and regretted that we have yet to see "The Life of Pi." And we liked the way the awards sort of got distributed in a balanced way in the end.
Great start to a Monday. Have a wonderful week, everybody!
Good day, cyber friends.
I was pleasantly surprised to see a DG/CC puzzle today and sashayed right through it with barely a pause. Of course, I didn't know BLOOP SINGLE and the P was my last fill when I finally recalled that bad boy in the Cabinet, PENA. He was in trouble for a long time.
AnonyMouse, thank you for the lesson on PUNDIT/Pandit. That's very interesting.
Except for 17A the baseball clues are some well known ones so in most cases it was a NO BRAINER.
I did have to wait awhile for SLYE and know we've seen it before but needed all the crosses this time.
Yeah! Argo! I watched the Oscars but had my newspaper firmly in hand to catch up on news at the same time. I love the gowns and thought Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Garner had the best ones. Jessica Chastain, too, but it was so pale and she is so fair that she looked like a ghost.
Have a wonderful Monday, everyone! Today my late DH would have been 82.
[iesngso]
Husker Gary:
We have a Salt Creek near us in Illinois. Maybe we need some Tiger Beetles to make it better.
Abejo
(pervita)
Lucina, my heart goes out to you. I never thought how sad birthdays must become for the widowed.
That was a fun Monday puzzle and writeup. Thanks CC and Argyle.
I agree about Rene's eyes. I'm guessing she's in bad need of glasses. I liked Seth pretty well.
I asked this question before but didn't see an answer. Re. cheater squares, I see a spot for ones in the top row and bottom row but which ones? In the top row, would it be the fourth square or the fifth square or either or both?
I enjoyed the Academy Award show last night. Quentin Tarantino's achievements deserve respect but I don't enjoy his movies. I originally got to know him when he worked at a video rental store nearby. He's obviously climbed near the top of the director mountain but he's never seemed to acquire any class along the way. It shows in the way he speaks and it showed in the way he was dressed last night.
BillG - I believe it would be the 4th square on top and its diagonal on the bottom.
CanadianEh @1047 - I had the privelege of meeting Amb. Taylor at Ft. Drum in northern NY about a year after those events took place. Remembered his curly hair which the actor, Victor Garber, reprised in the movie. Also remember the huge sign hung on the Buffalo sewage treatment plant which faces Ft. Erie at the Niagara River's narrowest spot which said "Thank You Canada."
I'm guessing you live somewhere on the Niagara Peninsula?
Hola Everyone, Since texting is completely beyond me, Ltrs went in instead of Msgs. I had SGS in but didn't go back to fill in Miff. I really need to check my grid before I think I'm finishedl! So technically I had a DNF on this lovely Monday puzzle by C.C. and Don. I loved all the sports fills also--Bloop single, Struck Out, and Goal Lines were just a few.
Thanks Argyle for your great writeup.
I, too, thought that Rene Zellwiger had a rather odd squint during her presentation. And all those long dresses with trains presented a hazard to someone who had to climb stairs.
Have a great day, everyone.
What Spitzboov said is correct. The fifth square can't be taken out because it would leave a letter with out a perp.
Chickie@12:22
You are so right about the long trains on the dresses. Did you see Jennifer Lawrence when she tripped on hers. She was embarrassed but received a standing ovation.
Misty@11:32
Thank you, but time does heal to a certain extent and since it has been 20 years it is now less painful.
BillG@11:40
I have to agree with you about Quentin T. He looked really sloppy amid all that glitz and glamour. I've never seen his movies either because they always seem excessively violent.
[EUndmivi]
Good morning Argyle, C.C. and all,
Enjoyed going down the aisle in this one.Groked the theme, but had trouble filling bloop and snoot. Also had to change key ring to key case, and needed all the perps for Slye.
Enjoyed the Oscars and liked Seth, although I don't think this is his thing. He sure is talented.Loved seeing Shirley Bassey , Barbra S., Adele and Nora Jones. I could tell the sound was not right; the orchestra was too loud.
This cold has settled in my eyes, which look a little spooky, but I'm on the mend.I misread the dosage on my DH's cough syrup at 3 A.M.the other night, and slept until 11:00!!It worked!
My boys played baseball and I think that bloop single is fine,
We used that term more than Texas leaguer.
Liked all the baseball references and seeing Astros again. We can only go up from last year.
Enjoy your day.
Spitz and Argyle, thanks. I feel kinda silly for not noticing that.
Lucina, yes I noticed Jennifer Lawrence. I thought her dress was pretty though apparently unmanageable. She handled her short trip with humor and grace. I'll bet she's a nice person.
I see the Dodgers pre-season game is on TV today. I hope they do better than last year. The Lakers seem to be getting it together though I better not say too much and jinx them.
Spitzboov@12:16pm - yes about 20 minutes from Niag Falls
Also enjoyed all the baseball references. Hoping this is a good year for the Blue Jays. Looks promising but I don't want to jinx them. It's been a long time since the back-to-back World Series wins in '92,'93.
Hi Y'all, Great puzzle & expo!
DNF on a Monday! The shame of it! The "P" for BLOOP/PENA was a no-show. Nor did I see the very clever romantic progression.
Nor much of anything else. I made the mistake of thinking I would work the puzzle at 12:30 p.m. in the paper since they threw it earlier than usual. Didn't try to get my copier to work and blow it up. Easy Monday and all. Well, I spent more time trying to focus with a magnifying glass than I did coming up with answers. Very unpleasant experience.
If they make the puzzle and sports stats any smaller in that paper, we'll need a microscope. AARGH! I know they want to phase out print editions but some of us oldsters aren't ready. I'm being forced into it though.
Very cloudy and threatening looking here. I'd better go dump the cat pan before the storm starts in earnest. The cat will be much more content in the garage if I do.
Fun puzzle by our Duo today. I didn't get the theme until the unifier, but it's very clever.
PK, from the looks of NOAA Radar you don't have much time to keep that cat happy.
Speaking of cats, who's winning CanadianEh? :-)
PK, I don't understand the mentality of the newspaper folks. I had been receiving home delivery Wed-thru-Sun and full time access to the e-edition. That e-edition came in handy on those occasions when Patsy threw my paper into the ditch. But in early Dec the Barnacle called to ask if I would consent to home delivery 7-days-a-week at no additional charge. I stupidly agreed. My e-edition access was immediately shut off, and by late January the Mon-Tue deliveries still hadn't begun. I called 'em back and begged to be put back on the old system. Things have been fine since.
What I don't understand is why a 5-day-a-week subscription can have 7-day access to the e-edition while a 7-day-a-week subscription gets **zero** access to the e-edition??? Now that's what I call smart marketing!
Husker, thought of you. While I was writing this my shuffle-play Hit Parade music server just served up Tex Ritter and High Noon from 1952.
The long vertical fill reminds me of my friends dating life.
Did you find her attractive?
Well, yeah, that's a NO BRAINER. If I could get to the GOAL LINE with her, I'd be on CLOUD NINE. But, as usual, I STRUCK OUT. Jeeez though, she did have a great ASS.
Avg Joe@2:11pm
Don't you just love that picture of the cat playing chess LOL! He loved to get in the middle of any game being played on the floor (or the train set) and just lie down! Lived until ripe old age of 17 1/2 and has been gone a few years now. I gave him insulin shots for the last 3 years of his life! He was a dear family pet!
C.C. and Don. Really clever puzzle today!
Had lots of fun solving,and when I caught on to the theme, enjoyed it even more.
Fell asleep 2/3 through the Oscars.
Have a good day, everyone!
D-O @ 2:21 - Your newspaper fiasco brought to mind a call I recently received from my local paper to which I have a 7 day subscription.
Caller: We are running a special promotion. For only $1.00, you can get a second Sunday paper.
Me: Why would I want two Sunday papers.
Caller: Well, you would have twice as many coupons.
Me: I don't use coupons.
Caller: Well, you could give it to your neighbor.
Me: No, thank you.
I live in the suburb of a big city and a Rep called me from our (sole city newspaper), subscription department,
and the Rep said,:- 'For one more paid subscription, from you, for all days, for 3 months, we will send 10 newspapers to an inner city classroom, so all the high school juniors can read and be aware of the city'.
Me,:- ' Now, why would you want to do that, and give all the high school juniors all the sultry news about the killings, and murder and mayhem and other horrible goings-on in the city ?'.
Rep,:- ' It would inform all the 10th graders about the dangers of living in the 'hood, and what to watch out for - '.
Me,:- ' Wait a minute, some of these kids are probably the exact same perps causing all this juvenile delinquent behavior - in the first place - '.
Rep,:- 'Well, in that case, it'll cue them in on how to behave so as to avoid detection, and teach them pointers on how to cover their tracks - '.
There is a better than fifty percent chance that the newspaper will cease publication, by the middle of next year.
AvgJoe: the weather map looked really bad with snow hovering over us for two hours before it finally started reaching the ground. I managed to do the cat pan and clear out some other trash before the big white flakes started coming. Melting on the driveway for now, but expect that will change.
My cat had insisted on going out but when he saw me putting the nasty bag in the big trash can, he came over and wanted back in. First thing he did was stop and sniff the fresh pan. Then I felt guilty for leaving it long enough to offend him. He came on in purring loudly. So easily pleased! Wish I was.
YR: Had to chuckle about pocket replacement. Man, do I know that chore. My husband had a ring of about 40 keys--no exaggeration. The other pocket was full of nuts, washers, bolts--any mechanic needs all that in the field. I finally resorted to heavy double-knit nylon to make replacements.
I don't usually watch awards shows, but I was in the mood for it last night. Really enjoyed it although I had not seen any of the movies or heard of three.
Cute theme. Did today's puzzle with my husband. When I knew NED, he was wondering how I knew that...crosswordese. Not BRUISED and no SCRAPES when finished.
Didn't know that the NCR owned or made ATMs.
My friend's parents owned a bookstore. She was so excited to meet Roy Rogers and Dale Evans many years ago.
I wrote last night that I enjoyed the music on the Academy Awards. I don't like Seth MacFarlane's sense of humor. Seems like he is the shock jock of comedy. It seemed like most of the gowns were classic and tasteful.
BTW, the theme made me wonder how many of you met your husband or wife??? (even if you are widowed now.)
Where is the snow? It was supposed hit here an hour ago.
Suburban dweller: those juvenile delinquents would probably just be thrilled to read their names in the paper and try for bigger & better crimes. If they can read...
Blue Iris @ 4:31
"BTW, the theme made me wonder how many of you met your husband or wife???"
Yes, I met my wife.
Hi all,
Thanks C.C. and Don for a fun puzzle. It took me awhile but I had a couple interuptions.
I have 2 friends who lived in Sierra Leone in the 1950s as missionaries. One was a school teacher and one was a nurse.
I didn't have much luck with Friday and Saturday puzzles. Sunday's isn't in the paper until Wed. I know I could do them on the internet but I prefer to solve on paper.
Have a good evening all.
Marge
-Otto, you have Tex on your iPod?
-Abejo, maybe the bureaucrats crawling around Salt Creek in Lincoln can move over to Illinois when they are done saving the Salt Creek Tiger Beetle. Their jobs are not in danger from the impending sequestration.
-My newspaper deliverer has gotten me the paper under incredible circumstances and I’d like to tip him but the World Herald does not allow us to know who he is because they handle carrier issues by phone from Omaha.
-The six daily and one Sunday paper used to be 45¢/wk back during the Eisenhower Administration when I was a carrier and I had to go to the door each week to get paid. Now all payment is through the mail because they don’t want young kids going door to door these days.
-I agree about having not much use for Tarantino. His movies are full of gory violence and he blew up and refused to answer when asked if he thought violent movies had any responsibility for anti social behavior we see these days.
-Joann’s “hammie” hurt her after the workout today. Guess who I thought of.
-Funny response to Iris TTP ;-) My wife and I are high school sweethearts.
Just kidding of course.
I met my wife after relocating to Chicago. It was my second or third day on the new job. She was filling in for the regular receptionist over the lunch hour, and I was returning from lunch with some of the others. I tailgated in through the door. All employees were to badge in. We were also required to prominently display our badges at all times. Mine was in my pocket. She turned me in to management. I got even by marrying her, and never letting her forget it. I'm still glad she turned me in.
Re: Salt Creek. I know of that to which you refer, Abejo. I was working with a realtor shortly after moving here. Wanted to live in the far western suburbs. Wanted a ranch, attached two car garage, larger yard. The realtor kept taking me to see bi-levels, split levels, raised ranches, and two stories. All along Salt Creek in Elmhurst and all with small yards. A few may have had an attached two car. Most still had damaged floors/walls from when Salt Creek flooded a few months before. Kept telling her farther out west, a ranch, attached two car garage, larger yard. After the third time, I had to let her know it just wasn't working out, and thanked her for her time.
My wife and I grew up less than 100 miles apart in rural NE, but never met there. We met in a bar in Denver after we'd both relocated in 77.
CanadianEh, yeah, you gotta love a cat that wants to be the focus of attention. Mine spends at least a part of each day in front of the monitor or plopped down on top of my work file. I put up with it....to a point.
PK, we had radar indicated snow showers over our area all morning. Not a flake. But it does sound like you are more in the eye of it than we are. And that strip from Amarillo to Wichita is getting hammered. It is almost spring, right?
On Oscar, I fell asleep 2/3 through as well. But we did go see Silver Linings on Saturday night and I was pleased to learn about that best actress award as well as Daniel day-Lewis winning best actor. That was truly a no brainer.
LOL... Noticed HG delivered newspapers. My sister and I sold "Grit" newspapers.My DH and his Dad threw newspapers when he was young. How about this question-Did others on the blog work as paper boy or girl?
Zcarguy: that is such a sweet story about how you met your wife.
Well i must be hard pressed, cause i couldn't get it done...
When i saw it was the Dynamic Duo, I was on 11D (cloud 9), but how was 36A(Ito) know that the mid west would do me in! I did have a nit with 29D (orang) being Abbrv w/o ,,, (how do you abbreviate notification?) & I was (miffed) that 31D was not "rile". So I guess I 32D (struck out), but it took Argyles hard pressed comment to make me feel like a 61D.
Question, TTP@7:24am 9a fall into yr 8d = bog fall into yr island???
( I am confused )
HG @10:19 Wow! I must look into their eyes again, that was freaky!
Spitsboov, I visited the USS Cassin Young DD-793 in Boston Harbor years ago, Question, why are a destroyers decks curved from port to starboard? Is it to make the sea roll off faster in a swell?
Lucina @11:26 HBD to your DH
Has anyone heard from Dennis? I am concerned. The last i remember he said his bout with the Flu kept coming back!
Dave, I'll expect you to redeem yourself tomorrow.
Good evening, everyone! Although my local paper doesn't list the constructor(s), I had an inkling this was a C.C. creation with all the baseball clues. And thanks C.C. and Don for the walk down Lovers’ Lane. Sweet theme. Great write-up, Argyle.
Pretty smooth sailing today, except for putting in RMS before BRS at 1A. Favorite fills include CLOUD NINE, FULLY ENGAGED and NO BRAINER.
Husker Gary @ 9:03 – I always groan when Jeopardy has a category on African geography. Never can keep ‘em straight.
Blue Iris @ 4:31 – My husband and I were 17 when we met. He was a friend of the guy I was dating at the time. When our “gang” would get together for parties, soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend had a habit of ignoring me the whole evening while he flirted with the other girls. That left eventually-to-be-DH and I plenty of time to get to know each other. I quickly wised up that it was a whole lot more enjoyable spending time with DH, and I dropped Casanova. After 33 years of marriage, I still believe it’s the smartest decision I ever made.
Have a great night, all!
Lucina, Yes, I saw Jennifer Lawrence's trip. Also just after that Meryl Streep came on and she said she was walking on her gown, but she didn't trip. What an elegant lady she is.
I also thought that Michelle Obama had a beautiful dress. But why the people in the background? We didn't tune in until almost the end, so maybe I missed something.
Desper-Otto, Our e edition of the paper comes with a charge. I can get onto a minimum website, but the real news costs something. Is your paper also charging for their e-edition?
A call from our local paper gave me the opportunity to subscribe to their paper. I informed them that we had been subscribers since the 1950's. We then had the same pitch to buy an extra subscription for our local school. Our 6 month subscription is $120.00 now. We couldn't afford another $120.00 even for the school.
I was in Ann Arbor for the weekend visiting family, got home late this afternoon, so I haven't had the time to try the puzzle. I have to respond to Blue Iris' question; how did you meet your spouse? We were working at the same place in different departments. The secretary of my department told me several times I had to meet Dave because we share our birthday--same day/same year! I thought "No way do I want to meet him". Well, 38 years later, we're still together. I'm about 8 hours older than he is.
I spent last night with Mom and we never thought to turn on the Oscars. Doesn't sound like we missed much as neither of us has seen any of the movies.
A safe Tuesday to those in the path of the latest storm.
Pat
Hello everybody. Fun puzzle today; enjoyed it. Thanks for constructing it, you two.
Every year I keep hoping the acceptance speeches will be more than a laundry list of people to thank, and every year they still are no more than that. On very rare occasions an award recipient makes a good speech; Daniel Day Lewis did last night. HG, I too have noticed how many actors and actresses are so terribly inarticulate without a script to read from. Some of them are so bad I can't help but think they are just plain stupid.
Best wishes to you all.
CED, a cranberry fell into his manhattan LOL
Too old and too busy; loved the puzzle and write up and TTP your heart warming love story! Awesome!!
Husker Gary @ 10:19 - Loved your link to the ladies.
Re: Newspapers - As sfingi knows, our newspaper is now printed almost 100 miles away. Consequently, anything happening locally - news, sports, anything - is not in the paper until 2 days later instead of the next day.
When we are away from home, we put our paper on 'hold' and we have free access to the on-line edition. My hubby actually doesn't mind it and as long as I can have my sudoku and cw, we may just 'subscribe' to the on-line edition.
Hubby and I met thru skiing. We were at Killington on a ski club trip (not together) and he ended up taking movies of me. lol Got together at a ski club meeting in 1971 and married in 1972. 3 boys and 5 grandchildren.
Good evening to all.
Dave, Really? A DNF for a Monday?
You must have been distracted.
This should raise your Spirits a little.
AnnieB, Funny memories. I had taken my yet to be bride to Killington for her first ski trip. We rode to the peak with her scared to death and all the while me telling her "Trust Me" ( what girl hasn't heard that before?)
Anyways, They have a beginner trail from top to bottom. I prefer more aggressive trails but spent the entire day with her teaching the basics. She loved it! Come end of May will be 27 years.
She may be a keeper:-)
CED @ 1819 - I suppose there is a slight curve running athwartships, especially near the gunnels on either side of the main deck. It would help keep the deck drier from sea spray or rain.
Nearer the ship's centerline the main deck would be level. Was there a small list on the DD when you visited? Don't know how they would adjust the ballast on a museum ship.
Since I did the asking, thought I should share how DH and I met. We knew each other since we were six yrs old. When he got out of the navy, his mother had a welcome home party. At the party,he invited me to visit his church. A couple weeks later, I went to Topeka Bible Church and he ask me to drive him home. We went horseback riding the next weekend. We got engaged in five wks and married 7 months later. Married now 37 yrs this April.
SPitzboov, perhaps it is not as noticeable on a fletcher class tin can, but i remember visiting an Australian destroyer as a kid. It had a teak deck that was curved like the width of an engineered roadway.
Manac, thanks for lifting my spirits! I hope I can do the same for you!
OK, Barbara and I met at Cornell. I lived in a co-op, sort of like a poor man's fraternity. We did all the work and cooking around the place. One weekend, we invited her dormitory floor over for a party. We met there at the party, danced a little bit, talked a little bit, etc. A couple of weeks later, I invited her to the big Heptagonal track meet. We enjoyed ourselves but I discovered she had me mixed up with another Bill she had met at the same party. I guess I didn't make as good an impression as I had hoped. But it went well thereafter and we got married at the Cornell chapel a couple of years later.
Fun puzzle and write up. Love those Monday and Tuesday puzzles and Wednesdays are getting closer to no red letters. Baby steps!
I was sitting at a dance with a friend and noticed this guy with long hair (to his shoulders) watching me. I asked my girlfriend "What if he asks me to dance?" She said "Say no". He did and I didn't. He asked me out. I didn't know his name. He called and my mom said "Glen is on the phone." Thank goodness he told her his name. But I had never told him my phone. The next day (at college) I asked him how he got my number. He said he looked up and phoned all the same last names in the phone book until he got the right one.
I had told my mpom that his hair was real long and "Please don't say anything about it!!" She didn't..whew! But the next day after a class I could not find him in the hall. He was there...but he had gotten his hair cut because he knew my mom didn't approve and I hardly recognized him. A very special fellow!!!
Good days from oh so long ago (43 years so far)...thanks C.C. for the memories!
A perfect Monday puzzle , thanks to all involved! Loved the theme & the baseball references , can't wait til opening day!
CED@6:19
I thank you for my DH and am sure he is with the angels. So sweet of you.
I had forgotten to mention how much I dislike the current trend of beards on actors. It makes them look like a throwback to the 19 century which I do not find attractive.
[xchaftw]
Is everyone ready for Easter?
Go to You Tube and type in- cat puts on bunny hat -for a cute way to get your cat ready for Easter. I'm sorry but I don't know how to put in a link but had to pass this one on!
Maybe this will work?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OVgpJIkHmAw
My "How I met my husband" story is for the birds!! I met my husband of 58 years in a science class just called "Birds 101". We had a field trip every weekend. On one of the trips my now husband loaned me his binoculars to watch some shore birds. The rest they say is. "History".
Bill G, Our professor was Dr. Charles Sybley who went to Cornell University at the end of our Semester. I'm afraid our class did him in. LOL. He and his son have published several renowned bird books.
Evening everyone:
C.C. and Don,
Thanks for this romance puzzle. Too bad it couldn't be published for Valentines day. This was a tough one to finish. Three fourths of it was very easy for me. Then it was a slug fest.
At dinner tonight I had a pizza with smoked salmon and capers. It was very yummy.
Desper Otto, I take the "Baracle" as you call it also. I have the 7 day service and also get the web version too! I totally understand your frustration with them. It took forever to get my subscription started.
Did anyone watch the race yesterday? I watched the last portion before D got home from work. I was glad to see Danica finish in the top ten.
Argyle thanks for the great write up today. Didn't know Roy was a hollywood label.
Have a good evening!
65 Across... Only partially correct. I had SO's and was confused. Perhaps NHL Playoff Tiebreakers? Or NBA would be even better. Weeeeaak.
Oh pennybank, I'll link that for you
but only because it reinforces some of my beliefs:-) A Dog Won't do this!
Chickie, I know Cornell has a renown ornithology department. I studied engineering but I found I enjoyed the liberal arts electives more. That was the beginning of realizing I might be a better teacher than engineer. Cornell also has a famous hotel administration school. They catered our reception.
Carl Sagan was there too. I wish I had taken a course from him but at least I got to enjoyed his 'Cosmos' series on TV.
I recorded a couple of older TBBT shows and I like them better than the new ones. Still, I wouldn't trade them for Modern Family. I'm also enjoying some old Andy Griffith and Gunsmoke shows.
Smooth sailing on this one.
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