Words: 72 (missing Q,X)
Blocks: 34
This
was a tough one, with a lot of proper names that threatened to undo me,
but then some common sense crept in. With a few changes to early
WAGs that threw me off-course, I was able to get through
this Silkie....but just over my personal allotted time....oh well. How
did you all do? A rare "spotty" grid from Mr. Silk, without the usual
chunky corners. One grid-spanner:
35A. Former name of the bonobo : PYGMY CHIMPANZEE
- Did myself in by pre-filling the last three squares with "-APE",
figured I was being smart....there's also a DJ/musical act called Bonobo
- check this out, gang~!!
And some other unique fill:
3D. Structure damaged in a 1989 earthquake : BAY BRIDGE
- I watched "Strip the City" on Science Channel, San Fransisco (they
also did Sydney, London, Toronto, and are finishing up with Rome and
Dubai); there was a a clip of this bridge's upper section that collapsed
onto the lower; now they are in the process of building a new bridge right next to the original
32D. Fair color? : AZURE BLUE - Fair skies, that is; I love these eyes, too
14A. Score in a rare way : STEAL HOME - first time in a published crossword; can you remember a televised home stealing event, C.C.? (From C.C.: Here is one iconic moment in baseball history.) - Also - 50D. 2005 World Series player (his team's only appearance, and they lost) : ASTRO
ONWRAD~!!!
ACROSS:
1. Infect : IMBUE
6. Downs : EATS
10. Derisive exclamation : HAH~!!!
13. Should have said : MEANT
17. "I totally had you going!" : PSYCH
- I had PS---, thought my MESA was wrong; then I had PS-CH, and figured
I was totally wrong, then the V-8 can came flying....my last letter
18. Drum, say : CONTAINER - ARGH~!!! When you're a drum-MER, then you get caught up in BEAT TIMER, and all sorts of phrases that have nothing to do with container drums....
19. Luxury garb : SABLES
21. Johnny Friendly portrayer in "On the Waterfront" : LEE J. COBB - I had LEE- COBB, couldn't think of a FOUR-letter first name; crossing the CA city didn't help; I'm on the wrong coast
22. It hasn't released a U.S. model since 1987 : RENAULT - Stylish~!!! Yes, I remember the Renault Alliance, which was probably the last to been seen in America.
24. Edible pods : OKRAS
25. Make two cuts in, maybe : TRISECT - Nailed it
27. Literary monogram : RLS - Robert Louis Stevenson
28. Said three times, a story shortener : YADA - Seinfeld
29. Benefit : AVAIL
32. "Head and Shell" artist : ARP - Jean, and the piece seen here
39. Nationality suffix : ESE - Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese
40. Night time : TEN P.M.
41. Anise-flavored apéritif : OUZO - it was in, it was out; TEEN for PEON made me change it early
42. Some PD officers : LTs
43. Low-cost carrier owned by Southwest : AIR-TRAN - didn't we just have this clued as a Florida-based carrier?
46. Inflexibility : RIGOR
49. Irish omen of death : BANSHEE - nice; I just thought they were screaming ghosts
51. Hunks : ADONISES - also unique fill
53. Eponymous astronomer : HUBBLE - Edwin Hubble, and the orbiting telescope that bears his name
56. Foreman's dramatic phrase : NOT GUILTY
- This took a while to come to me; I got thrown by the capital "F" of
Foreman, thinking it was a proper name, not the jury foreman who stands
and reads the verdict.
58. Place for a crown : MOLAR - ah,
the tooth; don't have one (crown, that is; I did lose a molar to a
cyst, tho....or is that a 20A. SAC?), so it didn't immediately come to mind
59. Common reimbursement requirement : CLAIM FORM - also unique fill
60. Fights : BOUTS
61. Korean War pres. : HST - Harry S Truman
62. Old draft category : TWO A - Well, we always see ONE A, so I suppose there is a TWO A; is there a NINE Z~???
63. Game with a disk operating system? : SKEET - Hmmm, hockey didn't fit, nor shuffleboard - AH~!!!
DOWN:
1. Rascals : IMPS
2. Flat formation : MESA
4. Guy giving you a pointer? : UNCLE SAM - He wants YOU to go blue on the blog....
5. Fruit-ripening gas : ETHENE - Um, OK, all perps, sounds good
6. Key for backups? : ESCape - the top left key that works in AutoCAD, but not Photoshop; can I tell you how annoying it is to switch between programs? - also - 25D. Use keys : TYPE
7. Eniwetok, for one : ATOLL - I had the "A" early; tried ALEUT; screwed myself
8. Holding : TENET
9. Quench : SATE
10. Word in many oaths : HONOR - I had "NOT~!" for the Derisive exclamation, so I tried NEVER here
11. Lab subject : AMEBA
12. "Scarborough Fair" quartet : HERBS - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme - Marti linked the Beastie Boys for me, so here's the Beatnik Boys
15. Home to California's Torrey Pines Golf Course : LA JOLLA
20. Fluid holder : SAC
23. Many a Mormon : UTAHN - one from UTAH - let it go....
26. Beams : RAYS
27. Tear : RIP
30. Skybox guest : VIP
31. Mideast capital once called Philadelphia : AMMAN - An Egyptian name for this Jordan city - Wiki
33. Iran's Shah Mohammad __ Pahlavi : REZA
34. McJob holder : PEON - not TEEN
36. Element no. 39 : YTTRIUM - I cheated, I cheated~! I have a periodic table app on my Android - OK, you can read that "nerd", but hey, it's fascinating
37. French "these" : CES
38. Student's purchase : NOTEBOOK
42. Night sound? : LONG I - the sound in the word Night, Niiiiiite
44. Nationality suffix : ISH - English, Irish, Spanish, um, French
45. Compass points : RHUMBS - a loxodrome; it's....well....it's technical - here
46. Spread with hands : RANCH - DAR~!!! I got this, but stared at it for a bit; oh, THAT kind of spread, and those guys called "hands"
47. Fan faves : IDOLS
48. Insinuated : GOT AT
49. Under : BELOW
52. Smooth out lumps, in a way : SIFT
54. __ fee : LATE
55. While opening : ERST - erstwhile
57. Vocalist Sumac : YMA - crossword standard
Splynter
Mornin' Splynter, thanks for the 'splainin'. I filled everything in with heavy help from red-letters, but I wasn't SATED. Silkies always leave me more puzzled than before, although it was interesting.
ReplyDeleteHow is "holding"=TENET?
I was thinking of George Foreman who wasn't as verbal as Ali so I couldn't remember any memorable quotes. He was probably GUILTY of some.
Night sound: I wanted cicadas or snores or something. Looked at Longi and said a bad word, not parsing it at all.
As for draft classifications, I only heard of One A (for able?) or Four F (for fail to pass the physical?).
6D. This clue made me realize I haven't a clue how to save my stuff on my IMAC like I used to on my old '80's vintage MAC. We had a shortcut command we did every few minutes, hopefully, when I worked at the newspaper.
I thought I memorized the periodic table when I took high school chemistry. Guess not. YTTRIUM is new to me. So are RHUMBS. Hubble is a gimmee.
15D I watched them play in LAJOLLA, but since the Spanish name doesn't spell like the announcer makes it sound, I forgot where it was.
I may not be a robot, but I feel like a zombie tonight. Off to sleep now.
Would you believe that Pygmy Chimpanzee was actually my first fill on this puzzle? Well, it's true. After that Yttrium came fairly easily and the SW corner fell. The opposite, NE, corner was my bane this time around withe La Jolla/Lee J. Cobb cross being a bit of Natick for a while.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I spent way too much time in that corner thinking "What quartet sang Scarborough Fair??"
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteMan!
I actually made it about 3/4 of the way through this puzzle fairly easily, very proud of getting PYGMY CHIMPANZEE, YTTRIUM, AMMAN, LAJOLLA, and a bunch of other stuff. But then I hit a couple of brick walls.
The SE corner was impossible for me. I had TOOTH instead of MOLAR at 58 and just couldn't see beyond it. I finally turned on the red letter help to get a foothold, and even then I couldn't believe it when RHUMBS revealed itself. RHUMBS? Seriously? Dang...
Elsewhere, the NE corner did me in as well. Had EATS and ESC, and that was about it. BAH instead of HAH really messed me up. Wanted SLAKE instead of SATE (but it wouldn't fit, obviously). Yeah, TENET barely makes sense for "holding" (A TENET is a belief and a belief is something you hold), but that's really stretching the language. No idea that LEE J. Cobb was in "On the Waterfront." And I cringe every time I see AMEBA instead of AMOEBA (spell check doesn't like it, either).
*sigh*
[nuamcu]
I just heard this on Green Acres of all places.
ReplyDelete"A man is guilty until he gets a good lawyer"
TADA ! No Red Letter help in this 50 minute solve. I think having had a great sleep and a clear mind helped the thought processes.
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle Barry Silk !
Most of the long fill went pretty fast. Picked off BAY BRIDGE and RENAULT quickly. PYGMY CHIMPANZEE, STEAL HOME, AZURE BLUE and NOTE BOOK just needed as letter or two to prove. LA JOLLA was a gimme. NOT GUILTY and CLAIM FORM stymied for a bit, until I realized RANCH, which was a favorite clue. Had the V8 moment when I entered that H for HST. DOH !
2 near Naticks. The first was the area of 36 and 37D, Y-TERIUM and C-S respectively. That was brought about because I wasn't sure whether it would be a UTAHi or UTAHN. But, ---PM could only be TEN with that "Night time" clue, so that area was resolved. The other area was the crossing R and ARP and REZA. Wagged the R and got the TADA !
Did not know AIRTRAN was owned by Southwest, nor that AMMAN was nee Philly.
Desperotto, Grams and klilly should all have picked off ASTRO pretty quick. Disappointed to have seen them get swept, but the White Sox peaked at the right time.
Time to read Splynter.
Barry, I didn't even look back at RHUMBS as it was filled by the perps. I would not have known that. I just knew them as compass points. I just read the WIKI on it.
ReplyDeletePK, for "holding", I was thinking stock and then asset but let them sit until I benched them permanently with the STEAL HOME fill. I resolved TENET as a firmly held belief.
Abejo, Mari, I will send you an email offline.
Off to my errands. See you all later.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteFell firmly into Technical DNF country today. Had to look up that atoll, that monkey, and that actor. Mixed up Uma and Yma again. Read up on all the WW II draft classifications to confirm there was a Two A.
I've owned a few Renaults over the years, but I prefer the Peugeot. Notice the same number of letters. Guess which I filled in. Citroën has seven letters also, but then they haven't has a US model for a long time.
This was a hard puzzle. Glad you managed it, Splynter!
Good morning, fellow Saturday Soldiers!
ReplyDelete"We hold these truths to be self-evident..." TENET as a "holding" makes sense. Hand up for BAH before HAH and TEEN before PEON. And I thought UTAHN was spelled UTAHAN.
When I saw that "YT", I was torn between YTTRIUM and YTTERBIUM, but I wasn't sure how to spell either of 'em so I had to wait for the perps to decide. Remember this Tom Lehrer song? 1:45
I thought of SATE for QUENCH, but it didn't seem to be a proper fit. SLAKE would've been better. SATE seems to over-do it.
Barry had me going with that "disk operating system." I was thinking computers and not the thingie that throws the clay pigeons.
RHUMBS was learning moment. Thanks for the expo, Splynter. My cw flight landed ten minutes early this morning -- unusual for a Saturday Silkie, but nice.
TTP@6:34 -- If asked, I would have said that the Astros were never in a World Series. I never know which teams are playing in the World Series, or the Super Bowl. When it's over I see the headlines, and then promptly forget it.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of a TWO-A. My pre-lottery draft classification was 1-Y (student deferment) while I was in college, until March of my senior year. Then I was reclassified 1-A, and received my report-for-physical order before graduation. Considerate of 'em.
Good morning Splynter, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteYou are my hero, Splynter! Thanks for linking that oldie but goodie "Scarborough Fair." I know it must have been very painful for you, but fair's fair, right??
I learned a lot from your write up today - I did not see RHUMBS as I was doing the puzzle. And it's a good thing, because I doubt I would have gotten that one. Neat explanation and graphic.
I almost gave up in the SW, but then slowly I saw SIFT, RANCH, IDOLS and NOT GUILTY. For that last one, I was thinking of a foreman on a construction site announcing that everyone was being laid off or something. D'oh!!
Off to the store for cat food. The next 48 hrs should be interesting - not much accumulation, just one big mess.
ReplyDeleteGood morning folks,
i believe this is my first Silkie that I finished off without assistance, but there were plenty of dumb luck and successful wags today.
CC probably knows this, but to this day Yogi swears J Robby was out at home plate.
My first fill for 50D was Padre... ASTRO arrived thanks to NOT GUILTY. Funny, I can name the World Series teams from 1948 thru 1960 something without giving it much thought, but I never remember them from one year to the next anymore unless the Giants are playing in it.
loved BANSHEE, but no wailing ladies predicting death in the Irishman's house.
46D Spread with hands/RANCH was today's favorite.
Most problematic section was the SE corner. BANSHEE and AZURE BLUE (a wag) opened it up for me.
YTTRIUM arrived via all perps.
Chickened out...staying home this weekend. I don't mind traveling in snow, but there is no way I'm crossing the Berkshires when ice is a possibility.
Now I can work on the 2012 tax return. UGH!
reuppol
Thanks Splynter for the great explanations. I WAGed a bit and used a little red letter help. Perps helped fill in so many clues, that Splynter gave me a number of answers I hadn't even noticed.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised I have never heard of RHUMB, but it is a totally new term to me. (I used to teach a whole chapter on maps, but to high school freshman, so rhumb probably wasn't on their level.)
Off to see the Pacific Ocean. I'll read what everyone else has to say, late tonight.
Montana
This was a worthy challenge, Barry, doable in about 45 minutes, and, as always, a very erudite Expo, Splynter.
ReplyDeleteToday we had AZURE, yesterday AZUR.
For bonobo I had the PY and -HIM--N--E and easily guessed it. That and NOTEBOOK opened up the whole south.
I needed many perps for YTTERIUM.
HERBS was all perps. I was looking for the name of a group. After finishing I looked it up. Who knew?
For ASTRO, at first I was looking for a player’s name.
LA JOLLA gave me LEE J COBB and opened up the NE.
TRISECT and PYGMY gave me BAY BRIDGE to open up the NW.
Here are our adorable (impossible?) IMPS again.
PEON was okay by me. I often am the leader of projects. When I am not, people still ask me for directions. I always shrug and say, “I am just one of the PEONS"
QUENCH means to put out completely. I think that is strong enough to merit SATE as a synonyms.
Ouchouchouchouch!!! This one totally beat me up and took my lunch money. First fill was herbs, followed by bAH. La Jolla was a gimme that helped a great deal. Worked west then south from there. Utahn was easy enough, but then I second guessed, replaced the h with an a, then erased it and left it blank. Wanted Ouzo badly, but teen wouldn't let it be. Finally resorted to google for Reza, which let me have my ouzo and drink it too. Peon came later. HTG for pygmy chimpanzee to resolve azure, ces (wanted les or ses) and Yttrium (couldn't decide between A, E or Y as the 1st letter).
ReplyDeleteGot it done, but by no means a win. No better than lots of red letter help.
Thanks for that pic of the new east span of the Bay Bridge Splynter. I'm surprised to see it's not a suspension bridge since that's the reason I've heard for it needing replacement.
Hi again~!
ReplyDeleteAvg Joe, it will be a suspension bridge; in the lower front you can see the tower going up. The cables will hang from the center to the outer edge.
I need to clarify that "unique" is a reference to the NYT puzzles; Mr. Silk has used "ADONISES" before, Jan 2011, before my time as Saturday blogger.
Splynter
Oh -
ReplyDeleteAnd Marti, there was no "pain" in linking the song - it's an acoustic number that I love; the pain comes when trying to learn to play it~!!!
Splynter
Definitely harder than the usual Sat. offering. The SW corner was the toughest for me.
ReplyDeleteHi All ~~
ReplyDeleteTo use Splynter's words: "With a few changes to early WAGs that threw me off-course, I was able to get through this Silkie." I do love Silkie/Splynter Saturdays and I really enjoyed this today. That's not to say I didn't have problems - lots of write-overs, and fill-ins that seemed a bit off to me but they fit.
~ Strangely, my first fill was 17A - PSYCH. I haven't heard that in years - my 4th graders loved using that on each other.
~ My biggest surprise was finding that "Hole in one'' was NOT the 'score in a rare way' at 14A! Wow - same number of letters as STEAL HOME. Other write-overs: Beat /SIFT at 52D, and Snore before LONG I - got me again!
~ I, too, had Teen before PEON - the latter seems rather derogatory to me but I guess it's correct.
~ I finally remembered UTAHN from a puzzle some time ago. I wasn't buying it, but I remember Marti 'splaining it to me :-)
~ I loved the misdirection of 58A - Place for a crown / MOLAR. Another favorite - 46D - Spread with hands / RANCH.
~ I hesitated at 47D - IDOLS because of "faves" in the clue ~ thought we were looking for an abbreviation.
Splynter ~ I really needed your explanations on a number of things that filled in but remained a mystery to me. Thanks for another fantastic write-up!
LaLaLinda -
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome~!!! Always my pleasure~!!!
Splynter
There’s no way I’m finishing this thing, wait a minute, STEAL HOME, CHIMPANZEE, NOT GUILTY, et al appear and all is well! Talk about brinkmanship!
ReplyDeleteMusings
-My McJob holder was a TEEN with artist ART and aperitif OUZE. I know better but I’ll take 2 bad cells
-My uncle watched his neighbor’s swimming pool slide down the hill in the ’89 quake
-PSYCH! used to be a common phrase heard in middle schools for Gotcha!
-This clip shows that the fabulous LEE J COBB (1:31) WAS Willy Loman!
-EDAMAMEs are the edible pods introduced to me by my daughters
-TEN PM is local news time here. How do you EST peeps stay up ‘til eleven?
-On Law and Order, they call LT Anita Van Buren “loo”
-Math proofs demand RIGOR, don’t they Ferm?
-If it ain’t HALLEY, it’s gotta be HUBBLE
-What did George Foreman ever say dramatically? Oh not that Foreman.
-I’ve got more Crowns than Buckingham Palace
-I ran one of those disk operating systems (trap houses) as a ‘ute
-I use Alt + Tab to switch between this missive in Word and Splynter’s fine write-up on the web
- Great B/W documentary of first H Bomb explosion on Eniwetok Atoll (2:58). What indeed hath God wrought?
-It hadda be pygmY and what other element could it be but YTTRIUM?
-All those IDOLS must have trouble getting their feet of clay into footwear.
Hi to all,
ReplyDeleteNo, to TTP didn't get Astro. In fact, I hate to admit it, but didn't get very much of this very clever puzzle! Utahn?
Big fan of Simon & Garfunkel -- thanks, Splynter. Saw Art at Disney World, granddaughter asked - who is he?
Have a great weekend,
Cider I
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteHad to do the Silkie and he did not disappoint. Got the East first, then gradually got the rest. Love RH words and so liked RHUMB. A straight-line course segment laid off on a Mercator projection (map) is a RHUMB line.
I saw HST's poker table in the winter white house at Key West.
ETHENE was a WAG.
Got YTTRIUM after the 'yt' appeared from perps. While I got EATS ok, I was reminded of the 'Downs', a roadstead off the Kentish coast between the Straits of Dover and the Thames estuary. See The Downs.
Hello, Weekend Warriors. I'm not quite finished but have three-fourths done. The NW is giving me fits and I have an HOA annual meeting this morning. I just want to wish everyone a fine Saturday. Later.
ReplyDeleteMaybe some of you east Texans don’t remember the ASTROS because you were too busy looking for this guy around the Neches River!;-)
ReplyDeleteOff to Lincoln for Seussical the Musical and more basketball games.
Good morning, everyone! I’ll call this one a Silkie Stumper; needed Splynter’s help to finish in the South. Really, really wanted a person’s name at 50D and just couldn’t “see” ASTRO. Also, was thinking of a factory or farm foreman at 56A. Thanks for the challenge, Barry. And thanks for coming to the rescue once again, Splynter.
ReplyDeleteAnother vote for Spread with Hands = RANCH as today’s favorite clue/answer. Stumbled a bit by misspelling PYGMY as PYGMIE, but sorted it out eventually. Quickly sussed “Scarborough Fair” Quartet = HERBS, since the Simon & Garfunkel version was one of those songs I played over, and over, and over ……
Hondo, good luck with the tax return. I did that chore last weekend, only to have yet another 1099 arrive the day after I e-filed everything – GRRRR! Good thing Turbo-Tax has an amended return in the program.
Have a wonderful weekend, all!
Hats off to all who finished without help. I needed google help but finally finished.
ReplyDeleteYes I did get Astros..we were very disappointed with their showing
Not all texans are as crazy as some of our politicians so I was not looking for big foot.
Husker Gary.. Saw Jim Cantori in lincoln this week and thought of you. It didn't seem to be that bad. I bet you were glad for any moisture.
Enjoy the weekend.
Rodeo time in Houston.
Java Mama@10:21 -- I had that same experience last year. I had already filed my taxes when a late 1099-INT arrived. I filed my amended 2011 return and sent Uncle my additional $8 tax. I filed my 2012 taxes and paid my tax bill a couple of weeks ago, and yesterday what should appear? No not a miniature sleigh, but an $8 check from Uncle with a letter explaining that my quarterly estimates were $8 greater than I had reported on my return. They weren't. But it's not worth making an issue of it. I think I'll just deposit the check and let things be.
ReplyDeleteI woke up at 6am this morning and started to go back to sleep when it hit me: "It's going to be a Silkie." Got the paper from our driveway, opened to the comics page, and there it was: Barry C. Silk! Spent the next two hours patiently working on it and to my surprise and gratification got 3/4 done before I had to start cheating. I had seen a documentary on those sweet bonobos once, so got PYGMY CHIMPANZEE early. Unlike some of you, I had the most trouble in the NE, mainly because of those darn HERBs. Kept thinking Simon and Garfinkle (duo), Peter Paul and Mary (trio) and couldn't come up with a quartet. Could picture LEE J. COBB but couldn't remember his name. etc. etc. Even after OKRAS and HONOR shook down, I still needed help. But it was clever and fun, so many thanks, BS. And you too, Splynter, for the great write-up.
ReplyDeleteMy new Silkie rule: if I can't get it but feel I should, I have to question the clue direction before giving up: see HERBS and LONG I.
Anyway, a good start to what I hope will be a great weekend topped by a fun Oscar party on Sunday night!
Have a great one, everybody!
Good Afternoon:
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to say I finished w/o help but it was a long, hard trip to the finish line. My personal experience with Silkie puzzles is on first pass, not much filled in, second pass, a few more fill-ins, and from thereon, things just fall into place. Patience and perseverance, I guess.
In any case, thanks, Barry, for another Saturday stumper and thanks, Splynter, for your scintillating (sp?) summary! Favorite clue was for ranch.
Have a super Saturday.
Splynter: Excellent write-up & links (as always!).
ReplyDeleteAs God is my witness, I was sure that the "Irish omen of death" was EMPTIES.
Cheers !!!
Irish Mis @ 11:20, that is exactly my experience with Silkies! This one was no exemption. It was woefully blank on the first pass, but started filling in slowly but surely until it was done. P & P, indeed!
ReplyDeleteTin - EMPTIES. Guffaw!! Good one.
Tough to the Max. Compliments to Silkie.
ReplyDeleteDNF, but did surprisingly well considering how much I absolutely DID NOT KNOW.
To compensate and respond to Ave Joe and Splynter, I offer this artist's rendition of what the Bay Bridge will look like and news of Bay Bridge completion scheduled for this fall. Pretty exciting for us Homies.
CED: loved the mash-up of Downton Abbey.
[anyvult]
Ouch, a typical Silkie today. Hand up for ONE A and TEEN. Left TEEN in too, sotechnical DNF. Amazingly, I guessed YTTRIUM right off the bat. Had PYGMY, but thought it would lead to type of people, especially since I had the P in there from RIP. Had to google LEE J COBB. Wanted SPICE instead of HERBS. After changing plUMBS to RHUMBS, not only did I have to look that up, but it allowed me to finish off the SE corner.
ReplyDeleteLiked the clue "Spread With Hands"- I pictured a child doing fingerpainting. OOPS, wrong.
The Pontiac Firebird originally was to be called the BANSHEE until GM found out what the negative connotation was. Too bad, I like BANSHEE.
Thanks for the fun writeup Splynter.
sicrek- nope
sincyct
Awol, I cannot take credit for the Downton Abby mash-up...:(
ReplyDelete24A, I put EDAME
(sigh...)
Oh, well, this what i will be doing for the rest of the afternoon. I can never get the picking right!
Two more notes, one sad, one happy.
ReplyDeleteMy colleagues in San Francisco lost a good friend when the Bay Bridge collapsed in 1989. A horrible, horrible disaster. I've been afraid of driving under highways ever since.
On the way to seeing "Les Miserables" on Thursday, my husband (riding in his wheelchair) suddenly realized he had lost his wedding ring. This was devastating for us because buying our rings at the 14 K-Mart almost 19 years ago is one of our happiest memories. We were both sad all the way through the movie, and I kept looking for the ring all the way back to the car. When I got in the car and looked down, there, in the crack next to the passenger seat was a glimmer: the ring! My DH has been losing a bit of weight which is probably why it slipped off. We were ecstatic, as though our marriage was saved!
Misty,
ReplyDelete◕‿◕ ◕‿◕
Thanks for those links, AWOL. Very cool. I had no idea it was that far along since we haven't been there since 2009.
ReplyDeleteMisty, I lost my wedding ring in 1993 and felt the same way. Looked every place I could conceive of, but no luck finding it. Around that time I'd been doing some basement remodeling that included steel reinforcement beams that are sunk into the slab at the bottom end. Had no idea exactly when it went missing, but figured it was possible it was in one of those holes. Years passed, my wife even bought me a replacement for an anniversary. When we moved in '07 I was cleaning out the garage and moved some plywood sheets that had been stacked against the wall for a long period. There, on the sill in 3" of dirt was a shiny thing. My precious! One of the happier moments of my life.
Hello, Splynter et alii. Love your take on this Silkie.
ReplyDeleteAfter the meeting, I picked this up, erased what I had in the NW except MEANT which seemed solid then IMBUE came to me, I restored IMPS and MESA then all the rest fell in place.
When I began this it was a slow ring around the mulberry bush until there was enough fill to actually get a toehold and voila, I was on Barry's wave length and sashayed through the NE, center and south.
Eons ago when I read Mary Stewart's novels, someone always drove a RENAULT so that just popped out. I finally looked up YTTRIUM as it seemed too weird. PYGMY and TENPM were in place but I didn't know where to go with it.
Thank you for the entertaining puzzle, Mr. Silk. It's always a joy especially when I can finish!
I hope you are enjoying your Saturday, everyone! It's glorious here.
IraPale
rtndteh
I found this link yesterday after I had five posts. This single lamp is the ideal place for shades.
ReplyDeleteLink double banker's lamp
Before I read your comments, I just have to say, "Wow!" Wowie zowie I loved this puzzle! I would rate it right up there on the list of masterpieces.
ReplyDeleteLucina ~ Your post @12:40 reminded me of the one Mary Stewart novel I read, like you, eons ago - 1970s? It was "Touch Not the Cat." I probably bought it because of the title. =^..^= I have no memory of it, but it's tucked away in the dust of a bookshelf somewhere. I think I'll dig it out and see what I think of it all these years later. Thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteLove the wedding ring stories ~ very touching.
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteIt's time for lunch already!
I got only 16 answers (I don't try very hard on the Saturdays, especially a Silkie) but I answered 13 of them correctly.
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned that 39A and 44D are identical clues. That doesn't seem right.
Have a great Saturday everyone.
Cheers
Avg Joe 12:25--what an amazing wedding ring story! My goodness, makes you almost believe there was a Cupid with little wings keeping guard to make sure you eventually found that ring again!
ReplyDeleteAnd, as always, thanks, C.C.
Misty, awesome story about your DH's ring.
ReplyDeleteAs with most Saturday puzzles, this was a little out of my comfort zone. But I persevered. I thought "Spread with hands"/RANCH was original and clever.
ReplyDeleteMy wife has Les Miserables playing on her computer while she grades papers for our daughter. Our son got an e-version of the movie and shared it with her. It just confirms my belief that music has passed me by. It's obviously an unpleasant story and the songs and singing sound very unmusical to me.
I also enjoyed the wedding ring stories.
I thought Michele Obama was excellent on Jimmy Fallon last night. She is a great ambassador and just an enjoyable person.
Thanks, Splynter for the write-up.
ReplyDeleteFound the "Bonobo" clip VERY annoying. Music is on a downward spiral.
Why is SABLES plural and garb singular?
Back Pack?.. no..NOTEBOOK
Spread with hands...SMEAR? no
Word in oaths..SWEAR? ..no
McJob..TEEN? ..no
Music teacher used to joke that Yma Sumac was really Amy Camus, so I just spell it backward.
"The largest and most persistent fabrication about Ms. Sumac was that she was actually a housewife from Brooklyn named Amy Camus, her name spelled backward."
Read more Amy Camus
HERE
"LONG I" is as annoying as Hard G, Soft C et.al. If ETUI should be banned, so should those kinds of answers. UGH.
Here's one for
14 ACROSS
Good afternoon Splynter, CC, et al.
ReplyDeleteExcellent write up Splynter. Thank you.
Fun puzzle! LOL'd several times also had a little forehead bangin goin' on too but what's new! Loved seeing Lee J Cobb here and with Psych no less. He plays a shrink in The Dark Past, and 3 Faces of Eve, both used in my Psych in Film class. Have always liked him.
Splynter, did you scream like a BANSHEE when your MOLAR was IMBUED? I've never had a tooth ache but am terrified of having one. I've seen 'em. Ain't Nobody Got Time for That! One of my nephew ADONISES got word of being accepted to USMA West Point yesterday. Guess he's going beyond TWO A and SKEET shooting now.
Would like to thank all of you for the Happy Birthday wishes earlier this week. It was one of the most fun bdays ever and your sweet thoughtfulness helped make it so. Some of you made me LMAO esp w/the reference to the cw word of the day,'ORGY'....hilarious! Now will just be SATEd with my remaining IDOLS of RIGOR, not A-TOLL or CLAIM FORM among 'em. A couple of wIMPS did STEAL HOME so fast and far not even the HUBBLE telescope could find them. Couldn't stay up past TEN PM. But it's all good.
Thanks again for your thoughtfulness. Enjoy your day.
Got it - and in good time. I was interrupted, though, so couldn't actually time this one.
ReplyDelete(I didn't mind the distraction; it was my wife bringing me a "Happy Birthday" balloon, a sweet gift that set our three dogs into gales of canine glee!)
The last of the puzzle to fall was RHUMBS. Never heard of these compass lines before and kept trying to justify RHUMBA as the more obvious response. To no avail. No matter how hard I tried to imagine dancers gesticulating towards north & south I couldn't satisfy the skeptic in me. Finally I filled in RHUMBS and quickly Googled to learn that t was right.
CED Prolix Links
ReplyDelete(with apologies...)
Reference, Spread with hands = ranch
#1
#2
#3
I am very, very, (& in keeping with the "prolix" theme,) very, sorry...
"recrook"
I am reading "The Warmth of Other Suns," recommended by several of you.I think I am going to like it very much. Marti, did your club choose the Jodi Picoult's "My Sister's Keeper?"
ReplyDeleteI accepted SABLES = Garb,because I understood garb as a collective noun for clothing or apparel. Her GARB consisted of hot pants, a halter, and little else. I accepted sables as a plural meaning articles or coats made of sable fur.
Keith, have a wonderful birthday! So glad you have three dogs to party with you!
ReplyDeleteBill G. 1:35--agree with you about the music of "Les Miz"--not the most melodic in the world.
Keith, Happy Birthday to you! Balloons are a very important part of any bday party around here too. Just livens up the place so much. Then on top of 3 dogs...man, you are havin' a wild hoppin' happy birthday. Cheers to you!
ReplyDeleteCED: hilarious joke. I loved it!
Happy birthday, Keith! I just started reading "The Art of Racing in the Rain" where the main character/persona is a dog who tells the story of his race-driver owner. Who says dogs aren't as smart as cats? LOL! Glad they got to have a party with your b-day balloons.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Keith! Many happy returns of the day.
ReplyDeleteLois, read your sentence again before "Cheers". Do you really think Keith is having THAT kind of Party?
As for wedding ring stories, mine disappeared when we moved to the farm. I had it in its gift box on my dresser before the move because the solitaire was in a setting that drew blood on people. I had small children. We kept thinking it would turn up but it didn't after several months.
One day my husband said he had turned in an insurance claim on the ring and would use the money to buy a welder. I started crying and couldn't stop. He came in for several meals and I'd start crying when I saw him. I was so hurt that he'd spend the money on a welder.
The next time he came in and went right up stairs. He came down with my ring in its box. He had tucked it into his pistol case when they took the dresser out and forgot all about it. I'd cried so much his memory was refreshed.
A wonderful , challenging , Saturday Silkie ! Like many others , had teen for McJob holder & we were held up in the northeast corner . My husband & I do Saturday puzzles together. Favorite clue was for steal home!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to you, Keith!!
ReplyDeleteCheck out this dog, probably not as happy as your pooches.......
Birthday Dog
My goodness, those are incredible stories about lost and found wedding rings. I only wish mine could have as happy an ending. Both were stolen by a drug addicted relative.
ReplyDeleteLaLaL@1:21
I read every book by Mary Stewart and just loved them. I read sometime ago that she is in her 90s and still writing although I haven't come across any by her.
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult was an excellent choice for out book club last year.
I just went to see Silver Linings Playbook. It's excellent though not the best I've seen. That would be Argo. I hope it wins best picture.
uitairm
HeartRx @ 3:43 - I read The Art of Racing in the Rain when it was first published and LOVED it. Did you ever read The Dogs of Babel or The Curious Incident With the Dog in the Night? I loved both of those but a lot of people disagreed with me.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Keith. Do your three canines get any cake? (-:
Wedding rings are described as a token on the day of the event, but it's pretty amazing how they become so much more. As Misty described the anguish they felt, I relived my own. And the scene in PK's kitchen is easy to imagine as well. I'm truly sorry to hear about yours, Lucina, but I'd imagine the sense of loss was worse even though the reason was far more out of your control.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. It's just a bauble. But it comes to represent the most important aspect and event of our lives.
PK: Buahahaha! Depends on how big the dogs are...and if those dogs even LIKE the 'happy birthday song' as in Pas de chat's link. That's truly bizzare!
ReplyDeleteThe ring stories are so romantic and emotional. Avg Joe is so right about how that bauble becomes so representative of so much more. But I think it's true just the same...diamonds are a girl's best friend.
Lucina: your 'ring' story is so awfully tragic..on so many levels.
CED, good one! I didn't even see it coming.
ReplyDeleteHola everyone, I changed my avatar. Let's see if it has been saved.
ReplyDeleteNice photo of you, Chickie. It shows your friendly smile.
ReplyDeleteverutl
ngtgow
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteWhen I finally wrote in IMBUE I knew that this was going to be a tough one! Loved the RANCH clue.
I enjoyed reading your ring stories. It's so wonderful that they were found!
Chickie, I like your new photo.
Have to put my two cents in on the wedding ring stories. Lucina, I am sorrry yours didn't have a happy ending.
ReplyDeleteI remember the day we bought our wedding bands very well. We chose wide bands because DLH could not afford to buy me engagement ring. About a month later, we were headed to Maine on the Mass. Pike when all of a sudden he pulled into a rest area and put a small box in my hand. It was a beautiful, solitaire diamond, made possible by a very successful day at the track at Saratoga!
Many years later, our house was broken into and all of my good jewelry was srolen EXCEPT my engagement ring and my wedding ring. His wedding band is one of the eleven rings I never take off. (Except to make meatloaf, which isn't often because I'm not that fond of it!)
Happy birthday, Keith. Enjoy your balloons and cake.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, happy birthday Keith!
ReplyDeleteI've just been diddling around with Pandora and added Classical Guitar, Chet Atkins, Butch Thompson, Western Swing, The Manhattan Transfer so far.
Lucina ~ I forgot to mention earlier that I checked on Mary Stewart - she's 96 and was still writing books in the late 90s.
ReplyDeleteChickie ~ what a nice new photo of you!
Happy Birthday, Keith ~ hope you had a nice day!
This is better than anything on our TV tonight. The excavator does a 'headstand' (Kopfstand) at the end. Note that the equipment operator doesn't wear a hardhat. This is in honor of our Austrian connection, Marti.
ReplyDeleteOh, and Happy Birthday, Keith.
Just getting back from a late dinner and thought I'd catch up on the posts.
ReplyDeleteFirst, Happy Birthday, Keith! Hope you had a fine time celebrating.
D-Otto @11:01 that's a perfect example of the strange and mysterious ways of the IRS. I think I'm going to let the first return work its way through the system before trying to file an amended return -- there's still plenty of time before the April 15 deadline.
CED @2:41 HA HA HA HA!!! Had to share that one with DH, who also thought it was hilarious.
Nice photo for your new avatar, Chickie!
Good night folks.
Spitz, I saw that video most of a year ago and I loved it. I'm very glad to be reminded of it. I've never seen anything quite like it. Some folks are so creative in a big way...
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of big magic illusions ala David Copperfield (Las Vegas, not Dickens) but I love good sleight-of-hand. Combine that with humor and I'm a happy magic camper. I enjoyed this guy and I thought maybe you would too. Cups and balls.
I always wanted to see the future, & when flat screen TVs appeared, it was like Science Fiction had become reality.
ReplyDeleteBut this is freakin' me out!
Spitz,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed that video. Hadn't seen that before, and will enjoy sharing with D tomorrow.
Happy Birthday Keith!
THANK YOU to Misty & Lois, and the many generous folk who wished me a happy birthday.
ReplyDeleteYour wishes came true, for it has been a very pleasant day and in fact one of the sweetest I have known since I entered "Old Geezer"-land!
Kf
Irish Miss and PK, so glad your rings were retrieved and safe in the end. But Lucina, your story is heartbreaking. I'm so sorry to hear it.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend, everybody. Talk to you on Monday, after the Oscars.
Thank you, Misty and others. I was very saddened when my rings disappeared but even more heartbreaking is that the girl in question gave up her children. Even that could not motivate her to clean up.
ReplyDeleteKeith, I'm glad you had a good birthday.
opicscr
Lucina, Truly heartbreaking for you and those poor children.
ReplyDeleteSpitz: Magnificent excavator! Thanks for sharing. As an old construction watcher, I have seen some very
impressive things done by good operators, including my son. Someone had to be very daring to come up with that one.