Theme: "Begone!" - B is removed from each theme entry.
23A. Garden tool for unexpected situations? : EMERGENCY RAKE. Emergency Brake.
35A. Hardly ever laugh? : LACK HUMOR. Black humor.
51A. Reason for a few nicks? : SHAVING RUSH. Shaving brush.
69A. Plumber's assessment? : LEAK OUTLOOK. Bleak outlook.
84A. Panama Canal bash? : LOCK PARTY. Block party.
102A. Highland scoundrel? : SCOTTISH ROGUE. Scottish brogue. Scottish English is hardest to understand.
3D. Loud parties in Georgia? : ATLANTA RAVES. Atlanta Braves.
57D. Vulcanized rubber inventor's unsteady gait? : GOODYEAR LIMP. Goodyear Blimp.
3 B's are removed from the first word. 5 from the second word. So no odd man out.
We
still have 5 B's in the grid. Mike probably considered keeping B's out
of the grid, but opted having cleaner fill rather than obsessing over
one letter.
Across:
1. Charge for unlimited use, say : FLAT FEE
8. Nice woman : FEMME. The French city Nice.
13. Dines lavishly : FEASTS
19. Go back over : RE-TRACE
20. Connecticut town on Long Island Sound : DARIEN. What's it famous for, LaLaLinda?
21. "It was all __" : A DREAM
22. About to deliver : IN LABOR
25. Escargot : SNAIL
26. Start the day : ARISE
27. NBA one-pointers : FTs. Free Throws.
28. Ayres who played Dr. Kildare : LEW
29. Barone's superior : CONTE. Italian for "Count". French is "Comte", "Le Comte de Monte-Cristo".
30. Ridge : CREST
31. Pvts.' superiors : CPLs
33. Start of many California city names : SAN
34. N.Y. neighbor : ONT
37. PowerShot maker : CANON
39. Up : AT BAT
42. Elite school : IVY
43. Welcomes at the door : GREETS. During Chinese New Year, kids gets Hong Bao, literally "Red Packet", with money inside. In Guangzhou, you get Hong Bao as long as you're single. It's normally 10 or 20 RMB.
44. Drive aimlessly : CRUISE. Have never taken a cruise ship. I don't think I will.
45. Annoy with complaints : WHINE
48. Mentalist Geller : URI
49. "Just a __!" : SEC
50. Nickels and dimes : CHANGE
54. Some sopranos : DIVAS
55. Spies on, in a way : TAILS
56. Runs amok : RAMPAGES
60. Thought: Pref. : IDEO
61. "Tales From the __": '50s horror comic : CRYPT. Guessed.
62. Small toy? : WHELP. The ? did not prevent me from thinking real toys.
64. Al Green genre : SOUL
65. Blisters : VESICLES. Another new word to me.
67. Apples, e.g. : POMES
68. "What __!": "Yawn!" : A BORE
72. Closely watched index : THE DOW. Struggling to stay above 14,000.
73. Abbr. usually preceded by a comma : ETC
76. AMEX adjustments : CRS. Credit Reports? I only know Bill G & Avg Joe's old age CRS.
77. Tenured coll. employees : PROFS
78. Walks casually : MOSEYS
79. Golfer Garcia : SERGIO. He should have married Martina Hingis. They were a great couple.
81. Sch. fundraising gp. : PTA
82. Scandinavian capital : KRONE
83. Suave competitor : PRELL
89. Capp and Kaline : ALs
92. Joey's mom : ROO
93. __ Mawr : BRYN
95. Equip anew : RE-RIG
96. Amoxicillin target : STREP
98. Alliance formed under HST : OAS (Organization of American States). Founded in 1948.
99. Great Basin cap. : SLC. Salt Lake City.
100. His name is Spanish for "fox" : ZORRO. Learned this a while ago.
101. Punt navigator : POLER. Is this a football term?
106. At a moment's notice : READILY
108. Relents : LETS UP
109. Most exposed : BAREST
110. Author Prosper __ who wrote "Carmen," on which the opera is based : MERIMEE. No idea. I could only think of BIZET.
111. Old cinemas : ODEONS
112. Orchard Field, nowadays : O'HARE
113. Surprise success : SLEEPER. I'm rather intrigued by that Massad Prisoner X story. So he was a double agent?
Down:
1. Giants' home, familiarly : FRISCO
2. "The Lawrence Welk Show" sisters' surname : LENNON. The Lennon Sisters.
4. Blue eyes, e.g. : TRAIT. Were you thinking of Sinatra?
5. It has a moral : FABLE
6. Green prefix : ECO
7. Eternally, to Blake : EER
8. Starve, to Shakespeare : FAMISH. I only know famine, Mr. Shakespeare!
9. 1974 hit sung entirely in Spanish : ERES TU
10. Muddy area : MIRE
11. Bit of computer memory : MEG
12. Omaha-to-Milwaukee dir. : ENE
13. Statistical input : FACTS
14. It's Dreyer's west of the Rockies : EDY'S. Source of our blog trouble last month.
15. SFO info : ARR
16. Routes for liners : SEA LANES
17. Show particular interest : TAKE NOTE
18. Fish-eating duck : SMEW
20. She was the ten in "10" : DEREK. Bo Derek is a beautiful woman.
24. Broncos' org. : NFL
26. Pie slice feature : ARC
30. Leonardo's co-star in "The Aviator" : CATE (Blanchett)
31. Halloween gathering? : COVEN. Fun clue. JD, Chickie, Garlic Girl gather monthly. They're our Californian Coven. Jill is to be inducted, I think.
32. Snoop : PRY
33. Pennzoil letters : SAE. I had to google. Society of Automotive Engineers.
35. Do surgery, in a way : LASE
36. __ golf : MINI
37. Invigorating, as air : CRISP
38. Pres. advisory team : NSC (National Security Council)
40. Controversial baby food ingredient : TUNA OIL. Unaware of the controversy.
41. Major leagues, in baseball lingo : BIGs
43. Crotchety sort : GRUMP. I miss Grumpy. who is never crotchety.
44. Rebuke : CHIDE
45. Party enforcer : WHIP
46. Stop : HALT
47. OR hangers : IVs
48. Eurasian range : URALS
50. Early 5th-century year : CDIV. 404. Or CDII/CDVI.
51. Authority : SAY-SO
52. A mystery, metaphorically : GREEK
53. Aging pro, maybe : HAS BEEN. Made me think of Vijay Singh.
55. Arduous journeys : TREKS
58. Guilder replacements : EUROS
59. Ton : SLEW
61. Light cigar wrapper : CLARO. Read more here. I have no knowledge on cigar wrappers. I thought CLARO is just light cigar.
62. Response from Fido : WOOF
63. Ins. plans : HMOs
66. Five-time MLB All-Star Cooper : CECIL. Former managers for the Astros. Cecil Feilder is a 3-time All-Star. Which one is more famous to you?
 |
| Prince Fielder's Dad |
67. Oslo Accords signer: Abbr. : PLO. I don't remember exactly what Oslo Accords is about. But I do remember this image.
68. "I get it," wryly : AH SO
70. Author Sinclair : UPTON. "The Jungle".
71. Gillette razor word : TRAC
72. Parliament member : TORY
73. Seer's alleged gift : ESP
74. Like many apartments : TERRACED
75. Piling coating : CREOSOTE. New word to me also.
78. Business sch. major : MKTG
80. Day-__ : GLO
81. Thickness : PLY
85. Cincinnati-based retailer : KROGER. I've never visited a Kroger.
86. Look over : PERUSE
87. Octagonal road sign, in Arles : ARRET. "Stop" in French.
88. El Amazonas, por ejemplo : RIO
90. Actress Sobieski : LEELEE. Does she look like Helen Hunt?
91. More like a spring chicken : SPRYER
93. Dots that may beep : BLIPS
94. Some colas : RCs
96. What a slash may mean in some scores : SPARE. Bowling. Boomer had 23 strikes in a row last Monday, 290 & 300.
97. "It's __ for!" : TO DIE
98. City served by Gardermoen Airport : OSLO
99. Dumbfound : STUN
100. Writer __ Neale Hurston : ZORA
103. Chicken general? : TSO. General Tso's Chicken is one of those Chinese dishes Chinese don't eat.
104. "Veep" network : HBO
105. Cheer word : RAH
106. Apt. divisions : RMs
107. Sushi fish : EEL
1) Happy Birthday to Ron Wordon! Great to see you back.
2) Happy 46th wedding anniversary to Husker Gary and Joann! I think I know the secret to their happy marriage: chocolate-covered strawberries.
 |
| Joann and Gary at one of Nebraska's most famous landmarks Chimney Rock on their way to the Black Hills August 28, 2012 |
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteReally, really loved the theme today. I figured it out right at the start and every single theme answer was a gem.
The fill, on the other hand, drove me crazy in spots. In addition to the total unknowns (CECIL, MERIMEE, KROGER, VESICLES, CRS), there were numerous clues that just killed me.
I totally fell for the "capital" trap at 82, trying to think of a place instead of a currency, and the fact that 78D was MKTG didn't help matters. 92A was clued as a female kangaroo ("Joey's mom") but the answer was a generic ROO instead of SHEILA.
I'd go on, but as I said the theme was truly magnificent and I guess that makes up for any perceived flaws in the fill.
[ncernep]
Good morning, C.C., and friends. A fun Sunday puzzle. I loved the missing B.
ReplyDeleteFun seeing Pry and Ply in the same puzzle.
Interesting, too, to have both Halt and Arret appearing in the puzzle.
Happy Birthday, Ron Worden. We've missed you.
46 years is very impressive, Husker Gary. A very happy anniversary to you and your wife.
(Ndactc)
Good morning all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Barry about the puzzle.
A punt is a small flat-bottomed boat propelled with a pole if in shallow water. See punting. 98d, when we were in Oslo 20 yrs ago, they were still using Fornebu, just SW of the center city. Very convenient; too bad they had to lose it.
Happy Birthday to Ron Wordon.
Happy anniversary to Husker G and Joann.
Have a great day.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteI had some real problems in the south this morning. Sinclair LEWIS vs UPTON Sinclair, REFIT/RERIG, ATRA/TRAC, NORA/ZORA. But what really did me in was the east where I entered NSA. SEA looked fine, so NSC never appeared, and I ended with a dreaded DNF.
I don't think CRS are Credit Reports, but I have no idea what else they might be. Anybody?
C.C., how much is 10-20 RMB in dollars? And what does RMB stand for? I remember the currency as Yuan, but that was a long time ago. And you weren't allowed to take any outside the country.
Think AMEX as in American Express, not the exchange. CRs are credits to your account.
ReplyDeleteAnon@7:29 -- Thanx. That makes sense.
ReplyDeleteOops! Congrats, Husker & Joann. And HBD to Ron Worden.
Good morning C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteHappy, happy birthday Ron Warden!! And a happy happy anniversary to you and your wife, Husker G!! Anyone who would make a gift of chocolate covered strawberries for Valentines day is Aces in my book!
.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:.
Fun, fun puzzle today. My favorite was EMERGENCY RAKE. Won't be needing that in the NE for a while, though! The only entry that really made me shudder was VESICLES. I had filled in "pustules" at first, which is even worse. Ugh.
I also wanted Sinclair Lewis instead of UPTON Sinclair. PROFS, PTA and BRYN quickly changed that one, though. All in all, a nice Sunday romp.
Have a great day everyone!
Spitzboov,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Punt link. Never heard of the boat.
D-Otto,
RMB is like USD, it stands for Ren Min Bi, literally "People's money". Yuan is like "dollar". So, 10-20 RMB is the same as 10-20 Yuan. 1 Yuan =0.16 dollar. 20 Yuan is only 3.21 dollars. I got over 50 Hong Bao every year I was in Guangzhou. My girl colleagues/friends always gave 10-20 Yuan per Hong Bao. Men can be wild. 50 is not rare. It's good to be single in Guangzhou. When did you visit China?
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteA firm Technical DNF today. Two intersections did me in: Zora/Zorro, and Lew/Smew.
HBTY Ron Worden. HATY Husker, and let me remind you that any man who is tender enough to make chocolate covered strawberries for his wife deserves a pampering pedicure. Just sayin'.
Shade grown tobacco is a big crop along the Connecticut River, especially here in Mass. It used to provide reliable, if tiring, summer work for high school kids; now that work is done by migrants and the like.
My brother married into a family from Darien. This was my first exposure to a high-priced lifestyle: Darien is famous for wealth, for the Noroton Yacht Club, and for a bit of snootiness. None of this is unusual for coastal towns in close proximity to the jobs and money of New York.
C.C, it was probably '85 or maybe '86. We had to visit one of our floating drilling rigs working off Hainan Island. There were four in my party. We flew from Hong Kong and spent the night in Guangzhou. Stopped at our "base office" in Zhanjiang, and then flew on to Sanya on Hainan to catch a boat out to the rig. We spent several days at a resort in Sanya waiting for decent weather. China was not open to US tourist travel at that time, and we didn't run into any English speaking Chinese after Guangzhou, so it was quite a trip. Sometimes scary.
ReplyDeleteThank God that V was the only roman numeral that could work to complete VESICLES - certainly my word of the day. Got CRS entirely from the crosses. I knew ZORA only because she is one of two ways to clue NEALE (the other being Earle "Greasy" ____).
ReplyDeleteA solid outing from Mr. Peluso.
HeartRx, let's hope you won't need this emergency rake.
ReplyDeleteDecent Sunday puzzle.
ReplyDelete"Actress Sobieski : LEELEE. Does she look like Helen Hunt?"
Her face does, but not her bosom.
"Author Sinclair : UPTON. 'The Jungle.'"
"Oil!"
"Pennzoil letters : SAE. I had to google"
Sorry to hear that.
I had a difficult time of it today but I did love the theme. The theme words didn't trip me up as much as LEW/SMEW, POLER (thanks for the link Spitzboov, I had no idea), ZORA/ZORRO and a few others. It was one of those days where if it didn't readily appear, no amount of going off to something else and coming back to try again was going to matter.
ReplyDeleteAt least I learned a few things today, POLER, MERIMEE, CLARO, KROGER. Now will I remember any them if they pop up later? Not likely.
Have a good Sunday everyone!
Argyle, that snow rake wouldn't even reach the roof on my house. It might make it up to the second floor windows, but that's about it. I have a slate roof (1890 Victorian), and every once in a while we hear the WHUMPFF as the snow slides off the north face. So far, we have never been on the walk below when it happens...
ReplyDelete"CDIV. 404. Or CDII/CDVI."?
ReplyDeleteI think you mean (CDII+CDVI)/II.
I had a student once in a computer programming class who wrote a program to model a four-function calculator that did everything in Roman numerals. At least he didn't have to worry about fractions.
Excellent puzzle, although a DNF, thanks to M. Merimée and Ms. Sobieski (did she have a face?).
[4810 senabh]
Good morning:
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, I didn't get much satisfaction solving this puzzle. Got hung up with vesicles and conte. Otherwise, perps and wags took care of the rest.
A for effort, Mr. Peluso, and A+, CC, for your always informative write-up.
I believe Darien (or New Canaan) was the setting for A Gentlemen's Agreement, starring Gregory Peck, which addressed anti-Semitism. Dudley's comments were spot-on, at least during the 70's and 80's when I lived in Stamford.
Have a wonderful Sunday.
Happy Sunday everyone!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see a lot of baseball clues today - can’t wait for Opening Day! However, I’m not too fond of the answer to 1D. Don’t call it Frisco!
When Leelee Sobieski first came into prominence, some of her more devoted followers started a band. It was called Leelee Sobieski Rocks. Tried to find a link to their music, but failed miserably. I guess they were no-hit wonders….
Speaking of Ms. Sobieski, we have something in common. We were both in the movie Never Been Kissed. Of course, her role was just a bit more prominent than mine. In other words, she actually had lines, while I merely appear in the background as an extra in the Chicago Sun-Times newsroom….
Hi All ~~
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the puzzle today - a fun theme! Knowing about the B "being gone" helped with the theme answers ~ ATLANTA RAVES was my first.
I finished, but found I had a number of errors only after coming here. Thanks for all the explanations in your write-up, C.C. I had three wrong squares, but five wrong answers! I always seem to fill in 'Smee' instead of SMEW when the clue relates to a duck. I just checked it out and I see they're both ducks ~ I don't feel so bad!
~ I had a SLEW of write-overs (I won't even bother to list them), but I think that's one of the things I enjoy most about solving - the possibility of more than one "right" answer. I did miss another baseball related clue, though - for 39A - 'Up' I had 'Above' before AT BAT.
~ I liked the misdirection of 82A - KRONE - it got me!
~ My biggest hang-up was in the SE corner. After many years of teaching 4th graders that you change the Y to I ... I had 'Sprier' instead of SPRYER. That kept me from readily getting READILY. After changing it, the rest fell into place.
~ Dudley said it all about DARIEN. My first thoughts were - 'near New York' and 'money!'
~ C.C. - After seeing the _ _ _ IL I got CECIL Cooper, but I think CECIL Fielder is more well-known.
Happy 46th Anniversary to Husker Gary and Joann!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Ron Worden ~ enjoy your day and have a great year!
I was enjoying some local brews once while visiting San Francisco. Some locals told me to NEVER call it Frisco. San Fran was OK but never ever Frisco!
ReplyDeleteHB RW. Saw PTI on Friday. They told me both Michael Jordan and Jim Brown have birthdays today. Two of the greatest athletes of all time share the day, hmmm. I just looked it up and discovered that Paris Hilton and Larry the Cable Guy share it also. So there goes the grading curve.
Sorry, I forgot!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to Ron Worden; have a great day!
And Happy Anniversary to Husker Gary and Joanne!
HBDTY RW and many more. HATY BY and keep them coming.
ReplyDeleteSome really hard fill for a Sunday, though I have read many books which included the protagonist punting on the Thames. There are a few famous authors named Lewis.
Interesting about Jim Brown and Michael Jordan.
DNF today:( Had two blank squares: the R in CRS (that stands for something else in my world), and the P in POLER/SPARE. Did not know a PUNT was a boat. Makes sense now. Thanks Spitzboov. Had to look up several things, but I did get all the theme answers. VESICLES was sure new to me! Had COmTE before CONTE. What Mikey said about Ms. Sobieski. I did know OHARE from my Chicago upbringing. Today, the luggage tag still reads ORD.
ReplyDeleteHBTY Ron Worden, Happy Anniversary Husker Gary!
oesvoc
Hello everybody. Happy birthday to you, Ron Worden. Congratulations to you and Joann, Husker Gary.
ReplyDeleteWhen I filled in FRISCO I literally cringed. A quiet "Ugh" issued from my mouth.
Many quiet "Sheesh"s emanated from me during the solve as I stumbled over and winced at so many abbreviations.
I did like the theme, though, and laughed when I got EMERGENCY RAKE.
My final fill was the R at the crossing of CLARO and CRS. I had to go through the alphabet, and took a guess at R. Got lucky. But still didn't know what a CR is until reading it here. Dang abbreviations!
I knew 96A would be either STREP or STAPH, so I filled in the ST and relied (relyed? haha) on LEELEE (which was a gimme) to show me which. By the way, I think her face is much harsher than Helen Hunt's.
When I lived in New Haven, CT, I saw plenty of poor, run-down, slummy areas. The only nice parts of town, insofar as I was aware, were near the university. And Bridgeport, CT, had a reputation as a total dump. The parts of Bridgeport I ever saw were definitely dumpy. Any New York money there was well hidden.
Best wishes to you all.
Of course they share the day with Paris Hilton and Denise Richards.
ReplyDeleteLeelee seems to have grown
up and out well.
Today also is the 41st anniversary of Nixon's trip to China.
Growing up in Connecticut we were all embarrassed by Bridgeport and awed by the money in Darien. Many relatives in the New Haven area, most are still there. There are many nice parts of the Havens.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning all. A good Sunday brain buster for me - Thanks Mike for making me work hard. Great write up C.C. Lots of easy fill ins today but many unknowns. Some filled in by perps, but still a lot of blanks today, In the end - a DNF. But that's okay - had fun trying!
ReplyDeleteI was also unaware of a TUNA OIL controversy and
POLER is I term I am not familiar with either.
Hands up for Frank Sinatra for 4D.
Love to go CRUSing in my Firebird.
CREOSOTE can also build up in your chimney if you don't clean it regularly. Can be a fire hazard.
Happy Birthday to Ron Wordon.
Happy Anniversary to Husker Gary and Joann.
isocht
Ironically, I hear Ridgeport, Connecticut is a really nice city.
ReplyDeleteA punt is not only a football term but atype of boat that is propelled by someone standing and using a pole to push it along, hence a poler.
ReplyDeleteWasn't familiar with WHELP. Apparently it is a small puppy or even any small mammal. Can also be a verb meaning to give birth.
ReplyDeleteI use it frequently as Jim Carrey did, "whelp, see ya later" clip
Hello, my cyber friends especially you, C.C.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Ron Worden! I hope you are doing well and celebrating today.
Congratulations Gary and Joann! I'm sure you must be celebrating in a special way. What C.C. said about the chocolate strawberries!
WEES and WBS about the puzzle. I loved the missing Bs! I perceived the theme at EMERGENCY (B)RAKE and was off to a running start.
Most of the fill was easy enough but of course the sports clues slowed me and almost had a Natick in the SE corner but I WAGGED SPARE and MERIMIE so was glad it was correct. FEMME however eluded me because FEMIN seemed right and never thought of FEMME FATALE which would have helped.
I read ZORA Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God" and found it difficult because of the very strong dialects. I persevered and it was worth it. A powerful story.
Mike Peluso, this is such a clever puzzle, thank you.
I truly hope you are all having a lovely Sunday!
rkexter
I forgot to say I liked WOOF crossing WHELP and ODEON as the name of a cinema is still used in England.
ReplyDeleteDid blue eyes, TRAIT, make me think of Frank Sinatra?
No, actually, I thought of my son-in-law who has strikingly clear and deep blue eyes.
Loved, GREEK, a mystery, metaphorically. LOL
All in all, a very enjoyable puzzle.
rcerCar
I am always interested, and bemused, at the sometimes big differences in what we know and don't know, and what is a gimme to some is a natick to others. For example, I have just been re-familiarizing myself with Bizet's opera Carmen as interpreted and conducted by Leonard Bernstein in 1973 and sung amazingly by Marilyn Horne, so I just happened to know Prosper MERIMEE. On the other hand, ZORA Neale Hurston was totally unknown by me. Yet some of you (Hi, Lucina!) are very familiar with her.
ReplyDeleteFun stuff.
-Late to the party. Fine puzzle and blog. I missed MERIMEE.
ReplyDelete-CC, The Japanese, too, give red money packets to children on New Year's. The money is called otoshidama and the envelope is pochibukuro.
When we were in Scotland, those who dealt with us tourists had a gentle, easy to understand brogue, but at night in the pubs, the locals' thick brogue was very difficult for our American ears to understand. Tinbeni, you would have been in heaven, The Scotch was very inexpensive compared to any other bar drink. We sampled many brands available there which we had never tasted at home. Instead of having her Scotch "neat" or over ice or with water, my friend drank it with Coke. Uggh!!
-CRUISING reminded me of the 50's teen movies. On Saturday night the guys went cruisin' for chicks in a convertible. Really!! Did none of you hear of the DA (duck’s ass) haircut? Even growing up “in the sticks” we knew of that.
-I use SAE 10w-30 motor oil, so SAE was easy.
-Happy birthday to you, Ron and Happy anniversary to HG and Joanne.
I enjoyed the puzzle. The theme was fun and a big help in solving. I had trouble with some of the fill down near the bottom so thank goodness for red letters.
ReplyDeleteI've been told that people from the bay area don't appreciate either Frisco or San Fran.
It was fun to see CRS in a puzzle.
Hey Gary! Very happy anniversary wishes for both of you. Congratulations!
Very happy birthday wishes Ron!
Re. Helen Hunt. She was always a favorite of mine. A couple of days ago she was a guest on Letterman. In her new movie, she plays an actual sex surrogate and, as a result, she is naked a lot. It was a very awkward interview I thought.
Do any of your watch Sunday Morning? It was good as usual. I especially enjoyed the segment on The Borscht Belt. Those old jokes are classic.
A trooper pulls over a guy on the freeway. He says, "Mister, what's going on? Don't you realize your wife fell out of the car about a mile back?" The guys says, "Wow, that's a relief! I thought I was going deaf!"
Happy 46th Anniversary to Husker Gary and Joann
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Ron Wordon
Really liked the "B" Gone themes, both clues and answers.
(A lot of times, with these "add-a-letter" or "take-out-a-letter' themes, the result just gets a weak groan.)
These today were very clever. Great job Mike Peluso! FUN solve.
Yellowrocks:
Your friend had ... Scotch with Coke??? (I probably would have passed out or died!)
I did a "Scotland Scotch Tour" in 2006. Didn't want to leave.
Cheers!!!
I enjoyed the puzzle and the well wishes! Of course we are in Lincoln for church, lunch, shopping, 2 BB games and mostly grand kids!
ReplyDeleteHope to post later when we get north of the Platte again.
Thanks again!
Gary
Hi Y'all, Great puzzle to be finished with, Mr. Peluso. Kinda frustrating in the Wcentral! Had to do some serious red-letter trolling or give up. For a moment I tried tES--CLES. IDEa not IDEO?
ReplyDeletePure natick at Prosper/Sobieski. I forgot about BO and wanted Ursula, John Derecks older wife.
I got the theme on the first one which helped with most of the others and was great. But I had a hard time with Leakout____ because I thought the "B" was supposed to be left off the last word. Finally, remembered POMES and the rest fell in.
KROGER was a gimme because I met a long lost cousin once who worked for KROGER in Cincinnati. He got in a "Jam" literally and was let go. As a buyer, he gave preference to a US jelly producer for a contract rather than save a few cents per jar by going out of country.
I have "Their Eyes Were Watching God" on Kindle. ZORA was touted by Oprah a few years ago and was made into a movie.
Hi Y'all, Great puzzle to be finished with, Mr. Peluso. Kinda frustrating in the Wcentral! Had to do some serious red-letter trolling or give up. For a moment I tried tES--CLES. IDEa not IDEO?
ReplyDeletePure natick at Prosper/Sobieski. I forgot about BO and wanted Ursula, John Derecks older wife.
I got the theme on the first one which helped with most of the others and was great. But I had a hard time with Leakout____ because I thought the "B" was supposed to be left off the last word. Finally, remembered POMES and the rest fell in.
KROGER was a gimme because I met a long lost cousin once who worked for KROGER in Cincinnati. He got in a "Jam" literally and was let go. As a buyer, he gave preference to a US jelly producer for a contract rather than save a few cents per jar by going out of country.
I have "Their Eyes Were Watching God" on Kindle. ZORA was touted by Oprah a few years ago and was made into a movie.
Late for me too. I've been playing mechanic today what with an oil change needed and a blizzard on the way that might require a working tractor. My JD is on the IR list and that won't do if we get walloped on Thursday as predicted.
ReplyDeleteAn enjoyable solve with a clever theme, but alas, FIW. Had a double Natick at the z and 2nd r in Zorro. Guessed N for the former and m for the latter. Bzzzzt! No red letters in my dead tree version, so I let it stand. Oh well, the result is the same. Regardless, I enjoyed it
Frisco is in CO or TX.
C.C., BillG gets full credit for CRS in this venue. I've heard of and used the term elsewhere, but he brought it into the vocabulary here.
As for Helen via a vis LeeLee, I'll defer to Van Morrison...."My, how you have grown!"
Happy BDay to Ron, and HA to HG. And a belated HB to Crazy Cat Lady.
Hello there.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting puzzle with amusing theme, Mike! Thanks! Thanks also to CC for enlightenment!
Got the theme right out of the gate. Had several unknowns that all somehow worked themselves out in the end: VESICLES, MERIMEE, DARIEN, CECIL. No cheats, unlike yesterday, which was a red-letter day.
Just watched a Chinese face reader on Dr. Oz. Most interesting. Have you heard of these, CC?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Ron! And many more!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, Husker! Also many more!
Hunt is 19 years older than Sobieski and has an incredible collection of awards.
Cheers!
You will all be relieved to know that the missing "B" has been found, & is on his way home.
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary HG & Joanne
CC, Re: 40D Tuna Oil, the controversy is the effect of mercury on developing brains, & Gerber using the largest possible fish with the most mercury to add omega 3 to their "organic" baby food.
oatdaea
C.C. Thanks for your commentary. I especially enjoyed knowing about the Chinese custom. My daughter and I had lunch out today and she enjoyed hearing about you, esp. not making the grade with the Comm. party.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter's father-in-law is in the hospital in Georgia. He had recently made friends with some Chinese immigrant ladies. When they heard he was in the hospital, they thought since he had no local relatives to care for him there, they needed to bring food or he would starve, so they did. My daughter was shocked to learn that food isn't provided by the hospital in at least part of China.
Wow, Boomer! On a roll TO DIE for!
Happy birthday, Ron Worden! Happy Anniversary, Gary & Joann (chocolate strawberries give me hives so I hope Joann is not so afflicted).
YR: We called them "duck tail" hairdos. No one in our neck of the prairie would ever use the profane "A" word! I'm shocked at you...LOL!
PK, but the official name is DA, not DT. Out here on the east coast we were not so prissy, whether the city slickers or the very earthy farm boys. Of course teens in those days were more careful in front of their elders, but not so much on their own.
ReplyDeleteCED, thanks for linking the Gerber TUNA OIL article. Who'd 'a thought? I often ate tuna fish for lunch, and thought it was a healthy meal...now, I'm not so sure. I still do love anchovies and sardines, though. Here's a meal that I find heavenly, from Alton Brown.
ReplyDeleteYellowrocks, yep, when I was a teen I combed my hair into a DA. And we cruised for girls. Would you believe my brother and I actually succeeded (once) to pick up two girls at the A&W drive-in? really, we did! They had great vesicles! Gawd, those were the days!
ReplyDeleteBoomer, a hearty handshake and pat on the back for you!
Jayce: I, too, fell into the Staph / STREP trap.
ReplyDeleteHahtoolah, I often have the same thoughts and experiences you do about the puzzle. I like reading your comments.
ReplyDeleteJayce, did you work the leftover NYT repetitive puzzle today? I found it tough to get going, but enjoyed the result....especially the last theme answer.
ReplyDeleteMarti, that sardine sandwich sounds great to me (though I'm guessing some folks won't be so enthusiastic). Have you had it?
ReplyDeleteDo you guys have flowering pear trees in your neighborhoods? They may have some downsides but this time of the year, they are simply beautiful. Bradford flowering pear trees.
I can't remember if I mentioned "The Last Convertible" before. I loved the miniseries years ago and just found a dog-eared paperback that I've started reading. It looks as if it will will be one of those books that I will be sorry to see end.
I did not MOSEY through this one. First I had stroll which I knew was incorrect because of the plural, changed to to ambles which didn't get me anywhere either, finally unearthed MOSEYS.
ReplyDeleteRERIG to REfIt back to RERIG. brisk before CRISP, and so it goes...
All in all a fine fun puzzle. Thank you Mr. Peluso!
Avg Joe, yes I did work the NYT repetitive puzzle today. I actually liked it better than today's LAT puzzle, because of the plethora of 3-letter abbreviations in the LAT puzzle today. I was actually able to solve it without lookups, which I cannot say of the LAT puzzle today. Thanks for asking.
ReplyDeleteA real workout today! Hand up for "capital" trap at 82A, and then we had OSLO!
ReplyDeleteWe also have ARRET signs in Quebec but not in ONTARIO.
Loved Scottish rogue and Goodyear Limp.
Thanks for the tuna oil explanation
More Borscht Belt humor:
ReplyDeleteA man called his mother in Florida, ‘Mom, how are you?’ ‘
Not too good,’ said the mother. ‘I’ve been very weak.’
The son said, ‘Why are you so weak?’
She said, ‘Because I haven’t eaten in 38 days.’
The son said, ‘That’s terrible. Why haven’t you eaten in 38 days?’
The mother answered, ‘Because I didn’t want my mouth to be filled with food if you should call.’
What a topsy-turvy day ! Thank you Mike Peluso, and thank you CC. I am (b)elated in thanking you both for the excellent puzzle and write up !
ReplyDeleteStarted early after a restless night. Should have held off. May have fell for every trap and error that was already mentioned. Fatigue was a factor, so I set it aside for a few hours. Picked up the theme and completed almost all of it when I resumed, but still no joy (or TA DA!) Finally had to turn on red letter help. Glad I did. A few changed answers and (almost) everything fell into place. Still had blanks at the Z in ZORA and second R that intersected ZORRO and ARRET.
CC, Cecil Fielder was an imposing presence at the plate, but I remember Cecil Cooper as the better all around player. Saw many games with him as a Milwaukee Brewer of the early 80s with Robin Yount and Paul Molitor. Probably could start a good debate, but if I were GM and putting together a team to win (versus drawing crowds) I would go with Cooper over Fielder.
Hope everyone has a good evening. See you all tomorrow.
Good evening C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteSundays always present an abundance of new information in the puzzle and blog. Who knew about tuna oil (thanks CED). Unlike most of you, everything did not fall into place, even with the emergency rake AND the red letters.Lots to like though.
I just have to groan about using Frisco...maybe newcomers call it that, but not anyone who grew up in the area. Did anyone have another thought for whine?
and who calls it "mini golf"?
Leelee used to resemble Helen Hunt much more as a teen.Bill, I really felt sorry for Ms Hunt during that interview. I thought he was a jerk, and was surprised.It was a lovely movie.
Go Boomer!
HBTY Ron Warden, and Happy anniversary Gary and Joann!
I found out that Barbara had paid the $8.99 fee for Hulu Plus. So I can watch the first year of Downton Abbey on my computer. I got involved with the show a few episodes into Season 2. I had a rough time at first keeping all the characters straight. Originally, I wasn't even sure if Mr. Carson was Lord or servant because he's always dressed so nicely. So I find myself in the weird position of watching the next-to-last episode of Season 3 on TV and the first episode on my computer. Life can be SO challenging...
ReplyDeleteI was glad to discover that I have been driving manual transmission cars properly for all these many years (and taught my kids properly also). Stick shift.
Here's an amazing story and photo of a Mega-pod of dolphins.
YR: Hey, another first in my life. NO ONE ever referred to me as PRISSY! LOL! I still don't like the "A"word. It just wasn't used in my HS. Neither was "butt". Maybe by the boys when they were alone, but not in front of us girls. Ah, the age of innocence!
ReplyDeleteBillG, our city has many flowering trees including Bradford Pears. The local mall has avenues of them. One daughter and I usually drive around and see them all, but they won't be in season until about April.
ReplyDeleteMy other daughter's neighbor had several along the property line between their houses. During a wind storm a few years ago, they all fell down onto my daughters car and house. Talk about your mayhem! Totaled the car and air conditioner. She doesn't like B. pears now.
Good evening, folks. Thank you, Mike Peluso, for a swell puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for the swell review.
ReplyDeleteFirst, Happy Birthday to Ron Worden.
Second, Happy Anniversary to Husker Gary and his wife Joann. Keep Truckin'.
Third, to PK, read your note about your relative and his experience with Kroger. I support what he did more than you can believe. I will always have that in mind when I am near a Kroger store, and hopefully will have an alternative store to shop at.
As far as the puzzle, it was excellent. A little tough in spots, but OK.
The theme appeared right off the bat for me with EMERGENCY RAKE. LACK HUMOR was my last, and toughest to get. I had a problem in that area.
Had REFIT for 95A. Eventually fixed that to RERIG.
CREOSOTE was easy for 75D. I have applied that to wood.
Did not know VESICLES. perped and wagged it.
Getting late. I am hitting the hay shortly. I have a cold again and it is wearing me out. Spent the afternoon at DeKalb at a meeting. Kind of ate up the day.
Spent yesterday at Cary, IL, and Geneva, IL. Did not get to do yesterday's puzzle (yet).
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(yofterv)
Forget the spoiler alert. Not needed.
ReplyDeleteJust finished the Downton finale, and let me sat that there had better be a season 4 to explain away that cliffhanger!
Yes, in our high school those hair styles were referred to as Duck Tails by everybody. Even by the school delinquent who, I remember, holding forth one day on the dirtiest words he knew. It was good he was able to find an area of expertise that suited his social position.
ReplyDeleteTTP - Went to a Milwaukee Brewers game with my husband back in the 70's and asked him why they were booing this particular player. He said they're not, there yelling COOP COOP COOP. Sounded like booing to me. Oh well! I think he played for the Brewers for about 10 years.
ReplyDeleteDudley@9:48
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! What a way to end the season. There better be a #4 and a darned good explanation.
aandof
I agree with Dudley.... !!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary Husker G and Joann... and Happy Birthday Ron W.... hope you all had a great day...
thelma :)
Mikey,
ReplyDeleteNope. I just meant that CDIV, CDII or CDVI all fit the "Early 5th-century year" clue. But it made me smile to see how you made it work.
Fermatprime,
I've never heard of face reading. More familiar with palm reading, which I don't believe. I guess I believe what works for me, like Dr. Mercola's juicing. Have you tried it?
Husker, Happy Anniversary to you and your frau.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Ron Worden !