Theme: Tonsorial Treatment.
17A. *Squeaker : CLOSE SHAVE. They shave off the "C" for the next entry.
23A. *Fall in with the wrong crowd, say : LOSE ONE'S WAY. For the next one, they shaved the "E."
39A. *Kobe, notably : LOS ANGELES LAKER. And then, the "S" gets shaved.
50A. *"Voilà!" : LO AND BEHOLD. Oh dear, now the "L" gets shaved.
61A. *"Cantique de Noël," in the States : O HOLY NIGHT. Until all that's left is the lowly "O" in CLOSE. (Don't you hate it when the hairdresser starts gabbing with you, and you are left with a haircut that makes you look more like Yul Brynner?)
And the unifier:
48D. Tool used to give the starts of the starred answers a 17-Across? : RAZOR.
Fantastic theme, cleverly done. Marti here, to look at what else is in store for us.
Across:
1. It's taken in court : FIFTH.
6. City founded by King Harald III : OSLO.
10. Silences, gang-style : OFFS.
14. Skateboarder's leap : OLLIE. A trick invented by Alan "Ollie" Gelfond in 1979, it is one of the first tricks most skateboarders learn. If you want to see how to do it, check out this video. 1:08
15. Pringle, e.g. : CHIP.
16. Brother of Fidel : RAUL.
19. Fanboy's mag : ZINE. It all started back in 1973 at a comics convention in Chicago. Get the story here.
20. ___ of Reason : AGE.
21. Exhort : URGE.
22. Make a fake of : FORGE.
27. Nurse : SIP. Not sure why "nurse a drink" came to my mind first...
28. KOA parkers : RVS. Kampgrounds of America are now full of Recreational Vehicles instead of tents.
29. Hopeful opening : I WISH.
31. Up on, with "of" : AWARE.
34. Trim : PARE.
36. Word with median or minimum : WAGE. In 1938, when minimum wage standards were first set, it was $0.25
42. Related : AKIN.
43. Redding who sang "These Arms of Mine" : OTIS. Not one of my favorites by him. But here's the obligatory link. 2:37
44. Agenda bullets : ITEMS.
45. Old saw : ADAGE.
47. "Mad Men" channel : AMC. It used to stand for American Movie Classics. But they are changing their programming, and the acronym is being de-emphasized.
48. Tach meas. : RPM. Revolutions per minute. You could get DIZZY watching this 45 RPM. 3:17
56. Daughter of King Triton : ARIEL. She was played by The Little Mermaid in a 1989 Disney film...
58. Composed : COOL.
59. Yokohama yes : HAI. はい
60. Kooky : ZANY.
64. Cause of a sniff : ODOR. Not "cold." I have been lucky this year. No colds, but my allergies have been through the roof.
65. Three-piece piece : VEST.
66. Big name in paper : SCOTT.
67. Like many collectibles : RARE. Like a Topps '52 Mantle. Right, C.C.? (From C.C.: Yes! To me, it's the Holy Grail of baseball card collectors. T206 Honus Wagner is just an impossible dream.)
68. War god : ARES.
69. A/V component : AUDIO. The other component is video.
Down:
1. ___ point : FOCAL.
2. "Ooh, send me!" : I'LL GO. I read the clue, and couldn't get this song out of my head! 2:46
3. Northern sheets : FLOES.
4. McCourt memoir : 'TIS. I just mentioned this book a couple weeks ago.
5. Texter's giggle : HEE.
6. Yellowish shade : OCHRE. Like this.
7. Chases flies : SHAGS. Not swats.
8. Energetic types : LIVE WIRES. Nice fill!
9. Unlock'd : OPE.
10. Small pasta used in soups : ORZO.
11. Equal chance : FAIR SHAKE. More nice fill.
12. Mold, mildew, etc. : FUNGI.
13. "No ___ Till Brooklyn": Beastie Boys song : SLEEP. This is an equal opportunity blog, so I guess I am obliged to link this song....4:47
18. Enjoys the beach : SUNS. I wish I were back in Florida!!
22. "I feel I should tell you," briefly : FYI. For your information.
24. Trip to the dry cleaners, e.g. : ERRAND.
25. Pizza place : OVEN.
26. Commands reverence from : AWES.
30. Certain sample : SWATCH.
31. Arroz ___ Cubana: Spanish dish : A LA. Basically, it is a fried egg with rice smothered with tomato paste. If this were Monday, the clue would read "Chicken ___ King."
32. Restaurant pan : WOK.
33. Area conquered by Alexander the Great : ASIA MINOR. Modern day Turkey. Map.
34. Sch. whistle blower : P.E. TEACHER. I had PET______ and wondered if they were talking about obedience school!
35. 1996 Olympic torch lighter : ALI. Did not know that.
37. Ruby or topaz : GEM.
38. Hesitant utterances : ERS. And we also have 63-Down. Post-ER area : ICU. So don't hesitate, or you might end up in ICU!
41. Wedge in a mojito : LIME. Rum, mint, lime, sugar and club soda. What's not to like?
46. 100% : ALL.
47. With great skill : ABLY.
49. Big name in small bags : PRADA. With a big price tag, too.51. Western loop : NOOSE.
52. Nimrods : DOLTS.
53. "That sounds bad!" : OH GOD. Or, "That feels soooo good!"
54. "Chicago Hope" Emmy winner : LAHTI. Christine. She played Dr. Kathryn Austin.
55. "Me, too" : DITTO.
57. Rochester's love : EYRE. Jane. I'll have to re-read that one some day.
61. Eggs in a lab : OVA. Plural of ovum.
62. Cloak-and-dagger org. : NSA. National Security Agency. They even have their own comic book.
'Til next week, 'tis Marti, signing off!
100 comments:
Hello Puzzlers -
Had to chip away at this one. As usual, sports clues and proper nouns were hardest for me. Clever theme! I didn't take note whether it's a pangram as well, but possibly.
Morning, Marti! Thanks for the write- up.
Morning, all!
For a change, I actually understood the theme about 2/3 of the way through the puzzle, which meant I was expecting the last two answers to start with LO and O, respectively. Didn't help all that much, but still...
Most of the fill was smooth enough today, although I wasn't familiar with "energetic" as a definition of GOGO. I guess I never knew what GOGO boots referred to, but I just kept thinking about "Whiskey-a-GO GO" for some reason. Not even sure what that means, now that I think about it.
I had PETEA_HER and had no idea whatsoever what I was looking at. Even after getting the C from COOL, I had no idea what a PETEACHER was. A PET EACHER? And then the lightbulb finally went off. Stupid down answers... ^_^
[uryppon]
Good morning everyone,
Thanks for the theme explanation Marti. I had no idea what it was, but it did not stop me from eventually solving the puzzle.
The NW & SW corners were a grind today. The crossing I for 14A & 4D was a wag. Not into skateboarding or McCourt's memoir. The SW was a matter of engaging my brain.
Liked 27A Nurse/SIP. What's your druthers Tin? Mine was never to let the rocks melt. 1A, Fifth was a fun clue too. Took a while for the light to go on.
PRADA was all perp assistance. I don't use handbags!
Enjoy the day.
Good Morning, Marti and friends. Interesting Thursday puzzle. Not as enamored by the puzzle as others appear to be. Great commentary.
My first thought with the clue KOBE was that the answer either had to do with the Beef of Kobe Bryant. Obviously, it was the later.
I, too, wondered where we were going with the PET EACHER.
MOJITOs are my current favorite drink. They are also good made with Tequila in lieu of Rum.
QOD: There is nothing more miserable in the world than to arrive in paradise and look like your passport photo. ~ Erma Bombeck (Feb. 21, 1927 ~ Apr. 22, 1996)
[allyigc]
Good morning!
Nice collaboration from Ian and Jeff. Nice writeup, Marti.
I think SIP came to mind quickly, because there were only three letters in the answer. I filled it in immediately.
Sam Cooke died way too young. In contrast, I think you could fit "Nancy Sinatra's All Time Hits" on one of those 45's.
Barry, Whiskey-a-go-go was a club in LA. A number of live albums were recorded there back in the day.
My father used to refer to a low-cut gown as a Biblical Dress -- Lo and Behold!
I really enjoyed the puzzle and for once caught on to the theme right away!
Most exciting - lunch with the California Coven. Garlic Gal picked the most charming place - delicious food - but best of all, most excellent company! We talked and talked and talked, and JD even lost her voice. Garlic Gal lives next door to one of my long time co workers and Chickie knows one of my nursing professors. It is really a small world!
And maybe Melissa B will abandon the cherry picker and join us next time.
My kids thought I had lost my mind when I said I was meeting friends I had met on-line. They think I am half senile anyway and that this was the final straw. They were quite relieved when let I them know I had returned unharmed and thrilled to have made new friends in person! All thanks to C C and her wonderful CC corner. What a special group of special people.
What a fun puzzle and write up. I love P.E. TEACHER, and the theme.
HI, I did n or see you as the Prada bag type.
Crowds and coaches implore "go go" and I can say my get up and go, got up and went.
Terrific Thursday outing. Thank you.
"'No ___ Till Brooklyn': Beastie Boys song : SLEEP. This is an equal opportunity blog, so I guess I am obliged to link this song....4:47"
Don't be dissin' the Beasties, yo.
Great puzzle Ian Livengood and Jeff Chen. And Thank You Marti ! I never saw the theme. Was too caught up in trying to complete this GEM. Loved your links and exposition.
Even with your vid, I don't think I'll try to learn how to do an OLLIE. I got TIS from McCourt by reading the may 21st 2008 link Argyle posted yesterday.
3D FLOES from Northern sheets, because Quilted has too many letters, and 66A was easy because SCOTT Knows A Lot About People
12D, Mold and mildew maybe, but this is my idea of FUNGI
Didn't Foster Brooks have a line about taking a fifth in court ?
LOW AND BEHOLD was a revealing moment. Voila !
Have you seen this mashup of Downton Abbey ?
I'm channeling Cross Eyed Dave this morning, so one more link: WHAM: Wake Me Up Before You Go - Go
This seemed like a Tuesday puzzle. I loved the clever shaving of the beginning words. Great puzzle, Ian and Jeff. Marti, thanks for the oldies by Otis and Sam. Memories of my youth. Marti, you are so consistently sparkling, it is hard to know what to say about your blog.
TTP, I thought,like you, of taking a fifth to court and having it confiscated.
I liked seeing LIVE WIRE and GOGO in the same puzzle.
Didn't we have McCourt and TIS recently?
At 34D I took a while to parse my answer. Pete Acher? Pet Eacher?
AHA! Then I saw TEACHER.
Good morning everybody! This was a great puzzle, even though I had multiple write overs. In fact, I had so many write overs I'm not sure how I even finished this one.
I didn't catch the theme...very clever! I figured you could shave a LA Laker, but not a Lo and Behold (?!!) Very sneaky!
Am I the only one who thought of this for "Northern Sheets"?
I loved the clue for 34D: Sch. Whistle Blower: PE Teacher. Can you belive that I graduated HS 25 years ago and I still have nightmares about locker combinations and PE class?
Big snow storm headed for Chicago! We might get 5" (which is suprising a lot for this winter).
Have a nice day!
Lemonade @ 1:15 yesterday: As for Woody Allen, I think I worded my opinion incorrectly. I tend to agree with Marge, who said: "I didn't see any of Woody's movies but did manage to get the answers.
I never admired him as a person."
Why is PETE ACHER blowing a Sch. whistle ???
Marti: Thank you for clearing that up ...
Faves today: FIFTH (1.75 liter wouldn't fit) & SIP.
Hondo: The ice never melts ... since it never made it into the glass).
Mari: With SCOTT in the grid, that's what I was thinkin' for Northern sheets.
I was just amazed I entered PRADA for small bags. (The things you learn here at the Blog).
And who is this FUN GI ??? I hope he/she has a good time on R+R.
Cheers !!!
Count me among those who never got the theme, but finished unaided. Slowly, but unaided. Several things I only know from CW's like HAI helped a great deal.
Still waiting for Godot-Snow here. It was supposed to start in the evening yesterday, but thus far, nothing more than a few flakes. Jim Cantore was just interviewed at 10th & Q, so it can't be far off :-). Looks like PK is getting the brunt of it now.
Never got the theme, but enjoyed it anyway. Had "fair share" for the longest time (which really doesn't make sense) and couldn't figure out what a "larer" was! I once tried to get into Whisky a Go Go but was too young and panicked when the guy at the door questioned my borrowed ID. Ahh, memories.
Good morning all.
Didn't care for the theme, but got the theme fill in due course. Otherwise, WEES.
FLOES. - Here is a link depicting the ice coverage in the eastern Great Lakes on 18 Feb. Lake Erie in center bottom.
What a fantastic theme, indeed! orZo/Zine crossing took a bit, but VOILA. I got ‘er done! Schools and businesses are closed here and as I write this at 8:30 am there is nary a snowflake. Fun links today Marti but I want to know your rate to run that snowblower out here today. How ‘bout this snow!
Musings
-Took some doing – FIFTH, HEE (not LOL), FLOES (not intimate tissue), ‘TIS (no clue), A LA.
-The departure of Jerry Buss and arrival of Dwight Howard have made Kobe’s life miserable
-OSLO seems to be the home of infinite cluing. A rose by any other name…
-Pawn Stars has this guy to detect a FORGEry
-“If WISHes were horses, beggars would ride” – 16th century English ADAGE
-My first minimum WAGE was 90¢
-OTIS, today I wish I was sitting with you on the dock of the bay
-I’ll bet CC knows a famous St. Louis Cardinal named DIZZY
-Every school has an A/V person with vastly different skill levels
-SHAGging fly balls can hurt you.
-Nothing good followed when Mom said, “For Your Information, young man…
-Four Seasons theme song at a macho Asian Cooking School? WOK Like A Man?
-Really?
-Great comment jilldin about your meeting with our lovely online women!
-What a fun DA link! I hope they have no more births on that show - they always foreshadow tragedy
-What TV series featured a former PE TEACHER (fab cluing) being called upon to restart an old foot race?
Spitzboov @ 8:52, fascinating link to the ice FLOES. I wondered what they meant by “fast ice,” and found a good explanation at this site.
Husker G. For snowblowing, my rate would be exactly $1,730. Gotta buy me that Prada bag, y’know!
Hi All ~~
I liked this puzzle, finished it, and had the theme - almost. My newspaper did not have a * before 61A - O HOLY NIGHT, so I missed the final "shave!' I should have realized I needed one more theme answer for symmetry. Thanks for a wonderful write-up, Marti. Great comments, pics and links!
~ I had a write-over with FAIR 'Share' before SHAKE and OLLIE was all perps.
~ On 31A - my first thought was 'Atop' of which didn't fit - a nice misdirection for me with AWARE of.
~ My favorite was the very first clue - It's taken in court / FIFTH.
~ I filled in 34D - PE TEACHER immediately. I'm sure this is due to my nightmare memories of having to sub in PE classes near the end of my teaching career. I hated PE classes as a kid and having to act as if I knew what I was doing as the teacher of these classes was laughable. ( I was NOT laughing at the time!)
~ TTP - thanks for the "Wham" link / GOGO. That song came to mind right away.
HeartRx @ 0921 - Re: Fast ice. Yeah, it's kind of counterintuitive. Would be a great word for a Friday puzzle, tho.
My earlier post @ 0852 linked to an ice floe map. The map had symbols that looked like eggs. Here is a link that explains the eggs.
Husker, I'll do it for an even $1700.
Dang, there's always some shyster trying to outbid me...beware HG, ya get what ya pay for, LOL!!!
-How about this, Marti? Instead of cash, I will buy that bag for you on a street corner in most any big city in America. I will also supply the gas and a nice après snow removal vintage. White, I would imagine!
-Dudley, I’ve seen Marti’s picture and, uh, her equipment (snowblower that is) and she pretty much has the job ;-).
-Oh, that Fast Ice. How about Fast Swimming Water In China?
-BTW, on Sunday, I was talking to my oldest daughter’s prospective new FIL and politely asked about his career. As he chronicled each change in profession, he would preface it with LO AND BEHOLD and after about 4 of those, we were only up to 1980, ten minutes of my life was gone and I had to get to another game. A thumbnail sketch would have sufficed! Cwd’s like BLAH, YAK, YADA, DRONE, JABBER, TMI, EGO, et al came to mind!
Dudley, I have to ask: What are you building that requires blasting out the rock under your house? Wine cellar? :-)
Weather update ~25 miles SW of Jim Cantore: Snow started 65 minutes ago. Visibility dropped from 10 to 3/4 mile. Still only light snowfall and ~1/4" on the ground. KC is a mess and Wichita has 9".
Here are some fast ice floes. Well..actually it is not ice nor snow...not water either...what is it?
Frazil Ice
HG @ 9:09 am: At that price I'll take two of those bags - one for each arm! They'll go great with resale shop outfit and Walmart sandals! :)
Hi all!
Ian and I had a fun time creating this one. PE TEACHER was a fun one to drop in, as was LIVE WIRES. It was a bear to construct, but time flies when you're having fun.
Have a good day!
Jeff
-Latest report from our meteorological crow’s nest – no snow!
-Mari, I would be happy to pull the $25 to pay for those Prada bags in a Chicago alley with the money I pull out of my $9 bag (wallet) ;-)
-Old PE Teacher (Mr. Bevilacqua) starting a foot race rematch (4:03)
-Thanks for the effort and your visit here Jeff!
-Off to this place! Probably won’t see any of these boys there.
Thanks for stopping by, Jeff! I probably had as much fun dissecting your work as you had constructing it! It seemed very easy for a Thursday puzzle. Did Rich keep a lot of your original clues, or did he change them to make it more "end-of-the-week" level? I loved seeing PE TEACHER, LIVE WIRES and FAIR SHAKE in the puzzle, and I think we all liked the opening clue for FIFTH: "It's taken in court."
Pinto @ 10:05, wow! Fascinating video on the frazil ice. Now, that's another word I'll have to add to my crossword list. I can't believe how much time I have spent today learning about ice, its different forms, and methods of evaluating and measuring it. I need to get a life!
I got a Thursday puzzle, and I don't just mean I finished it--I actually "got" the theme! Hurray! Many thanks Jeff and Ian, you've made my day. And wonderful pics, Marti, as always.
WEES--therefore not much to comment on. I too wondered about that PETE ACHER and thought at first the theme was going to involve the last part of the starred items: SHAVE, SHAKE, SWAY, LAKER, HOLD. Didn't work too well and by the time I got to NIGHT didn't work at all.
We're throwing an Oscar pizza party on Sunday and so are trying to get in as many nominated movies as possible. We may try to get to "Les Miserables" today. Hope it's worth the trouble.
Have a good one, everybody!
Avg. Joe -
While I'd like to have a wine cellar to compete with Marti's, I'm actually making a plain old cellar.
My project is: tear down the junky old farmhouse that really wasn't worth saving, and put up an adorable little country cottage farther back on the property. That latter part puts the house quite a bit higher in elevation, improving the already good view; it justifies the extra expense of Ed the Enthusiastic Blaster, to make way for a cellar in some ornery old rock.
Mind you, I just might put a few bottles on a shelf down there...
Hello, puzzlers. I look forward to your blog, Marti, and you reinforce my AWEs. Thank you.
This was fun and a fairly good sashay around the grid. I had to slide from the NE to the south and oddly, TEACHER came first so PE was close behind.
The NW was a mess because LOL would not leave, but once SHAVE appeared I erased the whole corner and started over with good results though of course did not suss the theme until reading your blog, Marti. Very clever.
Amazingly Kobe is familiar to me because he is so much in the news, either as an ace on the basketball court or buying diamonds for his wife.
SHAGS eluded me for a while because I was thinking of house flies and SHOOS was stuck in there for a while.
It was fun completing this and I thank Jeff and Ian. Thank you for stopping here, Jeff.
Gary
If you watched the news you know that the storm now heading your way left SNOW here just about five miles from where I live! Here we just had hail, small miniature balls of it and very cold.
Have a wonderful Thursday, everyone!
twerden
Enjoyed the puzzle. I had a hard time with the southeast.
I had lasso for western rope.. Which took me a while to fix. I had calm for cool.
Once I fixed those I was able to finish.
I hate it when I don't read the clues carefully. I saw arroz and put in con without even paying attention.
I think it's was great that the California ladies were able to get together.
Watching the weather channel. Looks like lots of snow.
70 degrees in Houston
Lost my first post. Used red letters right from the start, but enjoyed the puzzle. Needed Marti's explanation for the theme.
Will read WEE said, later this evening, hopefully, in sunny California.
Montana
Good afternoon everyone.
DNF, but did get 29 correct answers.
I would like for someone to explain how nimrods become DOLTS. I thought hunters, but it didn't fit.
Sunny and paper says high of 84. That's why I live in Naples!
Cheers
Marti:
I forgot to thank you for linking Sam Cooke. I love his music and in fact own that very CD.
Agfieds
Sallie @11:44
NIMROD, Per the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is defined as: "A person who hunts game.
However, IN SLANG, it also means a stupid person.
Synonyms for NIMROD include:
Airhead, Anon (here at the blog), Birdbrain, Blockhead, Bonehead, Bubblehead, Chowderhead, Chucklehead, Deadhead, Dim bulb [slang], Dimwit, Dip, Dodo, DOLT, Doofus, Dope, Dork, Dullard, Dumbbell, Dum-Dum, Dummy, Dunce, Dunderhead, Fathead, Half-wit, Ignoramus, Imbecile, Jackass, Know-nothing, Knucklehead, Lamebrain, Loon, Lunkhead, Meathead (made famous by Archie), Moron, Nincompoop, Ninny, Nitwit, Noodle, Numskull (or numbskull), Oaf, Pinhead, Simpleton, Yahoo, Yo-Yo.
Cheers !!!
nimrod became a pejorative after a bugs bunny cartoon had bugs referring to elmer fudd as a "poor little Nimrod".
nimrod from the bible was Noah's great-grandson and was a skilled hunter.
only in the u.s. is it considered an insult.
And Canada.
they have cartoons in Canada?!?! ;)
Hello everybody. Some nice fill in this puzzle, as already mentioned. Like Lucina, I already had TEACHER, so PE came easily. Thought the theme was that the starred answers begin with LO, and then the unstarred answer (as LaLaLinda pointed out) killed that theory. I never did figure out the theme, but was able to solve the whole puzzle anyway.
Beautiful white snow on the hilltops here.
Hi Everyone:
Late to the dance and still thawing out from my trip to the grocery store. I don't know what the temp is but the wind is ferocious. Brrrr!
I started the puzzle last night but just finished it and couldn't understand why I wasn't getting my TA-DA. I had Prado instead of Prada, so it was a FIW. I sort of got the theme but needed Marti's expert analysis to complete the picture.
Thanks, Ian and Jeff, for a solid Thursday offering and thanks, Marti, for making everything so crystal clear.
Thanks, also, to the California Coven ladies for filling me in on your proximity to each other. It's so nice that you are able to get together in person.
I saw Flight yesterday with Denzel Washington and decided A) I may never get on a plane again and B) I
may never have another drink again! If DW wasn't up against Daniel Day Lewis, I think his performance would definitely win him the Oscar.
Have a great Thursday.
DNF for me. Gave up on PETE....HER.
Lasso, Calm, etc. WEES
This mushroom walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Get outta her. We don't serve mushrooms."
Mushroom says, "Why not???
I'm a fun guy"
Bill G from quiz last night.
I think I get it now, but what's the formula if you have 130 students?
Hi! Checking in before I try puzzle today to ask 2 unrelated questions: Has anyone seen "Amour"? Has anyone read "Cutting For Stone"? Someone (was it you, TTP?)recommended CFS ab. 6 weeks ago. I got it fr. the library, but was reading other books. Now I'm finally into it. The 1st page, the 1st paragraph, got me! I think it's going to be a good one. Thanks to whoever recommended it!
Ah, I see DH has started today's puzzle - must do my share!
I was getting ahead of myself yesterday thinking it was Thursday. Sorry about that. So Happy Thursday, Everyone.
Missed the intricacies of the theme, but finished nonetheless. Loved the misdirection of PE TEACHER.
Jazz: enjoyed the introduction to WG Still's music. Listened to the symphony and then went on iTunes to find more. Where will you be performing "Afro-American"?
JD and Garlic Gal: thanks for the tip on Frantoio Grove olive oil. Always looking to try the good stuff. Stonehouse is our olive oil of choice for high quality that is pretty affordable for everyday use. $18 for 750 ml. They also sell Murray River salt, which is an indispensable finishing salt in my kitchen. The Internet is also indispensable for ordering specialty foods now that I am full time in the Dezzert.
[atonexp]
I never seem to get the theme until it's all done. And then, not always--as with today's very clever example. I didn't notice the "shaving" until I read about it here.
I started timing myself today. I think I';m getting faster, but can't be sure until I actually measure the time. Today's puzzle took 20 minutes from start (ink to paper) to finish. A few of the longer ones fell into place quickly, so that made the whole feel fast. But I'll make some comparisons over the next few days and see if there's much change as they feel more difficult.
Irish Miss @ 1:11 PM: Ooooh! I want to see Flight! Thanks for reminding me. Is it out on DVD yet?
Luckily I only have to fly about once a year, so I should be OK.
I love Jeff Chen puzzles, and it's nice to see him stop by and visit us.
Awol: I love your Siamese avatar. Is you kitty a loud mouth? When I was a child we had Siamese cats and I remember them being singers.
Dudley, did your blaster have "blankets" made from old tires to place over the blast site to keep the rubble from flying? I saw that on This Old House this past weekend. They needed to blast "ledge" at their current site in Essex...CT, MA, RI (one of those NE states). Down here near the Gulf there is no ledge, so blasting is unheard of. So are cellars for that matter.
Mari, when I got my first cat the lady said she was a Chocolate Point. I replied that I apparently was mistaken, because I thought the cat was Siamese. The lady almost decided I wasn't qualified to own a cat. She turned out to be a great cat, but she just couldn't stand it when I was talking on the phone. She'd stay real close and yowl, as only a Siamese can. The people on the other end of the line thought I was strangling a baby.
Mari @ 1:45 - Yes, Flight is on DVD. I saw it via my Time Warner On Demand Channel.
DO @ 1:56 - my stomach hurts from laughing at your last sentence!
Bizzy BIZIN is a Tonkinese, not a Siamese.
They are not as chatty (fortunately).
Chatty cats yell when you are on the phone because they think you are talking to THEM. As you know, cats are quintessential egotists.
Am thinking to name my next cat Nimrod. Good hunter AND a dolt to boot.
[reputiyt]
Greetings from winter wonderland! About six inches of very wet snow since 4 a.m. Was dry all day yesterday despite the TV weather maps showing precip hanging over us. We need moisture.
Great Puzzle, Ian & Jeff! Great expo, Marty!
I couldn't figure out the theme tho I kept looking at the LOS dwindling. At 3 a.m. my mind is not RAZOR sharp. Was thinking probably tennis court, so FIFTH was last to fill. Finally had to resort to red-letter troll for the first "F" then I got the whole section.
I'd been watching the LA LAKERS win earlier so...
I've had more experience with Mari's kind of northern sheets so FLOE took awhile. Just read about some ice fishermen who had to be rescued from an runaway ice FLOE, which was not fast to the shore but was melting fast. This was on the lake near my hometown. A goose hunter (with whom I did a lot of hunting stories, a master NIMROD) saw them & got a boat out to them in time.
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Ian and Jeff, for a very good puzzle. Thank you, Marti, for the swell review.
Got the RAZOR and CLOSE SHAVE. Got all the other theme answers, but did not relate them to the theme. I should have studied harder.
Liked FIFTH for 1A. Very clever.
Never heard of an OLLIE. Watched the link. No thanks. That's probably why I still have all my teeth.
Did not know ORZO or ZINE. Must be a Thursday. I wagged the Z and it worked.
NOOSE was good.
FLOES was clever for 3D, Northern Sheets.
PE TEACHER took me a while. Then, I stood up and saw the light from way above.
Saw the movie "Flight" several weeks ago.. Outstanding. On a personal note, my brother-in-law instructed Denzel on cockpit techniques for that movie. Even got his name in the credits.
Supposed to snow here tomorrow. See you then.
Abejo
(ttigned)
WEES about 34D. When I read PETE ACHE, I thought we were going DF, what with all the whistle blowing about PE shower activities lately.
Silly me, I thought ORZO was a drink so put "ziti".
Got LOAN and stared at that awhile before DBEHOLD showed up. Thought it was a financial answer.
A/V first read as A/C which wasn't cool.
Nurse: first thought was feeding a baby.
Desperato: chuckled about your Biblical dress. Reminded me of my well-endowed best friend's strapless prom formal gown. The boys went around saying it was "like an Atom Bomb--60% fallout". It was intended for a much "smaller" girl and worried me all evening because I thought "they'd" escape. Those were the days of lots of layers of ruffled net & full skirts which were torture to wear.
Good afternoon Marti, C.C. and all,
Another fun romp, although I did a fair amount of wagging to get thru.
Speaking of dolts, I immediately got razor because of close shave, but still do not see what was shaved off in any of the theme answers.They look fine to me ??! Also took awhile to see why sip = nurse.a-ha! Energetic= gogo?? I do know that gogo dancers are energetic.
Loved fifth
PE Teacher was a gimme..as you know, elem teachers do it all.
The ancient history taught in 6th grade is not tested until 8th gr. They are expected to remember Alexander the Great and all of his accomplishments.I'm sure they remember his horse, Bucephalus, the Gorgian Knot legend, and how he died at 32, plus they were pretty amazed at all of the land he conquered... a super hero kind of guy.
too much..this is because I am still without a voice with an am/pm cough.
Still dont get theme. Wedge threw me off by putting lime in spanish ,lima, since its a cuban (spanish) drink. Pretty easy for a thurs though. Even if i thought theme succcced.
Lucina: From yesterday, I was not sure of the Down answers LOMAM and DOLDI, that I had. But, yes, I agree, I always check both ways. Sometimes I do not know either way, for sure.
Tinbeni: Thank you, NHL. I was thinking of Roller Derby. I could have looked it up. Thanks again.
Abejo
(ccingov)
Abejo: What does "abejo" mean?
I keep thinking it's Spanish, but only found "abeja" meaning bee.
I enjoyed the puzzle and hearing from Jeff. Ditto for having trouble parsing PETEACHER though I did figure it out before coming here.
Hey, the Lakers beat the Celtics last night! Will they make the playoffs? Iffy.
I just saw a woman on TV pronounce 'supposedly' as 'supposably.' You would think in her 30 years or so somebody would have corrected her. There was a science teacher at my school who always said 'laxadaisical.' And there's 'real-a-tor.' And then there was George Bush and 'nuke-u-lar.
How do you pronounce 'fifth'? When I'm talking fast and carelessly, I'm sure sometimes I say it as 'fith.'
Pas, I still can't find your e-mail address so here's the complete answer to the "Meanest Math Teacher" seating puzzle. Do you know the powers of two? 2^3 means two to the third power or 2x2x2 = 8. 2^4 = 2x2x2x2 = 16, etc. So the powers of two are 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256... I fiddled around with this puzzle trying lots of scenarios and finally stumbled upon this rule. Suppose there are 21 kids. Find the largest power of two smaller than that number (16). How much bigger is the number of kids than that power of two? 21 - 16 = 5. Multiply that by two for your answer. 2 x 5 = 10 so sit in seat number 10. So for 130 kids, 130 - 128 = 2. 2x2 = 4 so sit in seat number four. For 75 kids, 75 - 64 = 11. 11 x 2 = 22, so sit in seat 22. (I hope that all makes sense.)
I don't know exactly when this rule works. I just figured it out by recognizing a pattern after lots of trys.
Thanks Bill G!
I'm sure I'm not the only one who wanted to know the answer.
I'm just curious as to WHY the powers of 2 help solve the puzzle, other than he just bonks every OTHER kid on the head.
Mathematical minds are to be appreciated. Got as far as Algebra 2 and just kept saying, "but WHY??"
Guess that's what I get for copying alto, tenor and trumpet parts in math class...
but I DID learn to transpose quickly for the horns! LOL
D-Otto 1:50 -
Yes, Ed the Enthusiastic Blaster had two mats made in the way you mentioned: old tires, cut into straight strips and stitched together with heavy cable. Each mat weighed more than a ton. I could not lift one with a backhoe, so we had to use an excavator to position them over each zone.
The blasts lifted the mats maybe 3-4 feet. Had there been none of the 8" of frost, the loft would have been greater.
willow@1:25
Amour, the movie
I saw it and the acting is superb but given the topic, it is ultimately, sad.
Thanks for info about Flight. I'll add it to my Netflix queue. Recently I purchased a ROKU and that enables streaming on the TV. I love it!
dureybra (Hey! I don't know that brand.)
Willow: I think several of us have read Cutting for Stone. In addition to being avid crossword puzzlers, we are also a group of avid readers. I loved the book and learned a lot about Ethiopia.
I just finished my stint (stretch?) on jury duty. Two long days of reading. In my jurisdiction, movies are shown to the potential jurors to while away the time. I opted out of that alternative, however.
[alsoisw]
Bill G. @3:02
How do you pronounce 'fifth'? ... PINCH
(Though I prefer the 1.75 liter bottles).
Cheers !
Willow hi. No, not me.
Mari, you got the 'ese' part right on Awol's cat. That's more than I would have. I know black, black and white, orange, white, striped, barn, tom, long haired... Of course I've heard tabby, siamese, persian and feral and coon, which is that big big cat folks here have talked about. Other than that, I need strong clues or maybe a wiki link :). We had cats when I was a child, and I only knew the names of the two indoor cats. My sister named them all. Perturbed her when I said, "that orange cat caught another mouse" or "that gray striped cat had another litter." I would have guessed Siamese as well.
But now I am going to look up Tonkinese and Chocolate Point and others. So much to learn :)
Bil G. "I just saw a woman on TV pronounce 'supposedly' as 'supposably.' You would think in her 30 years or so somebody would have corrected her. " It does make one wonder. People pobly didn't want to offend.
Avg Joe, How is John Deere holding up against the onslaught ?
Abejo, I think they are still calling for 3 to 5 inches. Be abejo, laukia daug sunkumų. We'll see.
pelable
TTP said "I think they are still calling for 3 to 5 inches." Uhhh..I won't touch that line! Maybe Lois can step in here?
Hahtoolah @3:19 ~ Thanks for the link on while away / wile away. I've used the phrase, but now I'm not sure which spelling I would have considered. Interesting!
TTP and Abejo:
Ooh, Ooh!!!
tai Lietuvos?
Dudley, Ah! Now it makes sense. For some reason I was thinking you were having blasting done beneath your current house....and could think of several hundred ways that could end badly. As for the current structure, often times the old saying "They don't build em like they used to." is a good thing.
TTP, so far the JD is resting in the shed. We've only had around 3-4" and I'm not sure we'll get a lot more. But I still feel a lot more at ease having gotten it running after several months of problems since we have about 1,700' of lane.
BillG, we have a local news anchor that always says "impordant". Drives me crazy! Prolly cuz I'm such a stickler for electrocution :-)
pas de chat, ne. Just taking a shot that Abejo does.
Marti, I know. That was left wide open, wasn't it ? In reading some of the old blogs, Lois was always so quick...
Hmmm, both Dennis and Lois have been conspicuously absent as of late...
Prolly coincidence.
Hola Everyone, At first glance, I wasn't sure I would get very much of this puzzle at all. But bit by bit it all came together. I must have been on Livengood and Chen's wavelength today, because once I changed Oaths to Fifth for 1A and LOL to HEE, things began to fall into place.
I thought the theme to be very clever and I actually discovered it today--which isn't always the case. I didn't know Ollie, but the perps took care of that and I had misspelled Orzo which didn't give me Zine. So technically I had a DNF today. BUT I learned some new things along the way.
I immediately put in PE Teacher. Somehow the only person who ever blew a whistle when I was in school was our PE Teacher. She blew hers a lot!!
Thanks for the great writeup, Marti.
I enjoyed reading all of McCourt's books. Angela's Ashes was a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. Very dark, though, I must say.
Misty, Le Mis will be well worth your time. Have a great time.
Dudley, that reminds me of the story I heard about my father blasting a doorway into the cellar of our house. Mother went out shopping, and left him in charge of my oldest sister. When she came back, she saw shredded tires all over the lawn. I can't begin to tell you how my father explained that one! (He did have the foresight to move Ellie out of harm's way, but had to explain why she was in her carriage out in the field...)
JD, I'm sorry we caused you to lose your voice. Also, well said, Jill. We did have a good time, didn't we?
I also mentioned our lunch at a board meeting last night and I think one of our members knows Garlic Gal. 'Tis a small world.
Chickie, I agree with you totally about "Angela's Ashes." Very dark, but totally absorbing. As was "'Tis." But, he never wrote anything outstanding after those, I think.
pas de chat:
Abejo (pronounced Ab-e-Jo, with an accent on the Jo) means lierally, Water of Barley. The language is Farsi (Persian/Iranian). Water of Barley in our lingo means beer. Ab means Water and Jo is the word for Barley. In Iran, most liquids that you drink start with Ab and then finish with the fruit that comprises the drink. For example, Abegojefarengi meand tomato juice. Abenarengi means orange juice. Abanar means Pomegranate juice. Hope that helps. By the way, I enjoy a glass of beer now and then. Good beer, not garbage beer.
Abejo
(eedbyyz)
pas de chat said...
Abejo: What does "abejo" mean?
I keep thinking it's Spanish, but only found "abeja" meaning bee.
February 21, 2013 at 2:56 PM
My Hotmail was down between 3 and 7. It is back now but all my mail for that time period is missing.
Anybody else have Hotmail and this problem?
pas de chat:
Ooh, Ooh!!!
tai Lietuvos?
I have no idea what that means. What language is it? Not that that would help me.
Abejo
(rlvduti)
TTP:
Be abejo, laukia daug sunkumų. We'll see.
OK. What does that mean? You guys are taxing my brain. Which is not hard to do.
Abejo
(ebmdeta)
(ngtrima)
Abejo @ 6:15, Lithuanian?
Now my missing emails are trickling in. Very strange.
Abejo, yes, Marti is correct. My neighbor is of Lithuanian descent.
His dad spoke it. I said, "We are supposed to get 3 to 5 inches. Of course (be abejo), the devil is in the details. We'll see."
I think we are practically neighbors. I'm off 59 south of your town. When the weather gets better, we should get together and have a beer. We can call it the Illinois Coven. Well, we can come up with something...
TTP, why not "The Illinois Central?"
Just for clarification, Frank Mc Court wrote three memoirs:
Angela's Ashes which covered his childhood in Ireland.
Tis which coverered his young adult years and his emigration to America.
Teacher Man which covered his adult life and his teaching career.
Angela's Ashes was bleak and sad because it was a true portrait of the extreme poverty and horrible living conditions he endured. It was a difficult story to read but, for him, I believe, an important one to be told.
This took me a very long time, but was very satisfying when I got it.
Pas, I agree with you. Because every other kid is skipped, somehow that relates to powers of two. I think the reason I eventually figured out an answer is because of dogged determination and a better-than-average ability to recognize patterns.
I have been watching Letterman and Leno from time to time. I noticed something interesting. People don't so much laugh at their jokes as applaud. Back in the old days, I used to laugh at guys like Milton Berle so hard, my eyes would tear up. I guess Letterman, Leno and their ilk really aren't comedians in the old sense of the word.
Very informative day on the Blog, Thank you all! I had a tough time with the puzzle completing only about 90% without ever getting the theme. Maybe i should give up the ink & try this "tada" everyone keeps talking about...
I did have a couple of Q's, 69A A/V = audio gave me pause because i thought the clue meant the answer would be an abbreviation. 3D northern sheets = floes, i feel this is a very biased clue, maybe because i am from down under...
Ollie was a learning experience! I would love to try it. Just yesterday i pulled out my old skateboard i have had in the basement for the past 40 years. It came in handy moving my daughters old bedroom furniture from the garage to the end of the driveway for the good will truck!
Finally, maybe i did not get the theme because i have had a beard for so long. Now if you had put it in aeronautical terms...
The Illinois Central might work...
The IC is the rail line from Chicago to New Orleans Link text Arlo sang about it in "The City Of New Orleans". It's now owned by Canadian National Railroad.
I believe it's also the short name for the Metra Electric commuter line that serves the south suburbs and over to Gary. I think it may be the only electrified train line still running in Chicago. (Not counting the ELs. Had to delete and repost before the arrows started !)
I wonder how CC's Crossword Corner Chicago Contingent would sound ? "The CCCCCC group got together for..." Ah, maybe not.
Mari, are you in ? JJM ? Who else ?
TTP & Abejo, call it Six C's. That has a nice ring! Sort of like sexies, but not.
Good grief. Next thing you know Gary and I will have to found the Cornhusker Clatch :-)
Thanks to Abejo for the great explanation. Don't we learn something EVERY day here? AT least if I'm every stranded in the Persian desert I can say "Ab!, Ab!"
TTP wrote that phrase to you, so I googled it and saw it was Lithuanian.
So I googled "Is it Lithuanian?"
Bill G: would you hire a lawyer who wants you to call:
One eight hunnerd 000-0000?
Forgot to thank Marti for her great write-up and quick wit today.
This is 5, so I hope I didn't forget anything.
Are there any Idol fans here? Without the need for a spoiler alert, last night watching the women, I thought they were all so good that eliminating 5 was nearly impossible. Tonight, the men are mostly so mediocre that its more a matter of who's worthy of staying.
Working today so I am late to post. Like LaLa Linda, my newspaper did not have a * before 61A - O HOLY NIGHT either and this meant I didn't get the entire theme.
Wanted COLD for cause of a sniff
and was also initially confused by PET Eacher. Hand up for SHOOS flies!
Elmer @12:36
LOL
Let's clatch Joe! I can bring some of Joann's great dip! Or we could fly to a warm weather area and clatch them too!
Hmm, I googled "close shave," but it brought up some very strange things...
#1
#2
#3
#4
Oh, & 51D, western loop. I must have spent a 1/2 hour trying to remember the name of that Texas Tie, but in the end, Bolo did not fit.
Did you know that the 1st energy efficient bulb was created in Texas, but it didn't catch on.
Today's puzzle took a bit longer than the usual Thursday. I wanted shoos before SHAGS for 7D. Like others lasso before NOOSE was also favored first for 51D.
TTP, I roared at the link for spoof for downton. Thanks so much!
Learning moment today was OLLIE.
Everyone have a good evening.
Argyle,
I have a live mail address which is related to hotmail. I didn't have any new mail during that period of time or notice any missing mail. That is quite odd. They must have had to retrieve some server data and restore.
They want to do away with Hotmail.
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