17A. See 60-Across : MALE CAT OR TURKEY. "Tom"
26A. See 60-Across : SLANG FOR A SLEUTH. "Dick"
46A. See 60-Across : BOTHER ENDLESSLY. "Harry"
60A. Trio suggested by the answers to 17-, 26- and 46-Across : TOM, DICK AND HARRY.
Other than the cross-referential clues, this puzzle seemed like a Monday level to me. Four grid spanners make a nice theme-rich puzzle, with a low three-letter count. For those counting "cheater squares," see the square before 35-Across, and at the end of 43-Across.
Marti here, to see what else is on our plate today.
Across:
1. Theme : MOTIF. I am most familiar with "MOTIF Number 1," which is located in Rockport, MA and is the most commonly painted scene in the country. It was destroyed in the Blizzard of '78, but subsequently rebuilt.
6. Woody's "Annie Hall" role : ALVY. I finally forced myself to watch "Annie Hall" just last week, so this was a gimme.
10. Slash mark? : SCAR. Ouch!
14. NBC's "Weekend Today" co-anchor Hill : ERICA. Pretty lady.
15. Some parasites : LICE. Anyone have a nit to pick about that?
16. Marching band instrument : TUBA.
20. "Viva el matador!" : OLE.
21. Has the stage : IS ON.
22. Winter airs : NOELS. Not bleak, nippy or polar. The kind of "airs" you sing.
23. Plastic ___ Band : ONO. Oh no...not her again.
24. Summoning gesture : BECK. Yes, it's a real word. For any nose scrunchers out there, think of being at someone's "beck and call."
34. Big name in banking : CITI.
35. Nick-named actor : NOLTE. Cute clue for Nick Nolte.
36. Miss Piggy, to Miss Piggy : MOI. "Who...MOI??"
37. Neglects to mention : OMITS.
39. Communication no one hears: Abbr. : ASL. American Sign Language.
40. Cabbage salads : SLAWS. I just tried a new recipe with savoy cabbage and a dressing made with peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, vegetable oil, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Yummm!
42. At an angle: Abbr. : OBL.ique.
43. Leg bone : TIBIA. "...the tibia's connected to the patella" just doesn't have the same ring, does it?
45. Applications : USES.
50. "...to market, to buy ___ pig..." : A FAT.
"To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, dancing a jig.
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again, jiggety jog."
- Mother Goose
52. Snowman's accessory : SCARF.
55. Hearing subject : SUIT.
57. Summer shade : TAN.
64. Sword with a guarded tip : EPEE. I just learned that the reason an EPEE has a groove is to "drain away the blood." (Blood, did you say blood???)
66. Shah's fate : EXILE.
67. "Buddenbrooks" novelist : MANN. Thomas MANN won a Nobel Prize in literature for the book.
68. Wild about : IN TO.
69. Provide room for growth, perhaps : REPOT. Thanks for the reminder - it's getting to be that time of year!
Down:
1. Jogging instrument? : MEMO. Not an i-pod worn while jogging, but a means to "jog" your memory! (Memo to self: REPOT plants.)
2. Unwritten test : ORAL.
3. Roofer's purchase : TILE.
4. Hard water? : ICE. I can attest that ice is very hard water, especially when you land on your keister on it! Then we have 47-Down. Become pitiless : HARDEN.
5. Going up against : FACING.
6. Part for a singer : ALTO.
7. Oz visitor : LION.
8. TiVo ancester : VCR. Boy, do I feel ancient!
9. So far : YET.
10. It precedes "Substituted Ball" in the Definitions section of the "Rules of Golf": STROKE. STR comes before SUB alphabetically. HG, do you carry a set of the rules in your golf bag?
11. Pickled veggie : CUKE. Hands up for "okra?"
12. First family member : ABEL. Because Barack, Michelle, Malia or Sasha wouldn't fit...
13. Tropicana Field team : RAYS. The Tampa Bay Rays, originally called the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, of MLB.
18. Date-setting phrase : AS OF.
19. Rich relatives? : UNCLES.
23. "Count ___!" : ON IT.
24. Story-telling song : BALLAD.
25. Handyman's approx. : EST.imate. I wonder what the estimate was for Splynter's church ramp?
26. Shaggy's pal, to Shaggy : SCOOB.y-Doo
27. Unsettled state : LIMBO.
28. Not straight up : ATILT. Hands up for those who wanted "on ice"? (Put your hand down, Tin. I know you'd never even think of "on ice"!!)
29. With money at stake : ON A BET.
30. Violinists supply : ROSIN.
31. Member of the Five College Consortium, familiarly : U-MASS. The other five are Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith College.
32. Swimmer's need : TOWEL. Water would be nice, too...
33. Temper tantrum : HISSY.
38. World No. 1 tennis player between Martina and Monica : STEFFI. Navratilova, Seles and Graf.
41. Abundant, plantwise : LUSH.
44. Tax shelter letters : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.
48. Ascribed, as blame : LAID.
49. Old Testament queen : ESTHER. Queen of Persia.
52. Mushroom piece : STEM.
53. Club where "music and passion were always the fashion," in song : COPA. I'll let someone else link the ear worm...
54. "Right on!" : AMEN.
55. Fries seasoning : SALT.
56. Menu choice after an "oops" : UNDO. Cute clue.
57. Dancing blunder : TRIP. Oops!
58. Folksy Guthrie : ARLO.
59. Rostov rejection : NYET. Here's a beautiful image of ROSTOV, located about 175 km NE of Moscow.
61. Sox, in line scores : CHI.cago. (I wanted "BOS.")
62. Boy toy? : KEN. LOL!!
63. Send packing : AXE. OK, OK, I'm out of here. No need to get out the axe!
'Til next week!
Hugs,
Marti
Marti will be competing at the ACPT this weekend. Let's wish her good luck! Say Hello to Marti and her husband Allen if you're there too.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteShort on time today. Mostly fun puzzle, but two minor nits (about which I could be completely wrong):
* The LION was a resident of OZ, not a "visitor".
* Nobody marches with a TUBA -- they carry a Sousaphone instead (which, granted, is the marching form of a TUBA, but still...)
Good luck, Marti!
[ncteam]
Good Morning, Marti and friends. I don't generally like cross-reference theme, but by the time I reached the bottom portion of the puzzle, I was able to fill in TOM, DICK and HARRY, which helped with the other theme clues/answers.
ReplyDeleteOkra briefly crossed my mind for the pickled veggie, but I was pretty sure that SCAR was correct, so knew the answer had to start with a "C".
Hard Water = ICE was my favorite clue.
ERICA Hill was briefly on the CBS Early Show. There seems to be a revolving door for anchors on the news shows.
Your recipe for the SLAW sounds good, Marti.
Queen ESTHER is celebrated during the Jewish holiday of Purim, which this year was just a couple of weeks ago.
QOD: Never slap a man who chews tobacco. Willard Scott (Mar. 7, 1934)
[eredauf]
Good morning all ! Thank you Joe Lafargue and thank you Marti.
ReplyDeleteFirst theme fill was the reveal, and filled that from right to left.
Having "Communication no one hears:Abbr." as TTY hosed me up until I reread the clue. Also read "First family name" instead of member on first pass of 12D, but that made no diff.
Stared at intersection of "Winter airs" and "Pickled veggie" for the longest time. Couldn't get squalls and beet out of my mind. What is a CUKE ? Cucumber ? I think I would personally prefer pickled beets over pickled cucumber.
Drives me nutso that I either forget to look for a MOTIF, and when I do remember, can't come up with one. This one should have been so easy. Tom Dick and Harry might have been Anyone, Everyone, Commonplace or something along those lines.
Marti, it probably seemed like a Monday for you because you have been practicing for the tourney. You're "represent'n" the home team. Do us proud. Best wishes. We're pulling for you !
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThis one timed out just right for a Thursday. Barry, Dorothy and her companions went to the Emerald City to plea to the Great and Wonderful OZ. In that sense, at least, they'd be visitors to Oz.
TTP, those things in the supermarket labeled "pickles" (dill, bread'n'butter,etc.) started life as cucumbers (CUKEs).
I wonder if Marti was on Joel's wavelength when she compared ATILT (not straight up) to ON ICE. Give 'em hell this weekend, Marti.
Desper-otto, Thanks !
ReplyDeleteDoh ! I should have had coffee first. Didn't think of pickles as pickled cucumbers. Have never been a big fan of pickles. I can make do with or without them. I do like them in tartar sauce. And DW puts them in her rouladen. Neither of us have ever heard of cucumbers referred to as cukes. I just looked it up and apparently the usage of cukes has been around since the early 1900s.
I'm relatively new to crosswords and have been "playing against the clock", but have no idea what "good" times are. You all seem like pros to me, so what are generally reasonable times for solving a Monday puzzle or a Friday puzzle. It seems to me they get a bit harder every day of the week.
ReplyDeleteTalking of pickles reminds me of my ute. Patti Page had a hit song, Cross Over The Bridge. I'd never heard of a "fickle past", so I was pretty sure she said, "Leave your pickle packs behind you, and true romance will find you..." There's an often mis-heard line in John Denver's Annie's Song, "You fill out my census..." (fill up my senses). There's a word for that, but I can't remember what it is. Mondegreen, maybe?
ReplyDeleteAnon@7:54 -- There is no hard and fast rule for good vs bad solving times. It's a personal thing. For me, early week puzzles often are solved just as fast as I can write. Friday's can take 20-25 minutes. On the weekend I "allow" myself 30 minutes each, because Saturday is harder and Sunday is bigger. Other folks like to take their time solving, savoring the misdirection or the elegant grid design. My way isn't right, and their way isn't wrong. To each his own...
ReplyDeleteMarti, I, too, found this to be a Monday type, easy puzzle. I worked from the bottom up and had the theme early, which helped. My only totally unknown was ALVY, all perps. For some of the others, a perp or two reminded me.
ReplyDeleteI was on the original first family bandwagon from the start, but had Adam before ABEL.
We call cucumbers CUKEs. First I thought beet, but quickly found -UKE.
I actually wrote "on ice" for 28D and pictured Tinman shuddering.
I did two thirds of this on a print out and misplaced it, but I quickly recalled the same answers to fill in the newspaper grid.
Good morning everyone,
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle, but no walk in the park either. Typical of the week so far, it was a grind that took some luck to be successful.
Until 60A was revealed, I had no idea what the earlier theme clues would reveal. BOTHER ENDLESSLY opened my eyes.
Without NOLTE being solid, 30D likely would have filled in Resin instead of ROSIN.
Favorite was 1D Jogging instrument/MEMO. ASL one of those abbreviations never remembered.
Always had a Rule Book in my golf bag. Can't ever recall actually using it.
Have a fun time this weekend Marti. The corner will be well represented.
Good Morning Everybody,
ReplyDeleteThis was a tough one for me. Where I got ERICA, ESTHER, STEFFI, KEN and CUKE, I messed up in a lot of other places.
I wanted OAK for TAN, NOD for ASL, and WAVE for BECK. I never knew songs were sometimes called AIRS.
What a mess! I'd go back to bed if I weren't already at work.
Have a great day, all!
Marti: Nice write-up & links. Good luck this weekend at the ACPT.
ReplyDeleteI circle the "clue #" of answers I need all the perps to get.
Today there were 12 clue #'s circled. Definetely NOT a Monday solve.
Hmmm, LAID not the definition I ascribed to that word. Just sayin'.
Anon @7:54 I've been solving for a long time. NEVER "against the clock".
In pen, on newsprint, while watching CNBC or ESPN or the News.
My "reasonable time" is probably "about a half-hour" or more, later in the week.
I'm a Crossword Sloth.
RAYS was a gimmie.
ICE is my crossword nemesis.
Not straight up, an abhorrence.
Avatar must be enjoyed NEAT.
And if I have enough Avatar (like THAT is possible) I could become A-TILT.
It's Five O'clock Somewhere ... Soooo, Cheers!!!
Morning All - I almost finished, Had OAK (as in tree shade) for 57A so southeast had some holes. Then read Marti's excellent expo and found I had a few wrong fill-ins. Started out 1A with TOPICS and could not get away from it even though 1D, 3D, and 5D were obviously not right. Then my first theme answer was NAMEDFORTURKEY so most of my NW was wrong.
ReplyDeleteOh well, live and learn. BTW - In the pic of Motif #1, what is hanging on the back? Are those birdhouses. Beautiful picture.
Hands up for BOS before CHI.
Had STRIKE/STROKE and NIELS/NOELS. I figured the I was wrong, but never visualized an O there. My Duh of the day. :(
I make bread and butter pickles in the fall. My kids love them. You have to get the pickling cukes which are smaller than regular salad cukes.
Cute clue for Nick NOLTE.
Favorite clues were Menu choice.... and Boy toy?
NOELS, SCARF, ASH - some winter/Christmas clues???
So I had a few wrong fill-ins today, but still a fun puzzle. Thanks Joel. I always feel good about the ones I DO get right, especially when I remember standard clues/fill-ins. (i.e. CITI today)
Thanks Marti for you excellent write-up.
A great Thursday to all.
soapast
From last night: Thanks Bill G. and Argyle for the translation. Bill - JD at 8:30pm yesterday answered your question about the Ken Follet book. His books are always pretty involved, but good reads.
ReplyDeleteMOTIF always brings to my mind Prokoiev's children's symphony, "Peter and the Wolf." Each character, including the animals, has a MOTIF played by a different instrument. Whenever that character appears in the story you hear his MOTIF.The symphony has a charming story. It is a good teaching tool for helping children recognize the sounds of the instruments and for promoting listening to and enjoying orchestral music.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't dredge up the title or the composer of the symphony although I know them well. It took some creative Googling followed by a slap of the V-8 can.
Link MOTIF
A good workout today--I kept looking for names; Harry Belafonti etc. so that threw me off for a while. Liked "jogging instrument" and "rich relatives"
ReplyDeleteI just finished Fall of Giants and really enjoyed it. I read on a Kindle so size doesn't matter :) but am waiting to start the next in the series. I like to mix up genres.
Due to many unknowns I thought at first this would be a DNF. But thanks to getting a start with MANN in the SW and several lucky WAGS, I eventually got it all unassisted.
ReplyDeleteI also thought of trees before TAN, RESIN/ROSIN (what is the difference?), also TOPIC/MOTIF, ACTS/IS ON.
Speaking of Arlo and cukes, how many of you know Arlo Guthrie's Pickle Song?
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Marti, in the upcoming ACPT.
Moderately challenging but fun puzzle, today. Had to skip past the long acrosses but TOM DICK AND HARRY came easily. Then had to suss out the relationship to the above. BOTHER ENDLESSLY came next and set the cadence for the other two. Nicely done. Thought some clues were quite clever; especially those for MEMO and UNCLES. Liked seeing CUKES and SLAWS.
There's also a Rostov-on-Don near the Sea of Azov. But they say NYET too.
Overall, I agree with Marti; a little on the easy side, but well clued.
Off to play some bridge.
AnnieB8491, those are not bird houses hanging on MOTIF #1. They are lobster buoys. Lobstering is an integral part of the lives of many people in that area.
ReplyDeleteKazie, never heard that song by Arlo Guthrie - thanks for linking!
Thank you Marti for a very clear explanation of the puzzle. I got about 60% but then hit the quagmire. Good luck at ACPT - I would have thought you would have been a constructor rather than a competitor.
ReplyDeleteIRA is not a tax shelter, its a retirement plan. You don't shelter any taxes in an IRA, you merely defer them. Real tax shelters are insidious, to say the least.
I had 'Dill' for pickled veggie - a herb is also a veggie, especially when used in large quantities.
G'day all.
Enjoyed the puzzle. Was interested in learning at Diary of a Crossword Fiend that this theme was done before in a Tuesday NYTimes puzzle. The reviewer noted "As a budding constructor, I find the hardest part is to come up with a new theme." I agree with that assessment and also his comment that "To be fair, the fill is improved in today’s version."
ReplyDeleteGood morning, folks. Thank you, Joel D. Lafargue, for a swell puzzle, as it turned out. I was skeptical at first. Thank you, Marti, for the excellent review.
ReplyDeleteBarry: My tuba, circa 1925, has rings for a harness or straps, should I care to march with it. It weighs about 25 pounds. Before John Philip Sousa developed the sousaphone, people marched with tubas. Also, euphoniums are tubas and are much smaller.
Anonymous 7:54: This morning it took me almost two hours to finish this puzzle. Mixed with drinking tea and watching the birds and squirrels on the deck. I do not do them very fast, except Monday and Tuesday.
To the puzzle. I confidently wrote bin TOPIC for 1A. Cross-checked and got ORAL and ICE easily, so TOPIC seemed logical. I thought I was on a roll. After a long time and figuring that TILE had to be the word for 3D, I wrote in MOTIF. Only inkblot today.
After seeing the theme MOTIF, I headed South and worked up. Got TOM, DICK, AND HARRY after wanting to write in Larry, Moe, and Curly. TURKEY came first and then I was home free. My last was BOTHER ENDLESSLY. But, I got it.
CUKE was easy. I love pickles and I grow cucumbers each year in my garden.
Wanted WATER for 32D, but held off for a crossword or two. After SLAWS I wrote in TOWEL.
Just had CITI the other day.
Hahtoolah: Enjoyed your QOD. Made me laugh out loud.
Marti: Best of luck in the tournament.
The sun is shining. I expect some snow will melt today.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(tailiays)
Yellowrocks, thank you for that link. I shall save that for the little ones.
ReplyDeleteKazie, I had not heard that pickle song before. Look at all of those long haired hippie types just sitting on the ground. :>)
My last link did not work. The puzzle NYT puzzle with this theme was from 9/9/2008:
ReplyDeletehttp://crosswordfiend.blogspot.ca/2008/09/tuesday-99.html
What a great Thursday offering. The long fills and themes were grid spanners and oh so clever! Of course Marti’s write-up was fun too but this idiot didn’t see this as a Monday level (even with an “a” first syllable word) but I’d some of that dressing! I’m calling Vegas today to get the grocery money bet on you for the competition you’ll be FACING this weekend!
ReplyDeleteMusings
-I watched Annie Hall two nights ago and so annoying ALVY was my purchase access (use it or lose it!)
-Could Paul have played the Beatle’s bass lines on a TUBA?
-With bull fighting going out of fashion, this is the new use of OLE as a cheer
-Nick NOLTE’s checkered career started in Omaha where he got kicked off the Benson High School football team for drinking beer during practice. An Omen?
-Shin splints along her TIBIA can stop Joann cold on the treadmill
-Now here are some Unusual Snowmen
-MEMO to self – keep studying sites we’ll see in our Tennessee, Carolina, Georgia tour next week.
-Our MEMOS are electronic
-Those VCR’s are barely visible in the rear view mirrors. I gotta get these VHS tapes digitized. Any ideas?
-As a matter of fact, Marti, I do carry the rule book. A playing partner gave it to me and although I have not looked at it I carry it to show him I still have it. I do take rule quizzes on line. Man, are those hard!
-Our bush style, as opposed to vine style, CUKES vined all over the place last year (very common word here)
-Saccharine BALLADS like this were a steady top 40 fare in the 60’s
-Piece ‘o cake trivia for our little enclave – What 1989 movie featured a character named Terrence MANN?
Calvin and Hobbes had the most unusual snow"men". Link
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 9:06, it happens all the time - whether intentionally or not. If you read the write up on Doug Peterson's Cross Synergy/Washington Post puzzle, you might be interested to know that it copies a theme I did last year.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of MOTIF No. 1.
ReplyDeleteHad to Google for ALVY and RAYS.
RAYS is not a gimmee for no sportsters.
Kept going back and forth with TUBA and oboe. My son marched with a clarinet, albeit a bass clarinet.
I once had a nonagenarian landlord who made his own pickles. P U!
I found a 40-yr-old and an 80-yr-old crossword puzzle recently, and I had to do them. The 80 had no author, nor any fill-in-the-blanks.
(The author of the 40 was Hebert Ettenson.) Many of the words were the same as now, with the words we see only there, such as RANI, OGEE, OSIER, etc. The only dated clue was, "Heroine of Ben Bolt." Unfortunately I knew that. But it's all fun.
One more thing – a friend sent me this picture (no peeking at the caption) yesterday and it floored me when I read who she was. She and her nephew are frequent visitors here in Crosswordville and I thought you would enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteTTP,
ReplyDeleteYes, and the same gray haired boomers go to his concerts today, only with their walking sticks and spouses.
Marti,
I forgot to wish you luck this weekend! All the best!
Hello, All! Great blogging, Marti and good luck to you this weekend. Go, Marti!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joel Lafargue, for the entertaining puzzle, parts of which were Monday level but overall a bit challenging.
Hand up for TOPIC before MOTIF and did not know ERICA or ALVY but perps assisted. I agree that LION, Scarecrow, Tinman, Toto and Dorothy were all visitors to the Emerald city.
Nick-named actor, NOLTE was clever!
I didn't realize that one cell was still blank so had to rely on Marti for SCAR/RAYS as well as STROKE as I had STRIKE. Ugh!
Otherwise it was a good sashay and did not leave me in LIMBO.
Kazie:
Per Wikipedia, ROSIN is the solid form of resin. I wondered about the difference, too.
Have a happy thursday, everyone!
fun puzzle, excellent write up! Perfect Thursday!
ReplyDeleteCross over the bridge, cross over the bridge
Leave your fickle past behind you
And true romance will find you
Brother, cross over the bridge!
That song and "How Much is That Doggie in the Window" sung by Patti Page - were two of my very favorites growing up! We used to go out for dinner in a place where a man played a little organ during dinner time and he always played one or the other when I came into the restaurant. Small town, big fish!
Happy Thursday to all.
Good morning:
ReplyDeleteI found this to be a typical Thursday offering with just enough bite. Cute theme and some clever cluing. Had BOS before CHI and okra before cuke.
Thanks, Joel, for your efforts and thanks, Marti, for your fine expo. Best of luck, Marti, at the ACPT.
Bill G from last night: Monday Mornings is a medical drama about the meetings that doctors have each week to discuss procedures that went awry or were questionable in some way. (I believe such meetings were referred to as Mortality and Morbidity.) Most of the hour dwells on the patient/doctor/procedure/problem and the rest deals with the " Monday Morning" meeting. As I noted, it is a little over the top, but the cast and writing are top-notch, especially Alfred Molina.
As far as Golden Boy goes, I have mixed feelings. Chi McBride is very good in the part of a long- suffering, veteran cop who is partnered with a brash, young rookie, i.e., Golden Boy. The story line is told in flash-backs from the GB's mentoring by Chi to his rise 7 years later to Police Commissioner. IMO, he is too young and too " pretty" to be believable as PC. Tom Selleck he ain't! In all fairness, this week's episode was better than the first, so I guess I'll give it another look.
The most true-to-life show about cops is Southland on TNT, Wednesday's at 10:00. It's about South LA and is as raw and gritty as you would expect. Regina King plays a homicide detective who is also a struggling single mom. The language and innuendo can get rough and there are so many "bleeps" that you miss some of the dialogue. But, it is probably the most honest representation of what cops face every day, and, to its credit, doesn't try to hide the fact that there are bad cops as well as good ones.
Okay, I truly hate cross-reffing themes, especially if they're also grid-spanners. But like some of you, once I got TOM DICK AND HARRY the other theme answers fell into place and I had to admit it was fun, after all. So thanks, Joel.
ReplyDeleteKept wanting to put BO for First family member (probably SCOOB put dogs in my brain). But at least I know my Miss Piggy.
Only screw up: RESIN instead of ROSIN (isn't it really called 'resin'?) and so kept wondering who the dickens NELTE was.
Marti, two fabulous photos--Rostov and the beautiful Motif barn. Also glad to finally see a pic of an epee with explanation. We'll be rooting for you at the tournament. You guys will be one of the best looking couples there!
Have a great Thursday, everybody!
Thanks for all the support for this weekend - I just hope I don't embarrass myself by coming in dead last!
ReplyDeleteHG, it was interesting to see what you jot down on your Stickies! But, when you go to the store, the stickies are back at home on your computer. If you have a smart phone, you should try Evernote. Anything you put in it is always synchronized with any other device (laptop, phone, ipdad etc.) that you choose to include.
You can jot notes, copy web pages, scan pdf files, even photos, and organize them into separate notebooks. I have notebooks for recipes, grocery lists, to-dos, etc.
http://evernote.com
Most useful program ever!
Anon @7:54: I too am relatively new at this and I haven't even tried to time myself yet. I can generally solve Monday and Tuesday puzzles without help. Some Wednesdays are better than others. This one was hard for me. I don't even both with Saturdays! I hope you will visit here often, because you'll learn a TON from these folks!
ReplyDeletekazie - enjoyed your Arlo link.
ReplyDeleteMarti - good luck this weekend at the tournament and thanks for the info on MOTIF #1.
Husker Gary - Saw that pic on FB the other day - I couldn't believe it was her.
I'm up to 4.9 miles, with a couple walks in the middle. I have until next Saturday to get up to a complete 8K run. I think I can, I think I can....
Dog Mama Said,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this days' theme. I envy all of you who are able to finish in such speedy time,but even when I find the puzzle very easy it takes me at least 20 minutes. On Saturdays all bets are off as to time.
I wish you the very best of luck Marti, as I'm sure you will do well.
To the poster who referred to Parade's End, Thankyou so much. It had not been promoted, and it would have escaped me had it not been for you. It was such a typically perfect Brittish production, so layered and bitter sweet. It truly captured the historic change in the the Brittish Empire and the rest of the western world. Truly a gem.
marti, fun, fun fun. I am so excited and nervous about the ACPT, take many pics.
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle was interesting, I was just trying to explain that phase to a Serbian girl...
I rather be good then lucky , so I won't wish you good luck Marti , because you are that good.!
ReplyDeleteI confidently put in Richard at the end of Slang For ___ and just screwed that section up for awhile ,
I then tried Famous at 19D.
Slash mark didn't need a ? mark IMHO
Fore!
A fitting tribute to Tom, Dick, & Harry, never to be crossword fodder again... (just kidding! I enjoyed the cross referenced theme because it was one I could "get.")
ReplyDeleteDid you know that Miss Piggy has her own perfume line? Who, Moi?
Oh My Gosh! Aunt Bee was hot! Thanks HG!
-Marti, those notes were off the web ad and not on my machine. I am fascinated by evernote and am going to go there this afternoon and see what’s up. We use the iMac sticky notes and keep them on the desktop constantly to keep subbing and grandparenting stints straight.
ReplyDelete-I am still betting on you and laying the points.
-Darlene, thanks for sending the VHS Digital link!
-When I saw Joel Lafargue this morning as the constructor, I immediately thought of this great W.C. Fields scene (:46). No offense, Joel!
-Tomayto/tomahto – Personally, I like the cross reference “puzzle in a puzzle” device but what do I know ;-)?
-Aunt Bee’s picture – “If you knew Frances like I knew Frances, Oh, oh, oh what a girl!” (w/apologies to Eddie Cantor)
-Fabulous link to the theme, Dave. Understated British humor is so great! I mostly remember Rowland for sight gags like Benny Hill.
-We are getting ready to go the Y. Joann likes going now instead of late afternoon because, you guessed it, "I don't like to go when every Tom, Dick and Harry are up there!"
Trivia question ala HuskerGary.
ReplyDeleteWhat great movie had "Tom, Dick and Harry" referring to some things other than people?
Answer @ 1:00
Howdy gang! I'm a lurker here, but love the comradery and info. When you "call out" a cheater square, what do you mean? Why is it considered a cheat, etc? Thanks - GOOD LUCK AT THE TOURNAMENT!
ReplyDeleteFound this Plastic Ono Band video on you tube. Who is "that other guy" playing guitar? ;}
ReplyDeleteP.S. Be sure to click on "show more" under the video I just linked and read the description. Interesting story.
ReplyDeleteAnnieB:
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your run!
Argyle:
LOL at the snowmen which are so typically Calvin and Hobbes humor.
I just had a lovely email from an expert fencing coach, who explained all I needed to know about the EPEE. He said,
ReplyDeleteA quick note re: epee. The modern epee is actually a flat blade *folded* into a v-shaped cross section, whose angle varies between 100 and about 110 degrees. This shape provides strength and resilience against flexing.
Re the whole "blood drain" thing, flat bladed swords used for combat often have a concave section along their length called a "fuller," which does provide for the same durability, as well as lightness.
But for a killing weapon, the fuller's job is less to let blood out--a time-consuming process at best, in the heat of battle--and more about letting air in. This allows the sword to be withdrawn from the unfortunate much more easily after a stabbing wound (as opposed to slashing).
The whole "letting the blood out" thing is a pretty popular misapprehension--but generally those who fought with swords were all about "doing unto others--then leave, fast," rather than "stab and drain," on a chaotic battlefield.
Just thought you'd appreciate the distinction (and clearly I had a couple minutes to spare)
Amye @ 12:08, I prefer to think of them as "helper" squares, rather than "cheater squares." They are any black square that you could remove from a puzzle, without changing the word count. Typically, they are used for the purpose of getting better "fill," or non-thematic answers, in the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI loved the picture of Frances beore she was Aunt Bee.
ReplyDeleteThe info on th epee was interesting. Thanks for a great blog, Marti.I wish you all the best in the contest. I know you will do well.
Anonymous 11:30--I'm not sure if I'm the "Parade's End" poster you refer to, but I'm certainly a fellow fan of the HBO series. Since our DVD always cuts us off a few minutes before the end of programs, I wanted to check what happened between Christopher and Valentine at the end of the novel. My goodness, is that a convoluted 600 page novel! I am so thankful that they got Tom Stoppard to produce this elegant and trim TV adaptation!
ReplyDeleteI love all those photos of Frances, aka, Aunt Bee. Was she a model in her youth?
ReplyDeleteHi Y'all, great puzzle and witty expo!
ReplyDeleteI blow up the puzzles as big as I can since I've been doing them on line. I find I get the answers more quickly since I can see them better. Duh! What you call a revelation!
I'd like to have a dollar for every jar of CUKES I pickled during my farmwife gardener period. I'd have enough to buy pickles for the rest of my life at the rate I don't eat them now. They were so good, though!
Isn't it ironic that Frances would be more famous as middle-aged overweight Aunt Bee than the young sexy vamp? Maybe there's hope yet for us who've lost our waistlines. Don't really expect a "flab is fabulous" movement though.
Small town bands who can't afford sousaphones still march with tubas.
Thanks Joel and Marti. (Good luck Marti!) When I did the puzzle, my only nit was what Barry said, tubas aren't played in marching bands because sousaphones are easier to carry. I also enjoyed the "Hard water" clue.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of slaw, the chain El Pollo Loco has got surprising good slaw.
Gary, that would be "Field of Dreams."
Here's another little puzzle for today. No math involved.
Three light bulbs:
There are three light switches (A, B and C) at the bottom of a flight of stairs controlling three light bulbs (1, 2 and 3) at the top of the stairs, around the corner, out of view of the switches. If you start at the bottom of the stairs at the switches, how do you determine which switch operates which light bulb by making only one trip up the stairs?
Well, I certainly fared better today.
ReplyDeleteTook forever to get MALE CAT or....
Got the theme right away, but struggled with SLANG FOR.
I remember working at the Princess Hotel in Bermuda in the orchestra.
We did a local production of Kiss Me Kate. Fun.
Here's the fabulous Ann miller from the movie.
Tom Dick or Harry
I have a feeling I know the answer.
ReplyDeletePinto:
ReplyDeleteC'mon... way too easy!!
Answer: Slowhand
All I had to do was hear the guitar, and I knew immediately. There's only a handful of guitar players in the entire world that you can say that about.
ReplyDeleteBTW, RIP Alvin Lee
This was much harder than usual. I didn't get any theme answers.
ReplyDeleteFavorites: My 43a-TIBIA has the lower portion of my knee replacement, which has almost entirely eliminated my yesterday's 40a-LIMP. I'm thankful that I live in a time when replacements are possible.
Thank you for the good wishes on my anniversary yesterday. We went to a small Italian restaurant for a wonderful meal. Wednesdays are 1/2 price wine nights, so we got a bottle. The bottle was kept in a cooler on ICE.
Thanks to Joel for the workout. Thanks to Marti for explaining what I didn't know.
Good luck, Marti.
Pat
Hi All ~~
ReplyDeleteA fun and fairly quick puzzle today. I really enjoyed your write-up, Marti. Just wanted to stop in to wish you the best in the ACPT. I hope you have a great experience ~ I know you'll shine!
Failure!
ReplyDeleteN/W corner killed me. Had TOPIC, that gave me 2D and 4D, wanted MEMO for 1D, tried to adjust, MOTIF never arose.
Had to search Shaggy, thought it was a cartoon dog, Scooby-Do was, um, after my time.
Best of luck, Marti! Get a good nights sleep!
Hola Everyone, Whew, I finished, but not without looking up (Erica) Hill, and Scoob. Neither brought any kind of jog to my memory!
ReplyDeleteI started out rough with Topic instead of Motif for the very first word. Oral and Ice fit both words, so I was loath to give up Topic until nothing else would go with it.
I had the unifier before any of the other theme answers were complete, so going back and using turkey and sleuth (already in) for clues, I finally finished up. I thought this was a rather hard puzzle. Others thought it was easy. So goes the crossword world.
Good luck this weekend, Marti!
Hatoolah, loved the QOD today! I had a good laugh out loud over that.
Have a great rest of the day everyone.
(Possible spoiler) Light switch puzzle hint: These are incandescent bulbs and get warm when turned on. (Hey, I get warm when turned on also...)
ReplyDeleteRain is supposed to be on the way. I hope so.
My Thursday walking group was locked out of our trail today as a young man was found stabbed to death in the rather remote area of the park. So sad to hear that this kind of crime has occurred, much less so close to home. We heard helicopters for a long time yesterday and wondered what had happened to bring out the police for such a long time.
ReplyDeleteA nearby police force lost two officers in an ambush last week and they had the memorial service for them today at our HP Pavillion (Shark Tank). Crime seems to be on the rise-at least is seems that way to us right now.
Bill G - That is a cute picfure of Jordan.
ReplyDeleteFor those interested, the third episode of Golden Boy is on tomorrow night at 9:00; I guess this will be its regular time slot, that is, if more episodes are in the works. I haven't heard any professional reviews yet. Oddly enough, it precedes Blue Bloods which also features the Police Commissioner of New York City.
Bill G. - Thanks for the 2nd hint. Turn 1st switch on for 1 min. Then turn off and turn 2nd switch on and leave on. Go upstairs to bulbs. Warm bulb = 1st switch. lighted bulb = 2nd switch. Cold unlighted bulb = 3rd switch. Voilà.
ReplyDeleteEvening all, What most said about being easy for a Thursday. Once I got Tom, Dick and Harry the rest fell quickly. Marti, Good luck this weekend! Just catching up on some past posts.
ReplyDeleteBill, Funny you should mention St. Paul's School. I've been driving by it this week. I did some sub-contract work there years ago and both my daughters were friends and team mates of local children who attended there. Too rich for my blood though. They had a device there that prevented cell phone usage
on campus. Bad for the students but not so much for us. Gave us an excuse to go out and grab a slice, a beer and make that important "Phone Call"
Dave, re: yest. I was wondering how long it would take you to link that.
Give me a minute :)
Hello all!
ReplyDeleteTough one for me. Lost patience. DNF. Working like mad on taxes.
Marti! Knock 'em dead!
Did nor particularly like first episode of Golden Boy. On the other hand, The Americans has me waiting with baited breath for next episode. Read that it has been renewed past 8 episodes!
Cheers!
Spitz, Voilà indeed!
ReplyDeleteDo you know there're a couple of comets passing by this year? The less impressive of the two will be visible low in the west after sunset for the next week or so. The brighter one may be spectacular in November. Here's an article about them. COMETS
Good luck this weekend, Marti, but most importantly, have FUN!
ReplyDeleteAwww, Spitzboov @ 8:14, you took the words right out of my mouth, LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteSo, tomorrow I am off to Brooklyn and my fate...thanks for all the good wishes today, and I hope I don't let everyone down! But no matter how I fare, I know I will have fun meeting all the like-minded cruciverbalists at the ACPT! (And I can't wait to give big HUGS to Rich Norris...photos to follow, for sure!)
Bill G - You just made me REALLY hungry. The first place I go to when I return to So Cal is El Pollo Loco, the second place is Rubios. Haven't been back for over three years, so you brought on some major cravings. Might have to squeeze that into next trip.
ReplyDeleteCute puzzle, definitely not a speed run for me.
Good luck at the tournament Marti!
OK, Dave. To avoid a mob scene here I won't link what i found. Instead
ReplyDeleteDog practicing karate
And HEH HEH
And The End
GOOD LUCK MARTI!!!! Have fun!
ReplyDeleteBillG:
ReplyDeleteJordan gets cuter by the minute!
Good Ones Manac!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the LOL!
Lucina, thanks. When he was younger, he would never smile for a photo. Then he go to a stage where he would smile but it looked forced. Now he gotten the knack of smiling more naturally. Now if I can keep him off sugar when he comes over, things are much better. The only serious complaint lately is that he is almost addicted to playing games on an iPhone. Even though his mother puts a limit on it, it's hard to get his good-natured attention in competition with that damned phone.
ReplyDeleteManac, funny links! Thanks.
Hello, everyone!
ReplyDeleteOf course, WEES.
HG, I had never seen Aunt Bea in her youth. When I was younger I always wondered how people could look so different when older. Now we are there and look nothing like our wedding picture.
We both knew the fill was BALLADS, but had a major brain clog and couldn't get it to come to the surface.
All the TOM,DICK, AND HARRY links made my puzzling experience more enjoyable.
I subscribed to Netflix and listed "Downton Abby", series one, as my first DVD to come in the mail. Now I'll know what you are all talking about...
Have a great time Marti this weekend! Let us in on all the fun when you come back!
Bill:
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean about the Iphone. My three year old granddaughter loves that, too. She watches programs and cartoons. I don't think she's in the game playing stage yet.
I'm out. Good night, everyone.
Hey everyone,
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great blog today Marti and good luck. I am with Tinbeni and Abejo. I do the crossword while enjoying my morning. Rushing through it would take the fun away. Good luck AnnieB on your run quest. I worked the puzzle south to north. Not my usual plan but some puzzles require it. Was held up for a while on 21A. I had acts instead of ISON. For 23D I had mein before ONIT. For some crazy reason I wrote in STEFFI's last name too. I am off now to do the NYT puzzle which is in the Thursday "barnacle" as desper-otto likes to say.
Blue Iris:
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear you will get to watch the series. I rented year one from Redbox. Even though I had previously seen the episodes it was fun to watch them again. You will have to let me know what you think.