Theme: Acme - A synonym for acme, (high point), starts off each theme entry.
17A. Prime hours for television broadcasters : PEAK VIEWING TIME
23A. Down in the dumps : CRESTFALLEN
37A. "Greetings, Paddy!" : "TOP O' THE MORNIN'!"
53A. Moonshine, or a soda named for it : MOUNTAIN DEW
61A. Conduct observed during international negotiations : SUMMIT DIPLOMACY
Argyle here and, shore and begorrah!, a roundabout way to get an Irish greeting in! Took a couple of spanners but the job was done.
Across:
1. Zion National Park's state : UTAH
5. "Liquid diet" drinkers : SOTs. Nobody we know. ;~)
9. Low-prestige position : McJOB
14. Actress Rogers : MIMI. And competitive poker player; I did not know that.
15. Front of the boat : PROW
16. River in Lyons : SAÔNE. Oh, great, another river to remember.
20. Snorkeling spot : REEF
21. Quaint "before" : ERE
22. Scissors sound : SNIP
27. Scrape together, with "out" : EKE
28. Googler's success : HIT
29. Skinny Olive : OYL. But was she EVOO?
30. Transferred, as property : DEEDED
32. Small amount : IOTA
34. GM navigation system : ONSTAR. (OnStar)
42. List of corrections : ERRATA
43. Created, as a web : SPUN
45. Jim of "Liar, Liar" : CARREY. Canadian,; I did not know that.
48. Dreamer's acronym : REM. (rapid eye movement)
51. Dedicated lines? : ODE
52. Conquistador's treasure : ORO. (gold)
57. Connecting point : NODE
59. Game with Skip and Reverse cards : UNO. Fun for all ages.
60. Show one's pearly whites : GRIN
66. Delta rival, as it used to be called : USAIR
67. Southernmost Great Lake : ERIE
68. Top draft status : ONE A
69. Debussy's "slow" : LENTE. (French notation)
70. Studio payment : RENT
71. More-caloric egg part : YOLK. I did know that.
Down:
1. "Steee-rike!" caller : UMP. The Houston Astros will host the Texas Rangers in the first game of the 2013 regular season on Sunday, March 31 at 8 p.m. EDT.
2. Accessory with a Windsor knot : TIE
3. Liqueur sometimes used in amandine sauce : AMARETTO. Start with a trout from a clear Irish stream. amandine sauce recipes.
4. Backpackers' outings : HIKES
5. All gussied up : SPIFFY
6. Forty-niner's pay dirt : ORE. The eighteen forty-niners, looking for gold, not the footballers looking for the end zone.
7. Beach bring-along : TOWEL
8. Marble cake pattern : SWIRL
9. Flavor-enhancing additive : MSG
10. Maine Coon and Manx : CATS
11. Signed up for : JOINED
12. Ready for recording : ON MIKE. (ready or not, in some cases.)
13. Alerted, in a way : BEEPED
18. Legislative turndown : VETO. The executive branch may turn down the legislative branch.
19. Must : NEED TO
23. Ill. metropolis : CHI. Anybody know where this is?
24. Laugh-a-minute type : RIOT
25. Wahine's greeting : "ALOHA"
26. In the vicinity : NEAR
31. Coastal divers : ERNS. Normally, they dive down to the water but not in it.
33. Mimic : APER. (nouns)
35. Hoops dangler : NET. (Basketball)
36. Shrewd : SMART
38. City near Provo : OREM
39. Beta-test : TRY OUT
40. Little music player : iPOD NANO
41. Not decent, so to speak : NUDE. but not indecent, either. Depends on the context.
44. Still in the package : NEW
45. Government official working overseas : CONSUL
46. Inspire, as curiosity : AROUSE
47. Former NBAer Dennis : RODMAN. Yes, he inspired curiosity.
49. Predatory hatchling : EAGLET
50. Surrealist Joan : MIRO. but more surreal than Rodman?
54. Less than : UNDER
55. Bête __ : NOIRE. Something or someone particularly detested and avoided.
56. "Star Trek" co-star of Shatner : NIMOY
58. Radiate : EMIT
62. Anger : IRE
63. Tailor's fastener : PIN
64. Toon collectible : CEL
65. Talk and talk : YAK
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
Here are two lovely pictures of Kazie & her husband Barry with their then 6-week old granddaughter Lea. Click here for more pictures.
Kazie said Lea is raised to be bilingual. So she and Barry are Grandma and Grandpa, and Lea's German grandparents are Oma and Opa.
 |
| Lea and Grandma Kazie |
 |
| Lea and Grandpa Barry |
Here is a picture of the wedding of Lea's mom & dad (Saxony, August 2008):
Left to right: Kazie' younger son, her husband Barry, the happy couple, her husband's brother and
sister, the sister's husband and Kazie.
92 comments:
Hello Puzzlers -
Argyle's right, now we have another European river to try and remember. Great. :-)
Smooth sailing overall, a good Tuesday level, I figure.
Mari from yesterday - somebody else was wondering, as I was, how you pronounce your name.
Bill G from yesterday - the Nola clip brought back memories! My dad played that piece from time to time when I was a tyke, but at that time I didn't know the title or the history of the piece.
Cheers All!
Morning, all!
Not much to say this morning. SUMMIT DIPLOMACY was new to me, as was SAONE. Everything else was smooth sailing.
[agensaf]
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. I loved this Tuesday speed-run. TOP O' The MORNIN' reminded me that the St. Patrick's Day parade, which ends just around the corner from my house, is this Saturday.
I liked seeing both ORO and ORE in the same puzzle.
MIMI Rogers was also the first wife of Tom Cruise.
Funny comment, Argyle, about Olive OYE's morals!
Several of our Blog friends are from CHI-town.
Dennis RODMAN has made the news with his recent visit to North Korea.
Beautiful photos of your beautiful granddaughter, Kazie.
QOD: Offer them what they secretly want and they of course immediately become panic-stricken. ~ Jack Kerouac (Mar. 12, 1922 ~ Oct. 21, 1969)
[goorot]
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Bruce and Gail, for a swell puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the swell review.
Puzzle was really easy today, but it is Tuesday.
Pretty much just worked my way down, North to South. Did not know MIRO at 50D. Perps.
Yes, I know where CHI is.
Lake ERIE again. Yahoo! Someone said yesterday they were sick of it.
Theme appeared after I finished. Had all the phrases already. Good job to the constructors.
Planting my seeds today to start seedlings indoors. Should have started a week or so ago. Looking for a better garden than last year. Last year it was hot and dry.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(srysese)
Welcome back Argyle. How was your mini vacation ? Were you playing hooky ? I noticed you weren't teaching yesterday, but saw you later on the playground. And then you return, and the subject you first speak of is getting high ?
Thank you Bruce and Gail. Another very quick solve for me. Alas, another fail. No TA DA. I thought it must be in the Northeast with SAONE, but everything fit there. Turned on red letter instructor. SOTS was SOTt and SWIRL was tWIRL. I think that was a typo or a communication error between my brain and my fingers. My other error was the intersecting e in CARREY and OREM. Probably because I know someone with the last name ORAM, and Harry Caray is with an A. That, and oh yea, because I'm such a dummkopf ! DOH !
Astros hosting the Rangers. Now both AL teams. Future RN clue edit; 2013 reallignment team.
Why does Dennis Rodman remind me of those old PSA commercials ? "... this is your brain on drugs."
Kazie, sehr schone und sehr hubsch ! Although I must say you look much more comfortable holding your dear Lea than your mann. He looks happy but tentative, as if he is concerned that she is about to hurl on him. Just kidding. He looks perfectly at ease as well. Congratulations.
Posted this too late last night for anyone to read. Wifey took our sick cat to the vet yesterday. Maybe its not as bad as I thought. We are going to try to give him some liquid meds. Just gave him his first dose last night. If you havent seen THIS , you have never given a cat meds!!
And, he seems better today.
And, I have a large scratch across my chest.
Puzzle was easier today than yesterday.
Good morning everyone,
Welcome back Argyle. Kazie, wonderful pictures.
Today was a pretty easy solve until I reached the SW corner where I hit a wall. When I finally remembered Dennis RODMAN, I had the needed foothold and finished it up.
29A Skinny Olive/OYL was my favorite. I always liked the Popeye cartoons and his memorable battles with Bluto defending Olive's honor.
I agree with Argyle, NUDE is not always indecent.
SUMMIT DIPLOMACY is a previously unheard expression.
I don't do diets of any kind, so it's nice to know I'm not a SOT!
Good Morning Everybody,
Nice easy puzzle today. I had PAN AM for US AIR and had to PERP SAONE, but otherwise went well.
Hand up for having had a McJob. My friend was a McDonalds manager, so I went and worked with her one summer. We had a lot of fun.
Dudley: My name is prounounced like "Mary", but I've been called everything from Marri, Marie, Maria, etc. I'll answer to just about anything.
Hahtoolah: I did not know that Tom Cruise was married to Mimi Rogers. What is he up to now - three divorces?
Abjeo: What do you plant in your garden?
Kazie: Great photos. I really like the one of Lea in the bath. Very cute face.
Have a great day :)
Good morning!
Hahtoolah is right, this was a speed run. As usual, I never caught the theme. Didn't matter.
I had the initial "S" and immediately penned in SAONE. Don't ask me why. Among our passel of cats, we've got a Maine Coon and a rumpy Manx. The Manx's voice sounds like a mouse squeaking. The Maine Coon is a constant, very vocal complainer.
There's a piece of public art by Joan Miro in Houston. It's out front of the office tower where I once worked. It wasn't called the Chase Tower back then.
Mari, here's another request to know how you pronounce your name. My guess would be Mahr' ee.
Nice effort for a Tuesday. I had a little hiccup in the south west corner when I didn't trust "node" and thought summit didn't sound right. If I had stopped to figure out the unifier I would have been fine.
Our son is now living in Lyon--I had better brush up on my rivers as we are going to visit in May.
Mari, Marie or this(3:16) and if it is, I'm in BIG trouble.
Kazie, great photos of your cute granddaughter.
61rampy I'm glad your cat is getting better. You made my day with the give the cat a pill link. I roared and roared. So true.
This was a quick 1-2-3 solve. Saone was my first thought. I've seen Saone and Orem in many a puzzle. My key to the SW was SUMMIT suggested by the theme. I already had DIPLOMACY.
When I finished I went back over IPODNANO and confirmed all the perps. Still mystified, I wrote the letters horizontally. OH!! Yeah!! I gave my older son one of those for Christmas when they first came out.
OK, so I got it wrong. I thought it would be pronounced the way Van Morrison 2:23 says it.
Good Morning All - Thanks for a nice Tuesday puzzle Bruce and Gail. Thought it was going to be a good finish, but alas, 4 little empty squares in the NE. Finally got JOINED, but was stumped M_JOB AND S_ONE. Went thru the alphabet and couldn't figure it out. Googled Lyons River, but could NOT figure out the C. Of course now it's very evident - CATS/MCJOB. One of these mornings I'll get the whole thing.
A few unknowns - OREM, MIRO, CEL - but perps filled them in.
Got the theme after the first 2 clues. Clever constructing. Thanks for an informative review Argyle.
We enjoy watching the pelicans dive into the water for their fish. If there are 3 or 4 of them together, they do it in unison. Very cool to watch.
Beautiful baby Kazie - have fun spoiling her.
JD - RE: video at 8:50 p.m. Monday - Love that song and loved the video!
Rainy here today, off to Spring Hill to visit a friend.
Have a great day everyone!
Thank you C.C., for posting the pictures, and thanks for all the kind comments so far. She was starting to experiment with her facial expressions, so there are a few really odd looking photos too.
I had no real problems today --a few pauses but nothing major. SAONE was known to me, but I'm never sure if Lyons, once center of the silk industry in France, is on it or the Rhône. Argyle's map makes it look as if it's where they meet.
I just changed my profile pic to show Lea with her parents.
Thank you Bruce and Gail for a relatively easy puzzle. I really enjoyed it. Thank you Argyle for your sagacious comments. Really enjoyed them too. It took me a little time to get 'McJob', but 'Saone' and 'OnMike' took me quite some time. For some time I kept thinking it was 'Saoke' and OKMike' !
'61Rampy', your link about giving the cat the pill, was absolutely hilarious. I really learned something. My 3 feral cats don't need a vet - at least that's what I hope. They're probably immune to everyone and everything under the sun. One of them was hiccuping, a week ago - but she/he's still there - so far, so good. On the other hand, I never get to touch them, so I think I'm missing out on something.
Abejo, good luck with your garden. It got me thinking - a dear friend gave me some packets of seeds, mixed Habanero peppers, exotic cucumbers, some very rare squashes and melons. I didn't have the heart to tell him, I don't, and never have had, a vegetable garden. It is probably too late to start one on my lawn, and in my life. I wonder if I could just rent a garden, (and a gardener - ) ? I would pay generously - just to see the fruits of some else's labor and efforts. Or maybe I could just toss the seeds randomly in our flower beds and give my wife apoplexy.
Good day, all.
Hi All ~~
Thanks Bruce and Gail for a very quick but enjoyable puzzle today. I picked up on the theme after PEAK... and CREST... No problems or slow-downs until the very last square, where I had 'Yap' until YOLK changed it to YAK.
Thanks, Argyle, for an informative, colorful, write-up. RODMAN and Joan MIRO's art share matching colors.
~ As others have said, SAONE was a new one - hope to remember it.
~ I didn't pick up on the reason for LENTE and not 'Lento,' until Argyle pointed it out.
~ I knew that Abejo would be happy to see ERIE return. :-)
~ 61Rampy ~ I'm so happy to hear that your kitty's condition can be treated. One of my kitties is now on three medications- a new one, for hyperthyroidism, was added yesterday. I'm learning lots of little tricks to get her to take her various meds - let me know if I can be of help.
~ Mari - I never would have guessed "Mary" - good to know!
~ Kazie ~ What beautiful photos! Lea is gorgeous and you and your family look very happy.
Could someone, Argyle ?,
explain your comment about Olive Oyl.
- But was she EVOO ?
I just don't get it, and I know its definitely funny, but what does it mean ? Thanks.
Musings
-PEAK VIEWING TIME for this fabulous Nebraska event (1:39) is very near
-Six champions and six CRESTFALLEN losers played last Saturday in Lincoln’s State Tournament. Those winners got to cut down the NET. They use ladders now instead of getting on someone else’s shoulders.
-Some people with useless degrees are doing MCJOBS until they plot a new career path
-I was up the SEINE without a paddle at first
-ON STAR? I have a smart phone, thank you very much
-UNO is simply the Crazy Eight of my childhood with a few more bells and whistles
-A colleague never learned to tie a TIE and so I put in a double Windsor and then put it around his neck
-Most pols have forgotten they were ON MIKE and blurted out the truth eschewing DIPLOMACY
-RODMAN’s DIPLOMACY must have failed as the North Korean megalomaniac declared the Korean War still on after Dennis left Pyongyang. Seeing Rodman with someone who is creepier than he is can be very unsettling.
-A great M*A*S*H had a theme of how the DIPLOMATS had finally had success when they agreed to the heights of the flag poles and the size of the table while men were dying.
-For every game, you can bet the over/UNDER
-Our favorite SWIRL
-Kazie, what lovely pix and a beautiful little Lea. When I read she was being raised bilingual I thought it might be English and Aussie ;-). BTW, I am listening to the Beatle Channel on iTunes as I write this and this tune just came on!
Good morning everyone. Argyle, nice clip of the ERNS at Averøy. We travelled there on a ferry day trip from Trondheim in 1994. Port is Kristiansund. Beautiful town.
Easy one today. Fills just bloomed out from where ever I landed. Chuckled at Argyle's SAÔNE comment. Other frequent 'rivers' from SE France include Isère and Rhône. Saw a painting by MIRO once at the Albright Art Gallery in Buffalo. Very impressive. The tip of Pt. Pelee in western L. ERIE is the southernmost point in Canada; more southerly than the Cal-Oregon border. Isn't the appearance of ORO - ORE a clecho? Great puzzle, Bruce and Gail. Thanks.
Have a great day
Anony, EVOO is Extra Virgin Olive Oil (not OYL) and it’s an amusing matter of speculation whether she maintained any degree of virginity with Popeye and Bluto hot for her “bod”. Very funny Argyle! Anony, I am still working on why you knew it was funny but didn’t know what it meant ;-).
Good morning, group!
I liked this puzzle from Bruce and Gail. It was a very quick sashay with pauses only in the NE where I started with SEINE but finally saw the error, erased everything and got JOINED, CATS and MCJOB. Done! No ERRATA except the word itself.
I haven't time to read the comments as I'm off to another funeral. This time it's the husband and my sister's ex father-in-law. They were married 74 years. He was 96 and had alzheimer's.
Have a great day, everyone! I'll read you later.
Wonderful puzzle today! Two learning moments from Argyle's expo: LENTE being French and Jim Carrey being Canadian.
EVOO is Rachael Ray's mnemonic for Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I enjoy her recipes, and she is a hoot!
Lovely Lea pics, Kazie. I think it's so good for a child to be bilingual. Lucky duck to be living in Germany! I have some German genes, but only a few German words.
Husker,
They recorded German versions of several of their hits. But if you watch the close ups in your link it looks as if either they didn't know the words or were singing in English with the German dubbed in. They must have had to read a script for the recording. But they were very popular in Germany after their stay in Hamburg early on.
Anony Mouse,
I think it was just a question of purity of the olive oil. You might also do well to plant those seeds. Fresh home grown is so much tastier, and cheaper than store bought. And the squash and melons will grow themselves on your lawn if you sow the seeds near the edge of a flower bed and train the vines onto the grass. You'll have less to mow and more to eat!
I should have written, it's the husband who is my sister's exfather-in-law. He and his wife who died in January were married 74 years.
oh darn, by the time I had typed and retyped the stupid captcha, HG had answered the EVOO question, and included an interesting speculation. Ha!
Let's see, we did El Camino Del rey, & climbing the radio tower...
how about this one
Actually I have only seen the 1st 50 seconds, but that was enough for me. I have to rush out to the dentist to get an opinion of a possible missing filling. & to vote on spending $17 million dollars? For new school football fields...
Taking it to new heights!
Kazie - intelligent looking baby!
Never heard of the iPod nano, but now I know.
Easy.
ERIE, eerie, - eary? All the better to hear you with.
@AnonyMouse - Extra Virgin
I'll never forget when one of my inmate "students" was put in the "box" (special housing) when he wanted to watch Popeye and someone changed the channel - so he threw the TV across the room. That's love. Also, he had to pay for it.
Nice 12 min finish today with no red letter or Google help!! Did not know SAONE or MIRO but perps filled them in.
Liked cross of CONSUL and SUMMIT DIPLOMACY. Haven't heard SPIFFY and CRESTFALLEN used in conversation lately.
ERIE again!!!
More cats for all the cat lovers. Mine was just a "domestic shorthair" (former barn cat!) but a well-loved pet.
Jim Carrey actually went to high school in my old stomping grounds of Burlington.
There must be a bigger and better crossword coming for St Paddy's Day for the TOP O' THE MORNIN clue to have been used already.
61Rampy @7:50
Yes I found it was easier to give needles to my cat than to try to shove even a tiny pill down his throat! Link was hilarious.
Spitzboov @ 9:20 - spent a lovely vacation on Pelee Island and saw the monarch butterfly migration on Pt Pelee last fall. Outstanding!
Lovely pictures kazie. Granddaughters are wonderful.
Data for my hypothesis that recognition of the names in the paper (next to my Jumble puzzle) who are celebrating birthdays today is a function of your age:
Oldest March 12 birthdays - Edward Albee (85), Andrew Young (81), Barbara Feldon (80), Al Jareau (73), Liza Minnelli (67), Mitt Romney (66 same as me), James Taylor (65)
Youngest March 12 birthdays – Kendall Applegate (14), Tyler Patrick Jones (19), Jamie Alexander (29), Samm Levine (31), Holly Williams (32), Pete Doherty (34)
For your non-scientific amusement - A Pisces born on March 12 is symbolized by the Fish and has a creative, graceful personality and is advised to stay on top of their funds and stick to their budget today and to “Go with a suggestion” (next to the Sudoku) ;-)
I'm the official cat-pill-giver at our house. DW always fiddles around too long and the cat squirms away. I have a pretty successful grab-pry-stuff maneuver, and always administer a cat treat afterward.
Cute pictures, Kazie. DW always speaks German with her mother. I only know a few words of German -- most of them bad. Servus!
Good morning, everyone. What a great way to start a day--a puzzle by Gail & Bruce and expo from Argyle.
I absolutely could not get the NE corner for the longest time. I had MSG, CATS, EKE and DEEDED. Knew I didn't know the river, but the other clues weren't sinking in either. Finally got SNIP, then with __INED, I mentally went through alphabet and realized J should go in for JOINED. That was all it took. The rest perped in easily. So, a super easy puzzle Except for that corner. Just fine for a Tuesday.
Have a great day,
Montana
I forgot to comment on the lovely pictures of Kazie, family and grandaughter.
What a lovely group of people!
Montana
Husker Gary, Qli, Sfingi and Kazie, and all the others, thank you all for your response to EVOO. HG, I just knew it was meant to be funny, because that's what blog master/mistresses do. After all, the blog is meant not merely to educate but especially to amuse. When I look back at my education, long ago, I remember my great teachers, I may forget what rules and laws they emphasized, but I never forget their jokes Maybe that's what made them great, in my mind.
Ironically, I am a 'great' cook, do 95% of the cooking in my house, and am a definite foodie. But it is so specialized and ethnic that I don't (nned to - ) watch the food channels, or read the food blogs, and also don't eat out much, and consequently lose out so many things like common food acronyms. Only in America, one can lead ones life, so insulated from popular culture, without ever being Amish, a Hasid, or (even ) a Luddite.
I originally thought EVOO meant Evil, with a slur and play on words, like Oyl. I should have just Googled it.
Thank you Kazie, your grandchild is really beautiful, and so is your family. Much joy and happiness.
Any puzzle that starts off with our favorite vacation place--Zion National Park--has got to be fabulous! Many thanks, Bruce and Gail. Good to have you back, Argyle.
Couldn't imagine how I got RODMAN since I know nothing about sports. Oh yes, the Korea thing was on the news, of course.
Thanks for 'splaining EVOO, everybody. I use the stuff every night in cooking.
I knew the kitty clue would get all our cat lovers purring. I'm a cat person too, but after my first cat got hit by a car, my heart was broken, and I decided I could fence dogs and keep them safer. Have had mainly dachshunds for the last 35 years or so--the most feline of dogs.
As for kitty meds, I sympathize. I always ask for pills instead of liquid meds for our dogs, and embed them in a hunk of Brie. Voila! Gone in a second, and they never know they've just taken a pill.
Have a great Tuesday, everybody!
Good morning:
A very smooth Tuesday romp; thanks Bruce and Gail. Thanks, also, to Argyle for his usual spot-on review.
Wonderful family pictures, Kazie and Lea is adorable. Everyone looks so happy.
We have a gloomy and rainy March day: yuk!
Mari, I just read that there is going to be a third season of The Killing. Didn't mention a start-up date or a story line but after the way the other one ended, I am not sure about investing my time in it again.
Happy Tuesday.
Don't know if this is LENTE or not but here is an Astounding Music Box.
I forgot to mention: Great pictures of your family, Kazie.
Although my 5 grandkids are not bilingual (4th generation American), they all call me Opa. It has a nice wartm feeling to it.
Spitz,
Speaking of German, I learned a new word on this last trip: Nuck for pacifier. When I looked it up in my new dictionary it's not there, and the correct word given is Schnuller. But I just found it given as Nuckel in my old dictionary from college days. I wondered if you with your German family background might have met it before. In Oz they're called dummies, and when I was a baby, my aunt christened mine "bacteria Bill". I guess she didn't approve of it.
Comments placed at Ginger Roots:
Just a beautiful little girl!! Comgratulations!!!I'm a grandma myself!!Two girls!!!
Comments placed at Ginger Roots:
Grandbabies are so precious. I have nine. All grown and one great-grandson almost 3. Starting on my second go round and loving it.
Since NLER is often clued as 'Cardinal, for one'. And ALER can be 'Twin, for one'. Could a Friday clue for APER be 'Newsman, for one'? A Saturday clue could be 'Edward Kennedy circa 1945'.
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
A day off seems to agree with you, Argyle. (EVOO, indeed!) Dennis Rodman and Joan Miro’s painting look eerily similar – neat juxtaposition of the two!
I met Bruce Venzke last weekend, and he is just a delightful person. So I was happy to see one of his puzzles today – it is nice to be able to put a “face” to the puzzle. It was pretty much a speed run from top to bottom. (Maybe I should re-phrase that. Compared to Dan Feyer, I moved at a positively glacial pace. For me, it was a speed run.) But I didn’t catch onto the theme until I had every single one filled in. D’oh!
61Rampy @ 7:50, I am still howling with laughter at the cat pill description!
Kazie – great pictures! You must be bursting with pride at your new little granddaughter.
Happy Tuesday, everyone.
Nuk is a brand name of pacifier. It is possible that the brand name is somtimes used in the generic sense, in the same way as Kleenex and Band-Aid are.
Around here they are called binkies. That was originally a brand name, too, Binky.
In my day they were called pacifiers, but i never used them.
Link text
I wonder whether Nuk is onomatopoeic for the sound the baby makes as she sucks it.
Mari & Anony Mouse:
I start seeds indoors for tomatoes, green peppers, and egg plant.
For the entire garden, I eventually plant the above, plus peas, beans (pole and bush), lima beans, cucumbers (cukes for TTP), acorn squash, musk melons, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, zucchini squash, spinach, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, beets, carrots, celery, and sweet corn. Some of this will be in Pennsylvania, as well. I am also going to start and asparagus bed in PA.
Hope the weather is better this year.
To Kazie: Great photos.
And yes, I was glad to see ERIE again. All the chemicals I swam in as a kid did not affect me, affect me, affect me, affect me.
Abejo
(orkedral)
I am the primary cat-pill giver in my family. When she was so sick last summer, she didn't object when I gave her the pills. She has kidney issues, so must maintain her medication. Now that she is well, she has wished up and just knows when I am ready to give her the pill in the morning. She only looks like she is asleep. She still does not fight me, but she does try to hide.
Yellowrocks,
Thanks, I think that must be it. The word for to suck is nucken, so the brand name probably originated from that too.
Spitzboov @ 11:16
that music box link was amazing, I was 1/2 way thru before I realized it could not possibly be real! It made me search the internet for more, & I found it here!
(I am going to be busy all day listening & watching this stuff,,,Thanks!)
Addendum to "Acme."
I visited Yosemite many years ago, & my younger self wanted to hike Half Dome. But todays CW made me revisit that idea, & now I am glad we did not have time to do it!
I had no idea it was an 8 mile climb just to get to the ropes, & you have to turn around & go down the way you came!!!
We had only one cat but she also needed pills regularly but I don't remember why. We put them in a peice of cream cheese. Then our last dog had hypothyroid problems and needed a pill twice a day. one of our very clever grandduaghters who house sat for us put the pills on a Cheerio. Worked like a charm thereafter.
Kazie - I learned 'lutschen' for 'to suck' as in 'finger lutschen - finger sucking. I do not recall hearing a word for pacifier while growing up.
You can get NUK pacifiers .
I hope everyone is having a pleasant Tuesday. Thank you to Bruce, Gail and Argyle. I can see why SAONE will become the next big crossword river, what with an S, an N and three vowels. 23A reminded me of a Tom Swiftie I made up years ago. "Oops, I dropped my toothpaste" Tom said crestfallenly. ZION is a neat place for hiking and backpacking (which we didn't do). Otherwise, I like Bryce Canyon just as much.
Kazie, I great photos. Enjoy!
Spitz, Wow! What an impressive music box. I see CED also wondered if it was real or not. I'd love to see it programmed to simulate a well-known piece of classical guitar music.
Re. Dennis Rodman, what a jerk! As a diplomatic representative of the US, he is a good rebounder instead.
I have mentioned a couple of times how much I like Sofia Vergara. I also mentioned liking a young Shirley MacLaine. Now included in that attractive group is CBS news correspondent Lara Logan. Pretty, smart and with a great accent.
Spitz, I loved the music, but it was even more fascinating just to watch the thing. Like CED, I am going to be listening to various clips from the animusic site all afternoon! There is one of a Cathedral pipe organ, orchestra instruments and light show that is fantastic.
Bill G. The half dome trail is littered with people who are totally unprepared for the hike, and Bryce seems less hectic. Those hoodoos you linked in the pictures are incredible. I love Zion as well.
Hi Y'all, Wow, Bruce & Gail twice this week. How'd we get so lucky. My subconscious got the theme, sorta. But would have said it was "getting high".
Argyle, great expo! Loved the ERN video!
The only thing approaching SUMMIT DIPLOMACY with RODMAN would be his height. He may be a rebounder without the "re".
NUDE is cool, literally.
Spent a half day at ZION on a bus trip years ago. The lodge there was supposed to have prepared a meal for 40 of us and had instead fed another group. So we left hungry earlier than planned.
About the only way I could ever dose a cat was to lovingly swaddle it with a towel then grip its head with thumb and forefinger placed on either side in the hinge of the jaw and toss in the pill then release the jaw. They seem to swallow reflexively. Took two of us. Kid to hold. Me to toss. Never tried it alone.
Hatoolah !!! THANK you...........
for the new avatar! Colorful notes and treble clef. Yaay, no more snail.
I just looked up "hatoolah" and got nothing, until I thought, Yiddish word? Nope, I found it is a Hebrew word for female cat, is that right?
Anony Mouse @10:46
What kind of ethnic food?
Share a recipe with us, if you can...please?
Did OK with the puzzle today.
Kazie, beautiful baby!
Taking an atypical workday break.
Bill said, "I have mentioned a couple of times how much I like Sofia Vergara."
I'm interested in your definition of "a couple of times." And some. And many. Is there linear progression ? :~)
Yellowrocks, I remember my siblings calling them binkies with their children as well.
Abejo, no effect on your affect ? :~)
Marti, I decided to see how fast I could solve the Monday and Tuesday puzzles this week. I have found that I can not type as fast as I can get the answers. These old fingers just aren't as quick as they once were. I think I should get a copy of the "Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing." I could get near Dan's Saturday times on a easy Monday puzzle if I only had to blurt out the words. Even though the left hand is supposed to do do 56 % of the typing, I'm still right handed dominant on the keyboard. It's the one that has more arthritis due to a couple of broken fingers in my 'ute.'
Spitzboov, that was neat. Thanks for pointing out the other links. I will look at a few more after work.
TTP
Here is an online site that teaches you to type!!!
TYPE ONLINE
Dogs are relatively easy to give pills to. Cats? Not so much. Maybe you guys know about this already but perhaps not. There is an inexpensive little device called a "Piller" that makes giving a cat a pill by yourself easy and painless. It is a plastic gizmo about the size of a soda straw. The business end is rubber and flexible and will hold a pill. The other end is a plunger that pushes the pill out of the rubber grip. You put the pill into the rubber end, shove the tube into the cat's mouth far back past the tongue and into the top end of the cat's throat and push the plunger. The pill is pushed out and dislodged far enough back into the cat's mouth that he/she can't spit it out. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Hey, I just found a video. A piller in action.
TTP, you got me. A couple of times is, I'm sure, well more than two. I'm not obsessing about her, honest. However many times I've mentioned her is still fewer than she might deserve... Hmm, let's see... Who else in addition to Sofia, Shirley and Lara? How 'bout another Sophia? Sophia Loren.
pas de chat
Awesome!
I just finished exercise one
8 wpm accuracy 85%
woohoo! I just doubled my typing speed!
Pas de chat, thank you. I scored an astounding 8WPM with 83% accuracy on Lesson 1. It wasn't an earnest effort, and I typed the word SPACE every time I was supposed to press the space bar... DOH !
Bill, easy math quiz for you. If "Some" is 250% more than a "Couple", and "Few" is 60%" of "Some", and you mentioned Sofia Vergara at a rate the equals 40 for "Some", how many times did I find (in my quick google search) that you mentioned her ? :~) Bonus question. If "Couple" means 2, how many does 1 count as one of your mentions ?
PS, I never knew who she was until you mentioned her one time, so I googled her and watched an episode.
CED, I just "previewed" before posting, and you are doing far better than I !!!
Dave, I wonder how many educators on the blog cringe when they read what I've written ? In my 'ute' I questioned what all of those classes were good for. Now I wish I woulda pade atencion more... :~)
Spitz, Dave, I don't know whether to thank you or curse you -- I never knew about animusic and now I'm hooked. Just spent a good two hours on this overcast, drizzly day watching all the videos, especially the ones with drums. The layers of complexity just blew me away; even had to order the DVD.
TTP, Bill's mentioned Sofia Vergara before? Didn't realize that. Next you'll tell me he likes macchiatos...
Good afternoon all,
another fun and fairly easy Tuesday. Had to perp summit diplomacy, bete noire, and Saone...at least they were in my vocabulary. As usual, I had to rely on the blog to suss the theme.
McJob-cute one.
ipod nanos- amazing things!My daughter runs with one.
Zion Nat. Park is in the planning stages for Sept, along with Bryce, Arches, Mesa Verde, and Monument Valley.Gotta attack that bucket list!
Kazie, Lea is precious. Thanks so much for sharing her with us.
TTP, so after your brief research, how do you compare her (who shall remain nameless) and Modern Family to TBBT and others? Who would you add to my list of four appealing women so far?
I'm on pins and needles awaiting the white smoke.
It's cool and a bit windy but I'll venture out for a bike ride and a ??? (This is what happens when I have an unexciting life and can't find more interesting things to write about.)
Homonyms and antonyms quiz: (Disguised or e-mailed answers please to avoid spoilers)
1) Name an emotion that is an anagram of a homonym of an antonym of a homonym of an anagram of wolf.
2) What country is an anagram of a synonym of a homonym of a prime number? (I’ll tell you the prime number later as a hint if you want it.)
Have to agree that the animusic box is amazing. Time very well wasted :-)
On canyons and parks, I'm of the belief that if you only see one named canyon, Bryce is the best bet. (But I'd lobby hard for The Black Canyon of the Gunnison for 2nd place). ...however, if your are only going to see one national park, make it Yosemite. Nothing really compares.
And since relativity I has been brought up, can anyone here tell me the difference between a p..s pot full and a s..t pot full? I've never solved that quandary.
TTP and CED
Keep up the typing lessons and you'll be whizzing along at 10 wpm any day now!
And best of all the one I linked if FREE!!!
Bill G: Interesting "piller"
Didn't they use something like that for horses?
I'll never figure out your quiz, (sigh).
BTW, Where's Tinbeni???
Good evening, everyone! Thanks for a fast and fun puzzle, Gail and Bruce. Caught on to the theme fairly quickly, which made for very smooth solving. Thanks for the amusing write-up, Argyle – got a laugh out of your Olive OYL query.
Blame my weak grasp of French geography for the only bump in the road: filling SEINE instead of SAONE for Lyon River. Hope I can remember next time. Really liked the clue/answer combo All Gussied Up = SPIFFY, such fun words. Daughter and SIL are seriously into Diet MOUNTAIN DEW – we buy it by the case when they come to visit.
Belated birthday greetings to Average Joe and Mari – hope you had a wonderful day! And congrats on your ACPT debut, Marti.
Adorable pictures of little Lea, Kazie!
Have a great night, all!
BillG @1:54PM
Right on....Dennis Rodman a class dodo... but he could rebound. I would have preferred to see him stay in No Korea. They would have a lot in common.
One of my favorite things about the Blog is to see different peoples perspectives about things, & that new things come up every day.
I showed my daughter Sara the Animusic clip that SPitzboov posted, & while she was impressed, she said you must check out the guy who made his own instrument out of PVC pipes & played it with "spatulas."
Then she proceeded to humiliate me on the typing test...
Then she showed me a clip about a guy on a buffalo... I can't wait until there is a crossword about about cowboys, indians, buffalo, or really dumb things so I can tie it into the daily crossword & link it for you!
pas de chat - your typing website brought back memories of high school. I've always loved to type. I remember when we bought a typewriter for our business in the mid 1980's (before computer). I was so excited, I would take the newspaper and just type anything. lol I always wanted to type a book.
2 of my kids had binkies - I took them away when I thought they were getting too old. My middle son found his thumb - I would have rather he had a binkie. :( But now his daughter found HER thumb - what goes around comes around.
My hubby usually has tomato plants at home, but the tomatoes are so bad in Florida (at least so far), he bought a gallon container with 3 tomato plants in it and put it on the porch. I don't think we're supposed to have anything on our porch/landing, but we'll keep it til someone tells us to get rid of it. lol We have 6 or so tomatoes on it so far and more flowers have appeared.
A good evening to all!
Double shout out to my Maine Coon kitty boy "PADDY".
So much fun to share on this blog! Fun puzzle , not happy about a new river added to the archives but ... Loved the pictures of the cats, our 8 year old cat is part Maine Coon ! We had to put eye drops in our adopted kittens eyes when we first rescued then ... Nice way to develop trust .. Not! We still crush pills on wet food but are intrigued by the new method ! Beautiful baby pictures! Glad to hear about the baby being bilingual , always a plus these days for future employment ( no matter how far off) , but important to preserve the family heritage. & tradition !
I just want to post again to thank all who made such kind remarks about Lea and our family. I guess when you wait until you're almost 67 to become a grandparent, it is a pretty big deal. My parents never survived long enough, so I was fearful that I would miss out too. I'm certainly glad it's happening now!
Thanks to all!
Bill G, all in good fun. Don't let the small stuff sweat you.
pas, I just tried again after a few macchiatos, nae beers, and did 15WPM at 96 % accuracy. Missed the semicolon twice with the pinkie on the right hand.
chefwen, I'm still trying to understand the geography of it all. A Hawaiian with a New England Cat with an Irish name ? What next ?
Where does the time go? Lovely puzzle an writeup
TPP - Paddy was obtained in CA, transported to Hawaii after many months of tests to ensure that he did not have to go into quarantine, no rabies here. He is poly-dactyl so his (not so little) paws look like oven mitts ergo PADDY. His favorite sport is sitting in the bathtub under a trickling faucet. Strange little dude!
Oops! Meant TTP
Hatoolah, I didn't mean to imply that you were causing me grief. I'm also not going to say I'm sorry you changed it to "happy notes"!
I googled "hatoolah" and Mr, Google wanted to know if I meant
Hatzola
Uh, no. So I clicked on hatoolah images and got
THIS KITTY
15 wpm!! You go, TTP!!!!
Ex10 21WPM 100%
Tried lesson two,
(not so good)
& at the bottom it said:
Before you begin typing make sure you are sitting up straight, your feet flat on the floor. Keep your elbows close to your body, your wrists straight and your forearms level.
(I knew there was a catch to this free typing thing!...)
Pas, I went to your typing website and managed 45 wpm with one mistake. Not bad. When I was a kid and was learning to type on an old LS Smith manual typewriter, my father had my Aunt Hilda sit down and show me a thing or two. She could rattle off about 120 wpm or more as I can best remember.
chefwen, I did not know of of polydactyl. The name fits. "His favorite sport..." I can relate. My GSD insists on "testing" the water before I shower. Strangest behavior I have ever seen in a dog.
pas, thanks for the confidence builder. Did a quick search to see where I would fit in with my blazing 15 WPM.
What is the record speed for typing?
Mrs. Barbara Blackburn of Salem, Oregon maintained a speed of 150 wpm for 50 min (37,500 key strokes) and attained a speed of 170 wpm using the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard (DSK) system. Her top speed was recorded at 212 wpm.
I think I shall call it an evening and consider other callings.
Good night all !
xtephibGood evening everybody.
Gorgeous pictures of you and your family Kazie. Thank you for sending them on.
Glad for some hopeful news about your cat, Rampi. Hope she continues to get well.
I actually figured out the theme. That's a first for me!
Good night and sleep well.
Do I get a mulligan or handicap for this typing test if my left pinky finger is at a permanent 90 degree angle from the 2nd knuckle??
Dave, While your daughter was humiliating you on the test she sent me this pic of your cat saying Hello to you. you must have blinked and missed her sending it. :)
Bill G !!!!
Fantastic! 45 wpm!
Plus, it only took me almost three hours for your puzzle to dawn on me. I'd venture a guess, but I'm afraid I might spoil it for anyone else.
Is that cryptic enough?
CED too funny! There's always a catch, isn't there? ;)
Too bad typing and music classes were both electives. Guess which one I always picked.
I was no "seer" who could look into the future and see typing as nothing more than being a writer or secretary.
But.... I can copy music pretty darn fast.
Too bad I couldn't see into the future and visualize computer music-writing software!!! HAH!
This is five for me, so I guess I'm outta here.
Tinbeni, where are you?????
Pas, yes, very cryptic. But don't be afraid. :>)
For whoever might be interested, the hint is: The prime number in question is two, the only even prime number.
So Manac, what happened to your finger that seems to be heading in a different direction from the rest of your hand?
Notice that I said, "different from." I always said "different than" until my daughter corrected me. She said her English teacher, a family friend, had told her that. I called our friend and she explained it. I don't think I fully understand why, but I adapted.
BillG @ 2113 - Different from is usually preferred. However, Different than is preferred when the use of from would result in awkwardness or verbosity:
The test results were considerably different than I had expected.
The weather today was quite different than yesterday.
(All the above at 19 wpm :-))
TTP: Did I spell affect wrong?
Abejo
(ocvrybr)
Yowza! 85 comments so far but I was really amused while reading them especially the discussion of Olive OYL's virginity, medicating cats, binkies vs. nucks, etc. You all crack me up.
Kazie:
Your granddaughter is adorable and your whole family looks happy. Such joy that grandchildren bring.
The funeral was a really nice affair and since the deceased was 95, two days shy of his birthday, the atmosphere was one of celebrating his life, which was full and rich in many respects. He played seven musical instruments and was involved in community service and was the town barber. When his son-in-law asked him what would be the best way to save money he said, "don't spend it." And save he did, After retirement they traveled all over Europe and the U.s.
Bill, Not sure but still have use of it. just won't straighten out.
Didn't you post that first ? a while back? My dog wasn't afraid of man or beast.
Second ? Air America comes to mind.
chefwen, if I had to have a cat/dog quarantined,your island has a VERY cushy Humane Society with 2 dog parks attached( for big & small dogs)- very impressive, plus it has fabulous views.
Hemingway's home in Key West is still swarming with cats, all poly dactyls.
Avg Joe, thanks for the tip on The Black Canyon; will check it out.
CE Dave, as many times that I've been to Yosemite, I had NO idea about that climb. I thought it was all done like real mountain climbers...ropes,etc. Great video.
Bill, enjoyed Zion pictures... and I wish I had known about a piller when my cat was so ill.
Kazie, like you I had to wait til I was 64 before Truman came along and as most of you can tell, I am totally in heaven when I am with my 3 grandsons.They have taken over much of the time that I used to spend on the blog.My parents died too young, so my girls never were able to enjoy the perks of grandparents.
Hoping for white smoke soon.
Pas, the school where my kids attended made "keyboarding" a mandatory class when they put in a computer lab. Thought it was a smart move.
I took two years of typing in high school although I wasn't fast then took a semester in college to try to improve. At the first of the semester, I typed 35 wpm with five mistakes and at the end of the semester 35 wpm with three mistakes. My teacher, a Joe E. Brown look-a-like said, "I think you've reached your PEAK." All the girls around me who typed 85-120 wpm thought that was hilarious.
However, I used the skill to write a lot of newspaper articles and got much faster when I didn't have to
copy someone else's thoughts.
BillG: we don't mind hearing about your life more than once. Familiarity is sometimes soothing.
Abejo, you were correct. I was just commenting on your comment "And yes, I was glad to see ERIE again. All the chemicals I swam in as a kid did not affect me, affect me, affect me, affect me." I thought it was funny.
Bill G, it is all good natured kidding. I got x = 8, so if a couple is 2, the answer was 16 times.
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