Theme: Perfect dramas to play in the Ed Sullivan Theater - because the theater is known for being chilly, it would put you in the mood to watch these dramas or listen to the revealer.
17A. O'Neill drama set in Harry Hope's saloon : THE ICEMAN COMETH
28A. With 30-Across, drama based on '70s presidential interviews : FROST. 30A. See 28-Across : NIXON
40A. Drama about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine : THE LION IN WINTER
52A. With 54-Across, "Viva La Vida" rock group, and what 17-, 28-/30- and 40-Across each is? : COLD. 54A. See 52-Across : PLAY
Argyle here. Meet John Verel (not an anagram for our editor), teamed up with one of my favorites, Jeff Chen. They have giving us a unique Tuesday, a puzzle with mirror crossword symmetry, left/right. Two grid spanners and two 2-parters. I found some clues were a little ragged but doable. Change can be good and I liked the presentation. A lot of alliteration, also.
Across:
1. Pink drink, briefly : COSMO. (cosmopolitan cocktail) One I've never had. The color comes from cranberry juice.
6. Arson aftermath : ASH
9. Hutt crime lord of sci-fi : JABBA. Over-weight baddie from "Star Wars".
14. According to : AS PER
15. Grazing area : LEA
16. Light purple : LILAC. we are into spring when the lilacs bloom. Wish I could link the smell.
20. Tailor's target : TEAR (great alliteration)
21. Many a Beethoven sonata ender : RONDO. Honestly, doesn't Rondo sound like it should be an action figure?
22. Popeye's __' Pea : SWEE
23. Jabber on and on : YAK. Jabber/Jabba seems a little too close.
24. __ in November : 'N' AS
25. Likable prez : IKE. Dwight D. Eisenhower, our 34th President.
27. More than feasts (on) : OD's
32. Aspiring doc's course : PRE-MED
33. Walked alongside one's master : HEELED. Good clue.
35. On the Pacific : ASEA
36. Fertilizable cells : OVA
38. "Just __!": "Be right there!" : A SEC
45. "Friendly skies" co. : UAL. (United Air Lines)
46. Greatly feared : DREADED
47. Comstock Lode find : ORE. (silver ore)
48. Fred of "My Cousin Vinny" : GWYNNE. Gotta see it again.
50. Oozed : SEEPED
55. Pottery "pet" : CHIA. More alliteration.
58. Smooth transition : SEGUE
60. Pastoral poem : IDYL
64. Invisible vibes : AURA
65. More than most : EVERY
66. Wine tasting criterion : NOSE
67. Quilting parties : BEEs
68. Corrida cheer : ¡Olé!
69. Neuter, horsewise : GELD
Down:
1. Slyly spiteful : CATTY
2. Irish actor Milo : O'SHEA. He passed away earlier this month.
3. Say what you will : SPEAK FREELY
4. Golda of Israel : MEIR
5. "The Lord of the Rings" baddie : ORC
6. Answering the penultimate exam question, say : ALMOST DONE
7. Actor Connery : SEAN
8. How lovers walk : HAND-IN-HAND
9. "Jersey Girl" actress, to fans : J-LO. (Jennifer Lopez) Her character dies within the first 15 minutes of the film.
10. Goals : AIMS
11. Emulated Mt. St. Helens? : BLEW ONE'S TOP
12. With __ breath: expectantly : BATED
13. Pains' partner : ACHES
18. Answering machine button : ERASE
19. Journalist Roberts : COKIE
24. Name, in Nîmes : NOM. In southern France.
26. Program file suffix : EXE
29. Not counterfeit : REAL
31. "The Good Earth" mother : OLAN. The Good Earth is a novel by Pearl S. Buck.
32. "Nonsense!" : "PSHAW!"
34. Tractor manufacturer : DEERE. First name, John.
35. Give __: yank : A TUG
37. By way of : VIA
39. Believability on the street, slangily : CRED. (short for "credibility")
41. Driver's license fig. : ID NO. (identification number)
42. Threat words : OR ELSE
43. Actor Snipes : WESLEY. Maybe he could play Rondo.
44. Thought : IDEA
49. "March Madness" games, informally : NCAA's. (National Collegiate Athletic Association)
51. Sizing up : EYING
53. "Whip It" band : DEVO. Whip it good. "When a problem comes along, You must whip it; Before the cream sets out too long, You must whip it; When something's goin' wrong, You must whip it."
54. Like the driven snow : PURE. Like in Grandma's snow globe.
55. Red wine choice, for short : CAB. (cabernet sauvignon)
56. Tint : HUE
57. Wrath : IRE
59. Salon goop : GEL
61. Mommy deer : DOE
62. Initials on L'Homme fragrance : YSL. (Yves Saint Laurent)
63. Took the reins : LED
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
1) Puzzazz has started their Year of Puzzles. The first puzzle is a "very cool double spiral" made by Parker Lewis. Click here for details.
2) Here are two sweet photos of JD's grandsons. The pictures were taken the day before yesterday.
 |
| Left to Right: Cameron, Truman & Grady |
Two years ago, they were this big:
 |
| Left to Right: Grady (11 months), Truman (3 years old) & Cameron (2 weeks) |
Thanks for the cool puzzle, John and Jeff! Great expo, as usual, Argyle!
ReplyDeleteNot many contributions to the blog lately. What is happening?
Thought Castle was good tonight! Really like the guest star!
Late to bed, again!
Cheers!
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteThe theme answers were fine today, but I had a little trouble with the theme itself simply because I'm not familiar with COLD PLAY. I did get DEVO right away, on the other hand, so you can tell what my musical generation is, I suppose.
Other than the pluralization of NCAA (to which I say PSHAW!), I thought the rest of the fill was just fine as well.
[itortse]
Ferm:
ReplyDeleteImagined drama and not enough fun.
Argyle, is the girl a granddaughter?
ReplyDeleteNever heard of a COSMO; but, young bartenders have never heard of a grasshopper.
Too many 3-letter words.
If one can say an expression in fewer syllables than the so-called "informal," one, then if isn't worth using. Thus, World War Two is shorter than double-u double-u two. See 49 down.
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like the theme that much. My main issue is that the revealer is incorrect - The name of the band COLDPLAY is one word, not two.
The rest of the solve was much better than the theme itself, so it did have some redeeming qualities. The long down fill with SPEAK FREELY, ALMOST DONE, HAND IN HAND and BLEW ONES TOP were great. I didn't even see NCAAS until coming here, so that one slipped by my radar while solving, thankfully.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteBoy, I really need to study up on my pop bands. Didn't know DEVO. Had to WAG the "D" in COL_ PLAY, but with ICE, FROST and WINTER, it had to be.
Right on, Sfingi. I never heard anybody say NCAAS. Seemed weird seeing ASEA opposite ASEC. Still, overall a pretty good offering from John and Jeff.
Sfingi, what girl?
ReplyDelete@Argyle - This was meant for C.C. I always have a hard time figuring out who the host is - the little girl (unmentioned) in the pictures.
ReplyDelete@Yellowrocks - Sorry I didn't respond yesterday. When the "leader" wrote, "See Essen a bit to the East of Aachen," I was reminded of an expression similar to our "Everyone eats a peck of dirt in their lives."
The extent of my German is songs, poems and sayings. Another one is the response to, "Wie geht's?" which is "Wie ein Gans, aber nicht so wachlich." Don't ask me how to spell the last word.
Do you mean JD's third grandson, Cameron Joseph?
ReplyDeleteHey, he is a cutie.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, folks. Thank you, John and Jeff, for a swell Tuesday puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the swell review. Liked the UTube links.
ReplyDeleteAnother puzzle that is not the "norm," symmetrical. I am confused. I guess anything goes.
The puzzle was a little tough for Tuesday. Got it, though.
A few unknowns: COSMO, FROST NIXON, GWYNNE, COLDPLAY, COKIE, WESLEY. Perped and Wagged them all.
Liked the Mt St Helens reference. Flew over it once right after it had exploded. Amazing. I remember some guy named Harry Truman was living on it and would not move. I am sure he is still in orbit.
Busy day today. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(reggsy)
Good morning everyone. Good explanations, Argyle.
ReplyDeleteAsymmetric top to bottom. Cool theme. It did seem like more than normal 3 ltr words, which was magnified by the 4 cheater squares. Overall, I enjoyed the puzzle. No look-ups. Only strikethrough was getting OSHEA spelt correctly.
Have a great day.
Good Morning all - Another fun puzzle today for me. Worked on newspaper version this morning and filled in every space with no wags or lookups. Thanks John and Jeff for your work, and Argyle for your insight. That COLDPLAY song is my favorite - a great running song. Maybe your are thinking of Hondo from Star Wars for your RONDO comment.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of SW - my son is still a big fan at 40, and I've seen Episodes 4-6 many times. So got JABBA right away.
I have not seen either 'long answer' movies/plays, but with the last word of each, I was able to fill in the rest.
Also knew DEVO and COLDPLAY with a couple of perp letters.
I even managed to figure out the theme.
Fermatprime - Also enjoyed Castle last night.
Off for a day of shopping with a friend from home. She is one of 3 of my good friends from high school who have renewed our friendship thru Facebook.
Have a great day everyone!
kzoessi
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteFirst crack at a solve in a while resulting in one goof. Except for the time I was away at school (eons ago), I've owned a collie or two most of the time. Riley is number 8. Yet, for 33A I wrote in HEALED instead of HEELED. Just a dumb mistake that likely would have been caught if I had bothered to review the finished product.
Otherwise, a nice start from my LOA.
I have no issue with NCAAS. Sportscasters, writers, & fans use it all the time.
If she is going to pass on a glass of chablis at dinner, my better half will order up a Cosmopolitan. Looks tasty, but have yet to take a sip.
Enjoy the day.
Nice puzzle, describes Chicago's chilly spring this year.
ReplyDeleteI thought there was an awful lot of slang in this one: CRED, A SEC, ODs, PSHAW, CAB, etc., but I did like the long vertical clews.
Ha ha! Barry - I'm from the Devo generation too. (I don't care for the Cold Play song referenced in the clues).
Cute grandkids. I have a niece and a nephew - they grow up fast, don't they?
Off to a busy day. (PSHAW! I'm ready for the weekend!)
Argyle, are you saying a prayer in your Avatar? I like the photo.
ReplyDeleteHappy Tuesday everyone!
ReplyDeleteA Tuesday Ta-Da for Da Doc today. Surprisingly, with not a baseball clue to be seen!
I don’t know about Cosmo the drink, I usually think of Cosmo Kramer stumbling into Jerry’s apartment….
Fred Gwynne was a whole lot more than just Herman Munster (or even Francis Muldoon). “Did you say… yute?”
Always nice to see a Sean Connery clue. You can be assured that James Bond would never be caught drinking a Cosmo….
I just saw the movie “Frost / Nixon” and couldn’t get over how perfectly Frank Langella captured every nuance of our “not-a-crook” ex-prez. Speaking of a guy with a serious loss of cred….
Frank Langella played a great Chief of Staff in Dave 2:30. For those of you unfamiliar with the film, the President is in a coma. The country doesn't know. The Chief of Staff and Press Secretary hire Presidential look-alike, Kevin Kline, to "play" the President until the real one recovers. But then he starts acting Presidential...
ReplyDeleteI thought 1A was going to be PEPTO...
ReplyDeleteFerm: I think it has something to do with not being able to SPEAK FREELY.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how Devo and Coldplay would respond to being referred to as pop bands? I bet they would speak freely.
ReplyDelete[shthHa]
A fun theme with some new verbiage for this space cadet from J and J.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-I’ve often used the phrase “THE LION IN WINTER” to describe family patriarchs that still demand respect and a say so despite diminished capacity
-This Nebraska boy has never heard LEA used in lieu of pasture
-RONDO for musical philistines
-S AS IN sam, c, h, l, a, p AS IN paul, f AS IN frank, e, r. I’m coming back as Smith in my next life
-Two neighbor girls were PREMED, one dropped out and the other has switched to be a MD and not a PA
-If you want to advance, you need to know when to HEEL
-Our incredibly high water table here can cause water to SEEP into basements
-Jr. High girls being CATTY? What are the odds?
-I always look/looked ahead to see if I am/was ALMOST DONE
-I’ll take Jersey Boys over Jersey Girl any day!
-After you EXE, the bugs all appear
-A lotta DEERES are straining to get out of Midwest sheds
-Ain’t they great at that age, JD?
-NC Double A’s or NC 2 A’s
There were a lot of unknowns, many the same as Abejo, but perps and wags fixed that. I'm not familiar with plays after living in a small town all the years I've been in the US, and I can't remember much about theater productions seen in Sydney before that. So wags were king today.
ReplyDeleteI did like some of the more unusual fill, like BLEW ONE'S TOP, SPEAK FREELY, (thought first of ONE'S MIND, but that wouldn't fit.)
Andrea's restaurant on Monroe St. in Madison got a nice write-up in Sunday's State Journal. Congrats, Andrea and Matt!
Abejo - A lot on our news about the flooding in NE Illinois. Is your community affected? Flat country with very little gradient and poorly incised stream channels are a recipe for flood disaster. Also heard they reversed the course of the Chicago diversion from L. Michigan during the height of the rain. Any drinking water issues?
ReplyDeleteHi everyone - haven't posted here in a while.
ReplyDeleteJust want to thank John and Jeff for a great puzzle. Goes well with the weather we are having here in Wilmington...brrr
Of course liked 67 across
BLEW ONES TOP, IRE, ACK, et al – I was refilling my meds online last week and saw that one was not “refillable” and so my journey into the yawning maw of corporate bureaucracies began. I had to punch in my ID NO to get someone on the phone and then repeat it for each live person to begin
ReplyDelete1. Jerome said I needed to get my doctor to fill out a 2013 formulary form to get that med and I did
2. Online refill failed again and this time I got Stephanie who, after 20 minutes of sappy “on hold” music said Jerome was wrong and my problem was with “Tierage (don’t ask)” and that she would fix it
3. Of course, that didn’t work and so John took a swing at it after I had to start all over again – he must not know Jerome and Stephanie. His venture into my problem (much more music) caused him to throw up his hands and it’s off to
4. Terri who could not progress either and so I was off to
5. Amanda, who tried mightily but finally connected me to the pharmacist
6. Kate, who FINALLY told me that med was no longer being manufactured! ARRGGHH!
7. So I have to go back to my doctor and start all over again. Hello Jerome…
Mari@8:18
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm praying my cousin doesn't cut my ear off while cutting my hair. He does love to cut things.
Barry, the lead singer of Coldplay is married to Gwyneth Paltrow, maybe that might jog your memory a bit. Coldplay is a good Adult Alternative band and in my opinion " A Rush of Blood to the Head", & " X & Y' are their best albums. Vida La Viva may be the band's most popular song. Give it a listen, you may like it/them.
ReplyDeleteAs for the other long fills; Nixon & Frost was excellent. The Iceman Ciometh is somewhat depressing. Not one of my favorte O'Neill plays
Plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery. I'm blushing...
ReplyDeleteHusker - re: "I had to punch in my ID NO to get someone on the phone and then repeat it for each live person to begin"
ReplyDeleteI don't do that dance, 'cause most of the time, the ID stuff doesn't come up on successors' screens anyway and you just have to repeat it. At the first opportunity I say "AGENT" and keep repeating until I get a live one. Now they even ask if you want to take a survey on how well they did afterwards. What do they think you're gonna tell them?
Fermatprime, it does have to do with not being able to SPEAK FREELY since the Tinbeni issue. Makes us feel uncomfortable about posting.
ReplyDeleteEntertaining puzzle and write-up, enjoyed both. Especially since it reminded me of "The Lion in Winter" which I have not seen in years. Must haul out the old VHS version and make time soon.
ReplyDeleteHad trouble in the NE, not sure why. Now that it's done, it looks so easy.
Fermataprime: I enjoyed Castle too, the guest atar was Yummy, who was he anyway?.
Good morning:
ReplyDeleteThought this had a tad more bite than a usual Tuesday but sailed through okay. I saw The Ice Man Cometh on Broadway many years ago. I believe Jason Robards played the lead role. It was a dark, depressing story, as is most, if not all, of O'Neill's work. Frost and Nixon was terrific as was The Lion In Winter.
Good effort, John and Jeff and nice expo, Argyle. Hope your prayers were answered!
JD, those boys are adorable; how they've grown!
Have a great Tuesday.
If you follow the rules, no politics, no religion and no personal attacks, you can speak freely. These rules ask only for common courtesy in a group of diverse guests.
ReplyDeleteBesides being rude, personal attacks on the blog make me uncomfortable.
Anon 9:49 said: I used to come to this blog for knowledge and laughter. Now its just about downtown abbey and cat videos. Cue the fat lady.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE CED'S CAT VIDEOS.
Here is a cat video for ya.
ReplyDeleteGood early afternoon to the east siders and good mid morning to the west siders.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed both yesterday's and today's puzzles. No real complaints. 0 for 2 though with a typo yesterday and a failure to note tense in 11D today. Need to do a better job of proving the perp fill.
Hatoolah, good catch yesterday.
Lucina from Sunday, as Jayce noted, I was making light of the ICE/ICED tea stir with the SUN/SUND tea comment.
Sfingi, thanks for explaining. My wife and I agreed that we thought we knew what you wrote, but then thought maybe you were talking about kissing an ashtray...asche(nbecher).
HG, re your 2nd bullet. Neither have I on farms in Ohio, PA and ranches in Texas, but LEA is a good crossword puzzle word.
rondo, condo, hondo, mondo... ch ch chia
Kazie, I just read the article. Will have to make it a point to stop there the next time we are up that way. Congrats to Andrea and Matt !
As always Argyle, you shine ! You brighten my day. Thanks. Hope that getting your ears lowered didn't hurt.
Back to work... See you all later.
Greetings, friends.
ReplyDeleteWEES. Quick and fun puzzle from John Verel and Jeff Chen. I filled it almost nonstop and enjoyed the long fill. I suppose some three letter fill must be inserted to accommodate them. It's a trade off.
Seeing the titles, all of which I have watched, felt like seeing my life rolling before me. THE ICEMAN COMETH was from college days, THE LION IN WINTER in the early days of my ute, when I started teaching and FROST NIXON when I was in my forties.
On the other hand COLD PLAY is meaningless to me as is most of today's music or what passes for it.
Mommy deer, DOE was a great clue.
Gary:
I sympathize with you as I have had much the same experience.
Castle was really good last night and I agree about the guest actor. Yum, yum.
Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone!
All you Anon's...Go BLUE or go home!
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle for a bright, sunny Tuesday. Thanks for the ColdPlay suggestions, JJM. I'm always looking for new music to add to my IPod.
Frank Langella is a wonderful actor. He's been in many notable movies. And Wesley Snipes?? How about "Too Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar"? He sure made a beautiful Transvestite.
Must clean up the Old VW today. Getting ready to sell it. After 40 years it's time!
Hasta la pasta.
John Verel here. Thanks for the kind words and comments on my debut. It was a fun one to construct. Jeff is great to work with... but you already knew that.
ReplyDeleteWith luck, I will be back.
I just researched the ERIC VANCE character from last night's Castle. His name is Ioan Griffudd and he's Welsh. Those Welchies breed some really handsome people, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tom Jones and others.
ReplyDeleteJohn, good of you to stop by. I see you are getting great stars over at Amy's. Jeff just left a comment there.
ReplyDeleteLet's not forget that Welsh actor, Richard Burton.
Garlic Girl, I love all kinds of music. One of my favorite bands is from near you in the Bay area. The band's name is LUCE. They're pretty much a local band but they do have 3 albums out on the iTunes Store. Good songs on each, but I'd say their best overall album is "Never Ending". Start there and then check out their other stuff.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Argyle, C.C. et al,
ReplyDeletea very smooth Tuesday; loved the long down fills. Didn't crack the theme. Thanks Argyle, plus clearing up what nas (N as in November) was all about!!
DH gave me the C to finish off nCaas, which then gave me Coldplay, which finished off idNo and gyneNe. Didn't know Jlo was in Jersey girl, but who else starts with JL?
Not familiar with Devo, but like il Divo
Sfingi, Cameron (2 1/2) is all boy, but mom likes his curls. BTW, he is 1/2 Welsh.When little brother arrives,he will no longer be the baby.
Gary, you forgot"Press #1 for English." LOL
Spitzboov:
ReplyDeleteIn response to your question, we do not have a flooding problem where I live. However, there have been many areas that have flooded badly. Mainly the Fox River in the north suburbs. The Fox goes within five miles of us, and there has been some flooding close to the river, but not where we live.
Had not heard about the Chicago River flowing backwards into Lake Michigan. I will have to check that. It used to flow into Lake Michigan, but they reversed the river about 100 years ago, so it flows eventually into the Mississippi.
Abejo
(ghtrtin)
These confessions of a failed cruciverbalist were written a couple of years ago, but I just stumbled upon them today. Pretty funny stuff. Even Jeff Chen felt moved to comment on it.
ReplyDelete-JD, Au contraire Mon ami (how's that for being continental?), I had to push 1 for English but there was no option to select competence. Mon Dieu!
ReplyDelete-Spitz, I start pushing the O key to get past the machines and to someone with a pulse but that does not always work
-BTW, whenever I do come across someone who is helpful and professional, I compliment him or her and silently bemoan the fact that they will probably be “kicked upstairs”
-BTW 2, kids had me listen to Coldplay while I was teaching and it was fine and certainly no worse than the music of my adolescence or mom’s Glenn Miller
-BTW 3, Devo reminded me so much of MTV when they actually played videos. MTV was a big component of Nat Geo’s fabulous series on the 80’s
JD:
ReplyDeleteSeeing your grandchildren always makes me smile; they are SOOOO cute!
I love il Divo, too!
Argyle:
Oh, yes, definitely, Richard Burton!
Hola Everyone, This was not a Tuesday puzzle for me. More like a Wed. or Thurs. There were too many unknowns for me. I knew the Lion in Winter, but that was the only play I knew. The Whip It Band and Cold Play jazz group weren't in my realm. I'm very uneducated when it comes to bands and rock groups.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of a cosmo and I had Gab in for Yak so that whole NW corner was a disaster, especially since O'shea was also unknown!. All in all my solving experience was one of frustration.
"March Madness" games informally was Hoops for me! NCAAS?
JD, Love the pictures of your boys. They certainly have grown--too fast, I'm sure.
A busy day ahead for me.
Hi all!
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I saw "Frost/Nixon" on one of our first dates. Nice to reminisce after seeing the published puzzle this morning.
Super fun to work with John on this one.
Happy Tuesday!
Jeff
jeffchen1972@gmail.com
Hi Y'all! I'm glad to hear that some others thought this puzzle was harder than usual Tues. I thought it was because I did it after I was too tired to think. Great puzzle, John & Jeff, once I got by the first tier where I was stumped. Cosmo? Whazat?
ReplyDeleteI was thinking television not movie where JLO lurked, and could not think of that Jersey shore chick's NOM to save me. Finally got some footholds and it all came together, but many red-letters later.
Great expo, Argyle! Loved the COLDPLAY song.
Fermatprime: Maybe more spring activities also contributes to fewer blog entries.
The COLDPLAY theme was a harbinger of snow again here.
ReplyDeleteI knew a very frigid front was coming in so I stayed up longer than usual waiting for my CAT to come home. At 4 a.m. turned out the lights and was brushing my teeth when OREO started frantically jumping against the door wanting in the garage. The TV radar had just showed a pink & white band of snow edging into our area. Most of it melted by now at 33 degrees. Snow is still coming down so cat is still in the garage.
The cat & I are not liking each other right now. He stays out nights when it is warm enough. He curls up in the big flower pot next to his water dish. Very young squirrels come to drink. He rises out of the pot and SMITES them dead. Three in four days. I hate bodies on the porch.
@Sfingi, If you mean the girl on Sunday's blog, she was a victim of the bombing in Boston
ReplyDeleteMy goodness! I did not think I had much to say, but after the comments, I have a whole page of notes about things to reply to.
ReplyDeleteIn a nutshell: "WBS" (except the Devo part, hmm, I thought "I" was the kid on the block...) JD! Tx for your "Divo" link! Loved it! Except that the 1st time after the Ad I thought, "Oh No! Opera! & hit the escape button just as I realized that it was West Side Story, & then I had to listen to that awful Ad again just to get back & listen to what I should have listened to in the 1st place!)
Most importantly, Thanks to John V. & Jeff C. for stopping by. To hear from constructors is always enlightening.
Re: Puzzle,,,
While the theme was foreign to me, I look forward to learning more about these plays, & now I have a reason to actually watch them... But I came to the Blog to discover this new person that a month is named after? July for Caeser, August for Augustus, Who the heck is this Nas person??? (My way of saying that "Sodium Sulfide" chemical name should be an acceptable Tuesday level clue. (Luckily so far Rich Norris has not visited the Blog & edited my comments...)
I have more nonsense, but I have to add,,, HeartRx! (@7:23) Ouch! As a constructor I would expect you to be more sympathetic, after all the 52A clue did say "with 54A." You didn't have to give the theme a "cold shoulder." (lol,snort!gufffaw! ) (omg, that was awful pun,,, sorry...)
Cosmo (Cosmopolitan)
ReplyDeleteVodka, Cointreau or Triple Sec, lime juice, cranberry. Combined in a shaker with ice. Poured into a cocktail glass. Lime wedge garnish.
As a temp-bartender, I've made them countless times. For reasons unknown to me, I've never made one for a guy.
I love theater and/or literature references in doibg puzzles. The Lion in Winter is among my 5 favorite films. Becket is my first. How about Peter O'toole being in both!
ReplyDeleteAgree that this one was pretty straightfoward to do, a little tougher than yesterday's perhaps.
I guess I am still a CW Newbie, I am not used to seeing mirror image symmetry as opposed to full symmetry. But one thing that stuck out for me was that the black spaces of the grid look like a Space Invader. (Atari video game circa 1970's)
ReplyDeleteMight make an interesting puzzle, I wonder if it has been done before. A theme full of video game names, & the the grid resembling a space invader. (i.e. invading CW spaces???)
Anywho! HG! (@9:06am)
(it's not yr fault, you didn't know i hate basketball.)
But I spent a lot of time looking for "Rondo" explanation links. I.E.:
exhibit A (14 minutes)
Exhibit B (49 minutes)
(Note, no need to watch these links unless you are really, really into it... I passed out after 30 seconds. They are just for emphasis.))
But then HG posts "Rondo," (My saviour!) Gary, I bit into that link like it was a ripe, juicy peach, only to discover it was full of worms... (did I mention I hate Basketball.) Ugh!
LEA is poetic for meadow, just as OPE is poetic for open. “Wilt thou not OPE thy heart to know what rainbows teach and sunsets show?” – C. Johnston. Stevenson wrote several poems about children’s adventures in the garden or the LEA, pretending to be at sea.
ReplyDelete________________________________________
Pirate Story by Robert Louis Stevenson
Three of us afloat in the meadow by the swing,
Three of us abroad in the basket on the LEA.
Winds are in the air, they are blowing in the spring,
And waves are on the meadow like the waves there are at sea.
Where shall we adventure, to-day that we're afloat,
Wary of the weather and steering by a star?
Shall it be to Africa, a-steering of the boat,
To Providence, or Babylon or off to Malabar?
Hi! but here's a squadron a-rowing on the sea--
Cattle on the meadow a-charging with a roar!
Quick, and we'll escape them, they're as mad as they can be,
The wicket is the harbour and the garden is the shore.
It's just a nit, but pre-med is not just a course. It is an entire curricullum.
ReplyDeleteCED @ 2:54, Haha!! But, I did enjoy the puzzle, and said so. It just seemed odd to see COLDPLAY split between two entries. BTW, as a constructor, I think I enjoy the critical comments more than the glowing praises...not that I ever get any critical comments!! (^0^)
ReplyDeleteJerome, maybe guys shy away from COSMOs because they are forever connected with the girls from "Sex and the City"??
Anon @ 3:38, think "course of study" rather than an individual course. Does that make more sense?
Hello everybody. I enjoyed parts of this puzzle, specifically the "cold" play titles and the long downs. The rest was, well, necessary.
ReplyDeleteI loved your RONDO observation, Argyle. It evoked the song "Rawhide" in my mind, sung by, of course, Frankie Lane.
Best wishes to you all.
COSMOS were concocted for people who wanted to look like sophisticated martini drinkers but disliked the taste of a martini. So bartenders used citrus flavored vodka and sweet mixers. A splash of cranberry is used for a pinkish hue. No self-respecting he-man would be caught drinking this pinkish sweet girlie drink, let alone SEAN.
ReplyDeleteI don't care what it is as long as it served neat.
ReplyDeleteAbejo@7:58
ReplyDeleteI was hiking trails in New Hampshire in May of 1980, & marveling at the glorious sunsets. It was not until we got back to civilization that we discovered the beautiful sunsets were caused by Mt. St. Helens destruction.
(Where were you in May 1980?) Bloggers pls respond...
Hello Hondo @ 8:10!
Fred Gwynne... Alas I only knew him as Herman Munster. But thru the Blogs CW references, I get to see Car 54 Where Are You, & many of his other accomplishments. Plus I love to see an actors history, & better yet track down what they have done. I may have found what is Fred Gwynnes only surviving clip of his 2nd role ever in a Davy Crockett 1953 episode in this Walter Cronkite Clip.
fermatprime (Blog post#1)
We had a sobering experience last week, & it took a lot of fun out of the Blog. I think CC is right that the Blog should be a place of refuge for the puzzlers of this world, & respect her wishes against attacks of any kind. So Anon @ 10:07 Hush! (No names pls)
Anyway, it is 5 o'clock somewhere,,, & all this drama is making me tired. I would like to retire, but I need a replacement...
So,,, If you would like to join the Blog & replace me, you must pass this test:
I.E.: 66A Wine tasting criterion=nose
You must find a suitable , funny link for:
9A Jabba
58A Segue
60D Idyl
I look forward to your input...
CrossEyedDave, as a long time reader of this blog, I can tell you that the 'fun' disappeared quite some time ago. There used to be a time when I couldn't wait to get home from work to read the blog.
ReplyDeleteI suppose it happens to everything over time, but it's still a shame to see it happen here.
Nice to "see" you, Hondo!
ReplyDeleteThanks to John and Jeff for stopping by.
Re the handsome guest in Castle last night, I thought he looked familiar so since Lucina had provided his name, I did a little research and discovered that he was on the Monday Mornings episode about the patient who died during surgery due to being given an overdose. He played the surgeon who was fired over the error.
Silence is Golden
ReplyDeleteHere is one view of Coldplay.
ReplyDeleteHey, Captcha now has two words/ no numbers.
ANON @ 4:44 There you go again!! No personaL attacks!! This is so rude. You deserve to be censored.
ReplyDeleteMany times I have thought of leaving this blog over nonsense like yours.
A DNF! On Tuesday! Ouch! For 26D I put EnE instead of EXE so that area was impossible to get. The rest of it was fairly quick and easy.
ReplyDeleteThank you John V. and Jeff C.
Argyle, thanks for your witty write-up.
I haven't seen any of the plays. I don't listen to much music from the 80's on. (It's not music, it's noise, IMHO.)
WEES about the rest of the puzzle. Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday.
Pat
mptheme ( is the captcha criticizing the puzzle?)
Most of the long theme answers came due to perps. Loved long answers down. Really feel like a dork when my absolute "for sure" fill is SWEE pea.
ReplyDeleteDidn't know DEVO or COLDPLAY. Thanks for linking 'Silence IS Golden." So poetic.
Jeff, seeing FROST/NIXON on you first date sounds so romantic. We saw "All The President's Men" on our honeymoon. LOL
JD,those grand boys have sure changed in the last two years. Funny how the rest of us all look the same. I understand you are expecting a fourth grandson!!? Better put those girl toys in the attic.
CED, I was doing a different kind of breathing on the day Mount St. Helen's BLEW ONES TOP. I was giving birth to our first daughter.
ReplyDeleteThe paper today says they are tearing down my grandmother's little white church. It is in a bad area of town and never had plumbing. It was built in 1896. Wish there was someway to save it. Still remember the sound of all the elderly lady's singing loudly out of key.
CED--In May,1980, DH and I lived in Prior Lake,a small suburb of Minneapolis. We both worked for companies in Bursnville. Neither company exists anymore.
ReplyDeletePat
CED... in may 1980 I on was the shores of lake erie in ohio....
ReplyDeleteI have had better luck with thurs and fri puzzles than I did with today's... finally just gave up...
Hope you all have a great evening...
thelma
We;; I am back from Chrlotte's ville, and enjoyed this Tuesday joint effort. I was intrtrsyed to see JABBER in a clue and JABBA as fill; wjen I think RONDO, i think RAJON.
ReplyDeleteWeslet Snipes just was released from prison for tax evasion, he beieved one of the internet gurus who told him the income tax laws were illegal and unenforceable.
Do you all know the cat who ate some cheese and then waited outside the mouse hole with baited breath?
Next weeks Castle episode is cancelled because it has Beckett and a bomb.
JD - Beautiful grandchildren. I'm sure you enjoy them every chance you get!
ReplyDeleteCED - In May 1980 I had 2 boys - 6 and 3 - so I have no memory of what I was doing. lol We may have been renovating 1/2 of the attic in our 2 bedroom cape cod to add another bedroom.
John V and Jeff Chen - Nice to see the constructors stop in to say hi.
Did anyone watch jeopardy tonight??? One of the answers was...The Iceman commeth.
ReplyDeleteHarry Truman is not in orbit. To my understanding, he is about two hunndred feet down under the river.
ReplyDeleteI remember Ioan Gruffudd from the Horatio Hornblower movies. (7 of them.) He has matured nicely!
ReplyDeleteI have not missed many blog days since 11/2009 (I think). Blogging first is definitely better than blogging last, if one desires feedback! (Lonely people like feedback!)
JD: What really cute kids!
Dave, Too easy.
ReplyDeleteJabba and
Jabba
OK, Segue links were getting a little off the wall so I settled on this :)
Idyl per definition.
Besides, you are not going anywhere.
Who else would prevent me from posting something like THIS
Manac: A friend's two little boys tried the cat-washing trick. She heard them giggling and found them sitting on a lurching lid. The cat went out the door and they never saw it again.
ReplyDeleteFermatprime: loved Castle. Love Monday night with Dancing with the Stars preceeding.
ced im b4 ur time.
ReplyDeletethis was a riot.
1nce.
IrishMiss@4:41
ReplyDeleteI remember that episode of Monday Mornings and recall the doctor being fired but I didn't make the connection. Thank you for that.
Testing Testing
ReplyDeleteHello Puzzlers - I've been away from the Corner a lot lately. I see 61Rampy posted at 5:04 that Captcha had two words, no numbers. I have the same presentation right now. Is this something new? Permanent, maybe?
I wonder whether it ignores the second word, based on the old behavior in which it ignored the string of numbers.
Yup, that worked. I left off the second word (which was in pretty clear text) and Captcha accepted it.
ReplyDeleteI have very clear type for the first one and squiggles for the second. Captcha word is "very."
ReplyDeleteInteresting.
Ooohhhh, aaahhhhh. Captivating.
ReplyDelete