Theme: Back to Basics.
Your basic "definition" type theme, that is. But with a cute twist at the end. And I like the way the NUTS and BOLTS clues alternate.
17-Across. NUTS : ARDENT FANS.
24-Across. BOLTS : FABRIC ROLLS.
33-Across. NUTS : OFF ONE'S ROCKER.
48-Across. BOLTS : HIGHTAILS IT.
57-Across. NUTS AND BOLTS : ESSENTIALS.
For some reason, I just thought this was really fun, and actually giggled at 57-Across. Am I NUTS?
Marti here, to check out what else Matt has served up today.
Across:
1. Turn near home : AT BAT. Bamboozled on the first entry, I started looking at the downs immediately. I got the first "A" from those, and nothing else. Moving on...
6. Boxers' sounds : ARFS. Ahh, one I can fill.
10. ___ Said: Suez Canal harbor : PORT. Ooh, ooh, another one!
14. Watson's creator : DOYLE. ...is this really a Thursday puzzle?
15. Veggie that leaves a purple stain : BEET. OK, I know I am going to get slammed down south. This is starting out too easy...
16. Playfully roguish : ARCH. (skip it and come back later)
19. End of an old boast : VICI. Veni, vidi, vici.
20. It's après après-midi : SOIR. French for "evening," which comes after afternoon.
21. Part of the inn crowd? : MAID. ...not fooled.
22. Elevator stop : FLOOR. Gimme.
23. Spike TV, once : TNN. The Nashville Network, then The National Network, and now Spike.
26. Sells out : RATS ON.
28. Dive into, as a pile of correspondence : HAVE AT.
29. Take into custody? : ADOPT.
30. County bordering Galway : MAYO. Hold it!
39. Heavy load : ONUS.
40. "Hill Street Blues" regular Veronica : HAMEL. I wasn't a big fan. She played Joyce Davenport.
42. Red choice : CLARET. "Merlot" also fit. Just sayin'...
47. Advice-and-consent body : SENATE. I always mistakenly thought it was "Advise" because of this novel.
52. Felix or Morris, e.g. : CAT.
53. Pal of D'Artagnan : ATHOS. So what are Porthos and Aramis, chopped liver?
54. Squeal : SING.
55. "How the Other Half Lives" author Jacob : RIIS. He became a social activist in New York, exposing the life of poverty and desperation in the slums. Interesting that the next clue hints at where he was born.
56. Dutch burg : STAD. If you know that a German city is called a "stadt" it wouldn't be too difficult to suss the Dutch word.
59. Differently : ELSE.
60. Money guru Orman : SUZE. This section with SUZE and PETR crossing LISZT could be a bear for some. (Not moi!!)
61. Name on a bottle of Pleasures : ESTÉE. Why, yes, there it is. Right at the top. However, "pleasures" is never capitalized.
62. Sinks out of sight : SETS.
63. '80s-'90s tennis star Korda : PETR. All perps and wags.
64. Farm machinery giant : DEERE.
Down:
1. To the stars, in mottos : AD ASTRA. Many mottos include those Latin words. I imagine this corner might also give some people fits, with Latin, an old car and a tricky phrase, all starting off 1-2-3.
2. Olds luxury model : TORONADO. Jay Leno has a 1000hp one.
3. Owing to : BY DINT OF. DINT is used only in this phrase, and means "force." By dint of hard work, they were able to finish the job on time.
4. 11-down, e.g., briefly : ALER. American Leaguer.
5. Royal flush part : TEN. Had to be ace or TEN.
6. Britcom with Edina and Patsy : AB FAB. Short for "Absolutely Fabulous." I believe Lemony is a fan of this show.
7. Run over : RE-AIR.
8. Upscale handbag : FENDI. I love this one. But not $2,890 worth of love...
9. Canonized gp. : STS. Saints. I didn't know that the NOLA team had been canonized!?! (^0^)
10. 1904 Nobel-winning physiologist : PAVLOV. Instant reflex to fill this in.
11. Camden Yards player : ORIOLE. My mind was somewhere over in England. I finally remembered this ballpark.
12. Dr Pepper alternative : RC COLA, which can quench your...
13. Desire : THIRST.
18. Fed. investigator : T-MAN. Treasury Man. I always have to wait for perps before deciding whether to put T- or G-.
22. Monk's address : FRA.
24. Snap, in ads : FOTO. Go ape? Zing? E-Z? My mind definitely was not on "pics."
25. Half a little train? : CHOO...choo.
27. Bain de Soleil abbr. : SPF. Sun Protection Factor. I always wondered why it isn't called "Skin" protection factor. After all, that's what needs protection, not the sun!
30. The Beatles and the Stones, e.g. : MEN.
31. Sun Devils' sch. : ASU. Arizona State University. A gimme for Thelma and Lucina.
32. Timeline nos. : YRS. Years.
34. "___ problem!" : NOT A.
35. Jazzman Baker : CHET. A brilliant musician with a very checkered career.
36. Kal ___: Iams rival : KAN.
37. Make gaunt : EMACIATE.
38. Merchant : RETAILER.
41. Thoughtful words : LET'S SEE...(where was I?)
42. Goes after : CHASES. Warning - this chase scene might cause dizziness! 1:03
43. Unimportant : LITTLE.
44. Overcome with shock : AGHAST.
45. Scholarship founder : RHODES.
46. Many "Star Trek" characters, briefly : ETS. Extra-terrestrials.
47. Billboard, say : SIGN.
49. Thing to resolve : ISSUE.
50. Composer who wrote piano transcriptions of Beethoven's nine symphonies : LISZT. Here is one of my favorite pieces...1:29
51. Evil look : SNEER.
55. Climb : RISE.
57. Psychic letters : ESP. Extra-sensory perception.
58. "How I Met Your Mother" narrator : TED. I still don't know how he met her, but this is the final season for the show.
Time for me to BOLT outta' here. See you next week!
Hugs,
Marti
72 comments:
Morning, all!
Pretty straightforward, albeit with some very tricky clues here and there. Fun theme!
FENDI was unknown to me, so that gummed things up a bit in the north until the perps came to the rescue. GUCCI, yes. LOUIS VUITTON, sure. But FENDI? Never heard of it, sorry...
Learned a new definition for ARCH. Now I'm going to giggle whenever I hear anybody referred to as somebody's ARCH enemy.
[esurive]
Marti you were on top of your game today. Speaking of game, Petr Korda' s daughter is a successful member of the LPGA choosing golf over tennis. Ivan Lendl' s girls also play golf.
The puzzle was fun, with a few very tricky twists. AB FAB was great silliness and Ted meets their mother in a few weeks. It is funny how irritating characters like Ted, or Rods on Friends, become part of popular culture.
BY, you need to go shopping with your wife more, Fendi has been big from back in the day when I was married.
Good morning!
The upper midwest almost did me in today. I didn't know FENDI (started with GUCCI). I was looking for a hotelier beginning with M rather than MAID. REAIR just looked wrong, even after I got it. ABFAB sounds like some sort of convention rather than a Britcom.
Marti, your tail-chasing cat looks a lot like avatar. (Fortunately, he's out raising havoc in the 'hood and leaving me in peace this morning.) I agree with your SPF comment. And BY DINT OF was my learning moment; I DINT know that's the only way it's used.
I'm sure this puzzle will be a great hit, sweet success, and honeyed mead, and cause infinite joy to those who are into arcane, mere petty, trite, trivia which, in polite society nobody would give 2 hoots about.
A lot of generally universal useless knowledge is never a dangerous thing.
To them that 'did' it, savor your triumphs, and for the rest of us - well we can just enjoy what the rest of the day has to offer.
On with a cheery breakfast, or off to dedicated work and practical achievement, as the case may be.
Ugh...I think I'm getting dumber. This seemed more like a Friday/Saturday to me. I was just not on Matt's wavelength. Oh well let's see what tomorrow will bring.
Quite a workout today. Like others, had (or wanted) GUCCI or PRADA. FENDI is a total unknown. Had ACE at first, changed it to TEN. So many unknowns today. Had to look up PETR, but that gave me enough to fill in the whole south. NW was fairly easy, too, altho my first guess for Watson creator was IBM. Never watched ABFAB, but I have heard of it. Thought of MR PIBB before RC COLA. At least I finished, correctly. On to Friday!
Another Thursday Toughy. Last week I did better on Friday than on Thursday. I"m starting to see a pattern.
I did well on the bottom 2/3, but the top did me in. I'd never heard of AD ASTRA or BY DINT OF. Oddly enough, I did know FENDI.
I also though of MR PIBB which is similar to Dr. Pepper. It's not cola flavored, like RC.
Yesterday in Chicago it was in the mid 80s and sunny, now were back to chilly weather.
Off to another day - hope your's is nice.
Good morning everyone.
Started out being daunting; then got most of it ok. The top center beat me up, though. Thought RE-AIR was awkward. Never heard of FENDI; tried Gucci. And I didn't know AB FAB either. Took awhile for ARDENT FANS to 'click'. Too many unknowns in one spot.
Marti made me chuckle with her comment about 53a, re: 'chopped liver'.
Re: Mr. Pibb. It was actually introduced by Coca-Cola as a competitor to Dr. Pepper. They originally called it "Peppo," but changed the name after they were sued by Dr. Pepper for trademark infringement.
Barry - A playfully roguish enemy sounds like fun!
DNF
NW did me in. I had Balt, not ALER; and ACE, not ten: Nuit, not SOIR. Wanted some form of IBM for Watson;s creator. Didn't even know that "turn near home," was a sports clue.
Had to Google for SPF (I just don't go out in the sun), ASU (more sports), and TNN.
Too much sports, but surprised myself by getting PETR and ORIOLE.
Knew FENDI right away, and thought of that Drury book as soon as I saw the SENATE clue.
WSS (Spitz). I had to guess a lot of what was elsewhere too, including MAHO/HRS for MAYO/YRS. Also had no idea about AT BAT-- I thought they'd be far away from the bat when on their way home. At least I did realize it was a baseball reference.
FANS and MAID escaped me too, as well as having never heard of ABFAB or FENDI--obviously not in my price range!
Hello everyone,
A DNF thanks to, in my opinion, some pretty lousy cluing. The north.. west & cental.... were the causes of my anger.From 28A & 30D, everything was fine. Most of my issues have already been mentioned.
Even one of my successes in the North had me scratching the dome. Take 1A , TURN AT HOME/AT BAT. Turn is OK, means it's your turn to bat. NEAR is wrong. You are not near home , you are at home or at the plate. I know I'll get criticized by the wordsmiths today, but the clue does not mesh with the fill.
I wasn't crazy about REAIR, ABFAB, FENDI, SOIR, & BY DINT OF .. really! ARDENT FANS, no complaints, just DINT get it.
Plenty to do today that will take my mind off this &@^^ing puzzle.
Cute expo, Marti. I loved the dog chase link. Neat theme.
The top center held me up for a while. I forgot that BEETs leave a purple stain. I don't serve them because no one here will eat them. Sometimes I do buy myself a hardboiled egg pickled with beets at the deli. They do look purple. I had ARDENT FAN (loved it) and ARF. Then, with the FEN-I, I dug up FENDI from somewhere. I wagged the AI in MAID and Ta DA!
It was fun, but not a walk in the park.
How hard was it, Gary? Well EMACIATE was one of my first solid fills on this wonderful puzzle. Talk about your land mines all around –(DINT, et al?)! Oh well, it’s windy, cold and snowy on the plains so…
Musings
-Après and CLARET for our lovely Marti! BTW, I liked Veronica HAMEL;-)
-THIRD was not the turn near home
-I suggested my kids leave a $1/ day for the MAIDs at Disney
-A lotta people that should have did not RAT ON (SING) the Boston bombers
-Advice and Consent can be a political football devoid of merit
-PETR/LISZT appeared out of nowhere
-TORONADOs were of an era when cars had personality
-My KC ALERs pulled out another one last night after being down a bunch
-I’ll get back to you if I can think of something more ridiculous than $2,890 for that bag. What, you want $1.50 for that Snickers?
-Take your pick of PAVLOV jokes
-Do you remember waiting a week to see if your FOTO was any good?
Good Morning all - Thanks Matt for a brain buster this morning and Marti for a great expo. A DNF for me today. Lots of unknowns for me.
I very proudly put in THRID for 'Turn near home' (as in rounding third base). Did some more across fill-ins before coming back to the downs. When I got to 5D I knew it had to be TEN or ACE, and there goes my THIRD. :( Oh well, it was a sports clue after all.
Wanted GRRS before ARFS, Bottom half filled in before top half, Not familiar with FENDI, Gucci yes, but that's about it. Not upscale gal I guess.
A learning puzzle for me today. No lookups but had to use red letters all the way through.
On the bright side - I get to see my family this weekend. Off to do some more packing.
Have a great day everyone!
ovturi
I wanted GRRS and GUCCI at first, too. BEET became my Rosetta stone.
D Otto,I agree that turn AT BAT happens AT home, not NEAR home. I questioned that, but got the answer anyway. I suppose using AT instead would have been too essy. As some have said, the turn near home would be rounding third.
Tweren't me, YR. That was Hondo at the plate.
The last car my dad drove was a TORONADO. He owned a couple of cars after that, but he'd given up driving due to failing eyesight. Makes me wonder if I have that to look forward to.
Good morning:
I must have been on Matt's wave length because I sailed through this with ease, the only hiccup being third before at bat, but that was corrected quickly.
Clever theme, Matt, and super expo, Marti; I loved the Bugs Bunny clip. Toronado was a gimme as we had one; I think it was a 1980- a sharp car back in the day.
Another beautiful Spring day. Enjoy the your Thursday.
Hello Puzzlers -
Hand up for Third before At Bat. Never heard of a Fendi bag, there probably aren't any of them in my Zip code.
I like the clever theme today.
Cheers All
Well, I certainly am happy to see I am in good company today with the AT BAT bamboozlement...
WDS (What Diane said). This was a real toughie for me, more like Friday or Saturday, although some of it was due to my own dumbness. Had the most trouble in the top middle, largely because I couldn't get over thinking of boxer as a sports figure. Tried POW, BAM, OOF--but ARF never occurred to me. Hey, I'm a dachshund person and have never been crazy about boxers since one scared me when I was about ten. Also had PRADA before I finally figured out FENDI. Got BEET but it didn't fit with anything else. And would never have gotten REAIR in a million years. So not my best day, but the sun is shining, the weather is warm, and we're going to see a production of "Steel Magnolias" this afternoon--so what's there to complain about.
Loved your write-up, Marti.
And C.C., just for the record: you're wonderful!
Have a great Thursday, everybody!
My sister just got rid of a Fendi bag.
My daughter is a proud ASU graduate.
I ran across "dint" in a puzzle not to long ago.
We have the AbFab series on DVD. (Love Edina's fridge full of nothing but Champagne!)
But Petr got me in the end. I confidently filled in "Pete" so I couldn't get "sneer".
Happy May to one and all, even you dopey trouble makers who insist on reading WAY too much into some posts.
Hi gang -
Can't say I've ever agreed with a carping anon before, but the one at 7:10 nailed it.
I got the theme, which is quite good. But this puzzle is marred with too many proper names and obscure pop culture references. AB FAB?!? Gimme a break. FENDI?!? Are you serious? SOIR?!? Clued in French?!? NON!
Could we just retire ALER, NLER, NFLER, etc, etc. and clues that say "half a" anything? I think one of them might have been moderately amusing once, about TEN tears ago.
MEN for Beatles and Stones is really just terrible.
There's a lot of good stuff in this puzzle, BY DINT OF is stellar, EMACIATE, AGHAST. But on balance, I can't give it a good grade.
I get to taxi Nate to his baseball game today. The LW gets to chauffeur Rebekka home from rehearsal tonight. Have wheels, will travel.
Cool regards!
JzB
Agreed GarlicGal. Jerome has done this many, many times. Maybe he should be banned from ever posting again! But in the words of Buddy Holly...
Rave on? It doesn't matter anymore?
Am I the only one who didn't get that BOXER referred to a dog?
I had to ask my husband who the author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries was. He's almost 80 and has a better memory than I do!
Matt, forgot to say it's always great to have a challenge--even if I don't rise to it entirely.
Are you stealing my lines again?
UGH! The entire upper half was as white as snow.
I'm in agreement with Hondo and JazzB
MEN? for Beatles and Stones is just plain awful.
And why is RC Cola a Dr. Pepper alternative????
You might as well say Crush, Nehi,
Sprite, or lemonade for crying out loud.
AT BAT clue was awful.
Did NOT enjoy this in the least.
Do you all remember that classic line Renee Zellweger said to Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire about prostitutes?
"You had me AT HOs"
I was surprised at how bad looking she was in person.
Hello, unhappy puzzlers et alii. If I knew it in French I would use it!
Thank you, Marti, for today's sparkling analysis of a really challenging puzzle.
WEES. It took me a very long time to get any kind of foothold as I started with the same misdirections as the rest of you, MR PIBB, MERLOT, wanted IBM but had BY_ _ . VICI and CHOO were my pathetically only entries for a long, long time. Finally I saw that ARF/FENDI/BEET would work as I had already erased MAID then reinserted it.
Slowly, ever so slowly I entered into Matt Skoczen's wave length. Loved EMACIATE and RETAILER. One of my nieces loves Pleasures by ESTEE so that at least I was sure about. That and ASU!
As if all that was not daunting enough, our internet was down for a few hours and just now responded.
But all this was a learning experience and that is worthwhile for me.
Too bad Buzz Lightyear didn't say "AD ASTRA" giving it catch phrase status.
Well, I'm off for a mani-pedi and that will be delightful.
You all have a fantastic Friday!
Hello everybody. My reactions to this puzzle made me think maybe I was suffering from severe bipolar disorder. At first I hated it, like hondo hurricane. Then I loved it, the theme entries anyway. Then I felt like , "Meh," and then I laughed out loud at CHOO. And, like Marti, I often thought, "Ooh, ooh, I got this!" and then, "No idea, leave it and move on." Hard, easy, hard, easy, fun, crap, fun, crap, and so on.
I like that we have both PORT and CLARET, even though I wanted MERLOT so much it messed me up in that whole SW corner. Once I finally realized MERLOT must be wrong, ETs and RHODES set me straight.
Saw _AVEAT and foolishly filled in C for the first letter without first reading the clue that later ended up making me laugh.
By dint of my own impetuousness I was stymied, and was unable to finish for want of that F crossing ARFS and ABFAB.
Marti, I enjoyed your writeup very much. I like how you described your reactions as you went along.
Best wishes to you all.
I started this puzzle in ink,,, took 2 breaks,,,went red letter,,,went red in the face,,,went crazy on the "solve button..." "Darn you Matt Skoczen!"
Wees, except... Everyone had 1A=third, am I the only one that thought 1st was also near home plate? (hey, the "T" fit.) & it did not help that I thought Watsons creator was Edgar Rice Burroughs... Anyway 30D = Men pretty much sums up what I thought of this puzzle. But it did have a lot of fodder for links!
But B/4 that, Marti, that pic you posted of 8D (handbags, yea like I would pick that column in Jeopardy...) I stared at it for the longest time, trying to figure out why it would be so valuable. & the only thing that occurred to me was you can save water by putting a brick in a toilet,,, maybe this handbag full of water is lighter if you put a brick in it??? ( I dunno, you stare at that thingie for a while & see if you don't go nutty...)
I'm with hondohurricane on this... the cluing and/or editing was horrible on this.
"BY DINT OF' I have never heard that saying before and probably never will in the future.
Hi everybody. Like CED, I had FIRST at first for 1A. I doubt if I would have been able to finish without a little red-letter help. I had never heard of a Fendi bag but the crossing letters filled it in. My wife makes beautiful quilted bags that are, in my mind, way prettier than the YSL, Fendi, etc. designer bags. They are better made too. She could never sell them for what her time is worth in making them. I guess the famous name and initials are worth a lot of money.
Two big fires burning out of control north of here. I find that very depressing...
Hand up for wanting THIRD for 1A and then wrinkling my nose at the correct answer. Also hand up for wanting MRPIBB for 12D.
Gary, I liked some of those Pavlov jokes. Thanks.
My mom used to say "by dint of" a lot, almost as much as "cyclone strucket."
I asked my wife what upscale handbag begins with F and she answered FENDI within a millisecond. She helps me a lot with perfume brands and stuff like that.
Well, I must back pedal and wish everyone a fantastic Thursday! I have no idea why I wrote Friday.
BY DINT OF is another idiom used primarily in writing.
NYT discussing Moss’s revelation about Pink Slime used in ground beef, “BY DINT OF good old-fashioned reporting, Moss effected real change, a big win for the consumer.
NYT Examiner, “Carnegie argued back then, in America’s original Gilded Age, that we average Americans should welcome the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. BY DINT OF their 'superior wisdom, experience, and ability,' Carnegie assured us, these rich few can put their wealth to work for the benefit of us all. (SIC - YR)
homegardeningtips.com “Not only do you have the satisfaction of knowing that you are eating something that you grew yourself BY DINT OF your own efforts, but you also have the health benefit of eating super fresh food that you have grown organically.
“A revolution can be neither made nor stopped. The only thing that can be done is for one of several of its children to give it a direction BY DINT OF victories.” Napoleon Bonaparte (This must have been translated from the French.)
In support of Jerome:
I love to discuss facts looking at research on both sides and applying logic and reason. I love to look at arguments from the other side, but I believe no-one is entitled to his own facts.
Opinion and one's own sensibilities are another matter. They can be neither right nor wrong.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
“Though these words are regularly attributed to Voltaire, they were first used by Evelyn Beatrice Hall, writing under the pseudonym of Stephen G Tallentyre in The Friends of Voltaire (1906), as a summation of Voltaire's beliefs on freedom of thought and expression.” From Wiki.
I haven't made up my mind on the issue at hand raised by Jerome, but I believe he has a right to express his feelings.
Sorry for the delay, Had to make a Mr. Mom Taxi run. Onto the links!
(no, we are not going golfing...) Which reminds me, did no one like my sexy pool party link yesterday? :(
Yes, I had Merlot. I had some vague recollection of Claret, so I Googled it. (I thought it was interesting, so i linked it.)
Manac, this link is an apology for yesterdays link. I did not mean to blame you for anything, I just thought I could use you as a funny segue. Again, my apologies.
Sorry, by dint of,,, I don't think so...
24D Snap in Ads reminded me of the good old days.
&, of course, we cannot pass up 46D Many "Star Trek" characters,
I believe Jerome is, himself, a racist by thinking that using the word ho is racist!
I mean, c'mon, are only black women hos? Absolutely not. But that is exaclty what Jerome is implying.
He has also called C.C. silly for institutong rules for HER blog.
I.for one, have had enough of Jerome's bumblings.
Oh, btw, call me whatever names you want for me not being blue. The only difference between me and Jerome is the color of my name. Who is prejudice now?
Oh nuts! I completely forgot! When I tried to shut down my PC, I had a forgotten link left open!
Marti, I prefer my Listz with a little Boogie Woogie!
Hi Y'all! Every Kansas school child learns "AD ASTRA per aspera" translated "To the stars through difficulties." This is the state motto on the great seal & flag. Pretty well sums up the pioneer years.
My next fill was CHOO. Then I went to the bottom and filled my way back up. l figured it was Caesar's boast, but couldn't think of anything except "amat".
If you knew SUZE like I know SUZE, oh oh oh what a gal.
I didn't see any FENDI at Walmart last time I bought my one and only purse. Don't understand the need to collect. Barely have enough money to carry in one.
Snow and rain all night and day here. Last night when I saw the TV radar showing the approaching storms, I forgot all about being mad at the cat for all the squirrel guts. I kept getting up and tapping the window which is the only call he will answer. As soon as the thunder boomed, he was here ready to
go in the garage. I guess I do love him after all. Just don't love some of the things he does.
John:
I believe the word HO is a derivative in the pronunciation of black dialect and seems to have been first used in 1965 in black rap music therefore giving it an almost intrinsically black usage. Racism has nothing to do with it.
Fo shizzle
Lucina, I believe you are wrong.
Rap music in 1965? Really?
I didn't bring up racism, Jerome did.
My point, Lucina, is that Jerome was out of line by posting his rant against GarlicGal and Manac. I don't care about the etymology of the word ho, tally ho, westward ho, ho ho ho, ho hos or navajo. I just was pointing out the double standard here on the blog. Different rules for different people. right Hondo?
CED @4:45
That Bugs Bunny piano routine was
hilarious. Thanks for posting that.
Pretty accurate too, in terms of how a pianist would play the piece.
Of course not the right notes, and in some places the right hand should ascend,while the left hand should descend, but all in all a complicated bit of animation.
And to think it was all done one cel at a time by hand.
John, give it a rest.
After Jayce's comment, I went back and found Gary's Pavlov jokes. Good stuff! Some people's brains are so clever and creative.
pas de chat @ 5:20
Funny you should say that, because right below my link on YouTube was this tutorial, (of which I have not seen the entire thing yet, as I am cooking dinner, & I do not want to burn my meatballs.)
Hmm, when the meatballs hit 130 degrees, add the pasta. 10 more minutes should be Al Dente! (& safe chopped meat. )
Alternative/constructive phrasing for word cops - (especially if you are too timid to include your email in your profile) – “[Name], though it was probably not your intent, can you see where [that word/phrase] might be offensive to some?”
Aw nuts! I just went to add my pasta, & the meatballs were at 195 degrees! (I musta made em too small..)
Oh well, I will let you know...
Plus, what is all this crap about Ho Ho Ho! (Santa would not approve)
Can't we stop this joking around?
Ho jokes and comments are old, inane, and racist. Please, if you want to spew some venom at least be original. Better yet, just come out with your true colors and use the N-word.
CED@ 5:20 Don't bother watching the tutorial. I thought it would be about how the cartoon was made.
Perhaps the animators had film of the piano player and copied his/her movements.
The kid is not much of a piano player and whoever is shooting the video is obnoxious.
Bugs' tune is a 10 bar intro on the boogie bass line and a 12 bar blues.
Can't figure how you made dinner.
I make meatballs first, then add them to my sauce and let them simmer awhile(30min. to as long as I want.Then cook the pasta separately. When the pasta's ready so is everything else.
Marti.... thanx for the shout out.... :) yep, I got ASU... and a few others.... very few.... pretty much a little bit of WEES... :) too busy lately to agonize too long over the puzzle.... :(
Hope everyone has had a great day.......
thelma
Dave, No No No apologies Needed! It gave me the opportunity to post what Nicole says to me Now and then.
Still having problems with internet. At least I can sometimes get on now.
I found today's puzzle to be harder than usual, but finally toughed it out. ATBAT was a killer. Just did not want to accept it.
But, thanks for interesting puzzle, Matt and witty write-up, Marti. Can't look at the links. Time Warner coming out again tomorrow. Maybe after that I can go back and look at links!
Saw an interesting reprise of old Dr. Whos (#1 - 4) the other day. Especially enjoyed the entire episode with #4 (Tom Baker). He has always been my favorite, and was the very first that I saw!
Did anyone see "Secrets of Highclere Castle?" Really wonderful trek through setting of DA.
Cheers!
Hola Everyone, What Lucina and Jayce said. A real DNF for me today, though I did enjoy getting some of the more obscure answers before I came here to read Marti's excellent writeup.
I didn't even think about baseball for a turn near home. I finally put in Drive for driveway. When nothing else would fit, I erased that and my one solid entry in that entire corner was Doyle.
Sinks out of sight was something sinking into the river or ocean! Duh!
Have a great evening everyone.
Time for some music to lighten the mood...
Ho Hey
Not light enough? Try this...
Chicken Ho Mein
Easy, then hard, then easy again.
AD ASTRA was a gimme right off the bat. All proceeded smoothly until I had to ask my wife for the "upscale handbag." She gave me FERMI. I asked, "Are you sure?" because I hadn't realized one of the fathers of the A-Bomb had found time to do ladies' accessories. But more power to him, I thought.
Then nothing in the topmost 9th would work, not until I went back to her and pleaded -- and finally dislodged FENDI.
Evening all!
Late o'clock seems to be the only time I can visit lately, though I do the puzzle 1st thing when I get to work a bit early. This one had me stumped for a bit - same mistakes as most everyone else, but it all worked out.
Great puzzle Mr. Skoczen & as always, great commentary by Marti.
Thank you for this blog, C.C. Finding it has been a pleasant surprise.
Picks for the Derby anyone?
Crispy
I have nothing important to talk about but I'm feeling like typing anyway. I just took a battery-operated clock off the wall because the battery finally died after several years. The clock motor area was covered in cobwebs. We talk about how good things used to be but here's a case where newer is definitely better. The little clock motor has run reliably for years and the AA battery has lasted for at least three or four years. Remember the good old days of batteries? They would go bad much more quickly and you'd run the danger of corrosion ruining whatever they were powering. Not any more. Batteries last practically forever and usually don't corrode.
Sure Jerome has a right to express his opinions. And others have a right to disagree. I didn't find the original remarks racist or offensive, either before or after he brought it up. I almost never find anything here offensive; the regular contributors are much too intelligent and high-class. But then there are the occasionally snarky anons...
I like these puns on state names in an old campfire song. There are many versions. Perry Como did one.
What did Delaware, boys,
What did Delaware?
She wore her New Jersey, boys,
She wore her New Jersey.
What did Idaho?
She hoed her Maryland.
What did Ioweigh?
She weighed a Washington
How did Wiscon-sin?
She stole a New-brass-key.
What did Tennessee?
She saw what Arkansaw.
How did Flora-die?,
She died in Missouri.
Where has Oregon?
She’ s walking Oklahom.
Why did Califon-ya?
She phoned to say Hawai-ya.
What did Mississip ?
She sipped a Minnisota.
I'm going with Verrazanho to win.
Oxbhow to sHow. And Charming Kitten to place because, well, because kittens are just so darned cute.
I'm betting for the one on the Right
Aw crap! Now I'll be branded as a sexist!
I used red letter help to finally finish:(
Unimportant- LITTLE. I'm offended by the heightism. "A person's a person, no matter how small."
Manac, those fillies are an important part of the Kentucky Derby field for sure though those two have somehow gotten on the infield. Their silks are pretty. They would make a good exacta pairing for "the most exciting two minutes in sports." My guess is after the big race, they'll both retire and spend their remaining years helping out on a local stud farm.
Bill, How and where do I apply for a job on that farm?
Bill G and Manac - you guys are a riot!
Finally got some time to read and remark on yesterday's puzzle. Took 3 shots at it. Progressively neared completion, but the intersection of AD ASTRA and SOIR did me in. AB FAB, FENDI ? and REAIR clued as run over in the same section ? CHET crossed with HAMEL. Mostly What JzB said. Too many proper names and in some areas, too obscure.
None the less, I found it a great challenge and enjoyed it even with the corresponding frustration. Thank you Matt. 3-1 this week. And thank you as well Marti. Similarities to some of your comments. FOTO, G or T MAN. And now I recall Veronica Hamel.
Coca Cola competitor is Pepsi Cola, followed by RC COLA, and Dr Pepper competitor is Mr Pibb. If the clue was competitor, having RC COLA as answer to Dr Pepper would be like having Squirt or Seven Up to Coca Cola. A bit nonsensical. The clue was alternative. I'm perfectly fine with RC COLA. Although, I seldom drink any sodas. Or pops.
BY DINT OF. Everyone knows BY WAY OF, which can be rationalized to clue "owing to", but had BY --NT OF and wanted WANT. But that phrase is FOR WANT OF, as in for lack of or need of.
Finally got ARDENT and process of elimination led me to completion with DINT, which made 20 A NOIR and 1D AS ANTRA. Close, but no banana.
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