Theme: Quiet! - Each word in these two-word entries admonish us to hush. Sh! Sh!
20A. 12-gauge ammo : SHOTGUN SHELLS
33A. Little consideration : SHORT SHRIFT. Word Origin & History: O.E. scrift "confession to priest, followed by penance and absolution," verbal noun from scrifan "to impose penance" (see shrive). Short shrift was originally the brief time for a condemned criminal to confess before execution (1594); fig. extension to "little or no consideration" is first attested 1814.
40A. Woolgatherer's tool : SHEEP SHEARS. Windhover?
49A. Eye protection for a tot's bath : SHAMPOO SHIELD
"Argyle here", he whispers. "I found this easier than yesterday's but mum's the word."
Across:
1. Pequod captain : AHAB
5. Online diary : BLOG
9. "My stars!" : "EGADS!"
14. Sagan of "Cosmos" : CARL
15. Capital NW of Napoli : ROMA. In Italia.
16. Challenges : DARES
17. Tex-Mex fare : TACO
18. Piece of news : ITEM
19. Flash of starlight : GLINT. It could have been better clued, IMO.
23. Talc-to-diamond hardness scale inventor : MOHS. Friedrich.
24. Tic-tac-toe win : OOO
25. Hush-hush : COVERT. Snuck in a theme related?
28. Baseball family name : ALOU
30. Tiny, to tam wearers : SMA'. I wanted WEE.
35. Harbor vessel : TUG
36. Squares with dinner rolls : PATS. I hate when they're ice hard.
37. NFL fifth periods : OTs. (overtimes)
38. Olin of "Alias" : LENA. A crossword regular but not so much in the TV series, "Alias". She was in 27 out of 105.
39. Lode load : ORE
44. Road crew goo : TAR
45. Sharing pronoun : OURS
46. Janitor's tool : WET MOP
47. Jungle __ : GYM
48. Lip soother : BALM
55. Reason for some food recalls : E. COLI
56. Pro foe : ANTI
57. Turner in a barbecue : SPIT
59. Pin place : LAPEL
60. Genuine : REAL
61. "Contents could cause Dad to make breakfast" brand : EGGO
62. Pat down : FRISK
63. Indian dress : SARI
64. Bridge position : EAST
Down:
1. Play a part : ACT
2. Lukas of "Witness" : HAAS. The little Amish boy who witnesses a murder.
3. Elaborate entrance : ARCH
4. They may be late : BLOOMERS. Show us your bloomers!
5. High beams : BRIGHTS
6. Sacred flower, in Hinduism : LOTUS
7. Prophetic sign : OMEN
8. Looker's legs : GAMS
9. Beat by a nose : EDGE OUT
10. Winemaking giant : GALLO
11. Seed pod : ARIL. Close enough.
12. Man caves, perhaps : DENS
13. Old jet set jet, briefly : SST
21. Legal wrong : TORT. I much prefer a torte.
22. Filly's foot : HOOF
25. 100 smackers : C SPOT. Snuck in a Roman numeral.
26. Butler's bride : O'HARA
27. Election participant : VOTER
28. __ liberales: universidad course : ARTES. (liberal arts)
29. Daffy Duck has one : LISP
30. Iron emission : STEAM
31. Canadian storywriter Alice : MUNRO. Perps. LINK to Wiki.
32. Shocked : AGASP
34. Gardener attacking weeds, say : HOER
38. "Hmm ..." : "LET ME SEE". Yes, what I said after the previous entry.
40. Coffee additive for the lactose intolerant : SOY MILK
41. Camel feature : HUMP
42. One of Kenya's official languages : SWAHILI
43. Prefix with port : HELI
47. Strong winds : GALES
48. Massive, relatively hot luminous body : B STAR
49. Wound reminder : SCAR
50. Pueblo Indian : HOPI
51. Boathouse equipment : OARS
52. Draft category : ONE A
53. Nancy Lopez's org. : LPGA. (Ladies Professional Golf Association)
54. Works on a trench : DIGS
55. Sprite : ELF
58. Little shaver : TOT
Argyle
52 comments:
Morning, all!
Pretty quick solve for me this morning. Got hung up a bit in the west after confidently putting in WEE for SMA and then wondering why nothing else seemed to work there (it didn't help that I was unfamiliar with Alice MUNRO).
Misread the clue for 26D as "Butler's Pride", so that also slowed me down a bit.
Never heard of SHAMPOO SHIELD, but the perps took care of it.
Everything else was smooth sailing, though.
[youtpun]
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
Fun write-up today, which made it all worth the effort. Hand up for “wee” before SMA appeared.
I can’t say that I was AGASP at this puzzle, although I do appreciate how difficult if would be to find four “sh- sh-“ phrases that could be placed symmetrically in a grid. It would have been nice to see “shape shifters” instead of SHOTGUN SHELLS, though.
I was surprised to see the 36-A answer PATS in the grid with the clue “Pat down” as a clue at 62-A. I just constructed a puzzle with the word AND as an answer, so I had to go back through all my clues to be sure that none of them contained the word. Not an easy task!
I had never heard of a SHAMPOO SHIELD either, but one of our book club gals is having a baby in September, and that would make a perfect “shower” gift! So, thanks for the idea, Jack!
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Jack McInturff, for a swell puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the swell write-up.
I also found this puzzle quite easy. A few stumpers, though. SHORT SHRIFT. Never heard of SHRIFT. Prepped it.
Same for MOHS. Not a word in my head.
MUNRO was an unknown actress. I don't watch much TV.
B STAR was not known to me. After a couple letters the STAR part appeared.
Liked OOO. Once you have one letter, you have three.
Today I continue to dig next to my house foundation. Looking for a leak that is running into the basement.
See tomorrow.
Abejo
(eproana)
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. I was quite on Mr. McInturff's wave length today. Try saying each of the theme answers three times fast and you'll sound like 59-Down.
Hand up for wanting WEE.
I particularly liked Butler's Bride. A nice fresh clue to the Gone with the Wind references.
A Shampoo Shield is new to me, too.
The Iron Emission took me a few moments, as I wasn't thinking of a Flat Iron.
QOD: After forty a woman has to choose between losing her figure or her face. My advice is to keep your face, and stay sitting down. ~ Barbara Cartland (July 9, 1901 ~ May 21, 2000)
[ntscroqu]
Dudley:
Caught your "Billy Beer" comment. I owned a case of that back when he was selling it. Not very good. I should have saved it. It would be worth a lot to some collector.
Abejo
(temtage)
Howdy everyone,
Another pretty smooth run today with one or two goofs which were quickly corrected. Like everyone else so far, wanted Wee for 30A. 32D Agape then AGASP & Let us ... before LET ME...... for 38D were the other slowdowns.
Never heard of MOHS or his invention.
48D BSTAR is a "what is it?", but loved the clue. She wasn't massive, but hot (luminous) body reminds me that in a few days my bride and I will be celebrating our 52nd. She deserves a Gold Astar for putting up with me for so long.
enjoy your day.
[atounts]
Hello Puzzlers -
What Marti said, except for the part about cluing a puzzle. I haven't done that lately...
In legal limbo today. Tomorrow's trial may not take place, as the parties might arrive at a deal beforehand. However, my Broadway ticket is already bought, and the hotel is already engaged, so I'm just going anyway.
Cheers All
Good morning!
Am I the only one who thought SMA? Wee never occurred to me. But I was AGAPE before I became AGASP. I'm not sure where I've heard SHORT SHRIFT before, but it popped into my head almost immediately. Usually, it's the other MUNRO who gets clued.
Argyle, Splynter may not appreciate your BLOOMERS pic, but probably would like the GAMS. I didn't get your "Close enough" comment.
Whenever I mentally hear McInturff, it sounds like a restaurant order. Do you want fries with that?
I resisted Short Shrift for a while, because I thought it was spelled Schrift, as if it were of German origin. Never new the origin until Argyle 'splained it.
d-otto @ 6:55, I'm sure Jack would appreciate your take on his name!! (^0^)
Two walk-in-the-park puzzles in a row. Yesterday and today I solved them almost as fast as I could write. I paused a second to see whether -STAR crossed Aloe or Balm. I wrote WEE, but needed the S for STEAM, so SMA. Thought of AGHAST, but it was too long and we needed A for LENA.
Cute theme.
We've had MOHS several times.
My Mom used SHORT SHRIFT frequently. I am finding more and more of her sayings in crosswords, I am beginning to wonder whether that's how she came by them. She was a great crossword fan and a well read logophile.
Many current print media sources have dozens of citations of SHORT SHRIFT usage. It has become common.
Dudley, you are right, at least where the word came from.
Origin: before 900; Middle English; Old English scrift penance; cognate with German, Dutch schrift writing; see shrive
Oh, so I wasn't all that far off, I guess. Thanks, Argyle!
NATICK! NATICK! NATICK!
( who ever heard of sma/munro? )
I wuz robbed I tell ya!
Uh, oh wait a sec,,,
5D I had Blights??? ( how did I screw that up? )
DNF
(Rats!)
Munro was born in the town of Wingham, Ontario. Her father, Robert Eric Laidlaw, was a fox and poultry farmer...
That's some combo !
My wife says the name is "a truck stuck in the mud" and she's had it for 62 years.I like yours also
Good morning everyone.
Along with Argyle, I wanted 'wee', too, before the perps indicated SMA. Liked the SH theming. Isn't technology great? We had to use the old soap in your eye, don't cry, we're almost done method of SHAMPOOING the SMA ones. Thanks Argyle for the update.
Some more SH stuff:
Beach Conversation
SMA Please scroll down to the cat picture.
Link Sma fish
HI Y'all! Great puzzle, Jack (whatever your name stands for)! Great expo, Argyle! Enjoyed Rhett's proposal.
I thought "hush hush" was the unifier.
Someone gave me a SHAMPOO SHIELD when I had little one(s). They didn't leave on hats of any kind, especially the elastic band types. So the shield didn't stay on long enough to do any good. By the fourth kid, I was pretty adept at keeping soap out of their eyes anyway.
Hahtoolah: QOD: at 74 I've lost out on both counts and I have to take that sitting down.
Hondo: LOL! Happy Anniversary early to you and your A-Star! That hot body is no doubt why it's lasted 52 yrs.
Hi gang -
Struggle for me today. SMA/MUNRO did me in. Mentally very sluggish today.
We have Nate and Em a couple days a week this summer, and they like the Chocolate Chip EGGOS.
Tigers managed to EDGE OUT the Indians 4-2 in 10 innings, improving their extra inning game record to a dismal 3-9.
Their late inning play is improving of late, and that raises my hopes for the 2nd half of the season. Victor Martinez is finding his bat now, and that can be huge.
Cool regards!
JzB
SH?SH? What the heck?
Maybe I should have saved this puzzle for a rainy day...
(Ok, Ok, I'll stop complaining!)
Hello, puzzlers all.
For once I was on Jack's wave length and sashayed in SHORT SHRIFT across and down together. That phrase is used in British novels so it's familiar to me.
SMA filled first because I had TUG and LENA which gave me STEAM and AGASP but hand up for AGAPE first.
SHAMPOO SHIELD is completely unknown nor have I seen it at any baby shower. It doesn't seem practical because the baby's hair has to be washed, too.
Marti, blankets, diapers and onesies are much more practical.
Alice MUNRO was also unfamiliar but the surname, MUNRO is often used in stories.
ONE A is becoming a crossword regular, too.
Great clue:
Turner in a barbecue, SPIT
Thank you, Jack McInturff,for another fun puzzle.
Have a great Tuesday, everyone!
I loved this Tuesday puzzle--almost a speed run but with a few tricky moments and a great theme. I got the SH SH almost immediately and that helped a lot with the lower part of the puzzle. But like many others I also started with WEE and had to do a few other mid-course corrections. So, many thanks, Jack, and you too, Argyle, for explaining the origin of SHORT SHRIFT to us. I love learning new things on this blog.
Loved seeing a clue for the movie "Witness," even though I got the answer only through the surroundings. The story takes place in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, my home, and we all worried that it would malign the Amish. But it didn't, it was a wonderful story, and has stayed one of my favorite movies of all time.
Have a great Tuesday, everybody!
Speed run today. I have been tricked by WEE/SMA before, so now I look before I leap. I also had AGAPE before AGASP, too.
Dudley have a good time in The Big Apple. Enjoy "Wicked"! We'll be attending a local children's production of "Seussical" this weekend...not quite the same as Broadway!
Think it's time to grab a WETMOP and attack the kitchen floor. EGADS!!
Afternoon all:
Easy puzzle with a slight hiccup in the EAST (what is a tam?). Clue/Fill was odd, but very doable.
I'm gonna second Lucina's diaper recommendation for Marti. Get some nice cloth diapers - not for the baby's bottom (keep the disposables there), but for parent's shoulders. I had a dozen of these and they were always handy. 14 years later they are still good shop-rags.
Bill G. Today's math quiz is...?
Cheers,
-T
Jack Mac married 62 years, awesome; does your wife like puzzles, or is living with you challenge enough?
Always enjoy your works and I think of Mac n' cheese gone wrong.
Hola Everyone, Hands up for Wee instead of Sma. Munro was not known so, like Barry I had a tussle with this east mid section of the puzzle.
They have come out with Shampoo Shields since I had my children. The perps helped me with this,but Johnson's "No More Tears" saved me and my children some bath woes.
I had one erasure in the Mid west section as I had put in C note instead of C spot. The slang, smackers should have been my clue that C note was not what Jack MciIntruff wanted for this answer.
Sleep eluded me last night, so I must get on with my day despite feeling very tired today.
Have a lovely day everyone.
Musings
-AGAST/AGASP, MUNRO/MUNROI, WETMAT/WETMOP morass = 2 bad cells
-As junior high boys, we talked of four activities beginning with “SH” that we accomplished upon rising and of course the first of them was scatological
-1956 movie Moby Dick starring Gregory Peck seemed a little odd to me
-I like college football OT’S better than the NFL’s
-The days when our small town put down fresh TAR and gravel was exciting for us boys
-Metal Jungle GYMS are an accident waiting to happen
-57 Across is also what Penny does in Sheldon’s hamburger when he’s pedantic
-Kripke’s LISP is more recent
-HOERS, OARS and ORES in the same puzzle, hmmm…
-With some new headlights, it’s hard to tell if the BRIGHTS are on
A SHIELD for big girls
-What great movie had a never seen character named Jerry GALLO who had just died?
SHAMPOO SHIELD?????
WHAAA?
DNF CSPOT/PATS
BTW, `It's very easy to put some shampoo on a washcloth, wash the baby's head, and remove suds with the rinsed out washcloth.
They never see it coming!
YR: Cute! How's the top to bottom house cleaning coming?
Re: puzzle. What Thumper said.
Husker:The Big Chill?
Thanks for all the comments on the SHAMPOO SHIELD. In addition to individual gifts, each of us is bringing something small to put into a gift basket from the whole group. I saw the cutest onesies that were folded to look like cupcakes. So I think I'll go with that and a bottle of Johnson's baby shampoo, instead! Thanks PK and Lucina.
-T @ 12:00, the best baby shower gift I ever received was a one-year subscription to a diaper service. By the time it expired, she was trained. So I have never washed a diaper in my life! (But yes, they do make great rags.)
Argyle: Thank you for another great write-up.
Jack: Thank you for a FUN Tuesday offering.
Husker: My Cousin Vinnie
Cheers!!!
Sorry Pas, here’s the scene with the Jerry GALLO answer (:31). You got ‘er Tinman!
Hi Everyone:
Late to the dance due to hair cut, errands, etc.
I found this a typical Tuesday level, no problems. Did have wee but not for long as I am quite familiar with Alice Munro. In fact, I believe she recently announced that she is not going to continue writing; I'm not sure why.
YR, loved the "Scottish" cat!
Thanks, Mr. Jack, for a fun solve and thanks, Mr. Argyle, for a fun expo.
Have a great day.
Right! Who DIDN'T want "Wee"? 30A was not exactly a misdirect, but guaranteed to force 99% of us into a do-over.
But shouldn't the clue have hinted at the apostrophe? Maybe something like "Li'l, to tam wearers"?
Just sayin' ...
Well, tam IS short for Tam o' Shanter.
hearti, your child was completely potty trained before age 1? interesting.
Busy, busy, busy. My spring (summer) cleaning was put on the back burner. The 4th of July intervened and Alan had the long weekend off from work which held me back.
My sopping wet grill arrived on July 1. I had to peel away the soggy carton and dry the pieces. Then there was a bent part and no paperwork. I spent mucho time on the Internet and on the phone. My older son came on the 4th, downloaded directions, and assembled it with the bent part. He will change it out later. It is a wonderful Weber. We grilled delicious lamb chops and I got to see Dave again, always a treat.
Today I was busy with Alan's finances, guardianship, trust fund and attorney talk.
I do have one and a half rooms done and should finish the upstairs this week. It would be impossible without AC. I don’t know how the old folks survived it. Thanks for asking. That will keep me on track.
I am property manager at church. A major monkey wrench in my personal plans is that we get a major leak in our steeple whenever we have wind driven rain.
A cell phone service provider built a cell tower inside a steeple and attached it to our church roof, paying us a hefty rent. But for three years, ever since it was erected, it has had major leaks, doing damage to our walls and ceilings. Many remedies have been tried without success. Every time a leak occurs I have to wait a reasonable amount of time and then beat up on the cell company for redress. The next to last time was May23. By the end of June they had done nothing and were not returning my emais or voice mail. In the meantime during the first week of July we had two more major episodes where I had to deal with the water incursions. It was time pull out the big stick again. I sent a copy of my emails to an attorney church member on our board who really has no power to act and I don’t pretend he does, but the ESQ. gives the cell company pause. I said our tenant is about to sue, which she threatens to do. I copied all emails to upper management. That got immediate attention. It is draining to have to be a witch (or should that begin with B?)
No yellowrocks for the cell phone company.
Jack Mc, thanks for dropping in. I'm glad you weren't offended by my comment about your name.
YR, my Weber grill is due to be delivered tomorrow. No rain in the forecast, and I'll be home at delivery time, so I'm not expecting a soaked box tragedy. I have read several reviews stating that although Weber grills are highly-rated, they are notorious for spindly legs. I ordered a SMA grill; no need for a big one as DW doesn't eat meat.
Good puzzle. I had WEE instead of SMA too. So, WEES. Thanks Jack and Argyle.
My personal savior for washing my daughter's fine blond hair was No More Tangles. It was a product that was even better than advertised.
I just spent a very frustrating hour with nine-year-old grandson Jordan. He has an inexpensive bike that nobody is making much of an effort to teach him to ride, so I've stepped in. He can now ride it pretty well, can get off reasonably well but is seriously afraid of getting on. The only way he can do it is for me to hold him up and give him a push. I was trying to show him how to coast down a slight incline while standing on one pedal as a precursor to throwing his leg over (like getting on a horse). But he's just too afraid. He's practically fearless at most everything else but getting on a bike is his nemesis (reminds me of Calvin). I've got to come up with a new plan based on baby steps.
I saw the new Lone Ranger yesterday.
It followed the story line of that despicable 1981 "Legend of the Lone Ranger" but it had to be so the lone Ranger could be a sort of goofball. If you don't know that movie, it was terrible; nothing like we've come to know of the story.
Long story short; I liked this one. And part of the reason why is that it is a rip-off of the 1981 film, not the real Lone Ranger.
Marti, I have never seen a shampoo shield, but I agree it would seem to be hard to use it to wash a girl's hair if it were any longer than that in the picture. The shield is far down on the forehead and would feel strange to the tot. Like PK, I have never known a kid that would tolerate wearing something like that.
D/O, my Weber grill, though small, is very solid and sturdy underneath. Its base is a cabinet. My paperwork wasn't ruined, it wasn't included. I am being mailed a registration card, a lovely colored cookbook, and nicer instructions than I can print off the net, although the net version sufficed for assembling it. The bent part replacement will arrive long before the paperwork.
Bill G. I think standing on one pedal and throwing the leg over is very intimidating. I had my grandson straddle the bike as I held it. He put his feet on the pedals and I walked with him a couple of times. I could feel him learning to balance as I held on lightly. Still holding on I let him try to brake. Then we started the same way and after a bit I let him continue on his own. Soon he got a feel for the balance. Only then did I have him start on his own by straddling the bike It took 20 minutes or so, but he only needed one lesson. It was several weeks before stood with one foot on the pedal and threw his leg over.
PK - you are beautiful. I can tell by your posts here.
Hello everybody. Got a contract; working many hours. (The client always wants it done tomorrow.) Been doing the puzzles, as they are part and parcel of my reading the paper, which I will not give up. No time to come here and read what you all have to say, though. Nevertheless, wishing you all well.
Hahtoolah, thank you for your nice compliment. You are so sweet. I have no delusions about being beautiful anymore. I just try for presentable and smile.
BillG. As a child I never did get over being afraid on a bike going down hill. I never felt like I had the least bit of control. You might want to stay on level ground if you can while he's trying to learn.
Is the bike a good size for him? Sometimes these kids need a smaller bike than you'd expect. I had one child who never learned to ride a bike that I know of.
My youngest dare devil (now AF pilot) taught himself on a full-sized bike with just a little help from an older friend who was visiting one day.
When I went out to see our friends off, here he was sailing around the yard. His legs just were long enough to reach the pedals if he straddled the bar and avoided the seat. That kid scared me many times. He knew he wasn't supposed to ride that bike, so he was determined to do it.
well, this was a tricky one. Hand up for WEE instead of SMA.
I haven't heard SHORT SHRIFT for a long time, but got it anyway.
Favorite clue: Iron emission.
Mr. Fowler: As a speaker of the King`s English, it hurt to read "just sayin`" from you. Please don`t "
stoop" again.
Lucina, do you follow baseball at all? The Dodgers are playing the D-backs. Thank goodness for a stadium with a roof and A/C.
Thanks for all of your input re. Jordan vs. the bicycle. He's relatively fearless for many other endeavors but getting on a bicycle has him buffaloed. I guess I need to figure out a series of baby steps that will get us there. I tried to get him to treat the bicycle as a scooter with his left foot on a pedal, his right foot pushing off on the ground for balance, etc. but he was too scared to give it much of a try. Maybe if he just will give it a little try for a second, then a little longer, etc.? Anyway, he's off for a trip to northern California with his dad and step mom. After that, maybe I'll have the emotional energy to try again. I just want him to trust me enough that he will be willing to screw up his courage a tiny bit. No big deal. Just sayin'
On the other hand, it was nice to see in his journal that he gave me a little credit for teaching him what a Googol was. He wrote that I knew stuff that other Grandpas didn't. Heh heh, it's nice to get a little credit.
Greetings!
Pleasant puzzle, Jack! Cool expo, Argyle!
Fell into SMA trap. Otherwise would have been a speed run.
Couldn't fall asleep last night. Had to skip swimming and try to nap.
It was a very interesting blog. Thanks, folks!
Cheers!
Good evening Argyle, C.C. and all,
Fun puzzle Jack, but CED was right..natnick @sma & Munro.Only Munro that I know is M. Leaf who wrote Ferdinand.
Good explanation of short shrift, Argyle. After filling in sheep sheers(and thinking about WH) I knew that extra r had nothing to do with the theme.Shampoo filled easily, but not shield.Never have seen one.Yes, a wash cloth works well, even when they get old enough to hold it.
Holy Cow Marti...trained at one? Wowzer! Cameron is 3 and he will have nothing to do with the toilet... it's a power thing. Out of my 3 little guys, he has the most self confidence and will try anything on his own.
Bill, I have been teaching the 3 of them to swim. They trust me equally, but that lack of self confidence is keeping Grady(4) from getting his face wet. Cameron is a crazy dare devil and Truman will be a full fledged swimmer in a few weeks.Self confidence is one of the best gifts we can give our kids. It is a pain sometimes, mostly during those teen years, but it pays off.Your little guy needs to be sure of himself; feeling unbalanced can be scary. You are such a kind Grandpa.
PK, kudos to you too for giving your youngest that confidence. Fear of failure can last a lifetime.
Garlic Gal, you had agape for agape. I had agast(bad spelling).For someone who was an A-one speller, I seem to be losing it at times in these puzzles.
Jayce, I will miss reading your blogs.
Jayce:
I'm happy for your good fortune but shall miss your elegant writing. Good luck to you!
BillG:
Believe me, all the baseball as well as football fans are pleased that the stadium is cooled. It creates a much more enjoyable experience. I don't follow sports, though.
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