Theme: En-word and upward! An homage to Splynter?
Geez, I hope you understand 'EN' sounds like ON; we don't need anybody being Paula Deaned. So after a one week hiatus, Matt S. is back with a variation on the single definition theme, using French phrases, beginning with EN, with second part a five letter word, all in common usage in the US. A classic 12, 14, 14, 12 four theme answer grid. Some hard work in places, but it all went pretty smoothly. Now we will see how many Matts drop by today. Let us start deciphering...
17A. En masse : ALL TOGETHER. (12). Each fill is literal.
27A. En vogue : STYLISH IN PARIS. (14). We get our French reference, not a reveal but certainly a hint.
47A. "En garde" : GET READY TO DUEL. (14). Not sure why the quotation marks unless it is because it is said out loud, more a fencing than a shoot out term.
62A. En route : NOT YET THERE. (12). Are we there yet? Yes we are ready for the rest of the story.
Across:
1. Like some cooked hot dogs : PLUMP. Of course, YUMMY.(0:33).
6. Monopoly property after Illinois : B AND O. A nice change from old Athletics's Third Baseman Sal.
11. It may be pale : ALE. and an immediate clecho, and a double beer reference.
14. It may be pale : LAGER. You could do a whole puzzle with this one clue with fill like New Englander's face, and sea shells and Lindsay Lohan.
15. Old Detroit-to-Seattle hwy. : US TEN. Tricky, my first thought was 'Usten, we have a problem.'
16. Approval of a sort : NOD.
19. Rundown ender : TAG. Baseball clue, where a runner is trapped in between bases.
20. Mr. Ma : YO-YO.
21. Words with hunch : ON A.
22. Calm : PACIFY.
24. Mount where Moses saw the promised land : NEBO. It is in JORDAN.
26. Jogging technique? : MEMO. Interesting, this is the beginning of memory, which is what is being jogged here.
33. Thunders : BOOMS.
34. Quirky : ODD.
35. Sleeping bag site : TENT. Which usually ends up leaving you...
36. Cold and damp : RAW. Not the ideal vacation for an...
37. Like many a social climber : ELITIST.
41. Keep-secret link : IT A. If they went they would keep it a secret.
42. Sports shoe brand : AVIA. I think it is now the official sneaker of Walmart.
44. Walk-___ : ONS. Non scholarship athletes trying out for the team.
45. Honest Abe's dad, in comics : ABNER. We are having a renaissance in interest in AL CAPP and his comic strip.
51. Brief briefs? : BVDS. Like Kleenex, this brand name became synonymous with the tighty whitey we alll wore, The name according to the wiki world comes from Bradley, Voorhees & Day, the three founders. The companyas bought by Fruit of the Loom was gobbled up by Mr. Buffet and Berkshire Hathaway.
52. Aging issue : RUST. Not so much for me, but I worry about Tinman.
53. Took in : HOUSED.
56. Shuttle, perhaps : BUS.
57. David's longtime partner : CHET. Huntley Brinkley Report, what I grew up watching.
61. Keats subject : URN. How bad is your social life that you write a poem to an Urn?
65. ___ loss : NET.
66. Hits with force : SWATS.
67. Subs : HEROS. You might think this refers to the sandwich also called Hoagie and Grinder, but in our world it refers to HG and others who work as substitute teachers and become heroes to their classes.
68. Also : TOO.
69. Commencement : ONSET.
70. Apparel : DRESS. So when we don our gay apparel, it is a dress.
Down:
1. Coach's call : PLAY.
2. Composer Schifrin : LALO. He did Dirty Harry, Bullitt and so many more.
3. Like some moods : UGLY.
4. Broadway, for the theater industry : METONYM. I bet all of our teachers knew this CONCEPT. If you did not the cross with NEBO was tough.
5. 11-Down opposite : PRO. and 11D. 5-Down opposite : ANTI.
6. ___ Aires : BUENOS.
7. Movie clue sniffer : ASTA. The Thin Man cast is also big time crossword fodder.
8. Last in a theoretical series : NTH.
9. Places for diving boards : DEEP ENDS.
10. Feature of many highways : ON RAMP. Well, I think 'many' might just be an understatement, since if you do not have an ON (not EN) ramp how would you ever get ON (not EN)?
12. Just sit around : LOAF. Nice contrasting fill back to back.
13. Not at all calm : EDGY.
18. Mongolian expanse : GOBI.
23. Layer : COAT. Like of paint.
25. Choice word : ELSE. Give me the money, or...
26. Skirt length : MIDI. Not my favorite, but...
27. Dry Italian wine : SOAVE.
28. Specifically : TO WIT. Here we actually have more wit than that
29. ___-totsy : HOTSY. Like this, 601 San Pablo Ave Albany, CA 94706, for our left coasters. LINK.
30. French royal : REINE. With an "E" it is the Queen, without the "E" it is a kidney.
31. Mil. gathering? : INTEL.ligence.
32. One in the lead : STAR.
33. Talk big : BRAG.
38. Encumber : LOAD DOWN. Low down on the down load?
39. Unaffiliated voters: Abbr. : INDS. Independents.
40. Small boys : TADS. A cruel tricky synonym for LADS. Not to be confused with 63D.
43. Wall St. figures : ARBS. Arbitragers.
46. Bungle badly : BUTCHER. Man the last thing I want is my butcher to be a bungler with all those big knives.
48. All things considered : EVEN SO.
49. Most sincere : TRUEST.
50. Boot : OUST.
53. Pursuit : HUNT.
54. Three-part snack : OREO. Top middle and bottom, or Twist, lick and chew?
55. Golden rule word : UNTO. Others...
56. Information unit : BYTE.
58. "___, kitty kitty!" : HERE.
59. Mythological archer : EROS. I have graduated from the dawn to love.
60. 1994 Shirley MacLaine title role : TESS. A finishing run of "T" words. LINK. (2:22).
63. Some univ. staff : TA'S. Teaching Assistants. My youngest was one but they hardly made him feel like staff.
64. Divinity sch. degree : TH D. Doctor of Theology.
Well another Friday in the record books, I pray you enjoyed the show. Time to go see my Charlotte. Lemonade out.
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to the Scotch-loving Tinbeni!
Happy Birthday to the Scotch-loving Tinbeni!
HBDTY and many more Tinbeni.
ReplyDeleteWhere is everybody?
ReplyDeleteMatt gave us a toughie today, worthy of a Saturday except that it has a theme...which I missed.
LAZE? LOLL? Nope, LOAF. AT A? Nope, NET. Walk INS? Nope, ONS. And so it went. I got it all, but not without a fight and several inkblots.
I never did know what BVDs stood for. Thanks, Lemon.
There seems to be a problem with the preview button. The preview shows up on top of the captcha, so you can't read it...let alone enter it.
Anyone else countered D-Otto's Preview button problem? Everything looks fine from my end. I'm using Firefox.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, folks. Thank you, Matt Skoczen, for a swell puzzle. Thank you, Lemonade, for the fine review.
ReplyDeleteI am riding a train back to Illinois. Tried cruciverb, no cigar again. Ipad not working on the train, so I went to Mensa on my phone and got the puzzle. However there is no keyboard on the phone for Mensa. So, I took a sheet of paper and drew a grid. Filled in the black squares and worked the puzzle from the phone and writing my answers om the grid. Worked fine except my eyes are shot.
HBD Tinbeni. If I was in Florida I'd buy you one.
The theme had me cautious at first, being french, but I got through it. Had ALMOST THERE for the last one nut fixed that to NOT YET THERE.
Thought B AND O was clever for 6A. I was a Monopoly nut as a youth.
YOYO Ma was a good one. Different clue.
We have had BVDS before.
Two beer clues/words in the same puzzle. Outstanding!
Had BOTCHES before BUTCHER.
I am going to sign off. The toughest part of this is blogging from my phone on a moving train.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Happy Birthday, Tin man. I hope you finally get that heart, or else a bottle of Skotch.
ReplyDeleteC.C., I think the problem was Lemon's short comment. As a result the "Leave your comment" box was dead center on my screen rather than over on the R.H. side. It's working normally now.
I stared at BANDO for quite some time and finally decided it must be from a newer version of Monopoly. Oh, B AND O! D'oh! Liked the clue for YOYO.
HI Y'all! This got a little UGLY. I had more trouble than I should have had with some of the clues like D-O. Like in the SW corner, HOUSED was not in mind for "took in" and for some reason couldn't come up with HUNT or NET (I the long-time bookkeeper). But an interesting puzzle, Matt.
ReplyDeleteWitty & fun, Lemonade.
C.C. I don't even have a preview button that I can see.
One of my first fills was Mr.Ma: YOYO. Not to be confused with Mr. Mom, my first thought.
B AND O: couldn't remember for a bit. I need to grab holt my grandkids and play me some MONOPOLY. Probably haven't in 30 years.
56D Info unit: wanted "word" not BYTE.
New to me: METONYM, NEBO, SOAVE. Am I the only one who can't remember what the "-nym" words mean?
Just when you think they've used every possible way to describe OREO...
Came up with CHET fairly easily to point to TESS, one of Shirley MacLaine's many rolls, a 4-letter name that's not Erma.
AVIA, the official sneaker of crosswords.
I can't believe I was already a seasoned reader of comic strips at age 11 when HONEST ABE Yokum was born. He didn't make much impression though.
Happy birthday Tin. Two toasts today, 1st to yourself,
ReplyDelete2nd to Ryan Dempster for waking up our favorite team.
Whatever you have planned for the day, have lots of fun doing it.
Good morning Lemonade, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Tinbeni! I know you will be celebrating in style today, so don't wait for five o'clock!!
.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:.
I thought it was an unusual theme with the four "en" phrases. "En suite" would also go nicely with these. You make it look so easy, Lemony! I did struggle with the METONYM/NEBO crossing, but with most of the downs filled, it was inferable.
For "Rundown ender" I was thinking of the children's game of TAG, not baseball! And for "Walk ONS" I was thinking of roles on stage that have no speaking parts. Boy, am I ever athletically challenged!!
Ah well, it all came together in the end. TGIF!
(I'm not having any problem with the preview button, C.C.)
BTW, I use Safari on a Mac.
ReplyDeleteI do not think you get a preview button unless you are blue
ReplyDeleteD-O first time I have been accused of not using enough words, sorry it screwed up your preview
ReplyDeleteGood Morning Everybody!
ReplyDeleteWell chalk today up as a DNF for me. Matt Skoczen did a fine job outwitting me. I googled the Monopoly Property and stil didn't understand BANDO (aka B AND O).
But all's not bad, it's TINBENI's Birthday!! Happy Birthday, Tinbeni!
Mari:
ReplyDeleteB & O railroad.
Abejo
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteDNF. Just plum gave up.
I might have done better if Cruciverb were working, but even if it were the number of unknowns would prove too much for me.
This teacher had no idea about metoNym/Nebo and so I’ll take one bad cell and try to get on with my life.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-ALL TOGETHER and AU NATUREL in one week
-My wardrobe would be STYLISH IN PARIS (Texas that is)
-Dubuque (Stylish Frenchman?) PLUMPers hot dogs
-My daughter and her friend called their very PALE classmate “Bucket”
-Joann’s MEMO to me is a dry erase hanger on the garage doorknob (Set out the trash, Gary!)
-The Huskers beat Colorado in 2008 on a 57 yard field goal when a WALK ON from North Bend, NE, snapped the ball to a WALK ON holder from Omaha and the kick was made by another WALK ON from Omaha. I yelled so loud Joann came in from another room to see if I was okay.
-We Subs are HEROS to schools that need to fill a classroom in a hurry. BTW, you are not a HERO to the teacher if you “punch up” their lame lesson plan.
-Have you ever been boxed in by an idiot to your left and a guy on the right on the ON RAMP? Me too.
-This has been a summer where movies with a big STAR have flopped
-What arbitrager role did Michael Douglas play in a movie that did not flop?
-BUTCHER – “The symphony played Beethoven last night. Beethoven lost.”
-Tinman, my toast to your birthday will be with Sprite, but the thought is there
Happy BD, Tinman!
ReplyDeleteHad the same troubles most have noted. Especially with Bando. Huh? Bando? Stared at that for a good couple of minutes before it came to me.
Gary, that would be Gordon Gecko in Wall Street.
And that walk-on kicker that nailed it from 57 yards is the son of a cousin of of my sisters ex-husband. Seriously. I guess that would make him an ex-cousin in law once removed. :-)
HBTY, Tinbeni! Hope it's a good one.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm a teacher but have never heard of METONYM, NEBO, or SOAVE. I do know that -NYM refers to the name part of those words, but ignorance in that sectore meant I DNF today. Having ROARS for BOOMS and ALL for GET didn't help.
Those were my only problems.
Happy Friday everybody!
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle, but the bottom half was too much for me today. Turned on the red, finally finished. Good night David. Good night Chet....
The NYM I'm most familiar with is the abbreviation for the Mets....
Hot dogs here just aren't the same, because pork is a verboten ingredient....
Finally, HBD to Tinbeni. Cheers, Skoal, Salud, Tchin Tchin! Ale and Lager next to each other, tres apropos! Said the man to the bartender, "I'll have what the guy on the floor's having!"
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm in a prickly mood because of the 5 th day sans Cruciverb, so I'll let Thumper speak for me.
Clever theme and construction, Matt, and witty write-up, Lemony.
Happy Birthday, Tin, have lots of fun!
Hi There~!
ReplyDeleteHappy B-day Tin~! Like HuskerG, I will 'toast' to you 'sans' alcohol, with a sip of Monster energy drink.
I went right around the Monopoly board in my head, and could not remember what was next to those red squares - oh, the railroads~! I forgot those...and so I stared at BAN-- too long....
LOAD DOWN made me grit my teeth.
Metonym was a gimme; it came up in a Saturday Silkie, March 9th, 12down
Thanks for the "EN"couragement, Lemon~!
Splynter
My excuse for not knowing METONYM was that I didn't do the March 9th Silkie...I was at the ACPT that weekend, and was struggling with too many other unknowns!!
ReplyDeleteGood morning from my desktop computer at home!
ReplyDeleteI only solved the middle of the puzzle without red letters.
Abejo: If Mensa doesn’t work on our iPads, how do you get it on your phone?
Happy Birthday, Tinman!
I never played Monopoly. Don’t know why.
I often felt like a HERO when I found out middle school math/science students would beg the secretary (teachers here have no say in who subs for them) to get Mrs. Montana—she can answer questions on the assignments. And Husker, I only subbed for a few teachers and they always allowed me to change their lesson plan at will, as long as the material was covered.
Doha Doc: No pork in St. Louis Park in Minneapolis either (but safe enough community to not require locked doors). My son lived there for a couple years, but missed Sweet & Sour Pork at local Chinese restaurant. Don’t know if that is still true.
Chet Huntley was born and died in Montana. His one-room childhood schoolhouse is now a historic place to visit down the road in Saco, MT. After he retired he returned to Montana and built Big Sky, a ski resort south of Bozeman.
Have a good weekend, everybody,
Montana
Did someone say they purchased an app that allows them to do the LA Crossword on an iPad without using Cruciverb or needing Flash.
ReplyDeleteIs it the one that costs $9.99?
I am going to travel again and would love to find a work-a-round on the iPad so I don't have to take my computer.
Montana
Thank you Matt S. for a very challenging puzzle. I have met the online solve, and I have vanquished it.
ReplyDelete. Since I had no hopes for a Friday, I used the red letter 'help' .... And got a technically 'finished'. Still a learning moment.
Thank you Lemonade, for your witty and humorous blog. I learnt a lot about Lil Abner and Daisy Mae - its all so very interesting. ..., and the schmo - schmoo ?
.
I was confused by metonym, a new word for me, ..... , and Bando ... A Hispanic bandana in a monopoly game ...?
So, this guy, Moses, .... He wandered around, climbed a couple mountains, and altered the coastline, some ... Other than that ? I have to read up on why he was never allowed into the promised land ..... Maybe the government thought he was a 'no-good nik'. Or they didn't want to follow his ten suggestions for civilized behavior.
To people who are offended by blasphemy as above, I apologize, in advance....
Happy Birthday, Tinbeni, have fun, but not too much.
Mari, I loved your Pinch birthday cake. I must try this stuff, some day. Does it taste like spiked tea ?
Have a good weekend, you all.
Montana, I use an IPad out of necessity and I got the LAT crossword app ........... For free ( I think - ). Go to LA times crossword, and ask for the crossword .( Am I describing this right ? ). And they offer you the app. They don't mention any costs.
ReplyDeleteWill let you know if I get a bill for the crossword app ...... Haven't got one yet. Maybe they want to get me really hooked, before they start charging usurious fees.
Well, a bit of a Friday toughie--but I stuck with it and eventually got it. Hurray! Kept wondering about BANDO, which didn't sound like any Monopoly I ever played, and I'm still not sure I get it. Is it the Baltimore and something railroad? Also put PAPPY instead of ABNER because I didn't remember LIL ABNER having a son. Am always grateful for ASTA, anyhow, which turns up in practically every puzzle I do.
ReplyDeleteAh, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. They were wonderful.
Anyway, great fun all the same--many thanks, Matt. And you too, Lemonade, for the fun expo.
Have a wonderful birthday Tinbeni! Love the photo!
Abejo your train and phone story is simply heroic! Wow!
Have a great Friday, everybody!
Doha: Glad you made it. As you're our Early Bird in Barry's absence I was starting to worry!
ReplyDeleteBaltimore & Ohio RR
ReplyDeleteVery slow start for me but it all fell into place, eventually.
ReplyDeleteI thought getting old was enough to worry about as I age. Now I have to look forward to rust!
As for plump hot dogs, I like the quarter pounders. Unfortunately, the only local source for them is Sam's Club or Costco in 4 pound packages. Living alone and not eager to eat hot dogs every day, I do not need 4 pounds.
Not being a baseball person - my only thought for "rundown" ender was rag-TAG. adj: ragged or shabby; disheveled. Never heard of Nebo - but it was a fun work-out today.
ReplyDeleteLemon: Wonderful write-up explaining my Ink-Blot ... DNF. (**it happens!)
ReplyDeleteDidn't know the METONYM / NEBO and wondered why (Specifically) I want to TOW-'IT' (whatever 'IT' is, lol)
BTW, there's no 'Aging' RUST ... since I prefer my Pinch, NEAT.
Many thanks for the Birthday wishes.
C.C. That MaCallan / Glen Breton spread looks scrumptious!
Mari @8:27 - THAT cake is perfect!!!
Hondo: Gal-Pal & I are headed to the NY Yankee-v-Tampa Bay Rays game.
ALE & LAGER will make an appearance with some PLUMP Baseball Hot Dogs.
Should be interesting cheering for BOTH teams.
A "toast" to ALL at Sunset.
Cheers!!!
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteHBD to our unfoiled Tin man.
Great thought on HEROES, Lemony.
Well, I BUTCHERED this one. Guessed at NABO, which gave me ALSO [which makes no sense, but neither does EVEN SO] so I won't even describe the ODD mash-up I had for "social climber." Keep AS A secret just made things worse, giving me a very UGLY French queen.
Themes that relate to the clues only, leaving an uncorrelated bunch of theme fill leave me cold [and damp.]
MEH!
Cross referential clues are fine, but when they neglect to do any actual cluing, it's just an annoyance.
Lest I go off the DEEP END I'll stop now and just say this puzzle did not delight me.
That's Jon Faddis on the monster trumpet solo in the LALO link.
They may be pale - ALL MY GRANDCHILDREN
Cool [but not wet] regards!
JzB
Good afternoon, Lemonade and all. I was in the arms of Morpheus for much too long today and encountered a difficult puzzle to boot.
ReplyDeleteHappy, happy birthday, Tinbeni! I think I can guess how you'll celebrate!
This one threw me around and as so often happens, the bottom filled quickly and without too much misdirection.
The top half on the other hand, was a slog. Like others I struggled with INS/ONS as nail salons all have Walk-INS, then TIER/COAT, RAINE/REINE/TSAR/STAR.
I didn't understand MEMO but it emerged and I stared at BANDO for way too long. It's been a long time since I played Monopoly but that didn't ring any bells. Ohhhh, B AND O, the railroad!
I love a challenge in puzzling so thank you Matt Skoczen. This was fun and required outside the box thinking. That's always good.
I hope your Friday is fabulous, everyone!
Happy Birthday to YOU, Tin!
ReplyDeleteI think Mari's cake to you was PERFECT!
Not much to say about the puzzle. Failed miserably.
Didn't even notice the "en" words.
Ah well, tomorrow will probably be even worse.
I may take the day off, :-)
Wow! This was fun, but very challenging. Had no idea what METONYM or BANDO were. Thanks for your very helpful explanation Lemon.
ReplyDeleteI didnt finish because I had START instead of ONSET and Walk INS instead of ONS, so that whole section was a lost cause.
Lots of O words today, LALO, YO YO, B AND O, NEBO, MEMO, OREO, HEROS, EROS etc.
SOAVE was my wine of choice back in the 80s. Now it's pinot grigio another dry Italian wine.
Happy Birthday Tinbeni! Enjoy!
Mari - Love the Pinch cake!
Abejo:
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Misty. Your dedication to the puzzle was heroic! Hear! Hear!
I also have to say that using TADS instead of LADS was just cruel, Matt. It probably added an extra 10 minutes to my solve. LOL.
Yes, the TADS instead of LADS and the NEBO/METONYM cross made this a challenge. I also was surprised we had out third consecutive Friday definition theme.
ReplyDeleteIt is really fun to see the people at the corner go the extra mile for each other, even before we see CED and his linkmania.
No Matt S., no fake Matt S.
Happy birthday Sn Beni!
ReplyDeleteI got stuck at the intersection of METONYM and NEBO. Otherwise, WEES.
We are getting Verizon's VIOS and dropping TimeWarner as I type. I hope the learning curve for the new equipment isn't steep.
Right in the middle of the Hermosa Pier Plaza, when I was having lunch yesterday, the peace and quiet was disrupted by a ragtag trumpeter noodling loudly. I would have preferred JzB and his trombone I'm sure.
This toughie seemed to depend on a lot of special lore or lingo--from METONYM to TAG to MEMO-- not hard if you know the areas being referenced, but it took a lot of perp help to narrow down the fields.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about TAS as "staff"; these junior faculty/grad student positions aren't identified as such on my campus. As for WALK-ONS, to me (and HeartRX) they are extras or "spear-carriers" in a stage production. As for METONYM, why, playwrights and directors are always pressing metonymy and synecdoche to squeeze maximum value outta stage symbolism.
Montana: Interesting about Chet Huntley building Big Sky Resort in your lovely state. My elder son and his family thought the place was great when they were there earlier this month. Zip-lined and did some sort of exercise in adrynalin on high wires strung on poles. They also went white water rafting. My son thought they had a good time. (Shudder!)
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday, all! Thanks for the challenge, Matt, with a nice change of pace theme. Great write-up, Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the En Garde clue – older daughter and her husband met at their college fencing club and still occasionally don facemasks and tunics for a workout. METONYM can now be added to my “learned from crosswords” list. Hand up for needing a minute to parse B AND O.
A very Happy Birthday to you, Tin Man. Here’s wishing you an especially gorgeous sunset to accompany tonight’s toast.
Now to go catch up with everyone’s comments and links. Enjoy the evening, everyone!
Hi, cyber friends. We just returned from wild and wonderful WV this afternoon. We rented a fully furnished cabin in a beautiful mountainous area we have visited often. We saw a huge flock of cedar waxwings. Lovely. No obligation to sight see, just enough activity to keep Alan happy. The car functioned well.
ReplyDeleteI felt beat and crabby after the last rough two weeks at home. LOAFing and reading were the order of the day. They had great restorative charms. Good attitude adjustment.
I, too, thought B&O was BAND-O, maybe a new Monopoly street.
I used to enjoy CHET and David. They were scornful of the modern “human interest” non-news that more and more substitutes for real news.
I read Lil Abner, but needed crosses for Honest Abe. I don't recall him at all.
The gal in the next door classroom used to invite me over to her home after school for a glass of SOAVE.
Many of our highways can be entered at intersecting cross streets instead of ON RAMPs.
Happy birthday, Tinbeni. I'll raise a glass of Merlot to you at sunset. Enjoy the game.
Thanks, Yellowrocks, for reminding us that Huntley/Brinkley were "Scornful of the modern 'human interest' non-news...." If only that ethic could be revived!
ReplyDeleteNational news used to be 15 minutes long. Remember "hop-scotching the world for headlines" with John Cameron Swayze? I used to enjoy ABC News with Peter Jennings, but under Diane Sawyer, the added 15 minutes are an immersion in big Pharm ads and "human interest." Who ARE these humans? Rescued exotic (and cute) animals, athletes who are kind to kids, images of Mary on toasted buns, and how to budget your money according to high-powered investigative reporters.
My favorite recent human-interest angle was when CNN's Wolf Blitzer prompted a tornado survivor, "Don't you just want to thank God?" Her answer--"well, actually, Wolf, I'm an atheist"-- was priceless.
Good afternoon Lemonade and everybody. Spent much of the day in the land of the Argyles and Irish Misses. (Stillwater.) Had an enjoyable lunch with what's mostly left of my HS class of 1955. Can't believe how old everybody else looks :-)
ReplyDeleteNo trouble with the preview button. But when signing in earlier, I was getting a double rendering on most of the lettering. Exited Safari and dumped the cache; worked ok after that.
Did the puzzle on line earlier. As usual, didn't really 'get' the theme until coming here. The fill came easily enough with some perp help. Did not know AVIA, so the 2nd 'a' bolluxed up ARBS, TOO. A few good anchors like ELITIST, BUENOS, URN, and REINE helped make the difficulty bearable. Thanks Matt for a good challenge.
Beautiful day here, today.
Keith F @ 4:32 - Your reference to "images of Mary on toasted buns" and the Wolf Blitzer comeuppance struck my infamous funny bone so hard I'm still laughing!
ReplyDeleteYellowrocks and Keith F. with thanks to Irish Miss for the heads up. You hit the nail on the head and expressed it well. Can't agree with you more. What passes for news is nothing but banal filler between a bunch of advertising. I never watch CNN anymore.
ReplyDeleteMontana:
ReplyDeleteI pulled up Google and searched on Mensa crossword. Up popped LA Times Crossword - American Mensa, Ltd. I opened it and there was the crossword.
As I said it was all there, but no way to enter the letters from the phone. So, I did it on paper with a hand-drawn grid. Cumbersome, but what-the-heck.
Abejo
(ghtampl)
I was all over board on this one. To use Tin's words.. One giant ink blot!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which, Dang Tin! Didn't you just have a birthday about a year ago? Anyway HBTY. My NEXT toast is to you ;~)
Good evening Lemonade, C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteFun reading today..I'm still laughing. Vidwan,not only are you smart, but so very funny. Abejo, you are amazing.Who would do that?
Montana, let us know if Vidwan's app works.
No way did I complete Matt's very fun puzzler.Pretty much what Kazie said, although I did fill booms.. big deal. I struggled this morning, but returned later to fill in easily 70% of what had escaped me earlier.Was still perplexed about Bando until reading your comments.
Lots to like( deep ends, butcher and "one in lead"=star), but too many gaps.
Happy Birthday Tinman... hope your day was more festive than usual.
Gary and Montana, when subbing most of the teachers ask if I want to do something fun in English or History, which is great. I have 3 days coming up and I am planning a mini poetry unit. Math? I don't change a thing.
ANON @ 8:40
ReplyDeleteTo forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.
Lewis B. Smedes
Well, FIOS is installed and TimeWarner has been given the boot. TimeWarner internet was fast. FIOS is blazing fast. I'm a reasonable smart, competent person but the new format for using the DVR is daunting for me. I like what I'm used to. But I'm sure by a few days from now I will have gotten acclimated. Still, right now I feel grumpy trying to figure out something new.
ReplyDeleteBill G @ 10:18 - If you can come up with those Excedrin-inducing math problems and solutions, conquering FIOS should be a piece of cake, IMHO.
ReplyDeleteI am still laughing at Keith F's reference of Mary's image on toasted buns.
Tin, sorry you saw the Yankees lose! )-:
Well, being in Taiwan the only Mr. Ma I could think of was President Ma Yingjeou and the mythological archer than first came to mind was Houyi. Of course I didn't know that EROS, like Cupid, carried arrows. I also wanted TIER instead of COAT, WET instead of RAW, NIKE instead of AVIA, START instead of ONSET and FAR and NEAR instead of PRO and ANTI so I didn't get very far.
ReplyDeleteIrish Miss: Well, thank you for your vote of confidence. How about coming by and you can provide me with a tutorial. Actually, I was able to record the Dodgers game as well as a couple of other things and I am watching them now. But the guide to all of the programs available is a struggle to view in an easy format. So I've got the basics but it's still a struggle and I'm definitely not comfortable with it yet. But, the worst is over...
ReplyDeleteBlackened fish tacos for lunch today.
Bill G - I appreciate your invitation vis a vis a tutorial, but that would be the equivalent of Albert Einstein (you) asking for help from Elmer Fudd (me). I have the utmost faith that you will prevail!
ReplyDeleteIf I never hear the names Bob Filner and Anthony Weiner again, it will still be way too much.
ReplyDeleteI'd be happy to get help from Elmer if he/she knew more about the DVR than I did.
I'm so late Tinman's party today, I'm sure there's no scotch left :-( HBD!
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle - I did get B&O with only Buenos! Woot! Now if I could have chugged to the NE, NW, and unlock anything. Nope, even the Google didn't help. Only the SE & SW had correct answers w/ 34a all alone sans DEEPENDS. Thanks Matt for the puzzle and LEM for the answers.
Cheers,
-T
Cruciverb is back on track! Yahoo!
ReplyDelete