39-Across. Fans' disapproval, and a hint to the starts of the answers to the starred clues : JEERS.
17-Across. *Flashy theatricality : RAZZMATAZZ. Fun word. I started filling in RAZZledazzle...and ran out of squares. Hmpf.
62-Across. *Folk music shindig : HOOTENANNY. Remember this show?
11-Down. *Tantrums : HISSY FITS. Like what my cats throw when I try to give them a pill...
34-Down. *Hidden hazard : BOOBY TRAP. Would make a great name for a line of lingerie.
I am so honored to blog a puzzle by my heroine, Nancy Salomon. Always crisp themes, and great fill. She is an inspiration to all cruciverbalists out there. I liked how the JEERS were all part of a longer word, and you had to "tease" them out.
Two tens and two nines circle the grid, with the unifier smack in the middle. So here's the scoop on the rest...
Across:
1. Player with a record 14 100-RBI seasons : A-ROD. Oh, I don't think I will comment on this guy right now. But I will point out that he is the first in a string of "letter-followed-by-a-word" answers in this puzzle. ("LFBAW") Not good, not bad - I just thought it was interesting.
5. Dancer's rail : BARRE. Ballet.
10. Fake : SHAM.
14. Numbskull : BOZO.
15. "Love Story" co-star : O'NEAL. Ryan's famous quote from the movie, "Love means never having to say you're sorry." LFBAW? (Nah...)
16. Hookah, e.g. : PIPE.
19. Soccer shower : ESPN. Not the showers in the locker room, but a channel that shows soccer.
20. Parting that's bid : ADIEU. So long, farewell. 2:57.
21. Childlike sci-fi race : ELOI.
22. Abbr. before a date : EST'D. Established.
23. Remitted : SENT IN.
25. Good to go : READY.
27. Medicinal shrubs : SENNAS.
29. Hoists with difficulty : HEFTS.
32. Can opener : TAB. Those little pull-thingys on top. They have kind of made "church keys" obsolete.
35. Prepare for a bout : SPAR.
36. Cereal usually served hot : FARINA. Remember this stuff?
37. Hardly first-class fare : SLOP. Amusing to see this word right after 36-A.
41. Bowl over : STUN.
42. Snorkeling spots : ATOLLS.
44. Boozehounds : SOTS.
46. Fr. religious figure : STE. Sainte.
47. Dressed for choir : ROBED.
48. Do like Vassar did in 1969 : GO COED.
50. Co-Nobelist Arafat : YASIR. The official Nobel Prize web site spells his name "Yasser." But I guess it's tough to Anglicize his name:
محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني
52. GI's work detail : KP DUTY.
55. They may be saturated : FATS.
57. Takes for a ride : CONS.
59. Unsteady on one's feet : AREEL. Aaaaa...(LFBAW?)
61. Piece of farmland : ACRE.
64. Landlocked African country : CHAD. Right smack dab in the middle.
65. Like cardinals : AVIAN. Because "Catholic" wouldn't fit...
66. Belg.-based alliance : NATO. North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
67. Copy editor's find : TYPO.
68. Pomme de ___: French potato : TERRE. Literally, "apple of the earth/soil."
69. Tax cheat chaser, briefly : T-MAN. Treasury man. LFBAW.
Down:
1. Incantation opener : ABRA.cadabra!
2. Places to find forks : ROADS.
3. David and Ricky's dad : OZZIE. From the '50s sitcom "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet."
4. By the ___: in quantity : DOZENS. Usually cheaper. (And no, I didn't see Steve Martin's 2003 remake of it.)
5. Scary squeezer : BOA.
6. Insect's pair : ANTENNAE.
7. Not fake : REAL. Are they real, or fake?
8. Maugham's "The ___ Edge" : RAZOR'S.
9. Popeye creator Segar : ELZIE. All perps.
10. Ones ignoring limits : SPEEDERS.
12. Date with a Dr. : APPT. Appointment.
13. Heal : MEND.
18. Makes an unsound decision about? : MUTES. Decides to "un" the sound on the TV, e.g.
24. Dressed for dreamland, briefly : IN PJs. Hef must always be in dreamland.
26. "Bingo!" : AHA.
28. "You ___ Beautiful": Joe Cocker hit : ARE SO. Great song. 2:40
30. Threaded fastener : T-NUT. LFBAW.
31. Right upstairs? : SANE. I laughed out loud when I finally figured this one out!
32. Abdicator of 1917 : TSAR. Nicholas II.
33. Violist's clef : ALTO. Ah, I misread the clue as "violinist's clef." The violin clef is the "treble," but the viola clef is the "alto" or "C" clef.
36. Camera setting : F-STOP. LFBAW.
38. "Sure, go ahead!" : PLEASE DO.
40. Fan club focus : ROCK STAR.
43. Brigham Young's gp. : LDS. Latter Day Saints.
45. Auto leasing choice : SEDAN.
48. Furrow : GROOVE.
49. Three-time NBA scoring champ Kevin : DURANT.
51. Mac messaging program : I-CHAT. LFBAW.
53. Early brunch hr. : TEN AM. TTP, what time did you get to brunch the other day?
54. Busybody : YENTA. Yiddish origin, now Yinglish loanword.
55. Trivia champ's tidbit : FACT.
56. In need of liniment : ACHY.
58. Roulette bet : NOIR. (Black.) Roulette is French for "wheel."
60. City on the Rhône : LYON. Traditionally spelled "Lyons" in English, but "Rhône" is in French, so it calls for the French spelling.
63. Pittsburgh-to-Boston dir. : ENE. Whew! A gimme for the finish.
Now I must bid ADIEU until next week,
Marti
90 comments:
Morning, all!
Cute theme today. Definitely a bit harder than yesterday's puzzle overall, however.
I've heard of RAZZMATAZZ before, but never actually seen it in print. As a result, I was convinced it was actually RAZZAMATAZZ (or RAZAMATAZ) and had trouble fitting it into the grid.
Everything else was more or less in my wheelhouse, but the cluing bogged me down in spots.
BOAs are definitely squeezers, but since when are they considered scary? Maybe I'm just biased as a former pet snake owner, but I'd reserve "scary" for the snakes with fangs and venom.
Knew that "Roulette bet" had to be RED or BLACK. Or perhaps either EVEN or ODD. Took some perps to realize the French word was needed.
Took me a long time to get MUTES off the clue. Even after getting the letters via the perps, I couldn't quite get it until I thought about TV mutes (which completely turn off the sound) instead of trumpet mutes (which simply soften the sound).
Yes, cardinals are definitely AVIAN. I thought the clue was going for something a bit more specific, though, so that also took a lot of perp help.
LYON also needed all the perps because, well, just because...
I didn't realize the TSAR actually abdicated in 1917. For some reason, I always thought he and his entire family were just plain killed.
Wasn't keen on the spelling of YASIR, but I guess that's transliteration for you, eh?
[ticinio]
Wicked cool Marti and Nancy Salomon together. I remember when Marti had her first published puzzle and was interviewed by C.C. that Ms. S' s advice helped get it done.
Nothing but cheers for this Thursday effort, I liked many clues and the juxtaposition of VASSAR and YASIR. ROBED and GO COED, NO DUTY all fun.
Thanks for your BOOBY trap link to the world of breast augmentation.
I was B-side myself with your LFBAW analysis, did n't we have that as a theme?
Good morning, gang - I had a good time with this puzzle, although I shot myself in the foot a couple times.
First, I misread 17A as 'Flashy theatrically', so I was looking for an adjective; took the perps to set me straight. Everything flowed smoothly from there until I got to 62A, which I assumed (and wrote) to be HOOTNANNY. Kinda ran out of letters at the end there.
Learning moment was the Vassar clue -- I would've guessed twenty years at the most. And as you might imagine, I would've clued BOOBY TRAP as A BRA (1D).
Been catching up on older blog posts. A belated Happy Birthday to MelB who, judging from the picture, can't possibly be a day over 35.
Interesting article in the paper: A German company has developed a prototype pen that features spell check. The Lernstift ("learning pen") vibrates when it detects that you have misspelled a word. Might be a bit tough for crosswords, as it only detects errors in longhand.
The article also mentions costly misspellings including one in Ottowa County in Michigan, in which said county paid $40,000 to reprint ballots in 2006 that spelled "PUBLIC" without the "L".
Marti, great blog as always.
Hope it's a great day for everyone.
BG, we just had two young children killed here in Florida by an escaped 'pet' Boa. Scary enough for me.
I had a bit of time today so I googled a bit. Turns out googling is a lot easier than it used to be: there's a website crosswordtracker.com that is matching clues to answers. I really needed it to get FARINA, FSTOP, GOCOED and YENTA. No shame in that: I had BONN instead of LYON so I needed help. I couldn't think of LYON even though I had NATO.
Anyway, I'll be the first to say I thought this puzzle was a HOOT (BOO!).
Oh and though I eventually got ESPN from the perps, I thought "Soccer shower" referred to what soccer players did after a game to freshen up.
Martin,
Are you still in Taiwan?
Yes, I'm still in Taiwan. Thank you for asking.
I just realized that there was a misprint in my newspaper: it said Rhine, not Rhone.
Good Morning, Marti and friends. I had such great fun with this puzzle. So many great clues that really made me laugh!
How apropos to have A-ROD as the first clue in this Themed Puzzle!
I was also amused to see Fake = SHAM and Not Fake = REAL. Too bad they couldn't cross.
Love seeing Dressed for Dreamland = IN PJs.
I knew immediately that the Places to Find Forks was in the ROAD.
I was thinking of airline fare instead of food fare, so SLOP came through the perps.
QOD: Pick a flower on Earth and you move the farthest star. ~ Paul Dirac, recipient of the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics (Aug. 8, 1902 ~ Oct. 20, 1984)
[osmoung]
nice puzzle did not see the theme until I read it here. Tsar Nicholas abdicated in 1917 in lieu of his son Alexander who was very young and a hemophiliac then Lenin's supporters entered the picture and murdered the entire family. I would not have thought Boa's were scary either until I heard about the children who were allegedly killed by a African constricting snake which escaped from a pet store located below the apartment.
Martin: Good to see you back here again.
Like Barry G, I also though the word was RazzAmatazz.
Tsar Nicholas abducted, but he and his family were killed the following year.
Good morning!
As usual, I didn't get the theme until Marti 'splained it. No inkblots today. That's one in a row! Once I got RAZZ_____ I also thought of that song from Chicago, but it wouldn't fit.
Do you suppose IN PJS should be a WFBTL (word followed by three letters)?
You still need a church key to open cans of chicken/beef broth -- unless you buy it in a box.
Happy Thursday everybody!
TDNF since I had to google TERRE down in Texas....
Favorite answer = RAZZMATAZZ, I mean, seriously, how many times has this been in a crossword?
Wouldn't A-ROD also be considered one who ignored limits...?
Anna Nicole Smith was the ultimate BOOBY TRAP, especially to her BOZO of a husband....
The only FARINA I know is Dennis....
No APPT necessary to see this Doctor....
ADIEU!
Good morning everyone.
I remember doing a few Nancy Salomon puzzles in the past. They a are always fun.
A quick romp today for a Thursday. With the unifier JEERS, the HOOT and BOO words followed swiftly. ELZIE was strictly a perp word like Marti said. Learning for today was BARRE.
NATO - OTAN in French. A palindrome?
Quelques POMMEs de terre:
Aardappel - earth apple - Dutch.
Kartoffel - (aberration? of Erdapfel - earth apple) German
One medium potato has 4.7 grams fiber. That'll keep your colon happy.
Have a great day.
Yes, it is good to see Martin here again!
Despite several unknowns, I managed to do better on this than on Thursdays for a long while. I got it all without outside help, using only perps. I was uncertain of the spelling of RAZZMATAZZ, thinking it could be EM in the middle instead of MA, also HOOT(A/E?)NANNY. But perps came to the rescue again.
Spitz,
I believe there are some areas in Northern Germany where you might hear Erdapfel. Linguistic parallels are interesting, aren't they?
On second thought, I believe that Kartoffel is derived from Russian, though I can't remember why I think that.
Good morning everyone. Nice puzzle today. Interesting to see A-ROD with today's theme. There was an article in the Tribune this week asking, if you could take a supplement to make you much better (at work, school, your hobby, etc.) would you take it?
Great clues:
- 19A: Soccer Shower: ESPN
- 31D: Right upstairs: SANE
Off to work (BOO!)
Doha Doc said "Favorite answer = RAZZMATAZZ, I mean, seriously, how many times has this been in a crossword?"...
At least once. Barry Silk had a Tuesday LAT in 2003 that included the following theme words:
RAZZMATAZZ
SLOEGINFIZZ
MODERNJAZZ
GIVEMEABUZZ
Good morning, folks. Thank you,Nancy Salomon, for an excellent puzzle. Thank you, Marti, for the great review.
Got the NW corner immediately, even ADIEU. OZZIE was easy. That was a favorite as a youth. I wonder if David Nelson is still alive?
As others, ELZIE was all perps.
Theme came to me after I had them all and then checked them out. Clever. Not me, the constructor.
Actually got Pomme de TERRE after only four perps. TE RE was there. The first R came after I had NOI for 58D. I put my thinking cap on and figured it had to be an R. Clever. Yes, me that time.
Had BOLT for 30D. HEFTS and FARINA fixed that to TNUT.
Dennis FARINA just died. A former Chicago cop.
Had ECHAT and YASER. Tried the I and it worked. Yes, there are variations to spelling YASIR.
Martin: I visited Taipei once for work. Had a good time, as well. Interesting place. That museum was great.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(niyima)
Kazie - I was hoping you would comment. I went to Etymology on-line and found:
German kartoffel (17c.) is a dissimilation from tartoffel, ultimately from Italian tartufolo (Vulgar Latin *territuberem), originally "truffle." Frederick II forced its cultivation on Prussian peasants in 1743. The French is pomme de terre, literally "earth-apple;" a Swedish dialectal word for "potato" is jordpäron, literally "earth-pear."
BTW - meant to comment on FARINA. Loved seeing Marti's Cream of Wheat box. As a teen-preteen, I had it once or twice a week for breakfast. My favorite for awhile. It is low in fiber, though.
DNF....well FIW for me. Had an E instead of an I for Yasir. Echat sounded OK, but shoulda known better.
Speaking of Joe Cocker, If you haven't seen A Little Help From My Friends from Woodstock and with subtitles, you have to. Too funny!!
Abejo, David died in 2011 of colon cancer. Not enough of Spitz's fiber, I guess.
Is JEERING and A ROD inclusion accidental? Got everything but Marti’s LFBAW in her “lovely as always" write-up.
Musings
-I loves me some HOOTENANNY music and sang a lot of it in college and, oh yeah, ate a lotta SLOP
-FARINA 1 and FARINA 2 chronologically
-Companies quit making pull off TABS and went to the current stationary models because people would put the pull off tab in the drink and swallow it.
-Terrorist YASIR is on this list of controversial Nobel winners
-Funny Robin Williams line from Good Morning Vietnam - “Excuse me, sir. Seeing as how the VP is such a VIP, shouldn't we keep the PC on the QT? 'Cause if it leaks to the VC he could end up MIA, and then we'd all be put on KP.”
-Daughter’s first MIL called us OZZIE and Harriet because of her tumultuous marriage. Her son wasn’t any better at marriage but Missy has a winner now.
-Barry Bonds’ head got bigger from PED’s but the fake boobs probably weren’t obtained chemically
-Joann HEALED a tear in my shirt last week
-90% of what we learn in high school and college is good only as trivia
-Off to KC to see them play the Red Sox in the rain
Good morning all ! I hope your day started bright and cheery, rather than dim and dreary.
No TADA, Spelled YASER so had ECHAT. OOPS. And then I also went NNE from Pittsburgh to get to Boston. Don't know why I didn't consider that the E would have made more sense. I supposed that there was an N, apostrophe, N in HOOTENANNY.
Speaking of N' and Pittsburgh, have yinz understood my closings that have featured Pittsburgh(ese)
n'at ?
As Splynter would opine, so much Frawnch (sp?). STE, LYON, ADIEU, NOIR, top row center BARRE and symmetrically, bottom row center TERRE. I like pomme frites.
Marti, I think we were seated just after TEN AM, so an early brunch. It was at her favorite morning restaurant, and she had her favorite breakfast of a vegetable omelet and toast with blackberry jam. Turned out to be a great day, even after the late start.
Thank you Nancy Salomon. Very enjoyable. No JEERS from me for your puzzle. I liked MEND adjacent to Date with a Dr. I was intrigued by the theme, and understanding it helped me fill BOO(B) in BOOBYTRAP. This golfer's mind was stuck on hazards on the links.
See yinz later. Time for work n'at !
Marti, thanks for the info! And, how did you know that? From 10 years ago? Is there a secret LAT database that has yet to be revealed by Edward Snowden?
I wouldn't be so paranoid if there weren't so many people after me....
Doha Doc, yes, there is a database on Cruciverb, but you have to pay to get access to it. I always check the database to see if a theme I am working on has ever been done before. If it has, I usually scrap it unless I can come up with a new twist or better themers.
Had fun with this one, but it was a technical DNF due to YENTA and TMEN; YENTE and TMEN made sense to me.
What Barry said about MUTES, and what Martin said about ESPN. Nice AHA moments when I got those.
Once again, an old memory:
My cousins used to slice leftover cold farina, fry the slabs in butter until crispy, and serve with maple syrup. Yum! They always got to eat fun stuff. Our Mom was more into healthy food, darn it! :-)
First timer. This is first Thursday puzzle I have completed without help of looking answers up on the web. How many people actually use the web for help? I do, mostly on Friday and especially Saturday puzzles. Just curious.
Perfect Thursday puzzle, Nancy, challenging but doable. Many thanks! And a sparkly expo, Marti--thanks to you too.
The theme was a lot of fun to work out though I didn't actually "get" it until the reveal. And I also liked some of the fun clues.
Grandmother used to make FARINA for me when I was a child--topped with melted butter and a sprinkling of cocoa and sugar. Loved it!
Saw the sad story about the little Florida kids and the boa on the news. Tragic.
I must have missed something. What's LFBAW?
Have a great Thursday, everybody!
I do the puzzle in bed then grab my iPhone to read the blog. Can't add comments from the iPhone. Finally, after several years, getting around to accessing your blog on my PC. Just want to thank everyone involved, for the great blog and comments, always entertaining.
Anon @ 0951 - I think using the web is a great way to learn and achieve confidence in solving these puzzles. Before discovering this site, that's how many 'solves' were accomplished. But the experience accumulates, and now I go to the web infrequently. I try to maximize the solve experience by utilizing the perps and other hints, ie. theme, etc, that the puzzle author has provided. Some constructors have a sort of 'mo' that helps with nuances needed on the tougher solves.
Good luck and keep on going.
Welcome, unclefred! Glad to finally "meet" you.
Misty, In my comment at 1-Across for A-ROD, I said:
Oh, I don't think I will comment on this guy right now. But I will point out that he is the first in a string of "letter-followed-by-a-word" answers in this puzzle. ("LFBAW") Not good, not bad - I just thought it was interesting.
First timer, most everyone will need the internet for help on occasion. Congratulations on an unassisted Thursday; shoot for two in a row tomorrow!
Welcome, unclefred; good to have you with us.
Pretty much a speed run for a Thursday, but fun. I liked the the theme fills.
I liked this a lot - the cluing seemed really fresh and crisp to me.
Good Morning:
Loved this puzzle and had no bumps. Not only is it apropos that ARod is 1A in this puzzle's theme, as others have pointed out, but he fits right in with 10A Fake = Sham and 14A Numbskull = Bozo.
Fav clue: Right upstairs = Sane
Great job, Nancy Salomon, and super expo,
Mari, I still haven't watched The Killing. I was on DVR overload and I'm finally catching up. I hope to watch it tonight.
Have a terrific Thursday.
Hello, you all and especially Marti. You are a hoot! And I mean that in the most positive way.
Yowza! I liked this puzzle, so full of RAZZMATAZZ and fun clues.
Since A-ROD has been in the news lately, his name came easily. DURANT, however, did not and since I had G-MAN that was a DNF. Drat!
Are FARINA and cream of wheat really the same? I am intimately familiar with the latter as it kept me alive for the first three months of my pregnancy. It's the only food I could eat!
Hand up for YESIR/YASIR. The A in PLEASE changed it for me.
I loved the cluing for SANE and ESPN which didn't fool me.
Today I have an APPT. with the periodontist.
Have wonderful Thursday, everyone!
FIW / DNF for the same reason as Avg.Joe. YASeR/eCHat looked OK to me too.
Had a good laugh watchin' the Joe Cocker link. Thanks!
I'll bet the Hogs in the sty really enjoy their SLOP ... and think it's 'first-class fare'.
Thank you Nancy for a FUN Thursday and Marti for an excellent write-up.
Cheers!
Lucina, the original Cream of Wheat lists these ingredients:
WHEAT FARINA, SALT, PARTIALLY DEFATTED WHEAT GERM, GUAR GUM, NATURAL FLAVOR, BHT (TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS).
Now you can buy it in instant, 1 minute, 2 1/2 minute, 10 minute, whole grain, chocolate, maple brown sugar, cinnabon and healthy grain.
Good luck with your APPT today!
Hello Puzzlers -
Since Nancy worked in the type of snake, does that make her a Boa Constructor?
:-)
TTP 8:18 -
Yes, I recognize "n'at" from Pittsburgh. Back in the day (when I lived there) I noticed it was similar to a phrase from Monty Python's Piranha Brothers sketch: "He was a fine bloke, used to buy 'is mum flowers n'at!". Talking about Dinsdale Piranha, as I recall.
Yes Abejo David Nelson is still alive. The only one left.
Unclefred, welcome; how are those three boys?
First timer, long timer?
Also, I misspoke, while I heard it on my local news, the SNAKE ATTACK was in Canada.
Anon@11:51 -- You must have missed it.
Thanks for clarifying that, Lemon - you had me out checking the back yard this morning.
LFBAW: A-DIEU (To God)
In other news, Eric Snowden has been granted asylum in Ottumwa, Iowa.
Hi, first timer, fun puzzle today as usual and thanks formthe sparkling write-up and comments all!
What unclefred said :-) I am usually solving while sitting in my youngest daughter's spare bed waiting for her to snooze.
TTP - please enlighten the non-Pittsburgers what n'at means. (-:
I just returned from my favorite farm stand, where I am greeted, affectionately, as The Ring Lady. One of other patrons was in a tizzy because she just had a "kerfluffle" with a lady in one of the local supermarkets. It seems she was washing her hands in the rest room when this other lady came out of a stall and sashayed out into the store and started shopping, never stopping to wash her hands. So, the story teller went right after her and verbally chastised her for being unsanitary which didn't set too well with the guilty party. I don't know if I would have had the nerve to do this. What say you?
Very nice puzzle Ms. Nancy Salomon, what a delightful puzzle. Thank you. I also remember some of your delightful earlier puzzles.
I completed a Thursday, whoopsie doo !!! Thats all that really matters .... Thank you Marti for your lovely commentary - I was laughing all the way. So much fun.
Wow ! Marti, what an idea ----- LFBAW ? Is ABRA. .... a LFBAW too ? I can sure recognize the following word. ( lol). Marti, knowing you, I am sure you have something up your sleeve - I'll bet even odds that you are constructing a Friday puzzle, right now, using that exact acronym as an answer. !!
With all due modesty and respect, but may I venture to suggest an alternate acronym ...... LBLOW --- Letter. Before (a) Lead Off Word ??
The advantages, in LBLOW, as I see them, are;
1. LBLOW is itself, a LBLOW. So the acronym is itself, a perfect (?) example of what it means.
2. LBLOW is pronounce-able. ( at least, for me.)
3. Therefore, it is, or will be, easier to remember.
4. ( and I really, really hate to mention this ). - for most guys, ( I can imagine - ), it may also be somewhat more memorable, or at least, interesting. No further comment.
,
Hahtoolah, ( my auto correct recognizes you - ), that QOD by Dirac, is so profound, it stopped me in my tracks, for a full minute. I remember studying Fermi-Dirac statistics - it was more scary than a 100 boas constricting together. Who would have believed he had a poetic side.
Have a nice day, you all.
While I did not find the Joe Cocker offensive, I didn't find it funny in the least. Just lame jokes superimposed over a great performance.
I enjoyed the puzzle and the writeup. Thanks Nancy and Marti.
There is a big fire in Orange County. I hope Steve and Pas (and everybody else) are OK.
I just went out for a short trip to the local coffee shop owned and run by a couple of Kiwis. I tried their new fried egg sandwich. On a roll, you get a fried egg, brie, arugula, bacon and tomato. Really good. The sky was bright blue, gentle sea breeze with temperature in the low 70s. Beautiful. I wish you all could have joined me. I'll buy.
Irish Miss, I don't know that I would have chosen to confront her. I think it's a no win situation. Also, she's probably one of those people who hovers above the toilet set rather than sits down and then doesn't flush.
Nothing to jeer at in this puzzle,,, well, maybe I do have one nit to pick. If CC is kind enough earlier in the week not to have both "ace," and "acer" in her puzzle, I think it should be common courtesy not to have French (68A) crossing French (58D) in a puzzle if it is not being published in France.
Razzmatazz always reminds me of Pippins' jazzhands.
Irish Miss @ 1:31
Try not to think about it too much, you'll get OCD! That persons hands couldn't be any dirtier than than the faucet handles, or the doorknob... But it does remind me of a joke!
In New York City, the law states that "all employees must wash their hands" before exiting the rest rooms. And a poster to that effect must be posted, under heavy penalty, on every mirror, atop every wash basin. However, there is no law that states that customers must also follow that procedure. It is therefore critical that you wash everything you buy, the money, the bills, as change that you received back, and the shopping cart handle bars, and your children, as well. And don't ever shake hands with anybody. Also carry extra wet ones, after you have washed your hands So that you can open the rest room doors, on your way out, without accumulating OPG other people's germs.
Hi this is Unknown again, just got a profile with help of older daughter dying of laughter, hope it works.
I just noticed on my first post that I omitted Marti's name from my compliment on the expo. Sorry, Marti.
CED @ 2:05 - that joke gave me a "belly laugh." (-:
Dudley @ 11:07, I'm still wiping coffee off my screen over that one.
maverick @ 12:24, A-DIEU, good one.
And Vidwan @ 1:44, how could I have missed A-BRA? And yes, I should have been more thoughtful in my choice of acronyms...
Hi gang -
Fun theme.
Really nice puzzle.
I was no SPEEDSTER on this one.
Before OZZIE was famous as a TV dad, he was a bandleader.
Speaking of music, here's another cut from our performance on Sunday, if you're in the mood.
We have a house full of grand children today, but it's rather quiet at the moment. Lots of running around this morning, though
Cool regards!
JzB
Did you realize that small daily doses of germs can actually help to build immunity to disease? When I worked in the lab in the '70s, we used to have our coffee cups and cigarettes on the counter right next to the blood and urine specimens. We never wore gloves, and I was exposed to so many germs, that when they invented the Hepatitis vaccine and tested all of us in the lab, they were amazed to find that our immunity to hepatitis was much greater than they could ever achieve with the vaccine.
That said, I still do wash my hands and then use the paper towel that I dried them with to turn off the faucet...
marti, I always knew you were well cultured, now I know the rest of the story.
Thanks for the Joe Cocker with sub-titles, brings back some wonderful memories of that week-end. He managed to play before the skies opened on an already muddy world. Did not know him before but his performance was great.
Fun to see so many new contributors.
Great, fun puzzle Ms. Salomon! Enjoyed it all the way through.A few WAGS, but worked it out.
Thanks Marti, your write-ups are always funny and enjoyable.
BARRE a gimmee and FINALLY, a fresh clue for ALTO!
Bill G, We are at least and hour from the fire, so we're OK.
I could smell the smoke last night, though.
I just wouldn't want to live in an isolated place that could be subject to fires here in So. Cal.
Too scary.
Welcome Super Swenglish Mom!
HeartRx, your point is well taken,
There have been numerous studies in the US to show how 'our immunity' has fallen as a group, over the last 20 years, because of all this obsession with cleanliness, germophobia, and nitpicking sterility. Numerous studies have also shown that kids who go to day care centers, as infants, ( one of the most contaminated spaces in our towns ). suffer from more ailments, during their infancy but eventually emerge with an amazingly strong degree of immunity from common colds and many, many diseases.
Also, the dirtiest secret, which even the CDC the Center for Disease Control will never reveal is that in an overwhelming number of cases - in the 'effect' of so called epidemics, affecting the nation right now, like due to E. Coli outbreaks and now, the Cyclospore parasite and other per flu like viruses, the effect of our reduced immunity is never considered. The major impact, based on those affected, is obviously due to the drastically reduced immunity of certain individuals.
That said, I also wash my hands - off of this whole matter.
Hi Y'all! Easiest Thursday in a long time. Much fun, Nancy! Really clever, Marti!
No unknowns except ELZIE and spelling of YASIR (sounds like a couple). No red-letter runs today. Some fun discoveries with perps.
Gimmee: Durant, one of my favorite players, with the Oklahoma Thunder. I got the T-shirt for Xmas.
I remember watching every HOOTENANNY show in the days when we only had 3 channels.
Favorite was 18D clue. Commercials cause me to make a lot of "unsound decisions". MUTE button is a blessing.
Steve Martin's "Cheaper by the Dozen" was hilarious. The reason for his wreck was a classic.
33D I had "bass" at first thinking bass viol. I wanted violast spelling if it was viola. DUH! Perps helped.
I have ICHAT on my IMac but have no idea how to use it. Does anyone else use it?
Dudley: "BOA constuctor" - too good!
CED: the joke made my lunch lurch, but I hung on to it.
Good to be back, Xword friends. My surgery on Tuesday came off without a hitch, but my right hand was so bandaged I couldn't log on yesterday. Still I managed Wed's puzzle with my southpaw. It looked like a 2nd grader's best effort.
Just back now from the surgeon's office and my hand has been RELEASED from the extra wrappings. Huzzah!
Marti, the LFBAW concept has certainly caught our imaginations. I noticed it when working through Ms. Salomon's cool creation, but you get the credit for establishing a new category.
Hola Everyone, Thank goodness for Marti's write up because I spelled; Yasir (Yasur)so I chat wasn't even close. Never having been exposed to a Mac, U Chat sounded ok to me!!
So...A DNF for me today as I had two incorrect answers.
I thought that Noir was great for Roulette. Red or Black wouldn't fit and when cons went in Noir appeared.
I also liked soccer shower. Even after I had ESPN filled in I had a question mark after that clue. Duh, v-8 can smack for me.
Busy, busy morning. I washed the skylights over my kitchen sink/counter area. They are only accessible through the upper bedroom window so toted the long handled squeegee and bucket upstairs, off with the screen, and sitting on the window sill I can barely reach the far skylight. I used to climb out the window and wash them standing on the roof but my husband has absolutely forbidden me to do that anymore. I'm not really anxious to do it anymore, either.
I'm tired now so I think I'll finish my book this afternoon.
Dennis, you always give me a chuckle with your write ups.
Have a great day everyone.
19A "Soccer shower" = "ESPN" is clever, but the clue is a foul: There was no indication that the answer was an abbreviation or acronym. 24D "Dressed for dreamland, briefly" (emphasis added) = "INPJS" did it right.
Keith Fowler, so glad to hear your hand is now on the mend! Will you need P.T. to get back to 100%, or did the surgery do the trick?
I'm afraid I cannot take credit for LFBAW. Just look at this brilliant puzzle, that took the concept to the limit.
My fave clue was "Soccer shower"-- a nice misdirection toward an event reasonably anticipated after every soccer match. The flattest clue was probably "Like cardinals ."-- all those scarlet and church-y jokes rising in our brains but leading nowhere.
Razz
Hoot
Hissy
Sorry, I could not find an image of a cat booing
& excuse me while I wash my hands
SuperSwenglishMom,
Quite a journey! I think you might be our first reader based in Sweden.
Martin, it was good to see your entry today. Thanks for chiming in.
Lemonade, We heard about the two children who were killed by the Boa constrictor. So sad.
Anon at 9:51, I use the Web for help because I feel I'm learning something every time I go to search for an answer. After all crosswords are always a learning experience. I'm with you on using the web for Friday and Sat. puzzles. They are always hard for me.
Irish Miss, I was in a restaurant rest room washing my hands when a young lady sashayed out of the stall and out the door. She was a WAITRESS. I just about died. My solution was to speak to the manager and he was appalled. I thought that speaking to her boss would do a lot more good than me doing it. However, this lady didn't work at the market, so I think I would have probably called her attention to her inattention to hand washing.
Irish Miss @ 10:39 am: I hope you like the last episode of The Killing.
Just in time - Suits has restarted, and our friends at Person of Interest should be returning soon.
G'Afternoon All -
Late to the party, but a HOOT of a pzl. So many clever C & A's 19a, 31d, 58d. But DNF - Hand up for GMAN + 2 Googles (9d & 60d). Thanks Marti for pointing it out (and of course to Nancy for a fun lunch).
@9:51 Anon. I use Google. 1) outside of STEM I'm fairly ignorant and 2) I can't spell.
I have a check system. After trying to suss out everything I can, rather than not finish, I will google and put a check by the clue so I know I cheated. But getting and AHA for a perp off the Googled makes it OK. It's not like I'm every going to compete in NYC; I do pzls for me.
Iris Miss - Ken Hoffman, a humorist in H-Chron, suggested battling this by using a paper towel to open the door. And if there's no reciptical near the door, just throw the towel on the floor; a trash-can will show up soon. One of my clients actually has the trash-can there now (lots of germophobes in that office followed Ken's advice).
CED - Gives a new meaning to spooning....
Keith - Glad to see you back!
Marti - I think it was you that asked about PEDs for our jobs. Sure I can take Ridlin (sp?) for focus or, like some hackers I've met, meth or coke to code all night. Sure, I would be more productive, but at what cost? I'll stick with with coffee and a glass of V-8. (For creative thinking, beer works - just check your work in the morning :-)).
Doha - Just because you're parinoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you.
Cheers,
-T
CED @ 3:54 - Those are very cute links BUT I wish you would give us canine lovers equal time! (-:
Keith, glad your surgery went well. Hope you have a speedy recovery.
Welcome to SuperSwenglishMom.
SuperSwenglishMom, thanks for joining in the fun! I love your avatar. And the fact that your older daughter helped you make it - "priceless"!!!
What paper do you use to solve the LAT in Sweden? Or, do you do it online?
Irish Miss - Ooops, I left off the "h". Sorry. Let me make it up to 'ya....
cute dogs .
Cheers,
-T
Irish Miss @ 4:31
A request!
razz
Hoot I am not sure, but I think that was the sound of him farting...
Hissy (Dogs do not do hissy fits...)
Boo
Thanks for the welcomes!
Wanted to tell you all about the comingling of humans and animals under the same roof not so long ago in at least Sweden and Estonia (everybody stays warmer, donchyaknow). In a study, the health of children eating food next to manure was excellent.
Slight interruption being pulled into action to find and kill the BIG spider that had thoughtlessly ended up on oldest daughter's bed -- with her in it.
It crawled under the mattress but I ripped off the sheets and daughter's warning helped me get it in one repulsed slap. Eeeeeeew.
Maybe this explains why she chose this blogname for me, I applaud and bow humbly to those who took the time to write the whole long thing out.
Irish Miss,
n'at a "general extender"[2][3] (McElhinny 1999; Wisnosky 2003; Johnstone, Andrus and Danielson 2006). (Note: Pronounced )
Example: "We bought a notebook and some pencils n’at."
Further explanation: Reduction of and that, which can mean "along with some other stuff," "the previous was just an example of more general case," or (at least in Glasgow, Scotland) something like "I know this isn’t stated as clearly as it might be, but you know what I mean."
Geographic distribution: Southwestern Pennsylvania (see above citations).
Origins: Possibly Scots-Irish. Macaulay (1995) finds it in the regular speech and narratives of Scottish coal miners in Glasgow, a principal area from which Scottish settlers emigrated to Northern Ireland, and from there, to the American colonies.
I think some constructor may use it the next time a clue is needed for NAT... "And more, in Pittsburgh slang"
Hi all,
The article about the snake is wrong. The snake that killed the 2 boys was a python and was owned by the man whose home they were staying in over night. There is a pet shop in the building owned by the same man.
This was a fun puzzle and I was able to get more of it than I usually do on a Thursday.
I never heard of hookah, never had farina but knew what it was, because I had 45D and 63D avian came easily. On 62A I wanted barn dance but it didn't fit. Oh well,it was fun.
I guess it's time to get supper. Have a good evening.
Marge
CED - You out did me on the dog links...
More potty humour and a warning about all the "smartness" in devices that don't need to be smart...
-T
Wowee. Thank you, CEDave, for that hilarious joke and all your funny links. Believe me I needed a laugh after returning from the periodontist, not for the procedure, but finding out that he is not in my insurance plan!
I already bonded with him and his friendly staff so I may stay with him.
SuperSwenglishMom:
Welcome to the Corner!
In fact, everyone seems to be in good spirits and having fun today. That is wonderful!
Keith:
I'm glad your procedure went well.
Marti:
Thank you for answering my question. I may have known that FARINA was the major part of Cream of Wheat at one time, but believe me, if I never eat it again, it will be too soon! I had it three times a day during those three months. My daughter, of course, was worth it.
A Rod above
Bozo
How fitting is that?
PK, Was that you or your alter ego ( Imposter) last night that said that Misty may have a screw loose? I thought Dave and I were the only ones ;~)
N'at makes me think of the colloquial English "innit". As in, "So that's why I laugh a lot, innit?"
And, "Well, he drinks too much, innit." See the early first season Doc Martin episodes with Lucy Punch playing Elaine, the receptionist.
This is how untruths and blatant lies live on in the Internet. First the snake was a Boa, now we find out it was a python, and was living with its master. First, it was in Florida, and now it's travelled all over the place and landed in far north Canada. What food could it expect out there so far north ? Probably Eskimos.
The snake was euthanized immediately, and the necropsy found that it was perfectly healthy ?
Why did they have to shoot it in the first place ? He wasn't even 'armed'.
Isn't everybody innocent until proven guilty ? I have tell all yous racist, er, sexist, er, animalistic B-----, n'at, did the snake have a competent attorney ? Did he get that one telephone call ? Was there a hearing to determine whether he was in sane locus ? Were there any mitigating circumstances , what if he had not been fed for 3 weeks, or 3 years ? What if the pet shop owner just fed him the 2 kids because he had a temporary cash flow problem ? Huh ?
As I type, I sit with my pet Boa, Snuggles, on my lap and he looks at me with his big brown boogly woogly lightly hazel emerald eyes. And it's like he's saying I luv you, I luv you . So sad.
Anonymous T and CED - Many thanks for the cute canine clips. Or, in the animal vernacular, Woof-Woof!
TTP - Thanks for the origin and meaning of n'at.
Anon @ 7:04
Snuggles is just singing you a lullaby.
Irish Miss.Your heart is in the right place, but, like mine, passé.If you verbally correct them,nowadays, they will take out a gun and shoot you. All my bigger and tougher friends say the same .Better to move on and leave them to their drugs or what ever.
Just wanted to drop in to say how much I loved today's puzzle...thanks Nancy Soloman.
fav. clue-"makes unsound decision
..." = mutes
would not have gotten sennas or Elzie without perps
Liked go coed..knew what it should have been but had co because I put crease before changing to groove.
Greetings!
Great puzzle, Nancy; terrific expo, Marti! No problems with this one! Since it is from Apple, it is of course iCHAT. (Remarked on this phenomenon before.)
Medicine for Charlie was misdelivered (Express Mail) on MONDAY to a dump across the tracks. Friend Chris went over there but no one would answer the door (even though there were people inside). Charlie is worse today. Caninecure.us sent out a new shipment today. Cannot get a phone number for the house. (I paid good money to try. It is unlikely, however, that these people would not still have it.)
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