Theme: What Uncle Sam said - Uncle Sam wanted you and got 'em threefold today.
57A. *Whom "I'm in love with" in an Ames Brothers song, and a hint to what the answers to starred clues contain : YOU, YOU, YOU. CLIP(2:51)
22A. *Form a line : QUEUE UP
48A. *Far from common : UNUSUAL
11D. *Component in early TV sets : VACUUM TUBE
26D. *Guided by strict principles : SCRUPULOUS
Argyle here. Prescient comments on Sunday? Harder to construct than Monday's (Letter U's are very tricky to place and this grid has 21.) but not much harder to solve. I'm not sure but this could be Greg's debut puzzle in a major paper. If it is, I bet he would like to fit his home town in a puzzle, Zelienople, PA.
Across:
1. Charge to a sponsor : AD FEE
6. Hospital unit : BED
9. High-profile autos : SUVs...because they sit higher off the ground than a sedan.
13. Bundled, as hay : BALED. Good year for hay around here.
14. Enjoyed goulash, say : ATE
15. Gondolier's milieu : CANAL
18. '70s music genre : DISCO
19. U.S. state with its own elec. power grid : TEX.. Why? An article in Slate magazine answers that very question. LINK
20. Gear tooth : COG
21. Parodied : SENT UP. Past tense of send up, which is more often as a noun.
25. Factual : TRUE
26. Kiddie lit Dr. : SEUSS
28. Genetic messenger : RNA. That makes DNA the message.
29. Sch. period : SEM. (semester)
30. Christine of Fleetwood Mac : McVIE
31. Show to a table : SEAT
32. Barnyard enclosure : STY
34. Like arrangements before a vacation : PRE-TRIP
36. Publish again, as a novel : RE-ISSUE
39. California's Big __ : SUR
40. Teacherly suffix with school : MARM. (schoolmarm)
42. Workout regimen : TAE BO. TAE BO® FITNESS is a total body fitness system that incorporates Martial Arts techniques such as kicks and punches, which became quite popular in the 1990s.
43. Org. with a Champions Tour : PGA. Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America)
45. Noche's opposite : DIA. As different as night and day in 31D. Portugal neighbor : SPAIN
46. Back of a hit record : B SIDE. The most straightforward clue for it in a while.
47. Slow time : LULL
50. Pass, as time : ELAPSE
52. Dove's cry : COO
53. Big rig fixtures, for short : CBs. Citizens' Band radio (also known as CB radio)
56. "It's __ for!": "So-o-o good!" : TO DIE
60. Good, in Guadalajara : BUENA. "She said oh no, Guadalajara won't do" Steely Dan lyric.
61. Lux. locale : EUR. (Luxembourg / Europe)
62. Latest thing : CRAZE
63. Latin being : ESSE
64. Burden-bearing beast : ASS
65. Rub the wrong way : ANNOY
Down:
1. Lie next to : ABUT
2. Truth alternative : DARE. Truth or Dare?
3. Continuous change : FLUX
4. Sleep analysis test, briefly : EEG. (electroencephalogram)
5. School URL ending : .EDU
6. Crocodile habitat : BAYOU
7. Curio display case : ÉTAGÈRE
8. Hibernation site : DEN
9. NFL Superdome team : SAINTS
10. Not emphasized, as a syllable : UNSTRESSED
12. Slanted land : SLOPE
15. B followers : C D E
17. Court winners : ACES
21. Sudden rush : SPATE
22. Preempt a firing? : QUIT
23. Computer operator : USER
24. Take the gun from : UNARM
27. Florida's largest national park : EVERGLADES
30. AWOL enforcers : MPs. Now they don't force you to go AWOL, do they?
33. USN clerk : YEO
35. "My luck is bound to change!" : "I'M DUE!". Why people come back broke from the casinos.
37. "__ miracle!" : IT'S A
38. Navigate a windjammer : SAIL
41. Loud and wild, like a party : RAUCOUS. Honest, not me! Never gone to one of those.
44. Skiing category : ALPINE
46. Channel tinkler : BUOY
47. Decide not to interfere with : LET BE
49. Turns in a bad way : SOURS
51. Red or Yellow : SEA
53. Greenish-blue : CYAN. because teal and aqua didn't work.
54. Rude, annoying one, in slang : BOZO
55. Chop __ : SUEY
57. Vote of approval : YEA
58. South American tuber : OCA
59. Hot coffee server : URN
Argyle
Note from C.C.: Happy Birthday to dear Chickie! I still want to see your backyard with all the wonderful fruit trees.
 |
| L to R: JD, Garlic Gal, Chickie & Jill |
Morning, all (and Happy Birthday, Chickie)!
ReplyDeleteAnother extra crunchy puzzle today. I think the only actual unknown was MCVIE, which had me convinced I had made a mistake after getting the CV part. But the reswt of the puzzle just didn't flow smoothly for me at all.
Tried PEN before STY, BOOR (and then BORE) before BOZO and REPRINT before REISSUE. Misspelled ETAGERE as ETAGARE for no apparent reason. Refused to accept that YEO was the correct abbreviation for yeoman and tried to fit YMN in instead (not that YMN looks any better, mind you). Couldn't think how to spell RAUCOUS at first. Etc., etc., etc. Nothing particularly hard or obnoxious -- just a slow solve for me today.
[Agreenx]
Happy TUesday everybody!
ReplyDeleteAs I was working my way throUgh this pUzzle, I said to myself, “Self, there sUre seem to be a lot of ‘U’s in the answers today…” (inclUding 3 that weren’t in the theme…)
Getting the Unifier was the V-8 moment that opened Up the other Unsolveds (UrUgUayan was the last to fall)….
NBC (No Bloody ClUe) = ETAGERE….
As per UsUal, the NW almost killed me – had REM for EEG, LIES for DARE, ABED for ABuT, and HAW for TEX. ThankfUlly, BALED bailed me oUt….
As Joey Tribiani might have said, “How U doin’?” (I’d link, bUt it was already done not too long ago….)
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Chickie!
Wow! I thought puzzle was going to be a killer at first. I have not been getting serious hunks of sleep as of late due to Charlie's medicine schedule and her need to go out. So, am foggy brained (more than usual with the fibro).
Thanks Greg! Thanks Argyle!
Cheers!
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Greg Johnson, for a swell puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the swell write-up.
ReplyDeletePuzzle did not start easily, at all. DARE for 2D was totally with perps. I still do not see the connection with Truth?
Had REM for 4D for most of the puzzle. Came back to the NW corner and worked on it later. AD FEE appeared. Then EEG. FLUX and TEX. Then URUGUAYAN.
Had PICTURE TUBE for 11D. Thought I was pretty clever with that. Of course the whole NE part was all white. With a few crosses I realized it had to be VACUUM TUBE. This was all before I got down to YOU YOU YOU. Things started to make sense.
Wanted TEAL for 53D. CYAN appeared with a couple perps. I wonder how many CBs are still in use?
The four long verticals were very good. Must have been tough to piece all that together. Congrats, Greg.
Remembered ETAGERE for some reason. we have had that before.
Fun puzzle. a little tough for a Tuesday, but that is OK with me. Maybe Saturday's will be a little easier. (Ha Ha)
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(tegpseu)
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. This was certainly not a usual Tuesday level puzzle. I am not familiar with the song, YOU, YOU, YOU, but was able to get this answer after getting several of the perps. That helped me with the other starred theme answers.
ReplyDeleteI knew Montevideo was the capital of Uruguay, so easily answered URUGUAYAN, but didn't catch on to the theme until I found the VACUUM TUBE.
ETAGERE is not a Tuesday word, but I know we have seen it before. I just couldn't remember it.
Who knew CYAN on the first pass? Like Argyle, I tried Aqua and Teal first.
Truth or DARE was a 1991 Madonna movie.
A very Happy Birthday to you, Chickie! Will you be getting together with other members of the California Coven?
QOD: Television is like the invention of indoor plumbing. It didn’t change people’s habits, it just kept them inside the house. ~ Alfred Hitchcock (Aug. 13, 1899 ~ Apr. 29, 1980)
[gtiven]
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteI say nicely done, Greg. That had to be a bear to put together! Lots of pepper for a Tuesday.
Hand up for not knowing McVie. Never got into Fleetwood Mac. Seeing Unarm in the grid triggered a memory of a dream just last night, within which I realized I had to gently take away a pistol from someone not in condition to hold it. Details are fuzzy...
Construction update: we now have windows, doors, and insulation. Plumbing and wiring are done. The porch is built and frankly it's awesome! Next major step is drywall. Decision fatigue is wearing us down, but people say we'll survive that. Hard to be sure.
Cheers All
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteI zipped right through this one with nary a writeover. I must have been on Greg's wavelength. When I entered URUGUAYAN I said to myself, "Wow, a word with three U's." When I entered QUEUE UP, I got the theme.
I never heard a Yeoman referred to as a YEO. As I recall, Spitz hasn't either. Of course, things may have changed a tad in the last 40 years.
Hahtoolah, I did know CYAN immediately. Don't ask me why. You, You, You is one of the songs in my oldies collection, so I remember it well. Come to think of it, all of the songs in my collection are now oldies.
Happy Birthday, Chickie.
Hi Y'all! UNUSUAL theme which I didn't get until done, but really a good one, Greg.
ReplyDeleteArgyle, great expo & enjoyed the musical interludes.
Nit: BAYOU was next to last to fill because that is a Louisiana word and don't they only have alligators? I though crocs were only in Africa. Add to that, I was looking for a department like ICU so BED was too simple. With _AYOU filled in, couldn't have been anything but a "B".
Last to fill was "Y" in the STY/YEO cross. Didn't know MCVIE (looks like Roman numeral start) or OCA. 21A never heard of SENT UP for parodied.
Farmers also used CB's, a vast improvement over driving 20 miles to find someone in a field. Now those CB's have been replaced with cell phones for more privacy although the CB's were a lot of fun for neighbors to gab. Do truckers still use CB's?
"Tinkler" had quite a different connotation from bell at first. BUOY came as a surprise. Sorry.
ABEJO: didn't there used to be a game or a TV game show called "Truth or DARE"?
Happy birthday, Chickie! May you have many more.
If Hollywood movies are to be believed, Truth or Dare is played at every teenage sleepover. It is often a plot device.
ReplyDeleteGood morning all, and HBD Chickie.
ReplyDeleteA little crunchy today, but a fun solve. Hesitated on the spelling of etagere (wanted another e), but didn't hesitated on McVie. My favorite Fleetwood Mac tune with Christine on vocals is Warm Ways. It just sends you to a nice place.
PK, yes truckers do still use CBs, but they're not as universal as they once were. Half or so, per my truck driving daughter.
And I'm late with this, but had a busy day yesterday. For Jayce: Acrobat, by U2 Hang in there!
Good morning everybody! Happy Birthday Chickie!
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle today. I did know Christine McVie. I believe her husband was in Fleetwood Mac as well. She was the other female singer besides Stevie Nicks.
Like others, I wasn't sure about TEAL, AQUA or CYAN. CYAN would have been my last choice. Good thing I used pencil insted of ink today! I also rewrote REISSUE over my original entry of REPRINT at 36A.
Back to work. Just another COG in the corporate wheel.
Have a great day - especially CHICKIE!
Thanks, Argyle for further elucidating the theme of having 3 U's. I moved right through- though it felt more W/Thu- but I thought that each theme answer would have the You sound in it and knew that Uruguayan didn't fit, but all the others did.
ReplyDeleteDid anybody else notice that ABUT and ASS appeared in the same puzzle?
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteHappy TUesday everyone,
Eraser got a pretty good workout today. Figured out the U theme early on, but had a few words where I placed it in the wrong square. Suess/SEUSS, Uraguayan/URUGUAYAN are a couple of examples.
NE corner last to fall. Had Flan for 3D & I thought it was solid until I corrected the A with the U.
Just finished reading Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick. Whenever mentioned, FLUX had a much different meaning.
Other goofs were 36A Reprint/REISSUE, 60A Bueno/BUENA. Can't ever remember using the expression PRE-TRIP, but couldn't argue with it either.
Finally got it right, but I was looking at a DNF for a while. Enjoyed this solve, thank you Greg. Hope to see you again.
Happy birthday Chickie.
Happy birthday Chickie. I really enjoyed the theme and the execution. Ending the SE with CRAZE and ANNOY also seemed right. I am sgurprised MCVIE was a puzzler, with all the bed hopping in that band, the Rumors never stopped. Thanks Greg and A
ReplyDeleteJust catching up on the Blog. Thanks to Barry G and Amazing Randi Admirer for your explanation on Randi. I should have thought to look at Wikipedia! I believe there could be legitimate psychics, but the field is over run with frauds. You have to be careful who you trust with your money.
ReplyDeleteJayce: Ugh! I've worked with some of the best bosses in the world, and some of the worst bosses in the world. I hope things get smoothed out where you work. Feel free to vent here, but don't do anything you might regret later at work. We're here for you. Hang in there. And go buy a Lottery ticket :)
Happy birthday chicken, and many, many, more.
ReplyDeleteThank you Greg Johnson for a very nice puzzle, and Argyle for some lucid explanations. Thought of Hahtoolah, at Bayou. jambalaya at the bayou ?
I have so many curios /. Knick knacks /. Kitsch / JUNK -- 10 etageres would not be enough - so most of the junk is in boxes. I have some stuff, that I don't know what it is (. &!?$@ ). - and have been trying to find out, unsuccessfully, for the last 12 years .....
Have a nice day, you all.
fUn, fUn, fUn this morning! I remember that song very well.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-When you QUEUE UP in theme parks today, you will most likely have a shade, fans and TV’s (sans VACUUM TUBES) to watch
-AD FEES for Omaha’s CBS (not CB’S) station probably have dropped because Time/Warner ain’t carrying it until they finish negotiations. BTW, our local Time/Warner office is handing out free digital antennas.
-Joann loves sitting up high in our SUV
-Kiddie Lit – 16 year old granddaughter brought out a book that I had read to her a gazillion times at bed time last Friday night, sat on Papa’s lap and read it to me . Very cool!
-The CHAMPIONS tour staged the US Senior Open in Omaha last month
-ASS, ABUT and SEAT in the same puzzle
-Jayce, “You can’t FIRE me, slaves have to be freed. I QUIT/retire.”
-A ROD was thinking I’M DUE last night and grounded into two double plays
-HBD Chickie.
-What song contains the word satisFACTUAL?
Err, that would be Happy Birthday, CHICKIE.
ReplyDeleteI am not used to this auto correct ..... How does one turn it off. ??
MAri, psychically speaking, I am predicting that you will be handing over a small sum of money to me, right now, for some fortune telling, of your future. Lets see, if that comes true. ( lol).
For my advice, you'd be better off just sticking to the Astrology predictions, for your Zodiac sign, in your local newspaper. It's free, and you'd probably have forgotten it by lunchtime ....
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Chickie.
Nifty theme today. But didn't pay attention to the starred items until I was done. Wonder if Greg considered using Uluru (Ayers Rock). 3 u's,, very focused.
Agree with D-O on YEO. Felt like dragging fingernails across a chalkboard. Have only seen YN. Maybe it stems from the primordial mists of our Navy's founding. Have no idea.
Otherwise, thanks Greg for a fun outing this morning.
BH's birthday today, too.
Have a great day.
RE: MCVIE
ReplyDeleteI was expecting an alternate clue. Something like: Julius Caeser's condo address at Claudian Gardens.
Addendum
ReplyDelete-Last week I posited the question, “What famous movie had Charles DeGaulle’s signature as an element of the plot?” and had no takers. The answer is Casablanca where the much sought after “letters of transit” were signed by DeGaulle himself and gave the possessor carte blanche to leave Casablanca. Ugarte (Peter Lorre) killed to get those letters and was shot and killed when it was known he had them but of course Rick (Bogie) gave them to Ilse (Ingrid Bergman) so she could escape with her husband Victor (Paul Henreid). Sigh, well they would always have Paris.
Happy Birthday, Chickie! Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteNo comments about the puzzle except that I tried.
Montana
Loved all the U's. Caught onto the theme quickly. A little crunchy, maybe Wednesday like.
ReplyDeleteTruth or Dare has existed in some form for centuries. The girls in my fifth grade class were very familiar with it. One girl asks another girl an embarrassing question. She must either tell the truth or accept a dare, also embarrassing. In my teaching days it was embarrassing, but harmless, usually inovlvo0ng kissing and boys. I understand that these days it can be really raunchy.
I read that crocodiles exist in some of the most tropical parts of the U.S. but not in the LA bayous, as was pointed out.
"American crocodiles in the United States coexist with the American alligator, and are primarily found in Everglades National Park, Florida Bay, Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys from Miami southward.[20][32] A sizable population occurs near Homestead, Florida, at the Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station."
Husker, that song would be Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah from Disney's Song of the South which is now to un-PC to show.
ReplyDeleteNow why is that song Very UN PC ??
ReplyDeleteWe all want to know.
Plus a link, if possible - so we can decide for ourselves as to how UN PC it is.
We really need to check these statements out, very thoroughly.
Bring it on.
Oops -- that should have been too. I meant that the movie is too un-PC. The song is fine.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteLink Zippity a Dee Doo dah (duh!). zippy day
Late to the corner today, and I'll come back to read even later.
ReplyDeleteI had very few problems today and they all corrected themselves after a couple of missteps such as PEN before STY, YAM/OCA, SPURT/SPATE.
I had CBS before CYAN, so didn't even consider TEAL or AQUA. Cyan also made me remember CA, who I think featured largely in the explanation of it when it came up once a long time ago.
I forgot to wish Chickie a wonderful birthday! Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteCYAN is the color of the body after Cyanide has been ingested.
ReplyDeleteThought it was clever that the other long words also had triple letters: EtagErE, EvErgladEs and unStreSSed. Threw me on the theme until I actually paid attention to the starred clues.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Disney controversies...
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, I got it, even though this was a bit of a toughie for a Tuesday. But a clever one, as Argyle pointed out. So many thanks, Greg.
ReplyDeleteI didn't actually get the theme until the reveal, but then loved tracking those 3 U s. ETAGERE seems to come up so often these days, that I've gotten used to it.
School MARM reminded me of my first teaching job, teaching 5th grade at a parochial school when I was 18. On my first teacher conference night the parents couldn't believe how young I was since the kids always referred to me as "Old Lady H." I guess when you're ten, 18 looks like School MARM to a kid.
Happy Birthday, Chickie--hope you have a fun celebration planned!
And Fermatprime, you're wonderful to take such good care of Charlie.
Have a great day, everybody!
G'Morning All:
ReplyDeleteGreg - a fun challenge; Argyle nice writeup. Happy Birthday to Chickie!
Slooow solve today with plenty of ink blots in the grid. First error was thinking EDU, but inking .org. The last square to fall was the R in 28a. ETAGERE (needed all 7 perps) is not a thing I care to own. Favorite C/A pair was 40a. YOU just don't hear MARM much anymore.
The theme, however, was fun. With all the U's I thought it was going to be UK English or something. But, alas, it was a song I don't know. I was thinking of of this Blues Brother's Song. I'm sure there are VACUUMTUBEs in those amps.
Cheers,
-T
Hello, Argyle and all.
ReplyDeleteHappy, happy birthday, Chickie! I know you will do something special.
For the most part, an easy puzzle today with a pause at DARE/ADFEE/EEG which was the last to fall. I was looking for LIES, FIBS, etc. then remembered the TV show, Truth or DARE.
Filling this across and down at the same time simplifies the solve. I did notice the many Us and it made sense when YOU, YOU, YOU appeared. I loved the Ames brothers' music.
BUENA is another of those words that you have to wait for perps to decide on BUENO/BUENA although Guadalajara could have been a hint.
We've seen ETAGERE before at least once.
Nice job, Greg Johnson.
Have a splendid Tuesday, everyone!
Argyle: Excellent write-up & links.
ReplyDeleteChickie: Happy Birthday!
I mentioned a few weeks ago that they caught a crocodile in Lake Tarpon, two miles from where I live here in Tampa Bay.
They estimated that it had traveled approx. 350 miles from where it was first 'tagged' near the Turkey Creek nuke plant.
It was the farthest North that am American Crocodile has ever been found.
They estimate there are approx. 3000 American Crocodiles here in Florida.
Ergo, 6-D, BAYOU is where alligators, NOT Croc's, habitat.
Just cUrioUs ... is this a record for the most "U's" in a pUzzle???
Well "It's Five O'clock Somewhere!"
Cheers!!!
Mari, that controversy about the Disney, 'My little mermaid' , poster reminds me of a little joke -
ReplyDeleteA woman rents a room in a multistory "H shaped", hotel, for the night. She then proceeds to her room. Fifteen minutes later, she calls the front desk to complain to the front desk staff that there is a totally naked man, in full erection, who has been pacing the window in his hotel room, across the courtyard, for the last fifteen minutes, and he just wont stop. And she can't avoid seeing all this, and it is absolutely disgraceful and obscene. And it is very disturbing to her peace of mind.
Fifteen minutes later, the hotel detective turns up at her door. She invites him inside, and she flings open her window curtains, and points to the scene, going on in the hotel room, facing her, from across the courtyard.
The tec, looks very carefully and intently. Then he says, ' Ma'am, all I see, is man without a shirt, walking across the bed, in his own room. ... '
The woman, now livid, says,' Stand on the bed, stand on the bed - and you can see all of it'.
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteWhew, just getting in my "good morning" under the wire today. But first, Happy Birthday Chickie! I'll bet you're going to have a blast!!
.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:.
Nice expo, Argyle. And you are so right about our precient comments on Sunday!! Just wondered, though, how you know where Greg is from? Are you psychic?? (^0^)
I wasn't crazy about PRETRIP, although it makes sense. UNARM seemed even stranger. Disarm is the more common verb, but they are both in my dictionary.
Like others have said, a little crunchy for a Tuesday, but overall quite doable.
Dudley, great to hear about the progress. I'm still waiting for my housewarming invitation so that we can sit on that big porch and have a glass or two at sunset!
Have a wonderful day, everyone.
I liked the puzzle though it seemed a little harder than the usual Tuesday offering. WEES. Thanks Greg and Argyle.
ReplyDeleteI've always liked the cartoons in Song of the South. Brer Fox and Brer Bear are great characters.
A motorbike is no match for a territorial ram. Ram vs. motorbike.
I really enjoyed the "Major Crimes" show from a week ago. One nit though. They had a guy who had supposedly committed suicide from opening the oven door and turning on the gas. You can't do that because natural gas isn't poisonous. The only harm might come from having the gas displace the oxygen so the person might suffocate or more likely, a big explosion. Did you know that natural gas isn't poisonous? The police would have known that but apparently not the writers and executives of Major Crimes.
Good morning and a Very Happy Birthday to my California puzzle buddy, Chickie! I'm sure there will be a family birthday lunch/dinner at Odeum in your future. Maybe even a glass of Fiano!
ReplyDeleteCicero @ 8:46: good one! I love it.
No problem with the puzzle today. I zip-a-dee-doo-dahhed right through it. Whew...all those "U's"...
Marti - not too long now, I expect. The porch has a temporary plywood deck on it; the final hardwood hasn't arrived yet. We set up some summer chairs over the weekend just to test it out, and what do you know, it works!
ReplyDelete:-)
Happy BirthdayChickie, ♪♩♬♫•*¨*•.❤.•*¨*•♫♪•.¸¸.•´♫♪♩♬*¨*`•.♥.•´*♫♪♩♬ hope you are surrounded by lots of family!
ReplyDeletea tad harder for me today, but a fun romp. Thanks Argyle and Greg, and to all who add tid buts and links. Will read later.
Pictures of the Lake Tarpon crocodile
ReplyDeleteCroc photo's
I stand corrected, per the article in the Tampa Bay Times (that won't link, but can be Googled) they estimate the number of American Crocodiles in Florida to be 2,000.
Cheers!
Bill G, apparently you didn't watch the show too close.
ReplyDeleteFun for Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteAnd it included one of my favorite words, ETAGERE. Don't ask why, but....
Bill, I have to agree with Argyle. Death was caused by something else.
ReplyDeleteDudley:
I'm sure you are pleased to see so much progress.
Hi Everyone:
ReplyDeleteKudos to Mr. Johnson for an intricate, challenging Tuesday offering. I am not a fan of the letter "U" when I play Scrabble or Words With Friends, but Greg sure gave Us plenty to like with this UnUsUal theme. Great job on the expo, Argyle, as always.
While I was at the farm stand earlier, a big, black SUV pulled up and on the rear window was a decal which read:
Do Not Approach This Vehicle. The Dog Has
A Gun And He Refuses To Take His Meds!
Perched in the passenger seat was a Bichon Frise, sans gun. After asking permission, I spent several minutes getting to know "Luke." That made my day! Brought back a lot of nice memories of our Bichon.
Happy Birthday, Chickie; hope it's a fun-filled day.
The Anon post @ 2:02 is by Irish Miss. I am having trouble with Google and I didn't want to lose my post.
ReplyDeleteBill. G. - gee ! You gotta be careful with your words - after all, that's what this blog is all about !
ReplyDeleteFirst, the plaudits :- your Ram Vs. Motorbike is absolutely wonderful ! I was impressed by two things, first, the guy had the guts to caress and confront the animal without hurting it. (I would've soiled my pants ). Second, he was kind to the animal and treated it most lovingly. He dealt with it with tolerance and understanding. I salute him.
Now, the brick bats. You wrote, and I quote,'. Do you know that natural gas is NOT poisonous ?' (Capitals, mine ).. What sort of statement is that ?
Ever since ancient times, and confirmed by swede, Carl Scheele and Joseph Priestly ( the putative discoverer, of Oxygen in August of 1774, no less ), the toxicity of gases is as follows.
1. Oxygen is the ONLY nontoxic gas. Period. All other gases are toxic. Some more fast acting than others.
2. Some gases, alert you by their odor, like Ammonia, or their irritant effect like tear gas, and mustard gas. Some do not - like "pure" natural gas, or carbon dioxide, or carbon monoxide. Ammonia, actually alerts you, then it dulls your sense of smell, so if you ignore it, it will relentlessly kill you.
While it is true, that the natural gas, ( over 80% methane, ~ 12% ethane ), piped into a household, is at a very, very low pressure ( it drops from 60 psi to 0.25 psi, in the house, it has less than 0.2% oxygen, and is definitely poisonous. As to whether it can be used to commit suicide, I can't opine on, never having had to try it out myself.. However, I can mention that prior to 1940, for the US, and in the 50's and 60's in the UK, Coal Gas , by the gasification of coal was the piped in gas, in households. Coal Gas has about 10-14 % carbon monoxide, and at least, in the UK, it was the overwhelmingly preferred method for committing suicide by females. Since conversion, to natural gas, which has almost no CO, the preference has dropped very substantially.
I see I didn't explain myself very well. I often have trouble with that :>)
ReplyDeleteIt's no big deal but I'll try again. The residents might have thought that suicide by leaving the gas on would seem plausible. But it seemed to me that the police gave some credence to that possibility at first before they ruled it out. I would have thought that that the Major Crimes detectives would have ruled that out immediately and knew that it was murder whereas I didn't think that it seemed obvious to them at first before the results of the autopsy. Maybe I missed something. No big deal.
Regarding the toxicity of natural gas, I saw a science video with animals existing quite happily in an environment of something like 40 percent unodorized natural gas, 30 percent oxygen and the rest nitrogen or something similar.
I just recycled a bunch of alkaline batteries. On the way home, I stopped at a little produce store and bought some really good tomatoes, just like homegrown. There is one local farm that grows beefsteak tomatoes and sells them vine-ripened. No matter how good the other supermarket tomatoes look, they can't compare in taste (or even smell).
Oxygen combinded with hydrogyn creates dihydrogen monoxide. Very dangerous; a tea spoon of it can kill. If you fill your oven with it, and stick your head in... Well, your Spanish tile floor will will not be BUENA :-)
ReplyDeleteDid anyone catch the NYT's science section today (p D1)? After yesterday with Schrodinger, we've got the main brains still arguing about the nature of black-holes re: the paradox between general relativity / quantum mechanics outcomes. If these physicists figure things out, I just might get my anti-gravity boots after all (I'm not going to QUEUEUP just yet).
Cheers, -T
Major Crimes Spoiler Alert!
ReplyDeleteThe manager wasn't murdered ... exactly. Guest stars include Tim Conway, Doris Roberts, Marion Ross, Ron Glass and Paul Dooley. It's pretty funny. So these friends let the manager kill himself They knew he was allergic to nuts. They made some nut-laced brownies and the bum helped himself. They ignored his cries and it got quiet, Conway went to the apartment, turned on the gas and called 911.
Great unexpected ending. Watch it on TNT.
Argyle:
ReplyDeleteSo with ELAPSEd time the UNSTRESSED COG in the PD's SUV was LULLed and DAREd not VACUUM out the UNUSUAL in SEUSSing out what was TRUE? -T
//OK, folks, sorry, I couldn't resist... I'll go away now.
Irish Miss @ 2:02, funny story about the Bichon Frise! I think I need to get a sticker like that for my cats...(But, they might take it literally, and then I would have some real problems!!)
ReplyDeleteArgyle, these nuts - the food, that is -that was the poison in the crime drama scene - were they like fancy, shmancy expensive nuts. --- Like pine nuts, or macadamia nuts - or just plain peanuts, like, the riff raff variety. Remember, the pine nuts you once linked during a blog, many moons ago ?
ReplyDeleteSince I don't watch Tv, I guess I'm trying to find okjut whether these shows have any class left in them, or has it all gone down the drain.
And while I am here, could I link this for ONLY THOSE WHO ARE NOT EASILY OFFENDED! and ARE ADULTS? WARNING|_. Very, very, DF - don't look, and then complain !!!
WHATs worn under Kilts
AnonT -the argument on the black holes would be interesting to few scientists, except that such arguments end up costing half a dozen Billion dollars to resolve, and end up making kka big dent in the deficit.
My cousin, who works for the Dept. of Defense, (US Govt) - In the IT Dept. - has had his wages cut 10%, but his hours have been reduced 20% (four days a week), and he takes Weds. Afternoons off to play golf. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
I don't remember the exact nuts in the brownies but Ron Glass proudly pointed out that it was his idea to add Frangelico icing.
ReplyDeleteImage
Husker Gary - Adorable picture of you and Emma!
ReplyDeleteI changed my avatar for you, anon. It's my WGT avatar. I made Master tier yesterday.
ReplyDeleteGood evening, everyone! Impressive (and fun) puzzle, Greg, thanks for the UbiqUitoUs U’s. Thanks for an enlightening write-up Argyle. I enjoyed the Ames Brothers clip. And thanks to Anonymous T @ 11:21 for the Blue Brothers link – one of my favorite movies.
ReplyDeleteAgree with others that this was a on the crunchy side for a Tuesday, in a good way. I misspelled ETAGERE as ETAGier, which made QUEUEING UP, RNA and SEAT harder than necessary – perps finally set me straight. Never know if the back of the hit record is going to be B SIDE or SIDE B – another write-over. The rest was pretty smooth sailing, and made for a satisfying solve.
A very Happy Birthday to Chickie. I hope you got to spend the day doing all your favorite things.
Irish Miss , loved your dog story.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Chickie. Nice picture. Good friends.
For weeks, and especially today, I've been caught in the toils of legal work for my son's future: wills, guardianship, special needs trust, power of attorney, etc. etc. It requires great attention to detail, personal drive, organization and MONEY. Now I will need to produce five years of monthly bank statements and five years of S.S. statements of the new amounts allowed for the coming months.
How do less educated and less privileged parents survive?
In addition on August 1, my squared dance club lost its venue with 30 days notice. It takes most clubs months to find a new one. Pit in the stomach moment! Fortunately we found a new venue in one week. But it's like changing a piece in a mobile. Everything is unbalanced: advertising, insurance, caller contracts, provisions for classes, clearances, and on and on, with just weeks to solve, including family vacation time.
I was back on top of things this week until the 5 years' worth of data mandate today.
I contribute to the blog when my mind is clear. Sometimes I really appreciate that I can depend on all of you. This is truly a group of virtual friends.
Hello, All,
ReplyDeleteYou're an intriguing group whom I have quickly come to enjoy reading about in your posts about the LAT Xword and all other things in general.
However, esp. as a constructor, I am curious what "perp/s" is/are when you are commenting.
I think I am going to find myself a regular here--if I fully figure out what I am doing. Is this considered blogging??
----Matt Skoczen (the constructor NOT that other Matt that imitated me---LOL)
"Matt Skoczen": just look at the homepage of the blog, under "Comments Section Abbreviations" to find the answer to life and all other things blog related...
ReplyDeleteAnonT, I was shocked to read about the bad effects of dihydrogen monoxide cause I just polished off a small glassful. What's the antidote?
ReplyDeleteHi Matt. Perps refer to 'perpendicular' words often called crosses.
Fermatprime, let's talk. I sent you an email the other day.
ReplyDeleteHere is a great big yellowrock.
As usual, BillG., asked and answered already.
ReplyDeleteMatt S., real or Memorex:
ReplyDeleteAs I understand the concept, the blog is the daily presentation and the individual expressions are comments or posts. It is a diary for the world to read and talk about. It was the parsing of web log as we blog that set the tone.
Just my opinion.
Thank you, HeartRx, Lemonade, and Bill G. My homework over the next few nights is to learn this Site better. See you tomorrow! ---Matt
ReplyDeleteFirst things first. Happy Birthday Chickie !!!
ReplyDeleteGreat write up Argyle. LOL at your, "Good year for hay around here" comment. And BTW, wasn't that line, "Oh no, William and Mary won't do" ? Oh yea, that girl was so cruel. And, "Guadalajara (5 As, but proper name like Casablanca) won't do." Great song. Steely Dan was far more than puzzle prominent AJA.
I thought this puzzle had plenty of bite for a Tuesday. QUEUE UP and ETAGERE are both in my wheelhouse, but I had to slow down when I hit the Montevideo clue. I was on the wrong continent due to a momentary short circuit with Montenegro. Mostly because I was not quite awake this morning when I entered ABED instead of ABUT, but "state with it's own elect grid could only be TEX, said this quasi-expatriate living in Illinois. Ma Texan, Pa Buckeye. NSA, are you listening ? Did you get that ? Oh wait, you already know who we all are.
Speaking of which, Greg Johnson, if you are truly from Zelienople, I've been to your borough many, many times. Dad and I would drive down through Enon Valley and New Galilee and Big Beaver on the way to the auction house outside of town. I'll never forget those little hand sized homemade cherry fruit pies and kraut dogs sold by the Mennonites at that auction house. At least that's how I recall it... We Will be in the 'burgh next week, God willing and the creek don't rise.
Matt Skoczen, go blue. No one can spoof you at that point.
Good excuse to post Steely Dan. I have no idea about the truth of what they say on the video but hey, it could be.
ReplyDeleteMy Old School(5:47)
Argyle, funny that you linked that song of Steely Dan. Because "My Old School" was linked to another song close to Bard College, inspired by one of the professor's wives, Rikki Ducornet. She was a friend of Donald Fagen...
ReplyDeleteGood evening, gang -- just got in, but I wanted to wish Chickie a very Happy Birthday; hope it's been a great one, with many more to follow.
ReplyDeleteOff to bed; been a very long but enjoyable day deep-sea fishing.
Bill G: With a healthy constitution, small doses of dihydrogen monoxide, once ingested, should not be an issue. Don't panic. You may feel minor preasure on the bladder, but this will pass... Sorry I couldn't calm your nerves earlier, I was at dinner with my daughter.
ReplyDelete@5:33 Anon. My first job was with the DOD. We never cut out early. The gov't shutdown during the early 90's delayed our paycheck by a few days, but nothing more (we were fully back-paid). If golfing on Wednesday is now an option, do they need a cyber-security guy? -:)
My eldest starts high school next week and is worried about Geometry. We had a two hour study session at the local cantina. It will take a few more rounds, but she should be good at simultanious equations now. She's in sophomore math and junior-level French, but obviously, I can't help with French (I ask her for x-word ans.).
The real Matt S. I was shamed a month ago into going "Blue" which means creating an account. You may wish to too to keep the "other" Matt S from ANNOYing impersonation.
Cheers, -T
Happy birthday Chickie!
ReplyDeleteYR, I'm glad you found a new square dancing venue. I hope things continue to work out well for you.
Damn, I'll bet worrying that dihydrogen monoxide is what is waking me up several times a night.
Hey all:
ReplyDeleteI just got off the phone with my mother-in-law. We talked about the puzzle for almost an hour savoring all the fun words that we don't normally see. Greg's puzzle just keeps on giving...
MIL is on a fixed-income so she doesn't have the Internet (I actually pay for her paper so she can do the x-words; BIL covers the cable), but I tell her about you folks most everynight.... She vicariously blogs with us (a virtual virtual-friend :-).
She wishes Chickie a happy birthday. CED, she loves your cooking in the woods antics, Bill G - she laughed at the H2O keeping you up at night. YR - loves the poems (she knows most by heart anyway), and Keith, she hopes your hand is better. And Matt S, she said go blue :-)
Of course, she couldn't resist calling me a smartASS before hanging up.
Cheers, -T
AnonT, your MIL sounds like a very enjoyable person to be around. It's a shame she can't get the Internet and join us.
ReplyDeleteCan you believe the Dodgers? Of course, I wasn't able to watch because of the damn CBS/TimeWarner feud.
BillG - She is a hoot and a spry 73 year-old (she's gonna bop me on the head for that). I know there's all the MIL jokes out there, but she's not of that ilk.
ReplyDeleteDid you listen to Diane Reeme (sp?) this morning on NPR? The second hour was about the TW/CBS kerfuffle. It sounds like it won't be solved until football starts; Radio Shack is having a rush on HD antennae.
If only the Dogers could play the 'Stros, then they would win. Though we beat the A's by one tonight. I still miss having an NL team in town (/sigh). Cheers, -T.