Theme: A Helping of Homophones - the theme entries have similar-sounding final words (with different F sound spellings) and the reveal has both words playing the sound-alike game.
17A Hearty har-har: BELLY LAUGH
26A National Geographic’s first natural one appeared in 1914: COLOR PHOTOGRAPH. "Natural" in this context means the photograph was taken on color film and printed "as is", not hand-tinted. This was the picture - a flower garden in Ghent, Belgium.
47A Group on “The West Wing”: WHITE HOUSE STAFF
62A Container that holds two generous glasses of wine (as well as a double dose of this puzzle’s theme?): HALF CARAFE
Steve here with Michael's midweek masterpiece (I never let a good alliteration opportunity go begging). The final theme answer only works for me if I drop my British pronunciation and turn all-American - I would say it as "HARF CARAFF" and that rather ruins things!
I enjoyed the theme and cottoned on to it after the first two entries, so it made for mostly plain sailing. I always like to make it hard for myself with one goof, and today filling in JAWS as 10D rather than 10A was the culprit.
Let's see what we've got with the rest of the puzzle.
Across:
1 Shaving product “by Mennen”: AFTA
5 Deep voices: BASSI
10 “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” film: JAWS. Best line in the movie, in my ever-so-humble opinion. Second best: "I'm not going to waste my time arguing with a man who's lining up to be a hot lunch."
14 Talk too much: BLAB. That's probably me on this blog.
15 Class clown’s bit: ANTIC
16 Give __: care: A RAP. I never heard this expression before. I love how you can be (mumble) years old and still learn new words and phrases.
19 Low-lying area: VALE
20 Surpasses: EXCEEDS
21 Qualified for the position: HIRABLE
23 Profs’ protégés, briefly: T.A.'S. Teacher's Pets - I mean Assistants.
24 Prefix with trooper: PARA
25 Its 2014 games will be held in Sochi, Rus.: I.O.C. The International Olympic Committee, who in their wisdom awarded these winter games to a resort with a subtropical climate where temperatures in February have been recorded as high as 70F.
31 The Cavaliers of the ACC: UVA. The University of Virginia, members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
32 Average amount: NORM. Does Norm from "Cheers" drink an average amount?
33 Cape near Cod: ANN. It also gives its name to a style of house:
34 Savor the sun: BASK
36 Halfhearted: TEPID
39 Legend with rackets: ASHE. Tennis star Arthur.
42 “Silent” president Coolidge: CAL. I was going to grumble about the abbreviation of Calvin, but then realized his nickname was "Silent Cal"
44 Other, in Oaxaca: OTRO
46 Slippery one: EEL
52 Carpooling letters: HOV. I chuckle sometimes when I think about a the fact that a "high-occupancy vehicle" here in LA consists of two people. Angelenos really do not like carpooling.
53 Loses luster: DIMS
54 Hawaiian tuna: AHI. Food! Hawaiian ahi poke is one of my go-to favorites when I'm on the islands.
55 Do impressions of: IMITATE
57 “All kidding aside”: I MEAN IT. Usually not a good thing to hear from a parent.
61 Fifth-century pope: LEO I
64 Month following Av: ELUL. Crosses all the way.
65 Pension law acronym: ERISA. I had to look up the Employee Retirement Income Security Act which attempts to safeguard pension contributions from employer jiggery-pokery (I think that's an official term in the wording of the law)
66 Soon: ANON. Webster's declares this to be "archaic" but I use it - "See you anon" and I'm only (mumble) years old. Cheek.
67 Method: Abbr.: SYST. System.
68 Device used before applying 1-Across: RAZOR. I wonder if Occam used Afta?
69 Ilk: SORT. One of the world's most tremendous names is Peregrine Moncreiffe of that Ilk, the clan chief of the Moncreiffes.
Down:
1 French cleric: ABBÉ
2 Move a muscle: FLEX.
3 Powder mineral: TALC
4 Can, after “is”: ABLE TO
5 Where there’s no hair apparent: BALD SPOT. Great clue!
6 Literary collections: ANAS
7 VW preceders?: STU. Alphabet.
8 Show exasperation toward: SIGH AT
9 Suzuki with 10 MLB Gold Gloves: ICHIRO. First of two baseball references today - Ichiro is an immensely-talented outfielder now with the New York Yankees.
10 Bean-based beverage: JAVA
11 Indian Ocean arm: ARABIAN SEA
12 Long homer, say: WALLOP. As well as 10 Gold Glove awards, the aforementioned Ichiro also won three Silver Sluggers, so we can safely say he's hit a few wallops in his career.
13 Valedictorian’s big moment: SPEECH
18 Hanker (for): YEARN
22 Sitar music: RAGA. Here's a nice example of the genre.
24 Like some 13-Downs: POMPOUS
26 Babe in the woods: CUB
27 Egg cells: OVA
28 Lewd: LASCIVIOUS. Word of the day for me. I hope I'm never described as this!
29 Otto I’s realm: Abbr.: H.R.E. Second "Abbr." cluing today. The Holy Roman Empire.
30 Genetic material: RNA. Is it an R? Is it a D? I'll wait and see.
35 Kit __ Klub: “Cabaret” setting: KAT
37 “__ now or never”: IT'S
38 Ideal wheels: DREAM CAR. As far as current production cars are concerned, here's mine - the Aston-Martin DB9
40 Playboy nickname: HEF. Mr. Hugh Hefner of dressing-gown fame.
41 Rivendell dweller: ELF. The Lord of the Rings has been very handy for crossword puzzle constructors with all kinds of three-letter denizens of Middle Earth (Orc and Ent are but two more). It also gives me an excuse to post a picture of the lovely Liv Tyler in her role as Arwen.
43 Mother of Helen of Troy: LEDA
45 Milo of the movies: O'SHEA
47 Makes pass, as time, with “away”: WHILES
48 Hardly handsome: HOMELY
49 __ and yon: HITHER. I honestly thought this was the other way around! In England we also have "hither and thither" - try saying that three times quickly.
50 1998 PGA Player of the Year Mark: O'MEARA. He was something of a late bloomer - he played 15 years on the tour before he won his first major (the Masters) and then won the Open Championship the same year, hence his Player of the Year award. Oddly, after that 1998 blaze of glory he never won on the tour again.
51 Pageant toppers: TIARAS
56 Lean: TILT. The L was the last letter for me today. I was thinking "low fat" lean and I didn't know ELUL so I had to play the alphabet game. It was only the second time through that I saw the "other" lean meaning.
57 “Should that be true ...”: IF SO
58 iPod mini successor: NANO
59 “__ one, think that ...”: I FOR
60 Camper’s shelter: TENT
63 Fashion’s Claiborne: LIZ
That's all from me today. Enjoy your collective Wednesdays!
Steve
Steve
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteThis one was, for the most part, solidly in my wheelhouse today. Tried A FIG followed by A RIP at 16A before finally accepting that A RAP was correct, but that was about it for difficulty.
I remembered ERISA from a former life (or so it seems) and even managed to pull OMEARA out of somewhere.
Really enjoyed seeing LASCIVIOUS in the grid today. Lovely word, that...
[ognspoin]
Good Morning, Steve and friends. This was a fun Wednesday puzzle. The clues that I didn't know were easily filled in by the perps. Almost a pangram (I didn't see a Q).
ReplyDeleteToday is the first day of ELUL. It is the month of reflection before the High Holidays of Rosh HaShanah.
LEO I was head of the Catholic Church from 440~461 and was also known as St. Leo the Great. (Since the Leos appear with such frequency, I decided to finally look them up.)
Steve: I agree with you about the AHI Poke. It is fabulous!
Many schools in the area begin today.
LIZ Claiborne is distantly related to William C.C. Claiborne, the first governor of Louisiana under statehood.
In honor of Louisiana's 50th governor and new father (a son was born a week ago), here is today's QOD: I never speak ill of dead people or live judges ~ Edwin Edwards (Aug. 7, 1927)
[eargova]
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteHand up for A RIP before A RAP showed up. And also LICENTIOUS before LACIVIOUS -- in my memory Lewd and Licentious often appear together in arrest warrants, probably from Perry Mason, Dragnet or somesuch.
I thought a GOLD GLOVE was a boxing award.
Steve, HOV = 2 in Houston, also. Every now and then you'll read of some guy getting pinched (the non-Tinbeni variety) for escorting his mannequin to work in the HOV lane.
Nice puzzle, great write up. Neat tidbit about Edwin Edwards please not that today is the new father's 86th birthday.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't finish it today: I had CAPABLE instead of HIRABLE so when I got SIGH AT I ended up with HAPABLE which isn't even a word. I wish we had better crosses: I'm not good with names.
ReplyDeleteI also had CROWNS but I eventually changed that to TIARAS.
Good morning everybody. Today's puzzle wasn't easy for me but I caught the theme early and was able to complete the fill. I had a few PERPS with EL UL, RAGA, HRE and UVA.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite clue was 7D: VW preceders? STU. Nice misdirection.
I liked seeing the word WALLOP.
I'm starting to see ads for my TV shows that were on hiatus. Is it good that they're coming back, or bad that summer's on its way out?
Back to school already Hahtoolah? Egads!
Fun time's over. Time to hit the in box.
Have a good day :)
WBS (and Steve), never heard of give a rap- so sat there with give a rip for awhile. Never know whether it will be Leo the I, V, or X until the perps. Was just visiting Seattle and very glad there were 2 of us in the car so we had the HOV option rather than sit in traffic on I-5 option.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle and even more entertaining write up by Steve.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteHave a busy day ahead with appointments, so will post while I have a little time.
Enjoyed the puzzle but didn't get the full theme until reading Steve's witty write-up. I use the expression, hither, thither and yon. Thanks, Michael, for a wonderful Wednesday "wallop." (Some alliteration for Steve.)
Another glorious summer day. Enjoy!
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteCouldn't get TILT and will not even attempt to learn the names of Hebrew months, so a DNF. Clever theme. But I really don't like a letter string.
I would like to be described as LASCIVIOUS, but, alas, do not qualify. [SIGH]
For your listening enjoyment, some music at a city festival. You can see the top of my straw fedora under the corner of the Severstal sign.
The FLA branch of the clan is arriving tonight. Much to do so IMBO.
Cool regards,
JzB
Thank you Michael and thank you Steve.
ReplyDeleteFlew through (for me) the puzzle. 21 minutes. No TADA. Turned on red letter help and found that I missed the A but hit the S, so my cape near Cod was SNN. D'oh !
Finished the puzzle just about 5 AM, and then went back to sleep until just a bit ago. Then, like Mari, opened the inbox at work. Ugh ! Some days I YEARN to retire. I MEAN IT !
Running late. See all y'all later (n'at).
Good morning Steve, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteWonderful, witty write-up. (More alliteration for ya.) I did not know ICHIRO, so my BASSO stayed to the bitter end. DNF. I should have re-read the clue and realized it was plural!
Of course, I loved the unifier! But like Barry G., my favorite fill was LASCIVIOUS.
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
I guess I ought to include the link.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
JzB
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Michael Dewey, for a swell puzzle. Thank you, Steve, for a very good review, as always.
ReplyDeleteWell, I am back home and can use my Mac for the blogging. Yesterday I had to use my cell phone to report in to the Blog. That was cumbersome, even though I like the fact that I am able to do it. This technology is great.
HOV for 52A, and carpooling, reminds me of when I lived in southern California. People would sometimes place mannequins in their cars, dressed, so they could use the carpool lanes on the San Bernardino and Santa Monica freeways (I-10). Every now and then they would get caught.
Got all the theme words, but not the theme until I came here. Did not study long enough.
Always get mixed up on VALE and DALE. So, I held off on the first letter until I got JAVA. That fixed it.
Arthur ASHE in our puzzle again. He is a frequent visitor.
EL UL was a piece of cake (once I had the four downs).
LEO had the be the "I", since he was in the 400's. It would have been tough to have a "V" or "X" by then. Popes were just getting started.
I knew TA'S because we recently had that term.
NANO came with some thought. I think I have purchased a few of them for my family. I do not use those things. I would rather read a book than WHILE away the hours listening to music. Even though I like music, certain kinds.
My current book is "The Light Between Oceans". Sad story, but well written. Lots of Australian and British jargon, which I enjoy.
Well, lots to do. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(earomi)
Thank you Michael Dewey for a wonderful, doable puzzle. Really, really enjoyed it. Thank you Steve, my foodie friend, for a wonderful and humorous commentary. Really, really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteDidn't get the theme, but got all the answers.
Once, in a southern city, a friend of mine ordered a 'pitcher' of wine, when he really meant ' carafe'. We were both not used to drinking wine, and plus the wine was sour ( dry ?)- so we took a sip apiece, and left the rest of the pitcher, on the table for those who may follow us.
Initially, II had ADAR before ELUL, the only 4 letter Jewish month, I know. I had MILK ( the soy kind ) before JAVA. I didn't know that the bean is also a drink.
Excuse me, but I don't think Valedictorians make pompous speeches....
Have a nice day, you all.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteHad a little trouble with Capable before Hirable, mostly because I can never remember that ball player's name.
JzB - enjoyed your A Train video!
Cheers All
I too got a lot of enjoyment from this puzzle, and even more from Steve's wit.
ReplyDeletehand up for RIP/RAP.
My only problem this morning was a hitch in getting here to the blogspot. For some reason the computer wouldn't recognize my usual link, and I emailed C.C. to ask if it was a corner problem, but she said no and to google it. after that worked, so did my original link. So who knows? Another cyber mystery.
Anyway, then I spent a considerable amount of time on something else, and was surprised to see only 15 comments posted by the time I eventually got back here.
Happy hump day to all!
Whose brilliant idea was it to hold the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi , Russia ??
ReplyDeleteThe local terrorists must be rubbing their hands in glee. That's just plumb in the middle of their back yard, just across the border from Georgia, Armenia, Azerbz. and a hop- skip - jump from Iran.
Rumor has it that the local warlords are bidding furiously for first dibs on the high status visitors. As one of the locals, said," now, I am convinced, there is a God".
And the gold medal for the 10,000 meters Ski Jumping event. .... ( while Acrobatically, Heroically and Stoically, dodging multiple snipers and outmaneuvering bullets of various calibers. . - ) .... goes to ...
Hi Y'all! My online puzzle disappeared five times before I got it finished. Persistency is one of my virtues. By the last time through, I had most of the upper rows memorized. So frustrating! Nice one, Michael! WEES but the unknown names perped out.
ReplyDeleteLASCIVIOUS and Long homer (clue) in the same puzzle? Belly laugh! I won't even mention WHITE HOUSE STAFF because it would be disrespectful. Don't take a COLOR PHOTOGRAPH ANON.
Steve, thanks for explaining HOV & ERISA. No HOV's in the boonies. I saw them on the west coast -- one reason I came home from there.
TA's, whose second language was English spoken poorly, cost me much money when my brilliant engineering student son had to retake the courses. Or was he just using that as an excuse?
PK, too funny! You really brightened my day.
ReplyDeleteTough slog for me, even with a 2 hour break, & I still finished it wrong!
ReplyDeleteBasso/bassi, UVI/uva
Just so many unknowns! Anas? Erisa? Oshea?
57A I had "Im-anit" & it took 3 tries thru the alphabet to get that "e" to do the old V8 can to the head...
One thing though, I think it really helped my sussing skills. Quite a workout! It also helped that previous puzzles clued me in to Holy Roman Empire, & Leo the 1st.
What a fun puzzle! I had a DNF, but it was an amusing DNF. Thanks, Michael Dewey. Steve, thanks for your witty explanations.
ReplyDeleteHand up for BASSo/BASSI.
I got ELUL with only 4 perps.
I remember the acronym ERISA because a college prof had an alternate definition: Every Ridiculous Idea Since Adam.
Happy Hump Day!
Pat
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteAbejo, I too enjoyed "The Light Between the Oceans". I have recommended it to those who belong to reading discussion groups. It does lend itself to a good discussion.
As for the puzzle, a DNF for me. Too many unknowns. And I never heard the expression don't give a RAP. But I did get quite a bit done and enjoyed it.
I am feeling good, but I sleep a lot with the chemo. I think only three months to go.
Cheers
Happy day, everyone! Thank you, Steve, for your witty, wise and well worded commentary. Too much alliteration?
ReplyDeleteOTRO now seems etched into the puzzle lingo as much as ASHE.
I certainly enjoyed the sashay today, thanks to Michael Dewey,as it took only a bit more than a NANO.
Interestingly, ELUL appeared in a puzzle yesterday and so I decided to look up the Hebrew months much as Hatoolah searched for the Catholic Popes Leo. I love the cross culture learning!
WEES on ICHIRO. I had to wait for some perp help on that one. And like Widwan, I'm never sure if it's going to be a VALE or DALE so JAVA confirmed it for me.
Jazzbumpa:
I always enjoy your musical links, thank you for sharing.
Clues I really liked:
Savor the sun: BASK
Legend with rackets: ASHE
Move a muscle: FLEX
Babe in the woods: CUB
I love LIZ Claiborne's clothes and have a closet full to show it.
I hope you all have a stupendous Wednesday!
Fun Wednesday puzzle, Mr. Dewey, although I didn't get the theme until Steve's write-up. Never heard of ERISA--always nice to learn something new. I miss Milo O'Shea, the wonderful actor who died earlier this year, I believe.
ReplyDeleteNew furnace is installed but has a roar twice as loud as our old one. Since it's located within a few feet of where we sleep and the studies where we work, this could be a nightmare this winter. Sigh, not catching much of a break this week.
Have a great Wednesday, everybody.
G'Moning all!
ReplyDeleteAfter two days of feeling "smart," my self-esteem is slipping away. DNF.
At 36a I had timid and could see that pommpus was just not right so kept searching for another word. 44a never fell and ani at 54 just ruined everything.
Still Michael's pzl was very enjoyable and I was ABLE TO get LASCIVIOUS (loved it!) and the theme (even though I couldn't SORT out the aforementioned). Thanks Steve for providing me the final much-needed letters.
HOV allong US59 and I-10 (Houston) only needs 1 person in the car if you can pay the toll. Like at the airport, if you can afford it, you don't have to queue-up with the common-folk. What a SYST!
Cheers,
-T
I used to pronounce today's new word as. "lavicious",
ReplyDeleteas in 'La-vicious'. It sounds like what it means.
Now I know, it's really a 'French' word ---- aren't they all --- Lascivious as in , 'La-civic -( us ? )'. That's a definite improvement ?
Hmmmm, HALF CARAFE ... sounds like the perfect Pinch portion (I like alliteration also) here at Villa Incognito.
ReplyDeleteSteve: Your picture of the BELLY LAUGH kid was a hoot.
Cheers!!!
No prob today but had to have some help from the perps for many 4-letter crosses. I too was asea on "Give A RAP", but not so stubborn that I could go with "WILLOP". Average: MEAN, FAIR, SOSO? Ilk: TYPE, KIND LIKE? COBRA came to mind, but that's an acronym for insurance, not pensions.
ReplyDeleteAbejo and Sallie:
ReplyDeleteThank you for the book recommendations which are always appreciated. I'll mention it at the Book Club meeting.
Vidwan @ 9:57
ReplyDeleteUnder the Circumstances, perhaps the puzzle was not referring to the Pomp of which you were thinking.
Hola Everyone, At first glance I wasn't sure that I was even going to get a fourth of this puzzle finished. But I plugged away (with two Google lookups) and finished everything.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see that Steve had to look up meaning of ERISA. I did, too. I didn't know that what acronym stood for. Thanks, Steve for the great write up.
Every time I see "Tiara" I think about the tiara that Sheldon bought for Amy. I thought that was one of the most hilarious episodes of THE BIG BANG THEORY.
Misty, The roar means the furnace is working well. We have a tic when the fan is going and no amount of tech help has been able to make it go away. So as long as you don't have a roar and a tic you are good. LOL.
Have a great day everyone.
Oops! "What that" acronym stood for! My mind goes faster than my fingers.
ReplyDeleteChickie - I read it and didn't notice until you re-posted -- disclaimer I am dyslexic :-)
ReplyDeleteAnyone who cares / gets Here and Now on NPR (it's the replacement for Talk of the Nation), they are supposed to discuss the Jepordy spelling kerfuffle from the other day.
Cheers,
-T
Thank you Michael and Steve. I thought this was a typical Wednesday puzzle with a lot of wit in the clueing. Actually, I like them because one can solve them but not just race through them.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why in the comment section when I go to a hyperlink and come back, I am at the end of blog. In fact when I come to it, it also goes to the bottom of the blog.
Hi Sallie! Glad you chimed in today.
ReplyDeleteDNF today. WEES. ELUL and LEO I.
Meh for me regarding the theme.
Misty @ 11:13,
We had a wall furnace installed upstairs 10 years ago. When it started up it sound like a bucket of bolts falling down metal stairs.
I got my recorder out and taped it.
Then I called the company and after some disbelief on their part I played the tape.
They brought a new one, and installed it.
Yours might be a clunker. It's worth a complaint.
John28man -- right-click on the link and "open in new tab." When finished viewing the link, just close the tab and you'll be back where you left off.
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle and blog, guys!
ReplyDeleteHand up for rip/RAP.
Funny- whenever my husband picked out an outfit for me, it was inevitably LIZ Claiborne. He has good taste. The only store that carried her locally has closed. :-(
Glad you are feeling better, Sallie.
My sister's hairless dog got a sunburn from BASKing in the sun in front of the patio door the other day. Poor Dudley.
I liked the puzzle but the theme completely eluded me. Even after it has been explained, I still don't much care for it. Otherwise, an excellent mid-week puzzle.
ReplyDeleteMisty: There might be a lower speed setting for your furnace motor. If so, that would be an easy fix. With our noisy upstairs furnace, I only run it in the daytime. I like sleeping when it's cool. If it gets too cool, an electric blanket (or an extra blanket) is cheaper and quieter than running the furnace.
This week's animal slide show. Animal Tracks
This is a story (and video) about a street cat who saved a man's life. Bob the cat.
Regarding basking in the sun, several years ago at Christmas time, I smelled smoke near our living room. I looked around and found the problem on our coffee table. The bright sun, lower in the sky in the winter, was shining brightly onto a snow globe on the coffee table, The glass sphere was acting like a lens, focusing the sun's light onto a nearby envelope. The envelope had brown singe marks on it and was close to catching on fire. It's a good thing we were home.
JazzB, great rendition of The A Train. Boy, it must have been hot that day, I see people in the audience trying to shade their faces from the sun.
ReplyDeleteAbejo, we just read “The Light Between Oceans” for our book club last month. Terrific book!! I just finished this month’s selection “The Art of Hearing Heartbeats” by Jan-Phillip Sendker. A really quick read, but also a fantastic book set in Burma.
Bill G., I always love the animal tracks, and even read most of the descriptions that accompany them. But the link to “A Street Cat Named Bob” really grabbed my interest. I’ll have to go read that book now!
Bill G. Tx 4 the Bob the cat update! I had seen it before, but did not know about the book deal.
ReplyDeleteMIsty, sounds like you have have a forced hot air furnace. When we sold our 1st house the home inspector said our heat exchanger was cracked, leaking carbon monoxide into the house. (I was wondering why I was feeling foggy.) We had to buy a new one to sell the house, & it came with extra energy efficient fans & doo-dads that made it so noisy, I was glad to leave.
Chickie, I can't wait until they put The Big Bang Theory on Hulu, or Netflix. I am still on the 1st season whenever I can catch it on TBS. >>>Amys' tiara.<<<<
I was looking at a page of Unusual Carafes when I realized,,, hey wait a sec,,, thats not a carafe!!!!
Impressive puzzle and cleverly done.
ReplyDeleteHalf (of) carAFE are the sounds of AUGH, APH, and AFF... plus the ALF of half. The elegance of the puzzle goes way beyond being merely homophones.
If anyone is interested, I created a very close copy of the Papa Johns Pizza Dough Recipe.
ReplyDeleteI started to post it on the Blog, but half way thru & 40 lines later I realized it is way too long for the Blog. Except,,, that is was a puzzle! & get this, in order to make this pizza simply in the woods,,, the secret ingredient was...
CED - Do share. I'm not a fan of Pappa John's but any tidbit could be incorporated into my crust. Also, what the heck is that BB&B thing? It looks like a whale, an aerator or something single women use...
ReplyDeleteBill G. Bob the cat link was interesting, sweet, and hopefully the fame won't afford him more dugs. However, Bob is not as funny as Bill the cat. . Certainly not the NORM.
Cheers,
-T
No muss, no fuss on humpday.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-A BELLY LAUGH sounds the same in any language
-You have to expect everyone is going to not only BLAB today but has video
-Every middle school boy thinks his ANTICs are on a par with professional comedians
-Will our peeps get to ski in the slush in Sochi?
-Paul Stynsberg’s “Word Of The Day” yesterday was ELUL
-How many blackjack players have lost the rent money with their SYST?
-Worst BALD SPOT comb over?
-I sat next to my old principal as his daughter gave her valedictory SPEECH and he was circling errors she made in her delivery. Yeah, he was like that.
-Was Charles Emerson Winchester TV’s most POMPOUS character?
-Elvis’s version of O Sole Mio
-Former colleagues are dreading listening to pre-school workshop bloviating and wishing they could get into their rooms. In the fall they are “the most important people in town” but during spring negotiations they are “money grubbing complainers”
-Those NANOS, et al can also carry books, lectures, courses, etc
Marti, I'm glad you enjoyed those links. I found them both on my home page.
ReplyDeleteCED, I know I'm going to kick myself and feel silly for asking but what is that 'unusual carafe' in the photo?
Anon T, I'm not a fan of the owner of Papa John's either. As a result, I've never tried their pizza.
Bill G.
ReplyDeleteI guess you have never seen a portable urinal
I recognize it Dave. And that certainly casts the name "Bed, Bath and Beyond" in a different light than I'd ever considered.
ReplyDeleteLucina,
ReplyDeleteAm I correct in that other than via perps, it would only be a guess as to whether the answer would be OTRO or OTRA given that the clue, "Other, in Oaxaca" is neither masculine nor feminine ? I changed the answer from OTRA to OTRO simply because OSHEA looked to be more correct than ASHEA.
Michael, I intended to compliment you on getting LASCIVIOUS into a puzzle.
CED, nice links. When do you find time to look for all those links ?
U2 HG, although I know Elvis was taking some liberty wearing those E-6 stripes. Glad he served though.
Many thanks for the thoughts, suggestions, and general feedback on our furnace noise problem, everybody. I really appreciate the concern.
ReplyDeleteThe furnace guy is really very nice, and showed me another model of the furnace that has features that would make less noise. It'll cost $500 to replace a part of our unit to accomplish that--a small price to pay for a more quiet night's sleep. I'll let you know how it goes next week when he comes back to install it.
TTP:
ReplyDeleteYes, you are correct about OTRO/OTRA. Occasionally there might be a slight hint by giving the modifier a gender such as "mama's other" or "papa's other" which could indicate the a or the o.
I'm enjoying the musical and video links, everyone. Thank you!
Good evening, everyone! This puzzle was big fun – thanks, Michael. I enjoyed the theme playing with all the wacky ways of spelling the “F” sound. Great write-up, Steve, especially your take on “half” and “harf”. I’ve always wondered why people in the UK pronounce lieutenant as “lef-tenant”.
ReplyDeleteNo real hang-ups with the solve, aside from needing perps to fill ELUL and ICHIRO. Of course, 10D was a cinch for this JAVA lovin’ Mama. Got a BELLY LAUGH out of Where There’s No Hair Apparent = BALD SPOT. (Husker Gary @ 3:57 – when it comes to bad comb-overs, it’s tough to beat this guy.
After a couple weeks hosting a constant stream of out-of-town relatives, plus dealing with MIL’s broken hip and subsequent replacement surgery, it’s nice to have a chance to catch up with you all.
Steve, outstanding writeup today. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks CED for posting the "Tiara" clip. I laugh every time I see it.
ReplyDeleteI still haven't learned to link a web-site or U-tube piece. I guess I should work at learning how to do that one of these days.
Lucina,
ReplyDeleteThank you. When we've had "other" before and some tie that would lead to Spanish, such as today's Oaxaca, I've always considered gender. Today I was left to rely on the perp. I didn't remember Milo OSHEA off the bat, although I know we have had him before.
JAVA Mama, welcome back ! BTW, I saw that Reds pitcher Chapman was clocked at 102.6 mph in closing out Oakland this afternoon. I would start swinging as soon as he stepped on the mound.
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks for fun puzzle, Michael, and spiffy write-up, Steve! No problems. Loved LASCIVIOUS. Had to think twice about the spelling.
Thanks, Mari, for your concern. Charlie is doing about the same. The expensive, holistic medicine has not arrived!
Good to see you, Sallie!
Cheers!
Hello everyone.
ReplyDeleteNo real issues with the puzzle, today. Thought the STU clue was clever. Got LEDA from 4 great perps.
Bill G. Here in the upper Mohawk Valley, we still get CBS from Time Warner. However, they stiffed us on Smithsonian channel which is owned by CBS, I believe.
[offetsysq]
Bassi? Really?
ReplyDeleteNever saw that before but had seen Ichiro. Not enough times to remember though. Missed it by that much!
Misty, A brand new furnace and and they want more $$ to make it quieter?
That should raise a loud WTF! Basically the only moving part to make any real noise is the blower motor and fan, and that should be minimal. Bill is right about the different motor speeds but they are usually hard wired for one speed only depending on need. Still, I would squawk a little more before dishing out more cash. They are engineered to be quiet.
Just my two cents worth.
Hahtoolah, I thought a lot about your QOD today - maybe too much. I wondered why a person should even speak ill of Judges, dead or alive, unless he's either a lawyer, or has faced a judge, from the other side of the law. So, I read up on Edwin Edwards, and his history makes it self explanatory.
ReplyDeleteChickie @ 6:56
ReplyDeleteIf there is something you want to see on the Blog, just ask. I find it very difficult to refuse a request...
Re: Pizza Crust
I may have spoken too soon. While yesterdays attempt came out awesome. Todays attempt at a deep dish (chicago style) version with the remaining leftover dough was absolutely awful.
The standard recipe calls for 3+ cups of flour, I used 2 cups plus 1 cup of Idahoan instant mashed potato mix. After some trial an error in mixing liquid to flour ratios, the resulting dough made a fantastic crust. (Double the dough thickness & let it rise 20 minutes b/4 putting in the oven. Thick, chewy & awesome!)
But you must use a pizza stone in the oven to absorb moisture from the bottom. while paradoxically, to create a crisp bread crust you must introduce steam.
I must say, crosswords are fun, but making the perfect bread/pizza is the most puzzling thing I have encountered to date. (with the exception of how to catch fish...)
Busy week, untangling all kinds of snafus, as more trickle in. But I’m gaining on ‘em. I wrote a post several hours ago which the computer swallowed up. Arrgh! Another snafu. I walked away.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle, interesting daily blog, and great posts and links. Thanks. You all keep me sane.
I love the laughing boy, Steve. Young children are so in the moment. Their reactions are so real. Their emotions are right up front. As a teacher, I always appreciated their delight and enthusiasm. Also their honesty. It is too bad that soon our innate delight and enthusiasm become tempered by the situations and people we meet.
Knowing the traditional Japanese endings to given names helps with ICHIRO. First names ending with -ro, -shi, -ya, or -o are typically male first names, while names ending in -ko, -mi, -e and -yo are typically female first names. Except for YA, few end in A.
LACIVIOUS and lubricious are more than sexy. They are usually licentious and lewd. They sound so juicy, they fit the definition.
I never heard of don’t give a rip. For me it is always don’t give a RAP.
ReplyDeleteI believe the POMPOUS speeches at graduation are usually given by the elders. The valedictorians are mostly idealistic and sincere. However, at my master’s graduation the 22 year old baccalaureate valedictorian gave an inane, sophomoric speech, attempting humor.
Off to the wars again tomorrow. By week’s end I hope to come out ahead.
Vidwan: it is always so nice to hear from you.
ReplyDelete{gag}
ReplyDeleteChickie, send me an e-mail and I'll show you how to post a link to a website or YouTube video. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
ReplyDeleteSpitz, thanks for the info. I missed two Dodgers games because of the feud but today's game is shown on PrimeTicket, a Fox channel. They lost yesterday's game anyway, so no great loss. Still, if it continues, it will become very annoying. I don't know who's the bad guy but I think a compromise is in order.
Misty, I agree with Manac (as always). Make more of a fuss and find a way to put some pressure on them. I think they should do it for free or at least give you a better deal to keep customer good will.
thanks for the elvis clip...always enjoy listening to him
ReplyDeleteMisty, your warranty should cover something like that. You may just have a screw loose or something dumb like that causing more vibration. The fan may be slightly bent and rubbing. Did they get it level? If applicable was any joist/stud adequate to support anything attached to it? Was the attachment done properly. Should there be some kind of noise damper around the fan?
ReplyDeleteI had a new furnace put in several years ago that had some problems. My great guys came back several times and worked them out at no charge. They've replaced the a/c compressor that was leaking freon twice at no charge. I wouldn't pay another cent until I'd read the warranty and was sure the improvements warranted a charge.
Yellow, what did you mean when you said, "(i)t is too bad that soon our innate delight and enthusiasm become tempered by the situations and people we meet"? I think I know what you meant, but are you actually referring to the children, or teachers (and/or adults) in general?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have to agree with ANON at 12:58p. I think POMPOUS was a pun.
Dave,
ReplyDeleteEasy solution. Email me the recipe. I'll put it on Ginger Roots, then we can make a link.
Molly, I meant the children's delight becomes tempered, especially in groups. One on one the delight lasts years longer. Then in the preteen years it is all about being cool.
ReplyDeletePlease call me YR for short instead of Yellow.