Words: 70 (missing J,K,Q,X)
Blocks: 32
There was a point during this solve that I started thinking there might
also a steady increase in the difficulty of these Saturday puzzles as
the year progresses, too - I struggled last week, and there was
way too much white this week, as well. But, little by slowly, by
digging into the depths of my brain, and with a few crossword educated
WAGs, I was able to close this one out - with one goof-up on my end.
Deceptive looking grid, with paired 10's hiding inside the edges,
crossing two more:
33A. Setting for the 2001 film "No Man's Land" : BOSNIAN WAR - IMDb - I have not heard of this film
42A. Inexplicable, in a way : PARANORMAL - I learned this word in my "ute" from Ghostbusters, and 'paranormal activity'
11D. Sneaker inserts : ODOR-EATERS - old commercial, I originally went with "---GELS"
12D. Short-term residence, usually : FOSTER HOME - Pretty sure we were looking for a "---HOME", but had to wait for the kind of home
12D. Short-term residence, usually : FOSTER HOME - Pretty sure we were looking for a "---HOME", but had to wait for the kind of home
27D. "Song based on a letter," per McCartney : P.S.I LOVE YOU - Also a movie
28D. Bigoted : INTOLERANT - straight up definition, and for me the hardest part of late-week puzzles; the one-word clue/answer
28D. Bigoted : INTOLERANT - straight up definition, and for me the hardest part of late-week puzzles; the one-word clue/answer
O N W a R D ~!
ACROSS:
1. Leafhopper relative : CICADA - Well, I was pretty sure a leafhopper was a kind of bug, and once the "C-C" appeared....
7. 2002 Man Booker Prize-winning novel : LIFE OF PI - also a movie; never heard of this prize
15. Oath : AVOWAL
16. Show of confidence : "I CAN DO IT~!" - I think I would have preferred "Shout" over 'Show'
17. Evict : REMOVE
18. Accounting concerns : NET COSTS
19. Ad infinitum? : PR BLITZ - my only goof; for some reason, a P.A. Blitz made sense (see this clip); plus, crossing the totally unknown 2D....
21. Having a dark complexion : SWARTHY
22. Clipper target : NAIL - started with HAIR - 50% right - I think I have my math right this time~!
24. "Permit Me Voyage" poet : AGEE - I like our Corner poet, Owen - and his handicapped points reminds me of "Death Race"
25. Dish prepared hot and served cold : ASPIC - dug up from the dredges
29. Ones, e.g.: Abbr. : NOs - remember when this "#" meant number???
31. Fonda's "My Darling Clementine" role : EARP
7. 2002 Man Booker Prize-winning novel : LIFE OF PI - also a movie; never heard of this prize
15. Oath : AVOWAL
16. Show of confidence : "I CAN DO IT~!" - I think I would have preferred "Shout" over 'Show'
17. Evict : REMOVE
18. Accounting concerns : NET COSTS
19. Ad infinitum? : PR BLITZ - my only goof; for some reason, a P.A. Blitz made sense (see this clip); plus, crossing the totally unknown 2D....
21. Having a dark complexion : SWARTHY
22. Clipper target : NAIL - started with HAIR - 50% right - I think I have my math right this time~!
24. "Permit Me Voyage" poet : AGEE - I like our Corner poet, Owen - and his handicapped points reminds me of "Death Race"
25. Dish prepared hot and served cold : ASPIC - dug up from the dredges
29. Ones, e.g.: Abbr. : NOs - remember when this "#" meant number???
31. Fonda's "My Darling Clementine" role : EARP
36. Like Singha beer : THAI
38. Correction : EDIT
39. Astronomical scales : LIBRA
41. Olympic hurdler Jones : LOLO - her website
44. Stop wearing down? : MOLT - Har-Har~! Down, the under plumage of a bird, that is
46. Fa follower : SOL - Do, re, me, fa, SOL?, la, ti, do - why does this one get three letters? Speaking of two-letters, see below
47. "I don't care if you __ again": The Cars lyric : USE ME - from "You're All I've Got Tonight"
48. Coal container : VEIN - I tried MINE - 75% right, but in the completely wrong squares
50. Showed grief : WEPT
52. Mr. Peabody's boy : SHERMAN - before my time; Rocky & Bullwinkle
55. Conic section : ELLIPSE - I wanted PARABOLA, but it didn't fit
60. Balance sheet items : PAYABLES
62. Make less musty : AIR OUT
63. Like some decals : IRONED ON - Ah, the past tense
64. Easier to see, perhaps : NEARER
65. It's not charged : NEUTRINO - subatomic particle
66. Cakewalk : BREEZE
DOWN:
1. Kvetch : CARP - Started with CRAB - again, 75% right, but only 25% in the right squares
2. 2011 Best New Artist Grammy winner Bon __ : IVER - I think I am getting to that age where the music of today makes me feel like my father did as I was growing up, when I thought Iron Maiden was the best band ever - he preferred Dean Martin, so you can see the discrepancy - I suppose it could be worse - I could have kids that actually listen to this stuff
3. Parting aid : COMB - I liked this, but it took a moment to 'get it'
4. Taps absentee, possibly : AWOL
5. Renaissance standout : DA VINCI
6. Hal Foster's Queen of the Misty Isles : ALETA
7. Author Yutang : LIN
8. Refreshing treats : ICES
9. Islamic ruling : FATWA - another one I dredged up
10. Put behind bars : ENCAGE
13. Substance : PITH
14. Far from substantial : ITSY
20. Hummingbird attractors : ZINNIAS - went with PISTILS - can you tell I skipped Biology?
23. Like some humor : LOWBROW
- according to one source, phrenologists of the late 19th century
claimed that the height of one's brow was a clear indicator of
intelligence
25. Genesis son : ABEL - and a slight clecho;
26. Genesis city : SODOM
30. Ball Park Franks owner : SARA LEE
32. 2011 ABC show with multiple pilots : PAN AM - subtle misdirection, as a 'pilot' of a show is the first one the producers make
34. The tallest one is nearly 16,000 feet high : ALP - If this were Jeopardy!, the response would be "What is Mont Blanc?"
35. Took off : RAN
37. Emerald __ : ISLE
43. Statistical anomaly : OUTLIER
45. Building material : TIMBER - Ha-HA~! I had LUMBER, and that's 67% right, and in the proper squares~!!!
49. Nita of early filmdom : NALDI
51. Backup : PLAN B
52. __ doctor : SPIN - I had EXPENSES at 60A, and this answer made me change it
53. Hopping game? : HARE - Game as in hunter's prey
54. __ Carrot: Crayola color : NEON - well, I can see that
56. Requiem title word : IRAE - "Dies Irae", crossword staple
57. Plant's stoma, e.g. : PORE - yeah, see 20D.
58. 1956 crisis site : SUEZ
59. French 101 word : ÊTRE
61. __-Cat : SNO
This week's discussion on M & Ms (@9:15am) reminded me of a similar game I came up with back in my bar days. I will give two letters, and I'm looking for two words that start with those letters, but having opposite meanings. Some easy ones to start;
L - R
H - C
U - D
and some maybe a little more difficult - and there's more than one answer in some cases
S - S
B - E
B - F
Have fun - let me see what you come up with
Splynter
25. Genesis son : ABEL - and a slight clecho;
26. Genesis city : SODOM
30. Ball Park Franks owner : SARA LEE
32. 2011 ABC show with multiple pilots : PAN AM - subtle misdirection, as a 'pilot' of a show is the first one the producers make
34. The tallest one is nearly 16,000 feet high : ALP - If this were Jeopardy!, the response would be "What is Mont Blanc?"
35. Took off : RAN
37. Emerald __ : ISLE
43. Statistical anomaly : OUTLIER
45. Building material : TIMBER - Ha-HA~! I had LUMBER, and that's 67% right, and in the proper squares~!!!
49. Nita of early filmdom : NALDI
51. Backup : PLAN B
52. __ doctor : SPIN - I had EXPENSES at 60A, and this answer made me change it
53. Hopping game? : HARE - Game as in hunter's prey
54. __ Carrot: Crayola color : NEON - well, I can see that
56. Requiem title word : IRAE - "Dies Irae", crossword staple
57. Plant's stoma, e.g. : PORE - yeah, see 20D.
58. 1956 crisis site : SUEZ
59. French 101 word : ÊTRE
61. __-Cat : SNO
This week's discussion on M & Ms (@9:15am) reminded me of a similar game I came up with back in my bar days. I will give two letters, and I'm looking for two words that start with those letters, but having opposite meanings. Some easy ones to start;
L - R
H - C
U - D
and some maybe a little more difficult - and there's more than one answer in some cases
S - S
B - E
B - F
Have fun - let me see what you come up with
Splynter
Morning to all,
ReplyDeleteTypical Saturday....took forever...and brain has been beaten to a pulp!
I thought I knew quite a bit about hummers until today. They much prefer trumpet shaped flowers for nectar. Not much nectar in a zinnia!
There, got that off my chest!
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteThis one was largely out of my wheelhouse. IVER, LOLO, ALETA and ZINNIAS were complete unknowns, and there were twice as many (at least) that I simply couldn't get as clued. Can somebody please explain PRBLITZ to me? I get the connection between PR and AD, but what does BLITZ have to do with "infinitum"?
I had ___OUT for the longest time at 17A and really didn't want to let it go. ALTEA looked good at 6D, which just reinforced my mistake. Finally just nuked the entire word and started over again, which let me get REMOVE.
At one point, I was so frustrated I actually considered putting in ENJAIL at 10D, despite hoping and praying that it wouldn't be correct.
Long story short, I kept chipping away a little bit at a time and did eventually claim an unassisted victory with no mistakes. Frustrating at times, but ultimately a satisfying solve.
[blyani]
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThere were lots of whitecaps on my lake, but slowly I inked them in, and like Larry, I got 'er done. But not without my trusty Wite-Out. ITSY was AIRY, NEARER was LARGER, LIBRA was LTYRS (light-years), and I had MEAT before I PITHed on it.
Barry, in a PR blitz the ads seem to go on forever.
Splynter, your math is much improved! I, too, "skipped" biology, if getting kicked out for the year on the first day of school can be called a "skip."
Here are my answers to your six-question quiz:
Left Right
Hot Cold
Upper Downer
Sober Soused
Brief Eternal
Bloated Flaccid
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteI'm going with TIT again today (Threw in Towel). Just way too many unknowns for me to solve unassisted.
First time through yielded little, so I had to dig in and battle. LOLO,FATWA,ENCAGE--HUH? Fun to see SHERMAN, from my Bullwinkle days. Overall tough, which is why I like Saturday puzzles! :)
ReplyDeleteIf you don't count using the red letters and consulting Mr. Google, I got it finished today. Lots of learning moments with different Saturday level clues for some common crossword answers like EARP, AGEE, THAI, AWOL.
ReplyDeleteFavourites were STOP WEARING DOWN=MOLT and AD INFINITUM=PR BLITZ. (Barry G. BLITZ can be defined as "sustained strategic bombing" which I guess is the purpose of PR) LOL! (or LOLO clue today).
I groaned when I finally figured our HOPPING GAME=HARE. Of course I was thinking HOPSCOTCH or something similar.
I wasn't crazy over the ITSY cluing. I wanted IFFY. But I see the ITSY-BITSY idea.
Just happy to get'er done today.
Enjoy your day all.
Good morning all ! Hope you are having a pleasant day.
ReplyDeleteThis was a two-parter for me. Sleep patterns are messed up lately. Awoke at 2 AM and got the easy 2/3rds done before dozing back off around 4 AM for another 4 hours. Proved once again that it's sometimes better to put a tough puzzle down for a few hours. Then, just looking at character sequences in some of the partially filled words led to the answers.
In the southwest, it was the triple stack of PAYABLES, IRONED ON and NEUTRINO. In the southeast it was NEARER. But the real trouble area (for me) was the northeast and east.
Big breakthrough was filling in ODOR EATERS with just the ERS and FOSTER HOME with just the OME. Those two, along with previously filled ICES and FATWA, made me get rid of ARREST for "put behind bars" and MERE for "far from substantial." Let's see, if it's not ARREST, what other 6 letter word... ENCAGE !
All those accounting courses must have helped getting NET COSTS and PAYABLES. I CAN DO IT was harder to parse. LIFE OF PI was totally unknown from the clue, but the character sequence was very familiar from all of the PR BLITZ at the time...
Stop wearing down = MOLT was my favorite clue.
Time to go read Splynter.
Good morning Saturday Solvers! Been reading the blog, but took a break from commenting for a while. Guess you could call me a “prairie dog” commenter that pops in from time to time. Today we got a real challenge from Julian, but doable in the end. Great expo, as usual, Splynter. With your carpentry background, I’d have to guess your math skills are pretty solid.
ReplyDeleteStopped Wearing Down = MOLT was today’s favorite fill. Thankfully, the 17-year CICADAs aren’t due to show their beady red eyes around here for a few more years. I used to love the Mr. Peabody and SHERMAN segments on the old Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons. Really wanted NAPE before NAIL for the Clipper Target at 22A (thinking barbershop clippers).
Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday. And for those who celebrate Hanukkah, I thought you might enjoy a local couple’s Jewish answer to the Elf on the Shelf – the Mensch on a Bench.
Splynter, fun word game! Here’s what I came up with:
ReplyDeleteL – R Lower, Raise
H – C Hero, Coward
U – D Up, Down
S – S Start, Stop
B – E Beginning, Ending
B – F Brighten, Fade
Lots of blank space on the first pass, but with several “possible – I’ll check the perps and come back to that one” answers that proved to be correct on the first guess. I also struggled with the IVER / PR BLITZ crossing, but I was pretty sure the latter was correct, so I left it in. My downfall came at the stupid crossing of EARP and PAN AM. Never heard of the TV show, and EARl seemed a perfectly reasonable Fonda role. Drat! FIW!!
Off to get the cat jungle gym today (aka "Christmas Tree," to some.) Have a pleasant day, everyone!
The bottom filled very quickly and I was saved by my finally recalling my son Devin' s playing Bon Iver
ReplyDeletesongs for me.
I rally enjoyed the puzzle and it is good to see some infrequenters Southern Belle and Java Mama.
Off to walk the beach. Enjoy.
How odd, anonymous 9:53 is me.
ReplyDeleteLemony, Blogger is acting funny for me, too. Yesterday I had my email program open, and I kept getting emails of each comment that was added to the blog. I finally read at the bottom of one, where I could "unsubscribe" from receiving comments. Weird.
ReplyDeleteAnd for a while before that, the search function on the home page wasn't working for me. I typed in words the I specifically knew were in the previous day's comments, but nothing came up except the "today" post.
Thank you Julian Lim.
ReplyDeleteGreat write up Splynter.
You started with 1D CRAB. I started with 1D HARP. We both had 75 % on that one. I've been known to harp in the explanations of my solve. But I typically don't carp. Thanks to Julian's puzzle, I now have a better understanding of kvetch, carp, and harp. I think I previously took harp and car to be the same, but upon further reading... Am I harping again ?
I may come back to your opposites later. DW is expecting some production out of me today. I'd better get cracking and get something done. Going to have to take a 3 hour break starting in 45 minutes or so when the # 3 Buckeyes take on the Wolverines. Then there's # 1 'Bama and # 4 Auburn tonight.
See youns later !
37. Emerald __ : ISLE
ReplyDeleteThe Wizard of Oz was on TV so I slapped in Emerald __ : CITY
Mostly way out of my wheelhouse today, with the exception of Mr. Peabody & Sherman. (Splynter, before your time? Whoa, way to make me feel old man!)
ReplyDeleteMarti, you are going to "buy" a cat tree? Those things are ridiculously expensive! I saw a Youtube of how to build your own with spare parts, but I can't find it right now. The one I did find the cat preferred to use it as a litterbox,,, (hmm, maybe your right, it might be cheaper just to buy one...)
Liked the clue author Yutang, when I worked in our local library years ago and helped input books into the new computer system half of the authors books were cataloged under Yin the other half were under Yu Tang. When I pointed it out to the head librarian she said just let it be, hardly anyone read the books being stashed in the stacks in the old basement.
ReplyDeleteCED - I'm taking a certain liberty, I admit, in answering on Marti's behalf. I think she is getting a Christmas tree today, and as my own experience shows, cats find these furnishings irresistible. It's part of the fun.
ReplyDeleteHi again~!
ReplyDeleteThat's the beauty of the word game - so far, neither of the two responses here match what I had in mind for the "opposites". My choices:
Left-Right
Hot-Cold
Up-Down
Start-Stop
Beginning-Ending
Broken-Fixed (also Boiling-Freezing)
Southern Belle - off your chest and hummers? Oh, where's MY mind?
Splynter
In the spirit of full disclosure, this was a major DNF.
ReplyDeleteGreetings, puzzlers! Nice expo, Splynter, and mine was a somewhat similar solving experience to yours.
ReplyDeleteWhen seeing Julian Lim's name, I knew it would be unusually difficult and so it was. However, once I had a toehold at WEPT the SE corner slowly filled but it wasn't a BREEZE.
Then LOWBROW helped me fan out in the center but not before NECTAR and DAHLIAS were replaced by ZINNIAS. Really? ZINNIAS?
Luckily I recalled Nita NALDI and that cracked the SW corner. I loved the clue for HARE.
When the entire basement and middle floors were finished, I returned to bed as I was up around 5:45, slept until the phone rang at 9:25 and then attacked the grid again.
I couldn't decide between CAIN and ABEL at 25D so mentally played with both until ASPIC made ABEL the clear winner.
Finally I had to look up the authors and a V8 can zoomed at me because LIFE OF PI was one of our book club books. It's a strange and very long story. Haven't seen the movie.
Temporary glitch when I misspelled FATWA as FAWTA but SWARTHY changed it.
Though this took a while, it was worth it. Thank you, Julian!
Today, my daughter wants to cook a turkey so it will be T-Day all over again.
Have yourselves a lovely Saturday, everyone!
Hi Everyone:
ReplyDeleteAfter the first pass, I thought, "Oh, this is worse than a Saturday Silkie.". But, with much patience and even more perserverance, I'm happy to say I finished w/o help.
Thanks, Mr. Lim; you are now back in my good graces after your recent Sunday New York Times mind-boggling offering. Splynter, good job, as always.
Finished the Christmas decorating and am paying the price for being on my feet for so long. My ankle and foot are about 3 times the normal size, not to mention the pain and discomfort. But, on the plus side, my house looks beautiful and very festive, so all is well!
We are enjoying a sunny, not-too-cold last day of November.
Happy Saturday.
This was not a cakewalk or a BREEZE, but I solved it in slightly under my usual Saturday time with two major hang-ups. I read 33D as plots instead of pilots. When I changed EARL to EARP I finally got PAN AM, although I never heard of it.
ReplyDeleteI had PRBLITZ for the longest time and tried unsuccessfully to think of a different crosses. Just before I gave up and went to the blog, I parsed it.
I love Rocky, Bullwinkle, Mr. Peabody and Sherman. The show first aired in 1959 and forms of it have continued in syndication ever since.
I loved the movie, Life of Pi.
I, too, was surprised that zinnias attract hummingbirds. I thought they liked mostly deep flowers. I looked it up and found this article, "Zinnias: A Great Way to Attract Hummingbirds and Butterfli"
Link zinnias
CED @ 10:42…Dudley was right. We went out and bought the Christmas tree. The cats seem to think it's their own personal jungle gym, complete with shiny objects to play with!!
ReplyDeleteYR -- hand up for reading "plots" rather than "pilots." But I did remember the extremely short-lived PANAM, even though I never actually saw it.
ReplyDeleteNo need for a tree for our cats to get into trouble. I just finished cleaning up shards from a china plate and juice glass that somehow went careening off the kitchen counter to smash on the stone tiled floor. I could hear a flurry of activity, but there wasn't a cat in sight when I got to the kitchen to check on things.
A challenge for me. Much longer than Thursday and Friday, but OK for a Saturday challenge.
ReplyDeleteI watched Rocky & Bullwinkle in my youth, but couldn't remember SHERMAN until some perps appeared.
Disliked Life of Pi, regardless of its prize or reputation. Just not my cup of tea.
Wanted EARL before EARP, CRAB before CARP, HAIR before NAIL, but perps set me straight.
Lots of unknowns, but perps helped me there too, and eventually got it done.
Wow! I can't believe I got the whole thing, without cheating even, and on a Saturday! Wow! I almost didn't start on this one, it looked so difficult to begin with. But I got NALDI (heaven only knows how, have never seen her on film and know her only from crossword puzzles I think)and then slowly, slowly, slowly things began to fill in. Followed Marti's advice to stay with a Saturday puzzle with infinite patience and perseverance, and it paid off. So, thank you, Julian, and you too, Splynter! I got MOLT but didn't 'get' it until your write-up.
ReplyDeleteLoved little SHERMAN on Rocky and Bullwinkle when I was young. He was a smartie-pants, wasn't he?
Irish Miss, put your poor feet up and let them rest today! They deserve a ----rest (not a break, for goodness sakes).
Our neighbors across the street threw a magical 80th birthday party for my sweet husband last night. They even made his signature dish, coq au vin, and it was delicious. So we're in a very happy mood today.
Have a great post-Thanksgiving weekend, everybody!
@ Splynter
ReplyDeleteApparently there are many solutions. I was thinking:
B - F: Backwards - Forwards
Hi again~!
ReplyDeleteHere's some more
O - O
A - O
A - B
R - G
F - F
M - F
Splynter
This was a testimony to I CAN DO IT persistence and I thank Julian for this great Saturday tester and Splynter’s right on summation.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-I’m sure that Julian knew LIFE OF PI would dawn on us as the cluing told us virtually nothing
-The “PARANORMAL” shows on TV build an hour show around spooky surroundings, silly instruments, infrared photography and a few stray noises.
-OMG, Husker coach Bo Pelini was not REWMOVED after his horrible behavior yesterday! Raising the team GPA to 3.0 and having kept his kids out of trouble must have saved his hide.
-ODOR EATERS for my dad would have had to have been industrial strength
-Clipper target HAIR? NAVY? NAPE? NAIL!!
-M*A*S*H where the movie My Darling Clementine was part of the plot
-GALILEO was my first renaissance man with _ _ _ I _ _ _
-Some of those FATWAs have no place in the modern world
-LOWBROW humor of today makes more money than intelligent comedy
-When I had problems with the Kindergartners, I had no PLAN B
-Try to find any truth in a PR BLITZ or from a SPIN DOCTOR
Re: Marti & Dudley
ReplyDeleteOooooooh!
(My bad)
(Sheesh, even the Blog is a puzzle to me...)
I am way behind the times, Daughter #3 has been bugging me for 2 weeks to put on the radio station that plays non-stop Xmas music for the drive to school. (It's not even TxGiving yet!) & I am still doing the leaves,,, (when my sciatica lets me.)
I guess I will have to admit defeat over time & put up the Xmas lights tomorrow. (But it gets harder every year!)
Happy Saturday, Everybody!
ReplyDeleteMMmm. Leftovers were GRReat yesterday. Why is it that they seem to taste *better* than on the day itself?
Thank you, Mr. Lim for a challenging Saturday pzl. I don't feel so bad after reading my colleagues' laments. (Exception is duly noted for Misty @12:40.) It turned out to be DNF for me. Oh, sure, I *thought* I had finished, but that would only hold in a universe where MOLL is a correct response to "Stop wearing down," or maybe in that parallel cosmos where three Googles don't count against me (at 2D, 54D and 57D).
Still, I am proud (yes, damn it, *proud*!) at all the tough answers I managed to get by my own honest labor and wit. A few Gimmes started me off-- EARP, SWARTHY, and LIFE OF PI. And then I discovered that I could trust myself to get tough answers simply by filling in usual letter combinations. That's how I got the whole SW corner.
It happened thusly: once I had LES (in reply to 60A "Balance sheet items"), I trusted that it ought to be ABLES. Then when I had U at the tail end of 27D, I figured that one should end with YOU -- and that gave me YABLES. That's when it became clear that the needed 60A word was PAYABLES. And so I worked the whole corner, just inserting obvious letter sequences.
The same technique brought me to ZINNIAS and BOSNIAN WAR, and then to ELLIPSE in the SE.
It may seem obvious to others, but I really hadn't realized that this was an effective tactic before, or perhaps I am just getting more acquainted with familiar letter combos. To some extent we all do this. I mean, when we see NG or even just G at the end of a word, we probably "see" ING easily enough. This is just a more advanced version of the same thing.
We'll hold off on picking out a tree and getting the lights up. If we bring a tree indoors this soon, it won't last long enough. Our biggest party of the year is for Twelfth Night, which we do as a biennial event for friends, fellow faculty, and ex-students--always on the weekend nearest to the actual Twelfth Night (Jan 6)-- so a tree needs to be green and healthy well after Christmas Day.
ReplyDeleteI guess like many others, Christmas Day is our favorite holiday, but Twelfth Night runs it a close second. Maybe because it is non-sectarian, so no friends feel left out. We find it happier to end the season on a warm cheerful note, everyone gathered 'round a blazing Yule Log, not on a (usually) too-bleak New Years Day, with at least half of our football teams going down in defeat.
We enjoyed going out for breakfast for our son's 44th birthday with his girlfriend, our daughter, her boyfriend and grandson Jordan. I'm glad I noticed the restaurant had already added in an 18-percent tip.
ReplyDeletePuzzlewise, I agree, I didn't like ITSY and I got stuck at the intersection of ALETA and PRBLITZ. Lots of other tricky stuff. I never would have finished without a little help from red letters.
(Possible spoiler alert!) I caught up with my DVR recording of the "Person of Interest" episode from two weeks ago where Joss Carter dies. I am really upset about that. Her character was really appealing and the actress, Taraji P. Henson, is hot! I know the people in charge like to shake things up to keep a show fresh but she was such an appealing character in a show with so much unappealing stuff going on. They didn't ask me but I think they screwed up. Poop...
Misty @ 12:40, you’re getting to be a regular savvy Saturday sage – I am jealous, because I had one wrong entry on this one!! So, when are you going to start constructing???
ReplyDeleteSplynter, these seemed easier than the first batch you gave us:
O – O On, off
A – O Agreement, opposition
A – B Above, below
R – G Rough, gentle
F – F Friend, foe
M – F Male, female (of course!)
Keith Fowler @ 2:21, you have found out my secret…when I see certain letters in a grid, I automatically fill in the (to me) obvious blanks. Sometimes it bites me in the butt, though. For example, seeing EAR* for a name clue, I automatically filled in the last letter as an “L”. Bzzzzzt!! Wrong! And a DNF for me today…
Splylnter, I can't think of anything for O-O, but here's my take on the others:
ReplyDeleteA-O Avant Garde - Old Fashioned or Apple - Orange
A-B Above - Below or After - Before
R-G Raunchy - Great or Red - Green
F-F Faithful - Fickle or Fruity - Foul
M-F Mother - Father or Mean - Friendly or Most - Fewest
How the heck did I miss On-Off. Jeez!
ReplyDeletesubstantial - considerable amount
ReplyDeleteMy loss in the stock market was itsy compared to the substantial losses suffered by many.
Misty. congratulations on your Saturday solve.
Irish Miss please sit down and rest those aching feet.
For a period of time yesterday i was given no captcha, but was required to type it. Later the captcha reappeared.
Took me twice as long to solve as a usual Saturday. Of course, I am watching the Alabama- Auburn game at the same time. Tough puzzle, great game!
ReplyDeleteGood evening, folks. Thank you, Julian Lim, for a very good puzzle. Thank you, Splynter, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle was tough, no doubt about it. I needed help to finish. Got it all except the NE corner and had several wrong words in there that I thought were right. So, I was stumped and went for help.
For Accounting concerns I had BALANCES. For refreshing treats I had SPAS. For Short-term residence, usually, I had VACANT HOME. For Far from substantial I had LESS. All those meshed so I thought I was good. But, no cigar. Got a little look-up help and fixed it all.
Liked AVOWAL. Good word.
As others, I liked MOLT. Good misdirection.
SODOM was easy once I had the D.
NEUTRINO was a tough one, but perped most of it.
Liked ELLIPSE. Good technical word.
Took me a long time to remember SARA LEE. Wanted OSCAR MAYER, but would not fit.
Finished, but not without help. Tough one.
We are back in Illinois now. Had a nice Thanksgiving with my daughter's family and my ex-wife and her family. We get along fine.
Had a nice talk with Buckeye Bob while in Ohio. He lives 500 feet from my daughter. Unreal.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(kentqu)
Keith@2:21
ReplyDeleteHave you been channeling me? That is my technique, exactly; if possible, I look for chunks of word "buiding blocks" and add onto them.
That is my methodology for Scrabble, too, which by the way I won on Thursday and reclaimed my title!
HOLY COW!! What a game btw 'Bama and Auburn…100 yard return with a missed field goal to win the game…now, THAT's FOOTBALL!!!
ReplyDeleteHow about that ! What a finish to the Ohio State - Michigan game, and then that one for eternity with Auburn over Alabama in one of the most exciting finishes I have ever seen. Unbelievable !
ReplyDeleteHi Splynter, I just want to say that I have been reading Lin Yutang's "The Importance of Living" in support of my retirement from my driving position at UPS! (33 yrs.) Good luck to you and happy trails. From, Houston
ReplyDeleteMisty and YR - Thanks for your concern. Believe me, I'm staying off my feel as much as possible because it's too painful to stand or walk.
ReplyDeleteThat WAS quite an ending to a football game! I'm looking forward to the game with bragging rights for this area; USC vs UCLA, though I can't imagine it will live up to the one I just finished watching.
ReplyDelete-I’ve watched thousands of football games and the Auburn/Bama finish with a 109-yard FG return is the most exciting finish I can remember, especially considering the stakes. It is compounded by the fact that Nick Saban of Alabama wanted one second put back on the clock so, instead of a Hail Mary pass; his Bama kid could try a 57-yard field goal. (Bama missed three earlier FG’s) The rest is history as the Auburn kid caught the ball one yard from the end line and beat the two or three Bama kids who even made an attempt to tackle him.
ReplyDelete-BTW, I was yelling so loud that my neighbor came running over to see if something was wrong in the house.
Hi again~!
ReplyDeleteFascinating how each of us can have an alternate take on the letter opposites. My picks were;
On - Off
Alpha - Omega
After - Before
Red - Green
First - Final
Male - Female
Last batch, if anyone is still lurking;
P - D
F - L
F - N
A - N
S - T
C - O
Splynter
Many "un"factual clues today. 5 is my count.....plus, people, know the difference between astronomical and astrological...please! Aaargh.
ReplyDeleteNo takers on my broken heart over Detective Joss Carter? I had never heard of that actress before but I thought both she and her character were very appealing.
ReplyDeleteSplynter, I enjoyed your 'opposites' quiz today.
Quite an amazing cloud seen in Texas. Tube or roll cloud
Bill G @9:09 - I wasn't thrilled when Det. Carter was eliminated but I was more saddened when my Bichon Frise didn't win Best In Show at the Philadelphia Dog Show. I guess you know where my priorities are! :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's been a busy day so this is the first bit of time I've had for this:
ReplyDeletepark / drive
found / lost
far / near
antique / new
soft / tough
canal / ocean
Were you at the dog show or do you have a Bichon Frise for a pet? They are very cute little dogs. I'm guessing all that hair takes a lot of upkeep. Our Old English Sheepdog sure did. After a while we'd just give her a fairly short haircut but leave her head, ears and mustache a little longer. lpeuser
ReplyDeleteMarti and Yellowrocks, many thanks for the very kind comments. As to constructing, Marti, I tried it once and discovered only a GENIUS can construct--like you and C.C. and others. Solving a Friday, a rare Saturday, and a Merl Reagle Sunday is as far as I'm ever going to get. But thank goodness we have you guys to give us the pleasure of solving every day!
ReplyDeleteHave a great Sunday tomorrow, everybody!
Bill G - We had a Bichon Frise for several years. She was a gem of a pet and I still miss her after losing her in 2001. Her name was Fluffy, not too original, but oh so fitting.
ReplyDeleteHi all.. Just catching up...
ReplyDeleteI had my own puzzle going on all day/night and, while some hunches were correct, I never inked them in so the bad fill stayed (reenforced by bad perps!). Total DNF... Oh, well.
I was playing Splynter's game and then looked at responses. I didn't see:
B F: Broke Flush
B E: Bert Ernie
S S: Shit Shinola*
Cheers, -T
*The Jerk
Here's the The Jerk link. C, -T
ReplyDelete