Words: 68 (missing Q,X,Y,Z)
Blocks: 34
This is my third
Saturday LAT from Bruce, and I think it's a spectacular looking puzzle
with nearly perfect symmetry (From C.C.: This puzzle has the normal 180 symmetry. And the Left to Right symmetry. And the Top to Bottom symmetry.) and a very solvable puzzle at that~! Not
much to start with, but the solitary fill I had in each corner was just
enough to work out some of the common language spanners - we have six
today (and two 11-letter climbers);
17. Emergency strategies : EVACUATION PLANS
- there was a HazMat fire at the UPS terminal in Uniondale, NY, in Nassau
County; my center is in Suffolk; they had to call in FIVE fire
deparments, plus a spill team. That closed the operation for
most of the morning sort - not a pretty scene. No one hurt.
20. Mattered : MADE A DIFFERENCE
20. Mattered : MADE A DIFFERENCE
23. Post-election governmental meeting, perhaps : LAME DUCK SESSION - when the president knows he's not coming back in January - Wiki
42. Number? : LOCAL ANESTHESIA - Didn't fool me~! Numb-ers, so I was looking for Novocaine, etc
47. Takes an opposite position : CHANGES ONE'S TUNE
56. Alters some game parameters : RAISES THE STAKES
56. Alters some game parameters : RAISES THE STAKES
ACROSS:
1. Overseas county : SHIRE - anyone else read this as countRy? I had CHINA to start
6. Zurich highlight : ALP - was looking for the German word for song/solo, "ARIA"
9. Golden Gate element : CABLE - tried TOWER first
6. Zurich highlight : ALP - was looking for the German word for song/solo, "ARIA"
9. Golden Gate element : CABLE - tried TOWER first
14. Saved for later, in a way : TAPED - not much these days; everything I watch is digitally recorded on the cable company DVR
15. Architectural prefix : NEO - nice alternative to "Matrix" character and "opposite paleo-"
16. Providers of added light : ATRIA
15. Architectural prefix : NEO - nice alternative to "Matrix" character and "opposite paleo-"
16. Providers of added light : ATRIA
21. NBA great : Dr. J - Not a basketball fan, but I DID know it was not "OTT" nor "ORR"
22. Bush led it for about a yr. in the '70s : CIA
32. March middle : IDES
33. They may lead to risky moves : DARES
34. Many a reference book : TOME
35. Like some tempers : BAD - had it in, took it out; I had the wrong idea for the crossing "suit" (23D)
36. "Reversal of Fortune" Oscar winner : IRONS - Jeremy
37. Brimless hat : TAM - Took a gamble and tried FEZ; BZZ
38. Home of Phillips University : ENID - Oklahoma
40. Secretary of State after Colin, familiarly : CONDI - Condoleezza Rice
41. Candy __ : CANE - anyone try "GRAM" here?
45. Seinfeld specialty : WIT - meh
46. Electrical particle : ION
57. Great enthusiasm : ARDOR
58. Classified abbr. : EOE - Equal Opportunity Employer
59. Part of a meet : EVENT
60. Disengages, as from a habit : WEANS
61. High degree : Ph.D - not "Nth"
62. Comes up short : LOSES
DOWN:
1. Arise (from) : STEM
2. "__ Nagila" : HAVA
3. Jobs news of 2010 : iPAD - Steve Jobs, of Apple
4. Moves back : RECEDES
5. Former Georgian president Shevardnadze : EDUARD - mostly perps
6. Freeze beginning : ANTI - Antifreeze; my water pump went on the Dodge this past Wednesday - it's still sitting in the parking lot at UPS. The car owes me nothing - it's got 242,000 miles, and it's 14 yrs old - I am seriously considering the Dodge Dart come January
22. Bush led it for about a yr. in the '70s : CIA
32. March middle : IDES
33. They may lead to risky moves : DARES
34. Many a reference book : TOME
35. Like some tempers : BAD - had it in, took it out; I had the wrong idea for the crossing "suit" (23D)
36. "Reversal of Fortune" Oscar winner : IRONS - Jeremy
37. Brimless hat : TAM - Took a gamble and tried FEZ; BZZ
38. Home of Phillips University : ENID - Oklahoma
40. Secretary of State after Colin, familiarly : CONDI - Condoleezza Rice
41. Candy __ : CANE - anyone try "GRAM" here?
45. Seinfeld specialty : WIT - meh
46. Electrical particle : ION
57. Great enthusiasm : ARDOR
58. Classified abbr. : EOE - Equal Opportunity Employer
59. Part of a meet : EVENT
60. Disengages, as from a habit : WEANS
61. High degree : Ph.D - not "Nth"
62. Comes up short : LOSES
DOWN:
1. Arise (from) : STEM
2. "__ Nagila" : HAVA
3. Jobs news of 2010 : iPAD - Steve Jobs, of Apple
4. Moves back : RECEDES
5. Former Georgian president Shevardnadze : EDUARD - mostly perps
6. Freeze beginning : ANTI - Antifreeze; my water pump went on the Dodge this past Wednesday - it's still sitting in the parking lot at UPS. The car owes me nothing - it's got 242,000 miles, and it's 14 yrs old - I am seriously considering the Dodge Dart come January
7. Hero in Treece's "Vinland the Good" : LEIF - Henry Treece, who wrote this juvenile historical account of Leif Ericsson
8. Magic word : "POOF"
9. Mid-calf pants : CAPRIs
8. Magic word : "POOF"
9. Mid-calf pants : CAPRIs
10. That much or more : AT LEAST
11. Grain layer : BRAN
12. Omar's role in "The Mod Squad" : LINC
13. No effort : EASE
18. Settles : ADJUDICATES - healthy $2 word
19. Bare things : NECESSITIES - the 'bare necessities' - OR - Bear?
23. Suit material : LIBEL - ah, THAT kind of (law) suit
24. Hersey's bell town : ADANO
25. Front VIP : MEDIC - my first thought was front office, but this is the battlefield front
26. Leslie of "Fanny" : CARON - stuck on Nielsen
27. Danish capital : KRONE - capital as in money
28. Enthralls : SENDS
29. Whits : IOTAs - not a whit (iota) of truth
30. Arabian peninsula native : OMANI
31. Mythical lion's home : NEMEA - I tried ASLAN, but that's THE lion (and the wrong one)
39. Suddenly occurs to : DAWNS ON
41. 1/100 of a Brazilian real : CENTAVO - more money
43. Hybrid cats : LIGERS - LIons/tiGERs - oh MY~!
44. Low-cost stopover : HOSTEL
47. Sticking place : CRAW
48. Memorable napper : HARE - Aesop fable where the slow and steady tortoise wins - I did not know there was some 'controversy' over its interpretation
49. Radamès' love : AIDA
50. Flight feature : STEP - A flight of stairs
51. "We're in trouble!" : OH-OH
52. Call for : NEED
53. They usually have four strings : UKES
54. Birds seen by players of 53-Down : NE-NE
55. Body shop figs. : ESTimateS - I fiugre the water pump on the old Dodge is going to cost me $300-400, and that sounds like a new car payment to me....
11. Grain layer : BRAN
12. Omar's role in "The Mod Squad" : LINC
13. No effort : EASE
18. Settles : ADJUDICATES - healthy $2 word
19. Bare things : NECESSITIES - the 'bare necessities' - OR - Bear?
23. Suit material : LIBEL - ah, THAT kind of (law) suit
24. Hersey's bell town : ADANO
25. Front VIP : MEDIC - my first thought was front office, but this is the battlefield front
26. Leslie of "Fanny" : CARON - stuck on Nielsen
27. Danish capital : KRONE - capital as in money
28. Enthralls : SENDS
29. Whits : IOTAs - not a whit (iota) of truth
30. Arabian peninsula native : OMANI
31. Mythical lion's home : NEMEA - I tried ASLAN, but that's THE lion (and the wrong one)
39. Suddenly occurs to : DAWNS ON
41. 1/100 of a Brazilian real : CENTAVO - more money
43. Hybrid cats : LIGERS - LIons/tiGERs - oh MY~!
44. Low-cost stopover : HOSTEL
47. Sticking place : CRAW
48. Memorable napper : HARE - Aesop fable where the slow and steady tortoise wins - I did not know there was some 'controversy' over its interpretation
49. Radamès' love : AIDA
50. Flight feature : STEP - A flight of stairs
51. "We're in trouble!" : OH-OH
52. Call for : NEED
53. They usually have four strings : UKES
54. Birds seen by players of 53-Down : NE-NE
55. Body shop figs. : ESTimateS - I fiugre the water pump on the old Dodge is going to cost me $300-400, and that sounds like a new car payment to me....
Splynter
Another two-letter word game;
What are these lists which use one letter from the first pair to the next?
AL LA AR RI IN NM MN NY
GW WW WH HT TJ JB BO
NA AS SI IR RN NE
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to Larry, our philosopher/farmer Windhover, who's been with the blog for a long time. Windhover met with Lucina last year too. Can you imagine life without TV or computers? That's how Windhover and his wife Irish live their life. Click here for a few pictures of young Larry.
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to Larry, our philosopher/farmer Windhover, who's been with the blog for a long time. Windhover met with Lucina last year too. Can you imagine life without TV or computers? That's how Windhover and his wife Irish live their life. Click here for a few pictures of young Larry.
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteLots of write overs here but finally got it done with one cheat (looked up EDUARD). Just got tired. Now can't sleep. Russian houseguest chewed me out at dinner tonight. Said I did not deserve another dog, as I could not keep care of it well enough. Also said sweet Millie (Rhodesian Ridgeback/shepherd mix as per papers from pound) is a pit bull! Can this be?
Happy birthday, Windover, and many more!
Have a good weekend!
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a bit of a struggle today. Fortunately, the theme answers were all smack-dab "in the language" phrases and eventually revealed themselves as the perps started to pile up. Well, except for LOCAL ANESTHESIA. I will admit to being misdirected by the clue for awhile, and I had some errors in the perps (such as CAROL for CARON, KRONA for KRONE and LINEN for LIBEL) that kept the answer from view.
I finally figured out the clue and fixed the back end mistakes to get ANESTHESIA, but I still couldn't get the LOCAL part until I finally abandoned LINEN at 23D. Nice feeling when the light bulb finally went off and I got LIBEL.
No idea on 5D, but once I got a few perps I was able to guess EDWARD. That was wrong, but it was enough to keep me going in the right direction until I was able to get EDUARD instead.
Two other minor woes were really wanting UHOH instead of OHOH (I seem to have this problem a lot) and really wanting a plural word at 54D instead of NENE.
[divoie]
Oh -- and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WINDHOVER!!!
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteThis one looked daunting, but turned into a pretty quick solve thanks to the common phrases. My SERGE morphed to LINEN and finally to LIBEL. and NTH became a PHD, and ERIC turned into LEIF. It wasn't quite the inkblot that normally occurs on Saturday.
Once again today something weird happened. I followed Splynter's link about Aesop, and when I returned, I was on the Friday blog. There was no way to get back to Saturday. I finally had to reboot the fruit machine. Odd!
HBD, Windy! Are you still reading the blog?
Splynter: States, Presidents, Elements.
WEES about LINEN. This was a very enjoyable puzzle with some fun misdirections (e.g. "Numbers"). Right off the bat I was trying to think of the name of an overseas county rather than the name for an overseas county.
ReplyDelete[13:10]
Happy birthday, Windhover!
ReplyDeleteWhen I opened the puzzle and saw Bruce Venzke, I thought OH OH! (IMO, not as hard as a Saturday Silkie, but up there.) Like Splynter, I made one pass and had a few words in each area. Kept at it and finally got it done, although it took me a lot longer than Friday. But that’s OK, I enjoy the solving process. A very good and enjoyable challenge!
Hand up for FEZ before TAM, NTH before PHD,
Overseas county – was trying to think of a specific county that fit. Nope! Eventually SHIRE emerged.
Saved for later, in a way – even though we digitally record TV shows on DVR, we still say TAPED. But then maybe that’s just a sign of age!
Danish capital – wasn’t tricked, but couldn’t spell KRONE until the perps helped.
Former Georgian president Shevardnadze – actually remembered his last name, but couldn’t dredge up EDUARD. Needed 4 perps, then got the last 2 letters. He was also the soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Omar’s role in the Mod Squad - Could “see” him, but couldn’t remember LINC until 2 perps helped. That seems long ago!
I used the red letter method to do this puzzle on upuzzle and I am glad I did. However, I couldn't see why LOCAL ANESTHESIA was the solution to number until I read Splynter.
ReplyDeleteI have been printing the puzzle so I could sit in my Sun Ray lamp and treat my Seasonal Affective Disorder in winter Cleveland. However, I was in a brown-out so I went to the battery run laptop to do it.
To fermatprime don't worry about what anyone else says about your dog. As long as you can get the food, vet visits and you are both happy it is ok. Also guessing about mutt heritage based on looks is, IMHO, a waste of time. I was told that my mutt was mostly Doberman, but as she aged she showed more shepard/beagle/retriever/spitz.
Dang! I swore NUMBER with a silent B would never get me again but it did. Curse you Red Venzke! Other gettable long fills and fresh words warmed up my sub zero morning. All right LINEN for LIBEL didn’t help either but I’ll take four bad cells and get ready for good football today.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-All schools go over, post and forget EVACUATION PLANS
-All of us teachers hope we MADE A DIFFERENCE
-Personally knowing someone with certain characteristics can CHANGE ONE’S TUNE
-Those DVR recordings are not portable unfortunately
-A spectacular ATRIA
-I did remember this NBA ORR
-Husker poster boy for BAD Temper
-The 1,600 meter relay (4 x 400) is usually the last EVENT in a high school meet
-Nobody could WEAN Elvis, Michael, Whitney, Axel, Judy, Jimi, et al from bad habits
-Scroll down a few screens to see how famous men deal with LOSING or RECEDING
-This time of year it DAWNS ON fans that their coach will leave in a heartbeat for more money
-Buckeye, I still call MP3’s and CD’s records so…
-HBD Wind. I’m wondering how you blog without a computer ;-)
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteWhile not a walk in the park, per se, this was the easiest Saturday puzzle I've ever done. Went astray a couple of times, stop/step and uh oh/oh oh, but the grid spanners really fell into place quite easily.
Thanks, Bruce, for a very enjoyable Saturday solve and thanks, Splynter, for your concise expo.
Ferm, I don't think the pound would misrepresent Millie's lineage. And I am sure you take good care of her and give her much love and affection. It sounds like Alex could benefit from some lessons in respect and civility, particularly toward someone providing him with a home away from home.
Splynter, I was due to receive a package containing perishables yesterday. When I tracked the package, there was a statement saying that the truck hadn't been off-loaded and delivery would now be on Monday. I am concerned about the effects of a 3 day delay on the safety factor, food wise.
Happy Saturday.
Brilliant puzzle! I loved it. Not only the cool looking grid, but a smooth solve all the way. Number DID stump me, but I was in too good a mood from all of the pleasing phrases and constructing genius exhibited throughout.
ReplyDeleteSorry, sorry, sorry, Windhover, I forgot to send my best wishes to you for a very Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteHi there~!
ReplyDeleteD-Otto wins the prize~!
Irish Miss, where did the package come FROM? In all likelyhood, if the shipper has not taken delays in to account, then hopefully the package is being stored in one of our cooling units. I had the same issue - I ordered Omaha Steaks for my brother for a Christmas delivery, and it's going straight to HIS house - so I have no way to know how long it's in transit - but their packages are mini-coolers with dry ice in them, and I've not heard that anyone has been disappointed yet with their chops and burgers.
Splynter
DAH~!
ReplyDeleteHAppy B-day, Windhover~!
Splynter
I am singing Zippity Doo Dah this morning with the abundant sunshine, blue skies, and moderate temperatures (38-40) after several days of much needed rain. My heart goes out to all of you in the Deep Freeze and icy and snowy conditions farther south and west.
ReplyDeleteBruce, great puzzle,which I finished in slightly less time than on a normal Saturday. NUMBER held me up again. Nerts!
Hand up for SERGE, LINEN, LIBEL and NTH, PHD.
I started with CHANGES THE TUNE before ONE'S TUNE.
DO, when I land in yesterday's blog, I go to the blog archives where I can click on today's date.
I am glad I live in a neighborhood which is off the beaten track. Very few people realize we are back here. In the NJ-NY area people are following the UPS tucks and picking uo the packages from the door. They either steal the contents or discard them, even in good neighborhoods.
A very happy birthday to Windy.
Haven't slept since yesterday, so finally able to comment. It took my husband and I working together to finish today's puzzle in a timely manner. I found long fills to be entertaining.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Windover! Are you snowed in yet?
Happy belated Birthday, Lucina! I think you've met the most people in person in this blog community.
It's cold here at 2 degrees, but no moisture today, so not as achy in the joints.
We've had to shut our dog, Lily, in the bedroom with us because the cat, Valentine, was tormenting her all night. Lily will be 13 years old shortly.
A really well crafted Saturday that made you work, but if you unlocked the long ones, it all fell in place with the same slow downs as others, except I too was ready for NUMBERS.
ReplyDeleteLarry, many, many happy returns of the day, I hope and Irish celebrate in style and good health.
SJ SJ, how nice to hear from you; when will we see you in the LAT again?
Fermat, any house guest who would express themselves to me in that fashion would soon be sidewalk guests. Who cares what the dog is as long as you enjoy each others company.
Warti, are you locked in your combat with builders? Hope the work is done and you are happy,
Speaking of periodic elements, I saw someone wearing this tee shirt last night at the bowling alley and actually laughed out loud.
ReplyDeleteThought y'all would appreciate it.
Splynter:
ReplyDeleteThe package is coming from Pittstown, PA. I just re-checked the tracking data and it arrived in a local station at 1:00 am this morning. Are there Saturday deliveries? Thanks for your help.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteFinally 'got' the whole shooting match, although I had to revisit it twice. This puzzle was a lot of fun for me. Skipped SHIRE, at first, because I thought a specific county was sought. 1st long across filled was CHANGES ONES TUNE. Liked the long downs, too, but took awhile to think of NECESSITIES and ADJUDICATES. After finally getting LOCAL ANESTHESIA, I still scratched my head over the clue: number?, but finally the light went on and I had to congratulate Bruce and/or Rich for some devilishly clever cluing. No strikethroughs or searches were needed to solve this well crafted puzzle.
“It always seems impossible until it's done.”
― Nelson Mandela
Happy Birthday to Windhover. All the best to you.
DNF big-time for me. Oh, I finished it without googling or using a solve button, but only after seeing enough red letters to have filled the grid, and a goodly number of WAGs, too. I knew a Saturday wouldn't have any theme for me to lim on, so decided to just blow it off today, and slept through the night for once, instead of my usual night-owl behavior. Just as well, since it took me so long to get the TaDa.
ReplyDeleteIrish Miss, you must be crazy 0o Oo! Today was easy for you!? Sheesh, some people! *mumble grumble*
I gave up when fez & nth came out red, & pretty much everything else was white...
ReplyDeleteHBD Windhover!
(note: pls disregard the honey reference, it was hard enough finding a cake that hovers in mid air...)
Bill G from yesterday. You must have gotten a different show because SV was on for most of the hour. Queen Latifah did a spot-on impersonation of Sophia.
ReplyDelete-I can’t believe I didn’t recognize this anniversary of the day “that will live in infamy”. Maybe we were all concentrating on Nov. 22 so hard it slipped our fragile memories.
ReplyDelete-Splynter, those OMAHA steaks from corn-fed Nebraska beef are great and worth the money
-Marti, our plumber showed up and did a nice job of replacing cheap plastic drain components for brass. He and I listened to the most disgusting, sexist news conference (1:36) I have ever heard. Laughter during a press conference about an alleged rape by a star athlete is inappropriate to the max.
Then why share that, Gary?
ReplyDeleteGood day, Splynter, et alia. I'm sure glad you parsed NUMB-ER, Splynter. It got me again.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Larry, my amigo. I know you must be celebrating and really enjoying yourself with the Irish.
Hands way up for LINEN, NTH, ORR, OTT, and CHANGES THE TUNES all of which were corrected on time.
What a fun puzzle, Bruce Ventzke! Thank you.
It started slowly, one cell at a time like so many weekend puzzles, but eventually the light went on and I loved all the misdirection especially when it DAWNS ON me as well as the long fill.
I misspelled KRONE as KRONA which I believe is the Danish way and I may still have some. Will have to check that.
BlueIris:
Thank you. I am very much a "people" person and I fall in love with all the bloggers here so naturally I want to meet them and know them personally. I'm also a hugger so be warned if I ever meet any of you.
Have wonderful Saturday, everyone and please stay warm!
Lemonade - hello to you too. Nothing in press right now. I've been on hiatus with just too much real life, though I'm still solving every day and I'm sure I'll get back to constructing soon. Sounds like a good New Year's Resolution...
ReplyDeleteBTW, in case Windhover doesn't tune in right away, he has an I-phone which is how he communicates. The barn has electricity to provide heat for the animals and that's where the phone is charged.
ReplyDeleteI'll use my 5th and final post to address our resident wonder-word-worker, Owen. As I have all my wits about me, I don't think I'm crazy, although some people think wearing 11 rings is a tad strange. (-:
ReplyDeleteI didn't say the puzzle was easy, just that it was the easiest Saturday I have ever done. And I did have some missteps but those long grid spanners fell into place rather easily, thereby helping with the solve. Believe me, I've had my share of hair-pulling, teeth-gnashing stumpers, but today wasn't one of them.
Happy rest of the day to you!
Hi again~!
ReplyDeleteIrish Miss, yes, we do have Sat. delivery, but only if it was shipped "AIR" - whether it's next day, second day, saver, or expedited.
I do not know if the fire in that one center threw off the rest of the trucking schedule.
Splynter
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteHad trouble in the east, because Local Anasthetic looked so solid and matched the clue better. Once that was cleared up, the Ta Da was fast coming.
HBTY Windhover.
Husker - I remember that big vaulted atrium at the Opryland Hotel. Stayed there years ago.
Happy Saturday everybody!
ReplyDeleteWell, it was a DNF for Da Doc, but what I could finish left me very impressed with the puzzle, so thanks Bruce (and Rich)! So many misdirections my head is still spinning....
HBD to Windhover, and speaking of head spinning, CED, that hovering cake is incredible - how do you do it...?
WEES about LINEN, NTH, and NUMB ERS. Also had MOT for WIT....
Was totally unsuccessful trying to cram RIP VAN WINKLE into 48D....
Spitzboov - excellent Nelson Mandela Saturday crossword-appropriate quote...!
My girlfriend and I stayed at many a HOSTEL on our post grad European trip. Didn't visit Zurich, but did see ALPs and spent plenty of KRONE in Copenhagen....
Splynter,
ReplyDeleteI don't recommend the Dodge Dart for nothing , you might want to read the reviews on it , your money would be better spent on a Corolla . IMO
Woohoo! I actually got a Saturday puzzle with six (yes, SIX) grid spanners! How cool is that? And this is my second successful Saturday in a row! Am I getting smarter in my old age, or is it just that the (no "d" word, as promised) Silkie is in abeyance for the moment? So, Bruce, thank you, thank you, thank you! You've made my day. And thanks for the great write-up, Splynter.
ReplyDeleteNUMBER? was my very favorite misdirection.
Had many of the same wrong starts as the rest of you and even put in ORR and OTT before DR J (even though I suspected they weren't basketball, were they?).
Leslie CARON was supposed to be in a Laguna Playhouse production on December 26 but has been postponed to May. Can't wait to see her. Loved her in GIGI, FANNY, and lots of other wonderful movies when I was young.
Thanks for checking in with us SJSt.J. It's always nice to see great constructors on the blog.
Our white styrofoam Omaha Steaks box arrived safely last evening.
Have a wonderful birthday, Windhover!
And have a great weekend, everybody! My husband's 80th Birthday is tomorrow! So ours will be wonderful!
Oh great!
ReplyDeleteWhere am I going to find a cake that says "Happy Birthday Misty's Husband " on it ?!?!
My neighbor is right,,, I have too much time on my hands...
ReplyDeleteG'Saturday everyone...
ReplyDeleteOh, I'd like to be smug and say how easy the NE was, but... Well, that's about all I got :-( I even forgot CONDI and tried to fit Rumsfeld (Rummy? W. had nicknames for everyone).
I did have fun puzzling though. Thanks Bruce.
HBD Windover! I can't imagine living without all my computers (actually, some days I can -- and dream of being a goat-farmer).
Splynter - I totaly misunderstood the game. I thought it was based on states, presidents, and elements and we had to string words together (ie A***L, L***A, A***R) into a coherent story like Owen does. I figured he'd win.
@10:44 - I love ThinkGeek's goodies. Fun toys too.
HG, et.al. Omaha Steaks are outstanding. I even order them for myself when I think I deserve a treat. Mmmm, maybe that'll be my dad's Christmas present this year.
Cheers, -T
CED - FYI - iPeople can't see Flash. Adobe took the cake...
ReplyDeleteI actually finished today's puzzle. Saturday is supposed to be the most difficult. Not this week. This week Thursday and Friday were tough for me.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning---NUMBER got me but good, so I went the other way and stared and stared till I realized the B must be silent. Excellent misdirection! Overall great grid!
ReplyDeleteCrossEyedDave, I can't believe you did it! I just had our caregiver walk my husband into my study, with his walker, so he could see your fabulous Birthday Cake on my computer. Rowland couldn't believe it: "I am honored" he said (in his courteous New England way). I think you've just made his day! A million thanks!
ReplyDeleteIrish Miss, thanks for the heads-up yesterday. Was SV witty, intelligent and funny as usual? I don't know why they would have a different show here but they did. Rats!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Windhover!
This is a GREAT video of dogs afraid to walk past cats. DOGS VS CATS VIDEO
(Do I dare tiptoe to my seat, being so late to class???)
ReplyDelete…but I can't stay away, because I have to wish Windhover a very, very happy birthday!!
¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫
Fun fun puzzle today, and I really did go top to bottom (almost) in one pass. (OK, two…) I did get hung up on "Suit material" for a while. Started with "serge", changed to "linen" but finally LIBEL appeared and I got the V8 can smack to the head. I briefly considered nth instead of PHD, but already had the "H" from OH OH (hand up for wanting "uh oh, Barry!) Last to fill was ADJUDICATES (what a great word!!) Like Irish Miss, it was also my fastest Saturday ever. So thank you Bruce!
Back in the late 60's or early 70's I saw Dr. J play in Norfolk, VA, as a Virginia Squire. This was before he became famous.
ReplyDeleteLemony, no, it is not done yet by a long shot. The frustration continues…
ReplyDeleteIrish Miss, the severe weather in the midwest this week delayed a FedEx shipment worth over $24,000. Luckily, it arrived just in time on Friday to get shoved onto the plane for Austria at the last minute…but my nerves were definitely jangled by the incident!!
CED @ 1247- You wrote that pretty good. I tried it with my mouse and it came out like it was written by a dog p' ing in a snowbank.
ReplyDeleteHi Y'all! I was pretty much on Bruce's wavelength although some areas took a while to fill. My biggest frustration was losing the puzzle twice in the middle of solving again. That is so freaky! Enjoyed this puzzle. Usually don't like Sat.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Splynter! Does that fire mean some people won't have Xmas gifts?
I am among the fallen on "numb-er".
I forgot some things like Hersey wrote "A Bell for Adano". I was thinking of Chocolate World. And I didn't remember CONDI came after Colin, but knew both were right when perped.
My temper was "hot" first then WAGd BAD & was surprised it stayed black. Having IBE got me the two end "L's" in that block so I avoided the linen trap.
We used to haul cattle to Omaha and ate delicious steaks from our own fed cattle every week. No matter the drawbacks of farm life (like having only two or three TV channels). We ate like royalty.
Fermatprime: If Millie is a pitbull, she may latch onto that Russian somewhere painful. Pitbulls and other dogs are sensitive to angry people. If they think the owner is threatened....grrrrr!
The most spectacular ATRIA I ever saw was at the Biltmore Mansion in North Carolina. One of the over-grown 70-yr-old "little boys" on the trip giggled about the nude statue for days.
Happy Birthday, Windhover! Who needs TV with a farm for entertainment? Always something going on with animals.
Good morn...er..afternoon all. Been playing mechanic between football. Woke up to -5 F today and it took out the battery on our Tacoma.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle was a different type of challenge than any I can remember. It was quite difficult, but patience paid off and got it done. Almost. Have to declare a FIW cuz I let Krona stand. Still, I'll take it, and I enjoyed it a lot.
Happy 68th Birthday Larry!! And IIRC, also PK (no need to mention age:-). As well as a belated HBD to Lucina.
I'm gonna side with PK on Omaha Steaks. Maybe we're spoiled since we've not bought a supermarket steak since the early 80s, but a friend gave me a package of Omaha New York Strips a few years back and I am sure the steaks we get from the beef halves we buy from a local farmer are every bit as good (maybe a little bit better). YMMV, but it's hard to beat meat fresh from the farm (not the feedlot).
Avg Joe, we got some Omaha steaks as a concession from our mortgage company (who took waaaaaaay to long to close on a re-fi), and I think the fresh ones we get locally are every bit as good (maybe a little better) as well. I think the freezing process just takes something from the OS. I bet if I could get those steaks fresh, I would be blown away.
ReplyDeleteYou raise an interesting point Marti, but I'm not sure I've ever eaten a "never frozen" steak. I know I've had shrimp and crab that wasn't frozen (fresh off the boat....and no, not in Nebraska:-), a few pheasant and chickens, and if advertising is to be trusted (yeah right) I've had any number of fish species that were fresh. But beef is pretty much universally aged, cut, then flash frozen. It would be interesting to know if the taste is notably better.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of food, I have an appointment with a thawing chicken and flour, eggs, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds (Homemade noodles). It's soup weather here, and I'm ready for it.
Avg. Joe, we have a local farm that butchers their own beef, and will sell unfrozen meat. They do offer frozen products, but their unfrozen aged beef is to die for. So sad, that these "micro" butchers are fast disappearing and will probably soon be as outdated as the milkman (remember him?) and the doctor who did house calls (does your doctor even know your name without looking at the chart??)...
ReplyDeletePK@2:24
ReplyDeleteI couldn't resist taking a peek at Biltmore Mansion in North Carolina.
While the atria is nice, Opryland is amazing, it's like Disney World under glass...
Was this the statue?
If anything, I'd harbor the thought that demand for truly fresh meat is on the rise. Considering only our lifetimes, the movement is relatively nascent, but you can't pick up a paper without reading about it these days. These producers will never get wealthy, but they can enjoy a life free from corporate dictates that is entirely sufficient as well as satisfactory. I'd offer Windhover as a prime example.
ReplyDeleteThe consumer is now wise to the fact that they don't have to eat the slop that mega corporations dish out. There will always be a market for McBurgers and Hamburger Helpless, but the rebels are legion...and growing.
We've had Omaha Steaks a couple of times and they were good (and very expensive). However, they aren't any better than the really good steaks we get from Costco. Costco's choice steaks are very good and their prime steaks are excellent. We usually get their prime rib eye steaks (since we don't eat steak that often anymore) and we enjoy them very much.
ReplyDeleteI've gotten to be such a wuss living in southern California since college. In Virginia, there were some winter days with snow and temperatures down near zero. Right now, the temperature outside is in the 50s, the wind is blowing and I feel as if I've turned into an icicle.
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Bruce Venzke, for an excellent puzzle. Thank you, Splynter, for the fine review.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Windhover. And, many more.
This puzzle was great. I got through it much easier than most Saturday puzzles. Took me a couple hours though.
The long ones appeared daunting, but were easier after a few letters appeared from perps.
Remembered ADANO. LIBEL was clever. Took a while to get that.
Not sure what EOE was, but the perps worked. After coming here I saw it.
Wanted NTH for 61A, PHD appeared.
Had LINK for 12D. That was my dad's nickname, for Lincoln. His first name. Eventually C became apparent. My grandson's name is Lincoln, and he goes by Linc. OK.
In Chicago now. Have to go to a meeting in a few minutes. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(opsefll)
-Dave, we saw both the Biltmore and the Opryland atria in March and both were spectacular. As you mentioned for sheer volume the one in Nashville is the hands down winner. Joann loved the Biltmore Mansion so much, she would have easily chosen any part of that house as her favorite.
ReplyDelete-Marti, you have my sympathy about repairmen. The technicians we get are former students and the shop owners are also neighbors and so we get great service. And my doctor is a college classmate. When he retires, I’ll be in a medical never never land.
-PK, where did you live when you hauled cattle to Omaha?
-Weather note, if you are watching college football today, the outside games are cold and miserable and Waco, TX has something called ice-fog. The games in the domes in Atlanta and Indianapolis are fine.
Time for a musical interlude.
ReplyDeleteThis is for Anonymous T as a response to the last post yesterday:-)
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
Hi again~!
ReplyDeleteAs far as the Omaha Steaks go, I deliver them every day, which made me wonder how good they could be - so I hope I'll find out when ny brother gets them at Christmas.
Zcarguy - which reviews are you talking about? I have test-driven a Dart, and I love the trim packages, but I have to admit the performance of the engine was below what I expected - my old Dodge has the same "auto-stick" the new one has, which I think is a great feature (manual and automatic-in-one). I do know the Fusion comes with the same tranny, and I get a bigger discount from Ford thru UPS.
Splynter
Wow, great puzzle. I liked it a lot and got lots of pleasure in solving it. Thank you, Meester Venzke! And thank you for your writeup, Splynter. Happy birthday wishes to you, Windhover, and may you always remain 3 years younger than me. Best wishes to you all.
ReplyDeleteI've never eaten a steak that wasn't frozen. We didn't butcher at home, thank goodness. My husband delivered the steer to a processor and I took possession of the meat already wrapped and frozen. I'm really not sure how meat could taste any better than ours did. I often gave our wrapped steaks as a gift for various things to the delight of the recipients.
ReplyDeleteMy son took them to college and fed his roommate who was very grateful since he had a hard life was working his way through. I'm sure we lifted his brain power above his ramen noodle budget. I told my son he couldn't sit there and eat steak while his friend couldn't. We weren't rich, but we could at least be generous with that.
CED: Yup! That's the statue. I think there was something naughty about that smaller bronze statue inside the atrium too, but I can't remember exactly what.
ReplyDeleteWe had some meat processed once that hadn't been properly aged. That was the nastiest tasting stuff we ever had. They had to reimburse us, since we couldn't eat it. They had just opened and went out of business soon after. We didn't wonder why.
slowly but surely tackled this puzzle. Got hung up briefly with the linen suit switch to libel suit.
ReplyDeleteOne clue was a little inaccurate-- 38A should have said "former" home of Phillips University --as it closed in 1998.
Happy Birthday to Windover
All:
ReplyDeleteI have had Omaha Steaks several times and they are the best!
Abejo
(gtaler)
Well....here's my take.
ReplyDeleteI've had Omaha Steaks a few times. They are excellent. Local offerings have narrowed the (once)quality gap significantly if not surpassed it.
I support the theory that freezing changes molecular structure and hence texture. Nothing is ever better frozen. Not even ice cream. trust me.
I also agree that now is the time for small farmers. Never better. Local is cool, hip and better!
Oooh....forgot.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Larry!
Ave Joe: Thanks for that link - I haven't heard that song in years. I love Billy Joel; both of my girls have Piano Man on their iThings.
ReplyDeleteLong day - I just got back from the after-dinner for daughter's performance in Wizard of Oz. She wasn't a main character (she's only a Frosh), but she did well.
I see that I messed up the link to ThinkGeek earlier. Ooops. Bill G. - they have a whole TBBT section of the shop just for you.
Cheers, -T
well, windy.
ReplyDeleteI thought of this present.
Finished - at 1:50 am Sun.
ReplyDelete