Theme: Downers - Three things that will head you into a fall, either meteorologically, literally, or metaphorically. And they are all in the Down columns.
11D. Destined for one's comeuppance ... or what the last words of 3-, 9- and 25-Down are doing? : HEADING FOR A FALL
3D. Sultry stretch : DOG DAYS OF SUMMER. "the days dwindle down to a precious few"
9D. Vacation with worms? : FISHING TRIP. TRIP - fall down.
25D. Slogan on a Boston basketball fan's shirt : CELTIC PRIDE. Pride goeth before a (down)fall.
Argyle here. What have we done to deserve such largesse? First Marti and now C.C. and I have the privilege of blogging them both. Today we have two grid spanners and perhaps a tick harder fill so I think Rich got them in the right order.
Across:
1. Says "I do" to : WEDS. Doesn't need the 'to'.
5. Harvest bundle : SHEAF
10. Bone below the knee : SHIN
14. Big name in skin care : AVON. Still ringing doorbells?
15. Sculpture subjects : TORSI
16. Jay with a column in Popular Mechanics : LENO. "Jay Leno's Garage"
17. Smokes : CIGARETTES
19. Speak wildly : RANT
20. Dated song : OLDIE. From our collective adolescence.
21. Computer repair pros : TECHs
23. Fizzle out : DIE
24. 2013 Literature Nobelist Munro : ALICE
26. Words sighed after a defeat : I TRIED
28. Ice cream maker Joseph : EDY
30. Cultural funding gp. : NEA. (National Endowment for the Arts, not National Education Association)
31. Let loose, as pigs : UNPEN
32. Large group : PASSEL
34. Two-time Oscar-winning director Lee : ANG. Spike Lee hasn't won an Oscar.
35. Turkish general : AGHA
38. Pop star : IDOL
39. Fortuneteller's deck : TAROT
41. Corp. moneymen : CFOs. (chief financial officer)
42. Sidewalk eatery : CAFÉ
43. Suffix for a school of thought : ISM
44. Chopper blades : ROTORS
46. Classic role for Nimoy : SPOCK
48. Highchair protection : BIB
49. Be a fink : RAT
50. "Zip it!" : "SHUT UP!"
52. "Aida," for one : OPERA
54. Sewn edge : HEM
55. Catches in a sting : TRAPS
58. Until now : SO FAR
61. Poor box deposit : ALMS
63. "Tell me about it" : "I CAN RELATE"
65. Kennel pest : FLEA
66. "You've Got Mail" co-screenwriter Ephron : DELIA. Here with her late sister, Nora.(left)
67. Complete failure : FLOP
68. Civil suit cause : TORT
69. Philosophy test component : ESSAY
70. Shade trees : ELMS
Down:
1. Home of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame : WACO (From C.C.: TTP, do you remember you tricked me last time with your Texas Ranger Hall of Fame link? That's the clue I submitted.)
2. Villainous : EVIL
4. Slow mollusk : SNAIL
5. Fr. holy woman : STE.
6. Drink with dim sum : HOT TEA
7. Art Deco artist : ERTE. "R T"
8. "Be there in __" : A SEC
10. Nikon product, for short : SLR. (single- lens reflex camera)
12. Navel type : INNIE
13. Well-known : NOTED
18. Queen, in Quebec : REINE. "queen" in French.
22. Additive sold at Pep Boys : STP. 740 stores
27. Flinch, say : REACT
28. Long heroic poem : EPIC
29. Pop, to baby : DADA
31. One, for Juan : UNO
33. Got some shuteye : SLEPT
34. Pitcher's asset : ARM
36. Jewish wedding dance : HORA
37. Lead-in for prof. or D.A. : ASST.
40. Show curiosity : ASK
45. More than heavyset : OBESE
47. Not at home : OUT
48. __ and Herzegovina : BOSNIA
50. Golf club part : SHAFT
51. Greeting word : HELLO
53. John who married Pocahontas : ROLFE. Pocahontas saved Captain John Smith's life but married tobacco planter John Rolfe. His story.
56. Top pilots : ACES
57. Buds : PALS
59. Molecule part : ATOM
60. Crunch count : REPS
62. Used a chair : SAT
64. Boxing's Sugar __ Leonard : RAY
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
To Sallie & all those whose Blogger account was accidentally converted to Google Plus, please click here on how to switch back to your old account. Misty successfully got hers back last time. Be patient, it might take a few tries.
49 comments:
The DOG DAYS OF SUMMER are past.
They were nice, but they never could last.
The trees need to shed
Then FALL asleep in their beds,
To endure winter's icy cold blast!
Gay PRIDE sort of says it all,
PRIDE goeth before a FALL,
And once you are down
The best way around
Is a Drag. (See you at the Queen's Ball!)
FISH(ING) TRIP is oxymoronic.
Just visit fish farms hydroponic.
You'll see fish have no feet,
They've got walking beat.
To say fish trip and FALL is sardonic!
Four seasons, only one has two names.
One each, winter, spring, summer claims.
FALL's too short, was the plaint
Of obsessives who paint.
A HEADING FOR A FALL must fit frames!
( Fairly straight-forward, except for shooting myself in the foot. My first entry in the northeast was ORANGE for Navel type (don't ask me how I never noticed I left the A out), and then I couldn't fit anything else into the top of it, although RANT, END(instead of DIE) & I TRIED fit the bottom part.
Also had EDDA before EPIC, but perps cleared that one up easily.
I had no idea Jay Leno had a column in PopMech. On motorcycles, I imagine. I've read his autobiography, and he's the most driven person I've known of. Just reading his book was both exhausting and scary!)
Morning, all!
Interesting theme and wonderful construction by our fearless leader! I didn't get the theme until after I finished, but it made for a wonderful *AHA* moment when I did.
Got off to a rocky start after confidently entering DOG DAY AFTERNOON at 3D, but that didn't hold me up too long. Everything else was smooth sailing.
On a side note, I feel a bit sorry for DELIA Ephron. Everybody knows about her sister, but I never would have known about her if it weren't for crossword puzzles...
[tracedN]
Good morning everyone!
Woo-hoo, a C.C. puzzle to brighten a cold dark winter's day! I saw the reveal at 11-D when I was checking my SHIN perps, and realized the unusual placement of the theme entries in this one.
I liked the fact that each one had a totally different concept for HEADING FOR A FALL, as Argyle pointed out. I also liked seeing SHUT UP cross HELLO, near I CAN RELATE.
My only complaint was that it was done before I knew it. Thanks for a fun run, C.C.!
Argyle, I agree what a great start to the week. Having all the theme answers running down always masks the theme. WBS about DOG DAY AFTERNOON, and DELIA, but after an initial brief struggle the answers fell quickly. WACO was an unknown but it was the only 4 letter Texas city in my mind.
This poem was an inspiration to Nelson Mandela.
Invictus.
by William Ernest Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
RIP Nelson Mandela
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Interesting puzzle with all the theme answers Falling Down in columns!
I knew WACO, but initially wanted WIFE for 1-Across. The word "to" threw me off into thinking the words I DO were to be said to a person. Dog Day Afternoon never occurred to me, but I did initially think that the Sultry Stretch was some sort of baseball reference.
Oh, Barry G ~ Love your new cat!
Sallie from last night: I'm glad you stopped by. We have been missing you and hoping you are on the road to recovery.
QOD: Dogs are better than humans beings because they know but do not tell. ~ Emily Dickinson (Dec. 10, 1830 ~ May 15, 1886)
[isrecei]
Good morning, everyone.
I had to read both across and down all the way through this puzzle but easy enough to do. Guess that requirement for some, is what makes it a Tuesday puzzle instead of a Monday one.
I loved going out for Dim Sum but haven't done so since I visited Australia a few years ago.
Still cool in Denver, but warming up nicely.
Montana
After I finished my post, I looked up Dim Sum restaurants in Denver. There are none anywhere close to where I live.
Montana
Good morning, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the fine review.
Wow! Two poems so far today. Great!
Puzzle was fine. Got everything across the top except HOT TEA. Go figure, my favorite drink (Earl Grey). I did not know what the clue was Dim Sum? Eventually perped it.
REINE was a perper. Good thing ALICE was with an I.
We just had ANG Lee the other day.
DELIA was perped
The theme came easily. Down for a change. Two long ones, as well.
Off to the dentist for a new crown.
6 degrees F. at my house.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(cytetie)
Wow, this was a fun one. I really liked "Dog Days of Summer" with "Heading For a Fall" ... very clever!
I couldn't remember DELIA Ephron's first name. All I could think of was the author Nora Ephron, which obviously didn't fit.
I think TORT was the first word I learned in my Business Law class.
Have a great day everyone. By some estimates its 1 degree in Chicago this morning. Others are calling it a whopping 3 degrees. Stay warm!
Good morning!
Wow, this week started with a one-two punch! Ya can't ask for more. Actually, I didn't know this was a C.C. creation until I.d already finished. As soon as I saw "dog" I filled in DOG DAYS OF SUMMER. When I saw HEADED FOR A FALL, I was certain we were dealing with the four seasons. Typical example of my sharp-as-a-tack theme-sensing ability.
CC, I like the way you related, TRIP, SUMMER, and PRIDE to HEADING FOR A FALL. Good links, Argyle.
Owen, I love your poetry and all the effort you put into it. However, IMO your gay PRIDE bit crosses the line.
It's snowing like mad here and quite slippery. We are house bound for the morning. Sunday night we had a short lived ice storm.
Good morning all !
50A "Zip it!" : "SHUT UP!" - I prefer shush. Not quite as emphatic, but still gets the point across... My oldest sister shushed me all the time.
1D Home of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame : WACO (From C.C.: TTP, do you remember you tricked me last time with your Texas Ranger Hall of Fame link? That's the clue I submitted.) CC, I do. That wasn't very nice of me, was it ? As I read the clue in the puzzle and knew what the answer would be, I wondered why you did not use "Texas Ranger HOF home" as the clue... Rich may have felt it a bit too much for today's puzzle.
9D. Vacation with worms? : FISHING TRIP was my favorite.
This "I CAN RELATE" commercial popped into my mind.
Mari and Abejo, yep, cold here too ! Wind chills are 8 to 11 below and flurries have started.
Argyle, that Star Trek vid was intense. I didn't recall that one. Here's another that's a bit lighter: Star Trek Christmas Song
Wow! A C.C. and a Marti puzzle back-to-back. And 4 of the last 9 puzzles!
Thank you C.C. for a fun puzzle, and Argyle for a good write-up.
My time was almost the same as yesterday, so I think it was about right for a Tuesday puzzle. What I didn’t know, the perps solved.
What Marti said – “My only complaint was that it done before I knew it”.
But then there will be Thursday, Friday, Saturday. I wonder what the rest of the week has in store?
Good morning everyone.
I really liked C.C.'s theme today; especially HEADING FOR A FALL ……SUMMER. Very creative. Mostly a workaday solve. No searches needed; the few unknowns like ALICE and DELIA were gotten from the perps.
BOSNIA reminded me that we have many Bosnian refugees and their extended families here in the Utica area. I think the area is richer for their presence.
Have a great day.
TTP,,, I loved the Star trek Xmas Song!
While I do not remember seeing a puzzle with such a down theme, I refuse to post any downers after doing this puzzle with a picture window full of snow on one side, & a fireplace on the other.
Oh ok, maybe one or two...
Marti, I think i understand what you meant about the cat scratching post now!
& a little canine equal time...
Good fast one today.
Know what Pocahontas (53D) said to her Dad?
"Father, if you want to make John Jewish, you have to cut off the other end!"
Exceptionally clever theme with two spanners for a Tuesday, CC. I agree with Marti’s assessment.
Musings
-Daughter said YES last night and got a ring. I DO is in the offing after they work out making up a blended family.
-Suddenly hearing from a voice out of the distant past can mean they want you to sell AVON or AMWAY
-Not a believer in I TRIED
-Here is Ike being the first POTUS to ride in a vehicle with ROTORS
-To RAT or SHUT UP, that is the question
-A famous use of EVIL (:38). It ain’t Mark Antony but still…
-I prefer an SLR where you look through a viewfinder rather than looking at a screen to take pix
-I remember an STP commercial where they dip a screwdriver into the can and then can’t hold the tool by the blade with the slippery stuff on it but can’t find it on YouTube
-I’ll bet some on this site played stupid “Two for FLINCHING” game growing up
-This famous eponymous sport’s surgery has rescued the ARM of many a pitcher and some even came back stronger.
-NASA LAUNCH poster
-Early astronauts were mostly former air ACES
Nimoy classic roles,,, hmm,, this may take a while...
Them
Gunsmoke
Get Smart
Shatner & Nimoy in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Sea Hunt
Etc...
53d - I wanted to put "Alden" but the cross words saved me. I guess I don't remember my history. Who saId "Speak for yourself, John."? Different proposal? Must brush up on my 5th grade history. It was SO long ago. 40's maybe.
Googled it. That was the triangle of John Alden, Myles Standish, and Priscilla Mullins. How romantic!
Good Morning:
Wow! Back- to-back offerings from our prolific puzzlers, Marti and CC! What a treat.
I liked this puzzle a lot: clever theme, fresh fill, and fun to solve. Learning moment was Delia Ephron as a co- screenwriter for You've Got Mail. I knew of Delia and also another sister, but didn't know she collaborated on that movie.
Have a great day.
Our snowfall is winding down. The driveway is plowed, so we will be going out in a few minutes, sooner than expected.
I will post this poem now because soon it will be irrelevant.
The Snow Storm by Emerson
"Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,
Arrives the snow, and, driving o'er the fields,
Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air
Hides hills and woods, the river and the heaven,
And veils the farm-house at the garden's end.
The sled and traveller stopped, the courier's feet
Delayed, all friends shut out, the housemates sit
Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed
In a tumultuous privacy of Storm."
Good day, all! Another great week starting with Marti and C.C. with commentary by Argyle. This is puzzle heaven!
With C.C.'s puzzles I always expect an unusual twist and the long downs provided that today. Great job! And provided me with some learning moments, too.
I had no idea Jay LENO wrote for Popular Mechanics and WACO came to mind only because it has four letters and it's in Texas.
DELIA Ephron is as prolific as her sister, Nora, but for some reason not as well known.
FISHING TRIP was my late DH's idea of relaxation so that was a quick fill.
Thank you for the fun today, C.C.!
Have a warm and cozy Tuesday, everyone! It's 44 here.
Yay! Even before I opened the paper, I thought it would be totally cool if we got a C.C. puzzle after Marti's yesterday. And there it was--like a Christmas gift. Hurray!
And I loved it. I breezed right through it but kept looking for the theme. Figured it would have to do with vacations, you know, going for a RIDE on a SUMMER or FALL TRIP, or something like that. But once the reveal was in place, I got it--but only part of it. It wasn't until Argyle's expo that I saw that all the theme answers were DOWNS and that two of them were unbelievable grid spanners. Wow! Wow! Wow!
Anyway, terrific fun for a Tuesday morning--many thanks, C.C. and Argyle.
And many thanks for giving us "Invictus,' Yellowrocks.
Have a terrific Tuesday, everybody!
Good afternoon everyone.
Thanks for offers of help on my lost avatar. I'll keep trying, C.C.
I think Chin's comment is not suitable for this blog. Should land in the junk pile.
Today, I got it all except for 25D. I am not a sports fan and have no idea about their slogans. Also had to pause for a bit over the spelling of cigarettes.
loved DOG DAYS OF SUMMER and HEADING FOR A FELL. Very clever, C.C.
Cheers
PS: Thank you Yellowrocks for Invictus for Mandela. He was an heroic figure.
Argyle: Excellent write-up & theme insight. Good job!
C.C. Thank you for a FUN Tuesday puzzle.
Of course for 6-D, Drink with dim sum ... I put in scotch before HOT TEA.
(Whenever a clue ASKs me for a drink, I put in scotch).
Plus I like scotch with Chinese food.
Also had HEADed FOR A FALL, but needed another letter, so I changed it to HEADING.
OK, I got those fixed without turning the whole grid into a Rorschach Ink Blot ...
Learning moment (always a plus) Nora's sister name DELIA.
The 'L' was the last to FALL (along with the V-8 can smack for "Buds" being PALS, geez I way "over-thunk" that one. lol)
Well the Sun is over the yardarm. (warmed up to 78 degrees).
Cheers!!!
Hola Everyone, Two of our favorite constructors in a row. How lucky can we be?
I didn't know Delia, and couldn't recall Rolfe, but perps and a WAG got me where I needed to be. Hands up for knowing who Nora Ephron was, but not Delia.
Hands up, also, for not knowing that Jay Leno had a column in Popular Mechanics. I don't read that magazine!
I haven't heard Passel in a long, long time. My grandmother used to say she had a passel of grandkids. (She did, too.)
Have a great day everyone. I'm off to another fund raiser for Young women's Scholarship funds. All three of the Christmas activities I attend have come in 5 days. I wish they could be spread out so I could enjoy them more.
Yellowrocks, Thank you for putting in Ernest Henley's poem in honor of Mandela. That has been one of my favorites.
Owen, I liked your pomes, today. You never cease to amaze.
For the 5th day in a row it is 29 in the morning when I get up. For sunny California, that's cold. It only warmed up to the low 40's yesterday all day. All of our winter clothes have come out of hiding and it isn't even officially winter yet! Stay warm.
All of our citrus and other cold sensitive plants have been covered with sheets all this time. It looks like we have Halloween ghosts throughout our garden.
M. Gorilla: John ALDEN was also my first thought. I was reluctant to give him up for John ROLFE, but when the latter appeared, I reached for that can of V-8!
Pretty straightforward pzl from CC today. I enjoyed filling it in as I enjoy any modest success with no look-ups and one write-over.
Argyle's explanation of the theme made it that much pleasanter.
Now, to grading papers...
As to the Alden/Smith/Rolfe mixup, I lived too long in Massachusetts, and then longer in Virginia, to ever get those wrong...
(Anybody wanna bet on where the first colonial Thanksgiving actually took place? Try The First Thanksgiving)
Hi Chickie. Yep, it's cold down here too. But I'd rather have it cold than too warm.
An unlikely pair of best pals; A fox and a dog
Hello everybody. Cool puzzle today. I enjoyed it. The DOWN FALLS remind me of the SKYFALL puzzle you made about a year ago, C.C. If I recall, Rex Parker didn't like it.
Was 20 degrees according to our back yard thermometer this morning, and is now up to barely 40. Maybe our thermometer is inaccurate, though, because it usually indicates about 10 degrees colder than what the weather reports report. The weird thing, though, is that the thermometer agrees with the weather reports when it is about 60 or warmer. Hmm, I sense a non-linearity.
Best wishes to you all.
[Scripst] (Would you like a Pabst with that?)
Hi Y'all! Really enjoyable puzzle, C.C.! Very clever. Thanks, Argyle! Lots of great links and poems from everybody today! Bravo!
WEDS was amusing to me as a start off because my good friend is giving me a detailed account of her trip to her granddaughter's wedding in daily email installments.
Jay LENO should have plenty to fill a PopMech column with his large collection of antique & classic cars.
I don't think Delia did the talk show circuit like Nora did, probably why she isn't as well know.
BOSNIA didn't come to mind, despite my having done multiple stories years ago with people who "adopted" financially a young woman widowed in the Bosnian conflict. They made several trips over there to visit her and her child. They bought her a wig, for one thing, the stress of war caused her hair to fall out.
Is anyone watching "Sing Off"? Some really good music there.
We just picked out our Christmas tree. Years ago, we went to the cheapest lot and got the cheapest tree that was reasonably symmetric and as fresh as possible. That was usually a Douglas fir that hadn't been pruned while growing up; more like a six-foot Charlie Brown tree. Since the branches were sparser, the tree was easier to trim with room for ornaments to hang down. Douglas firs smell good too. Now that we are older and have more money, we pick out a tree at the nursery. We usually pick a Noble fir, about six feet. When they are first delivered to the nursery, they are given a fresh cut and put into a stand with water. The nursery delivers the tree, removes a couple of lower branches and carries it upstairs.
I remember my mother liked a tree called a Balsam fir. They don't seem to be available locally.
Back to read the blog after a long day at work. Good stuff. Helps me wind down. You all are so much fun and so interesting !
Is there anybody here that is not liking retirement ? Is it all that it is cracked up to be ?
Cross Eyed Dave, I also thought the Star Trek Christmas Song was worth posting. Figured that Dudley would like it, but he may not have seen it yet. Probably tied up with the house building project.
Tomorrow You Tube Rewind 2013 should be available.
Here's a short 2012 mashup or pick and watch your favorite from 2012's Top 10 here: YouTube Top 10, 2012
TTP, I am "semi-retired," which in my case means I am working as many or as few hours as I want, as a consultant. And I'm loving it. I think I might be bored if I were fully retired, but not if I were to develop some activities to keep me busy and engaged. Are you thinking of retiring?
Jayce,
Yes, I am thinking of retiring. Meeting with a retirement specialist next week. I've always worked. I guess I could find ways to keep myself busy.
Hi All!
I don't have much to add that hasn't been said but I did want to thank C.C. for a swell puzzle and Argyle for a fun writeup. C.C. - the theme execution was pretty darn neat - I enjoyed it.
SHEAF and PASSEL are new-to-me words.
I'm glad I stopped smoking CIGARETTES 2 years ago (just the eCig now).
Ah, to retire and go on a permanent FISHINGTRIP. 20 more years or 15 if my new postion's bennies are all that.
Cheers, -T
(greedbut - hehe)
I just completed an old CW by Henry Hook. The theme involved adding OL to words or phrases to make new humorous ones. One that I thought some of you would enjoy was: "Part of a mammographer's skill?" The answer was two nine-square theme blanks. AREOLAS OF EXPERTISE
C'mon Anon T @ 2047. Surely you've heard Tennessee Earnie in Bringing In The Sheaves
Bill G. - Oh, my! My teenage-self has so much to say. Mature-self says "SHUTUP." :-)
I went and got the NYT and am having a bugger of a time with it. I've got 5 squares that just won't take a letter - I think I have something way-wrong and will FLOP with a DNF.
TTP - TNG Christmas was fantastic. Someone had way too much time on their hands.
C, -T
Spitz - Sorry to say, no. I was born after the Beatles broke-up. I did enjoy the linked song though. MIL explained both SHEAF (oh, like in a Van Gogh!) and PASSEL (still didn't help, but I learned a new word).
Cheers, -T
Bill G: Is Henry Hook one of Dennis's pseudonyms?
TTP: I retired at 59 because I thought I had sold my farmstead and there was no way I could get it ready for the new owner and work. The new people had a bad wreck coming from another state and the deal folded. It was a special home & acreage that needed a special buyer. Took three more years to find them. I really hated retirement during those years, except when I was traveling which I did as often as I could afford. By now I am resigned to retirement as a necessary evil, but I would have been happier if I could have worked part-time again after I moved to the city. Too tired by then.
What does a retirement consultant do? Advise you on financial matters or pastimes?
Oh PK, Am sorry to hear it worked out that way.
Yes, mostly advising on the financial aspects.
There are so many rules of thumb... Let's see... Need nestegg of 8 to 10 times your annual compensation. Earn 7 to 8 % on investments, and then it's safe to withdraw 4 % per year so you don't run the well dry. Plan to replace from 70 to 90 % of annual compensation. The percentage of bonds should equal your age....
Just want to get an unbiased second opinion and honest appraisal of where I'm at towards the goals.
I still don't remember the name Rolfe.
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