Our divine miss m is back on a Friday, and I really appreciated having this puzzle awaiting me as I return from Jamaica. This is a straightforward 5 theme puzzle with the CH in each 'in the language' phrase changed to SH and clued with her normal wit and charm. I found it easier than most of her Fridays but maybe the rest and rum gave me clarity. I enjoyed the six letter stacks at the top and bottom juxtaposed to the theme and the balance of PRIME TIME and CERTIFIED. So come along for a walk through the fertile Friday mind of marti.
17A. Liner with Intel inside? : SILICON SHIP. (11)(CHIP). Ocean liners are ships and Intel is the largest maker of Silicon chips. 'Intel inside' is their advertising mantra.
22A. Nylon notable? : SHEER LEADER.(11)(CHEER). Cheerleaders seldom wear hose until they get to the Cowboys. My favorite one.
37A. Get one's kicks in a painful way? : TAKE IT ON THE SHIN.(15)(CHIN). Shins are so sensitive and then again a chin can be too.
47A. Principal plant? : THE BIG SHILL. (11)(CHILL).We just had SHILL and the MOVIE was a big success.
60A. Surprise the neighborhood? : SHOCK A BLOCK.(11)(CHOCK).CHOCKABLOCK is a wonderful word meaning filled up with, really creative.
Across:
1. Set count : REPS. Repetitions, another of those pesky mini-words, an abbreviation that has become a word. This is from working out at the gym, which I did everyday I was in Jamaica.
5. Ally of Sun : CHIANG. The post Imperialistic China was ruled initially by SUN YAT-SEN and later his ally CHIANG KAI-CHECK. They were both frequent topics for the grown ups I observed as a small child.
11. Relocation aid : VAN. Really?
14. Unrestrainedly : AMOK. Do you need to be running?
15. Divulges : LETS ON. Whatever you do, do not let on that you know she is pregnant.
16. As per : A LA. French.
19. One may be flipped : LID.This expression comes from a time when everyone wore hats?
20. When many night visions occur? : PRIME TIME. Nice clue.
21. Revealing garb : MINI. The short skirt returned the same year I started college, oh my the distractions.
25. Bag : VALISE. A nice old fashioned word.
29. High mountain : ALP. Now you know this is a marti creation.
30. "Yikes!" : EGAD. Another of her favorites, she based an entire puzzle on the word.
31. Lock : TRESS.
34. "Gerontion" poet's monogram : TSE. Don't know the work (I am terrible at titles) but it is always Eliot.
41. Rush participant's prize : ORE. Rush like a gold rush, nice deception even if 'prize' is a bit misleading.
42. Fields : AREAS.
43. Give for a while : LEND. Interesting definition.
44. Music-licensing org. : BMI. ASCAP and BMI are the two biggest.HOW IT WORKS.
45. Meshes : AGREES.
53. Playground bouncer : BALL.
54. Like some important letters : CERTIFIED.
59. Pay stub? : OLA. Payola.
62. Take home : NET.
63. University of Minnesota mascot Goldy __ : GOPHER. My first post here was discussing college team names, like golden gophers; and, 56D. New York college with a mascot named Killian : IONA. Now this is obscure.
64. Unsigned, briefly : ANON. The ultimate SO to our biggest fans.
65. Private __ : EYE.
66. Professorial duds : TWEEDS. Don't forget the patches on the elbows.
67. Numerous : MANY.
Down:
1. Scrape : RASP.
2. Mideast VIP : EMIR.
3. __ sci : POLI. This used to be a popular major for pre-law, but no longer in favor.
4. Take from the top : SKIM. Skimming profits is still a problem.
5. Dress : CLOTHE.
6. '20s-'30s skating gold medalist : HENIE. For you CA (3:30)
7. Personal answer : IT'S ME. I hope our English teachers do not cringe too badly. 9D. "__ can't" : NO I. yes you can! 38D. "__ Said": Neil Diamond hit : I AM I. Not familiar with this song. (mini-theme?)
8. "My Name Is __ Lev": Chaim Potok novel : ASHER. One of Hahtoolah's favorite books.
10. 57-Down measure : GNP. Gross National Product. Isn't it interesting that GROSS has three such disparate meanings.
11. Bona fide : VALID. From the Latin.
12. Dress style : A-LINE. Your new star? At least Miley has some clothes on.
13. Floor : NADIR. Oh come on marti (Rich) I know it is the opposite of Zenith (highest point) but I would not call a ceiling a zenith. Frankly it makes me want to Ralph.
18. Pool lead-in : CESS. Drat, I do not want any cess in my pool!
21. Tourist's guide : MAP.
23. Secure at the dock : LASH. Such a fun word. Reminds me of LaRue.
24. Otherwise : ELSE.
25. Highest power? : VETO. veto power being the ultimate control.
26. Petri dish filler : AGAR.
27. Vacation destination : LAKE. miss m lives not far from Webster Lake, which is also known as Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg. LINK.
28. Chemical suffix : IDE.
31. Digital temperature gauge? : TOE. A great visual of people approaching the Ocean.
32. Genetic messenger : RNA. RIBONUCLEIC ACID.
33. Unexpected fictional visitors : ETS. Extra Terrestrials, I am not sure how unexpected they are anymore.
34. You, to a Friend : THEE. Friends are how Quakers address each other.
35. Function in 39-Down : SINE. 39D. It involves angles, for short : TRIGonometry.
36. Scraps : ENDS. As in, scrapping a project.
40. 35mm camera option : SLR. Single Lens Reflex.
44. Marathon unit: Abbr. : BBL. 42 gallons of oil make one Barrel.
45. Trains may stop at them : ALTARS. Another typical fun visual, the train on the wedding dress. The wedding in Jamaica was informal for all but the bride, who wore the formal white dress with train.
46. Smooth-talking : GLIB. MW says it comes from Low German glibberig slippery.
47. Chophouse choice : T-BONE. What are the steaks of choice here, or are we all vegans?
48. Tin Man actor Jack : HALEY. A wonderful SO for our own.
49. Make merry : ELATE.
50. Breadth : SCOPE. Is that why they named the product which makes your BREATH smell good.
51. "Wag the Dog" actress : HECHE. Anne, ex-companion of Ellen. The TRAILER. (2:28) Good cast.
52. Ticked : IRKED.
55. Hoax : FLAM. Flim? I have never seen or heard this word without FLIM attached.
57. Coll. major : ECONomics.
58. Fashion letters : DKNY. Donna Karan New York.
60. York, for one: Abbr. : SGT. WWI hero.
61. Do-it-yourselfer's concern : HOW. Yes the books are often HOW TO....... I wonder if I can get C.C. to write a how to do a crossword blog. There are books on solving and on constructing, but...
Well I guess this is the end of another edition of the Idiot's Guide to a Friday LAT. Great to be back! (Nah, Jamaica and all-inclusive was awesome, I even was putting Rum in my coffee.) Lemonade (spiked of course) out.
1) Here is a wonderful photo of JD & her husband Bob, all bundled up in layers. Click here for more pictures from JD's Yellowstone trip. She's now frolicking in Costa Rica.
2) Click here for a few Before & After pictures of Marti's renovation project for her next door house. The tenants move in tomorrow.
Top Floor Stairs, Before
Top Floor Stairs, After
3) Here is a great picture from Lemonade's Jamaica trip. Click here for more. I'm intrigued by the words on Charlott's T-shirt. Looks like "I am..."?
4) I made a mistake yesterday. Today we celebrate Pi Day & JJM's 56th birthday. He sent me these two cool pictures yesterday.
57 comments:
Morning, all!
I appreciated the theme on this one, but found the cluing awfully tough in spots. "Principal plant" had me completely fooled until nearly the very end, for example. And I totally was not thinking oil companies when I read "Marathon unit." Also wasn't thinking wedding dresses when I read "Trains may stop at them." Great sense of satisfaction when I actually figured all the clues out, but very frustrating until then.
Did not care for FLAM clued simply as "Hoax" instead of as a partial with FLIM. I'm sure it's perfectly cromulent, but it's certainly not common usage. And I'll agree with lemonade that cluing NADIR as "floor" seems a stretch.
Overall, a tough nut to crack, but the satisfaction of finishing it was worth it.
Said Mr. Ess to Mr. Cee, "It disgusts
You get the Cute Chicks, I the Slovenly Sluts."
"I admit it, I agree.
But pity poor Gee;
Left with Gorgeous Gay Guys for his lusts!"
From Ian Fleming the James Bond novels sprang.
He wrote prose with an X rated tang.
But he also wrote for kids;
Shifted S to C when he did
Else he'd never have published "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!"
After much toil and flipping of letters, I was left with just one blank cell in the NE. I decided to check red letters before WAGing it (which I consider fair at the end of the week). Three bad letters popped out, all in the NE! I had BIT instead of LID (computers work by flipping bits) and RABID instead of VALID (a rabid baseball fan is surely a bona fide fan). Those corrected, the last letter surrendered easily, and Ta-da!
- Lemonade, you did a good job on catching so many mini-themes! You may have missed a couple, but still noticed more than I did.
- 5d dress, 12d dress style, 45a trains, 58d fashion letters, 66a duds.
- I was surprised NET and BALL weren't clued together.
- I thought we had a clecho with scrape/scraps.
Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. I loved all the puns and misdirections in today's puzzle. I caught on early to the SH theme, but stumbled, then laughed at those misleading clues.
My favorite clue was Digital Temperature Gauge = TOE.
I also laughed at Trains May Stop At Them = ALTARS.
As with Barry, I know of Marathon Oil, but was totally thinking of the Boston Marathon!
Yes, Chaim Potok and Asher Lev are favorites of mine. Thanks you for remembering.
QOD: At 60, I could do the same things I could do at 30, if I could only remember what those things are. ~ Billy Crystal (Mar. 14, 1948)
If you listen to the end of the trailer for "Wag the Dog", you can hear William Macy produce a Spoonerism, a good one.
Thank you for the challenging puzzle, Marti. When do you find the time? Thank you for the enlightening review, Lemonade.
I thought this puzzle was challenging, like a Saturday level puzzle for me, but fun. Frustrating, but satisfying.
WBS. Exactly!
I liked the crossing of I AM I Said with THE BIG SHILL. Neil Diamond is probably my favorite male singer. DW and I saw him in concert twice, Cleveland and Syracuse. Both concerts were electric! The Big Chill had a number of big name actors, and a LOT of Motown music. We have the soundtrack CD. Good movie!
And a bit of probably well-known trivia – what famous actor played the corpse, and then the scenes were deleted from the final film?
Happy birthday for real this time, JJM!
Happy National Pi Day, everyone!
HBDTY and many more JJM
Good morning!
I had my Friday share of missteps on this one (thanks, Marti). With __AM in place, my "hoax" was a SCAM. And my "Relocation aid" was GPS. Interesting that both ALINE and MINI made encore performances today.
Wag The Dog is a really funny film, complete with soundtrack by Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits). If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. If you have seen it, watch it again.
Marti, that house looks incredible. Hilary Farr couldn't have done better. Of course, the question now is, "Are you going to love it? Or are you going to List it?"
I got some good news yesterday. For seven years I've been the mortgage lender to a couple who recently filed for bankruptcy. I got a letter from the bankruptcy court yesterday informing me that the property was being sold, and that I would be paid in full for the outstanding loan balance. Whew! I won't have to TAKE IT ON THE SHIN after all.
Some tough clues but I guess that's par for Friday. It meant hopping all over the place with here a WAG, there a WAG (my condolences to those using pen and paper).
I'm going out on a limb to say that I think the worst of the bitter winter weather is finally over here in the beautiful mid-Hudson valley. By which I only mean no more overnight temps in the single digits. The next milestone will be getting above freezing every day. The last milestone will be staying above freezing every night.
[13:15]
Good morning everybody, happy Friday.
Wow, what a great puzzle. I had a hard time with it, and wouldn't have been able to finish without some help (aka Google), but there were some really great clues here.
- ORE. I couldn't figure out what a Rush was.
- 18D: Pool lead-in: CESS
- 25D: Highest power? VETO
- 34D: You, to a Friend: THEE
- 45D: Trains may stop at them: ALTARS
In 34D the capitalized F in Friend gave me a clue, but it led to nowhere. I loved it once I figured it out.
Great job Hearti!
Everybody, have a great day and a nice weekend!
Great pics, JM and Lemonade. What a wonderful refinishing job, Marti. The house looks great.
Happy birthday, JJM.
This was a crunchy Saturday level puzzle for me. I really puzzled over it for a long time, but I succeeded. Just what I like, a great, interesting challenge with many fun puns.
I was surprised by BBL, not knowing Marathon Oil, but I kept it in. I read professional for professorial time and again. I wrote DNKY instead of DKNY. I thought of fraternity RUSH/BID before Gold RUSH/ORE. Eventually all were sussed.
I thought FLOOR/NADIR was a clever misdirection. Not floor, the opposite of ceiling, but floor meaning the base or minimum, the lowest point.
DO, glad you will not lose on your loan.
Bill, so sorry for your friend.
Hello Puzzlers -
WBS. I got snagged by every misdirection in the clues. Managed to pull off a no-peeky, but it took a while. Thanks for the challenge, Marti!
Happy Birthday to JJM, and Happy Pi Day to everyone.
marti, please stop by and clue us in on your diabolic cluing. BTW, you do great work, very nice house. When I was looking at the pics on Ginger Roots, the Google ads were for remodelers.
Good Morning Everyone.
Couldn't get a TOE hold. First entry was ALP and the solve bloomed out from there. Some of the cluing was diabolical but fair for a Friday. Was almost going to relegate the BBL/BMI cross to a Natick, but thought : Marathon is an oil company so went with BBL and BMI became a WAG. Especially liked the clues for THEE and ALTARS.
Lemon - Favorite steak is filet mignon. I still have my canines so am not a Vegan.
Have a great day.
Good Morning:
This was a tough slog, but I finally got the TADA w/o help which is always satisfying. I, too, question floor for nadir, but Rich is the boss. Nice job, Marti, and great expo, Lemony.
CSO to our resident Tinman. I enjoyed all of the great pictures from JD, Lemon, JJM (Happy Birthday, again) and Marti's before and after chronicle. The end result is worth all of your hard work, Marti; I see a warm, inviting home and I hope your tenants appreciate what you have created and that they treat it with care.
Have a fun Friday.
How didst THEE confuse me, dear Marti? Let me count the ways – Train on a wedding gown, toe testing the water, Sun Yat-sen, plants in the audience, Marathon Oil, PayOLA, RUSH is what occurred near JD If she’s ever home :-)), CHOCKABLOCK (huh?) and… The theme came with C/SHIN and was helpful and fun. Wow, what a lovely, torturous journey, Marti! Was this before or after smelling all those paint fumes? ;-)
Musings
-The adjective “easier” doesn’t work for me Lemon but it was well worth the effort
-A CESS and GENE pool don’t seem to be the same
- Where a hilarious SNL residence is a VAN
-I was pretty safe LETTING ON that my old friend was pregnant yesterday. She’s due next week
-Except for van Gough, LEND me your ears is a metaphor
-MESH and Revealing dress can be synonymous
-Note left for me yesterday, “Computer cart is shared by Rebecca and I (sic)” Cringe!
-My iPhone is my wonderful MAP. Unfortunately Joann does read maps very well in the car
-I’ll take a Filet medium, Nebraska corn-fed beef of course
-Great pix all around!!
-Otto, I’ve looking at this bridge over the East River. Can you help me with financing? ;-)
-What great 1995 movie involved SKIMMING profits from Las Vegas and taking the money to Kansas City and ENDed with tragedy in a corn field for one major player?
BTW C.C. Charlotte's shirt says,
"I AM A DREAMER."
Not a gift from her grandfather, so...
Buckeye Bob: Kevin Costner
Husker: Casino
Marti: Nice puzzle, though lacking in something I use (need) when rating.
Fave was the "Digital temperature gauge" TOE.
Cheers to all at Sunset!
You certainly made this one Saturday tough Marti. Cracked the code with Shin, and it helped a lot. But it was slow going throughout. Having never heard of Chock a Block was a big weakness on my part, but everything else in that....er...block looked pretty solid so I went with it.
Last fill was the N at the corner of van and nadir. Van would NOT come to me and the down just kept teasing me: "That looks like it has to be nadir, but that can't be right...Can it?" Finally gave in and it hit me.
Best cut of beef? Depends on the critter. In some it's the rib eye, in others it's the T-Bone. But I'd favor rib eye in most cases.
Happy real birthday JJM
Great Friday work-out Marti and thanks for the neat expo, Lemonade.
Almost a Natick for me at CHIANG and ASHER - I wanted USHER at first but CHIUNG looked all kinds of odd.
Is it the weekend yet?
Bravo, Marti! What a great workout and enjoyable work. A big TA-DA when done!
Lemonade, great expo, as well.
Thanks to all for your amusing comments every day!
Hi everyone!
What great pictures of our Corner family. Thanks for posting them, C.C. JD, that looks like it was a great trip, and I hope you send more pics from Costa Rica!
Happy Birthday for real today, JJM! You look like quite the adventurer, so I bet you'll have a blast today.
Lemony, who caught the fish? And did you eat it for dinner? To answer your question about the "diabolical" clueing…I was happy to see that Rich kept my clues for TOE (Digital temperature gauge), ALTARS (Trains may stop at them), THEE (You, to a Friend), and my CSO to Tinbeni with HALEY (Tin Man actor). But the NADIR clue (Floor) was definitely Rich's!
With the clue for ENDS (Scraps), I intended to mean the ends left over (as material) after completing a project. Scraps of wood, scraps of fabric, etc. But when I read your write-up, it made more sense the way you described it!! Thanks for making me look so smart. (^0^)
Marti
Oooh, a Friday Marti puzzle! Exciting! Started out pretty much in despair but slowly, slowly, things fell into place, first the top half, and then slowly most of the bottom half. I fortunately got the theme pretty early and that helped a lot. But in the end the PRINCIPAL PLANT and MARATHON did me in. I've never heard of the oil company, so tried 10K, KIL, and finally just left it blank even though I had THE ___ SHILL in place. But, hey, I almost got a Friday Marti, and that ain't bad, is it?
Like Hahtoolah, I liked the clues for TOE and ALTAR.
Barry, is CROMULENT a word? What is it?
Great pics, C.C.--thanks for posting them.
Have a great Friday, everybody!
Misty @ 12:06 PM --
Per Dictionary.com:
Main Entry: cromulent
Part of Speech: adj
Definition: fine, acceptable
Usage: slang
But the origin is more interesting. I guess fans of The Simpsons know this one!
Cromulent Origin
Hi gang -
Marti - quite a work out today. Looked a lot like a DNF, but finally made it through with a lot of plugging, chugging, perps and swags, not to mention the erasures. Good puzzle and fun, satisfying fill, so I also won't mention my nits.
Perped out TAKE IT ON THE SHIN,and that was a big help in sussing the whole puzzle. Wanted SHOCK at the end of 60A, so that was a stumbling BLOCK.
As you can see here, cromulent is a perfectly cromulent neologism [though spell check does not like it.]
I don't eat many steaks, so I'm quite happy with any of them.
My fav Spoonerism is from one of the Rt. Rev's sermons when he supposedly said, "The Lord is a shoving leopard."
Saw most of The Princess Bride for the first time last night. Wildly over-rated movie IMHO. Music is by Mark Knofler.
My father one told me, "You have a GLIB tongue." It was most assueredly NOT a compliment.
Happy weekend everyone
Cool regards,
JzB
Happy Friday everybody!
Nearly broke my teeth on this crunchy puzzle. ENDed up resorting to red letters at my NADIR....
YSLS for DKNY, DEPOTS for ALTARS, AD IN for REPS, SCAM for FLAM, WIDTH for SCOPE, and REDO for SKIM....
Finally caught onto the S for C theme, but it was too little, too late for this geezer....
Question - Does the ALP answer count as a selfie...?
Nice pix from The Corner gang to The Corner gang....
Finally, off to Spring Training next week (my answer to 27D, vacation destination)...!
Doc out.
Marti, you gave us a Friday work-out today! On first pass today, there was mostly white!
Misdirections with TRESS, BBL, REPS, ALTAR set me back.
Hand up for SCAM before FLAM (I still don't like FLAM!) I had OSE, ANE, and ENE before IDE. I started with MAP before VAN but then needed MAP for 21D. Finally got NADIR but wasn't sure whether I liked it.
Needed Google help for HENIE, HECHE, CHIANG (I'm sure C.C. got this one!) and the mascots.
Finally I saw the theme with SHOCKABLOCK.
Nice to see HANEY for a change instead of LAHR.
I debated between THEE or THOU until LEND decided it.
I filled in TSE automatically without even knowing the work. But I must remember DKNY for another time.
Digital temperature gauge=TOE was so clever that I didn't get it until I came here. Thanks Lemon.
I'll take a Filet, medium-well.
Happy Birthday JJM.
Great pics. Marti, the reno looks wonderful now.
Akkkk -
My father ONCE told me.
[I am not a cromulent typist.]
Cheers!
JzB [hunting and pecking my way through life]
Marti - a real challenge. I didn't look anything up but it took a lot of perps, extra time and more than a few swags.
Lemon: I came up with a different interpretation for SCRAPS. My logic was the pieces of lumber left over when sawing boards to size were the ENDS or SCRAPS. Could also be other things like the leftover material my wife has when she is making quilts. These are the ENDS or SCRAPS. May not have been what Marti intended, but it worked.
Happy Pi day to all. My wife is currently baking peach pies and oatmeal pies. My lucky day.
I enjoyed this puzzle very much though it was hard for me in spots. I am always impressed how constructors can keep coming up with clever and creative themes. Very nice job Marti!
Happy birthday JJM! Nice photos JD, JJM and Lemon.
Count me in for being a fan of The Princess Bride and most any steak. I don't care much about which particular steak it is; rather that the quality of the meat is top notch. One of the few steaks I haven't liked came from Sizzler years ago. It's clear they buy cheap cuts of meat. I haven't been back since.
Porterhouse used to be my favorite cut; now I guess it would be a rib-eye. Costco often has reasonably-priced prime rib-eyes, cooked medium-rare thank you very much. I also like flank steak cooked rare and thin-sliced on a slant. It's leaner than most other steaks but when thin-sliced, it's really good too, better than merely cromulent.
oc4beach @ 12:59, read my comment at 12:00…
;-)
Marti
@Barry G....
'Cromulent?'
Please define
ANON @1:21
Cromulent, defined as:
I use plenty of Red Letter Help but will never admit to a DNF.
HeartRx: I started to write my post before noon, but didn't get it sent until after lunch. Didn't see your post until after I sent mine. I guess there is more than one way to interpret a clue.
I like a medium rare to medium prime rib best, but medium rare flank steak is really flavorful.
marti thanks for cluing us in which were your clues; you nailed some really good ones. I do not want to get into a scrap with you, but the bits and pieces are not always the ends. Since it is your clue, you are of course correct, good solid cromulent thinking.
Hi Y'all! This is the first puzzle I haven't completely filled since going electronic. It was hard going and I was trying to hurry because the @#$%^& thing kept disappearing and I'd have to listen to another 30 sec. ad before getting it back in blank state. I memorized the top third block strip before I gave up and went to bed. I had caught onto the theme and would have enjoyed it...but! I tried it again this morning to do the bottom third and lost it twice. So I just let Lemonade tell me about it. Thanks!
Congratulations, Marti, on an interesting puzzle and a completed remodel. Remodeling is a life- and character-changing event.
Rush: I thought of Limbaugh & sorority week, but not gold.
Hand up for never hearing of Marathon Oil. I was floored when NADIR appeared. I tried DIOR and only the D was black. Never got back there.
DO: I can commiserate with your relief at getting your money with the bankruptcy. I had a bond in a company that took bankruptcy and sweat that one for over two years before it paid in full with interest. Another one which my banker thought was iffy, I sold land on contract. When the final payment came in to the bank escrow, I was walking down the street and heard my banker yelling. He came running down the street to tell me it was paid off. I found that so hilarious I laughed all the way home.
Filet mignon, medium rare.
I thought the Big Chill was my favorite performance by Mr. Costner.
corned beef and cabbage.
A 98% victory for me. Not a full win, nor a DNF (everything was filled), but I missed 25A VALISE and the corresponding 25D VETO. I blame my misreading of 41A.
The clues were too clever for me, sometimes involving the kind of two-step misdirection to answers we can grok only when the wind is favorable. (Is "Rush" the rotund person or an event, and if the latter, which--college frat?-- or what kind--historical, psycho-physical?-- of event? Never mind: HRE was NOT the answer!)
A fun writeup from Lemonade...
PS. Jazzbumpa, sorry you didn't care for The Princess Bride-- one of my favorites-- featuring the only role in which my wife can stand Mandy Patinkin, the daring and deadly Inigo Montoya!
Many thanks, Buckeye Bob! You taught me not only one new word but two!
And Barry G.,
a big thank you for introducing me to "cromulent." Clearly, the word embiggens its users.
Wes þú hál !
Hello everybody. I liked this puzzle. Bill G @ 1:17 PM said about it exactly what I would have said. Best wishes to you all.
Bill G's comment about beef also expresses my sentiments better than I could myself.
Corned beef and cabbage what a great and timely thought.
Thanks A
PK@2:29: " the @#$%^& thing kept disappearing and I'd have to listen to another 30 sec. ad before getting it back in blank state."
Have you tried the Mensa site?. Very stable. And no ads.
CostCo Filet Mignon, barbequed medium well, with sautéed mushrooms, the sauté being real butter and dry vermouth, with a little sweet basil and garlic powder on top. And some London brown sauce on the side....
Had to weigh in because that was dinner last night - yum yum...!
Marti:
I thought TRIG & SINE were a CSO to Bill G.
I did appreciate my CSO at HALEY (Tin Man actor) ...
But you know I "rate puzzles" based on my favorite Jeopardy Category ... Potent Potables.
Still waiting for you to work Dimple Pinch Scotch into a grid.
Oh well ... time to warm up for a Spectacular Sunset.
Cheers!!!
Finally! (It's been a long day,,) Normally on a busy Friday I would red letter rush through the CW. So when I opened the paper at breakfast, I groaned at the sight of Marti Duguay-Carpenter. (Now I have to do it paper & pen...)
Thank you Marti for a very enjoyable puzzle, because puzzled I was. Anyone else & I would have given up, but since (I feel) I know the Constructor, I had to keep at it. So here is the story of my solve...
I got to the across & downs around 11am, & got a foothold, enough to start expanding into the white spaces, but had to take a break when I got stuck. When I got back, "shin" appeared which explained the theme. Knowing the theme helped immensely. (& yet it didn't.) But it did embiggen my ego into thinking I could solve this thing.
I managed to fill everything but the top third, which remained stubbornly white. I had only 16A ALA, & a possible 5D Dress in which I ever so lightly penned "attire." 6D I left blank because it could be "Henie," but "Sonja" also fit.
& there I lay, puzzling & puzzling, when I remembered someone on the Blog mentioned they used a crossword dictionary. Having never seen one, & totally stuck, I decided to Google it & came up with this site. I realize this may be cheating, but I vowed not to go red letter. (Hey, I was out of alternatives, I tried to WAG every across & down at least 6 times & was totally stuck!)
Marti, let me tell you, even the crossword solver could not WAG the top half of your puzzle! It gave me so many possibilities, it was a whole separate puzzle just to try & sort them all out, which ended in NADA! After about 20 words I finally caught a break with "valise," & then "Cess." After which I painstakingly completed the puzzle on my own.
I don't know how you guys do it!
P.S. Yes, I know I am long winded. I will count this as two posts. Well, off to see if I can find some silly imagery for this theme!
Gotta cast a vote on the Princess Bride ballot since it's out been broached. Wonderful movie, IMO. But in matters of taste there is no dispute.
Here's an interesting interview/recap of the swordfight training: You killed my father. Prepare to die!
Now if I could just fulfill a years old quest to find a UTube video of Mandy singing Danny Boy in a scene from Chicago Hope. Very moving, but evidently not available. Dave?
Having a tough day, couldn't find silicon ship, but I kinda liked this one.
Sheerleader (sorry, I never got past this one...)
shin
Sorry, I could not find anything funny for the big shill. the big chill however...
Re: chocablock/shockablock,,, sorry, I have never heard of either, & have no idea where to begin searching...
Avg Joe@5:38 Awesome link for Princess Bride Fans! Thanks! I would be glad to help you in your search for Mandy. But I didn't have much luck either. It might help if you could answer:
Who is Mandy?
Why is she singing Oh Danny Boy?
Is Chicago Hope a soap Opera?
CED, I have to admit: I solved the puzzle this morning myself, and had forgotten what I had for fill in the top part. So I still had some writeovers. ("Unrestrainedly"?), ("As per"?), ("One may be flipped"? - "house" didn't fit!!), ("When many night visions occur"?). But, I had an unfair advantage - I did remember my theme entries. But I can imagine what it would be like if I didn't. Sorry to cause you grief!!
Lemony - no scrap from me!!
Marti
Dave, Mandy is not a she, but a he. As in the he that played Inigo Montoya. As in an actor on Chicago Hope, and later iin Criminal Minds in the role that was later replaced by Joe Mantegna.
I'd remind you that Chicago Hope is the show that brought us the inimitable quote "Ah, roses on the piano. The only thing better is tulips on the organ." And this was in prime time.
Mandy Patinkin IMDb
Avg Joe, great sword fighting video. Thanks for that.
Jayce, let's you and I get together for a steak dinner sometime...
I loved Mandy Patinkin in Dead Like Me a very quirky Showtime series about the grim reaper. Coincidentally Marti, his father was in the scrap metal business.
Damn, these puzzles are getting worse and worse--this one is even worse than yesterday. Many of the clues are ridiculous--misleading, heavy-handed trickery, inaccurate etc. E.g. Relocation aid? Rush participant's prize? Meshes? Pay stub? Personal answer? Floor?? Highest power? Scraps? Trains may stop at them??? Make merry? Hoax? and several others. They're not even funny. Just labored and dull.
That's the last LA Times puzzle I'll even glance at.
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