Theme: "CB Switches" - C sound is switched to B sound, resulting in consistent spelling changes.
23A. Sidewalk vendor's income? : STREET BREAD. Street cred. English has lots of words for "money", or "drunk".
25A. Steeped salad topping? : BREWED OIL. Crude oil. (What was I thinking with Crud, Owen?)
64A. Accident report? : BLAME FORM. Claim form.
107A. Sketched a Gibb brother? : DREW BARRY. Drew Carey. Barry Gibb.
109A. Villain's backwoods hideout? : BADDIE SHACK. Caddyshack. A favorite of many on our blog. Never watched it myself.
15D. Robin selling Roquefort? : CHEESE BIRD. Cheese curd.
37D. Qualifying exam for opera school? : VOCAL BOARD. Vocal cord. Are any of you familiar with Beijing Opera? (Sorry for the chord error earlier.)
46D. Undersea party pooper? : MARINE BORE. Marine corps.
69D. Official loafer of the realm? : KINGDOM BUM. Kingdom come.
A
few straying C's. We'd have lost 3 colorful entries had Nora excluded
them. This type of theme (with spelling changes) is a bit more
challenging than those single letter replacement, as you need to be very
imaginative.
Total 89 theme squares, not a lot, but there
are 9 of them (4 intersect!). With the same number of theme squares,
the more entries you have, the trickier the gridding get. So a total 89
theme squares grid of 7 entries is easier than a 89 squares with 9
entries. Same applies to the weekday grids.
Nora
Pearlstone is another pseudonym of Rich Norris, editor of LA Times
Daily Crosswords. It's an anagram of "Not a Real Person". Rich has not
made any puzzle for NYT for many years, he's still the 3rd most
published constructor. See here. He's also a very fast solver, finishing 71st in this year's ACPT.
Across:
1. "Waverley" novelist : SCOTT. Sir Walter Scott.
6. Sch. with a Waterbury campus : UConn. New trivia to me.
11. Early computer acronym : ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer).
16. Standout : GEM. I'd like to share with you this clip about
crossword constructor Andrea Carla Michaels. She's so sweet and
mild-mannered, not what you expect from a standup comedian.
19. Many a network : AIRER
20. Competition with ropes : RODEO
21. One of a dozen : MONTH. So simple, I was picturing Chinese Zodiac animals.
22. Pres. or P.M. : LDR (Leader)
27. Romantic request : KISS ME
28. High land : TIBET. They drink butter tea there every day. Made of tea, yak butter & salt. D-Otto's dream drink :-)
30. Fill with bubbles : AERATE
31. Foot on a farm : HOOF
33. "It matters to us" : WE CARE. I've never seen a more inefficient and uncaring place as the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis.
34. Trypanosome transmitter : TSETSE. Hey, a full fly. We saw half the fly in the old puzzles all the time.
35. Really enjoy : SAVOR
38. All-Star outfielder Raul : IBANEZ.
Now with the Angels. Another one with a Mariners tie. A-ROD, ICHIRO
& Edgar MARTINEZ two weeks ago, all ex-Mariners. Maybe Rich is
secret Mariners' fan.
40. Pondside stalk : REED
41. More than walk : TROT
42. Equals : PEERS. And 43. Equally, say : ADVERB. Nice consecutive "Equal" clue combo.
46. E.T. policers of film : M. I. B. (Men in Black)
49. Notre Dame's conf. : ACC. Look at our Steve!
 |
| Notre Dame London Campus, Nov 2012 |
50. Smoothie fruit : BERRY. Not ACAI today.
51. "Say it soft and it's almost like praying" girl of song : MARIA. "West Side Story" .
52. Old Bristol-Myers toothpaste : IPANA. Brusha Brusha Brusha.
54. Online meeting place : CHAT ROOM.
So, TTP, do you think that Japanese guy might indeed be the creator of
Bitcoin? Why can't those geeks crack his real identity by his chat room
handle?
56. Announce : HERALD
57. Backwoods : RURAL
58. Scientology guru Hubbard : L RON
59. Silent : MUM
60. Turn right : GEE. "Turn left" is HAW.
61. What you can't get if you pass the bar? : DRINK. "Pass the bar" made me think of the bar exam. Clever clue.
62. Cake with a kick : BABA. The kick comes from the rum.
67. Model Sastre : INES. She was the face of Trésor.
68. Aimée of "La Dolce Vita" : ANOUK
70. L.A.'s __ Center : AON
71. Confrontational opening : NON. Non-confrontational.
72. All there : SANE
74. Eastern guru : SWAMI
75. Like slalom courses : TWISTY. For Marti. Did you fix the leak?
77. Roaring Twenties Hollywood sex symbol : CLARA BOW. The "It Girl".
81. Leftovers cover : SARAN
82. Lotto variant : BEANO
83. Base shade? : KHAKI. Military base.
84. Kimono accessory : OBI
85. Chicago airport code : ORD
86. Liftoff sensation : G-FORCE. Like CanadianEh, I really like Chris Hadfield.
88. Patriot and Liberty : JEEPS
89. Hosp. scanners : MRIs
90. Howdy to a mate : G'DAY
91. Puzzle : ENIGMA. And 97. Puzzled reactions : SHRUGS
93. Gear features : TEETH.
94. Diacritic for a long vowel sound : MACRON. I can only think of ACCENT.
99. Mount sacred to Judaism : ZION
101. Poise : APLOMB. Made me think of Argyle & Splynter, those two never panic. Always in control.
102. Goes for : COSTS
103. Restful break : CATNAP
113. Baloney : ROT
114. Regular's request, with "the" : USUAL
115. "C'mon, pal!" : AW MAN. Dave's signature line is "Aw nuts!"
116. Map type: Abbr. : TOPOG. OK, Topographic then.
117. Portland-to-Helena dir. : ENE
118. Come together : MERGE
119. Declines with a check, maybe : RSVPs. Lovely clue.
120. Plenty : SLEWS
Down:
1. Moose Jaw's prov. : SASK
2. Diamond Preferred credit card offerer : CITI. That's the bank you don't like, right, D-Otto?
3. Hockey legend Bobby et al. : ORRS
4. Drive, often : TEE SHOT. Rich is a skilled golfer. Single-digit handicap.
5. Aftershock : TREMOR
6. Ending for sub- or ex- : URB. This kind of clue often stumps me. Same with "Words with this or that".
7. __ anglais: English horn : COR
8. Keats work : ODE
9. Spiffs (up) : NEATENS
10. "Out of the question" : NO DICE
11. Glower? : EMBER. Parse it as "Glow-er".
12. Up from Méjico : NORTE
13. Having four sharps : IN E
14. Central California city : ATWATER. What's it famous for?
16. Smug look : GLOAT
17. Proof jobs : EDITS
18. 1957 Bobbettes hit : MR. LEE. Learned from doing xwords.
24. Auto racer Fabi : TEO. Hey, we just had Manti Te'o last week. What a cruel hoax!
26. Scott who sued for his freedom : DRED
29. Market : BAZAAR
32. Sporty '80s Pontiac : FIERO. Oh guess what, it means "proud" in Italian. I thought it means "Fire".
33. On alert : WARY
35. What a dot may mean, in mus. : STAC
36. Prefix meaning "primary" : ARCH. As in Archbishop.
39. Earthen wall : BERM
40. One may weep after being told to do this : READ 'EM. Poker.
42. McJob holder : PEON. The
first time I visited McDonald's was in 1995. Loved the French fries. We
don't cook potatoes that way in Xi'An. We just stir-fry in hot wok,
sprinkled with hot red pepper flakes and a splash of vinegar.
44. Continue interminably : DRAG ON
45. More repulsive : VILER
47. Hardly well-thought-out : INANE
48. Pitching slips : BALKS. And 64. One helping swingers? : BAT BOY. And 96. '50s-'60s Yankee Boyer : CLETE. This might stump some, but not Husker Gary, TTP or Buckeye Bob. Here he is.
50. Fella : BRO
51. Seashell, maybe : MEMENTO
53. Pet food giant : PURINA
55. Emotional shock : TRAUMA
56. Run well : HUM
59. Fanatic : MANIAC
62. Rossini's Doctor Bartolo, e.g. : BASSO
63. Sadat of Egypt : ANWAR. Their next president will be El-Sisi. I don't think anyone but he can get those Muslim Brotherhood guys under control.
65. Not so elevated : LOWER
66. Vaudeville family name : FOY. Eddie Foy. Complete stranger to me.
72. Nordstrom rival : SAKS
73. Agent Gold on "Entourage" : ARI
76. Derisive looks : SNEERS
77. __ lab : CHEM
78. Two-mile-high city : LAPAZ
79. Memorial news item : OBIT
80. Something made on a star? : WISH. Nice clue.
83. Brewery lineup : KEGS
87. Boosters, as a group : FAN BASE
88. Their parts are hard to tell apart : JIGSAWS. Exactly. I don't know how others have the patience to pieces everything together. Do you like Jigsaw puzzles, LaLaLinda?
89. Cough drop flavor : MENTHOL
90. Increase : GROW
92. Hiker's snack : NUT BAR. Love Larabars.
93. Salutes of a sort : TOASTS
94. Familia member : MADRE
95. Kitchen protection : APRON
97. Skinny sort : SCRAG
98. Rules immortal : HOYLE. According to Hoyle. Edmond Hoyle.
100. Nail down, as victory : ICE
104. Scruff : NAPE
105. Have __: flip out : A COW
106. P.O. deliveries : PKGs
108. Classic Capek play : R.U.R. It introduced the word "Robot".
110. Lic.-issuing bureau : DMV
111. Skip, as stones : DAP
112. Ones with seats : INs. Oh, congressional seats.
C.C.
Very sneaky theme by the pseudonymous constructor, and lovely writeup by C.C. Thanks for the link to our mutual friend Andrea aka ACME, and click here for a much shorter one that she recently shared about a winning appearance on "Wheel of Fortune."
ReplyDeleteIf anyone is still in a mood for more puzzling, my friends and I offer Start Spreading the News! and Putin on the Fritz. Both deal with current events, although the first is much more sports-themed. We hope you like one or both, and start spreading the news!
Off to TIBET went Old Man River
ReplyDeleteTo find a guru, a wisdom giver.
He became one himself
But the curse of his wealth
Weighed down upon the SWAMI RIVER!
Well, due to my Icon, Clete Boyer was a gimme as I was a Yankee fan way back when. Also, no prob with other baseball references.
ReplyDeleteMy second favorite pastime next to crosswords are jigsaw puzzles. Just like a good book, I can't stop until it's finished, so sometimes that means pulling an all-nighter.
And for once, not too much trouble with the names such as Foy, Clara Bow, Hoyle, Anouk, Anwar, etc.
No quakes here, but we did have a tornado touchdown about 60 miles from here this week and that's too close for me.
Didn't post yesterday, but in re the question about lefty...I'm not, but my granddaughter that I'm raising is which was a surprise as she's the only one in a very large family. She eats and writes left, but bats right when playing softball, so she's also somewhat ambidextrous which we're hoping will be an advantage later for basketball.
Up waaayy too early for me, so off to take a CATNAP.
"McJob holder: PEON"
ReplyDeleteGo diddle yourself, Pearlstone.
Good morning C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteI love reading about the differences in your culture C.C. The stir-fried potatoes sound yummy! And thanks for the clip of Andrea Carla Michaels - she really is a gem!
(We did discover the source of the leak - a crack in the drain pipe, about 9" long. It's cast iron, so we have to get a special saw to cut it out and replace it. The ceiling is toast, too…)
I really stumbled around on this one, mainly because of all the names. IBANEZ, INES, ANOUK, TEO, CLETE and ARI are all strangers to me. Then I wanted Myrna Loy instead of Eddie FOY, but then BLAME LORM just didn't look right for some reason. So imagine my surprise when I filled in the "V" for VOCAL CHORD and got the "Ta-Da."
Thanks for a fun Sunday morning brain workout, Rich!
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteCute theme, although it took awhile to realize the sound was changing and not just the letter.
Had a personal Natick at the crossing of MACRON and CLETE, which was exacerbated by the fact that I had PADRE instead of MADRE at 94D.
I also struggled with JIGSAW, since I figured that referred to the tool used to make JIGSAW puzzles and not the puzzles themselves. Sometimes I am just too literal for my own good.
Small junk such as AON, FOY and TEO also bogged me down a bit, but I got past it with the help of the perps.
Oopses. It's crude oil, not crud, and vocal cord, not vocal chord. And I had one in my much shorter entry, when I put RIVER in all caps, which I shouldn't have done because it's not a word in the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteIt took me near 2 hours to finish this monster (I'm never a speedball, always a plodder), and enough EWAGs (educated wild-ass guesses) that I wasn't surprised at no ta-da. But when I turned on the red letters, it turned out to only be a simple typo of the penultimate letter I'd entered! So I'll claim a total victory over this one, unlike Fri & Sat when I was just 1 letter short each day.
JIGSAW crossed the other two puzzling clues, ENIGMA & SHRUGS. I'm addicted to jigsaws as much as crosswords. Haven't had much chance to work on a physical one since we moved into a cramped condo, but recently found a few online sites with really good programs, and been falling waay behind on my reading until my obsession with them runs out.
It's amazing Rich found 8 different ways to change the spelling for single consistent phonetic change! The only repeat was CRED to BREAD and CORD to BOARD both just getting an A added. And if we had vocal chords instead of cords, that would have been different, too.
ReplyDelete"Vocal cords, a term commonly used to refer to the vocal folds, was coined by the French anatomist Antoine Ferrein in 1741. ... An alternative spelling in English is 'vocal chords', possibly due to the musical connotations or to confusion with the geometrical definition of the word "chord". While both spellings have historical precedence, standard American spelling is 'vocal cords'. ... The 'vocal cords' spelling is also standard in the United Kingdom and Australia."
This puzzle was too much for me this morning. Dreaded DN. Way too many unknowns and abbreviations to be able to complete. Got stumped in NE because I kept thinking BREWED TEA instead of OIL and could not get past that. I didn't get BADDIESHACK due to the Perps of DMV DAP INS and I wanted NUTBAG or OKAYS (for check the do not want box) instead of RSVPS. Unknowns were IBANEZ FOY INES MACRON DAP AON MRLEE.
ReplyDeleteCLETE Boyer was the more famous brother of KEN Boyer who played for St. Louis. The New York players always get more press than the rest of the country.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one. In fact, compared to yesterday's, I loved it! Still, I found ways to go wrong. I had a TEEN holding down the McJob and PADRE before MADRE.
Thanks for the shoutouts, C.C. Yes, I hold both Citi and yak butter in the same high regard. The only cards in my wallet now are from Chase and BofA.
So FIERO means proud? Who knew? I guess the Italians may have had a clue.
CHEESE curd was a favorite treat in my ute. We'd stop at the local cheese factory in early afternoon when the curd was still warm in the vat and had just been salted. Ten cents would buy you a nice bagful. Tasted like popcorn, but with a rubbery feel to it. Great stuff!
Kjinkc, your granddaughter sounds like my opposite. I'm generally right-handed, but bat a baseball and shoot bow-and-arrow left handed. My scrawl is bad no matter which hand I use.
Just a slog. Finished it, but like yesterday's puzzle did not enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteStruggled to finish this one (though in a good way; not like yesterday). The NE corner was the last to fall with BREWED OIL coming late. Never heard of ATWATER (it doesn't sound "Californian" to me) and, though I knew "MR LEE", when squished together it's unpronounceable and so took me a second to recognize.
ReplyDeleteClever theme.
[31:13]
Thank you for a challenging puzzle, Rich. Thank you C.C. for an excellent review.
ReplyDeleteI liked this puzzle. The theme was clever, and after I finally got it, it helped me get a few theme answers.
I liked the 4 baseball references, although non-baseball fans may not. IBANEZ and CLETE were gimmes. I figured out BALKS easily. 64D One helping swingers?: BATBOY took some thinking and some perps. I was not thinking baseball here. Good clue!
The central area was the last to fall for me. I don’t know AON or BEANO, and I had CON before NON. MEMENTO stymied me for a while.
I finished in about normal Sunday time or a little longer, but no ta-da again. I reviewed all my Across and Down answers, and found no misspellings or answers I didn’t like. I turned on red letter help, and found I had 1 letter wrong. I changed CACRON / CADRE to MACRON / MADRE, and ta-da! I don’t know MACRON, and I was thinking mafia familia, not Spanish familia, so CADRE seemed OK. Not!
Hi All ~~
ReplyDeleteMaybe my brain was still a bit fried from yesterday's puzzle disaster, but this didn't go smoothly for me. I caught the theme after STREET BREAD but still had trouble with some of the other theme answers, especially BREWED OIL.
~ Living in CT helped with 6A - UCONN, and my love of baseball gave me all of those answers easily.
~ At 90A - I had AHOY which messed up that section until the light dawned on G DAY.
~ For 21A - one of a dozen, I thought of 'Donut' - one of my favorite foods. :-)
~ Tricky but fun: 102 A - Goes for /COSTS and 119A - Declines with a check maybe / RSVPS.
~ Although I may not have used the words of Anon @6:12, I, too, am bothered by PEON used in this way ~ I know it's been in other puzzles - just seems derogatory.
A very enjoyable write-up, C.C. My JIGSAW puzzle days were back in the 80s (along with my macrame!) when I completed them, glued the backs, and hung them as wall art. Needless to say, most of them were of cats. =^..^=
More UCONN basketball today and then...baseball starts tomorrow!
Good morning all.
ReplyDeleteEither this puzzle was tough or my crossword solving skills were on a partial hiatus today. Couldn't get any streaks going. 2 hours and 40 minutes. TADA came with help.
I liked the proximity of SANE and INANE.
Had many aha moments when I'd finally parse the answer, such as UCONN (just based on the city name). Some of those ahas were paired with a D'OH !, such as A COW. I should have know that as soon as "a fit" didn't (fit). Cowabunga !
Loved seeing BATBOY, BALKS, TROT (home run), Raul IBANEZ, and CLETE Boyer. Great baseball monicker but IMO, his brother Ken was the better player, but Clete got the benefit of the big apple media. In that era, there were the Boyers, the Alous, the Perrys and the Niekros. I'm ready for baseball.
I haven't used my SAKS card since I left Houston town. After 26 years, I'm probably listed in their dormant accounts.
CC, I let the whole BITCOIN thing pass me by. A currency or an investment ? Regulatory controls and protection ? Not for me. No telling if the chat room person is a poser or the real McCoy. Who is Satoshi Nakamoto ?
Thank you Rich and thank you CC.
Musings
ReplyDelete-STREET CRED? Remember Danny Zuko trying to keep his at the pep rally?
-All the ROBINS in our yard haven’t sold me so much as a chunk of Velveeta
-It’s too bad AIRERS make their money on schlock like 2 ½ Men and not Death of a Salesman
-MONTH not March, TWISTY not Zigzag, KEGS not Ales, PEON not Teen, BATBOY not Pusher. MACRON/MADRE was right. Yay me!
-OMG, they’re going to fill my yard with bubbles
-Gov’t institutions like the VA and the DMV can afford to be uncaring, CC
-Manti T’eo found out that CHAT ROOM peeps can be, uh, not what you think they are
-Yes, MUM is the word but here’s a silly alternative. Great lyrics and choreography. ;-)
-No unwieldy SARAN in our house after Joann discovered this product
-I would say the G FORCE on that orbiting astronaut is zero in that picture
-People who don’t MERGE correctly cause a lotta road rage
-BERM seating is very common in small stadiums (stadia?)
-My old board had CLETE, Tony, Bobby, Moose, Elston, Yogi, Mickey, Roger and Whitey cards stapled on the surface. Memories!
-In what Bond movie does 007 hide under water by breathing through a REED?
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteTough slog today, but eventually, it all came together. The center area took the longest to suss out, but I had the time, and I wanted the experience solving Rich's creation. Best cluing was for ADVERB. MONTH took a while to get. CLARA BOW was a WAG as was Raúl IBAÑEZ. But perps were ample to get other proper names. MACRON was a learning. We just had RUR the other day. Wanted Quito (1.8 miles high) before LA PAZ loomed.
Have a great day.
I forgot to say that my first thought when I read the clue "What you can't get if you pass the bar?" was:
ReplyDeleteDRUNK. (So close!)
OwenKL, I had to chuckle at the last line of your poem...
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI caught the theme early on which helped with the theme fill, but I still had trouble in several areas. Perps and one guess, madre/macron, did the trick for the TADA without help.
Poor Tin! Now, even Rich is using the dreaded _ _ _ word! Nice shout out to Argyle at 1A and in the clue for 26D. Also, to Hatoolah and Lemon (I think) as UConn grads.
Thanks, Rich, for an enjoyable Sunday challenge, especially after yesterday's nightmare, and thanks, CC, for you informative expo. I found the clip of ACM very interesting; what a well-rounded person she is!
Have a great day, everyone.
HaHa LaLa !
ReplyDeleteYour 21A comment makes me have to fess up that my first fill for "One of a dozen" was MOLAR.
We both had the right count !
HeartRx, that was my first thought also.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful day! Sunny, warm, the trees are coming into leaf, and there are azaleas all over the bloomin' town. It was a very enjoyable march around the 'hood today.
Good Sunday morning. Good puzzle and writeup. I enjoyed them both but I had the same reaction to PEON when it appeared.
ReplyDeleteGary, I remember that scene. Wasn't it Dr. No?
From Henny Youngman via Sunday Morning: "One night, I dreamt that God sneezed. I didn't know what to say to Him..."
You can call 'em fouls or just loose clues (lose blues):
ReplyDelete74A "Eastern guru" is redundant. And a guru and a SWAMI are different things in Hinduism.
120A "A slew" is "Plenty." SLEWS is "More than plenty."
6D TREMOR is not necessarily an "Aftershock." Both the initial quake and the aftershocks are tremors. How 'bout just "Shock" for the clue?
55D TRAUMA can be physical or emotional. Why the qualifier?
88D JIGSAWS are tools, and their parts are easy to tell apart (blade, handle, switch, etc.). And the difficulty with jigsaw puzzles is not that "Their parts are hard to tell apart," but that no one part alone looks like much of anything.
ReplyDeleteTTP @10:14 AM
Actually there were three Boyer brothers who played in the "Bigs". Ken, Clete, & Cloyd. Cloyd pitched for the Cardinals from '49 thru '52 and KC in '55.
No comments on the puzzle today because I didn't do it. Spent most of the morning trying to re-route water thru our property. Usually not a problem, but there was too much this time. All is well now....I HOPE.
Nice challenging Sunday and due to not having heard of either FOY nor GEE I just couldn't see the final theme entry. First DNF in a while.
ReplyDeleteGreat write-up, C.C. - quite a shock to the system to see myself in there! That's the Notre Dame campus in London the day ND went to #1 in the college football rankings in 2012. Oddly, ND are independent in Football, but a member of the ACC for the other sports.
A lovely write-up today CC. I much prefer your efforts that are “wordier” as we all appreciate insight into your fertile, multicultural mind.
ReplyDeleteYour reply to Windy last night was also first rate. His occasional descents from Mt. Sanctimony after reading or drinking too much are somewhat fun but do upset some of the comity here. We all know people with a personality disorder that make them thrive on inviting abuse and doing anything to get an INANE argument generated to fill some deep emotional hole. More’s the pity.
Everybody and their dog
Fun puzzle and write up.
ReplyDeleteAON was completely unknown, totally perped.
One definition of PEON is degrogatroy and matches MCJOB.
PEON In addition to the meaning of forced laborer, a peon may also be a person with little authority, often assigned unskilled tasks; an underling or otherwise a personage who is subject to being micturated upon by his overseers. In this sense, peon can be used in either a derogatory or self-effacing context.
MCJOB slang for a low-paying, low-prestige dead-end job that requires few skills and offers very little chance of intra company advancement or any low-status job – regardless of the employer – where little training is required, staff turnover is high, and workers' activities are tightly regulated by managers.(Both from Wiki)
Although this puzzle had the offensive ICE for Tinman, it had its compensations. KEGS, DRINK, the USUAL (Pinch, neat) and BABA (au rhum or rum).
Continue interminably/DRAG ON brought this cold snowy winter to mind. Hopefully it will DRAG ON no longer. Warm, but rainy today. It me;ted most of the snow.
Talked to a maple syrup producer today. He said it has been too cold and now it will be to warm. Not much production this year so stock up(or invest).
ReplyDeleteG'day, Mates! Another ENIGMA from a/k/a Rich, TWISTY stuff with TEETH. DO WE CARE? SHRUGS, you betcha! Enough chuckles in the puzzle to keep me SANE and not ROT my brain or make me DRED next weekend's puzzles.
ReplyDeleteGreat expo, C.C.! You have a huge FAN BASE here.
I caught on to the CB thing about half way which helped with the rest. However, I thought CHAT ROOM and CLARA BOW were theme answers and puzzled over that awhile, Rich, you sneaky devil. dHAT ROOM? bLARA cOW? I need a CATNAP!
Took me awhile to figure how CHEESE BIRD fit the theme. Duh! Ah, MARIA, a fast gimmee!
Did you notice several "highs" with TIBET, LA PAZ, ZION? I'd forgotten ZION was a mountain. We used to sing a hymn, "...we're marching upward to ZION, the beautiful city of God." Confusing.
Looked at ATWATER on the map. The city isn't AT WATER. It is inland. Go figure?
YR: I had never seen the word "micturated" so had to google. Shocked! Shocked, I say! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI also want to say that I have eternal gratitude to the PEON's at fast food places who feed me often and well. Some do a job under pressure with APLOMB and learn valuable working skills.
I dip out PURINA daily for my cat by the way.
The theme invoked a completely different image in my mind, I never did figure out how to properly use the squelch.
ReplyDeleteCB Switches, a puzzle in itself...
Gary (and everybody else), did you see the segment on Sandhill Cranes on Sunday Morning? Very cool. I really enjoy almost all of that show.
ReplyDeletePK @ 1:14, micturated was in a quote from Wiki. I hadn't known its meaning either. We both learned a new word. It is very surprising that it was used by Wiki. I decide not to edit it out. Have you or anyone here ever been micturated on by a superior?
ReplyDeletePK, I enjoyed your first post.
Musings 2
ReplyDelete-Yeah, Bill, Sean Connery jumped under the water and breathed through a REED to escape Dr. No’s minions. Of course, he was next to Ursula Andress attired thusly and so he might have been breathing kind of heavy (heavily?)
-Bill 2, I hope the ground out there is standing still enough for you to read this note.
-Bill 3, I’ve been there and have seen those cranes up close and personal. The sights and sounds are amazing.
-David, 10 – 4 good buddy. That “radidio” looks complicated. Most just use the On/Off and Channel selector.
-Clete Boyer was on the KC Athletics “unofficial Yankee farm team” before he went to the Bronx. He saw a lot of good pitches because of all the sluggers in the line-up.
-Like Ringo, the people with whom he played greatly enhanced his career.
-Did anyone else think the 2-mile-high city might be LAHSA, the capital of Tibet?
-Today Father Dave had an option of having 42 verses read for the gospel or 9. He had the reader DRAG ON for the former and eschewed the latter. The text was about Christ healing the blind man. Obviously Dave couldn’t see the glazed looks and squirming in the congregation. As long as Joann wants to go there…
Gary, I do remember Miss Andress. I always thought she might have been one of my ex algebra students. But maybe not...
ReplyDeleteJohn Derek had a way of picking his wives, ex-wives and girl friends, didn't he?
The first earthquake was just big enough to be interesting but not so big as to be scary. There wasn't a sudden shock but the house was rolling like a beginner on roller skates. It went on for 15 long seconds or more. We are about 15 miles west of the epicenter. We haven't felt any of the aftershocks. I'll invite you out for the next one.
Hello, Puzzle People! Thank you, C.C. You are a GEM!
ReplyDeleteYowza! It took me forever to get on NP's wavelength with all those obscure, 5th tier definitions. Normally a Sunday puzzle takes me an hour or perhaps just a little longer.
I did get the theme and tried to apply it but it looked so weird. No problem with the baseball clues because they more or less emerged. FOY and CLARA BOW have been crossword staples in the past and LA PAZ took a long time because LHASA was there and the whole neighborhood suffered until ZION became apparent.
ATWATER is definitely not what I was thinking. As someone said, it doesn't sound like California. Must have been named for some person or other.
Thank you, Rich for shaking me out of my jet lag and into thinking mode.
I hope you're all having a wonderful Sunday!
latfC.C. - Thank you for the youtube interview on Andrea Carla Michaels. And also to Dr. Barany for the other accompanying interview.
ReplyDeleteShe speaks very well, although the interview was long - and I was fascinated by her successes and other achievements. It was like a CV and a biopic of her whole career. Still very impressive and very fascinating. Who knew she was the creator of 'Designing Women' ? OMG !
I think crossword puzzle constructors are also, or have other skills in which they are very accomplished in. Generally languages, but not necessary limited to words or connections. The skills that she brings to the table are very, very impressive - but unfortunately, not something that she could build up on or capitalize on - or she would be a household word by now. Or heading the US Supreme court ...
Atwater, CA was named after Marshal Atwater, a wheat farmer whose fields were used by the railroad. (Wiki)
ReplyDeleteWhat a workout today. I was solving on paper and could not complete even though I got the theme. It was those annoying little unknowns like MACRON and CLETE that were TWISTY and SLEW me. I didn't have time to do the Saturday puzzle but from the comments, I'm not sure I will start now. Monday should be better.
ReplyDeleteSmiled at clue for KHAKI, and don't you just love the word APLOMB! I must work that into my next dinner party conversation.
Some Canadian clues today with ORR and SASK. The only thing I remember from a visit to Moose Jaw was a very loud thunder storm.
Yes C.C., Chris Hadfield is doing some guest science reporting on CBC news. I find that he explains clearly and understandably. He seems very "down to earth" for an astronaut. LOL.
PK and YR, I am micturated off that you don't remember my recent post about The Big Lebowski.
ReplyDeleteBusy day, and not quite done with it yet. Did the puzzle this morning on the road and in ink (no pencil around). Thats cuz I was out looking at sandhill cranes, not watching them on TV.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed it a lot. I'll catch up on yesterdays comments tomorrow.
Hello everybody. Enjoyed the puzzle today. Fell into all the same traps you all did.
ReplyDeleteHaving read about Tibetan style tea quite a few years ago, I actually tried making tea with butter in it, to see what it was like. I used regular butter, not having found any yak butter in the local stores. It actually tasted okay, but I didn't bother to ever make it again.
Best wishes to you all.
If anyone's still there, could someone explain what DAP has to do with skipping stones? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYR: No superior literally miterated on me. Probably one of the closest came when my publisher said to me, "I'm glad your husband is such a good provider, so I don't have to pay you so much." I know I felt miterated upon. DO: I sorta remember your Lebowski thing, now that you mention it.
ReplyDeleteBillG and everybody else: videos cannot adequately give you the sandhill crane auditory experience because the calls are so blurred. When they fly over in their distinctive Vee formations, they give a high pitched trill like nothing else I've ever heard. Thrilling! Also thrilling is their mating dance if you are fortunate enough to see it.
Hand up for LHasa, Tibet.
I have new neighbors next door. A woman and three children who look Latina. The tiny brown boy looks to be about a year old and just walking. When he escapes the house to the back patio which is raised like a stage, he gestures with his arms and orates passionately in a loud voice using a language known only to himself. Probably the next Che Guevara. So funny and cute when viewed from my window.
Dap
ReplyDeleteFoy and his family were a big vaudeville act and there was even a mv0vie,"The Seven Little Foy's" about them-can't recall who played the father-Eddie.
ReplyDeleteAnd why did no one laugh when Notre Dame, 650 miles from the ocean, show up as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference? (49A)
ReplyDeleteDO, I sorta remember your Big Lebowski post.
ReplyDeleteWe are always amused by the name of the town of Jersey Shore, PA on the east bank of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. It is about 130 miles west of the PA/NJ state line. I understand it was named by someone who used to live in New Jersey.
My new car has the gas cap on the passenger side, a first in all my driving history. Why can't there be a standard position for it? In NJ the law is we are not allowed to pump our own gas. I love having am attendant do it, but with this car I have to open the passenger side window to talk to him and then lean over there to hand him my payment.
To Old Sage from yesterday,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your concern. I saw your post yesterday and your email today but I am leery of posters who have not turned blue. Most of the regulars who offer me advice just email and include their advice in the first email. Your not having done so worries me.
Yellowrocks.
YR, you are not allowed to pump your own gas in Oregon either.
ReplyDeleteYou may also be interested to notice that a car's gas cap is almost always on the opposite side compared to the car's exhaust pipe. Having the gas cap on the driver's side makes more sense to me. Having it on the passenger's side would be even more hassle back in the old days when my cars didn't have electric windows.
YR & BillG: My mother had a car with the gas tank access under the flip-up license plate. She always went to the same gas station and the attendant filled it for her. I drove her on a trip to a strange town. When we tried to fill up, the attendant couldn't find the tank. I got out and couldn't find it either. Mom had no clue. She had taken her owner's manual into the house. We had to call the guy back home who sold her the car to find it.
ReplyDeleteMust've been a novice at the pump that day. Most attendants would have eventually checked behind the plate.
ReplyDeleteI once had a car with gas access in the rear.
60 Minutes was good tonight, maybe more gooder than usual. The first segment was very interesting though cold, about high-speed traders able to 'front run' your orders. For a long-term investor like me, it doesn't make much difference. But it makes me angry that some people have to find a way to take advantage of the rest of us. The second segment was about Elon Musk, the brains behind the Tesla motorcar and SpaceX. Usually I invest in a stock because I think it will go up (without regard for the underlying reasons). In the case of Tesla, I bought some of that stock because I believe in Musk and what he is trying to accomplish, a little like Steve Jobs. The last segment highlighted Marcus Roberts, a blind jazz piano played I had never heard of but who is phenomenal.
ReplyDeletePK, I remember some cars like that. Also, some 50's Chevys and Cadillacs had gas caps behind moveable parts of their tail lights.
I still have a car with the gas cap behind the license plate.... :) :)
ReplyDeletethelma :)
BillG, I saw 60 minutes tonight and thought it was very interesting. I wish my younger son could work with Elon Musk if he leaves the military. His mind works creatively strange and he was a space program fanatic as a kid. He has a mechanical engineering degree. Who knows....
ReplyDeleteOOPS! forgot to initial the above.
ReplyDelete