Theme: I MUST BE DREAMING. The first word of each two-word theme answer phonetically gives us part of James Bond's Identity number: 007, usually rendered as Double-O-7, phonetically DOUBLE OH SEVEN. In the cold imaginary universe of this series of spy novels and movies, the Double-O
ID is only given to operatives who have killed in cold blood in the
course of completing an assignment, and are licensed to do so again in
the future, as necessary. Per Wikipedia, in the back story preceding Casino Royal, the first Bond Novel, Bond is awarded his 007 for having twice done so. Not until the third novel Moonraker,
does the 00- designation indicate a license to kill. We have to permit
our novelists these kinds of little inconsistencies over the course of a
long series.
16A. Outing for four : DOUBLE DATE. Two couples on one adventure. Opportunities limited only by your imagination.
24A. "Don't tell me!" : OH BROTHER! A colloquial expression of wonderment or disbelief. I don't recall hearing it much in recent decades.
49A. World waters : SEVEN SEAS. Which seas are counted depends on where and when you ask. Here's a brief run down from the National Ocean Service.
And for a unifier, we have the creator of the 007 series: 63A. Author suggested by the starts of 16-, 24- and 49-Across : IAN FLEMING. Wikipedia tells us: While
working for Britain's Naval Intelligence Division during the Second
World War, Fleming was involved in planning Operation Goldeneye and in
the planning and oversight of two intelligence units, 30 Assault Unit
and T-Force. His wartime service and his career as a journalist provided
much of the background, detail and depth of the James Bond novels. Just the right kind of experience to give us these stories.
BTW, If you're wondering about the title, it's contained in this snippet of dialog from the movie GOLDFINGER.
Pussy Galore: “My name is Pussy Galore.”
Bond: “I must be dreaming.”
And,
as a bonus, if you had circles in the corner squares, they would help
you notice that by proceeding clockwise starting in the NW, they contain
the letters spelling BOND. All very tidy.
Hi gang, Agent JzB on duty, licensed to guide you through today's intrigue. With a little luck, nobody will get hurt.
But first, today's theme song.
Across:
1. Humanities degs. : BAS. Bachelors of Artses.
4. Bullpen stats : ERAS.
8. Not exceeding : UP TO. As my father used to ask me, "What are you not exceeding, now?" Usually it was my potential.
12. "__ way!" : ATTA. ATTA boy or girl - OK. ATTA way - ???
14. Soft tissue : FLESH. Mandatory Monty Python link.
15. Consequences of most missed birdie putts : PARS. I could do worse.
18. __-Z: classic Camaro : IROC.
19. Make beloved : ENDEAR.
20. Pixar film in which Richard Petty had a voice role : CARS.
22. FDR power project : TVA. Tennessee Valley Authority, a dam good idea. Note Ints. in cl & ans.
23. Some Iberian kings : REYES. Spanish kings. The Portuguese ones are REIS.
26. Soak (up) : SOP.
28. Days gone by : YORE.
29. Took out for a while : BORROWED. Like if your DOUBLE date is to the library
34. Dvorak's last symphony : NINTH.
37. Three-part snack : OREO. Stacked snack, suitable for dunking.
38. Delight : ELATE.
41. Work with an artist, perhaps : POSE.
42. Make sense : ADD UP.
44. "Hawaii" novelist : MICHENER.
46. Decorative sewing case : ETUI. Meh!
48. Star quality : EGO. More a characteristic than a quality, IMHO.
53. Meet competitor : RACER.
58. Hero in the air : ACE.
59. Patio furniture protector : TARP.
60. Concert hall cry : ENCORE.
61. "Copacabana" temptress : LOLA. As I understand it, Barry Manilow is a wonderful person. But, alas, his music makes me gag, so no link.
65. __ vera lotion : ALOE. It's vera soothing.
66. Mr. T's TV outfit : A-TEAM.
Mr. T. Played the part of Sgt. Bosco 'B.A.' Baracus in all 97 episodes
of this TV series from 1983 to '87. He's in the bottom left of this
cast picture, which also includes Melinda Culea, who played newspaper
reporter Amy Amanda Allen. Though her Triple A initials were
impeccable, this character only lasted through 25 episodes. She wanted
more action, and George Peppard, evidently scarred for life by his
appearance in Breakfast At Tiffany's, wanted no female lead. Looks as if he was licensed to kill her part.
67. "A Streetcar Named Desire" director Kazan : ELIA.
68. Quick swims : DIPS.
69. Frosty coating : HOAR.
An ancient adjective, dating from before the 12 century, meaning grey
with age, here transformed into a noun. The frost coating makes the
grass look like old grey hair. I am taking this personally.
70. Cong. bigwig : SEN. Congressional, Senator.
Down:
1. Justice Ruth __ Ginsburg : BADER. Appointed by Clinton.
2. Advice to a sinner : ATONE. Repent and be saved. If you have already repented, please disregard this notice.
3. Quiet room : STUDY.
4. Former times, formerly : ELD. Back in the day, back in the day.
5. Get through to : REACH.
6. Take __ at: try : A STAB. As in trying to get past the Black Night.
7. Amontillado, for one : SHERRY. A Poe choice.
8. News gp. : UPI. United Press International
9. Acropolis temple : PARTHENON.
10. Hidden treasure : TROVE.
11. Boxer De La Hoya : OSCAR. Could have been clued differently this week.
13. Busy as __ : A BEE. Watts up, little buzzer!
14. Not agin : FER. Ah'm agin this kinda fill.
17. Rodeo ring : LASSO. Of rope, not fire.
21. Shortly : SOON.
24. Autobahn auto : OPEL.
25. Baloney : TRIPE. Words not worth the air used to express them.
27. Haven't paid off yet : OWE.
29. Something to wrap around one's neck ... or maybe not : BOA. A scarf or a choking snake. Choose wisely.
30. Traffic reg. : ORD. Regulation and ordinance.
31. Improve, as a downtown area : REDEVELOP. Gentrification, perhaps.
32. Travel plan : ROUTE. Did you ever go this way?
33. Water holder? : DAM. Cf 22A.
35. "The Waste Land" poet's monogram : TSE. Thomas Stearns Eliot. tl;dr.
36. "... and sat down beside __ ..." : HER. Miss Muffet and the arachnid antagonist; could have been clued differently this week.
39. Gifts for grads or dads : TIES. Neckties. Who needs them?
40. Heart chart, for short : ECG. ElectroCardio Gram.
43. Pre-euro Irish coin : PUNT. For in those days, football had not yet been invented.
45. Lena of "The Wiz" : HORNE.
47. "Swords into plowshares" prophet : ISAIAH. Chapter 2, Verse 4: He
shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many
peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their
spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
49. Dieter's lunch : SALAD. Yum!
50. Bacteria in rare meat, maybe : E COLI. Yucch!
51. Muse for Shelley : ERATO. The muse of poetry, especially love or erotic poetry.
52. Sleep lab subject : APNEA.
54. Cartoon supplier of anvils and explosive tennis balls : ACME. Alas, poor coyote.
55. Hoses are often stored in them : COILS. Roll 'em up.
56. Adopted son on "My Three Sons" : ERNIE.
57. Sister of Goneril : REGAN. Cordelia, too. Kng Lear's Daughters.
60. Scary movie street : ELM. Did you avoid these nightmares?
62. DDE rival : AES. Dwight David Eisenhower and Adlai Ewing Stevenson II.
64. "__ out!" : FAR. An expression from the 60's, the era of Sean Connery - the only REAL James Bond.
So we come to the end of this adventure. Looks like this might be John's first entry in the L. A. Times. Hope you all enjoyed the BONDing experience.
Cool regards!
JzB
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteSmooth solve today with one unknown, which was PUNT (as clued). I guess Rich thought a football clue would be too easy for a Wednesday. And, speaking of odd cluing, ATTA way? Seriously?
On a semi-related note, has ECG now officially replaced EKG as the accepted abbreviation for electrocardiogram? Or is that just a crossword thing?
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteSmooth and easy. I had no idea where the theme was going until reading the unifier. Then the light came on and the four circled corners made sense. Hand up for thinking the clue for Atta was iffy.
Morning, JzB - enjoyed your links, particularly Python. I saw only a few A Team episodes back in the day, and didn't know there was a female involved.
The poor Parthenon - it's pretty beat up after all these years, but I wonder how much better it would be today if it hadn't suffered an explosion in 1687 that damaged it so badly. I visited the site on a scorching day in 1983, and concluded that this greatest Doric building must have been spectacular in its early days.
Nice puzzle fairly smooth solve. Like the theme. I was never a big fan of Flemming's writing style as he could get bogged down with detail of how a blood stain came to be in the corner of M's office. Much preferred the 007 novels written by John Gardener I think the franchise is now on its 4th or 5th author. Its hump day all and Ash Wednesday, for all who observe.
ReplyDelete"Not agin : FER"
ReplyDeleteLame.
Happy Hump Day everyone,
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought this was going to be a bear, but once things began to come together in the North, I progressed pretty rapidly. Must say though that knowing 35A TSE saved me because I would have spelled MICHENER as Michenor. Ditto for 28A YORE, or PARTHENON would have been Parthanon.
Always disagreed with Mr Bond on one issue; Whether stirred or shaken, the martini always tastes good.
Jazz, thanks for the nice write up, especially the info on the double O. I'm not sure if I'd forgotten it or never knew it, but it's now locked into my memory bank.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteI liked today's puzzle -- ok theme, some fresh fill. Nicely done. PARTHENON was a gimme; it's the name of the street I live on. Most of the street names in town have a Roman theme. Maybe the original developers were geographically challenged.
Only two overwrites today: ANON/SOON and ARNIE/ERNIE. When I saw "Meet competitor" I wondered what sort of product Meet could be. D'oh!
At this time of year I take my cues from Hamlet -- neither a borrower nor a Lenter be.
Well, this was my Monday puzzle of the week. I sped through all the down clues, one right after the other. Only needed perp help for ELD and PUNT.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't looking for the theme. When I saw IAN FLEMING, I went back and saw the other clues.
I must admit I had the circles, but didn't notice the significance until reading the blog this morning.
Have a good Wednesday, everybody,
Montana
Good morning everybody. Nice puzzle today. I haven't read many 007 novels, but I've seen plenty of the movies. They were reeally popular in the 1970s when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteI'm still scratching myhead ver ATTA way! and ELD, but other than that I liked the puzzle.
Although MICHENER was a stretch.
Have a great day!
Good morning, folks. Thank tyou. John O'Brien, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Jazzbumpa, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteGot through this easier than I thought I would for a Wednesday. I will probably pay for that statement laster this week.
Theme was easy. I have seen several of the Bond movies, but not recently.
Did not know PUNT, but the 4 Acrosses fixed that. ETUI is an old crosswordese favorite,
Maybe I should try some sort of ALOE on my hands. They always crack in the winter.
AES was easy. We get that a lot. In Illinois he is a common name, as was his son.
My toughest intersection was ELD and FLESH. I had FRESH for a while.
OwenKL: The Isaiah passage should be familiar to you.
Snowing again this morning.
I am cooking for 25 today. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(57 644443)
Nice theme. I liked BOND in the corners and DOUBLE OH SEVEN. It was a straight forward and quick solve.
ReplyDeleteEKG and ECG are synonyms,although EKG seems more common in the U.S. these days. so I waited for the cross.
I remember OH BROTHER from my youth. It's not common any longer.
I read and enjoyed Michener's "Hawaii" and six or seven of his other novels. I read "The Source" several times.
I am not a James Bond fan, in books or movies.
Boss Tweed from last week's puzzle was mentioned in the news again last night.
JzzB thanks for the witty and informative write up.
Origin of the vodka martini came from James Bond. Smirnoff paid the producer. Prior to the film a martini was always gjn and vermouth.
ReplyDeleteAnswers easily fell into place today, even for unknowns. 12A- ATTA way? Never heard in my life. ECG must be a crossword term because MDs use EKG and EEG. My birdie putts are usually with a wedge from 100 yards out, hoping to get to the green to make bogeys and avoid dreaded snowmen ( 8).
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteI like most Bond flicks so I liked this theme. Had Yer before FAR out. Didn't like FER either. Couldn't we have had Chemin de FER or FER-de-Lance?
Had a clecho of DAM and TVA.
No searches were needed.
We've all had similar problems.
Good morning Jazzbumpa, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle today, and I really enjoyed the James BOND theme. Excellent review with lots of unknown factoids (to me, anyway!) Jazz! I don’t think I have ever travelled Route 66, but for only $8,999, you can take this tour.
Abejo, working on our renovation project next door has wreaked havoc with my hands this winter. They were so cracked, they were bleeding at one point. I found
O’Keefe’s Working Hands cream at Home Depot (!), and applied it at least three times a day. Within just a few days, the cracks were gone – I really urge you to try it! (When this project is over in a week or so, I am going for a mani, pedi and massage!!!!)
I always have to wait on perps before filling in EKG or ECG. I think ECG is more often used today, especially in the Americas. EKG comes from the ancient Greek “electro-kadio-graph,” But it is now referred to as “electro-cardio-gram” in English. BigEasy @ 8:32, an EEG is an “electroencephalogram”, which measures brain waves, and is different from an EKG/ECG.
Happy Hump Day, everyone.
I think we discussed before that the British use ECG, whereas the Americans use EKG.
ReplyDeleteDefinition from the British Dictionary.
EKG
noun [C) /ˌiː.keɪˈdʒiː/ US for ECG
I am okay with FER and AGIN. They are listed as dialect or informal. I have heard them used facetiously, "Are ya fer or agin it?"
Thank you for the puzzle, John. Thank you for the fun review, Jazzbumpa. I enjoy your insight and comments!
ReplyDeleteI finished this puzzle in normal Wednesday time, but no ta-da. I proofread my answers and found I had misspelled one answer, though I have no idea how or why. I changed ATEEM to ATEAM and ta-da!
I didn’t like ELD, but the perps got it.
Is it REPresentative or SENator? I always put in the E, look for a perp and finish the answer.
Is it ECG or EKG? I always put in E-G, look for a perp and finish the answer.
I did not know there was a female lead on the A-TEAM in the early days. That was a learning moment for me.
I have seen all the James Bond films, except the recent ones with Daniel Craig. I like the music, and have a CD of theme songs. I have actually only read one Bond book, Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver. Apparently he is one of four authors to publish official James Bond novels after Ian Fleming.
YR @ 9:11, that may have been true in the past, but modern usage definitely indicates a preference for ECG.
ReplyDeleteSmooth, easy time today. Would have liked to see 33D clued as "Product of 22A".
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle, John, and always clever write-up JzB!
Good morning! This was a quick solve, and I got the theme. DH is a fan of Bond movies so we've seen most of them. We saw the first one with Daniel Craig, were very underwhelmed with him, and that was the last of new Bond movies for us.
ReplyDeleteI had the same issues with ECG/EKG, SEN/REP. Didn't know ELD or PUNT but the perps took care of it.
It's sunny and the temps should be up to 40* today. Hopefully the worst of winter is behind us.
Have a good day, everyone.
Pat
QOD: I think voting for the lesser of two evils in game theory always leads to more evil. ~ Penn Jillette (Mar. 5, 1955)
ReplyDeleteEnjoyable solve today with some difficulty in the NE corner. I got the theme but with no circles on Mensa, I didn't see the Bond in the corners. Thanks JzB.
ReplyDeleteHand up for ANON before SOON. I was happy to fill in the Canadian/British spelling for ECG. I think the constructors use whichever version fits.
Most recent Bond movie, Skyfall was enjoyable viewed under the stars at a Niagara-on-the-Lake winery last fall. Love Adele's theme song.
My old brain was telling me the U.S. Army set up shop in the Parthenon but it was wrong.
ReplyDeleteTurns out they set up their field command in a similar temple after coming ashore in Paestom.
Here are a couple images of the Parthenon during WWII.
Luftwaffe
Flag raising
Good morning all,
ReplyDeleteNice write up JzB, lots of new information for me. Today's CW went much quicker for me than most Wednesdays.Had my usual blank though.I did not know punt and could not see add up in addu...so it was p-less.:) I also filled in races, not racer, giving me Segan, not Regan.
After filling in double date and oh brother, seven seas was a snap.
Have enjoyed many of Michener's novels, but mispelled his name until I was corrected by Horne and ECG.Thought it had a T.
At the end of my Greek unit in 6th grade, the students(in groups of 4's) had to erect a temple, similar to the Parthenon, but had their choice of style. They could use only white paper and scotch tape in 50 minutes. Some were amazing.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteNice, easy offering from Mr. O'Brien. No hang-ups, but didn't catch the theme until the unifier. I have never seen a James Bond movie, only clips and haven't read any of the books, either. Not my cup of tea. Good expo, JazzB.
Still very cold but at least no snow, although there is plenty on the ground.
Have a great day.
Well, my early speed-running came to a halt today, although I still liked this puzzle a lot and had fun with it. I'm too embarrassed to report all my silly goof-ups, but they started with spelling MITCHNER rather than MICHENER. I'm not sure I've ever seen a James BOND flic, but they're so much a part of the culture that I know the theme music, the martini instructions, and other details. Only I didn't know the 007 background until JazzB's expo this morning. Thanks for that, JzB, and for the puzzle, John.
ReplyDeleteSo, looks like Lent has begun and the Easter bunny is just around the corner. Now if the weather just calms down around the country for a little while, that would be lovely, wouldn't it.
At any rate, have a great Ash Wednesday, everybody.
Can you say Happy Ash Wednesday?
ReplyDeleteI thought this offering was thin for a Wednesday but maybe I was just hungry this morning.
My uncle who was not a big drinker always drank Vodka Martinis, back in the 50s. While James Bond certainly helped to popularize the drink, it was around before the books or movies. LINK .
JD, where did you go to school and why don't you control the world?
Jazz: Thank for the extraordinary write-up & links.
ReplyDeleteSince my Tampa Bay Times printed this puzzle yesterday ... I've been waiting about 30 hours to nominate
12-A "____way!" ("ATTA way!") as the worst clue/answer of 2014!
As a teenager, I think I read every IAN FLEMING-James Bond book.
Later I visited his home, Goldeneye, in Jamaica.
Sherry, the only booze in the grid, seemed rather tame.
A "toast" to all at Sunset.
Cheers!!!
March 5, 20
Personally I'm sending an "Atta Boy" to the author for stirring you all up. Loved the puzzle!
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 12:24
ReplyDeleteNoticed you sent an "Atta Boy" not an "Atta way" ... just sayin'
Which way did he go? He went ATTAway!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the constructor is from the midwest. ATTA way seems somewhat familiar from my ute...a cross between "that's the way!" and "way to go!"
Tin, SHERRY'll do in a pinch (or lack thereof).
PK 11:58pm yest, so far, other than Hawaii, I have driven the hills of San Franscisco, Muir Woods, Napa, Yosemite, & over the Sierras from San fran to Tahoe. (I hope to do more.)
ReplyDeleteThe four circles were intriguing, but totally threw me. I never saw Bond until the Blog.
Oh Brother,,, This should count as hearing it recently...
Every home with a pet has a spy...
The "atta" clue was just wrong, but can you think of a better one?
Here you are, a Constructor stuck with a whole puzzle completed, but with this one "thingie" sticking out... Could you change it? (I couldn't)
Could you clue it as ----boy? (not on a Wednesday...)
How about ----flour? (Dang it, just too hard 4 a Wednesday.)
The people on the Blog are a pretty resourceful, intelligent bunch. I propose a contest! Who can come up with the best Wednesday clue for ATTA! The winner gets (with CC's permission) lifetime free admission to the Blog!
(I eagerly anticipate you response.)
(typo...)
ReplyDeleteI eagerly anticipate you"r" response.
Actually, I was going to close with:
Whatever, I am not the freakin' cheerleader on this Blog!
(but actually,, I am...)
Ups & Downs:
I was so excited, this could change the world...
(*&^$#$&&*^Bastards...)
Tinbeni: That was the point. Sorry you missed it.....just sayin!
ReplyDeleteGoogle finds the following ATTAs:
ReplyDeleteAdventure Travel Trade Association
Atta flour
Mohamed Atta (A terrorist)
Atta ants
African Travel and Tourism Association
Atlanta Team Tennis Association
The Association of Thai Travel Agent
Australian Time Trials Association
I thought this was easier than earlier in the week.
Atta Troll by Heinrich Heine (been used in NYT)
ReplyDeleteJohn28man already listed the ATTA clue I was thinking of -- 9/11 pilot-terrorist Mohamed. Well, maybe that's Friday level rather than Wednesday level.
ReplyDeleteHola Everyone, The easiest puzzle of the week for me. I must have been on John O'Brien's wavelength. What I didn't know for sure, the perps took care of for me.
ReplyDeleteI even "got" the theme. What fun. We saw the very first 007 film while living in Colombia. First run movies came to the local theater, and they were usually in English. All to our delight.
I see our old friend, Etui, is back today. I haven't seen that one for quite some time. Yore and Eld were fun to see in the same puzzle.
I thought the Three part snack/Oreo was a little different take on an old standby fill.
Have a great day, everyone.
Hi Y'all! Fun puzzle, John! Witty as ever, JzB! Thanks. I can't believe I got the whole theme -- even the circles in the corners.
ReplyDeleteFor Mr.T's outfit, I was thinking apparel & wanted gold chains which is about all I remember from that TV show. Was George Peppard in it? I get it mixed up with Mod Squad.
ELD? Really? PUNT? Thought that was a round boat. Amontillado? FER pete's sake what's that?
Didn't see the AES clue until the blog,
ATTA-tude: what you need to play BOND. ECG is British usage and BOND is British so John usaged it here.
CED: You've missed all that wide-open space and higher mountains of the rip-roarin' west. Hope you get to go some day.
Spy pet: Every time I sit down to eat a meal, no matter what time, my cat appears in the window to watch me eat. He always manages to lay a guilt trip on me if I haven't fed him first.
HUVR board: I kept wondering how you turn it off to get down. I had a feeling it was a hoax.
"Slow and steady wins the race," as we were reminded by yesterday's HARE. And that moral certainly applies to this morning's pzl. No Aha! moments, and no changes of pace, but steady solving all the way through.
ReplyDeleteI wondered if this was IAN FLEMING's birthday, but it's not. Then I wondered if Ian had created James BOND on an Ash Wednesday, but no. The only connection in that regard would be with TSE, the author (whose muse was also ERATO) of the poem of that title.
Ah, well. It was a briefly pleasant start to our Lenten season....
(Did you give up anything? The nuns always made sure that we did.)
Good afternoon. I enjoyed the puzzle and the writeup. I was a big James Bond fan; more so the books than the movies. I could often be found in college reading a new Bond book rather than studying. I remember he would often comment on something he thought was special or high-quality. I remember I bought Barbara some fairly expensive perfume (Vent Vert I think) I had first read about in a James Bond book. The movies rely on car chases and explosions while the early books written by Fleming were a little more thoughtful.
ReplyDeleteBarry, I had the same question about ECG. I've always known it as EKG. Thanks Marti for the explanation.
ReplyDeleteThe Fer/Not agin fill is somewhat contrived. It is slang at its worst to my thinking. It has is a comic strip meaning.
Marti, I can relate to your cracked and bleeding hands. While teaching, and still using chalk, my hands would be in terrible shape. I found Bag Balm to be my salvation. I just heard about Working Hands this past week. Where have I been?
Yesterday morning when the temperature was 23 degrees, I saw my first robin sitting on the fence, He was puffed into a completely round fuzzball. I could ID him only by his colors. He looked so cold that I was reminded of this old nursery rhyme:
ReplyDeleteThe north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the robin do then, poor thing?
He'll sit in the barn,
To keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing, poor thing.
Hopefully we will have no more snow. On a more positive note I felt cheered. Spring is indeed on the way.
TO THE FIRST ROBIN
by: Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)
WELCOME, welcome, little stranger,
Fear no harm, and fear no danger;
We are glad to see you here,
For you sing "Sweet Spring is near."
Now the white snow melts away;
Now the flowers blossom gay:
Come dear bird and build your nest,
For we love our robin best.
Happy Wednesday everybody!
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed today's puzzle. Read all the James Bond books (in order) at lunch time when I was first hired after college. Pretty sure I had BORROWED some of the novels from the library....
Do people even go to the library anymore...?
I think I mentioned that BBC America just finished a 6-part series called Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond. Pretty interesting story of Ian Fleming's WWII experiences with British Naval intelligence and how it led to him writing the 007 books. Apparently a lot of critics panned the early books as borderline pornography....
No circles on the iPad - thanks JzB for pointing this out....
Almost entered AUDI, because it's so vowel-infused, then a quick peep at the perps convinced me otherwise....
Finally, hands up for hating the ATTA clue.... My favorite Atta was from movie The Ghost and Mr. Chicken - Atta Boy, Luther...! An homage to this phrase appears at the end of another movie - Kingpin....
Thanks to Mr Eliot...
ReplyDelete"Because I do not hope to turn again
Because I do not hope
Because I do not hope to turn
Desiring this man's gift and that man's scope
I no longer strive to strive towards such things
(Why should the aged eagle stretch its wings?)
Why should I mourn
The vanished power of the usual reign?"
Can't say I hated ATTA.
ReplyDeleteDidn't like it much.
It might have been clued, "Director of 'Jurassic Park' __nborough"
Fun Wednesday puzzel from John R. O'Brien. Good links from JazzB.
ReplyDeleteDid not know PUNT was an old Irish coin. My old
high school football coach used to have a play on third and long - Drop back 5 and PUNT. Usually worked and surprised the other team.
OMK @2:09 asked (regarding the Lenten Season):
ReplyDelete"Did you give up anything?"
Yup!
Being an Atheist ...
and Sobriety ... lol!!!
Tinbeni @ 3:03,
ReplyDeleteGood answer!
It looks like you're following TSE's example, at least in regard to your first abstention.
CED - no pic-links for the first highlighted word in JazzB's grid...?
ReplyDeleteInteresting puzzle! Enjoyed the theme, but didn't understand the circled letters til the Blog. Yellow rocks, my Mother used to recite the " north wind doth blow" poem to me when I was about 3 or 4. It would make me cry!!
ReplyDeleteCED re: last night's travel videos. I enjoyed the second one much more than the first. My only trip out West was with DH. We toured National Parks of the West via the American Orient Express train and tour buses. We went to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Zion and Grand Canyon. The upside was that all we had to do was show up at the correct place at the correct time. The downside was that we didn't have the luxury of wandering off when/where we wanted. Unfortunately the Express went bankrupt.
ReplyDeletePat
It is hard (at my age) to remember everything I wanted to post, but regarding Atta, I think it would be wrong to give a shout out to a terrorist. However, I must say my favorite so far would be River Docs Ghost & Mr Chicken reference, if only there was a way to clue it without the "boy."
ReplyDeleteJohn28man, Whoa! what a lot of clues... (but I hate obscure acronyms in a puzzle.) However, Leafcutter Ants is freakin' awesome! (but a thurs/Fri level clue.)
(Argyle, you are disqualified from the contest for being part of management...)
Finally, Didi@4:01.
I looked at Jzb's grid, & puzzled & puzzled... At first I could not understand your reference, but then it finally dawned on me... To honor your request, I include the following link, with the warning to prudes "do not click!" (lest it get me kicked off the Blog...) But I do admire this ladys' solution to the problem...
Nice puzzle and great write-up there JzB
ReplyDeleteIn keeping with the "Bond" theme the Camaro in the picture is wearing a UK license plate!
Dudley - the Parthenon was beaten up the worst by the British explorer Lord Elgin who had the marble-scuplted friezes hacked off in the 1800's and shipped to England under dubious circumstances.
ReplyDeleteThere's an animated debate going on that the British Museum should do the right thing and give them back.
Steve - I recall seeing the marbles in the British Museum that same year, but at the time I didn't know the backstory. It's a tough call, but if the material can be just as well protected and preserved in Greece, it seems to belong there. Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteI just got this from my brother, and it has too many ties to the pursuits of this blog to not post it:
ReplyDeleteDefinition of " aplomb" - an English Lesson
THIS IS ONE GREAT EXPLANATION, AND A MUST READ …….
His Lordship was in the study at Downton Abbey when Carson, the butler approached and coughed discreetly.
"May I ask you a question my lord?"
"Go ahead Carson” said his lordship.
"I am doing the crossword in The Times and I have found a word I am not too clear on."
"What word is that?" said his lordship.
"Aplomb”, my lord.
"Now that's a difficult one to explain. I would say it is self-assurance or complete composure."
"Thank you, my lord, but I'm still a little confused."
"Let me give you an example to make it clearer. Do you remember a few months ago the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived to spend a weekend with us?"
”I remember the occasion very well, my lord. It gave the staff and me much pleasure to look after them.”
”Also”, continued the Earl of Grantham, “do you remember Will plucked a rose for Kate in the rose garden?”
”I was present on that occasion, my lord, ministering to their needs.”
”While plucking the rose, a thorn embedded itself in his thumb very deeply.”
Carson replied, “I witnessed the incident, my lord, and saw the Duchess herself remove the thorn and bandage his thumb with her own dainty handkerchief.”
”That evening the prick on his thumb was so sore, Kate had to cut up his venison from our own estate, even though it was extremely tender.”
”Yes, my lord, I did see everything that transpired that evening.”
“The next morning while you were pouring coffee for Her Ladyship, Kate enquired of Will with a loud voice, 'Darling is your prick still throbbing?'
And you, Carson, did not spill one drop of coffee! Now that is aplomb!”
CED @ 1:06, how about:
ReplyDelete-Che prefix? = ATTA
Very funny joke about aplomb, Ave. Joe.
ReplyDeleteEver since age 50 I have had what is termed an EKG as part of my annual physical at three different doctors' practices. My son also has annual EKGs given by a different doctor. With a severe chest pain false alarm, I had an EKG at the hospital. So the term is still up to date. I suspect the reason Marti's chart shows more hits for ECG than EKG is that the US is the only country to use this term. Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand and others always use ECG and never EKG. The hits from these countries together would outnumber ours. So for crossword answers I always write E-G and wait for the perp.
Besides crosswords answers often are not based on the most widely used responses. I find number of hits fairly irrelevant for crosswords. Statistics are always open to interpretation.
Avg Joe - Awesome!
ReplyDeleteI should have mentioned that I used to work for a private bank in London - Robert Fleming and Co - which was the Fleming family bank.
ReplyDeleteWhilst working there as a programmer-for-hire, I was held responsible for a computer error which sent $500M out of the bank to a group of 2,000 US banks.
It took them 18 months to get most of the money back.
Safe to say, I wasn't working there when they closed the book on the incident. Oops.
And I was innocent :)
Sean Connery
ReplyDeleteDavid Niven
George Lazenby
Roger Moore
Timothy Dalton
Pierce Brosnan
Daniel Craig
Am I missing anyone?
Yellowrocks:
ReplyDeleteYou nailed it. Back in the day (late '80's) the Irish was a community organizer working for a farm organization. One day she drove up to a farm house where the guy was sitting on his front porch. She got out of the truck and walked up to the porch.
"What can I do fer ye?" the guy asked. "I wanted to talk to you about farm policy", she replied. "Well", he said, "are te fer it or agin it?"
I have no idea how she answered that, but we've seen the clue and the word here before.
Good puzzle.
HeartRx @6:31 I don't know,, it is a stretch...
ReplyDelete(maybe if you chimed in sooner..)
just kidding, atta is a real tough one to clue,,, I wonder if sailing reg---- would be acceptable....
Hi all:
ReplyDeleteNice Wed offering from Mr. O'Brien (that is I got it all!) and JzB's write up was a hoot. I can understand not linking BM* so here's LOLA from The Kinks.
The circles helped me finish SW corner quickly. I started with the "D" and it was done before I took another e-cig puff.
Re: ATTA - I've heard "ATTA way to do it!" I can't complain to much, I filled it almost without a thought.
Fave was DAM at 33d. I didn't know 44a so the "M" was the alpha-beta run. I got to "D" and thought DAd? Yes, the kids say "Here DAd, hold this..." so, if it was a water bottle... OK, keep going. DAM!
For 24a I had "OHB?OTHER" and thought "Oh, BOTHER." I've heard that - usually from someone with an English accent - so I through in a "U" for goud measure. :-)
Cheers, -T
*Yes, the DOUBLE-entandra is there...
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks for swell puzzle, John, and witty expo, Jazz!
No problems. Perps filled in PUNT.
I watched the Fleming dramatic bio also. Did not like the portrayal. Seemed like a real jerk.
I got sick of the Bond movies when Bond jumped into the slip stream of a plane and rode it to the plane. Huh?
Cheers!
CED - you continue to impress.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the Midori, vodka, and juice!
Reminds me of that one time .... in Vegas ....