Theme: Double Trouble - Towns whose name can mean something else.
20A. Agreement in a Massachusetts city? : CONCORD CONCORD
26A. Adobe dwelling in a Colorado city? : PUEBLO PUEBLO
49A. Hanging sculpture in an Alabama city? : MOBILE MOBILE
58A. Bovine in a New York city? : BUFFALO BUFFALO
Argyle here. A simple theme yet hard to think of additional cities. Two of the cities/items do not change their pronunciations while the other two may. Straightforward with a few exceptions.
Across:
1. Carve in stone : ETCH
5. "Nana" novelist Émile : ZOLA. "...he is used enough in crosswords to be a considered a Monday entry." Nana, on the other hand, clued as the novel/movie, is Thursday fare.
9. Diagnostic aids : TESTS
14. Scott of "Happy Days" : BAIO
15. Red-wrapped cheese : EDAM
16. One of the archangels : URIEL. All perps for me.
17. State secrets? : BLAB. State is used as a verb here.
18. Disreputable guy : ROUE
19. Capone cohort Frank : NITTI. An entry that caused problems a while ago; a test of your memory.
23. "That's awesome!" : "OOH!"
24. Charlemagne's realm: Abbr. : HRE. (Holy Roman Empire)
25. Highland refusal : NAE
32. Wanted poster abbr. : AKA. (also known as)
33. Go right or left : TURN
34. Do figure eights, say : SKATE
38. Likely to mouth off : PERT
40. Slap a sale price on : RETAG
43. Go bonkers : SNAP
44. Gelatin garnish : ASPIC
46. Attention-calling type: Abbr. : ITAL
48. See 60-Down : TIE
53. 1977 Steely Dan album : AJA. The complete album, if you have the time.(39:19)
56. "Scream" director Craven : WES
57. Noise detector : EAR
64. Take up a hem, say : ALTER
65. __ fide : BONA
66. NATO alphabet ender : ZULU
68. Pasture : FIELD
69. Baldwin or Guinness : ALEC
70. Earns with difficulty, with "out" : EKEs
71. Bakery pastries : TARTS
72. Thorny bloom : ROSE. by any other name...
73. Light-tube gas : NEON
Down:
1. Recede : EBB
2. Bath powder mineral : TALC
3. Italian "Toodle-oo!" : "CIAO!"
4. Rub elbows (with) : HOBNOB. "Prison gave Martha Stewart the opportunity to hobnob with the hoi polloi"
5. Moment of attack : ZERO HOUR
6. Sign to take out the trash : ODOR
7. Praise highly : LAUD
8. Don of "Cocoon" : AMECHE. Here in his younger days.
9. Roads under rivers : TUNNELS. Under the channel, the Chunnel.
10. Songwriter Clapton : ERIC
11. Use, as a chair : SIT ON
12. Tri- plus one : TETRA
13. Lose traction : SLIDE
21. Stable youngster : COLT
22. Sun or moon, to a poet : ORB
26. Dada : PAPA
27. They're played at luaus : UKEs
28. Wyatt of the Wild West : EARP
29. Post- opposite : PRE
30. Up to : UNTIL
31. Signs off on : OKs
35. Not a supporter : ANTI
36. Cow's fly swatter : TAIL
37. Swordplay sword : ÉPÉE
39. Boy in "A Christmas Carol" : TIM
41. Devoured : ATE
42. Competitive look : GAME FACE
45. Fraidy-cats : COWARDS
47. Rye buy : LOAF
50. Ger. neighbor : BEL. (Belgium)
51. Atmospheric pressure line : ISOBAR
52. Impudent : BRAZEN
53. Sternward : ABAFT
54. Roberts of "Pretty Woman" : JULIA
55. On the trail of : AFTER
59. Traditional Stetson material : FELT
60. With 48-Across, Western neckwear : BOLO
61. Quelques-__: a few, in French : UNES
62. Gospel writer : LUKE
63. Butter look-alike : OLEO
67. Org. with SEALs : USN. (United States Navy) They know what ABAFT means.
Argyle
Her Park Avenue apartment was ritzi,
ReplyDeleteNo large pets were allowed that were risky.
When her yorkshire expired
A replacement was acquired,
So she now has a new New York yorkie!
As Mr. Claus was unhitching his sleigh
A strange little elfkin got in his way.
Not an elf nor an Eskimo,
But a faery from New Mexico,
Applying to be Santa's Santa Fe fay!
The town that to the Manhattan Project was host
Because of an accident nearly came to toast
(A quite literal trope
With a hot isotope!)
That was when we lost Los Alamos almost!
Frank from the coast was a hit at the disco
His sultry good looks marked him as Hispaño
The senoritas he'd woo,
Their boyfriends took a dim view,
The dance went on, sans San Francisco Francisco!
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteGot the theme early on with PUEBLO PUEBLO and that enabled me to blow through large chunks of the puzzle (not to be confused with blowing chunks). I would have gotten it with CONCORD CONCORD, but I was held up a bit waiting to see if 21D was going to be COLT or FOAL.
Everything else was pretty smooth. A little bit of old time crosswordese (NITTI, AJA, ABAFT), but nothing I haven't seen before and the perps were all solid.
86 degrees yesterday. Down to 50 today. Go figure...
Oh, and speaking of BUFFALO BUFFALO...
ReplyDeleteKeeping in mind that "Buffalo" can refer to the animal, the city or the verb "to buffalo (somebody)," the following sentence is actually grammatically correct:
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo
(or, to flesh it out a bit, "Buffaloes from Buffalo that are buffaloed by other buffaloes from Buffalo, in turn buffalo other buffaloes from Buffalo").
Man, after typing "Buffalo" that many times it no longer even looks like a real word to me...
A speed run today. No red letters and the only write-over was WOW to OOH.
ReplyDeleteLos Alamos is about an hours drive from my home in Santa Fe, so I've been there many a time. Its nickname really is Lost Almost, but it's because of its purposely remote location, not any near-accident.
I loved Ameche as John Bickerson.
Does FLINT FLINT work?
ReplyDeleteor CANTON CANTON?
ReplyDeleteGood morning all.
Oops. A type over in the northwest right off the bat. REHEAT, not REWARM.
Oops. Another type over in the northeast with REHEEL replacing RESOLE.
Oops, that was the beginning of yesterday's post that never got published.
Let's try again. Good morning all.
I think this is yet another gem by Gail and Bruce.
A few associative shout outs.
NITTI - Mari. She's commented on her readings of that chapter in the annals of the Windy City.
PAPA - HG, to his grandchildren.
ITAL - Hi Anon T. Congrats on you daughter's award !
Buffalo - Abejo. He's from Erie. The main drag through Erie is Buffalo Rd. If you follow it NNE, you will end up in (anyone ?).
I will stick with my day job.
Thank you Argyle.
How about ?
ReplyDeleteLACROSSE LACROSSE,
READING READING,
SPRING SPRING (TX.),
BUTLER BUTLER (PA.),
PORTAGE PORTAGE (MI.)
and OXFORD OXFORD (MS.)
Good morning, everyone.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle took me a little longer than normal, but I don’t know why. I had no real problems. I finished the puzzle in Wednesday time, but no ta-da. I re-read my Across answers and didn’t see any misspellings. I started re-reading my Down answers and came to TANNELS. “Is that a new word I don’t know or a mistake?” Looking at the Acrosses again, I realized ARIEL should be URIEL, giving me TUNNELS. Ta-da!
I got the theme after a while. First I got CONCORD. Looking at the perps and the remaining blanks, I thought “Could it be CONCORD CONCORD”? After reading the clue, “Yes!” Then I quickly filled in the other theme answers. That helped with some of the shorter answers.
I had AMICCI before AMECHE, but the perps reminded my how to spell his name.
Good morning, folks. thank you, Gail and Bruce, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteTTP: Yes, if you head NE on Buffalo Rd (US Route 20) you will get to Buffalo in about 100 miles. Dunkirk is about half way. You breeze near Chautauqua before Dunkirk. I live about a mile from US Route 20 in Illinois.
Puzzle was fine. Got CONCORD CONCORD right off the bat. So, I had it. The rest came easily.
Barry G.: Good Buffalo rendition.
Have heard of URIEL before.
Did not know AJA. 3 perps and it was mine.
We used to call it ZEBRA, not ZULU.
Did not know UNES, but got it anyway.
We got some rain last night, but I do not think very much. They had warned us of severe storms and flooding, but did not happen in this little town, maybe down the road.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(andasec find)
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteHmmm…I had to go back and read all the clues for the answers that filled themselves, because it was pretty much a straight shot NW-SE. CONCORD CONCORD gave me a flying start on the theme, and it was off to the races.
Favorite clue/answer: "State secrets" for BLAB.
Anon @ 6:54 and TTP, good ones!
Owen, loved your poems today. (^0^)
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteWBS. The solve was certainly fast!
For those of you who like this sort of thing: Concord, Mass. is technically a town, rather than a city. That means it is governed by a Select Board, and big decisions are made by the voters at Town Meeting. Cities are typically run by an elected Mayor.
I understand that Town Meeting, a carryover from Colonial times, is unique to New England. Whatever the case, it's an interesting process - usually dry, sometimes rancorous, depending on the level of controversy. Budget matters take up the bulk of the time, naturally.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteTTP, you've got too much free time!
NITTI -- now does that end with a Y, E or I? And where is he? He's in the car. 0:30
Hello again, ASPIC! Short time, no see.
It's scary when I can immediately remember Don AMECHE.
Remember when they had to perform "school figures" at the Olympics? Can you spell "ratings crusher?"
Yippee, it's raining here today. 3-1/2 inches overnight, and it's settled into a slow, gentle soaker. Could be close to 5 inches before it's finished. We're over 7 inches behind, so it's really welcome.
Good Morning Everybody! This puzzle flew by so quickly, it was over before I knew it.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite clue was 17A: State serets? BLAB
Thanks for the shout out TTP!
Have a great day everybody.
Very quick sashay. I like to solve the puzzle very early before I get the newspaper. Ever since last Monday it prints out blank from the Mensa site. Does anyone else have this problem? Otherwise my printer prints everything I want it to.
ReplyDeleteSo I solved completely on line this morning, a first for me. Even with the big fanfare at the end, it is not as much fun for me as on paper.
It was so straight forward it required no thought.
TTP and Anon, good suggestions.
G'day folks,
ReplyDeleteBreezed through without any significant delays, but a comment or two. I'm probably overthinking again, but Roads under rivers/TUNNELS I question. First, most of the TUNNELS in my area are under mountains. And to me a tunnel is a structure allowing a road or passageway to continue , it's not the road itself.
GAME FACE passé for Hondo. My athletic abilities, such as they were, no more either.
For 52D, began with Bratty before BRAZEN came along. 16A Ariel before Uriel. Never heard of Scott BAIO. Thank you perps.
Frank Nitti has always been a gimme for me. Al Capone's chief enforcer.
Have a good dat.
Musings
ReplyDelete-The bad weather missed us Sunday but we got a lovely 2 ½” of rain. We canceled Mother’s Day and the tornados followed the route we would have taken so…
-Piece ‘O Cake with a fun theme. How ‘bout “A Limo in a Nebraska city”
-This CONCORD is usually part of my morning repast
-I loved that line, Otto!
-I can’t SKATE on the water, swim in it or breathe under it
-Wal-Mart routinely catches people who RETAG merchandise by switching UPC codes
-My EAR doesn’t detect like it used to. A female voice in crowd? Fugget about it.
-The rain delayed FIELD work around here. No one’s complaining unless this happened
-If ODOR is the main key to your trash removal, you don’t live in Joann’s house
-I’m sure Scott BAIO uttered the Happy Days catch phrase “SIT ON it” as Chachi
-Would you OK a PRE-nup?
-Being called a Fraidy Cat on the play ground preceded a lot of stupid behavior
-TTP – PAPA is my proudest AKA!
-In what movie does Richard Boone throw John Wayne a boy’s jacket and declare, “That’s my BONA FIDES”
-FORE!
This might have been a speed run! It definitely is the first puzzle I've done with no write-overs! Thanks, Gail and Bruce. Enjoyed your expo, Argyle.
ReplyDeleteFavorite clue/answer: 67D: Org. with SEALS/USN One of my brothers was a SEAL. Now he's a self-taught photographer.
Loved the theme. I got it with CONCORD CONCORD. I hesitated to put in the second CONCORD so I checked a couple other clues to make sure we were using the same word twice.
I had been having problems with my computer. I visited a sister and BIL. He fixed my issues, downloaded an add on to get rid of the video ads and I'm a happy camper.
Hot and humid today, but cooling off tomorrow for a few days. I'm not ready for mid-summer weather.
Have a great week.
Pat
"Quelques," by itself, is sufficent to say "a few" in Frawnche. To say "quelques-UNES" is as ignorant as saying "these ONES" in English.
ReplyDelete"Quelqu'un" or "quelqu'une" (with apostrophe splitting double u's) is proper for "someone," however.
P.S. When did ZULU join NATO?
Speed run today.... enjoyed the theme, but was easier than yesterday's.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bruce, Gail and Argyle!
Bumppo at 8:31 --
ReplyDeleteZULU does appear as Z, the NATO alphabet ender. Or am I missing your point?
NATO Alphabet
Duh, I didn't know that NATO had its own phonetic alphabet. What was wrong with the Army's "able baker Charlies"? As Abejo said, we used to call it ZEBRA.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am wondering if "Zulu" begins with a Z in Zulu or Bantu. "India" sure doesn't begin with an I in Hindi. इंडिया
HG
ReplyDeleteThat would be Big Jake (circa early '70's.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteWEES. No muss, no fuss. The theme which came easily enough filled in enough squares to make the rest pretty easy. Unk's like URIEL and AJA were coughed up by the perps.
The NATO alphabet came into general use in the mid 50's. In addition to military, it is also widely used by aviation and shipping activities, especially where international travel is concerned.
Have a great day.
It is nice to see how creative our crew is coming up with the cities which also are things. Good luck in Rhode Island city? PROVIDENCE PROVIDENCE would work only on Sunday or split in two. (LACROSSE LACROSSE also only if you a 16 x 15)
ReplyDeleteAlways a solid puzzle from these two and Argyle, I am amazed at your stamina and wit. Like old favorites AJA and AKA in the same grid and GAME FACE next to COWARDS.
The French was actually tricky for a Tuesday and not the most popular of the archangels, but the rest played easily. Nice to see a shout out to our own ARABON
I missed whatever sparked this comment:
ReplyDeleteBumppo said...
"Quelques," by itself, is sufficent to say "a few" in Frawnche. To say "quelques-UNES" is as ignorant as saying "these ONES" in English.
"Quelqu'un" or "quelqu'une" (with apostrophe splitting double u's) is proper for "someone," however.
Quelques-unes would however work as an indefinite pronoun here:
Connaissez-vous quelques-unes de mes amies?
"Quelques" alone is an adjective, so would not work as a pronoun.
The CW was a walk in the park for me today. Double doubles really opened it up!
Double double!
ReplyDeleteI'm tempted to go to In-n-Out burger now. A double-double with grilled onions, animal-style fries and a chocolate shake. About five trillion calories but one of SoCal's great pleasures.
Thanks for the expo, Argyle!
Dog-gone funny.
ReplyDeleteTUNNEL occurred to me immediately. We have the Lincoln Tunnel and the Holland Tunnel carrying traffic under the river to NYC. Although i know they are actual tunnels or tubes I often think of them as the roads through the tunnel.
ReplyDeleteConcord is technically a town, but informally town and small city are used interchangeably.
Argyle, cute Rube Goldberg contraption with the dogs. The puppies in the wagon are adorable.ain
Hello, hello, puzzlers!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun double take! How about Phoenix Phoenix?
I once had a student named URIEL so became acquainted with the name.
I can never recall Steely Dan's album yet it's a crossword staple.
I agree, BLAB had a great clue.
At "boy in a Christmas Carol" I was prepared for Ralphie or Randy but TIM? Thank you perps.
Thank you Gail and Bruce for again proving the fun.
Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone!
OOps. That should be "providing" the fun, not proving.
ReplyDeleteWhat do I love more than a Monday speed run? A Tuesday speed-run! Yay! And a Gail/Bruce gem! Thank you, thank you, guys, and you too, Argyle, of course!
ReplyDeleteCONCORD/CONCORD gave me the theme right off the bat and made the rest a breeze.
My favorite clues: Noise detector (EAR) and Attention-calling type (ITAL).
Barry, your Buffaloed buffaloes were too funny! Did my graduate work in Buffalo and still have fond memories of the place.
Have a great day, everybody!
Yellowrocks@7:59: "So I solved completely on line this morning, a first for me. Even with the big fanfare at the end, it is not as much fun for me as on paper."
ReplyDeleteI'm proud of you. Give it time. Think of all the trees you're saving. Back in the day I used to enjoy spending languid hours with the Sunday puzzle in the NY Times Magazine. I never solved it and I never followed up with the solution next week. So no feedback and no improvement.
As I've mentioned before here, I think crossword puzzles online are the best thing since sliced bread (especially given my deteriorating penmanship). Not to mention the fact that this wonderful little community of puzzlers wouldn't even exist if it weren't for the Internet.
Well the rain has stopped. Only 4" total, but I'll take it. Just finished my 3-mile "march" around the 'hood. The ditches are full of water, and the frogs are ecstatic. The wading birds are pretty happy, too. I even saw six deer stop in the road about 50 yds ahead of me. The just stood and watched me for a while, then trotted a little ways down the road, and stopped and watched me again. Finally, as I got closer, they jumped the ditch and disappeared into the woods. They were curious, and definitely not afraid.
ReplyDeleteLucina, think Tiny Tim in Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."
Yellowrocks, I have to agree with Al Cyone. I am on a mission to get rid of paper in my house, and right now I go through less than a ream of paper in an entire year. The other reason I love solving online is that I can magnify the screen by hitting (on my Mac) the "Command" and "+" keys. Much better than squinting at tiny clues in the paper!
ReplyDeleteWhich reminds me, DH has inadvertently come up with the best excuse for just about anything:
"Honey, didn't you notice my new hairdo?"
"…I don't have my glasses on."
"Honey, didn't you see the mess you left on the counter?"
"…I don't have my glasses on."
"Honey, do these pants make me look fat?"
"…uh, I don't have my glasses on?"
So many choices...
ReplyDeleteBreakingNews: Alec Baldwin
Owen, being a man of letters, do you ever get to HOBNOB with George RR Martin? I understand he is quite involved around the City Different.
ReplyDeleteLucina, no love for TINY TIM ?
ReplyDeleteAl, but I DO completely solve them, most often rather quickly and correctly on paper. I always come here for the feedback and the learning.I love the Internet, I love looking up additional info, reading everyone's posts, clicking on links,
ReplyDeleteposting my impressions, but the solving on paper is pure satisfaction. To each her own.
I buy the newspaper anyway. I hate reading it online.
Argyle: I'm with ya on "only needing 5 perps" to get URIEL.
ReplyDeleteThe only Angels I follow are the ones in baseball.
Since the trees used to make newsprint are grown expressly for that purpose, I'm not buying the "Save-A-Tree" argument for "solving on-line".
I think the greatest thing for the "On-Line Solvers" is they can use "Red-Letter-Help" and say they "solved the puzzle" ...
YR, I agree with you, Newsprint, in Black Ink, is the best way to go.
Cheers!!!
Yup - Newsprint and black ink from a Uniball Exact Vision (Yes - I buy pens just because they write perfectly on newsprint crossword puzzles).
ReplyDeleteCED: Seeing you Google list of town names, I note that Normal, OK, is named for a normal school (ie a teacher's college). I wonder if the school is a normal Normal normal.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte: As a matter of fact, I used to know George "RailRoad" Martin back when we both lived in Albuquerque, and were both members of the Albuquerque Science Fiction Society. We didn't interact much, so I doubt he'd remember me. Haven't seen him in years, and never read or viewed any of his Game of Thrones series.
Lombard Lombard (from William Gibson "Loads of money but a real dick")?
ReplyDeleteHG - Lincoln Lincoln
Dave, I noticed Tightwad on your list of oddly named places. I've been there, and have a little story about it.
ReplyDelete2 friends and I were going fishing for the weekend at lake Pomme de Terre in MO. We planned our route so that it would go through the most interesting sounding places. Tightwad fit that bill. It's really just an odd collection of small acreage lots, not really a town, and I doubt it's incorporated. We saw no businesses other than two roadhouse style bars on either end of a mile long stretch of road. Sort of a wide spot in the road, if you will.
We approached from the west and the first thing we saw was one of those portable flashing arrow signs pointing south toward bar #1 that read: "Male dancers. Tuesday Night." OK.. When we got to the other end, a similar sign pointed north to the other bar and read: "Male dancers. Thursday Night".
Given our destination and the fact that we had a canoe on top of the van, we all started hearing banjos and hit the gas.....Charles Kuralt may have been able to make an interesting trip out of it, but we took a different route home :-)
Avg Joe, I used to love Charles Kuralt. His On The Road shows were super-enjoyable for me. He was a poet with his narrations.
ReplyDeleteMarti, tell DH thanks for me. Dunno why I didn't think of using that on my own. It's not copyrighted is it?
It's really hot and dry around here through the weekend (Nine percent humidity). No brush fires yet. Fingers crossed.
BillG and Lemonade:
ReplyDeleteObviously I've seen "A Christmas STORY" once too many times! I completely zoned out on "A Christmas Carol".
BillG, he may have been a "poet with his narrations," but there was a seamier side to Kuralt's life.
ReplyDeleteLucina, I think you mistook me for Bill G.
Avg Joe, I guess it wasn't a Tuesday or Thursday when you drove through....
Piece o' cake. Easy peasy.
ReplyDeleteMisty, definitely a speed-run. But did anyone find this Tuesday pzl easiER than a typical Monday job?
Lots of familiar short answers. I'm surprised we didn't see ORR, OTT, and OBOE.
firsLima lima
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone:
ReplyDeleteLate to the dance due to eye doctor appt., lunch with my sister Eileen, and a trip to a newly opened super, super, supermarket. (Some of you are familiar with PriceChopper.). I have never been in a Whole Foods, but have seen them on the Food Network shows and, I believe the new Market Bistro, PriceChopper's newest adventure, would be in the same category.
You would need several hours to see everything they have to offer. In addition to all of the food and specialty departments, they have at least 10 food vendors with choices from subs, burgers, pizza, burritos, Jewish deli, etc. and also a restaurant that serves beer and wine. I was quite impressed.
On a more important subject, I enjoyed the puzzle and my only write-over was zero before Zulu. Don't ask me where zero came from but I liked the sound of it. Thanks, Gail and Bruce; you never disappoint. Thanks to Argyle for the expo and for the cute doggie link.
Owen, you are on a roll today!
Tin, FYI, I solve on line through Cruciverb and have never used red letter help; I don't even know what it is. I have also never not acknowledged a DNF. I use my iPad to solve because it's so much quicker and easier than cutting the puzzle out of the paper and putting it on a clip board, which was my previous ritual. (I'm a NEAT freak, pun intended!). :-)
Enjoy the rest of the day.
Irish Miss @ 2:52 said" I believe the new Market Bistro, PriceChopper's newest adventure".
ReplyDeleteIs that the one in Latham?
To (our maven ),Barry G, you wrote;
ReplyDeleteBuffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
which is explained as : Bb's b-- (other) Bb's (who, in turn ) b-- (the next) Bb's.
If so, it would seem to be more natural for the fifth word, verb, 'buffalo', to come ahead of the third word, proper noun, 'Buffalo'.
Then the cadence would be -- Proper noun, noun, verb, Proper noun, noun, verb, Proper noun, noun.
OR --- Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
This I based on my cursory knowledge of transactional hierarchy, normally applied in math. Of course, I realize the English is hardly as rational, as math. ( Unfortunately, its the only language I know - )
BTW, I found out that Wikipedia, which has devoted several pages to this exact sentence .... disagrees with me.
But, as our own Argyle, once said, 'You can't always trust Wikipedia'. ;->) "^O^" lol
Buffalo Herd
ReplyDeleteSpitz @ 3:07 - Yes, it's in Latham. Have you been there?
ReplyDeletedesper-otto:
ReplyDeleteYes, I certainly did and I'm sorry. Thank you for both corrections.
Here are more Arizona ones:
Flagstaff flagstaff
Jerome Jerome
Tombstone tombstone
Globe globe
Ashfork ashfork
Surprise surprise
Irish Miss - No, but my son lives across the bridge in Clifton Park. Next time we have a little time there, we'll try to check it out. Thanks for replying.
ReplyDeleteGomer Pyle visits Arizona. Surprise surprise.
ReplyDelete@CED
ReplyDeleteThat link really was laugh-out-loud funny.
I've been to World's End and Pity Me in the UK. I've also been to Ham and Sandwich, but I'm calling foul on that sign - they're 60 miles apart.
"That" Austrian village sign must be one one the most photographed in the world.
Ol' Man Keith, I did find this Tuesday puzzle easier than a Monday. Yay! It even gave me extra time to finish a Sudolu!
ReplyDeleteOK Tin,
ReplyDeleteLet's see.....On line Solvers,........red letter help,.....& claim they solved the puzzle.
Want to know who came to my mind?
Wrongo, bongo, Kazie. "Quelques," like "some" or "any" in English, is both an adjective and a pronoun.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think the proper form of your question is "Connaissez-vous de mes amies?" (and/or "Connaissez-vous n'importe lequelle de mes amies?" and/or "Connaissez-vous aucune de mes amies?").
What sparked the comment was 61-down.
Hondo, I could name at least 2 or 3 posters. Doesn't bother me though. I don't worry about other one's solving experience. My teachers called me selfish.
ReplyDeleteI usually scan over the 'today I solved on the newsprint from The Daily Chronicle utilizing a Sanford UniBall 360(blue). I had writeovers with COLT and REHEAT and a natick at 34d crossing 19a.' Just saying'
I do, however, enjoy the 'I cry foul over the clue for 42d!! I'm an engineer and one would never call it a U-nut.'
Anyone claim Savannah, Savannah yet? Or a Springfield Springfield
Babbling brooks...
ReplyDeleteHeads-up: Argyle, I think this is vague enough to avoid being a spoiler: for those who work the puzzle at Mensa or in newspapers that don't print the circles: Tomorrow's puzzle has circles in groups of three in four of the five longest down words.
ReplyDeleteOK, let's set the record straight on online solvers vs pen/ink/print solvers. I do the puzzle online using "Master" mode. So I have no red letter help, no hints, no errors. If I solve it correctly the FIRST time, then I get a "ta-da" at the end. That is what I consider a "finish." If not, then I go hunting for the error, and a "DNF."
ReplyDeleteIf I solve on paper (in ink, of course!) then I get no "ta-da," and blissfully think I have "solved" it. If I go away without checking every-single-answer online, what have I learned? NADA! I used to do the puzzles on paper all the time, and after checking the blog, realized how often a "write-over" was really a "DNF." At the ACPT, you don't get "write-overs." You just get BzzzzzzzzzzT!!!
OwenKL @ 7:13, and a BRILLIANT puzzle, it is for tomorrow!!
ReplyDeleteHI all!
ReplyDeleteNot a smooth solve for me -- too many names I didn't know and had to suss through the perps. I did know BAIO and ALEC though. I think my biggest trouble was that mentally I was thinking theme answers couldn't be spelled the same. Concur in Concord?...Pueblo Peublo? Arggg. Finally, all the FFs in BUFFALO convinced me I could spell them all the same!
Thanks Gail & Bruce for a fun puzzle and our resident Argyle for another write up.
WEES 17a was my fav c/a pair. 36d was close second. A different kinda tail
TTP nice additions to the theme entries. CED - waypoint signs - LOL!
D-O: I got 2.5" of rain. I watched the storm roll in around 12:30. 3 hours later the whole house woke to a very loud crack of thunder. Youngest was in our room before I could get up the stairs to check on them!
FYI - for all with S-XM radio - this weekend is all G. Carlin on Ch. 99.
Tin & Argyle - Re Archangels - I only needed 3 perps, all archangels end in EL (of God IIRC). 14 years of Catholic school pays off! :-)
TIn & YR - I'm a paper-pen guy myself. Karl - it's a Pilot G2 .05 mm, black, 1 EA. I appreciate how paper doesn't blink or bing at you while you try to focus. I know, it's irony that a guy that makes his living in front of a computer prefers paper, but my I find my retention is about 30% higher if I read from paper.
This ITAL is going back to helping eldest with French homework. It's a dish she's making, not words - I stand a chance :-)
Cheers, -T
Late to the party today. Enjoyed this puzzle and finished it in the newspaper with only 3 write-overs.
ReplyDeleteHand up for WOW before OOH. Somehow I tried URIAH before URIEL. Also wanted RESEW before ALTER. My first thought for 20A was CONCORD ACCORD but that was one letter short. Then PUEBLOPUEBLO fell into place and the light dawned.
BUFFALO is the first city when you cross the border from Canada to USA at Ft. Erie (via the Peace Bridge not a TUNNEL!)
A better Thagomizer link.
ReplyDeleteC, -T
I find it easy to check my pen and paper solve when I read the post of the blogger of the day. I usually remember what I wrote. If I forget I can look at that one answer on my paper. From time to time I find that answers which I thought to be correct are wrong. I ALWAYS check and always learn from my mistakes. If I have a write over made before reading the answers I count the latest version. If it happens that version was correct I give myself a TA DA. If an earlier version was correct after all and I changed it, it is a DNF
ReplyDeleteThis is a mild rant.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't like the puzzles, then you have the absolute right to attempt them, or not. You also are perfectly entitled to come here and complain about them, or not. But don't expect everyone to agree with you, that's part of the deal.
Oddly, any nay-sayers might find it interesting that the editors of this blog don't take down or delete any comments. That might tell you something about them.
I personally don't really mind if we solve on paper, with pencil, with pen, the day before, a day late, online with the LA Times, downloaded with Cruciverb, or anything else. I don't mind if we use Red Letters, reveals, "please help me out Google" or anything else. The satisfaction of a completed grid is our own accomplishment, however we got there.
I care about how we enjoy our shared experiences - or hate them! Not every puzzle is our own cup of tea. It's the company that makes this blog special.
The last few days have been a little odd, so I suggest read the rubrik up above the box where you type your comments.
Mild rant over.
Sweet puzzle, Gail and Bruce! Fine expo, as usual, Santa!
ReplyDeleteCaught the theme right away--great idea!
Owen, you outdid yourself!
Anybody watch the season finales of The Blacklist and Castle? Do you think Red is Keen's father?
Cheers!
Missouri Misery
ReplyDeleteSteve:
ReplyDeleteI am in your corner. It seems that about once a month or every six weeks we broach this debate, pen/pencil, online, red letters, etc. It really is a moot point because we each have our own styles, we're committed to whatever method we chose and debating it ad nauseaum isn't going to change our minds. As has been stated many times, this is not a competition and no one is checking on our technique.
Crossword solving is purely personal and a source of much satisfaction as we progress in skill. Can we just leave it at that?
ALEC?
ReplyDeleteAttention Rich Norris!! (if you're watching)
Please stop mentioning his name. You KNOW who I'm talking about because you SHOULD. If you don't know who HE is, then you MUST be a mismanaged carnival of stupidity", because we all should know him. His act is tired. He is a boor.
One could not name a more megalomaniac member of society who believes that our rules do not apply to him because he is A#%C baldwin.
He is a tool.
I wonder how his actions would be received if he was a 22 year black football player or a 29 year old former disney star. He is a loser who might be the next mayor of NYC since he is a white liberal actor.
Sorry for MY rant...
Steve - OOH, SNAP!
ReplyDeleteI hope I missed something an anon posted and I'm not the cause of your ire...
Like Lucina (et.most) the pen/online/red-letter thing is, IMHO, a personal thing. I like paper and pen. If I can go a whole puzzle with out the Great Google I get the warm fuzzy of doing it myself (even if it took 3 hours while others flew through in 7 min). I was just BLABbing that I like pen & paper.
As for the community here - I think it's a fun crowd with the exception of the Friday Fanboy (not!) and the occasional COWARDly snark... This brain-child of CC is a highlight of my day.
Eldest's project is done (whew). I still don't know what a Languedoc-Roussillon is supposed to be (she had to translate a recipe from her assigned region), but it is going to be the best Italian version of bacon-chicken-navybean-casserole (garlic infused!) L-R there is!
Can anyone tell me what it was supposed to be?
Cheers, -T
There some simple questions that define us:
ReplyDeleteBoxers or Briefs?
Wine or beer?
Beatles or Beach Boys?
Elvis or Sinatra?
Baseball or Football?
Ginger or MaryAnn?
Alec Baldwin is a Boor or a Dick?
OK, since I use the Mensa site, where can I go to easily to see where the circles are located?
ReplyDeleteGeez, it's hot and dry here. These are like the few days a year when I wish we had A/C.
No surprise that I find myself in agreement with Steve, Lucina, AnonT etc. I tried paper and pencil several times a couple of weeks ago. I liked it just fine, maybe even better than on my computer for the easier puzzles. The format choice seems to be more important to a few of us than it is to me.
Anon (11:18), good ones. Stick or automatic? Ford or Chevy? (back in the old days), Mac or PC?
I am looking forward to tomorrow's puzzle if I can find them damn circles someplace!
AKA - Quiz time!
ReplyDeleteBriefs - unless vacationing w/ DW alone
Beer - unless late night w/ DW (see above)
Beatles
Sinatra - no brainer there
Baseball except Super Bowl Sunday
MaryAnn - not stuck on herself (but DW is prettier)
Kinda boor. I enjoy "Hear's the Thing" on NPR (WNYC?), but sometimes he talks more about himself. Loved him in 30 Rock.
Stick (Honda Civic Coup)
Ford - if I had a need for a truck
PC / Mac - it's a TIE (Linux or BSD!)
Coffee or tea?
Black or cream?
Camel or Marlboro?
All the former for me (until e-cigs anyway).
TMI?
Cheers, -T
Coffee or Tea is good.
ReplyDeleteI'll take coffee, black.
Don't care about cigs.
More?
Snacks: Salty or Sweet?
Vannilla or Chocolate or *gasp* Berry?
The Chicago Trib site supports the circles. Link
ReplyDelete