Let's start with the unifier. 21 D. No-parking areas, four of which are formed, in a way, by the answers to the starred clues : FIRE LANES.
Each theme answer can follow the word FIRE, yielding an in-the-language noun or two-word noun phrase. The LANES result from the symmetrical placement of the theme answers. Two LANES are formed by the theme fill along the vertical edges, and two more LANES are located at the fifth column in from each vertical edge. Each LANE is made up of three theme answers, so we have a puzzle that is unusually rich in both theme density and number of theme fill entries.
A typical grid has a small number of horizontally-placed long theme answers. This one has a large number of vertically-placed short theme answers. Lets sniff them out.
1 D. *Rocking good time : BALL. Have a BALL with this puzzle. A FIREBALL is either, literally, a ball of fire, a projectile filled with explosives, or a bright meteor.
5 D. *"Holy smokes!" : MAN. An expression of surprise or dismay. Don't have a cow. A FIREMAN is someone whose job is usually [but not always] putting out fires.
10 D. *Frighten : ALARM. But don't be ALARMed. A FIRE ALARM is a warning device in case of fire.
14 D. *Cyber Monday event : SALE. The Monday after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday is used as an e-tail marketing ploy. A FIRE SALE originally referred to goods deeply discounted due to FIRE damage. Now it's any sales event at steeply discounted prices, though often occurring under financial distress.
23 D. *Attack forcefully : STORM. Often a full frontal assault. A FIRESTORM is a large, powerful FIRE that burns so hot that it produces strong winds. Less literally, it refers to a raging controversy or strong and sudden outburst.
25 D. *Delivery vehicle : TRUCK. A FIRE TRUCK does not [usually] deliver FIRE.
34 D. *Authority : POWER. FIRE POWER is the destructive capacity of your military arsenal
37 D. *Gem : STONE. Precious or semi-precious mineral matter. FIRESTONE is the lone proper noun in this conflagration, the name of a tire and rubber company..
52 D. *Smoking gun, e.g. : PROOF. Refers colloquially to a bit of incontrovertible incriminating evidence. FIREPROOF means impervious or resistant to damage by fire.
55 D. *Down Under gem : OPAL. FIRE OPALs, so named because of their vibrant color display, were first discovered in Australia in the second half of the 19th century.
62 D. *Secret to crack : CODE. A word of many meanings, here indicating a system of symbols used instead of words or letters to conceal the meaning of a message. In another sense, a FIRE CODE is a set of standards established and enforced by government for fire prevention and safety in case of fire.
66 D. *Picnic invader : ANT. Frequent cross word invader as well. FIRE ANTs are fiercely stinging omnivorous ants native to South America.
This is the third puzzle this month by our own dear C.C., and I have been fortunate enough to blog two. Raising the coincidence quotient another notch, both of these puzzles have four vertically placed theme elements, and a centrally placed vertical unifier. Plus, you could be burnt by both themes High marks for creative, original and consistent thinking.
Lets put on our asbestos underwear, delve into this puzzle, and see if we can avoid being charred.
Across:
1. Islands north of Cuba : BAHAMAS. A string of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Florida.
8. Earl Grey pouches : TEA BAGS. Flavored with oil of bergamot. My go-to tea.
15. Fruit that's a source of cosmetic oil : AVOCADO. More oil. Watch out, this stuff is flammable
16. Hay fever drug brand : ALLEGRA. The LW is struggling this week. How are you doin'?
17. Beirut's country : LEBANON. Middle-eastern coastal country nestled snugly between Israel and Syria.
18. Chicago mayor Rahm : EMANUEL.
19. Belt holder : LOOP. Also Chicago's commercial core
20. Luftwaffe foes of WWII : RAF. Royal Air Force. Airborn FIRE POWER.
22. Red Cross training course : TRIAGE. The assignment of degrees of urgency to wounds or illnesses to decide the order of treatment of a large number of patients or casualties.
23. LPGA star __ Pak : SE RI. Will she talk on your i-Phone?
24. Veep before LBJ : RMN. Vice Prez in the 50s. AKA Trickie Dickie.
25. Plot surprises : TWISTS.
29. Sushi topper : ROE. Fish eggs. Yum?
31. Snack on the trail : GORP. Disgusting sounding name for a trail mix of peanuts, raisins and M&Ms.
35. Aptly named laundry soap : RINSO. One of the first mass-marketed soap powders over 100 years ago. It was unable to compete with Tide in the 50's, was modified as Rinso Blue, and was eventually rebranded as Surf. Rinso brand is still marketed in other parts of the world, but Rinso Blue is now sold exclusively to Smurfs.
36. Roman goddess of agriculture : CERES. And eponym for the largest body in the asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter - a rock and ice [not FIRE] ball 590 miles in diameter.
38. Letter after pi : RHO. If you rho, rho, rho your boat, will you get to eat pi?
39. Answering to : UNDER. This works in two senses. In an organization you are under the person you answer to, and if you answer to an assumed name, you are UNDER an alias.
40. Birmingham's st. : ALAbama.
41. 2007 Heisman Trophy winner : TEBOW. Tim, a University of Florida QB who went on to a flash-in-the-pan career with the Denver Broncos before being traded to the Jets, then the Patriots who cut him last August. He is now a college football analyst for ESPN.
43. Half of CDII : CCI 402/2 = 201. Bach sometimes included his musical signature in compositions. What could C C I mean?
44. It may be precious : METAL. Especially a certain gold ring.
46. Zinc __ : OXIDE. Opaque sun block
47. Capsize, with "over" : KEEL. The keel is on the bottom of the boat - until it KEELs over.
49. Harry Potter pal : RON. And your humble blogging trombonist, he said, ironically.
50. GM security system : ON STAR. You can use your smart phone to lock your car.
51. Therapists' org. : APA. American Psychiatry Association.
53. Munich article : EINE. Meaning a, an or one.
55. Takes place : OCCURS.
58. Home of Absolut Vodka: Abbr. : SWEden.
59. Like "le" in Fr. : MASCuline.
63. Talk openly about, as one's feelings : POUR OUT. Could be a heated conversation. Maybe the Tin Man can come up with an alternate clue.
65. Emphatic denial : I SAID NO. Could be prt of a heated conversation
67. Existing independent of experience, in logic : A PRIORI. Instead, relating to or derived by reasoning from self-evident propositions.
68. Type of oil : LINSEED. Yet another flammable oil, this one is colourless to yellowish, obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant, and used in paints, varnishes, inks, soaps, and surface protectants.
69. Visa penalty : LATE FEE. Worse than interest.
70. "Hmm ..." : LET'S SEE . . . Are we there yet? Nope - a ways to go.
Down:
2. Small Chevy model : AVEO. Offered from 2004-11.
3. Handbag brand with a bindle-toting icon : HOBO.
4. Put __ on: limit : A CAP. I wanted A LID.
6. Is crazy about : ADORES.
7. Echolocation device : SONAR. Originally an acronym for SOund Navigation And Ranging.
8. __ kwon do : TAE. Martial art
9. Shade provider : ELM TREE. Sadly retro
11. Actress Annette : BENING.
12. Mexican water : AGUA. To put out the fuego.
13. 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Maddux : GREG. BASEBALL! He's the only pitcher in MLB history to win at least 15 games for 17 straight seasons. Read more here.
26. React to a shot : WINCE. Hypodermic or basketball? You be the judge.
27. Typical Sundance film : INDIE. Independent.
28. Madison-to-Nashville dir. : SSE.
30. Like much lore : ORAL. Passed down by word of mouth.
32. Once around : ORBIT. A circuit of the FIREBALL.
33. '70s sitcom spin-off : RHODA. From the Mary Tyler Moore show
36. "The Censor" of Rome : CATO. Marcus Porcius Cato, the elder, holder of many offices in Roman government. As Censor he was responsible for maintaining the census, supervising public morality [from which we get our modern word censorship], and overseeing certain aspects of the government's finances. Probably not invited to many BALLs.
42. Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas" : EXS. Which is why he resides in Tennessee.
45. Sign of a changed sheet : ERASURE. Sheet of paper. Common when I attempt Sudoku.
48. "House" star Hugh : LAURIE.
50. Tot's bodysuit : ONESIE
54. "Consider it done" : I WILL
56. Nightclub in a Manilow song : COPA
57. Far from chatty : CURT
59. Fail to notice : MISS
60. Cool drinks at kids' stands : ADES
61. Old-time dagger : SNEE
64. Get even with? : TIE
Well, I had a hot time. Hope you made it through without burning up your eraser.
Hot regards!
JzB
Note from C.C.:
The third Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on June 22 at The Landmark Center in Saint Paul. Please click here
for more information. The puzzles are all made by our local
constructors or constructors with MN ties. The constructors include Tom Pepper, Andrea Carla Michaels, George Barany, David Hanson, David Liben-Nowell, Dan Kantor, Jay Kaskel, Andrew Ries, Don Gagliardo, Andy Kravis & Victor Barocas (also our editor). A few are our LA Times constructors. All have been published by the NY Times. Trust me on this. You'll love the puzzles. They're all creative & fun.
George Barany, who made a brilliant tournament puzzle with David Hanson, has a wonderful collection here of all MN constructors.
67 comments:
Since a caveman first invented FIRE,
Its use has gone higher and higher;
First heating in winter,
Then cooking for dinner,
Then burning a witch on a pyre!
Electricity is FIRE in a wire
To power the gadgets we admire.
They used telegraph lines,
Then cable was fine,
Now with cellphones we say, "Wire? Schmire!"
Coal FIRE causes smokey pollution,
Which in turn causes climate revolution.
We might need, one day soon
To go live on the Moon,
If we can't work a solar solution!
Sorry today's lims are such downers. Guess I'm in a somber mood today, despite the great open theme I've been given to work with.
Morning, all!
Very dense themage today, which must have been a real challenge to construct. I found the NW corner to be the thorniest, personally. I know what a HOBO is and even know what a bindle is, but I had no idea there was a brand of handbags called HOBO. Had A LID before A CAP. Couldn't remember SERI or AVEO off the top of me head. Etc., etc., etc.
The rest was pretty straightforward, except that I ended with a typo at the crossing of TAE and EMANUEL (had an I instead of the initial E) that I just couldn't see for the life of me. Ah well...
Greetings!
Fantastic puzzle, CC! So many theme entries! Must have been a bear to construct! Great write-up, Jazz!
It is interesting to note that the great mathematician, physicist and astronomer, Carl Friedrich Gauss, wasted 5 years of his early life charting the movements of the asteroid CERES.
Time to attempt to sleep!
Cheers!
Good morning fellow puzzlers!
Fantastic write-up, Jazzbumpa - but now I'll have a "Smokey the Bear" ear worm for the rest of the day. Hmmmm…I'll have to put a stop to that, right this instant!!!
I finished this puzzle and chuckled when I saw the theme, because I am working on a similar one right now. I almost decided to scrap it, because how could I compare to this? C.C. encouraged me to keep working on it, but we'll see…
Obviously, I really enjoyed the theme! Like Barry, I had TAi before TAE and also wanted to put a "lid" on it before CAP. But we just had "Put A LID on it!" last Friday. I think that expression means to shut up, or stop talking. But if you put a lid on something, you are limiting it. So I guess it could be either.
Anyhoo, have a happy hump day, everyone.
My very last answer was 21d -- which was also the reveal, so I didn't get the theme until after I was done. I got the gimmick early enough, the starred words formed four "lanes" (or lines) from top to bottom, but how they were linked I couldn't figure out. I wasn't highly certain of most words crossing 21d, so finally hit the "check word" button, and found I'd stupidly put Royal Air Corps instead of Force. Once I had that corrected, everything fell into place. A well-executed theme, and an odd one in that there was a separate gimmick distinct from the theme!
A FIREBALL is also a type of cinnamon whiskey (to make you WINCE), several types of cinnamon candy and gum, a movie, etc.
A FIRESTONE n. 1. A flint or pyrite used to strike a fire. 2. A fire-resistant stone, such as certain sandstones.
Apparently, I have had a name change. I was originally dubbed Smokey Bear, but "the people" insisted on calling me Smokey the Bear. Regardless, remember: Only YOU can prevent forest fires.
What happened to the last of the clues and answers? Did House surgically remove the final clues and answers?
Good morning all.
CC, Very impressive. So many these entries. Visually impressive as well.
I immediately noticed the triple stack sevens. Fortunately, the answers came easily up top and in the SE. Not so much in the SW.
Visa penalty was easy enough, but my troubles started by entering SUE at 64D for "Get even with." As in, make one financially whole again for whatever harm was inflicted. Yea, I over thought it. It's not Friday or Saturday.
Although, "Existing independent of experience, in logic" A PRIORI seems like it should be a Friday or Saturday clue and answer. I didn't have the ending I. I had an e.
That left me with POUROUS, and I thought, "that's not how you spell it..." TIE fixed the last of my issues.
RON, CATO and CERES all needed perp help.
Thought of Abejo at 8A Earl Grey pouches.
Thank you JzB ! Witty and informative expose. After expounding on all of those theme answers up top, you had substantially fewer "down" entries. Might be a record. Plus, your write up of the down clues after 48 are missing for some reason.
Perfect link HeartRX !
Wonderful puzzle. Very ambitious to put 12 phases to line up to form FIRE LANES. I am constantly amazed by the fresh innovative puzzles that can be constructed. Not only that but the cluing was (although a tad on the easy side) also novel and thoughtful.
Uh... I did have one problem. Inking in RINSE instead of RINSO gave me STERM. What the heck is a fire sterm?
I have one entry in constructing puzzles. It involved ROOMS. And it also had 12 integrated phrases; but to this puzzle, I feel like an amateur
I tip my hat to Miss Burnikel.
Good morning, everyone!
Excellent puzzle, C.C.! Congratulations on another publication. Fun and very informative review, Jazzbumpa!
I thought this was just right for a Wednesday. I was very impressed with so many theme clues / answers. I was able to solve it without red letter help or searches, but with some perp help, of course.
I see the missing Down clues / answers are here now. Good catch, FKA Smoky Bear! Thanks, Jazz!
I got the NW and NE easily, but had to perp my way through the SW and SE.
I had ALAREST (misspelled, too!) before ALLEGRA, but the perps saved me. I knew AAA__ couldn’t be right, and GS__ Maddux certainly wasn’t! GREG and AGUA saved me there.
I noticed the CSO to Abejo, 8A Earl Grey pouches : TEA BAGS.
1D reminded me of this song.
Great Balls of Fire
Good Morning Everybody,
Interesting theme today. the unifer question (21D) confused me a bit since it said, "four of which are formed". I was confused because there were a lot more than 4 starred clues.
I didn't know SERI or CATO, and I wanted 44A to be a prescious stone instead of METAL.
Never heard of HOBO handbags.
Good puzzle. Have a great day!
CC, what a fabulous theme with its visual lanes! I needed to complete the puzzle before I sussed the theme. FIRELANE was my last entry because I didn't know SERI and RON. I am not at all into Harry Potter.
Very interesting and informative blog, JzB. Owen, I really liked those limericks today.
I though of Abejo with Earl Grey, but I am betting he is a "no tea bag" purist.
Knowing that the orign of the word cereal is from goddess of agriculture helps me remember CERES.
The word bindle brought HOBO to mind right away, but I waited for perps because I didn't know it was a handbag brand.
Although I love almost all sushi, I don't care for it topped with ROE. Also, i don't consider caviar a treat.
First task of the day is to unclog a toilet. i hope the rest of the day goes better.
This theme and the grid construction at a Wednesday level? Wow! Jazz’s summation works for me.
Musings
-I think a FIREMAN is now a PC FIRE FIGHTER
-A FIRE ALARM went off in a gym where we were sitting for a VB tournament in the middle of February and no one moved. After 10 minutes it stopped without explanation. Hmmm…
-The FIRE POWER of the 1927 Yankees
-For years FIRESTONE supplied the winning tires at Indy (not Indie)
-Some very incompetent gov’t employees seem to be FIRE PROOF
-Very famous CODE in WWII
-M*A*S*H TRIAGE line, “You’re at the end of this line and that’s good”
-LBJ was tricky too. He came to DC impoverished and left a multimillionaire.
-TWIST – Soylent Green is people? I didn’t see that coming.
-TEBOW joins that group of wonderful college players who couldn’t cut it in the pros
-A former student came here last week to POUR OUT her problems. There were more layers to that onion than I could count.
-Maddux was a real pitcher not a thrower.
-I am now realizing how much ORAL history of my family I missed as the previous generation has died
-Captain and Tennille redux - I WILL is not the title of this song but is a memorable lyric.
-Fore!
WEES about the very clever theme. And add my name to those for whom the last fill was the unifier (the reveal?).
Since it's a rainy day here I'm feeling a tad grouchy so I'll quibble with JzB's spelling of "trickie dickie" (I'd go with "Tricky") and OwenKL's limerick about the "invention" of fire (I'd go with "discovery").
Good morning!
We took our morning "march" early today to avoid the showers. So I'm late to the party...
I managed to solve this one with no inkblots, and (as usual) without picking up on the theme. Nicely done, C.C.
JzB, since you mentioned Strait at 42d, you could have linked him at 5d They Call Me The Fireman.
Fire ANTs may have originated in S.A., but they're a major problem in the southern U.S. I try to keep my distance; I'm highly allergic to 'em. More here.
I've used rottenstone and LINSEED oil to polish a finish. And I've also almost burned down the garage when I didn't clean up the rags properly, and a few days later they spontaneously combusted.
The hometown of my ute had many ELM-TREE-lined streets. Most were old, and some were huge. No more.
Good morning everyone.
Well, since this cw had both EINE and A PRIORI, it easily passed muster for me to appreciate it as a Wednesday level challenge. Enjoyed the theme.
Avatar was fitted with a state-of-the-art (for the '50's) SONAR system. ("Give me a ping, Vasili. One ping only, please.")
A stellar puzzle, C.C. BZ
Very impressive, C.C. Really enjoyed the puzzle. Nice cluing and great theme!
JzB, loved your write-up. Always entertaining!
Hi gang -
Sorry about the truncated exposition of the downs. I have no excuse. Looks like C.C. bailed me out.
Again.
Marti proposed the perfect theme song. I'll offer an alternative.
Cheers!
JzB
Good Morning:
I continue to be amazed by CC's imagination, cleverness, creativity, and craftsmanship in constructing these puzzles. Today's was particularly impressive with its double theme aspect.
Even though there were a few crunchy spots, I finished with some perp help. Really didn't understand the theme until reading JazzB's spot-on expo. Thanks JZB, and many thanks to CC for a brilliant offering.
Rainy, cool, and gloomy here. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice and sunny.
Have a great day.
I just now read of Maya Angelou's passing.
Link Still I Rise
Hard to believe. We've managed to misspell Burnikel twice during the past week.
Hello Puzzlers -
Today I made sure not to miss the theme, and I'm glad of it! What a fine piece of craftsmanship. Hand up for thinking it must have been hard to construct. Good work, C.C.!
Nice to see Annette Bening in the puz today. A few years back I wrote of having lunch with her one day, by accident. It came about when "In Dreams" was being filmed at a house down the street. Neighbors were welcomed in for free meals at the food trailer, where the chance encounter took place.
Since then, an enterprising neighbor struck a deal with the absentee landowner, put in a hop yard, and converted the unused garage to a small brewery. He hopes to bottle enough for sale. This is a good neighbor to have.
Wow, that was fast. Now it's fixed.
WEES! The theme reveal was the last to be filled, & I had to add up all the fire words before I finally understood why the clue stated that there were four of them...
Karma
No one is immune...
Lots of fire earworms today, here is a corny one from my youth.
Hello, puzzle people! Brilliant offerings today, from both JazzB and CC-1. Yes, you are #1!
This puzzle is more than impressive with its rich layering of theme, grid and clueing. C.C., you were on FIRE when you created this gem.
The solve was an easy sashay which doesn't diminish its elegance but gives it more POWER.
CSO at TEABAGS for Abejo. Birmingham gave me pause but it amended FIREzones to FIRELANES and didn't even see RON or RMN so quick was the fill.
Congratulations once again, C.C. for another masterpiece!
Have a splendid Wednesday, everyone!
Good morning all,
Wowzer! C.C., you just keep them coming- every one a clever creation. I easily filled the top 3rd, thinking maybe I was going to sail right on down. No way!Didn't see the smoke! The SW corner stumped me. Thought when I filled in Laurie,and wagged the P in APA, I would be done, but apriori was not in my wheelhouse, and when I finally "saw" pour out, I wagged the last letter.
Bumpa, I always look forward to your blogging...always fun and informative.
Valerie Harper(Rhoda) seems to be in remission as of now , having been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer last year.She amazed me on DWTS, not only that she is 74, but I'm sure the medication has taken a toll.
Wherever you are, have a lovely day.Am taking grandson to K assessment this morning...time sure flies.
C.C Monday, C.C. Wednesday, cool beans.
Another visual masterpiece, I am so impressed how much sh knows about constructing a grid.
I also like the CSO for "ADES"
My sister-in-law had a close friend, who walked through a bed of fire ants and died, so always be careful. They show up all over south Florida, and often on golf courses. You need to watch for their mounds.
I can picture all of our English teachers wincing at "They could have went around..."
My fireball from youth was this MAN .
Lemonade:
You got it! I winced. "could have went"? Yikes.
Hi Y'all! With all the recent fires raging, this puzzle is very timely. Two of C.C.'s power grids in a week! Bravo! When you're hot, you're hot!
You are a fireball of an entertainer, JzB!
Owen, don't apologize. Fires are a downer subject unless cooking your food.
I studied the puzzle a long time after finishing and saw the FIRELANES. I still couldn't quite get that each of the many theme entries had a connection to FIRE but they do sho' 'nuf.
Claritin & Allerest didn't fit so I eventually had to swallow ALLEGRA as the answer. I've sure gulped down a lot of antihistimine this spring. Cotton is flying now and my eyes keep glazing over from allergens.
Annette's last name isn't BENett or BENnet but BENING? Oh, guess I dragged the "ett" from her first name in my memory. Great actress!
Never heard of GREG Maddux. George Strait's problems I knew. One of my EXS lived in Texas, so I loved that song.
RIP Maya Angelou! Thanks for the clip, YR!
Arthur Brown is miffed that hellfire wasn't included.
Watch, if you dare!
Another brilliant C.C. puzzle--Wednesdays don't get any better than this! Many, many thanks, C.C.! Got everything though with the same problems WBS (what Barry said). And I have to confess that although I got the reveal I just couldn't figure out what MAN, SALE, STORM, TRUCK, OPAL, ANTS, and PROOF had to do with FIRE LANES. My problem was that I didn't separate the FIRE and the LANES. So many thanks, JazzB, for enlightening us on this.
I too am so impressed with how RHODA is bearing up with her cancer diagnosis and prognosis. She was terrific on "Dancing with the Stars" and totally inspiring.
Yellowrocks, never knew CEREAL came from CERES. I learn something new on the blog practically daily.
Have a great day, everybody, and thanks, again, C.C.!
Nice puzzle today. My 3rd Wednesday solve out of the last 4. Now, if I can just nail down those Thursdays. Friday and Saturday grids just a dream for me at this point.
I did want to mention how much I enjoyed your title Argyle, and having grown up in a town named for General Putnam, I had no idea there was controversy over who uttered the line.
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Jazzbumpa, for a fine review.
I am in Trenton, New Jersey, as we speak. On the train to New York.
When I got to 8A I knew I was going to have fun. TEA BAGS from Earl Grey. My favorite. Caught all your shout outs. Thank you, folks.
Yellowrocks: My wife calls me a Tea Snob, because I drink only Earl Grey. I carry it with me wherever I go. So, I guess I am a Tea Bag Purist. When you find a winner, you stick with it.
Puzzle was outstanding. Cought the theme as I progressed. Very good construction.
A PRIORI for 67A was an unknown to me. Figured it out with perps.
Never heard of a HOBO purse, but then, I own no purses, never have, never will. I bet my wife and daughters probably know what they are.
Yes, EMANUEL was easy. Our big city mayor. He is actually pretty focused on Chicago and business, etc. I have high hopes for him.
I should be in New York City inna sort while, where I change to a train heading to Chicago. See you tomorrow.
C.C.: Enjoyed all your photos of the Minnesota constructors.
Abejo
(46244249 33)
Thanks, C.C. for my Wednesday mental work-out! At least this one gets done in a climate-controlled environment. Great review, JzB!
WMS. (What Misty Said). I didn't understand that I was to drop the lane and only work with fire.
I spent a couple hours in the outdoors sauna, pulling weeds and cutting off sucker growth from trees. I don't enjoy it anymore. I like the yard and gardens to look nice but I don't like the work needed to keep them that way. OK, I'll stop whining now.
Enjoy your day.
Pat
Very impressive, C.C. and a great write-up JzB. WBS about the NW, I finally got there but that part was a challenge!
Oops, of course I meant thank you JzB for the title. No Monday messes my head up.
Thanks for a great puzzle, C.C.
My only unknowns were APRIORI and SERI, which were solved by perps.
Hola Everyone, A super puzzle from C.C. this morning. I didn't know some of the proper names. Siri came with the perps, and Ceres emerged, finally. I filled in the whole northwest corner before doing any of the rest of the puzzle. The rest of the puzzle wasn't quite so easy.
We have a small agricultural town in the Central Valley named Ceres. Maybe that will help me remember this goddess next time it is in one of our puzzles.
One of my first antique finishing projects was with linseed oil. I'm so glad that other products have come out on the market that are easier to use.
Have a great day, everyone.
Enjoyed the puzzle cc tho it seemed easier than Tuesdays!
EIN in German is ONE;
EINE means A/AN
Hi all,
First I want to say something about yesterdays puzzle. I can't believe I missed the theme words by Col. Potter. We only saw all the episodes of Mash a hundred times or so. But I thought it was very clever.
I found todays puzzle hard but it was a great puzzle. CC, you are really amazing!
The top 4 or 5 lines were easy, but the rest were harder, but fun.
Have any of you been watching THE WORLD WARS on History channel? It is really interesting, brings back some memories. I was 9 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked and remember all of the adults sitting around the radio listening.
Have a good evening all!
Marge
BV Ahlers @ 1502 - ein(e) as article
Ein is the German indefinite article for masculine and neuter nominative nouns. Ein is the neuter article for accusative case. Eine is used for feminine gender nouns.
In any event EINE is an indefinite article so the clue for 53a is correct.
Abejo - Are you taking the Lake Shore Limited back? If so, wave as you slip through Utica :-) Irish Miss is just off your turn at Albany-Rensselaer, too.
Hope you get to enjoy the Mohawk Valley scenery. It will become dark as you exit the valley at Utica.
Spitz:
Yes, I am. I am rolling now. Will make a loud noise as I go through Utica. You might hint it is a train whistle, but it is me.
Abejo
Rolling next to the Hudson River now. Will have to cross somewhere.
Abejo
@BV - the only time I found a genuine error was in a puzzle where the (nameless) constructor doesn't have an editor.
The clue was "Spice" and the entry was OREGANO - of course it's a herb, not a spice.
This was before the days that I knew about this blog or the crossword community at large. I emailed the constructor politely pointing out the mistake, and about three months later I got a two-word reply - "What date".
That rubbed me up the wrong way and I've never done one of that person's puzzles since.
Just watched Quartet with Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay, and a host of other fine actors. Enjoyed it very much for the humor and pathos, and for the beautiful music and scenery. As one of the central characters kept saying, "Getting old is not for sissies."
Steve, your experience and reaction to the c/w error reminded me of a similar one I had a few years ago. In reading two different books, both by very well-known authors, I came across an egregious error. I emailed a very politely worded statement detailing the mistake to each author, so that subsequent printings would be corrected. One author responded with sincere thanks and apologies, the other author's son responded with a curt "It's a matter of interpretation.". As it was a lapse in dates and times, it was clearly an error. Guess which author I never read again?
Steve, I found it interesting that you wrote "…it's a herb, not a spice." I always use "an" before herb, because I don't pronounce the "h." But I think that is the North American English in me…what say others?
HeartRx --
I agree with you.
Abejo - I sent you an e-mail.
For a Wednesday, I fared well. Had STONE for 44A until I saw 37D, I have eaten lots of GORP but never heard it called that. I missed the FIRE lane. Had tried FAST but knew that wasn't right after a bit.
Didn't know APRIORI. Remember RINSO though. Did not know that is the company who makes Surf now. I think I read somewhere that Naturalizer evolved from Buster Brown. Any one know if this is so? (Pluck your magic twanger, Froggie!)
HeartRx - I think Americans are the only ones who say erb. Every one of the cooking show hosts who are not American pronounce the h. It grates on my ear because it sounds (to me) incorrect. They also say fill-it vs our saying fa-lay, when speaking of fish.
buckeye bob and Irish Miss, thanks for confirming what my "ear" heard. I looked it up, and "erb" is definitely an American English idiosyncricy. But I think this clip explains everything.
(Heads up - "F" bomb at the end…)
Marti@7:04 Thanks for the clip. My daughter's boyfriend posted on Facebook tonight that he's taken her to see Eddie Izzard. I had no idea who he was but the clip helps explain it.
Pat
Spitzboov:
Got it and tried to meet you at the platform. Got off the train, but could not see you. They would not let me roam around. Called out your name a couple times. I was further back than Imtold you I would be. I was relying on what the conductor told. Oh well, we tried.
Thanks for the idea. Did you make it to the platform?
Abejo
Regarding Steve's comments @ 4:10 - OREGANO -of course it's a herb, not a spice. ....
IMHO, and per some limited reading - herbs and spices are not mutually exclusive.
Herbs, used in food cuisine, cosmetics and medical uses are generally the berries (peppercorn), roots and rhizomes (ginger), bark (cinnamon), buds (cloves) and arils (Mace) etc. Generally used after being dried. Presumably, this also includes stamens, as for saffron.
Spices, as originally conceived, are the leaves of shrubs and shoots - chives, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage etc. But in most modern usage, herbs are also spices. Thus herbs are a sub-sect of the spices universe. Coriander, Anise, Fennel and Dill... as seeds and leaves can be both.
Of course, I would not claim to be as well informed on the rules of crossword cluing to opine on your original complaint. And I empathize on the shoddy manner in which the complaint was handled.
Abejo - I have had E-mail issues (receiving ) since 6pm -so, not having heard back in time to meet the train, I thought the chance for meeting was iffy. So I did not follow up. Sorry we missed each other. Hope the rest of your trip goes well.
Martha Stewart made a point on one of her shows to emphasize that it's a herb, pronouncing the "h".
I've tried saying it that way but it's a hard habit to break.
I miss Hatoolah. She must be traveling somewhere.
Spitzboov:
No problem. It was fun trying to make it work. I have nothing else to do on this train anyhow. A little diversion for a while was good.
Maybe next time.
And, yes, email can be a pain at times to get to work efficiently.
Still enjoy visiting on the blog.
Abejo
Spitzboov:
No problem. It was fun trying to make it work. I have nothing else to do on this train anyhow. A little diversion for a while was good.
Maybe next time.
And, yes, email can be a pain at times to get to work efficiently.
Still enjoy visiting on the blog.
Abejo
Hey all!
Today's puzzle? Meh...
Just kidding it was a great BALL o' fun!
It took me a long while in the NW. I tried respelling LEBANON 3 times to make other things (like radAR fit). The theme helped me early because I had just enough to suss FIRELANES - hence BALL instead of roLL unlocking the corner.
But eventually I got everything but AVEO - I put ArEO and figured ArOCADO was another fruit I never heard of. Oh well, the rest was worth it. Thanks C.C.!
And thanks to JzB for the entertaining writeup. You beat me to the punch on the Talking Heads link. Now I have to look for something else.
As for the h in herb, I am so used to hearing it both ways, it doesn't phase me. Like an extra U or 7 in a word. The only thing that still is hard to hear is guys from AU calling their wife the c-word without getting hit in the head with a frying pan.
Cheers, -T
Found one - I love this song Rush's Mission from Hold Your FIRE.
Cheers, -T
Best friends/The odd couple
Its Herb
Re: Herb - I went looking for Cheech & Chong and found Ralph & Herbie. Not for those with delicate sensibilities.
YR - I read "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" when it was assigned to DW in college. Today I listened to Still I Rise she recited a few years back on NPR - NPR replayed it today. The FIRE in her voice! The world will miss her.
Cheers, -T
Found this puzzle a little difficult, but finished it. I'm a tea "snob", love Earl Gray, but it can really stain your teeth. Now I drink only green tea, a little less harsh on the teeth. Re herb vs erb, I call it erb, yet a man with that name is Herb. Other word pet peeves of mine, jewely is jew L ry, not jew la ry. Nuclear is nuc le ar, not nuc u lar, as our former pres GWB always pronounced it. Bothers me. Have a great day!
Sorry for the typo, meant jewelry.
Anon @12:16/18 - I didn't notice the typo until you called it out. But then, I'm dyslexic :-)
Folks - the day is done - last email sent. I've got 4.5 hours until the next one.
Cheers, -T
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