45-D. Summer camp sight, and a hint to what each contiguous pair of answers to starred clues graphically represents : BUNK BED. Pairs of types of bed are stacked on each other like bunk beds.
My cats would love this one!
1-A. *Place to cuddle : SOFA. I think a SOFA bed is punishment for being a mother-in-law.
13-A. *Minnesota player : TWIN. Of course, a reference to C.C.'s team!
21-A. *__ stop : TRUCK. A TRUCK bed is the business end of a pickup.
26-A. *Tend to the garden : WATER. WATER BEDs were big in the '70s.
54-A. *Actor Phoenix : RIVER. You can see a lot of dry RIVER beds in CA.
59-A. *Consolation for one who doesn't strike : SPARE. A SPARE bed is sometimes only a shade more comfortable than a SOFA bed.
69-A. *London rental : FLAT. FLAT bed trucks are designed to hold wrecked cars.
72-A. *Lawn party rental : TENT. I never heard of a TENT bed, but apparently they are appealing to children.
Our Dynamic Duo is back again with another visually interesting theme. Five of the stacked entries reference types of literal beds, two reference trucks and one a geologic phenomenon. Quite a mix! But no flowers or oysters? Let's see what else is on our plates today.
Across:
5. Gush : SPEW.
9. As well : ALSO.
14. Dominoes unit : TILE.
15. False god : BAAL. The term most often refers to a local spirit deity in the Hebrew Bible, which would be viewed as a false god.
16. Occult symbols : PENTAGRAMS. A wiccan pentacle contains a PENTAGRAM:
18. Like some audiobooks : ON CD.
19. Porter's "__ Girls" : LES. 1957 film with Gene Kelly and Mitzi Gaynor.
20. Scooby-Doo, e.g. : TOON.
23. Reunion attendee : ALUM. Why do we never see this word clued as "Styptic pencil ingredient"??
25. "Memoirs of a Geisha" sash : OBI.
27. Versatile blood donor : TYPE O. O neg is the "Universal Donor."
29. Impede legally : ESTOP…immediately followed by 31-A. Area with briefs and cases : LAW.
33. __ Arbor : ANN.
35. One may be rolled up : TARP. I love the new Fruit of the Loom commercial!
36. Tuber cultivated in the Andes : OCA.
37. Memorized, perhaps : DOWN PAT.
41. Police record : BLOTTER.
43. Egg: Pref. : OVI.
44. Simple step : A TO B.
46. Word on a deodorant label : DRI. It also might contain ALUM.
47. Surprised cry : EEK. A bat!!
48. Accommodate : PUT UP. On the sofa bed?
50. Contract details : TERMS.
56. Gist : NUB.
58. Philosophical : DEEP.
60. Barnacle site, perhaps : KEEL.
62. "Arabian Nights" name : ALI.
63. Just slightly : A TAD.
64. Full of nonsense talk : BABBLING ON.
67. Undertake : WAGE.
68. German wheels : OPEL. I had Audi at first.
70. Rubberneck : EYER. Noun form. "After the accident in the south-bound lane, traffic was tied up on the other side by RUBBERNECKs."
71. "Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they" speaker : YODA.
Down:
1. Like a cold stare : STEELY. Do these stares look Steely, Dan?
2. Comes clean : OWNS UP.
3. Clothier's concern : FIT.
4. Med sch. class : ANAT.omy.
5. Disco device : STROBE. Because "ball" was too short.
6. Benched player? : PIANIST. Cute clue!
7. Suburban tree : ELM.
8. 1973 thriller featuring Yul Brynner as an android gunman : WESTWORLD. Theme park gone bad movie.
9. Roughly : ABOUT.
10. Knight of note : LANCELOT.
11. Picnic competition : SACK RACE. Nailed it.
12. Tiresome : OLD.
16. Land map : PLAT. A plat is a plan of a plot.
17. Gunk : GOO.
22. Sympathetic connection : RAPPORT.
24. Malicious : MEAN. Like some of our least favorite anons.
28. Theoretically : ON PAPER…it always looks good.
30. Picked-up item : TAB.
32. Mars' realm : WAR.
34. Title wanderer in a 1948 Nat King Cole hit : NATURE BOY.
37. Bunny's mom : DOE.
38. Abuse, as one's welcome : OVERSTAY. On the SOFA bed?
39. User-edited reference entry : WIKI PAGE.
40. Tyke : TOT.
42. Leaderless? : TIED.
49. Mexican state or its capital : PUEBLA. Map.
51. "Man is not free unless government is limited" speaker : REAGAN. No politics on this blog, President Reagan!
52. First National Leaguer to hit 500 homers : MEL OTT. More baseball. I know him from crosswords.
53. Game show turn : SPIN.
55. "Star Wars" villain : VADER. Darth, to friends.
57. __-esprit: wit : BEL. English borrowed word from French.
61. Stop, as an embargo : LIFT.
63. Bedazzle : AWE.
65. Mil. address : APO.
66. Phillies' div. : NLE. National League East, Philadelphia. They are playing the last of a three-game series against the San Diego Padres this afternoon in Philly.
'Til next week!
Marti
Notes from C.C.:
1) This is my 50th
LA Times puzzle with Don G. As I dabbled into collaborating with a few blog friends who are new to crossword construction, I found out that it's not an easy job to explain why a theme would not work, why some certain entries had to be discarded and why some clues had to be changed. Now I'm fully aware of the tremendous amount of time and efforts Don put on me. Thank you so much, Don!
 |
| Don & his wife Barbie, Summer 2009 |
2) Don and I also made a puzzle for the the third Minnesota Crossword Tournament which will be held on June 22, 2014 at The Landmark Center in Saint Paul. Please click here
for more information.
Soft waves have a melodious motion,
ReplyDeleteTheir susurrations invoke a devotion.
Gentle billows going by
Croon a sweet lullaby,
As mermaids sleep in the bed of the ocean.
My cat is curled up by my keyboard.
She's laying across mouse and cord.
She has her bed as a nap spot,
But prefers my warm laptop,
My efforts to type round her: ignored!
;;;;;;;;;;;;;llllllllllllllllllllllllll
Tommy and Bobby were brothers.
At bedtime each had his druthers.
Tom took the top 'un
And Bob took the bottom,
And the monster below stole their covers!
This was only a Thursday?! It sure gave me conniptions! I had to leave it to fester in my subconscious twice before I finished it! The whole lower half center was a mystery for the longest time. ON PAPER, BUNK BED, LIFT, PUT UP, NUB, BABBLING ON, OPEL I just didn't see without enough perps. Never heard of NATURE BOY, BEL esprit. BOAT>HULL>KEEL, ALE>NLE, DARTH>VADER, DRY>DRI, SONORA>PUEBLA, et al. Even after I got my ta-da, it took me a while to parse A-to-B. (As a sci-fi fan, I know the shortest distance between two points in space is a Heinlein.)
ReplyDeleteThe theme was also a bit weak. The bunk-bed format was neat, but the way the reveal was worded, I was expecting each over-&-under pair to have a different keyword; and SPARE BED and TENT BED were lame, but legal.
Still, a good puzzle, and some good clues, like benched player, SPARE, picked-up item, WIKI PAGE, leaderless, SPIN. Mini theme with TRUCK stop, ESTOP, stop an embargo. Liked the names clued from quotes. Nice to see a first name on OTT for a change.
Had a bad hayfever attack earlier in the week, and either my body's healing mechanism or the allergy pills knocked me out for ~27 hours! Thanks for all the good wishes during my absence, and for all the folks who filled in for me with their own delightful poems!
ReplyDeleteBTW, The order in which I present poems is purposely thought out. Today, for example, the first one is a mood piece, not meant to be funny, so it wouldn't have been appropriate later in the sequence.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm back with a new[ly refurbished] computer that I finally have more or less running the way I like. It's never a good sign when your screen suddenly goes black and you can smell something burning...
The top half of this puzzle was pretty much a walk in the park, but I almost lost it completely down south. I thought "rubberneck" was a verb and didn't even consider EYER until the bitter end. I'm only familiar with rubbernecker.
I know Wikipedia, but have never heard of a WIKIPAGE.
BABBLINGON just doesn't look right to me and I struggled with every perp to get it.
BEL-esprit is new to me. Ditto for NATUREBOY.
Etc., etc., etc. I did manage to eventually get through it all unassisted, but it took awhile.
Loved the theme, although I didn't figure out what was going on until after I finished and went back to look at the starred clues.
Very impressive c.c.-congrats! A good mentor really does makes a difference and as you noted puts in a lot of time to do so. Enjoyed the puzzle and the write-up. Thanks to c.c., Don G. And Marti.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteAs happens so often lately, I was sure of ADMITS at 2d, and it took foevah for OWNS UP to appear. Down south I ran into a similar problem putting OAXACA where PUEBLA needed to be. It was the only Mexican state I could think of that ended in A.
Watch for "stypic pencil ingredient" and "plan of a plot" coming soon to a Marti puzzle in your local paper. I also thought TENT bed was a stretch.
I remembered the Nat King Cole song, well actually mis-remembered, as SUMMER BOY. It's on my
music server but I usually skip past it.
Time for that 3-mile march...
Good morning everybody.
ReplyDeleteOK, I give up. DNF! Wow, maybe if I had a little more time... Did anybody else find this puzzle tough?
I really liked a couple of clues in this one:
- 6A: Benched player? PIANIST
- 59A: Consolation for one who doesn't strike: SPARE
I'm sure there are other fun clues here, but I couldn't suss them out.
I'm looking forward to reading your posts. Have a great day!
Good morning all !
ReplyDeleteA tale of two puzzles for me. Top half was smooth sailing, but in the bottom my barnacle-laden HULL got stuck in the coral reef at about 20 minutes in.
After putting the puzzle down for a couple of hours, it all came together after testing some possible fills like BABBLING ON and then NATURE BOY. Then I realized it could be an unknown but reasonable PUEBLA if I changed hull to KEEL and that would give me BUNK BED and the theme.
But in the end, no TADA. I didn't know that a Bunny's mom was called a DOE, and the E there was my last fill. The penultimate fill was the intersecting T for NUT and TEL-ESPRIT. Hey, NUT made sense to me, if you catch my drift.
A TAD of good guesses and some wags almost brought it to fruition, but alas, I never knew of NUB in that sense.
Thank you Marti! BTW, I also liked the Benched player clue. It was my favorite.
Thank you Don and CC. Happy 50th !
Clever theme, CC and Don. Witty blog, as always, Marti. Owen, loved your verses. I am glad you are feeling better. Welcome back.
ReplyDeleteThis seemed daunting at first, but once a got a toehold, it was the usual Thursday level. I wondered about TENT bed, but I see there are dozens of Internet sites where you can buy them.
Marti, I have never slept in a comfortable sofa bed. I've discovered that sleeping on the sofa itself and leaving the bed closed is much more comfortable.
Some of my guests prefer to sleep on the recliners in the living room. My SPARE bed is my day bed in the office, fairly comfortable.
Often we can't wait for a TOT to learn to talk and then, suddenly, he is babbling on and on, as if to make up for lost time. Then we can't make him stop.
Favorite were: benched player, leaderless as in TIED game, and area with briefs and cases. (Could that have been Victoria Secrets' cases or bins full of sexy briefs?)
I had MELOTT, but couldn't parse it until reading Marti's blog. V=8 can, please.
Happy 50th anniversary, Don and C.C. - but you don't look old enough to be celebrating that one...
ReplyDeleteOwenKL, thank you for restoring poetic order this morning. I loved your first one, and as I was reading I thought "How contemplative - not like Owen's typical comical pieces." Then I got to the second one and laughed out loud. My cats are always walking across my laptop with similar results ;;;;;;;;;;||||||||||!!!
Barry G., glad to hear your 'puter is all better. Black screen? Burning smell? UH-OH!!
Owen. Glad you're feeling better. Great poems today.
ReplyDeleteIt's strange how some puzzles seem to come easy for me when other solvers, much better than I,struggle with them. Usually, it's the other way around. Today was my first Thursday finish without help. Yeah. I found the top half very easy and the bottom challenging but, obviously, doable. Favorite clues - "Benched player" an "Consolation for one who doesn't strike". Hope you all have a wonderful day.
WEES on the puzzle and the favorite clues. 50! That's quite an accomplishment! Congratulations, Don and CC.
ReplyDeleteBarry, it's not at all good when the magic smoke leaks out of your computer. You should buy the Lucas Replacement Smoke module. :-)
Dudley, I thought of you a moment ago. An A-4 just flew over half dirty at ~1000' AGL. The Lincoln air base gets little traffic and the planes from SAC come over her to do touch and go's. when the wind is out of the north, our house is right under the base leg. We also get a lot of KC 135 traffic, but those A4's are just so intimidating when they're in slow flight. They look like a dirigible.
Good morning (again), folks. Thank you, C.C. and Don G. For an excellent puzzle. Thank you, Marti, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteAs others said, the top section was quite easy, but the South was a bear.
Tried IDOL before BAAL.
I am Type O Pos. and am giving a pint tomorrow in Johnsonburg. They have great home made sandwiches to eat after giving.
Tried REEF before KEEL. Worked.
Tried PUEBLO first and then YODA forced me to PUEBLA.
Enjoyed the theme. After I was finished it all made sense.
Lots to do, see you tomorrow.
Abejo
(103)
Wow, 50 collaboration here along with all of your solos and other publication out in the grid world, and amazing feat.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of feat, welcome back Owen.
I love seeing visually stimulating grids and remain in total awe of the gridding process.
How could you not link the classic MOVIE TRAILER for West World with Richard Benjamin in cowboy boots. Of course it was no WATERWORLD .
An amazing, sorry...
ReplyDeleteGood morning all,
ReplyDeleteWEES about the puzzle, although unlike most, I needed help to complete the bottom- too many unknowns. Felt good to finish a C.C./Don creation. Congrats C.C.,and blessings to Don for his fabulous mentoring.
Owen, so glad you have recovered enough to give us a triple delight. !st one is LOVELY.
Kazie, never said welcome back. I'm so in and out that I wasn't aware how long you were gone. Must have been a wonderful visit.
Barry, glad your computer is up and running. I'm still getting used to this new one.
Off to take car of a sick grandson.
Greetings, Puzzlers! More great work from our leader and her mentor, thank you C.C. and Don G. And thank you, Marti for making sense of it for us.
ReplyDeleteI found this just A TAD easier than the usual Thursday fare though the south did slow me a bit. I'm very familiar with OPEL as I carpooled with someone who owned one and my second step-father was from PUEBLA.
His family was bused annually to Kansas then returned home at the end of the harvest season. When he turned 18 years of age he joined the Army and became a U.S. citizen and was always proud that he could vote.
I find it very clever that not only are the starred answers types of beds, but they are placed over each other like BUNK BEDS.
Ditto for liking the clever clues for PIANIST and SPARE. Hi, Boomer.
I hope you all have a great Thursday! I'm off to a birthday lunch.
Thanks to Don & C.C. for a fun challenge today, and to Marti for explaining what I didn't understand!
ReplyDeleteI wanted ONEG before TYPE O but it didn't fit. 59A SPARE took a while to parse because I was still into all the baseball clues. Oh, bowling!
Word of the day from OwenKL - susurrations! WOW.
YAM before OCA, DRY before DRI (TIED fixed that up), and I went from RAMBLING ON to BUMBLING ON to BUBBLING ON until finally ending up with BABBLING ON!
I've never seen RUBBERNECK used as a noun so I wasn't very happy with EYER!
Lots of rain here. Rain barrel filled up overnight!
C.C., I loved the arrangement of your grid, but unfortunately, never groked the theme while working it.
ReplyDeleteMarti, your blogging is always fun to read and when I have time I usually go back and pick up more new info from you(thanks for plat).
I did not know the phrase bel-esprit, but remember when the Esprit brand was so in? We had a huge store in SF and it seems like everything one year was pink and gray. The headquarters have since moved to Germany and Hong Kong.
Globe was too short too.
JD, Esprit went from about 20 billion in value to about $1.5 billion in a matter of a few years - how fickle the fads of youth, to tumble such a mighty retail giant!
ReplyDeleteLemony, I didn't link the WEST WORLD trailer because I knew you would. (^0^)
I'm watching the US Open today. Phil Mickelson was off to a great start by birdieing the first hole (#10).
Like others today, I swam through the top half, but foundered for a while in the south. I did know BEL ESPRIT and KEEL, but was confused by wikiPAGE, and can never remember the military post office acronym APO. But in the end it all came together, except for the theme: I couldn't figure out the connection until Marti kindly made it obvious in her title!
ReplyDeleteJD,
We were gone for most of March visiting friends and "rellies" in Oz, but this last time only for 12 days in Germany. I'm finding more and more, I simply don't have the time to hang around here much either any more.
Marti: Wonderful write-up & links.
ReplyDeleteC.C. & Don G. Thank you for a FUN 50th collaboration.
Only needed 9 perps to get Nat King Cole's 1948 hit, NATURE BOY.
Don't know why I don't remember hit-songs from "before I was born."
Write-overs at hull before KEEL and dry before DRI.
Alas, nothin' to drink in the grid.
tears ...
I can remedy that ...
Cheers!!!
PS I'm rooting for Croatia in the World Cup today. (probably another ... tears ...)
It's always exciting to see a C.C. and Don puzzle--and this one was a little tough, but a lot of fun with a fun theme. I goofed only by putting DRY instead of DRI and then wondering what TYED had to do with "leaderless." Duh! So, many thanks, our Dynamic Duo, and you too, Marti, for a great expo as always. I especially loved the Kitty BUNK BED.
ReplyDeleteWe're off to see an audiologist this morning. Rowland seems to be moving into hearing-aid territory.
Have a great Thursday, everybody!
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteClever and original. Looks like a standard grid, until you solve it.
Maybe A TAD easier than a normal Thus. Never once was I in despair.
"Benched player?" was my fav, of course.
Went to granddaughter Alexa's middle school graduation this morning. For entertainment 4 of the girls sang a song about friendship, and some of it was in 4-part harmony. Impressive.
Dance recital tonight, with 3 other granddaughters performing.
Quite a day here in Bumpaland.
Cool regards!
JzB
Nature Boy
ReplyDelete"The greatest thing you'll ever learn . . ."
Cheers!
JzB
C.C.,
ReplyDeleteLove when MEL OTT's full name gets in a puzzle. I think this is the first reference to the Twins this year. Well, at least it's baseball Season! I'm not sure if the AL Central is either the closest division in Baseball this year … or the worst. Every team is within 2-3 games of .500. We play you next THUR-SUN.
I liked WIKIPAGE, good modern day fill.
A good workout for a Thurs pzl, as one would expect from Don and C.C.
ReplyDeleteI remembered NATURE BOY and WEST WORLD, and those gave me a nice start. I managed to get through the rest slowly but steadily until hitting the SE corner. It took me a while before I caught onto the fact that my choice of DRY for 46A was holding everything up.
Talk about a butterfly effect! For me, everything depended on getting the advertiser's use of an "I" in DRI -- all the way down through LIFT and TENT.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteHad to chip away at this one. My awareness of Mexican place names is slight, had to wait for perps. I remember that Nat King Cole song from years ago, but not its title. More perps. Had trouble at Eyer for the same reason as above - "rubberneck" feels more like a verb.
Avg. Joe 9:03 - I always liked the vintage look of the A-4. Would love to try one! :-)
Congrats you two on your 50th! Amazing accomplishment by any standard.
ReplyDeleteLove the grid. Only one who has tried know how hard it is to create such elegance with a themed puzzle.
And of course, "Benched player" gets my vote for best clue.
Best to all - John Lampkin
Like others I breezed though the top and the SE but eventually when online to finish without errors although I had Red Letters on.
ReplyDeleteI too enjoyed "Benched player" as the top clue. An excellent misdirection.
ReplyDeleteBack to my SE corner problem, I hesitated to credit REAGAN for the quotation, because I was scratching my brain to come up with a true originator of the sentiment. But neither Jefferson nor John Stuart Mill would fit, so had to be denied their props.
Conceded to REAGAN by default.
Dudley, DO pointed out the error of my ways in a private email. It's an E-4 not an A-4. Just a tiny bit of difference I'd guess :-).
ReplyDeleteCan't say I've ever seen an A-4 in the flesh. Sorry for the error.
Hi Everyone:
ReplyDeleteVery late to the dance due to hair cut appointment, getting new prescription eyewear, replacing one of my precious rings which somehow left my finger without my knowledge of when and where (fractured rib redux), and finally, a trip to the supermarket where I somehow managed to turn "just a few things" into a full shopping cart!
The Dynamic Duo gave me a run for my money today. I had a lot of trouble in the lower half but with perps and a wag or two, got the TADA w/o help. Fav clues were for pianist and spare. Like others, I had hull/keel and like YR did not parse MELLOT. In fact, before coming to the blog, I thought to myself, how could I not be aware of a player named Mellot getting 500 home runs.
In any case, congrats to Don and CC on their 50th "duet" which I enjoyed solving and to our Dear Miss M for 'splainin' it all so clearly.
Have a terrific Thursday.
Hi everybody. Add me to the list of those who enjoyed the puzzle and the writeup. I also thought "Rubberneck" seemed odd as a noun. I thought the clue should have been Rubbernecker.
ReplyDeleteThe local car dealer gives me a free exterior car wash whenever I want it. But I headed off to the full-service car wash to get the inside scrubbed clean too. Very nice result for about $13.
Irish Miss, I, too forget names of players as soon as they are filled in the puzzle. But MEL OTT is one of those convenient names that can get you out of grid-filling scrapes. And his record has earned him a place in crossword legacy.
ReplyDeleteBill G. It was a stretch for me not to add the "er" to rubberneck. That's why I had to use it in a sentence to convince myself...
Sorry, I just realized that I wrote Mellot instead of Melott. I think this is the first time I've see his full name in a puzzle.
ReplyDeleteSorry again, seen not see. New glasses will be welcomed!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, C.C. and Don on your 50th collaboration! Very well done.
ReplyDeleteI had the same issues with the bottom third of the puzzle as others have. The top filled in easily.
Favorite clue/answer: ANN Arbor, my old stomping grounds.
I would never think of bunk beds for a camping sight. When I camped with the Girl Scouts, we pitched a tent and slept in a sleeping bag on a cheap plastic air mattress you hoped would stay inflated all night. I don't think it ever stayed inflated and you woke up with some sore muscles.
Welcome back, Owen! The Cornerites did a good job of filling the void, but it was obvious the master was missing.
I read yesterday that, for the first time in 7 months, the Great Lakes are free of frozen H2O! Bet the water is pretty cold.
Enjoy your evening. The weekend starts soon!
Pat
Irish Miss:
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you cleared that up.
I wasn't aware of the Frenchman MELLOT hitting 500 Home Runs.
I thought Alphonse MELLOT was a Wine maker ... lol
Loved the kitty bunk beds, Marti. Also loved your poems, Owen.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was an easier than usual Thursday puzzle. I, too, questioned EYER because I thought rubberneck was a verb, but the perps led to only one answer. PUEBLA was all perps, too.
Forgot to say "Great picture, Don" and "Welcome back, Owen"!
ReplyDeletePat, thanks for reminding me about ANN Arbor--my old stomping ground too. Taught at the University of Michigan for eleven years before coming to California, but have forgotten where the ANN comes from?
What a busy and productive day you've had, Irish Miss!
Here in Scottsdale there is an event venue named WEST WORLD. It's where the annual Barrett Jackson auto show, horse shows and many other entertainments are held.
ReplyDeleteLate to the party today. I did the puzzle this morning but had to take the ol' Subaru into the shop (trying to squeeze a few more miles out of it).
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a bit stickier than the usual Thursday puzzle. If I recall correctly, the last fills were WIKIPAGE and WAGE. And isn't BAB BLINGON some alien preppy chick?
And I'm in the rubbernecker camp too.
[14:29]
At my Girl Scout camp, we slept on the ground inside a tent. At a church camp we slept in bunk beds. When I was a camp counsellor during my college vacations the campers all slept in bunk beds. The camp experience is variable even within a single camp, like this.
ReplyDeleteCamp Cedarledge, MO.
Manor House $65 Sleeps 36 on mattresses on floor Latrine
Petite Chalet $65 Sleeps 36 on mattresses on floor Environmental Toilet Has a fireplace.
Wohl Lodge $75 Sleeps 24 in bunk beds Indoor Restroom Has air conditioning in summer
I didn’t bat an EYE over EYER and RUBBERNECK. They are merely different, but common types of crosswordese. I have learned that many words which I usually think of as a noun can legitimately be a verb or vice versa. I have also learned that -ER can be added to almost any verb. Just this slight shift in expectation is a tremendous help in solving. Also, I feel the need to remember that words which I have not yet experienced are quite common to others or are frequently found in print and not merely regionalisms or obscurities. Thus they are learning experiences.
Loved the kitty suitcase bunk beds.
Do your kitties ever actually sleep in the beds you have chosen for them?
Hi Y'all! Congratulations, Don & C.C., on your 50th! I knew it would be clever and difficult when I saw Don's name. It has been a while since we did, hasn't it? I had to study the puzzle after finishing for awhile to see the BUNK BED theme. Very cute. I laughed out loud.
ReplyDeleteGreat expo, Marti! Owen is back in good form! But where was BillG yesterday?
JzB: Thank you for linking Nat King Cole. The song was familiar, but the title NATURE BOY was not. All perps and a big WAG.
WEES about speeding through the top half. I got stuck on the DOWN PAT/DOE cross. I tried SOW for the bunny mama for some dumb reason. I've known rabbit females were DOEs since my kids were in 4-H and we saw other kids with their rabbit projects at the fair. DUH!
I'm proud to have typed in REAGAN & MEL OTT immediately. Took a while to dredge up RIVER.
Learning moment was PUEBLA. Didn't know there was a state with that name. I tried Sonora, Baja CA, Chihuahua, Yucatan which exhausted my knowledge of Mex names. Yay, perps!
Saw this QOD: "Someone invented the telephone and interrupted a nation's slumbers, ringing wrong but similar numbers." - Ogden Nash.
Hola Everyone, Tough one for me today. I had a DNF. Too many sports, musical and Star Wars connections I guess.
ReplyDeleteA very clever arrangement of your puzzle answers, Don and C.C.
Thanks Marti for the write-up and explanations of those things unknown. At least unknown to me.
A lovely, lovely day here today. Not too hot or too cold, just right as Baby bear would say.
A handyman is here today to repair, replace, and reburbish a whole list of things at the house. Our disposal, instant hot water, and toilet leaks will all be fixed by the end of the day.
Hooray, yippee, and glory be.
Have a great day, everyone.
YR: The trick to getting cats to sleep in bed chosen for them is to act like they aren't supposed to be there. Then when they settle in, act resigned to allowing them to be there. That way, they think they've won.
ReplyDelete(Curses! Foiled by the Dynamic Duo again!)
ReplyDeleteDNF via FIW
I would never think of tackling a Dynamic Duo Puzzle other than in ink. But I sure missed hearing that Tada!
The perps were strong on plat & bel, however rubberneck=eyer just rubbed me the wrong way.
My biggest mistake was Undertake = Wade... (When you undertake something, you wade right in,,, right?)
(I can talk myself into anything...)
Anywho, it left me with a vertical (& I can't read anything that way) "Wikipade" which made me spend in inordinate amount of time trying to change the entire corner to accommodate "Wikipedia."
Avg Joe, E-4? The doomsday plane? Are you sure it wasn't the A-4?
Oh Great! Now you have got me looking at planes! Wait a sec! Yellow knee guards? I have got to check out the site where this pic came from...
Anyway, I don't know how I can make fun of Bunk beds... I mean it's been done before...
Hmm, bed names...
Stacked...
That gives me an idea,
(I'll be back,,, BwaaHaHa....)
After 36 holes and trimming trees hanging over my MIL’s roof, I finally am here and puzzling. I shot very well, thanks for asking!
ReplyDeleteMusings
-Congrats on 50 CC and Don!
-SE corner took some rearranging after confidently putting in MUSIAL instead of MEL OTT for M_ _ _ _ _
-We used to ride out to do nursery field work in a TRUCK BED. No can do now!
-We don’t like to be PUT UP on the SPARE/SOFA bed so much at my daughter’s house but grandkids like having us there and it saves us $135 so…
-ALUM in old Warner Bros. TOONS made the characters pucker up and I never did know what it was until I started shaving
-Blood banks in Lincoln are still begging for 0-
-Pie graph of blood type occurence
-Pols have their non-answers DOWN PAT
-The Blair, NE police requested there be no RUBBERNECKERS after last week’s horrendous storms
-STROBE light on water droplets (:26)
-ON PAPER, some recent Yankee teams looked to be a shoe-in for a pennant
-¡Nunca he oído hablar de el estado de PUEBLA!
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteFinished earlier today; just got around to posting now.
Like others said, it seemed on the easy side for a Thursday. Finished E of the Int. Date Line lickety-split. Wanted 'hull' before BUNK BED made KEEL clear.
Didn't know barnacles to be EYERS of KEELS, specifically. Parsing A TO B helped the SW as well.
Cluing for PIANIST and SPARE was quite clever.
BZ to C.C. and Don for another fine solving challenge. and thinking up a unique theme.
Congratulations Don and C.C. on your 50th puzzle. A great feat.
ReplyDeleteWelcome Back, Owen. I'm glad you're feeling better. I loved your first "pome" today.
We've found that putting an egg crate foam over the sofa bed mattress before making up the bed is the best solution to uncomfortable sofa beds. We've not had any complaints for a long time, now.
SO let's see,,,
ReplyDeleteYou put together a sofa bed with a twin bed, and you get...
Oh No! I didn't think it was possible!
Holy Cannoli!
ReplyDeleteSorry to post a 6 minute ad, but the sofa bed that converts to bunk beds is at 3 minutes.
Would have never seen the theme but was able to solve with some difficulty on the lower half as others have stated.
ReplyDeleteDave, look up the E-4B Looking glass. It's based at Offut AFB, roughly 70 miles from where I'm sitting. The Lincoln ANG base has one of the longest runways in the US (4th option for the shuttle, IIRC) but has nominal traffic since they only have a local base of 5 or 6 KC-135's. So when the guys from Offut want to get some touch and go time, they go west a few miles to get into less congested airspace. I see the 135's almost daily in my airspace, but the E-4's show up only a few days a month. It's not that extraordinary, it's only a 747 after all. But when it's flying low and slow directly over your house at 1,000' it gets your attention.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the direct reference to a former president on the answer to 51D, I couldn't help but notice the oblique reference to another in 37A. And if I have to explain that joke, it won't be funny any longer. :-)
Yeah, I can see why it gets your attention.
ReplyDeleteBut why does that KC-135 look bigger?
DUCK!!!
Marti, I just discovered your "That's a lot of bunk" opening was a link to an old song. Cute!
ReplyDeleteYou've got it Dave. I don't see them gear down very often, but have. Usually they are only half dirty, not all the way.
ReplyDeleteThe 135 is the Boeing 707 chassis. A large aircraft, but a lot smaller than the 747, and a lot older. But they do still get your attention at that ~1,000 AGL altitude. And since we live in a sparsely populated area, the pilots can spot the locals on the ground as they pass over. I've gotten a few to wag their wings to say hello.
Good eve all!
ReplyDeleteWEES. I started off thinking "This is a Thursday?" And then suddenly it was at 29a. But what fun and I did it all by my self...
Thanks Don & C.C. for a fun puzzle and Marti for the BEL-esprit-ty (?) write-up.
At first I thought the theme was bottom to top, TWIN SOFA, WATER TRUCK, SPARE RIVER... ??? I'll go with it.... TENT FLAT ??? I went back to see if it was TENT FLAp. Nope.
I had to do an A TO m letter run to finally parse _ELOTT. I tossed a coin for T or B in NU_ (56a). Heads. I win.
Python's Sir LANCELOT. (This won't play on a iPad).
Welcome back to Owen. I've slept like that before - up 3 days straight for penultimate E.E. finals. DW put a mirror under my nose to make sure I was still breathing (she watched a lot of old movies).
Barry G. Known fact: Computers run on smoke. If you let it out, no workie.
Like Mari 6d & 59a were favs.
CED - that furniture is a pipe-dream. No way anyone could keep it uncluttered enough to transform - and you'd have to make your bed every morning!
OBI Wan Kenobi and VADER in the same puzzle. Sweet.
C.C. - so don't send you my puzzle ideas? :-)
Cheers, -T
YR @ 4:19, Yes, my kitties definitely have their favorite beds that I have put out. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t avail themselves of any couch, chair, windowsill or pillow that could be fair game for a nap!!
ReplyDeleteHG @ 5:03, it is PC to translate for non-Spanish speaking friends:
¡Nunca he oído hablar de el estado de PUEBLA!
- I've never heard of the state of PUEBLA
CED @ 5:39, cool furniture!
Avg Joe @ 5:58, got the joke!!
PK @ 7:59, glad you enjoyed the old song!!
-T: Wish my LW would learn that mirror trick. If she doesn't hear me snoring, she pokes me in the ribs to make sure I'm dead (or not, as the case might be). As she's getting older, her hearing's starting to get poorer, and so is my sleep time!
ReplyDeleteWe seem to be getting into smoke and mirrors here. I do like the idea of a phlogiston-powered 'puter though!
Bumpa, thanks for Nature Boy. Like others, I remembered the tune, some words, but not the title.
ReplyDeleteDang, you're right Marti. I was going to do that and...
ReplyDeleteMy excuse and $4 will get you coffee at Starbucks!
How many of you have an unobstructed view of the sky tonight?!?
ReplyDeleteAwesome.
Read a fascinating story about this song today. It was a thumbnail on Yahoo!. So, in honor of Brazil hosting the World Cup: Girl From Ipanema.
Owen - I doubt I'll ever get phlogiston into a sentence, but I really, really want to. I'm sure DW will correct my pronunciation ('cuz I'm a BABBLING idiot).
ReplyDeleteI noticed after I posted that it's OBI, YODA, and VADER that is so sweet. Let NATURE's force be with you...
Anon @9:34 I can barely see the full moon through the palms (the north is nothing but Houston lights). I assume that's what you're referring to.*
Tomorrow is the the Strawberry full moon - are your PENTAGRAMS ready? :-0
Cheers, -T
*Diane Rhem's show yesterday had a linguist that said I could end with a proposition. :-P
That was some very fine tuneagement anon. I've been waiting all day to hit my number. Such is life. Well, I can't wait for 68 so... PEG
ReplyDeleteNo yellow full moon for me tonight. The June gloom has set in. All I can see is a gray cloud cover with a bright area where the moon is.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I have to get into the Spanish phrasing. When "de" & "el" are used sequentially, they are contracted to "del" so it should be "del estado de Puebla."
ReplyDeleteJeannie, eat your heart out! :>) I hope you are doing well.
ReplyDeleteAnonT: You no doubt are familiar with the oft-quoted response of Churchill to having an advance copy of a speech edited to correct a sentence ending in a preposition. The Prime Minister supposedly replied with the following note: "This is the type of arrant pedantry up with which I will not put." (I don't know if it's true or not; I wasn't there. Whether or not, it makes a good story.)
Bill G: I have heard that Churchill quote. Not being there myself either, I assume it's apocryphal.* But it is funny.
ReplyDeleteUpon consideration, I may be mistaken. The loose linguist may have been on On Point or Forum and not Diane Rhem. Sometimes the programs blur together.
Lucina - so what does de or el mean? I've heard of Del Rio and Del Sol. Is that de = "of" and el = "the"? I know 7+ artificial (computer) languages but was awarded a D in Spanish (she was being nice).
C, -T
*It took 6 times plus a Google to get that word's spelling. Never attained better than a C in English - always the spelling...
AnonT:
ReplyDelete"De" means "of" and "el" means the and they are often contracted to "del."
de el estado = del estado "of the state"
del rio = of the river
ReplyDeletedel sol = of the sun
Oh, goodie. My PENTAGRAM is out for your spell...
ReplyDeleteArgyle - yeomen's work... Thanks for all you do.
Speaking of a D in Spanish - did anyone read Heloise? J.K. in Nebraska was irate that her 100% cotton towels were 100% algodon too!
C, -T
I conjured a Demon of jaw and claw.
ReplyDeleteThe pentagram was without a flaw.
In smoke and phlogiston
Emerged this apparition,
The most fearful fiend, my Mother-In-Law!