Words: 70 (missing F,J,X)
Blocks: 29
Yep, I felt we were getting a Silkie today~! I liked this one - just
enough of a challenge without being jammed up with a lot of proper names and vague references. Triple 7's in the Downs, triple 11's in the
Across - missed the date ( 7-11 ) by one
day....Two other long fills on the inside as well, and a stair pattern
at the center, plus a low block clount. Some of the longer fill:
Onward....
ACROSS:
1. Strategy rarely involving a power hitter : SQUEEZE PLAY - Some baseball for C.C., right off the bat - pun intended
12. Class fig. : GPA - Not EST. - my graduating class was 791 students
16. Art of MGM? : ARS - Ars Gratia Artis - seems WAY too easy, especially for Mr. Silk
17. Oil field workers : ROUSTABOUTS - according to the dictionary, it's an Americanism, and isn't limited to oil fields - any unskilled laborer
18. 1909 ballet "__ Sylphides" : LES - sensible WAG, but I waited on perps
19. Portuguese is its official lang. : ANG - ANGOLA, Africa
20. Scotland's __ Awe : LOCH - DAH~! I had PESTERS in at 8d., so I did not see this at first
21. Static, e.g. : NOISE - my first thought, and I hesitated
23. Not surprising : USUAL - my first thought, and I hesitated again
26. Personal question? : WHO
27. Gulf sight : OILER - Seen in Edmonton, too
28. '60s Navy project : SEALAB - there were three; more from Wiki
30. Sharp turn : ELL - Dah~! I tried ZIG
32. Riga native : LETT - Got it, but spelled it LATT first
33. Touch screen accessory : STYLUS
34. Liability-limiting order : STOP-LOSS - investment market security measure - sounds like I know something, but I just looked it up
36. Cheater's tool : CRIB - Cliff's Notes didn't fit
38. "J'accuse" writer : ZOLA - Perps and WAGs
39. Ios and Naxos are in them : CYCLADES - I have heard of this place, but I was thinking along the lines of asteroids in the belt - it's all Greek to me....
43. Fast ballroom dances : MAMBOS - I have this Perry Como song in my MP3 player - from "Ocean's Eleven" - but we would change the lyrics to "Pablo Loves Mangos"
47. Second : AIDE
48. American __ : ELM - OK, who else went with "PIE"~!?
49. Home of the 3M Company : ST. PAUL - More for our Minnesotan (doesn't sound right)
50. "SportsCenter" brief : RECAP
52. USSR successor : CIS - Commonwealth of Independent States - perps
54. Extend an invitation for : ASK TO
55. Santa __ : CLARA - first thought, but I waited, again...tsk-tsk
56. 7, for N : AT. No. - Atomic Number - nailed it
58. Latin is often heard in it : LAW
59. Pitches : ADS
60. Vision : MENTAL IMAGE
64. Holy mlle. : STE
66. Desperate letters : S.O.S.
67. "It's about time they all left!" : "ALONE AT LAST~!"
DOWN:
1. "Salome" composer : STRAUSS
2. __ hut : QUONSET - It's great to get the 11-letter fill at 1a. - makes all the downs that much easier~!
3. First FIFA World Cup winner : URUGUAY - sure, when you have the U-----Y in place
4. Inning trio? : ENs - iNNiNgs
5. CPR provider : EMT
6. Fire : ZEAL - again, with the "Z" there....
7. Pasta shape : ELBOW
8. Hounds : POOCHES - PESTERS was a good fit, too
9. Longtime college football coach who is now an ESPN analyst : LOU HOLTZ - Last to fill, and a WAG
10. Bermuda hrs. : AST - Atlantic Standard Time
11. Offering only two choices : YES/NO
12. First spacecraft to orbit Jupiter : GALILEO - VOYAGER fit, but that just flew past
14. Claims : ASSERTS
22. Light sources : OIL LAMPS
24. Safety announcement : ALL CLEAR
25. Preminger noir classic : LAURA
29. Surprise hit, maybe : B-SIDE
31. They have shuttles and treadles : LOOMS
35. Montana motto word : PLATA - Oro Y Plata - Gold & Silver
37. Singing style in Rossini operas : BEL CANTO - Beautiful Singing in Italian
39. Lifeless form : CARCASS - Nice way to define this
40. Accept : YIELD TO
41. Jewel boxes : CD CASES
42. In love : SMITTEN - Like this....I found this funny, too
46. Last to finish : SLOWEST - makes sense when it's filled in....
51. Argentine grassland : PAMPA
53. Bag : SNARE
57. First name in Russian gymnastics : OLGA
61. Sushi choice : EEL - DAH~! not AHI
62. Lexington Ave. line : IRT -
63. Practice leader? : MAL - Malpractice
Splynter
Note from C.C.:
Happy 84th Birthday to dear Sallie! Are your sons visiting you for the special occasion, Sallie? Hope all is well with you.
There once was a man, GALILEO
ReplyDeleteWho discovered new lands far away-o.
His spyglass scope
Annoyed the Pope
Who hadn't yet gotten God's memo!
The opera Salome by STRAUSS
Could easily bring down the house.
When Viagra fails
The Dance of the Veils
Could a standing ovation arouse!
On the island of Naxos in the CYCLADES
Ariadne was abandoned in just her chemise
In the opera by STRAUSS
She was wearing a blouse,
But in paintings, she was nude to the knees!
(Actually, in many paintings she was totally nude.)
Those of you who checked the late night postings yesterday saw a Cryptic shoot-out between returned old-timer Nice Cuppa and me, two by Cuppa first,
ReplyDeleteReduced by an eighth? Indeed! (7)
World cup kick-backs detected in popular commercial breaks and border control equipment (7)
And then one more by me,
Flutter of leaflet describing kick-back (7)
All three are solved by words in yesterday's puzzle. I'll let Cuppa reveal them to you. (I'll have to admit I'm not certain I got the second one correct.)
For a Cryptic clue from today's puzzle, here you go:
Secret shared by Zarathustra, Ussher, and Levi the tailor (7)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had to depend on red letters a lot with today's puzzle, in every section. I might have done better if I hadn't tried to work it while watching TV (Almighty Johnsons and a couple shows the LW had missed earlier in the week), since the only real unknowns to me were LOU HOLTZ & LETT. Several questions I didn't know, like sports or operas, but with a few perps and red-letter erasures I was able to deduce them all. Hand up for PIE>ELM.
Hi Y'all! This went better for me than most Silkies. With downs of only EMT, AST & YES NO, I got ROUSTABOUTS and worked from there a few letters at a time. There were just enough knowns to make good WAGs. Lots of WAGs. Thanks, Splynter.
ReplyDeleteOne look up: NAXOS. Could not remember what those Greek Isles were called. I was proud to know, however, that they were Greek. BAKLAVA, I knew because my daughter makes it (rarely). Also Greek.
PETER GRAVES was a gimmee since I had a "P" from Pampas. We never missed the old "Mission Impossible" night in front of the TV.
Tried Corpses before CARCASS. Hand up for "pie". Had RErun before RECAP.
Happy Birthday, Sallie!
Good news came yesterday. The lessor blood vessels in my brother's brain have formed a full bypass around the clot in the basilar artery and the blood is flowing where it needs to go. The bypass had only started on Monday. Now it is complete. They are keeping his blood pressure high to encourage the vessel to become larger to sustain the flow. The Hindu doctor took my brother's face in both hands and proclaimed him a "miracle boy". AMEN!
Morning, all (and Happy Birthday, Sallie)!
ReplyDeleteDid a lot better today than yesterday, which is to say I managed to finish it unassisted. It was definitely touch and go for awhile, however.
LOU HOLTZ and TURN ME LOOSE were the only complete unknowns, I think, but there were lots of other stuff obscured by the cluing or just plain obscure to begin with. I tried some guessing at first, which helped a bit in some places and sent me down the wrong path in others. Tried HEBRIDES instead of CYCLADES at 39A, for example, which had just enough correct letters to make me think it had to be right until the perps forced me to change it. Similarly, I went with STPETE instead of STPAUL at 49. It seemed to fit, until it didn't. Ditto for SAMBAS before MAMBOS and SCREW before ELBOW.
Ah well, it all managed to work itself out at the end. Happy to see (and remember) PETER GRAVES, and I was proud of myself for knowing (and remembering) GALILEO, BEL CANTO, STRAUSS and QUONSET.
filled "LEECORSO" for the Four Letter Network's college football analyst and got thrown off-track for a bit
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteWow, today's BS was a quickie -- took only half the usual Saturday solving time. Like Splynter, LOU HOLTZ was the last fill, and still a WAG.
On an oil rig the ROUSTABOUT is the newbie. His group takes their orders from the Crane Operator. With more experience he can advance to Floor Hand.
PAMPA started out as LLANO (I've always seen PAMPAS -- too long), but PETER GRAVES fixed that. ZOLA was a gimme. No American PIE for me, that M was already in place. I've never seen that film, but Jason Biggs is now appearing in Orange Is The New Black -- very weird show.
HBD, Sallie. Hope you're doing better. PK, that is great news. I didn't know a self-bypass was possible.
Howdy folks,
ReplyDeleteMy first Silkie solve, so the day is off to a good start.
SQUEEZE PLAY & TURN ME LOOSE gave e a great start in the NW.NE was last to fall. Had a bit of brain lock, but I wagged GPA & ARS and it was enough of a foothold.
South was a slog, but eventually I began percolating. The SW section took longer then the SE part.
Surprised how many posters (so far) were stymied by LouHOLTZ. I guess it's a case of different strokes......
Lou was an assistant coach at UCONN early in his career, His son Skip (not me) was born during Lou's tenure. Skip followed in Lou's footsteps and went into coaching. He was head football coach at UCONN for about 5 or six years.
Seeing all my wags were spot on today, maybe I should by a lotto ticket today. Nah, think I'll save the $.
Happy birthday Sallie....have a fun day.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Sallie! I swear, you look as young as you did last year! (^0^)
¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫
Unlike others, I actually am delighted when I see a Saturday Silkie. I don't even get discouraged when the first pass yields only four or five "solid" answers.
As usual, I started getting some answers in the SE, and worked my way back up to the NW with a bunch of WAGS and lots of perp help. I do know LOU HOLTZ because we follow college football. But I had the TZ in place, and my first thought was JIM NANTZ. (Ironically, the NYT today had "Sportscaster Jim" as a clue for NANTZ - Nailed it!!)
I ended up finishing with no lookups, in much less than my typical Saturday time. Thanks Barry!
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteFlew through this one today, unusual for a Silkie. Everything just clicked, except for Latt before Lett, and Mamba before Mambo. The unknown coach was all perps, of course.
Must dash - we're off to Block Island today, first time in about two years. Lots of catching up to do.
OwenKl, I'm up to six days in a row, though I only got 2/3 of today's clue. I understand the references to Zarathustra and Levi, but Ussher means nothing to me.
ReplyDeleteFabian was a Philly local, and his career was a fabrication of Dick Clark's American Bandstand. The girls went wild, but the kid just couldn't sing.
D-O: I, too, thought a spontaneous bypass was inconceivable. I never heard of such a thing. I hope it endures when they get him back on his feet.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marti; I am always pleased to see a Silkie because I know I'm in for a challenge but also a rewarding solve. Once in awhile, I get stumped, but, overall, I finish without help, even if it's a lengthy process.
That said, today was one of the easier Silkie's. Getting Qunset Hut and Squeeze Play almost immediately opened up the grid nicely. Lou Holtz was a gimme for this Notre Dame fan (right, Steve?) as was Zola, St. Paul, and Peter Graves. I don't keep track of how long the more difficult puzzles take to finish, but today's was definitely a speedier solve.
Thanks, Barry, for a delightful end of the week exercise and thank, Splynter, for a great review.
Happy Burthday, Sallie, hope you have a wonderful.
PK, that is wonderful news about your brother. Best wishes for his continued recovery.
Are all of you Mid- westerners and Plains folks prepared for the summer Polar Vortex next week? I don't think it's going to affect us, but we have had some very severe storms and, in the western part of the state, deadly tornadoes. Well, anyway, stay warm. :-)
Have a great day.
Sallie, a wonderful day!
ReplyDeletePK,
ReplyDeleteGreat news! so glad to hear of this miracle!
Sallie,
Long time no see! I hope you're having a wonderful 84th with family all around you!
I actually spent a bit of time on the Silkie today, and ended up with about 2/3 done. I usually don't even look on Saturdays, but I succeeded in the first few clues I looked at, so continued longer than normal.
Off to spend some time sorting things for Easter Seals who are coming Monday.
PK, I'm so glad to hear about your brother getting better.
ReplyDeleteAnd happy birthday to Sallie.
I got some letters of 13A and then guessed ROUSTABOUTS. Never knew they worked outside of the circus.
My information on the topic is from the Disney movie Dumbo, where they have their own song.
Clip from the movie Dumbo[ song at ~1min ]
Just the song, easier to hear lyrics
Everyone here in Cleveland is happy. Lebron James is back and we are getting the Republican convention. [I worry that this may mean the end of the world is near. Cleveland never gets this lucky!]
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Sallie. Hope your day is special.
Wow, a Silkie that was relatively easy. Got SQUEEZE PLAY and QUONSET right off the bat. The other stacked 11's came rather quickly, too. URUGUAY and STRAUSS came easily from the perps. Had to choose between AST and ADT which Bermuda observes. ……LOOSE settled that.
Never heard of LOCH Awe but, being Scotland, LOCH seemed apt. STOP LOSS was also a WAG.
Thanks Barry and Splynter for easing me into Saturday morning.
With a short clip of Wolfman Jack lead in, Fabian on Dick Clark doing Turn Me Loose.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, folks. Thank you, Barry Silk, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Splynter, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteHBD, Sallie, and many more.
Yes, I tried PIE instead of ELM at first. Fixed it.
Took me about 2 1/2 hours for today's puzzle. At least I got it. Quite often I do not.
Tried INFIELD PLAY for 1A. After a few Downs, I changed that to SQUEEZE PLAY.
Tried BRA and BRS for 19A. ANGola won after the three long Downs. Had no idea Portuguese was spoken in Africa as an official language.
PETER GRAVES was easy after a few tickler letters. If I remember correctly he was James Arness' (Matt Dillon) brother.
I thought the word in the clue was los, not Ios with a capital I. I was thinking Mexican something. Eventually I caught the capital I and entered the CYCLADES.
CIS is a new term to me. Makes sense.
Had AT WT at first. Then SNARE and OLGA fixed that to AT NO.
Rwally enjoyed this puzzle.
See you tomorrow. Been raining here this morning.
Abejo
(7215)
Greetings, Weekenders!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Sallie!
For the most part I was on Barry Silk's wave length then with a WAG here and there managed to get the longer fill. PETER GRAVES was no WAG as Mission Impossible was a must see back in the day. And I love BAKLAVA so that was a quick one. Having CYC_ helped to complete CYCLADES, BSIDE, etc.
Ditto on already having M which helped with ELM. The top was pure Wagging though I should know STRAUSS, had DEBUSSY first but STYLUS altered that then the rest fell in place and the whole top fell like a stack of cards.
However, I had FALSETTO not BEL CANTO which brought a whole set of errors. Still I enjoyed this very much, thank you, Barry Silk and Splynter.
PK:
That's such great news for your brother and all your family! Who knew the brain could do that?
Have a delightful Saturday, everyone!
Morning OWenKL and All
ReplyDeleteFirst, as instructed, I will kick off by revealing all (though not in Ariadne-style, Full Monty fashion).
1. Reduced by an eighth? Indeed! (7).
The answer is "DEBITED" (=reduced). It requires allowing 2 Brit crossword conventions - re-parsing words and being wary of/ignoring punctuation.
An eight of a dollar=BIT. Re-parse "Indeed" to "In DEED". So place BIT in DEED and you get DE-BIT-ED.
2. World cup kick-backs detected in popular commercial breaks and border control equipment (7)
The answer is INKPADS ( = border control equipment - familiar to all visitors and permanent residents).
World cup kick = PK. So kick-back PK backwards = KP. Note I should have used the singular in my clue. Cuppa Culpa.
Popular = IN
Commercial breaks = ADS.
So: KP detected in IN ADS = IN-KP-ADS.
3. I signed out last night so did not see OwenKL's sudden-death PK.
However, he also cleverly used kick-back in the clue. But I have not solved it. CAN ANYONE HELP ME???
4. I did get today's clue " Secret shared by Zarathustra, Ussher, and Levi the tailor (7)"
It uses a different ploy from the above. Enough said.
NC
Happy birthday Sallie! I hope you have a great day!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for continuing good news PK.
I read the writeup but none of the other comments yet. I usually whinge about Saturday puzzles. I miss the theme and they seem hard rather than fun. But, I liked this one much more than usual for some reason, maybe because I could do it. I got SQUEEZE PLAY right off the bat so I was off to a good start. I love seeing GALILEO, one of my all-time favorite scientists. So thank you Mr. Silk.
Wow! a Saturday Silkie in under 22 minutes. Best time ever for a Silkie. Started off slowly with few "sure" answers. but slogging and perps carried the day. Thank you Mr. Silk for a challenging and rewarding puzzle, and thank you Splynterhelet for and entertaining and enlightening reveal.
ReplyDeleteTwas a little rude to discuss yesterday's crypto-sparring before today's Silkogram, and to thank Splynter for his splendid report and photoshopped map of Africa locating Angola, and reminding us that BRAZIL is not the only ex-Portuguese colony.
ReplyDeleteWhoopee! OLGA is still up there after all this time, beating out NADJA.
This one came together in multiple passes. I had a picture of QUONSET in my mind, which finally wormed its way through ancient axons. Incidentally, this model of hut was developed into the "Anderson Shelter" in Britland during WWII. You just dug a big hole in your garden (yard), dropped it (the hut) in and covered it with sand-bags. It would not withstand a direct hot from the Luftwaffe, of course, but was good protection for a near miss.
"Squeezeplay" was unknown to me. But it reminded me of The Who classic, "Squeezebox", about a quite different subject, so might not transliterate well to the UK.
And Lexington immediately conjured up the Lou Reed/Velvet Underground classic "Waiting for the man". Thanks to Splynter's picture I finally understand the line "Up to Lexington, 125, Feel sick and dirty, more dead than alive".
I always felt there must be some linguistic connection between BAKLAVA and BALAKLAVA. Apparently not.
One question: is PAMPA used in American English?
It is the original native american word for the stuff, but I've only seen it in its plural form, PAMPAS.
NC
BEL_ANTO/_IS did me in on this easier than usual Silkie, especially the 11-letter stacks – SQUEEZE PLAY, FABIAN hit and James Arness’ brother.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-My ROUSTABOUTS work in a circus like in this Elvis movie. Oil field workers are roughnecks
-The priest we just lost was from a part of Venezuela that spoke Portuguese which is why he did not do the Hispanic masses here.
-My daughter needs white noise of some kind to sleep
-Her defense was that she had a STOP-LOSS order but couldn’t produce it. However, she took her medicine.
-CRIB notes are for tests requiring rote memory not learning
-My neighbor’s daughter is marrying her girlfriend in ST PAUL next month
-Sports Center is RECAPping the heck out of this today
-QUONSETS store hay, grain and machinery around here
-IMO, LOU HOLTZ simply reads stats and spouts clichés. At least Corso is interesting.
-Hudson has 6 PRESETS on band 4 of our XM radio
-An OIL LAMP accident killed one of my dad’s sisters and scarred another in the 20’s
-I’m seeing more and more of these saying who must YIELD TO whom
-HBD Sally and great news PK!
-What syrupy LAURA 60’s song was about a stock-car rack fatality? BTW, the B-SIDE was Wedding Day
Woohoo! I almost got a Saturday Silkie! Woohoo!
ReplyDeleteWasn't sure I was even going to try it but got STRAUSS right away, then QUONSET and then I was on my way. I even got LOU HOLTZ, although I've never heard of him, and ATNO although I had no clue what 7 for N could possibly mean and didn't understand the answer until Splynter 'splained it. But I actually had fun doing a Silkie--still can't believe it!
What a lovely picture, Sallie--have a wonderful day.
And PK, I'm thrilled to hear the news of your brother. I've kept him in may prayers this last week, so this is wonderful news.
Have a wonderful weekend, everybody!
Husker, that would be Tell Laura I Love Her, by Ray Peterson, I think. And on our offshore oil rigs we had ROUSTABOUTS.
ReplyDeleteNC, I had that same thought about PAMPA -- seemed to need an S.
Oh, so that's what a Quonset is!
ReplyDeletePK, what miraculous news!
HBD Sallie, I was looking for a cake when I came across this interesting looking recipe I have to try. Who knew you could make a cake in 3 minutes?
I'm thinking CRIB in this context possibly refers to an secret residence...
ReplyDeleteI once watched my neighbors put up a large modern quonset hut across the road from my farm home 30 yrs. ago. The structure was bolted to a concrete slab as a base. Each molded arch was bolted to the next and there were no wall studs or rafters. My neighbor, one man and my neighbor's 12-yr-old daughter put it up in two days, if I remember right. Very durable, it withstood a tornado that wrecked several other buildings on the property.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind comments about my brother. Misty, prayer seems like the only explanation for his marvelous recovery. That and having a wife who, upon seeing signs of a stroke, immediately drove him to a doctor who sent him to one of the best doctors around who did the right things.
Okay, Cuppa, I got DEBITED just fine, but had problems with INKPADS. I used to travel to Canada every summer when I was a kid, but only been once in the last 40 years, and only once in my life to Mexico maybe 30 years ago, but I don't recall inkpads having any more significance as border control equipment than inkpens would be. I didn't need a visa for those short trips, so had nothing that needed to be rubber stamped.
ReplyDeleteI also had no idea PK was a soccer term. (Still don't. What is it, prize kick, place kick, some Spanish term?) I thought you got it from [worldcuP kicK] [backs], i.e. the back letter of each word, with Worldcup melded as reverse of splitting "indeed" in two.
Flutter | of | leaflet | describing | kick-back (7)
[FLICKER] [=] [FLIER] [surrounding] [the back half of] [kiCK]
Musings
ReplyDelete-Otto, I certainly defer to your knowledge of ROUSTABOUTS in the oil field. I had only heard the term for circus workers as in Elvis’s schlocky movie.
-Also right on Tell Laura I Love Her of course.
-Oklahoma University football has has ROUGHNECK (RUFNEK) male cheerleaders.
-In 2004, one of these 160 lb RUFNEKS started talking trash to Cornhusker linemen and 320 lb. O-lineman Darren Delone “accidentally” slammed into the rufnek and hurt him pretty bad. OU sued the Husker and he was acquitted and the RUFNEKS are not allowed on the field any more.
-Full story.
OwenKL
ReplyDeleteAll non-citizens entering the U.S. have their fingerprints recorded, although it is true that it is done electronically now, so I may have misled you.
I reckoned your answer had to be FLICKER, but could not parse it. I had not seen "described" used to indicate a wrap-around. I have now. Very clever distinct use of kick-back.
Here is my much simpler CRYPTIC for today; a variation on the technique used in your clue from today, and not intended to challenge you:
She's back in the Gulag! - lol! (4).
NC
OwenKL
ReplyDeleteP.S.
PK = Penalty Kick. This is actually an abbreviation used exclusively (and widely) in the U.S.
NC
That was fun! I looked and said, "Silkie," and went for my second cup of coffee, but I got this one. Lou Holtz, as with others, was the last to go, but I'm now sad this puzzle didn't take as long as it usually does for me. I'm afraid Mr. Silk will still send along a few more "at least two cups and sit still puzzles" in the days to come, but thank you for this one. The explanations are always great, too! On to the chores. (See why I like "long solving" puzzles?)
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed NCIS for years now but I can't help notice Gibbs' personality. I can't imagine having him for a boss. I'm guessing many women find him attractive though I wonder if he would be really hard to be with in a long-term relationship.
ReplyDeleteHere's an adorable little fellow trying to stay awake. Sleepy baby He reminds me of myself during some lectures in college...
Quonset Hut...this crossword was made easier because I saw Huell Howser's show on Quonset Huts.
ReplyDeleteHand up for SCREW > ELBOW. Thought either TANGOS or RUMBAS > MAMBOS, but didn't type either in, waiting for perps to tell which. Likewise thought ROUGHNECKS or WILDCATTER > ROUSTABOUT.
ReplyDeleteDesper, sorry you couldn't get Bishop Ussher (the fellow who calculated the Creation to be 4004 BC). I liked having leading characters from 3 religions, especially because the solution had nothing to do with religion!
Secret shared by | Zarathustra, Ussher, | and | Levi the tailor (7)
[Hidden inside] [zarathuSTRA USSher] [=] [STRAUSS]
Cuppa: nothing particularly British about ignoring punctuation, we all do that, though I have seen setters insisting on capitalization. That and willingness to split words are a couple idiosyncrasies of individual setters. I did get your gag, LOL! I have no clue as to your sex, but I infer from your comments you're a Brit emigrated to America? Do keep your daily clues coming, I like solving as much as setting! Real British puzzles are as impossible for me as a Saturday NYT, and I haven't found an online American Cryptic source. People here think my clues are hard? Sheesh!
In case anyone is interested in starting a blog about, say, limericks or cryptic clue analysis, here is a Starter Guide for you to reference.
ReplyDeleteToday's solve was <40 minutes which included both a food break and a beverage refill. I don't usually keep track of the time, but given this was a Saturday puzzle and a Barry Silk to boot, I was prepared for a long afternoon. And as TS and lightning were making their normal afternoon appearance here in SW FL, I figured what better way to spend a few hours?!
ReplyDeleteBut thanks to my getting SQUEEZEPLAY right away, the NW Corner was first to fall. I must give credit to TLOML (Miss E) as she helped fill in TURNMELOOSE. I had several letters, including the word LOOSE, but I was never much of a Fabian fan. She, OTOH, admitted a crush on him when she was a little girl . . . Miss E also was responsible for 7D (I had a brain fart - had the E and couldn't see "ELBOW"), 39D, 44D and 43A. She admitted she didn't know HOW to do the MAMBO, but after solving the puzzle and looking at Splynter's RECAP, we played the Perry Como "Papa loves Mambo" tune on our iPad and had an awkward try of it in the kitchen!
NE and SE Corners were next to fall - 49A was a gimme for me as I worked several years for Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M) in sales and marketing. Technically their HQ are in Maplewood, MN (suburb of St Paul) but I'll let it slide.
The last corner to fall was the SW as I was plain stuck! I originally had ANITA for 55A (I love the thoroughbreds) and needed Miss E's help to get CARCASS. 39A (CYCLADES) was the last word filled-in thanks to the perps.
Nice way to finish the week. Was challenging but not over-the-top. Sudoku was also the same, so the brain got exercised but not fatigued!
Random thoughts: Watched the movie "Jersey Boys" earlier in the week. If you haven't seen it and are a fan of their music (FV and the Four Seasons) definitely go. Well acted and sung. Liked the clue/answers for 29D and 34A. A couple of my favorite B Side hits are Green Onions (by Booker T and the MG's) and Penny Lane by the Beatles (on the flip side of Strawberry Fields Forever).
Today's limerick:
It's tougher to solve a "Silkie",
Today's was surprisingly easy.
I did not know CYCLADES
From the North Everglades;
Like BAKLAVA, it's "all Greek to me!"
This was my second straight Silky that I almost solved. This time I had one blank and four wrong ones. As a Food Engineer, think Chemical Engineer that works only with food, I am embarrassed to not recognize the 56A clue.
ReplyDeleteI had two write-overs: alleges before ASSERTS and Arg before ANG. I didn't know LOU HOLTZ or STOP LOSS, which were solved by perps. Otherwise, this fun puzzle was fairly easy to solve.
ReplyDeleteGreat news about your brother, PK.
Please respect the blog rules. Preview your post and keep each post length at about 20 lines in Preview mode.
ReplyDeleteBillG@1;52:
ReplyDeleteRe: Gibbs, aka Mark Harmon, remember he has been married to Pam Dawber (Mindy of Mork and Mindy) since 1987 so it can't be too bad. Personally, I wouldn't mind discovering what he's really like to live with.
Hi all!
ReplyDeleteWell I would normally not blog a puzzle I don't finish, but I'm so proud I almost got a Sat. Silk w/ only 3 lookups! Whoot!
North was mostly gimmes - SQUEEZE PLAY, ROUST ABOUTS and TURN ME LOOSE was a wag with just a few letters (though I've not heard of Fabian, I only know Lover Boy's figured it was a cover (not!)).
I wanted ASLAP for 29d then BSIDE showed up - oh, that kinda hit.
Anyway fun. Thanks Berry. And Splynter! - I always enjoy your write ups.
On ROUSTABOUTS - its real - I've met them. And thanks for the SO HG - Booooomer!*
PK - Awesome news!
HBD Sallie!
Cheers, -T
*I did grad school at OU & DW got PhD there. Beautiful campus.
Splynter: Wonderful write-up & links.
ReplyDeleteSallie: Happy 84th Birthday. Hope you enjoy a nice Naples Sunset!
Barry C. Silk: Thank you for a FUN Saturday puzzle.
[I usually don't solve on Sat.or Sunday but when I saw 1-a was SQUEEZE PLAY ... I figured WTH!]
Never thought American___ was PIE, though I thought ELM was a weak answer.
First thought for SANTA____ was Anita before CLARA reveal itself.
Fave today was CD CASES ... only because "I do like CASES." (Especially if they are cases-of-beer!)
Cheers!!!
670Wasn't "Tell Laura I Love Her" a Paul Anka song? I guess I could just google or IMDB it, huh.
ReplyDeleteI finished this Silkie and was very proud of myself especially after yesterday's puzzle - a DNF for me...big time! And it was all so clear after reading the blog. HA!
Happy Weekend to all.
I liked this Silkie, but it wasn't as easy for me as many of you thought. Dudley said it best, but I did know Lou Holtz with just the LTZ in place. At any rate, got it done with no help, but it took 35-40 minutes.
ReplyDeleteGarlicGal, you'd be proud. I pulled my hardneck garlic harvest a few minutes ago, and it looks good and is on the screen to dry. The scapes got away from me this year, but we did have one batch of pesto that wasn't half bad. The bulbs look good, and I'll have plenty of seed stock for next year. Last year, the whole crop died on me, so I had to actually buy new seed. Not a good thing.
I think it's late enough that I can go off the beaten path, (I.E: puzzle). Garlic Gals post reminded me that DW wanted to purchase minced garlic in A jar (in water) to save time & effort. I was going to ask Garlic Gal if this was a good idea, but thought it better to Google it 1st.
ReplyDeleteThis site pretty much answered my question...
With a bonus tip to peel garlic!
But still, I would have to cut of that hard root end.
Since I only ever use one clove at a time (unless I have company...) I usually just break one clove off the bulb, cut off the root end, cut off the other end which usually has a green shoot ( which can be bitter ) because my garlic has been sitting in the fridge so long that it sprouted... Then just cut it in half lengthwise & the paper just falls away, leaving 2 half cloves ready for slicing, dicing, or my fav, Garlic Paste!
Since I love salt, a healthy dash of Kosher salt really helps break down the garlic.
Then What to do with it? ( well just about anything! ) but my fav is Salad Dressing!
Note, Dijon Mustard (I.E: Grey Poupon) Lemon juice optional.
Bon Apetite!
(Oh Crap! 23 lines in preview mode...)
CED, I'm not trying to be a butt, but...other than her name, what about Jill's post reminded you of garlic? She didn't mention it. I did.
ReplyDeleteYour right Joe, my apologies...
ReplyDeleteLets eat some garlic together...
(Who knows, it might keep the Anons away...)
(Excluding T of course...)
515
Well, Here I is...
ReplyDeleteEarlier I was exhausted... I'll try again now that I've had a little nap.
I did this puzzle (or what I could do of it) before hitting the garden store. LP (that's his name on the card) came over and helped us figure out what to plant. I put in 6 fox tail ferns and two banana bushes (no bananas, the flowers smell like 'em tho). The Azaleas are next week.
My big puzzling error today was FALSETTO at 37d. That's why I could never get AT. NO. for 56. Ended up with ETNA figuring sIS [er, CIS] names start & end in vowels - A is good as any.
Time to hit the cantina w/ DW. Cheers, -T
Dear C.C.
ReplyDeleteThank you for remembering my birthday.
I just returned from visiting my sons – one in MN, and one in NY.
I didn't try the XWord today. Too busy, and I can do only Mon, Tues. and sometimes Wed. ones.
Cheers
PS
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your HB wishes. I'm glad I logged on tonight.
C E D , the most extraordinary linker in the world,
ReplyDeleteand Average Joe, the most extraordinary coffee drinker (?) in the world.
I love garlic too, and it won't keep this Anon away. And I love to chew on raw garlic of the heirloom kind, while I relax on my bed, - the heirloom is the garlic, not the bed, -
- hoping to attract the real Dracula, where ever he may be. Please come (on) to me and bite me. ( I need to get to get bitten, and soon.)
Wait, wait, wait, wait I do hope its not the other way around, and Dracula is repelled by garlic. I can never get these facts straight. Maybe thats why I'm having such a tough time attracting the good looking ones. A crossword solver who eats garlic would be such a wonderful proposition, we could go down and across and all sorts of wonderful positions with cheater squares and panagram diagrams and I just love the long fill.
Oooops, there goes my 20 line limit. Back to bed.
ReplyDeleteOh my God I just realized there's another Garlic gal from Gilroy CA, who's a part of the California Coven.
Just to let you know, thats not me, I am the bigger, better, more sexed up, pill popped, square hipped, bigger chested
you get the picture.
Hey, Moe!
ReplyDeleteFantastic! I really like the sound of referring to those wetlands in Florida as the "e-VER-glə-deez"!
Opa!
C.E.D, I buy jarred chopped garlic all the time. I only buy the Christopher Ranch brand - it's always US grown garlic...not Chinese. Check their web site for the low down.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea there was another Garlic Gal! Who'da thunk it?
Good night folks.
Careful GarlicGal. Don't talk about garlic without acknowledging AvgJoe. He brought it up first.
ReplyDelete