A return to a variation of the definition puzzle, where one phrase is used as the clue for all theme answers and evokes varied fill but a punny second half is added to each clue to get the same fill but with different meaning. Each fill is a two word description of work on a house which might be on a blueprint, as well as a phrase clued with wit. The really challenging part of the theme is the resulting different meanings of the words in the fill. I will let Splynter, our resident builder, discuss the various work involved in each construction creation. Once again, beyond the entertaining theme, the fill is mostly 3,4 or 5 letter words, leaving a non-Friday feel to the puzzle. We do have NEGATED, PARAGON, STIRRED, DES MOINES, SERENADER to ponder on and much fun misdirection to ratchet the difficulty to a Friday level, so let us see what you all think of the latest from Jeff, adding to my string of Jeff(rey) puzzles to blog. JS has been appearing every month this summer. Very music intensive day, I hope there is something for everyone.
17A. Blueprint spec ... or, allowable hours for hound sounds? : BAY WINDOWS (10). The window of opportunity for the doggies to howl at the moon.
1. Short pants? : GASPS. I like a Friday starting with misdirection as long as it is not too obscure. This one popped immediately for me.
6. Boston or Chicago : BAND. Sure CITY may fit, but it is Friday; which do you like better?
BOSTON. (4:18) CHICAGO. (7:24).
10. Sound of relief : PHEW. Finally, a direct clue.
14. Mendelssohn's Opus 20, e.g. : OCTET. This was written when he was 16! Be warned this is a 35 minute concert.
15. One-on-one sport : EPEE. Is Epee the sport or an event of the sport of fencing?
16. Con artist, for one : LIAR. Whatever happened to Jim Carrey and his career?
19. Naysayer : ANTI.
20. LeBron's Miami uniform number : SIX. This was how many championships he promised the city.
21. Mr. __!: old whodunit game : REE. I never played this one, only Clue, but the name of this one is fun. LINK.
22. Initial : MAIDEN. Tricky, but fair; we had a Maiden solo publication this week for constructor Steve, so awesome. My favorite MAIDEN. 4:22.
27. The __, Netherlands : HAGUE. I just drafted a contract with a provision for dispute resolution by this BODY.
30. Regular TV show : SERIES.
31. Bestows : AWARDS.
33. __ splicing : GENE. Wire fits also.
34. "Top Gear" airer : BBC. British Broadcasting Corporation.
37. Gets ready for lunch, maybe : ZAPS. Ah, the handy microwave. My Thai friend calls it the 'wave.'
38. Scrub : ERASE. This was not an easy one for me, I needed perps to see where it was going.
40. "__ We Are": Estefan hit : HERE.
41. Look over : EYE.
42. "How now? __?": Hamlet, before mistakenly slaying Polonius : A RAT.
43. __ column : SPINAL. Doric and Ionic and Corinthian did not work.
45. Used a plane on : EVENED. Smoothed?
47. Useful quality : ASSET.
52. Tater Tots maker : ORE-IDA. Last week it was the ONEIDA tribe; you can see the choices constructors must make.
53. __ fault : TO A. A partial?
54. Words of agreement : I AM. A partial?
57. Improvisational style : SCAT. Listen to one of the BEST.(3:54).
62. Manuscript encl. : SASE. Self Addressed Stamped Envelope.
63. Shell competitor : ESSO. Standard Oil, now I remember.
64. Soul singer Adams : OLETA. More MUSIC. (3:53).
65. Begun: Abbr. : ESTD. Established.
66. Study, say : ROOM. The noun, not the verb.
67. Name on a Yorba Linda library : NIXON. Some HISTORY. I am looking forward to the PBS series about the Roosevelts.
Down:
1. Slew : GOBS. We are not killing, but have lots of them.
2. Berry rich in antioxidants : ACAI. They have gobs of anti-oxidants.
3. "Come Sail Away" band : STYX.
4. Service station? : PEW. Alliteration and misdirection, what makes Fridays so much fun.
5. Inflamed : STIRRED. 50 shades of grey? Gaga's current hair color?
6. Moistens, in a way : BEDEWS. Sounds like a word from a romance novel.
7. GI's mail drop : APO. Army Post Office.
8. Unfamiliar : NEW.
9. "State Fair" setting : DES MOINES. Filmed at least 4 times, this is from 1962. (1:33).
10. Crisscross patterns : PLAIDS.
11. Rajah's tongue : HINDI.
12. Downed : EATEN. Hmm, mine are more often drunk.
13. Twist and compress : WRING.
18. Revival prefix : NEO.
23. Sheltered, nautically : ALEE.
24. Contemptible ones : CURS. Good alliteration, but why?
25. Ruled out : NEGATED.
26. GI chow : MRES. Meals Ready to Eat. Another non-existent plural.
27. Cloud : HAZE. Makes sense if you think of your brain.
28. Out of town : AWAY.
29. Yawn : GAPE.
32. One who might play under a balcony : SERENADER. Romeo, wherefore art thou?
34. Uncle __ : BEN'S. I used to use their 90 second jasmine rice all the time.
35. "Up hill, down __ ...": Burns : BRAE. Not familiar with the POEM.
36. Bird was one, briefly : CELT. The briefly here is especially tricky because it suggests an abbreviation, and Larry was a Celtic fro many years.
39. Took its toll? : RANG. Last week knelled, this week tolled. Fun Friday cluing.
40. Kettle emission : HISS.
42. Ardent : AVID.
44. Ideal : PARAGON. Of virtue, of course.
45. Ready to be printed : EDITED.
46. Many a late '90s startup : DOT COM.
48. "Pippin" Tony winner : FOSSE. SING and DANCE. (7:26)
49. Ocean predators : ORCAS.
50. Numerical extreme : LEAST.
51. Circus sound : OOH.Ahh, I guessed correctly.
54. Goat with Iberian and Siberian species : IBEX.
56. Inconsequential : MEAN. Not familiar with that meaning of mean. I know it can signify cheap...
59. GI show gp. : USO. United Service Organizations Inc.
60. General on a takeout menu : TSO.
61. Will Smith title role : ALI. Muhammad Ali. Fine movie, interesting man. Ali appeared in a puzzle Jeff did last year where I AM was part of the theme.
Well, here we are again, finished with another Friday work out. A nice tight theme and some expert cluing left me happy, now if I could only sing. I guess I am music intensive because, if you are in Denver tonight you can hear my son sing at Tennyson's Tap with the band Hangman's Hymnal. Lemonade out, but first- once again great job Steve.
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to our Steve, who's traveling on the road. Might be in Dearborn now. When was this photo taken, Steve? Did Herbalife sponsor your run or something?
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Steve – wow, you get to do a lot of celebrating!! How special to have your solo effort published in the same week as you birthday!
¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫
Barry G. must be sleeping in this morning, so I guess I’ll have to lead the way.
I figured out the theme at CROWN MOLDING, so I went back and filled in BAY WINDOWS and the top more or less finished in a speed run. Which was quickly halted by the BBC HERE SPINAL cluster on the east coast.
For 26-down “GI chow,” I was going to enter “mess.” But my hands must have been in the wrong position on the keyboard (or maybe it has turned into a Ouija board??). What appeared in the puzzle was MRES. Weird, huh?
In the end, I was done in by a stupid spelling error – I had PARAGaN, and aLETA seemed like a plausible name. Gack!
TGIF…
What a great week Steve, blog a C.C. puzzle, have a solo published and then a birthday in Dearborn. Sounds like a tv show...
ReplyDeleteWow! In the same puzzle we have PHEW and PEW, WRING and RANG.
ReplyDeleteMost of the unknowns, REE, SIX, I AM, A RAT, BRAE, were easily solved by perps with the exception of OLETA. I guess that definition of MEAN for inconsequential was the average or normal, not exceptional. Had to guess with an A because nothing else looked right.
38D had my head spinning because Larry BIRD was not a CELTIC briefly, it was the Celtic that was shortened.
MRE- another expensive government solution to try to provide a 'balanced meal' for a wartime situation. The Nat Guard was handing them out after Katrina and I tried one. Way too salty. Went back to Pop Tarts, crackers, and beer.
The only reason that I got BBC for Top Gear is that I ditched cable and went with ATT U-Verse.
Be sure to watch Jeopardy tonight with the battle of champions. Ken Jennings and two others are going for $1 million. The questions will be harder but those guys don't get many incorrect.
What a struggle.Got 90% of it but way too many ??? and fill in the blanks for my liking. Then add the vague cluing made this an unenjoyable puzzle for me.
ReplyDeleteOdd puzzle today, and one that left me with a mouth full of feathers. Got it all, but didn't enjoy all the hard work.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard the term Dutch Gable. Dutch Hip, yes. And they're basically the opposite of each other.
Steve, you've had a busy week. Happy Birthday!!
Morning, all (and Happy Birthday, Steve)!
ReplyDeleteYep, forgot to turn the alarm on last night and barely had time to shower and get my son off to school this morning after oversleeping by 40 minutes. On the bright side, I did get an extra 40 minutes of sleep...
I found the puzzle to be on the MEH side. The theme was sort of interesting, except that I've never heard of DUTCH GABLES and FOLDING DOORS didn't exactly leap to mind.
As for the rest, most of the difficulty (if any) came from obscure cluing on common words. "Uncle ____" was pretty awful without some mention of rice.
Only unknown today was OLETA. That slowed me down only because you have to dig really deep into the list of definitions to find "inconsequential" as a synonym of MEAN (I looked it up online and it's the sixth definition). I really wanted MERE, but that just didn't fit.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteLate, because we went dodging school buses before coming here. Only had one write-over on the pzl. I thought it was "Up hill, down DALE." Nope, BRAE, and I used to live on BRAEwick Dr. D'oh!
Here's another hand up for no familiarity with a DUTCH GABLE. Dutch door, yes. I'm only familiar with folding doors on closets. We had some in the house on BRAEwick.
Happy birthday to the travelin' man, Steve. It's Friday, so this must be Dearborn.
Hi y'all! I found this easier than some Fridays. Fun. Thanks, Jeff. We have GOBS of builders and remodelers on the blog so blue print specs was appropriate. The clues were a little too vague, so I waited for some perps then took WAGs. Worked for me. Then I tried to figure out how the clue meant that.
ReplyDeleteLast fill was the "R" in STIRRED/REE cross. Inflamed didn't mean STIRRED to me. I didn't know Mr. REE and only got the name joke after sleeping on it.
24A clue should have read "goldsmith" instead of "silver smith". A king would have a gold crown, wouldn't he?
Took a while to come up with PHEW. I tried the "aahs" and "oohs" route first. Short pants weren't "capris" or "bermudas", GASPS of surprise.
Hey, I got the right berry spelled right for once. YAY!
Happy birthday, Steve! Sounds like a very successful week for you. Much deserved. Who'da thunk you and Gary just missed being twins?
Thanks, Lemonade! Now I'll go back and sample some more of the music. The OCTET nibble was very good. First time I think I ever actually saw Bob FOSSE dance is in one of the side links, but I was familiar with his choreography. Jazz hands and all that...
BE, after Wilma and three weeks without power, my teen age son and I ate some of the MRE's they were giving out. Not great but survivable. The combinations of foods did seem weird at the time, but I do not recall them now.
ReplyDeletePK, I thinks the gasps were for someone 'gasping for air' = panting.
ReplyDeleteLemony, I understood the GASPS were "needing air". I personally was GASPing in surprise that my answers turned red. LOL!
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-A just right Friday with a clever theme and Goldilocks fill
-PHEW! She quit texting long enough to get back in her lane
-Congress is full of ANTI’s these days as compromise seems unobtainable
-I better remember this CELT who wore SIX
-Horses who finally win a race are said to have “lost their MAIDEN”. Hmmm…
-I prefer women keeping their MAIDEN name rather than hyphenating
-The Seinfeld SERIES benefitted from following Cheers
-This lovely 2:24 clip explains GENE SPLICING and we know what happened here, don’t we.
-The community microwave in a teacher’s lounge is not always pristine
-People still use stamps and envelopes? Who knew?
-Is wearing PLAIDS the most intimidating look in battle?
-Did some of you or your mothers WRING out laundry this way?
-Baseball axiom - Good hitting is usually NEGATED by good pitching
-My lovely MIL gave me a card yesterday with a Shakespeare variation – “Some are born to greatness, some achieve greatness, and some marry into a great family!” Do you know the play? I didn’t.
The puzzle flowed through pretty smoothly first put in GADS for GOBS, MESS for MRES, and DALE for BRAE.
ReplyDeleteThe definition for MEAN doesn't make sense to me and having it cross OLETA is unfortunate but there really isn't much else to put in there.
Musings 2
ReplyDelete-Happy Birthday to our talented friend in this “Week Of Steve!”
-His being my twin is NEGATED by the fact that he is an athlete and is only supported by the serendipity of our birthdates!
-Thank you so much for the lovely birthday wishes yesterday on the blog and in my gmail. Dave’s and Manac’s cakes were a hoot and Anonymous T’s sentiment was greatly appreciated. I have enjoyed corresponding with him and others here.
-BTW, cold, rain and wind kept me off the course yesterday and so I engaged in another labor of love here at home. My real party is tonight at The Texas Roadhouse in Lincoln with everyone there who has my DNA and their families.
Happy birthday, Steve. What a great week for you.
ReplyDeleteLoved the theme and the misdirections. Fun puzzle. Just enough bite for a Friday. Paused a little at BBC, HERE and SPINAL. Lemony, masterful expo as always. Thanks for the musical links.
STIRRED. The scantily clad strippers INFLAMED (STIRRED)the patrons' passions.
MEAN. I thought of the common expression, "It's no MEAN feat." The deed is definitely not mean,inferior or inconsequential. It's extraordinary.
Yes, Gary, we had a wringer like that which wrung out my hair when I was a preteen. I leaned over and caught my long hair in the wringer. I screamed and my mom dashed in and with great presence of mind pulled the plug just in time to save my scalp. My dad had to cut my hair out of the wringer and give me a short bob. Soon after I blithely went on a Girl Scout picnic while my mom was totally shaken for the rest of the day.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteWhile I always appreciate and commend a constructor's talent and craftsmanship, I don't always enjoy the finished product. Today was such an experience. I just don't get inconsequential=mean, especially crossing Oleta, a complete unknown to me. Also never heard of Dutch Gable, and only associate curs with dogs. End of rant!
Happy Birthday, Steve, hope you celebrate in style.
Lemony, thanks for your informative write-up, as always.
Have a great day.
Morning! Thanks to all for the birthday wishes and thanks for the expo, Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteLoved the puzzle, took me quite a bit longer than usual - If I'd have strung all of Lemony's musical links together except for the Opus 20, I'd have had a soundtrack for the entire solve :) I vote Boston.
I managed to wrap up my conference trip to Vegas early so I'm grabbing the chance to head back to LA for a quick R&R. I'll be in Dearborn on Sunday.
C.C. - the selfie was taken about this time last year at the top of the Hollywood sign. I wish Herbalife were sponsoring me - alas that's an LA Galaxy soccer shirt.
Big Easy - I switched to uVerse a couple of weeks ago from DirecTV. There was nothing wrong with the service per se, but by switching I pretty much cut my TV and internet bill in half.
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful puzzle. Thoroughly enjoyed revealing the longer answers.
The only fly in the ointment? "MEAN" Even after filling in the 'A' as a WAG, it still didn't look right. But if inconsequential is the sixth definition of MEAN (thank you Barry G.) then yeah, a good learning opportunity.
Steve, Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteLemon: Thank you for explaining my Rorschach Ink Blot.
If there was an alternate answer ... I entered it today.
Geez, talk about NOT being on the constructors "wave-length" ... PHEW!
Plus no booze in the grid. Kinda NEGATED my solving enjoyment.
Big Easy: I'll be watching the Jeopardy Battle of the Decades tonight ...
but I don't think the winner will be any different than the one who won it back in the Spring ...
Cheers!
Thanks Tin-Man. I glad some of you are paying attention. Can't wait until I make my triumphant return!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteWell, I almost got the whole thing, but needed a tiny cheat to get the NW corner. But other than that I found this puzzle a lot of fun--many thanks, Jeff! And Steve, what a great week you're having! Happy birthday, and many thanks for the fun expo--especially the DES MOINES Pearls cartoon which cracked me up when I read it in the LA Times a week or two ago. My only wish, that you had told us a little about ACAI. What is that thing--never heard of it? What does it look like? And it's healthy?
Big Easy, thanks for explaining MEAN to us--I get it now.
Visited the NIXON library in Yorba Linda shortly after it opened many years ago. You'd almost never know something called Watergate had occurred.
Have a great Friday, everybody!
Hola, weekenders!
ReplyDeleteA very happy birthday to you, Steve!
What a fun puzzle! Thank you, Jeff Stillman. The North stopped me cold but traveling South, I found a foothold at NIXON and proceeded from there, didn't know OLETA but waited for perps, PARAGON did it. MEAN as inconsequential goes back to Shakespeare, I believe.
As the flood gates opened and the entire bottom filled, the themes emrged and had to ERASE only twice, BANK/BAND, WREST/WRING. And yes, we had one of those wringer type washing machines.
Misdirections in the NW gave me fits until it dawned on me that short pants were not necessarily wearable garb, but GASPS, which I did and slew did not mean killed.
Good Friday, fun greatly enhanced by Lemonade's wonderful review. Thank you as well.
As Tinbeni said, the Jeopardy results tonight should be exactly as they were in spring but disappointing in their lack of ardor, I thought.
Have a super delightful Friday, everyone!
Last night I went back to read the comments from the August 25th puzzle by Steve and C.C. Thank you for the shoutouts at TAMALES!
ReplyDeleteAnd I really enjoyed the puzzle, very fresh and clever.
AT 1st I thought I was on a different wavelength, but after a 2 hour break, I gave up trying to solve it & went on a WAG fest...
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly it worked! Even Oleta/Mean!
HBD Steve
Hi everybody! It's too hot here; at least, too hot for me. It's supposed to get up to 89 by next week.
ReplyDeleteThere's a big 'solar storm' heading towards Earth. We may see some electrical and electronic disruptions. Some of you may be able to see a pretty aurora. I've only seen one or two in my life. I remember seeing one at Cornell somewhere near 1960. That area had nice dark skies at that time.
I liked this puzzle; probably because it seemed hard yet I was able to finish it with no red letters. The tricky clues resulted in some Ahas! when my brain, sometimes aided by crossing letters, finally sussed out a clever clue, like 1A, 10A, etc. 54A, 'Words of agreement,' didn't make much sense to me. I couldn't see 34D, UNCLE BENS, until the crossing letters filled everything in. Tough, clever but right on the edge of possibility for me.
I too am looking forward to Jeopardy. The three finalists are smart obviously but they also seem like enjoyable people to hang around with.
The ACAI Berry comes from the ACAI PALM. I go the CANDY route, though it has little to do with the healthy STUFF.
ReplyDeleteBiil G., the amazing thing to me is that you are serious that you think they are enjoyable people.
ReplyDeleteFascinating, intelligent, well read-okay. Enjoyable?
"DEAD for a ducat -- Dead!"
ReplyDeleteThat's what follows "How now, A RAT?" And it's a great rhythmic line for an actor to time a balestra, his lunge and thrust into the arras where Polonius is hiding. Ol' Will sure knew his way with an EPEE!
Happy B'Day to our Master Xwder Steve!
"My puzzling thoughts" . . .
ReplyDelete**PHEW! Finished with no look-ups, which, for a Friday, is "under par" for me (using a golf metaphor) . . .
**PEW! Was thinking way out of the box when I thought "service" was referring to the military, and was trying to figure out how POW (Prisoner of War) could somehow fit
**GASP(s)! Not many write-overs, either. 10D and 30A started out being wrong as I lightly inked in SERIAL for 30A, but as the perps gave PLAIDS a clearer definition for 10D, 30A had to be "ERASE(d)"
**Lemony, great recap and I loved all of the music links. I vote CHICAGO, hands down better than BOSTON - also, I might be in your neighborhood next week. I'll send an email if it transpires
**today's limerick has NOTHING to do with the theme, but it was one I came up with yesterday . . .
The old Senator said, with compunction,
"I've been served with a formal injunction."
"I lied, cheated and stole,
To achieve my own goal."
"My sins caused "electile" dysfunction!"
Doing some research on "mean" yielded an interesting variety, 26 differing synonyms in Roget's International Thesaurus (1962 ed.)A few examples, paltry, inferior, squalid, difficult, vulgar, plebian, unmagnanimous, etc.
ReplyDeleteChairmanMoe:
LOL at your Limerick.
Last night on Jeopardy one of the contestants wagered a true Daily Double on an answer about swelling in plants or animals, what is the old crossword standby, EDEMA. I kept sending the mind message, EDEMA! EDEMA!, but he blew the whole pot. Good thing this game has a two day total. I am eager to see whether he can recover.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I knew that one there were so many I didn't know.
I love Crossword clues and answers such as inconsequential = mean. The less frequent usages are not nearly as obscure as most people imagine, They are found in good writing and provide great vocabulary enrichment.
Steve- I stopped the cable and went to U-Verse because my cable bill for Phone, TV, and Internet went from $120 to 140 to 160 to 180 to $202 in a six month period and I didn't subscribe to any movie channel or special package. I kept calling them and they said my 'contract' had expired. I told them that I had been a cable customer for THIRTY-FOUR YEARS and that I had no contract and if they didn't give me the price that was advertised on TV all day and refund the overcharges that I would leave. "For new customers only" they said. I told them to KISS IT.
ReplyDeleteNow that the horse is out of the barn, they are offering me a better deal than they advertise just to come back. Too little, too late.
And does anybody else out there think cable companies go out of their way to hire ignorant phone personnel?
Lucina @ 2:30
ReplyDeleteThanks, glad you liked it, and your comment, and many definitions for the word MEAN gave me inspiration for a "themed" limerick:
The meaning of MEAN is essential,
Even when it means inconsequential.
This damn language of ours
Is one that devours,
All those words that we thought "existential"!!
Allowable hours for hound sounds? (wait for it.)
ReplyDeleteJob fit for a Kings silversmith?
Folding doors would have solved the problem...
I tried to find a funny pic of Dutch Gables, but it didn't work out too well...
Well done, Ch.Moe!
ReplyDeleteCED @ 4:44
ReplyDeleteExcellent links! The one of the dogs is hilarious.
Lucina - again, my pleasure!
Hi all, phew finished a Friday with no help !! Took me a while but I am a master carpenter so the theme helped out out a lot.
ReplyDeleteWow I am surprised nobody caught the misspelling of moulding. In wooodwork molding is spelled moulding.
Bon Fete Steve !! Dutch gables are ornamental and more costly on a roof, but looks good.
Chairman Moe. Is your last name Meaux like the family name down here in Acadiana ??
@ pk I am in a bunch of videos at Freds Lounge but there are thousands of them on you tube. When I find one I'll send the date on it for ya.
Vendredi Enfin !! from Cajun Country !!!
boo luquette @ 5:49
ReplyDeleteNope, last name is not "Meaux", but I've been to Cajun Country many times. I have been to Houma, LaPlace, Lafayette, Breaux Bridge, New Iberia, Zachary and Saint Francisville.
Reason for me visiting those towns were:
a) I used to supply and call on the paper industry (paper mills and converters)
b) I am a golfer, and many of those towns had great golf courses
c) my daughter is an LSU grad (Geaux!) and I did a fair amount of sightseeing while she was in Baton Rouge. In fact, I visited the Tabasco Sauce factory in Avery Island, to find out just why Baton Rouge is called, Baton Rouge!
Oh yes the courses are fine. Le Triomphe is a Robert Trent Jones design and has been visited by many big names in golf. Hmmm I think the food down here has something to do with it also !!!
DeleteAs far as Baton Rouge name goes there are several theories on how the stick that was planted on the riverbank got its red color, and I am not going into details on here. Have a good one. Bon Nuit !!
I got a reeeeeeally late start on this puzzle, but I finally got it done. I thought this was GOBS of fun.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Steve.
HG- My grandmother had a wringer. When I was about 3 years old, my parents went on vacation and left me with my grandparents. Somehow my arm got caught in the wringer!
Did anyone see the hilarious shot taken by Rory McElroy today at the FED EX playoffs. It bounced off a tree in a crowd, one guy started to run out of the way and the ball landed in his pocket. Rules judge had to make up a new ruling on the spot. This had never happened before today. Rory took a drop where the guy stood when the ball went into his pocket. He got a hearty handshake from Rory but couldn't keep the ball. Oh well, he'll be telling the story for years.
ReplyDeleteBoo, I'll be waiting to see you.
Moe, great political limerick. We've got some strange races going on here to which that might apply.
Weather man is predicting 37* before morning. 55* now. He must be right. My cat came to the window and begged to be let into the garage. He normally can't stand to be shut in unless the weather is extreme.
"With great power comes great responsibility." ~~Uncle BEN
ReplyDeleteMantra for Spiderman and crossword constructors.
LAT: cloud was a clue,
Seattle Times: THE CLOUD was a fill.
LAT: SIX with a basketball clue,
ST: SIXTH MAN with a basket ball clue.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Rory+McEllroy+pocket
And we thought only pool players could pocket a ball!
ReplyDeleteYR, I too was mouthing 'Edema' but I could tell the transmission was not getting through.
ReplyDeleteBiil G., the amazing thing to me is that you are serious that you think they can "hear" you transmitting EDEMA!
ReplyDeleteFascinating, intelligent, well read-okay. Edema?
Happy Friday everybody!
ReplyDeleteNeeded help in the SE to finish, but enjoyed the multiple misdirections....
WHEW for PHEW, I DO for I AM, ARCO for ESSO, etcetera....
Also tried to pry ROMEO into 32D for way too long....
It's close, but I'd choose Chicago over Boston....
Eagerly anticipating the Dodgers visiting the Giants this weekend...!
Last, but certainly not LEAST, HBD to STEVE!
On the topic of scat, I'd agree completely that Ella was the best. EVER! Probably the primary architect of the style.
ReplyDeleteBut, you can find some interesting examples from the places least expected if you look around. One of the prizes in my CD collection is The Guess Who - Live at the Paramount. Took me years to find, but finally Amazon offered it and it was mine.
Long tune, probably boring to most, but here's Burton Cummings doing some serious scat in American Woman like you've never heard it before.
After tonight's Jeopardy show, I still find the three finalists likeable as well as smart. I think I would enjoy having lunch with each of them.
ReplyDeleteEDEMA! WINNIPEG! (Rats! It didn't work!)
If I never hear the word 'ISIS' again in my lifetime, it will still have been too often.
ReplyDeleteHot, dry weather is settling in locally. Two big forest/brush fires are burning now with more to come I'm sure.
Boo said that 'MOLDING' should have been spelled 'moulding.' I checked all over and apparently both are equally acceptable with the 'u' spelling being more British as in neighbour, honour, colour, etc. Judgment vs. judgement is another one that's different on each side of the Atlantic.
Bill G. Thought you might be interested in Popular Sciences view of your area...
ReplyDelete(it may be slow to load,,, scroll up & down for 3D view...)
I missed saying Happy Birthday to Husker Gary-hope you'll have a good time with the family!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Steve! Big week for you!
MRES- sure better than rations. My son said favorite MRE item to trade was Skittles. I'm assuming that meals sold by(doomsday)"preppers" must be similar to MRES.
My DVR is set to record "Roosevelt's" on PBS this Sunday night. I always enjoy a Ken Burn's documentary.
Have good weekend! September is nearly half over. Nice cool fall days here. Wish it could last.
Oh, Beelzebub! Just tore off a page of my daily calendar and realized today was Chocolate Milkshake Day and I missed it!
ReplyDeleteGreetings!
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle and expo, Jeff and Lemon!
Belated Happy Birthday to Steve and Gary!
Puzzle finished in some time with no cheats! I, too, was puzzled about MEAN.
Sat in my scooter at derma's office for 1.5 hours. Was in such pain when I returned that I could not sleep, even though I accidentally took 2 meloxicams. Ended up sleeping most of the day. So here I am.
I strongly prefer Jennings to Rutter. Much nicer fella'
Cheers!
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteWell, I almost got it, but in the end it took me and MIL working together. She knew GABLE and I got the other theme fills (my first was FOLDING DOORS - cute Jeff) She didn't know CHI & BOS were BANDs and I had brAIDS at 10d. Took to brains to get one for this fun Friday.
Thanks for all the music links LEM. I could link SPINAL Tap to round it out, but the music is not that good (funny, but as a parody, not good).
HBD Steve. With all the traveling, how do you have time to study how to compose a puzzle?
Does anyone remember PARAGON of Comedy from the '80's? I barely do - my brother and I had many bits memorized, but now I can only remember "Big dogs, landing on my face..."
MRES were yummy with the right recipe. Take the coco pack, mix with coffee creamer & sugar, add a tbs of water - pudding! Keep compressed TP for later :-)
DW says I'm getting pudgy so I'll ride my bike Saturday in the Park (Chicago).
Cheers, -T
CED, I'm not sure what that's all about. I see what purports to be an earthquake map but I'm not sure what to do with it.
ReplyDeleteBlue Iris, every now and then I find a place with a coffee malt milkshake. It's a good thing, I guess, that they're few and far between.
Hmmm, I must have missed something about Rutter. He seems nice enough to me.
AnonT, show up here and we can ride bikes Saturday at the beach. It's going to be hot though...
Bill G - Cali' 89 would be a respite :-) It was 94F today w/ 100% humidity (we had humidity-producing instead of cooling rain). I changed DW's car battery in this heat today and already dropped two-pounds!
ReplyDeleteI think a ride with you with tasty yum-yums while we were out would be fun. C, -T
Oh, but let's be sure to invite Steve on this ride - he'll get to the cafe faster than we and secure us a table :-)
ReplyDeleteLots of scat here in this concert also. Especially around the 22:00 mark. Do I expect people to view that much? No. If you do its awesome. Yes,
ReplyDeleteGary, awesome!
Wow! The secret to finishing that tough section of a Saturday puzzle is listening to Led Zeppelin. Who knew?
ReplyDeleteDelete all you want, lemon is still a putz.
ReplyDeleteGood Monday afternoon, folks. Thank you, Jeff Stillman, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Lemonade, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteJust finished this this morning. Had a big weekend in Philadelphia and not much extra time.
The theme was great. Took me a while to figure it out and the DUTCH GABLE was my last to get.
I thought the basketball player's number would be roman numerals, so, after having the IX I put in LIX. That did not work so then the SIX hit me with perps. OK.
I do like OREIDA tater tots. Anything with potatoes is good for me.
Anyhow, I forgot to finish sending this when I got home yesterday.
See you later this Tuesday morning.
Abejo
(3835)