Words: 70 (missing F,J,Q)
Blocks: 32
Nothing like starting the weekend off with a Silkie~! I did well in
the four corners, but the central block was all proper names, and a DNF
loomed. But - much to my surprise, my WAG-fest actually got me the
"Ta-DA~!!". In fact, upon reviewing the answers for the blog, I noticed
that there was a whole bunch of WAGs which got me through. Triple 11's in
the across corners, triple 7's in the downs, and a pair of tens towards
the center. A few of the "acrosses";
4. Bulls' arena? : STOCK MARKET - I was curious if this might be a reference to where the Chicago Bulls play - United Center - but it's too long
16. Fighter with a record 131 career knockouts : ARCHIE MOORE - the Wiki
58. Reef dwellers : SEA ANEMONES - I toyed with "ANEMONE", but the "SEA" part eluded me
60. Wheel of Fortune highlight : PRIZE PUZZLE - I have a "DF" T-shirt that I think is hysterical - you'll have to email me for the image
Own a Dr.~!
ACROSS:
1. Maker of Select writing products : BIC - sure, I'll start with a gimme
15. "Microsoft sound" composer : ENO (Brian) - WAG
17. Georgia, once: Abbr. : SSR - The Russian version, not the U.S.
18. Deli order : POTATO SALAD
19. Player : THESPIAN - ah, that kind of player
21. Experts : WONKS; clecho at 50a. Experts : GURUS
22. Washes : BATHES
23. Word heard before and after old : SAME - Same old, same old....
25. Elected : OPTED - ah, not VOTED
26. Onetime Klein assistant : KARAN - I'm going out on a limb here and saying this is Calvin Klein and Donna Karan, two fashion superstars; I like DKNY because of these (From C.C.: Anne Klein)
31. Maestro's wear : TUX
32. Academic __ : YEAR
33. Occurred : CAME TO PASS - it came to pass this week that the blue-eyed girl was not at my home group on Tuesday, plus I was unable to get to the meeting I believe she regularly attends - but I do know her sponsor - so something good may still 'come to pass'
35. "The Clapping Song" singer, 1983 : PIA ZADORA - WAG
37. Santa Ana Volcano locale : EL SALVADOR - WAG
40. "La __ Breve": de Falla opera : VIDA - perps, this time
44. Rustic setting : LEA
45. Tanglewood Music Festival town : LENOX - WAG
46. Made aware, with "in" : CLUED
47. Family nickname : MAMA - had to wait on "P", or "M"
49. Target of some reality show hunts : GHOSTS
53. Natural moisturizer : ALOE VERA
55. Cause a dramatic reversal : TURN THE TIDE
57. Buck: Abbr. : DOLLar
59. Deadlock : TIE and a referential at 61a. They may resolve 59-Acrosses, briefly : OTS
DOWN:
1. Film crew assistant : BEST BOY - I loved working on the movie set; I was not the "Best Boy", but I did do set construction, special effects, stand-in, extra, editing, and I was the "star" of the Bloopers reel
2. Fit : IN SHAPE
3. First name in civil rights : CORETTA - widow of Martin Luther King, Jr.
4. Exhausted : SAPPED - I was sapped yesterday - from UPS at 4am to doing the blog, but in between I did my first independent Home Inspection - I felt like I caught the important things, but I need to get used to the software
5. Nice crowd? : TROIS - Menage?
6. Prefix with -gon : OCTA - I threw in "POLY" - and that was ZERO % correct
7. "Keeper of the Keys" detective : CHAN
8. Handy set : KIT
9. Shelter cry : MEOW
10. Recess retort : AM SO
11. Colorful mounts : ROANS
12. Capital of the state of West Bengal : KOLKATA - Hey~! Two for the price of one (map); Nepal and Bengal
32. Academic __ : YEAR
33. Occurred : CAME TO PASS - it came to pass this week that the blue-eyed girl was not at my home group on Tuesday, plus I was unable to get to the meeting I believe she regularly attends - but I do know her sponsor - so something good may still 'come to pass'
35. "The Clapping Song" singer, 1983 : PIA ZADORA - WAG
37. Santa Ana Volcano locale : EL SALVADOR - WAG
40. "La __ Breve": de Falla opera : VIDA - perps, this time
44. Rustic setting : LEA
45. Tanglewood Music Festival town : LENOX - WAG
46. Made aware, with "in" : CLUED
47. Family nickname : MAMA - had to wait on "P", or "M"
49. Target of some reality show hunts : GHOSTS
53. Natural moisturizer : ALOE VERA
55. Cause a dramatic reversal : TURN THE TIDE
57. Buck: Abbr. : DOLLar
59. Deadlock : TIE and a referential at 61a. They may resolve 59-Acrosses, briefly : OTS
DOWN:
1. Film crew assistant : BEST BOY - I loved working on the movie set; I was not the "Best Boy", but I did do set construction, special effects, stand-in, extra, editing, and I was the "star" of the Bloopers reel
2. Fit : IN SHAPE
3. First name in civil rights : CORETTA - widow of Martin Luther King, Jr.
4. Exhausted : SAPPED - I was sapped yesterday - from UPS at 4am to doing the blog, but in between I did my first independent Home Inspection - I felt like I caught the important things, but I need to get used to the software
5. Nice crowd? : TROIS - Menage?
6. Prefix with -gon : OCTA - I threw in "POLY" - and that was ZERO % correct
7. "Keeper of the Keys" detective : CHAN
8. Handy set : KIT
9. Shelter cry : MEOW
10. Recess retort : AM SO
11. Colorful mounts : ROANS
12. Capital of the state of West Bengal : KOLKATA - Hey~! Two for the price of one (map); Nepal and Bengal
13. Dutch humanist : ERASMUS - WAG
14. Rock star Nugent : TED
20. Nepali language : SHERPA - I thought this referred to a 'guide' from the area; live and learn
24. George Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas" : EX'S
26. "On the Waterfront" director : KAZAN - dah~! KAFKA, er, CAPRA, D'oh~! I did notice the crossing of kaRan and kaZan
27. "Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon" author : AMADO
28. Chemical reaction portmanteau : REDOX - reactions are typically one of two types; reduction, or oxidation - the Wiki
29. Decor attachment : ATOR - DecorATOR - meh, but you gotta "33d" sometimes
30. Logical connector : NOR - Neither...
33. Yield : CAVE
34. Pioneer in conditioning research : PAVLOV - HEY~! - guess who was hostess last night at the restaurant where I built the benches~! I was there to make a space for a new printer and set it up, and the owner told me to "dress smart", because my favorite blonde was back~! I was drooling, but it was the ribs I had for dinner, I swear.
36. Peaked : ILL
37. American __, North Dakota state tree : ELM
38. Big or Little follower : LEAGUER
39. Kabuto-wearing warrior : SAMURAI
41. "That was normal for me once" : "I USED TO"
42. Ford Field city : DETROIT - Ted is from Detroit ( 14d )
43. Magazine department : AD SALES
46. Swiss, e.g. : CHEESE
48. Lucie of "The Jazz Singer" (1980) : ARNAZ
49. Logician known for "incompleteness theorems" : GODEL
51. __ Reader: eclectic magazine : UTNE
52. Apt collie name : SHEP
53. Comprehensive : A TO Z
54. City on the Danube : LINZ
55. Sugar meas. : TSP
56. Shield supporter on Australia's coat of arms : EMU - WAG
Splynter
36 comments:
Test, test (is this thing on?)
I guess everyone must be sleeping in today...
Splynter, I also toyed with the idea of the Chicago Bulls at 4-Across, but drew a total blank on what their arena might be called. Thanks for filling in that piece.
Other than that, I was in the zone for a Saturday Silkie today. The NW chunk fell immediately, and gave me a foot in the door for the NE and SW. OK, so maybe it was just a toe, but I managed to wiggle my way in somehow.
LENOX was a gimme – we attended a Sunday afternoon concert at Tanglewood this summer, and had our obligatory picnic on the lawn beforehand.
My last fill was a total WAG at the “K” crossing WONK and KOLKATA. That was a real learning moment, because I never knew that “Calcutta” was just an English form of the real name.
Have a great day, everyone!
Morning, all!
The proper nounds really bogged me down in this one. KARAN, KOLKATA, ARNAZ, PIA ZADORA, ENO, CHAN, AMADO, GODEL, etc. Most I had at least heard of, so I was able to guess with a little perp help, but KOLKATA and AMADO were complete unknowns that required a lot of help.
I had a total mental block in the NW corner and despaired of finishing the puzzle as a result. After solving the rest of the grid, however, I went back and suddenly thought of THESPIAN (probably because I had forgotten the clue talked about "player" instead of "actor" by then), which opened up the whole section. Funny how the brain works sometimes...
Good morning!
I went down the drain on this one. I circled around in clockwise fashion, gaining speed as I went, until I came to LEN__, AMAD_ and REDO_. [Flushing sound goes here.]
First we had to relearn Peking, Canton and Bombay, and now Calcutta is gone as well. At least there's talk of turning Myanmar back to Burma. That'd be progress.
Splynter, I'm proud of ya. You didn't claim 25% for the O's in Poly/Octa.
Almost time for that 10-mile bike pedal...
Yup. A wagfest from the start. My solve was nearly identical to yours Splynter. But they kept working. Even Pia Zadora. I had enough crosses on that one that it had to be, but I had no clue she ever sang anything. I'm not familiar with her body of work...only her body (Penthouse....IIRC).
But in the end, 'twas Lenox that did me in. I lacked the OX, didnt know it, and the cross clues were of no help. Did a multipart mental alphabet run and thought that was the most likely combo, but googled to be sure. So, a DNF.
An unusual solving experience as the long stacks fell easily but the midsection was elusive. I think I had exactly the same unfilled squares as D-O.
We have someone in the office who went to India on his honeymoon so KOLKATA was easy, without which I never would have gotten WONK.
It was a struggle, but it also was a Saturday Silkie.
Beautiful 68 degree morning here. Splynter are there two young ladies on your radar now?
The edges filled nicely and all that remained was the “eye of the storm”. Abandoning CEDE and getting PIA ZADORA and KARAN unlocked that area and AMADO and REDOX had to be. Wonderful!
Musings
-It feels great to be “Out Of The Saddle again” after subbing 7 of the last 10 days!
-ARCHIE MOORE’S brash conqueror
-KSC bus video uses this non-EMO chime (:04) before each segment
-An old principal used GURU as a verb. Yuk!
-I wanted K _ _ AN to be Elena Kagan but figured it out
-I have CLUED IN potential applicants with the current educational buzzwords to drop in their interviews
-Mournful advice to MAMA (2:33)
-The secretary at one of my schools has told me of many interactions with the GHOSTS she swears are in her house
-Our alarm clock is now a MEOW. We can’t set it.
-Shakespeare’s excellent advice employing NOR
-Name the song with “For you I know I even try to TURN THE TIDE”
I got my foot in the door
I got my other foot in the door
before you say
that's not the way
I was face down on the floor
Good morning everyone
Unlike HeartRx, I was not in the zone today. Needed RL help with a few in the N and NW incl, BESTBOY but I still enjoyed the solve. I wanted Calcutta but I guess KOLKATA is a variant. Always learn something!
LINZ - must be the home of the 'torte'
Remembered UTNE Reader from before.
Enjoy the day.
Good Morning:
Like Marti, I was in Silkie's zone today, starting with the Northeast corner. Needed some perps here and there but, overall, finished in record time w/o help. Didn't know Amado or Godel; also didn't know Erasmus was Dutch.
Thanks, Barry, for a challenging but doable offering, and thanks, Splynter, for the detailed expo. Good luck with the ladies.
The sun is shining for the first time since last Sunday. What a gloomy week it was.
Have a great day.
Hello, Word Warriors.
Yes, I also was in the zone (thanks, Marti) and though slowly I chipped away, chipped away until whole phrases emerged.
CSO to Keith, our resident THESPIAN!
SAME as Lemonade, WONKS was my last fill and KOLKATA was definitely one of today's learning moments as well as SHERPA being a language. GURUS and WONKS were refreshing fill for experts.
And ménage a TROIS provided the qualifying hint for 5D. ROANS was my first fill and recalls a long ago film with Elizabeth Taylor when I first heard that word. Must have been The Black Pony.
Busy day today. You all have a spectacular Saturday!
Hello Puzzlers -
What Irish Miss said. There was plenty of guesswork, but solid perps got it done quickly. Lenox is a gimme for anyone at this end of Massachusetts. The Tanglewood grounds are lovely, and the old tradition of having a picnic before a concert makes for a nice day - unless of course it rains, as with the drenching I got up there in '82.
Pia Zadora again - she wouldn't have had a "career" if her rich husband hadn't bought one for her. Think Paris Hilton as a singer.
Morning Splynter - well, this time I hope you get a date with the restaurant cutie. Again, we expect crisp selfies.
I did the NW and SE and walked away for an hour. The only things I knew were TED Nugent, BIC, TRIS, CORETTA and DETROIT. I knew CALCUTTA, just wasn't sure or the correct spelling of KOLKATA. SHERPA, SAMURAI, INSHAPE, MAMA, decoRATOR, CHEESE and EMU were WAGs. There were so many complete unknowns that had to be eventually filled, with the last fill at the cross of LENOX and AMADO- never heard of either. 6D could have been HEXA PARA DECA but ended OCTA. EL SALVADOR came from mentally going down a map from Argentina to Mexico to find a country that fit the spaces. Other unknowns were PIA ZADORA, VIDA CHAN ELM ARNAZ GODEL UTNE and LINZ.
This was just a tough puzzle.
"Puzzling thoughts":
This was anything but "silky" for me, as I struggled mightily after nailing the NW corner. I did manage CHAN and OCTA and KARAN/KAZAN but ultimately CAVE(d) and started looking up random clues. PIA ZADORA was one of those, but IIRC PIA was not too hard on the eyes!! ;-) Cannes Photos
Today's limerick (not puzzle-themed):
This Ebola scare seems so outrageous,
That we fear about all things contagious;
So my plan is, I grouse,
To hide out in my house,
Never said I was very courageous!
A smooth solve for a Saturday Silkie. I must be on Mr. Silk's wavelength lately. Too many proper nouns for comfort, including unknowns AMADO,GODEL, and KOLKATA for what was Calcutta in my 'ute. Perps to the rescue. Thanks, Mr. Silk for a very enjoyable puzzle and to you, Splynter, for your usual erudite expo.
UD at William at Mary later today. Thought about going, but with DW's bad hip and the game being televised, we will do our rooting long distance.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Woohoo! Woohoo! No, I didn't get the whole thing but I ALMOST got a Silkie, and for me, that's a fabulous way to begin a Saturday! Thanks, Barry, for giving me a little break today. It helped a lot to see LINZ in the lower half--the city in upper Austria near where I grew up. Just talked to my 90 year old aunt in LINZ (in German, of course) yesterday! Wish you'd posted a picture, Splynter--it has a very pretty downtown square.
Am embarrassed to say it took me forever to get MEOW for the shelter cry because I could only think of dogs. Shame on me--all those kitties need adopting too.
Argyle and Moe, there's nothing like a funny poem to get my weekend off to a great start!
Have a wonderful one, everybody!
Very tough puzzle, even with the red letters on.
Learning moment Wonk
Never heard of a best boy, Altho I am familiar with good boy...
5D Nice crowd = trois Splynter Thanks for splainin it...
Happy Saturday everybody!
Well, Mr. Silk has my number once again. Only got about 10% before having to resort to the red....
Stupidly filled in LOS ANGELES for 37A, only because it FIT and the Santa Ana mountains can be seen from my backyard....
TEAMMATE for THESPIAN also didn't exactly help....
Enjoyed the comparison of PIA to PARIS - how true...!
Oh well, maybe next time....
Hi Y'all! I thought the NE 2/3 was a real bugger! But I kept having some brilliant flashes of WAGs in the bottom half which were satisfying and worked back up. Thanks, Barry Silk, for one I didn't hate. Thanks, heroic Splynter!
WONK? WONK? New one on me. I know. I looked it up too. Nobody will ever again accuse me of being a WONK. Maybe once upon a time. People are getting too creative with words.
I had a real mental glitch when I couldn't think where Bengal was located. I was thinking Africa. When KOLKATA showed up, I didn't associate it with Calcutta. I was pronouncing it strangely.
I parsed it PIAZA DORA thinking it was a place. Remember that old book "Light in the PIAZZA"? Singer? Better read that clue again. Too bad she didn't make enough money to get a whole suit, just rags and strings. Looks uncomfortable.
Ebola: they fumigate the apartments, but what happens to the viruses in those "bodily fluids" when they are flushed down into the sewer before those patients go to the hospital? Are they replicating in the pipes and wastewater treatment plants? Does the chlorine in the flush water kill it? Inquiring minds (not WONKS) need to know.
PK:
I heard yesterday that the Ebola virus can live only four hours outside its host. Can't verify it, but that was on the news.
I agree with the consensus here.
PROPER NOUNS crossing in the central block spoiled an otherwise enjoyable solve.
Curious in this politically correct world that a term such as BEST BOY has not been de-sexed and de-alliterated.
Two other complaints:
21A WONK = NERD = EXPERT but WONK ≠ EXPERT
49A Clue should have been plural -TARGETS
We are experiencing a Californian Santa Ana today - no volcanoes, but a glorious 80°F with light wind. Time for a spot of gardening - need to fix the sprinkler system.
The only one I wasn't sure of was GODEL, but I went with it cuz all the perps told me so. Ta-DA!
I didn't catch the KOLKATA/CALCUTTA ("the Black Hole of") link until reading HeartRx's comment. Strange to think that if I had not lived this long I never would have known. Hmm. I wonder - how many things will I eventually not know?
Good questions, PK...
What is with these Ebola patients--so many having fiancées?
I feel sorry for the owners and managers of places frequented by victims before they’re quarantined. I can’t imagine that Manhattan bowling alley doing much business when it re-opens. They might as well try for curiosity/daring traffic by renaming it, Ee-BOWL-ah!
I liked this pretty well for a Saturday. WEES.
Gary, that sounds like Johnny Cash. For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide,
Because you're mine, I walk the line
I REALLY enjoyed this video. It's a bunch of doggies and kitties enjoying their baths. Doggy and kitty baths
I enjoyed this puzzle, in spite of having to red letter a few items. I can't believe that LENOX escaped me and took 3 perps. Hand up for having the most difficulty in the middle.
Very informative expo, Splynter. I wondered about SAME OLD, OLD SAME. Thanks for explaining.I got SWISS right off. We joke that our family's middle name is CHEESE.
I knew WONK, right off. It seems that these days WONK,NERD,and GEEK are being rehabilitated and are not necessarily pejorative. They are frequently used respectfully for experts, even by the experts themselves. For example: "The etymology of the term wonk is a derogatory one used to refer to geeks, but it sometimes seems nowadays to be a badge of honour within development circles. Undoubtedly we need wonks in the world, including development wonks."
I think most reality shows are staged and not real. I hear that producers will not use segments that don't fit their script and try to stir up problems, artificially. I don't care for most reality shows.
Stared down the middle bit and eventually it blinked first. Hah!
Marti - I was early finisher today, but forgot to hit "publish" on my comment and then went for an early bike ride before the crazy weekend drivers hit the streets. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Thanks for the mental work out, Mr. Silk, and the write-up, Mr. Splynter.
Excellent puzzle, a silky smooth scenery-savoring Saturday stroll.
My source states that the Black Hills Spruce is ND's state tree!!
ND Gov Site
South Dakota designated the Black Hills white spruce (Picea glauca) as the official state tree in 1947.
Greetings!
Thanks, Barry S and Splynter!
A fun puzzle. One cheat. Looked up KOLKATA. Wanted to finish in a finite amount of time. Lots and lots of WAGs. Never heard of LENOX and AMADO, and some others.
If you never look at the credits for a film, I guess you do no know BEST BOY. Sometimes the credits are really worth going through. IMDB mentions "crazy credits."
I never watch reality shows. Can't stand them. (Correction: watched Dancing With the Stars when Wozniak was on.)
Nice day here, too. Harv is taking me to a cactus place that only has weekend hours.
Cheers!
Re: Wonk...
Prior to todays puzzle, my only experience with "wonk," was the train scene from Stand By Me. If you read the book, Stephen King describes in writing the train horn/signal as WONK...WOONK!
Now I wonder if he chose that word on purpose...
Ted Nugent is a personal hero of mine. Maybe if his hometown had listened to him they wouldn't be bankrupt.
The fill for wonks was all perps for me except the K. But I didn't hesitate to toss in the K and saw nothing odd about it. So I'm surprised by the controversy. During the years I've heard that term, I don't recall it ever being pejorative. Well, maybe a little, similar to egghead, or maybe even savant, but never in a way that didn't acknowledge admiration for the level of expertise involved in getting to that status. If the term evolved from something less respectful, it was before my time.
We've returned from services with 91,000 of our friends. The Huskers prevailed over the Scarlet Knights. Sorry YR.
Oh, Ive forgotten to thank you Spitz for the article about eclipses the other night. That document was entirely over my head, but it is clear that there's a relationship between solar and lunar eclipses, half a lunar cycle apart, at least part of the time. I'd guess the reason it's not so obvious is that so many solar eclipses are on the opposite side of the world. Or at least in sparsely populated regions.
As Bill said: Apparently I've got a lot to learn about eclipses. Thanks.
Got stuck, so I took a nap. Then, the key missing word vame to me in my sleep. I woke up and finished easily!
Steve, HA! You snooze, you lose...
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