I believe this is the LAT debut of Mr. Salmon (the other pink meat) who has created a few NYT over the years. The five theme answers each have a common spelling mistake where a letter is omitted. How many of these do each of you get wrong? The missing letters can be silent in speech so they do not trigger an immediate sense of error. Initially I tried to make a secondary (meta) answer from the missing letters but can only come up with the anagram RUNGS from the missing letters, and there is no ladder tie in, so I guess they are just letters missing from misspelling. I do like the symmetry of theme 1/3/5 all missing a double letter and 2/4 missing a new letter. Another puzzle with many cheater squares (8) but a Fridayish word count and some nice words like ALLEGRO, ECUADOR, GLISTEN, OLD SALT, TIMPANI, AUGUSTAN, EYELINER, IN BACK OF, OFF RAMPS.
Okay, let's cast our lines and see what we catch...
17A. Making flush : EMBAR
32A. Feature of some jellyfish : FL
24A. Pushy : AG
46A. Administration : GOVER
52A. This puzzle's five longest answers are common ones : MIS
Across:
1. Arguing : AT IT. Can you believe the juxtaposition of this multi-dimensional fill with...
5. Colored part of the iris : AREOLA. A word this Corner associates with a woman and a lily.
11. Fold call : BAA. Cute poker misdirection.
14. Ho Chi __ : MINH. The life and times of this REVOLUTIONARY present an interesting historical lesson.
15. Caribbean stopover : NASSAU. Our back yard, here in So. Fla.
16. Munic. official : Alderman. Most cities now have commissioners or councilmen but the ABBREVIAION is accepted.
19. Army E-5, e.g. : NCO. Non-Commissioned Officer.
20. You can usually see right through them : PANES. Nice misdirection.
21. Country named for its location : ECUADOR. Meaning 'of the Equator' in Spanish; I do not know where the term equator comes from though it sounds like it has a common stem with equal. The COUNTRY is a bit of an enigma with a socialist democracy.
23. Picnic contest gear : SACKS. Such as the ones used in the three-legged race.
26. Signs : INKS. LeBron inked his deal to go back to Cleveland.
27. Son, to Sartre : FILS. Simple French.
28. London gallery : TATE. We have seen this fill often, and maybe Steve and NC can share some personal moments at the Tate.
29. Obit bit : BIOgraphy. Which might be about...
30. Exiled Amin : IDI.
31. Test area : LAB.
37. Things to consider : IFS. Nice clue.
38. Golf club part : TOE. I do not associate the word with golf, though obviously I have hit it off the toe of a club. I found this one hard.
39. Thanksgiving staple : YAM. Are yours candied? Or are they sweet potatoes?
42. Instant : JIFF. Does Jiffy really need an abbreviation?
44. Suffix indicating absence : LESS. meaningless clue.
45. Blend : MELD. Pinochle anyone?
48. Selling points : MALLS. Modern misdirection.
49. Seasoned seaman : OLD SALT. I presume from the saltiness of the Ocean.
50. Willies-causing : EERIE.
51. Broadcast : AIR. Radio and TV.
56. Island loop : LEI.
57. Pre-WWII pope : PIUS XI. I do remember XII. Roman numerals.
58. Adopted great-nephew of Claudius : NERO. A great way to learn about these two and other Roman Emperors is watching this PBS series as I did back in the 70's. More Roman fill.
59. Initials seen at Indy : STP. They say it was named for Scientifically Treated Petroleum, and became famous when endorsed by Andy Granatelli and his driver Mario Andretti. I like Standard Temperature and Pressure.
60. Drinks daintily : SIPS ON.
61. Expected 2015 MLB returnee : A-ROD. He has made it clear he wants back on the Yankees and he has a contract. Imagine, you lose Jeter but get A-rod.
Down:
1. __ Zion Church : AME. African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. I had this before or I would not have been able to answer; a Friday piece of knowledge. LINK.
2. Symphonic set : TIMPANI. Fancy name for kettle drums used in orchestras.
3. Behind : IN BACK OF. Literal.
4. Response to a helper : THANKS. So simple.
5. Literary collections : ANAS.
an·a 1
(
n
, รคn)
n. pl. ana or an·as
6. Dorm minders, for short : RAS. Resident Advisers.
1. A collection of various materials that reflect the character of a person or place: definitive ana of the early American West.
2. An item in such a collection.
7. Sicilian capital? : ESS. The Capital "S" at the beginning of the word.
8. Willows for wickerwork : OSIERS. A botanical fact and a Friday word as well.
9. Camelot weapon : LANCE. King Arthur had to be careful of his wife to be sure she did not Lance a lot.
10. Like the works of Virgil and Horace : AUGUSTAN. A Golden Age of LITERATURE. Another reference to old Rome.
11. Crook : BANDIT.
12. Nook : ALCOVE. Not a cranny.
13. Worship : ADORE.
18. Attorney's thing : RES. More Latin.
22. Easy __ : AS ABC. We just had "as pie."
23. Jacob, to Esau, for short : SIBling.
24. Hill helper : AIDE. Refers to Capitol Hill and the aides to the Senators, etc.
25. What icicles do in the sun : GLISTEN.
27. Douglas and others : FIRS. Oh Tannenbaum, almost time for the tree shopping.
31. Sediment : LEES. Not to be confused with TRUB. Despite my children's involvement in the beer and wine industry, I did not know this TERM.
33. "__ Little Ironies": Thomas Hardy collection : LIFE'S. never read them.
34. Some exits : OFF RAMPS. Not 'of framps', relating to one of Peter Frampton's guitars.
35. Run to : COST. Took me a long time to get to, how much is repairing my car going to run to.
36. Goth makeup : EYELINER. My youngest hung out with some of these young ladies in High School.
40. Score direction : ALLEGRO. I will let JzB explain this slowly.
41. HMO group : MDS. Medical Doctors.
42. City SW of Chicago : JOLIET. Somehow I always associate this city with the old Untouchables TV series.
43. ICU hookup : IV DRIP. Intravenous Drip. More Latin meaning within the vein.
44. Eases : LETS UP.
45. Place with berth rights : MARINA. An old puzzle pun.
46. Shootout successes : GOALS. In Hockey and Soccer to settle ties after overtime.
47. Mid-11th-century year : MLIII.
48. Harris of "thirtysomething" : MEL. One of the early big ensemble cast dramas.
50. Tiger's ex : ELIN. I gave her pictures last time.
53. Ltr. afterthoughts : PSS. More Latin, Post Scriptum.
54. Outside: Pref. : EXO.
55. Astrodome field's lack : SOD. What a convoluted clue for grass.
Well we have lots of Latin, and old Roman, two Roman numerals and a consistent theme and some challenging fill. Sounds like what a Friday should be. Thanks for coming our way Mr. S. and thank you all for being here. Lemonade out.
78 comments:
Morning, all!
Well, I guess I don't need to complain about all the misspellings in the grid after all... Clever theme that certainly had me perplexed until the reveal.
I thought the cluing overall was ramped up significantly today, with lots of misdirections (only some of which included a question mark to tip off the trickiness). "Fold call" for BAA and "Run to" for COST, for example. Nothing fatal, just plenty to keep me on my toes today.
In other news... AUGUSTAN? Seriously?
Greetings!
Thanks Steve and Lemon! Puzzle sure went fast for a Friday! More like Wednesday. Am very tired so the misspellings just didn't click in the first time through.
Was up with Harvey writing his Commandery letter. Then we couldn't get it printed on either computer. Am very frustrated! The Canon that I bought not-too-many months ago has been a lemon. The Brother has always worked well before. Gosh!
Elementary would be enjoyed by all math-o-philes. It was great! Am going to watch it again and take a few notes.
Cheers!
I'm quite possitive I've made every one of these spelling misstakes. But my favorite is wheelbarrel for wheelbarrow.
EYELINER is a cruise ship for a cyclops. You get twenty lashes for being good.
I can visualize hoopster Yao in the locker room. It's embarassing to see BARE ASS MING.
GLISTEN has a SINGLE T... gives me the TINGLES.
And I really do believe ALCOVE is a great name for a guy who has found his niche in life.
Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. After a pass or two, I realized that GOVERMENT was the "correct" answer. Like Barry, I was originally going to complain, but ... Then I realized that the unifier lead to the other MISSPELLINGS.
Hand up for AS EASY AS pie before ABC.
My favorite clue was Island Loop = LEI.
YAMS will not be gracing my Thanksgiving table. We are not fans.
Stay warm. Yesterday it was colder in Southern Louisiana than it was in New England.
QOD: Father told me that if I ever met a lady in a dress like yours, I must look her straight in the eyes. ~ Prince Charles (b. Nov. 14, 1948)
Good morning!
I noticed the misspellings and wondered what was up with that. Oh, it's the theme! Clever.
The Astrodome not only lacks sod, it's lacked a team since the late 90's. It's been idle and crumbling since the rodeo moved out in '02. They really ought to blow it up.
I remember JOLIET as the home of the Illinois State Penitentiary. No, I was never a resident there.
Learning moment: There is an AREOLA in the eye.
Cold here this morning, though not as bad as the dire TV predictions. My thermometer never dipped below freezing -- not the 12-16 hours of below-freezing temps that were threatened. Fine by me.
D o let's don't blow it up.
Good morning, friends! I love your detailed analysis, Lemonade, and your punny jokes.
Jerome! It's a delight to see you.
What! MIS(s)PELLINGS? I had EMBARRASSED first and couldn't accept EMBARASSING. It was too embarrassing.
It finally made sense with the unifier. Whew! I thought "fold call" was the sheepfold, BAA. NASSAU had to wait for perps since other Carribean sites might fit.
PSS confused me a bit as I thought PPS was the plural and had to research MEL. Never watched Thirtysomething.
I love candied yams so of course that will be on our table.
Overall, this seemed easy for Friday and I finished quickly in spite of being up early due yet again to insomnia and no coffee yet. I'm hoping to return to sleep.
Have a fruitful Friday, everyone!
Good mourning all !
What misspellings ?
Filled FLORESCENCE before getting the theme answer and thought, "That must be some variant" but then completed GOVERMENT...
There have been numerous times I've seen the clue "Blend" in cw puzzles and wanted to enter MELD. I usually see that answer in response to Canasta or Pinochle clues.
As it is Friday, I held off entering some of the obvious answers, and shouldn't have. They turned out to be the correct fill. And in other places, the clues seemed too easy for a Friday. Despite the feel that this was an easier Friday puzzle, I failed.
CC, I saw your tip for dipping sauce. Jayce, didn't mean to omit you the other day. Thank you for your service.
We are seeing an early increase in the number of travel agency and tourism commercials for Florida getaway trips to places like Islamorda and the Florida Keys. As is wont to happen here when the temperatures plummet. It's just too early this year.
Off to work. See all y'all later n'at !
Clever theme. I hit a snag when I misspelled fluorescence "twice," putting in an extra "s." I went to the gym and let it perk and when I got back realized my mistake and put in the "c." Everything fell into place.
Well, I didn't enjoy this as much as those already checking in. It was nearly a DNF. I first had EMBARASMENT, which blocked three perps. Then I tried EMBARASMINT which, at least, gave me OSIERS. Changing it to EMBARASSING led to the solution. It ended up taking more time than any Friday puzzle in many weeks.
Don't misspelled words violate some sort of Crossword Code of Ethics?
"Puzzling thoughts":
Lemony, nice recap, as always; with regard to your comment yesterday about my golfing "prowess", let's just say that luck is usually involved whenever a HOLE IN ONE is scored. Of my three, only one was what I'd call a skillful shot - the other two, well let's just say the pin got in the way of the ball ...
As for today's puzzle, I finished fairly quickly, with the northern half completed first. I noticed the misspelling of AGRESSIVE first and then EMBARASSING, but figured they had to fit, so I just plodded on
In the southern half, I had a few write-overs as I had SUN before SOD in 55d, and tried to spell MISSPELLING correctly in 52a until I realized that it, too was to be "misspelled"! FLORESCENCE was my last fill as I thought there might be a "SS" theme going on, but when COST came into view through the other perps, it was corrected (in a manner of speaking!)
I too associate MELD with a card game (played lots of Pinochle in college); I've hit many golf shots off the TOE (and heel, too) - hitting the "sweet spot" is the GOAL but I lack the time to practice; since I sell fermented grape juice for a living, LEES was a no-brainer - the "art" in winemaking to use the LEES is a nice differentiator - it can really add character and balance to certain grape varietals
Happy Friday all ...
My daily limerick with a vague reference to today's favorite clue/solve: Island loop = LEI
Hawaiian Islander singer Don Ho,
Played ukelele, as part of his show;
When his uke broke a string,
He continued to sing;
He's the king of the "A cappella go"!
I know, I should stick to my "day job"!
Lucina, while PPS is the proper abbreviation for a second PS on a letter, I believe PSS is correct, reflecting more than one PS on more than one letter.
AL C, "code of ethics?" Since we have words spelled backwards, words where one space contains multiple letters, etc., I do not think this puzzle was too outrรฉ. I do acknowledge that because puzzles accommodate so many 'variant' spellings, this theme was particularly devilish but the lack of N in GOVERNMENT was not a variant, and then the reveal confirmed the theme.
Grams, you think D-O is going to Houston with some c-4?
This puzzle drove me nuts- at first. I know the correct spelling of the five long words and when I got to 52A the blanks filled nicely.
On the last map I saw, NASSAU was NOT in the Caribbean. Did it move south of Hispanola? Florida Straits or Atlantic but not Caribbean.
And how does Steve pronounce his name? 'SAL-MON' or SAM-MOM'
Aside from the deliberate misdirection on the spellings, I had the usual ' is it'. Jacob & Esau- SON or SIB. My religious and mythology gods are usually WAGS. Senate PAGE or AIDE. ELDer or ALDerman. My brain was thinking ECTO or EXO but the CI wouldn't fit any Roman numeral, because everybody knows ELIN, especially some of her pictures.
The spelling of ECUADOR always throws me because I just feel the need to put a Q in place of the C. After filling the NE I filled 24A with ASSERTIVE but caused the OSIERS to be wrong. To make matters worse I had LOES(s) for 31D, as it is a sediment, and the last section I filled was the crossings of FLORESCENCE FIRS GLISTEN and LEES.
AUGUSTAN FILS MEL LIFES These came strictly from the crosses.
STP- I still remember when the company fired Andy Granatelli. He WAS the company, just like the guy from Men's Wearhouse, who also got fired. Egos bigger than ability to run a company.
Golf club parts- TOE HEEL SCREWS
I hit it more on the first two. When I hit a good wood ( really metal) shot, the older guys say that I hit it on the SCREWS. The WOODS had four brass screws that held the face plate in place. The 'sweet spot'.
Good morning everyone.
Well, puzzledom has been elevated to a whole new plane of expertise and execution. Before now it was generally necessary to know the correct spellings of words or the correct alternate spellings. Now we need to also know the correct incorrect spellings of words. (Their correct misspellings). (This is tongue in cheke but I'm still rumanating on that.)
Agree with Lemon about the general quality, misdirections, and plethora of fresh fill.
Overall I found today's solve fun; hope Steve has some more in the pipeline.
Hahtoolah- Father may have said that but we know which way he was looking. The old do as I say, not as I do.
I don't look in their eyes either.
Misspellings, bandits and penitentiary towns on a Friday? Ahhh, life's little ironies!
Lemon: Wonderful, Wonderful write-up and links. Good Job.
WOW ... what a mess! If there was an alternate "WAG" answer, I put it in (in black ink!) until the perps came to the rescue write-over.
At my picnic the contest is Horseshoes ... which need a "Stake" before we get in the SACKS race.
For the clue "Signs" I had "omen" before INKS became apparent.
My E-5 was a Sargent (SGT) before becoming an NCO.
Caribbean stopover ... I really wanted Hedonism II (Negril, Jamaica) ... my "Home-Away-From-Home" (I'm looking forward to my 53rd visit real soon ... but it wouldn't fit so I entered NASSAU.
[Ed.Note: I've actually had people ask me: "Tin, is is nice?"
And I tell them: "I don't know, I always mess it up. (You'd think after 52 trips I'd get it right) LOL.]
Stay warm ... I'll "toast" you ALL at Sunset.
Cheers!!!
I love this puzzle with its many misdirections and also loved Lemony's write up. The north was a breeze and the south more like a little zephyr, a fast Friday with the wind at my back. I saw the odd spellings and thought that I hadn't seen these variants before. With GOVERMENT I got the gist of the theme.
Dictionary says this is the origin of the word EQUATOR: Middle English, from Medieval Latin aequฤtor (diฤฤซ et noctis), equalizer (of day and night), from Latin aequฤre, to equalize.
PS The equator is also equidistant from the poles.
Some dishes are more tasty when they sit overnight in the fridge for the flavors to MELD.
It is interesting that AUGUSTAN refers to the works of Horace and Virgil in the age if Augustus Caesar and also to the neoclassical age of 18th century English literature.
Good Morning:
This was certainly a change of pace but fairly easy for a Friday. I like misdirection clues, especially when I'm not misdirected!
Congrats to Steve on this debut and thanks to Lemony for the detailed review. Any pictures of Charlotte's birthday party coming our way?
We had a slight dusting of snow this am. I was also greeted with a chilly 64 degrees on my thermostat when I got up. I had to change the batteries last night and I must have done something to trigger the programmable settings.
Have a great day.
Y'all might not know what Reddit is but this story was on the "Hot" front page yesterday(though it is old news) and it piqued my curiosity. The story held my interest even though it goes beyond my attention span by about 3 pages. Then lo and behold today's puzzle has: 32A. Feature of some jellyfish : FLUORESCENCE. Well, it made me spit out my coffee and I wasn't even drinking any.
Here's the link to the article How Bad Luck & Bad Networking Cost Douglas Prasher a Nobel Prize. I know its a long read but i thought a few people here would find it interesting.
p.s. Reddit is a great time waster for waiting rooms, public transportation and...er...reading rooms.
p.p.s. I really hated p.s.s.
Good morning everyone!
Really fun write-up, Lemony. But I don't think I'll be making any icicle crowns or thrones in the near future. (Although they did look kind of cute!)
I had so much white space on the first pass that I thought it had not only snowed outside last night, but came in and landed on my computer as well!
Like everyone else, I looked at the clues for the long entries and thought I "knew" what the answer should be. But in every case, the "right" one just wouldn't fit. Then I started working on perps. When they started filling in, I kept thinking, "That can't be right!" I finally sank to the bottom and got the reveal. AHA! After that it was a speed run and done. Good job, Mr. Salmon!
TGIF!!
Not quite as easy AS ABC today but some good Friday cluing and fun theme. Has anyone else noticed how prevalent misspellings are now even on signs, TV, newspaper. My editorial eye just picks them out all over.
Smiled at FOLD CALL=BAA and ISLAND LOOP=LEI.
I have straddled the Equator in ECUADOR. Quite an experience just trying to climb stairs in Quito because of the altitude.
Hahtoolah, loved your QOD. I can just imagine Prince Phillip giving his son this advice!
Virgil and Horace? Baa!
With ELIN in today's puzzle, AUGUSTAN made me think more of Tiger and Phil.
p.s. Awesome pic huh?
p.p.s. The entire middle south was quite contrived with two! roman numerals, an affix, two! proper names and two! combos[sips on and lets up(not sure what you call these)]. Oh, and did I mention p.s.s?
Hello Puzzlers -
The common pronunciation of Government reminds of that of February. I am amazed at the number of times I hear educated speakers say "Feb-yoo-airy". Blech!
Enjoyed the puzzle, once the light came on about the misspellings. Never heard of Anas, and Augustan was mostly perps.
The passage of time is turning me into a dinosaur! Our cable company made major technical changes, effectively obsoleting our faithful TiVo overnight. I ran out to get a new one, and soon learned there's a lot more to know, what with DTA's, CableCards, MoCA adapters...keeping up is impossible. Rant off.
Dudley, Comcast upgraded our cable and reduced our monthly bill but now I cannot find anything I have recorded. I probably am going to buy a new TV as the picture quality transmitted is better than the reception of my 10 year old Sony.
Stevie- thanks for the picture of Augusta, it reminds me why I play golf; not for a hole in one but for the beauty. I am not good enough to worry about the score any longer.
"PS"s; I am surprised at the reaction.
I guess this is what happens to the weather when FROZEN is the movie of the year.
Dudley, I remember hearing on the nightly news that Feb-You-Air-ee was an accepted pronunciation. It was Walter Cronkite who made the pronouncement, so it must have been quite a while back. Wow, in my Apple dictionary it's now the preferred pronunciation. Makes a fella feel old.
A Friday toughie, but a fun one, nonetheless, with its unusual and entertaining theme. Had lots of problems with things like TOE (had TEE, of course). Even when I got things like AME, I still didn't "get" them. Loved "Island loop" for LEI. But, here's the one that irked me the most: how can I have been an English professor for forty years and never heard of ANAS as literary collections? Thanks for the definitions to convince me that this actually exists, Lemonade.
Loved the limerick, Moe.
We're going to watch "Elementary" tomorrow night--can't wait!
Have a great Friday, everybody!
Hi all,
Enjoyed today's puzzle -- especially the "Ta-Da" at the end which doesn't always happen.
Warning: this comment is not about today's puzzle but goes back to the subject "Coincidental Clues"
I've been a member of the Puzzle Society and doing crosswords online there for over ten years. My morning routine includes working the Universal, USA Today, and LAT puzzles (in that order) every day with this blog added as the finale a couple of years ago.
The Universal and USA Today puzzles are both edited by Timothy Parker. For over a year I had been noticing that these two often included the same entry on the same day of the week.
After OwenKL brought up the subject of "coincidental clues" I kept track for the week of Nov. 2 through Nov. 9. On four of the seven days the same entry appeared in both Universal and USA Today with the identical or very similar clues. (I might have missed them on the other three days.)
Coincidence or Intentional?
I had assumed it was intentional and meant as a sort of trademark, but since I know nothing about the construction or submission of puzzles for publication, I wondered what some of you might think.
Really appreciate and enjoy the explanations and comments but don't usually write in myself because I'm a slow typist and writer (and something usually goes wrong when I try to submit my comment.)
Note that FLORESCENCE is a word. But it has a different meaning - the process of flowering.
But FLUORESCENCE is what some Jellyfish do. It means absorbing light at a shorter wavelength (higher energy, e.g. blue), and emitting the light at a longer wavelength (lower energy, e.g. red), often after much time has elapsed.
Just to confuse the spelling situation one step further, a group of jellyfish is often called a BLOOM, but they are animals not plants.
NC
GrannyAnny
I believe the common entries arise because most constructors use the same or similar computer software to generate the "fill", once the theme clues have been arranged. The "fill" will also have a suggested list of clues. The software has only a limited vocabulary, hence the high frequency of common answers (and clues).
NC
This puzzle was just two (sic) sic (sic). I was aghast at my misspelling of AUGUSTAN (augastan).
Welcome aboard, GrannyAnny.
NC, thanks for the input, but what about the Tate? Have you been? Often? Most of my knowledge comes from it being the setting for a murder in one of Martha Grimes' Richard Jury mysteries.
I do agree that it is likely a function of Crossword compiler that the clue/fill are repeated, but our resident constructors, C.C. and marti can provide more insight into how they deal with that problem. I do know the program allows added clues and fill from the constructors' own imagination. Perhaps Mr. Parker has a small pool of people who create his puzzles
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Steve Salmon, for a swell puzzle. Thank you, Lemonade, for a fine review.
Frematprime: Caught your note about Harvey and the Commandery. I assume he is finishing his year as Commander of Los Angeles #9. Hope he had a good year. Ask him if I will see him in Buffalo next August.
This puzzle was great. A little different than the norm. I got through it much easier than most Fridays.
I noticed some misspelling and then it all was cleared up with 52A when I got down there. I am a spelling freak, so I do notice those things.
I knew some of OSIERS, but a couple perps helped me spell it correctly. This helped with FILS, which I knew nothing of.
I was not sure about writing in HAM or YAM for 39A. YAM won when I got EYELINER.
Everything else was pretty good.
See you tomorrow, maybe. I have a Commandery Inspection for most of the day.
Abejo
(3711)
NC,it is interesting that you remembered that florescence is a legitimate word for the process of flowering. It is also interesting that florescence is a process or state with no corresponding verb form. We can't say that flowers floresce (not a recognized word) or that florescence is what flowers do, which would require a verb.
However we can say that some jellyfish fluoresce, but not that fluorescence is what some jellyfish do.
How interesting that a group of jellyfish is called a bloom. That one makes sense. Not all of the "herd" names do.
When necessary, clever Marti and CC often find new clues for well used fill.
A big DNF for me, thanks to the evil NE corner. But I'm not disappointed. The puzzle was very clever and I enjoyed discovering the them early.
Thank Steve and Lemon.
Hello everybody. Really nifty puzzle. Was going crazy wondering whether this was some sort of rebus puzzle where one puts two letters into one square. Then came the reveal, my brain stopped spinning, and a big grin spread across my un-eyelined face. Well done!
Power was off all day yesterday while the power company replaced the old, badly atilt power pole in the neighbor's back yard. Holy cow, the crane they used to drop the new pole into the ground was a good six stories tall! The crew was extremely professional and executed the complex operations with precision. It was instructive to watch them. Power was back on again an hour earlier than scheduled. By the way, if this ever happens to you, be sure to move your car out of your garage before the power is turned off!
LW and I stopped watching Castle about 2 years ago and Elementary about a year ago.
Best wishes to you all.
Jayce, I wonder if it was Nathan Fillion and Johnny Lee Miller that caused you to stop watching those two shows. I enjoy the people in the precinct in Castle very much and some of the stories, but Fillion's posturing and self-absorption is off-putting. Likewise, Sherlock who is done much more justice by Mr. Cumberbatch. This year, even Lucy Liu is irritating. IMO
French & Saunders Tate museum tour.
This is your olny warning...
#1
#2
That's confusing...
& just plain inappropriate:
A
B
Hmm, must be an out of date sign...
Bored?
& if you made it this far...
This talk of TV shows (I missed Castle) reminded me that Bones will have a crossword theme next week.
GrannyAnny- Mr. Parker's habit of poor cluing is not coincidence or intentional. He's simply a terrible editor that doesn't know any better. He once had MEDIUM STRIP for MEDIAN STRIP in a puzzle. With so many talented editors and constructors available it's mind boggling just how awful the USA puzzles are. I know this sounds like an angry response. Well, it is. The garbage that USA calls a crossword hurts the industry and is an insult to the intelligence of solvers. For the last 20 years or so, editors such as Norris, Shortz, Shenk, Newman, etal, along with newer and veteran constructors have been working very, very hard to make the modern crosswword puzzle more fun, interesting, clever and exciting for solvers. Yet year after year hacks like Parker and his stable of Stooges keep trying to drag us back to a time when puzzles were as boring as watching paint dry.
Fabulous! I used everything but a shoehorn to get the n in GOVERMENT and then saw the theme. Lemon’s summative paragraph works for me.
Musings
-My sheep first said OUT from the fold
-If a company SACKS an employee after he INKS a contract, he gets no Capital
-The last three MALLS here have been outdoors
-My grandkids will attend this PIUS school
-A GOTH boy replete with EYE LINER, black lipstick and black clothing complained to me about the harassment he was getting. “Doctor, doctor, it hurts when I do this,…”
-My JOLIET memory
-I’m talking about NASA for 6 classes straight today and have to run. Read y’all later.
Jerome:
I have to agree about the boredom and lack of imagination in USA Today's puzzles as well as WR William's. However, I've recommended them to those among my friends who are beginners and they are encouraged to be able to do them. So they do have a use.
A poem. Pardon my spelling.
Embarrassing finding them at it
At back of the alcove in Joliet
Areola fluorescence
Is less than lab evidence
But pius Aides can be panes in the anas
And the government finally bandit!
This puzzle did me in. After several runs-through, I still had no answer for 11a BAA, 16a ALD, 38a TOE, 5d ANAS, 8d OSIERS, and 10d AUGUSTAN even though I had some of the letters in place and knew that I had bumped into all three of the down fills in the past. Had to turn on red letter help, and then wanted to kick myself when the answers were revealed. Oh well, some days you eat bear and some days the bear eats you. Thanks Mr. Salmon (I think)for the brain exercise, and thanks Lemonade714 for the erudite expo. Gosh, I hope tomorrow's puzzle is a Silkie!
Lemonade, yes, it is pretty much Nathan Fillion and Johnny Lee Miller who have driven us away from those shows. Lucy Liu is okay, but mostly I used to just look at her legs. A lot nicer than a bare-ass Ming! LW and I like Bones and are looking forward to it next week.
So Jerome, what do you think of Jacqueline Mathews?
Nearly forgot. CED, loved those links!
Jerome, you angry bro?
I know many people that enjoy solving the USAtoday puzzles daily. I know, I know, you think they're prolly simpletons but I call them friends. Hacks? Stooges? I know a better forum for you to spew forth your venom. Please Google 'Rex Parker' and go join his hate-fest. This a more welcoming gathering. Case in point is Lucina's light handed response to your diatribe. Also, I've been working puzzles for over 30 years and can't remember when they "were as boring as watching paint dry". Can you please inform me as to when they were?
Keep Calm and Puzzle On.
Two points:
1) LAT/NYT entry dupes are pure coincidental. The supply of 3-letter words & their clues are very limited, so you're bound to see little words and familiar clues appear again and again. How many ways can you clue OTT or ORR?
2) What Jerome said about Tim Parker. Awful editor. Awful puzzles.
Um....never mind. I guess this is a forum for personal attacks.
Keep Calm and Slander On.
Easiest Friday in months!
To me RA was always Resident Assistant.
Hi everybody...
I enjoyed this puzzle though it gave me a battle, almost more than I could manage. I wasn't sure about ATIT, INKS, ANAS, ALD, IFS, TOE, TIMPANI, AUGUSTAN, MEL and others. So it was a struggle but the payoff was worth it.
CED, re. the Tate tour, didn't you find the laugh track obtrusive and off-putting?
Jayce, yes, I don't care for those actors much either. I still would rather watch Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes instead though his Dr. Watson seemed like a comic foil instead of a trust sidekick.
OK ... It just had to be said ...
Any puzzle with the answers to the first two across clues being A TIT & AREOLA is aces with me!
But my favorite today was 60-a, Drinks daintily, SIPS ON since that is how I consume my favorite libation.
IT ... is ...never gulped!
Hmmm, I think I'll start my Sunset Toasts early today ... LOL
Cheers!!!
PS Gee, I thought Husker Gary was going to play golf today ...
Whoopeee!!
Personal attacks are allowed now?!?
Lemony's write ups are AWFUL.
I find Nathan Fillion nice to look at and I believe it's his character that is egocentric. Isn't that called drama?
No Lucina, a character can be egocentric and still be likable. There is more to acting than preening; Fillion has made Castle so unlikable that it is impossible for me to suspend my disbelief and accept that Beckett would love him. How could she? Likewise, the mannerisms that Miller has adopted to project the complexity of Sherlock Holmes make him painful to watch and equally unlikely to be accepted, no matter how insightful.
I wonder what the rest of the Corner thinks of Nathan Fillion's looks; is he ruggedly handsome and he so often says, or....?
aw·ful
/หรดfษl/
adjective
2. inspiring reverential wonder or fear.
synonyms: awe-inspiring, awesome, impressive, dread, fearful
ambivalence?
BV:
As far as I know both are correct, so I pick one, it is all I do.
Resident assistant or advisor, a student who supervises tenants of a residence hall.
Gee, thank you so much C.C. Burnikel! I've always admired you too. High praise indeed.
Bluehen @ 2:49
Thanks, your comments are appreciated.
Bill G @ 3:18
You are absolutely right, I had the same initial reaction to that stupid laugh track. Definitely rubbed me the wrong way also, but I was rushing to take daughter #3 to piano lessons & thought the silly ending would cover my butt.
Here is what I should have posted.
I will try to reserve more time for researching my posts in future.
My favorite TV show is Hell-On-Wheels on AMC.
It shows how tough it was to build the Cross Continental Railroad and settle the West.
Plus, it is a CSO to our Nebraska buds Husker Gary, Avg.Joe and Ergo.
BTW, my West Coast of Florida Sunset was spectacular!
... To the Craft Beer Pub ...
Cheers
Here's my take on the "Castle" and "Elemental" characters. "Good" guys on shows like this can easily become sentimental. Both Castle and Sherlock are in fact decent, honest, fellows (cf. Castle caring for mother and daughter at home) but with less than endearing personality quirks that keep them from becoming (awwww--how nice) sentimental. Their edge keeps their kindness and charity in the background rather than the foreground, and gives them a little sharpness (or silliness in Castle's case) that makes them interesting. IMHO
Jayce- Jacqueline does the "Daily Commuter" puzzle. Never solved one until a few minutes ago. If you enjoy super simple puzzles with super simple clues and words then this is the puzzle for you. C.C. or Marti would construct the puzzle I just did in about an hour, if not less. This isn't knocking the puzzle. I'm only stating exactly what the puzzle is. If that's what some folks enjoy, so be it.
Perhaps those of you who like the USA Today puzzle can explain exactly why today's crossword is creative or interesting. It's titled "DRINK UP" and the theme entries are-
BARE NECESSITIES
FOUR BEATS IN A BAR
BARGAINING CHIPS
Tinbeni @ 4:40 reminded me that I recently stopped on my way to a dinner reservation in Naples Florida to watch the sunset.
It was so hard to get back in the car, because the sunset was always changing, (& getting better). I definitely recommend an hour (or more) with your beverage of choice & a beach chair.
P.S. Tin was right, it's times like these you definitely don't need (or want) ice...
Jerome, let it go. You clearly have an axe to grind or you are just a miserable person.
In case anyone missed it:
BARE NECESSITIES
FOUR BEATS IN A BAR
BARGAINING CHIPS
CED, thanks for your always positive posts.
I bet everyone the amount USAToday puzzle constructors get paid that Jerome could not sit through the serene 4 minutes and 52 seconds of that video you just linked. Its just too simple. Sad.
p.s. I liked the voices and motor humming sounds as much as the birds and obvious scenery.
Ohhh. I hit my number!
Good evening everyone.
Aw-ful job on the write up today Lemon ;~)
Somewhat easy for a Friday even with the misspellings.
We all know Husker Gary likes to play golf, but does anyone think he
may Take it too seriously?
Just what's worth commenting on -
1. I think the snide comments on 'other paper' crossword editors and their puzzles by 'our' prolific constructors, no less, is unwarranted and in very poor taste. Different papers have a varied readership and a myriad of alternative tastes. But they each serve their purpose. The USA Today readership is one of the largest in the nation - nothing to be sniffed at.
A puzzle constructor, no matter how prolific does not a puzzle editor become. They are two totally different jobs with entirely different outlooks.
2. Thanks C. E. D. for your always interesting links. You make this blog even more beautiful.
3. Sal Bass at 10.09 A.M. I was really touched by the article on Douglas Prasher and how he missed out on the NObel Prize. Bad luck, bad karma or just fate was against him.
CED, take a look at the French and Saunders parody of "Mamma Mia". Hilarious...Thanks for the Tate link.
Jeannie how cool to see you and hitting your number. Hope you and Cokato are great.
Look at the USA theme in Argyle's post, two BARs are wholly contained in front, one single BAR at the back. Failed on two levels of consistency.
Did you ever wonder why you never saw Liz Gorski's byline (or any familiar LAT/NYT constructor's name) there? Did you ever wonder why their style sheet is not even listed in Cruciverb's website or any other websites? Why does a daily puzzle editor refuse to make public his style sheet and accept puzzles from other constructors?
There's a reason why he's not respected in the crossword industry. If you like BLTs with untoasted bread, frozen tomatoes and brown lettuce, go ahead with USA puzzles.
Wow, you are right, you are so much better than the other people.
THIS was nasty - delightfully so. What caught me is that I didn't recognize four as misspellings at all. I had to get to 52A, the theme answer before realizing that I could get away with the only misspelling I had caught on my own--GOVERMENT.
By the time I went back and looked at them again, looked harder, I saw what I'd overlooked. And was properly EMBARRASSED.
Unlike the NY Times, USA Today is not open to submissions. Timothy Parker does not reply to any email.
C.C. your poetic soul shows with the brown lettuce etc.
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