Theme: Tuesday Toadies - All are dupes that get used.
57A. Classic comedy team, with "The" ... and what the last words of 20-, 38- and 44-Across comprise : THREE STOOGES
20A. Rock used for hammering, e.g. : STONE AGE TOOL
38A. Shari Lewis' Lamb Chop, memorably : SOCK PUPPET
44A. First piece moved in chess, often : QUEEN'S PAWN
Argyle here. Eighty words but it although it didn't feel like that many. All the letters except J Z.
Across:
1. Many an Amman man : ARAB
5. Grab, as ice cubes : TONG
9. Seuss character who "speaks for the trees" : LORAX
14. Ship bottom : HULL. Perhaps Spitzboov can elaborate.
15. Auth. unknown : ANON. But we know anons; they're not all bad.
16. Fit to be tied : IRATE
17. Opposed to : ANTI
18. Flat-topped elevation : MESA
19. Consumerist Ralph : NADER
23. Mousse kin : GEL
24. NBC skit show : SNL. (Saturday Night Live)
25. Neighbor of Can. : USA
28. Seasoned veteran : PRO
31. Sneaker brand : KEDS
34. Sharper, as vision : KEENER
36. One that falls in the fall : LEAF
40. Media workers' org. : AFTRA. (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists)
42. Mentalist Geller : URI
43. Home of baseball's Marlins : MIAMI
47. Takes a load off : SITS
48. "Incredible!" : "UNREAL!"
49. __ Piper : PIED. Def. having two or more different colors.
51. Half a colon : DOT
52. Blog VIPs : EDs. (editor)
53. Bubble bath spot : TUB
55. Arctic sea bird : AUK
63. Mexican mom : MADRE. (madre política : mother-in-law) Plus 63D. Mother's Day month : MAY. (el día de la madre, diez de mayo)
66. Wrap for a sprain : TAPE
67. Agatha Christie's title : DAME. She was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth in 1971.
68. Universal principle : AXIOM
69. Letter-named thoroughfares in Bklyn. : AVEs. Full of snow, I suppose.
70. Soprano Gluck : ALMA
71. Gossipmonger : YENTA
72. Religious offshoot : SECT
73. Ringful on a belt : KEYS
Down:
1. Triumphant cries : A-HAs. When I 'got' 73-Across.
2. Littlest of a litter : RUNT
3. Voice below soprano : ALTO
4. Showy jewelry : BLING
5. Fare steamed in corn husks : TAMALEs
6. Ten C-notes : ONE G. 10 x $100 = $1,000
7. Wine quality : NOSE
8. Annoying swarm : GNATS
9. Kitchen flooring : LINOLEUM and 41D. Detested thing : ANATHEMA. I had trouble spelling these two climbers.
10. Like much early history : ORAL
11. "Cool!" : "RAD!" (radical)
12. Had a bite : ATE
13. Gen-__: boomer's kid, usually : Xer
21. Surprised scream : [EEK!]
22. Cleaning up after the mess? : ON KP. in the service.
25. Still owed : UNPAID
26. Appear that way : SEEM TO
27. Palette user : ARTIST
28. Inscribed award : PLAQUE
29. Check from the IRS : REFUND. They may be late this year.
30. Films featuring chaps in chaps : OATERS. (Westerns)
32. Fasten, as buttons : DO UP
33. Junkyard metal : SCRAP
35. Protestant denom. : EPIS. (Episcopal)
37. Let loose : FREE
39. Fuzzy fruit : KIWI
45. Insult : SLUR
46. Most shipshape : NEATEST
50. Lovebirds, e.g. : DUO
54. Software test versions : BETAs
56. George Eastman's camera : KODAK
57. Easy race pace : TROT
58. Whence icicles hang : EAVE
59. Building detail, briefly : SPEC. Specification, different from on spec: Speculation.
60. Big windstorm : GALE
61. Award for a sitcom : EMMY
62. Red and Coral : SEAs. The Coral Sea.
64. Bough breaker : AXE. Axe must have been too dull to chop it.
65. Racket : DIN
Argyle
59 comments:
Greetings!
Thanks for nice puzzle and review, Ed and Santa!
No problems, except with theme!
Time to try to summon Morpheus!
Cheers!
There is often one student at school
Whom classmates consider a TOOL.
To bully's regret
This one teacher's pet
Some day as their boss he may rule!
Jeff Dunham's the life of the party
The laughs at his shows are quite hearty.
People give him a hand
Though he's just the straight man
It's his PUPPETs who have witty repartee.
Among entrepreneurs there is talk
Of a fellow with specialized stock.
He carves only chessmen,
Just diminutive specimens,
That he sells in his exclusive PAWN shop!
I am late but all I can say is my deepest sympathy and prayers Bill.
Yesterday I ended a post with CHETONGUEEK, but the late post at 3:39 am from Dubai seems to call for something less so.
One would think crossword puzzles were harmless
They're peaceful, non-combative, and armsless.
But in far U.A.E.
It's the censor's decree
That an ARAB is offensively gormless.
Good Morning all,
Thanks Ed for the puzzle and Argyle for the breakdown.
Yesterday's sad news lingers here. :(
My ANATHEMA was not be able to see past ---TEST, as I searched my little grey cells for some Naval term. I guess my brain isn't shipshape this morning.
I just received a weather alert for fog this morning. Seems pretty silly in light of JUNO. Stay cozy and safe!
Good morning everyone.
Well, we are still on the grid- so far, so good. Thanks for the write-up Argyle. Especially the clip of ALMA Gluck singing Handel's "Angels Ever Bright and Fair." Fantastic!
OwenKL, I saw your CHETONGUEEK comment yesterday and knew you were kidding - I hope you realize that I was, also!
Fun puzzle today, and I figured it had something to do with "patsies" after seening TOOL and PUPPET at the ends of the first two themers. Round those out with PAWN, and THREE STOOGES describes them perfectly!
I always think of Lucina (and start drooling like one of Pavlov's dogs) whenever I see TAMALES.
Favorite clue today was "Film featuring chaps in chaps" for OATERS.
It's getting light out - time to dig out the driveway before it gets so deep that I can't find the snowblower!
Morning, all.
Sorry I didn't do a better job reading the comments yesterday afternoon. Please let me express my extreme sympathies, Bill. I don't have the words to address the pain and sorrow you must be feeling and certainly possess no way to alleviate them, but my thoughts are with you.
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Fun Tuesday despite the fact that I never saw the attraction of the THREE STOOGES.
Like Marti, I thought of Lucina when I filled in TAMALES and MESA.
One that Falls in the Fall = LEAF was my favorite clue.
Hand up for waiting for the perps to spell LINOLEUM. I knew the answer, but not the spelling.
I hope that the Blizzard isn't as bad as predicted. Most of my family lives in the path of the predicted storm.
QOD: We call him Tortoise because he taught us. ~ Lewis Carroll (né Charles L. Dodgson, Jan. 27, 1832 ~ Jan. 14, 1898)
Good morning!
I didn't have any problems with Ed's offering, but ANATHEMA? On a Tuesday? Rich must think we're getting smarter.
This year on your tax return you'll have to indicate if everyone had health coverage for all of 2014. If you're all on Medicare/Medicaid, you're good to go. But if you bought insurance via the Marketplace, you'll have to include form 1095-A which you'll get in the mail. If somebody wasn't insured, or your health subsidy was too big, it'll cut into your refund this year.
Noreasterners, please update us with the weather conditions where you live.
First of all, my condolences to Bill G. Unimaginable grieve that time will slowly heal and lovingly memories will remain. Here in central CT, snow still falling sideways, everything is at a standstill as Gov. has ordered roads closed. Will attack with snowthrower when it slows down hopefully later today. Bill V.
Good morning all !
Thank you Ed Sessa and Argyle.
Pretty easy today. Initially entered RETURN where REFUND belonged, but that was it.
I'm with Hahtoolah. Never had any interest in or desire to watch the Three Stooges.
See all y'all later n'at.
The only times the Putnam/Killingly/Danielson section of Connecticut (where I grew up) is mentioned on the news is for most snowfall during big storms. Once again, hello all of you who have stayed and be safe.
Barry G., your words were well said.
Puzzle was easy, even with the ANATHEMA.
Early day at work, be careful all you in the path of storms.
ARAB BLING- Saudi revolt where the rebels go after the crown jewels
Hello Puzzlers -
The puzzle was easy enough. Figuring out why the word Arab would prohibit the puzzle in Dubai is much harder, for me anyway. Occasional Lurker in Dubai from last night, hope you'll join us and enlighten!
I'm with Hatoolah and TTP, never liked the Three Stooges.
Snow is piling up here, well over a foot so far, but we still have power. It's windy but not ferocious. I think I'll wait a while before waking up John Deere.
Amazingly, we've haven't had any snow up till now. Very light flurries at the moment; not even a coating...yet.
Wait a sec, I need to revise my prior claim. From an upstairs window it looked like a lot of snow. Now I see it's only a few inches.
It's a dud!
Good day everyone,
The North was a bear for me today, otherwise a nice Tuesday offering.
20A gave me fits. I had STONE-K-TOOL for the longest time until I realized ONE k might look better if I changed it to ONEG and a tada moment appeared. NOSE for wine quality caused me to wonder. Was sure something was wrong , but perps looked OK so I left it alone.
Finally it came to 9A and not being a Seuss fan had no idea who spoke to the trees so I wagged LORAd, which gave me FIW for today.
I'm helping a customer put together a 1959 card set of the Stooges. I was surprised to find how popular it is with collectors.
So far, so good regarding the storm. Power is on, plow been thru once, and the predictions are now for a foot less then originally forecasted. But the wind is being a real pain in the ...,, making it pretty inefficient to start clearing.
It's a mad mad mad mad world...
Even Frank sang, “I've been a PUPPET, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a PAWN and a king” but not a TOOL. BTW yesterday Elvis was hearing CRASH, BOOM, BANG in Jailhouse Rock yesterday.
Musings
-The Smother’s Brothers had a song about weird jobs and Tommy said his dad was a “HULL liquor licker”. Dick, “What’s that?” Tom, “After they break the champagne over the hull my dad…”
-SNL’s hilarious take on deflated footballs (5:13)
-James Randi wrote books showing how URI Geller’s mental tricks such as making a spoon SEEM TO bend were UNREAL
-Johnson and Johnson estimate that NFL teams use 80 miles of athletic TAPE each season. Some think its use is worthless.
-Did you know that she is now DAME Joan Collins?
-I had 6 KEYS on my ring. The principal only needed one master
-Ya gotta love “Excuse me, sir. Seeing as how the VP is such a VIP, shouldn't we keep the PC on the QT? 'Cause if it leaks to the VC he could end up MIA, and then we'd all be put ON KP.”
-Spitz, how many buttons did you have to DO UP on your sailor pants?
-Novel way to peel a KIWI (:33)
Hondo, NOSE is the first thing that you detect when tasting wine. It is the aroma from the wine that is released after swirling the glass and preparing to take the first sip.
I'm with you about the wind. I had a full snow suit, hat, balaclava and goggles, and I still couldn't see a thing when I went to snowblow this morning. But, it had to be done because if we wait until it is over, the snowblower wouldn't be able to handle it. We have over two feet of snow, huge drifts (6' next door), and our street got one pass of the plow at 5 am, and it is totally filled back in with snow and drifts. Nasty!
But we are lucky - at least we have power, internet, phones and none of the flooding that they have on the coast.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Ed Sessa, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.
Well, I have been away and not on this blog for several days. Just got back in town yesterday and was playing catch-up and had a meeting last night. So, Here I am.
This puzzle was fine. Got through it without a hitch. Theme appeared and was quite easy. No problem.
QUEEN'S PAWN was good. I used to play chess quite a bit. Have not played a game in several years.
LORAX was not known but the perps fixed that.
YENTA is a word I now know, thanks to crosswords.
Sorry, Bill, for your loss. I will go back to yesterday and see what happened.
See you all tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Bill G: Just read what happened. My deepest sympathies to you and your family. The loss of a child is more than tragic.
Abejo
Bill G.-- I am so sorry to hear of the tragic loss of your son. My thoughts and prayers are with you, Barbara, and the rest of your family.
Sincere sympathy to Bill G., Barbara and family in this devastating loss.
Good morning all. I found this puzzle pretty straight-forward with just a small delay in the central west coast.
I had REBATE before REFUND and SPA before TUB. Some clues like USA and ONKP filled in from perps and I didn't even see them.
Yes I saw the CSO to Lucina again and I suppose 25A could be my CSO.
We are not in the path of the storm thankfully and received just a small amount of light snow overnight. News reports so far indicate the storm was not quite as bad as feared, but that will be small consolation to those who are digging out! Stay safe.
Argyle: Excellent write-up. I especially enjoyed the Soprano ALMA Gluck aria.
ED: Thank you for a FUN Tuesday puzzle and theme.
Only problem I had solving was trying to think "What grabs ice cubes?" before TONG appeared.
(There aren't any TONGs at Villa Incognito!)
Also thought PLAQUE was what you have if you don't brush your teeth.
Hope you all experiencing Global Warming are safe and sound.
Cheers!
Good morning everyone.
Easy one with a theme that I got before finishing. No look-ups or strikethroughs. Liked the clues for the chess opener, QUEENS PAWN, and SOCK PUPPET. Always like seeing AUK. Good job, Ed.
HULL - Clue seemed a tad awkward, but I think it passes muster. I like the Merriam Webster definition:the frame or body of a ship or boat exclusive of masts, yards, sails, and rigging. Think of it as the 'skin' of a ship up to the main deck.
Marti, you're right, those things are really hard to see through!
Husker, I'll bet Spitz never had to deal with the button issue. But, as an enlisted swabbie, I was grateful there were only 13 original colonies.
Here are some fun wintry words to ponder on a day like today in the Northeast. How many can you define without looking them up?
Hibernaculum
Gelid
Brumal
Frore
Névé
Hiemal
Algid
What a joke. The local NBC station, over in Chicopee, is having a two-hour marathon of storm coverage. They have little to talk about, since there's so little snow hereabouts. The poor meteorologist has been back pedaling.
I have always enjoyed the "Intellectual Humor" of the THREE STOOGES.
Marti: Isn't Neve the actress Campbell?
Good Morning:
Thought this had a bit of a bite for a Tuesday but all fell into place. One nit I have is Grab, as ice cubes=tong. I know tong only as a noun not a verb. Perhaps there was a misprint on the clue?
Nice CSO (again) to Lucina with tamales and big CSO to Chairman Moe with the theme, no less.
Alma Gluck was Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.'s mother.
We don't have a lot of snow on the ground but it is snowing right now and the winds are really kicking up. Apparently, the storm took a different path from what was predicted. Hope everyone is warm and safe.
Have a great day.
Greetings, friends.
Another taste of TAMALES today as well as a view of MESA and MADRE. Believe me, I wish I could invite everyone of you to a real tasting. If you are ever here in December, please look me up.
AUK is a reminder of their island near Newfoundland where they all congregate and assail your NOSE as soon as the boat nears.
Does anyone else have a boxful of PLAQUEs in storage? What does one do with them? Gary? Yellowrocks? JD? All teachers surely have some.
Spitzboov:
Thank you for explaining HULL. I now have that helpful image.
Thank you, Argyle and Ed Sessa for the fun today.
Have a safe and warm Tuesday, everyone!
IrishMiss:
Really? I had no idea about ALMA Gluck being Efrem Zimpalist, Jr's mother and as many times as I've seen her name in puzzles, too. I should have looked her up a long time ago. Thank you for that information. What a musical family!
Thank you Ed and Argyle. The puzzle was a breeze-fest until:
ANATHEMA?
What the devil? Not sure that I'll ever find a use for it in everyday conversation, but I suppose the same applies to 5 percent of all crossword entries.
I hope the link works. So clever!
BTW...that would make Alma Gluck Stephanie Zimbalist`s GM...if I remember my biology correctly!
Very easy and doable puzzle today. Did not know the word anathema, but it filled in from the crosses. Liked the three stooges reference. When I was young they were among my favorite performers. But nowadays we have come to realize that young children should not exposed to such violence. I guess us "boomers" are lucky to have grown up unscathed by all we were watching on the boob tube. Or are we?
Bill G. The pain of losing a child is something one cannot ever fully recover from. Nor should you. Paternal and maternal love are the greatest familiar emotional forces on earth, and because of this, the depth of feeling is "you cut and I bleed". May God hold your son in his arms and may his blessed memory sustain you. My condolences.
Bill g.,
I went back and read your news from yesterday. I cannot imagine what you must be going through. My kids ride motorcycles too and my heart is always in my mouth when I know they are using them. It's certainly going to take a while before this sinks in for you. Being a long way from where he lived will make it even harder to believe and accept as time goes on. Please know my prayers are with you at this time, and for as long as it takes.
I'm in full newsletter mode right now so hence my absence yesterday. I still do the puzzles to start my day but mostly don't bother coming here unless I need to check an answer I wasn't sure of. Today I came just to take a break--it gets pretty intense sometimes. I'm glad I did.
My only erasure was LOPE/TROT once the perps poked me in the right direction.
Delightful, clever speed run this morning, Ed--many thanks, you made my day. It took me a minute to "get" the theme, but laughed when I did. Nice mix of areas--loved being reminded of Shari Lewis' Lamb Chop and Agatha Christie, and the LORAX. Also nice to see Ralph NADER in the puzzle, heard him speak once, years ago. The only thing that puzzled me (sorry) was having TONG function as a verb rather than a noun? Or is GRAB meant to be a noun here?
Fun expo, as always, Argyle.
Bill G., I didn't learn about your tragic loss until this morning. Oh my goodness, what a sorrow for you and your family. My heart goes out to all of you.
Tin, actually Neve Campbell pronounces her name (nev, as in bev) differently than névé (nehv-ay). It was her mother's maiden name. But do you know what it means?
Irish Miss, I also wondered about TONG being used as a verb, but it literally does mean, "to pick up with tongs." I'm sure you have also heard the term, "Go at it with hammer and tongs," which was derived from the blacksmith's tools. So the two-pronged tool is always used in the plural (same as "pants"), but the verb drops the "s."
So sorry, I forgot to thank Ed and Argyle for our Tuesday treat. Merci!
Thanks, Marti, for the tong info. Learning moment of the day.
And, yes, Alma Gluck would be Stephanie Zimbalist's GM.
Dear Bill, I didn't read the afternoon comments. I am so very sorry for your loss. You know we are with you and Barbara. This is not supposed to happen. I am amazed that you could even sit down and write to us.
ANATHEMA... a great word Ed,but it took all the perps to see it. Not knowing QUEEN didn't help. Had to change a few words to get back on track. Hues>seas, and return>refund... haven't seen one of those for years.
Filled stone age tool, sock puppet quickly, but the hues slowed the stooges. Not my favorites.
A fun puzzle and great write up. Thanks!
HG @ 0914 - Sorry I missed your spitball earlier. D-O is right . Had just a zipper fly and a double breasted blouse coat.
Hondo: Card set? Like baseball trading cards? Hmm, trading cards of actors actually doesn't sound like a bad idea! Why have I never heard of that before now?
D-O: It's Balaclava, where the Charge of the Light Brigade will always be associated with pieces of knit cold-weather wear. At the command of Lord Raglan, the Earl of Cardigan was the leader of the charge. They later became the namesakes of raglan coats and cardigan sweaters.
Marti: Wow on that list of words. We're not even Eskimos! (Gelid was the only one I knew).
Lucina: I threw away two large cartons of plaques and trophies I'd won in public speaking contests over the years when my hearing got so bad I couldn't participate any more. They were too painful reminders of what I had once been.
Marti: Your comment about tongs and pants always being plural reminded me of an old imponderable: Why do men wear a pair of briefs, but women only wear one bra?
Marti,
Thanks for explaining NOSE. So when someone gives me a glass of wine and I immediately start chugging, it's a dead giveaway that I'm not a connoisseur of the grape.
Owen, google 1959 Topps Three Stooges and you'll be enlightened..
Ah! A chance to sound the charge at Balaklava.
CHARGE!
Simple theme today but again I didn't need it. I spend so little time solving the early week puzzles that, sadly, I don't collect enough information to even comment. I'll have to work on that.
Changing my avatar today, not to get political but to reflect the sadness I feel for those who lose a loved one.
Looking forward to a good Wednesday CW workout.
A swift solve on a sunny Tuesday! Thanks Ed and Argyle!
I had a couple write-overs because I put the letters in the wrong squares. Sigh.
My avatar's favorite toy is a stuffed Pork Chop with squeaker. (Toys aren't any good if they don't make noise.)
I'm happy to hear that Juno isn't the brute he/she was forecast to be.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Pat
Argyle, I never knew where the term "balaclava" came from. Fascinating!
OwenKL, I will defer to the (ahem) gentlemen on this blog to investigate the reason why it is called a "bra" and not "bras."
Glad you liked the list. I always enjoy learning new words. I'll show the answers in a new post.
So here are explanations that I hope everyone else will enjoy as well:
Hibernaculum – Overwintering site, esp. of snakes.
Gelid - Frozen
Brumal – Pertaining to winter, from the Latin “brumalis,” bruma – winter. “He shivers in brumal blasts: hungry, he chirps before your door.” (from Welsh Legend of the Red Breast)
Frore – Frosty, frozen. Middle English “froren” from Old English “freosan” (to freeze).
Névé – Young granular snow that has melted and refrozen and compacted, but not quite ice. It is often used in the Alps to describe high alpine fields. If they last an entire season, they become firn, which is more dense, and eventually leads to glacial ice. I have seen all three stages while skiing there, and was always fascinated with the different names they have to describe snow.
Hiemal – Wintry. From the Latin “heimalis,” heims – winter + alis – more.
Algid – Bone-chilling cold. “The crab fishermen must face the algid waters of the Bering sea.”
Hi all,
Here I am again. I had computer problems since last fall but now have a new Laptop. It's not treating me too well either but it's improving.
We had a nice Christmas in Georgia
with our kids.
I wish you all a happy New year.
Marge
HULL - There was some interest in 'hull' and presumably, ships, today. If you can get the Smithsonian channel on your cable, they have a series called "Mighty Ships". The 1 hour long episodes depict all kinds of vessels from cruise liners to cable layers, to shrimpers off Greenland, to ore carriers on the Great Lakes. They've also done military vessels. They will introduce some Störm und Drang occasionally, to get you a little closer to the edge of your seat. The visuals are good and, overall, worth watching. I think the series is Canadian produced.
I felt that 14A ship bottom = hull was a trick clue because anyone who has built boats would answer KEEL...
A structural keel is a beam around which the hull of a ship is built.
Addendum to Spitboovs post, Here are some clips from the Smithsonian Channel, Re: Mighty Ships. I especially like season 3 USS New York.
Hi Marge, welcome back ! There were many Happy Birthday wishes for you last Thursday.
Sorry to hear that you have had computer problems. They can be frustrating, that's for sure.
H-G, That SNL skit was sooooo funny ! Did you see news coverage of Marshawn Lynch's press appearance ? Talk about incommunicado.
Wait, that last sentence seems a bit oxymoronic, doesn't it ?
Glad the Northeast (in most areas) didn't get hammered as much as expected.
Hi All!
Another long day of fighting the viruses. Please people, for the love of Pete, don't click on stuff! :-) It took us about 60 man-hours to clean up the mess in 3 hours.
Thanks Ed for my EOD fun, Argyle for the write-up, and everyone else for keeping the fun alive.
HeartRx - thanks for the verb usage on TONG and why there's no 's' How does that apply to ThONG?
Owen - I think bras applies to Star Trek alien DAMEs.
Puzzle was cake - easier than yesterday's xing IDEi w/ CHICAPiE. AHA isn't what I said upon finding out it was E.
The beginning A in 41d was my last square to fall today. I've heard ANATHEMA (DW has a big vocab), but never bothered looking dumb and asking what it meant :-)
QUEENS PAWN - a standard opening that helped open up the left-coast.
WEES re: fav c/a(s) on 36a and 30d.
I love the THREE STOOGES. My girls love 'em too. DW just shakes her head.
HG - from yesterday; I was thinking the song was Rockin' in the USA by John Cougar Mellencamp. Perhaps the lyric was a nod to the King. Can you tell I'm a Gen XER? :-)
Cheers, -T
Bill G., I know this is late, but my heartfelt condolences to you and Barbara on the loss of your son. I am so sorry to hear this news. Please know that all of here on the Corner share this grief with you.
Chickie, I know they do and I'm very appreciative.
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