Theme: Beyond Lincoln Logs - Items that can be built from a kit.
20A. Guideline for standard operating procedures : POLICY FRAMEWORK
26A. Weightlifter's practice : BODY BUILDING
50A. Frequent feeling of culpability : GUILT COMPLEX
58A. Box of Lego bricks, e.g., or a hint to the last words of 20-, 26- and 50-Across : CONSTRUCTION SET
Argyle here. No C.C. but still two grid spanners. I hope I can get some help on the theme.
Tinkertoy construction set would build a good for frameworks.
There are lots of building construction sets out there, even a "The Walking Dead" one. LINK
You may be familiar with a "complex construction kit" if engage in X3: Terran Conflict, a computer simulation. The kit is used to link your factories.
Any other ideas?
Across:
1. Six-footer at a Super Bowl party? : HERO. Fun thing to get home in a small car.
5. Leveling wedge : SHIM
9. Trojan War epic : ILIAD
14. Sailed through : ACED
15. Oompah instrument : TUBA
16. For the __: temporarily : NONCE. That's all she wrote. Not used elsewhere.
17. Storage structure : SHED
18. Requiring a two-day trip, say : AFAR. Odd usage.
19. Ultrasound image, perhaps : FETUS
23. Go one better than : TOP
24. Old Mideast org. : U.A.R. (United Arab Republic)
25. "Papa __ a Rollin' Stone" : WAS. A tick faster version.
32. Log-splitting tool : AXE
33. Houston player, informally : STRO. Houston Astros, baseball.
34. Common rental restriction : [NO PETS]
38. Plumbing problem : LEAK
40. Toward the tiller : AFT
42. "College GameDay" number : STAT. College GameDay is an ESPN program that covers college basketball and football, going over the STATistics.
43. Still making payments : IN DEBT
46. __ mater : ALMA
49. "Little Women" woman : AMY. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy
53. Kwik-E-Mart owner on "The Simpsons" : APU
56. Assenting vote : YEA
57. Ratio involving ht. and wt. : BMI. (Body Mass Index)
65. Designer Nina : RICCI. She got her start in the Thirties.
Don't let the cold stop you from being fashionable.
66. Retro phone feature : DIAL
67. "Do __ others ..." : UNTO
68. Sunni's faith : ISLAM
69. Simplify : EASE
70. Falafel holder : PITA
71. Mower handle? : DEERE. (name)
72. Mates for bucks : DOEs
73. Small earring : STUD
Down:
1. Hinged fastener : HASP
2. Sound on the rebound : ECHO
3. Rod attachment : REEL
4. Quirk : ODDITY
5. "Don't budge!" : "STAY PUT!"
6. Peeved mood : HUFF and 62D. Peeved mood : SNIT
7. Letter-shaped support piece : I-BAR
8. Plunder : MARAUD
9. Hot spot for Dante : INFERNO
10. Big name in movie theaters : LOEW
11. On its way to the body shop : [IN TOW]
12. Legend automaker : ACURA, which is a division of Honda.
13. Newsroom furniture : DESKS
21. Corn cores : COBs
22. Most important : MAIN
26. Vacation island south of Borneo : BALI
27. Farm team : OXEN
28. Word before tired or heat : DEAD
29. Fund for the golden yrs. : IRA
30. Lite : LO FAT
31. Navig. aid : GPS
35. Catchall abbr. : ET AL.
36. Domesticate : TAME
37. Mythological underworld boundary river : STYX
39. Tapped vessel : KEG
41. Treatment for a broken heart, briefly : TLC. (Tender Loving Care)
44. Postpone the inevitable : BUY TIME
45. Stadium section : TIER
47. Delicately balanced sculptures : MOBILES. Put away for another year.
48. Gun filler : AMMO
51. Praised : LAUDED
52. Man cave hangings : PIN-UPS
53. Bitterly pungent : ACRID
54. Self-assurance : POISE
55. Cry of concession : "UNCLE!"
59. Surgery reminder : SCAR
60. "So long," on the Lido : "CIAO"
61. Shock, in a way : TASE
63. "__, Brute?" : ET TU
64. Warty hopper : TOAD
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
To blog regulars:
Please send your photo to me (crosswordc@gmail.com) if you want to be included in our Blog Photos archive. We'd love to "see" you.
Please send your photo to me (crosswordc@gmail.com) if you want to be included in our Blog Photos archive. We'd love to "see" you.
47 comments:
A breeze today. I think my only stumble was AYE before YEA. Right letters, just wrong order.
As a Freemason, I've written many poems in the past on today's theme of settings for construction projects. Here's one a bit too long for this blog, but you might find it entertaining.
Morning, all!
A breeze for me as well. I didn't get the theme until I hit the reveal, but that was OK. No snags except that I needed all the perps to get RICCI. You'd think on a Tuesday this would have been clued with regard to the actress Christina RICCI instead of a designer from nearly 100 years ago, but whatever...
I suppose some adults play with a Lego CONSTRUCTION SET. I TRUST C.C.'S NOT ONE.
Jerome that is the highlight of the day.
A workmanlike puzzle, a blueprint for a Tuesday.
Thanks Argyle and GG BV.
if you happen to go to blog photos not only do you get a visual history of the blog and the contributors but there was a period where we sent in both current pictures and pics when we were kids.
It was fun guessing
Happy day all
Good morning!
Overslept. Uncommon, but I refuse to set an alarm.
MARAUD and NONCE are not words that I use, but they came to me immediately, so I guess they're not "unknown." TUBA was a nice shoutout to Abejo.
I thought the theme was a construction sequence -- first a framework, then a building, finally multiple buildings in a complex. I expected the final entry to be CONSTRUCTION SITE -- oops!, too long.
Thanks, GG and BV and Argyle.
Good morning all,
Well. from my past, Lincoln Logs would have been my contraction set. Tinker Toys were around too.
I did finish todays puzzle, but until I came here, I was sure I had an error. I was positive that NONCE was wrong. It didn't make sense to me, still doesn't, it was a previous unknown, and a soon to be forgotten.
MARAUD looked strange too, but I was confident it was correct. The rest of the puzzle fell together without any issues or doubts.
Snow expected today along with very cold weather. I guess winter had to arrive eventually.
OOPs..first line error. Make it construction, not contraction.
Thanks GG and BV for a smooth run and to Argyle for the write up.
Back in newsprint today. I'll try the computer again another time.
Also had AYE before YEA. NONCE was new to me, but we had ACURA last week so I knew it was correct. I was telling a friend that I drive an Accord. She said she drives an Acura--you know it is made by Honda. I replied, Yep. I just learned that from a crossword puzzle! (I know this talk is killing the car folks out there.)
Have a cozy day--even if 75 is chilly where you are!
Argyle: Excellent write-up & links ... (I think I'll pass on the Walking Dead block set).
BTW, I had to laugh at that "Balls of Ice" link yesterday ... alas, I like my rivers NEAT also ...
Gail and Bruce, Thank you for a FUN Tuesday puzzle.
Didn't even notice RICCI since she was filled by perps.
KEG, of course was my favorite answer ... go figure.
Well I'm off to Tarpon Springs for the Epiphany Celebration ...
NOT the cross-toss ... but the after party.
I'm sure ouzo will come into play and a lot of wonderful Greek food.
Cheers!
Good morning,
Back to a normal day, and my email in-box is emptied out before 9 AM. Yay me!
Nice puzzle, GG and BV, and nice write-up, Argyle! But a "Walking Dead" set? Really? But thanks for The Temptations. That was a real classic for them.
I noticed the CONSTRUCTION tie-in of the last words, but wondered what the unifier would be. It worked for me, as d-otto explained it.
I liked the clues for HERO and DEERE. Then I looked at the bottom row and chuckled when I saw DEERE DOES STUD.
Good one, Jerome!
East, peasy. Often perps were not needed. I tend agree with with DO @7:21 about the progressive theme, from FRAMEWORK TO BUILDING TO COMPLEX. Instead of KIT, the set could be the set of answers. I would love to hear from Gail and Bruce about this.
I am much more familiar with NINA RICCI then I am with CHRISTINE, so I was happy they chose her.
I am very familiar with MARAUD, especially in war stories and accounts. During the Civil War there were marauders, self-serving opportunists, both North and South. Some were famous.
I have frequently read of marauding elephants or monkeys in nature accounts.
It is interesting that the phrase FOR THE NONCE has survived, but not any other use of the word.
After solving on paper, I can take my completed grid and use it to Google all kinds of thoughts that arise. Even on easy puzzles like this I learn so much. In more difficult puzzles with answers that are new or questionable, looking them up implants them in memory for next time so that I become a better solver. I find exploration like this from the online version is clunky.
Since I have lost 16 pounds (since October 1st) I went to a site that calculates BMI.
At 5'10" 164 lbs my BMI is now 23.5
Things are looking good!
Though I have to admit ... where did those 16 pounds go?
Guess I should look under the bed or behind the couch ...
Good puzzle, though I agree with Barry G Re: Ricci. Didn't know nonce.
I believe weightlifting to be different than body building, but I'm sure it is a fine hair that I'm splitting.
Lego has been my kids' favorite toy for years.
Thank you Argyle, Gail and Bruce.
Nice breezy Tuesday offering. Actually I wish it would have lasted longer to keep my mind occupied. I have a job interview tonight and will be bouncing off the walls until then.
YR: I think many of us are familiar with Civil War marauders and marauding elephants but you may be one of the very few who are very familiar with MARAUD.
Musings
-Why would any kid want this LEGO model when they could build this this Revell model of John Milner’s Deuce Coup?
-Was anyone ever really taken out behind the wood SHED?
-AXE is a noun not an interrogative verb
-STROS - Some tried to use ‘SKERS for Huskers. Didn’t work out.
-Our Senator Ben Nelson supplied the 60th YEA to get ObamaCare passed
-We didn’t get DIAL phones until I was in high school – “Number please”
-John DEERE no longer makes walk-behind mowers
-Training a cat to STAY PUT (1:36)
-I hate when you have to work through a SNIT before you can even address the problem
-Sherman’s march wrote the text on MARAUDing
-Talk about your your DEAD HEATS
-iPhone GPS device to find your parked car
-Taylor Swift will be in Omaha this summer and my grandchildren love her. Tickets in the first TIER are $265 and up…
-“Tap Out” has replaced saying “Uncle”
Pretty easy, but fun puzzle. I always enjoy GG and BV puzzles, and this one did not disappoint. Entertaining expo, Argyle. Thank you all.
Only hang-up was NONCE. Needed ESP for that one as I'm sure I have never run across the word before. How about that; a fun puzzle and a learning moment.
Tinbeni, I never have to worry about where the pounds went. If I turn around really fast, I'll spot them.
Jerome, you are too much (in a good way).
OwenKL, As a fellow traveling man, I enjoyed your poem very much. It sure didn't take the direction I expected.
Finally got my connectivity issues resolved. They have really hampered me recently. Once I finally convinced bombast cable that their antique router was the problem, and replaced it with a new one, my internet is now solid as a rock. YAY!
That's probably the first time in my life (75yrs) that I've ever encountered the word "nonce".
Hi all!
A quick Tues-level puzzle - fun BUILDING up to the theme. Thanks Gail & Bruce and of course to Argyle for the write-up.
65a - ESP, otherwise smooth.
NONCE - I only know this word from Cryptography. Now I know why we call it that.
Cheers, -T
HG, I have seen some in a minor set-to tap their fingers on the floor to mean,"I give up."
My take on TAP OUT: Will you and your wallet be tapped out after buying several tickets at $265 per?
That NINA RICCI outfit would cause gales of laughter if I wore it with the hood up. I do like some of her colognes.
I found several references for MARAUD standing alone, although marauded, marauder, and marauding are much more common. My take on crosswords is that any plausible word form with the same root is fair game, whether common or not, and I enter it automatically. That opens up the opportunity to "suss" far more answers quickly.
YR, WYS re: MARAUD. I had a few perps in place and entered it without a second thought. "any plausible word form with the same root is far game" Hands up, here.
Good morning everyone.
Easy enough solve today. Had a hiccup with NONCE. Think we had it within the past several months. It was as meaningless then as today. But perps were ample.
14 a - 'Sailed through'. Was thinking sailed through the Bosporus or sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar, but for that usage, 'transited' comes to mind. But ACED fit better and thats what mattered.
OXEN is one of the very few English nouns whose plural is formed by adding EN. In Dutch (Nederlands) almost all plurals are formed that way.
"There's a difference between beauty and charm. A beautiful woman is one I notice. A charming woman is one who notices me." - John Erskine
Greetings, fellow puzzlers. A big thank you to GG, BV and Argyle for today's entertainment.
It was quick but fun with only a few erasures, YES/YEA, SILO/SHED, and LOCAL/LOFAT. I loved seeing MARAUD and NONCE which often appear in Shakespeare's works. We had an absolutely wonderful teacher who read and explained his plays superbly and so I took three Shakespeare era classes. Loved that.
Now I have to go have a molar crowned so I'll "see" you all later.
Have a great Tuesday, everyone!
Good Morning:
Thanks, Gail and Bruce, for a fun Tuesday romp and thanks to Argyle for the expo.
Ergo, good luck with the interview.
It's snowing here and very cold. Below zero temps coming soon. Brrr!
Have a great day.
Thank you for the well wishes Irish Miss.
Husker Gary --> I think you struck on a potential puzzle theme:
'stros
'skers
'skins
'canes
Perhaps C.C. can enlighten us.
Perfect Tuesday puzzle--almost a speed run, but not quite. I knew the six-footer was going to be a sandwich of some sort, but needed perps to figure out which one. No problem with NONCE, for some reason. So, many thanks, Gail and Bruce, one of my favorite combos. And you too, Argyle.
Ergo, good luck with the interview, and Lucina, good luck at the dentist.
Have a great day, everybody!
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Gail and Bruce, for a fine puzzle. Thank you Argyle, for a fine review.
OwenKL: Great poems today that you attached. Thank you.
Bluehen: Nice to here from you. Whence came you?
Did the whole puzzle in my doctor's office waiting room this morning. Went quickly.
My eyes are doing fine. Pressure 15 and 14.
Enjoyed TUBA in the puzzle. Thank you D-O for remembering. Maybe I will change my avatar to reflect that.
NONCE is a new word for me. Got it with perps.
Theme was fine. It all made sense. If you step on some Legos in your bare feet you will never forget.
INFERNO reminds me of Dan Brown's latest book, which was excellent!
Tinbeni: I am down 10 pounds since I got the shingles. I would not recommend that method to anybody.
See you tomorrow. It is supposed to be colder. It was 3 degrees this morning at 5:30.
Abejo
( )
Ergo: Good luck with your job interview.
Abejo
For anyone who cares*...
B-I-G-G-I-O! is voted into Cooperstown! Finally, enough YEAs to get him in.
Cheers, -T
*Count me as one who does. Biggio has the numbers and is (along with Randy Johnson) finally a 'STRO welcomed into the hall.
My knee replacement operation has been postponed due to a blocked artery in the heart. Instead I will have angioplasty and likely the insertion of a stent. I will need to be on blood thinners for several months after which, in several months, I can have the knee operation. The blockage was asymptomatic. There were so many scheduling snafus that this is all last minute.
Fortunately I have lost 27 pounds since early October. My BMI is just two pounds over the normal range. I intend to lose 10 to 12 more. I am investigating the DASH diet.
Lucina, it seems many have heard of "for the nonce." You are correct, it must have been our early education in Shakespeare.
Ergo, good luck with your job interview.
Weight lifting and body building are distinct efforts, though weight lifting can be part of the body building. Strength training, power lifting, specific muscle building for specific sports (golf for example) all very different rom the world of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
I too learned of nonce from my favorite Mr. Shakespeare; here is a good LINK.
Loves me that stuff.
YR, I a so sorry to hear that your knee replacement will be postponed, leaving you with pain for far longer than you probably would have wanted. But, on the other hand, it is really good that they caught the asymptomatic blockage before it led to more serious issues. I hope you get through all this soon, without any further glitches!!
YR - Please take care. You're in our thoughts.
DW took one Shakespeare class and switched majors to English. Today she could be a CNN PINUP but she's taught me so much (e.g. ILIAD) I wouldn't trade it for a day.
Good luck Ergo! Let us know, that you (like we hope) ACED it.
Here's the MLB HOF induction announcement. HOU gets no love - what a PITA.
Cheers, -T
YR, sorry to hear about the setback. Good luck with the angioplasty -- they seem to be pretty standard fare of late. Too bad that your dancin' days must be postponed once again.
Yellowrocks: Best of luck with those issues. I hope all goes well.
Ergo: Good luck with the interview. Waiting is often harder than the actual event.
Lucina: I was thinking of you last night. An acquaintance gave us a couple of her homemade tamales. Very tasty.
This retired life can be SO busy and stressful. This morning I had to go by the optometrist's office. The lens had fallen out of an old pair of glasses that I use for the computer and are the lightest and most comfortable. Lucky, the lady who works the desk fixed them easily. Then I had to go get a dozen eggs. Geez! I'm exhausted. Maybe a nap would help. :>)
Seen on YouTube this AM, Alphabetical order. Why is the Alphabet in the order it is in? After an Ad, & 4 minutes of my life, I was advised that "No One Knows!"
My reaction?
I bet Yellowrocks would know...
The puzzle? FIW! (Rats!)
Luckily I did not see "nonce" for the perps, I hope I never see it again...
Somehow, I ended up with 8D being MARAID. I saw plunder, & then raid, then had a brain freeze. Using the dead tree version of the puzzle the lack of a TADA did not help. I knew Maraid had to be wrong, but something about plunder/raid seemed so right that I spent 10 minutes trying to change shim/tuba without success.
All those letters (sigh) when I could have just played with 5 stinking vowels... (& sometimes Y)
From the Lego school of contruction...
An interesting construction site...
oops!
Good Luck!
Now you're talking!
addendum
Aaah! back home, away from DWs Ipad, I can link again!
No problem with NONCE, but I did do a double take when I filled it in, seeing as how today is Tuesday.
CED - A->Z order? It's because of that song (@3:37). C, -T
Biggio an HOFer? Sorry, not in my book. Lifetime BA < .300 and/or Career HR < 300. Steroid suspicions and no MVP or 10 All-star appearances. They're going to need to double the Cooperstown COMPLEX if this is the new standard of admissions.
Sorry -T, just stating facts. Send me an e-mail if you want more bullets from my vantage point.
Twins do EVERYTHING the same
Google and I are SO close that it even finishes my sentences for me...
I should take Jordan down to the beach with binoculars to see the conjunction of Venus and Mercury this weekend. I hope it's clear.
Hey, maybe we should make a tin can telephone. That might be fun!
Greetings!
Thanks, Gail, Bruce, Santa!
No problems. Knew NONCE and MARAUD.
YR: Darn stinkin' blood thinners! (I have bruises all of the time, all over. Hope that they didn't give you Warfarin--full of arsenic. I have Pradaxa.) Medicare gave me some battery-operated thingies to "cure" my knee problem. Sort of works.
Pulmonologist sent me to have CAT scan to check for cancer. Can sit around and worry, but not going to. Life in bed and wheelchair not worth much anyway.
Oh, well, cheers anyway!
Yellowrocks: Good luck with your stent and knee. I am learning that health issues can be daunting.
Abejo
Yellowrocks:
I'm so sorry to hear about your setback but isn't it fortunate they found the blockage and can take steps for it.
BillG:
I'm glad you had and enjoyed some tamales. They certainly highlight the holidays for us.
And I'm sorry so many of you are experiencing seriously cold weather and strong storms. Stay warm and stay healthy!
My trip to the dentist was predictably a drill a minute and I'll have the new crown by next week.
Anon @4:27 - Sure his BA was only .281, but Biggio had >3,000 hits, 291 HR, most HR in a lead-off position, 414 steals, >1,000 RBIs, 668 2-baggers, .363 OBP all at three different positions. Oh, and 285 HBP, though I will concede he leaned-in often :-)
At any rate, 20 years with one team - that's noble in today's market. HOF? Heck yeah, DIAL him up.
Cheers, -T
AnonT, 20 years with one team? That is certainly special in today's environment. I am always disappointed when a local sports great leaves town for more money somewhere else. If they have a good reputation with the fans, a good rapport with other team members and management, you'd think more money wouldn't always be the overriding factor. Surely they have enough money to be happy and provide for their families. I wonder if the agents don't have a lot to do with players moving.
Lena Olin is a fine actress: see Enemies, a Love Story and Ninth Gate
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