The computer age has not only added some ODD new words to our language like "unsend, reboot, byte, etc.", it has appropriated some existing words to be used in our Brave New Digital World. In C.C.'s lovely Sunday puzzle she reclaims the former meanings to some hijacked tech words we now find so common.
I flipped a mental coin to decide whether to post pix of the new or old use and I think you can see what I chose. Hmmm... Can I unchoose? No? Okay, let's "boot up" this bad boy!
23A. HOT SPOT : TRENDY BAR - Elaine's in NYC in in the 60's (closed in 2011) or a place to get online
25A. CACHE : HIDDEN TROVE - Where Blackbeard hid his loot or intermediate computer data storage that speeds up computer activity
38A. SPAM : CANNED MEAT - Hormel meat product made here in Fremont, NE or letters from a Nigerian prince
59A. VIRUS : FLU CAUSE - Germs for humans or a bug for your CPU
74A. HACKER : AMATEUR GOLFER - Me on the golf course or computer thief
91A. TWEET : BIRD CALL - Tweety getting a hold of Daffy or (speaking of daffy)
103A. TABLET : SCRATCH PAD - My old Big Chief from grade school or one of these
123A. STREAM : FISHING SPOT - Down by the Old Mill or watching granddaughter doing poetry live on our computer
126A. MOUSE : LAB ANIMAL - Testees in the lab or these (oldest to newest)
Across
1. Glacier Bay phenomenon : BERG
5. Bullets, in Vegas : ACES - here's four of 'em
9. Cake often laced with rum : BABKA
14. Short space-saver : ET AL - and those other guys too
18. Wet'n'Wild Hawaii locale : OAHU- Which is NOT where you find 48 A. Kapalua Airport site : MAUI
19. Winter runner : NOSE - C'mon, that's really cute!
20. To no __ : AVAIL
21. Muslim mystics : SUFIS - Here today, gone tomorrow
27. Outer area? : SPACE - My specialty
28. Two-time Masters champ Watson : BUBBA Watson - a champion and true gentleman
30. "Gotcha!" : I SEE
31. Christmas delivery : NOEL - Nix on BABY, GIFT and GOLD. Or CHIA pet ;-)
32. Time-tested : OLD
34. 24-part epic : ILIAD - First verse
36. Eur. landmark under which Zeus trapped Typhon : MT ETNA
43. "All Is Lost" star : REDFORD - I just watched his forgettable Indecent Proposal on Netflix
46. Oodles : A LOT - A LOT just north of me costs, uh, A LOT (6 figures)
47. "'__ Death": 2000s Fox sitcom : TIL
49. In the box : AT BAT
53. Kosher food brand : SABRA - Supplies Mediterranean food for Kosher consumers
55. Has coming : MERITS
61. __ message : ERROR - It took me an hour to clear a "Paper Jam" ERROR message on my HP printer
62. Like lambs : OVINE - Of, relating to or resmbling sheep according to Merriam-Webster
63. Follower : FAN - A little over the top? Waddaya think?
64. Little devils : IMPS
65. Butch Cassidy or the Sundance Kid : ALIAS -Robert Leroy Parker and Harry Longabaugh just didn't cut it
67. Altercation : SCRAPE
70. Preacher's perch : PULPIT
72. ''Just __ suspected!'' : AS I - You've already forgotten the name of those Muslim mystics!
77. Winning threesome? : ENS - Just count 'em - W I N N I N G
78. View from Alaska's Wonder Lake : DENALI - Talk about your views! Wow!
80. Its prime minister historically visited Cyprus in 2012 : ISRAEL - Dimitri and Bibi
81. High dudgeon : ANGER
83. Start : OPEN - With those 4 bullets in 5 A, I'd OPEN for A LOT
84. Stand-up standard : GAG - Deadpan comic Steven Wright memorizes 360 of them for an hour set
86. Fishing basket : CREEL
88. Run the show : EMCEE - Do you remember the show he EMCEED for 20 years before this?
93. 182 Skylane maker : CESSNA - Dudley, ever taken one up?
94. Regrettable : SORRY - You just can't say SORRY, you have to fix it!
95. Unchallenging course : EASY A
96. Tiny amount : IOTA
98. Disney doe : ENA
100. Apple, for one : POME - A type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the sub tribe Malinae of the family Rosceae. Not Poe's The Raven!
101. Exasperated query : WHAT NOW
106. LP Field team : TITANS - This is what the Cumberland River did to LP Stadium in Nashville the year before we visited
109. "Gotcha!" : PSYCH
111. One of football's Mannings : ELI
112. Google Groups regular : USER
113. Uno y dos y tres : SEIS - matemáticas en español
116. "Take __!" : A HIKE
119. Unapproachable : ALOOF - Don't be ALOOF, the world already has too many LOOFS!
128. Hawk's weapon : TALON
129. Float : GLIDE - These GLIDERS dropped paratroopers in the early morning hours of D-Day
130. Savings choices, briefly : IRAS
131. Major road : PIKE
132. Game division : HALF
133. Fires off, say : SENDS - Maybe Paris should have thought before hitting SEND on that TWEET above. Hmmm.... Paris Hilton/Think, isn't that oxymoronic
134. States : SAYS
135. Locale in Dante's fifth circle of Hell : STYX
Down
1. Web crawlers, e.g. : BOTS - Software apps that perform repetitive tasks faster than we mere mortals
2. Tombstone legend : EARP - We visited the EARP residence in Pella, Iowa
3. Bird hunted by gauchos : RHEA
4. Controversial public safety issue : GUN CONTROL
5. "__ news?" : ANY
6. 1936 Cooperstown inductee : COBB - Perhaps the most hated man to play the game
7. Isaac's older son : ESAU - The family tree. Hmmm...
8. Hungary neighbor : SERBIA - If WWI hadn't started by a SERBIAN shooting the Archduke Ferdinand, it would surely have started somewhere else
9. Faith with a 19-month calendar : BAHAI - 19 instead of our 12 divisions
10. Prefix with fauna : AVI - Birds of a certain region, habitat or geological period
11. "I wouldn't advise it!" : BAD IDEA - Butch thought Sundance's idea of jumping off the cliff as a BAD IDEA
12. Rides : KIDS - Kidding can turn to the unpleasant act of riding someone
13. Downwind : ALEE
14. Fla. setting : EST - Clocks in Pensacola, FL match mine in Fremont, NE
15. Beat a hasty retreat : TURNED TAIL
16. In progress : AFOOT - "Come Watson!", Holmes cried, "The game is AFOOT!"
17. Spice (up) : LIVEN
22. Ward of "The Fugitive" : SELA
24. Take out : DELE - Is this word ever spoken?
26. Captain who said, "I have done with society entirely" : NEMO - Also...
29. Crunchy sandwich : BLT My fav!
33. "Silent Spring" subj. : DDT and 39. Banned orchard spray : ALAR are so close together
35. Pitchers, to a manager : ARMS - Most teams have 11 - 12 arms on the roster
37. __ II razor : TRAC
38. Legal work : CASE - Crossword stalwart, Erle, wrote a lot of them such as
40. Obvious choices : NO BRAINERS - C.C.: "Gary will you blog my puzzle?" Gary: "That's a NO BRAINER!"
41. Mid-morning drink : MIMOSA
42. K2's 28,251 ft. : ELEV - Only 306 people have summited K2 while over 5,000 have conquered Everest
44. __ bag : DUFFEL - From the town of Duffel, Belgium where this heavy, woolen cloth was originally made
45. Reebok competitor : FILA
50. Farm abundance : BUMPER CROP - It'd better warm up and dry up around here to get one of these
51. Defense secretary after Cheney : ASPIN
52. Battery components : TESTS - As Tom Wolfe wrote in The Right Stuff, the Mercury 7 astronauts hated the battery of TESTS they had to endure. Most proved to be worthless.
54. Sans serif typeface : ARIAL - The difference:
56. Heads for the top : RISES
57. Provoke : INCUR
58. Barbecue spot : TERRACE
60. Let out, as hogs : UNPEN - Okay
66. Guadalajara gal pal : AMIGA
68. Teen follower? : AGERS
69. Flag bearers : POLES - Here is a Pole with his flag on a, uh, POLE
71. They're hard to ignore : URGES - Get those potato chips away from me!
72. Sun-dried brick : ADOBE
73. Cuttlefish pigment : SEPIA
75. Jungle hybrid : TIGLON - Some swingin' goin' on in the jungle!
76. Lola of "The Liberation of L.B. Jones" : FALANA
79. Interview magazine co-founder : ANDY WARHOL - If he can make a soup can art...
82. Falsetto-voiced comedian : EMO PHILIPS - This weird little duck was in another blog I did
85. Came down : ALIT
87. Dept. whose initials spell an animal name : ENER - D.O.E. such as 98 A - ENA
89. Humorous Bombeck : ERMA - The Grass Is Always Greener Over The Septic Tank
90. Checked out : EYED - Will Ferrell in the act
92. "Oh, the weather outside is frightful" lyricist : CAHN - Sammy CAHN
93. Sounds heard by the ears? : CAWS - Ears of corn hearing the crows. Fun! (From C.C.: Rich's clever clue.)
97. English in tennis : TOPSPIN
99. Downed : ATE - Put away the groceries
102. NRA member?: Abbr. : ASSN
103. NYU or MIT : SCH
104. "I want my baby back" chain : CHILIS - I want my baby back, baby back, baby back ribs...
105. Tartan-clad group : CLAN
106. Hair clump : TUFT
107. NBA great Thomas : ISIAH - This fabulous player has been a train wreck as a coach and front office man
108. Car at Supercharger stations : TESLA - The dashboard of this all electric car
110. David who directed the last four Harry Potter films : YATES
114. Fried rice ingredients : EGGS - These have shot up to $4.67/dozen around here with the avian flu crisis
115. Emerald __ : ISLE - Erin Go Bragh!
117. Former "Idol" judge DioGuardi : KARA - no clue/interest
118. StubHub owner : EBAY - They can get you a court side seat for the June 9, Cavaliers/Warrior game in Cleveland for $4,682.25
120. Hold, as the mayo : OMIT
121. Like some cabs : OAKY - Cabernet wines are aged in oak casks (in Marti's basement cave) ;-)
122. Show off, Mr. Universe-style : FLEX - These guys can really be an 127. Long-eared carrier : ASS
124. Like Beethoven's Sixth : IN F - Can't you tell just by looking?
A lovely Sunday exercise by our beloved leader that showcases her amazing talent and the equally amazing utility of our language. What new words/uses lie in our future?
p.s. Do you still remember those Muslim mystics? Yeah, right! ;-)
Husker Gary
Note from C.C.:
The fourth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on June 14th, 2015 Saturday. Please click here for more details. Don G and I teamed up again this year. Hope to see some of you there.
30 comments:
Greetings!
Thank you, CC and Gary!
Great puzzle, but very time consuming. First time through was really white. Unknowns: YATES, ASPIN, KARA. Perps to the rescue.
No cheats (after Fri. and Sat. disasters).
Very amusing!
Cheers!
Leave it to C.C. to inject GUN CONTROL into a puzzle. No politics unless she wants it.
PS. Of course it's F major! (50 years a musician.)
I know SUFIS from other puzzles.
Had a natick, and some questionables in the SW. Turned on red letters, and the questionables sorted themselves out quickly: ISAAC>ISIAH, ENGS>EGGS (figured it was a spice I didn't know), FASHION SPOT>FISHING SPOT (this was a "what the heck?" fill), CALF>HALF (hunting game?). That still left one cell blank, so DNF. RED_ORD+_ILA.
Anon: it's only politics if you say whether you're opposed or in favor of it. (I'm ** *****!)
Morning, all!
I figured out eventually that the theme involved non-computer definitions for common computer terms, but it took me awhile simply because I didn't associate "hot spot" with computers. In retrospect, "Wifi hot spot" makes perfect sense and actually is something I've heard of, however.
Generally smooth solve, but there were definitely some bumps along the way:
* Didn't know BUBBA Watson.
* Couldn't figure out how E-N-E-R spelled out the name of an animal. Until, of course, the V8 can hit and I realizes it was referring to the Department Of Energy (DOE). D'OH!
* MIMOSA is a mid-morning drink? I was thinking coffee (or, in my case, a Mountain Dew). I guess I don't go out to brunch very often (and never drink alcohol).
* A "hacker" is an AMATEUR GOLFER? And INCUR can mean "provoke"? Live and learn...
* I've only heard "English" to refer to TOP SPIN in billiards. Learning moment that it also applies to tennis.
* Really struggled with PSYCH since I was thinking of "Gotcha!" in the "I understand" sense and not the "fooled you" sense.
* KARA who?
As an aside, "Fried rice ingredients" made me sad for two reasons. First, although I always add EGGS to fried rice when I cook it, neither my Chinese mother-in-law nor the local Chinese restaurant I go to does the same. Second, after many years of suffering through seemingly random bouts of "Irritable Bowel Syndrome" type symptoms, I recently realized that I probably have an intolerance to eggs. I stopped eating them completely a couple of weeks ago and am finally symptom-free. Which is great, except that I really, really love EGGS... :(
And speaking of D'OH! I just realized that "Gotcha!" was actually in the puzzle twice as a clecho, once with the meaning I was incorrectly thinking of with PSYCH. That's the problem with long Sunday puzzles -- I tend to forget the top half by the time I get to the bottom half...
Good morning!
Jeez, my brain just wasn't working this morning. I stumbled around the grid, couldn't pull PULPIT out of the dim recesses, and thought a TWEET was BIRD TALK. Once I got all those issues straightened out, I got stranded in Miami. That whole 4X4 block was white. I tried to SKIP the mayo; my cabs were REDS, and Mr. Universe was in a POSE. Finally applied a liberal coat of Wite-Out and ALOOF came floating up. Whew!
Do you suppose Isiah was betting on American Pharoah?
Learning moment: BABKA has rum. I thought only BABAs were rum cakes.
Didn't know SABRA, but did recall that the word means a native-born Israeli, so when it filled, it looked OK. I don't think it's a SABRA/SABRO kind of thing -- male or female, it's a SABRA.
They say the cream RISES to the top, but often forget that so does the slag.
Hello Puzzlers -
What D-Otto said. My brain is still in stumble mode, so stumble I did. Lots of unknowns but the theme was clear enough so I got there in the end. I like the common thread in the theme clues, meaning that they're all upper case, because it's much easier to spot than the usual scattering of asterisks.
Thanks for thinking of me, C.C.!
Morning, Husker - yes, I have lots of time in the Cessna 182. I brought one home from New Orleans once when the owner got weathered in down there; I took that same ship to Miami some time later. The 182 is a capable aircraft, having been matched to a solid 230 horsepower engine.
The Week in Review: M 4:25 T 5:12 W 9:11 T 11:06 F 16:58 S 14:04 S 20:01
Wednesday: Six fills with a "Q" but only one followed by a "U". Clever.
Saturday: I'm glad I avoided a DNF on my birthday.
Sunday: Today's last fill? The "E" in ENA/ENER. D.O.E.? D'oh!
See y'all next weekend.
Gary- I think that your explanation of C.C.'s un-NO BRAINER was the LONGEST in the history of this blog. I finished by basically flipping a coin on 119A because it could of been ALOOF or ALOFT because TAKY made as much sense as OAKY to me. I was thinking taxi or 'cab' of a truck and not being a wine drinker, the only ones I am familiar with are Ripple, Thunderbird, and that type that people joke about.
NIGERIAN PRINCE- I actually had a 'prince' come to my office wanting to have drugs shipped to his realm in Nigeria. I politely advised him to contact the DEA for a permit and get lost. He insisted he was royalty and I called the sheriff before he fled in his car, which definitely wasn't a Rolls.
I had to grind it out to finish this thing. So many unknown clues for known answers. I knew BABA but BABKA was new to me. I have seen LIGER but TIGLON was another new one. The Houston OILERS are now the Tennessee TITANS, not to be confused with the New York TITANS, aka the JETS. I don't understand 'Gotcha' being PSYCH but psych was the only logical fit.
SABRA was an unknown but the picture gave me a V8 moment because that is exactly the brand my wife buys. I just never knew it was kosher. Great puzzle C.C.
Good Morning:
What a great puzzle! Normally, Sundays are my least favorite solves, mainly because of the size, but with today's relevant theme, it was a fun-filled adventure. Not that it was a breeze, though. Had some bumps along the way but, overall, a smooth finish. Fav clue was Winter runner=nose. Never heard of Emo Philips.
Thank you, CC, for a most enjoyable challenge and thak you, Gary, for the informative expo. Even though I'm familiar with all of the computerese, I have a better understanding of some of the terms (cache, e.g.) now.
Have a great day.
Sorry, thank you, Gary.
Barry, we gotta get you to start watching' more sports. BUBBA Watson (The Masters, Golf), TOPSPIN (French Open), HACKER (amateur golfer like 99 % of us), Tennessee Titans play at LP Field (Football).
Very clever puzzle, I thought.
Challenging puzzle that was a joy to unravel. Southeast corner was difficult until I gave up on "Oates."
Wonderful write-up, Gary
Really excellent Sunday puzzle and write up thank you both. i was surprised to see other computerese in the puzzle (Error MESSAGE, BOT, Google USER) but it all filled well. Since I watch sports it was very doable.
Off to a little Sunday at the office
I thought this was a really fun tongue in cheek homage to old fogies like me who might mistake computer terms with something entirely different, LOL. ("Lots of love?")
But I did manage to get them all, only because DH has computerized everything in our house, including the lights. I can't just turn a switch - I have to go to the computer and adjust the on/off schedule if I want it turned on a little earlier than the program dictates!
And thanks for the fun write-up, HG! I loved the TWEET example.
I thought the clue for 93-Down was great, whether it was C.C. or Rich that thought it up. Since corn cannot hear (obviously), I thought that the "by" in "Sounds heard by the ears" meant "beside" or "near."
TIme to go out and enjoy some of that new deck we put up. Have a relaxing Sunday, everyone!
Good afternoon everyone.
Fun puzzle today; not so hard. Thanks, C.C., and for the SO at 64a.
Lots of fresh and varied fill.
53a - SABRA - Thought of Hebrew National but way too long.
69d - POLES - RE: Polish flag. White over red. White over read lights means a pilot aboard (say at a harbor entrance.)
Memory phrase: "White over red, pilot ahead."
I started this puzzle last night and got about halfway through. I just finished it before going out to lunch with our daughter and our grandson. I haven't read the writeup or any of the comments yet. I found the theme gettable and pleasant but the thing that made this puzzle stand out for me was the cluing. So much of it was clever and seemed original to me. I'll be interested to see if many of you felt similarly. Good work CC!
OK, I finished reading Gary's excellent writeup and everybody's comments. I really love eggs too. I now buy the Jumbo-size eggs when I go to the supermarket.
Once again, I thought the cluing was exceptional!
Marti 12:49 - same here! I thought it meant "lots of luck" until my better informed older sister set me straight. She works at a college, you see, and is surrounded by youth.
Spitz 12:53 - some airports have a Visual Approach Slope Indicator, or VASI, a carefully aimed group of red and white lights. If your airplane is right on the ideal descent path (usually a 3° angle), half those lights appear red, and the other half appear white. If you drift too high, they're all white; drift too low, all red. The corresponding memory aid is: Red over White, doin' all right; White over White, you're high as a kite; Red over Red, you're dead.
It works.
And White over Red . . . you're out of your head?
Dudley @ 1343 - Interesting about the slope indicator lights. Makes you wonder how they are initially calibrated. Does the technician walk around with a crescent wrench in his pocket to make adjustments based on pilot feedback?
Most buoyage in the eastern US uses red buoys to indicate the right side of the channel travelling upstream, and green on the opposite side. So, to remember, the phrase red, right, return (from the sea) is taught.
Wonderful puzzle today. Great cluing and substantial fill. I really really really really really really really really really really really really liked it.
Smooth and steady except for the center which slowed me up considerably. Cyprus visit:
Greece- NO Turkey- NO ISRAEL- YES! And the midmorning drink kept trying to think of some kind of tea before the light went on with a brunch drink: MIMOSA! Spelling DUFFEL wrong as duffle didn't help either, but slowly everything sorted itself out.
WEES about lots of clever clues like sounds heard by the ears
Thanks, CC, and HG!
LIGER vs. TIGLON
HG: Regarding 124d - yes, I can tell from looking at the treble clef. One "flat" (the symbol that looks like a b just after the treble clef symbol &) always = key of F.
It's been a long time since I have played an instrument (piano) but the key "signature" is one of those things that sort of sticks with you. The location of the flat symbol (b) on the staff lines indicate which keys are played "flat". In the case of the key of F, beginning with that key as you ascend the scale, the B flat key is the only flat key (black key, on the piano) played for that key signature.
Spitz - I'm told the housings are made to sufficient precision that they can be adjusted with an inclinometer. Later, I presume, the glide path is test flown by FAA's Airways Facilities group; they test lots of stuff in flight, using Beech King Airs.
Good evening, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Husker Gary, for a fine review.
Nice to be back. I did blog the other day, the day after, so I am sure no one saw it.
I had been in Pennsylvania and had a tough time trying to Blog from my cell phone. So, I gave up trying.
This puzzle was very good. Clever theme, state-of-the-art.
Cessna was easy. I have flown a 150, not a 182 or 172.
KARA was unknown. Did know SELA, however.
BAHAI was easy. Lived where that is practiced.
Got SABRA. Just rang a bell.
I like SPAM, CANNED MEAT. Some people do not. Too bad for them.
I am definitely a HACKER at golf. But I do enjoy it.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
130 down, "NYU or MIT", answer "Sch" ... the clue seems misleading to me. The clue uses acronyms, but the answer is an abbreviation. Is this an accepted standard in crossword puzzles, or does it fall outside the norm?
Mark: Acronyms are a subset of abbreviations, so yes, that seems to be standard. At least for the LAT. And we have seen it ignored altogether for non-initialism acronyms (like NASA that's pronounced as a word) in a difficult end-of-week puzzle.
Was busy yesterday, so didn't get to it until this am. Very clever puzzle, and somewhat a toughie. Really liked the comments, Gary. Your D-Day pic was so very timely, and the other links were great! Thanks for filling in.
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