Words: 70 (missing F,J,Q,W,X)
Blocks: 27
Ta-DA~!!! This one was a real pleasure to solve - and yes, I am biased
because I was able to solve it without cheating, Google, and
red-letters - but it did not look promising to start. A lot of white on
the first pass both across and down, but then a few common
words/phrases made sense, and they worked, too. A tad too many vague
clues, and a few proper names - two very nearly creating a Natick - but
my one-letter guess was correct and thus....Ta-DA~!! Triple 11- and
almost triple 9-letter corners with two pairs of 9's crossing in the
middle section;
7d. Golden Grain Company creation : RICE-A-RONI - been popular lately on Saturday; a little company history
31a. DO holder : OSTEOPATH - well, I figured it was a "Doctor of" something, and then the perps helped me out
36. Common literary technique : SYMBOLISM - like the bad guy in the black hat
Raiders of the Lost Ark
O - N - W - A - R - D ~ !
ACROSS:
1. Verne vision : SPACE TRAVEL - Pondered SUBMARINE and TIME TRAVEL; both too short
12. Refrain bit : TRA
15. Jurassic time : MESOZOIC ERA - Pondered DINOSAUR AGE
16. What "8" may mean: Abbr. : AUGust - very nearly got me again - and timely, considering it's the first of the month today; the "rabbits" are 5 clues below
17. Programmer's line : INSTRUCTION
18. The Wildcats of the Big 12 Conf. : KSU
19. Spectra 70 computers : RCAs
20. Projection room inventory : REELS - early WAG
21. Org. with a rabbit in its logo : PETA - Playboy did not fit, and technically, it's a magazine, not an organization - would PETA protect these 'animals'~?
12. Refrain bit : TRA
15. Jurassic time : MESOZOIC ERA - Pondered DINOSAUR AGE
16. What "8" may mean: Abbr. : AUGust - very nearly got me again - and timely, considering it's the first of the month today; the "rabbits" are 5 clues below
17. Programmer's line : INSTRUCTION
18. The Wildcats of the Big 12 Conf. : KSU
19. Spectra 70 computers : RCAs
20. Projection room inventory : REELS - early WAG
21. Org. with a rabbit in its logo : PETA - Playboy did not fit, and technically, it's a magazine, not an organization - would PETA protect these 'animals'~?
22. Critical : KEY
23. Main parts : LEADS - such as those filled by 56a.
24. Phillies pitcher Hamels : COLE - total unknown; my one-letter guess was "C"; I'm sure C.C. nailed it
25. Earth : TERRA
26. Dietary restriction : NO MEAT
28. Patron saint of dancers : VITUS - ah - so "St Vitus Dance" from Black Sabbath is a little play on words....
33. 1996-'97 NBA Rookie of the Year : IVERSON - so not into basketball, this was mostly perps
35. Breakup words : "IT'S OVER"
38. It's good in Puerto Rico : BUENO
39. Like some European scenery : ALPINE - followed by a clecho....
40. Monument Valley scenery : MESAs
42. Dark times, to poets : E'ENs - evenings
43. Speechless miner of fiction : DOPEY - ah. a Dwarf, that is
44. TV debut of 2000 : CSI
47. Unadorned : BARE
48. Confute : BELIE
49. Second Amendment subject : ARMS - oops, not GUNS
50. Links letters : PGA - couldn't be PAR or TEE
51. Teacher of skills : TRADE SCHOOL - I have an Associate's Degree from Island Drafting in Amityville, NY, essentially a trade school for AutoCAD and electronics
53. Unavailable, say : OUT
54. Shortest way : DIRECT ROUTE
55. Width measure : EEE - seems odd to see this in a Barry Silk puzzle
56. Film heroes, often : STEREOTYPES
DOWN:
1. Unsportsmanlike look : SMIRK - not SNEER
2. Overseas coppers : PENCE - coinage, as in Britain; sort of clecho with; 48d. One in a lift, maybe : BRIT - other words, like bonnet, boot and lorry
3. Evaluate : ASSAY
4. Sacks on bases : COTS - ah, not a baseball clue; I was thinking getting tagged out for attempting to steal
5. Book before Neh. : EZRa - I have a contractor friend named Ezra
6. One seeing the sights : TOURER - because tourIST didn't fit
8. Substituted for : ACTED AS
9. Conceals : VEILS
10. Psyche's beloved : EROS
11. Data-sharing syst. : LAN
12. Go : TAKE LEAVE - had it, took it out, put it back in
13. Seriously weathered, as old cars : RUST-EATEN
14. Contents of el mar : AGUA
21. Stuffy : POMPOUS
23. Course units : LESSONS - I looked into Delaware Tech in Dover; I even have my schedule worked out for the Fall, but I'm going to have to delay until the Spring; a new car is first order. Considering the Dodge Dart if the Toyota A-BAT is not out soon
24. Oregon Coast Music Festival setting : COOS BAY - the "C" seemed most sensible
25. Wind farm sight : TURBINE - I've been there, remember~?
26. Take in : NET - not NAB
27. "Comin' __ the Rye" : THRO - I WAGed INTO, ONTO, and that sort of helped. Never heard of this poem/song
28. Dow 30 company : VISA - I had the "A", but it was not much help; Actually, I did not know what made up the DOW 30 -interesting - the list
29. Quakers play in it : IVY LEAGUE - I tried AAA first, not knowing that U Penn was the school being referred to
30. Not extreme : TEMPERATE
34. Ring cheer : OLÉ
37. Do a slow burn : SMOLDER
41. Minds : SEES TO - made me change my "SEE" at 26d. 'take in'
43. Mary __: ship in a Hammond Innes novel : DEARE - perps
44. Laryngeal concern : CROUP - ah, not CROAK; that's 100% 60% correct ;7)
45. Clobbered : SMOTE - as in "smited"
46. Key chain : ISLES - took a moment to dawn on me
47. Letters seen under antlers : B.P.O.E. - The Wiki
49. Main call : AHOY - the bounding main, that is
51. Raiders' successes, briefly : TDs - The Oakland Raiders of the NFL
52. Old PC component : CRT - cathode ray tube - the screen that usually had a burn-in from the program most often used
23. Main parts : LEADS - such as those filled by 56a.
24. Phillies pitcher Hamels : COLE - total unknown; my one-letter guess was "C"; I'm sure C.C. nailed it
25. Earth : TERRA
26. Dietary restriction : NO MEAT
28. Patron saint of dancers : VITUS - ah - so "St Vitus Dance" from Black Sabbath is a little play on words....
35. Breakup words : "IT'S OVER"
38. It's good in Puerto Rico : BUENO
39. Like some European scenery : ALPINE - followed by a clecho....
40. Monument Valley scenery : MESAs
42. Dark times, to poets : E'ENs - evenings
43. Speechless miner of fiction : DOPEY - ah. a Dwarf, that is
47. Unadorned : BARE
48. Confute : BELIE
49. Second Amendment subject : ARMS - oops, not GUNS
50. Links letters : PGA - couldn't be PAR or TEE
51. Teacher of skills : TRADE SCHOOL - I have an Associate's Degree from Island Drafting in Amityville, NY, essentially a trade school for AutoCAD and electronics
53. Unavailable, say : OUT
54. Shortest way : DIRECT ROUTE
55. Width measure : EEE - seems odd to see this in a Barry Silk puzzle
56. Film heroes, often : STEREOTYPES
DOWN:
1. Unsportsmanlike look : SMIRK - not SNEER
2. Overseas coppers : PENCE - coinage, as in Britain; sort of clecho with; 48d. One in a lift, maybe : BRIT - other words, like bonnet, boot and lorry
3. Evaluate : ASSAY
4. Sacks on bases : COTS - ah, not a baseball clue; I was thinking getting tagged out for attempting to steal
5. Book before Neh. : EZRa - I have a contractor friend named Ezra
6. One seeing the sights : TOURER - because tourIST didn't fit
8. Substituted for : ACTED AS
9. Conceals : VEILS
10. Psyche's beloved : EROS
11. Data-sharing syst. : LAN
12. Go : TAKE LEAVE - had it, took it out, put it back in
13. Seriously weathered, as old cars : RUST-EATEN
14. Contents of el mar : AGUA
21. Stuffy : POMPOUS
23. Course units : LESSONS - I looked into Delaware Tech in Dover; I even have my schedule worked out for the Fall, but I'm going to have to delay until the Spring; a new car is first order. Considering the Dodge Dart if the Toyota A-BAT is not out soon
25. Wind farm sight : TURBINE - I've been there, remember~?
27. "Comin' __ the Rye" : THRO - I WAGed INTO, ONTO, and that sort of helped. Never heard of this poem/song
28. Dow 30 company : VISA - I had the "A", but it was not much help; Actually, I did not know what made up the DOW 30 -interesting - the list
29. Quakers play in it : IVY LEAGUE - I tried AAA first, not knowing that U Penn was the school being referred to
30. Not extreme : TEMPERATE
34. Ring cheer : OLÉ
37. Do a slow burn : SMOLDER
41. Minds : SEES TO - made me change my "SEE" at 26d. 'take in'
43. Mary __: ship in a Hammond Innes novel : DEARE - perps
44. Laryngeal concern : CROUP - ah, not CROAK; that's 100% 60% correct ;7)
45. Clobbered : SMOTE - as in "smited"
46. Key chain : ISLES - took a moment to dawn on me
47. Letters seen under antlers : B.P.O.E. - The Wiki
51. Raiders' successes, briefly : TDs - The Oakland Raiders of the NFL
52. Old PC component : CRT - cathode ray tube - the screen that usually had a burn-in from the program most often used
look familiar~?
Splynter
Rabbit rabbit. Finished both Fri & Sat this week! Wahoo! Missteps as usual, CENOZOIC>MESOZOIC, TAKE A HIKE>TAKE LEAVE, THRU>THRO, had KEY in 22a, then took it out when I found key in the clue at 46d, put it back in later. After thinking so many esoteric things, I LOLed when I got 16a=AUG.!
ReplyDeleteGood puzzle for a SciFi fan: SPACE TRAVEL, Jurassic, TERRA, SYMBOLISM, STEREOTYPES.
My Dad spent his retirement years as a beachcomber in Gold Beach, Oregon, a suburb of COOS BAY, if a town that tiny can have a suburb. I still wanted to put Ashland there, but that's a Shakespearian festival, not music.
Pongo got it right yesterday about my ego. It's as big as I am, and at 6'1", 350#, that's BIG, but also fragile as a soap bubble. He knows me well! However as I mentioned a couple days ago, the current hiatus in limericks is because of nonograms. I was hurt that no one responded to my request for opinions about nonograms being called Japanese crosswords. Here's a paragraph translated from the Russian Wikipedia article on Crosswords --
"Crosswords" in the Russian-language newspapers often referred to as entertaining puzzle game in which the words do not overlap (which is the basic rule of a crossword puzzle), or no words at all (as in the so-called "Japanese crossword puzzles"). Very often the "geographic" name does not carry any meaning: "American crossword" puzzle is called, combines the rules of classical and "Japanese Crossword", while the US and Japan do have crossword puzzles, different from the European, but it still puzzles, although and with a few additional rules.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteThis one was tough all over and, while I managed to eventually muddle through most of it, it got me in the end.
The southern half was a total mess until I finally guessed VITUS and that opened things up for me. It got me TEMPERATE and VISA, which got me to IVERSON and SYMBOLISM, and that got me the foothold I needed in the SE.
Up north, I actually had an easier time overall, but the crossing of COLE and COOS nearly did me in. I did guess the crossing C correctly, but I had little confidence it was actually correct. COLE seemed like a real name, sure, but COOS?
My eventual downfall was trying to get COT at 4D. I get it now, but I originally went with BAG (thinking baseball). Even when I finally abandoned BAG and got SPACE TRAVEL and INSTRUCTION, I misspelled 15A as MESAZOIC instead of MEZOZOIC. That gave me CAT for 4D, which I just shrugged at and accepted as some slang term that I didn't know. When I didn't get the *tada*, however, I finally ran the vowels until I hit COT. It was only afterwards that I realized what the clue was referring to.
Lot's of fiendish clues today. DO holder was probably the hardest.
Overall, a fun and challenging Saturday Silkie that I couldn't quite do. Not exactly what I would call smooth, but still fun.
Oh, and Owen -- I really do enjoy your limericks, but honestly couldn't care less about nonograms. My complete lack of interest shouldn't be taken personally, however. As they say, it's not about you, it's about me...
ReplyDeleteOne look at Barry's offering was enough to scare me into not even trying. Only 27 black squares? Oi! Eventually worked up the courage to give it a go, but found this a very daunting task. I eventually cheated my way to a "completion" if you can call it that. Liberal use of Google Search, so, in reality, I didn't complete the CW, Google did. Being honest, this is a DNF for me. O.K., I managed to fill in every square, but when I have to Google my way to it, it"s a DNF. I cheat my way to a fill, instead of just giving up, in hopes of learning something. Owen, I miss your limericks. I don't even know what a nonogram is, "Never hoida da bum!", but I do know what a limerick is, and yours are missed.
ReplyDeleteWhite Rabbit, white rabbit.
ReplyDeleteA classic Silkie with the usual emotional range of despair hope and satisfaction.
When I was young and the world did not acknowledge political correctness, people used to refer to overactive children as suffering from ST VITUS DANCE which now has a different name.
Did not care for TOURER or RUSTEATEN even though they are real and COOS BAY was in my brain for some reason.
Owen, love your limericks, amazed at your productivity and many are great but also could not care less about nonograms. I also have no interest in Suduko, I like words
Happy August all
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteToday's BS did not disappoint. Tried HIDES for "Conceals" -- knew it would be wrong, but put it in anyway. Mary DEARE came bubbling up from some dark recess. The biggest slowdown was RUSTED OUT, which I was certain would be correct. And wasn't. One of my navy buddies hailed from COOS BAY, so I didn't have to make an alphabet run to get the C. In the end I muddled THRO to victory in better than normal Saturday time.
The alphabet run came at the V in VISA/VITUS. My knowledge of saints is sketchy, at best. The credit card came to the rescue.
We had a discussion several months ago about THRO -- Burns is the only guy who spelled it that way, We used to sing that song in grade school. We also sang a lot of non-PC Stephen Foster songs.
I've always liked the connection between Comin' Thro the Rye and The Catcher in the Rye
ReplyDeleteBetter than ususal time for a Silkie. Wagged the C in COOS BAY. It seemed the only possibility after an alphabet run.
ReplyDeleteOne bad cell. It should have been easy but I made a bone-headed mistake. I had EST for the book before NEH and was so excited when I got MESOZOIC that I didn't notice the S didn't fit and should have been Z. Drat! Tobit (Tobias) and Judith are not in the Protestant canon. EST (ESTHER) comes AFTER not before NEH
Owen, love your limericks, not into the other stuff.
Fun puzzle. Good expo.
How does Barry lure me in, frustrate the heck out of me but allow me to “git ‘er done”? Gotta love it! Splynter’s assessment works for me.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-Immediately getting COLE Hamels and KSU makes up for the literary figures I don’t know ☺
-MESOZOIC, you’re in for CENOZOIC, REELS you’re in for FILMS
-KEY protection
-IVERSON - great player/lousy teammate. No rings for him.
-Wonderful IT’S OVER (3:06)
-DOPEY? Of course!!
-TRADE SCHOOLS are doing brisk business these days
-When the LAN is down, teachers panic
-SMOLDERING!
-Gotta run to Lincoln for the Lancaster County Fair to see granddaughter’s cookies! She is so proud!
ReplyDeleteChuckled at the cluing for 24A. At the time of creating the puzzle Hamels was a Phillie, but today he is a Texas Ranger. I was hoping he would be wearing Pinstripes, but no complaints. The NYY kept their prospects.
4D Sacks on bases had me going for a while, cut COTS eventually appeared.
First crack at a Silkie in a while and thought I had nailed it, but COOS BAY did me in. I entered COrSBAY instead and never gave OSTErPATH a second thought.
It wasn't quick and easy, but made it through except for error noted above.
It will likely be years before I get this close to success on a Saturday.
Good Morning,
ReplyDeleteThis year, I think I have learned, either consciously or not, how to finish a Saturday Silkie. I've had more trouble on Thursday or Friday. I also follow HeartRx's advice to grab the low hanging fruit and move on. Little by little, I was able to pick away at this one. "Quakers play there" was an easy clue although my first impulse was Franklin Field as we spent a lot of money so our son could play with a pigskin there. No football scholarships in the IVY LEAGUE. Loved Key chain!! Thanks, Barry. And thanks, Splynter, for another delightful Saturday tour.
My best time ever for a Silk puzzle. Film heroes hung me up until I had enough perps. Having grown up in Philly and still casually follow the teams made Cole and Iverson low hanging fruit.
ReplyDeleteLiterary technique got me for a time, again until I had enough perps.
Pretty much what a Silkie always is. Went from "Never happen GI!" to "Well, maybe.." to "I think I can get this!"
ReplyDeleteLots of erasures, most already mentioned. Rusted out, hides, bags, thru, par. Lan was erased 3 different times, but it kept coming back like a Phoenix. Wanted something like "Bobby" for the copper clue. Pioneered a couple other errors at least: Stood in for acted as, Off for Out. Luckily Coos Bay emerged from some recess. In the end it all worked out but I need a nap.
Rabbit rabbit!
ReplyDeleteAnother fun Saturday Silkie, though it beat me up unmercifully. ...Just to prove enjoyment and success are not the same thing!
Owen, I love love love your limericks, but I have enough trouble with plain ole crosswords. I know better than to try something more complicated. It's not that I don't want to learn, but I know my limitations!
Happy August, Cornerites (is that a word?)
I too chuckled at 24a when this puzzle was created he was a Phillie he was traded yesterday to the Rangers, but he was on the blocks to be trade since last year.
ReplyDeletePinch Pinch
ReplyDeleteI usually skip the weekend puzzles ... but it is raining "cats-and-dogs" so I figured "What-the-hell" and it is a Barry C. Silk, who has been my nemesis, kickin' my ass, for a long time.
BUT NOT TODAY!
Granted, it was a "Perp-Fess" ... and I put it down 3 times before completing.
MB @9:51 I had a laugh too at 24-a since COLE Hamels was traded yesterday.
Cheers!
Tin, Are there poodles in the streets??
ReplyDeleteCheer up. It could be hailing taxis and buses. :-)
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteMr. Silk continues to baffle, befuddle, and bewilder but I love every minute! Finished w/o help in normal Silkie time but struggled with DO holder for ages. It was so apparent in retrospect. I, too had rusted out. St. Vitus was a gimme, which auto correct just changed to virus. Ivy League took a while also, not being aware of the Quakers team name. Also, I was thinking of a stadium, not a league.
As always, thanks to Mr. Silk for keeping our brains busy and our hearts happy. Thanks, Splynter, for 'splainin' it all so well.
Owen, your limericks are appreciated and enjoyed but anything to do with numbers gives me a headache, right Bill G? I second Lemony on preferring words over numbers.
Have a great first day of August!
This was two puzzles for me. I woke up early and completed the right side completely and had exactly two fills on the left side- COTS and LAN. I couldn't get a foothold so after about 30 minutes I quit. Read yesterday's three newspapers.
ReplyDeletePicked it back up about nine-thirty, mad a few WAGS- ALPINE, ASSAY, RICE-A-RONI, VEILS, and the left filled in about 10 minutes. MESOZOIC ERA, with four semesters of geology, should have initially been a gimme, but as you all know, sometimes the brain doesn't get into the correct wavelength. I originally wanted STARE or GLARE for SMIRK, CENTS before PENCE,Verne's vision to end in NOVEL instead of TRAVEL, and who knew that RCA mad a computer- I certainly didn't nor would I buy one. Never heard of VITUS and didn't know tattoo man IVERSON was the rookie of the year- I don't follow baskeball OR baseball, and COLE was all perps.
Other perp-fills were BUENO & THRO- I wanted BUENA & THRU but BUENU didn't look correct.
PETA- What's the big hoopla over shooting a lion? My neighbor went to one of the southern African countries 3-4 years ago and shot all kinds of things. Wildebeest, male lion, eland, baboon,kudu, and a couple of more. They are ALL stuffed and mounted in his restaurant.
Irish Miss
ReplyDeleteI prefer "numbers" over words ... especially if they are "hand-rolled" Jamaican numbers lol
Avg.Joe
I don't mind the rain ... been thinking about going outside and Singing-In-The-Rain doing my best Gene Kelly imitation (which would suck since I can't sing or dance, LOL).
But, geez, no kidding, here in Tarpon Springs, in the last 9 days, we have gotten probably 18 inches of rain ... and the 4th "Storm-of-the-day" has just started. (Each storm in the 1 inch per hour range!)
It's Five O'clock Somewhere! came early today.
Cheers!
My best time ever for a Silk puzzle. Film heroes hung me up until I had enough perps. Having grown up in Philly and still casually follow the teams made Cole and Iverson low hanging fruit.
ReplyDeleteLiterary technique got me for a time, again until I had enough perps.
Like Lemonade and HG - love the way Barry stumps us, challenges us, and then satisfies us with a great puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThis, however, was a DNF, for the crosses COLE and COOSBAY.
Thanks, Splynter, for a very nice write-up.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteFor the longest time I had only ALPINE crossed by OLE, and AGUA and THR(U). But BUENO was compelling. DEARE seemed right and I began to get the long acrosses. Ultimately needed red-letter help with IVERSON to complete the solve. Favorite clue was 49d - main call: AHOY. The actual fill, as is typical of Mr. Silk, was not overly complicated or arcane.
VITUS - Forgot about St. Vitus' Dance. VITUS Bering, a Dane in service for Russia explored much of the Bering Sea area and made it possible for Russia to claim Alaska in the 18th century.
Good intro, Splynter.
Enjoyed Lucina's note the other day describing her visit with Windhover. Nice picture.
1st, OwenKL, I apologize for not responding to your nonograms link, BUT IT'S YOUR FAULT!
ReplyDeleteMy 1st response was to be "what, are you trying to kill me? I am already crosseyed!" "I have a hard enough time with regular crosswords..."
But then I noticed the link about flash games. This led to my bookmarking the site to explore all the links, but I got seriously bogged down in the flash games. ShortCircuit Pinball in one of the best flash games out there, & it took me days to figure out the scoring system because there are no instructions.
2nd, Rabbit Rabbit! Oh wait, did I screw that up? Isn't the rabbit thing supposed to be the 1st thing you do?
3rd, The Puzzle! (Sorry Mr. Silk. U shld have been 1st...)
This stuff is just way out of my league! I red lettered & cheated my way due to the lack of perps & understanding the vague clues. (I did get EEE) But there were more than a few enjoyable AHA moments after I hit solve out of frustration...
Keep em coming Mr. Silk, I need you to get better at this...
Good morning, folks. Yes, it is still morning, barely, in Chicago. Thank you, Barry Silk, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Spylnter, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteBounced around this puzzle and picked the low hanging fruit, as someone said today. Very good phrase. I like that.
Eventually got the SE half of the puzzle. Still had the NW half to go.
I got EZR, TOURER, RICE A RONI, ACTED AS, EROS, and LAN. Also had INSTRUCTION and REELS and LEADS and TERRA. But I was stumped. I had to go to the bathroom and my wife looked at it and wrote in SPACE TRAVEL. That fixed it. Got the rest easily.
Had LOTUS for 28A. VITUS appeared after VISA became obvious.
BPOE was easy. I am a 40 something year member in Erie #67.
TEMPERATE was a good word.
So, after about a three hour puzzle marathon, I am going outside.
See you tomorrow.
abejo
( )
Splynter, great job! You solved it without Google or red letters, and you wrote a terrific writeup.
ReplyDeleteMe, I needed Google a couple of times in order to reach "critical mass." I liked most of the puzzle, in spite of some extremely vague clues. I did not like EZR. I suppose if one was required to list the books of the Bible by giving only three letters, EZR could be considered an abbreviation of Ezra. I still didn't like it, though. So RUT or maybe RTH would be the abbreviation for Ruth, and JOE for Joel?
I learned it was VEILS, not hides; CSI, not SNL; CROUP, not strep. At least I got COOS BAY, ARMS, AGUA, DEARE, and BUENO.
Mr. Silk, I once again salute you.
Best wishes to you all.
When LW and I were living in Eugene, Oregon, and my parents were living in Roseburg, Oregon, dad used to take us out fishing for salmon off the coast of Coos Bay. He had a buddy there who owned a charter boat, berthed in Coos Bay. Another of dad's friends, a fellow named McDougal, insisted on using no more than 3-pound test line; to him catching a 12 pound salmon with it was a thrill. I always got terribly seasick and had to puke over the side. I always caught the limit quickly, though, due to what my mates called my special "chum." Those were good times. (I still am extremely prone to getting seasick, airsick, and carsick. Not good times.)
ReplyDeleteHello, friends!
ReplyDeleteLike others of you I found a bit of low hanging fruit (I also like that phrase)though RUSTED OUT was not one nor was THRU. When BUENO appeared, those errors were erased and I was off to the finish of the NE. COOSBAY/COLE were total guesses.
MESAS started me on the SE and that filled surprisingly easy though I had VOICE before CROUP.
With the -SM in place, SYMBOLISM quickly emerged. Again, guesses at IVERSON and IVY since LEAGUE was completed. The top was a consternation since I was positive that CENOZOIC was correct. It wasn't! And it held me up giving me fits enough to almost do the St. VITUS dance! Finally had to research it, found MESOZOIC and that concluded this lovely Saturday Silkie.
OwenKL:
I echo the others in praise of your limericks and like IrishMiss, anything with numbers gives me a headache. Please don't be hurt. Resume your lovely poems.
Abejo:
I thought of you at BPOE
Spitzboov:
Thank you.
Have a stupendous Saturday, everyone!
Hi everybody. Saturday themeless puzzles aren't my favorites. I did enjoy some of the clever clues in this one. Barry's or Rich's doing? I'll probably never find out.
ReplyDeleteJayce, I'm very prone to motion sickness too. Even on the airline trip back to Ithaca to get married. Aargh!
I understand that several of you aren't good at math and therefore don't like it much. That has nothing to do with Sudoku though. The numerals one through nine could be replaced with any other nine symbols. Even though I like math, I got tired of Sudoku. They became tedious for me. I realized that if I accidentally repeated a puzzle from last week, I wouldn't notice. KenKen seemed more enjoyable for a while.
Our plumber just left. We had several small plumbing issues that he took care of. I like him.
Big Easy, in my opinion there are lots of things wrong with shooting this lion, luring it off a preserve to start with. I would feel uncomfortable about eating in your neighbor's restaurant too. Killing animals to display them on a wall just seems wrong to me. However, I know other people have strongly-held differing opinions. You expressed your opinion, I've expressed mine. Maybe like religion and politics, we're better off not discussing it any more.
"Puzzling Thoughts":
ReplyDeleteOwen, clearly the posters here miss your limericks - so please resume doing them. I'm getting tired of substituting for you when you don't post one! You are the Corner's "Poet Laureate", so get goin', Owen! ;^)
Today's Silkie was very interesting in that he provided an oleo of sports, science, history, literature, geography, foreign words, computers, prehistoric, you name it! I clearly failed in some of these, as unlike Splynter, I HAD to cheat via Google (and Mordo Crossword) to get some answers - and even after that, I DNF it because I couldn't see a "coin" answer for 2D - I kept wanting "coppers" to mean police!
Favorite clues/solves today included: 46d Key Chain = ISLES; 4d Sacks on Bases = COTS; 49d Main Call = AHOY; and 43a Speechless Miner of Fiction = DOPEY. Won't comment on my LEAST favorites!
Tinbeni, it appears that most if not all of the moisture in W Florida is going from Ft Myers north. We haven't had nearly the amount of rain here in S Collier County as you have. Of course, the summer season will be here through October so there are plenty of chances for us to catch up!
Enjoy your weekend, all . . .
G'morning, all!
ReplyDeleteThis was my first successful Silkie in a long while. Except for Googling to see how the Jurassic period was subdivided, I didn't need any outside help. After the first round with lots of white space left behind, I decided to go with a bunch of WAGs, and they all worked! VITUS and BPOE and BARE led to greater confidence and to (my boldest WAG) RICE-A-RONI.
On a side note, I resented the last answer because, as an ex-pat San Franciscan, I know that kitschy product has nothing whatsoever to do with authentic San Francisco culture or cuisine. Of all the familiar and sometimes exotic victuals I grew up on, that one had NO place at all. But now, every time that ad pops up on the telly, my wife teases me by calling out, "The San Francisco treat"!
RICE-A-RONI was invented in San Francisco.
ReplyDeleteI just got back, & went to continue reading from where I left off. I reread my last line at 11:14 & was horrified to see a typo that completely reversed my meaning!
ReplyDeleteI don't know where the word "you" came from, maybe some freudian slip.
It should have read "I need to get better at this."
Mr. Silk, I do not see how you could possibly be better at making difficult puzzles than you already are.
----------------------------
P.S., a note about yesterday.
I posted Barbarella/Gravity clips meaning to discuss how they simulate zero gravity. But my computer crashed & I didn't feel like recreating all those links I had prepared. (lucky you!)
In Gravity, Sandra Bullock had wires connected to motorized harnesses that suspended & turned her as needed to complete the shot, whenever a green screen could not be used.
Alas, requiring the need for undergarments to conceal all the extra equipment. (Who says technology makes things better...)
However, in Barbarellas opening scene, to simulate gravity, she was lying on a plate glass window with a relief behind. This is revealed by the reflection when she is taking off her gloves. The essence of simplicity... But unfortunately, like knowing how a magic trick is done, once you know what is happening the scene loses all of its magic. (well,, almost...)
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteBack from DC. Eldest and I had a hoot - we went to the Crime museum, the Spy museum (she got the Deny Everything tee), Whitehouse visitor center, saw the White House (both day & night). Lincoln & Washington memorials at night. According to my phone, we walked 17 mi. on Wed...
Thurs am we went to Air & Space then I dropped her at American U. She sent pix of the brain she dissected - I think it was Abby Someone...
Berry's offering - my brain is still OUT. I thought I had anchors w/ code segment @17a, then wanted ___code__ON (nailed LAN - small win, I know). KSU, AUG, TRA, RUSTEd out. ITS??u? (do you txt a breakup?) To heck w/ Google, I took the DIRECT ROUTE and just looked to Splynter for the KEYs.
SwampCat - Cornerites conveys meaning and falls w/ in the symbolic construct, ergo, a word (DW taught me that). I use it and eFriends for collective post-puzzle-party-posters.
OKL - I, for one, appreciate your creative efforts. Keep it up.
CED - Funny epic bunny. Oh, and Fonda clip FLN....
Cheers, -T
Nothing like a Silkie…first pass fills in just about nothing and then bit by bit you crawl back into it. When it's filled in there is a bit of disbelief. Mr. Silk does it again. No solve feels better than solving a Slikie.
ReplyDeleteI put in Silkie, damn autocorrect.
ReplyDeleteAnonT @ 3:39. I never took my kids to school because I was teaching so my DH did. I would have also embarrassed them on separation. Nonetheless, while you have a kid in DC, go every chance you have. My eldest lived there an additional five years. she earned her BS and MS at GW. It was a great run. I (we) would go to visit and felt no compunction to do the whole DC gig. Ah, get on the Metro and go here or there. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteMadame D.
ReplyDeleteEldest has two more years b/f college. This is a 10-day summer-camp type of thing on neuro-psychology - she's really into that (and Dr Who; there was another kid there in the same class w/ a Dr. Who purse - they hit it off :-)). The museum choices were her's as she is fascinated by crimal minds and spies. I still have 2 years w/ her b/f real worry sets in - did DW & I prepare her for the world?
I think the only way I embarrassed her on separation was "I love you kid. Call me when settled" while doing the telephone-finger-thing to my head.
Cheers, -T
Musings 2
ReplyDelete-Back from seeing two proud grandkids showing off their purple ribbons
-COOS BAY – We stayed in a lousy hotel near there in Gold Beach, the only bad hotel of our 10-day tour of the Pacific Coast Highway.
-The next day we took a boat inland on the Rogue River from 60˚F Gold Beach, OR to 100˚F Agness, OR in a half hour
-Upon return we saw a woman catch a huge salmon in the inlet at Gold Beach. The guide had to use a baseball bat to, uh, subdue the huge fish in the boat
-We bought some lovely cranberry products in COOS BAY made from cranberries in local bogs. Unfortunately, I kept the cranberry pancake syrup in my suitcase and a very nice TSA agent told me I would have to take it back and check it through as a separate parcel or throw it away. I did the latter.
-A day without Owen’s poetry is much less than it could be. Limerick on my friend!
Anon T
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job. No matter, we always embarrass them. Some years from now, you'll get a wonderful thank you. My eldest is 38 and I get better feedback than I ever did in the "thick of things"! Hang in there, Dad.
HG - Alas airport security. I lost a good bottle of Scotch in Cairo to TSA (or thier equivalent)...
ReplyDeletePop would whack a catfish on the noggin w/ a hammer b/f cleaning it. I'd suppose a salmon would take something bigger (there, just closed the loop :-)). C, -T
AnonT and Mme Defarge:
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is also 38 and lately I receive a tight squeeze and a "thank you" for being there, for helping her, etc. It certainly compensates for those really rough teenage years.
INDEED!!! :^))))
ReplyDeleteLucina, they sure are cute at that age!
ReplyDeleteBill G., et al.....it not that I dislike numbers. It's just that my idea of numbers is ... A lot, not so much, more than that, a whole bunch, just a tad, and I Don't Want To Think About It.
ReplyDeleteCalculus, I was good at. It was just logic. Even geometry was just shapes and stuff.
But numbers in the raw?? ....is two more than one? Well, a little bit, I suppose. But who cares?!!
See? I'm untrainable.
SwampCat - Being AUG 1 you must be paying bills today too :-) Cheers, -T
ReplyDeleteI've never made a comment here before but I was so proud of myself for actually finishing this puzzle--at 9:30 last night. Thought it was too hard in the morning, but left it on the coffee table and worked away on it all day. Did see this morning, though, that I missed bueno as I had "thru" instead of "thro." A fun puzzle. Taking my mind off my husband's passing recently.
ReplyDelete