Theme: None
Words: 72 (missing J, X)
Blocks: 28
Whenever
I see Alan's name, I cringe - and the grid looked intimidating, to boot
( saw that answer in Thursdays puzzle ). So my Across pass did not
yield much, but then I smoked thru quite a bit of the Downs. Had to
re-work the SE corner, but ultimately, I was really irritated by the
crossing of TWO Frawnche words/phrases - ugh, please, Alan. Triple
9-letter corners in the down, and double 11-letter across corners riding
along with two spanners;
17. Celebration of a future union : ENGAGEMENT PARTY - I've been told there's a bachelorette party at the restaurant today; gonna have to show up and "work" for a little while ;7))
I'll take the third one from the right....
ACROSS:
1. Show that won 16 Primetime Emmys : BREAKING BAD - have to admit, I have not watched the show - but there's always the DVD set
12. Sno-__ : CAT
15. Doesn't bother : LEAVES ALONE
16. Z preceder : A TO --
19. "Vous __ ici" : ETES - Frawnche "You Are Here"
20. Some tech sch. grads : EEs
21. French department __-Maritimes : ALPES - and yet more Frawnche
22. Allotment word : PER
23. Roasts : RIBS - as in jokes, joshes, ridicules
24. Mass figure : PRIEST
25. More familiar role for the portrayer of George in "Bringing Up Baby" : ASTA - phew~! That's a lo-o-o-ong way to go to avoid a weekday clue/answer. Took 3 perps and a WAG to get this dog actor
12. Sno-__ : CAT
15. Doesn't bother : LEAVES ALONE
16. Z preceder : A TO --
19. "Vous __ ici" : ETES - Frawnche "You Are Here"
20. Some tech sch. grads : EEs
21. French department __-Maritimes : ALPES - and yet more Frawnche
22. Allotment word : PER
23. Roasts : RIBS - as in jokes, joshes, ridicules
24. Mass figure : PRIEST
25. More familiar role for the portrayer of George in "Bringing Up Baby" : ASTA - phew~! That's a lo-o-o-ong way to go to avoid a weekday clue/answer. Took 3 perps and a WAG to get this dog actor
26. Embedded below the surface of : SET INTO - funny, I just spent yesterday working with some outdoor wiring at A Lure; the lines got SET INTO the rock garden next to the deck
27. AMPAS' London counterpart : BAFTA - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, along with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts
30. Code subject : DRESS - ah, dress code, not spies
32. Original Dungeons & Dragons co. : TSR - Tactical Studies Rules - ah yes, how I spent my junior high school days....I liked being Dungeon Master - is that TMI~?
33. Sinister : EVIL
34. Fed, say : AGENT
35. Seahawks coach Carroll : PETE - oh, what were you thinking, Pete~?
36. __ Bund: Swiss newspaper : DER
37. Family member : NIECE - oops, not UNCLE; my Uncle Phil died Wednesday, 80yrs old
38. A.L. West team, familiarly : 'STROS - Houston Astros
39. Shakes : TREMORS - today marks exactly 10-1/2 years since I had one of "those" tremors
41. Classic muscle cars : GTOs
43. Meat garnishes : ASPICS
44. Interstate H-1 locale : OAHU and an interstate semi-clecho with; 49a. Airport near I-480, on itineraries : CLEveland
45. TV "Tool Man" Taylor : TIM - Home Improvement
48. Local life : BIOTA - I had FAUNA, then BIOME. Only after I started the write-up did I notice it changed via perps
50. City SW of Bogotá : CALI
55. Chemical suffix : ENE - hey, this WAG I got right~!
56. Considers : BEARS IN MIND
58. Pressure tactic : SQUEEZE PLAY
DOWN:
1. Censor : BLEEP - huh. This was my guess, but I didn't fill it in
2. French annuity : RENTE - Really, Alan, really~?
3. Beaverlike? : EAGER
4. Actress Gardner et al. : AVAs
5. Frat bash staple : KEG
6. Response to a pointer : I SEE IT - reminds me of this scene from "Predator"
7. Convention handouts : NAME BADGES - Hi My Name Is...
8. "Burn Notice" actress : GLESS - Ha~! Got it~! Happened to be on TV one morning at breakfast in Delaware
9. Early AC/DC frontman Scott : BON - I liked his voice
10. Worker in an Aesop tale : ANT
11. Sails, say : DEPARTS
12. Chiseler, at times : CARPENTER - yup, been there, done that
13. Corroborates : ATTESTS TO
14. Top sellers : TOY STORES - ah - the toy itself, a top
8. "Burn Notice" actress : GLESS - Ha~! Got it~! Happened to be on TV one morning at breakfast in Delaware
9. Early AC/DC frontman Scott : BON - I liked his voice
10. Worker in an Aesop tale : ANT
11. Sails, say : DEPARTS
12. Chiseler, at times : CARPENTER - yup, been there, done that
13. Corroborates : ATTESTS TO
14. Top sellers : TOY STORES - ah - the toy itself, a top
18. Others, in Latin : ALII - as in "et al.", and others
23. Pretoria's home: Abbr. : RSA - dah~! I thought RUSsia first
24. Vexatious sort : PEST
25. View from Eng.'s Land's End : ATLantic Ocean
23. Pretoria's home: Abbr. : RSA - dah~! I thought RUSsia first
24. Vexatious sort : PEST
25. View from Eng.'s Land's End : ATLantic Ocean
26. West African cuisine : SENEGALESE - great fill, but not a clue on my part - the Wiki
27. Stands where we lie : BED TABLES - clever; more common for me to call it bedSIDE
28. Opposite of predilections : AVERSIONS - nailed it~!
29. Military might : FIREPOWER
31. __ center : REC
34. Vents : AIRS
35. NBA tally : PTs
37. Certain dieter's credo : NO CARBS
38. Trifle : SOU - derived from the Frawnche (ugh) coin, 'of little value'
40. Bit : MITE
42. Hollywood, casually : THE BIZ
44. Autumn color : OCHRE - we are almost there - not a big fan of summer
45. Certain Sri Lankan : TAMIL
46. Massey of "Balalaika" (1939) : ILONA - I WAGed IRENE - Bzzzt~!
47. Fred McConnell's daughter, in an old sitcom : MINDY - ah, from Mork & Mindy
50. Provide gratis : COMP - did you hear that Apple is remodeling a casino in Vegas~? It's called the "iWynn"
52. "The Empire Strikes Back," e.g.: Abbr. : SEQuel, and one of my personal favorites - I happen to like the fact that it was "dark", and that the bad guys prevailed
27. Stands where we lie : BED TABLES - clever; more common for me to call it bedSIDE
28. Opposite of predilections : AVERSIONS - nailed it~!
29. Military might : FIREPOWER
31. __ center : REC
34. Vents : AIRS
35. NBA tally : PTs
37. Certain dieter's credo : NO CARBS
38. Trifle : SOU - derived from the Frawnche (ugh) coin, 'of little value'
40. Bit : MITE
42. Hollywood, casually : THE BIZ
44. Autumn color : OCHRE - we are almost there - not a big fan of summer
45. Certain Sri Lankan : TAMIL
46. Massey of "Balalaika" (1939) : ILONA - I WAGed IRENE - Bzzzt~!
47. Fred McConnell's daughter, in an old sitcom : MINDY - ah, from Mork & Mindy
50. Provide gratis : COMP - did you hear that Apple is remodeling a casino in Vegas~? It's called the "iWynn"
52. "The Empire Strikes Back," e.g.: Abbr. : SEQuel, and one of my personal favorites - I happen to like the fact that it was "dark", and that the bad guys prevailed
53. 19th Greek letter : TAU
54. 1300 hours : ONE - PM, military time
54. 1300 hours : ONE - PM, military time
Splynter
37 comments:
Tough, but doable.
Hello Puzzlers -
Put down The Sopranos right away, having forgotten Breaking Bad. I never got wrapped up with either of those, but as Splynter says, there's always the DVD set. Tried Fauna before Biota. Again, forgot.
The rest of the grid was trial and error too; this is where a computer/tablet really helps. Tried Finance Plan for Squeeze Play. Not so good.
Thanks for 'splaining today, Splynter! Be sure to snag some candids at "work" today.
Morning, all!
I was really hoping 1A would be THE DAILY SHOW, but it was not to be, alas.
Tough puzzle throughout, with lots of obscurities and tricky cluing, but I did actually manage to make it through unassisted thanks to a complete wild guess at the crossing of ETES and RENTE. No real sense of accomplishment there, though, since it really was a guess. Rather unfair crossing, I thought.
Other than the French atrocity, I actually was on Alan's wavelength for most of the grid. I actually knew GLESS, BAFTA, ILONA, TAMIL and even ASTA (as clued), although I needed all the perps to guess at MINDY and BON. The tricky clues were enjoyably gettable, especially "Top sellers" for TOY STORES. So a good time overall. Still doesn't excuse crossing ETES and RENTE, however.
Since I stopped following baseball, I thought Houston Astros (STROS) was still a NL west team (for 38 across AL west team familiarly). I should have known better - Their AAA/AA farm team plays here!
Good morning!
This one came together in better-than-normal Saturday time. I immediately entered RENTE at 2d, but don't ask me why. My trouble spots were in California. I figured AMPAS was sports-related and waited for perps. Hand up for FAUNA/FLORA/BIOTA. And I tried IRL (just how does one abbreviate Ireland?) for the view from Land's End before ATL showed up. Nicely done, Alan. Splynter, I'd have guessed you'd pick that leggy one, further to the left.
When I was just a wee lad there was a popular song "Clancy Lowered The Boom." I knew that 51a was a boxing, rather than a nautical, reference.
It's good to see that Splynter still hasn't outgrown his AVERSION to French.
Splynter: Nice write-up and links.
I don't normally do the Saturday and Sunday puzzles ... but it was a nice diversion during our "First Rain Storm" for the day.
Needed ESP to get BIOTA (Hand up for thinking Flora based on the clue).
D-O, I agree ... would have picked the "leggy one, further to the left" ... but they were ALL very nice looking young ladies.
A "Toast-To-ALL" at Sunset.
Cheers!
Each section took some effort and eventually the long fill came through and voila!
Musings
-I started BREAKING BAD but the man in the basement scene repulsed me
-My colleague always told kids of new equipment, “Let it alone”
-Merci! Now I know where I am!
-We had 12-year-olds with birth control Norplant SET INTO their arms
-Overreaction to DRESS CODE violation? (1:38)
-PETE can win a hundred Super Bowls and never live down than boneheaded call
-My friend that had a triple transplant has TREMORS as a visible side effect
-We use another I-480 to go to this airport
-This looks like a a blown SQUEEZE PLAY to me
-Frat Prez – “I’m shocked to find there was a KEG at our party!” Yeah, right!
-A CSO to our Saturday CARPENTER blogger
-One of my fav players is also the shortest MLB player, STROS second baseman Jose’ Altuve who is having a great season
This was completed in short time except for the cross of BAFTA and ATL. Put it down for a while, then reviewed...... and TADA!
Thanks, Alan for a doable challenge today.
Splynter, immediately thought of you in NW corner with crossing of ETES and RENTE, and then again on 21A. Pretty soon you'll be fluent in Frawnch!
Blogger Yellowrocks said...
Faster than usual for a Saturday. I needed help with three cells due to my impatience. TOY STORE was obvious and would have have dawned on me eventually. I had TOY-TO-E. I wasn't sure of the S in ALPES and had no idea about the R in TSR.
My other Waterloo was the T in BFTA. I didn't recognize AMPAS, but should have sussed the T in A-L. I know Land's End is on the ocean, but was looking for a land based answer.
It's the little things that bring us down. Yesterday's Cryptoquote was, "It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out; it's the grain of sand in your shoe."
Alan has tons of DVDs. He orders one set a month and gets many as gifts. He does not put them back in their cases when finished, without which there is only the very fine print around the hole to ID many of them, and he can't see this fine print. He has piles of DVDs out of their cases and he thinks some of his favorites are lost. Not! After preaching about casing them for years and occasionally sorting them out I am totally out of patience with this and him. GRR! I am throwing up my hands and will resort to reading my novel to regain my sanity.
Good Morning:
I enjoyed this puzzle very much. Started out slowly, but, as usual for a Saturday, getting the longer fill really helps speed up the solve. I, too, had fauna/biota but perps corrected that soon enough. Bed tables are called night stands in my neck of the woods. There's that language difference, in this case, I suppose, regional.
Thanks, Alan, for giving us a Saturday workout and thanks to our resident carpenter, Splynter, for a neat and tidy expo. Congrats, Splynter, on your milestone anniversary.
Mskmoorthy @ 6:26 - Houston's Short A Class team plays in my hometown; they are the Tri City Valley Cats and have a beautiful stadium. They are very popular and draw large crowds.
We're enjoying another beautiful summer day: sunny, low 80's, low humidity, no wind, and lots of blue sky.
Have a great day.
Good morning all. Thank you Alan and Splynter
ENGAGEMENT PARTY was my fourth fill, after AVAS, BON and ANT.
Wanted WEIGHT for "Mass figure." LIMA was not the City SW of Bogota.
My BIL always keeps the BEARS IN MIND. He is a fanatic. He even went to the opening day of training camp down in Bourbonnais. It's pronounced Bearbonnais this time of year.
"Top Sellers" was my favorite clue. I had the STORES part for the longest time, but it seemed to take forever to get TOY, and when it did... DOH!
CARPENTER's clue "Chiseler's, at times" plagued me. It shouldn't have.
Lots of wags. One wagged T took care of the intersecting french words.
BAFTA was all perps. Ditto adjacent TAMIL and ILONA.
We called them night stands, not BED TABLES, but that would void the clue.
Bagpipes in rock and roll ? Bon Scott rocks the pipes
A rather Silkyesque Saturday solve for me too. E.g., one of those you think will never finish unassisted, and then magically it all falls in place.
Had a chuckle over the sinister = evil cluing. Guess I'd better start keeping a closer eye on my sinistral friends.
Bed table or night stand?
Link bed table
Link night stand
BedSIDE table would be less ambiguous if meaning a night stand.
Yellowrocks, your links are a perfect example of how people/politicians/sport commissioners/teachers/police/well...just about everyone can produce biased "facts". Of course if you Bing "bed tables for eating" you going to get the results you want! The results for "bed tables" or "night stands for eating" produce different results...
For instance:
This is what I think of when I see "bed tables"
Link bed table
I get it now. The clue was about those tables that one can use for eating in bed. I forgot about those. I fixated on night stands and wondered why anyone would call them bed tables, but BED fit in the puzzle, so...
LOL Yeah, Google "night stands for eating". Very funny. Google link
Good morning everyone.
I guess anything that can be clued is fair game in a Saturday puzzle. Luckily I had 3 yrs of Frawnche in HS so the 'rente/êtes' crossing was easy. But not much else was. Favorite clue was for TOY STORE. CARPENTER was a nice shout-out to Splynter who did his usually good job today. And he didn't 'chisel' us either. Good choice on the babe in the EP picture. Since Maritimes was plural, I started with the S in ALPES then sussed it. Believe that Dept. lies between L. Geneva and the Med. coast.
BAFTA was a total perp result.
1300 hours isn't just 'military' time, although I find it convenient. Navigators find it very useful. Utilities use it for 24 hour scheduling. (ie. Electricity sched. week runs Monday to Sunday.)
Anon, yes those are bed tables,too. So what? They are still not night stands. What I had in mind were hospital bed tables. Alan and I both have certainly seen enough of them since Feb. We used ours for many things besides eating. I just searched for "bed tables" and Google intruded the "eating" which to me is unimportant to this discussion. I doubt night stands are usually used while lying down as the clue specifies, or even semi-lying down. To my knowledge night stands are never called bed tables. Your specious attack seems to be one worthy of a politician.
"Puzzling thoughts":
Admitting that I had to cheat and google a few clues to kick start a few areas of the puzzle - I did better than expected as my first shot of plucking the low-hanging fruit ended rather abruptly. Saturday puzzles are rarely a speed run, for me, anyway
HG @ 9:28 - I agree with your assessment to the over-reaction to the DRESS CODE violation. I watched the video and thought, "what's wrong with her outfit?" Considering how many teenagers dress, she actually looked classy. Not sure how to react, but thought it interesting that the HS in Florida was called Oakleaf. My first thought as to what might constitute a DRESS CODE violation there is in this link!
Happy weekend all
Good Morning!
Thanks Alan for a crunchy Saturday. My favorite was TOYSTORES! It took forever for that to sink into my brain. I didn't mind BEDTABLES. I'm never certain--in light of the discussion yesterday about the evolution of English--if some terms are used over others in different parts of North America and other English speaking countries. Like say, sofa or divan. . . .
Otherwise, my other thoughts have already been covered.
Merci for the tour, Splynter. Congrats on the 10-1/2 years. Enjoy working the crowd tonight. ;^) Enjoy the day weekend, everyone!
I simply could not solve this puzzle without turning on red letters and making completely random guesses. In this way I finally reached "critical mass" and finished it. Even after filling in some of the answers I was all "Huh?" at some of them. I still don't know who MINDY and Fred McConnell are. Although I recognize and appreciate the skillful construction of this puzzle, I still got little pleasure from it. I can't put my finger on exactly why. Oh, and there sure were a lot of foreign language entries.
I fail to see why clues referencing things French are so troublesome. Puzzles frequently have Spanish and German clues, but these are OK while French is not? I don't get it.
Always called them night stands. I agree the French references were a bit overdone. Not bad for a Saturday.
I did pretty well - esp. for a Saturday. I missed TOY STORES, but actually preferred my answer, which was TRYST TOMES. Now truthfully, wouldn't that be a snazzy nickname for those Harlequin romance p-backs?
LANDS END is a place I have dreamed of. Half of my family come from Cornwall, and I have begun to realize that, although I have been in the UK many times, I never have made that trek to the SW coast. I wonder if I ever will. I think about St. Ives and Truro--and Penzance. Who has made been there? Would it disappoint?
I agree with Jayce. I often do. This puzzle was too hard for me; too much foreign language and very little cleverness or humor. Even with red letters available, I quit halfway through, very unusual for me. I am impressed with those of you who found it reasonable and doable. Well done. As for me, I'll invoke Thumper.
Hey Puzzlers - I have no children, so my sense of school-kid fashion is kind of secondhand. The one prevailing fashion theme I seem to have observed is: Spoiled and Slutty. A nearby couple told me they're having trouble moderating the dress decisions of their pretty daughters, aged 10 and 14. Apparently there is peer pressure to dress provocatively, even when some girls want to be more modest.
I like the Australian model: every kid has a school uniform, including a broad brimmed hat for sun protection. So far as I know there is no tolerance for whiny parents wanting their kids to have freedom. Them's the rules. I wish we could apply that system right across the obstinate U.S.
Jayce said . . . "I still don't know who MINDY and Fred McConnell are"
Splynter indicated it was a reference to "Mork & Mindy".
I am not a francophile. I have no particular positive or negative feelings regarding France or the french. So when I say that I object to the use of "Frawnche" every (every) time a french word appears in a puzzle it comes from my deep interest in humor. It's just not clever or funny.
Obviously, I only notice this because I have read this blog many times. I enjoy it, and have contributed $$. It's often helpful and illuminating. Thanks.
Bill Z, my thoughts exactly. Not funny. Many of the French words have appeared again and again. Just as I must force myself to remember the Simpsons and some to remember sports trivia, others must force themselves to learn these few French phrases or words. They have become crosswordese.
Well, there you have it. Yellowrocks has spoken. There's no discussing it any further. Ffrench is not funny. Say law vee.
French can be funny. English can be funny. "Frawnche" is not funny. It suggests immaturity and/or ignorance. I think Splynter can do better.
Per Air, there is nothing I like better than a stimulating, intelligent pro and con discussion in which we all learn something from each other. Potshots like this do mot fill the bill.
Thank you, Mr. Google. After I went back to read Splynter's remarks again more carefully, I saw it. So now, yes, I know who MINDY and Fred McConnell are. And Mork, too.
Yellowrocks, count this as a "pro". It's funny to me.
As y'all say 'round here, "If you don't like what yer reading, skip it!"
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