Words: 72 (pangram~!)
Blocks: 28
Still recovering from last week's brutal offering, so I was
very happy to see a Saturday Silkie today. Not that it was
any walk in the park, but I did manage to finish in my personal allotted
time, tho I have to admit to one Google cheat, and several "type"-overs. Still, it was very satisfying to get thru a puzzle without
feeling totally beaten up. Triple 10-letter across corners, triple
8-letter down corners, and a bunch of 7-letter fill, too.
17. Threading tool : SCREW PLATE
37. Aptly named sleep aid : ZzzQUIL - I started with NyQuil,
which was too short, so I Googled to see what their 'other' drug was; I
loved taking NyQuil, but I'm "not allowed to" anymore
60. Sawdust producer : BELT SANDER - I found this, and thought it was pretty funny - and hey~! oooh~! I did not know they had races~!!!
NWAR~!
(O--------D)
ACROSS:
1. Mystery novel cover-up? : DUST JACKET - the "?" gave it away - but I started with BOOK jacket for some reason
11. Window component : JAMB - ugh, like there's just one 4-letter window part; sash, sill, stop, rail, trim, lock, head....
15. Bad way to leave someone : IN THE LURCH
16. Harpsichordist Kipnis : IGOR - half perps, half WAG
18. Ax : FIRE - I figured it was the verb and not the noun
19. Gets really high : SOARS
20. Reverent : PIOUS
22. Sum (up) : TOT - this is more prevalent in British circles
23. Tahari of fashion : ELIE - I knew this name (and it was a background feature in a Law & Order episode)
24. Slurred pronoun : DAT - "who dat~?!"
25. Game invented at Harrow School around 1830 : SQUASH - and a cross-referenced 57. 25-Across starter : SERVE - my new house-mate Garry plays a game called "pickleball", which is tennis played on a smaller court with a wiffleball - it looks really fun, and you get more volleys going
27. Grandchild of Japanese immigrants : SANSEI - started with NISSEI, and that was enough to work from
29. Amble : SAUNTER - she has permission to saunter thru my new front door
30. Its website includes a Headache Center : ANACIN - Aleve and Advil were just too short; took a while to recall this brand name
33. Mr. Rochester's ward : ADELE - no clue; all perps - from Jane Eyre
34. John of England : LOO - the porcelain perch
39. Case, for example: Abbr. : SYNonym - case = example
40. "No way!" : IXNAY - Pig Latin; the "rules" are here
42. Comparable in quality : AS GOOD
44. Where the Irrawaddy flows : MYANMAR - again, no clue, but once I got "--MAR"....
46. High pitch : TREBLE
50. Netherlands river : AMSTEL
51. "V for Vendetta" actor : REA
53. Blow : TOOT - were you thinking horn, or 'nose candy'~!?
54. Professional runner : POLitician
55. Place to see a hit : SIDE A - music hit, that is
58. Proof word : ERAT - part of "Q.E.D"
11. Window component : JAMB - ugh, like there's just one 4-letter window part; sash, sill, stop, rail, trim, lock, head....
15. Bad way to leave someone : IN THE LURCH
18. Ax : FIRE - I figured it was the verb and not the noun
19. Gets really high : SOARS
20. Reverent : PIOUS
22. Sum (up) : TOT - this is more prevalent in British circles
23. Tahari of fashion : ELIE - I knew this name (and it was a background feature in a Law & Order episode)
24. Slurred pronoun : DAT - "who dat~?!"
25. Game invented at Harrow School around 1830 : SQUASH - and a cross-referenced 57. 25-Across starter : SERVE - my new house-mate Garry plays a game called "pickleball", which is tennis played on a smaller court with a wiffleball - it looks really fun, and you get more volleys going
27. Grandchild of Japanese immigrants : SANSEI - started with NISSEI, and that was enough to work from
29. Amble : SAUNTER - she has permission to saunter thru my new front door
33. Mr. Rochester's ward : ADELE - no clue; all perps - from Jane Eyre
34. John of England : LOO - the porcelain perch
39. Case, for example: Abbr. : SYNonym - case = example
40. "No way!" : IXNAY - Pig Latin; the "rules" are here
42. Comparable in quality : AS GOOD
44. Where the Irrawaddy flows : MYANMAR - again, no clue, but once I got "--MAR"....
46. High pitch : TREBLE
50. Netherlands river : AMSTEL
51. "V for Vendetta" actor : REA
53. Blow : TOOT - were you thinking horn, or 'nose candy'~!?
54. Professional runner : POLitician
55. Place to see a hit : SIDE A - music hit, that is
58. Proof word : ERAT - part of "Q.E.D"
62. First name in gossip : RONA - Barrett - her Wiki
63. Musician with the autobiography "My First 79 Years" : ISAAC STERN - I don't know how I knew this, but I got it after just a few crossings
65. Hunch source : SIXTH SENSE - great movie, too
DOWN:
1. Bad-mouths : DISSES
2. Beverage nickname introduced in 1967 : UNCOLA - 7-up; I liked their more recent promotion
3. Filter : STRAIN
4. Television personality Caputo : THERESA - all but the "A" were perps
5. Yeshiva students : JEWS
6. Sight from the Brenner Pass : ALP - WAG
7. Apology ender : CULPA - mea for starters
8. Venomous Asian snake : KRAIT - for those who are ophidiophobes, I will not post a picture, but offer a link instead
9. Prefix with plasm : ECTO - this made last week's puzzle, too
10. Springsteen's birthplace? : THE USA - sorry, not a big fan of the song, but here's one I do like
11. Peter Pan rival : JIF - peanut butters
12. Shakes up : AGITATES
13. In a sullen manner : MOROSELY
14. Fellow members : BRETHREN - nice group of $2 words in this corner
21. Filth : SQUALOR
24. Seven-term Mexican president Porfirio __ : DIAZ - 50% perps, the rest seemed logical
26. Hamburger's link : UND - German "and"
28. Food processors : ENZYMES
29. New Orleans jazz club __ Harbor : SNUG - their website
31. Industry authority : CZAR
32. Brightness measures : IQs - intelligence brightness - I was stuck on lumens for awhile
34. Planned 2019 Pan American Games host : LIMA, PERU - I was reluctant to put UNTO" in at 64a. because of the "U", but then it made sense
35. Open secret, e.g. : OXYMORON - here's a really funny webpage; I consider traffic to be a one word oxymoron; by definition, it's "driving, stopped"
36. Inclined : ON A SLANT
38. Shred : IOTA - dah~! not TEAR
41. Social worker? : ANT
43. Thaw : DETENTE - not DEFROST, but it was enough to get started in this corner
45. Outs : ALIBIS
47. Dairy giant : BORDEN
48. Flames : LOVERS
49. Timeless, in verse : ETERNE
51. Chill : RELAX - ah, the "hip" definition
52. Bother : EAT AT
56. '50s sitcom name : DESI
57. Challenge for a babysitter : SASS
59. Eastern ideal : TAO
61. Auburn, for one: Abbr. : SCHool - took some thought, because I was stuck on hair color
4. Television personality Caputo : THERESA - all but the "A" were perps
5. Yeshiva students : JEWS
6. Sight from the Brenner Pass : ALP - WAG
7. Apology ender : CULPA - mea for starters
8. Venomous Asian snake : KRAIT - for those who are ophidiophobes, I will not post a picture, but offer a link instead
9. Prefix with plasm : ECTO - this made last week's puzzle, too
10. Springsteen's birthplace? : THE USA - sorry, not a big fan of the song, but here's one I do like
The Rising
12. Shakes up : AGITATES
13. In a sullen manner : MOROSELY
14. Fellow members : BRETHREN - nice group of $2 words in this corner
21. Filth : SQUALOR
24. Seven-term Mexican president Porfirio __ : DIAZ - 50% perps, the rest seemed logical
26. Hamburger's link : UND - German "and"
28. Food processors : ENZYMES
29. New Orleans jazz club __ Harbor : SNUG - their website
31. Industry authority : CZAR
32. Brightness measures : IQs - intelligence brightness - I was stuck on lumens for awhile
34. Planned 2019 Pan American Games host : LIMA, PERU - I was reluctant to put UNTO" in at 64a. because of the "U", but then it made sense
35. Open secret, e.g. : OXYMORON - here's a really funny webpage; I consider traffic to be a one word oxymoron; by definition, it's "driving, stopped"
36. Inclined : ON A SLANT
38. Shred : IOTA - dah~! not TEAR
41. Social worker? : ANT
43. Thaw : DETENTE - not DEFROST, but it was enough to get started in this corner
45. Outs : ALIBIS
47. Dairy giant : BORDEN
48. Flames : LOVERS
51. Chill : RELAX - ah, the "hip" definition
52. Bother : EAT AT
56. '50s sitcom name : DESI
57. Challenge for a babysitter : SASS
59. Eastern ideal : TAO
61. Auburn, for one: Abbr. : SCHool - took some thought, because I was stuck on hair color
Splynter
Note from C.C.:
Good luck to Kevin and our other readers who take part in today's Crosswords LA Tournaments!
Note from C.C.:
Good luck to Kevin and our other readers who take part in today's Crosswords LA Tournaments!
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteBit of a challenge today, but I was up to the task. IGOR, ADELE and ELIE (all names!) were complete unknowns that required all the perps. Fortunately, they were short and the perps were solid. MYANMAR was known to me, but the clue was completely obscure. Fortunately, I perped enough letters to guess at it.
Learned today that the quote from "Henry V" is not actually "Once more INTO the breach, dear friends" as I've been saying all my life. Oops. As a result of that error, it took a long while to finally get LIMA PERU.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThis was a tale of two puzzles. I zipped through the top half of this Silkie, and then slowly, slowly finished the bottom. Hand up for BOOK and DEFROST, Splynter, but I got IQS immediately. Putting BRAT beside DEFROST was a good part of the reason why things slowed down in the south.
I thought we were calling MYANMAR Burma again. No?
DAT is "slurred"? If you say so.
Yesterday the community college where DW teaches announced they would be holding Active Shooter training sessions. They didn't say whether she should bring her gun or if they would provide one. She's gonna play it safe.
THERESA, THERE'S A nice name
ReplyDeleteEasiest Silkie ever. Favorite was Peter Pan Rival, Jif, only one that was all perps.
ReplyDeleteCSO to Tinman, Amstel Brewery is named for the Amstel River.
Good Morning, everyone. Madame Defarge here unable to sign in properly:
ReplyDeleteI am in Maine after a trip to Cape Cod to see a good friend. Haven't been to the Cape in 46 years. Never went back because the traffic was awful! Fall is a delightful time to travel; DH and I are currently enjoying the ocean and magnificent colors. This week I haven't spent much time warming up for a Silkie, but this one went pretty well. Thanks, Barry.
Splynter, after a Saturday challenge, your tour is always welcome. Thank you.
Enjoy a sunny day even if the clouds abound!
Surprisingly smooth Saturday Silkie, wrapped up in record time. WBS about everything including unto vs. into. WDOS about the North falling first. Only write-overs were for "add" and "brat". Didn't seem like a Saturday level puzzle, and after the last few Saturdays that's just fine with me.
ReplyDeleteCya!
The left side started as a total blank and for some reason the NE fell swiftly, although IGOR was a guess and TOT had me wondering. From there I worked my way back down, across, and back up and finished in record (for me) Saturday time.
ReplyDeleteMy only write overs were SASSES to DISSES, COBRA to KRAIT, and DEFROST to DETENTE. I didn't know AMSTEL was anything other that beer, I knew the Irrawaddy river was somewhere in SE Asia but really didn't know the correct spelling of BURMA's new name.
"Case, for example: Abbr. : SYNonym - case = example" - I filled it but still don't understand it.
I had heard the term SCREW PLATE, but never knew what it was until Splynter showed me.
Look closely at the photo of ZZZQUIL- you will notice that it is diphenhydramine, which is Benadryl, and you can get the generic a lot cheaper. New package with a sky high price for an old cheap product.The only other OTC sleep aid is doxylamine, which is the active ingredient in UNISOM tablets.
ELIE, THERESA, SONSEI were unknowns filled by perps.
SNUG Harbor on Frenchman street- tourists go there but I don't. 'Who DAT'- had to throw that in because the NFL was trying to trademark, sued a few local companies a few years ago but they lost their case.
SIDE-A- Rod Stewart's biggest hit, 'Maggie May' was a SIDE-B song on his 'Reason to Believe' single. Found that out yesterday in the WSJ, when he said he met an 'older woman' at a Jazz Festival in 1961, and he said 'it lasted a few seconds'. Well, the rest is history. Talk about a 'one night stand'!!!! Or in his words:
"That afternoon, we snuck into the festival through a large runoff pipe and eventually made our way to a beer tent. There, I met an older woman who was something of a sexual predator. One thing led to the next, and we ended up nearby on a secluded patch of lawn. I was a virgin, and all I could think is, ‘This is it, Rod Stewart, you’d better put on a good performance here or else your reputation will be ruined all over North London.” But it was all over in a few seconds."
DAT's not slurred. WHA'S'AT is slurred.
ReplyDeleteA SYNonym is NOT a "case"; it's a word category.
But a "case" is a SYNonym for an "example."
ReplyDeleteInteresting that others found this easier than usual -- it took me longer than average for a Saturday, although not exceptionally so. Worst corner was the SE, where I had only the wrong answers BRAT and DEFROST (like D-Otto) for a while. Didn't like the crossing of unknowns ELIE Tahari and THERESA Caputo, although I guessed correctly. Lots of other unknowns, such as SANSEI (I entered ...SEI but didn't know the rest), IGOR Kipnis, AMSTEL (got it from the beer), SCREWPLATE, ADELE -- well, you get the idea. Favorite was "chill" and "thaw" used in nearby clues but neither answer referred to temperature.
ReplyDeleteThanks Barry for a tough challenge, and Splynter for an amusing expo. And Big Easy for the Rod Stewart anecdote.
DAT, the TH is slurred to a D sound.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteWhat a pleasure to see my favorite Saturday constructor, especially after last week's torture chamber ordeal. This started out with some really quick fill-ins, e.g., dust jacket, in the lurch, etc., but then things slowed down a bit. But, true to form, Mr. Silk gives you just enough leeway to chip away here, a little perp there, a wag or two, and before you know it, Tada! You are finished!
Thanks, Mr. S., for a challenging but very doable and satisfying offering and thanks to our Mr. S. For a pleasant and interesting tour.
Have a great day.
I need more practice before I'll be able to solve a 'Silkie' again.
ReplyDeleteStill nice weather here, but snow in the forecast. Canadian front may bring a little bit.
Montana
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteInteresting coincidences today. Amstel was easy, I was riding a boat on that very river earlier today. Irrawaddy was known ONLY because I just read about it on the tour company's literature. Otherwise had to peck away, in the usual Saturday Silkie Style. Got there eventually.
Leaving for home tomorrow. We are ready. Amsterdam is not at all to our liking.
Quick question: in "39. Case, for example: Abbr. : SYNonym ", isn't the comma needlessly misleading? [Case for example]
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barry, for a great Saturday puzzle. Worked completely without help, and finally found your wavelength! Really nice TA-DA at the end!
ReplyDeleteSplynter, loved your Belt Sander Races..... who knew?
Will try to stay dry today, although we're expected to get anywhere from 3-10 inches, thanks to Patricia!
Woke w/ pain (stupid ribs) and gave the pzl a spin. Did no one else put Blow == COKE @53a? Thanks Splynter for TOOT. Back to the SE corner. C, -T
ReplyDeleteArgyle @ 10:23 Very good point.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed piecing together this Silkie - always a feeling of accomplishment as it slowly comes together.
ReplyDeleteI had a slow start because I put BOOKJACKET crossing with BASHES, got stuck and finished the rest of the puzzle before I came back and erased, starting anew because it just wasn't working!
Thanks Splynter for the explanation!
And Go Royals - they will have their work cut out for them with the Mets hot bats!
As Big Easy said Zzzquil is nothing but relabeled Benadryl. What kills me is that on the Benadryl packaging you'll see that it "may" cause drowsiness. Now I guess we have to demand it. Not sure if allergy relief is listed as a side effect of Zzzquil.
ReplyDeleteI ended up with a DNF. I hit a natick at KRAI_ and DA_. I had no idea! Otherwise... a fun challenge and great explanation, Splynter.
ReplyDeleteDowntown Gilroy is sponsoring a Beer Crawl this afternoon. I'm not a beer drinker, but I am volunteering at registration for the fun of it. It's a great way to mingle with the masses BEFORE they start sampling!
Happy Saturday and once again, good luck at the CW Tournament, Kevin!
I also have noticed that Zzzquil can be obtained much cheaper as generic Benadryl. I have to take it fairly often when my eyes start to itch so bad that I can't keep them open.
ReplyDeleteGG, it would seem like beer would go well with all the garlic-flavored food. It's always been interesting to me that you can smell the garlic several miles outside of town. Is it because of the garlic been grown in the fields or is it because of the processing and cooking in Gilroy?
I've actually gotten to the point that when I see it is a Silkie, I think I will probably be able to solve it. This compares to - like others have mentioned - last week's example of making a solve difficult for the sake of doing so.
ReplyDeleteIMO, Barry C. (For Crossword?) Silk creates the best puzzles, with creative clueing that still gives you a foothold to solve the more difficult answers. Who'd a thunk it?
Bill G, the lovely aroma that surrounds Gilroy is more prevalent in the summer, when harvesting is taking place. But we do have a huge Olam Foods plant in town that processes tons and tons of garlic, onions, peppers throughout much of the year. That adds to the "flavor" of the town. Although there are still acres of garlic being grown around Gilroy, most of it is comes from the San Joaquin valley these days. Our land around here is more profitable being planted with houses rather than crops. :(
ReplyDeleteA SCREW PLATE is more properly a threaded tool, not a threding tool. It doesn't cut threads; it is used to identify existing screws and bolts with respect to both size and pitch (thread count).
ReplyDeleteHello Everyone, I finished a Silkie, but with help. Google is a great right hand man! I haven't had time to do the puzzles this week, except well after dinner, so today I sat down and was able to get the one across answer right away. That gave me the incentive to go on and I knew so many answers that it was rewarding in the end.
ReplyDeleteScrew Plate was not something I knew about, but I had all but the L in Culpa which had to be correct. Thanks, Splynter for the picture of a screw plate. Krait was another unknown. Cobra didn't start with a K so this was my first lookup in Google.
All in all I feel good about finishing--with help. It is always a learning experience.
Good luck to the Crossword solvers today in Southern CA. Enjoy the day.
Have a lovely day, everyone.
An interesting comment about the Brenner Pass. Our newspaper this morning had a wonderful article about B-25's and the WWII Vets who flew them. A 93 year old WWII former pilot took a ride over New Orleans skies yesterday, and deliberately closed his eyes and envisioned that he was in a Corsica taking off and flying over Italy and Austria often targeting the Brenner Pass. He hoped, that he'd be able to fly the B-25 yesterday, but instead he sat in the middle of the plane and took out his I-phone and took a selfie to capture the experience. Also, showing how far technology has come since the days of WWII.
ReplyDeleteMan oh man I love a Silkie puzzle. The thinking process in solving one of his is invigorating, and solving one is rewarding. I find them to be unfailingly fair. Unlike some puzzles, where an image of the constructor rubbing his hands together and thinking "Ha! I got you!" comes to mind, I never feel that is Mr. Silk's objective.
ReplyDeleteSplynter, I love your write-ups. Clearly explanatory, with nice glimpses into your thinking processes (dang, that's twice I've used that phrase) and interesting personal touches. Thank you.
Best wishes to you all.
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteNeeded a little help today, but it was worth it to enjoy the rest of the puzzle. Googled IGOR and LIMA PERU, which allowed me to fill in the rest of their respective corners and sweep into the rest of the solve.
Nailed UND; great Silkie clue.
Eventually recalled BORDEN - had to keep thinking of Elsie.
Got BELT SANDER eventually - Buck saw didn't fit, and lumberyard had no perps.
DAT - Tell me about it. Means 'that' in L. German. While growing up, our 'at home' patois typically would include English, German and L. German words all in the same sentence. No time, conversationally, to parse whether someone was 'slurring'. (My parents never mastered how to pronounce the English 'th' which is difficult, anyway, for someone whose first language is German.)
Enjoy the weekend.
Splynter
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you like "Born in the USA"? It's a brilliant indictment of poor men forced to fight foreign wars, and their consequences. All slipped under the ironic veneer of an anthemic chorus. The irony was certainly missed by Ronald Reagan.
Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
Till you spend half your life just covering up
(Born in the U.S.A.,etc.)
Got in a little hometown jam so they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man
Born in the U.S.A.,etc.
Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "son if it was up to me"
Went down to see my V.A. man
He said "son don't you understand now"
Had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there he's all gone
He had a woman he loved in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms now
Down in the shadow of penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years burning down the road
Nowhere to run ain't got nowhere to go
Born in the USA etc.
Big Easy will no doubt be pleased to read that despite his ungracious assessment of my unassisted (and admittedly sloggy) solve offline last Saturday, Mr. Silk's undid me today. Got it all without assistance though but for the Krait-Dat-Diaz-ZZZquil Natick crossings (much like GG). Wagged in Krail for the snake and Y'al for the slurred pronoun. I didn't much care for the lack of the 2nd "l" there, but the slur cluing totally threw me, plus figuring if "tot" for total was legit, why not Y'al for Y'all?. That gave me Yian (I'd actually guessed Diaz earlier but lost it as I wrestled with the snake /the slurred pronoun crossing, cascading down with zNzquil over zZzquil (wagging YiaN over YiaZ as possible tname). Should have wrestled with DAT a bit more, and might have finished unassisted again this week. That is not to say the rest filled in quickly and easily. Had to rework some of my initial answers like: defrost (thaw), brat (babysitter's challenge), arena (place to see a hit), stet (proof word), bookjacket (mystery novel cover-up), into (the Shakespear quote and like Barry, a learning moment for me)and Dozquil (over ZZZquil) before being able to move forward.
ReplyDeleteFWIW, Big Easy et al, I've long been solving x-words unassisted offline while I eat my breakfast. Ten years ago I wouldn't have been able to complete many of the late week x-words without a bit of Googling (or before that a decent crossword dictionary). I still find myself amazed when a Saturday x-word fills in for me without having to know every answer. In fact, without knowing a large percentage of the answers like today's. Mr. Silk's x-words almost always delight me in this way. He tends to provide just enough of a toehold for me to finish offline on my own. I'm sure it helps, but really, an utter command of the arcane, trivia, and popular culture really is NOT a requirement to a successful offline solve, at least from my personal experience.
Got it all w/o assistance - except for not knowing the title of Maestro Stern's autobiog! Once I completed that cheat, the rest naturally fell into line. I particularly enjoyed the cluing for IQS, SYN, and OXYMORON.
ReplyDeleteI like/appreciate the name SNUG HARBOR. I visited New Orleans a few times many years ago and enjoyed jazz in the quarter, but have not been there. I guess my last visit was before their time. Plus ça change....
Hi Y'all! No SIXTH SENSE ever with a Silkie for me. More like SIXTH SLogs! But a few letters at a time with red-letter re-directs and I did get a "Ta-da" and feeling of achievement.
ReplyDeleteJIF/JAMB only sure things surrounded by white in the N sector after the first pass through. Slowly, patiently...
DEfrost didn't work any of the three times I typed it in. Oh, TOOT!
Hey, I got MYANMAR with only M__A___A_!
Groan worthy: "professional runner" = POL. Even here we got politics. Aaargh! Burning political question for me: "Would Trump keep the same wife during two terms in office?"
Easier than a lot of Saturdays. I got everything except "DAT". But, DAT (THAT) is not a pronoun, it is an article.
ReplyDeleteLate today. Had an early appointment to be disappointed with ~90,000 of my closest friends.
ReplyDeleteGave it my all, and made many of the missteps already mentioned, such as Into, defrost and brat. But found the way free of those. However, I made the same error as Anon @ 1:54 with Ya'l. Didn't know Krait, and Krail sounded reasonable so I moved on. Had I looked hard at Yiaz, it should have come to me, but I didn't give it any real thought. So, FIW, but enjoyed the effort.
I'll add my own praise to Barry Silk for the reasons mentioned. There are probably other constructors I have more fun with. But Barry always fights fair. Makes you work for it, but if you think hard something will always come to you. I've been solving crosswords for over 50 years, but didn't have access to the LAT or the NYT until the past ~15 years. Early in that exposure a Silkie was impenetrable to me, but in the past 3 to 4 years I've been able to solve most. He's a top tier guy for sure!
I had doubts about that myself, but check it out at good old onelook.com to verify that dat (that) can indeed be a pronoun. I'm not sure how it's being slurred though. Maybe the speaker has a head cold, replacing th sounds with a d? Not really up to snuff as a fair clue IMHO.
ReplyDeletePosting late because of family obligations where I had to do the puzzle in the car and couldn’t post with my iPhone. I’ve never met a Silkie I didn’t like. This one was loaded with wit and learning. Off again.
ReplyDeleteMy only comment is that a golfing partner of my age made a mistake on the 15th hole, kicked his club and sulked MOROSELY in the cart for the rest of the game. It took the edge off the day.
p.s. How ‘bout dem Royals? Not so much the Huskers.
ReplyDeleteOne thought Gary. V-Ball at 7:30 tonight against them steenking Badgers. I spect it'll lighten my mood. Ugly football game. No joy in Mudville.
ReplyDeleteBrent Reedy: "DAT (THAT) is not a pronoun, it is an article."
ReplyDeleteIt acts as a pronoun in "Who dat?" or "That's what I'm talking about".
It acts as an article in "That idea is so stupid." [Sorry to bring up politics.]
ReplyDeleteAnon - T, from last night... I wish I had seen that Dilbert comic before I had retired. I colulda use dat. And yea, OI thought of Johnny Depp and that movie Blow.
I'm with HowardW on this one, except that mine was the SW. And what Jayce said about solving a Silkie. I've grown to look forward to them. Although, a young David is needed every once in a while to keep me grounded.
Dudley, et al, AMSTEL, heck yea ! And Stella. And of course, my fav, Chimay.
Spitzboov, I didn't nail UND, but I was on the right track. I couldn't think of a three letter word for a sausage type link. I did get it though. Loved your "tell me about it" aside ... I would silently chuckle as my mother-in-law- would traverse Deutsch and English in a single sentence soooo quickly. I miss her so dearly.
NC, yep. RR missed it. Completely.
Avg Joe, great assessment. But, then again, that is your business, is it not ?
The funicular was "inclined" to go up and down, but like every other one, it was ON A SLANT.
OK, I'v delayed long genug ! It was a great challenge and I fell short.
Hi all!
ReplyDeleteI got up way too early. It was the 1st night I've been in my bed in 2 weeks and I tossed and woke in pain (I've been on the couch w/ pillows keeping me in place). So, I tried my hand at the puzzle at 0-dark-30.
I had the North in record time (for me, <1hr :-o)), but but the SE wouldn't break for me until I cheated and crib'd off Splyter's grid to get TOOT (I still think blow == coke is funnier; but I see now it wouldn't pass the breakfast test). After a long nap (on said couch), I got all but 33a.
Hand up for picturing Elsie to get BORDEN.
I agree w/ EES - Silk is dang hard, but you can do (most of) it by noodling to the left. Thanks for the diversion Barry.
Thanks also to Splynter. I just finished your write-up and the BELTSANDER race was LOL; being in Vegas, I'm sure there was $$ on it :-)
Fav - DAT - made me think of the Super Dome. "Who DAT sayin' dem beatin' them Saints? Who DAT? Who DAT?" I saw one game there 'cuz my buddy had tix. It was wild.
Other Fav - Choosy moms choose JIF. Though, IMHO, Skippy is best for cookies (more sugar!)
I was going to link RELAX from Frankie Goes to Hollywood, but just watched it. Not as good as I remember. I recall thinking (in '85?) "the next Queen?" Um, no. Google if you want, but warning, don't click the uncensored version.
GG - I loved the smell of Gilroy in the morning; I'm Italian. Bill G: when I was there visiting college chums, yeah, you could smell it coming it - I think it was the fields. My fav was roasted garlic smeared over toasted bread - heaven.
Cheers, -T
Shoot... D-O: I meant to ask where does DW teach? Mine's at LoneStar. She had active-shooter training too. During the Q&A, DW asked a question. The instructor took one look at her and said "Throw those pumps." Right there, I felt sorry for the shooter... C, -T
ReplyDeleteAnonymous- I also fill puzzles offline straight from the newspaper and I've been doing them for over 30 years. I never Google or reference anything. And very few people know less about popular culture than me as I don't watch tv shows and catch maybe 2 movies a year. Last weeks 'puzzler', if I remember correctly, had about 5 words that I had never heard or seen before and with them crossing other total unknowns I just found it impossible to correctly fill them.
ReplyDeleteChickie- interesting that you mentioned the B-25 because I went to the WW-II Museum's CAR show today to look at all the plane. Saw the B-25 but the last flying B-29 (FIFI) overshadowed everything. They were taking people on rides in both of those for only $600. You could also ride in some of the other planes for a price.
Holy wow! - I just checked my rain guage and we have >5.5" already (I had to stick my finger in there to make sure it wasn't and illusion, nope almost full). The rain didn't start in earnest until 6p and is supposta' go through Sunday eve. Dang!
ReplyDeleteSome folks inside the loop are IN THE LURCH already w/ high water.
Big Easy, Hahtoola, and Swamp - this is headed your way. Stock up on staples (beer, chips, something for the kids, beer) now.
D-O, I'm high & dry (so far) you?
Cheers, -T
Yes, thank you, Argyle, the comma before "for example" was misplaced.
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