Today's Theme Song
17 A. Dodge Chargers, e.g. : MUSCLE CARS. These are American made high-powered two door vehicles that not only look the part, but perform it as well.
MUSCLE BEACH, located at the south side of Santa Monica Pier, is known for its gymnastics and physical fitness activities.
25 A. Hyundai's home : SOUTH KOREA. The country of origin for this vehicle. At this point you might think we had an auto-related theme, but it was not to be.
SOUTH BEACH is a major entertainment destination, high rent district and jet set playground on Florida's Atlantic coast near Miami.
LONG BEACH Is a city in Los Angeles County, CA. Can anyone figure out why it is so named?
49 A. Easter season feast : PALM SUNDAY. This is a moveable feast falling the Sunday before Easter and marking the beginning of Holy Week. It celebrates the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem on a donkey, symbolizing peace.
PALM BEACH is the easternmost town in FLA, located on a 16 mile long barrier island.
49 A. Easter season feast : PALM SUNDAY. This is a moveable feast falling the Sunday before Easter and marking the beginning of Holy Week. It celebrates the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem on a donkey, symbolizing peace.
PALM BEACH is the easternmost town in FLA, located on a 16 mile long barrier island.
And the unifier -- 60 A. Shindig by the shore, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 25-, 35- and 49-Across : BEACH PARTY.
Hi gang, Jazzbumpa here, playing life guard today. Happy to have the unifier, since I was asea without it. Interesting entry by our fearless leader, along with long-time Corner regular and nautical expert, Al, aka Spitzboov. Congrats on your first puzzle, Al! Now, let's all have a stroll along the BEACH, get some sand between our toes, and see if we can avoid getting it in other places.
Across
Hi gang, Jazzbumpa here, playing life guard today. Happy to have the unifier, since I was asea without it. Interesting entry by our fearless leader, along with long-time Corner regular and nautical expert, Al, aka Spitzboov. Congrats on your first puzzle, Al! Now, let's all have a stroll along the BEACH, get some sand between our toes, and see if we can avoid getting it in other places.
Across
1. Political statistician Silver : NATE. He almost always gets it right.
5. Sell for : COST. What does it COST to buy?
9. Learn : HEAR. I've HEARD of this.
13. Lacking company : ALONE. All by myself.
15. "__ way!" : ATTA. Usually boy or girl. Here, it's gender neutral.
16. Indian mausoleum city : AGRA. Home of the structure that I thought was called the Tajma Hall when I was a kid.
19. Doesn't keep : ROTS. Decays due to the action of bacteria and fungi.
20. Rescue squad pro : EMT. Emergency Medical Technician.
21. Gerald of Tara : O'HARA. Lord of the manor, and father of Scarlett and her sisters.
22. Vision-related : OPTIC. I see.
23. Take __ the waist : IN AT. Alter an article of apparel for a better fit. Sadly, I'd be giving the opposite instruction.
27. House of Henry VIII : TUDOR. British royalty.
29. Camera named for a Greek goddess : EOS. Cannon product, and the Goddess of dawn.
30. One of the Canaries: Abbr. : ISLand.
31. Cyber Monday events : SALES. But at what COST?
33. Previously : AGO. Once upon a time
34. Backs (out) : OPTS. Makes a choice from a range of possibilities.
38. Edges : RIMS. Of craters or drinking vessels.
41. Notre Dame's Parseghian : ARA. Under his guidance, they won national football championships in 1966 and 1973.
42. Had a bug : AILED.
45. Dashboard Confessional rock genre : EMO. As in EMOtional.
46. Painter's deg. : MFA. Master of Fine Arts.
47. Root beer brand : HIRES. Once a triumph of marketing, it is now unavailable in Canada and has limited availability in the U. S., since its current owner, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, also owns A&W.
54. 1492 caravel : NINA. One of Christopher Columbus's ships.
55. "Peace out, Pablo!" : ADIOS. B-Bye, guy.
56. Like ham in some omelets : DICED. Cut into little cubes.
58. Little one : TOT. Small child.
59. Future flower : SEED. If plants had TOTs . . .
62. Run out of steam : TIRE. Get worn out.
63. Smallest of the litter : RUNT.
65. Rose support : STEM. Thorny appendage.
66. Rich rocks : ORES.
67. Root beer brand : DAD'S. Not to be confused with this:
Down
10. Narcissistic indulgence : EGO TRIP. I like me. Who do you like?
Down
1. "Whatever you want" : NAME IT. We aim to please
2. Fund-raising target : ALUMNUS. One who graduated from a school.
3. Food truck order : TOSTADA. Food item based on a fried or toasted flat or bowl shaped tortilla.
4. Wedding RSVP card, e.g. : ENClosure.
5. Chocoholic's favorite tree? : CACAO. Source of cocoa beans.
6. Hokkaido seaport : OTARU. On the west coast of Japan's northernmost island.
7. Battlefield board game : STRATEGO.
8. Prof's aides : TAS. Teaching Assistants
9. Marx playing with strings : HARPO. You weren't think of Karl, were you?
Not put off by the SNEER
10. Narcissistic indulgence : EGO TRIP. I like me. Who do you like?
11. Most pretentious : ARTIEST. Not necessarily the craftiest.
12. Imps : RASCALS. Trouble makers.
14. Gp. with the album "Secret Messages" : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.
18. Uncertain responses : EHS. Hmmmm . . .
22. Signs off on : OKS.
24. Trucker's expense : TOLLS. The PA Turnpike is very expensive.
26. To-do : HOOHA. This word has other meanings.
28. Stutz contemporary : REO. Harry C. Stutz and Ransom E. Olds, makers of classic cars.
32. Huge mess : SNAFU. Situation Normal - All Fouled Up.
33. 1977 Steely Dan album : AJA. Pronounced Ayzha. I hadn't thought about this album in years, and it shows up 2 days in a row. Odd. [8 min. title track vid]
34. Country singer K.T. : OSLIN. No idea.
36. Awesome quality, as of mountains : GRANDEUR. Purple mountains majesty.
37. Bethesda-based medical research org. : NIH. National Institutes of Health.
38. Lunches and brunches : REPASTS. Meals. This is a word with Latin roots whose use has been in decline for 200 years.
39. Cry of success : I MADE IT.
40. "Tartuffe" playwright : MOLIERE. I know him from The Bourgeois Gentleman.
43. Horn of Africa nation : ERITREA. The horn is a projection along the east coast. ERITREA is on the northern edge, between Sudan and Ethiopia.
44. Signified : DENOTED.
46. Submissions to eds. : MSS. Manuscripts.
48. Nymph chasers : SATYRS.
50. Data transmitter : MODEM. Modulator-demodulator.
51. "Cheers" waitress : DIANE.
52. Savings and checking: Abbr. : ACCTS. Accounts.
53. Slangy affirmative : YEH. Yep, Uh-huh.
57. Around-the-horn MLB plays : DPS. Double Plays. Baseball, of course. The World Series is now under way. This is the first time that neither qualifying team was in existence in 1903, the year of the first World Series.
60. Good bud : BRO.
61. "Wait, there's more" : AND. But, there isn't any more. We've run out of beach.
OK, kids - time to shake the sand out of our shoes and call it a day. Hope nothing here was out of your depth. I'm a little disappointed we didn't have jellyfish nor sharks, but I won't carp about it. And with that, I'll wave good-bye.
Cool regards!
JzB
Cool regards!
JzB
Notes from C.C.:
As Jazzbumpa mentioned earlier, this is Spitzboov's debut. So pleased to have RASCALS in the grid, since Spitzboov = Rascal. Al is a fast learner, super efficient and fun to work with.
Rich
revised our grid a bit. We had DEPARTS in 36D. Rich changed it to
REPASTS, as DEPARTS shares a root with PARTY. Thanks for catching it (and my other various errors), Rich!
 |
| Spitzboov & his lovely wife Betty, US Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT, August 2012 |
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteHave been very sick with awful cold. Now in my lungs. So haven't written. But have enjoyed all of the puzzles.
Thanks, Al, CC and Jazz and all of the others.
OTARU was all perps. Otherwise OK.
Cheers!
Morning, all (and congrats on your puzzle debut, Spitzboov)!
ReplyDeletePretty straightforward puzzle today, although the difficulty got amped up a bit thanks to some odd cluing in spots. ATTA way? "Learn" as a synonym for HEAR? Gerald OHARA? All defensible, just odd. ATTA was actually the last thing in the grid as it crossed the unknown OTARU. I really wanted OSAKA, but that gave me ASTA and AHAKA (not to mention SOATH BEACH)...
Feel better soon, fermatprime!
Congratulations Spitzbov, and thank you C.C. for initiating so many from the Corner in the joy of publication.
ReplyDeleteAs befits a Wednesday there was some challenge, I too had no idea of OTARU even though we have it before. It has been almost three years. I bet JD has it in her word list. Also Gerald OHARA is not as memorable as Scarlett but Tara is Tara.
Cool that Florida had two of the beaches even if one is man made. Also enjoyed the root beer Velcro.
Did you hear that the Corner strikes again? I just learned of Spitzboov' s puzzle.
Happy hump day all
Good Morning, JazzB and friends. Fun to think of the Beach at this time year. Never a good sign when I can't answer 1-Across. I never heard of Nate Silver (b. 1978). He apparently also analyzed baseball as well as political elections.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to have AJA and AND ... twice this week.
Molière was the stage name of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622 ~ 1673).
Two root beers ~ Hires and Dad's. Only missing Barq's.
QOD: Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. ~ Bill Gates (b. Oct. 28, 1955)
Congrats on your first puzzle, Spitzboov!
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Spitz, on your debut. And, C.C., how many published puzzles does that make? It's gotta be a bunch! We had Nate Silver, Long Johns and Isl. I thought maybe we were going for a Robert Louis Stevenson Treasure Island theme. Treasure Island was once a naval station in San Francisco Bay. Spitz would remember.
Dodge Charger is the MUSCLE CAR of choice for our local police department. Donate $250 and they'll give you blue light bulbs to display in your sconces. (The $250 is a donation to help pay the overtime for putting two officers in each patrol car.)
Jzb, enjoyed your deadpan, "This word has other meanings." That word always reminds me of Lt. Col. Frank Slade.
""__ way!" : ATTA."
ReplyDeleteIs this something one hears while vacationing on another planet?
"the cute but rather annoying Shelly Long."
Cute? Meh. Annoying? Oh yeah.
Smooth sailing today as all the unknowns were easily handled by perps! Didn't get the theme until the reveal- but very clever!
ReplyDeletethanks JB for the morning musical interlude
and Congrats to Spitzboov on your debut with the assistance of the prolific CC!
Hope you feel better soon, Fermatprime- praying for no progression to pneumonia!
Jazz: Outstanding write-up and informative links.
ReplyDeleteSpitz, (Great Debut!) & C.C. Thank You for a FUN Wednesday puzzle. Nice BEACH theme.
Well, of course I initially put in OSAKA (as the port) and CARLA (as the "Cheers" waitress) until the solid perps took over and got me OTARU and DIANE.
Also needed ESP, yup Every-Single-Perp, to get the Country singer K.T. OSLIN.
Then there was that V-8 can smack when HARPO appeared.
And it is raining, so the Sunset may be suspect, but "toasting" will happen!
Cheers!
PS Congrats to the KC Royals on their win last night.
I always like staying up until 1:30 am to watch a baseball game. lol
Congrats, spitzboov!
ReplyDeleteNatick'ed at HIRES and OSLIN, never heard of 'em.
Atta Way? New to me.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteStraightforward solve today. Hand up for thinking there was an automotive theme going on, at first.
Howdy Spitz, congratulations on your debut. By the way, I thought of you often during our river journey, because our ship had the niftiest propulsion system (diesel electric thrusters, four of them). It was smooth and capable!
Morning JzB, thanks for 'splaining. And C.C., you've done it again - what a mentor!
Didn't get to chime in yesterday, so belated HBTY Boomer.
Later than usual today after staying up for the well-played and vastly entertaining World Series game. And the AL team won, too!
ReplyDeletePuzzle went fairly quickly, as fast as yesterday's. OTARU and K.T.OSLIN were unknown, as was Gerald O'HARA although Tara was enough of a clue. All "O" words, if that means anything...
Congratz Spitzboov on your debut, and thanks to you and CC for a fine puzzle. And to Jazz for a link-filled summary which took me much too long to go through.
ReplyDeleteThis started off rough for me, but finally fell to persistence. Thanks, Spitzboov and CC! JzB, your comments were great!
I didn't know ERITREA but perps helped. REPASTS seemed strange, but it fit. Loved "Gerald" OHARA . What a fresh clue. How on earth did I remember Scarlett's dads name?
I didn't get the theme, although I filled in BEACH PARTY. Just didn't know where it fit. V-8 can, please....
Have a great day!
Congrats Spitzboov and don't spend your half of the 'big' paycheck in one place.
ReplyDeleteI had big trouble starting this puzzle because NATE Silver, OTARU, & STRATEGO were complete unknowns. I had some trouble with the 34A clue- Backs(out); OPTS just doesn't click in my mind for backs- maybe chooses.
PALM BEACH- If you want to feel poorer than you already are go for a tour of that city in the winter. Years ago, the really rich spent their summers in Newport, RI and winters in Palm Beach, FL.
AJA- three times recently. EMO was a WAG because Dashboard Confessional sounds like someone is talking to a hitchhiker they picked up. DADS and HIRES in one puzzle. If you had BARQS you could have made three root beer floats.
ERITREA-that has to be one of the worst places in the world to live. The dictator claims they are still at war with Ethiopia and drafts EVERYBODY into the army for PERMANENT employment until the 'war' is over.
ReplyDeleteGood morning all. I thought this was a very, very good puzzle, with some really tough clues and unusual but fair fill. Seemed more like a Thursday or Friday to me. Thank you CC and Al Hollmer.
OTARU was ESP. So was ERITREA. I considered Somalia, but it wouldn't fit. Add MOLIERE to that ESP list.
I had that game STRATEGO. It was a favorite childhood game. STRATEGO and GRANDEUR aren't normally seen in these environs.
The NW corner was toughest for me. I had manor before TUDOR, and tried to work in hOt Tuna as my food truck order. Finaly deleted everything I wasn't absolutely certain about, and put the puzzle down for an hour. Then retyped ALONE and EMT, and after entering ENC instead of ans, MUSCLE became apparent (esp. w/ knowing that I was looking for a beach name) and then TOSTADA and TUDOR fell quickly. Whew !
Oh YEH, chuckled at Fund-raising target: ALUMNUS. DW gets a letter at least four times a year from DePaul.
Liked the clues for HARPO, OHARA, and AND. Really pondered "Peace out, Pablo!" before I got the slang of it.
Totally fooled by To-do. I was thinking rake leaves, take the recycling and garbage bins out to the street, get Halloween candy, feed and walk my boy...
Not fooled at all by Stutz, and thought that was a fresh clue for REO.
Had SNArl for huge mess until reading Painter's deg clue.
Will have to read the write up and comments later.
Congrats on a debut and an ever amazing pro on the construction!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I struggled with this considering it's only Wednesday. I don't recall names well, and especially old musical groups or sports figures. I had I HAVE IT for I MADE IT, so that corner was a mess. Not knowing OSLIN, and HIRES (HYRES was a wag) were other SNAFUS for me.
Oh well...
What a lovely puzzle Spitz and C.C.! I hit some minor turbulence in your sea of words but it was mostly smooth sailing.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-This night picture from space tells you all you need to know about the two KOREAS
-Listen my children and you shall HEAR (read) the facts of Paul Revere’s ride
-I did BACK OUT of a car deal this summer and am glad I did
-DIANE had no MBA, was the ARTIEST person in the bar and was on a constant EGO TRIP
-This ORE looks valuable to me
-What?? O _ A _ _ isn’t OSAKA! Bikkuri shita (It surprised me!)
-AHS, OHS, OOS, EHS and UHS are crossword Swiss knives
-On the Florida Turnpike, we paid the TOLL where we exited not entered
-The ultimate “I MADE IT?”
-How long did the SATYR and NYMPH have to pose for that painting?
-Shelly Long now plays the annoying ex-wife on this fabulous show
-For baseball peeps only – Eric Hosmer avoided being the new Billy Buckner by getting the game winning RBI. How ‘bout dem Royals?
Addendum – My battery died at the golf course yesterday. I called a local garage to replace the battery without asking the COST. He came and got my Dakota, put in a top-of-the-line battery and only charged me a reasonable price for the replacement and $35 for labor. I love small towns.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, folks. Thank you, Spitzboov and C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Jazzbumpa, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your first, Spitzboov, and many more I hope.
Hahtoolah, you forgot the best Root Beer ever, A & W!
This puzzle was a little stickier than most Wednesdays. I would call this a Thursday level.
Theme was very good. I used to work in Long Beach, CA, so I am familiar with that one.
MOLIERE was perps. Tried I HAVE IT for 39D, but scratched that out for I MADE IT.
Spelled OSLIN wrong at first. Changed the A to an I.
ERITREA came easily after a couple letters. Not sure why I remembered that country. Must have been in the news at one time.
I own LONG JOHNS, and do wear them in the winter.
STRATEGO was a favorite game many years ago and I would still like to play it if I could find an opponent.
Off to the Illinois Knights Templar Home today for the October Banquet. An old friend of mine is now a resident of the Home and I am looking forward to seeing her. She is the widow of one of my best friends in Illinois that died a few years ago.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
A good run for my (LA Times subscription) money! I simply blanked on ATTA and CACAO, but finally broke through.
ReplyDeleteUnpleasant association: The clue for SATYRS reminded me that the young of Cockroaches are also called Nymphs!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was a little tricky in spots but perps were solid, so a clean finish. W/o's were Strategy/Stratego, snarl/snafu. Osaka/Otaru, and env/enc. Moliere and Eritrea were gimmes by luck, I guess but Oslin was a complete unknown.
Thanks, CC and Spitz, for a cleverly-themed and well executed mid-week treat. Congrats, Spitz, on your debut and look forward to a repeat appearance.
Ferm, sorry to hear you're under the weather; get well soon.
Heavy rain and winds headed our way later in the day. That should finish off whatever leaves remain on the trees.
Have a great day
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteFun time today.
I bailed in the 12th inning - it was past midnight. Wings also lost, so a bad sports day all around.
Gloria just got home and said it's nasty out. 57 isn't really cold. but it's rainy, foggy and windy.
Again, congrats to our resident rascal. Really nice puzzle. C. C. - you are amazing.
Cool regards!
JzB
Ha ! I thought I recognized the name ! Congratulations Spitzboov !
ReplyDeleteGreat review Jazzbumpa.
We rented a Dodge Charger last year and drove it to Texas and back. It had impressive power and responsive handling. The ride was comfortable. Would probably get too many speeding tickets if I owned one.
Barry, if it helps to equate learn and HEAR. Marvin Gaye learned that she loved someone else in I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Don't know why I struggled to get take IN AT the waist.
I used to confuse KT OSLIN and JD Lang. Here's singer / songwriter KT singing 80's Ladies Kind of a reflective song that you may have heard. It's worth a look and listen.
H-G, Bill Buckner popped into my head after Hosmer booted that ball.
Back to my to-dos.
What fun to get a C.C. and Spitz puzzle! But not a speed run for me, mainly because I'd never heard of OTARU or "ATTA way." I got it only because I went through the alphabet and ATTA made slightly more sense than the other options. I also didn't get the theme until the reveal, but then was delighted by all those beaches (hey, I live in Laguna Beach). Loved the pic and your clue about LONG BEACH, JazzB.
ReplyDeleteI loved Shelly Long on "Cheers." And Annette Funicello--what a wonderful childhood and difficult adulthood she had with health problems, if I remember it right.
Hope you feel better soon, Fermatprime.
Have a great day, everybody!
Ditto Steve at 8:38. Never heard of HIRES and was looking for Barqs, Nehi or AandW.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the puzzle today. Cute theme with different beaches, but didn't know "Muscle Beach" was really a place. Thought it was only a type of beach. Congrats, Spitzboov, on your debut. Thanks, C.C. for helping out as you do!
ReplyDeleteJzB, nice write-up, as always. Thanks!
Nice start Spitz, with a little 'elp from CC (I see).
ReplyDelete• ALUMNUS was a clever use of the ambiguity of TARGET.
• I learned more about ROOT BEER than I will need in a lifetime.
• ELO, ELO, ELO, not again….
• I wonder how may variants on HOOHA there are (AHA!).
Just a few nit-picks, mostly with Rich (and a comment or 2 to JzB – nice job overall though):
• Why the question-mark for CHOCOHOLIC'S TREE? The CACAO tree is the source of cocoa butter made to make chocolate. So there is no pun (unless you are referring to Hershey's of course, which is chiefly sugar and milk powder).
• EH = Uncertain response? Just ask a Canadian (CanadainEh?). It's generally used to elicit agreement – Nice work, eh? – or surprise/enquiry - "Eh, what the ???? are do doing?".
• I thought "Hyundai's home" was a bit weak. I wrote in SEOUL, KOREA at first (somewhere in AJA, anyway), before the theme drove me SOUTH in my MUSCLE CAR. You would not expect "FORD'S HOME" to be clued for "USA", well would you, eh?
• JzB: Talking of Muscle Beach, did anyone notice the woman at far left in JzB's photo. Looks as if she needs a bit of taking IN AT the waist (and below, eh?).
• Did not like the clueing for OPTS either. BACKS OUT = OPTS OUT = OK, but the adverb in parenthesis is usually TARGETED at the answer, not both clue and answer. "BACKS OFF (with out)" might be better.
• JzB, Single-piece LONG JOHNS, eh? They look like baby-doll PJs on steroids. Long John's refer to a garment from the waist down, i.e., long underpants.
• PALM SUNDAY caught me out for a while. If I bought a ticket for a FEAST I would be disappointed if it did not feature a substantial meal, or at least a few tasty victuals. But it can of course refer simply to the religious celebration, per se (with maybe a wafer and a slurp of Communion wine thrown in). So my bad.
ADIOS BROs, back to my MSS.
Nice Cuppa: I generally dislike your posts. You seem to poo poo things different from yourself. Constantly pointing out your perceived problems with America and Americans. And now you make a disparaging remark about a woman's weight, who appears to me to be in fine shape and very sexy at that! You, sir, are an aeolist.
ReplyDeleteGoing back to lurking,
Nancy
See Long Johns. US usage perhaps?
ReplyDeleteNancy @ 12:52
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more ... especially since I had to look up the definition of the word aeolist and that became a learning moment.
I always enjoy a learning moment.
Yea! The rain has stopped and the Sun is out!
A "Toast-to-ALL" at Sunset.
Cheers!!!
PS GO METS !!!
The Met T-Shirt, worn last night ... has gone in the "DO-NOT-WEAR" pile.
Tinbeni and Nancy, I agree.
ReplyDeleteAgreed: OPTing is going FOR something, not backing out of anything.
ReplyDeleteHi everybody. I agree that this seemed a little harder than the usual Wednesday puzzle. Tricky and clever. Thanks Spitz, CC and JzB.
ReplyDeleteMuscle Beach is an informal place, about 10 miles north of here. I can put my bike on the back of my car and drive about five miles north to Marina del Rey. Then park and bike farther north towards Santa Monica. Before getting to the Santa Monica pier is Venice (which actually has canals). There is an area outdoor there called Muscle Beach with basketball courts and areas to work out. No big deal. Do you remember the movie "White Men Can't Jump"? Some of the basketball scenes were shot there.
Yes, I had that trouble with OPTing too.
Boy, back when I was teaching full time, I'm glad I was not faced with a stubborn student who brought a cell phone to class and blatantly wouldn't cooperate with me or the Assistant Principal. The clientele, my teaching style, the environment, etc. were such that nothing like that ever happened. I have had recurring dreams about those kinds of situations though. Geez...
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteDoes Google work for you right now? I've had problem since earlier this morning. Total blank when I try to Google anything, either via Firefox or IE.
My sincerest Mea Culpa, JazzB, for forgetting to thank you for such an entertaining and informative expo. Merci, beau coup! 😇
ReplyDeleteHi all!
ReplyDeleteA BEACHy-keen puzzle from Spitz (Congrats!) & C.C., but I got moored at the xing of OLSeN and HeRES. Didn't know either and wag'd wrong. DNF. For what it's worth, this went about 3x faster than yesterday's ink-fest.
But what fun. The final puzzle was "Which Cornerite is this with C.C.?" U.S. BEACHes? Spitz was the 1st of my three guesses; ISL gave it away :-)
Thanks to the both of you. And of course to JzB for yet another great Wednesday Writeup.
W/o - wInS b/f RIMS; as in KC edges out NYM 5-4 in Game 1. Tho wEPASTS could be just one bite...
ESPs - 6d, 40d, 43d.
Fav - RASCALS. Just a fun word.
I'm going to see Richard Clark speak tonight at a CyberSec dinner. So, if I don't play until tomorrow, that's why.
Cheers, -T
Mr. G is working just fine, C.C.
ReplyDeleteCC: Yes, Google is working fine for me at the moment.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tom, Argyle has no problem either. I sure hope it's not our computer problem.
ReplyDeleteDown Detector shows quite a few people have the same blank page issue.
Thanks, Bill, are you using IE or Google Chrome? Chrome works for me intermittently.
ReplyDeleteCC, Re: Google
ReplyDeleteI have been having a similar problem lately, (Using Chrome)
I may be wrong, but it seems to happen right after an automatic Windows update
that causes all sorts of problems with Chrome.
In order to just get Chrome to open, I had to reboot.
Then immediately go upper right to those 3bars & open settings.
goto bottom & click advanced settings
on the very bottom is a clickable "reset settings"
This will fix the problems Microsoft incurred
however you will lose all your cookies.
For me this means resetting my TV guide options from scratch.
Optimum email has to be signed on again
& about a dozen other little annoyances like adding a home page button to Chrome.
I was worried about losing bookmarks, but these are safe & remain unchanged.
The biggest problem, is that you reset all this crap.
Microsoft Auto update senses the discrepancy
& re-updates
causing you to do all this crap all over again!
(I hope Microsoft & Google work out there differences soon....)
Thanks, Dave, I'm just going to log off and hope everything returns to norm tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteJust testing.
ReplyDeleteRe: puzzle:
ReplyDeleteAck!, FIW DNF Crash & Burn!
(Hmm, I have to get on a plane again soon. Maybe I should go with these pics...)
Eritrea!
Otaru... (Actually I got Atta right...)
I thought I put KT"Olsen" for 34D, but I put Oslen/Nin37D/& Nenes as a root beer brand...
Jzb, excellent write up as always, & yes I did get some sand in uncomfortable places....
9D Harpo, (what is the name of the piece he starts with,I want to try to play it on piano!)
Hand up for looking up Aeolist...
Desperotto@6:47 in this clip I was sure Lt. Col. Frank Slade was going to say HooHa for 2 syllable word.
Stratego, Ah yes, I remember that game...
Hmm, I bet Manac did better on ths puzzle than I did...
Which reminds me, Where is Owen?
FermatPrime, I think I had that same cold. It takes a while to go away, feel better soon.
Bill G@2:03
ReplyDeleteYou nightmare is only the tip of the iceberg.
Rest In Peace Zachary Hammond...
(I know no one else will...)
Great puzzle Spitz and C.C. Fresh cluing and fill, and a theme that was not apparent without the reveal. Chuckled aloud at Rascals in the fill. Congratulations on your debut Al, and another good job C.C. And thanks for the writeup Jazz.
ReplyDeleteCool puzzle. Thanks and congratulations, Spitzboov! So many beaches, so little time.
ReplyDeleteI just watched the videos of the killing of Zachary Hammond. Jeeez!
ReplyDeleteGood evening everyone.
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone for your accolades and encouragement. C.C. did the heavy lifting but it is a hoot to work with her. I learned a lot, and enhanced my already profound respect for the editorial process; to tune the submission for the solvers' optimum enjoyment.
Thanks to JzB for an excellent intro, and selection of visuals to enrich the blog visit.
Late to the party but wanted to congratulate Spitzboov on his debut, C.C. for her mentoring of so many Corner constructors, and JazzB for the write-up.
ReplyDeleteI saw my CSO (although I really wanted to enter ems and agree with Nice Cuppa that eh is not really uncertain in Canadian usage). But the clue does say "uncertain responses" and EH as a response would indicate uncertainty, as in "I didn't hear or understand what you said".
WEES about OPTS. I had a minor nit with TOLLS because it was plural and clue was singular. Did anyone else have a problem with DPS having Play in the clue and in the answer? I didn't think Rich would have allowed that one.
But an enjoyable puzzle on the whole.
Hi Y'all! Great debut, Spitz & C.C.! Fun though I didn't get the theme until everything filled.
ReplyDeleteBelated Happy Birthday to Boomer.
I did the puzzles the last two days, but AILED and was too TIREd to post. I got that cold too, Ferm!
JazzB: Good expo! The music hit the spot tonight.
Eritrea, not Ethiopi...
Puzzle reminded me of my last manfriend, a SATYR who thought we should visit the nude beaches in Southern Cal when I was there. Alas, I am no nymph and I sure didn't want to see that old goat nude in public. Someone had to have some common sense when you pass 65.
Nice Cuppa, I don't know whether you saw my thank you for your advice the other day. I haven't had any more trouble with my Safari since I started closing my email app before opening it. Thank you, thank you!
I see jazzbumpa used the polite definition of SNAFU. Anyone who has been in the military knows the situation isn't "fouled" up.
ReplyDeleteBeach Bum - so right. I've never heard "fouled up".
ReplyDeleteWell, it turned out not to be a speach but an intimate round-table of about 20 Sec folks w/ Richard Clarke. Very informative discussion. Before the dinner, he talked w/ three of us for about 15-20 min. Quite the smart and affable guy.
On OPTS == Backs (out). "Candidate X OPTS out of the race today..." My $0.02.
Finally, I did have one more W/o - Er, b/f EH.
I had to miss the game (there was no TV at the dinner - thank goodness for Siri). KC up by 2 games to none.
Cheers, -T
If STRATEGO is a "two-handed strategy game," then what is that guy doing with his other hand, eh?
ReplyDelete