Theme: Disturbed night - the theme entries share a jumbled word as explained in the reveal
20A. Kiss a frog, so it's said : BREAK THE SPELL. "Someday my prince will come", or, as the photographer said to her assistant waiting for a delivery from the lab "someday my prints will come".
27A. All out : AT FULL SPEED. That's fast!
45A. Evasive language : DOUBLESPEAK. There's an annual Doublespeak Award for truly excellent new examples. One of my favorites is the "meaningful downturn in aggregate output" phrase coined by the then-Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan to avoid saying "recession".
56A. Snoring, e.g., and a literal hint to what's hidden in 20-, 27- and 45-Across : SLEEP DISORDER. Tends to cause a mood disorder in one's bed-mate.
Hola! Steve here with a very fresh and interesting offering from Ed Sessa. There's a whole slew of words or phrases that you don't see around crossword-land too often including all of the themers, plus LIMBO POLE, REPULSION and SPIDERY. Good stuff.
Elsewhere there's some neat cluing misdirection, some frankly baffling stuff and everything in between. Let's check it out.
Across:
1. __ Men, pop band whose name derives from its members' homeland : BAHA. Bahamian-origin band formed in London.
5. Bit of a speech : WORD
9. Prolonged look : STARE
14. Instruments for Israel Kamakawiwo'ole : UKES Here's the Wonderful World/Over The Rainbow mash-up from IZ.
15. Case for notions : ETUI. Yikes, this one's a doozie! Notions in the sense of small items like buttons, threads and ribbons. That's a pretty obscure definition.
16. Attach : AFFIX
17. Bar for some dancers : LIMBO POLE. The dance originated in Jamaica where it was popular at wakes.
19. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" actor : DAFOE. I loved the movie.
22. Org. that holds your interest? : S AND L. I was staring at this wondering what on earth a SANDL was when I realized that it needed spaces. Savings and Loan.
23. LBJ agency : OEO. Somewhere, a black and white snack is missing its "R". The Office of Economic Opportunity.
24. Reuters competitor : UPI. The wire service United Press International.
32. Complain : CARP
36. Attic forager : RAT
37. Family nickname : AUNTY
38. Went too far with : OVERDID
40. Street vendor's snack : PRETZEL
42. Cosmetic surgeon's procedures, briefly : LIPOS. The quite charming process by which you get fat vacuumed out of you.
43. Nursery supply : SOD. Nothing to do with babies. Grass.
44. Salts : TARS. Ahoy, Matey!
49. NBC sketch comedy : SNL
50. Portuguese king : REI
51. Not connected : APART
61. Case study? : TRIAL. A case comes in for some close scrutiny when it goes to trial.
63. Like one who really gets IT? : TECH SAVVY. When I meet someone socially for the first time I never tell them I work for a tech company, because then I generally get asked questions about what's wrong with their computer/printer/iPad.
64. Sea divers : LOONS
65. Switch ending : -EROO
66. Carpe __ : DIEM. Seize the day. Carpe Carp - Seize the fish. Carpe No Oil - Seize the engine.
67. Cuban music genre : CONGA
68. Daly of "Judging Amy" : TYNE. Thank you crosses. Never heard of him/her or the show/movie. I should go look it up.
69. Everyone, in Essen : ALLE. Curiously, ALLES is the singular form, familiar from the German National Anthem line: "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles". Funny old language, German.
Down:
1. Light sources : BULBS
2. "Ran" director Kurosawa : AKIRA
3. Ones with fab abs : HE-MEN
4. Similarly sinful : AS BAD
5. Broke down : WEPT
6. "Then again," in tweets : OTOH. On the other hand
7. Dismiss : RULE OUT
8. Fuel type : DIESEL. Last time I was in England I rented a stick-shift Audi with a diesel engine. I was really impressed by the performance - now we all know why.
9. "Soldier of Love" Grammy winner : SADE
10. Nonstick cookware brand : T-FAL. Don't buy a non-stick wok, you want to be able to push food up the side and have it stay there.
11. Anti-consumerist portmanteau popularized in a 2001 best-seller : AFFLUENZA. Great word. The book was "Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic".
12. 2011 animated film set in Brazil : RIO
13. PC file extension : EXE An executable file on a PC. Mac computers also have executable files, but they're named differently.
18. Stillwater's state: Abbr. : OKLA
21. Capitol insider : POL
25. Novelist De Vries : PETER. "Life is a zoo in a jungle".
26. Pastoral poems : IDYLS
28. Athlete lead-in : TRI-. I'm thinking about revisiting my triathlon days by competing again in 2016. I might have to go and lie down until the urge goes away. It's been 25 years since the last one.
29. It's not hot for long : FAD
30. Submission encl. : SAE. Stamped, Addressed Envelope in England. I didn't encounter the "SASE" version until I moved to the US.
31. Last stroke, usually : PUTT. It's a shame to be remembered for a missed putt, but this is one of those iconic moments. Bernhard Langer's miss in the 1991 Ryder Cup meant that the USA took the trophy from Europe after a decade of domination by the Europeans.
32. Common maladies : COLDS
33. French postcard word : AVION. Hmm. You used to stick "Par Avion" labels on mail that was going by air (par avion). Quite what this has to do specifically with a postcard I'm not sure. Do postcards always go by air? Peculiar clue.
34. Utter disgust : REPULSION
35. "No __!" : PROB.
39. ISP alternative : DSL. Now this one is flat-out weird. An ISP is an Internet Service Provider, such as AOL. DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line, which is a physical means of connecting to your ISP. One is not an alternative to the other. What am I missing?
40. Author of macabre tales : POE. We had his monogram yesterday.
41. Old cereal box stat : RDA. Recommended Dietary Allowance. They're called RDI's now - Recommended Daily Intake - apparently.
43. Weblike : SPIDERY. I always associated SPIDERY with writing, not with webs, but I'll treat this as a learning moment.
46. Before, of yore : ERE
47. Largish jazz ensemble : SEPTET. Depends on your definition of an ensemble. To a full orchestra, a septet might be construed as "smallish".
48. Maxwell Smart's nemesis : KAOS. From the TV series "Get Smart".
52. "The Devil Wears __" : PRADA. Another cracking movie.
53. Motrin competitor : ADVIL
54. Party hearty : REVEL. Another odd one. I've heard of a "reveller" before, but never seen REVEL used in the sense of an individual.
55. "Go ahead, make my day!" : TRY ME
57. Lana of Superman lore : LANG. Compare and contrast with Lois Lane.
58. Film feline : ELSA. The lioness from the movie "Born Free".
59. Silhouette of a bird, for Twitter : ICON
60. You might pick up a pebble in one : SHOE
61. Attention from Dr. Mom : TLC
62. Milne marsupial : ROO. This original by Ernest Shepard, not the abominable Disney mockery of the character:
That should do it from me for today. I'm off for a trip back to the old country tomorrow for a few days, apparently just in time for some really atrocious weather. I'm staying in Bloomsbury over the weekend, home to yesterday's Virginia Woolf. I'll follow this advice:
Toodle-oo!
Steve
20A. Kiss a frog, so it's said : BREAK THE SPELL. "Someday my prince will come", or, as the photographer said to her assistant waiting for a delivery from the lab "someday my prints will come".
27A. All out : AT FULL SPEED. That's fast!
45A. Evasive language : DOUBLESPEAK. There's an annual Doublespeak Award for truly excellent new examples. One of my favorites is the "meaningful downturn in aggregate output" phrase coined by the then-Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan to avoid saying "recession".
56A. Snoring, e.g., and a literal hint to what's hidden in 20-, 27- and 45-Across : SLEEP DISORDER. Tends to cause a mood disorder in one's bed-mate.
Hola! Steve here with a very fresh and interesting offering from Ed Sessa. There's a whole slew of words or phrases that you don't see around crossword-land too often including all of the themers, plus LIMBO POLE, REPULSION and SPIDERY. Good stuff.
Elsewhere there's some neat cluing misdirection, some frankly baffling stuff and everything in between. Let's check it out.
Across:
1. __ Men, pop band whose name derives from its members' homeland : BAHA. Bahamian-origin band formed in London.
5. Bit of a speech : WORD
9. Prolonged look : STARE
14. Instruments for Israel Kamakawiwo'ole : UKES Here's the Wonderful World/Over The Rainbow mash-up from IZ.
15. Case for notions : ETUI. Yikes, this one's a doozie! Notions in the sense of small items like buttons, threads and ribbons. That's a pretty obscure definition.
16. Attach : AFFIX
17. Bar for some dancers : LIMBO POLE. The dance originated in Jamaica where it was popular at wakes.
19. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" actor : DAFOE. I loved the movie.
22. Org. that holds your interest? : S AND L. I was staring at this wondering what on earth a SANDL was when I realized that it needed spaces. Savings and Loan.
23. LBJ agency : OEO. Somewhere, a black and white snack is missing its "R". The Office of Economic Opportunity.
24. Reuters competitor : UPI. The wire service United Press International.
32. Complain : CARP
36. Attic forager : RAT
37. Family nickname : AUNTY
38. Went too far with : OVERDID
40. Street vendor's snack : PRETZEL
42. Cosmetic surgeon's procedures, briefly : LIPOS. The quite charming process by which you get fat vacuumed out of you.
43. Nursery supply : SOD. Nothing to do with babies. Grass.
44. Salts : TARS. Ahoy, Matey!
49. NBC sketch comedy : SNL
50. Portuguese king : REI
51. Not connected : APART
61. Case study? : TRIAL. A case comes in for some close scrutiny when it goes to trial.
63. Like one who really gets IT? : TECH SAVVY. When I meet someone socially for the first time I never tell them I work for a tech company, because then I generally get asked questions about what's wrong with their computer/printer/iPad.
64. Sea divers : LOONS
65. Switch ending : -EROO
66. Carpe __ : DIEM. Seize the day. Carpe Carp - Seize the fish. Carpe No Oil - Seize the engine.
67. Cuban music genre : CONGA
68. Daly of "Judging Amy" : TYNE. Thank you crosses. Never heard of him/her or the show/movie. I should go look it up.
69. Everyone, in Essen : ALLE. Curiously, ALLES is the singular form, familiar from the German National Anthem line: "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles". Funny old language, German.
Down:
1. Light sources : BULBS
2. "Ran" director Kurosawa : AKIRA
3. Ones with fab abs : HE-MEN
4. Similarly sinful : AS BAD
5. Broke down : WEPT
6. "Then again," in tweets : OTOH. On the other hand
7. Dismiss : RULE OUT
8. Fuel type : DIESEL. Last time I was in England I rented a stick-shift Audi with a diesel engine. I was really impressed by the performance - now we all know why.
9. "Soldier of Love" Grammy winner : SADE
10. Nonstick cookware brand : T-FAL. Don't buy a non-stick wok, you want to be able to push food up the side and have it stay there.
11. Anti-consumerist portmanteau popularized in a 2001 best-seller : AFFLUENZA. Great word. The book was "Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic".
12. 2011 animated film set in Brazil : RIO
13. PC file extension : EXE An executable file on a PC. Mac computers also have executable files, but they're named differently.
18. Stillwater's state: Abbr. : OKLA
21. Capitol insider : POL
25. Novelist De Vries : PETER. "Life is a zoo in a jungle".
26. Pastoral poems : IDYLS
28. Athlete lead-in : TRI-. I'm thinking about revisiting my triathlon days by competing again in 2016. I might have to go and lie down until the urge goes away. It's been 25 years since the last one.
29. It's not hot for long : FAD
30. Submission encl. : SAE. Stamped, Addressed Envelope in England. I didn't encounter the "SASE" version until I moved to the US.
31. Last stroke, usually : PUTT. It's a shame to be remembered for a missed putt, but this is one of those iconic moments. Bernhard Langer's miss in the 1991 Ryder Cup meant that the USA took the trophy from Europe after a decade of domination by the Europeans.
32. Common maladies : COLDS
33. French postcard word : AVION. Hmm. You used to stick "Par Avion" labels on mail that was going by air (par avion). Quite what this has to do specifically with a postcard I'm not sure. Do postcards always go by air? Peculiar clue.
34. Utter disgust : REPULSION
35. "No __!" : PROB.
39. ISP alternative : DSL. Now this one is flat-out weird. An ISP is an Internet Service Provider, such as AOL. DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line, which is a physical means of connecting to your ISP. One is not an alternative to the other. What am I missing?
40. Author of macabre tales : POE. We had his monogram yesterday.
41. Old cereal box stat : RDA. Recommended Dietary Allowance. They're called RDI's now - Recommended Daily Intake - apparently.
43. Weblike : SPIDERY. I always associated SPIDERY with writing, not with webs, but I'll treat this as a learning moment.
46. Before, of yore : ERE
47. Largish jazz ensemble : SEPTET. Depends on your definition of an ensemble. To a full orchestra, a septet might be construed as "smallish".
48. Maxwell Smart's nemesis : KAOS. From the TV series "Get Smart".
52. "The Devil Wears __" : PRADA. Another cracking movie.
53. Motrin competitor : ADVIL
54. Party hearty : REVEL. Another odd one. I've heard of a "reveller" before, but never seen REVEL used in the sense of an individual.
55. "Go ahead, make my day!" : TRY ME
57. Lana of Superman lore : LANG. Compare and contrast with Lois Lane.
58. Film feline : ELSA. The lioness from the movie "Born Free".
59. Silhouette of a bird, for Twitter : ICON
60. You might pick up a pebble in one : SHOE
61. Attention from Dr. Mom : TLC
62. Milne marsupial : ROO. This original by Ernest Shepard, not the abominable Disney mockery of the character:
That should do it from me for today. I'm off for a trip back to the old country tomorrow for a few days, apparently just in time for some really atrocious weather. I'm staying in Bloomsbury over the weekend, home to yesterday's Virginia Woolf. I'll follow this advice:
Toodle-oo!
Steve
49 comments:
I can certainly relate to @Ed Sessa's ingenious theme ... why else am I up this early?! Thanks, too, to @Steve for the enlightening writeup.
If you're not puzzled out yet, you may want to try "There, There!" by @Martin Ashwood-Smith. This gem not only has a theme, but it has several of @Martin's trademark stacks. After completing it, you might want to turn to his "midrash" where he explains and self-analyzes. I bet it will make you feel a lot better.
Morning, all!
Pretty smooth ride today. I share Steve's consternation regarding DSL as an "alternative" to ISP. Perhaps the clue somehow meant that DSL is one of many alternatives offered by an ISP? Either way, it doesn't seem to work well (although I'm sure Jerome will be along shortly to defend Rich's honor).
The theme was cute, but I didn't see it at all during the solve. I'm surprised there weren't circles in the grid (that I wouldn't have seen anyway). I was actually able to back through the puzzle and find the hidden anagrams all on my own, however, so that was nice for a change.
Thanks Steve and Ed. It is always interesting to see the phrases that inspire scrambled letter puzzles. I particularly enjoyed TECH SAVVY and found the rest doable. TYNE DALY has been a crossword staple since CAGNEY AND LACEY
Her brother is also an actor. She worked here in SoFla I BURN NOTICE
My take is that DSL is one of the alternative ways to connect to your ISP but agree that is a stretch.
Happy Thursday all.
I finished the puzzle but do not understand the theme. after filling SLEEP DISORDER I was looking for APNEA but SPELL, SPEED, SPEAK just have S & E in common and pulling Ls form other words doesn't give you SPELL. But, that's my take. I just don't see it.
It started slowly this morning and the NW was white with only ETUI, OKLA and UKES. I may be wrong but I think the FSLIC was closed down about 25 years ago and there are no Savings & Loans remaining. They either went FDIC and became banks or shut down.
But there were the usual unknowns that required the crosses and guesses: DAFOE, AKIRA, OTOH, SADE, LANG. I know Lois Lana but not Lana LANG.
TYNE Daly- I remember her when Clint Eastwood asked her in one of the Dirty Harry movies asked her 'how fast can you run the 100'. And let's get another Dirty Harry quote: 55D. "Go ahead, make my day!" : TRY ME
ISP- I agree with Steve. An ISP alternative would be any provider of anything. Doesn't make sense. DOUBLESPEAK- words coming out of any politician's mouth. I wonder if the OEO changed to the EEOC, but federal agencies probably never die ( but they should).
Did anybody else fine it strange that the answer to 32A-CARP was almost a clue for 66A-CARPE?
Good morning!
Trying a second time. A saucy Siamese kitten managed to unplug my cable modem as I wrote my original post.
D'oh! Even with the reveal, I failed to get the theme. I was trying to find a pattern in the last words of the theme clues rather than looking for a jumbled SLEEP. Still, it was fun, so thanks Ed. You too, Steve.
Steve, as I read it, "party hearty" wasn't an individual, but what that individual was doing. REVEL works, in that sense.
I agree with Big Easy that S AND Ls no longer exist. They were loosely regulated, and ScANDaL ensued.
Son of a gun ! Missed it by one letter. No PROB ! I'll take the FIW due to a WORD that I have habitually misspelled for years.
This was a really, really good puzzle. Nailed BAHA and then got stuck in the NW. Filled the top center and spelled it DIESaL (again). Then hit a cold streak and got no horizontal fill again until SNL. Picked up speed and then solved that SE area by figuring out it wasn't LOOSE but APART, and then it wasn't ALEVE but ADVIL. Thought of Dennis as I filled DIEM. Realized it was DISORDER, then SLEEP DISORDER, and that SLEEP would be in disarray in the theme answers. Worked up from there fairly quickly.
Two three letter words were fun once I got them, but were giving me fits. Which kind of nursery ? Tykes or trees ? And "It's not hard for long ?" Does someone need the little blue pill ? No, I read the clue incorrectly.
UPI and IDYLS, then PRETZEL, and a fair certainty that it would be AUNTY led to getting that mideast. Otherwise, never would have known PETER. AFFLUENZA was pretty easy to suss from there.
Still, it was that NW area. Could only think of BARRE but knew OKLA was correct. Then finally reread 3D clue correctly and not as 'Ones with fat abs.' Then the light BULBS went on. Doh! Just like PETER, AKIRA filled with ESP.
Thank you Barry and Steve. Fun was had by all. Hey Steve, DSL as an alternative to ISP is as SETI is to UFO.
Enjoyable puzzle. The the,e just kinda lays there for me, but the rest was vry good, so that made up for it. And thanks for the amusing write up Steve. You're on top of your game today.
TTP, along your line, the puzzle also included the cheapest means of contraception. Put a rock in your shoe. It'll make you limp.
Hi Gang -
FIW. BAJA put me in the wrong place, and never sorted out the NW corner.
Big Easy - the word SLEEP is scrambled in the theme entries. "Disorder" is the clue word.
Yes, in context, REVEL is a verb.
Bar for a ballerina is spelt barre.
Having lunch with a group of fellow retirees today. Always a good time.
Cool regards!
JzB
Fun morning - though a few sticky spots all resolved with perps.
@Lemonade - I thought it was Sharon Gless who was the main character's mother in Burn Notice.
Loved the link to the "Somewhere over the Rainbow" - one of my favorites
Thanks Steve and Ed!
Very childish remark
Yes, it was Sharon Gless on Burn Notice
Tyne Daly's brother Timothy is currently playing Tea Leoni's husband on Madame Secretary.
FIR today! WEES about REVEL, DSL, etc. Saw all the theme entries had SPE, so thought that was going to be the theme -- maybe something about ESP? Didn't notice the LE/EL around the SPE.
Wouldn't bother posting the above by itself, but had to make the following comment:
Avg.Joe: *GROAN*
Funny how timely Dilbert can be at times.
Owen, glad you liked it.
Good morning everyone.
Did the puzzle yesterday due to our paper's Snafu.
Agree with TTP on the theme interpretation. Actual result seemed amorphous. Completed the solve without searches. One strikethrough - had logo before ICON.
STILLWATER - Usually clued for OKLA. Also the Town in which the Battles of Saratoga were fought, and where I went to EL-HI School. Also a large reservoir in the SW Adirondacks. BTW - A commemorative Quarter was issued on Monday which depicts the surrender at Saratoga.
ALLE zusammen – All together
Have a great day
I enjoyed the puzzle, but was not on Ed's wave length. I looked up 2 answers and took extra time. I decided to let SANDL stand, but couldn't parse it. Thanks, Steve.
After the reveal I easily found SLEEP within the theme answers. It does not have to be found in a single word.
ETUI was my first fill.
I loved the movie, "The Devil Wears Prada," a morality tale. Meryl Streep is one of my favorites.
Speaking of ensembles, a SEPTET is largish.
PARTY here is a verb, so REVEL is a verb.
I moved right through Ed’s fine puzzle, even with all the names for which I had no clue. LANE kept me from CONGA but oh well, I did find the theme with …SP…, …SP…, …SP…
Musings
-My oldest daughter said she kissed some frogs before she found her prince on Match.com
-Snore tabs ain’t gettin’ it done. Anyone use this?
-What a lovely intro to IZ
-LIMBO warning!
-OEO in the NFL - The Rooney rule says minorities must be interviewed for all head coaching jobs
-This service is offered in the Miami area code
-Me too, Steve. Being TECH SAVVY can be dang inconvenient
-Legalizing marijuana seems to hinge on “it’s not AS BAD as alcohol”
-Every state fair had carnival rides and T-FAL demos
-Scroll through these pix of a heart-warming TRI-ATHLETE
-The civilized world feels Utter Disgust and REVULSION toward a group these days
-A mouse that roared ”TRY ME, TRY ME! (:44)
Happy week before Turkey Day to all our USA bloggers.
Thanks Ed for a crunchy Thursday puzzle. And Steve for a fine write-up.
I had to look up KAOS and the spelling of DAFOE. I always get him mixed up with the author.
I still had one wrong as I wanted LANE not LANG. Never saw that show and DUH didn't see CONGA which would have helped there.
Notions ran to ETUI for me. Perhaps because I had to take sewing in Home Ec, which I doubt Steve had to.
At first I tried NBA for OEO because LeBran James is an alternate LBJ.
Again, the ILSA (Casablanca), ELSA (Born Free), and ULLA (The Producers) dilemma. I use the I in Rick to recall ILSA. So ELSA was first try.
To Ave. Joe at 10:42. A female form of birth control. 2 aspirins. Just hold them between your knees! Feel free to Groan y'all!
Live Well and Prosper
VS
Oops. 7:42 to Ave. Joe
VS
Steve: Good Job with the write-up.
Ed: Thank You for a FUN Thursday puzzle with a great theme.
OK, I will admit I had to put the puzzle down 3 times before the "solve" worked out.
Actually worked from the bottom-up and got stuck in the Northern Region before the perps saved the day.
Avg.Joe @7:42
I guess you could say THAT is why I wear Flip-Flop's or Sandal's about 99% of the time ... LOL !!!
Looks like a FRONT is going through ... hope it brings some rain ... and cooler weather.
Cheers!
Definitely a different puzzle today. I was able to get through it without too much difficulty. Great expo Steve.
I just had a couple of speedbumps that required the help of perps to set straight. BAJA vs. BAHA and REVULSION vs. REPULSION seemed to be the right answers.
WRT to LIPOS, my sister didn't have a good experience with Liposuction when she had her breast cancer surgery reconstruction. When they lipo'ed fat from her abdomen to use in part of the reconstruction, she ended up having tremendous pain as a result of the procedure which was worse than the original cancer surgery and lasted for months until the abdomen healed.
My DW says that my snoring causes her sleep disorder and sometimes a trip to the couch.
Have a great day everyone.
I got nothing on my first run-through in this puzzle until I got to the bottom, and then slowly, slowly, slowly it filled in. A Thursday toughie, to my mind, but with lots of fun clues and a fun theme in the end--many thanks, Ed. I also didn't get S AND L and had BAJA instead of BAHA. But no matter, it was still close. And fun write-up as always, Steve. Have a good trip!
And have a great day, everybody!
Steve
The noun "Hearty" to mean a cheerful/sporty person seems to be British. So "hearty" is here being used as an adverb, which is not standard usage. The clue (as a verb) should read "Party Heartily", but then the rhyme is lost, so I guess this is a special usage of adjective as adverb.
I always thought of "Doublespeak" in the context of Orwell's 1984, although I now see that "Doublethink" (part of "newspeak") was his central concept, and that "Doublespeak" has a distinct etymology.
I don't like WEBLIKE=SPIDERY either. SPIDERY means "resembling a spider", not "resembling what it makes".
I did not study German, but I see that ALLE means EVERYONE, and ALLES means EVERYTHING.
So "Deutschland über Alles" means "Germany over everything", i.e. ECONOMIC DOMINATION; not "over everyone", i.e., "WORLD OCCUPATION". 2 world wars and one European Community later, ALL is clear.
Talking of the Bahamas, I cannot resist the old music hall joke:
"I've been meaning to ask - Where's your wife?"
"She went to the Caribbean"
"Really? Jamaica?
"No, she went of her own accord"
Enough already
NC
Avg Joe, that's funny. I will use that one to josh the nephews.
That Dilbert was really funny but I didn't get (at first) the "timely" part of your comment. I assume from the comments by Jerome, Madame Defarge, and you that there must have been an anon comment that is now deleted.
Virginia Sycamore, re Berea in Berea yesterday... I also ended up reading the WIKI histories on Baldwin-Wallace in Berea, Mount Union in Alliance, and Oberlin in Oberlin. And a few other associated articles. I never knew of the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue. Interesting reads.
Hola, friends!
Thank you, Ed Sessa for today's challenge. It initially seemed daunting then ETUI, which has a solid crossword history, was my first fill. After scanning the grid I slid downstairs worked my way up with TYNE and recalled ALLE. I love The Devil Wears PRADA. Had REvULSION before REPULSION then on to the obscure looking top. It broke through, however, with AFFLUENZA which I misspelled as AFLLUENZA and that held me back a long time. Finally I researched DAFOE as I didn't see the movie, guessed SADE and finished. At BAHA I thought BAJA but of course that didn't make sense with HEMEN.
But, drat, I had BATS not RATS in the attic!
Thank you, Steve, for a snazzy synopsis and safe travels to you!
I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful Thursday!
Hi Everyone:
I had a few w/os: falafel/pretzel, lifts/lipos, pro/tri, and repulsive/repulsion. But perps saved the day, as usual, and all was well. I loved Tyne Daly in Judging Amy and I really enjoy her brother, Tim, in Madam Secretary. I've always wondered about the unusual name, Tyne.
Thanks, Ed Sessa, for keeping us awake and on our toes, and thanks, Steve, for the hale and hearty expo. Enjoy your trip.
Spitz, I don't know if you get Channel 13 out of Albany, but they did a nice segment last night on the Saratoga commemorative quarter, involving young children and their thoughts on the historical background.
Have a great day.
TYNE Daly's given name is Ellen Tyne Daly. She has Irish, Scottish, and English ancestry. There is a river/region in England named Tyne. Maybe its an old "family name".
Heinhold - the river TYNE, and TYNESIDE, is the stuff of folklore. Here is one of its most famous songs. You can listen to it on YOUTUBE:
FOG ON THE TYNE
Sittin' in a sleazy snack-bar
Suckin', sickly sausage rolls
Slippin' down slowly, slippin' down sideways
Think I'll sign off the dole
‘Cause the fog on the Tyne is all mine, all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine, all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine
Could a copper catch a crooked coffin maker
Could a copper comprehend
That a crooked coffin maker is just an undertaker
Who undertakes to be a friend?
And the fog on the Tyne is all mine, all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine, all mine
The fog on the Tyne is all mine
etc.
Fun today. This one seemed to have more possibilities than most for correct wrong answers--ANNEX for AFFIX, TEAL for T-FAL, etc.
Glad I was able to get them straight in the end--and happy to learn the word AFFLUENZA.
A few hiccups along the way but finally made it earlier today. Then I came in here and started working on my newsletter and as a result, only now am looking at the blog.
I wanted to note a double entente with ALLE in the final position of the grid. As well as being used in the ways Steve so clearly pointed out, ALLE is also used to mean "empty", "all gone". So when we got to it in the grid, the puzzle was ALLE! Either a happy accident, or very clever!
Like others here, I had more success in the south and moved up from there. I got the theme and it helped a little.
Our old favourites ETUI and ELSA (not Ilsa) started me off and PRADA followed. (I too loved Meryl Streep in that movie or any movie for that matter.)
Hand up for Revulsion before REPULSION, Lane before LANG.
I was not familiar with OEO or BAHA, and SANDL and REVEL did not make sense until I got here. Thanks Steve. We don't have S and L here.
My athlete was a Pro before a TRI
Have a great day.
Cool puzzle. It was easy to fill ETUI as it is still fresh in my mind from Owen's ETUI PTUI verse yesterday. Wanted FELAFEL before figuring out PRETZEL. I did a double take at seeing ROO and EROO. Sorta chuckled at SANDL and SNL, too. Hand up for LOGO before ICON, and agreement with the opinions re DSL and ISP, a debate we've had before if I recall. I've heard of SPIDERY handwriting. For some reason, even though I had --LA at 18D, I couldn't get it; I was too fixated on FLA until I finally remembered the town in Florida is Clearwater.
Speaking of ISPs and all that, our ISP is AT&T, who also supplies our landline phone and DSL connection. The landline has been out since yesterday so we have neither telephone nor internet. We are expecting a service person to come out today; hope he/she can fix it. The weather has been wetly rainy and quite windy lately, and the damn wires are apparently so fragile they can't hold up under such "harsh" conditions. It happens every year. BTW, I am currently using a cellular "dongle" to connect to the internet, and am glad to be here with you all.
FWIW,
I was also confused about who/whom? Jerome@8:21 was calling childish.
Was it Barry @ 5:34 am saying Jerome will come along later to explain why the DSL clue was ok?
or
inanehiker @ 8:10 am correcting Lemonade @ 6:54 am that Sharon Gless was the Cagney and Lacey star that was a regular on Burn Notice, not Tyne Daly?
I interpreted the meaning of the Dilbert cartoon that some people on the internet interpret ANYTHING as racism. In the cartoon Dilbert is saying that Elbonians have invented a new computer mouse. The character runs in and says "Wait until I tell the World that you compared Elbonians to mice! You racists!" He then introduces himself as Dick, from the Internet.
I just assumed that it spoke to current events, not any of our mature and educated posters. (tongue in cheek. Loved Avg Joe contraceptive joke.)
VS
The central horizontal fill conjured up this image.
Had Defoe and no idea of the cookware brand to help me on the perp.
Hi Y'all! Tricky, Ed, but fun!
Great one, Steve! Have a nice trip. Having a lazy defective body, I can never quite understand the desire to compete in something so taxing.
Never got the theme until Steve explained. Of course, I wonder why I couldn't see it.
Last to fill was the "O" in the RULE OUT/OEO cross which I gave up on and did a red-letter run. I sat and tried to figure out what OEO stood for. Went on to bed and was asleep when I dreamed it and my voice said aloud, "Office of Economic Opportunity." Then I my SLEEP was DISORDERed.
TTP & AVGJOE: Too funny!
AKIRA: never heard of him but I typed in the name like I had. ESP?
No "deal" before PROB perped up. I dislike the NO PROBlem answer.
Hand up for "logo" before ICON. No idea how Twitter works.
Cuppa: "Party hearty" is simply American slang & has little resemblance to proper English usage.
We had two S & L's fail in our town. Had money in both but didn't lose any. Somewhere I have a tape of a hair-raising story the manager of one told me "off the record" forgetting I had a tape recorder running. I was interviewing him for an article on another subject. We had great rapport, but I was very shocked at what he told me, both because I was a reporter and because of the nature of his info. He had been the whistle blower on a crazy & corrupt owner who then committed suicide rather than face prison. I didn't print the story because it was too unbelievable and he had children. I believed every word though. He had been scared out of his wits.
VS, my reason for posting the cartoon was because it featured the Star character, Dick. I think everyone is familiar with his work.
Glad you liked the joke. There's also a new male contraceptive being developed. Said to be cheap, effective and groundbreaking. They call it Noacitol.
I did find that TYNE Daly was in one Burn Notice episode in 2010, She played Tina in the episode: "A Dark Road"
WIKI_DALY
VS
I thought the clue,'Its not hard for long' - was for the answer PETER.
DNF, I gave up!
If I had just one jumble of incomprehensible letters I might have kept going,
but I had two! I did get the theme though, & it helped solve some areas.
dAfoe/tfAl
50A, I thought King was"Roi," & never went back to question "soptet..."
Not having "broken the spell" yet, 21D Capitol Insider kept me busy.
Before "Pol" I had SENator, REPresentative, & DELegate. (A quadruple inkblot!)
AnyWho, not only did Baja trip me up, I could not make sense of S and L because
3D One"s" with fab ab"s" made me ink in an "S" knowing it was plural.
Plus SASDL did not hold my interest at all.... (Jemes? who the heck are Jemes???)
What finally put me out was I forgot how to spell "savvy."
I thought the second V was a vowel. Never thought to try a consonant.
Party hearty = reeel???
Oh well,
My favorite contraception joke was told by my neighbor in the presence of my parents when I was a young teen. They obviously didn't get it or they would have been shocked that I heard it.
What senator has the surest method of birth control? Kefauver.
(Hint: keep off)
Estes Kefauver investigated organized crime in the 50's and also unsuccessfully ran for president and vice president. I have been very interested in news and politics from a young age. I suppose I should have discussed politics with my son when he was young. Now we are polar opposites politically.
Kazie, you reminded me that when I was a kid we said, "The milk is all," meaning that the milk was all gone or all used up. We were PA Germans.
Wow, TTP, thanks for the tip. I'd never heard of the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue before, and amazed that I haven't! Not only a fascinating story, but the prisoner trade even gave me a laugh!
I have favorite TV shows of course; some for daytime watching (if I'm not doing something else) and some for night. For night they would include to nobody's surprise NCIS, The Good Wife, Foyle's War, Downton Abbey, reruns of Boston Legal and a few others including the occasional movie. Shows I tend to watch in the daytime (if I'm not on a bike ride, getting coffee with Hermione/Emma Watson, tutoring, visiting with Jordan or doing a crossword) include Jeopardy, Ellen, Cash Cab/Dirty Jobs reruns, Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, a couple of the poker shows and Jay Leno's Garage on cable (CNBC). It's really well done and a lot of fun.
I'm off to get a pastrami sandwich to bring home and split with Barbara.
All
There's a Stillwater in Minnesota too, which barred my success.
Now I know why my German-heritage relatives sometimes said something was "all."
Hi All!
RATs! I was about to REVEL at a 100% Thurs until Steve got to 67a... I put LANe for 58d and never looked back. Doh! COLD comfort that wasn't even a WAG...
Thanks Steve for the writeup and theme gimmick (I was just happy all the squares were filled so never looked). Thanks Ed for a challenging (for me) but almost doable puzzle. Nicely .exe'd.
W/os - RoLEOUT, AFFLUENce (talk about a twisted PRETc?L), REPULSIve, aROO. ESPs: 19, 23, 68, 69a and 2, 25 & 33d.
2nd Fav: DOUBLESPEAK. Like NC, every time I think of that word I think News Speak from Orwell.
Fav: KAOS. I love Get Smart - FIL (RIP) would quote it oft.
If you're up at 3:30a on a Sat, tune into the crazy people show to hear IZ. They play his Over the Rainbow ever week. My cue to get ready for bed.
TTP - I showed you mine; what's your bad letter?
Ave Joe - I haven't heard that one re: SHOE. Thanks. I didn't click Dilbert yet 'cuz it's my penultimate comic before finishing the paper (Swine is final).
Steve - Yeah, I'm TECH SAVVY in the sense that I can route your packets, inject your packets, haXor ur 'puterz, but what's wrong with WORD? Arggg!!! I feel your pain...
Cheers, -T
Owen, you're welcome. I thought it was pretty interesting. And then the tie-in of a couple of the Rescuers and another Oberlin resident to John Brown, and the raid at Harpers Ferry...
Anonymous T, I spelled diesel as diesal again. Don't know why I always want to put an a in there. OTOH, I know exactly why I always want to spell liter as litre :>)
Anonymous T, I would be remiss in not thanking you for
the KAOS link, & the very next sidebar link that should help me sleep well tonite...
TTP - I can honestly say I don't throw an A in DIESEL, thought the I/E L/E makes me pause for letter order. Litre feels right too, though I don't know why (too many UK authors growing up?).
CED - Sleep tight.
Ed - MIL said she had fun w/ the pzl too. ETUI didn't fool her. CED - she had SAVeY too! We are not alone.
Did anyone find it cute that S AND L and S-N-L was in the puzzle? [say both fast & they sound the same - just me?]
Cheers, -T
Ave Joe - I just finished the comics. We've all read Dick's work; he's a SOD. C, -T
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