Theme: Last Minute Shopping
20A. *Sports section summary : BOX SCORE. Stark statistics hiding the triumphs and disasters of the game.
29A. *Tatum O'Neal's Oscar movie : PAPER MOON. Tatum cropped up last week also.
36A. *Farfalle : BOW-TIE PASTA. Food! The word actually means "butterflies" in Italian.
43A. *One with deck skills : CARD SHARK. Great clue.
57A. Gift counter request involving the starts of the answers to starred clues : WRAP IT UP. Followed by the word "please", I hope.
Another Christmas-themed puzzle this week, this one dealing with gift shopping. I think this is the LAT debut for the splendidly-named Herre Schouwerwou (I hope I pronounced that correctly!) Congratulations, Herre! He's been published in the NYT three times this year so he's got both coasts covered now.
Across:
1. Site in a Steinbeck title : EDEN
5. Hip-hop fan : B-BOY. Kinda. A b-boy is someone who practices b-boying, or breakdancing. Hip-hop is just one of the musical genres that a b-boy dances to.
9. Pack with a plot : CABAL
14. Take-out order? : DELE. Nice clue. I wonder, does anyone edit by hand any more, or are the STETs and DELEs going to go the way of hot-metal printing presses and Etaoin Shrdlu?
15. Not at all refined : RUDE
16. Get melodramatic : EMOTE
17. "No kidding?" : IT IS?
18. Take off : OMIT
19. Turkish coins : LIRAS.
22. Cummerbund folds : PLEATS. It's been a while since I wore one of these. It's always nice to find that it still fits.
23. Him, to Jacques : LUI
24. Letters after a real name : AKA
25. Hyundai rival : KIA. This was a valuable cross for me - helped me out with K-POP and PIETAS.
26. Familiar address : BRO
27. It may lead to a run : ERROR
32. Jeans giant : LEE
34. Become compost : ROT
35. Beaux-__: architectural style : ARTS. The Paris Opera House is a great example of this ornate style.
39. Quick-dial symbol : STAR. I find it amusing that quick-dial wasn't available on a rotary phone, just push-button ones. Therefore you couldn't quick-dial a number on the only phone with an actual dial.
41. One crunching nos. : C.P.A.
42. Beehive State cap. : S.L.C. Salt Lake City, Utah.
46. "Gotcha" : UH HUH
50. Justice Fortas : ABE
51. Bill's "excellent adventure" partner : TED. I once sat at the next bar stool to Keanu Reeves in my local and chatted to him for a while without having a clue who he was.
52. Shot spot : ARM
54. Native Nebraskan : OTO
55. Complaint about equity : NO FAIR
59. Scheduled to land : DUE IN
60. Pointer's choice : THAT. Eeny, meeny, miny, that.
61. Stories of the ages : LORE
62. Not asleep at the wheel : ALERT
63. Simpson trial figure Kaelin : KATO. I see him around the neighborhood occasionally.
64. Wrongdoings : SINS
65. Some Millers : LITES. Hmmm, OK.
66. Comet, to some : OMEN
67. Part of an extended sentence? : ALSO
Down:
1. Safe to bolt down? : EDIBLE
2. Bypass : DETOUR
3. Quack's concoction : ELIXIR
4. Storied loch : NESS. Cold, deep and murky. Just the kind of place to hide a colony of plesiosaurs.
5. Trout source : BROOK
6. Not a fair shake : BUM RAP
7. Jon Arbuckle's dog : ODIE. "Garfield" sometime-antagonist.
8. Moreover : YET
9. Place to pick a rosé : CELLAR. Or wine fridge, in my case. I don't have a cellar. Here's a nice one from Sonoma County made from pinot noir grapes. Cheers!
10. Friend, in Haiti : AMIE. It helps to know that a variety of French is spoken in Haiti.
11. Island in French Polynesia : BORA BORA
12. How harness racers move : AT A TROT
13. Schoolwork : LESSONS
21. Rod who was an A.L. All-Star for 18 consecutive years : CAREW
22. Some religious sculptures : PIETAS. I didn't know this. A pieta is specifically a statue of the Virgin Mary cradling the body of Jesus.
25. Music genre for South Korean artist Rain : K-POP. This is the No. 1 K-pop song of 2015. I'm sure you all know the words.
28. Prayer starter : O LORD. If you were paying attention on Monday, you'd have seen this already this week.
30. Toward the stern : AREAR. Not convinced. I used to sail a lot and I never used nor heard this term. Aft? Abaft? Sure. Arear? Never. What do our US Navy vets here at the Corner say?
31. Contest : MATCH
33. Metal artisan : ETCHER
36. Stocking stuffers? : BARE FEET
37. Device that runs FaceTime : IPAD
38. Economic decline : SLUMP
39. National Enquirer fodder : SCANDAL
40. Middle Eastern salad : TABOULI. Food! What to make when you've got a shed-load of parsley. It's also good made with quinoa rather than couscous for the gluten-intolerant.
44. Stretches on the job : STINTS
45. __ chop : KARATE
47. Fryolator contents : HOT OIL
48. Results of not following directions, maybe : U-TURNS
49. "From your lips to God's ears!" : HOPE SO. I don't believe I'd come across this phrase before.
53. Inform against : RAT ON
56. Concession ending : -AIRE
57. Impact sound : WHAM
58. "Sing it, Sam" speaker : ILSA. Hello again! Didn't we just see you on Tuesday?
60. Ref's ruling : T.K.O. When the boxing referee stops the fight it is a "technical knock-out".
That's about it from me. I've got some last-minute shopping of my own to do before tomorrow. As Herre might say today - "it's a wrap".
Steve
20A. *Sports section summary : BOX SCORE. Stark statistics hiding the triumphs and disasters of the game.
29A. *Tatum O'Neal's Oscar movie : PAPER MOON. Tatum cropped up last week also.
36A. *Farfalle : BOW-TIE PASTA. Food! The word actually means "butterflies" in Italian.
43A. *One with deck skills : CARD SHARK. Great clue.
57A. Gift counter request involving the starts of the answers to starred clues : WRAP IT UP. Followed by the word "please", I hope.
Another Christmas-themed puzzle this week, this one dealing with gift shopping. I think this is the LAT debut for the splendidly-named Herre Schouwerwou (I hope I pronounced that correctly!) Congratulations, Herre! He's been published in the NYT three times this year so he's got both coasts covered now.
Across:
1. Site in a Steinbeck title : EDEN
5. Hip-hop fan : B-BOY. Kinda. A b-boy is someone who practices b-boying, or breakdancing. Hip-hop is just one of the musical genres that a b-boy dances to.
9. Pack with a plot : CABAL
14. Take-out order? : DELE. Nice clue. I wonder, does anyone edit by hand any more, or are the STETs and DELEs going to go the way of hot-metal printing presses and Etaoin Shrdlu?
15. Not at all refined : RUDE
16. Get melodramatic : EMOTE
17. "No kidding?" : IT IS?
18. Take off : OMIT
19. Turkish coins : LIRAS.
22. Cummerbund folds : PLEATS. It's been a while since I wore one of these. It's always nice to find that it still fits.
23. Him, to Jacques : LUI
24. Letters after a real name : AKA
25. Hyundai rival : KIA. This was a valuable cross for me - helped me out with K-POP and PIETAS.
26. Familiar address : BRO
27. It may lead to a run : ERROR
32. Jeans giant : LEE
34. Become compost : ROT
35. Beaux-__: architectural style : ARTS. The Paris Opera House is a great example of this ornate style.
39. Quick-dial symbol : STAR. I find it amusing that quick-dial wasn't available on a rotary phone, just push-button ones. Therefore you couldn't quick-dial a number on the only phone with an actual dial.
41. One crunching nos. : C.P.A.
42. Beehive State cap. : S.L.C. Salt Lake City, Utah.
46. "Gotcha" : UH HUH
50. Justice Fortas : ABE
51. Bill's "excellent adventure" partner : TED. I once sat at the next bar stool to Keanu Reeves in my local and chatted to him for a while without having a clue who he was.
52. Shot spot : ARM
54. Native Nebraskan : OTO
55. Complaint about equity : NO FAIR
59. Scheduled to land : DUE IN
60. Pointer's choice : THAT. Eeny, meeny, miny, that.
61. Stories of the ages : LORE
62. Not asleep at the wheel : ALERT
63. Simpson trial figure Kaelin : KATO. I see him around the neighborhood occasionally.
64. Wrongdoings : SINS
65. Some Millers : LITES. Hmmm, OK.
66. Comet, to some : OMEN
67. Part of an extended sentence? : ALSO
Down:
1. Safe to bolt down? : EDIBLE
2. Bypass : DETOUR
3. Quack's concoction : ELIXIR
4. Storied loch : NESS. Cold, deep and murky. Just the kind of place to hide a colony of plesiosaurs.
5. Trout source : BROOK
6. Not a fair shake : BUM RAP
7. Jon Arbuckle's dog : ODIE. "Garfield" sometime-antagonist.
8. Moreover : YET
9. Place to pick a rosé : CELLAR. Or wine fridge, in my case. I don't have a cellar. Here's a nice one from Sonoma County made from pinot noir grapes. Cheers!
10. Friend, in Haiti : AMIE. It helps to know that a variety of French is spoken in Haiti.
11. Island in French Polynesia : BORA BORA
12. How harness racers move : AT A TROT
13. Schoolwork : LESSONS
21. Rod who was an A.L. All-Star for 18 consecutive years : CAREW
22. Some religious sculptures : PIETAS. I didn't know this. A pieta is specifically a statue of the Virgin Mary cradling the body of Jesus.
25. Music genre for South Korean artist Rain : K-POP. This is the No. 1 K-pop song of 2015. I'm sure you all know the words.
28. Prayer starter : O LORD. If you were paying attention on Monday, you'd have seen this already this week.
30. Toward the stern : AREAR. Not convinced. I used to sail a lot and I never used nor heard this term. Aft? Abaft? Sure. Arear? Never. What do our US Navy vets here at the Corner say?
31. Contest : MATCH
33. Metal artisan : ETCHER
36. Stocking stuffers? : BARE FEET
37. Device that runs FaceTime : IPAD
38. Economic decline : SLUMP
39. National Enquirer fodder : SCANDAL
40. Middle Eastern salad : TABOULI. Food! What to make when you've got a shed-load of parsley. It's also good made with quinoa rather than couscous for the gluten-intolerant.
44. Stretches on the job : STINTS
45. __ chop : KARATE
47. Fryolator contents : HOT OIL
48. Results of not following directions, maybe : U-TURNS
49. "From your lips to God's ears!" : HOPE SO. I don't believe I'd come across this phrase before.
53. Inform against : RAT ON
56. Concession ending : -AIRE
57. Impact sound : WHAM
58. "Sing it, Sam" speaker : ILSA. Hello again! Didn't we just see you on Tuesday?
60. Ref's ruling : T.K.O. When the boxing referee stops the fight it is a "technical knock-out".
That's about it from me. I've got some last-minute shopping of my own to do before tomorrow. As Herre might say today - "it's a wrap".
Steve
53 comments:
I loved stocking stuffers: BARE FEET. Steve I think you pronounced Herre' s name correctly. No doubt a product of your travels.
There is so much I enjoy about the Corner including learning about stuff like ETAOIN SCHRDU.
Thanks Steve and HS
Hello Puzzlers -
Got tripped up in a few places - Bad Rap before Bum Rap, frinstance. Never heard of a B Boy, so the north was last to fall. Hand up for thinking Arear was iffy. Having never owned or worn a cummerbund, I had no idea they were pleated.
I suppose Kia and Hyundai do compete for buyers, but actually the latter owns a third of the former.
Morning, Steve! When I saw the constructor's name, I thought for sure it was an alias. Now that you've mentioned the NYT puzzles under that name, I'm not so sure.
Morning, all!
Pretty straightforward, although the clues were definitely Thursday level in spots and I had the same nits as Steve regarding B-BOY, AREAR, etc. I think I've heard of Farfalle before, but I needed all the perps to remind me what it was.
Got the family coming over tonight and that means my yearly seafood linguini concoction. This year, however, I'm gonna try using fettuccine instead of linguini and I think I'll go with two cloves of garlic instead of the usual one clove.
Good morning!
That top center section just didn't feel right. BBOY looked wrong. OMIT sounded off for the clue, but my dictionary says it's a-ok. "Not at all refined" evoked cRUDE rather than RUDE. Otherwise, it was a smooth solve with a late-week feel. Nice. Not sure I've ever seen UH HUH in a cw, only UHUH and UHOH.
FARFALLE seemed familiar, but I was probably thinking of "foofaraw" or maybe James Bond's estate.
Steve, this ex-swabbie never heard AREAR -- only the 3-R variety describing my finances. It was always "aft" or "astern." When "General Quarters" was sounded, you were to go forward on the port side or aft on the starboard side. Or vice versa, I forget. It was done to minimize congestion in the passageways, a laxative of sorts.
Interesting Wiki on Etaoin Shrdlu. Sounds like he oughta be a Star Wars character. Seen it before, but had no idea of its significance. When I was a kid, our weekly hometown newspaper was printed with meltable slugs. I used to stop by to watch the linotype operator. He'd type a few words -- enough to fill a column -- and then manually insert some spacers to pack it tight. Finally, he'd pull the handle, committing it to metal. The slug would fall into a tray at his side. Then he'd move on to the next row in that column. Later those slugs would get locked into a page-frame. And once the newspaper was printed, those slugs would be re-melted and re-used. Thanx for the memory, Steve.
Steve- you're 'sluumin' with the stars at the local bars' where 'all the stars that never where are parkin' cars and pumping gas'. I had some trouble starting this puzzle with the NW blank wanting FLAT before EDEN popped into my head later and didn't know LUI. But what really slowed me down were B-BOY and K-POP, as I never heard of either. Wouldn't a BRO be a B-BOY? Not into Rap music or watching MTV- Korean version.
Being Christmas Eve I was on the lookout for a Christmas theme and after BOX SCORE and PAPER MOON it was obvious. ALERT- Santa DUE IN sometime in the next 18 hours! And I have plenty of Miller LITES ready for him. KIA a competitor to Hyuandai?; Hyuandai is basically the OWNER of KIA, with over 1/3 of the stock. TABOULI- never seen that word but now I know what my neighbor from Syria-Lebanon-Israel-Jordan (I'm not really sure) does with the parsley. She made us some; yuck was my wife's reaction. I was more diplomatic.
Merry Christmas.
Squeaked this in before heading to the office - just 1/2 day of patients today. Everybody is either in a great mood or upset because they are sick and want you to make them better by tomorrow! I always say I left my magic fairy dust to do that at home!
Fun puzzle, congrats Herre on your LAT debut!
Thanks Steve for your write-up- that KPOP song will wake you up!
and Merry/Happy Christmas! First time our son in the Air Force won't be home for Christmas - trying to keep a stiff upper lip about it.
Steve: Excellent write-up & links.
Alas, I didn't know the words of THAT K-POP #1 song.
Fave today was BARE-FEET ... my preferred way of enjoying winter.
I Hope EVERYONE has a Wonderful and Safe Merry Christmas Eve!
Cheers!
Herre is a real PERSON who obviously likes dogs,
This was a fun puzzle, but with a lot of vague cluing & fill starting with AREAR. Had me scratching mine. For 55A initial fill was Unfair, but even to me, Scaudal looked wrong. Quandary was caused by TABOULI. No idea what it was and Tabnuli looked good too.
Shot spot had me fill in Bar first, but ARM eventually made it's way in.
But I must fess up.....in the end a FIW. Spelled ELIXIR Elixir. Lue looked just as French as LUYI to me.
Merry Christmas
Yeah, it was a b-side to Sam and Dave's "I Thank You" but I kinda like The Fabulous Thunderbirds video better. I'm not sure why...
Thursday level puzzle with a few stumbles. WEES about AREAR, BBoy.
Lightbulb moment for SHOT SPOT= ARM (oh injection not drink!)
My Taboula gave me MILLER Lates until corrected.
Wishing everyone at the Corner a very Merry Christmas. It will be green here.
Hi gang -
Pretty good puzzle. B-BOY was an unknown. KIA / K-POP was my last fill.
I finished my shopping yesterday and did my wrapping [but not rapping] last night.
In that vein, here's a song for today, and not in that vein, one for tonightone for tonight.
Happy Holidays!
Cool Regards!
JzB
Ach !
I also mispelt ELIXER. Thanks, LUE!
One more reason to ban French from crossword puzzles. Had ETIBLE for EDIBLE, but that one's on me.
Fam coming over today. Gotta run.
Merry Christmas.
Cheers!
JzB
I almost gave up on the SE corner, but made it through with no hints. I wish there were a way to encourage my fellow solvers not give in. Not sure if "From you lips..." is a primarily American expression. I don't hear it much these days, but it was familiar from older TV & movies.
Regarding dele and stet, long ago in an NPR interview far away I heard a writer whose name I can't recall say that he can tell when a piece of writing was composed by hand or typewriter vs with an electronic device by how the finished product flows. Here's an interesting piece on the topic I came across while looking for the source:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/nov/03/creative-writing-better-pen-longhand
Fun outing today. Several unknowns, but it all perped out. I too thought Herre might be another of Rich's pseudonyms, but evidently not.
Very interesting about Etaoin Shrdlu, Steve. Never heard of the term, but clearly it's been around the block a few times. Effectively a glissando, I guess.
I've always thought that if a house had a wine cellar it should also have a corresponding drug attic. :-) Tried that line on a homeowner once where the house did have a wine cellar. Thankfully, she thought it was funny. Could'a been a tough recovery had she taken it personally.
Merry Festivus to all.
Happy Christmas Eve, friends!
I WRAPped this up in quick time though like some of you the top center gave me fits for a long while. Finally, BROOK came to mind and the rest emerged. I had no idea about BBOY. And I recalled Rod CAREW but only after the -EW was in place.
TABOULI is familiar though I'm not sure if I've ever had any. NO FAIR and BUM RAP with fair repeated in the cluing, is that allowed?
Thank you HS. I'm sorry but I also thought that name was an alias. This was a fine challenge and not too difficult. And thank you, Steve, for your usual flair and some learning moments for me.
My family is also coming over tonight so there is much to do.
Have a safe and tranquil day, everyone!
From your lips t God's ear is an expression I use often and especially these days.
From your lips to God's ears is a Yiddish expression.
Hi Everyone ~
I guess I've become an official lurker! Feeling OK ~ just kind of blah, but getting ready to enjoy the holidays.
I still do the puzzles and read the blog, and have thought of you all, through the good and bad times that you've shared.
My best wishes for a Merry Christmas / Happy Hanukkah. May you be blessed with good health and happiness in the New Year!
When I saw BOX @ 20A I guessed the theme on this Christmas Eve puzzle. KPOP and BBOY were all perps. The north central was my last to fall, also. RUDE for not at all refined is OK by me. This is a meaning other than unmannerly. It is often applied to things, such as a RUDE hut or "the RUDE bridge that arched the flood."
I often hear "From your lips to God's ear." I believe it is a translation of the Yiddish, So many Yiddish expressions have been adopted by the goyim in this polyglot area.
I have eaten TABOULI, made by mid eastern friends. Not my cuppa tea or bowl of salad.
BOW TIES are not my dish of pasta. They seem too doughy for me. I always substitute penne or something else for them in recipes.
I am all set for Christmas. My sister and niece will be here shortly. I cooked beef barley vegetable soup for lunch. Tonight we will go out for dinner and then to midnight mass. Tomorrow we will go to visit my son, DIL and grandson for a few days. I am taking vichyssoise and a chocolate pie. They always have a delicious roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for dinner.
Merry Christmas. I'll check back later if I can.
Merry Christmas Eve.
Thanks, HS for a fun morning. I stalled in the North Central--did not know BBOY but I was finally saved by BROOK and RUDE. I really liked take out order: DELE. CABAL was great. I was looking for something on the menu with chop so KARATE took a minute. Loved BARE FEET--I like to knit socks, so that was a gimme. Barry et al., those FARFALLE aren't really bow ties. Indeed they are butterflies! Farfalla in Italian is butterfly. FarfallE is plural.
Thanks for the tour Steve--as usual, an informative delight.
Tonight is my 45th Christmas Eve for our families! No FARFALLE. Ravioli by affirmation of the group.
HO HO HO!!
YR@9:51
If you like your FARFALLE al dente, try them, or any pasta by DeCecco. The best. It's more expensive, but it is the real thing!
Buon Natale!
For all those who solve in pencil or pen here is NW Runner's LINK
Good Morning:
Cute and timely theme which I caught early on, but wasn't sure what the reveal would be. Also liked bare feet and dele. Bboy and Kpop both unknowns but easily perped. Arear is clunky, IMO.
Nice debut, Herre, and, Steve, you earned an A+ for your informative and amusing (as always) review.
Reading about Barry's seafood pasta dish and YR's Vichyssoise (and DIL's roast beef) has me drooling! I'm sure Lucina's famous tamales will be on her menu tonight!
Nice to hear from you, Linda. Enjoy the holidays.
Have a safe and joyous Christmas Eve, everyone.
Good morning everyone.
Crunchy but doable. Ended up in the SE. Had trouble spelling UH HUH. Also hit a few potholes in the N central by having bad RAP before BUM RAP.
AREAR - Did not like it. Agree with D-O. Aft or astern. Engine order to go in the stern direction would be "Back one-third or Back two-thirds, or etc." I have not found AREAR in any nautical glossary, either. Guess it's crosswordese.
We've got 70º here today.
Bing Crosby would be happy here today. We’re having about 4” of a White Christmas. Coupled with Herre’s lovely seasonal entry (B-BOY and AREAR notwithstanding ☺), life is good!
Musings
-Batter - “That was no strike!” Ump – “Check the BOX SCORE tomorrow, son!”
-Cultural idiot me read Farfalle and immediately thought of this
-Cinema’s most famous CARD SHARK?
-Baseball LORE tells of many an infamous ERROR
-Gary wouldn’t fit in Native Nebraskan
-“That is NOT FAIR.” “Fairs come in the summertime.”
-Find out when your flight is DUE IN
-KATO got his 15 minutes
-Don’t sweat the Comet. Does it come as an ELIXIR?
-Siri doesn’t know about DETOURS
-Surely, I could always be that way again and YET…
-If connoisseur Steve put a perfect wine in front of me to accompany his TABOULI, he’d be casting a pearl before a swine
-Gotta go help with tater tot/bacon hors’ de oeuvres
Still waiting. Home made soup kept warm in the crock pot was a good choice. I suspect the weather was very foggy along Rte. 80 in PA and slowed them down.
I have seen Memorial Days much colder than this.
Last week the ornamental trees started to bloom. When it turns cold again, as inevitably it will, they will freeze their little petals off.
Thanks, Madame DeFarge. With the best pasta cooked al dente, FARFALLE is still too thick for me, even though butterflies are my totem or symbol. I have many of butterflies in my decor and my jewelry. I have multitudes of butterfly pins and earrings.
Nice puzzle, but too bad about the error. The correct answer to 43A ("One with deck skills") is CARD SHARP. An expert pool shot is a shark; an expert with cards is a sharp. Or at least that's what we were taught in nit picker school. Merry Christmas, all!
Well, I found this a real toughie and kept praying, please, please, don't let me get a DNF on Christmas Eve! And my prayer was answered, as slowly, very very slowly this little section, and that little section began to fill in. Getting the theme early helped too, and in the end it was all a treat. So many thanks, Herre, for the Christmas gift, and you too, Steve, for your always delightful write-up.
Quiet day today, so will tidy up the house and get started on the poached pear dessert I need to contribute to the Christmas dinner tomorrow. It's turning out to be a pleasant season for me, and, I hope, for all of you too.
Have a wonderful Christmas Eve, everybody!
"Puzzling Thoughts":
Happy Festivus; Merry Christmas; and Happy/Merry/Joyful any other celebrators this last week of 2015! Hi Guys and Gals! Miss me? Well, I did you, so with a "day off" I went for a walk to the local 7/11 and got a Palm Beach Post so I could play along with today's LATCWP and wish all of my cyber friends a merry/merry, happy/happy.
I see that I am quite rusty from my puzzle absence, as the grid looks a bit smudged. I had BAD RAP in the NC which slowed down that area; I also misspelled ELIXER; I had BAR in 52a (was thinking about Tinbeni!); I had BARE LEGS in 36d (was thinking about Splynter); but after doing some WAGS and PERPS the "TADA" came. Nice Thurs puzzle; thanks Herre and Steve.
So, if Santa provides me with one of my present requests, the Palm Beach Post will be delivered daily to Casa Moe, and I will be less of a stranger. We'll probably shoot for a Jan 1 subscription start ...
Hope everyone has a safe and joyous holiday!
If it's cold where you're at due to snow,
Hope this season leaves you all aglow;
Here is a wish from the "bard":
This poem's my Christmas Card.
Happy Holidays from Chairman Moe!
Good noon folks. It is exactly High Twelve here. Thank you, Herre Schouwerwou, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Steve, for a fine review.
Puzzle started slowly. Got EDEN and NESS right off the bat, however, that is where it slowed down.
Finally got the entire East side and then edged to the West.
Tried BAD RAP, but OMIT and RUDE gave me BUM RAP. 1st inkblot.
Tried LUE, but ELIXIR fixed that to LUI. 2nd inkblot.
Tried SHIFTS for 44D, but a couple crosses made me change to STINTS. 3rd inkblot.
Tried UNFAIR for 55A, but SCANDAL fixed that to NO FAIR. 4th inkblot.
I agree with Joe B. about CARD SHARP vs CARD SHARK. I also believe CARD SHARP is the preferred word.
The word TABOULI was unknown, even though I may have eaten it, having lived in the Middle East for three years.
Seasonal theme. Nice.
Playing with our church band tonight at 10:00 PM. Should be fun!
See you tomorrow. Merry almost Christmas!
Abejo
( )
God jul, joyeux noël, feliz navidad, frohe Weihnachten, sheng dan kuai le (圣诞快乐), buon natale, sretan božić, and merry Christmas to you all!
Hello Everyone, Just a quick Happy Holidays to everyone on the blog. My postings have been hit and miss these past few weeks, but I'm on to read almost every day.
It was nice to see you Linda.
I'm off to the kitchen to cook and get ready for a large family gathering.
Shifts for stints and never let go.
NO FAIR! The NE was a BUM RAP... I got EMOTE, AMIE, PLEATS, RIALS & didn't know Jack (in a BOX?) after that...
29a - Tatum O'Neal? Who dat? I know a Tatum, but she's Chi's 12yro kid and never wrote a movie as far as I know.
Thanks Herre for the distraction while my computer did my work. Thanks Steve for sussin' the NE corner for me.
Sorry to disappoint Northwest Runner, but I had to TITT w/ all on my plate today. Maybe I coulda finished, but I kept thinking Rose was Spanish and tried to come up w/ a word for a Spanish garden. Doh!
Clunker - 26a: Familiar Address == BRO? I had .COM as in Amazon. I hope all my gifts arrive by New Years :-)
Also, I thought we discussed it is a CARD SHARp...? I fixed it (pARATE look'd like violent Pilates), but I think Joe B is right, SHARp...
Near fav - KPOP (no I don't like Psi). That was the name of a local (in Norman, OK) band lead by DW's post-grad gal-pal. I tried to Google them, but kept coming up w/, erm, K-POP cruft.
Fav - BOW TIE PASTA! So yummy w/ cheese sauce. OH HOH, I gotcha, in a salad - TABOLLI + olives, ham, basil, peppers, cheese, red-wine vinegar... Excuse me, I'm getting hungry.
LaLa - Stop lurking & play. So glad to hear you are (mostly) well. You too Chickie!
Good to see you too C. Moe - I hope your busy season was $$$.
Welcome longbeachLEE (jeans?)... Stay & play.
Time for a quick nap (1/2 day today b/f WHAM!, time to cook).
Merry Christmas Eve Puzzle Pals!
Cheers, -T
I OMIT'd / DELE'd it... NW Runner - I'm w/ you on long-hand first... Even when creating a program, I first scribble the algorithm/psudo-code down on paper. Thanks for the link. C, -T
Musings 2
-Back inside after shoveling/blowing 5” of Bing’s White Christmas. It is beautiful
-I read the Longhand article and couldn’t disagree with it more. The computer not only greatly facilitates editing but offers spell check (which you can edit or disregard), research, style books and thesauri.
-I made an ERROR to think Lily wouldn’t go out in this snow sans leash this morning
-CARD SHARK
-A fascinating video about ETAOIN SHRDLU (29:00). I would imagine the smell of lead permeated those workspaces
BBoy? KPop? Yeah, I'm going to know that.
Uh Huh for gotcha? Is that with a southern drawl or
a Boston accent?
Wishing everyone a safe and Merry Christmas!
Greetings!
Thanks, Herre and Steve!
Really chewy Thursday. WCE (what CanadianEh! said).
Friends came over to wrap last night, as my right hand does not work very well since 1993. They also provided a nice dinner.
Some idiot at UPS sent one gift back, so am really hoping it comes today. Another was broken and won't arrive until the 27th. Sob. Another two are missing. Cannot imagine where caregiver put them. Hopefully she can shed some light today.
I hope that you are having a great Christmas Eve!
Mele Kalikimaka everyone. Jayce, you forgot that one.
Husker, from the content of some of your posts I'd say you are itching to fulfill a Hawaii visit. C'mon over!
Great puzzle to kick off the festivities, thank you Herre S.
Hi Y'all! Merry Holidays! I still think Herre's name is an A/K/A. We've been gifted with good seasonal fare. Thanks, Steve.
BOWTIE PASTA/CAREW/LEE last area to fill. Didn't know CAREW. Couldn't think of LEE or ETCHER. Don't like to eat BOWTIE PASTA. It doesn't seem to absorb salt or other flavorings like it needs to be good.
UHHUH= meh! Very vague. Doesn't = Gotcha to me.
Really liked the stocking stuffers = BAREFEET.
Heard of BBOY watching "So You Think You Can Dance". They always have BBOYs who audition for the show. Usually one or more in the top 20. Some have won. Those hip hop dancers have several different designations that I don't understand.
They'll never convince me that KATO didn't have a more active part in O.J.'s mayhem. I think they were high on something & stopped to give Ron & the wife trouble and got carried away with it. Never thought I'd see KATO in a Christmas puzzle.
My writing really started to flow after we got computers and could go back and easily edit. Longhand takes too long. I cannot imagine trying to write a novel in longhand although I know authors who do. When I was using an old manual typewriter, I pretty much "wrote in my head" and then typed it out. Cumbersome. Also had the problem of getting a good phrase and forgetting it before I got to the machine. I was a slow typist with weak fingers, but am very speedy on the computer which keeps up with my rapid thoughts pretty well.
I go to my older son's house tomorrow then all my kids and their families will get together a week from now, weather permitting. My son almost forgot to invite me, but called an hour ago. Dumb me thought Christmas was on Saturday, so I might have shown up the wrong day if at all. I always go to their house on Christmas day, but its nice to be invited.
Chairman Moe, way to go
Joe Bleaux, in the know?
Follow the LINK .
I think I'm going mad. "Your lips to God's ear" I've never heard, but "your lips to my ear" as a phrase meaning "I'll keep whatever secret you tell me" is one I know I've heard more than once before. There is even a similar phrase in Masonic rituals. But when I googled that version, it was twisted to the version in the puzzle. When I excluded "god", Google gave a bunch of emoji references, and when I excluded "emoji", the results were divided between ENT, fellatio, and Shakespeare's sonnet 28, which supposedly describes fellatio! I even tried adding "secret", and still only came up with steamy sex scenes. Has anyone else here heard this secret version?
AREAR I assumed was meant as a landlubbers equivalent to the nautical aft, so didn't bother me.
C.Moe: thanks for subbing for me with a very nice limerick!
Todays was definitely a puzzler, had to go red letter.
Can't wait for tomorrows Friday Xmas puzzle which I hope
to calmly & quietly fill in while the family rips packaging to shreds...
Reading the Blog today was broken up by daughters kicking me off the computer
to print last minute Xmas choir music.
Finally found a calm moment between Mass & dinner to post...
& now I can't remember it all,(must be the diet...)
let's see, Barry said...
& Husker Gary said...
Anywho, I don't have much time before the next round of activity, so forgive me
for not finding anything funnier as a visual for the puzzle theme.
Also, DO NOT CLICK ON THIS IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED...Wrap it up!
I'm offended. Barry mentioned that he'd use two cloves of garlic this year instead of one. My attitude is: two cloves for nearly any dish that calls for an alium. Something that begs for garlic like seafood linguini oughtta have at least 3 or 4. Then some onion, a shallot or four, and chives if you've got em.
Gary, I enjoyed your links about old-fashioned type setting and the blind card shark (sharp). Good stuff!
Go outside and look to the east. There's a beautiful full moon.
Here's a human interest story about Santa and a little girl's wish. Santa and a girl's wish.
I thought Dave's last link was rather offensive...
Technically, it went over the 20 line rule :)
Well, the two cloves of garlic were definitely the way too go. Plus two bunches of chopped green onions and a liberal dosing of garlic powder. Lots of butter and a half cup of Courvoisier, plus a pint of sliced baby 'bella mushrooms, some sliced campari tomatoes and a bag of frozen peas (lightly microwaved ahead of time). Lots of fresh ground black pepper and a teaspoon of salt. And, of course, two pounds of large bay scallops and a pound of jumbo shrimp. And then, just to be different (and because my son requested it), fresh garlic bread with more butter and a lot more garlic powder.
So, yeah. Plenty of garlic.
Best Christmas dinner ever!
My pleasure Owen! Hope you are enjoying the "holidazes"!
Back from Dinner & checking in...
Bill G, My Mcafee Antivirus went 3 alarm at your Santa & a little girls wish,
& would not let me enter the site...
Dang!, maybe I should switch antivirus programs...
Barry G! Double Dang! I'm, on a diet, dang it!
Manac, I should have known you would call me out on a technicality...
Thanks guys, for a Merry Christmas...
:)
CED'
Barry, I say well done. I'm not a skilled foodie, but I respect and appreciate garlic. Nom nom nom!
Geez, that sounds like a lot of garlic. My father used to tell me about a chef that advised waving the garlic over the salad bowl or running a clove around the inside surface of the bowl. I do love my wife's garlic bread though. I avoid garlic and onions for lunch when I'm tutoring in the afternoon.
CED, I had no problems with that link on my Mac. Maybe I've been infected and don't know it. I've had a stomach virus. But that started yesterday so that can't be related. Can you catch a stomach virus from a bad computer website? :>)
I enjoyed and appreciated the 100-year-old ingenuity of the mechanical typesetting machinery more than the digital improvements of the modern era. I'd have a different opinion if I were responsible for publishing a newspaper though.
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