Title: Ring around the rosie....
The most recent champion solver of the 2016 ACPT, Howard Barkin bring us his third LAT creation since his DEBUT. This is another variation with a visual component added to the words in a puzzle. It is not uncommon to have a single word be the clue for all of the theme answers, but Howard gives us a symbol. Working backwards from the fill, it is easy to see that the little circle is a RING, and each of the three themers are distinct and different types of ring. This all tied up with a nice neat bow with the reveal which by its nature limited Howard to three theme answers. Not sure why, but I clicked with this puzzle and had a really fast Friday time for me. (Not in his less than 4 minute Friday league)Howard has lots of very common words like ARENA, SEE, OLEO, EASE. ERE and ERA. But he also gives us TROWEL, LEERER, RAINING, OARLOCK, NEW COKE, DOGLEGS, EASTER EGGS, ANSWERED TO. Okay, we had fun so let us see what is
Next....
20A. O : CRIMINAL NETWORK (15). Ring has so many connotations, picking only three must have been difficult.
32A. O : BOXING VENUE (11). A reminder of the recent passing of Muhammed Ali, the Champ.
43A. O : WEDDING BAND (11). With this ring, I thee wed...
And the reveal
56A. Site of confused activity, and a hint to 20-, 32- and 43-Across : THREE RING CIRCUS (15).
Across:
1. "I Love Lucy" airer: CBS. Love an easy 1A on Friday.
4. Search, in a way: GROPE. In the darkness, not your neighbor at the movies.
9. "I Love Lucy" role: ETHEL. Plunked this is without hesitation, and I was off.
14. Caucasian native: HUN. We are not talking racially but GEOGRAPHICALLY. I had no idea about any of this and filled in only because I did 1A, 1D, 2D and 3D to begin.
15. Havens: OASES. Very literal.
16. __ football: ARENA. This is the 29th season for the SPRING indoor football league.
17. Detergent in a red container: ERA.
19. More miffed: SORER.
23. Inca __: Peruvian soft drink: KOLA. My learning moment. LINK. Not to be confused with 45D. Widely criticized 1985 product introduction: NEW COKE.
24. Taxing people? : IRS. Funny?
25. Meet at the poker table: SEE. I will see your $10.00 and raise you $10.00.
26. Twitter follower, usually: FAN. Stalker, media person...
28. Horseshoe-shaped boat part: OARLOCK.
37. Garden pond fish: KOI. We have had this CARP before many times.
38. Crook's invention: ALIAS.
39. Meteor tail? : ITE. The word, not the phenomenon.
40. Ancient Greek physician: GALEN. Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus, often Anglicized as Galen and better known as Galen of Pergamon, was a prominent Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman empire. Wikipedia
42. Author Deighton: LEN. A spy novelist who gave us many books and movies with The Ipcress File one that comes to mind.
46. Angles for iron users: DOGLEGS. I love the fill, great for all of our golfers, but the clue seems awkward. Howard? Rich?
48. Course for newcomers: Abbr. : ESL. English as a Second Language. The course really helped Oo.
49. "... __ the set of sun": "Macbeth": ERE. A return of Will to Friday.
50. Seven-film franchise: SAW. I have not seen any SAW.
52. Smooth over: EASE.
61. Stockpile: HOARD. I think my uncle was one, but not as bad as seen on TV.
63. "Rumour __ It": 2011 Adele hit : HAS.
65. In need of change? : BROKE. Very cute, except when you go to buy gas in this town and all the panhandlers wait.
66. Spacewalk initials: EVA. ExtraVehicular Activity? HG, what did you think of Matt Damon and the Martian?
67. Brief copy? : REPROduction.
68. Spoke Abyssinian? : MEWED. I loved this clue/fill as my mind froze. We have done some work with an Abyssinian Church here.
69. "L.A. Law" actress: DEY.
Down:
1. It's always dated: CHECK. More fun cluing.
2. Grand Canyon animal: BURRO.
3. Spiral-shelled creature: SNAIL.
4. View from the Qilian Mountains: GOBI.
5. Coming down: RAINING.
6. Muppet in a can: OSCAR.
7. Strips off: PEELS.
8. "Outside the Lines" airer: ESPN.
9. Hidden DVD features: EASTER EGGS. Love this reference. An Easter egg is an intentional inside joke, hidden message, or feature in an interactive work such as a computer program, video game or DVD menu screen. The name is used to evoke the idea of a traditional Easter egg hunt. LINK.
10. Garden tool: TROWEL. Maybe rhyming with VOWEL? Owen?
11. Sub: HERO.
12. U.S. dept. with a windmill on its seal: ENERgy.
13. Escapade: LARK.
21. Classic 20-Across : MAFIA. No more omerta, maybe no more mafia.
22. Genesis name: ESAU.
27. Was supervised by: ANSWERED TO.
28. R.E.M.'s "The __ Love" : ONE I.
29. St. with a panhandle: OKLAhoma.
30. "Fargo" director: COEN.
31. Warmhearted: KIND.
32. Undisguised: BALD. I never saw this, and would not have gotten as clued? WT...
33. Toast topping: OLEO. Not anymore
34. Word seen under a deer silhouette: XING, Not a word...
35. YouTube clips, for short: VIDS.
36. RR schedule listing: ETD.
41. More capable: ABLER.
44. Hungarian wine region: EGER. Eger is mainly known for its castle, thermal baths, historic buildings (including the northernmost Turkish minaret) and, above all else, the best Hungarian red wines. When you plan your trip, it looks like a small town for which half a day is more than enough, but 3 days may not even be enough to enjoy it fully, even in the winter. Wikivoyage.
50. Bedroom noise: SNORE. Sorry. You should be...
51. Warmly lit: AGLOW. If only you
53. Yearned: ACHED. For her, with your
54. Polished: SUAVE. ways
55. SAT part that's judged: ESSAY.
56. Wielder of Mjölnir: THOR.
57. Perfect: HONE. People often hone their craft.
58. Grating sound: RASP. You can use a rasp to sharpen (hone) your tools.
59. SALT topic: ICBM. Inter Continental Ballistic Missile. Back to back days.
60. More than annoyed: IRED. A variation of IRE I have never seen anywhere but crossword puzzles.
I really enjoyed the creativity of the theme as well as the many witty clue/fill combos. There was some meh, but I had fun; thank HB and all of you. Lemonade back at ya.
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48 comments:
So nice to see @Howard Barkin's byline, and the interview too. Clever theme that had me guessing what the reveal might be, even after I saw that each O was a ring. Thanks too to @Lemonade for the writeup.
If I can change the subject, it's been a week and a half since the Minnesota Crossword Tournament. Those of you who missed it can pick up a packet of ten puzzles by clicking here. The price is only $5, and it goes to a good cause. Enjoy!
{A, B+, C+, C.}
There was a tween-ager of tender thirteen
Who traveled from Mongolia to SEE what could be seen.
He was recruited by some jerk
To a CRIMINAL NETWORK,
As a MAFIA messenger, his ALIAS was "the GOBI-tween"!
Genghis, with his horde, crossed over the border,
Invaded China, brought rapid disorder!
His collection of rocks
He had cut into blocks,
Built a great wall to store them, because Khan was a HOARDER!
The ABYSSINIAN and Maine Coon were having a feud
Over which ONE of them most loudly MEWED
As they amped up their peals
All the wallpaper PEELED,
For three miles, in every DOG's LEGS spasms ensued!
The SUAVE rake could hardly have been more sincere.
He called ETHEL Sweetheart, HUN, and Dear.
But no WEDDING BAND
Would he offer her hand,
As his hands went to GROPE, and his eyes went to LEER!
Morning, all!
Well, I spent way too much time trying to associate the "O" clue for 20A with Oprah Winfrey. By the time the perps got me ________NETWORK, I was sure I was on the right track. Sure, I thought, "O" was an abbreviation, so at the very least the theme had to start with "O", right? At one point, I was starting at _RI_INALNETWORK and seriously considered going with ORIGINAL NETWORK. Eventually, though, I saw the cross-referenced clue at 21D and I realized that MAFIA would work as a type of CRIMINAL NETWORK, although I didn't understand what it had to do with "O". I mean, was that a slam against Oprah, or what?
The penny finally dropped with WEDDING BAND and I realized that the "O" represented a ring and not a letter. D'OH!
The rest of the puzzle was fairly straightforward, although much of the cluing was Friday-level to be sure. Needed the perps to get EGER and had to guess at KOLA (which I initially had as COLA) and GOBI, but nothing too bad.
Whoa! Two days in a row and way outta my wheelhouse! Thanks, Howard. In retrospect, it makes sense, but I was not there during the solve. The only O-Ring ever on my mind caused the demise of Challenger. I even have knitting markers that are basically O-rings, and every time I use one I say a little prayer for the crew and their families.
My fave: MEWED! Thanks for stopping to talk with C.C. AND Congratulations on your win!
Thanks, Lemonade, for leading me through.
Have a fine day!
Good morning!
When CRIMINAL NETWORK appeared, I assumed that Criminal was a program broadcast on Oprah's TV network. I didn't see the ring until BOXING VENUE showed up. My very last fill was changing the O in BOLD to make it BALD -- BOLD worked, but OLIAS didn't. Finished in good time for a Friday. Thanx, Howard and Lemon.
Lemon, you mentioned The Ipcress File -- I think that may have been the first time I'd ever seen Michael Caine onscreen. I was impressed with his one-handed egg-cracking in the kitchen.
Sports fan that I am, I know what the "Color" role is about. It's a (generally unsuccessful) attempt to add some humor or fun or back-story to the otherwise drab, dull, SNORE-inducing event.
I'll admit that the 'O's had me stumped and the top was very white but after I stumbled my way to the SE and 'IRCUS' was in place, THREE RING CIRCUS was obvious and my mind set changed and the puzzles filled fairly rapidly.
My only problem was with SAW. Never heard of it, or EASTER EGGS (I own no DVDs), Inca-KOLA, or EGER. I was thinking the of 'Star Wars' movies with the S and W in place but couldn't figure out where the A came in.
I liked the DOGLEGS clue and while writing about golf I finally broke 80 after 30 years of trying, shooting a 77 from the white tees. But to put it in perspective, the PGATour moved from this course-Lakewood- 27 years ago because the previous Tour winners (Trevino, Casper, Seve, Tom WatsoN) there were posting scores of 20-23 under par for four rounds and they said it was 'too easy'; maybe for them but not me.
Hi there,
Credit Mr. Norris for editing the clues (including DOGLEGS) to a Friday-level. I had originally envisioned the clues as a bit easier, but the theme seems to fit in the Friday slot, and the clues were expertly edited accordingly to match the level.
Had a good time with this, and I hope you do too!
- Howard
Loved it. Started at the bottom, so three ring circus let me know the O's were rings. Clever theme. The NW was the last to fall. I had burro right off. CBS, NBC, ABC? MAFIA finally gave rise to CRIMINAL and SNAIL.
ONSET refers to many illnesses. The doctor always asks for the ONSET of Alan's symptoms which Alan is totally vague about. In my experience ONSET usually refers to something negative, but not necessarily: the onset of the hurricane season, the onset of the enemy's attack, or more pleasantly, the onset of spring.
I knew BALD, as in bald-faced lie, or a tactless bald statement of the truth.
Madame D, I loved MEWED, too.
I'm not a golfer, but DOGLEGS was quickly wagged from DOG perps. Loved the clue for this.
I learned EASTER EGGS some time ago. It is so colorful it sticks in my memory.
I need two perps to guess where the Qilian Mountains are. I waited for the perp for COLA or KOLA. SAW was the only totally unknown.
Thanks, Howard for a truly satisfying puzzle and, Steve,for the informative write up.
Yowza! Thank you, Howard Barkin, for the RINGside sparring. At the ONSET, it seemed daunting and took a long time for the white to disappear but with a peck here and a peck there, the connection was made on the long theme fill and it gradually started to make sense though I reserved judgment on the meaning of O until the reveal.
BURRO was of course a given so the NW corner filled in seconds. The rest of it, not so much. When PROBE morphed into GROPE that central area bloomed and CRIMINAL NETWORK emerged.
So it went, little by little and once the long theme answers were revealed, the perps interlocked. ESL was another given for me having spent most of my career in that field. So I was AGLOW when this was finished and loved the cluing for MEWED.
Good entertainment for a Friday morning and thank you, Lemonade, for adding more luster to the solve.
Have a peaceful day, everyone! We're having a cool down!
Oops, Lemonade, sorry for calling you Steve. I loved your work, regardless.
Good morning everyone.
Tough one today. Needed a little help with ERA, and the Lucy arcana. But got most of it w/o help, so being a Friday; I'm happy.
After finally getting the theme, I liked it.
Expect to bring BH home today. Hip replacement surgery went very well and PT's have her walking, and climbing stairs.
Thanks to all who expressed their good wishes of support.
Once I let go of proper nouns for fill, things got much easier in this fabulous puzzle. BALD/BARE, ALIAS/ALIBI and discarding other types of irons by this golfer finally overcame that speed bump.
Musings
-California offers this to those who need ESL
-I SCOPEd before I GROPEd
-Before he was the GM of the Denver Broncos, John Elway was an owner of The Arena Football League team The Colorado Crush
-Benjamin Siegel didn’t invent the ALIAS Bugsy and he hated it
-My sister HOARDED Beanie Babies thinking their value would increase. They have not and her cars still sit outside every night.
-World’s most unique PANHANDLER?
-Lemon, I enjoyed The Martian and ignored the science anomalies
-My near-hermit uncle was a grouch who lived in a tin can (trailer house)
-We call looking for mishit iron shots looking for EASTER EGGS
-In election season, BALD-faced lies work for me
-Did anyone else say “swayve and deboner” sarcastically growing up?
-If you need a NASA presentation I’ve HONED mine into something I think is special. Have your people call my people.
HG, at least your panhandler is honest.
Having little science and especially no understanding of physics, I have no idea what the science anomalies are in The Martian but I found the movie fun. I would thing a year and a half of potatoes would change you.
Good Morning:
This was certainly a nice Friday frolic with several hiccups but ultimately doable. W/o's include: alibi/alias, scope/grope, and recap/color. Never heard of Easter eggs as clued but perps came to the rescue as they did with Thor and Gobi. Loved the freshness of the theme, especially when it dawned on me that it was a ring not the letter O. Thought of Mr. Meow at mewed! 🐈 🐱
Great job, Howard, and congrats on your ACPT win. Enjoyed getting the back story on your "puzzling" life! 🙃. Terrific summary, Lemonade.
Steve, from yesterday: Thanks for the "class-y" commentary. I get the drift, I think! 🤔
Owen, good work today.
Lucina, happy to hear of your weather reprieve!
Have a great day.
Hi Y'all! I found this easier than Thursday with 14 minutes less time. Great one, Howard! I figured out the RING theme before the reveal but it didn't help with the others. Well perped. Hand up for trying to drag Oprah into the NETWORK fill and being shocked by the CRIMINAL "intent" altho her network does air some crime shows.
Learning moment du jour: Googled those unknown Chinese mountains but still didn't know they viewed the desert until OB perped up. Knew GOBI. Didn't know EGER. ESP
Didn't know EASTER EGGS on DVDs, ERA, THOR, or E.V.A. as clued. ESP.
GROPEd for the answer to 4A. It wasn't quest or seeks, but a touchy-feely, maybe perverted answer.
NEW COKE was so forgettable, I did.
Polished wasn't "shone" but SUAVE. Okaaaay!
Thanks, Lemony. Now I'll go back and listen to your lovely tune links.
Spitz, glad to hear BH is doing so well. Best wishes for continued healing.
Loved this! Great Friday puzzle.
It's an entertaining etymological curiosity that a BOXINGVENUE continued to be called a "ring" long after it took the shape of a square: the so-called "square circle."
I take issue, however, with IRED. "Ire" is a noun; it does not have a past participle. That was an unfortunate way to end an otherwise excellent puzzle.
"Puzzling Thoughts":
I had no problems at all in the north today, but as I traveled south things got sticky. My biggest hang up was 46a which I thought might be DEGREES (as the angle, or loft of an iron is measured in degrees). As a golfer I certainly know of DOGLEGS, but I wasn't a fan of this clue - sorry Howard. Had to google twice; once to confirm THOR, and second time to find EGER, which then switched DEGREES to DOGLEGS.
Big Easy - congrats on your 77! Or "Double hockey sticks" as I like to say. No issue that you shot this score from the white tees; I have finally let my ego go when it comes to golf and which tees to play. As I've entered my 6th decade, I realize that my once prolific drives are now going about 10-15% shorter, despite the new improvements in equipment. 6,200 yds is plenty long enough for my game, thank you!
Ok Lemonade, I will take your rhyming / limerick challenge, since Owen declined!
Former gardener, turned boxer, named Howell,
Entered the ring with an irritable bowel.
And try, though he might,
He just couldn't fight;
So by Round 3 he just threw in the TROWEL
It's Friday and Howard provided a good Friday level puzzle and Lemon helped provide the head slaps after it was done. However I still don't know what the SAW franchise is.
I agree with Sailor @ 10:12 about IRED, IRKED would have been better.
I wanted MADER or MADDER vs SORER, meaning more MAD, but apparently it isn't a word according to Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster.com. Who hasn't heard the phrase "MADDER than a wet hen?" I guess wet hens are SORER than dry ones.
In addition to the three theme answers and the reveal I needed perps for GALEN, KOLA, MEWED and ONSET. Otherwise it flowed pretty well.
Hope you all have a good one today.
@Sailor:
I agree fully that IRED is some unpleasant glue in this one, unavoidably. I don't like this particular word.
However, it's an uncommonly used past tense of IRE, if not strictly defined in all dictionaries; it's also valid in Scrabble, for what that's worth (about 5 points, usually) ;).
Loved this puzzle..................even though it took me quite a while to finish.
Thanks, Howard for a very nice, challenging puzzle. It took DH to explain the theme to me..... Didn't quite understand what the "O" stood for, in context with the other themes. Good job! Also, thanks, for adding your comments. It's always nice to have the constructor come back and add his thoughts to the puzzle.
Nice job, Lemonade. Thanks for explaining Easter Eggs! Had no clue!
Have a great weekend, all!
oc4beach:
My print dictionary offers mad, madder, maddest, adj. and madded, madding, v. wenraged
Lemon: Excellent, informative write-up & links. Good Job!
Howard: Thank You for a FUN Friday level puzzle with an interesting theme.
This was a great example of "Perps-To-The-Rescue" ... they revealed THREE-RING-CIRCUS ...
and I was "Off-And-Running" ... slowly. LOL
Lucina, I saw where it is "only" going to be 110 degrees in Phoenix. Is that considered a "Cold-Spell?"
Well ... "Its 5 O'clock Somewhere" ...
Cheers!
Found this to be pretty easy for a Friday, especially with the help of my visiting son. Although we finished in near record time, neither of us understood the "O" as a "ring," so didn't quite get what our answers meant. I set the wrong pace by assuming that CRIMINAL NETWORK referred to an "airer" or broadcast outlet. We wondered if there was a cable channel named "O" that mainly aired shows about crooks.
Sorry to learn this morning of the "Brexit" vote. I know we aren't supposed to write about politics here, but I can't resist expressing sympathy for our British cousins as they take what many around the world consider to be a grave misstep.
Tinbeni:
Yes, when the temperature falls from 118, 116, etc. to 110 or 109, that is a cool down.
I also feel sympathy for the Brits but their economy, as I understand it, has been sliding and maybe that's what prompted it. Just expressing condolences here, not politics.
Howard: There is no such word as “bicep.” The plural and singular of the word you want is “biceps.”
OMK and Lucina
You might think that. I couldn't possibly comment.
Spitz, that's good news. In my book, recovery at home is speedier and definitely preferable to a length hospital stay. Best wishes for her continued recovery. Oh, and welcome back after your hiatus.
Don Wilson
My Apple (v.2.2.1) American Dictionary allows "BICEP" when used attributively/adjectivally as in "BICEP CURLS"
@HowardB
What is uncommon/not in standard usage is IRE as a verb, not whether it has a past tense.
And as you say, certainly not worth the IRE for a mere 5 points.
Kinda rushing today,
(didn't get to post yest at all...)
Speaking of Yest, loved J.Lampkins puzzle!
So much so, that when I could not figure it out,
I would cheat one word at a time & keep going until I got stuck again...
(Just had to see what John had to offer, so I kept crackin')
Today is like a 3 ring circus, I am juggling so many things,
& hope to be back when things quiet down.
But in the meantime:
The Pessimist.
The optimist.
(Hey Irish Miss,I like the 2 on the right...)
Just silly...
The height of fashion...
The usual...
Another toughie, at least for me. Finally finished but quite the workout.
And it's only Friday. Cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings puzzle-wise.
@Don Wilson: Medically and linguistically, you are correct. 'Biceps' is the singular term. A funny thing happens in language though - mispronunciations and variations of a word often become incorporated into the language itself, i.e. "back-formations".
From Webster's: (spacing edited out)
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bicep
Definition of bicep
: biceps
Origin and Etymology of bicep
back-formation from biceps
First Known Use: 1939
English is a strange and interesting language :).
Howard it is so cool that you are taking the time to respond to the various comments here, and explaining. Thank you as we the bloggers generally have to guess at reponses ans try them out.
I don't know other languages well enough to compare, but my guess is that English contains many more oddities than most phonetic languages.
My favorite spelling example is that one can spell "Fish" as GHOTI.
I'm sure everybody here knows why this is so.
Didn't understand the meaning of O until reading here. Good puzzle, pretty hard. Just enough easy ones to get started with, and then progress little by little from there. Had ALIBI and didn't want to let go of it. As for IRED, SORER, and such ilk, heck, it's just a crossword puzzle. There's bound to be some weird stuff from time to time. I just think, "Yeah, okay," and move on. Sometimes I wrinkle my nose. The good stuff makes it all worthwhile, though.
Once again my boss attempted to make an idea I proposed appear to be his idea. The attempt was so lame that others called him on it while I was still deciding whether to or not.
I'm really glad your wife's hip surgery went so well, Spitzboov.
Best wishes to you all.
you should have had the word "Ring" instead of the stump the chump "O". Pretty easy though for a friday.
I wish I started at the bottom like YR...
Let's see, solve order: CBS (should have given me BURRO but there was no place for the W I needed - D'oh! Wrong burrow. Wait, where was I?
CBS; ERA; OSCAR; ETHEL->ENER; eventually network. The Oprah NETWORK fit with OSCAR and then made me Grouchy. Nothing seemed to work anymore :-(. I went to the bottom and got the Theme'r and then I SAW the light!
Thank you Howard B. for the puzzle, interview, and hangin' at the Corner. How you can do a puzzle in 5 min is beyond me; I can't even read the clues that fast.
Thanks Lem for the writeup and REM link.
Best moment: I knew NEW COKE w/o perps.
WOs: Aforementioned 20a; racING VENUE; BAre; amAss b/f HOARD; sTa b/f ETD (@36d), and scOPE b/f GROPE (Hi HG!).
ESPs: 42a; 40a; 68a (I get it now...)
Fav: c/a for 65a. Runner up: c/a for 6d.
{A+, B, C, A}
Good news re: BH Spitz!
Good news Lucina - I was going to crack "Is it down to 104F now?" but I see that's too cool.
Is it really politics if it's on the other side of the pond? All I know is the markets are taking a beating; It's a global THREE RING CIRCUS.
CED - You outdid yourself today. I want the Pac-Man one...
All'-ITE, that's prolly +20 lines, I'll EASE on out.
Cheers, -T
No problem. There are always answers I am iffy about when I solve or construct, so I understand the feeling.
CED @ 1:26 - My personal fav is the kitties ring! 💍
Spitz, best wishes to Betty for a trouble-free and speedy recovery.
Howard, I agree. Jayce, I like your easy take on puzzles. Gmony, RING would be too obvious and spoil the challenge. It is Frday, after all.
Here's to a great recovery for Barbara. Thanks for the happy update, Spitz.
The WV flooding is wide spread and devastating. My WV sister was spared, but the disaster surrounds her.
I am hearing some buyer's remorse in Britain. I hope we take a lesson from this and study all ramifications before hand.
Spitz:
Good news about Betty. I'm sure the TLC you will give her will help the healing. Welcome back.
Nice Cuppa@12:54
If you care to and have time, would you e-mail me. I'm dying to know a real British person's opinion.
My morning comments are generally written the preceding night, so didn't see Lemon's challenge until later. Being a Freemason, TROWEL is one of our "working tools" that has huge metaphorical significance. I've read dozens of poems about it being used to 'smooth out' relationships, and 'cement together' our brotherhood.
SAW is a series of horror movies. I never watch horror, so I've never seen them. In fact, it's only thru xw that I've ever even heard of them.
I once created a site for Easter Egg hunters. I haven't updated it in years, so a lot of the links are probably dead by now.
Enjoyed all the comments, esp. CED's links. Got to go for now, maybe try TROWEL lim again later -- 3 or 4 so far have all been solid Fs.
TROWEL, TROWEL, TROWEL,
What will I do now?
The stones are set,
And I've only met,
One girl on the prowl
(And she was panhandling for boobies)
{F--}. That the best I got on short notice. Looking forward to your effort OKL. C, -T
Almost 8PM on the East Coast,
& I finally got to relax & read everything slowly.
(Except Owens Easter Eggs, I bookmarked it for later tonite...)
Learning moment:
14a Caucasian native = Hun (Atilla never looked Caucasian to me...)
Inca Kola, really?
62a Sportscast analysis = color???
(I don't get it, except maybe for some colorful remarks I have made on some sports plays...)
5d coming down (this really bummed me out, because I had "landing.")
but I was able to fix it (by cheating,)
I looked up Mjolnir, & promptly inked it in 4 down. (what an inkblot that was..)
Another problem I had was 38A Crook's invention = Alibi
I stared & stared at 27 down, & finally had to write it out on top of the puzzle...
lessee, -niweredto (funny how the horizontal just jumps out at you...)
hmm, 21d should have tipped me off that something crooked was going on...
I offer no condolences to our friends across the pond, as I am in envy.
Only the old and ignorant can understand my plight.
You see, I have every confidence in democracy.
Remember the same populace elected George W. Bush AND Barack Obama!
Idiots!
This one got started and then buried. Impossible. Then I picked it up and started slogging.
I suspect DOGLEG came from a non-golfer who simply looked and clued it naturally.
What I don't like are sponsor names of ballparks, like the recent SAFECO.
No one will read this so...
LEN Deighton, formally associated with British intelligence wrote a nine part series about spies, moles and conspiracies.
What I (think I) discovered is that he EMBEDded a famous conspiracy within, specifically Hook, Line and Sinker.
However, I have to carefully reread the series to ferret out everything.
My big burning question is "Is the 'truth' he's 'revealing' incredibly the real story.
I try to read this blog but never get to the puzzles early enough to be other than
THE GREAT UNREAD. 😃
However, if anyone is interested in what I 'found' mention it and I'll try to explain
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