Theme: Scrubbing Bubbles - the circles all contain the brand name of a soap, as the reveal neatly explains:
40A. Speaker's stand ... or what each set of circled squares graphically represents : SOAP BOX
A neat Thursday from C.C. The four soap brands ZEST, DIAL, DOVE and LAVA are found clockwise in the puzzle's circles. I use Irish Spring, but have been known to eat Dove, of course(!) that's the chocolate version.
I was given the nickname "Soapbox" many years ago when I worked for Warner Bros. in London due to my penchant for sounding off on pretty much any subject. A couple of my friends still call me that even though I think I've tamed the "haranguing" beast.
Some fun stuff in the fill, let's go take a look.
Across:
1. Host of "Late Night Joy" : BEHAR. Not exactly a stranger to the soapbox herself.
6. Pennant contest : RACE. C.C. takes precisely two clues to get a baseball reference in!
10. Herbal seed used in smoothies : CHIA
14. Truly impress : AMAZE
15. Screen image or screen idol : ICON
16. Called : RANG. "You rang. M'Lord?"
17. Eleventh hour : LAST SECOND. If it's the last second, that really is taking the eleventh hour down to the wire.
19. Language of Pakistan : URDU
20. Beach toy : KITE
21. "Otello" composer : VERDI
22. She played Jackie on "Nurse Jackie" : EDIE. Actress Falco. Never saw the show myself. She looks a little glum.
23. Age of Reason philosopher : LOCKE. "The mind is furnished with ideas by experience alone" according to John. Serious-looking cove:
25. Short fiction : NOVELLAS. Cunning use of the plural form of "fiction."
27. Sloth and envy : SINS. Deadly ones at that.
29. First name in scat : ELLA
30. Super __ : PAC
33. Words after save or take : A SEAT
36. Afghan capital : KABUL. Three neighbors referenced today - Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
39. Lamb nurser : EWE
42. Mama bear, in Baja : OSA
43. Sauce made with pine nuts : PESTO Three Food! items one after another across the grid. I don't think I'll be eating all three together though.
45. Roll dipped in wasabi : SUSHI
46. __ cabbage : RED
47. Drawn tight : TAUT
49. Big name in golf clubs : PING. The company started out making a single type of putter. The club actually did "ping" when the ball came off the face, hence the name.
51. Bugs' voice : MEL BLANC.
55. Storied monsters : OGRES. Shrek didn't seem so bad as ogres go. There's always one or two that give a group a bad name.
58. Airline known for tight security : EL AL
59. About : CIRCA
61. Algerian seaport : ORAN. In Arabic وهران Arabic crosswords are solved from right to left, I assume?
63. Humorist Barry : DAVE
64. Unparalleled : ONE AND ONLY
66. Plugging away : AT IT
67. Heated contest, in more ways than one : MEET. Great clue. At an athletics or swim meet. The heats lead to the finals, which lead, hopefully, to a heated contest for the medals. Favorite clue/answer of the day.
68. Aquafina rival : EVIAN. I drink good old Los Angeles Tap.
69. Some skinny jeans : LEES
70. Torah cabinets : ARKS
71. Like a neglected garden : WEEDY
Down:
1. Refuse to, with "at" : BALK. We add an unnecessary "U" in England. Of course we do. I thought C.C. might have snuck in another baseball reference here.
2. Outlook messages : EMAIL. More fun with plural forms the same as the singular.
3. Lacks choices : HAS TO
4. Quetzalcoatl worshipers : AZTECS
5. High-__ image : RES
6. Jasmine __ : RICE Food! I use it when I cook Thai curries, the flavor is a nicely-scented contrast to the curry. If you've got jasmine growing in the garden, pick a couple of the flowers for garnish.
7. Part of an autumn stash : ACORN
8. Many a beach rental : CONDO
9. Bitter green in mixed greens : ENDIVE. This is making me hungry.
10. Fur-loving de Vil : CRUELLA. Delightful character from Disney's "101 Dalmatians"
11. Work that may be imposed with a prison sentence : HARD LABOR
12. 29-state country : INDIA
13. Feverish bouts : AGUES
18. "Still ... " : EVEN SO
24. Honda Fit competitor : KIA SOUL. A little on the boxy side. I've driven a couple recently as rentals from Hertz. They're not exactly the peppiest of cars that I've experienced.
26. Warning sign in the Rockies : ELK XING.
28. High waters : SEAS
30. Abundance in the cheerleading squad : PEP
31. Reverence : AWE
32. Observation with a sigh : C'EST LA VIE
34. Kwik-E-Mart clerk : APU. "The Simpsons" store owner. He's from INDIA originally.
35. Kitchen amt. : TBSP. Three tsps in a tbsp.
37. Take for a sucker : USE
38. Little fellow : LAD
41. Many an Indian fan : OHIOAN. Aha! Baseball is back. The Cleveland Indians.
44. Computers that travel well : TABLETS. My iPad didn't travel very well when I dropped it poolside on vacation in Mexico. I got the screen repaired but it was never the same again.
48. Puget Sound city : TACOMA. I was just on the Puget Sound a couple of weeks ago. Here's a picture from that little jaunt, it was a beautiful day.
50. It's on the record : GROOVE. Quick - how many grooves are there on an average LP?
51. Wartime award : MEDAL
52. Fill with joy : ELATE
53. Forty-__ : NINER. The LA Rams got off to a great start on Monday against the Niners - not.
54. Links hazard : CREEK
56. Banks with a statue at Wrigley Field : ERNIE. Nailed it! Counting three baseball references so far!
57. Course with leaves : SALAD
60. Jazz lovers : CATS
62. Part of a Wall St. address : NY NY "... it's a wonderful town, the Bronx is up and the Battery's down, the people ride in a hole in the ground ...."
65. Meadow drops : DEW
I think that's it from me. I had the pastrami I started (four weeks ago) for dinner last night. Not *quite* as good as Katz's deli on the lower East Side in Manhattan, but close enough! Enjoy your day, everyone.
Steve
40A. Speaker's stand ... or what each set of circled squares graphically represents : SOAP BOX
I was given the nickname "Soapbox" many years ago when I worked for Warner Bros. in London due to my penchant for sounding off on pretty much any subject. A couple of my friends still call me that even though I think I've tamed the "haranguing" beast.
Some fun stuff in the fill, let's go take a look.
Across:
1. Host of "Late Night Joy" : BEHAR. Not exactly a stranger to the soapbox herself.
6. Pennant contest : RACE. C.C. takes precisely two clues to get a baseball reference in!
10. Herbal seed used in smoothies : CHIA
14. Truly impress : AMAZE
15. Screen image or screen idol : ICON
16. Called : RANG. "You rang. M'Lord?"
17. Eleventh hour : LAST SECOND. If it's the last second, that really is taking the eleventh hour down to the wire.
19. Language of Pakistan : URDU
20. Beach toy : KITE
21. "Otello" composer : VERDI
22. She played Jackie on "Nurse Jackie" : EDIE. Actress Falco. Never saw the show myself. She looks a little glum.
23. Age of Reason philosopher : LOCKE. "The mind is furnished with ideas by experience alone" according to John. Serious-looking cove:
25. Short fiction : NOVELLAS. Cunning use of the plural form of "fiction."
27. Sloth and envy : SINS. Deadly ones at that.
29. First name in scat : ELLA
30. Super __ : PAC
33. Words after save or take : A SEAT
36. Afghan capital : KABUL. Three neighbors referenced today - Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
39. Lamb nurser : EWE
42. Mama bear, in Baja : OSA
43. Sauce made with pine nuts : PESTO Three Food! items one after another across the grid. I don't think I'll be eating all three together though.
45. Roll dipped in wasabi : SUSHI
46. __ cabbage : RED
47. Drawn tight : TAUT
49. Big name in golf clubs : PING. The company started out making a single type of putter. The club actually did "ping" when the ball came off the face, hence the name.
51. Bugs' voice : MEL BLANC.
55. Storied monsters : OGRES. Shrek didn't seem so bad as ogres go. There's always one or two that give a group a bad name.
58. Airline known for tight security : EL AL
59. About : CIRCA
61. Algerian seaport : ORAN. In Arabic وهران Arabic crosswords are solved from right to left, I assume?
63. Humorist Barry : DAVE
64. Unparalleled : ONE AND ONLY
66. Plugging away : AT IT
67. Heated contest, in more ways than one : MEET. Great clue. At an athletics or swim meet. The heats lead to the finals, which lead, hopefully, to a heated contest for the medals. Favorite clue/answer of the day.
68. Aquafina rival : EVIAN. I drink good old Los Angeles Tap.
69. Some skinny jeans : LEES
70. Torah cabinets : ARKS
71. Like a neglected garden : WEEDY
Down:
1. Refuse to, with "at" : BALK. We add an unnecessary "U" in England. Of course we do. I thought C.C. might have snuck in another baseball reference here.
2. Outlook messages : EMAIL. More fun with plural forms the same as the singular.
3. Lacks choices : HAS TO
4. Quetzalcoatl worshipers : AZTECS
5. High-__ image : RES
6. Jasmine __ : RICE Food! I use it when I cook Thai curries, the flavor is a nicely-scented contrast to the curry. If you've got jasmine growing in the garden, pick a couple of the flowers for garnish.
7. Part of an autumn stash : ACORN
8. Many a beach rental : CONDO
9. Bitter green in mixed greens : ENDIVE. This is making me hungry.
10. Fur-loving de Vil : CRUELLA. Delightful character from Disney's "101 Dalmatians"
11. Work that may be imposed with a prison sentence : HARD LABOR
12. 29-state country : INDIA
13. Feverish bouts : AGUES
18. "Still ... " : EVEN SO
24. Honda Fit competitor : KIA SOUL. A little on the boxy side. I've driven a couple recently as rentals from Hertz. They're not exactly the peppiest of cars that I've experienced.
26. Warning sign in the Rockies : ELK XING.
28. High waters : SEAS
30. Abundance in the cheerleading squad : PEP
31. Reverence : AWE
32. Observation with a sigh : C'EST LA VIE
34. Kwik-E-Mart clerk : APU. "The Simpsons" store owner. He's from INDIA originally.
35. Kitchen amt. : TBSP. Three tsps in a tbsp.
37. Take for a sucker : USE
38. Little fellow : LAD
41. Many an Indian fan : OHIOAN. Aha! Baseball is back. The Cleveland Indians.
44. Computers that travel well : TABLETS. My iPad didn't travel very well when I dropped it poolside on vacation in Mexico. I got the screen repaired but it was never the same again.
48. Puget Sound city : TACOMA. I was just on the Puget Sound a couple of weeks ago. Here's a picture from that little jaunt, it was a beautiful day.
50. It's on the record : GROOVE. Quick - how many grooves are there on an average LP?
51. Wartime award : MEDAL
52. Fill with joy : ELATE
53. Forty-__ : NINER. The LA Rams got off to a great start on Monday against the Niners - not.
54. Links hazard : CREEK
56. Banks with a statue at Wrigley Field : ERNIE. Nailed it! Counting three baseball references so far!
57. Course with leaves : SALAD
60. Jazz lovers : CATS
62. Part of a Wall St. address : NY NY "... it's a wonderful town, the Bronx is up and the Battery's down, the people ride in a hole in the ground ...."
65. Meadow drops : DEW
I think that's it from me. I had the pastrami I started (four weeks ago) for dinner last night. Not *quite* as good as Katz's deli on the lower East Side in Manhattan, but close enough! Enjoy your day, everyone.
Steve
Note from C.C.:
Here are a few sweet family photos from Yellowrocks (Kathy). She said:
"While we were down the shore last week, my older son David and his wife
Motoko stayed in Wildwood, too. We spent the evenings together going out
for delicious seafood. Here are some pics of David, Motoko, Alan and
me. Alan is the one with the mustache."
 |
| Motoko (David's wife) & Alan |
 |
| Yellowrocks, Alan & Motoko |
 |
| Yellowrocks and son David |
 |
| David, Yellowrocks and Alan |
57 comments:
FIR without much problem. Had LASTCHANCE > LASTSECOND, which hid ZEST, so the reveal didn't help me until LAVA showed up. In fact, it was LAVA & DIAL that gave me the reveal!
GROOVES on a standard LP? 64a!
A CHIA pet can be a joy
For any little girl or boy!
No litter BOX,
No pooper walks,
No wee, but WEEDY can annoy!
Do you stand in AWE and gaze
At CHIA CATS made to AMAZE?
Shouldn't oughta
Terra cotta
Have a smoother GROOVE and glaze?
Once there was a girl named Susie
Inordinately fond of SUSHI!
She had the nerve
For strange hors d'oeuvre,
But afterwards, her "LEES" were gooshy!
Do clinking MEDALS make a "ting",
Or is the sound more of a "PING"?
Was a "tang"
The sound that RANG,
When the rapper rapped his bling?
Wonderful puzzle from @C.C. Thanks, @Steve for your review.
Now time to shower ... wonder which brand of soap to use?
Adden-dumb.
{B, C+, B+, C-.}
The GROOVE answer I gave is per side, double it for both sides. How come CDs and DVDs are one-sided? I once got a two-sided one from AOL, though both sides were presumably the same sign-up programs.
Greetings!
Thanks for great for, CC and Steve!
Didn't know PING and KIA SOUL. Otherwise a snap.
Great pics, YR! Thanks!
Have a great day!
A fine puzzle and review. Very clean. No residue.
I met and spoke one-on-one with ERNIE Banks a few times at the local course. DW teed off for him and crushed the drive. Next time I ran into him, he asked "Where's your wife ?"
Ran into and spoke with Steve "Mongo" McMichael at the course a couple of weeks ago. He was a starting defensive tackle on the '85 Bears Super Bowl Championship team. Mike Ditka called him the toughest player he ever coached. His presence fills the room.
Can still hear my MIL saying red cabbage. It came out as Rote keppitch. She always wanted me to stay (or come over) for dinner. She'd say, "I make your favorite." I miss her.
Gary Lee's mother couldn't say Gary. It came out Geddy. He changed his name to Geddy after she passed.
Congrats to David Ortiz. He just hit his 532nd round tripper as a professional. Ties him with Mickey.
Forecast is for a beautiful day in Chicago. Eighteen holes on slate. Have a great day all.
Good morning!
This would've been error-free except for my antepenultimate entry -- NYSE. Oops! EVIAN and WEEDY straightened things out. Sesst Lah Vye.
Owen, early DVD's often had two sides and had to be flipped midway through the movie. Today the player just switches to the second data layer on the same side.
Another fun C.C. special...the thought to take four brands of soap that are four letters long and present them in a box pattern is beyond me. No unknowns but parsing ELKXING was a challenge.
Nice family pics Yellowrocks.
GEDDY LEE has an interesting story with his parents being holocaust survivors.
Half way through September...wow. Thanks Steve and C.C.
Clever puzzle and entertaining write-up.
Thanks CC and Steve!
Hello all,
Thanks for a fun run on a Thursday, C.C. Clever theme. ERNIE makes me wonder if today is the day for the Cubs. . . . The magic number is 1, so I'm fairly certain the CPD cavalry will be out in force. I imagine a lot of beer will be consumed at Clark and Addison.
Thanks for the walkabout, Steve. I knew you'd enjoy the food. ;-)
Great memories, YR.
Have a great day, everyone. Go Cubs!
Good morning everyone.
Nice pictures, YR. Thanks for sharing.
Fun puzzle today. Straightforward solve. Neat how C.C. got C'EST LA VIE into the solve without alluding to a French hint or reference. Liked the SOAP theme. The only one I can use without irritation is Dove, per Dermatologist advice.
I thought the NOVELLAS plural usage was well done, too.
Have a great day.
Morning, all!
Forgot to turn on the alarm this morning, so overslept a bit and didn't have time to puzzle before getting my son to school and taking care of everything else...
As for today's puzzle... WOW! Who needs circles? This was my fastest Thursday solve ever and faster than most Mondays. With exception of PING (which I've never heard of in that context) and CREEK (which started out life as TREES), I was totally on C.C.'s wavelength today. Everything just went in BOOM, BOOM, BOOM with no hesitation and no need for perp help. URDU, CHIA, LOCKE, KABUL, PESTO -- all perfectly in my wheelhouse and instantly gettable from the clues provided.
Oh -- and I've been using various brands of body wash for years, so no soap for me!
CC gave me just enough of a poser for a Thursday. I knew all the words, but tried my best to force NOVELLAS into a singular spelling. "Dial" lead to erasing, then I got the plural usage of"fiction." I knew CHIA pet, but didn't know those seeds were added to smoothies. I knew ARKS, but only remembered a connection to Torahs when the perps filled in. I knew RICE, but not jasmine RICE.
I was a baseball nut - watched every game I could on TV, and games were my radio listening choice when driving on summer evenings. Then they went on strike in 1994, and it was like someone turned off the switch inside of me. I still watch the college and Little league world series and occasionally go to our AAA Tides home games. But as Carmella Soprano (Edie Falco) would say, the MLB is dead to me.
Thanks CC and Steve. Good work.
CC,I loved your soap boxes. Thanks for your tour of the puzzle, Steve.
When someone mounts a soapbox during a conversation about politics it's like trying to talk back to the TV. I just shut up and tune it out. I enjoy hearing both sides, but it has to be a two-way street.
Barry G, we use only body wash, too. It eliminates soap scum on the shower doors and walls.
HIGH WATERS is what we used to call outgrown pants that were way too short.
EL AL called my sister aside for personal attention. They soon realized she was harmless and upgraded us to first class as recompense.
Alan was still recovering from his pneumonia while we were down the shore. He participated in some things but was kinda low energy. We did a lot of just hanging out, so it was doubly nice to spend the evenings with David and Motoko.
Alan had a very positive report from the doctor yesterday, but it will likely take another month to recover a normal energy level.
When I saw "Roger Rabbit" I was hoping that the credits would list Mel Blanc's voices individually (imagine credits scrolling for 20 seconds, each line (toon name)...Mel Blanc).
Hello everybody. I hate it when start a puzzle and have no idea about 1A, so BEHAR was all perps. But Steve it you started with the downs instead of the crosses, baseball would have been included in the FIRST fill, as in BALK. I caught the 'soaps' but not the 'box' after ZEST AND DIAL. Since the soaps boxed the reveal, I purposely ignored that clue until the end.
Other unknowns were CHIA (pet anybody?) and EDIE ( and Nurse Jackie).
EVIAN- I drink tap water and keep a case of bottled water for people who ask for it.
SINS- what's wrong with 'envy' if you are envious and strive to make yourself better? It's only wrong if you just complain that someone else has something you want but can't have. Doesn't bother me if somebody has something better than me.
Kia SOUL- never knew they had a hybrid
PING- bought a set of Ping Zings that I paid $600 about 15 years ago. Couldn't really hit them that well and and after a year bought a set of used Taylor-Mades for $100. Still use them. I'm off to the TPC today to monitor a charity tournament's hole-in-one for a free BMW. I doubt anybody comes close because the PGATour has been there 10 years and not a single pro has made one on that hole.
Yellowrocks- after every shower we squeegee the walls and floor of our shower. I find the problem with TILEX and similar products is that they leave the floor slippery.
No problems are encountered when we use ZEST. But as the old commercial advertized: "Aren't you glad you used DIAL; don't you with everybody did."
Putting one little word after another, and I'd suggest that the LAST SECOND is only 1/3,600 as long as the "eleventh hour."
And again, the usual abbreviation for tablespoon is TBS. We don't need the P.
Greetings to all!
Great puzzle today. Thanks C.C.! Finished it in record Thursday time, with WAGS such as ONE AND ONLY and LAST SECOND being 100% correct.
Thanks for sharing your photos, YR. It's always fun to "see" fellow puzzlers.
Enjoy the day!
Steve: Nice write-up. C.C. Thank you for a FUN Thursday puzzle.
BEHAR at 1-a was a WAG. Can't say I've ever seen her show.
Enjoyed the baseball clues/answers. BALK at, got the V-8 can smack.
Fave today was the ELK-XING. Though CRUELLA was a close second.
A "Toast-to-ALL" at Sunset.
Cheers!
Anonymous, I can't be there to squeegee after Alan showers and he can't do it for himself. I wash the water spots off the glass doors with vinegar every week or two. No soap scum, so no Tilex necessary. White vinegar works great with very little scrubbing. I prefer body wash to soap and do not have to squeegee like you would need to do with any kind of soap, even Zest. I forgot to bring my body wash on our vacation and found returning to soap was very unsatisfactory.
TBSP or just plain capital T are the most common abbreviations for tablespoon, however, crosswords do not need to use the most common or usual forms. Did you know that lower case t is an abbreviation for teaspoon, as well?
Fairly fast for me for a Thursday; got 'er done without a cheat, too! Thanx for a fun CW, C.C.! Thanx for a great write-up, Steve! Owen, C, C, C, C. Thanx for the wit! I used to use liquid soap in my daily showers, because it doesn't leave soap scum. Then I started getting boils on my skin which required multiple visits to the dermatologist to get them cut open and drained. No fun. I eventually figured out on my own that the triclosan in the liquid soap was killing off the weak bacteria, leaving the strong ones, to give me problems. Eventually switched to scent free, dye free liquid laundry detergent, and the boils went away and never returned. Still use liquid laundry detergent seven years later. I highly recommend it: no soap scum, better cleaning, easier on the skin and eyes because of the pH. As a bonus, inexpensive.
Steve, your comment on TACOMA uses a naming convention for the local body of water that positively grates on the ears of long-time locals. Please see this article for a reminder of the correct usage:
Stop Calling It 'The' Puget Sound
Putting yet another little word after another, we can say that the "eleventh hour" is a lame expression to begin with, or at least often abused: It's merely the hour that begins at ten o'clock. The LAST SECOND is the last second of the "midnight hour."
• Another smooth offering from CC. And not too much BB! I was impressed by the clockwise AND SYMMETRIC soaps. Maybe this caused the grid to be a bit BLOCKY (cheater squares?), especially the 3x3 peninsulas at West and East. Some good original long fill (except for the unknown but guessable KIA SOUL), but maybe too much standard fill. APU APERÇU?
• As Steve noted, our impression of OGRES has changed since SHREK came onto the scene - maybe time to update that clue?
• Are there States of the Union that still sentence people to "HARD LABOR"? I thought that was a historical thing.
• I think of ONE-AND-ONLY as UNIQUE, which is not quite the same as UNPARALLELED
• SO AWESOME to see PEP and AWE together. I now see that AWESOMENESS is a legit. noun. Why use 3 letters when 11 will do the same job (and presumably mean less)?
SEA (singular) – I only think of as water at or below sea-level, i.e. not exactly high. SEAS (plural) can imply high water/waves.
Is there more that one ARK (of the cabinet variety) in the TORAH? I only recall the ARK of the COVENANT.
Musings
-Sacré bleu, it’s C'EST LA VIE! That was a fun surprise in the west on C.C.’s fun puzzle. Even stumbling onto the reveal too early was not a big deal.
-My SOAP BOX is in mothballs as well. Even though…
-Locke said our brain is a tabula rasa and we must use experience to learn
-A NOVELLA that made for a great movie
-Every chemistry teacher has used RED cabbage for this
-When a horse BALKS AT a jump, the rider might go over alone
-Wonderful line from Parenthood. When dad Steve Martin is asked, “Do you have to go?”. He responds, “My whole life is HAVE TO!”
-Our squirrels do not stash ACORNS. We set out a lovely year-round buffet.
-She’s the spokesperson (:33) but do you really think she drives one?
-My heart goes out to people on House Hunters agonizing which million dollar beach-side CONDO to pick
-Do most of you think of this movie with HARD LABOR?
-Those OHIOANS hope the Indians can repeat the Cav’s triumph as world champs
-YR, those wonderful pix show your great family and capture your indomitable spirit
-Wonderful write-up Steve and I’ve used that GROOVE riddle trick for years!
I started off slowly... NW I only EMAIL and RES filled?!? I looked down. Oh, it's a C.C. Plz! I focused my CHI(A?), er energies, toward MN - next thing I know, I'm done. Thanks C.C. - fun and sparkly. Steve thanks for continuing both (fun & sparkle) in the expo. OGRE comment was tops.
I got SOAPBOX before examining the circles - the X xing XING gave it away.
WOs: EVEN if, er SO, I mention them would you believe I had cABUL or MEL BLANk? Swapp'd the kuh sounds and saw the ELK & CREEK.
Sparkle: c/a for MEET, ENDIVE, OGRES, NOVELLAS. Standalone answers: CRUELLA, ELK XING, CESTLAVIE (I knew I had something wrong there and tried to change to festival so there's extra ink in PAC), and MEL BLANC
Hate'd: WEEDY - It's like C.C. is calling me out on my gardening :-)
Fav:7d - The image of Tin squirreling away his autumn stash only to find ACORNS made me laugh. Just me I know, but this is my fav!
{B+, B, B, A}.
YR - Looks like y'all had a great time!
Y'all can blame TTP & Lem, but I HAS TO dos it... Geddy LEE & Rush onRED Sector A.
Cheers, -T
Anon@10:04am. I always understood "Eleventh hour" in standard English to mean the hour from 11-12. I appreciate that in other languages this is not the case. Russian, for example, explicitly calls 10:30 "half of the 11th [hour]"). And English is also illogical because we should then define a "zeroth" hour, but we don't. That's just the way it is.
In scheduling transactions on an hourly basis such as bulk electric energy it is done with the first hour being #1 and the last hour being #24. The hour from 1001 to 1100 would be the 11th hour. Weekly scheduling would start with Monday and end with Sunday in this example. This includes interchange with Canada.
What a clever puzzle with embedded SOAP from the ONEAND ONLY C.C.! Her Tabula is definitely not RASA! I can even overlook the baseball references as they gave me no grief and were easily perped. And the French expression CESTLAVIE is familiar and so often quoted as to have become part of the vernacular.
Joy BEHAR is a very funny lady though I've not seen that particular show, Late Night JOY. Isn't "the eleventh hour" more of a metaphorical expression referring to leaving things to the very last minute as opposed to planning ahead?
According to some documentaries shown on PBS some of the southern states still impose HARDLABOR on prisoners. The PING factory is located here in AZ and it's founder donated funds to build a golf course on ASU campus.
Thank you, C.C. and Steve. Keep AT IT. You both instill fun in puzzles.
Have a special day, everyone!
YR:
Thank you for sharing your photos. It looks like all are having a good time.
Anonymous @ 9:13
Eleventh Hour: A point in time which is almost too late.
Last Second: A point in time which is almost too late.
Neither of these refer to actual time units, just a concept of urgency, as in:
"Don't wait until the last second", or "We're approaching the eleventh hour and it still isn't finished!" It's a "Deadline thing"
TBSP is extremely common, and correct. We DO need the "P", or it doesn't fit.
Fun puzzle but then, almost all of the LAT CWs fall into that category. I've tried a few NYT puzzles recently. Many are tricky and fun but some are hard and not so much fun.
It's tap water for me.
Gary, I LOVED Parenthood! The sad parts really got to me.
Yep, Envy, Sloth, Coveting, etc. seem pretty tame to be called out specially when child molestation, etc. get a back seat.
I've found some re-runs of old Gunsmoke and Bonanza shows. Gunsmoke holds up pretty well. Bonanza seems pretty poor by comparison.
You all are so literal. These are just idioms.
From Wiki: “The Eleventh Hour is a phrase meaning "late in the day", taken from a passage in the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard in the King James Bible”
From Merriam Webster: Eleventh hour, “the latest possible time before it is too late, for example, still making changes at the eleventh hour.”
LAST MINUTE is more frequently used than LAST SECOND, however, I did find quite few examples of the LAST SECOND.
From the Internal Revenue Service (IRS): "Why do so many companies wait until the last second to give employees their W2 forms?"
"Puzzling Thoughts":
WTBS (and no, not meaning the call letters for Ted Turner's station in ATL), I thought that CRUELLA and ELK-XING were the two SOD's (solves of the day)
My puzzle page was mostly pristine, as it took me awhile to fill in all of the squares (perps and WAG's were prevalent). What I truly enjoy about C.C. puzzles is that you "know" where the clues are headed. My intuition kept this "pen-ink filled" sheet ink blot free. The ONLY error was in the clue for the answer PESTO. I misread the clue and started writing PENNE . . .
DW's car had a broken regulator on one of her power windows. Gotta fix those here in FL, especially now when it's our rainy season. My car needs rear brakes and replacement of the motor mounts. Only good news is that both cars are bought and paid for; neither of us has had a car payment in over 4 years
Not feeling too humorous today; no limerick. Of course for some of those who read the posts, this could be a blessing! ;^P
Calm before the storm . . . things continue to be quiet, business-wise, in my part of the "service" industry (a loose term, for sure). But in another 3-4 weeks it will be non-stop mayhem for 4-6 months, depending on the flight patterns of the snowbirds and foreign visitors (Canada and Europe, mostly).
Thanks to CC and Steve for today's puzzle and re-cap.
Hi Everyone:
Another engaging and enjoyable CC offering. Caught the "soap" theme early and smiled at the "box" reveal. Needed perps in a few spots but finished in less than usual Thursday time. Hand up for Dove soap and Poland Springs water. Our tap water is too "chemically" for me.
Thanks, CC, for a fun and satisfying solve and thanks, Steve, for your gracious guidance.
YR, thanks for sharing the family photos. I hope Alan continues to improve.
HG, you and I must have some ESP connection because 95% of the time I just know what your links are before I click on them! 😉
TTP and Ergo, it's nice to hear from you. Don't be strangers!
We've been enjoying a long stretch of beautiful weather but we do need some rain.
Have a great day.
Anon-T @10:21
I can truthfully attest that at Villa Incognito the "autumn stash" is NOT acorns.
Though there is a stash around here somewhere ... LOL
Smoke'em if you got'em ....
And another home run for C.C! Great job, and nice theme. Thanks for entertaining us so often.
Glad you got your FOOD! today, Steve.
Weekend coming up!
Hmm, a chewy puzzle that did not leave a bad taste in my mouth...
How do you people have so much time to talk about the last second?
&, as long as you're talking about what soap you use in the shower...
Uncle Fred at 9.59 AM
Sure would like to know what Brand Name is for your favorite scent free, dye free liquid laundry detergent. I too have been searching for something that works better for me.
Thanks.
Old Sage in Virginia Beach
oldsageinvirginiabeach@gmail.com
Another brilliant C.C. puzzle, and I got the whole thing--on a Thursday yet! Yay! Wahoo! Many, many thanks, C.C., and you too Steve, for your always great expo.
I loved all the cartoon references to MEL BLANC and CRUELLA (loved the pics, Steve). And other favorites included EDIE Falco in "Nurse Jackie", and on the more serious side, VERDI's 'Otello' and philosopher LOCKE. And somehow I even guessed ERNIE Banks, although goodness knows, I'm not a sports person. Anyway, great fun--a total delight.
Only tough moment came with that EL_X at first. Finally got the ELK XING.
Have a great day, everybody!
Hello Puzzlers -
WBS, except for the soap part. I use whatever the LW selects and places in the shower.
Steve - you're quite right, Nurse Jackie was often downcast. She was a capable, caring nurse in a sub-optimal hospital, seeing some of the saddest cases the city could shove over the threshold. She tried so hard but her human failings got in the way. Edie Falco was superb in the role.
Thanks for a smooth solve, C.C.!
Today has got to be one of the top five - blue skies, cool temperatures, low humidity, and a nice breeze. Perfect!
THANKS, C.C., for a wonderful Thursday pzl. You were on my wavelength, or I on yours! I was on a roll throughout...
And this time, I caught onto the theme before I finished. SO, all in all, today was a winner all around!
Musings
-Back from 18 on a lovely fall-ish day! The courses are aerating and so you have to call ahead.
-I shot okay, thanks for asking
-Irish, ESP with me is a curse not an asset!! ☺
-ELEVENTH HOUR – That’s when I mail in my taxes in. D.C. isn’t getting one farthing (wait a minute…) until I’m required to send it in as I always owe. I don’t trust electronic filing.
-You should all have Parenthood on your cinematic bucket list. It’s the hardest job ever.
-Gunsmoke characters did not all have $100 haircuts and freshly pressed clothes. Now about his chaste relationship with Miss Kitty out on the Kansas prairie…
Steve, thanks for COVE. I never knew.
Yellowrocks, just saw those great photos of you and your family. Many thanks for having C.C. post them. You all look great!
All this talk about a TV show! You'll love this 49 second clip from Brain Dead. The synopsis of what happened in prior episodes.
Hi Y'all! Good fun, C.C.! Also fun, Steve!
WAGd BEHAR and was pleasantly surprised it was right. Don't watch her except in ads for shows.
Always a surprise to see pictures of YR with other people. Dear lady, you have such a big personality, I always expect to see a much larger body to match. Well, dynamite comes in small packages, they say. Always interesting to see pictures of cornerites and their families.
Didn't have circles, so the little "bars"/boxes of soap were a surprise too. I laughed when I saw them. I had looked backwards and forwards trying to find soap. Didn't think of two tiers.
I solved the problem of doing some things at the last second. Just don't do them at all. Surprising how many tasks are unnecessary in life. There's gotta do, oughta do, and forgetaboutit.
4th wedding anniversary for me and Missy so I'll keep this short.
I put MAN for PAC since I had the AWE in there and I put in MEN for PEP.
When I looked at it hard I put in the V for LAVA. then CEST LA VIE went in and the others got corrected.
Plus Tard from a rainy Cajun Country. ~!~!
Behar... American TV personality
Bihar... one of 29.
@Sailor - fair enough, sorry to grate on your ears. We're still going to keep calling our freeways "the 101" and suchlike though :)
Happy Anniversary! Boo.
Argyle - forgive me if I have to repost a few times - 1st time using (the) photos.google.com service.
1. Don't click if you no-likie spiders
2. Does anyone know what this guy is? I found him in my garage and never seen anything like him (except in the desert)
3. The Spider. Can you see the spider pix? I can, but, duh, it's my account.
He's got a white stripe on him and beady little spider-eyes; mostly brown, body is ~3/4" long: seeking SWF :-)
Cheers, -T
Took a bit - but here's Steve's The 101.
No takers on the spider? I FaceTime'd w/ Bro - he said it's a Wolf Spider. He's not getting out of the jar until I know...
C, -T
Anon-T
I can see them. Hairy, man. The last one looks like the queen ear bug on Brain Dead. Don't let it in there!
I just re-read my @2:14 post - ambiguous pronoun... To clarify, it's the spider, not my brother, in the the jar...
Bro is now hooked on X-words. I baited him in July and he did fairly well for a newbie on a Thurs. today.
Arggg MikeS! How can I sleep now?!? :-). Thanks for confirming I did the "share" correctly.
Got Breakfast duty for our office Club in 5 hours (bagels & Nova lox!). Nite.
Cheers, -T
536 is the sacred number of Mantle homers. Not sure how many ERNIE hit;Cub fans tell me he was an outstanding shortstop too
I had Donne before LOCKE and RABAT before KABUL. GROOVE and ELKXING came last.
NIKE makes clubs, including NINE irons and they use them at PINEhurst. Then again, I had a set of PINGS, lefty.
Didn't we have the TB(LSPN) issue already. I can't keep my ELLAs from my ETTAs.
Hope you celebrated a happy 4th Boo. Betsy wanted camera equipment to zoom in on the birds.
Roger Rabbit was a pretty good movie as was The Mario Brothers. And the first Conan.
Cheers from The GUR
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