I will keep this politically correct, adding no SPIN of my own. A truly non-partisan puzzle, or is it? JW gives us another example of adding to an existing phrase to create a new and amusing fill. Today, it is four letters (the word SPIN). JW has really come up with so many ways to present the add a _ _ _ that I wonder what could be next. He also infused this puzzle with some very excellent non-theme entries such as NON-MOTILE, SNOW ANGEL, STEP-PARENT, SO THIS IS IT, ONE NO TRUMP, LORGNETTES.
17A. Vito Corleone talking bobblehead? : RASPING DOLL (11). Rag doll gets Marlon Brando's voice.
22A. Goal of a holistic chiropractor? : SPINE HARMONY (12). Well-advertised dating site E-Harmony gets well adjusted.
38A. As a group, emulate Popeye? : BE SPINACH LOVERS (15). We beach lovers get to eat spinach also.
50A. Maiden aunt mascot? : TEAM SPINSTER (12). maiden aunt and spinsters probably are no longer PC terms, and the TEAMSTER's union isn't what it used to be.
And the reveal
59A. Enjoying the new car ... or what four puzzle answers are literally doing : TAKING A SPIN (11).
Really well played as they all take on a spin.
Well I hope your head is not spinning so we can get to work on this fun Friday.
Across
1. Start of something : ESS. Something. So simple it becomes tricky.
4. Know-it-all : BRAIN
.
9. Sticky roll : TAPE. Not food....
13. Title car in a Ronny + the Daytonas hit : GTO.
14. Michelangelo's "The Last Judgment," e.g. : FRESCO. Per wiki:
The Last Judgment, or The Final Judgement (Italian: Il Giudizio Universale), is a fresco by the Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo executed on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. It is a depiction of the Second Coming of Christ and the final and eternal judgment by God of all humanity
15. Australian export : OPAL. And dear Kazie.
16. Like Gen. Powell : RETired.
19. N.T. book before Phil. : EPHesians come directly before the Phillipians. These are two of the epistles ascribed to Paul.
20. Denver-to-Wichita dir. : ESE.
21. Oppressive atmosphere : MIASMA. What a fun word which we have not had since marti was doing Thursdays.
26. Renewal notice feature, briefly : SASE. Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope.
27. Like a well-written mystery : TAUT. But hopefully not tautological.
28. Hammer user's cry : SOLD. At the auction!
32. Payment in Isfahan : RIALS. In Iran, old Persia.
37. Drift (off) : NOD.
41. Singer DiFranco : ANI. Some music...
42. Pop : SODA.
43. TV oil name : EWING. The show finally died when JR (Larry Hagman) died.
44. "The Good Wife" figs. : ATTS.
46. Fabric rib : WALE.
48. Its home version debuted at Sears in 1975 : PONG. At Sears?
54. Israeli prime minister after Barak : SHARON.
57. "__ Gotta Be Me" : I'VE.
58. Way to go: Abbr. : RTE. Nice, was thinking atta boy.
62. Great Basin native : UTE.
63. Saharan : ARID.
64. Hydrocarbon gas : ETHENE. I did not know this was the official NAME for ethylene.
65. Rx item : MED.
66. Inheritance factor : GENE.
67. Tends : LEANS.
68. Humanities maj. : PSYchology. My major in college. My youngest as well, who recently asked, "Dad how could you let me major in psychology?
Down:
1. Way out : EGRESS.
2. Mike or Carol on "The Brady Bunch" : STEP-PARENT. As are my wife and I. She got to be an instant grandmother.
3. "I guess the moment has finally arrived" : SO THIS IS IT. Not sure, but this was my thought.
4. Impetuous : BRASH.
5. Find a new table for : RESEAT. More glue.
6. Nile slitherer : ASP. Another big week for this snake.
7. It's here in Paris : ICI.
8. Anchored for life, as barnacles : NON-MOTILE. A really fun five dollar word.
9. Word in morning weather forecasts : TODAY'S.
10. Mil. mail drops : APOS.
11. It faces forward in a stop sign : PALM. very cerebral.
12. Big name in jazz : ELLA.
14. Like IHOP syrup : FREE. Really?
18. Alabama Slammer liquor : GIN. This is tricky, it has sloe gin, but no plain gin. But SLOE is made with gin.
23. Type of tide : NEAP.
24. Troublemakers : RASCALS.
25. Often : MUCH.
29. Bridge bid : ONE NO TRUMP.
30. Glasses with handles : LORGNETTES. What a fun fill. For sale on Amazon.
31. One working on a bridge: Abbr. : DDS. Dental humor.
33. Fleur-de-__ : LIS. The flower of the lily is very important in French and English heraldry, religion and apparently in post-Katrina New Orleans.
34. What a kid is prone to make in winter? : SNOW ANGEL.
36. Farm mom : SOW. She does not say....
38. Pastoral call : BAA.
39. Early exile : ADAM.
40. Ones with clout : VIPS.
45. Variable distance measure : STRIDE. I love the dictionary
1. a long step in walking.
2. (in animal locomotion) the act of progressive movement completed when all the feet are returned to the same relative position as at the beginning.
47. Hand-held allergy treatment : EPIPEN. Timely clue after all the recent scandal.
49. Insatiable : GREEDY.
51. Very long time : EON.
52. Political columnist Molly : IVINS. She was a very quotable woman, but it was mostly politics.
“Margaret Atwood, the Canadian novelist, once asked a group of women at a university why they felt threatened by men. The women said they were afraid of being beaten, raped, or killed by men. She then asked a group of men why they felt threatened by women. They said they were afraid women would laugh at them.”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?
53. Island bird named for its call : NENE. Hawaiian Goose.
54. Doe beau : STAG. My eyes first saw "Doe Bean" Therefore I missed the rhyme.
55. Long-eared critter : HARE. Lots of animals in today's grid.
56. Similar : AKIN.
60. Snacked : ATE.
61. __ Na Na : SHA. I had never heard of them until seeing themat Woodstock. 47 years ago.
Well we had lots of music today of all kinds, so I will leave you trying to remember to set your clocks back Sunday morn. Thanks JW and all of you. A ride back in time.
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks you, Jeff and Lemon!
Wow! An easy JW! (Relatively speaking.)
Had mobile before MOTILE (doh). Didn't know GIN.
Had a rotten night and day. Couldn't sleep. Now can't stay awake. Yawn.
Have a great day!
Thanks, Lemonade and J. Wechsler.
ReplyDeleteThis was one tough puzzle. I was almost tempted to give up when RASPINGDOLL filled in, and then I got the theme. SOLD was my last fill. Hammer users cry? I knew it started with an S but I couldn't think of any "mild" expletives when hitting your thumb with a hammer, that started with S. Oh, gavel-auction cry, SOLD.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteFun one, but real tricky. All was not what it seemed, but I can hold my head up with no write-overs!
On another note:
ReplyDeleteSurely, with less than a week before the election, the stringent rules regarding politics could be waived, or relaxed. Freedom to dissent separates us from our political rivals. A little tongue-in-cheek, restrained, non-aggressive political commentary in these next few days might prove to be very entertaining.
If not:
I do several crosswords per day and I recall THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS, either as the clue, or as the answer phrase.
I don't play bridge, but I will still bid ONE NO TRUMMP. (LAT 11/04/2116)
It doesn't matter who you vote for, it only matters that you vote.
Feel free to delete this non-partisan post.
Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. I was totally on Jeff's wavelength to day, as I found this to be much easier than the usual Friday fare. I enjoyed looking for the SPIN.
ReplyDeleteLots of fun, witty clues and answers. Sticky roll = TAPE was my last fill. I was looking for something to eat. It is breakfast time as I do this puzzle, after all!
I wasn't fooled by the DDS working on a Bridge, though. The Pastoral Call = BAA was amusing.
I confidently wrote in Ouch! for the Hammer User's Call. Instead, we were looking for the Auctioneer.
ELLE makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.
The EpiPen has been in the news recently due to its sudden increase in price.
I always enjoyed reading Molly IVINS columns. She died (fairly) young at age 62 of breast cancer in 2007.
QOD: There is no such thing as a little freedom. Either you are all free, or you are not free. ~ Walter Cronkite (Nov. 4, 1916 ~ July 17, 2009) [Happy 100th, Walter]
How cool to note that today is the 100th anniversary of Walter Cronkite' s birth. I do enjoy the today in history information. Thanks Susan.
ReplyDeleteFIRight, but with probably more than the usual quota of w/os. The theme was a disappointment. BEACH LOVERS isn't "in the language" unless it's a catchphrase I'm not aware of; and the result c/as, while ingenuous, mostly lacked sparkle.
ReplyDeleteAlterations at the mall
Filled nearby stores with a dusty pall.
In pet-shop cages
Gray puppies looked aged,
And toy-store Chatty Cathy was a RASPING DOLL!
The scholar's den, most artfully,
Reflected his personality!
On the shelves were found
Marching journals, bound
In uniform SPINE HARMONY!
An iconic cartoon, neath New Yorker covers,
Featured a girl, whose mother hovers.
The caption? So THIS IS IT:
"I say to hell with it.
Never will we BE SPINACH LOVERS!"
The ball club had a wizard on the mound as pitcher,
He could throw it so fast, or in the air to linger!
The orb was TAKING A SPIN,
But he was ugly as sin,
So in more than one way, he was the TEAM SPINSTER!
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteYes, I saw all the SPINs. No, I didn't get the rest of the theme. Some things never change. Anybody else want to put a vowel between the G and N of LORGNETTE?
Lemon, are you saying the atmosphere around here was a MIASMA on Thursdays when Marti was bloggin'? No, I didn't think you did.
Hatoolah, hand up for OUCH.
Molly Ivins was a real character. She wrote a book about George W. Bush, and titled it Shrub.
I got the NON-MOTILE after MOBILE, knew PONG,correctly guessed ONE NO TRUMP, and even drug MIASMA from the hidden part of my brain but LORGNETTES- no way in hell. I was hoping for 'ouch' or 'yeow' for the Hammer user's cry, not thinking of a 'gavel'. Wanting a welder working on a bridge doomed my completion.
ReplyDeletePONG- Sears (and IBM) also had one of the first internet companies-PRODIIGY- that was before Compuserve and America-Online. They blew it because they tried to charge for emails after a certain amount were sent.
Fleur-de-LIS (or LYS)- Lemonade-it was here long before Katrina. I still remember Joe Namath making fun of the FLOWER on the side of the Saints' helmets way back when on Monday Night Football.
Didn't finish today, but enjoyed the trek. Didn't know MIASMA, NON MOTILE or LORGNETTES. Missed with gASPING DOLLS, bIgS for VIPS, gONG (show) for PONG. Favorite clue was "hammer user's cry" - I thought of all the other four-letter words I usually utter when wielding one. Least favorite was "renewal notice feature, briefly", even though I got SASE right away. I don't remember ever getting a renewal notice with a stamped envelope. In my experience they are always printed with a business reply permit number, not even close to being the same thing as a stamp.
ReplyDeleteThanks, JW for a very enjoyable test. And Lemon's tour through it was a delight as usual.
Unlike yesterday, I cottoned to the clever theme quickly today.Thanks, Jeffrey and Lemonade for a fun interlude.
ReplyDeleteMobile before motile. Pong was all perps. No other unknowns.
Free use of syrup, just like free ketchup, salt and pepper, if you use it there..
I always enjoyed reading Molly's humor.
BESPINACH had me wondering for a while.
Hahtoolah, I, too, liked DDS/working on a bridge and pastoral call/baa.
Beach lover seems in the language for me.
Link Beach lover
Got the theme early, but it didn't help much. A few words I've never seen before. Somehow, a pretty smooth solve in spite of it all.
ReplyDeleteGood day to all!
ReplyDeleteGot the theme early which really helped with the solve. Favorite clue/answer was "One working on a bridge" for DDS. Thank you for a very clever puzzle, Jeffrey, and thank you Lemonade for the expo and links.
Enjoy the day!
Good Morning, everyone.
ReplyDeleteThanks to TTP and others for filling me in on my Error 400 problem with trying to publish from the preview. I thought I was losing my mind--well, I may be, but not about posting!
This was a fine puzzle with a bit of crunch as a result of so much fresh fill. I really enjoyed it. Thanks, JW.
Lemonade, I also enjoyed the tour. Thanks for making everything clear.
Have a great day!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteIt took awhile to get some traction but, once I did, I was off and running. Definitely needed the reveal to catch the theme. I finished in less than normal Friday-time so I must have been on JW's wave length. I do enjoy his puzzles very much, even when they are on the difficult side.
Thanks, Jeffrey, for a fun and satisfying solve and thanks, Lemony, for the grand tour.
Madame Defarge, it's nice to see you back. Now, where is Kazie?
Have a great day.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteQuite a slog, today, but it was worth every STRIDE. Misdirections made it more challenging. Liked the SPIN theme.
SASE - I don't usually get SASE's with renewals, so usually call the toll-free number with credit card to renew. No stamp needed.
SOW - Had ewe at first but perps were persuasive.
PALM - facing forward depends on one's frame of reference.
FREE syrup? - If it's included in the cost of the meal, it's hardly free; you're already paying for it. You have the option not to use it just as you have the option not to eat all of the short stack you ordered. There's no free lunch and maybe no breakfast, either.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Me too, Lemon. The gimmick and the uncommon fill were great!
-When Biagio da Cesena criticized his painting, Michelangelo put him in the corner with donkey ears and a snake getting an intimate hold on him!
-MIASMA – Cleveland Wednesday night
-Don’t scratch your nose during an auction
-Really, this was the best video game of the time?
-Ah, The Brady Bunch, where an entire show could be built around Marcia’s nose after it was hit by a football. Move over Downton Abbey
-On field trips I have had to “REROOM” kids who couldn’t get along
-These NONMOTILE animals, not barnacles, have invaded Omaha lakes
-Third base coaches put up both PALMS to stop a baserunner
-I loved having kids at Cocoa Beach during NEAP tides so they could find lots of shells.
-A phrase heard around here, “…went after him like a bitin’ sow!”
-S _ _ IDE looked like the variable SO WIDE for a while
-I’ll bet lots of you will see the irony of GREEDY clued below EPIPEN?
Nice challenging puzzle - I had NONMOVING before NONMOTILE- the second is much more a science type term. Getting the SPIN out of the first theme answer made the rest of the theme answers much easier.
ReplyDeleteOnly nit to pick- PSYchology is not a Humanities major it is a social science major- but easily filled with perps.
Thanks Lemonade and JW for another fun friday - the GTO song will be my earworm this morning!
ReplyDeleteIt's JW Friday with a number of different words that required a second cup of coffee and Red Letters to get it done. I didn't get the theme until the end with the reveal clue and it was too late to help. I consider Friday and Saturday puzzles as learning experiences with newer words that haven't been beaten to death recently. Lemon's expo was a nice ride also.
The first few clues were easy. I really liked the Sticky Roll. That one took a while to get.
I had to dig into the recesses of my BRAIN to come up with the song that I learned in Sunday School that recited the Books of the New Testament to get EPHesians.
The only SASE with an actual stamp I have received recently was for a request for a donation to a charity. I guess they try to make you feel guilty by putting a real stamp on it.
As an engineering student I had to take some Social Humanistic courses, so I tried PSYch. Big mistake. A big D.
It's really appropriate that GREEDY followed EPIPEN. Some people have no conscience.
AnonT: from yesterday: Soup is even better when it sits for a few days. The flavors meld.
Today is National Candy Day. I have a lot of leftover Halloween candy, how about you?
I hope everyone has a great day.
@desper-otto; In Latin languages gn is pronounced "ny"
ReplyDeleteDNF
ReplyDeleteWhat a workout!
Thought I wasn't going to get anywhere,
until, slowly, one letter at time,
I made my way to the NE corner,
where I got stuck on tape,
groaned at palm,
& wondered how I would ever use miasma i na sentence...
"Puzzling Thoughts":
ReplyDeleteStill a little disappointed in the result of the World Series; Cleveland was a huge underdog throughout the entire post season, as most of the baseball pundits were convinced that either Boston or Toronto were better teams. 2 of the Indians' starting pitchers and their all-star outfielder were injured, so winning either of those two series was doubtful. And then, against the Cubs, it seemed the entire world was rooting for them, as after all, the Cubs hadn't been to a Series in 71 yrs and hadn't won one in 108 yrs. Regardless, Cleveland came within one run of breaking their 68 year drought. There have been 4 times in my life that my favorite BB team has made the WS, and 4 times they fell short; twice in game 7. Maybe their "turn" to win comes next ...
Back to the puzzle: I got the theme pretty early as I filled in every clue from the center to the left side. Struggled a little bit with NON MOTILE, GIN (had RUM), VIPS (didn't realize they wanted an abbr.), and MIASMA. Just needed one cheat - looked up NON MOTILE.
As for limericks, I actually penned this one back in August. I was afraid to post it here, and if the monitors don't like it or consider it too political, feel free to erase my post.
Current Bridge partner's in a big slump,
They can't seem to get over the hump.
They have liberal ties,
So there is no surprise
That when bidding they utter "No Trump"!
Hmm,
ReplyDeleteI occurred to me that I should
have included a link for tape,
but I did not want to make a political statement...
Not sure if I posted this one before, but another limerick from this past summer that contains a solve word from today's puzzle:
ReplyDeletePopeye banked on his keen intuition;
When he lost his green-leafed ammunition.
He saw his friend Wimpy
No longer seem gimpy,
And it started a SPINACH Inquisition.
Hi everybody. I really enjoyed this puzzle. Tricky but fair. Well done Jeffrey and Lemon.
ReplyDeleteThere is one restaurant near here that will provide real maple syrup for 50 cents extra. Money well spent I think.
Super-annoying sounds - At their most annoying if you're trying to take a nap.
(Feel free to add your choices):
* Chain saws
* Wood chippers (often accompanying chain saws if tree work is involved)
* The beep-beep of back-up signals for trucks, heavy machinery, etc.
I'm enjoying West World though I don't always completely understand it and/or understand all of the characters.
Yay, for me! A JW with no lookups and very little frustration. Thank you, Jeffrey. I do enjoy your challenges. Only the SE gave me fits for a short time, but once I ran up the ladder from the bottom ONENOTRUMP and LORGNETTES emerged. It also took a long while for EWING to seep out of my BRAIN.
ReplyDeleteHand up for NONMObILE before NON-MOTILE which I seriously doubted. Thank you, Lemonade. Your excellent expo verified that one.
I appreciated the great cluing for SOLD. That had me thinking hard for a long time. ADAM, too. I also loved Molly IVINS columns. She would have loved writing in TODAY'S charged political atmosphere.
Thanks again, JW and Lemonade for the outstanding Friday commentary.
Have a special day, everyone. I'm so glad I voted early.
It's funny how today's blogger got the political posts going. Also it's no surprise at the nature of leanings of this liberal forum. I wonder how lenient the powers at be would for any anti liberal posts.
ReplyDeleteHG big game this week end for Nebraska, go Huskers!
ReplyDeleteBEACH LOVER registers 72,000,000 hits on google; maybe it is a regional thing.
Moe, you were in good form in August.
CED, speaking of what Michelangelo did to a critic (see HG link) your Trump pic looks like he had an ear piercing at one time which I am sure must not be true.
Why is it funny that a puzzle that has the word trump in the fill would inspire political commentary 4 days before an election with Donald Trump as a candidate? What in any fashion has ever been published on my blogs suggesting my political inclination? Why do the cowardly whiners all assume the blog is liberal? If you ever get the cojones to come out of your anonymous closet and make a statement to be discussed you can email myself or any other blogger and discuss politics or pasts but leave this place alone.
ReplyDeleteI am not really familiar with Ani DeFranco or Yma Sumac outside of crosswords, so I always (ridiculously) mix them up.
ReplyDeleteExcellent puzzle. Any puzzle with LORGNETTE in it can't be all bad.
ReplyDeleteWhat is bad is the changed crosswordcorner.blogspot format. Nothing whatsoever is better or "improved." The font and layout is harder to read, and that 400 error is just plain bad programming. Whoever thought they were making the site better was dead wrong. Simply gratuitous.
LW and I mailed in our ballots yesterday. It took us 2 weeks to pore through all the propositions in detail, so we would be able to vote an informed yes or no. Not surprisingly, plenty of them deserved a resounding no. Money grabs, pure and simple.
I remember the days when "epipen" was a generic, non-trademarked term. In the military we were trained to jab our thigh with one in case of exposure to certain nerve gasses. That the Patent and Trademark Office would allow it to be trademarked seems as stupid as allowing, say, "swizzle stick" or "gas mask" to be trademarked. It's an open invitation to monopoly and greed.
Best wishes to you all.
Bill G, to me the most annoying sound that prevents me from getting to sleep is a neighbor's dog barking. If the sound were rhythmic and regular it wouldn't be so bad, and could perhaps even be soothing, but the barking is random, it starts and stops, and is irregular. I suppose jack-hammering and chainsawing would be annoying, too, since they start and stop at irregular intervals. Just when you think it has stopped, it starts up again.
ReplyDelete"Swizzlestick®". Hmmm, looks good! A product exclusively owned by Jayce, Inc. Licenses available for reasonable royalties.
ReplyDeleteLemonade, Sha-Na-Na @ Woodstock?! Whodathunk? That song seems a bit hyper for the "ambience" of that venue and decade.
ReplyDeleteHG, thanks for the cultural education in your posting of Michelangelo's painting. :-) Zebra mussels are rampant in Texas lakes. In the Outdoors section of the Barnacle (D-O's apt name), I read all the steps boaters are supposed to take even before leaving the ramp to rid their boats of any larvae - whew! Originated in the Great Lakes via St. Lawrence River. http://texasinvasives.org/zebramussels/
Bill G, add to your list - gas-powered leaf blowers (depending on throttle pressure, I think), they sound like high-pitched dentists' drills!
Have a great weekend, everyone. Houston's supposed to have a cold front (cooler temps and dry air) -- for two days. Then humidity and warmth returns, but I'm hoping my area will get some of the anticipated (zip code-sized) rains.
Yay! Hurray! Jeffrey, you've made my day! I always gasp when I see a Wechsler puzzle on a Friday because I fear I won't get anything. It filled in slowly this morning, starting at the bottom, but it filled in. Getting the theme early really helped me find more SPINs, and in the end my only issues were the MOBILE instead of the MOTILE (perp took care of that) and worry about the spelling of LORGNETTES. But in the end I got the whole thing--Woohoo!
ReplyDeleteLemonade, I loved the SNOW ANGEL in your expo.
ELLA shows up incredibly often these days, doesn't she?
One tiny nit: I agree with inanehiker that Psychologies is rarely, if ever, a Humanities major. I've taught at four different universities over the course of my career, and Psychology was always housed in the Social Sciences. But I've sort of gotten used to this blip in crossword puzzles, so when I see the item starting with a P I just guess the answer.
Have a great weekend coming up, everybody!
Jayce, thank you! All this time, I thought my ancient computer had somehow changed the format. Yes, it's harder to read so I just click on my Google Settings and enlarge the font. Tech people are always trying to come up with "new and improved." The Barnacle had an on-line chat format with typed questions to, and typed answers from, a leading sportswriter. Nope, not this season. Found out right before I went on-line, I had to create a Facebook account for the live format. And I couldn't even hear, no matter what volume settings I used. Grr
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of gas leaf blowers: I live right across the street from a 10-acre middle school campus, and the landscapers just started the blowers! In addition to all the noise/screams the kids make - gotta go back to work!
Happy Friday!
Jayce & Tx Ms -- Google decided our old format template was obsolete and forced C.C. to select a different one. She's been trying to make it as close to the old format as she can. It's a work in progress.
ReplyDeleteHere's something totally unrelated to anything. A couple of years ago I was spitting mad when our local school district built a new football stadium to the tune of $21 Million. They even sold the naming rights, just like a pro stadium. Last week I saw an article that Katy ISD -- a school district on Houston's west side is also planning to build a new football stadium with seating for 16,000. This is high school, people. The price tag for this one is a whopping $70 Million. Saturday night lights, for sure! The only words which come to mind to describe this boondoggle aren't permitted here.
Ooh, leaf blowers and barking dogs. Yep, me too.
ReplyDeleteYears ago we had a neighbor with a constantly barking dog. One time the dog was barking at one o'clock in the middle of the night. I found the guy's phone number and called him. He answered after one ring, obviously awake. I asked him to please let his dog inside. He said, "Oh, okay..." Clueless and inconsiderate.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race.
ReplyDeleteLittle by Little does the Trick.
Never Say Never.
Let me say unequivocally that the truth of these adages is never clearer than when filling a Wechsler grid. I expected a DNF, but decided to forswear any and all cheats today. Why not? Sometimes it pays to accept the full faced challenge--and dare to win or fail completely.
I don't think I have had so many write-overs in a very long time. A couple of shorties were EDEN before changing it to ADAM and of course ARAB before ARID, but my flat-out favorite was NON-MATING before NON-MOTILE. (Think about it.)
I stuck it out. And I was rewarded not only with an unassisted Win but with a real treat when I filled my final corner, down in the SE boonies, by changing ONE NOTHING to the politically inspired (& inspiring) ONE NO TRUMP!
Let me add my voice to Misty's, Woohoo!
Lemon: Nice write-up explaining my Rorschach Ink Blot (Yeah, quite a few write-overs!).
ReplyDeleteJeff: Thank you for a FUN Friday level puzzle. Enjoyed the SPIN theme.
NON MOTILE and LONGNETTES were both a learning moment. Always a PLUS!
Liked the CSO to the CUBS finally winning the World Series at 3-d, SO THIS IS IT.
Chairman Moe: I know it was a tough loss for your Cleveland Indians ... but there is absolutely nothing for them to be ashamed of ... that 7th game could have gone either way.
Cheers!
Lemonade @ 12:30ish
ReplyDeleteI haven't had too much time lately to come up with many puns and/or limericks as "the season" is kicking into gear. But thanks for the KUDOS (actually not in today's xword puzzle, but that word WAS in today's Jumble).
Also, regarding politics or political bent, I think it's wise that CC discourage it from her blog. I find far too much of it already in the mainstream social media (e.g., Facebook), so KUDOS to her, too. As for my limerick today, it's pretty timid, actually, compared to a lot of comments I see on Facebook. I'm not a bridge player, but I know the game and its terms. And I'm sure I'm not the first to connect a "NO TRUMP" with the card game and the Republican presidential nominee. But I was waiting to see if the word "trump" would appear in the LAT puzzle, and sure enough, today was the day. Whether it is a coincidence or on purpose that the word appears just 4 days before the election, is only something the editor would know.
ChairmanMoe:
ReplyDeleteI also felt bad for the Cleveland team. They looked absolutely forlorn and dejected but as Tin said, they can be proud of the way they played. I no longer watch sports but this was historic and I'm glad I saw it. Both teams played their hearts out.
As for noises to wake up the dead: I agree with all the ones listed especially weed blowers and dogs in the middle of the night or in the wee hours. In every newsletter I politely bash them and for the most part, the dog barking has somewhat lessened.
Why was the Beach Boys' "409" such a better song than Ronny & the Daytonas' "GTO"? Was the 409 a better car?
ReplyDeleteAnd why is it more important that a mystery be TAUT than any other writing? Or is it?
And when did ATTYS become ATTS?
McDonald's and White Castle's mustard and ketchup are FREEr than IHOP's syrup. You have to sit down and order to get the syrup.
The word STRIDE is not used in legal descriptions in real property deeds. The word PACE is.
Tinbeni @ 3:05 ---> maybe, but to be up 3 games to 1, and then lose both of the final two games at home was, well, more than tough. The whole seventh game, at times, almost appeared to be "staged", even though it wasn't. I mean, the Cubs blowing the lead late, the fielding errors that led to the tying score, and then finally, as if almost the "man above" was pulling for them, the rain delay that "allowed" Chicago to regroup and come through in the 10th. But throughout the series it was pretty evident that the Cubs had the better overall talent up and down the lineup, but the Tribe kept it interesting.
ReplyDeleteOh well. Check your mailbox next week . . .
D-O, yup, high school stadium expansions really make me furious. This, in light of the fact that Texas is next to the last state in terms of education. Heck, even the Texas Supreme Court weighed in our education levels. Guess Texas should be called The Friday Night Lights State rather than Lone Star. OK, I'm stepping off my soapbox now.
ReplyDeleteOh, and thanks for getting out the info that it was a Google directive.
Are there no rules governing crosswords that the clues have to be right?
ReplyDeleteWhen's the last time you got a SASE for a renewal?
Why is ATTY now ATT? Did that phone company go out of business? Psychology is now a Humanity? Geez.
A tough puzzle made tougher by clueing. Finished but again, no joy.
desper-otto, thanks for that info about Google deciding the old format template was obsolete. At least it worked. The new one is just plain broken. Thanks to C.C. for working on getting them to fix it.
ReplyDeleteAarrgghh. I just lost it all. Into the ether. So, I'll skip everything but
ReplyDelete1. Great xword Jeffrey
2. Always enjoy Lemonade write-ups.
3. Owen. No grades eh? Okay. All Bs
WC.
Hi all!
ReplyDeleteDNF. Hahtoolah, I stuck w/ an ENG doing Bridge work. And BE[SPIN]ACH LOVing was, well, how I feel about the veggie and the BEACH, so that area went undone until I crib'd from LEM and saw ENG=>DDS. Then, with a NOD, and a wink, I finished.
BTW - I did know PONG. I heard it on "From Scratch" (IIRC) where the Atari founder(?) talked about trying to get PONG into homes via Sears. My brother and I got one second-hand at a garage sale in '80-ish. Paper-route money well spent :-)
Thanks Jeff. This was a fun exercise that was daunting @1st. Your cluing is fair but, damn one has to think orthogonally! [see 9a - I too wanted a Cinnabon!]
Lem - you pointed out my other bad square too. I thought "learning day!" With TAUb xing NON MObILE. I'll take that loss in STRIDE.
Pinky & the BRAIN is a nice touch.. I loved that cartoon in college - a respite after SCI classes :-)
WOs: pols b/f ATTS; rye b/f GIN; spelt SPINAge wrong; IVaNS was spelt as such; as was ETHaNE. I may need a new PEN b/f tomorrow's effort.
ESP: ANI
Fav: 39d c/a. Very cute.
Q for the corner - Is MIASMA pronounced like "My Asthma" rhyme-y like?
OKL: {B, A, A, C-} C.Moe: {B+, A+}
HG - Yep re: EPI - pure GREED.
TXMs - oh yeah, the soup just keep getting better.
Jinx - A reply permit works just as well as a stamp in the post. I think the only difference is the recipient of the renew doesn't pay unless you use it / renew.
CED- LOL 2x face PALM. Thanks. I got boss-man to face-PALM today when he asked what else can we do to [REDACTED]. I said, in my best RASPING voice, "Heh, I knows a guy. An envelope of cash or BitCoin can, you knows..." :-).
Re: syrup... Spitz, et.al. I dares yous. Walk in to IHOP, get a decanter of syrup (Blueberry, of course) and walk out. Let's see how FREE it is :-)
Politics, Politics, Politics. I will be so glad when this election is over. Then, O'Bama (the Irish spelling) can declare Sharia Law and stay in power with our guns, in Thy mercy.
[SPIN that any way you want to - it will say more about your than me :-)]
Cheers, -T
Good points, Anon-PVX,
ReplyDeleteThe SASE is a thing of the past when it comes to subscription renewals. But then, aren't Xwds aimed at our memory-lane set?
Only those familiar with past pzls know that ATTYS is the "proper" way to treat lawyers.
I don't remember hearing the Daytonas' GTO, at least not in the original version. But when I was in Vienna in 1980, there was a German version that played over and over in our disco off the Ring. The lyrics were drummed into my head:
Kleine GTO!
Du siehst so prima aus,
und ich liebe dich zu fahren --
Komm' auf, schalten ein, wickeln auf, ausblas'n, GTO!
Dang it - I failed my own notes. Yes Jayce I recall the Army training. After the thigh injection you're supposed to bend the needle down and put it in your breast pocket so others know how many of the 3 PENS you've had. I'm thinking, during the explanation of this, that, at that point, kiss your shiny arse g'bye. C, -T
ReplyDeleteWhen I moved to Dallas one of the first thing I learned was that there were two seasons there - spring football and regular (pronounced ragler). Grapevine High School had a nicer football stadium than most OVC schools I've visited.
ReplyDeleteMy first job was at McDonald's. We sold ketchup packets for $0.02 each, or 2 for $0.03. We didn't have any mustard packets. That was the first place I ever heard of management focus on quality. Signage everywhere - Quality-Service-Cleanliness.
Ol' Man Keith, could that have been GTI?
ReplyDeleteArgyle!
ReplyDeleteActually it was GTI! - That's how I recalled it, but thought my memory was faulty--when I saw the letters in print. Can you explain the difference?
Volkswagen Rabbit GTI, sport compact. Dodge brought out Omni GLH to match it. GLH supposedly stood for Goes Like Hell. I got three if you want one.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm still wondering why it is the same song--with GTO in English. Did they use different initials in Europe?
ReplyDeleteVery late to the party today and mostly WEES. Thanks for the fun Jeffrey and Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is that I am very thankful to be a Canadian and not voting this week!
Same tune - different lyrics.
ReplyDeleteIt seems there is another GTI song with a different tune so now I'm confused.
Lyrics form old "kleiner GTI" song/commercial
08-07-2008 12:51 AM #1
Found the lyrics to this old GTI commercial which is my favorite gti commercial so I thought I would post them just for fun.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zcm4oS9IaM
Lyrics:
Kleiner GTI / Little GTI
Du siehst prima aus / well, you look so fine
Ich liebe, dich zu fahren / How I love to drive you
Hol’ die leistrung ‘raus / Let the performance shine
Hör nur, wie er sich anlasst / Listen when I start it
Steck’ den schlussel ‘rein / Stick the key in the ignition
Er ist bereit zum start / And it’s ready to go
Wie er braust / How it zips
Wie er saust, GTI. / How it zooms, GTI.
Werde bargeld, sparen / I’ll save up some money
Kauf’ den GTI / Buy a GTI
er fahrt mit mir lassig / ’cause it drives so easy
An den andren vorbei, / past the other cars
Uberholt benzinfresser / Passes all the gas-hogs
Macht mir spass dabei / Makes me smile a while
Und jedermann sagt sich dann bloss, / And everyone thinks to themselves
“Kleiner wagen-du bist gross” / “Little car - you’re grand”
Er ist bereit zum start / It’s always ready to go
Wie er braust / How it zips
Wie er saust, GTI. / How it zooms, GTI.
Wah wah… wah wah wah wah wah….
For those of you complaining about the 'new format', My HP with a 23" screen allows multiple screens at once. I open the blog with both the Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers using split screens. Since I can adjust the width to any proportion, I just squeeze one or the other until the format looks the way it is comfortable.
ReplyDeleteAnnoying sounds while trying to nap- somebody using a gas powered pressure-washer which automatically increases the volume when the washer gun is engaged. Gas powered compressors for power tools runs a close second. After Katrina 11 years ago it was constant for about at least a year in my neighborhood and we didn't flood; just wind damage. And then we had a hail storm 4 years ago and every roof in the neighborhood got replaced AGAIN.
Re politics:
ReplyDeleteWe should have never picked a candidate that the other thinks is unelectable.
Argyle!
ReplyDeleteMany, many thanks! You bring back the entire experience --including the waah waahs. In my memory I can "hear" the opening (and a few later phrases) but you've resurrected the whole sweet thing -- recalling not just the song but a delightful chunk of my student life.
Much appreciated!
~ Kf
Yes, Sears did sell Pong in the 70s. My siblings and I found it on sale in their retail store for about $90 and we decided to buy it for our father for Christmas since he loved playing it in the arcades. You hooked it up to your TV. We were so excited to give it to him on Christmas Day but then discovered that our step-siblings had given him the exact same gift!
ReplyDeleteSorry to chime in late on this, but just did the puzzle this AM, and no one seems to have mentioned that you really don't lie PRONE to make a SNOW ANGEL - you lie SUPINE (on your back). Right?
ReplyDeleteRight you are. The service taught us how to shoot from the prone position. It would take a trick-shot artist to shoot from the supine position.
ReplyDelete