Theme: L&N - Ellen(el and en).
16A . Shellfish dish in a cream sauce: LOBSTER NEWBERG
24A . Drivers' ID figures: LICENSE NUMBERS
41A. Chemical used for quick freezing: LIQUID NITROGEN
54A. The Times in Los Angeles, e.g.: LOCAL NEWSPAPER
62A. Popular afternoon talk show, familiarly, and a homophonic hint to this puzzle's four longest answers: ELLEN
Argyle here but instead of Ellen, I'm here with Sarah, plain and tall. To tell the truth, I didn't notice the puzzle was 14 wide and 16 tall until I went to print it out. So all the grid spanners are only 14 letters. Still a fine puzzle despite starting with HAJJI.
Across:
1. Pilgrim to Mecca: HAJJI
6. Give and take: SWAP
10. Bay Area airport letters: SFO. San Francisco International Airport
13. Hang trimmings on: ADORN. When does your tree come down?
14. Folded Mexican fare: TACO
15. Head, slangily: NOB. 1690-1700; perhaps variant of knob.
19. WWII spy gp.: OSS. (Office of Strategic Services)
20. Feature of some sweatshirts: HOOD
21. Poetic tribute: ELEGY
22. Subtle facial signal: WINK
23. Ready for ice skating: FROZEN. The first ice shanties are appearing on the lakes. Some day I intend to take a trip eastward and find the line where an ice shanty becomes a bobhouse.
28. Convention clip-on: ID TAG
29. Genetic material: DNA
30. Fringe benefit: PERK
31. Swiss currency: FRANC
33. Clotheshorse: FOP
36. "My gal" of song: SAL. The nearest we'll get to Erie today.
37. Visibly nervous: QUAKY
38. Exhort: URGE
39. Prefix with cycle: UNI
40. Irritant "in your side": THORN
47. Stores, as ashes: INURNS. Yes, we've had it before.
48. Ark builder: NOAH
49. Rub off the board: ERASE
50. "Will you let me?": "MAY I?"
51. Texter's "Wow!": [OMG]
57. Acorn tree: OAK
58. Moon goddess: LUNA
59. Eastern guru: SWAMI
60. Part of wpm: Abbr.: WDS. (words)
61. Capp of comics: ANDY. You may find him in the snack aisle.
Down:
1. Saintly glow: HALO
2. Big fusses: ADOs
3. Steve who co-founded Apple: JOBS
4. Some sons: Abbr.: JRs
5. Latest fad: IN THING
6. Scoring unit, in golf: STROKE
7. Tool needed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: WAND
8. Expert: ACE
9. Apple computer discontinued in 2006: POWER MAC
10. Hay fever symptom: SNEEZE
11. Painter of fakes: FORGER
12. MDs that bring out the kid in you?: OBGYNs. (Obstetrician/Gynecologist)
17. Ages: EONS
18. Oozy gunk: BLOB
22. Watered down: WEAK
23. __ bone (no laughing matter, really): FUNNY
24. ChapStick targets: LIPS. Not chop sticks, eh?
25. Creative process output: IDEA
26. PC key: CTRL
27. Minn. neighbor: N. DAK
31. "Slush" moneys: FUNDS
32. Word with drop or fall: RAIN
33. Kissable fairy tale figure: FROG
34. Less kissable fairy tale figure: OGRE. Cute pairing.
35. State founder William: PENN
37. Exacta relative: QUINELLA. A bet in which the first two places in a race must be predicted, but not necessarily in the correct order. The exacta must be predicted in the correct order.
38. "I was afraid of this": "UH OH!"
40. Walk aimlessly: TRAIPSE
41. Stay under the radar: LIE LOW
42. Bit of progress: INROAD
43. Duck calls: QUACKS
44. __ Major: Big Dipper constellation: URSA. The Big Bear.
45. More or less: IN A WAY
46. Mattel specialty: TOYS
50. Fix: MEND
51. October birthstone: OPAL
52. Viral internet phenomenon: MEME. Yes, we've had it before.
53. Put on a happy face: GRIN
55. Religious sister: NUN
56. Leatherwork tool: AWL
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
1) Here is a great article about our constructor Bruce Haight. Bruce was rejected 38 times in a row and he never gave up. 38 puzzles are the result of hundreds of ideas (often only one puzzle is made after 10 or more idea brainstorming, Cruciverb checking, etc). Now Bruce is one of the top constructors in the business, constantly striving for originality and innovation.
2) Happy Birthday to Dudley, who's been with the blog for over six years. Dudley has his own plane and can fly anywhere on a whim. Dudley started the "Rabbit, Rabbit" tradition on our blog. It's said at the start of each month for good luck. This picture was taken during Montana's visit to Northeast in September, 2013.
1) Here is a great article about our constructor Bruce Haight. Bruce was rejected 38 times in a row and he never gave up. 38 puzzles are the result of hundreds of ideas (often only one puzzle is made after 10 or more idea brainstorming, Cruciverb checking, etc). Now Bruce is one of the top constructors in the business, constantly striving for originality and innovation.
2) Happy Birthday to Dudley, who's been with the blog for over six years. Dudley has his own plane and can fly anywhere on a whim. Dudley started the "Rabbit, Rabbit" tradition on our blog. It's said at the start of each month for good luck. This picture was taken during Montana's visit to Northeast in September, 2013.
 |
| Left to right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana |
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle, Bruce. Swell expo, Santa!
I certainly admire your determination, Bruce!
Did not know QUINELLA. Everything else OK.
Happy birthday, Dudley!
A friend brought over remnants of a turkey dinner and I am still stuffed to the gills. (Shouldn't have pigged out.)
Have a great day!
Gaah! FIW¡ Ironically, the culprit was oH-OH instead of UH-OH, and not noticing the perp oRGE (or maybe confusing it with the crossing OGRE).
ReplyDelete{A-, A, B+, B+, A-, A.}
I'd URGE you all, take a lesson from me:
Don't trust your eyes for all that you see!
A WINK might mean "oh, ho!"
Or it could be "UH-OH¡"
The size of her boyfriend determines which it will be!
You might kiss a FROG, but no LIPS touch an OGRE,
Any URGE to do so would be killed by their odor!
There's no smellier race,
And they'll SNEEZE in your face --
Not unlike your spouse when vacation is over!
In LIQUID NITROGEN he wanted his body.
ReplyDeleteIt cost to be FROZEN, the price wasn't shoddy!
So his capsule he'd rent
For log-rolling events --
He figured that corpsicle still needed a hobby!
As you read through the pages of your LOCAL NEWSPAPERS
You can TRAIPSE through stories of criminal capers;
Let the editorial pique
Leave you QUAKY and WEAK;
But it's the puzzle page that will give you the vapors!
The watery end of his life was auspicious;
The wake that followed fit people's wishes.
This poem is his ELEGY,
His eulogy was from ELLEN D.,
Who said for us all, "That LOBSTER was delicious!"
ANDY had a habit that IN A WAY might suggest
His reasoning POWER was less than the best:
He kept a large vase nearby,
So when a MEME caught his eye
He'd drop in a copy -- he was URNING interest!
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteWhen I printed the puzzle out of the Barnacle this morning, I noticed that no creator was listed. Guess the 16X14 grid pushed Bruce off the bottom of the print window. Only minor problems with this one. Tried ENURNS, and read the clue as "Partner of fakes." No biggie. Just a few minutes and it was AWL done. Thanx Bruce and Argyle.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Dudley. Tough having a birthday during Holiday week.
Did not see the 14 x 16 grid variation until Argyle pointed it out. Got cheated out of a square.
After the NW, skipped to the SE where the L N unifier was clued. Immediately filled in LIQUID NITROGEN and LOCAL NEWSPAPER, and pretty much skipped home. Thanks Bruce.
Good Morning, AWL.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bruce for another fine offering. This was pretty smooth. I didn't see the theme, but found the long fill pretty doable without it. I always need a fearless tour guide like, Argyle, to clarify what I have done. Thanks to both of you.
URSA makes me think of my second grandson who loves the night sky. He's almost 11; for his 9th birthday, we bought him a very decent telescope because I knew he would take care of it. He took the box, put a Do Not Disturb sign on his bedroom door, came out with the perfectly assembled scope, and walked outside to check out the February sky. He also has an iPad app that he points to the sky to identify the stars. He's a little farther from city lights so he has a better sky to start with. I've always been very big on buying my kids (and grandkids) REAL "toys," so they can learn how to use them properly. I've also taught all of them to use sharp knives and scissors with care and precision--much to the consternation of my mom and MIL.
Happy Birthday, Dudley!! Enjoy your day. Lots of December birthdays here. Looks like somebody's parents used to turn the heat off March 1st. . . . ;)
Have a relaxing day, everyone.
ReplyDeleteSort of an up and down day with sections that filled in easily and sections that needed some wags. As an example, I wanted nog (short for noggin) for 15A but I was pretty sure 12D was OBGYNS, so I wagged NOB.
And as usual never picked up on the theme so I wanted daily instead of LOCAL for 54A. Perps took care of that issue.
ANDY Capp was discontinued by our LOCAL NEWSPAPER several years ago. Still upset about it, but I occasionally google the strip. One strip I've always remembered is the landlord standing outside the Capps door shouting rent. The next frame the reply is shouted from the inside Spent and the final frame is the landlords expression.
My one learning moment of the day is QUAKY. Never heard of it, never have used it and I likely never will. I confidently entered shaky for 37A until FUNDS convinced me shaky "weren't" gonna fly.
ReplyDeleteI dig it again.....
Dudley, did not mean to ignore you. A very happy birthday. Hard to believe it's already over three years since we had lunch with Marti & Montana.
Nice puzzle today. Erased antsY for QUAKY, but the rest was smooth sailing. I've never seen or heard of a QUAKY person. Getting the L&N theme early helped me get LOCAL NEWSPAPER for the Times. Otherwise I would have been trying to force-fit something like "pinko fish wrapper", being more of an Orange County Register kind of guy.
ReplyDeleteI like the word MEME. Most of them seem to be me-me themed. They have become trendy parts of TV reportage on cable news.
But the best parts of today's encounter were Santa's presents - the picture of Marti, Dudley, Hondo and Montanna as well as Bruce's story of sticktoitivity.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteEasy romp today. Liquid Nitrogen is fun stuff - between school and various jobs, I've played with it quite a lot over the years. You have to be careful, of course.
Morning Argyle, I'm not sure I understood the Sarah reference at the top of your post - maybe you have a guest?
Thanks for the birthday greetings, all. Spitz is right, it's a crummy time of year to fit in a personal fête. Hondo, you're so right too, that time passed quickly - and I miss Marti's presence here at the Corner. I invited her for a visit earlier in the year, but her schedule didn't permit it. It's nice that we have Montana back on board.
Don't remember LOBSTER NEWBuRG spelled NEWBeRG. Regionalism? Because the city of Newburgh is in my Hudson Valley? Is either actually "correct"?
ReplyDeleteMadam Defarge - My grandparents were married on the day of the winter solstice. My grandfather openly said it was because it was the shortest day and longest night of the year. Mores and morals have changed significantly, but that was a meaningful statement in those days. They had 12 children, 11 of whom survived to adulthood.
ReplyDeleteSmooth puzzle with just a little crunch for Tuesday - I get to stay home for a few days while my daughter is still visiting from Seattle.
ReplyDeleteI use liquid nitrogen in the office to freeze warts - I let the kids dump out the extra on the floor after I'm done for a little fun as they watch it evaporate in a foggy cloud. Takes away a little of the post freeze sting for them as it thaws on their hand.
Thanks Argyle and Bruce!
Happy birthday Dudley!
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle Bruce - I am also impressed by your determination!
Thanks Argyle- I didn't see the L & N (El and en) theme until I read your write up.
Pretty smooth sailing except I had aura instead of HALO. HAJJI wouldn't come to me until JOBS and JRS. QUINELLA was new to me and I also had shaky instead of QUAKY.
Favorites were the pairing of FROG and OGRE, OBGYN ( cute clue!) WAND - I'm a huge Harry Potter fan so always enjoy any reference to the books ( in fact, our dog is named Albus for Professor Dumbledore).
ANDYCAPP - I loved this cartoon as a child in the 70's. Not sure why it appealed to me given the content, lol :) The Andy Capp hot fries are a favorite of my DH and youngest daughter. I haven't been able to find them for awhile so they make do with the Frito-Lay 'Chester's' that are nicely priced at $2 a bag. They claim they aren't as good as the Andy Capps though.
Happy Birthday, Dudley!
Wishing you all a great day! It is sunny here now but cold again. Yesterday was 67 degrees but rainy. Definitely not typical Dec weather but we always joke that in Cincinnati we can experience all four Seasons in one week ;)
To quote Hondo, "I dig it again....."
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Dudley. Sorry I missed it first time around.
Madame Defarge, there are also lots of September birthdays on the blog. The result of holiday spirits, methinks.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Bruce Haight, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteDid this one at 3:00 in the morning via cruciverb. My wife got a kidney stone and had to go to the emergency room. She expected to be there for four or five hours so I came home. I slept awhile and she called when she was ready, so I contacted Lyft and got her a ride in 7 minutes. While I waited for her I did the puzzle. Linda has a 3 mm stone and they expect she will pass it eventually. She feels better this morning.
Of course I spelled HADJI as this. Fixed it later to HAJJI with Steve JOBS.
Got the LOBSTER part easy enough, but had to wait for some perps for the NEWBERG part. I do not eat lobster so it is not familiar to me.
QUAKY is kind of a new word. Makes sense.
INURNS was slow in coming with the spelling. LIE LOW fixed that.
I think of the L A Times as more of a national newspaper than a local newspaper. I guess technically the term is correct. Maybe L A is almost a nation of its own.
This popular afternoon talk show, ELLEN, I have never seen. I also did not notice the grid layout change. Maybe because I was on my IPad and you cannot see the whole grid at once. With a newspaper it would have stuck out a little.
Good word Quinella. Not one you see every day, unless you are in that racing venue.
25 degrees this morning in NE Illinois. Not bad for this time of year. Most of our snow melted with the rain and warm temperatures we had over the last couple days. I am sure we will get more, though.
Happy Birthday, Dudley, and many more! Nice seeing that picture again. I remember it from when it first was published.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
I am onboard with Bruce being very talented and QUAKY being a bs word. The rest was easy.
ReplyDeleteIt is striking how fast time flies; soon we will celebrate 9 years of C.C.'s blog
HBDTY Dudley and many more
JINX, my anniversary is also 12-21 and I used the same line when discussing the date.
Be safe all
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteSeeing Bruce's byline practically guarantees an enjoyable solve and this was no exception. I realized that all of the theme answers were L N combinations but filling in "Ellen" was an aha, frosting-on-the-cake moment! No nits, no hiccups, no harm, no foul! I, too, missed the different grid size.
Thanks, Bruce, for a fun romp and thanks, Argyle, for the terrific tour.
Happy Birthday, Dudley, hope it's a special day. 🎂🎁🍾🎉 (I've often heard that the numerous December birthdays might be tied into St. Paddy's Day "shenanigans!" 🍻🍻🍻 ☘☘☘)
Have a great day.
The LN didn't pop out initially because LOBSTER NEWBERG and POWER MAC were both unknowns but easy fills. ELLEN was filled by perps and I read the clue after I finished. And not following the ponies, QUINELLA would be a difficult one for many people ( including me). Exacta, Daily Double, Quinella- many ways to make a sucker bet.
ReplyDeleteNOB- not a word I've heard before for 'head'.
HAJJ is a weirdly spelled word but calling a person who goes to Mecca a HAJJI seems weirder. But considering an Iranian is an IRANI and we have OMANIs & YEMENIs, it's all in the Middle East.
HONDO-Andy Capp was also discontinued by our LOCAL NEWSPAPER, not because it was not popular. I heard from multiple sources that it was because it was making fun of a bum who lives on welfare and refuses to get a job. It wasn't considered politically correct by some of the 'community leaders' who asked for it to be removed from the paper.
Dudley- Liquid Nitrogen- I'm on the receiving end every couple of months when I visit the dermatologist.
After reading Bruce's story, it's obvious that he's 'smarter than the average bear'.
Had SHAKY before the unknown as clued word QUAKY; had FLYLOW before LIELOW. Other than that, smooth sailing. Late start today due to TMI reasons. Nice CW, thanx, Bruce. Nice write-up, thanx, Argyle. Owen, u musta switched to espresso in the morning, judging by your output!! Nuff.
ReplyDeleteA VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DUDLEY! Yes, a December birthday is sometimes disappointing but my family and friends make sure we celebrate as I suppose yours do, too. Perhaps these winter births are due to spring when "love is in the air."
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bruce, for a fun frolic today. Luckily we've seen HAJJI many times and in various forms and having read all of Dick Francis's books, QUINELLA came immediately to mind. If you don't know, his constant theme is horse racing.
ANDY Capp and Mutts are published in the penultimate page of the Scottsdale news, a separate section of the Arizona Republic. They're inserted with the puzzle page, though not CWs which are in the comics section.
Thank you, Santa Argyle. I hope you've had a good rest after the weary weekend efforts.
Have a marvelous day, everyone!
Happy Birthday Dudley, and good day to all!
ReplyDeleteQUINELLA is a new term for me as I don't follow horse racing. Hand up for NOg before NOB. Saw the LN in each theme answer, but needed the reveal to see ELLEN. Thanks, Bruce, for today's offering, and thanks, Argyle, for the expo.
Enjoy the day!
Dudley, I could curl up with "Sarah, Plain and Tall" (book & film) if she was really here. No, I referenced her because I felt the puzzle was plain and tall, that's all.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle today. Thanks Bruce and Argyle.
ReplyDeleteGreat work today Owen.
Hand up for Shaky before QUAKY (love Jinx's Antsy!)and waiting for perps for proper spelling of HAJJI. I did see the extra squares to the right on the Mensa site and I did get the theme!
Like Bunny M, I LOLed at clue for OBGYNS, and I also enjoyed the paired clues of FROG and OGRE. Good for the FUNNY BONE.
Madame D, I agree with you about buying children the REAL thing. Granddaughter has a real stethoscope.
I do read Dick Francis but didn't remember QUINELLA.
I cringed as I filled in LICENSE. In Canada (and UK), LICENSE is a verb and LicenCe is the noun. Right Steve?
Happy Birthday Dudley.
Abejo, I hope your wife feels better soon.
It would be impossible to set out your ice shanty here without drowning. After the rain we had yesterday, the snow is disappearing.
Good morning all. Thank you Bruce and Argyle.
ReplyDeleteWow Bruce ! Talk about the power of will.
Happy Birthday Dudley !
Never heard of QUINELLA. Easily perped. Never saw the clue for EONS and never saw the clue for FOP, but I enjoyed the adjacent kissable and less than kissable clues.
My dad called my B-I-L "Punxsutawney Bill" because he was born not to far from Gobbler's kNOB. For the longest time I thought it was Gobbler's NOB.
One of my golfing friends never has a bad LIE. He doesn't count all of those fluffs as STROKEs. We all know it and accept it. Machts nichts. One day last summer when he was on the opposite side of the fairway in the other cart and wasn't looking, I jumped out of my cart and put his ball on a tee in the first cut of the rough. The ball was sitting up beautifully (and impossibly) of the blade tips of the grass. "Man, that's sitting up really nice !" He never noticed the tee and smashed his three wood to the front of the green on the par five. A beautiful shot. He was high as a kite with that shot until my partner spilled the beans and pointed to the tee on the ground. Couldn't stop laughing.
Musings
ReplyDelete-The L_N_ stood out but I missed the reveal because everything else filled in
-“MD’s that bring out the kid in you” was worth the price of admission!!
-We had a memorial yesterday with my Uncle’s URN displayed and much talk about his mother OPAL
-I dealt with the nicest TSA agent in the world at SFO recently
-Xmas ADORNMENTS come down after Jan 1
-This WINK drew an NBA technical foul yesterday
-Don Knott’s career started as a QUAKY man on the Steve Allen show
-Should I have caught this FORGERY?
-My daughter kissed a few match.com FROGS before she got a wonderful prince
-A commercial for my fav Mattel TOY (1:11)
-Name the movie where this still smokin’ hot woman falls for these two guys on a FROZEN lake?
-Happy Birthday to Dudley and, yup, I miss Marti too!
Rest In Peace, Princess Leia.
ReplyDeleteGood morning all and Happy Birthday Dudley!
ReplyDeleteUnusual day for me as I got the theme quickly which helped with my time. Unfortunately I left a hole. . The other j in hajji, because I never thought of jars and refused to put in a b for brothers. Had a few minor changes and questioned quaky. I'm a bit shaky at times, but NEVER quaky. Love the sound of the new word, quinella.
So thanks for the fun Bruce and hats off to you once more, Argyle. Enjoyed singing along with The Erie Canal...hadn't forgotten the words.
Enjoy your day.
Jobs! Tsk...I did not preview.
ReplyDelete-Carrie Fisher’s humor and pain! A well spent hour.
ReplyDeleteHi all and Happy Birthday to Dudley!
ReplyDeleteA tame theme more than made up for by awesome fill (you learned!* :-)). Thanks for such a fun puzzle Bruce. Thanks Argyle for the expo (and explaining yourself re: Sarah).
WOs: aura b/f HALO (Hi Bunny M.); oHOH b/f I got the URGE to fix, er, MEND it.
ESPs: ELEGY & QUINELLA
Sparkle: FROG OGRE clecho juxtaposed; Chapstick (just 'cuz of yesterday); c/a for OBGYNs (I'm w/ you HG!); MEME and IN THING made me GRIN.
Fav: c/a 'Give and Take' / SWAP 'cuz it's so literal but seldom how the phrase is used.
"Slush" Moneys = FUNDS is a close second.
{A-,B+,C,A,A-,C+}
Jinx (and Lem): LOL 12/21 wedding date! Seven nights of sex makes one WEAK.
HG - SFO has Private Security [Marketplace from PRI]. Maybe that's why they're friendlier - they're easier to sac.
RIP Carrie Fisher :-(. Thanks for the link HG.
Cheers, -T
*I read what Shortz said of your cluing. I've been rejected by NYT only once... 37 more to go before I'm published I guess :-)
Nothing against Argyle's SAL link, but it states that mule power was motorized in 1905. The redevelopment now called the Erie Barge canal was completed in 1918. Its major branch the Champlain canal was completed in the same decade. The older Champlain canal with it mule towpath ran through our farm and it had become part of our cow pasture. The cows always had a place to drink, or wade and cool off on a hot Summer's day.
ReplyDeleteCool puzzle. As Husker Gary said, "MDs that bring out the kid in you" was worth the price of admission. Didn't know QUINELLA, and TRIFECTA fit, which caused me all sorts of grief in that area for a while. Sometimes places in California get QUAKY. Also in Chile and New Zealand. I vaguely remember the name Haji Baba when I was a kid, but don't remember where I heard it or read it. 1001 Arabian Nights, maybe? (No, I'm not getting it confused with Ali Baba, whom I know is a different guy.) I never did like the Andy Capp comic; the guy is just too abusive for my taste.
ReplyDeleteMadame Defarge, great story about your grandson.
Happy birthday, Dudley, and warm wishes to you all.
I think somebody at the LA Times is confused about what nob is slang for.
ReplyDeleteHgary:
ReplyDeleteI meant to comment that in the film, Grumpy Old Men, was the first I had heard of and seen those ice houses.
Thanks Northwest Runner, Good to know I'm not the only one w/ my mind in the gutter... :-). C, -T
ReplyDeleteHappy B'Day to Dudley!
ReplyDeleteOK - I'll bite. What is this "Rabbit rabbit" tradition? Anything to do with the "Wascally Wabbit" we all love and admire?
Keith, here is one explanation of the rabbit, rabbit tradition.
ReplyDeleteAha!
ReplyDeleteIn-depth research (courtesy of Wikipedia) reveals that "Rabbit Rabbit" is a variant of an old British (and New England-ish) tradition (called "Rabbits" or "White Rabbits") dating as far back as 1909, whereby the speaker says "Rabbit Rabbit" upon awakening on the first day of a new week, month, year, or any period of time for which special luck is desired.
A problem with this form of OCD is that one must get it right, or it can backfire! One may not obtain good luck, and it may even draw misfortune if done in a frivolous or wrong manner. To add to the complexity is that some believe firmly that the speaker must say "Rabbit" THREE times--"Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit"-- for it to be effective. It strikes me that this conflict injects a serious failure factor into the practice.
Among famous practitioners was FDR. I wonder which version he favored.
Hm. Maybe if the speaker goes with the threepeat version, and then adds one more "Rabbits," the Fates may hear either double the "Rabbit Rabbit" (and grant twice the Mojo) or take it as a single "Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit" (plus one to grow on). Maybe.
I know it is a tricky proposition trying to out-trick the Fates, but...
I don't think the Fates can be too picky, considering that another accepted version of "Rabbits" is to shout "Bunny" or say "I love (or hate) grey rabbits" quickly in order to ward off campfire smoke that blows in your face. Forgive me if I seem critical, but I have a feeling that some folk may be trying to wring more power than is warranted from our little lapin friends.
Thanks, Northwest Runner!
ReplyDeleteTurns out I was pounding away at my tome while you were generous enough to send your help. I appreciate the courtesy!
~ Kf
BTW, did you also happen to catch this version? (Dudley, I dunno: this may pack more punch than you're looking for.)
"...it must be 'White Rabbit' ... but you must also say 'Brown Rabbit' at night and walk downstairs backwards." Reported in a small survey that took place in Exeter, Devon in 1972.
I knocked off this excellent Tue xw about 4:00 pm then dozed off reading the blog.
ReplyDeleteLots of great links. Carrie Fisher, very sudden. RIP. However, I always thought of Star Wars as a farce. The first actual acting was done by the young Anakin character.
Quinella was a very poor bet but at Derby lane I liked the $1.00 trifecta. Which if done right was a $24.00 bet; it's too easy for a fourth dog to slip into the three dog pack. OK. TMI.
I always had HAJJI as Hajira. Or Hagira the English version of the "Flight" of Mohammed to Medina. I'm guessing HAJJI is related to that. Is there an Arabic scholar in the house?
SWAMI Wilbur
Oops. Owen, you must be adding vanilla to your decaf. Fascinating stuff. Luvit.
Ps2. Thanks Lemonade for a great write-up. HBD Dudley.
Argyle:
ReplyDeleteMy tree and decorations all come down on New Year's Day.
Lucina - I would have expected take-down on 12th night (1/5/17) from, of all Cornerites, you :-)
ReplyDeleteIf anyone has 12 min to do nothing but laugh Falk roasting Sinatra. I stumbled upon this chasing Carrie Fisher vids. OMG, it's funny. I shared w/ MIL and she too enjoyed (and probably got more jokes than I). Cheers, -T
AnonT, I enjoyed seeing Columbo again. Oh, just one more thing...
ReplyDelete