Theme: None
Words: 68 (missing Q,X)
Blocks: 30
First Saturday LA Times crossword for Mr. Stowe, as far as I can tell;
his other constructions have made it on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Three more for the "complete set". I did quite well with this one, just
one cheat for a proper name in the NE so I could get started up
in that corner. Lots of "nailed it" answers for me today, and they're
especially pleasing when the crossings jibe. Triple 10-letter Across
corners, two 11-letter climbers and a 13-letter spanner;
10. Rectangular Manhattan attraction : CENTRAL PARK - I really
need to see more of this place; all I really know about the spot is what
I have seen in TV shows ( Law & Order, e.g. ), and this great scene
from the movie "Die Hard with a Vengeance"
23. Conversational softener : JUST KIDDING
Raymond was "just kidding"
33. Its Gold Medal features a profile of Franklin : PULITZER PRIZE - learning moment for me
Game-ON-WARD~!
ACROSS:
1. Neutral : ACHROMATIC
- with regard to color; in music, a 'chromatic' scale includes all
twelve notes of a scale - which reminds me of this 'song'; if you grew
up with "Headbanger's Ball", you might recognize it
And here's a clip on how to play the song
11. Farm animals : EWES - I tried SOWS first
15. Reacts to staying up, perhaps : SLEEPS LATE - I gotta sleep late Sunday, have a semi-overnight at the restaurant to prep for fireproofing the ceiling
16. "St. Matthew and the Angel" painter Guido : RENI - my cheat
17. The Hugo Awards are presented at one : CONVENTION
- I am in New York City today - my buddy Mike with the games company
has a booth at the Javits Center for the Toy/Games Convention, and I am
going to bring two of the three board games I 'invented'
18. What hearts may do : RACE - 2017 is off to a good start - someone new makes my heart race
19. Queen __ Revenge: Blackbeard's ship : ANNE'S - good WAG
20. Reams : A LOT
21. Mil. addresses : APOs
22. Tree in a carol : PEAR - you'll find the Partridge there
23. Some subordinates: Abbr. : JRs
24. Turn in : RAT OUT - ah. Not RETIRE
26. __-chef : SOUS - I know the guys who fill this role at the restaurants
28. Home to many warthogs : SAVANNA - that's the area of Africa, not the state of Georgia (OK, different spelling, but I thought it was funny )
29. Eastern servants : AMAHs - couldn't remember this at first
31. Store accessibly : FILE
32. With 37-Across, "No problem" : IT'S - circumreferential to; 37. See 32-Across : OKAY
36. Vintage tape format : VHS
38. Moore co-star : ASNER - another WAG
39. Like thou, say : ARCHAIC - nailed it, and spelled it correctly
41. Three-time Tour de France champion LeMond : GREG
42. See 48-Across : POLAND - partial referential clue to; 48. __-Neisse Line, western border of 42-Across : ODER
43. Albanian currency : LEK
44. Traipse : ROAM
49. Two-point contest? : DUEL - har-har
51. 122-square-mile republic : MALTA
52. "Green Mansions" heroine played by Audrey Hepburn : RIMA - I tried riTa, did not get my ta-DA~!; checked the crossing, and oops
53. Plus : IN ADDITION - nailed it
55. 1860s-'70s Black Hawk War combatants : UTES
56. Digital emergency signal : NINE-ONE-ONE
57. Uncle __ : BEN'S - another shot in the dark that was correct
58. Become decent? : GET DRESSED - nailed it - hah~!
DOWN:
1. Songwriters' org. : ASCAP - American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
2. Knockoff : CLONE - makes me think of the street vendors in NYC - wow, that's a good price for a Rolex~!
3. Salon coloring : HENNA
4. U-turn : REVERSAL
5. "... the morning __ her golden gates": Shakespeare : OPES
6. Yahoo! alternative : MSN - dah, not AOL
7. Rite sites : ALTARS
8. Apes' lack : TAILS - humans, too
9. "__, Sing America": Hughes : I, TOO
11. Improved book list? : ERRATA
12. Adapt in a dangerous way : WEAPONIZE
13. Come across : ENCOUNTER
14. Naps : SIESTAS
25. Not inclined : AVERSE
27. Toledo native : OHIOAN - I was an Ohioan for two and a half years - worked on a made-for-TV movie there
28. Military address : SIR
29. Venus counterpart : APHRODITE - nailed it from --RH--E
30. Goons : MUSCLEMEN - "goon" is the affectionate name for the fighters in hockey games, too
31. "Bossypants" memoirist : FEY - Tina, of SNL fame
34. Efron who voiced Ted in "The Lorax" : ZAC
35. Thankless bunch : INGRATES
36. Product originally called Croup and Pneumonia Salve : VAPO-RUB - this reminds me of SNL, too
40. Give a hard time : HARASS
41. Fixed, in a way : GELDED - oh, that kind of fix
43. Rested (against) : LEANT
45. Hodgepodges : OLIOs - making a return on Saturdays recently
46. Fix things : ATONE - oh, that kind of fix
47. Shaggy : MANED - I was "maned" back in my Headbanger's Ball days
50. Together, in Toulouse : UNIE - Frawnche
51. Vein locale : MINE
54. "L'Âge __": Buñuel-Dalí surrealist film : DOR - perps
18. What hearts may do : RACE - 2017 is off to a good start - someone new makes my heart race
19. Queen __ Revenge: Blackbeard's ship : ANNE'S - good WAG
20. Reams : A LOT
21. Mil. addresses : APOs
22. Tree in a carol : PEAR - you'll find the Partridge there
23. Some subordinates: Abbr. : JRs
24. Turn in : RAT OUT - ah. Not RETIRE
26. __-chef : SOUS - I know the guys who fill this role at the restaurants
28. Home to many warthogs : SAVANNA - that's the area of Africa, not the state of Georgia (OK, different spelling, but I thought it was funny )
29. Eastern servants : AMAHs - couldn't remember this at first
31. Store accessibly : FILE
32. With 37-Across, "No problem" : IT'S - circumreferential to; 37. See 32-Across : OKAY
36. Vintage tape format : VHS
38. Moore co-star : ASNER - another WAG
39. Like thou, say : ARCHAIC - nailed it, and spelled it correctly
41. Three-time Tour de France champion LeMond : GREG
42. See 48-Across : POLAND - partial referential clue to; 48. __-Neisse Line, western border of 42-Across : ODER
43. Albanian currency : LEK
44. Traipse : ROAM
49. Two-point contest? : DUEL - har-har
51. 122-square-mile republic : MALTA
52. "Green Mansions" heroine played by Audrey Hepburn : RIMA - I tried riTa, did not get my ta-DA~!; checked the crossing, and oops
53. Plus : IN ADDITION - nailed it
55. 1860s-'70s Black Hawk War combatants : UTES
56. Digital emergency signal : NINE-ONE-ONE
57. Uncle __ : BEN'S - another shot in the dark that was correct
58. Become decent? : GET DRESSED - nailed it - hah~!
1. Songwriters' org. : ASCAP - American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
2. Knockoff : CLONE - makes me think of the street vendors in NYC - wow, that's a good price for a Rolex~!
3. Salon coloring : HENNA
4. U-turn : REVERSAL
5. "... the morning __ her golden gates": Shakespeare : OPES
6. Yahoo! alternative : MSN - dah, not AOL
7. Rite sites : ALTARS
8. Apes' lack : TAILS - humans, too
9. "__, Sing America": Hughes : I, TOO
11. Improved book list? : ERRATA
12. Adapt in a dangerous way : WEAPONIZE
13. Come across : ENCOUNTER
14. Naps : SIESTAS
25. Not inclined : AVERSE
27. Toledo native : OHIOAN - I was an Ohioan for two and a half years - worked on a made-for-TV movie there
28. Military address : SIR
29. Venus counterpart : APHRODITE - nailed it from --RH--E
30. Goons : MUSCLEMEN - "goon" is the affectionate name for the fighters in hockey games, too
31. "Bossypants" memoirist : FEY - Tina, of SNL fame
34. Efron who voiced Ted in "The Lorax" : ZAC
35. Thankless bunch : INGRATES
36. Product originally called Croup and Pneumonia Salve : VAPO-RUB - this reminds me of SNL, too
40. Give a hard time : HARASS
41. Fixed, in a way : GELDED - oh, that kind of fix
43. Rested (against) : LEANT
45. Hodgepodges : OLIOs - making a return on Saturdays recently
46. Fix things : ATONE - oh, that kind of fix
47. Shaggy : MANED - I was "maned" back in my Headbanger's Ball days
50. Together, in Toulouse : UNIE - Frawnche
51. Vein locale : MINE
54. "L'Âge __": Buñuel-Dalí surrealist film : DOR - perps
Splynter
44 comments:
Greetings!
Thanks to Craig and Splynter!
A rare Saturday with no cheats and a modest amount of time involved. (This means practically everyone else will feel the same.) Felt good after I plugged in ACHROMATIC with only a few letters.
Did scratch head at RIMA.
A real gulley washer today. Can't wait to see what else was knocked down or damaged. Sure.
Have a great day!
For a Saturday, not too hard! Yes, I had a few write-overs, and for a bit thought the NE was going to defeat me, but in the end got my ta-da without any help!
{A, B+, B-, B.}
For the HUGO AWARDS, there's A LOT of contention
In the RACE leading up to the WorldCon CONVENTION!
In the Sci-Fi fans' eyes
It's a PULITZER PRIZE
That goes to the author of the weirdest invention!
At an ARCHAIC ALTAR, in an Egyptian redoubt,
A sun-priest named APOS a spy did RAT OUT!
Pharaoh was no INGRATE.
He let the priest SLEEP LATE.
IN ADDITION he went fanatic, a holy RA TOUT!
I've heard that the reason to say NINE-ONE-ONE
When AVERSE situations need medics to come,
Is because in the stress
Of which buttons to press,
The eleven key seems to hide, just for fun!
Said the goat to the EWES, "You do his bidding.
The shepherd controls you. Is that really living?"
"Since we're each a CLONE,
We're content to not ROAM.
We lamb from beakers, while you are JUST KIDDING!"
Good morning!
Sailed through this one in fine fashion...well, almost. Tried RETIRE for "Turn in" until AVERSE became apparent. Remembered RIMA -- I read Green Mansions while in high school. Otherwise, this was a Saturday romp. I liked all the 8s, 9s and 10s. Thanx, Craig.
Splynter, does the new heart-throb know that you have heart-RACEy feelings?
It's funny that sometimes you can get stuck on one thought for a clue and refuse to let go but I didn't have that problem today. After a slow start with a few gimmes-ODER, FEY,LEK and GREG Lemond- I gained momentum and finished gaining speed after I was about to throw in the towel after 5 minutes. Military addresses flipped between APO & SIR, my heart would BEAT, ACHE, PINE, and then RACE. And the starting APO made AIR BASE my "Home to many warthogs" (A-10's stationed about 5 miles from my house) before the pigs returned to the SAVANNA.
911, aka NINE-ONE-ONE, had me stumped because of two unknowns- UNIE & DOR. With the missing letters it just didn't resemble any word(s) I could think of. IN ADDITION, the other perped unknowns were RIMA, OPES, I TOO. Vick's VAPORUB, HENNA, & EWES were lucky WAGs.
I have to GET DRESSED while the DW SLEEPS LATE. I know there will my no PULITZER PRIZE for my crappy writing but I did manage to complete my required Freshman English courses with Cs.
No sweat today. I do this one in my morning newspaper, so no tada when I finish it. I always come here to find our if I succeeded. Thanks for this great blog.
Wow! A Thursday type Saturday puzzle. The western half was very easy. I see many others had the same take on it.
Rene to Reni. Siesta cleared that up. Retire to rat out. Publisher prize to Pulitzer prize. JUST KIDDING cleared that up. BTW, I think that many times saying just kidding covers up a real intention.
My mom spread Vicks Vaporub on our chests for a cold. We now hear it does no good and is not so popular these days I still believe Vocks feels good and it opens up the nasal passages.
When I think of Aphrodite this limerick comes to mind.
“There once was a sculptor called Phidias
Who had a distaste for the hideous.
So he sculpt Aphrodite Without any nightie
Which shocked the ultra-fastidious.”
―Anonymous
Wow! This was a rare Saturday sashay for me. I really like it when the fill are actual words not phrases or unfamiliar names. Thank you, Craig Stowe! You've made my day.
Interesting info about VAPORRUB. I still use it occasionally when my allergies prevent sleep, just a little around the nostrils helps.
Nice CSO to JzB at Toledo.
I know we've seen LEK before but it took a long time to emerge. MUSCLEMEN was not my first thought, MURDERERS came to mind but it seemed harsh.
It's a fine way to start this morning since I have to attend the annual HOA meeting.
Thank you, Splynter; I enjoyed your little joke about Georgia. Savannah BTW, is a beautiful city.
Have a great day, everyone! California's rain arrived here today.
Musings
-Things went fast but since it’s Saturday I had my standard one bad cell. I thought fixed might mean GILDED and had no clue on what currency I’d need here in Tirana
-Leap/Leapt and Lean/LEANT I guess
-JUST KIDDING is what you hear often from bullies in school
-My new Apple Watch will tell me if my heart is racing
-Elementary kids will RAT OUT (tell on) rule breakers. They grow out of that
-I gave Joann some nice anniversary presents but the best one was when I was more than willing to TRAIPSE through store after store to find her a coat
-DUNK contests are two-point events, aren’t they?
-The most famous HENNA user?
-The Atlanta Falcons suffered the worst REVERSAL in Super Bowl history
-Adverse or AVERSE
-Basketball’s Detroit Pistons were loaded with GOONS like Bill Laimbeer in the late 80’s
-A soothing new source of VAPO RUB
-Thanks for the lovely sentiments on our 50th yesterday!
Nailed it. No golf today. Rain.
Fouls: IT'S OKAY, MANED.
Good Morning,
Thanks Craig for a bit of a workout. Took forever to figure the NE: ERRATA, RENI, WEAPONIZE. I also wanted retire instead of RAT OUT for Turn in. Broke through when I changed snoozes to SIESTAS. Some of this was so fast: MALTA, IN ADDITION, and SLEEPS LATE, but others including the shorter ones "ASCAP'd" me!
Loved the parts of Tina FEY's Bossypants about Evanston. While she never revealed anyone's names, we've lived here long enough to know the "characters" she mentions.
Thanks, Splynter, for the help. Good luck with the ceiling!
Have a fine day, everyone.
Good morning. Thank you Craig and thank you Splynter.
The TADA came quickly today. Knew it was Saturday because there was no theme.
Didn't know a few, including RENI in the NE, ODER and RIMA in the SW, but they perped in easily enough. Long fills were mostly easy, but needed short perps in the NW for the ACHR part. WEAPONIZE is not a word I've ENCOUNTERED very often. I would be AVERSE to using LEANT.
MOORE co-Star ? Let's see, Demi, Julianne, Dudley, Roger, Mary Tyler ?
SLEEPS LATE IN ADDITION to SIESTAS ? Not conducive to getting things done. GET DRESSED you INGRATES ! JUST KIDDING.
Fireproofing the ceiling at the restaurant Splynter ? Two layers of 5/8" firecode drywall, sealing all penetrations with red fire caulking ? What else ?
Foul ? Natty Bumpo, is that you ?
Apparently shaggy maned male lions get more action.
Link Shaggy maned lions are sexier
IT'S OKAY = NO PROBLEM is okay and no problem. Easy. They mean the same in slnsg.
slnsg should be slang, the same thing in slang
Good morning everyone.
Good job, Splynter.
Not too hard today. Long horizontal and vertical stacks did not have arcane fill today except perhaps, ACHROMATIC. Perps were ample and helpful.
ODER-Niesse line is mostly the western border of POLAND. Running North approaching the Baltic, the line goes west of the Oder and the pre-1945 German cities of Stettin and Swinemünde. So those Port areas are now Polish.
Fun puzzle, fairly easy for a Saturday. Did look up Albanian money though.
Tissues containing Vicks? A recent People's Pharmacy column appeared a week ago (excerpted): "Do NOT put Vicks VapoRub in your nostrils. The petroleum jelly base, if inhaled, could irritate the lungs and cause pneumonitis. This form of pneumonia is not caused by pathogens but by the tissues’ reaction to the petrolatum. It is very hard to treat (Hadda and Khilnani, Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine, Dec. 2010)."
Although we grew up with our mothers treating congestion by putting it on our chests at night, I guess some people are more sensitive.
Hope all stay safe with the extreme weather on both coasts.
I made the mistake of going at this
with the red letters on.
I think this is one Saturday I could have done in ink...
Central Park:
For the tourist...
For those who think they know the place...
How hidden and secret can a cave possibly be if it's on YouTube?
Typical Saturday, I cheated like all get out to finish it. After it was done and I looked at it from about 10,000 feet up, it made sense and I wondered why I had trouble doing it. It really was a good puzzle from Craig. Splynter, as always, made the puzzle come to life with his explanation.
I remembered from my high school French that AVEC was the translation for WITH, so I put it in and doggedly stuck with it which kept the SE messed up until I finally took it out. UNIE literally translated is UNITED according to the ITranslate app, so I guess that means WITH also.
I wanted to put in ARKANSAS for the home of many warthogs, but it didn't fit and I guess that a RAZORBACK is not a warthog.
I don't know what I was thinking, but I entered PILE vs FILE which didn't help me get Tina FEY. My DW says that my filing system is to just PILE everything on my desk or dresser. She, on the other hand is so organized that it is scary. She can come up with just about any semi- to important piece of paper that we ever had, like the receipt for our first mattress and 50 years of income tax returns.
Just had my roof repaired where the storm earlier in the week with 60+ mph winds took off a big section of shingles. Luckily we had an extra pack of shingles left over from when the house was built.
Beautiful day in the neighborhood. It's in the 60's already. I hope that our west coast friends don't get washed away with all of the rain.
Hi Everyone:
At first pass, there wasn't much filled in but, slowly the squares started to go from white to black. Getting some of the long fill really helps and today's were particularly solver-friendly: Aphrodite, VapoRub, Just Kidding, Sleeps Late, In Addition, Central Park, Pulitzer Prize, to name a few. Reni and Rima were unknowns and hand up for Retire/Rat Out and Beat/Race. It wasn't a cake walk but it wasn't a hair-puller, either. It's always satisfying to hear the TADA, especially when you earn it on your own.
Thanks, Craig, for stirring the gray matter and thanks, Splynter, for a fun tour. Good luck with the ceiling and with the mystery Ms.
I think the same goblins and gremlins that infiltrated my ice maker and caused mayhem returned to make more mischief with my TV. After almost an hour of hitting buttons, powering on and off, changing channels, etc., the picture returned and all is back to normal. What caused the picture to abruptly disappear is a mystery, probably one that will remain unsolved. Thanks for all of your suggestions; let's just hope it was a one time glitch of some sort. BTW, after all was resolved, I was able to watch "Sully" which I really enjoyed. That outcome was truly a miracle.
I hope all the West Coasters are safe, sound and dry.
Have a great day.
Pretty quick result for a Saturday but this whole week has been hard/easy just not on the usual days. Nice to get an easy Saturday in the deal.
What Oc4 said - I had to cheat my bum off to continue play...
I nailed 1d out of the gate and then was Ambivalent across. That gave me AOL. Oh, fuddle-sticks!
I knew it was a ScFi CONVENTION for the Hugo's and that w/ everything else I tried dump'd a lot of ink until I looked at Splynter's grid for ACHROMATIC (it is MSN! Which was 1st thought).
Thanks Craig for a Sat puzzle that I should have approached after I SLEEP LATE. But, for Youngest & her friends ballet.
Splynter - as always... Thanks Mate.
WOs were copious and ESPS are few when you cheat (cowS live on a farm!)
Almost Fav: I was sure 28a had something to do with Mr. Kotter's class but I couldn't recall their HS. Savanna-Brooklyn/Phantom-Famine same thing... Check out Vinny's MANED self.
Lope b/f ROAM slowed me way down in that corner but I nailed 9-1-1 (an ominous date). GET DRESSED was just LOL luck. Nice c/a Craig.
{A++,B, B+, AAA & LOL Dolly :-)}
YR - Against all hope, I was hoping your MANED link went to Shaggy of Scooby-Doo! fame:-) <- a :-) means JUST KIDDING, no? :-)
HG - Yep, I DUNK'd too... I was blocked by Yao - he LEANT against me...
TTP - Nice. Your use of pzl words in 3rd penultimate paragraph is really good..
Y'all have a great Sat. Cheers, -T
Oh, double-fiddle sticks they were the SweatHOGs... Time for a SIESTA b/f DW's BD party. C, -T
OK..needed a cheat for the NE. but when I Wiki'd St Michael and the Angel it came back Rembrandt !??! "Errata" wouldn't come even with my two years of HS Latin. Still a 90% solve on a Saturday is rare for me although "LEANT" still doesn't look right !
"Puzzling Thoughts":
First off, thanks all for the birthday greetings yesterday plus CED's birthday cake - turned out to be my virtual one as I skipped dessert last night
Seems I tried to be "TTP's age number" last night, but my "actual age body" caught up with me! No worry, though, I SLEEPS (SLEPT) LATE today and may take a SIESTA after posting
WEES about the puzzle today; I too had RETIRE > RAT OUT; AOL > MSN; AVEC > UNIE; and my NE was also the last to fall as WEAPONIZE, RENI, and SAVANNA were hard to WAG. Also, I kept ACHE in 18a before trying RACE. ERRATA became my only "cheat" as I checked the definition to make sure it "fit" the clue.
As always Splynter, a great recap, and kudos to Craig Stowe for a fun Saturday puzzle.
Enjoyed your limerick YR!
So my punny limerick du jour is:
She was given a new boarding pass,
When some others heard her passing gas.
She was truly ashamed
As the one being blamed;
Did not want them to point; to HARASS.
I had a slow start on this puzzle, leaving lots of white space. My first entry was CONFERENCE, but it was wrong. My first correct entry was ANNES. Last to fill were ODER and RIMA, but only after correcting HASSLE to HARASS. Thank you, Craig Stowe, for a terrific, well-designed puzzle.
Where we live, on the northwest edge of San Jose, we're in a "rain shadow" so the amount of rain we get is usually much less than other nearby areas. We're also on flat land, no slopes so no mudslides, and no nearby creeks or rivers to flood. Nevertheless, the ground here must have gotten pretty soggy, and what with the wind, the big tree in front of our neighbor's house toppled over. Fortunately, it fell out into the street, blocking it, and not onto their roof, so all is well. Another neighbor fortunately has a largish chainsaw so we were able to cut it up and move it out of the road. Nice neighborly teamwork.
Best wishes to you all.
Irish Miss,
Good news on the TV,
I had a feeling it was in the buttons.
P.S.
If it happens again, this is how John Wayne handled it...
Anonymous T, fer crying out loud!
It's hard enough finding a cake that says Anonymous on it,
where the heck am I going to find a cake that says to Anonymous's wife?
Woohoo! Woohoo! Finished this Saturday puzzle without a single cheat--because my internet was out and I couldn't use the computer or do e-mail or anything. So I had nothing to do but puzzles this morning. Got about half of Craig's crossword, finished Sudoku, finished Kenken, finished Jumble, then had nothing to do but go back to the crossword puzzle, and behold, a miracle--I finished the whole thing! And when I checked it just now, it was all accurate! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Craig--you salvaged what has been a nightmare Friday and Saturday for me in a half dozen other ways. Yay!
And thank you for the always great expo, Splynter.
So here are the problems I had. We had a horrendous Southern California storm yesterday, and when the power went out, it apparently burned out the modem to my computer system. I called Cox Cable, not sure if they were my internet provider, and thank goodness they are, but couldn't make an appointment until today. So no e-mail most of the day yesterday or today until just a few minutes ago.
Then because of the rain, I suddenly noticed a huge trail of ants all around my doors leading to the back patio. Clauder, Rowland's caregiver, had to climb a ladder to spray them all and get rid of them all.
Meanwhile plants are being knocked over and cushions blown off the patio seats, and other turmoil outside.
Then in the middle of all this, the frame of my glasses broke so that I have to wear the old ones, with far less accurate vision.
This is all coming after a week of worry about nosebleeds and the like.
But now my modem is fixed and I have internet again. And a chance to tell you that I finished my first Saturday puzzle in years, without cheating. Woohoo! Woohoo!
Have a great weekend, everybody!
Misty, I'm glad you're back. I'm happy you survived the storm. Good luck with your glasses. I love your positive attitude. Woohoo indeed!
Barbara managed to blow a circuit breaker by turning on a heater, lights and a hair dryer. I had to flip about half of them because they are old and it's hard to tell which one is tripped. Plus I was getting wet from runoff from the roof. Aargh!
Tough one but finally finished. NE corner stumped me, but enjoyed several clever clues. Can you tell me what the term " cheats" herein used? Does it mean using Wikipedia or one of the "cheat sites" that do your searching for you. My little atrophied brain is so sated with minutia that I need encyclopedic assistance at times. Is this considered "cheating"
I just watched, live, a speech the president made at the Melbourne, Fla, airport. I don't believe it is being political to say I liked it.
Misty, so glad you got your problems solved. Bill, G, sorry you had to get wet.
Well, the chainsaw our neighbor was using to cut up the fallen tree in front of our houses broke. Apparently a screw worked loose and the whole chain and "bar" came off. I fixed it for them and they successfully finished cutting the tree up into manageable chunks and moving them out of the street. I am rewarding my wife by cooking shrimp scampi tonight and rewarding myself by having a hearty dram of my favorite single-malt.
Last night we watched The Caine Mutiny again, the one with Humphrey Bogart as Captain Queeg. I had forgotten how good most of it is (the romance between Ensign Keith and May Winn was awful). Enjoyed it a lot. Fred MacMurray gave a great performance. Interesting that Van Johnson's facial scars are real!
Best wishes 'nat.
Of course that's political...GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR !
CED @ 3:32 - Alas, the gremlins have returned. This afternoon, I was watching a show that I had DVRed and right in the middle of it, the screen went black, so I'm back to square one. Now, here is the perplexing part, at least to me. Last night, I had set the DVR to record "Blue Bloods" at 10:00. Well, the TV picture was gone and the TV was off until I finally got it restored, well after 11:00. Yet, "Blue Bloods" was in my DVR list and that's what I was watching today when it went black again. What does that tell us, if anything? Both of these blackouts have come out of the blue so I'm not sure what to blame. Does it make sense that if the TV is dying that it could be brought back to life for a few hours and then conk out again?
Misty, you are a trouper extraordinaire! Woohoo indeed! 🤗 Congrats on your puzzle prowess.
Jayce, you're a good neighbor.
Tony, wish your DH a Happy Birthday from IM. ☘
Bill G, you're a good sport.
Bobbi, when I "cheat" I start by Googling the clue. Sometimes I get answers on Wikipedia, at other times from one of the Crossword sites that give you possible answers to various clues. If all else fails, I can of course come to the blog and look at just the spot on the grid where I'm having a problem, but that's a very last resort, and I do that only when I'm desperate. Hope this helps.
Congratulations Misty on a clean Sat finish. LEK/LEANT got me. I had SPAYED which was the right idea but put GiLDED, sort of a painful way to go.
But, besides that slip a fast, smooth fill. Bing,bing bang and there's the partridge, sitting on the PEAR tree.
If I can complete(almost) a Saturday, then kudos to everyone
However, for C-Moe, nee Chris, the PwD is for that snazzy Hawaiian shirt
I see from the playing of the LA Open that the rains let up out there. Will it be two in a row for Jordan Speith?
WC
I needed to get out of the house for a while and headed west for a short bike ride. It was cool but pleasant when I left home. By the time I got to the bike path, it was colder, windy and generally raw. The ride was short. Big waves though.
I stopped at the coffee emporium on the way home. A nice-looking couple in their twenties was in the process of a serious public display of affection. I was appreciating their passion when I noticed each of them pausing while making out to check their cell phones. Geez...
WC @ 6:54 ---> I got several of those "Hawaiian-print" style shirts. I've been a full-time Florida resident now for almost 7 years and I still look the part as a tourist.
Oddly, the one thing missing is a decent tan, although I'm sure that my Dermatologist appreciates knowing that I don't spend too much time in direct sunlight.
Cheating in crossword puzzles is a purely relative term. It depends on your skill level, the difficulty of the puzzle, and whether or not Mars is in the house of Aquarius at the cusp of the latest half-moon. These are, after all, crossword PUZZLES, not crossword GAMES! How often is figuring out what needs to be looked up as much a puzzle as the c/a [clue/answer] you're trying to suss out? Does timing count? (I usually work during the commercial breaks while watching TV, so I never time myself). How about asking your spouse, thereby fostering a deeper marriage bond? (Except when it gets frustrating because she NEVER comes up with the right answer, or even a sensible one!)
Three weeks ago, I bought a new laptop computer online. It worked great for a week, then one day wouldn't power on. Only one button on the machine, other than the 100+ buttons of the keyboard. After trying multiple combinations of AC power, battery, closing and opening the case, and everything else I could think of, it spontaneously turned itself back on while I was staring at it trying to think of what to do next.
A week later, it happened again. This time it stayed off. I took it to Best Buy, who sent it off to Louisville, TN, where the verdict was it would cost more to fix than replace. So I'm back on my miniature netbook, waiting to hear from the co. I bought the laptop from.
Irish Miss, I empathize with you completely!
AnonT: I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one today who had to resort to nefarious means to get'er done.
Misty: I'm also happy for your being able to solve the puzzle.
Bobbi: There are various levels of cheats. I consider the first level as using Red Letter help. The next level is Google and Wikipedia. A separate level is using an ITranslate app on my cell phone for certain foreign words (this is a minor cheat in my book.) But the ultimate cheat is using Red Letters and alphabet runs until the right letter pops up. Also like Misty said there are some Crossword help sites that can give some possible answers. When I use these means I consider the puzzle an official DNF (Did Not Finish) except for the ITranslate use.
HG: Your Huskers just beat Ohio State in basketball.
Bobbi:
As far as I'm concerned,
when it comes to crosswords,
the only way you can cheat is if
you "cheat yourself" out of an "aha" moment.
I always do Mon-Fri in ink because I enjoy the challenge,
but Saturday Stumpers are way over my enjoyability range.
Saturdays start with red letters on,
when I get totally stuck, hitting the solve button for
names I would never know, or languages i do not speak,
i just chalk up to a learning moment, & move on for the next "aha" moment.
(Don't get me wrong, some of the most enjoyable puzzles I have ever done
was trapped on a plane for 4 hours with no source of help.)
(but who has that kind of time?)
However, when it comes to boasting on the Blog,
hmm, a cheated puzzle is not a DNF (Did Not Finish), (because you did)
or an FIW (Finished It Wrong)
maybe we need some new abbreviations...
ICaTB (I Cheated a Teensy Bit?)
IS4VIOS ( I squeezed 4 vowels into one square?)
or my favorite abbr, &%&^%$##@ (which tells it like it is...)
Thank you, Wilbur, and Irish Miss, and oc4beach for the kind words and not taking too much offense at my cheating--though not today! Today I got the whole thing--Yay!
Irish Miss,
Sigh,
It sounds like your TV has a loose connection somewhere,
& is headed for that place of eternal reruns...
I miss the old days, when you would just replace a tube,
or add a power booster transformer to a dying CRT,
or even do a brain transplant...
(years ago,,,)
my tv started picking up taxi CB calls,
the tuner disks had mechanically broken
and were not turning in sync. resulting in picking
up unintended frequencies.
I disconnected it and replaced it with one I found in the garbage.
It worked fine, except the stem was too long and the knob stuck out like a sore thumb.
However todays TVs are much more complicated,
Plasma? (I could never afford one of those.)
But each type of TV can last a little longer in its own way...
"If" you know how...
Bobbi - What CED said... If you cheat yourself from an AHA then why bother. If, to get an aha moment, takes a lookup of any sort but you're still playing and having fun the better. But don't claim you nailed it.
I consider any ref outside of ink and paper a cheat but I only apply that rule to myself. It's like golf... You're your opponent. What do you know /what do you don't?
Oh, hell yeah, I rely on perps!
I sometimes useta turn the page to find out something about Astrology or who Luann's boyfriend's name is [there was a RA clue last week - flipping the paper didn't help :-)]. I will cheat to keep play going late in the week, but I know I didn't solve it and don't have cred to brag like Misty does today. (Props Misty! Whoot to you -you did better than I!)
IM Sorry to hear about your TV. Do you have a ball-bat [CED, shouldn't a Bloke like that have a cricket bat?]. BTW - If you have the new Comcast XFinity the "DVR" is in 'The Cloud' not on your physical appliance which is why it recorded w/o power. Oh, and now they really know your viewing habits!
CED - Told DW about your attempt to get her a cake and IM's b-day wishes. She said that was sweet and then shook her head. She thinks my obsession with xwords (which I share w/ her mom) is bizarre [I don't know why, she's the English Major] and y'all are my "octogenarian friends." I insist that there's only a few 80+ folk here and there're sharper than the 30yr folk I work w/. I think she's just pissed that she'll be older than me until July :-)
For her day - we went to Berry Hill in Sugar Land. If you Google 'Berry Hill Sugar Land' you can get a 360 of the inside... Look for Elvis w/ a fish taco painting. Good food in a casual self-serve joint. We had fun, she had two sangria(e(?)), and is out. Light weight :-)
Cheers, -T
Thank you Cross-Eyed Dave for the Central Park tours. Almost all of those were new places for me. Next time I am back East visiting my friends and family I will have to check those out.
Ed ASNER is one of my heroes who I have met a few times. He does plenty of work on peace and social justice.
Here was one treasured memory with him in the late 1990s:
http://swt.org/robert/fame/me_ed.jpg
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