It has been a few years since I had the pleasure of writing up an Ed Sessa puzzle. This one made me miss Barry G., as the revealing circles do not exist on this Friday effort, eliminating the competitive disadvantage we have heard about. After filling the first three theme answers, I had no clue where we were going. It did not take long to decipher the reveal, but finding the "stones" which were hidden was a challenge. Once RUBY was was revealed, it made me look for GEM stones, and poof. Thank you my role model and mentor. With two 15 letter themers and two 12s, we have a full theme. We also have some very interesting fill - JELLICLE, CEREBRAL, ISLAMABAD and FRAGRANCE are each nice challenges.
17A. Last line of Dale Evans Rogers' "Happy Trails" : TILL WE MEET AGAIN (15). This was one of the first TV shows I saw in the mid 50's. I sing it in my head, but never aloud.
27A. Got laughs, hopefully : CRACKED A JOKE (12). I was trying to make something out of rearranging JOKE.
43A. Alternative for beef avoiders : TURKEY BURGER (12). Then this happened and I was lost, until the RUB met the Y.
57A. What's left by an ace investigator ... and in each of the four longest puzzle answers : NO ENOTS UNTURNED (15). NO STONE UNTURNED is the phrase that turns STONE to ENOTS, ETAGA to AGATE; EDAJ to JADE and YBUR to RUBY. It is also what a good detective would do. Since solvers are in part detectives, I say- the game is afoot Watson!
Across:
1. Device used with a planchette : OUIJA. Really cool, hard first clue, which luckily comes from French. (little plank)
9. 2000s Israeli prime minister Sharon : ARIEL. His END was a strange story.
14. Rip out stitchwork in : UNSEW. Legitimate word, but why do we need it.
15. "The Louisville __": nickname for Ali : LIP. Mostly when he was still Cassius Clay.
16. "Five Weeks in a Balloon" novelist : VERNE. This was his last publication. LIST.
20. Puget Sound swimmer : SEAL. These GUYS.
21. Bull pen locale : RODEO. Nice deception for the baseball people.
22. Sci. subject : ANATomy.
23. Recipe directive : MIX IN.
25. Cat of many colors : CALICO.
31. Stately : NOBLE.
32. Tomato type : ROMA. I mentioned this before, but they are not from Italy. "It was developed by the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Beltsville, Maryland in the 1950s as a fusarium wilt-resistant cultivar." Wiki.
33. Bird __ : FLU.
36. Scottish countryside sight : BRAE.
37. Northern Kentucky county : BOONE. Not far from Cincinnati.
39. Complain : CRAB. An odd dupe with this Simpson's star...56D. Krabappel of "The Simpsons" : EDNA. When actress Marcia Wallace died so did this CHARACTER.
40. Dancer Charisse : CYD. Making her second appearance this week. She was born Tula Ellice Finklea and her baby brother called her "sid" trying to say sis. She was an amazing dancer, and her turn was a great part of Dancing in the Rain.
41. Stew veggies : PEAS. I never use them, but it does rhyme with....
42. Kid around with : TEASE.
46. Prepare for cooking, as sole : DEBONE. Fillet anyone?
49. One getting under your skin : VEXER. Okay Ed, you win. I know this is real, from the French VEXER, but with CRAB, DEBONE etc. it is a bit much.
50. From the top : ANEW.
51. Time server, usually : FELON.
54. Block in a barn : BALE. Hay, now many barns have you been to lately?
60. Mischievous : ELFIN. Because they were small they were not thought to be as dangerous.
61. Gloucester's cape : ANN. Not a garment but a New England site to see.
62. "The Heart of Georgia" : MACON. It is literally close to the center by the Ocmulgee River,
63. MS. enclosures : SASES. Self addressed stamped envelopes.
64. Strings for Israel Kamakawiwo'ole : UKE. The name was obviously Hawaiian so the fill was easy. I was not familiar with this bigger than life performer.
65. Legislative assemblies : PLENA. While I know the Latin, I do not understand this usage. I know it is the plural of PLENUM....anyway a tough beginning and end to the acrosses.
Down:
1. See 59-Down : OUTS. OOOO.
2. Combined, in Cannes : UNIE. Etats unis.
3. Capital NW of New Delhi : ISLAMABAD. Maybe for your next VACATION some time in Pakistan.
4. Type of cat in "Cats" : JELLICLE.
5. "How cute!" : AWW. I am sure CED went to see Cats many times..
6. Marzipan staple : ALMOND. I am a FAN.
7. Competed : VIED.
8. Parrier's tool : EPEE. To ward off a sword.
9. Clark's "Mogambo" co-star : AVA.
10. Entertain lavishly : REGALE.
11. Tabriz native : IRANI. More mid-east geography.
12. "Giant Brain" unveiled in 1946 : ENIAC.
13. Slowly, to Salieri : LENTO. The Italian composer depicted in Amadeus as Mozart's rival.
18. Point Pelee's lake : ERIE. Back to our heartland.
19. In the future : TO COME.
24. Jag model : XKE. I wanted one badly back in 1972 but could not afford the $2,500.00 she wanted.
26. Dossier shorthand : AKA. Also known as.
27. "Squawk Box" airer : CNBC.
28. 2016 FedExCup winner McIlroy : RORY.
29. Came up : AROSE.
30. "The Daily Show" host before Trevor : JON. Stewart.
33. Chanel offering : FRAGRANCE. Or more officially- smell good.
34. Whack a mole? : LASE. All perps- no idea what this game has to do with lasers.
35. Lyft competitor : UBER.
37. Deprived (of) : BEREFT.
38. Whiskey barrel wood : OAK. Now breweries are buying them to use for their beer.
39. Highbrow : CEREBRAL.
41. "The lowest form of humor—when you don't think of it first": Oscar Levant : PUN. My kind of guy; he would tell all the starlets if they played their cards right they could take home an Oscar.
42. Prom rental : TUX.
43. Many an off-campus local : TOWNIE. As a product of private schools, I had many varied experiences with townies.
44. '60s Batgirl portrayer Craig : YVONNE. She was on the TV show. I remember best for this DANCE.
45. At an angle : BENT.
46. Some North Sea fishermen : DANES.
47. Name on a historic B-29 : ENOLA. The first A-bomb.
48. Squawks : BEEFS.
52. Genesis brother : ESAU. Who was sadly for him and his children...a....
53. Blockhead : LUNK.
55. "Coming Home" singer Bridges : LEON.
58. Add-__ : ONS.
59. Caller of 1-Down : UMP. End where we began the downs.
Well, I am back this week with a challenge from Ed. I look forward to your thoughts as my mind is all over the place. Thank you all, and thank you Ed. Lemonade out.
FIW, sorta¡ I knew NOBLE (or maybe NOBEL) was right, but I was even more convinced that they were JELLICOE cats (after putting JUMBLLIE cats first) No ta-da, and everything else looked right, so I finally did the NOBLE thing, and got my fanfare.
ReplyDelete[Just looked it up, and it's Gumbie, not Jumbblie ¡]
Needed the reveal, too, and even then had a hard time finding the buried rocks.
plenum (plē′nəm, plĕn′əm) n.
pl. plenums or plena
1. An assembly or meeting with all members present.
[and other argot usages]
{A, D+, A, riddle?, B, B.}
Deep underground, the treasures lay,
Eternally hidden from the light of day!
AGATE, JADE, and precious RUBY,
Waiting there like pirate booty!
(JELLICLE cats know where, but won't say!)
The Elves convened at the council ELFIN
More than a quorum, they had a PLENUM
In the midst of the room
A huge ghost loomed --
There's no elephant there, it's a Elvie Phantom!
Crosswords are an exercise CEREBRAL,
Weaving words in manner procedural.
Else, UNSEW woof and weft,
Time would leave us BEREFT,
Of the tapestries to our cranial cathedral¡
LEON the LUNK was easy to TEASE,
Just look at the way he eats his PEAS!
It looks so funny
To MIX IN honey!
Why in the world would he do things like these?
Our old cat, ENOLA, was a CALICO
She got loose when we went to the RODEO.
With her claws in his shoulder
The bull couldn't throw her,
So now ENOLA's called a cowlico!
Jules VERNE wrote of things TO COME.
Did a OUIJA board ever help him some?
An ENIAC prediction
Of science fiction?
ARIEL a vision of new things in the sun?
Lemony, I believe the "Whack a mole"/LASE c/a refers to removal of skin tags, moles, etc. at a Dr.'s office.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Ed and Lemonade!
I was very surprised when I got the "tada." THEN I figured out the theme.
BOONE and EDNA mostly filled themselves. Enjoyed seeing the Mogambo trailer!
The Mucinex finally arrived!
Have a great day!
Pretty sure I first saw Izzy here on the corner. And a couple times since then.
ReplyDeleteHello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteDefinitely Friday level material today. Took me a while to suss that the fourth themer was different from the other three. Impressive construction!
About 15 years ago, the LW and I took the opportunity to see Cats at the historic Bushnell Theater in Hartford. We didn't know the T. S. Eliot work behind the musical, so we both read a copy of "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" soon after. What a delight! The missus decided that our cat at the time was a perfect Jellicle Cat, one characteristic of which is that they "...dry between their toes". Made that clue easy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteNice offering, Ed. Mmmmmmmm good. I do love me a fusarium wilt-resistant cultivar; thanx for that, Lemon. Thought the block in a barn would be salt -- I often saw salt-licks in my ute. Was not familiar with PLENA, but I do recognize "plenum." That's the insulated "box" just beyond the heat exchanger where the various heating ducts connect. Makes sense that it's related to a legislative assembly; both are full of hot air.
Well, Bluehen, you are so correct and my mind is still not working. It is a very cute clue now that I understand.
ReplyDeleteAnon 5:28, again big holes in my memory; I even remember the song Steve linked back in November 2015.
Dudley, back in the day when I was in NYC for work often, I saw CATS on Broadway and loved it. But, I would have really enjoyed going to see it at the Bushnell Theater.
D-N-F ... least enjoyable (non-solving) experience of the year.
ReplyDeleteWTH is an "ENOTS" ??? (Other than being STONE backwards).
Oh well, off to say "hello" to about a 100 dogs on Honeymoon Island.
Cheers!
Tin....
ReplyDeleteE NOTS is an example of your blogger going stir crazy from being trapped at home for months. It made sense when I wrote it.
ReplyDeleteWhat Tin said, except my one dog is all I socialize with.
To me, today was a NGS...Never Got Started
Extra crunchy. Even though ENOTS gave me the gimmick, I didn't find any of the stones. I didn't think of gems. I was sure of TIL WE MEET with one L. I didn't know JELLICLE, but finally only a second L was possible for TILL, a variation of TIL which I never use. Do I like the theme? Yes and no. Kinda, but FIR.
ReplyDeleteIt was discouraging to have a clue like 1D at the very beginning, especially crossing the difficult PLANCHETTE. Finally I had the U and so got UMP and then OUTS.
Turkey and chicken burgers and hot dogs don't do it for me.
Yesterday I picked up my cytology report. The thyroid nodule was benign. Whew! In my other tests my cervical spine MRI showed two herniated discs, three bulging discs,a lot of arthritis and some pinched nerves. For three months my hand was numb 80% of the time, but in March, only off and on, especially in bed and while driving. Since my symptoms are much more minor than the MRI indicates, we will wait. Probably I will need an epidural in the future. I recently over-stressed my chronic IT band injury and will be going to PT. I am surprisingly mobile and active, so no prob.
I hate it when the LAST fill that I complete is 1A- OUIJA. Knowing ISLAMABAD was the only thing that saved me today. I knew the song but was it TIL or TILL; AHH, AAH, AAW or AWW? I originally filled ORCA before SEAL, didn't know UNIE and hell knows where the word JELLICLE came from. New to my brain. Then there was the SW, which had me worrying about BEEFS as a fill, as the word 'beef' was used in the TURKEY BURGER clue. Usually a X-word no no. I've never heard of a TOWNIE before and that didn't help matters as my 57A was NOE__TSUNTURNED. Then I saw the light. The STONE was backwards and I saw AGATE, JADE, & RUBY in the other fills.
ReplyDeleteI love the "Whack a mole' clue for LASE. I know the word "plenipotentiary" but didn't know PLENA but it sounded right and I left it after guessing the two unknowns LEON and EDNA. Didn't know YVONNE either but she fit.
One clue that is frequently used that I dislike is 'at an angle', usually meaning ACUTE. Even a straight line is an angle- 180 degrees. Right angle, obtuse angle.
Good morning all
ReplyDeleteHats off to Ed Sessa- this CW kicked my butt, or should I say brain? Too CEREBRAL for me today, lol. I'm blaming it on a bad nights sleep and that I feel like I'm coming down with a cold.
Too many cheats to list. Google was definitely my friend today. A few good WAGs and lots of perps and I finally finished. Phew!
I had all the theme fills and the reveal NOENOTSUNTURNED but it left me thinking what's an ENOT? Doh- didn't realize it was Stone backwards so of course, never saw the gems in the other answers. I was at a loss until reading the blog.
Thanks Lemonade for your fun tour. I love "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel K. Just lovely with his voice and the UKE. Made for enjoyable listening while reading the rest of your write up :)
The "Whack a mole" / LASE clue/answer was very cute and clever. Have had a few moles whacked myself- I'm absolutely covered in them!
BOONE county was a gimme, since it's so close to Cincinnati. It is also home to Rabbit Hash, KY, a small town of less than 500 residents and known for their canine mayors. Yes, the town is run by dogs, lol. You can check it out here
YR- that's wonderful news- yay!! So glad to read that. Your cervical MRI sounds like mine. I have severe nerve damage in my right arm due to that mess and that's one reason I had disc surgery, to hasten the progression. Other levels are involved now but am hoping another surgery can be postponed as long as possible.
Hope everyone has a wonderful day!
Many lyrics web sites say the last line of "Happy Trails to You" starts with "Until we meet", some use the usual contraction " 'til "; while the royrogers.com site says " 'Till we meet" that doesn't make sense grammatically.
ReplyDeleteAt an angle is a common phrase with a non mathematical meaning. In everyday parlance it simply means not straight, slanted.
ReplyDeleteI loved WHACK A MOLE/LASE.
IMO ROMA tomatoes have more flavor in the winter than most others. I use them for salads and sandwiches. I can hardly wait for local summer tomatoes.
Grudgingly I have to begin my day. Playing on the computer is so much more fun. I am getting so lazy.
By far the easiest Friday puzzle in a while. Since our paper doesn't provide the title. I was "puzzeled" by 57 across till I realiized "enots" was reversed. As a boomer watching Roy and Dale for years on TV I initially messed up 17 across by quickly penning in "Until" instead of "till" then realized it was too long. Otherwise just minor corrections as I went along.
ReplyDeleteLooking out on a dreary day with the accumulated snow on the ground now pelted with a sleet/rain combination
Yuck.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteWell, true to form, Mr. Sessa gave me a run for my money this morning. My first slip-up was starting with Until We Meet Again but, of course, that wouldn't work. I, too, had Orca before Seal but threw in Jellicle without hesitation, as I've seen "Cats" three times. This gave me Ouija which was an unknown as clued. It took awhile to get some footholds but a chip here and a perp there led to the tada. Definitely needed the reveal to realize the theme and, then, the stones were easy to spot.
Thanks, Mr. Ed, for a clever and challenging Friday and thanks, Lemony, for the grand tour.
YR, that's great news! You are a real trouper!
Bunny M, you are, too!
I just glanced out the window and saw little white flakes swirling around. The forecast called for possible snow or rain, depending on the temps but clearing this afternoon. Our March winds continue, although not too blustery. The calendar may say Spring but you could fool me!
Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious that Ed has a "twisted" mind to come up with the backwards stone and gems. I didn't get the theme. Even after Lemon 'splained it, it took a minute or two the see the gems and have the Aha moment. This morning was as enjoyable as being hit in the head with a rock. The level of difficulty was way past a normal Friday for me.
I finished it but cheated like all get out.
OUTS and UMPS took a while to get because I didn't get the clue for OUIJA. One of the games I never played as a kid.
Also didn't know JELLICLE, RORY, LEON and YVONNE. Proper names can be a stumper.
I did know TOWNIE because I was one when I went to school at the local university. We called ourselves G** Damned Independents and said we belonged to the Gamma Delta Iota fraternity. It was amazing how many students thought there really was a GDI fraternity.
I agree with others that the line in Happy Trails should be "Until We Meet Again." That's how I remember it.
Oh well, enough CRABbing. Ed really did put a lot into this puzzle.
I hope everyone has a great day.
"Puzzling Thoughts":
ReplyDeleteThe entire NW corner of the puzzle is a blend of write-overs and errors; maybe I should invest in some erasable pens (I think Bic or Papermate used to make them) to use for Thurs/Fri/Sat puzzles . . .
Not sure what helped me more - knowing that MIX IN and XKE were correct, or going to GOOGLE to check out what a planchette is! JELLICLE finally came back to me, as I too, saw the musicals CATS at the Bushnell Theatre in Hartford! Back in the 1980's IIRC. And then when I saw the IJA ending to 1a, I figured OUIJA must be correct, as that was the closest thing I could imagine to a planchette.
Hands up for UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN - which of course didn't fit; neither did TIL WE MEET AGAIN. Maybe the clue should have included the word "soil", and then Ed Sessa could've actually HAD a PUN, using the word TILL!
I was totally clueless to the theme / reveal, until - of course - I wandered over to the Corner and read Lemon's recap, and then went back and saw the backward "stones". Maybe I stayed up too late last night to watch the NCAA Basketball games and was BEREFT of enough sleep . . .
An article appeared in our paper (Palm Beach Post) yesterday that caught my attention. The headline read: (Monica) Lewinsky to speak on social media safety ... Clinton Sex Scandal figure to keynote April benefit lunch . . . this will be held in Boca Raton. Tickets for the event/luncheon are $100, but there is a "VIP reception" an hour before, for $200 . . . I wouldn't touch that line with a 10' pole! ;^)
OK, you can "boo" now, or in just a few seconds after reading this:
Here's a terrible PUN about VERNE,
That I'm sure you are eager to learn:
MIXed IN RUBY and JADE
With a shrub that likes shade;
Which of course, makes it known as "Jewels Fern"
Very nice puzzle today. Just the right amount of crunchiness and cleverness. I especially enjoyed the reveal. There were supposed to be circles? If so, they weren't necessary.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ed Sessa, for a great Friday challenge!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing what's stored in the brain and oozes out as needed such as JELLICLE,EDNA Krabbappel, (known only from CWs)BRAE, PLENA, etc. Like Dudley, after my daughter and I saw Cats in NY I bought the book and read it many times over.
I did see the ENOTS and recognized the phrase but didn't find the gems. OUIJA was the last fill after UMP and OUTS. UNIE wasn't too hard to suss. RORY McIlroy is well known in this state since he attended ASU and became a champion while there.
I also loved the whack a mole, LASE, clue! And it's great seeing CYD Charisse once again and also listening to Izzy.
Thank you, Lemonade, for continuing to enlighten us and I do hope your pain has abated.
YR:
I'm so sorry about your ailments and I agree, you are a brave lady.
Ferm:
That's good news about your medication arriving.
Have a splendid day, everyone!
I had UNTIL at first for Happy Trails. I believe that the lyrics use both UNTIL and 'TIL (sometimes versions I see 'TILL), with 'TIL or 'TILL AT THE END OF THE LAST LINE.
ReplyDeleteLyrics to "Happy Trails" by Dale Evans Rogers
Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then.
Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.
Happy trails to you, 'till we meet again.
Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.
It's the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here's a happy one for you.
Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then.
Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.
Happy trails to you, 'till we meet again.
Hello everyone.
ReplyDeleteA tough one, but Ed's puzzles are worth working on. Ultimately needed help with JELLICLE and PLENA. Finally saw the flipped STONE, and found the other reversed gems. I've only seen 'plenary' used to describe top level meetings, say, between governments.
Pt. PELEE is at the southern extreme of Canada and the only part which extends south of the 42nd parallel, and then just barely. That puts it even with the extreme northern latitude of California, at its Oregon border. Perhaps Canadian Eh has been there?
A tough Friday outing, contrasting a great grid construction with some lousy clueing. Got the finish, but not the enjoyment. Plus a gimmick.
ReplyDeleteCount your lucky stars you didn't have the $2500 for the Jag. I bought an XKE (used) and it hammered home the lesson I have never since forgotten - " Never buy a used car that you couldn't afford new" - because NO ONE cares what a great deal you got when it's time for parts and labor.
I've got a used Miata that I've had for 16 years, it just runs and runs, parts and insurance are cheap.
Pretty straightforward except for the south-east.
ReplyDeleteNo-one complained about OUIJA, which is thought to be a combination of Frawnche OUI = YES and Teutonic JA = YES. An early international version of Woody Allen's ORGASMATRON by the sounds of it.
I am still a little disoriented by the theme unifier. All of the theme phrases were genuine with the stone hidden backward. So why did the unifier need to turn the word STONE backward, when the phrase "NO STONE UNTURNED" would have been sufficient?
My only Real Beef (no Turkey Burgers pleases) was PLENA. The Latin root is clear, as in PLENARY session at a conference. The only reference I could find to a legislative assembly was a meeting of the Communist party when all members are present, which uses the Russian transliteration of PLENUM, which can be fully declined as a masculine noun in Russian with the plural, PLENUMI. OK, PLENUM is Latin neuter, so PLENA would be its plural, but it does not seem to be an actual Latin word, just a word borrowed back from Russian and re-Latinized. Russian influence is getting everywhere, it would seem.
I have attended many conferences and meetings where there were break out sessions followed by plenary sessions where we all came back together to report on our findings. These were usually fairly boring and not too enlightening. Although the adjective, plenary, seems more common, the noun, plenum, and its plural, plena, also apply.
ReplyDeleteAlan has been doing very well in all of 2017, the best in 18 months. He has had no major problems. He is doing great with his speech teacher and is also working on reading and writing. We are both thrilled with his progress. Just now he has a bad cold but that is only temporary. I suppose not having to be so concerned and vigilant with his health has allowed me to focus on my own. When you are focused on something else you don't notice your own aches and pains. That's why square dancing is so great. Another square dance tonight.
Thursdays usually are getting a little harder for me but I did pretty well at this one. I always thought the cat in Cats was called Jellico but it didn't fit and I knew the Jaguar started with an 'X' but couldn't remember the other initials.
ReplyDeleteI think you had to be British to get 'till we meet again' as we always usetwo 'L's. My computer is always correcting me.
Happy weekend.
Enjoyable puzzle, FIW, but enjoyable because
ReplyDeleteI was able to keep working at it.
(I did Google Batgirl, and being averse to marzipan had no idea about almonds.)
It was fun digging for gem stones.
I was going to link DIY gemstone hunting
because I enjoyed watching a TV show on it once or thrice,
but the the videos on YouTube were as boring as hell...
I also had Joe for 30d,
( a county named Booee? well, why not?)
Also,the only Puget sound swimmer I could think of was Shad.
Which made my type of cat a Jeldicle?
Note:this may be shocking, but, I have never seen Cats, the Broadway Play.
I can't even watch clips of it!
(Those aren't cats!)
& Lemonade714, that clip you posted, I could not hear it well.
& all I could see looked like a bad Kiss rock group reunion...
Oh well, we are here to learn i guess.
I perused some other clips to see what I was missing,
This one brought back memories I did not know I had...
(Truthfully, if you are going to spend that kind of money on a Broadway play,
I would recommend Pippin.)
Anywho, in leaving no stone unturned, someday I will have to go see Cats...
Also, Way back when...
Woohoo! Woohoo! I can't believe it! I got a Friday Ed Sessa puzzle without a single cheat or look-up or anything! Yay! I was so sure I had at least one big mistake with that last NOENOTS UNTURNED grid-spanner. There was no way that thing could be right, but I went over and over all the downs and they simply couldn't be changed. I couldn't believe it when I came to the blog and it turned out that it was right! Clearly I didn't get the reveal and the STONE theme, and so of course never saw the different gems in the other answers. So I may not actually have "gotten" everything, but I filled in the entire puzzle correctly. Thank you, Ed, you've made my day! And welcome back, Lemonade--hope you're feeling better!
ReplyDeleteGlad you have your meds, Fermatprime, and glad Alan is feeling okay and that you're going square dancing, Yellowrocks.
My "Lady Chatterley's Lover" class went better than I expected yesterday, so that's a huge relief. And along with this great morning puzzle experience, and sunshine outside, I'm looking forward to a wonderful weekend!
Have a great day, everybody!
I realized I said Thursdays get a little harder but I meant Friday, put it down to my age! CED you should go see "Cats" it's very different. My niece in England has a class at the Library and needed an idea as she had to discuss a poem. I suggested "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" as it had been made into one of the longest playing musicals in Broadway history. She said it was very well-liked, she was thrilled.
ReplyDeleteThe reason there is so much kerfuffle about Happy Trails is that Dale and Roy sang BOTH "until" and "till". So please everyone please LISTEN
ReplyDeleteCED CATS in person was wonderful. The second act started out with one of the cast eating Junior Mints out of my hand.
ReplyDeleteNC, the word AGATE is presented "turned" in TILL WE ME ET AGA IN
the word JADE is presented "turned" in CRACKED A J OKE
the word RUBY is presented "turned" in TURKE Y BUR GER
Sorry YR, I did not see you printed all the lyrics
ONE CAT BREED PER PUZZLE. PLEASE !!! My favorite book of the 70's was "101 things you can do with a dead cat". I wonder if its still in print ?
ReplyDeleteLatin I and II did not produce "Plena". The denizens of Tabriz are mostly Turks. Almost no one in Iran calls themselves Irani preferring Persian, Turkish, Kurdish etc. In fact the whole Middle east problem stems from some foolish British map maker. Oh well...But having a 3/2 C to v ratio its a xword staple
I am still unhappy when the clever puzzle maker ends up with a non word as the solution to his clues. So no TADA for me. :((
Yes TruBrit, & Lemon, someday I must go see Cats!
ReplyDelete(but being cheap, I am waiting for a discount ticket!)
Lemon! I'm OCD!
Why would you tell me about a castmember eating Junior Mints out of your hand!
ACK! ACK! ACK!
Now I would be afraid to go anywhere near that dang play!
As Dudley said, impressive construction. However, I feel it is a teeny little bit sloppy in the execution, e.g. beef in a clue and answer, and the PLENA and IRANI entries. I did very much like the clue for LASE. And yes, proper names can often be big stumpers.
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteI got pretty far b/f I had to cheat. I finally looked up Cat's cats and YVONNE and then the puzzle (almost) fell into place. I got rid of Peach as "Heart of Georgia" and let perps fill MACON.
Thanks Ed for a fun pzl including UKE again clue'd w/ Izzy (11/19/2095 - I Googled that too :-)). You still beat me but I'm not CRAB'n'. The theme/execution was outstanding and CEREBRAL.
Thanks for finding the rocks Lem. I didn't "get it" (what's an ENOTS? Must be a word for stone. I had ston[e]s written over 'cuz I filled NO stons UNTURNED and looked for snots in the themers... D'Oh! Perps saved me (eventually))
Notable WOs: see peach above; stons [sic] above; and hand up for UNTILW until I hit the ALMOND's M.
ESPs: MACON, PLENA (LOL D-O! Re: hot air!)
A self pat-o'-the back: remembering CYD from earlier this week. Nailed it w/ the C!
Notable: c/a for LASE. I was looking for some LUNK to Rub-out, ice, whack the, rat, the stool, the mole within' the family business - if you knows what I means.
Fav: Just the moment of realizing CRACKED A JOKE and PUN were in the same pzl. Then, there's JON - one of the best observationalists of our time.
Runner up - c/a for FELON. TTP were you also thinking of NTP [no-techs: Network Time Protocol] too?
Living in Houston, I wasn't thrown by the c/a for RODEO. A bunch of office-mates went last night for Blink-182.
{A, C--, A, A, ha!, A (link's broken)} {Chuckle.... moan :-) [good one]}
RayOsun - Titles for M-Sat pzls ∄
NiceCuppa - 'cuz a stone is a stone and should also not be left UNTURNED? My guess, and, if correct, is what makes it most brilliant if not befuddling [see above].
CED - LOL Jr. Mints clip! Ever see This Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee?. Let's puzzle it up... JOH w/ Seinfeld, a story about CAT (litter), and JOKES CRACK'd [18m].
OC4 - LOL Γ Δ Ι! That's the Frat for DW & me! We were "TOWNIEs" as, being married out of HS, lived off-campus through all of our degrees. Where do I send alum dues :-)
Happy Trails* -T
*I wanted a live version and this was the least worst.
That link was a dummy to attach a tooltip, but I used the wrong keyword I guess. I'll try it again
ReplyDeleteARIEL [giving] a vision of new things in the sun?
If it's still not working, what's supposed to pop up is "Prospero's spirit or the Archangel -- not Sharon"
No workie again OKL. Type: <a href="[the URL]">ARIEL</a> to get the link to work. You can cut/paste URL. Cheers, -T
ReplyDeleteBTW, I'm disappointed no one responded to my implied riddle with:
ReplyDeleteI eat my peas with honey,
I've done it all my life.
It makes the peas taste funny...
Works fine for me. For a tooltip, there is no URL involved, but you need to just hover the mouse over the link dummy, but do not click it!
ReplyDeleteOKL - D'oh! I'm on my iPad. I just checked on Firefox in Windows and I see the <al>tag for roll-over.
ReplyDeleteI still don't get the Riddle... Pee taste funny? I'm lost ANEW.
Don't count on my eyes (nor CEREBRAL capabilities) tho; I just RE-read my @3:29. I'm gonna hafta buckle down, swallow pride, and get +1 specs like my optometrist don' did tol' me... Let's see: I Google'd the future (2015, not 2095 for Ed's use of Izzy/UKE); said no-techs instead of non-techies re: NTP; and spelt JON as JOH(n) (my Catholic middle name that I tried to fix) and didn't notice any of it. I was hoping to make it to 200,000mi before breaking down :-(. Cheers, -T
Smokin' ...
ReplyDeleteDamn, she was hot. Stylish and on fire. Another great Cyd Charisse excerpt in so short a time. Thanks, Lemonade.
I was impressed by the long shots, but wondered why the splice at 2:40? The virtues of film are that it can be edited to eliminate flubs (how many takes did it take to get all those flippin' coins to land right?) and viewers all get the same seat. The drawback compared to live performance is that no matter how fine you think the artists, they will never get better.
I didn't see the theme until I cracked the key at 57A. Then it was easy to spot the gems. Who needs circles?
Ta-
DA!
Nice one, Ed Sessa.
Dislike misdirected defs like "Highbrow" :CEREBRAL - er, not really. Let's use this in context: Today's theme was CEREBRAL (a positive) - is it then "Highbrow" (a negative)?? Make your choice, I'll count the votes.
ReplyDeleteAm I ALONE in noticing several other answers that are valid words when read backwards. No STONES though.
ReplyDeleteOops- let me try that again
ReplyDeleteOKL - " But it keeps them on my knife" ;)
My Mom taught my youngest daughter that poem when she was a young child. Dear daughter would recite it every time we had peas, giggling the whole time ( but never wanted to actually try the honey trick)
Thanks for that reminder of a cute memory!
Anon@6:40 pm- You are not Alone (ENOLA) - I see that as well as Leas (SEAL), Noel (LEON) and Eire (ERIE) are also valid when read backwards. Am I missing any? However, since they don't fit with the theme, I wonder if it is coincidence or more cleverness from Ed Sessa? Hmm.... :)
ReplyDeleteOwen, I was just about to respond to your riddle but I see Bunny had already jumped in. I remember that one from about 60? years ago.
ReplyDeleteWell Bunny, maybe a couple proper nouns. There is a college by you named EKU. An actor called CAINE. A dessert that has a first name of SNO. I guess we wouldn't count AKA or ASA, now would we? :)
ReplyDeleteVery late to the party tonight. (AnonT even beat me). Good thing I did the puzzle this morning while I was more CEREBRAL. Thanks Ed and Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteI got the turned STONE and went looking for those same letters in the other theme answers. Didn't see the gems until I arrived here. D'oh!
Pretty much WEES by now. I loved the JELLICOE and CALICO cats, but favourite was the Whack-a-mole?=LASE (I toyed with TASE). Least favourite was UNSEW.
Yes Spitzboov, I have been to Pt. Pelee several times. The last time was during the fall migration of the monarch butterflies on their way to Mexico. Beautiful to see! Pelee Island is not far away and is an interesting spot also. We shared the return ferry with cartloads of grapes heading for the winery on the mainland.
About the Same difficulty as Thursday. Gets us ready for Sat. I wanted ROMA but got it mixed up with the ROME apples
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Misty on a no-peek fini. And I'm glad Lady Chatterley's Lover went well with the senior set.
I did this one while watching"Return of the King". We had a windy day at the golf course Thursday and I started spouting some JRR poetry about winds.
My playing partner pretended interest. Btw. I was terrible until the back nine.
Liked all the poetry. As C-Moe said, grades are irrelevant.
WC
Could cataract surgery affect one's hand to eye coordination?
Ps. I always enjoy Lemonade's write-ups
ReplyDeleteI never notice the author until after the solve but I knew we had a vintage Ed Sessa.
I am impressed with the skill that must have gone into constructing this! Mostly enjoyed the ride!
ReplyDeleteI solved the puzzle completely, but puzzled quite awhile over the turned stones/ENOTSs. AGATE was the first one I finally saw. The others were easy, then.
"Cats" is one of the few Broadway shows I have seen. I saw it with my then-girlfriend in 1997. It was the longest running Broadway show at that point. I can't say I was that impressed. When I was a child I got to see "Hair" with my parents and that was way, way better. More recently I saw "Mamma Mia" which I also enjoyed more.
Even so, it took almost ESP to get JELLICLE.
Hand up for ORCA before SEAL.
Cross of RORY and CYD seemed unfair as both are unknown proper names. Got them with a WAG. No idea even what sport RORY did. I see now it was golf. Some other unknown proper names: LEON, EDNA, YVONNE but they could be guessed with crosses.