Theme: Bigger is Better? Augmented alternatives. Three options and then the fourth as the unifier.
17A. 7-Eleven's Big Gulp, for one : SUPER-SIZED DRINK. This one weighs in at 30oz of soda, the Super Big Gulp is 40oz and the Double Gulp is, weirdly, 50oz, considering the Gulp is 20oz. Whichever one you pick you've got way too much sugar. Yikes.
25A. It makes for easier reading : LARGE PRINT BOOK. I'm not sure one of these would help if I lose my glasses. You turn 40 - boom! Everything goes blurry.
46A. Teased style : BOUFFANT HAIRDO. Here's one of the most famous:
59A. What a deejay might do to create energy ... or a request that may lead to 17-, 25- and 46-Across : PUMP UP THE VOLUME. I just had my own personal volume-pump - Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" album just popped up on my iTunes. That will see me nicely through blog-duty. As a segue, here's a recording of a Bob Dylan song on the aforementioned album I hadn't heard until today.
Great theme - three variations on "volume" - the fluid ounces of a soda, the book-volume print size and the updo bouffi-ness of (e.g.) Marge's hair. Great fill too, I don't believe there was one "ugh" moment for me. Of course, your mileage may vary, so let's hear it in the comments.
Let's see what else:
Across:
1. Munro pen name : SAKI. Why do I always fill in TAKI and then take it out?
5. Fix, as faulty code : DEBUG. Yep. Many of these moments in my programming career. One in (something) lines of code contains a bug. I think I was one-in-ten. You'll be grateful I wasn't working on the Airbus fly-by-wire systems.
10. Shorten : CLIP
14. Scoundrel of "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" : ALEC. He was a dashed rotten cove. Great book, a Thomas Hardy classic.
15. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : IRINA. I'll learn them all one day. I've seen the play, but I can't recall the character traits of any of the sisters.
16. Sharpen : HONE
20. Prepare to relax : SIT BACK. SIT DOWN didn't work. Eventually corrected.
21. "__ Pointe Blank": 1997 film : GROSSE
22. Shipping nickname : ARI. Aristotle Onassis. Still a popular crossword fill after all these years.
23. Marketing gimmick : TIE-IN
31. McKinley's first lady : IDA.
32. Like mud in election season : SLUNG. Plenty of that in 2016, and it hasn't really stopped since.
33. Serious violations : SINS. You get a pass on venial ones, if memory serves correctly, as long as you confess. Mortal ones not so much.
35. PC's spacebar neighbor : ALT. No-look answer, as befitting March Madness.
36. Mayor pro __ : TEM. For now. Don't get used to the seat.
37. Swallow : EAT. Be careful, otherwise there'll be Heimlich involved. Bite, chew, swallow.
40. Replayed service : LET. I used to want the job of the net umpire at Wimbledon. You've got the best seat in the house, you put your finger on the top of the net, call a "LET!" or not, then watch the rest of the rally. Rinse and repeat. Awesome.
41. Lay on the line : RISK
43. "The Haywain Triptych" painter : BOSCH. I think I knew this. I was more familiar with "The Haywain" by John Constable in the National Gallery in London. Crosses helped. Here's Constable's:
45. Keen perception : EAR
50. Many a "Call the Midwife" character : NURSE!
51. Part of FWIW : IT'S. Those pesky texters, extending the language! For What It's Worth.
52. Yak-like : SHAGGY
55. Honeymoon spots : RESORTS
62. Digital imaging brand : AGFA. Are these guys still around?
63. Lodging : ABODE
64. Highly prized : DEAR. Dear to my heart.
65. Exec's dispatch : MEMO. More likely an irate email blast nowadays, quickly regretted.
66. iPods since 2005 : NANOS. I had one, I think I lost it at a TSA checkpoint in Atlanta.
67. "The Facts of Life" mentor Garrett : EDNA. Thank you crosses, never saw the show.
Down:
1. Get fresh with : SASS
3. Didn't surrender : KEPT. Held onto.
4. Old-style hangover relief : ICE BAG. I'm pretty sure this never worked. Hydrate before you go to bed, get up with the sun and go hike up a big hill. Carbonated Coca Cola was invented by a desperate gentleman one morning in an Atlanta drugstore though, history has it. How big was the Gulp?
5. Devoted follower : DISCIPLE
6. He played Frank on "CHiPs" : ERIK. Estrada. He's not impressed one bit with the new WB movie reboot.
7. Commercial URL suffix : BIZ. Hand up for "COM". Was wrong.
8. French article : UNE
9. Many an infomercial offering : GADGET
10. Greek personification of time : CHRONOS
11. Lane often in distress : LOIS
12. Honeymoon options : INNS
13. Long-haired lap dog, familiarly : PEKE
18. Most interesting to a collector : RAREST
19. Minute amount : DRIB. Marginally smaller than a DRAB I'm told. Or largest.
23. Element in pewter : TIN, plus copper, antimony and lead. It was the lead that did for you when you used a pewter mug for your beer. It was that leaching thing, you know.
24. Swallow : INGEST
25. Accusatory retort : LIAR
26. Impulsive line : AD-LIB
27. "I'm walkin' here!" speaker of 1969 : RATSO. "Midnight Cowboy". Best Picture at the Oscar ceremony in 1970. Not an easy subject, but a great movie.
28. "Dancing With the Stars" dances : RUMBAS
29. Persian Gulf sight : OILER. Didn't we talk about these last week?
30. Massage : KNEAD
34. Texas ALer : 'STRO Houston, natch.
38. Pulls off : ACHIEVES
39. "Oh yeah?" : THAT SO?
42. Spicy Chinese dish : KUNG PAO. Now, this surprises me. This entry has only been used once before by Matt Skoczen in the LAT (last year) and never in the NYT. I did raise my eyebrows when I saw it - it's a preparation method for chicken, not a finished dish. Nevertheless, food!
44. A : ONE
47. Fish whose preparation is strictly regulated in Japan : FUGU. A slip with the knife during prep will make you definitely ill, if not being measured up for your funeral. However, just avoid the liver, ovaries and intestines and you're fine. Which is what I would probably avoid anyway. I'm trying to think if I've ever eaten a fish liver. I've had goose intestines in Hong Kong, but they were harmless enough. I wouldn't recognize a fish ovary if I tripped over it in the street, even if it came from a sturgeon.
48. Griddle alternative : FRY PAN. For my fugo. Sans liver, thank you.
49. Lover of Tristan : ISOLDE
52. Virtually bombard : SPAM. I read the clue as "Visually bombard". I told you I need reading glasses
53. Voluminous : HUGE
54. Switch on a radio : AM/FM
55. Modernize : REDO
56. Kicked oneself about : RUED
57. IRS agent : T-MAN. Don't mess with these people.
58. Vaccines : SERA
60. Placeholder abbr. : T.B.A. To Be Arranged. I'm having lunch with a gentleman today at a venue in Burbank T.B.A.
61. Sweetheart : HON
Well, after a little diversion due to the fugu discussion, here's the grid!
Steve
Notes from C.C.:
1) I agree with Steve on Kung Pao, but Wiki says "Versions commonly found in the west, called "Kung Pao chicken", "Kung Po"", or just "chicken chilli and garlic"..." Do you call the dish "Kong Pao" alone?
2) PK asked me to thank all of you for your kind birthday wishes.
17A. 7-Eleven's Big Gulp, for one : SUPER-SIZED DRINK. This one weighs in at 30oz of soda, the Super Big Gulp is 40oz and the Double Gulp is, weirdly, 50oz, considering the Gulp is 20oz. Whichever one you pick you've got way too much sugar. Yikes.
25A. It makes for easier reading : LARGE PRINT BOOK. I'm not sure one of these would help if I lose my glasses. You turn 40 - boom! Everything goes blurry.
46A. Teased style : BOUFFANT HAIRDO. Here's one of the most famous:
59A. What a deejay might do to create energy ... or a request that may lead to 17-, 25- and 46-Across : PUMP UP THE VOLUME. I just had my own personal volume-pump - Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" album just popped up on my iTunes. That will see me nicely through blog-duty. As a segue, here's a recording of a Bob Dylan song on the aforementioned album I hadn't heard until today.
Great theme - three variations on "volume" - the fluid ounces of a soda, the book-volume print size and the updo bouffi-ness of (e.g.) Marge's hair. Great fill too, I don't believe there was one "ugh" moment for me. Of course, your mileage may vary, so let's hear it in the comments.
Let's see what else:
Across:
1. Munro pen name : SAKI. Why do I always fill in TAKI and then take it out?
5. Fix, as faulty code : DEBUG. Yep. Many of these moments in my programming career. One in (something) lines of code contains a bug. I think I was one-in-ten. You'll be grateful I wasn't working on the Airbus fly-by-wire systems.
10. Shorten : CLIP
14. Scoundrel of "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" : ALEC. He was a dashed rotten cove. Great book, a Thomas Hardy classic.
15. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : IRINA. I'll learn them all one day. I've seen the play, but I can't recall the character traits of any of the sisters.
16. Sharpen : HONE
20. Prepare to relax : SIT BACK. SIT DOWN didn't work. Eventually corrected.
21. "__ Pointe Blank": 1997 film : GROSSE
22. Shipping nickname : ARI. Aristotle Onassis. Still a popular crossword fill after all these years.
23. Marketing gimmick : TIE-IN
31. McKinley's first lady : IDA.
32. Like mud in election season : SLUNG. Plenty of that in 2016, and it hasn't really stopped since.
33. Serious violations : SINS. You get a pass on venial ones, if memory serves correctly, as long as you confess. Mortal ones not so much.
35. PC's spacebar neighbor : ALT. No-look answer, as befitting March Madness.
36. Mayor pro __ : TEM. For now. Don't get used to the seat.
37. Swallow : EAT. Be careful, otherwise there'll be Heimlich involved. Bite, chew, swallow.
40. Replayed service : LET. I used to want the job of the net umpire at Wimbledon. You've got the best seat in the house, you put your finger on the top of the net, call a "LET!" or not, then watch the rest of the rally. Rinse and repeat. Awesome.
41. Lay on the line : RISK
43. "The Haywain Triptych" painter : BOSCH. I think I knew this. I was more familiar with "The Haywain" by John Constable in the National Gallery in London. Crosses helped. Here's Constable's:
45. Keen perception : EAR
50. Many a "Call the Midwife" character : NURSE!
51. Part of FWIW : IT'S. Those pesky texters, extending the language! For What It's Worth.
52. Yak-like : SHAGGY
55. Honeymoon spots : RESORTS
62. Digital imaging brand : AGFA. Are these guys still around?
63. Lodging : ABODE
64. Highly prized : DEAR. Dear to my heart.
65. Exec's dispatch : MEMO. More likely an irate email blast nowadays, quickly regretted.
66. iPods since 2005 : NANOS. I had one, I think I lost it at a TSA checkpoint in Atlanta.
67. "The Facts of Life" mentor Garrett : EDNA. Thank you crosses, never saw the show.
Down:
1. Get fresh with : SASS
2. His, in Le Havre : A LUI "To him". You know the French still don't officially have email? "Courrier électronique", s'il vous plaît.
3. Didn't surrender : KEPT. Held onto.
4. Old-style hangover relief : ICE BAG. I'm pretty sure this never worked. Hydrate before you go to bed, get up with the sun and go hike up a big hill. Carbonated Coca Cola was invented by a desperate gentleman one morning in an Atlanta drugstore though, history has it. How big was the Gulp?
5. Devoted follower : DISCIPLE
6. He played Frank on "CHiPs" : ERIK. Estrada. He's not impressed one bit with the new WB movie reboot.
7. Commercial URL suffix : BIZ. Hand up for "COM". Was wrong.
8. French article : UNE
9. Many an infomercial offering : GADGET
10. Greek personification of time : CHRONOS
11. Lane often in distress : LOIS
12. Honeymoon options : INNS
13. Long-haired lap dog, familiarly : PEKE
18. Most interesting to a collector : RAREST
19. Minute amount : DRIB. Marginally smaller than a DRAB I'm told. Or largest.
23. Element in pewter : TIN, plus copper, antimony and lead. It was the lead that did for you when you used a pewter mug for your beer. It was that leaching thing, you know.
24. Swallow : INGEST
25. Accusatory retort : LIAR
26. Impulsive line : AD-LIB
27. "I'm walkin' here!" speaker of 1969 : RATSO. "Midnight Cowboy". Best Picture at the Oscar ceremony in 1970. Not an easy subject, but a great movie.
28. "Dancing With the Stars" dances : RUMBAS
29. Persian Gulf sight : OILER. Didn't we talk about these last week?
30. Massage : KNEAD
34. Texas ALer : 'STRO Houston, natch.
38. Pulls off : ACHIEVES
39. "Oh yeah?" : THAT SO?
42. Spicy Chinese dish : KUNG PAO. Now, this surprises me. This entry has only been used once before by Matt Skoczen in the LAT (last year) and never in the NYT. I did raise my eyebrows when I saw it - it's a preparation method for chicken, not a finished dish. Nevertheless, food!
44. A : ONE
47. Fish whose preparation is strictly regulated in Japan : FUGU. A slip with the knife during prep will make you definitely ill, if not being measured up for your funeral. However, just avoid the liver, ovaries and intestines and you're fine. Which is what I would probably avoid anyway. I'm trying to think if I've ever eaten a fish liver. I've had goose intestines in Hong Kong, but they were harmless enough. I wouldn't recognize a fish ovary if I tripped over it in the street, even if it came from a sturgeon.
48. Griddle alternative : FRY PAN. For my fugo. Sans liver, thank you.
49. Lover of Tristan : ISOLDE
52. Virtually bombard : SPAM. I read the clue as "Visually bombard". I told you I need reading glasses
53. Voluminous : HUGE
54. Switch on a radio : AM/FM
55. Modernize : REDO
56. Kicked oneself about : RUED
57. IRS agent : T-MAN. Don't mess with these people.
58. Vaccines : SERA
60. Placeholder abbr. : T.B.A. To Be Arranged. I'm having lunch with a gentleman today at a venue in Burbank T.B.A.
61. Sweetheart : HON
Well, after a little diversion due to the fugu discussion, here's the grid!
Steve
1) I agree with Steve on Kung Pao, but Wiki says "Versions commonly found in the west, called "Kung Pao chicken", "Kung Po"", or just "chicken chilli and garlic"..." Do you call the dish "Kong Pao" alone?
2) PK asked me to thank all of you for your kind birthday wishes.
51 comments:
Greetings!
Thanks Matthew and Steve. Good theme.
Won't list the perped things today as I am too pooped.
Mucinex did not arrive. Huh?
Really tired of cough. Haven't swum in ages.
Have a great day!
Interesting metas in the puzzle today. The theme had three entries relating to size (drink and hair, and in a more abstract sense the "size" of sound), but larger print isn't thought of as being more voluminous than normal, and large-print books aren't always larger in size than normal print (often, but not always). But after thinking about it a while, I realized that that entry had nothing to do with size -- it was referring to a book being a volume!
Then, after Alice Munro twice this week, we get 1a which I'm sure had many solvers looking up Alice's pen name, instead of Hector Hugh Munro! Excellent dissimulation from Rich!
BTW, FIR.
{A+, A-, A-.}
The frustrated mad scientist at last RESORTS
To ingredients SLUNG into glass retorts!
There they combined
And blew his mind --
At least that's what the blast reports!
The master of AD LIB was the real pro, Tim,
Whose trademark was his hats, since he was pro tam!
He was a guest host
On a show coast-to-coast
But the gig didn't last, it was only PRO TEM.
Before you INGEST that SUPER-SIZED DRINK,
Think for a moment what the drink must think!
"You'll pay for this SIN
With the sugar TIE-IN!
Drink us enough and your belt won't link!"
Good morning!
Between LARGE POINT TYPE and RAMP UP THE VOLUME, I stumbled mightily on this one, but finally managed to limp across the finish line. I was so in love with RAMP UP that I almost didn't finish. BIG problem. Thanx, Matthew and Steve.
Enjoyed the theme - but I'm with D-O - I had RAMP UP before PUMP UP THE VOLUME. As Splynter would say 86% right!
I have seen KUNG PAO chicken on menus, but never just KUNG PAO
Working 1/2 day today before heading this afternoon to see our boys down in TX. Murphy's law predicts that the 1/2 day will be a mess and I will barely make the plane.
Thanks Steve and Matthew!
D-N-F ... For "Hang-over relief" I drink more Scotch.
(Couldn't enter "_ _ _ BAG" ... I have scruples, you know ... LOL) !
Also didn't know A-LUI, ALEC, IRINA or AGFA ... geez, what a mess.
Many thanks to you, Steve, for explaining my Ink Blot. Good Job on the write-up.
Fave today was RATSO from Midnight Cowboy ... I really liked that movie.
When I'm at the Library, I always look to see if a book is available as a
LARGE PRINT BOOK when requesting. (I have at least 10 "requests" I'm waiting to receive
on my "Books Requested" list).
Looking forward to the Sweet 16 beginning tonight.
Cheers!
Good morning all
Thanks to Matthew for a crunchy Thursday and Steve for an excellent expo with learning moments- didn't know the tennis reference of LET, or that KUNGPAO also refers to the prep method. FUGU was unknown as are the dangers. I'll likely never make it but good to know about it!
Rough start not knowing SAKI, ALUI, IRINA, LET, AGFA, BOSCH and CHRONOS.
I also,tried Sit Down/SITBACK. Had Turn Up The Volume/PUMPUPTHEVOLUME. This made the SW corner a mess due to having Full/HUGE and it took way to long to get SHAGGY and the clever SPAM. Thankfully AMFM, KUNGPAO and FRYPAN helped clear up the mess.
All in all, a fun workout in my usual Thursday time.
Hope everyone has a wonderful day :)
Thank you Matthew and Steve.
Like yesterday, this took longer than normal.
I know BOSCH the tool purveyor, but not the painter.
Our go-to Chinese restaurant has Kung Pao Tofu, Kung Pao Chicken, Kung Pao Beef, Kung Pao Shrimp, and Kung Pao Delight. All are stir fry in a Szechwan sauce with peanuts and diced vegetables such as green pepper, peapod, bok choy, carrot, bamboo shoot, water chestnut, mushroom and onion.
There are also Hunan versions of those dishes. Also hot and spicy, but with some different vegetables, and stir fried in a brown sauce.
Belated Happy Birthday wishes for PK, Spitzboov and John28man !
It took a WAGfest and perpfest to finish this morning. Unknowns galore ALEC & ALUI, GROSSE, CHRONOS, BOSCH, AGFA, EDNA, FUGU, the correct spelling BOUFFANT. The CHRONOS makes sense but the others were complete unknowns.
SUPER SIZED DRINK- I have way too many insulated mugs. My wife's 32oz YETI is the only one I paid for; the rest were free. My favorite- 54oz BubbaCup. 79 cent refills at Circle-K.
I did know RATSO and KUNG PAO. I have neighbors who own Chinese restaurants. One spells it Kung BO and the other Kung PAO. Chicken, Beef, or Shrimp.
Well Steve, let's hope let's hope that it was "A Simple Twist of Fate" that you didn't get "Tangled Up in Blue" this morning. I bought the album years ago.
Thought SAKI/ALUI was kind of a Natick
AFGA was unknown. Wiki says that after a bankruptcy they only sell business-to-business now.
We've (almost) all of us eaten intestines, as the "natural-casing" of hot dogs and sausages.
or AGFA
Good morning all!
Lovely puzzle today - I used Google a few times. It's the names that always get me, today IRINA and RATSO were the issues. I know the movie line but I don't think I've ever seen it (it's a SIN, I'm sure!). Was interested to read that Dustin Hoffman AD LIBbed the line IMDb.
RISK reminds me of Triumph
Elvis Costello told me to Pump it UP! years ago and I obeyed!
GROSS POINTE BLANK is a fantastic film with an even better sound track. John Cusack and Minnie Driver. Entertaining, sweet, endearing...
@Steve re: dream tennis judge job - when I was younger, I wanted to be a ball girl. Then I got a Golden Retriever and decided they should use dogs. Turns out, someone did!
Hope you get to feeling better, F-Prime. I'm sure your pool buddies miss you, too. And happy belated birthday PK! Hope you had a great day :)
Happy Thursday to all,
t.
Thank you, Matthew Sewell! This was quite the challenge today as is often the case when themes span across the grid. However, with just enough fill to connect the words, they emerged. TURN UP THE VOLUME was my stumbling point, but SPAM and HUGE soon corrected that to reveal PUMP UP.
SAKI is such familiar crosswordese it would not be confused with Alice Munro. And CHRONOS is the root form of chronology, chronologically, etc.
AGFA? I have no idea what that means.
Also I'm surprised the word voluminous appeared in a clue and VOLUME as fill. I guess they're not that close.
Thank you, Steve, for your review. It's icing on the cake.
Have a beautiful day, everyone!
Grosse Point Blank is a good movie, and so is "Pump Up the Volume".
53D's clue is: Voluminous. Does that violate any of the (unwritten?) rules of crosswords, considering "volume" was an answer?
Hi Gang -
Otherwise fine puzzle, but I do have a nit. French in puzzles gives me heartburn, anyway -- A LUI. Just NO!
There was some tricky cluing, but all legit, and a even clecho - nice!
This one gave me a FIW, as I filled in ATOI, and didn't recheck 14 A, which should be ALEC, not ATEC. I didn't know that either, but might have been able to suss it out.
I figured this one was going to get me. West central and bottom were last to fall, and I was in despair for a while. Thought i had it, so the FIW has a bitter taste..
Saw my favorite 'STRO, Jose Altuve, placing for Venezuela in the WBC. U.S won the final last night, rolling over previously undefeated Puerto Rico 8-0. Marcus Stroman was dealing, and the U.S got some clutch hitting. The whole event was terrific - lots of great games, played with real passion, and some stellar individual performance
Saw a wonderful noon time concert yesterday, two spectacular local trombonists doing the music of Kai Winding and J.J. Johnson - my heroes for over 50 years. They played this song .
Yeah - Ron Kischuk and Ed Gooch were every bit this good, as was their all star rhythm section.
Cool regards!
JzB
Good Morning:
This gave me a bit of trouble but perps were fair and eased the path to the tada. For some unknown reason, I always fill in Sati instead of Saki and today was no different. Also, automatically filled in Esai instead of Eric. Were they in the same show? Fugu was an unknown (and shall ever remain so) and Edna (Garrett) was a known but took awhile to dredge up. _ _ _ bag's were only used for bumps and bruises in our house.
Thanks, Matthew, for a Thursday supersized treat and thanks, Steve, for guiding us along.
Ferm, I hope you get some relief from that cough soon.
Have a great day.
"puzzling thoughts":
Well, I know the end of the week is near when I see far more proper names and foreign words adorning the daily puzzle! My Rorschach test page is testimony to the difficulty of Sewell's work. Thankfully we had Steve to parse through and provide a meaningful recap - which, like today's CSO TIN, I will forget by dinner!
Let's add up all the errors; COM / NET > BIZ; DRAB > DRIB; MANET > BOSCH ( agree with TTP, this needed a different clue for me!); ANY > ONE; NANNY > NURSE; ANNA > EDNA; SLAM > SPAM; MINIS > NANOS. Is that enough??!!
All errors aside, the puzzle and theme were cleverly constructed - maybe one or two grades above my pay scale - and glad that I guessed more correctly than not, and did not have to resort to Google.
Another Owen-esque limerick, du jour:
While INGESTING his KUNG PAO CHICKEN,
A Cup of SAKI was sipped on, by TIN.
As he sipped, and then RUED,
"To add ICE would be rude!"
Doing so would be considered a SIN.
March Madness enters the Sweet Sixteen tonight. Should be some good matchups!
Hi All!
Matthew, here's my lunch money; please no more names (or French)! I like the theme but this may have well been a Sat for me; 5 Googles and I'm out. Thanks for the puzzle.
Thanks Steve for finishing my grid -- and Dylan which was nice background during my D'Oh! moments whilst reading your fine expo w/ VOLUMinous, er, ample, commentary; fun!
I won't bore today w/ WOs (too many) and ESPs/couldas - hand up for .com.
Fav: Juxtaposition of AD LIB and RATSO. 4th down, you can read that Hoffman said the lines weren't script'd. He took a RISK and it worked.
Runner-up: 'STRO. Hope springs eternal in Spring training.
OK, How is 4d not Wakeup Juice?. That's about as old-style as it gets...
{A+,B,A+}
Big E - I nearly forgot about Circle-K. In HS (Shreveport) we'd stop by for a SUPER whatever DRINK for $0.79. My buddy always got Dr. Pepper; a true Southerner.
Tawnya - Thanks for the Costello! Much better than the Technotronic EAR worm I got @59a.
Cheers, -T
Anon-T @11:28 AM
That "Wake-up juice" looks interesting to overcome a hangover ...
But ...
I think I will just stick with more Scotch as my remedy ... LOL
And that Sun is finally over the yardarm ...
Cheers!
Steve
First, thoughts must go out to all the victims and their families of the recent events in London, inc. and American tourist, and esp. of course to the brave copper in the line of duty.
Second, someone needs to PUMP UP THE VOLUME on that studio version of Idiot Wind. Unrecognizable from the live versions – which may be why you did not recognize it.
And Owen, digging up a RETORT as glassware betrays either a scientific past, or that you have used the double meaning of the word in a cryptic crossword.
So little recollection of AGFA ! Either there's one born every second, or one (memory cell) killed every second. Maybe some of both.
And why the negativity toward Frawnche? Well, Steve and I may have our own reasons. But no-one seems to complain Mexican pronouns or the odd German Fraulein.
Plus ça change....
NC
At first glance really difficult- then given time everything fell into place. Thanks.
Well, this was a Thursday toughie for me--but that's sadly becoming my new normal. Got nothing until the bottom at first, and then, like Lucina, put in TURN UP THE VOLUME, which made the southwest corner difficult for the longest time. I also got BOUFFANT HAIRDO early, which was fun. I did have to cheat in the end--never heard of LET as a sports thing, or FUGU. Had .COM, like Anon T. But I did get, and like, seeing both DEAR and HON in the puzzle. So thanks, Matt, and you too, Steve, for your always helpful expo.
What a rough day you're having, Fermatprime. Hope you get help with your cough, and get back to swimming again soon.
Moe, your TIN limerick was really prompt and funny.
Well, I'm off to teach a class on D.H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover," at our Senior Center this morning. Used to love that novel, but less and less in my seniority. Will see how my senior students like it.
Have a great day, everybody!
Tough but fair clueing even as a couple of typos did me in. Dumb ones too, didn't check my work and ended up with UNE for 44D, would have been an easy fix as 8D is UNE. Also had 15A as IRENA, leaving 7D as BEZ. D'oh.
Hello Everyone.
TTP = Thanks for the good wishes.
Little crunchy, today. Needed help with SAKI. Also had .com before .BIZ. Think it's a new URL added in the last few years.
The spread of VOLUME PUMP-UPS made it interesting. Nice shout-out to the TIN man.
OILER - Steve, I think we did. In the sense of the clue most such shipping would be oil tankers or bulk tankers. Use of OILER is confined to replenishment vessels capable of refueling another moving ship; ie. a fleet OILER. JMHO.
Have a great day.
Tin - LOL Hair o' the dog.
C. Moe - very nice ode to TIN [23d CSO!] again.
Nice Cuppa - 1) What happened in the UK near parliament yesterday was tragic. Asshats... I'm not sure banning inbound laptops on flights will stop crazy.
2) You & Steve may have your reasons for not liking puzzle(?) French. Mine? Is just I'm an American Idiot[Green Day - last best Punk IMHO]. The only French I know comes from Canada (and Toronto doesn't even have Quebecian rules). You said Plus çe change so, in my BOOK, you asked for RUSH's Circumstances.
One more tune - SIT BACK and relax [Offspring - INJEST the quiet b/f they RESORT to VOLUME]
Master plumber should be here soon. They're digging a trench under the house to fix a broken PVC waste pipe (living on TX clay is costly!). I hope the MP knows Spanish so he can tell the trenchers to watch out for the gas line [sprinkler line is already shot]. D-O if you hear a 'Boom' 80mi south...
Cheers, -T
You all got me curious about "AGFA". I figured it was another German abbreviation like BMW: it looks to be short for "AktienGesellschaft Für Anilinfabrikation" (Corporation for Aniline Production). Abbreviations occasionally good idea.
AGFA was a German firm that made great color film back in the day. I used a lot of it in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Digital cameras had a lot to do with the demise of film manufacturing.
Musings
-Hello from chilly D.C. I hope I am not the only SAKI/ALUI Natick victim. Man, I hate doing these on a computer.
-We are leaving just now for a $4 UBER ride down to Ford’s Theater where Abe certainly RUED the day he and Mary went to see Our American Cousin. What a schedule we have kept! Home tomorrow.
p.s. UBER is amazing!
Musings
-Addendum – As you regulars here know, I am a NASA educator. Today I had my NASA hat on when I boarded the tour bus at Arlington National Cemetery and one of the attendants asked me if I were really interested in NASA. When I said “yes” he told me that John Glen would be arrive there next week. I thought (but didn’t say), “Wait a minute, John Glen is not alive.” And then it hit me…
-Off to Ford’s Theater
You ever have one of those days...
Not to invoke Thumper...
(notice I used Invoke instead of Evoke, sheesh! What have you people done to me...)
I usually look forward to a good Crossword Puzzle.
Todays' however, was fraught with puzzlement.
(fraught? Ack!)
I hate to sound like a testy Anon,
but I did not enjoy todays puzzle at all.
Started cheating, and kept on cheating until all the fun was gone...
Which is a shame, because if I had kept at it, I am sure this theme
would have been a lot of fun. The only only problem was I could not
even get near the theme!
From yest: Dudley, I think the Gov't has infiltrated my PC.
My original post for the shredded plane was
"why did it take the NTSB 3 months to report what caused this?"
But my PC not only would not let me post,
it then chewed up my entire Blog entry, and would not give it back!
Anonymous T: GoodEye! I never saw that banana in the clouds!
Learning moment: Meta (I did not know it was a word in it's own right...)
Hmm,I know what might cheer me up.
A crossword related silly link:Pump up the volume!
I'm Walkin' Here CLIP. I had forgotten the little AD LIB right at the end. Priceless!
The following is about cooking,
which is a different puzzle altogether.
So, feel free to skip it if it's not your thing...
As you regulars know, I have been searching for a way to
make a decent Pizza in the woods. Soft crust like Papa Johns.
Even went so far as adding potato flakes, (which is pretty good!)
when a TV show enlightened me to something I never knew existed.
(it was about how to make a New York Style Bagel.)
They added something called Vital wheat gluten, (it's in the supermarket, I checked!)
Can'y wait to try it out on a pizza dough!
Re: Yesterday: Shrimp Scampi
This (secretive) TV Show (makes you pay for recipes online...)
came up with a Shrimp Scampi that sounds too die for!
(I am definitely cooking this weekend, whether DW will let me or not...)
This is the recipe,(& by typing it here, I can copy to a notepad & print it out...)
(What? You think I was doing this for you?)
Cont...
@Anon T - I've got no issues with French in the puzzles, just FYI.
@Nice Cuppa - for the record, both versions are studio recorded. The version you hear on the album as released was recorded in Minneapolis (along with five other tracks). All the original versions were recorded in New York (including the one I linked), along with the remaining four other New York recordings which appear on the LP.
For some reason I thought it was "KungPho" and I didn't know the cross, although I should have.
Shrimp Scampi is usually Sauteed, which can overcook the Shrimp
and make it rubbery. This recipe poaches the Shrimp, and adds flavor from the shells.
step one: remove shells, & devein shrimp.
Brine 1-1/2 lbs jumbo shrimp for 15 minutes
in the fridge, covered.
Brine= 3 tbsp salt + 2 tbsp sugar + 1 Qt water
Saute the shells ( not the shrimp )in 1 tbsp of oil until spotty.
Add 1 cup white wine and 4 sprigs of Thyme. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Drain/Strain/Extract every bit of juice you can into a bowl.
You then need to slice 8 cloves of garlic into slivers,
do not mince/crush/or otherwise damage the garlic...
(you do not have to go all Italian and slice the garlic with a razorblade,
unless you want to...)
With 1 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, and 1/4 tsp pepper,
saute the garlic for 3 to 5 minutes. (until fragrant, do not burn!)
Add your reserved stock, add raw shrimp & cook for 5 minutes covered...
(You are supposed to stir the shrimp, how you do this when it is covered
confuses me...)
Remove shrimp
Add 1 tbsp cornstarch to 3 tbsp lemon juice (yes, the real thing, not bottled.)
Add slurry to pan, and heat up.
Add 4 TBSP butter (chopped up)
add parsley (chopped up)
add back the shrimp when things thicken up!
And Viola!
(Hmm,crusty bread would be good here to soak up the juices.
Don't forget to add barley malt if you are making your own bread dough...)
Tinbeni... Thought you were the only other Hockey guy on the blog along with me. Forget about March Madness... The Road to the Frozen Four begins this weekend. Now, that's going to be something to watch!. My Alma Mater is is playing Mich. Tech tomorrow at noon (CST).
- Notre Dame v. Minn. (lots of drama there with UM Coach being a former ND standout and his son a former star ND player ("16)
- North Dakota v. BU ( in the first round....what a match-up!)
- Harvard v. Providence. WOW!
Lots to get excited about. Can't wait
JJM
Thanks for the "Road to the Frozen Four" reminder ...
They have had that here in the Tampa Bay Area in the past a couple of times ... and I went to it live!
(BTW They had the Final Four here once ... and I watched on TV ...).
I'm more of a hockey fan than basketball.
(5'10" white guy identifies with hockey over basketball ... Go figure ... LOL
Cheers!
LOL. Until I read Steve's caption, I thought he was attributing Constable's landscape to BOSCH! Hard to think of two artists any more UN-alike!
I must've missed the episode where Marge actually teased that blue tower on her head.
When the grid offers four spaces for one of Chekhov's Three Sisters, it has to be the eldest, the spinster Olga. When there are five spaces it's either the bored adulterous Masha or the innocent IRINA (often rendered as IRENE).
Thanks, Matthew & Steve! I thought this would be harder than it was. It was stubborn in a couple of places, but I was more so. Ta-DA!
oops ... forgot to mention ...
Chairman Moe @11:28
Thanks for the CSO limerick.
(again ... yeah I read the one last Saturday)
Cheers to you!
Bill G (re. your response abt San Francisco yesterday): Don't forget sourdough bread and, oh, yeh-- what was the libation you left out? Hmm. Something with an Italianate name. Right, I got it -- the Martini!
Anon T - I agree. I am one of the millions who've lost faith in Cosby the man. But I appreciate the comedy. It's similar to the Wagnerian paradox. I thrill to Wagner's music while despising him as an anti-Semite.
The problem is we can only dig Cosby now when we're alone--like watching him via YouTube. This makes it hard, because laughter is a social gesture. But it's unthinkable these days to join in an audience for him. The messages in both directions would be too insanely mixed.
Tinbeni, I'm lucky this year in that the Frozen Four will be here in Chicago. Can't wait.
My prediction: Denver vs. Harvard with DU winning it all. But, of course I'm prejudiced!
Good puzzle but I needed one red letter help to finish it; I didn't know the crossing of ALEC and ALUI, though I should have, as Jazzbumpa said, sussed it. I think I like Steve's write-up more than the puzzle.
I'll put on my grumpy curmudgeon hat and agree about KUNG PAO and also gripe that I get annoyed when people omit the noun from an adjective-noun phrase, such as saying, "Let's go out for Chinese."
Removing my curmudgeon hat, I wish you all the best.
CEDave:
You and I obviously watch the same cooking show. I saw that and copied it for next Friday. Tomorrow we'll go out for fish and chips but that looked and sounds so delicious I can't wait to try it.
TB @ 5:01 ---> you're welcome! there were just too many of "your" clue/solves today to ignore. 😜
And FWIW, if 1a had been clued as the drink I would've gotten it right away. That section of the puzzle was the last to fill and first to forget!
Lucina,
let me know how it turns out.
(I am on a diet...)
Sigh...
Sorry gang.
Whenever I have a bad day,
I tend to go on a bit...
It's like overeating with words,
(but it's less calories...)
(where do you think all the virtual cakes come from... )
:)
Steve - I know. It was a response to NC re: why Brits (maybe) no-likie French. I think it has something to do with a Statue in our harbor. :-)
OMK - Beautiful analogy re: Wagner. I don't associate Nazis w/ Wagner -- just Bugs. Maybe in 50 years the Driving in SF bit won't be associated with [thumper]
HG - LOL! Are you interested in NASA? Is the Pope Catholic? Does a bear EAT in the woods?... God Speed to Glen. Enjoy your eve in DC. BTW, tell me what else I should visit; I'll be at Splunk's .conf in DC in Sep w/ DW.
CED - Your posts are always a delight (and many times yummy)... Feel free to Ramble On..
Jayce - My buddy from Hong Kong says of Chinese food: "Back home, we just call it food." :-)
Cheers, -T
Anonymous T,
you must be very careful with your links,
because they can lead to other links...
(he typed while listening to LedZep!..:)
Now look what you started!...
CED - your last link really brought down the house :-). Nite. -T
Well I deserted yesterday to play golf. I had a start then had to slog through the SW. AMFM got me going.
WC in the great unread
I am surprised how few of you know of BOSCH. He was doing surrealist painting centuries before Dali or Magritte were born. He got away with this by doing religious themes of the torments of hell. But it is clear he had much more interesting ideas than that. I encourage you to Google his art with Google Images.
Some tricky areas as I had to dredge up SAKI from dim memories of puzzles past. But mostly this was a smooth ride with an enjoyable theme. Hand up for no idea about EDNA or "The Facts of Life".
Not sure how things are in China. But I agree that KUNG PAO in the US is a cooking method that involves chilis and peanuts. And it can be made with a variety of meats. I have been eating it in US Chinese restaurants from Boston to Los Angeles since the 1970s so it should be widely known.
I knew about the potentially deadly fish, but had no memory of its name FUGU. Thanks to ESP.
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