Theme: None
Words 72 (missing J,Q,W,Z)
Blocks: 33
A
friendly looking grid today from Ms Ellerin, which was how I described
her last Saturday offering as well. Lots of my first Across guesses
were so wrong they worked out just right for the Down crossings,
strangely, and the rest of my answers turned out to be spot-on correct.
Alas, I did not get my "ta-DA~!" because I guessed at the end of the
second longest Across fill, and "BAILed" to correct it - and so I had a
sloppy Down answer with an 'I don't know for sure' Across
perpendicular. Oh well. Red-letters it is. Two 8's, two 10's, and two
12-letter spanners;
22. Rotten Tomatoes caution : SPOILER ALERT
Or this one~?
9. Stud venue : CARD ROOM - because of the horse race clue, I was thinking about that kind of stud. Our weekly card game is held in a friend's dining room - I need to bring some felt to cover the table top tonight
27. Oktoberfest setting : BEER GARDEN - aw, I waited, since I got "BIER" wrong last week
45. 2008 financial crisis mantra : TOO BIG TO FAIL - even UPS tried to get in on the "free" money
36. Problem addressed by counters : INSOMNIA - ah, the sheep count-ers. Here's Megadeth's take on the disorder
3. One who shuns shaking : GERMOPHOBE - I still did not get this until I was writing the blog - HAND shaking, oh....
ACROSS:
1. Some conversion targets : PAGANS - my first read was conversATion, so I waited
7. Time to "Run for the Roses" : RACE DAY - we're at the start of the Triple Crown season
14. Blissful : EDENIC - ah, not ELATED
15. Bar talk? : LEGALESE - Nailed it
16. Shout from Speedy : ARRIBA - not ÁNDALE
17. Devils' playgrounds? : ICE RINKS - Well, I was in the NHL New Jersey Devils frame of mind, but this did not jump out at me
18. "Losing My Religion" group : REM
19. "Kiss of the Spider Woman" star Sonia : BRAGA
21. ... : DOTS - I thought maybe we had some sort of theme going on today, but this just turned out to be exactly what you see....dots
25. Teen introduction? : PRE - ugh. I tried SIX
26. Canonized pope who persuaded Attila not to attack Rome : St. LEO
27. Accessory for Miss Piggy : BOA
30. Half a luau serving? : MAHI - the other half tastes better
32. Usher's creator : POE - filled via perps
33. Revolted : ROSE UP - the revolution type of revolt, not the "I'm offended" one
35. Thatcher or Blair, e.g. : OXONIAN - tried ETonian. This is one from Oxford, or relating to
37. Smirks : SIMPERS - I thought this meant to weep, not smile
38. Capital since 1797 : ALBANY - bam, nailed it - but maybe it doesn't count because I lived there, so it might have been a subconscious remnant of those days
39. Expected : DUE
40. Ballpark phrase : OR SO - ah, the ballpark estimate, not the baseball park
41. Provider of a small raise : TEE - clever
42. "It Don't Come Easy" singer : STARR - Ringo, in his solo career
44. "Star Trek" record : LOG - totally missed this one, so when I had L-G, it took the V-8 can to get it. I've been keeping a journal of my daily events for the last 12 years, and that includes my punch times for UPS; when I went in to dispute my hours this week, my boss to a dig at me and told me to "check my diary".
7. Time to "Run for the Roses" : RACE DAY - we're at the start of the Triple Crown season
14. Blissful : EDENIC - ah, not ELATED
15. Bar talk? : LEGALESE - Nailed it
16. Shout from Speedy : ARRIBA - not ÁNDALE
17. Devils' playgrounds? : ICE RINKS - Well, I was in the NHL New Jersey Devils frame of mind, but this did not jump out at me
18. "Losing My Religion" group : REM
19. "Kiss of the Spider Woman" star Sonia : BRAGA
21. ... : DOTS - I thought maybe we had some sort of theme going on today, but this just turned out to be exactly what you see....dots
25. Teen introduction? : PRE - ugh. I tried SIX
26. Canonized pope who persuaded Attila not to attack Rome : St. LEO
27. Accessory for Miss Piggy : BOA
30. Half a luau serving? : MAHI - the other half tastes better
32. Usher's creator : POE - filled via perps
33. Revolted : ROSE UP - the revolution type of revolt, not the "I'm offended" one
35. Thatcher or Blair, e.g. : OXONIAN - tried ETonian. This is one from Oxford, or relating to
37. Smirks : SIMPERS - I thought this meant to weep, not smile
38. Capital since 1797 : ALBANY - bam, nailed it - but maybe it doesn't count because I lived there, so it might have been a subconscious remnant of those days
39. Expected : DUE
40. Ballpark phrase : OR SO - ah, the ballpark estimate, not the baseball park
41. Provider of a small raise : TEE - clever
42. "It Don't Come Easy" singer : STARR - Ringo, in his solo career
44. "Star Trek" record : LOG - totally missed this one, so when I had L-G, it took the V-8 can to get it. I've been keeping a journal of my daily events for the last 12 years, and that includes my punch times for UPS; when I went in to dispute my hours this week, my boss to a dig at me and told me to "check my diary".
"It's a log, dude."
49. Dixie elision : MA'AM - dah~! I went with Y'ALL, and I am sure so did everyone else
51. Plain to see : OVERT
52. Cellular messenger : RNA - ah, the genetic, not phone-callian type of cellular
53. Soaking solution : MARINADE - got stuck on "DYE", so it took a while for this to appear
55. Feuding (with) : AT ODDS
57. Fashion item used for protection in ancient Egypt : EYELINER - learning moment; CODPIECE fit, but I was sure the garment was not called that. In fact, the 'kilt' is called a shendyt, but the long belt I was thinking about is just called a belt. More here; there's a mention of eyeliner under cosmetics
49. Dixie elision : MA'AM - dah~! I went with Y'ALL, and I am sure so did everyone else
51. Plain to see : OVERT
52. Cellular messenger : RNA - ah, the genetic, not phone-callian type of cellular
53. Soaking solution : MARINADE - got stuck on "DYE", so it took a while for this to appear
55. Feuding (with) : AT ODDS
57. Fashion item used for protection in ancient Egypt : EYELINER - learning moment; CODPIECE fit, but I was sure the garment was not called that. In fact, the 'kilt' is called a shendyt, but the long belt I was thinking about is just called a belt. More here; there's a mention of eyeliner under cosmetics
58. "I'm a fan" : LOVE IT
59. Leafs, e.g. : NISSANS - again, I was in hockey mode, so I was thinking of the Toronto Maple LEAFs, or some sort of Canadian reference
60. Yoga class regimen : ASANAS
DOWN:
1. Still-life subjects : PEARS - which worked with my first two Across fills, but when the rest didn't, out it came
59. Leafs, e.g. : NISSANS - again, I was in hockey mode, so I was thinking of the Toronto Maple LEAFs, or some sort of Canadian reference
60. Yoga class regimen : ASANAS
DOWN:
1. Still-life subjects : PEARS - which worked with my first two Across fills, but when the rest didn't, out it came
Nice pear....
2. "Mad Men" extra : AD REP
4. "The Phantom Menace" boy : ANI - short for Anakin, the Skywalker who gave us Luke and Leia
5. Angler's hope : NIBBLE
6. Close one : SCARE
7. Automaker's bane : RECALL
8. Preceder of beauty? : AGE - AGE before Beauty
10. Prufrock's creator : ELIOT - filled via perps
11. Bump souvenir : DENT - I figured this was one on the head, so I went with WELT - that's 50% correct - and 100% at that, right D-O~?
12. Requires : ASKS
13. "Roundabout" rock group : YES - I was never able to appreciate their progressive rock style, but half the original members formed ASIA, and their debut album is still one of my favorites of all time - more on ASIA here
4. "The Phantom Menace" boy : ANI - short for Anakin, the Skywalker who gave us Luke and Leia
5. Angler's hope : NIBBLE
6. Close one : SCARE
7. Automaker's bane : RECALL
8. Preceder of beauty? : AGE - AGE before Beauty
10. Prufrock's creator : ELIOT - filled via perps
11. Bump souvenir : DENT - I figured this was one on the head, so I went with WELT - that's 50% correct - and 100% at that, right D-O~?
12. Requires : ASKS
13. "Roundabout" rock group : YES - I was never able to appreciate their progressive rock style, but half the original members formed ASIA, and their debut album is still one of my favorites of all time - more on ASIA here
15. Tie up in surgery : LIGATE
20. Bad lighting? : ARSON - took half a beat for me to remember this clever cluing for that kind of lighting
23. Youngest of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : IRINA - filled via perps
24. Like many 32-Across works : EERIE - not PROSE, not VERSE - which was 100% 60% correct~!
28. Shared between us : OURS - the literal definition
29. Lhasa __ : APSO
30. Safety feature for zoo visitors : MOAT - there's a moat around my dream home
31. Drive shaft component : AXLE
32. Check phrase : PAY TO
34. Make fun of : SPOOF - my crossings gave me SMOOB, so I was going to check and see if maybe it was a word....it is; check the 'Urban' Dictionary
37. Power concern : SURGE - I had -U--E, which led me to ponder JUICE
39. Club at a club : DRIVER - more golfing
43. They may be humble : ABODES - I prefer to refer to my humble abode as the awesome man-cave - my whole studio apartment, not just the entertainment room
44. Powerball and others : LOTTOS
45. Word in pregame instructions : TAILS - or you could choose HEADS
46. Refrain part : TRA-LA
47. Setting for "Slumdog Millionaire" : INDIA - filled via perps; did not see the movie
48. Has legs, so to speak : LASTS - yes - and she has legs, too
20. Bad lighting? : ARSON - took half a beat for me to remember this clever cluing for that kind of lighting
23. Youngest of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : IRINA - filled via perps
24. Like many 32-Across works : EERIE - not PROSE, not VERSE - which was 100% 60% correct~!
28. Shared between us : OURS - the literal definition
29. Lhasa __ : APSO
30. Safety feature for zoo visitors : MOAT - there's a moat around my dream home
31. Drive shaft component : AXLE
32. Check phrase : PAY TO
34. Make fun of : SPOOF - my crossings gave me SMOOB, so I was going to check and see if maybe it was a word....it is; check the 'Urban' Dictionary
37. Power concern : SURGE - I had -U--E, which led me to ponder JUICE
39. Club at a club : DRIVER - more golfing
43. They may be humble : ABODES - I prefer to refer to my humble abode as the awesome man-cave - my whole studio apartment, not just the entertainment room
44. Powerball and others : LOTTOS
45. Word in pregame instructions : TAILS - or you could choose HEADS
46. Refrain part : TRA-LA
47. Setting for "Slumdog Millionaire" : INDIA - filled via perps; did not see the movie
48. Has legs, so to speak : LASTS - yes - and she has legs, too
49. "Allow me" : "MAY I~?"
50. Father of Phobos and Deimos : ARES
53. Valets, e.g. : MEN - meh
54. Rockport's cape : ANN - not sure where Rockport is, so take your three-letter pick; COD, MAY, or ANN - two of them in Massachusetts
50. Father of Phobos and Deimos : ARES
53. Valets, e.g. : MEN - meh
54. Rockport's cape : ANN - not sure where Rockport is, so take your three-letter pick; COD, MAY, or ANN - two of them in Massachusetts
56. Eggs : OVA
Splynter
FIR! Now if I could just poetize as well as I crosswordize!
ReplyDelete{B+, C+, B-, C.}
An obnoxious OXONIAN from Oxford
Thought it below him to work on a crossword.
He said they were proof
Some folks you could SPOOF
To think RECALL was really a fun SURGE!
IRINA had a SCARE as a GERMOPHOBE.
Couldn't abide they'd bide in her ABODE!
She thought it EERIE
Anyone would be cheery,
While germs NIBBLED on the people they rode!
LEO was an expert AT ODDS.
Took bets on horses or dogs.
Watching RACE DAY,
ARRIBA!, he'd say,
Then PAY TO a few lucky sods!
There's vice for some at a BEER GARDEN.
Others, a CARD ROOM or LOTTO will harden.
While for some it's EDENIC
To watch things athletic,
On ICE RINK or field where there are MEN!
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteStruggled, but got 'er done...(DOTS)and in good Saturday time, too. Of course, I went with Y'ALL -- 100% 25% correct. OXONIAN just looks weird. Why not Oxfordian? Too long? Thanx, Debbie. Thanx for your yeoman service, as well, Splynter. That leggy damsel looks as though she could slam-dunk a basketball without ever leaving the floor.
Easiest Saturday solve ever.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Desper-otto, oxonian is not just a stretch but should never be used in a crossword again.
ReplyDeleteStarted with eACh mAY for 7A
ReplyDeleteWiktionary actually defines SIMPER as "A foolish, frivolous, self-conscious, or affected smile; a smirk."
MAAM is hardly unique to Dixie.
OXONIAN is OK but glad they went to Oxford; if they had gone to Cambridge (or Harvard) they would've be Cantabridgians and likely never would've gotten into a xword
Hello.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Debbie. What a wild ride! It took walking away four times to make any headway, and it wasn't much. Well-clued in retrospect, but I couldn't see so much. I liked everything better after Splynter led me through the forest so I could see the trees. Well done.
Thanks, Splynter. I really needed your help today. Of all your LEGgy gals, today's appears to be most seriously Photoshopped out of proportion. With no muscles in her gams, standing might be a challenge, let alone D-Otto's basketball idea.
I offer good wishes, prayers, and the possibility of sunshine to all of you experiencing the travails of grief and pain. Be well.
Have a good day everyone.
Good morning all
ReplyDeleteI must have been on Debbie's wavelength today, as this was pretty easy for a Saturday. Got off to a great start in the NW corner which warmed up my brain :) Thanks for a great puzzle and fun solve!
Splynter- thanks for your terrific write up. I also keep a LOG ( well, journal to me) and had to laugh at the dig from your boss. Also had a good chuckle when I looked up Smoob on Urban Dictionary!
Had some good WAGs with GERMOPHOBE and BEERGARDEN but spelled them wrong- had GermAphobe and Bier Garten. ALBANY, EDENIC, and ARRIBA were sort of WAGs but I did have some of the crosses, so that helped as did only the V in DRIVER, so had that early.
Had Suture>LIGATE; it wasn't working so had to look up BRAGA. Also MAAM- couldn't RECALL elision, so had to get that definition.
Perps: STLEO, SIMPERS, TOOBIGTOFAIL, ARES, ELIOT, STARR and NISSANS ( was thinking table leaf)
So many cute/clever clues and fills earning my smiley face: DOTS, LEGALESE, ICERINKS, TEE, AGE, CARDROOM, ARSON, INSOMNIA.
Learning moments: EYELINER and OXONIAN ( which seems awkward to me)
It's a cool, windy, cloudy day here. The forecast has been updated from rain all day to just some this morning. So this will be a good excuse to stay indoors and take care of some neglected housework.
Thanks again to all of your kind comments- it really is a comfort :)
Almost forgot- Irish Miss, my toaster also ejects the bread into the air and usually onto the floor if I don't stand there waiting to catch it. I've lost a lot of toast as I also don't subscribe to the "three second rule" especially after seeing a report that any amount of time that food is on the floor ( I think they tested at 1, 2, 3 seconds on up to 10) the amount of bacteria was the same on all of the items and it was quite a lot. Yuck!
This reminds me of another study I saw about shopping carts. Something like 7 out of 10 tested positive for E. coli. So those sanitizing wipes they offer near the carts are a must!
Hope everyone has a great day and wonderful weekend!
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteGot most of it but ended up with a Natick at the REM/GERMOPHOBIC cross. Should have gotten the latter. Good cluing. Favorite clue was for INSOMNIA. SIMPERS was a learning.
BRAGA - I remember her from "The Milagro Beanfield War"
I set the puzzle aside after I was getting nowhere. Later settling into my favorite chair I solved the bottom two thirds 1-2-3, but the top was a bear for me. I needed help 3 times. After a successful Thursday and an easy Friday, this must have been meant to keep me humble. I found it interesting that those who had trouble the last two days, FIR on this one.
ReplyDeleteI wanted Oxfordian, but had never seen or heard it and it didn’t fit. Then I remembered having seen Oxonian, “derived from Oxonia, the Latin form of Oxenford or Oxford,” per Wiki. Spellcheck prefers Oxfordian.
“Oxonians and veterans alike came out to the University-Oxford Airport to see the senior military officers take flight. - Washington Times Nov 6, 2016
Got USHER/Poe easily. Clever.
I questioned Ma’am, but reasoned that it used more routinely in the South.
Late start today, as we slept in, very unusual for us.
Good day to all!
ReplyDeleteMan, oh man, did I need major help today. My hat is off to those who found this easy. I, too, thought OXONIAN seemed awkward, but in looking it up, found it to be totally legit. Favorite clue/answer was "Preceder of beauty" for AGE. Thanks for the splendid write-up, Splynter. Perhaps you were thinking of wIMPERS at 37A.
BunnyM--So sorry for the loss of your dear aunt.
Tawnya--Congratulations on your accomplishment!
Enjoy the day!
Went with suture instead of ligate which hung me up in the NE for a bit. Braga provided the V8 moment. Otherwise, pretty quick for a Saturday. As always, great write-up Splynter. JB2
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-LIGATE/BRAGA is right and my struggle is over!
-The only place I’ve heard SIMPER(ing) (3:19)
-RINGO and ONO had big careers by being in John Lennon’s orbit
-Today’s LOG star date is 94908.62
-My LEAFS candidates grew on trees, extended tables and turned pages first
-Talk about yer RECALLS
-Am I the only one who leaves extra spaces to not get a DENT in my vehicle?
-Good bosses never ASK more of employees than they do of themselves
-I held off on SUTURE and LIGATE was my last fill (see first musing)
-Did anyone insert IRS on the PAY TO line this year?
-The DRIVER can be a huge asset or liability
-TAILS never fails was our team motto
-These ten most-recorded songs certainly have LEGS
-Phobos and Deimos and the Moons of MARS but he’s not their dad
-Me too, YR!
Splynter,
ReplyDeleteI think that girls legs are too skinny.
(Hmm, wait a sec,
didn't I last say the last girls legs were too fat?)
(I should have taken a Thumper...)
Having been knocked out three times for work on my sciatica,
I am concerned that we have not heard from Lemon.
I would be very interested to know what kind of surgery was entailed
on your tail end...
Hope to hear from you soon...
CED
Thanks, Debbie, for a Saturday challenge. FIR, although YALL was in before MAAM, and BIERGARTEN was entered as Oktoberfest was spelled the German way.
ReplyDeleteDH always likes to guess which clue or entry will be Splynter's show of legs, and today, he got it right!
Happy Saturday to all!
Great, fun puzzle! Many unknowns for me: Oxonian, edenic, "too big to fail", and so on.
ReplyDeleteWould Albany have fit into yesterday's theme?
Knew Rockport is on the "nawth Shaw" of MA, having been there many times. This area, Cape Ann, also includes towns of Salem, Gloucester, etc. Great place to visit. The "south Shaw"of MA includes Plymouth, Duxbury, Quincy, etc. Cape Cod, an annual summer vacation spot for my husband and I, is east of the south Shaw, and is simply known as The Cape. Cape May is the southernmost spot on the Jersey Shore, beautiful place known for its Victorian charm. (Not the "Jersey Shore" infamously depicted on tv!)
Have a great day!
Anon @ 11:16. thanks for the positive image of our shore. When we go to the Jersey Shore, it is to Wildwood Crest, next door to Cape May, nothing like the despicable TV show which gives our shore communities and our whole state a black eye. We love it there.There are some wild partying places down the shore, but many more nice, family friendly places. The wild towns are trying to clean up their image.
ReplyDeleteCED, after all that work, how is your sciatica now? How does that effect your hiking and camping? I suspect my MRI will reveal sciatica, too. I am about to give away my tent because I can no longer hammer in the stakes.
Alan tests yesterday showed the strong possibility of an ulcer requiring further tests. The doctor says most ulcers are caused by bacteria and are treatable. Maybe we finally have found the answer to the GI part of his problems.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteI was still up when the paper dropped and started strong (if not tired). It's kinda funny to watch your solve fill. 1st pass I wanted Fruit for 1d but people for 1a so left the corner. YES [8m] I knew (Rush liked them too!), REM got rid of Fruit. Then I found BOA for Ms. Piggy; BieRGARtEN flowed and the SE corner filled itself. Back to the NW... PEARS; Andle didn't work for adman, but ARRIBA worked w/ AD REP. It's not people targeted in conversation...
Alas, I couldn't break up the NW. I read 8d as 'producer' of beauty; thus EYE (of the beholder). 100% wrong.
Thanks Debbie for a fun Sat pzl. I did better than I normally do :-). SPOILER ALERT, TOO BIG TO FAIL [filled with ...O-A...!], and BEER GARDEN are fun. AND It Don't Come Easy ; early memory - love that song!
Thanks Splynter for filling in the blanks and fixing 34d - I had ScOOF (which in my tired mind said scoff - D'Oh!) and I had ARgON for bad lighting until I took a peek at the Pope. [hey, Argon lamps don't give off nice light, don't judge :-)]
{B+,B,B,A}
Lem - check in if you can so we all know your TAIL'S ok.
Why was I up so late, you didn't ask? Amazon delivered Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries yesterday and I can't put it down. I fairly certain y'all [bzzt @ 49d] like it.
Cheers, -T
Sacrificed an entire BLT and lit several sticks of incense and it STILL was hard today! I'm in awe of those of you who found this one easy; it took me nearly half an hour of serious skull sweat before I finally finished. The southeast came easily but the rest not so much. Lots of clever cluing but I guess I just wasn't on her wavelength. I thought MEN for valet was pretty meh but most of it was actually pretty good (once I figgered all of it out). Splynter, I always like your Saturday expositions.
ReplyDeleteARRIBA, ARRIBA, I hear they have found a new mineral in England under a school by the name of OXFORDITE. It's chemical components are dead students, old shoes and old suits(Fake News). Or as D-O wrote, OXFORDIAN. The puzzle was a fairly easy Saturday fill but OXONIAN and SIMPERS across the middle are two new words for me. OXONIAN made sense as a word but SIMPERS was all perps. BRAGA was also all perps.
ReplyDeleteCape ANN- I knew of three three letter capes and ANN was the only one to perp the NISSANS. I've never seen either a NISSAN Leaf nor Chevrolet Volt. They probably spent more money advertising than those two have earned-gross.
Confidently filled EWERS until none of the crosses fit in the NW and finally put the PEARS in.
Wanted SUTURE before LIGATE, which I associate with 'strangling' somebody.
D-O, everybody I hear saying the shorten 'you all' pronounces it as 'YAW' when speaking directly to a group and only says 'Yawl' when they say something such as " 'yawl' be over at 6 o'clock" But 'youse guys' in the midwest don't have anything better than the Southerners. Personally, I just say 'you' whether I am speaking to one or more than one.
The Blue Angels are performing at an air show that is about 6 miles (as the crow flies) from my house, but they have been flying directly over my house for the last two days. When I look up after hearing them they are way away from where the sound is coming from. A bit faster than a passenger plane.
Stupid auto correct... Y'all'll like it...
ReplyDeleteReposting as I posted that as WikWak posted.
WikWak: Are you nuts? 1/2 hour? That's good in my book. I puzzled over this thing on-and-off for over 2 hours (while reading cited) and still DNF'd it. You're on the pedestal DUE to FIR and in relatively short time. I spend at least 15 min on a Monday and many quarter-hours more for a FIR Thurs. Good showing by you in my book. Cheers, -T
A tough but fair Saturday outing, thankful for the solve.
ReplyDeleteNever compare your solving skill to another based on one puzzle, there are going to be times when it's easy for you and tough for others, as well as the reverse. We all have our unique skills.
Hi Everyone:
ReplyDeleteYR, you're not the only one who slept late but getting side-tracked is the main reason for my posting in the afternoon rather than the morning.
I liked this offering a lot and found the cluing very clever but fair. I, too, would never equate Simper with Smirk but I guess they're related. The same with Requires=Asks. To me, Requires=Needs, but, then again, it's Saturday so more leeway is allowed, and that's okay. BunnyM, we have more in common than mischievous toasters; I also went astray with Germophobe, Beer Garden, and Suture, but perps showed me the error of my ways. Hand up for Y'all and, believe it or not, I needed perps to get my next door neighbor, Albany. I finished in less than normal Saturday time but still found it challenging.
WikWak, I agree with Anonymous T; 30 minutes or less on a Saturday puzzle deserves a pat on the back, IMO.
Have a great day.
I was surprised that many had not heard of simpered. To me simpered and simpering seem common place, perhaps used more in novels than in everyday speech. I find them also in stage plays reviews.
ReplyDelete-“I know, I know," she simpered, "you were trying to tell us about the itsy-bitsy snowflings." The Westing Game
-Miss Sikkum simpered and murmured under her breath, "How romantic." Jenkins, Herbert George
-“Turned me into a simpering, mealy-mouthed magnolia type who bats her eyelashes and crosses her hands and lives for nothing but her lil’ole husband. “ Go Set a Watchman
I agree that smirk and simper do have different nuances, but both can be defined thusly:
- to smile in a silly, self-conscious way.
I believe smirk and simper are near, rather than close synonyms.
YR - You have no idea how many times (actually neither do I; >5) I thought of you whilst reading Word by Word. Take a look; it's a fun, un-stuffy, read. -T
ReplyDeleteRoarin' back in High Style today!
ReplyDeleteI skipped posting anything yesterday because I finished Mr. Coulter's fine pzl so late in the day/evening. Despite the delay, which included several breaks and re-visits, I achieved my Ta-DA! in the end. Likewise today was a Ta-DA! for me, for two-in-a-row in Friday/Saturday challenges!
Good for me & my old walnut!
Ms. Ellerin's pzl seemed the easier of the two. Not that it lacked chewiness. I only knew IRINA on my first pass. But when I threw in a bunch of WAGs on my next few passes, they turned out to all be accurate (except for Y'ALL in place of MA'AM). I had a little hangup when finishing off SIMPERS. I had five letters but still couldn't see my way to finishing it, and yet it is such a common word. It came to me at last, and once I got that boost in confidence, I could "see" the remainders clearly and easily. Amazing how that works!
Well, terrific beginning of the week for me, tough end, but no complaints. I found this almost impossible at first, but began filling in the bottom, and ended up getting the entire eastern half before I had to start cheating. Got ELIOT without any problem, and after a bit remembered that Edgar Allen POE wrote about the fall of the house of Usher. Had the same doubts about SIMPERS as others but took a chance on it and it worked. Knew ARRIBA, but wasn't sure how to spell it, so that slowed me down in that corner. The only one that still irks me a bit is EYELINER. Did they really use EYELINER in ancient Egypt or is this some sort of joke? Anyway, fun puzzle, Debbie, and delightful write-up, Splynter.
ReplyDeleteAny word on how Lemonade is doing?
Have a great weekend, everybody!
Re: puzzle,
ReplyDeleteI was surprised this was a Saturday,
as I had clear sailing through the first 50%
of the puzzle.
Then, with a grinding sound, my boat hit a reef,
a storm came up, and my sails were rent from the mast...
(P.S. The dictionary does not like this form of the word "rend.")
To Yellowrocks @ 11:52
My sciatica is gone for two years now.
It was a new form of epidural treatment that required
repeated injections under anesthesia every two weeks.
Unfortunately, my miraculous Doctor was working with a
a not so legit surgery outfit. What I was told was covered
by insurance by the Doctor was totally different from what
was covered by this fly by night ersatz hospital.
To make a long story shorter,
The Doctor asked my insurance for more money,
& when did not get it, let it go.
The ersatz hospital (no capital "H")
billed me for $20,000 unpaid balance. (yes,it was quite a shock!)
After 6 months of nightmares, I was lucky enough that this
occurred during a Government crackdown on this sort of thing,
& suddenly, I was informed that is was all "a billing error..."
(Note that everything was in writing "except the billing error part...)
Two years later, I am sciatica free,
but plagued by the thought that this outfit will sell their debts
& I will be dunned by some 3rd party debt collection agency...
(Don't trust anyone!)
I think it took me a half hour to find one square. INDIA seemed to work and I headed North and West from there. To go with the Derby theme I put in CALF ROOM and when I perped ICERINKS forgot to revisit those strange DOTS.
ReplyDeleteMy Waterloo was NW. I confess checking that there was a REM. Apres Ca le Deluge.
To wit. I had ADREP but couldn't make it work. I was thinking of Condo conversions.
So I ended up with PDVANS(Police Dept) and DIORS. And IRINIC. When Splynter showed me PAGANS I was able to correct the hideous blot.
Re. Jersey Shore.. Does anyone remember the answer to a NYT clue: Jersey Shore character's incontinence solution?
And Owen indirectly inspired this X-rated 'lick to be posted when the dust settles.
The last word is what I actually had for 3d.
Splynter, you'll appreciate that our pinch-hitter(H-Gary) was no bush-leaguer yesterday.
WC
OK. The dust has settled. SPOILER ALERT. Very XXX 'lick to follow
ReplyDeleteThe STUD began by licking her lobe
Then his hands crept up her robe
When she felt his knob
Said "Better finish the job
I'm a certifiable VIBROPHOBE*
* It was all I could think of for 3d
WC
Hi Y'all! Strangely unlike some of y'all, I did not think of "y'all" as the southern answer. I just left it for perps.
ReplyDeleteBut like some of y'all, the NW was a booger. Last to fill. First pass I had only GERMaPHOBE & ARRIBA. The red letter in the middle of the former was pretty but soon corrected.
I was so proud to guess LIGATE when I had only LI. Then I wondered how I got that. Had to google it after I was done to see why it was correct.
Also googled OXONIAN after it perped in. Shouldn't be surprised. The English leave out a lot of sounds Americans would pronounce. Worcestershire Sauce a case in point.
YR: Yup, they'll MA AM ya' to death in the south.
Tease before SPOOF. Somehow SPOOF sounds like more fun.
Wasn't AIG the company "TOO BIG TO FAIL"? Recently I was notified that AIG had purchased the company holding my insurance policy that my parents bought for me at birth. $1,000 was enough to pay for a burial at that time. I'm wondering how much it's worth after 76 years. Better be more than $1,000. That wouldn't bury me now.
Thanks, Debbie, for exercising my mind. Thanks, Splynter for making this more fun. I, for one, am grateful you are a "leg man" rather than a boob man.
Just occurred to me that I neglected to thank Debbie and Splynter for a job well done. Thank you both.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous T, thank you, thank you, thank you. I downloaded Word By Word and am spending a delightful Saturday night with it. The author and I are in tune. You have my thought processes regarding words pegged.
ReplyDeleteVery late to the party but I was happy to finish this Saturday CW with only a couple of Google helps in the NW. Thanks for the fun Debbie and Splynter.
ReplyDeleteI was on the same wavelength as Splynter with a Cartroom for my stud. That gave me Tots instead of DOTS so officially FIW. Lightbulb moment when I came here and saw DOTS.
I wanted the Devils to play in Arenas but it was too short. I too thought of our Maple Leafs before NISSANS. Another Canadian team is out of the Stanley Cup race with Montreal's loss tonight. We shall see how our Leafs fare tomorrow.
Hand up for Suture before LIGATE.
OXONIAN seemed odd but I was sure of my perps. I did know SIMPERS.
Canadians write cheques and the clue "check phrase" held me up until I remembered.
Speaking of Canadian/American differences, I think Irish Miss noted here a few weeks ago that we pronounce ALBANY as Al-bany versus All-bany used by locals.
Valets=men was meh but there were some other clever clues like 36D INSOMNIA
Back tomorrow hopefully.
PK - Yes, AIG, along w/ Merrill Lynch (which I think BOA was asked to swallow), and GM were all TO BIG TO FAIL so we, the tax payers, posted bail. From what I've read we, the tax payers, made most of our money back with interest. But, D-O is the accountant so I'll defer to him on the math.
ReplyDeleteYR - I hope the vulgarities aren't too much for your delicate sensibilities :-) I'm a slow reader and just finished chapter Bitch. Glad you're enjoying it too,
C, Eh! I was going for et.al. forever @21a (...) Until I gave up and just WAG'd ELIOT. It was 7a and 15a that poke'd me in the EYE.
Back to the book. Cheers, -T
A challenge, but FIR.
ReplyDeleteHow is an AXLE part of a drive shaft? They are two separate parts of a drive train, aren't they?
BRAGA/LIGATE was a WAG.
Did not know that OXONIAN was one who went to Oxford. Assumed it was Oxfordian. I did know the Cambridge version as I went to school in another Cambridge.
Learning moment about EYE LINER in Egypt.
Did anyone else try MARS before ARES? As noted by Husker Gary, those are the moons of MARS. ARES is the Greek name and MARS is the Roman name.
Those LEGS don't look real! Too long as with Barbie. Maybe a Photoshop effect.