Theme: Passing Lines - five different homonyms in the clues:
17A. Words requesting a pass : OPEN SESAME! The response hopefully is not a Lord of the Rings-style "Thou shalt not pass!"
21A. Words indicating a pass : NO THANKS. I'll pass.
39A. Words constituting a pass : SO, WHATS YOUR SIGN? Not a chat-up line I've ever used. I like to think the passes I've made were subtle.
55A. Words printed on a pass : ADMIT ONE. My Universal Studios annual pass just expired. I got pretty good use out of it though.
61A. Words seen in a pass : SHARP CURVE. Your Thai language lesson for the day:
Wow. This one gave me conniptions. I can't remember the last time a Thursday puzzle took me more than half an hour to git 'er done, but this one did. I had acres of white space after my first pass through.
Well now. A real challenge from C.C. but finally it all came together. The northwest was the most problematic for me, not helped by filling in DEMON at 1A . I finally saw the folly of my ways and eventually everything fell (no, was dragged (or drug)) into place. Very solid theme and some devious fill and cluing What a good crossword is all about.
Across:
1. Halloween costume that may involve a red cape and tail : SATAN. DEVIL and DEMON were my first tries. Wildly incorrect.
6. Respected men : SIRS. Yessir!
10. Banana Boat initials : SPF. Sun Protection Factor.
13. "I Fall to Pieces" singer : CLINE. Patsy. I love her voice.
14. "America's FLAVORite Frozen Beverage since 1967" : ICEE. I don't believe I've ever tried one of these. Should I put it on the bucket list?
15. Considerable age : AEON. Handy vowel sequence for constructors.
19. Apple choice : GALA. My first thought was to choose between iPad and iPod, but I held off, thankfully.
20. "Phooey!" : OH RATS!
23. Prof's aides : TA'S. Now known as Paraprofessionals.
24. Cardio chart : ECG
26. Overly : TOO
27. Team with 121 medals at the Rio Olympics : USA. Surprisingly, Great Britain came second with 67. China came in third with 70, which seems odd accounting, but GBR had more golds.
28. Throw water on : DOUSE
30. Put the kibosh on : VETO
32. Before, once : ERST. From whence "erstwhile."
36. Genetic material : RNA. _NA and wait for the crosses.
37. Cantaloupe and honeydew : MELONS
42. Infomercial staples : SPIELS
43. Tack on : ADD
44. "I almost forgot ... " : ALSO ...
45. "I'm extremely interested in squalor" speaker of literature : ESMÉ. Crosses got this for me. From a J. D. Salinger short story.
46. Ripoff : THEFT
48. "Viva __ Vegas" : LAS
49. Homer stat : RBI. C.C.'s first baseball reference for the day.
51. Camera inits. : S.L.R. Single Lens Reflex. When introduced, this type of camera allowed the photographer to see the exact same framing as would be captured on film, removing the parallax issue arising from having a separate viewfinder. I bought my first SLR many years ago, hence the research notes. I sold it when I was dead broke trying to make a living when I first left home.
52. Hrs. at Coors Field games : MDT. Denver's ballpark.
58. Childcare worker : AU PAIR. Took a while to get this. I dated a Danish au pair when I lived in London. She smoked a pipe and drank Tuborg beer in 20oz pints, which attracted a few funny looks.
60. Nullify : VOID
63. View from a pew : APSE. Nice clue for an old staple.
64. Dalí house : CASA. Spanish lesson for the day. There's a pub in north London called the "Case is Altered" which is (allegedly) a corruption of "Casa Alta", the "High House". It is on a hill, so I'm buying it.
65. Great Lakes natives : ERIES
66. That, in Tijuana : ESA
67. URL starter : HTTP. Hypertext Transfer Protocol, as we nerds all know.
68. Holding corporation that owns Kmart : SEARS
Down:
1. Get moving : SCOOT. "Scoot your buns!"
2. Dominant : ALPHA. TYPE-A got in the way of progress in this area.
3. Levels in a park : TIERS. Four tiers at Dodger Stadium. I'm going to the Rose Bowl on Sunday to see U2 playing the "Joshua Tree" tour. I bought the album when it was released 30 years ago, so I'm a tad excited. I've still got the vinyl; it's hanging on my wall next to my guitars.
4. Gunn of "Sully" : ANNA. Thank you, crosses. Enjoyed the movie.
5. Like matryoshka dolls : NESTED
6. Kim, to Khloé Kardashian : SIS
7. Offer of help : I CAN. Who can handle this for me?
8. Faraway : REMOTE
9. Take care of : SEE TO
10. It often spans decades : SAGA
11. Egg roll cooking medium : PEANUT OIL. I generally use mustard oil. Technically, you are not meant to cook with it in the US due to the fact that it contains levels of erucic acid that the powers-that-be suggest are not healthy. I'm still going strong and my doctor tells me I'm heart-healthy so ....
12. Pete Seeger's forte : FOLK SONGS
16. Rocket launcher : NASA.
18. Chaperones : ESCORTS
22. Emulate a news helicopter : HOVER. I live close to the 101 freeway, and one morning I was awoken by the sound of the hovering of two or three news helicopters. I went out on my bedroom balcony and couldn't figure out why the morning smelt of margaritas. I turned on the news and saw that a truckload of limes had spilled on the freeway and been turned into juice as the traffic ran over them. Fun, except not so much for the commuters backed up behind the clearance crew.
25. Tries hard (for) : GUNS
29. Doctor's request : SAY AH!
31. Disney character who sings "Let It Go" : ELSA "Frozen".
32. Curved letter : ESS
33. Ali ring trademark : ROPE-A-DOPE. His technique of laying on the ropes absorbing punches to tire out the opponent, then coming at him late in the bout when tiredness set in.
34. Simply Cocoa maker : SWISS MISS
35. Other people : THEM
37. Splash guard : MUDFLAP
38. __-Cat : SNO
40. Frost advisory, e.g. : ALERT
41. Poetic paeans : ODES
46. Doughboy's helmet : TIN HAT. Actually made of steel. "Hat" is a delicate term too.
47. Peace offerings : TRUCES. The act, not the olive branch.
48. Soap brand with volcanic pumice : LAVA. Thank you, crosses.
50. Big name in kitchen appliances : BOSCH. I've got a couple of their grinders, one for coffee and the other for spices. They're great. Why two? So that my ground spices don't taste of coffee, and my morning coffee doesn't make me bust out in a sweat due to raw ground Scorpion chili contamination. Smart.
52. Two-time French Open winner Sharapova : MARIA
53. Sunken ship explorer : DIVER
54. Long lock : TRESS
56. Creative flash : IDEA
57. __ China Sea : EAST. I've sailed on the South China Sea out of Hong Kong Island. I met a Cathay Pacific airline pilot in the bar at my Kowloon hotel and he took me and a couple of colleagues out on the company yacht. Great fun. We didn't make it far enough to cross into the East China Sea though. Great lunch at a tiny seafood shack on a little isle just off Hong Kong. Four of us, a local dog, two fisherman and a cook. I really have enjoyed a lucky life. He also explained to me the 12-hour rule "Booze to Cruise" or "Bottle to Throttle" for pilots.
59. Untainted : PURE
62. Genre using speakers? : RAP. Nice clue. I like Eminem; some other hip-hop artists don't work so well for me.
Well, that's about it for me. I just need to post the grid and it's over and out! I hope you enjoyed the ride!
Steve
17A. Words requesting a pass : OPEN SESAME! The response hopefully is not a Lord of the Rings-style "Thou shalt not pass!"
21A. Words indicating a pass : NO THANKS. I'll pass.
39A. Words constituting a pass : SO, WHATS YOUR SIGN? Not a chat-up line I've ever used. I like to think the passes I've made were subtle.
55A. Words printed on a pass : ADMIT ONE. My Universal Studios annual pass just expired. I got pretty good use out of it though.
61A. Words seen in a pass : SHARP CURVE. Your Thai language lesson for the day:
Wow. This one gave me conniptions. I can't remember the last time a Thursday puzzle took me more than half an hour to git 'er done, but this one did. I had acres of white space after my first pass through.
Well now. A real challenge from C.C. but finally it all came together. The northwest was the most problematic for me, not helped by filling in DEMON at 1A . I finally saw the folly of my ways and eventually everything fell (no, was dragged (or drug)) into place. Very solid theme and some devious fill and cluing What a good crossword is all about.
Across:
1. Halloween costume that may involve a red cape and tail : SATAN. DEVIL and DEMON were my first tries. Wildly incorrect.
6. Respected men : SIRS. Yessir!
10. Banana Boat initials : SPF. Sun Protection Factor.
13. "I Fall to Pieces" singer : CLINE. Patsy. I love her voice.
14. "America's FLAVORite Frozen Beverage since 1967" : ICEE. I don't believe I've ever tried one of these. Should I put it on the bucket list?
15. Considerable age : AEON. Handy vowel sequence for constructors.
19. Apple choice : GALA. My first thought was to choose between iPad and iPod, but I held off, thankfully.
20. "Phooey!" : OH RATS!
23. Prof's aides : TA'S. Now known as Paraprofessionals.
24. Cardio chart : ECG
26. Overly : TOO
27. Team with 121 medals at the Rio Olympics : USA. Surprisingly, Great Britain came second with 67. China came in third with 70, which seems odd accounting, but GBR had more golds.
28. Throw water on : DOUSE
30. Put the kibosh on : VETO
32. Before, once : ERST. From whence "erstwhile."
36. Genetic material : RNA. _NA and wait for the crosses.
37. Cantaloupe and honeydew : MELONS
42. Infomercial staples : SPIELS
43. Tack on : ADD
44. "I almost forgot ... " : ALSO ...
45. "I'm extremely interested in squalor" speaker of literature : ESMÉ. Crosses got this for me. From a J. D. Salinger short story.
46. Ripoff : THEFT
48. "Viva __ Vegas" : LAS
49. Homer stat : RBI. C.C.'s first baseball reference for the day.
51. Camera inits. : S.L.R. Single Lens Reflex. When introduced, this type of camera allowed the photographer to see the exact same framing as would be captured on film, removing the parallax issue arising from having a separate viewfinder. I bought my first SLR many years ago, hence the research notes. I sold it when I was dead broke trying to make a living when I first left home.
52. Hrs. at Coors Field games : MDT. Denver's ballpark.
58. Childcare worker : AU PAIR. Took a while to get this. I dated a Danish au pair when I lived in London. She smoked a pipe and drank Tuborg beer in 20oz pints, which attracted a few funny looks.
60. Nullify : VOID
63. View from a pew : APSE. Nice clue for an old staple.
64. Dalí house : CASA. Spanish lesson for the day. There's a pub in north London called the "Case is Altered" which is (allegedly) a corruption of "Casa Alta", the "High House". It is on a hill, so I'm buying it.
65. Great Lakes natives : ERIES
66. That, in Tijuana : ESA
67. URL starter : HTTP. Hypertext Transfer Protocol, as we nerds all know.
68. Holding corporation that owns Kmart : SEARS
Down:
1. Get moving : SCOOT. "Scoot your buns!"
2. Dominant : ALPHA. TYPE-A got in the way of progress in this area.
3. Levels in a park : TIERS. Four tiers at Dodger Stadium. I'm going to the Rose Bowl on Sunday to see U2 playing the "Joshua Tree" tour. I bought the album when it was released 30 years ago, so I'm a tad excited. I've still got the vinyl; it's hanging on my wall next to my guitars.
4. Gunn of "Sully" : ANNA. Thank you, crosses. Enjoyed the movie.
5. Like matryoshka dolls : NESTED
6. Kim, to Khloé Kardashian : SIS
7. Offer of help : I CAN. Who can handle this for me?
8. Faraway : REMOTE
9. Take care of : SEE TO
10. It often spans decades : SAGA
11. Egg roll cooking medium : PEANUT OIL. I generally use mustard oil. Technically, you are not meant to cook with it in the US due to the fact that it contains levels of erucic acid that the powers-that-be suggest are not healthy. I'm still going strong and my doctor tells me I'm heart-healthy so ....
12. Pete Seeger's forte : FOLK SONGS
16. Rocket launcher : NASA.
18. Chaperones : ESCORTS
22. Emulate a news helicopter : HOVER. I live close to the 101 freeway, and one morning I was awoken by the sound of the hovering of two or three news helicopters. I went out on my bedroom balcony and couldn't figure out why the morning smelt of margaritas. I turned on the news and saw that a truckload of limes had spilled on the freeway and been turned into juice as the traffic ran over them. Fun, except not so much for the commuters backed up behind the clearance crew.
25. Tries hard (for) : GUNS
29. Doctor's request : SAY AH!
31. Disney character who sings "Let It Go" : ELSA "Frozen".
32. Curved letter : ESS
33. Ali ring trademark : ROPE-A-DOPE. His technique of laying on the ropes absorbing punches to tire out the opponent, then coming at him late in the bout when tiredness set in.
34. Simply Cocoa maker : SWISS MISS
35. Other people : THEM
37. Splash guard : MUDFLAP
38. __-Cat : SNO
40. Frost advisory, e.g. : ALERT
41. Poetic paeans : ODES
46. Doughboy's helmet : TIN HAT. Actually made of steel. "Hat" is a delicate term too.
47. Peace offerings : TRUCES. The act, not the olive branch.
48. Soap brand with volcanic pumice : LAVA. Thank you, crosses.
50. Big name in kitchen appliances : BOSCH. I've got a couple of their grinders, one for coffee and the other for spices. They're great. Why two? So that my ground spices don't taste of coffee, and my morning coffee doesn't make me bust out in a sweat due to raw ground Scorpion chili contamination. Smart.
52. Two-time French Open winner Sharapova : MARIA
53. Sunken ship explorer : DIVER
54. Long lock : TRESS
56. Creative flash : IDEA
57. __ China Sea : EAST. I've sailed on the South China Sea out of Hong Kong Island. I met a Cathay Pacific airline pilot in the bar at my Kowloon hotel and he took me and a couple of colleagues out on the company yacht. Great fun. We didn't make it far enough to cross into the East China Sea though. Great lunch at a tiny seafood shack on a little isle just off Hong Kong. Four of us, a local dog, two fisherman and a cook. I really have enjoyed a lucky life. He also explained to me the 12-hour rule "Booze to Cruise" or "Bottle to Throttle" for pilots.
59. Untainted : PURE
62. Genre using speakers? : RAP. Nice clue. I like Eminem; some other hip-hop artists don't work so well for me.
Well, that's about it for me. I just need to post the grid and it's over and out! I hope you enjoyed the ride!
Steve
45 comments:
Greetings!
Thanks to CC and Steve!
Nice puzzle! Not too long.
Tried "Devil" and "Demon" first. Drat.
Also, ESME was perped, as was BOSCH.
Have a great day!
Hi Y'all! This, too, shall PASS as a great C.C. puzzle. How do you do it?
I can't believe I did this faster than Steve at 21:37 minutes. Okay, I had on the red-letter thingy. Enjoy your anecdotes as well as your insight, Steve.
Devil before SATAN but it turned appropriately red.
ESME, a fortunate wag. ANNA & ELSA & MARIA all perps. Knew the latter, but it was slow coming. Patsy before CLINE. Would like to have a dollar for every time I've listened to her, now worn out, taped album.
TIN HAT: I've read that they cooked soup and bathed in them.
LAVA: I remember being scrubbed with this soap at Grandma's house as a kid after playing outside. Supposedly got rid of chiggers and knee/foot grime. Also floated.
I usually do the "downs" first in the second half of the week, and when I got to "levels in a park" I looked at the byline. Seeing it was a CC gem, I knew the fill must be TIERS. By the time I got to "I Fall to Pieces" I knew that Peter was wrong, Gordon was too long, and that I didn't know either's last name. Google reminded me that the P&G song was "I GO to pieces", and that Patsy Cline was what CC called for. When I got to "Apple choice" I filled in "i", thinking the last three letters would turn out to be Pod, Mac or Pad. I forgot to go back and fix iALA X SAiA for my only bad cell. Had I reviewed I think I would have gotten SAGA, but I still wouldn't have known GALA apple.
I have a neighbor who occasionally hires escorts. I think they need a chaperone.
Steve, I bought my first SLR, a Pentax, in 1973. It was stolen in 1974.
My favorite clue today was "rocket launcher", even though I sussed it right away.
Thanks CC and Steve for a really fun Thursday morning.
Good morning!
I didn't realize this was a C.C. creation until Steve informed me. Almost wound up in the doghouse this morning. I was stuck on Harry Belafonte for "Banana Boat." Had no idea what his middle name might be. Was staring at _A_A "spanning decades" and _ALA for "Apple." Nothing was coming to mind. SAGA made sense...but only after I got it. Thanks, Steve and C.C.
We bought a BOSCH dishwasher a couple of years ago, because it was highly rated by CU. We don't dirty enough dishes to warrant running it daily. By the second day it begins to smell funky. We never had this problem with previous dishwashers. Anybody else experience this problem?
The theme was obvious today, so I can say I got one. It's hard to believe the people who read their daily horoscope but I remember when the local paper took it out they had so many complaints they put it back in. I'll take a PASS on any voodoo, bunk, or horoscope.
OPEN SESAME- I remember that from some Sinbad movie when I was a kid. I always thought it was 'Open Says a me' until years later when I saw it written.
Nice puzzle C.C. with ESME and ANNA being the only unknowns. I had to change GOES to GUNS and STEAL to THEFT but that was it.
MARIA won't be in the French Open this year. The snooty French wouldn't let her even qualify for a wild card slot.
PEANUT OIL- nothing wrong with it. Cooks should use different oils that have different smoke points for different dishes.
"Words indicating a pass"- It's 3rd down and 20 yards to go for a first down" or "I like your cleavage'(Hey it might work)
Thanks again for a nice wake up workout. Looked more difficult at first but came together befor my mcds coffee totally cooled off. Nice sunshiny day comming up. Good day to cut down some trees around the yard and make a bonfire . Open fires still ok in the country.
Slightly slow start with SATAN instead of Devil-- I've seen quite a few devils over the years of Halloween - but none of them said they were going as Satan. Many of them would qualify as little devils even out of costume though!
A little early to be carefully looking at how the clue was parsed- but very important in this puzzle with the variations on PASS. Definitely helped to figure out some of the later theme answers!
Happy Thursday - my husband is turning 60 next week and I am surprising him today by having his best friend come in from CA for the weekend and they are going to the Cardinals game tomorrow in St Louis among other things. I'm having his admin make sure he doesn't step out of office today around 3 when another friend is bringing Bob from the airport!
I started with DEMON, but knew CLINE & ALPHA, so SATAN fell into place. I read across & down at the same time (I usually do all of one, then the other--don't know why). I glanced at the constructor, saw it was CC, and thought, "I can solve this!" And I did. Since it's Thursday there were a lot of clues I didn't get at first but the perps solved them all.
It's fun when that happens.
The state of Montana got hit with lots of snow yesterday in the mountains. I live on the prairie so only rain, here. Many jackknifed semis caused an Interstate highway to be closed and mountain passes were treacherous. But that snow melt is great for our agriculture.
Take care, everyone,
Montana
Musings
-C.C.’s clever puzzle with fresh cluing for ESME, CASA and APSE was a real treat!
-“You’ll love Amway!” “NO THANKS, I’ll pass”
-You know it’s going to be challenge when NESTED is your first fill. Russian dolls? What else?
-Considerable age - _ _ O N. I’ll bet I was the only one to put COON
-A TV SPIEL enticed us to buy this device. It chewed up a MELON and was a RIPOFF
-I’d like my SLR back and not use cameras with screens on the back
-Gotta admire the Kardashians as entrepreneurs. Tell me again what talent they have.
-A great SAGA by Ken Burns
-Wernher Von Braun was sometimes called the NASA/NAZI
-My girls thought a Buick with MUDFLAPS was the ultimate uncool car
-In the last two days we’ve gotten high wind, tornado, hail and flashflood ALERTS
-The Korean War had a TRUCE not an end
-Yup, Big Easy, MARIA is banned at Roland Garros
Big Easy, "Open, says me" is what Popeye said.
Fun puzzle - just crunchy enough. Had "start" at 1D to begin but realized that wasn't going to work in short order. I never remember "esa" - perps to the rescue. Great write-up Steve. Always enjoy your tours. JB2
Hi gang -
DNF. Couldn't see the now so obvious ALPHA, so missed OPEN SESAME.
Sad.
Especially so since I had temporarily had SESAME for PEANUT at 11D.
Got the rest of it though, with some struggles.
Clever puzzle, C.C. Nicely done.
Tigers won 5-4 last night when the First base ump said that Manny Machado, the Oriole's batter, went around on a checked swing. This was strike 3 with two outs, to end the game. Replay made it clear he did not go around.
Lucky break for the Tigers. Machado was justifiably livid.
Tyler Collins broke out of an 0 for 30 slump with 2 homers.
Cool regards!
JzB
Good Morning:
Another gem from our own CC. At first pass, I had a blizzard of white spaces but slowly everything fell into place. I started off on the wrong foot with Devil until the perps brought Satan into focus. Also thought we were looking for an iPad or Pod or Mac but, again, perps to the rescue. I, too, associated Banana Boat with Harry Belafonte. I thought the cluing was particularly clever and the theme was a fine example of CC's boundless creativity.
Thanks, CC, for a Thursday treat (and trial!) and thanks, Steve, for your detailed and informative summary. Hearing about your experiences and exploits is delightful. What the heck is mustard oil and where does one find it?
Inanehiker @ 7:58 ~ What a wonderful surprise you engineered for your hubby's birthday. I hope it goes off without a hitch.
HG @ 8:41 ~ I think you might have to wait forever to have the K's talent question answered. 😈
Today's temp reaching 93, tomorrow's 70's+. As Tin would say, Go figure!
Have a great day.
Title?
PASS WORDS
I had lots of fun with C.C.,s passing game. It took a bit longer to solve because of the unusual cluing as others have mentioned. SATAN didn't emerge until CLINE and SCOOT did then the NW took off. With the Kardashians I'm not sure of the relationships and don't know who are the sisters and who is the mother. I thought Kim was but guess not.
ESME just fell in place because she's been in so many CWs. I used to love GALA apples but am now limited in eating too much fruit so don't even buy them anymore.
I've not had an ICEE in many years and never will again, I'm sure as they are almost PURE sugar,
BTW, Jayce, how is your hand? I hope the gout has left you. Steve, that pub's name sounds like a Martha Grimes novel.
Thank you, C.C. and Steve. You both brought joy to an otherwise regular Thursday.
Have a delightful day, everyone!
Well, I had Sea-Cat for 38D thinking it was a brand of wave runner. It messed up a few items for me but I nailed the rest of the puzzle. That's high marks for me on a Thursday.
Kind of a crunchy Thursday but the solve came at last. Many misleads, totally ok.
Didn't really notice the theme, there was no clumsiness in the grid to "make" the theme work, appreciated.
Fun Thursday CW today. Thanks C.C. and Steve.
Slow but steady was the solve today with the SW last to fall.
I waited for perps to decide between SATAN or Devil, SIS or Sib, EKG or ECG, MST or MDT.
I smiled at RBI, TIERS and Coors Field baseball references for C.C.
I moved from Drown to DOUSE, DNA to RNA, and debated between Apple product or fruit.
CLINE was the inspiration for Canadian kd lang.
Canada won 22 medals at Rio with 4 of them belonging to 17 year old swimmer Penny Oleksiak. We tend to do better at the winter games.
I have a cute video of my granddaughter singing Let It Go but I won't inflict it on you. There must be a million on YouTube.
MARIA was called a cheater by Canadian Eugenie Bouchard.
We bought our BOSCHT dishwasher at SEARS but did not buy the extended warranty because we believe Sears may be on their way out. Yes, d-otto, I have noticed a smell when it is not used daily (and my old one did not do this). I wonder if it is the steel interior. I rinse my dishes because we do not create enough to run the dishwasher daily, and now I try not to have too much of this water running into the dishwasher. But I still notice an odour also. But I love how quiet it is!
Very warm and windy today but it will not last.
Enjoy the day.
Another great C.C. challenge. Doable, but it did stretch the gray matter a bit today. Steve's expo was nicely detailed and informative.
I did start off with SATAN and figured it was going to be easy. But, I spelled Patsy Cline with a K, so that messed up the NW for a while. Perps were very helpful in filling in the PASSes today.
Steve: Prof's aides are still known as TA'S in many places and also Graduate Assistants. Many have been treated like Indentured Servants, especially when it comes to "helping" some professors in doing research. We have had a movement by grad students trying to unionize here in PA.
Even though I had to turn my A/C on, I'm not complaining about the 90°+ heat. I love it.
I hope the weather is nice where you are.
Good morning all,
This was fun and challenging as are all of CC's creations. I never fall into the 20 minute range except on Mon and Tuesday where many of you do those in 5. Completed it while watching Designated Survivor.
Filling in SLR and all other abbreviations really slow me down.Changed EKG to ECG, and DNA to RNA.Letters with no meaning do not go into my memory bank, such as SLR.Comprehending what single lens reflex means that one should understand the structure of the camera. I love my Nikon 5100.
Big Easy, I think the French had every right to ban Ms Sharipova. She lied and won big bucks while taking performance enhancing drugs. It seems that lying has become acceptable behavior these days.
Thanks for your write up Steve... good stuff.
NO TADA. COULD NOT SEE SESAME nor Alpha. And why Phooey...and "oh Rats" are related is beyond my grasp. Perhaps my youth was devoid of these homey expletives. In Detroit in the 60's we started with the F word and got creative after that !
An RBI is NOT an HR stat. You get at least one RBI if you hit an HR but the only "stat" there is for home runs except the number itself is the infrequently used at bat per HR. Other than cheater Bonds the record is somewhere around 13. I Think Williams was the next best. For non BB fans it is difficult to explain why a walk with the bases loaded is a run BATTED in !
Rather easy for a Thursday for me. I thought of Popeye also. My only write-over was a C over a K.
D-O and CanadianEh!- Bosch dishwasher you say. My wife's best friend had one installed in her new house ( about 6 years ago). It shorted out and caught the house on fire . She had gone down the street and luckily her smoke alarm notified the FD, which had to break in to put the fire out. About $60,000 in damage. And my 3 year old Kitchenaid also smells so I run it every three days whether it is full or not.
JD- The French Tennis Federation can do what they want. Sharapova was taking a LEGAL drug by the name of Meldonium that all of a sudden was declare not legal in December 2015. She said she never saw the notice but who knows. It's only sold in former Soviet Bloc countries, and those countries got away with doping their athletes for years. East German swimmers, Russian weightlifters, Bulgarian wrestlers.
I love C.C. puzzles, even when they're a little crunchy--and I found this Thursday one a delight. It took me a little while, but slowly all the white spaces filled in except for a spot here and there. Had to cheat a little by looking up MARIA and BOSCH, but got everything else. I had no problem getting SATAN right off the bat, must be my Catholic upbringing (no problem getting APSE for that pew view, either). But my favorite memory evoked by this puzzle was seeing Sally Fields in a wonderful play at the Laguna Playhouse some years ago titled "Always . . . Patsy CLINE." Sally doesn't play her, just narrates her story as a fan and a friend, and then a professional singer produces the songs--one of my favorite performances of all time.
Fun write-up, Steve--and between you and C.C., you got my Thursday morning off to a great start! Many thanks!
JazzB - Careful when evaluating whether a hitter has "gone around". There is a misconception that if the head of the bat breaks the baseline that it is a strike. It is actually a judgement, not technical, call. Here's an excerpt of rule 9.02(c): "Appeals on a half swing may be made only on the call of ball and when asked to appeal, the home plate umpire must refer to a base umpire for his judgment on the half swing." In other words, the ump must judge whether the batter did or did not offer at the pitch, not whether any specific point of a swing was reached.
1d scoot, I thought it might be start for a while.
But 20a OhRats! was a very suitable perp...
(P.S. I never say Oh rats anymore, I say Oh Bother ALA Alton Brown.)
((unless I am typing on this Blog...))
Just imagine if you had to contact your Cruciverbalist after three attempts...
Also, just imagine if your Cruciverbalist caught you cheating!
Hello Everyone.
Steve, thanks for the story about the margarita mess. Good intro as always.
Toughie, today. Got most of it OK but got hung up in NE with GALA. Did not know it was an apple varietal, but found out later that BH did. So, today's learning.
Good job, C.C.
@Irish Miss - Mustard oil is made from the pressed seeds; due to some FDA concerns you won't find it in the Safeway aisles. I get mine from my local Indian market; I think Amazon will have it also. Lots of chefs use it, as referenced here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/dining/american-chefs-discover-mustard-oil.html
Inanehiker, what a lovely birthday you have planned for your husband! He's a lucky fellow!
My Whirlpool dishwasher also got a sour smell after a few days. I usually just run it once a week, but rinse the dishes pretty well. My solution: leave the door cocked open a few inches after putting in the rinsed dishes. This allows air to circulate and dry them instead of souring. Haven't had bad smell since doing this. The same with my clothes washer: leave the lid/door open between usages. Doesn't look as neat but so what.
Misty, For my birthday one year, my daughter took me to a production of that Patsy Cline show at a nearby college. It was done by a professional touring group but Sally Field was not in it. I agree it was one of the most enjoyable evenings I've experienced.
Daughter knew I had been playing Patsy's tape to help me get through my husband's death.
Hmm. I can't say that any of my TAs were called "paraprofessionals." Maybe among themselves? I guess all our grad students may have been called "pre-professionals," as we identified our graduate programs by that label.
C.C.'s Thursday pzl was a toughie. Maybe this was due more to fatigue in my ol' walnut than anything especially hard in the pzl itself. Distracted though I was by home projects I managed to slog my way through to a happy Ta-DA! - for which, I am grateful. And thank you, Steve, for your elucidation of the "pass" theme. I was hoping to see a reference to "¡No pasarán!," the slogan of the people in the Spanish Civil War - only for its inspirational value. But there's little space, and we can't have everything...
How nice that you're also a Patsy Cline fan, PK!
Misty, me too! All it would take for me to rush out and buy a Norah Jones or Adele CD is for them to record 'A Patsy Cline Songbook.' No matter how good a modern-day pop singer is, they always record their own songs. But I prefer the older 'classics.'
I had DEVIL first, then tried to think of an evil spirit with "T" as the second letter because my initial answer to 2D was TYPE A. Never even considered DEMON. Yep, I thought of SATAN early on, but for some unknown reason, I resisted him! Heheh.
Hi all!
I PASSed C.C.'s. Thursday Thinker. Thanks C.C. I loved the theme and fill.
Fun expo Steve, like PK said, your stories are a hoot. Re: ICEE - only if you need a brain-freeze o/w yech! ALSO, to follow-up w/ IM, you answered where; does Mustard OIL impart a strong or mild mustard flavour?
Started slowly on the puzzle, NESTED was my 1st fill (hi HG!). I wanted arise or start for 1d so I tentatively (upon returning to the NW) put in an S and conjured SATAN. I was done in a flash but now fear for my eternal soul.
AD-I-O-E was my first themer "get" and completely helped finish the SW & SC. It was easy-skiing from there ('till I got back to NW).
First thought on Banana Boat? HMS... USS...? FOLK SONGS quickly put that to rest.
WO: LoS Vegas
ESPs: CLINE, MARIA
Fav: was c/a for NASA [hi Jinx!] until Steve's description of Margarita Sunrise @ HOVER :-)
Runner-up: I CAN xing NO THANKS! [I'll just do it myself]
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D-O & C, Eh! - Between CR and Corner Crowd-sourcing recommendations (Big-E, I guess you didn't pipe-up then!), I got the BOSCH dishwasher too. We run it at least once a day, so no odor issues. However, the buttons and indicator light are on the inside "lip" of the door [can't see 'em when it's closed] and the Damn Thing is so quiet, you don't know it's running. And, if you interrupt the cycle ('cuz you couldn't tell it was on), you have to pull out the manual to figure out how to reset it (again).
35d elicited mind's-ear to hear Us and THEM. [Save for bed-time; after special smokes TIN]
Tech-note: did you know that a URL [Uniform Resource Locator] can start with any Protocol your browser understands? E.g. HTTP, https, ftp, mailto, file, irc, are a few of the well known schemes. For more than you care to know... click wiki.
Am I the only one who thought "Don't regret the Road not Taken" for Frost advisory?
Cheers, -T
Sniff, sniff, a little tear.... I just heard that Chris Cornell of Soundgarden PASSed this morning. His was the music of my grad-school life; I just listed to Blackhole Sun and saw myself in the computer lab. RIP Chris. -T
AnonT:
It sounds like you need one of those dishwasher on/off signs I've seen somewhere. The messages are back to back on a small sign that hangs on the appliance.
CC came to the rescue off my lament about the lack of sports clues. Can you believe I VOIDed CLINE for KLINE and SKOOT. AAAARRRGGGGHHH!
Steve I loved your write-up. I had a Patsy Cline CD so I'm doubly dumb.
Yesterday a Lawyer's office for 3 hours, today five vials of blood drawn. I suppose a blood donation is that much. I can't donate for the same reason I was "donating".
Btw re. Jayce's gout. Did you try the Indomethacin? I stupidly had it in my nightly med dosages. It's very strong stuff but knocks out gout quick.
WC
Lucina - but when do I turn it over?!? :-)
AnonT, my Bosch has the lights where I can see them so no problem here. I did see in the reviews before we purchased that it was very difficult to restart if you interrupted the cycle. I have been extra careful and DH has orders not to touch (as if, LOL!)
I may try PK's trick of keeping the door slightly open.
Steve, good luck with the traffic tonight. Plus there's that fire in Claremont that actually might help. To restart my Bosch in the middle of a cycle, all I have e to do is press the on button again. I thought it was "Open, sez me."
Thanks Misty and Irish Miss - everything went well! He was so happy and SOOO surprised!
I was late for work - so didn't even get to thank Steve and CC! Better late than never!
Bill, how nice that you loved Patsy Cline too!
C, Eh! Ha! DW doesn't touch the BOSCH either :-). It's me & the girls that reign the kitchen.
Bill G. FLN - In grad-school DW's girl-friend's husband (a cool guy) majored classical guitar - one piece he played for his Master's "orals" was RUSH's Alex's Broon's Bane on nylon 12-string [2m].
Hackers kept at bay again today. Work is done. G'Nite. -T
Nice write-up, Steve. But you may want to know that "whence" means "from where". So "from whence" is unnecessarily redundant (!)
Yes, crunchy from CC, but mostly fair. ANNE/CLINE in NW was part of what made that corner the last to fall. Hand up for DEVIL before SATAN. Did not consider DEMON.
I bought a BOSCH Ascenta dishwasher a few years ago based on a Consumer Reports recommendation. One of those cases where one of the cheapest is also one of the best. I have been very happy with it. The sales guy warned me that it stays wet inside so I am OK with that. I do most of the loading and running and DW unloads and puts dishes away.
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