Theme: METEing out. Our four themers have a letter scramble as nicely explained by the reveal:
61A. Collectors' event, and a hint to what's hidden in the answers to starred clues : SWAP MEET
And here are the players:
18. *"Thinking ... " : LET ME SEE ... When I saw these together I thought there might be a theme here. Alas not. (Correction: 18A is a theme entry.)
20A. *Shakespeare play set on an enchanted island : THE TEMPEST. Source of much crossword angst trying to decide between "Arial" and "Ariel".
32A. *Busker's performance, perhaps : STREET MAGIC. David Blaine is the master of this genre. Quite amazing.
42A. *They may be crowned : WISDOM TEETH. Not mine. They were yanked at what I felt was a ridiculously early opportunity and left the rest of my teeth to spend the remainder of their lives rearranging themselves. Jokes about British dentistry are not misplaced. My first dentist (before numbing was invented) operated a drill with a treadle, much like a sewing machine. I was five. The trauma Dr. Cotton caused me still keeps me awake at night.
57A. *Proven longterm : TIME-TESTED. I have time-tested recipes. Feel free to inquire (enquire?) if you have a particular need.
OK, here we go! I liked the theme, I loved how the clue lengths allowed the blog entries to step down nicely - look upstairs and you'll see what I mean. Talking of upstairs, I was in an office building today which had its three-year fire drill. Walking down 21 flights seemed mean; but the posh folk upstairs had 35 to cope with.
Nice job from Craig. Let's see what else we've got!
Across:
1. Overlook : IGNORE
7. Monte Mario's city : ROMA Nice learning moment. I had **MA and guessed LIMA. Was wrong.
11. Gravy, on menus : JUS. OK, so, restaurant owners - when you say "Prime rib with au jus", you know you're saying "Prime rib with with juice"? You have been told.
14. At anchor : MOORED
15. Somber notice : OBIT
16. German direction : OST. Let's try this from memory - Nord, Sud, Ost, Oest, I think.
17. "Proceed as planned" : IT'S A GO
22. Period in ads : NITE
23. Lair : DEN
24. Bladed tool : AXE. Conveniently with or without the "E" for constructors.
25. Ancient Greek theater : ODEON
26. "Thought I should share," briefly : FYI. "For your information, Steve's blogs suck".
28. Pit gunk : TAR We have the La Brea (The Tar) Tar Pits here in LA. So let's go visit The Tar Tar Pits.
30. __-wolf : SHE
31. Candy heart word : LUV
38. Specialty : AREA.
40. Vital circulation component : AORTA. Fair enough, you're missing an aorta, your circulation is not working too well
41. Provocative : RACY
45. __ Alamos : LOS. "The Poplars". If you ever find yourselves in Los Alamitos (The Little Poplars) make a beeline for "The Fish Company" restaurant. Not many saplings to be seen, but the best Fish & Chips I've ever had.
46. "Forgot About __": Grammy-winning duet featuring Eminem : DRE
47. Actor Stephen : REA
48. Army crawler : ANT
49. Stale : PASSÉ
52. One in a cheering crowd : FAN
54. Moving wheels : VAN. Nice clue, U-Haul or equivalent.
56. Classic "You as well?" : ET TU, Brute?
63. Hot : ON FIRE
64. Wheels : CAR
65. First name at Woodstock : ARLO. Crossword enthusiasts know the lineup at Woodstock better than the musicians themselves.
66. Canadian coin : TOONIE. Two Canadian Dollars, eh Canadian Eh? It's aboot a buck fitty. (See what I did there? I'm tri-lingual)
67. Tick off : IRE. Pretty much hated this. "Let me ire you", "I'm sorry I ired you"? No. Flat-out no. Did you ire me with this clue? No, you irked me.
68. First queen of Carthage : DIDO
69. Performer with 20 Oscar nominations : STREEP Now there's some serious bragging rights.
Down:
1. Tag line? : I'M IT Usually not a good situation,
2. Many a black-clad teen : GOTH
3. Serious downturns : NOSE-DIVES. Not serious if you nose-dive into one of my dinners.
4. Talk with style : ORATE
5. University officials : REGENTS
6. Ancient Dead Sea kingdom : EDOM Thank you, crosses, Not really up on my Old Testament much.
7. Swiss luxury brand : ROLEX, Wimbledon sponsors since before sponsors were officially "allowed"
8. Quite heavy : OBESE. "Quite" heavy? Master of understatement there, I think.
9. Baker's protection : MITT
10. Bread machine? : ATM. "Machine" is in the name. So it's an ATM. Just as it's not a PIN number, it's a PIN. Rant over.
11. Leader of the animated Pussycats : JOSIE
12. Was of __: helped : USE TO
13. Dutch Golden Age artist : STEEN. Fond of a lot of people,brawling, dogs and wine.
19. Make lovable : ENDEAR
21. Echo : PARROT
25. Electrical unit : OHM.
Schrodinger, Heisenber and Ohm are in a car.
They get pulled over. Heisenberg is driving and the cop asks him "Do you know how fast you were going?"
"No, but I know exactly where I am" Heisenberg replies.
The cop says "You were doing 55 in a 35." Heisenberg throws up his hands and shouts "Great! Now I'm lost!"
The cop thinks this is suspicious and orders him to pop open the trunk. He checks it out and says "Do you know you have a dead cat back here?"
"We do now, you idiot!" shouts Schrodinger.
The cop moves to arrest them. Ohm resists.
26. Glitch : FLAW
27. Cosmonaut Gagarin : YURI. First man in space.
29. "... love hath made thee __ snake": "As You Like It" : A TAME
30. Put into words : STATE
33. Poetic adverb : ERE
34. Endless, poetically : ETERNE. A poetic double
35. Aspic-coated French chicken dish : GALANTINE. Food! Here's a classic (and, frankly, not very appetizing-looking) rendition:
36. Tappable image : ICON
37. Dermatologist's concern : CYST
39. Accumulates : ADDS UP
43. Mine output : ORE
44. One without : HAVE NOT
49. "Casino" co-star : PESCI. I missed the "I", I always want to call him Joe PESCE. Corrected finally, when ERE didn't make much sense. "My Cousin Vinnie" - a must-watch every time I'm channel-hopping
50. In conflict, seriously : AT WAR
51. Gawk : STARE
52. Specialty : FIELD. We had "AREA" earlier. Similar enough.
53. Defensive retort : AM TOO. More playground antics.
55. Concerning : AS FOR
57. Actress Hatcher : TERI
58. Wee ones : TOTS. Taters? Yum.
59. Lackawanna's lake : ERIE
60. Word with freeze or fry : DEEP
62. Ticked off : MAD. Not IRE. Now I'm happy.
I started a new consulting gig this week, and so far so good. Hope you all have a great Thursday!
Aaaaaannnnd *drum roll* ........ here's the grid.
Steve
61A. Collectors' event, and a hint to what's hidden in the answers to starred clues : SWAP MEET
18. *"Thinking ... " : LET ME SEE ... When I saw these together I thought there might be a theme here. Alas not. (Correction: 18A is a theme entry.)
20A. *Shakespeare play set on an enchanted island : THE TEMPEST. Source of much crossword angst trying to decide between "Arial" and "Ariel".
32A. *Busker's performance, perhaps : STREET MAGIC. David Blaine is the master of this genre. Quite amazing.
42A. *They may be crowned : WISDOM TEETH. Not mine. They were yanked at what I felt was a ridiculously early opportunity and left the rest of my teeth to spend the remainder of their lives rearranging themselves. Jokes about British dentistry are not misplaced. My first dentist (before numbing was invented) operated a drill with a treadle, much like a sewing machine. I was five. The trauma Dr. Cotton caused me still keeps me awake at night.
57A. *Proven longterm : TIME-TESTED. I have time-tested recipes. Feel free to inquire (enquire?) if you have a particular need.
OK, here we go! I liked the theme, I loved how the clue lengths allowed the blog entries to step down nicely - look upstairs and you'll see what I mean. Talking of upstairs, I was in an office building today which had its three-year fire drill. Walking down 21 flights seemed mean; but the posh folk upstairs had 35 to cope with.
Nice job from Craig. Let's see what else we've got!
Across:
1. Overlook : IGNORE
7. Monte Mario's city : ROMA Nice learning moment. I had **MA and guessed LIMA. Was wrong.
11. Gravy, on menus : JUS. OK, so, restaurant owners - when you say "Prime rib with au jus", you know you're saying "Prime rib with with juice"? You have been told.
14. At anchor : MOORED
15. Somber notice : OBIT
16. German direction : OST. Let's try this from memory - Nord, Sud, Ost, Oest, I think.
17. "Proceed as planned" : IT'S A GO
22. Period in ads : NITE
23. Lair : DEN
24. Bladed tool : AXE. Conveniently with or without the "E" for constructors.
25. Ancient Greek theater : ODEON
26. "Thought I should share," briefly : FYI. "For your information, Steve's blogs suck".
28. Pit gunk : TAR We have the La Brea (The Tar) Tar Pits here in LA. So let's go visit The Tar Tar Pits.
30. __-wolf : SHE
31. Candy heart word : LUV
38. Specialty : AREA.
40. Vital circulation component : AORTA. Fair enough, you're missing an aorta, your circulation is not working too well
41. Provocative : RACY
45. __ Alamos : LOS. "The Poplars". If you ever find yourselves in Los Alamitos (The Little Poplars) make a beeline for "The Fish Company" restaurant. Not many saplings to be seen, but the best Fish & Chips I've ever had.
46. "Forgot About __": Grammy-winning duet featuring Eminem : DRE
47. Actor Stephen : REA
48. Army crawler : ANT
49. Stale : PASSÉ
52. One in a cheering crowd : FAN
54. Moving wheels : VAN. Nice clue, U-Haul or equivalent.
56. Classic "You as well?" : ET TU, Brute?
63. Hot : ON FIRE
64. Wheels : CAR
65. First name at Woodstock : ARLO. Crossword enthusiasts know the lineup at Woodstock better than the musicians themselves.
66. Canadian coin : TOONIE. Two Canadian Dollars, eh Canadian Eh? It's aboot a buck fitty. (See what I did there? I'm tri-lingual)
67. Tick off : IRE. Pretty much hated this. "Let me ire you", "I'm sorry I ired you"? No. Flat-out no. Did you ire me with this clue? No, you irked me.
68. First queen of Carthage : DIDO
69. Performer with 20 Oscar nominations : STREEP Now there's some serious bragging rights.
Down:
1. Tag line? : I'M IT Usually not a good situation,
2. Many a black-clad teen : GOTH
3. Serious downturns : NOSE-DIVES. Not serious if you nose-dive into one of my dinners.
4. Talk with style : ORATE
5. University officials : REGENTS
6. Ancient Dead Sea kingdom : EDOM Thank you, crosses, Not really up on my Old Testament much.
7. Swiss luxury brand : ROLEX, Wimbledon sponsors since before sponsors were officially "allowed"
8. Quite heavy : OBESE. "Quite" heavy? Master of understatement there, I think.
9. Baker's protection : MITT
10. Bread machine? : ATM. "Machine" is in the name. So it's an ATM. Just as it's not a PIN number, it's a PIN. Rant over.
11. Leader of the animated Pussycats : JOSIE
12. Was of __: helped : USE TO
13. Dutch Golden Age artist : STEEN. Fond of a lot of people,brawling, dogs and wine.
19. Make lovable : ENDEAR
21. Echo : PARROT
25. Electrical unit : OHM.
Schrodinger, Heisenber and Ohm are in a car.
They get pulled over. Heisenberg is driving and the cop asks him "Do you know how fast you were going?"
"No, but I know exactly where I am" Heisenberg replies.
The cop says "You were doing 55 in a 35." Heisenberg throws up his hands and shouts "Great! Now I'm lost!"
The cop thinks this is suspicious and orders him to pop open the trunk. He checks it out and says "Do you know you have a dead cat back here?"
"We do now, you idiot!" shouts Schrodinger.
The cop moves to arrest them. Ohm resists.
26. Glitch : FLAW
27. Cosmonaut Gagarin : YURI. First man in space.
29. "... love hath made thee __ snake": "As You Like It" : A TAME
30. Put into words : STATE
33. Poetic adverb : ERE
34. Endless, poetically : ETERNE. A poetic double
35. Aspic-coated French chicken dish : GALANTINE. Food! Here's a classic (and, frankly, not very appetizing-looking) rendition:
36. Tappable image : ICON
37. Dermatologist's concern : CYST
39. Accumulates : ADDS UP
43. Mine output : ORE
44. One without : HAVE NOT
49. "Casino" co-star : PESCI. I missed the "I", I always want to call him Joe PESCE. Corrected finally, when ERE didn't make much sense. "My Cousin Vinnie" - a must-watch every time I'm channel-hopping
50. In conflict, seriously : AT WAR
51. Gawk : STARE
52. Specialty : FIELD. We had "AREA" earlier. Similar enough.
53. Defensive retort : AM TOO. More playground antics.
55. Concerning : AS FOR
57. Actress Hatcher : TERI
58. Wee ones : TOTS. Taters? Yum.
59. Lackawanna's lake : ERIE
60. Word with freeze or fry : DEEP
62. Ticked off : MAD. Not IRE. Now I'm happy.
I started a new consulting gig this week, and so far so good. Hope you all have a great Thursday!
Aaaaaannnnd *drum roll* ........ here's the grid.
Steve
58 comments:
Good morning, Y'all! Easier puzzle than is often on Thursday. Thanks Craig. Great expo, Steve, but now you made me hungry.
For some dumb reason the NW wouldn't fill until last. JUS just isn't gravy to me. Gravy has thickening out here in mid-continent land. JOSIE & STEEN, I didn't know. Wanted "aid" TO. Duh!
EDOM was a kingdom?
Accumulating 20 Oscar nominations might get to be a little embarrassing (always a bridesmaid category) if STREEP didn't have so many wins along with them.
Oh, and I didn't know DIDO. ENDEAR didn't endear itself to me -- didn't seem to fit the clue.
Greetings!
Thanks to Craig and Steve!
Did not know GALANTINE. Otherwise OK.
Steve, no novocaine? Must have been a really primitive dentist!
Have many more appts. set up with k-laser therapy. Doctor discovered that I have no knee reflexes, so have other problems that must be treated, or something dire will happen. Need to do things at home too.
Cough is back. Drat.
Have a great day!
FIR, and even figured out the gimmick before the reveal! Altho they could have been for MEET, METE, or TEEM, so I didn't know how the reveal would do it.
{C+, A-, B-.}
Some words aren't used the same as we USED TO.
This is confusing to some, as I AM, TOO.
ERE Ted Talks in the ODEON
Earn ETERNE opprobrium,
We should freeze our language! My opinion -- ET TU?
The hero was AT WAR, his army needed relief.
Sown dragon's teeth grew warriors, was the belief!
But a FLAW in these measures
Grew a FIELD of professors!
The seeds that he'd planted were all WISDOM TEETH!
At the SWAP MEET, an event was quite tragic!
A BUSKER was there showing off his STREET MAGIC.
When a PARROT NOSEDIVES,
Grabs his wand and off flies!
Calls back that his mistress needs something phallic!
Good morning!
Didn't get the theme, and failed to read the complete reveal clue yet again. [Sigh] And so it goes. My only write-over was ABOUT/AS FOR. Don't recall ever seeing (or hearing, for that matter) GALANTINE before. I know we've had "busker" before. But did I remember it? No. Thanks for the workout, Craig 'n' Steve.
I never cared what this puzzle was about because my newspaper's ink didn't completely cover the clues from 1A to 22A (ink was smeared) and I was having to guess the across clues from my down answers. Then the NE had four foreign language fills- French, German, Greed, and 'ad abbreviations'- JUS, OST, ODEON, 'NITE'. That and the ink misprints didn't ENDEAR me to this puzzle.
I didn't know what a Busker was but with EET MAGIC in place the answer was obvious. I have never heard of WISDOM TEETH being crowned, only pulled. Sorry about your dental nightmare, Steve. I knew a girl in college who had her tonsils removed without anesthesia, back in the 60's in Germany. When at the dentist, request Nitrous Oxide and Novocaine. It's TIME TESTED. No pain or memories of what happened.
GALANTINE, DRE, A TAME snake- all perps. Never heard of Galantine and couldn't care less about Rap singers. As for the bard, I think Xword constructors Google search some of his work when trying to fit a 'non-word' in a puzzle, but that's what the perps are for.
PESCI- I had no idea who was in the movie 'Casino' and it was perped but my favorite line from 'My Cousin Vinnie' was PESCI saying 'What's a grit?'
Good morning all.
Thanks Craig. Thanks Steve. Hand up for IRK before IRE. Didn't know who Monte Mario was, much less DIDO, clueless on EDOM, and never heard of busker, but perps made those easy.
Time to go traipse around in the woods. The morels are up here.
No nitrous oxide for me. It made me spacey and distorted time. Not a good feeling, unless you are into that kind of thing. Maybe the dentist gave me too much.
Oh yeah, Casino. First answer was Stone. Sharon.
Hand up for stone before PESCI and hating IRE when IRk fit the clue better. Erased reverb for PARROT, snag for FLAW and acne for CYST. Perps for OST, DIDO, EDOM, STEEN, GALANTINE, and TOONIE (I have heard of a LOONIE, but I don't know what it is).
PK - In NJ, "gravy" is pasta sauce (as in marinara). Fermatprime - Hope the laser treatments continue to help. I'm very sorry to hear that the cough is back.
Thanks to Craig and Steve for a good Thursday-level puzzle and reveal.
Thank you for the physics joke.
PK, I agree that this was easier than many other Thursday puzzles.
It is interesting that OVERLOOK can have two opposite meanings: to look at from above and to fail to notice. On the hike we stopped at a scenic spot high on the mountain and overlooked the winding river and village below. The view was so gorgeous we overlooked how tired we felt.
Why is on fire better than afire? I prefer afire.
In NYC buskers play instruments like violins and expect passersby to drop money into their open instrument cases. Still true, but I learned this word from historical fiction.
I, learned GALANTINE that way, too. Much historical fiction goes into great detail about dishes popular in that time.
IRE can be a verb, but is rarely used that way. One example I found:"When given the opportunity to live up to his own words by serving a sentence for drug abuse, he ired more lawyers."
Wilbur, from last night, your play sounda zany. I can't wait to read it.
Oh yeah. Forgot to mention that my childhood dentist didn't believe in Novocaine for juveniles. Couldn't believe how much less pain there was when I first went to a dentist as an adult.
Steve, the root of "west" in German is WEST (aus Westen, nach Westen, westlich). "Ouest" is French.
GALANTINE was new to me.
Virgil used DIDO's curse (after she was dumped by Aeneas) to foreshadow Rome's wars with Carthage.
One last thing for YR - In southeastern Kentucky, "fire" and "far" are homophones. "How do we know that the three wise men smelled like smoke? They came from afar" (a fire).
a Loonie is the one dollar coin with the loon on the back.
Sorry, that's not a Toonie, but rather a Moonie. Since it has the Queen on the front with a bear behind.
Musings
-How ‘bout dat? tooNie/galantiNe was right. Get thee begone O dreaded Natick!
-FYI, Steve’s write-up was definitely “suckless”. Loved the physics joke!
-I want my OBIT to say, “He did the best he could with what he had”
-Isn’t the ODEON located in the AGORA with the STOA?
-A tough place to enter or leave in the 40’s
-Some facts about a very famous ORATION
-All causes have USEFUL idiots who are not deterred by opposing facts
-My headphones mitigate some of the dentist misery
-My cultural level – Knew JOSIE, no clue on STEEN
-DEEP fried Snickers/OBESE – connection?
-Disney BUSKERS are very entertaining
-Spitz your algebra problem yesterday kept me awake through one subbing class where they were taking a test.
Good morning all!
I really enjoyed this puzzle- it was the quickest, easiest Thursday solve in a while. Got the reveal early which helped with some of the theme answers. I was ONFIRE with only a few unknowns gotten via perps. Considering that my mind is a whir with getting ready for vacation and some other issues, I was pleased with myself getting through this under my usual time. Thanks, Craig!
FYI Steve: I think that should say "Steve's blogs rock!" Wonderful tour as always- loved the OHM joke :) Your WISDOMTEETH experience sounds like a complete nightmare- yikes! Good luck with the new gig.
I agree with Steve about the ATM clue/redundancy of machine. Perhaps it should have been " Bread dispenser?"
CSO for CanadianEh! with TOONIE. I only knew Lonnie so got it with TOTS.
Other perps were ROMA, DRE, DIDO, EDOM, STEEN and GALANTINE.
JOSIE and the Pussycats- I watched this cartoon in my younger years. Daughter #2 loved the 2001 film version. I have a little sister named Josie. Actually, she's my second cousin but my Mom and Stepdad have legal guardianship of her. She's eleven now and has been with them most of her life. She spent a great deal of time with me and my husband when she was a toddler and we would have taken her in ourselves but it worked out better with my parents for a number of reasons. She's such a joy to all of us and smart as a whip!
Bill G- thanks for your comment per yesterday :)
Fermatprime- Sending healing vibes your way and good luck wishes for all of your treatments and other issues!
Wilbur Charles- I'll take that role in your sitcom ;)
More rain today. We've had so much lately. Cool temps forecasted for the next week and even a frost warning at some point. It will be good to get to Mexico next week so we can warm up!
Have a great day everyone!
Sorry, that should have been "Loonie" not Lonnie! Lol, I'm looney thanks to spellcheck.
Husker Gary- Thanks for the Gettysburg Address link. Interesting stuff!
Other than not knowing galantine and for some odd reason not thinking of Streep, thus losing out in the SW corner, I agree with others here that it was an easier than normal Thursday.
Thanks, Steve, especially for your "au jus" comment. It drives me nuts every time I see that!
Monte Mario is Mount Mario to us.
Canadian Moonie is a $5 coin coming out this year, if you believe the internet.
"One without" is a HAS NOT, not a HAVE NOT.
Good Morning:
This had a bit of a bite but perps took care of any glitches, such as Galantine, which I've never heard of and, judging by the picture, haven't missed anything. Nice CSO to Canadian Eh with toonie (I had loonie first) and to Abejo with the ubiquitous Erie. The reveal was a surprise, to me, anyway.
Nicely done, Craig and kudos to you, Steve. Your modesty is only surpassed by your culinary capers, no pun intended!
Canandian Eh, I like your new avatar.
PK, what had you up so early?
Ferm, good luck with your treatments; hope the cough is short-lived.
BunnyM, happy holiday!
Have a great day.
And to all you Jedi's out there, "May the fourth be with you!"
Good puzzle. Used a dictionary on some:
DIDO
STREET MAGIC: I had SIMPLE...
Had FORTE instead of FIELD
42A: I thought wisdom teeth were generally pulled. But crowned? Not to sure about that.
Good day to all!
Fun puzzle from Craig today. I, too, found it a little easier than a typical Thursday. Favorite clue/answer was "Moving wheels" for VAN. Chicken GALANTINE and DIDO arrived via perps. Thanks for the tour today, Steve. I second your vote for "The Fish Company" in Los Alamitos. Besides wonderful seafood entrees, they serve the best sourdough rolls I have ever eaten!
Enjoy the day!
Anon @ 8:54: wrong as always. It's a reference to the well-known idiom, "the haves and the have nots."
"Puzzling Thoughts":
Just a couple of write-overs: AMP > OHM JOSEY > JOSIE. But as others have said, this was pretty easy for a Thurs puzzle. Not complaining!
WIMS --> GALANTINE doesn't look like anything you'd miss eating
Re: WISDOM TEETH: had my upper ones removed surgically at age 19. Bottom two both had cavities and were filled. When the one needed a crown, my dentist and I agreed that getting it removed would be both a better and less expensive option. If and when the other does, will probably go the same route.
Speaking of dentists, I too Steve had a few fillings done without Novocain or Nitrous Oxide. Back in the late 1970's I recall going to the dentist after smoking a joint. That was not a very good idea ...
The doctor's office has a chart that lists height and weight parameters. According to it I am borderline OBESE, but if I were to be at my "ideal" weight (for my height) I'd need to lose another 20-25 pounds. Being of less than average height (for a guy) I'm not sure that's doable - not at my age, anyway.
I came up with some Moe-Kus last night but none have any "cross words"! Here they are, for either your scorn or amusement:
Does a man who quits
Job at pool, as lifeguard, just
Throw in the towel?
Saw a utensil
In the middle of the road.
You just metaphor(k)
Pig went on a trip.
Had choices of hotels, yet
Stayed at a Wyndham
Smothers Brothers had
An ape join their act. Now, they're
Tom, Dick and Harry.
On a sad, and personal note, my Uncle (Dad's younger brother) passed away last night at the age of 85. Uncle Bud was never cheated in life, and gave back as much as he received. He was my mentor; he helped me choose the career I had for most of my adult life, and was a real piece of work, too. As my cyber friend Tinbeni would say, "here's a toast at sunset"! I will be drinking his favorite, Stoli on the rocks, when the clock strikes 5:00.
RIP, UB
"Let me see" is indeed part of the theme.
Good catch there, Anon.
Not bad for a Thursday. Thanks Craig and Steve.
This Canadian moved from Loonie to TOONIE when the T was needed for TOTS. LOL re MOONIE Chris Hammonds @8:27. No Argyle, I don't think we are getting a $5 coin anytime soon (mint currently just produces $5 collector coins).
We have a wonderful new $10 bill coming out for Canadian sesquicentennial.
NewBanknote
Hand up for Irk before STARE forced IRE which I agree is not as desirable.
I had IMO before FYI and Cog before VAN.
GALANTINE is new to me.
Thanks for noticing the new avatar, Irish Miss. I saw a cap with the logo and thought it suited so I googled and found it.
Have a great day!
Steve, "with au jus" is one that just drives me nutz! And the same restaurant likely serves "Belgium waffles" instead of "Belgian waffles".
My grandfather graduated from the Northwestern University dental school in 1903. He was my dentist until I went away to college. No novocain, and the drill was driven by a whole bunch of motor-driven belts at slow speed. I used to look forward to my "visits" with all the eagerness of the condemned man after his last meal. Makes me shiver just to think of it even now.
I guess I took the piss on that $5 coin.
Argyle, is that the same as drinking the coolaid?
Canadian Eh!, thanks for that link on the new $10 bill. Very interesting. I believe it was you who explained that the Loonie was named for the loon on the coin, and the Toonie was so named because its value was $2 -- Two-nie.
I wonder why it is that the Canadians have readily accepted the $1 and $2 coins, while attempts for larger denomination coins in the US have repeatedly failed.
Fun puzzle and great write-up Steve. Lots of perp help today in what was a pretty fast solve for a Thursday. New or unknown words as others have pointed out. Stone before Pesci. Small nit - obit is an abbreviation but clue doesn't indicate such. When I was 12, as preparation for braces, the orthodontist suggested that my lateral bicuspids be removed because my mouth wasn't big enough. My parents are still laughing. JB2
Thanks Craig. I enjoyed your puzzle.
Thanks Steve. An excellent write-up as always.
I LOVED your Schrodinger, Heisenberg and Ohm joke. Very clever.
I agree with your IRE/IRK comments.
I disagree with your appreciation for David Blaine. First, I think his personality is unpleasant and a little arrogant. Most of his performances are video-taped with an audience consisting of his friends and other shills whose job is to ooh and aah and clap and looked amazed at the appropriate time. Also, since his performances aren't usually live, he can edit the performance any way he chooses to make everything appear surprising and 'amazing.' I don't think he's at the same level of magical prowess as Penn and Teller or Ricky Jay.
Jinx, LOL, the wisemen came from afar.
Owen, Your second one had me ROTFL, very witty.
Gary, for me, Steen was easier than Josie.
Bunny, I agree, "Steve's blogs rock."
There is no such think as a "has not," the idiom is "have not" which can be used for just one person.
Dictionary.com says,"(usually pl) a person or group of people in possession of relatively little material wealth. He was so frightfully tired of life and its struggles; tired of being a have-not." But the dictionary's example is singular.
"He was so frightfully tired of life and its struggles; tired of being a have-not." from The Lee Shore by Rose Macaulay.
Obit is listed as informal, not as an abbreviation.
Moe, condolences on the loss of Uncle Bud.
Came up with my daily "Owen":
The Marquis de Sade, a true libertine,
Was sentenced to die, and served GALANTINE
As his final repast.
He was clearly steadfast
That it would kill him before Guillotine.
I really liked this puzzle, as it had lots of unknowns
thoroughly mixed with useful perps. It had me going all over the
place to finally complete it at WAG TooNie/GalatiNe.
Very enjoyable.
Chairman Moe, my condolences.
FYI, @ 26a was the most misinformation I have ever seen on this Blog!
What a swap meet should be...
Bring this with you if you find swap meets boring...
Terrific Thursday puzzle, Craig--many thanks. Not easy, I had to work at it, but it was fun to see everything fill in slowly, with many surprises. My only hang-up was that I didn't know GALANTINE and wasn't sure about that Canadian coin. Great relief that TOONIE turned out to be okay. I also didn't know what a Busker was, but it had to be STREET MAGIC, so no problem. And it was fun to get the reveal and MEET all those swaps in the theme answers.
Always delightful write-up, Steve.
I'm going to a Joyce conference in Toronto in June, and totally forgot about having to get Canadian currency until the blog reminded me about this this morning. I went to graduate school in Buffalo and used to visit Toronto all the time, so am looking forward to a return visit almost half a century later. Will be thinking of you, CanadianEh!
Fermatprime, so sorry your cough is back. And my condolences for the loss of your beloved uncle, Chairman Moe.
Saw my first Monarch butterfly yesterday--a huge treat! I have milkweed all over my garden, so it's a great relief to see that it's working.
Have a great day, everybody.
C-Moe, I'm sorry to hear about your uncle Bud's passing. I had an uncle Bud.
Btw. I posted my Sit-Com spoof in the early gloaming.
It might be up your alley ie inside jokes. I forgot that only Marines 'get' Corps humor. At least I was ROTFL
Drat. I had put in EST which is French and didn't know Josie. Should have. Hasty again. My only FIWs are coming in Sat and Sun.
Steve great write-up. Doable Thursday from Craig. Ohm joke perfect for TBBT.
YR and Bunny, I appreciate your smiles. Let's see if "Margie" liked it. Note: I needed a name that rhymed with Largo for my White Cliffs of Dover takeoff*.
Ps. I liked "Moonie".
WC
* That's my story and I'm sticking to it
BTW Misty, you might want to check out Wed blog late night post.
WC
Great puzzle who's theme completely eluded me until I read Steve's engaging expo. Plenty of crunch in the puzzle, but with solid perps to allow a "Tada". I share everyone's nits re: irk/IRE and crowning wisdom teeth (never heard of such a thing).
One question. I resisted filling in GALANTINE for a long time because of the "aspic" in the clue. My only familiarity with the dish was watching in awe as Jacques Pepin prepared it. He boned out a whole chicken (45 seconds, no less); laid it out and stuffed it; rolled, wrapped, and tied it; browned it and baked it in the oven. No aspic! I'm curious, Steve. To what do you attribute the differences in the dish?
Incidentally, I made a very similar dish to J P's, but with duck, when I was courting my DW. That will soon be 48 years ago. Never underestimate the power of a good meal on a starving first-year teacher. That duck, Chicken Veronique, individual Beef Wellingtons, pulled pork BBQ, etc. worked like a charm. Still do.
This is a pretty long-winded post for me. Better sign off.
Cya!
Thanks, Craig Stowe & Steve!
I didn't expect TOONIE. My Canadian cultural score never rose above LOONIE. But then I knew TOLS couldn't be a thing.
The rest of today's pzl went smoothly for yrs truly - except for 67A. When it came to IRE, I gritted my teeth and took the plunge. I agree with Steve, and with Jinx and Y-Rock, that it's the sort of word that can technically be used a certain way, but only an early English learner would go that route.
I didn't even get or see the theme, which is super-fine with me. The gimmick obviously had no effect on my getting the solve, appreciated.
TOONIE was a new one. Got GALANTINE from crosses.
Hello Everyone.
Gary - Re: Alg. problem. ROTFL
No chance to post until now. Just returned from Syracuse for a follow-up medical check on melanoma problem of last Fall. That was OK, but Doc identified Basel Cell site on right temple. Biopsy taken, and we shall see.
Enjoyed the puzzle which was plenty hard enough for a Thursday. Liked seeing STEEN (stone in Dutch). I like his paintings for the reasons Steve cited.
Wanted Loonie at first, and hung on as long as I could but, like mene mene tekel upharson, the handwriting was on the wall and I opted for TOONIE, which worked very well. Only real DEEP unknown was GALANTINE.
Lackawanna abuts the south side of Buffalo so, a horse apiece on Erie frontage.
Have a great rest of the day, everyone.
Tinbeni @ the Library (hence, no Avatar) said ...
Steve: Good Job on the write-up.
Craig: Thank you for a FUN Thursday puzzle. Enjoyed the SWAP MEET theme.
TOONIE (not Loonie) was a learning moment, always a plus when you learn something.
Looking forward to the Sunset "Toast"!
Cheers!
Barbara just said to me, "May the fourth...be with you" but I see Argyle beat her to it...
Moe, good thoughts for you and the rest of Uncle Bud's family.
IM: Up early because of terribly erratic sleep patterns. Went back to bed at 7 a.m. and slept until 4 p.m. I'm going to starve to death if I don't get to the grocery store some day soon. LOL
JINX: I had read about the tomato sauce being called "gravy" by New Jersey Italians in Lisa Scottoline's books. I even tried "red" for a 3-letter fill today which I think is better than JUS. JUS' don't like the clue. LOL!
Moe: Sorry about your loss of your uncle. How fortunate you were to have a good mentor.
Ferm: I'm beaming hugs and good wishes for some good health news for you. No reflexes. Shudder!
Steve, congratulations on the new gig.
Very funny sit-com, Wilbur, with fascinating "coincidental" characters. The one who uses words like "intertextual" and "dialogic" sounds very sophisticated!
Fermat, good luck with the medical issues.
May I be the first to wish you all...
¡Happy Cuatro de Mayo!
Hi All!
Argg! My WAGed T in OST was right but I got another box wrong in 13d... STEEm. There is an ODEOm but I don't know Portuguese and I'm sure Craig wasn't going there either :-)
Thanks Craig for a fun puzzle that passed the time during a 4 hour Gartner "Cloud" presentation.
Steve, thanks for the entertaining expo. Re: physics joke - LOL, mate. You set that up nicely.
WOs: I tried to stretch enure with an extra n b/f ENDEAR appeared; started to spell YURI sans y;
ESPs: PESCI (as clue'd), DIDO, STEEm, ODEOm
Fav: c/a for 56a. ETTU?
Re: I have heard of chicken -ALINTINE but couldn't recall if it was Balintine or Valintine so, with it's perp-help, I finished the SE. Then, with STREET-A-IC (I was still waffling on OHM v. amp - street Panic? [yeah D-O, I did't remember Busker either]), I went back to try again. Oh, GAL...
{B, B+, B} {prolific :-)}
No Fermat! Not the cough again. Nip it quickly.
Condolences C. Moe. Your remembrance of Uncle Bud reminds me of my dad's bro. I imagine I'll feel like you do now. A toast to both UB & you.
CSO to C, Eh! I knew the Toonie from my visits to Vancouver. I like how the Canadian sense of humour caries to their money. "We had a Loonie and they they made a $2 coin, so we called it a Toonie" [I really thought it was spelt TwOnie, but HAVE NOT was already filled].
FYI on fern'ers thoughts re: American currency: On one trip to Vancouver, I met a mate from the UK who told me American money is "So f***ing boring. It's all just green. Then you get pissed and endup spending the wrong bills 'cuz you can't see the f***ing numbers. I gave the bastard a hundred instead of a 20... You need colour mate."
Why the ado Re: 11a? I love a good roast-beef sandwich with au JUS gravy. //ducks
Cheers, -T
Anon T,
So what was the Gartner forecast ? Cloudy ?
TTP - LOL! I'm guessing 'Stormy'; the topic was on "Multi-Cloud" or integrating all of the cloud "solutions." I wore my Splunk 'Cloud Control' T-Shirt under my dress shirt in protest :-). -T
@BlueHen - galantine was originally just a deboned roasted chicken. I've tried to bone a chicken a few times- getting better at it, slowly! The aspic treatment you can understand when you pull the roast out of the oven, there's so much natural gelatine you're not sure what to do with it! Why not transfer to a mould and chill with the chicken?
I love trying to figure out where the classics came from!
Splunk eh ? I was not familiar, but just read an overview. Looks like a great set of tools.
Anyway, "Cloud fever" makes me nauseous, so keep up your resistance. Ohm, ohm, ohm.
I don't have to consider any of IT any more, and for that I'm thankful.
Time to call it a day. Up way too late. CYA tomorrow.
Thanks for the cool write-up, Steve! I loved your rant about redundant expressions. There is never a need to be unnecessarily redundant.
I am just up the road from you near Santa Barbara. Here we have a peak called La Cumbre Peak. Yes, that means The Peak Peak.
Agree that TOONIE/GALANTINE was a Natick but I did WAG it OK. Hand up I also only knew LOONIE. Learning moment.
Hand up for also being stuck with FORTE instead of FIELD which slowed things down.
"Busker" is probably more of a Euro word. My former Irish girlfriend used it when we were in Paris at the Pompidou Center. Lots of buskers there.
DRE, EDOM, DIDO unknowns but OK with crosses.
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