Theme: None
Words: 66 (missing J,Q,V,Z)
Blocks: 26
Phew~!
I knew this was going to be a mental workout when I saw the
constructor's name, and that certainly held true. Lots of long entries,
with a stagger step of 5 ten-letter answers up the middle. Extremely
deceptive cluing, and for me, unfortunately, some awful proper names (*)
- and crossing, no less. Still, I only red-letter cheated one square,
which led to the discovery of one bad entry, and that held up the SW
corner, my only problem area - and I managed to finish with one second
left on my personal allotted time clock. My brain is extra extra
tired....like the 15-letter climber. Here's that and some of the long
fill;
8d. Like a trenta at Starbucks : EXTRA EXTRA LARGE - I don't 'do' Starbucks - it's my own coffee, or 7-11's
I found this, too - funny
27d. Doesn't toss and turn : SLEEPS EASY - only with the A/C these days - and hold the trenta....
9d. The Beatles' "Help!" is one : TITLE TRACK - nice clue/answer
In semaphore, that spells N U J V; half our missing letters
37. Certain racing vehicle : BURLAP SACK - nice. And if you've got the legs, you can rock a burlap sack dress....
27a. Poor working conditions : SWEAT BOXES - uh, like UPS these days - I won the hydration raffle yesterday, so here I am with Donna, our safety girl - she brings me lollipops. Note my new scanner, which has added to the "poor" working conditions
Hey now - that's just a crayon in my pocket....
Vacati-
ON-
Ward~!
ACROSS:
1. It can affect where you stop on a road trip : GAS PRICE - similar answer to last week's start - GAS PUMPS
9. Three-legged table : TEAPOY - new term for me - however when I Googled images, they seem to be more than just "three-legged" tables now
15. Customary : ORTHODOX - Orthorunics~!
16. How old radios are heard : IN MONO - total WAG, but it stayed
17. Fed with a wand : TSA AGENT - another dupe from last week
18. Plugged away : TOILED
19. Botched, with "up" : MESSED - hesitated, seemed to easy for the puzzle
20. Tiny stream : RILL
22. Milk source : EWE - not SOW, but that's 0% 33.3% correct
23. Detail on a map : INSET
24. Judicious : SANE
25*. "I Lost It at the Movies" author : KAEL - perps
26. Took part in a cover-up : LIED
29. __-Tiki : KON
30*. One with all the answers? : ALEX TREBEK - funny, I tried SMART ALEC, which didn't fit
9. Three-legged table : TEAPOY - new term for me - however when I Googled images, they seem to be more than just "three-legged" tables now
15. Customary : ORTHODOX - Orthorunics~!
16. How old radios are heard : IN MONO - total WAG, but it stayed
17. Fed with a wand : TSA AGENT - another dupe from last week
18. Plugged away : TOILED
19. Botched, with "up" : MESSED - hesitated, seemed to easy for the puzzle
20. Tiny stream : RILL
22. Milk source : EWE - not SOW, but that's 0% 33.3% correct
23. Detail on a map : INSET
24. Judicious : SANE
25*. "I Lost It at the Movies" author : KAEL - perps
26. Took part in a cover-up : LIED
29. __-Tiki : KON
30*. One with all the answers? : ALEX TREBEK - funny, I tried SMART ALEC, which didn't fit
31. Company car advantage : FLEET RATE
32. Identity verification system : BIOMETRICS
34*. Hodges of the Dodgers : GIL - hey, I knew this one~!
38. Baskin-Robbins order : CONE
39. Breezed through : ACED
40. It's under a foot : SOLE - oops, not INCH
41. Eighth of 24 : THETA - oh, got me - not THREE, but the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet
42. Many ATM deposits : CKS - ugh. Checks are all that I deposit, but this was the weakest of the answers lot
43*. Part of a hip-hop trio name : PEPA - argh~! I had PE-A, and was thinking peee - a, not peh-pa - as in Salt N' Pepa
44. Makes a good living : DOES OK
45*. Keys on a piano : ALICIA - deceptive; I tried BLACKS
47. Give new life to : RECREATE
49. Abs strengtheners : LEG-UPS - Argh~! not SIT ups, my bad entry
50. It's rarely taken home : GROSS PAY
51*. Inspector in Elizabeth George mysteries : LYNLEY
52*. Two-time British Open champ : ERNIE ELS - good WAG on my part - did not get out on the course or the driving range this week - but I do want to check out that "Downhill Lie"
DOWN:
1. Ad campaign almost dismissed by its creators for grammatical inaccuracy : GOT MILK~?
2*. Hall of fame : ARSENIO - clever misdirection, but I got it
3*. Nine-time presidential candidate : STASSEN
4. Introduced in stages, with "in" : PHASED
5*. He had a way with words : ROGET - thesaurus guy
6. Named : IDed
7. Bamboozle : CON - semi 'eh' with KON in the puzzle, too
10. Organic compound : ENOL
11. "What __ bid for ... " : AM I - not in my wheelhouse
12. Weapon similar to a halberd : POLEAXE
13. Salary period : ONE WEEK
14. Off-peak calls? : YODELS - that kind of off (the) peak call - har-har
21. Quicker than quick : IN A TRICE
24. Fruit also called a sugar apple : SWEETSOP - never heard of or seen one - I guess I don't get out much (to the tropics)
14. Off-peak calls? : YODELS - that kind of off (the) peak call - har-har
21. Quicker than quick : IN A TRICE
24. Fruit also called a sugar apple : SWEETSOP - never heard of or seen one - I guess I don't get out much (to the tropics)
25. __ beef : KOBE
28. Santa Anita action : BETS - west coast clue - I never heard of the place
30. Michigan city or college : ALMA
31. Decide not to call : FOLD - Poker terms
32*. "Firing Line" host : BUCKLEY
33. Parting words : "I RESIGN."
34. Has a cow : GOES APE
35. All told : IN TOTAL
36. Olduvai Gorge paleontologists : LEAKEYS - not a clue - this is what I found when I went Googling after I finished
37*. "Applause" Tony winner : BACALL
38. Jack in a box lunch : CHEESE - Monterey, that is
41. Tanks cover them : TORSI - tank tops, and upper bodies - nice deception
43. Frosty feature : PIPE - oh, the Christmas character - got me for a long time
28. Santa Anita action : BETS - west coast clue - I never heard of the place
30. Michigan city or college : ALMA
31. Decide not to call : FOLD - Poker terms
32*. "Firing Line" host : BUCKLEY
33. Parting words : "I RESIGN."
34. Has a cow : GOES APE
35. All told : IN TOTAL
36. Olduvai Gorge paleontologists : LEAKEYS - not a clue - this is what I found when I went Googling after I finished
37*. "Applause" Tony winner : BACALL
38. Jack in a box lunch : CHEESE - Monterey, that is
41. Tanks cover them : TORSI - tank tops, and upper bodies - nice deception
43. Frosty feature : PIPE - oh, the Christmas character - got me for a long time
We're halfway to UPS Christmas season already
44. Raid shelfmate : D-CON
46. __-de-sac : CUL
48. Muck it up : ERR
Splynter
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Mark and Splynter!
No cheats! Hooray!
Things that were perped and WAGged: EXTTA EXTRA LARGE, TEAPOY (really got me for awhile), EWE, KAEL, FLEET RATE, BIOMETRICS, PEPA, GOT MILK, POLEAXE, SWEETSOP, ALMA and D-CON. TEAPOY was the only real unknown. LYNLEY was a gimme.
Have a great day!
DNF¡ Had to use red letters, a rarity for me, and rarer still I had to use them several times¡ Both the SW and NE corners are multicolored like a Pride parade¡
ReplyDeleteWords I flat didn't know --
TEAPOY, LEG UPS, SWEET SOP, ENOL.
Names I flat didn't know --
KAEL, GIL Hodges, LYNLEY, ALMA.
Names I recognize, but didn't know in the context of the clues --
BACALL, BUCKLEY, PEPA.
Words I have a beef with --
SWEAT BOXES are prison torture cages, not workplaces, safe or otherwise! SWEAT shops are poor working conditions!
EWEs produce milk for their young, the same as any other female mammal from aardvark to zebra, but I've never heard of any for human consumption! Goats, yaks, even soy and almonds, but never sheep!
Too bummed for poetry today¡
Poor analogy above. Try a nun in a knife fight -- black and white and red all over¡
Feta cheese is made from sheep milk or a mix of sheep and goat milk.
ReplyDeleteHad teaboy for the longest time, you know, highboy,lowboy. Seemed to make sense.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteWhew, this was the real Diehl! IDED went in, came out, went back in. ACED went in, came out, went back in. IN NO TIME went in, came out, IN A TRICE went in. It was a Wite-Out workout, and it went into overtime, but I got 'er done. Thanks, Mark.
I remembered GIL Hodges. I'm pretty good with baseball players who've been dead for more than 40 years. The live ones, not so much.
Splynter, I'm surprised you weren't familiar with the LEAKEYS. That was a gimme for me...one of the few in this bad boy.
Whoof! Gut punch. I sailed through the SE but struggled otherwise. sitUPS doomed the SW, and you don't even want to know my first 3-letter answer for "milk source" in the NE. (Oh, "cow" was wrong too.) Candidate Pat Paulson ruined my NW, and the middle was total flyover country.
ReplyDeleteI don't expect to finish Saturday puzzles and I usually just pass them by after a quick glance. But this one was interesting and fun, even if I was abashed at the end. Thanks, Mark, for reminding me that sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train. Thank you Splynter for another fine reveal.
With a son who graduated with his degrees in archaeology I would be embarrassed to not know the Leakeys, but much of the rest was very hard. TEAPOY crossing YODELS clued to deceive was frustrating. It ended up where Y was the only choice.
ReplyDeleteSo what I am saying is that it was a Saturday puzzle.
Looking good Splynter, thanks and thanks to Mark for making me work so hard first thing in the morning.
One of the constants of my youth was Minnesota born HAROLD STASSEN who was quite a man.
ReplyDeleteToo tough for me. Way above my pay scale to finish.
ReplyDeleteUnknown book, table, weapon, college, coffee description, author, rap group, fruit, Broadway play. And those were just the clues. Filling KAEL, ALMA, TEAPOY, POLE AXE, LYNLEY, PEPA, SWEETSOP, BACALL would have been impossible for me. I don't drink coffee and had no idea if 'trenta' was a drink or something else. Mark'bamboozled' me this morning.
But I did complete the NW & SE.
I do LEG UPS (and sit ups) every day but I have never heard of the term before.
1A-GAS PRICE- don't really matter on a road trip. Clean bathrooms determine where we stop.
D-CON, I only knew it as a rat killer- warfarin. Raid (DEET) kills insects.
"Identified" ends in ED; the abbreviation ends in 'D ("ID'd").
ReplyDeleteGood morning all
ReplyDeleteWow- what a work out from Mark. I started out pretty strong in the NW and SE corners and had the lovely long fill of EXTRAEXTRALARGE early, so was feeling good until... the rest of the puzzle. I had way more Google cheats than I'd like to admit and thank goodness for perps- they saved the day. But it is Saturday and I do enjoy a challenge, so thanks, Mark!
Thanks Splynter for a delightful summary. I got a kick out of the Starbucks/Star Wars links. I do love Starbucks but a Tall or Grande are what I order ( I used to get Ventis) My DH says if I stop patronizing our local store, they will go out of business ;)
Unknowns were TEAPOY, KAEL, POLEAXE, INATRICE, SWEETSOP, ALMA, BUCKLEY. These were my cheats (sigh...)
Perps ( maybe a record amount for me, even for Saturday) FLEETRATE, BIOMETRICS, GIL, BURLAPSACK, LYNLEY, AMI, BETS, CHEESE, LEAKEYS, STASSEN and PEPA.
W/O's : Tried Cow and Soy for EWE, Sweat Shops>SWEATBOXES, Sped>ACED and Sit Ups> LEGUPS
Favorite clever fills were PIPE, ARSENIO, YODELS and the best was ALEXTREBEK
I was way over my usual time with so many unknowns and having our cat, Mia plopping down on top of my puzzle (she loves the clipboard I use while solving) It was a nice break halfway through though and by the time she left, I had the courage to finish :)
The rain is gone, the sun is shining and we're supposed to have a lovely day of temps in the 70's. Can't ask for much better than that!
Have a wonderful day everyone and enjoy your weekend :)
Big Easy, too tough for me, too. The NW and SE were not bad. I had most of the NE, except for the Y. The SW and center did me in. I filled it by using lots of Googling and red letters, but it was fun, a worthy challenge, worth sweating over.
ReplyDeleteToday I will make Mediterranean pasta salad, tri-colored rotini, roasted sweet peppers and zuchini, red onion, Kalamata olives, FETA cheese, dressed with olive oil and garlic. Alan, no gourmand, always wants seashell pasta and tuna dressed with mayo. My turn this time, once a year, unless I have guests.
Anon@8:59 - looks like Id'd and IDed are both acceptable : versions
ReplyDeleteDictionary.com.
ReplyDeleteID
verb (used with object), ID'd or IDed or ID'ed, ID'ing or IDing.
(definition) 2. to identify.
Sometimes we tend to over-correct.
Wow!
ReplyDeleteThat was a killer. I walked away three times thinking I would be struck by some sort of inspiration. In the end, really perfect misdirection. Thanks for the challenge, Mark. I labored over Frosty--rime, hoar. . . . I never made it to Snowman until the very end.
Thanks for the explication, Splynter. The links were quite informative also.
Have a sunny day, everyone!
The Southwest US may be hot now, but it was sure cold for me today. CKS? Legups? And is a burlap sack a vehicle?????? Got the rest but the cluing for the SW was a funsponge for me today. Trebek was a good one though. The usual great write up from Splyter! America's Cup racing resumes today and the US needs to win some races to get back in it. Have a great day everyone! JB2
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteI found this a combination of Dr. Jekyll (Easy) and Mr. Hyde (Hard). I managed to finish w/o help but it took me 30 minutes, shades of the old days vs the last several weeks of fast finishes. Not complaining, mind you, I like a tougher solve on Saturday. Teapoy, sweetsop, and Alma were complete unknowns, as were the clues for Poleaxe, Extra Extra Large (have never even been in a Starbucks) and Pepa. Buckley, Lynley, and Leakeys were all gimmes. Somehow, I always want thrice for trice. (Have to see what Mr. G says about those two words.)
Thanks, Mark, for the mental workout and thanks, Splynter, for helping to make it all crystal clear.
Have a great day.
How about a puzzle for the not-so-mensas?
ReplyDeleteAnon @10:02, please see Monday and Tuesday LAT puzzles. Something for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI was very happy when I broke out of the NW & SE boxed in area's,
ReplyDelete& elated when I WAG'd Extra Extra Large, thinking the rest of
the puzzle was going to be a breeze. Alas, I was sadly mistaken...
Lots of learning moments:
Yes, every Google image of a "teapoy" shows 4 legs?
Original Teapoy.
Modern Teapoy?
Futuristic Teapoy???
My only nit however, was Burlap sack...
ReplyDeleteSplynter, what were you thinking?
In a trice?
ReplyDeleteI love a good challenge, but keep it fair.
Nobody here is younger than 80 years old.
Musings
ReplyDelete-I’m, uh, posting late because I got up late not because it was a struggle. Nah, the cat got me up at 7 and after getting 3 of the corners, the SW made me sweat like the people who live in America’s SW must be doing temperature-wise these days
-ERR? I had a plethora – SAGE, SLEEPS FAST, SWEAT SHOPS, SIT UPS, A SMART ALEK, INCH/ARCH and IN A FLASH. I got TEAPOY somehow
-A couple miles off the interstate is where much cheaper gas can be found
-Wow, Fed is not to feed and the abbr. allows TSA
-I thought “Nobody doesn’t like SARA LEE” might be the grammatical ad second thought
-WHAT AM I BID (26:15) on vintage TV
-This 1939 grad of ALMA resurrected Husker football in the early 60’s
-Quit telling LIES and just say I RESIGN
Tough, tough, tough! Very nice challenge with a lot of misdirections in the cluing. Thanks, Mark, for the workout. FIR, but really had to work at it!
ReplyDeleteNice write-up, Splynter. Have a nice vacation!
I like CED's burlap sack, too!
Like Splynter, when I saw the constructor's name I expected a challenge and I was not disappointed. In the end though, my solving experience mirrored IM's. So, WIMS so much more eloquently than I ever could, except that BUCKLEY and LYNLEY needed prompting from perps. About the former, I vaguely remembered a Brit crime series about him; he struck me as a rather prissy sort. I was always in awe of Buckley's vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteI know for certain that I have never, ever heard of a TEAPOY. With the T in place I entered "ri", and waited for perps (that never came). I was thinking along the lines of a milk stool. I've seen tables like CED linked, but they have always been called candle stands or card tables, etc.
Like others, I really didn't like CKS. With the KS in, I looked at it and thought, "That surely isn't a "c" is it? Mark Diehl does better work than that." But when I looked at the perp, son of a gun, "C" it is.
Enough for now. To those whose birthdays, anniversaries, other significant events I missed while lurking while I had nothing to say, Congratulations, many happy returns, etc. We all celebrate with you. To those in pain, enduring personal trials and tribulations, etc., keep your chin up, persevere, and remember that you have friends here who care for you. Well, need to go harvest the crabgrass crop before our version of the Blond Tornado arrives.
Cya!
Hi Y'all! After finishing, I felt like I'd been POLEAXEd. Just outside my fun zone. WEES! Usually I just red-letter run for the first letter. This puzzle required several more for some areas. After filling some areas, I had to ponder a long time to connect the clue with the answer.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Splynter. Didn't get PIPE for Frosty until you 'splained.
I've never seen even the outside of a Starbucks. TRENTA must be a fancy way of saying, "Addictive, expensive and kidney damaging".
Didn't know STASSEN or KAEL, but did know LEAKEY. I had intended to watch a PBS program on ALICIA last evening but went to sleep in the chair before time.
I believe we can summarize everyone's experience today with one word: BRUTAL.
ReplyDeleteFinally gave up and had to read Splynter's commentary to find out it's Frosty the Snowman, not frosty the drink or frosty the ice storm, at 43d.
Ah, well, a little humility helps balance out those easy-peasy Mondays.
Bluehen @ 11:21 ~ Your last paragraph made me smile, especially the last sentence. đŸ¤—
ReplyDeleteTRICE is not only for octogenarians. It is currently being used in print.
ReplyDelete-Everyone is in such a fragile state of ecstasy and longing that you know it’s all going to unravel in a trice. New York Times, July 18, 2016
-Such capital is stickier than deposits or short-term debt, which can vanish in a trice. Economist, July 7, 2016
-A marvel, really, the ease with which Dick negotiated changes of mood; in a trice, In Cold Blood
-It took but a trice for Karin to reappear with the sandwich. Mosco, Maisie OUT OF THE ASHES (2001)
It is THRICE (three times) that is listed as old fashioned, but I still find references for it.
-Her open-door policy on Syrian refugees was a “catastrophic mistake”, a term he repeated thrice. The Guardian, Jan. 17, 2017
-Yes, the New England defense picked off Houston quarterback Osweiler three times and sacked him thrice more, rendering him feeble and overwhelmed. Washington Post, Jan. 14, 2017.
CK seems to be a perfectly valid abbreviation for check. We used it when we logged in donations at church. You can look it up. We also use it when we have collections of any kind at our Square Dance Club.
YR, you've gotta admit that it would be pretty difficult to look up your log of church donations! :7)
ReplyDeleteno Chance today. never heard of teapoy which shows as a misspelling nor trice. even when I look it up what makes it quicker than quick????
ReplyDeleteAlma was one of the schools we defeated in my best collegiate tennis season ( we were 6-19). I wasted all my time trying to fit "thirty" in the 8d clue. The one time I know a foreign word its a distractor. Oh well...
Whoo! Very tough! I had to look up "Firing Line" to get BUCKLEY, Sugar Apple to get SWEETSOP (which I never heard of), "Applause" to get BACALL, and many more. At least I knew LEAKEYS right away. The misdirective clues were clever indeed, my favorite being "Off-peak calls" which I didn't get until I went through an alphabet run for that crossing Y. Jeez, the next to last letter in the alphabet (25 of 26). So, I learned what a TEAPOY and a SWEETSOP are, and will probably forget them both after ONE WEEK of disuse. Whew, whew, and triple whew.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Owen about SWEAT BOXES. Source of milk? Cow, soy, yak, box, ... ewe! Um, okay.
LW and I sort of like the Inspector Lynley mysteries on PBS, but we dislike how shabbily he often treats his partner Barbara Havers. Yes, he is kind of a priss.
LW and I never ever give Stabucks our patronage. Not only is their coffee terrible (over-roasted, burned) but also we prefer to give our local coffee shops the business.
Best wishes to you all as the heat here is starting to abate.
DO/ LOL. I goofed. Of course I meant, look up the abbrev. for check.
ReplyDeleteJohn Doe, $50.00 ck # 235
LYNLEY, KAEL, SWEETSOP, and TEAPOY were completely unheard of words for me.
TEAPOY: "The word is of Indian origin, and was originally used to describe a three-legged table. By erroneous association with the word "tea", it is also used to describe a table with a container for tea, or a table for holding a tea service." Wikipedia
In a trice is fairly familiar, in the language, so to speak.
A SWEAT BOX can be a prisoner torture cage or just a very hot, uncomfortable place. "Since the AC broke, it is like a sweat box in here." Exaggeration, of course.
I liked BUCKLEY's vocabulary, but disagreed with his politics. I learned the word ELEEMOSYNARY (charitable) from him. He wrote a very interesting book on sailing. We could use a dose of his gentlemanly manners today.
Interestingly, I didn't make this association earlier but YR's comment @ 2:51 jostled the old gray matter into remembering that William Buckley and I attended the same Mass each Sunday at St. Mary's in Stamford, Ct. back in the early 80's. I never met him to talk to but it was fun to see a celebrity in such a somber setting. I, too, admired his vocabulary and genteel manner although, IIRC, he had quite a nasty verbal exchange with Gore Vidal on national television. Of course, today, that wouldn't raise an eyebrow.
ReplyDeleteCruel and unusual punishment is what this brought me! If anyone solved this without help, congratulations! I haven't read the comments yet as I must soon leave to collect a friend from the airport.
ReplyDeleteALICIA, ARSENIO and ALEX TREBEK were all cleverly, if cruelly, clued. Thank you, Mark Diehl, for an enormous challenge. I used my dictionary since I didn't know halberd and TEAPOY jumped out at me when I went to the "tea" page.
Once a few anchors were established I could complete the quadrant with the NE falling first then the SE. I recalled ERNIE ELS. Yea, me! It's a sports name. And I never go to Starbucks so the center played out in stages. EXTRA and LARGE emerged then eventually another EXTRA.
EXTRA kudos to Mark and to Splynter who must be awarded some kind of medal today.
In spite of the EXTRA time it took me, since I went about the day and solved in between chores and grocery shopping, I loved it!
I hope you are all having a wonderful day! I'll read you later.
I was flipping channels and I stumbled across a PBS special of André Rieu conducting waltz music. I was almost embarrassed by how much I enjoyed his schmaltz. Such BEAUTIFUL schmaltz!
ReplyDeleteWill today's young people ever have the same emotional reaction to music? They won't know the old emotional tunes and most of their modern music doesn't seem to have that emotional hook to engage that part of one's brain. Just my humble opinion of course.
YR- you must read or look for very obscure writings. Other than being a word in a crossword puzzle, I have NEVER seen or heard the word 'trice'. NEVER.
ReplyDeleteBuckley- I liked his politics but he was quite the sesquipedalian ( I had to look up that word). As for his 'gentlemanly manners', I remember when he threatened to knock out Gore Vidal's teeth, on live television no less, because Vidal called him a 'crypto nazi'.
Bill G @ 5:26 ~ I'll gladly share your embarrassment in enjoying André Rieu's music, schmaltz and all! I saw him live several years back and it was one of the most enjoyable musical experiences of my life. His joy in performing is as vibrant and infectious as the music itself. People literally danced in the aisles. He's easy on the eyes, as well, except for his too-long hair, IMO.
ReplyDeleteGeorge, see my post at 12:19. I have known trice all my life. We run in different circles. I use it myself.
ReplyDeleteYou can find the in-those-days shocking Vidal incident, minor by today's standards. Almost every other encounter with Buckley was civil. Name me one other that was not. Unlike today's partianship, I can admire someone from the other political camp.I mourn the days of civil, principled opposition.
I hadn't realized until today how sheltered a life I have lived. I don't know where Mr. Diehl's travels and adventures have taken him, but it is clear that our paths have not crossed. Wherever one encounters TEAPOYs and SWEET SOPs, it is a different part of the planet than yrs truly has wandered.
ReplyDeleteSplynter notes that today's beast has several long fills, but these were offset by a good many 3-bees. However, I found that very few of the small guys were ready to yield to my particular wisdom. Only KON at 29A was a gimme on my first assay. After about five or six scans, I just broke down and started Googling. At first this was rewarded with some sectional collapses after only a single cheat. But the NE sector was just vicious, as was its connection to the fat midriff.
I set it aside for most of the day. When I came back after 5pm, I just caved. No Ta-DA today, my friends. Congrats to all who succeeded. Sadly, I am not of your company.
Yes, I managed LEG UPS (which I also do, but have never named) and LEAKEYS & many of the challenging ones, but there comes a point when multiple esoterics cancel out all hope of victory - other than accidental stumbles. I agree with Lemon that TEAPOY crossing YODELS (and I'll add ENOL) makes for an unlikely finish.
ReplyDeleteI'm not complaining, mind you, just sounding off...
The problem with Internet quotes is that you can't always depend on their accuracy...
ReplyDelete~ Abraham Lincoln
Bill G - Great quote of the day. Do you and Abe get together after harp practice?
ReplyDeleteThe hardest part of this puzzle was getting Flash to work on the LA Times web site. Reinstalled it, cleared cookies, tried two browsers, no luck. Other Flash sites worked fine. I suspect it was the ads and not the puzzle itself though. Finally found the old fashioned version of the puzzle on Mensa's site, and it worked fine.
ReplyDeleteI thought the Keys/Halls clues amounted to using the same gag twice, but since it fooled me both times, I'd say it was a perfectly fair Saturday pairing.
For the hip hop trio I started with Ton hoping to fill in y,i, or e as the crosses filled in, but as the crosses were filled in one by one, I realized my error.
Finally learned a while back that n of 24 is usually a Greek alphabet clue, so I put that in my toolbox, but I needed crosses to remind me which letter comes eighth.
Stay cool my friends.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteGirls & I are back from SFO safe and sound. DW has one more night in SFO with her Aunt & Cousin before her flight to Toronto at 0715hrs PDT. She too will miss the pride parade that expects 1MM folk to descend on Market & Powell tomorrow - we got a note from the hotel this AM to expect major delays to the airport.
I picked up the SF Chron and was disappointed to find a NYT* so I picked up a Arizona Republic on our layover in Phoenix (Lucina - dang it's hot out there!) and started playing over a noshy-nosh plate of cheese & olives and a Pint at the airport. It took the whole flight home to get the NW and SE w/ smatterings about. Ended with a DNF.
Thanks Mark for the puzzle fun after not playing since C.C.'s Wed pzl (thanks C.C.! - we were so busy in SFO I didn't have time to post; Loved it!)
NW has no ink-blots (yeah me!), SE is almost blemish free. Eldest gave my EXTRA EXTRA LARGE (DW & Kids keep Starbucks in business) and I nailed the corn-cob PIPE for Frosty given sitUPS [never fixed :-(]
31d was not hOLD nor was 27d SLEEP fASt. I'd no clue on 32d and 51a. I know BUCKLEY but kept wanting to fill Safire. Both men were loquacious and smart. YR I will take those political arguments any day of the WEEK compared to the BS/vitriol we've had for the last 15 or so years.
Thanks Splynter for the expo; you're lookin' good mate!
CED - Re: Yosemite. I took snaps and they still don't do justice to the majesty that you inhale at the top of Glacier Point, bottom of triple-falls, or seeing El Capitan. You were right - I've never seen anything more awe inspiring.
D-O: I had plenty of clean underwear until driving the switch-backs up to the park. Holy S***! You're 2000' up and there's little shoulder on the road. DW said, "Wow, look." I did glance into the (beautiful) vastness of nothing to my right and vertigo set in. I was the slowest driver on the road after that [and needed new drawers :-)]
What Bluehen said - I'll try to catch up but, if I missed any good/bad news w/ the regulars, you know I'm always thinking about y'all!
Cheers, -T
*I just found the LAT in SF-Chron opposite the comics. D'Oh! I didn't know they carried two puzzles.
Two Ps got me. I could have sussed them out with a bit more sweat, but I was spent.
ReplyDeleteI just finished. I refused to quit or cheat but I broke down and g'ed BUCKLEY
DeleteI remember his run-in with Vidal. I never knew the details though.
I knew STASSEN and all his runs for president but hadn't come up with it before it was referenced in a Mon-Sun post.
S'ok. And I don't have to comment because every wrong turn posted I did likewise.
Actually, I was out of it Saturday. I'll write it off to a bug.
Splynter, great job as usual. Mr Diehl. Your effort will be the poster child for LAT-SAT
YR: You'll never read this but your commentary on usage is outstanding
Never give up Wilbur
I can't believe I FIR! Only through way more persistence than can be justified!
ReplyDeleteHand up that TRICE is just absurd and unfair. I have never heard this term. I can deal with tough clues and misdirection. But not at the same time as utterly obscure words.
TEA POY?? SWEETSOP?? POLE AXE? LEG UPS is also unknown to me. SIT UPS was in for a long time.
BURLAP SACK is not exactly a "vehicle" but at least when I got it, it was a known term.
I saw Salt n PEPA as an opening to Paul McCartney back in the early 90s at the Hollywood Bowl.
Only know ERNIE ELS from these puzzles. GIL unknown. LYNLEY not only unknown, but a rather unlikely sequence of letters.
Glad it is over and done!