Theme: SCHOOL DAYS. Various activities that school children may be involved in are indicated by the clues with asterisks.
18 A. *Annual kids' competition aired by ESPN : SPELLING BEE. A contest to see who can correctly spell obscure words nobody will ever see or hear again. In the class room version, I hope the target words are more useful.
50 A. *Year-end hurdle : FINAL EXAM. Year being the school year, not the calendar year. The last test of acquired knowledge before moving on - or not.
And, the unifier -- 57A. Group lawsuit ... and what each answer to a starred clue is? : CLASS ACTION. In the lawsuit, a group of people with a common complaint join together to take legal ACTION against some entity. In the CLASS room, it's an activity in which the students participate.
Hi, Gang. JazzBumpa here for todays lesson. Pretty straight-forward theme - all of these ACTIONS clearly relate to things that students and teachers might be doing, though a couple of them can also occur in other contexts. You'd almost think that the idea came from someone with inside-the-classroom experience! So - let's put on our thinking caps and see what we can learn.
Across
1. Place for fuzzy navels : BAR. This concoction of orange juice and peach schnapps [or many other potential ingredients] might be served in a tavern.
18 A. *Annual kids' competition aired by ESPN : SPELLING BEE. A contest to see who can correctly spell obscure words nobody will ever see or hear again. In the class room version, I hope the target words are more useful.
24 A. *Excursion that may require permission slips : FIELD TRIP. Visit to a dairy farm, fire station, or some other location that might be of educational interest. The permission slip allows the teacher and helpers to take the students away from school premisses.
37. *Evacuation exercise : FIRE DRILL. A practice run for leaving the building in a safe and orderly fashion, so that all occupants can be accounted for. We had these where I worked, with several thousand people gathering in a number of assigned locations. As department safety coordinator, I made sure everyone participated.
50 A. *Year-end hurdle : FINAL EXAM. Year being the school year, not the calendar year. The last test of acquired knowledge before moving on - or not.
And, the unifier -- 57A. Group lawsuit ... and what each answer to a starred clue is? : CLASS ACTION. In the lawsuit, a group of people with a common complaint join together to take legal ACTION against some entity. In the CLASS room, it's an activity in which the students participate.
Hi, Gang. JazzBumpa here for todays lesson. Pretty straight-forward theme - all of these ACTIONS clearly relate to things that students and teachers might be doing, though a couple of them can also occur in other contexts. You'd almost think that the idea came from someone with inside-the-classroom experience! So - let's put on our thinking caps and see what we can learn.
Across
1. Place for fuzzy navels : BAR. This concoction of orange juice and peach schnapps [or many other potential ingredients] might be served in a tavern.
4. Plots of land : TRACTS. Refers to [usually] large areas of indefinite extent.
10. Animated internet pics : GIFS. The Graphics Interchange Format was developed in 1987 by Steve Wilhite's team at CompuServe.
via GIPHY
via GIPHY
14. Whopper, but not a Big Mac : LIE. Deliberately untruthful statement of some magnitude, not a large hamburger sandwich.
15. Reconciled : MADE UP. I thought that they had gotten back together, but it was just a story somebody MADE UP. { I loves me the English language!}
16. "You said it, sister!" : AMEN. Or brother. Let's be inclusive.
17. Safari find : URL. Safari is the browser on Apple computers.
20. Kazan who directed Marlon in his first Oscar role : ELIA. This was Mr. Brando's 4th best actor nomination. Can you name this 1954 film? It was also the big screen debut of Eva Marie Saint.
22. Crème de la crème : ELITE. The ones who are best at something, like ELITE athletes or musicians.
23. Neruda's "__ to Common Things" : ODE. You can read it here.
27. Not as well-done : RARER. As a steak, not a task.
29. Not hidden : IN VIEW. I can see it.
30. Airfield fixtures : TOWERS. The better to see with.
31. Bridal bio term : NEE. Referring to her birth [or maiden] name.
32. Reader at Mass : LECTOR. One who reads a scriptural passage as part of a church service.
36. Pigs out (on), briefly : OD'S. Over-Doses. Trivializing a term that otherwise relates to a serious public health problem.
39. Sergeant's address : SIR. As the Sergeant would be addressed by his underlings, or would address her/his superior officers.
41. Balkan first-timer in the 2016 Olympics : KOSOVO. Over Serbia's protest, they sent 8 athletes who competed in five events, and took home one gold medal, won by Majlinda Kelmendi in judo.
42. Vandalize : MAR. Cause damage.
45. Oasis visitors : CAMELS. And, presumably, their riders.
47. Urbana-Champaign "Fighting" team : ILLINI. University of Illinois sports mascot.
49. What might make a Cardinal an Oriole : TRADE. From a National League team to one in the American League. You knew there had to be some baseball in here somewhere. A quick google search did not reveal any player-for-player trades between these teams in recent years.
53. Wood cutter : SAW. Carpenter's tool.
54. Maine college town : ORONO. Home of the University of Maine. But why is there never any love for ORONO, Minnesota, in Hennepin County on the north shore of Lake Minnetonka?
56. Understands : GETS. Comprehends.
61. Homeric outburst : D'OH. Simpson, not the author of The Iliad.
62. Dynamic leader? : AERO-. Prefix.
63. Crunchy breakfast : MUESLI. Ugly sounding word for granola.
64. "Just sayin'," in texts : IMO. In My Opinion. Admit it - you have one!
65. Must have : NEED.
66. Out in a hammock? : ASLEEP. Outdoors, and catching some Z's.
67. Empire St. paper : NYT. New York Times, a continent away from the Golden State's L.A. Times.
67. Empire St. paper : NYT. New York Times, a continent away from the Golden State's L.A. Times.
Down
1. Much sushi- and sashimi-grade tuna : BLUEFIN. Several species of tuna in the genus Thonnus, found in many places around the world.
2. Southwest, e.g. : AIRLINE. The plane truth.
3. Take over for : RELIEVE. As a baseball pitcher, perhaps.
4. Corp. symbols : TMS. Trademarks (™).
5. Eschew the doorbell : RAP.
Rap, rap.
Who's there?
Hip Hop.
Go away, I hate rap.
Rap, rap.
Who's there?
Hip Hop.
Go away, I hate rap.
6. Like __ in the headlights : A DEER. Refers to someone with a glazed over expression, or frozen into inactivity by fear, panic or confusion.
7. Ma's strings : CELLI. There are 4 strings on one CELLO.
8. Showy April bloom : TULIP.
9. Shish kebab holder : SPIT. A rod or stick upon which the meat is skewered.
10. __ rule : GAG. A imposed prohibition to speak about a specified topic.
11. "There's nothing to do" : I'M BORED. I have no idea what that feel like.
19. Fiddling emperor : NERO. Nerō Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus [37-68 A.D.], the last Roman emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, from 54-68 A.D. There is much good and bad to be said abut him. But he certainly did not fiddle, for that instrument would not be invented for another 900 years. Rumor had it that he sang and/or played the lyre while Rome burned in July of 64 , but he was out of town at the time. He organized and participated in relief efforts, and made a new urban plan, with wider roads and more widely spaced brick houses. But he was scapegoated for the fire, and deflected blame on to Christians, who were then brutally tortured and murdered. Definitely not this guy.
21. Liston opponent : ALI. Sonny and Muhammad [born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.] respectively
25. Where heros are made : DELI. Sandwiches.
26. Sexy dance moves : TWERKS. Sexy or downright obscene? You be the judge.
28. Mil. no-show : AWOL. Absent Without Official Leave.
30. "Jeopardy!" fare : TRIVIA.
33. VIP with a corner office, perhaps : CEO. Chief Executive Officer.
34. NFL six-pointers : TDs. Touchdowns.
35. Guatemala gold : ORO. Spanish
38. Take it easy : LOLL. Just layin' around.
39. Mrs. Smith's rival : SARA LEE. Purveyors of pre-packaged deserts.
40. "It's not news to me ... " : I'M AWARE.
42. Blended : MIXED IN. Shaken or stirred.
43. Gray area? : ANATOMY. Refers to a medical text book of the human body by Henry Gray with illustrations by Henry Vandyke Carter, first published in 1858. The TV medical drama, now in it's 13th season, is GREY'S ANATOMY.
45. Med. imaging procedure : CT SCAN. Computerized Tomography combines a series of scanned X-ray images taken from different angles, and uses computer processing to create cross-sectional images of bones, blood vessels and internal organs.
50. Prepare to shoot with a Canon : FOCUS. Camera, not heavy artillery.
51. Maker of chips : INTEL. With headquarters in Santa Clara, CA, they are not to be confused with Frito-Lay, with headquarters in Plano, TX. INTEL has many Trademarks.
52. Cacophony : NOISE. Cacophony traces back to Greek roots meaning "bad" and "sound." NOISE, via Old French traces back to the Latin word for seasickness, nausea, which does sound bad.
55. Major Hindu deity : RAMA. The 7th avatar of Vishnu, the Supreme Being in some Hindu traditions.
58. Lawn roll : SOD. A grassy layer of earth.
59. Bullring cry : OLE. An interjection used as a shout of encouragement or approval.
60. Puppy bite : NIP. Playful, one hopes.
60. Puppy bite : NIP. Playful, one hopes.
OK, kids - CLASS dismissed. Our own C.C. and Gary gave us a great lesson plan today. Hope you found it enlightening. Now go do your homework.
Cool regards!
JzB
P.S. In case you didn't know and haven't G-spotted that Eva Marie Saint movie cited above, its On The Waterfront.
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Husker and C. C.!
Not immediate were KOSOVO and LECTOR (not to be confused with Hannibal).
Good swim today. No Harv. Mercola bars for dinner. Almond milk also.
Hope to see you all tomorrow!
Hi Y'all! Cute theme. I did GET that it was about school kids but thought that probably wasn't sophisticated enough to be the actual theme. Should have known better. Thanks for the fun, Gary & C.C. Some unusual fill today.
ReplyDeleteThanks, JazzB. I was disappointed that that GIPHY didn't show up on my computer, but I did GET the music. Nice.
School children have also been known to LIE or tell stories they MADE UP.
Never heard of GIFS.
Ma's strings weren't "apron" or "heart" but CELLI which sounds more like something a creepy crawly would have.
SaraLee also makes bread here. Just had some for breakfast.
Don't think I ever saw a Brando movie. Saw "On the Waterfront" on a college stage, done very well.
A/C still putting out enough cool air that I am getting by and also have a fan. Weather didn't cool down last night. Hotter one today. May have to break down and call the guys who installed my a/c 11 years ago if I'm awake when they're in. Have had two new compressors since (Warranty paid) and this is my second freon leak. Is this a lemon or just worked-hard normal?
Fermatprime: glad you were swimming for fun rather than in lieu of evacuating before a fire.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteSeems appropriate that GIFS and school stuff would appear in a Husker/C.C. puzzle. I LOAFed before I LOLLED, but otherwise escaped scathe-free on this one. CSO to CED with the "Out in a hammock" clue. LECTOR was a learning moment; haven't attended a church service in many decades, and never a mass. One nit: a sergeant is not addressed as SIR. Guess you could argue that the sergeant addresses an officer as SIR. I always heard AWOL defined without the "official." Well done, you two, and thanks for the tour, JzB.
ReplyDeleteNot a good day! Left the square for the K in TWERKS/KOSOVO blank.Totally forgot about it, but I would have been wrong anyways. I was leaning towards an L.
Least favorite ...CAT SCAN. Have one scheduled this PM. Probably be throwing up all the way there after drinking the ugly sounding liquid preps. Otherwise, NO WORRIES.
I like a crunchy breakfast, but MUESLI sounds like one of the aforementioned preps.
I never did well in SPELLING BEES because I would always get eliminated by spelling "does" dose. My mom was a former teacher who dropped this little bit of info on my teachers. She knew them all from her teaching days. Eventually, I did get it right.
Didn't know what a GIF is and still won't by the end of the day.
Agree with D-O on sir. Drop and give me twenty, Private!
ReplyDeleteThanks HG and CC - Really fun Wednesday puzzle. Erased replace for RELIEVE and CELLo for CELLI ("READ THE CLUE NEXT TIME, JINX!" "Yes sir!" "DON'T CALL ME SIR - I WORK FOR A LIVING!" "Yes, sergeant major.").
ReplyDeleteLike DO, I have never attended a Mass and never can remember any of the officials except for a short while after the TV coverage when they elect a new pope.
Favorite clues were "Homeric outburst" and "Gray's area".
Thanks JzB for the great reveal, especially the legs' triangle picture.
I got started late, then had to rush to drive the LW to work, so just posted the ungraded first drafts. Here's more polished and versions, with more puzzle words worked in.
ReplyDelete{A, A, A, A.}
When witches get together, even only two or three,
They'll often have a potlatch, and TRADE a recipe.
They'll sew duvets so gleeful
Using wand instead of needle,
Magicking cloth hexagons, it's called a SPELLING BEE!
When you think of grass, you may think of lawns to clip.
Of SOD in earthen bales, each rolled up from a strip.
Landscapers, besides trees in pots
Order sod for TRACTS -- Oh, lots!
When they truck a meadow whole, why, that's a FIELD TRIP!
Elon Musk has plans that NEED to tunnel under hill,
Bullet trains, under ground, at speeds to give a thrill!
He'll make his way thru Gaia's bones
By melting dirt and MIXED IN stones --
A giant plasma excavator, nicknamed a FIRE DRILL!
Architects take courses, for which they have to cram.
One is just for doors, from the transom to the jamb!
One FOCUSES on stairs and railings --
Newel posts cause many failings --
Students come to truly dread that FINIAL EXAM!
Thanks, JB (you were right the first time, Jinx): Ma's strings = CELLI is a FOUL. Yo Yo may have more than one instrument, but he normally plays only one at a time; and one CELLO has multiple strings.
ReplyDeleteGood morning all!
ReplyDeleteI loved this clever puzzle and suspected it might be the work of C.C. So when I got to the blog, I was delighted to see it was and that she had a great partner with Husker Gary! Thanks to both of you for a fun Wednesday :)
Thanks JzB for an enjoyable and informative write up. I especially loved listening to Yo-Yo Ma while reading the blog. He's one of my favorite artists and I often have one of his cd's playing in the house. The Peter Nero link was great, too and I agree that Alan Rickman's portrayal of Professor Snape was masterful, especially that SNEER.
Interesting info on NERO and INTEL
My only unknown was ILLINI. No DOH! moments today ;)
Favorite clever clues were for URL(was looking for an animal) DELI, ANATOMY and TRADE (my first hint this was the work of C.C.)
I think TWERK is more raunchy than sexy.
Feeling much better today! Off to have breakfast at First Watch with DD#1. I've never been there but she tells me I'll love it
The sunshine is back after a stormy day yesterday. However it's supposed to be very hot but it's hard to complain since we've had such a beautiful summer so far
Hope everyone has a wonderful day!
Good morning. Especially after finally getting a good night's sleep. Thank you Gary, CC, and JzB !
ReplyDeleteThat's what I was thinking JzB. Organized CLASS ACTIONs so many of us first learned in the classroom. Neat. Gary must have used his insider information to come up with that theme.
Nice to see TRACTS rather than acre(s).
To JzB's point, I recall that the first time I heard someone use "OD on" for overeating, I thought they must be druggies. Overdose on eating ? Seemed so out of context.
Cardinals and Orioles TRADE ? They're not birds of a feather, are they ?
GAG rule. GAG order. "Pharma-Bro" Martin Shkreli continued to live-stream after the judge's order.
I interviewed with INTEL in Austin after graduation. It was to be a contingency. It must have become apparent. I didn't get an offer.
"I'M BORED." Abejo, our friend in (constant) motion, must have said that last year before volunteering to be a crosswalk guard. Maybe we'll get together for a beer someday, but I'll feel like I'm keeping him from something.
Anon-T (fln), LOL on Smoke on the Water.
Glad you are feeling better Bunny.
Good morning, gang -- just wanted to stop by and compliment Husker and C.C. on a fun puzzle. When I saw Gary's name and then the first theme answer, it helped the rest go smoothly.
ReplyDeleteAs others have said, and as a former Sergeant, I can tell you that no Sergeant wants to be called 'sir'. 'Sir' is reserved for commissioned officers and most enlisted above the rank of Corporal view the majority of officers with a certain disdain. Enlisted would of course use 'sir' when addressing an officer, so you could argue the clue either way.
Again, nice job; always good to see a cornerite's name appearing with the day's crossword. C.C. certainly hooked me, as I do at least three crosswords every day.
Hope everybody's doing well and enjoying life.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteThanks HG and C.C. for a great puzzle experience. I wonder whose idea all the classes was.
Thanks JzB for the detailed intro.
Straightforward solve. no searches or erasures were needed. Favorite clues were those for CELLI, and URL.
Questioned the SIR a little, but I think JzB put it in good context.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteStopped in to see whether others are having Cruciverb troubles. There seems to be a long outage.
Dennis, howdy! I'm not ex-military but I have heard of sergeants telling privates not to call them "sir", because they work for a living.
About rim shots: I'm stumped as to how the familiar ba-dum *ching* sound following a punch line came to be called a "rim shot ". A real rim shot is a different thing, a sound made by (usually) one drum stick hitting the drum head and rim at the same time, something a drummer would otherwise avoid doing. It makes a distinctive sound.
Morning JzB, nicely done! I never heard of leg triangles before today, but now I'm pleased to make their acquaintance.
Good day to all!
ReplyDeleteA fun schoolhouse theme today, with a splash of baseball. Learning moment was "fuzzy navel" as a cocktail. Favorite clue/answer was "Gray area?" for ANATOMY. Hand up for CELLo before CELLI. Thanks, Husker Gary and C.C. for today's entertainment, and thanks Jazzbumpa for the expo. I'll have to come back later and explore the links. Right now, I'm off to go pick up my granddaughter for a special time together.
Enjoy the day!
ReplyDeleteGot through the puzzle with a generous dose of perps. Good one by HG and CC and JzB 'splained everything nicely. Today's theme reminded me of the good old school days.
I agree with Dennis and others about Sargents not being called Sir.
WRT CLASS ACTION, I just finished a John Grisham book "The Litigators," published in 2011 about a Class Action lawsuit pursued by some ambulance-chasing lawyers. It was one of his better books and not a travelogue like his book "The Testament" which was boring as all get-out. Another book of his that I just couldn't get into was "Gray Mountain."
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI think this theme was definitely Gary's idea and with CC's leadership and talent, how could it miss? I smiled when I filled in Lector because HG mentions his church services often and while I thought he mentioned being a Lector, I'm now remembering that he sang, either solo or in the choir. The Oriole-Cardinal clue just about shouted "CC." All in all, a fun and satisfying solve.
Nicely done, HG and CC, and nicely explicated, JzB. I always enjoyed Peter Nero, as well as Roger Williams, Ferrante and Teicher (sp?) and the one and only Liberace.
Bunny, glad you're feeling better.
I watched the first of 9 disks of Prime Suspect last night. If the time frame represented in the movie is real time, it begins in 1991. Other than Helen Mirren and Tom Wilkinson (sp?), the only other familiar face was a very young Ralph Fiennes. Story line and backdrop were harsh and very graphic, necessary, I suppose to portray the depravity and criminality faced by law enforcement. Despite some hard-to-watch scenes, Ms. Mirren's talent alone made it all worthwhile. I'm looking forward to the next disk.
Have a great day.
Fun puzzle and write up - thanks to all involved! Some fun clues but also the previously mentioned nits on sir and celli. Rainy rainy in Chicago this morning with heat to come later. Hope your day is great! JB2
ReplyDeleteoc4beach @ 10:09 ~ One of my favorite Grisham books is the non-lawyer themed The Painted House. His best book, IMO, is his first, A Time to Kill.
ReplyDeleteThanks, HG & CC for a great Wednesday..... really smooth solve and theme!
ReplyDeleteThanks, JzB for the great write-up, as always. Nice pic on the bird feeder. Lots of different birds.
OC4Beach & IM: I read the two books OC4 mentioned, but can't remember what they were about. I've read "The Painted House" several times as it was a favorite of mine too. Another Grisham I've read several times is "Playing for Pizza", a non-legal novel about a sports figure playing overseas. It came out at a time when my niece had married a basketball player who went overseas as a pro. Different games but some interesting experiences.
ReplyDeleteTime to call attendance with Gary and C.C. at the top of the roster! Well done, curriculum coordinators! And I see that some absentees even arrived to class. Hey, there, Dennis! It's great to see you! I've missed you, Dudley.
ReplyDeleteAs a former teacher, I easily found the constructors' wave length and ambled along looking for the next CLASS assignment. I also noticed some clever cluing as in AIRLINE, FEEDERS, SOD, etc.
I'm very familiar with LECTOR. Our liturgy at Mass, I'm happy to say, is lively and inspiring.
JazzB: interesting information about NERO. Thank you for that and your always amusing commentary.
I hope all are having a fabulous day! Warm greetings from AZ!
Hi everybody. Thanks Gary, CC and JzB.
ReplyDeleteI know what JzB means about obscure words in spelling bees. The kids have gotten so good that they need to go to obscure words to avoid every contest ending in a tie. Several times, even with the use of obscure words, they've run out of words before the kids miss any. BTW, have you seen the movie "Akeelah and the Bee"? Very good I thought. Yes sir!
PK, I liked "Playing for Pizza" too. I liked most of his early books. Lately, not so much.
I'm enjoying reruns of Grantchester. The stories are good but I enjoy the characters so much. The atmosphere and environment are enjoyable too. The vicar, Sidney Chambers, introduced me to Sidney Bechet. I added him to my Pandora radio stations.
I think the Sidney and Amanda should end up together, don't you think?
Dennis et al
ReplyDeleteQuote from a basic training sergeant circa 1950.
"Don't sir me private, I work for a living."
Don
The first word out of a recruit's mouth at Parris Island is "Sir!" no matter who it is. After boot camp, normal rules apply.
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 7:50, it didn't say YoYo Ma was playing CELLI, I'm sure he owns several.
ReplyDeleteDudley, I thought RIMSHOT was so-named as imitating the sound of a basketball hitting the front rim, backboard and then a very slight pause before swishing thru the net, something unexpected in the same way a punchline should be.
Anon @ 11:48, I think Leroy Jethro Gibbs used the same line.
The permission slip allows the teacher and helpers to take the students away from school premisses.
ReplyDeleteWe should be thankful the teacher remove the students from those pesky premisses. (Couldn't resist. Not trying to be snarky.)
Jazz: Wonderful, informative write-up. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteHusker Gary & C.C. Thank you for a FUN Wednesday level puzzle.
Any puzzle where the answer to 1-a is BAR you know I'm gonna like it!
D-O: I fell into the "loaf" before LOLL thingy too. Easy correction.
Dennis: Nice to see you dropped by. Hope all is great in Boca Raton.
RIMSHOT @44-d, what a nice clue/answer.
A "Toast-to-ALL" at Sunset.
Cheers!
Terrific, Owen.................You are so clever!
ReplyDeleteThis one has Gary's fingerprints all over it, and that's a good thing. A really fun puzzle with just enough Wednesday crunch. Agree about SIR, including what Argyle said about it. In basic training we called everybody Sir, and it took me all of 1 second after being told by, guess who, a sergeant, to figure out it didn't apply after one is out of basic training.
ReplyDeleteJazzb, thank you once again for your informative write-up. Interesting leg triangle.
I agree twerking is not sexy. Not in the least.
NYT and LAT, two very liberal newspapers. The WaPo, too. Even the San Jose Mercury News (now called just The Mercury News). I dare say almost to the point of being hard left-wing biased.
Best wishes to you all.
ReplyDeleteIM & PK: My DW agrees with you about the Painted House. It wasn't one of my favorites, but it was OK. I have "Playing for Pizza," but haven't read it yet. I may read it next.
After authors have been writing for a while, their work sometimes (and I don't mean always) gets stale and very formulaic. I've noticed this with Baldacci, James Paterson and Evanovich, although I still read what they put out.
Every year on Mother's Day Weekend the local AAUW (American Association of University Women) chapter has a used book sale of over 250,000 donated books. The last day of the sale (day 4) is bag day where for $7.00 you can fill up a shopping bag with as many books as you can fit in. This is when I try new authors. Buying used books is the way to go.
I'm back in the Classroom today after being AWOL yesterday celebrating with the family. Thanks for the fun Gary and C.C.
ReplyDeleteI see that I was actually a FIW because I used Tag rule and Tifs. D'OH!
My Safari find was a GNU before I realized we were online. I was trying to fit Obvious into 29A before IN VIEW. I waited for perps to decide between the CW "understands" of Ken or GET.
I knew Urbana-Champaign was in Illinois but I only accepted ILLINI because of perps.
3D clue "take over for" could have been answered in a shorter form by "sub", another HG CSO.
Glad you are feeling better BunnyM.
Thanks for dropping in Dennis.
Wishing you all a great day.
Another solid mid-week contribution, this one from Mr. Schlapfer & C.C....
ReplyDeleteAnd an excellent follow-up from JzB (esp. in regard to his sensitive and understanding illustration of LEG!).
Oh, and -- TaDA!!
Perfect Wednesday puzzle, Gary and C.C.! Just enough crunch to make it a little challenging, but still doable. And of course I loved the school theme! So, many thanks to you both, and to you too, Jazzb, for a neat write-up!
ReplyDeleteI almost put TWISTS in place of TWERKS, but the start of FIS gave me pause, and I figured out LECTOR would work if I went with the TWERKS. Hard work on your limericks today, Owen--many thanks.
Dennis, nice to have you check in.
Bill Graham, I love "Grantchester" too--one of my favorite shows at the moment. Yes, it is sad that Sidney and Amanda couldn't work it out, but it would have changed the whole show if he suddenly had a family. And I just hope his police partner quits that irresponsible affair he's having.
Have a great day, everybody!
Regarding the mini-controversy over 39A, "Sergeant's address": I believe it is true that sergeants regularly insist on NOT being called "Sir" - for the reason first posted by Dennis.
ReplyDeleteSome--desper-otto & others--have suggested that the clue could be asking what address is used by sergeants when addressing their officers. But that fails to make it a regular "Sergeant's address," as I imagine a good deal of their talk is addressed to peers and underlings.
If we're discussing downward-directed addresses by drill sergeants, esp. when they're conversing with two-, one-, and no-stripers in a training situation, I doubt we could see all their appellations and honorifics in print.
Amen! to comments about Grantchester! I love the show and grieve silently for Amanda and Sydney. Maybe they will find a solution to their problem, that is, the writers will. And perhaps the chief will end the affair with Margaret.
ReplyDeleteThe Tunnel started last weekend and I like the acting but it's always so dark in content. Is anyone else watching that?
As for Grisham, I gave up reading his books after The King of Torts. It's all just too formulaic as has been mentioned. The Painted House was good, though. Yet I never tire of Ken Follett or Martha Grimes because their prose is so well developed and detailed.
I'm back after checking out the Monday and Tuesday blog which I missed. Thank you C.C. and fellow bloggers for all the wonderful birthday wishes. No winery this year. DH and I made the circle tour of all the family and had a meal (and cake!) in each spot. You can't have a better birthday than seeing all your children and grandchildren and never having to cook!
ReplyDeleteWe do have Canadian 7-11 stores and they were giving away free Slurpees but I was too full of birthday cake.
d-otto from yesterday: no offense taken; in fact I LOLed when I read your comment. In retrospect, I guess I set myself up for that one!
Well, here I am with an Apple in front of me but never realized Safari was anything but an African adventure.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of an "fuzzy navel". Have you noticed Judge Judy often uses the word 'Cacophony'.
Didn't know those rude gestures were called 'Twerks'.
Enjoyed the schooldays theme. Thanks Gary and CC.
Happy day to all.
I've seen "On the Waterfront" several times and I know what TWERKS are. Sargeants didn't like being called SIR when I was in the Army. When I've encountered MUESLI, mostly in Europe, it's been drowned in milk and soggy. Anyway, a good puzzle with an easy theme.
ReplyDeleteA nice Wednesday puzzle that came together nicely.
ReplyDeleteAgree with above comments, officers are called "Sir".
No QUALITY AC should leak. If you e already gone through 2 compressors I'm thinking you may have bought the cheapest and not the highest quality unit. My unit is now 8 years old, has not needed a recharge, cools great.
Lucina, yes, we have been watching The Tunnel, in spite of our not really "getting into" it last year, and in hopes that this year will be less "far out" than last year. We like actress Clémence Poésy, and I have a feeling it is she and she alone that keeps our interest in the show.
ReplyDeleteAs for authors, I liked John Grisham's earlier work, but got bored with one of his more recent works (the name or plot of which I don't even remember) and stopped reading him. The same with Sue Grafton, Robin Cook, Michael Crichton, and, I'm sad to say, Dana Stabenow, of whom I have been a fan for years.
Musings
ReplyDelete-We started this puzzle back in late winter and as I was musing over some entries, I opened it up to my 8th graders while subbing and they were instantly and eagerly hooked on the process
-It was interesting to go back and see what some of my suggestions were, e.g. DEER – Do for Maria. That’s why ya gotta leave it to the pros like C.C. and Rich.
-Collaborating with C.C. is always a treat. Besides being gracious AND so smart, he is a no-nonsense, straight-ahead person.
-I have taken thousands of kids on FIELD TRIPS from the power plant here in town to Central Florida that required permission slips
-On a sub-zero day years ago, we and a hundreds of others sat through a FIRE ALARM in the gym. It took five minutes to get it turned off and we all just looked at each other.
-Thanks for the always educational tour, Jazz!
-Don’t call me SIR! (:03)
--The winners of the national spelling bee and their winning words
I started my day at the VA hospital for my semiannual blood drawing. Very pleasant lady. Only one vial. VA run very professionally.
ReplyDeleteOCS used Sergeant Instructor. I've always suspected that my commission came down to a pugel stick match bet between the captain and said S(D)I.
Fortunately, I was very good at "sticks"
I hope by now they've done away with it due to concussion effect knowledge
I don't have to come here to know the constructor, just look up. But like Bunny I guessed CC. Crunchy yet doable.
I coulda been a contender. Except I spelled KOSOVO with a C.
Elia Kazan also wrote at least one book The Arrangement.
JzB, very well crafted write-up. Owen, same on l'icks.
I didn't recognize that it was our Gary, in fact I thought he was doing the write-up. But I'm glad JzB is continuing the weekend LEG shot tradition
Then again I didn't even get that it was YoYo's STRINGS.
WC who hated the word SIR
Btw.. It was the Reds not the Cardinals but one of the first big interleague trades was Milt Pappas for Frank Robinson
ReplyDeleteNot as bad as Brock for Broglio.
Wilbur pinch-hitting for Hondo
Great puzzle and expo, thank you, HG, CC and JzB! Favorite clue: bird buffets - feeders! Although that $90 bird feeder would never work in my part of town - too many darn squirrels and hoggy doves. I do have a $90 Droll Yankee model that works great.
ReplyDeleteNever ever heard of Illini - don't follow college sports. As I was speed-filling, I guess my mind convoluted "twerk" for "twerp." Well, it kinda follows - IMO, only twerps twerk.
PK re your A/C: My HVAC guy said the newer models are made in China with substandard parts. He told me that some of the parts are even made of a plastic material. I got this information when I commented about a friend, some years back, who had to replace their AC unit (then a $500K new-construction home), and it was only 8-10 years old. I don't want to admit how old my unit is for fear of it going kaput.
Thank you Gary and C.C. for wonderful puzzle that might be perfect for the just after Labor Day.
ReplyDeleteI am very late as today was to be my surgery, but my doctor had two emergencies and I came home unscathed but not any better. The saga continues.
Dennis good to see you continue to exercise your brain.
Hondo, I hope your cat scan reports good news.
ReplyDeleteMy a/c brand was recommended by my son-in-law who reads consumer reports religiously and had purchased one like mine. The installer was recommended by my daughter as one who had put in theirs as well as most of those in the restaurant chain her company owns. Supposedly the furnace & a/c are made in our state. It was not their cheapest model and certainly not inexpensive. My kids have had no problems with theirs which is a year or so older. Maybe it is the gremlin who follows me around messing with my stuff. Or maybe it is the cramped closet in the middle of my little house in which the unit had to be installed. Having a guy welding or soldering something in there made me nervous.
Guys, that "try angle" picture is the most awkward and unattractive pose of the female anatomy ever posted on this blog IMHO. But then beauty is in the eye of the beholder and some of you are old enough to have failing eyesight. LOL!
I don't feel tardy... [@4:14]
ReplyDeleteBut I must been ASLEEP when the LECTOR 'splain'd who Liston is. I guessed the opponent was ELI (ELI who? I don't know). Didn't know Kazan either. D'OH! FIW.
Thanks so much HG & C.C. for for a CLASS ACT puzzle; what a TRIP. JzB thanks for EXAMining and 'splain' each c/a. Wouldn't TRADE y'all for anything.
ESPs: ELIe/eLI [bzzt!], KOSOVO as clue'd (looking for a person)
Fav: Huge TRACTS of land
{B+,B+,A,A+}
In Basic, SIR was right-out; it was yelling "Yes, DRILL Sargent!" as loud as you could. Maybe Sir was the Marines Argyle & Jayce? My Army bro, E8 - First Sergeant, will also tell you he works for a living if you call him Sir (he goes by "Top").
Lem - In your shoes, I'm not sure how I'd feel about that reprieve. Hope you get fixed soon (or at least the pain eases).
Lucina - Your intro was LOL esp. calling out Dudley & Dennis as "absent." :-) (We've missed y'all!)
TTP - Out of school I applied (unsuccessfully) at Motorola in Austin... We coulda been neighbors and rivals :-)
C, Eh!, If you dig deeply into WebKit, the layout engine under Safari, you'll find GNU*'s license in WebCore and JavaScriptCore rendering your URL.
Dyslexics don't stand a chance in a SPELING Bea ;-)
Cheers, -T
GNU == GNU's Not Unix
ReplyDeleteAnon-T, good you didn't go to work for Motorola. They've fallen on hard times. I have a friend that used to prototype their phones. He's recovered.
PK, FWIW,
I think of my HVAC system as two separate units. The heater and the puffer.
If you are into having matched pairs like a washer and dryer with the same nameplates, then you'll want to replace both. But if you have a HVAC company that you have trust in, they should be able to tell you if it's time to replace both the furnace and the air conditioner, or just the AC system, or better yet, just cleaning it will do the trick.
Replacing just the AC system, or only parts of it, should save you money. There's really not much to it. Just a condenser unit, a lineset and an A-frame. The most common problems are in the condenser unit as they just wear out. The seals fail over time. Typically the HVAC people want to replace all three of the major components at minimum, and if you will buy it, the entire HVAC system, including the furnace. Unless it's really old and inefficient, that's not necessary to replace the furnace.
If your condensing unit is outside, as would be typical in your area, make sure it's cooling efficiency has not been hampered by overgrown bushes, or that the cooling fins haven't been plugged with grass clippings. Sometimes, just having a the repairman clean out the fins with a hose rinse will improve the efficiency. The repairman will know if the Freon is low or if it's an airflow problem when they put the gauges on the system. Ten minute test. Sometimes, the big fan that exhausts the heat just fails. I've replaced mine. Not a big deal for me, but if you see the blade isn't spinning very well when the AC is running, it may just be the fan...
Having just discovered Sidney Bechet (thanks to Sidney Chambers on Grantchester), I em enjoying him and his ilk on Pandora. I like all of the other characters and actors too. Robson Green as Geordie is great. And I'm in love with Amanda. I'm not up to date so I'll have to find out if the writers let them get back together. I'm guessing not...
ReplyDeleteAnd, I just finished grilling a rib eye steak that came out just about perfect (if you like rare steak). Jazz and steak. Sweet!
Thanks Jazzbumpa for explaining Fuzzy navels. Got BAR right but wasn't sure why. Learning moment.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the LEGs with triangles.
Got KOSOVO after I realized it was not an individual athlete's name that was being sought. KOSOVO was big in the news in the 90s. Surprised people don't remember. Part of the breakup of Yugoslavia.
TWERKS I had vaguely heard of. Thanks for the illustrious link.
Best misdirection was URL as Safari find. I don't ever want to use an Apple device, but I have heard of Safari.
I got to see Mr Ma play his cello up close. Then I got to see him do a Master's Class with young people and their CELLI. The young musicians were so good I could not even tell the difference between them and the master!
Here http://swt.org/events/yoyoma-2014/ are my photos
Thanks for the fun puzzle Gary and CC!