This is the third LAT from this couple, with the others running on Tuesday. They clearly worked hard to create this very challenging effort. I know I am still getting my solving skills back, but this was very difficult to suss the theme. I was very close to use my 'phone a friend' lifeline, but I was able to get most things filled in. Because there were no clues for 4 words, I knew I had to work backwards from those fill. I saw the connection "m-odule." Then after pondering the reveal: 65A. Like some baseball pitches ... and a hint to locating the second part of four three-part puzzle answers : SIDEARM, the four un-clued fill and the inexplicable clue/fill: 8D. The Eagle, for one : LUN and the light bulb came on. Voila- The Eagle was the name of the LUNAR MODULE. It was seeing that you got "three parts" going to the side to get the "ARM." The next to fall was also left, then right, 15D. McDonald's offering for tight budgets : DOLL leading to DOLLAR MENU. Then the lightbulb came all the way on, just as they told us it was ARM that was on the side in all 4 themers! Wonderful! 35D. Post office standard : REGUL quickly led to REGULAR MAIL. Finally we have
37D. Syrup source : SUG to reveal SUGAR MAPLE. This exposed the brilliance as all are separated between two words one ending in AR on starting with M.
There also some nice 7 letter fill ANDIRON, ANTONIO, EARLOBE, GESTALT. LUCKY ME, RAW DATA and the unknown to me TANGRAM. I sense this will be a love it/hate it puzzle, but you will let me know.
8D. The Eagle, for one : LUN...(AR M)...26D. - : ODULE.
15D. McDonald's offering for tight budgets : DOLL...(AR M)...34D. - : ENU.
35D. Post office standard : REGUL...(AR M)...59D. - : AIL.
37D. Syrup source : SUG...(AR M)...51D. - : APLE.
Across:
1. Welcome site : MAT.
4. One may be nervous : TIC.
7. Best of the best : ALL STAR. Miami Dolphin great Jason Taylor was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this past week-end. He and brother-in-law Zach Taylor have been all stars both on and off the field.
14. It hasn't been analyzed yet : RAW DATA. We make our information like our vegetables.
16. Lottery winner's comment : LUCKY ME. Would you tell people immediately when you win?
17. Shutterbug : SHOOTER. In our troubled time, nice to see this clue/fill.
18. Fireplace fixture : ANDIRON.
19. Like a vertebral region : LUMBAR. My microdiscechtomy was at L2-L3.
21. Meddle, with "around" : NOSE.
22. Biblical songs : PSALMS.
25. Splotchy garment : SMOCK. How many remember Steve Allen and "Smock, Smock"
28. Calendar abbr. : APRil.
29. Blow : MISDO. A repeat from Tuesday, not a word I use, but it has been around since the 1200's. LINK.
30. Suffix with star or tsar : DOM. Never thought of TSARDOM, but like the anagram clue.
33. Flimsy : LAME. Like most excuses.
35. U.K. fliers : RAF.
36. Bearish? : URSINE.
38. Twists : IRONIES.
40. Couple in the news each December : CLAUSES. Santa (CSO Argyle) and the MRS.
41. Like tennis rackets : STRUNG.
42. Color property : HUE.
43. They go with guys : GALS. Is this now an un-pc term?
44. Stable diet : HAY. Cute.
45. Item from a mill? : RUMOR. Nice misdirection.
47. Singer/songwriter Carly __ Jepsen : RAE. She was popular in x-words for a while.
48. Secure, as a ship's line : BELAY. I was long confused by the two meanings. verb
1.fix (a running rope) around a cleat, pin, rock, or other object, to secure it.
2.nautical slang stop; enough! “Belay that, mister. Man your post.”
49. Rascals : SCAMPS.
52. Hook's right hand : SMEE. Also fun. Which hand was bitten off?
55. Intensify : RAMP UP.
57. Seven-piece Chinese puzzle : TANGRAM. Did not know the name, but they are used as part of many IQ tests.
60. Stud location : EARLOBE.
64. Shakespearean merchant : ANTONIO. Our Friday dose of Will. The MERCHANT of Venice.
66. Unified whole : GESTALT. A gimme for anyone with a degree in Psychology.
67. To some degree : ANY.
68. Upsilon preceder : TAU. Greek - one of many alphabets to memorize.
Down:
1. Dash or Doubtfire : MRS. Salt free or a very salty Robin Williams.
2. Sound of relief : AAH.
3. Number missing, in a way, from "4 = 16" : TWO. This is interesting as 4 to the 2nd power = 16 and 2 to the 4th power = 16.
4. Ryan's daughter : TATUM. She won an Oscar married John McEnroe and disappeared from fame.
5. Chairperson's list : ITEMS.
6. Energy food component : CARBohydrate. Carb loading was big when I was playing sports.
7. Snooze buttons stop them : ALARMS. Stopped using an alarm once I became ill.
9. PC screen type : LCD. Liquid Crystal Display.
10. Lizard that can shed its tail : SKINK. We have lots of them in Florida. I have many friends (ladies) who are terrified by these small creatures.
11. Pro's opposite : TYRO. Beginner.
12. Book after Joel : AMOS. No religion but if you want INFORMATION.
13. Actor Auberjonois : RENE. He has appeared as Father Mulcahy in the M*A*S*H movie, Odo in Star Trek, Deep Space Nine and was in the wonderful Boston Legal. Do you know his face?
20. "Dream on!" : AS IF.
22. Lacking color : PALISH. Not a word I would ever use.
23. Athens rival : SPARTA.
24D. Weapons source : ARMORY.
27. "Downton Abbey" countess : CORA. The all-American Elizabeth McGovern
29. Uno __: Juan's "one more" : MAS. I learned from Roberto Duran.
30. Captivate : DISARM.
31. A quarter mile, maybe : ONE LAP. We had a 440 track built by the Catholic girls high school next to our house.
32. Cans of worms : MESSES.
39. Memo opener : IN RE.
40. Lowlife : CUR.
42. Georgetown cager : HOYA. The HISTORY.
46. Critter in the same family as chipmunks and squirrels : MARMOT. Cute?
48. Conceived : BEGOT. More biblical wording.
49. New World colonizer : SPAIN.
50. Like Miss Muffet's fare : CURDY. Meh.
52. Guys-only : STAG. I love the Farmers AD.
53. Locks in a barn : MANE. One of the NAME anagrams from Monday.
54. Tolkien race : ENTS.
56. Tableland : MESA.
58. Genetic messenger : RNA.
61. Muffin choice : OAT. Usually Oat bran.
62. Top at the shore : BRA. A LINK to make up for last week's thong?
63. Outback runner : EMU. A CSO to our OZ connection - Kazie.
A true work out, but when I understood the concept I was hooked. YMMV. In any case, thank you Roger and Kathy and all who comment and all who read. lemonade 714 out. Also a special thanks to HG for massaging the grid picture to highlight the 'side arms.'
75 comments:
FIR, and got the theme early! Too early, maybe. I had the two top missing ARMs, and so was expecting the bottom two would be missing LEGs! Afterwards, I did see disARM & ARMory, mARMot & alARMs, but didn't catch on to those being the missing ARMs until looking over the puzzle afterwards. I also saw the ARMs curled up in the corners, even the stretched out one in gestAlt-tangRaM. If we were to play boggle with this layout, I could find at least 21 ARMs hidden in the grid!
In ancient times, a soldier of SPARTA
Ate more beans than he knew he oughta!
Caused his captain to say,
"We'll whomp Athens today,
We'll gas their whole army with our magnificent farta!"
What's the difference betwixt a SCAMP and a CUR?
It's in how their peccadilloes occur.
One who plays hurtful tricks
Is the BEGOT of a bitch,
While the DISARMING ones are the ones without fur!
The shepherd was in debt. It was time to RAMP UP
The size of his flock. That should improve his LUCK!
But he found that stud sheep
Do not come cheap!
All he could afford was an adolescent RAM PUP!
{A-, B-, B+.}
Greetings!
Thanks to Roger, Kathy and Lemonade!
Another tough one!
Got w/o cheats, but a struggle.
Hope to see you all tomorrow!
Misty, hope that you are feeling better today. Can't believe all of those stitches!
Windhover, you exist!
I had a nanday conure years ago. It ate parts of several math books and made a heck of a lot of noise!
Bill, whew, was relieved to see your later post! When "between (or, for) you and I" is said, my toes curl and my stomach gets upset. (People get very upset when I correct them, so I stopped doing it.)
A pictures is worth a thousand words.
Huskers pic of the grid explained today's theme much better than lemony's ramblings.
Great puzzle.
Hello there,
Insanity! Two days in a row! I must need to get to Jiffy Lube to oil my wheelhouse! Thanks Roger and Kathy for an URSINE challenge. I can't even imagine how you constructed this one.
Lemonade, at one point I thought about quitting and just checking out your commentary. As it is this was an ALLSTAR DNF for me. Wow!
Misty, both my mom and my MIL, who were sunbunnies in their youth, had skin malignancies removed with no visible remnants of surgery. From reading others' experience here, I am confident you will do very well. Do take it easy. I wish you a speedy recovery.
Now off to clear up a few loose ends here before we trek to Midway to pick up my eldest grandson, who is coming in from Dallas for a week. He's 12 and is allowed to fly unaccompanied. I'm not sure who's more nervous. He's an ADDHD kind of anxious guy, but Gramma may have the corner on this one. I can't wait to see him.
have a sunny day!
Finished it. Didn't love the theme.
Notice ARM missing as soon as LEM didn't work for Eagle, but never saw the "arm" to the side until seeing the colored grid here.
Since BELAYing a rope stops it from moving, it's just an extension of the meaning of BELAY to stop anything else.
Hello Puzzlers -
After all of yesterday's grumbling, I was sure there would be some complaints today. Sure, this puzzle was difficult, but the theme is brilliant! Superb execution. We can overlook "palish" in a grid this good.
Good Morning:
I don't believe I have ever deferred to Thumper two days in a row but I'm doing so today.
Misty, hope you are feeling none the worse for the wear after your surgery. Take it easy and spend lots of cuddle time with Dusty. 💐🌺🌸🌷
Have a great day.
Kathy and I hope you enjoy this puzzle and the gimmick.
It was very difficult getting everything symmetrical.
Special thanks to Rich for publishing this on a special
day (Happy Anniversary, dear).
As Irish Miss posted in June, "the couple that puzzles
together, nuzzles together".
Lemonade - loved your in-depth review and could you fix
the spelling of our last name?
Roger
Good morning!
Well, sort of. I may have heard the theme as it whooshed over my head. Very clever; too clever pour moi. Almost got it all, but I refused to give up SAP as the syrup source, so C__ASES never morphed into CLAUSES. Bzzzzzt! DNF.
Happy anniversary, R&K. Thanx for dropping by. This was a complicated, but well-executed theme. I appreciate the work it must have taken to pull this off.
Roger appreciate your stopping by and I apologize for the ei/ie transposition. I am slightly dyslexic and while I try to proof my write up, I did not look at your name. Is it Austrian? I would like to know what your work process with your wife in creativity. As I said I was very impressed with this grid.
And Happy Anniversary.
I knew something was fishy at the end of LAME and I noticed the MENU but as for getting the theme- forget it. I did complete (almost) the puzzles correctly but the REGUL, APLE and SUG fills were filled by the crosses. The SW did me in with GESTALT when I guessed AID for the clueless 55.5D clue. T saw the word R-AID and was not looking to the right to guess M-AIL. But luckily I filled TANGRAM, which was unknown to me.
LUCKY ME? Not today or yesterday. Maybe somebody should pull out a SIDE ARM ( and not a pitcher) on these cruel constructors.
I liked this one, but didn't like yesterdays. This was a clever theme, without sacrificing the good of the puzzle. And, foreign words did not play a major part, let alone be involved in the theme.
Many different lizards can lose their tales (self-amputate) as a "last ditch" self-defense maneuver.
Football has all-pros or pro-bowlers, or all-conference/all-Americans, not all-stars.
Hi gang -
I hate this theme with the heat of a million blazing supernovae.
That is all.
Everybody have a wonderful weekend.
Cool regards!
JzB
Two bad puzzles in a row. Let's get back to real crosswords, and not these jokes.
C'mon, JzB, tell us what you really think about this puzzle.
Good day to all!
What an elegantly executed theme. There were many times along the solving way when I was tempted to turn on red letters, but I stubbornly stopped myself and am glad I did. Coming to the reveal and then searching for the "arms" finally allowed me to correct my errors and pull it all together. Favorite clue/answer was "Item from a mill?" for RUMOR. Thanks for stopping by, Roger, and happy anniversary wishes to you and Kathy.
Thanks for the tour, Lemonade, always thorough and informative.
Enjoy the day!
After crashing and burning with yesterday's diacritical mark puzzle I really needed a successful solve of a difficult (for me) puzzle to prop up my wounded ego. For some reason my 81 year old brain clicked right in on this masterpiece. Thanks guys.
Don
Hi everybody.
I worked on this Friday enigmation starting last night. I got everything finished with a little red-letter help to point out my errors. But, I couldn't figure out the sidearm theme and finally just had to wait until this morning's explanation. Diabolically clever. Thanks to Roger and Kathy; and Lemon and Gary.
We're into our second day of A/C installation. I don't enjoy the disruption to my habits and schedule. My eye is on the finish line.
Am I the only one whose numbering was totally OFF. My 49 across was SMEE. That's just one example.
I am in TOTAL agreement with those thinking that yesterday and today represent the worst of puzzles.
When you need a couple of paragraphs to explain a theme, I'm thinking it's a bridge too far.
Also - CURDY? PALISH? I guess anything is acceptable in support of the theme?
Unlike yesterday - still the worst ever on multiple levels IMO - I was able to solve this. But I never saw the theme until reading the....exposition, I guess...that explained it. And I LOOKED when I finished. Geez.
Are there no standards, or is anything in a grid now acceptable?
Much easier puzzle than yesterday's, I thought. I actually got about 3/4 before I had to cheat to finish it. So, many thanks Roger and Kathy, and Happy Anniversary!
And thank you for more good wishes today, Madame Defarge, Irish Miss, and fermatprime. My wound looks just fine this morning, so I think I have good healing ahead. Fermatprime, thank you for the kind wishes too, but thank goodness I only had a few stitches--it was Big Easy who had the 80, sadly.
Have a great day, everybody!
Thanks and kudos to Kathy & Roger for an exceptional theme. I normally don't care for rebus-type puzzles, but I'm thinking this was a constructor's nightmare! Figured out the theme on DOLLARMENU, but still was a difficult solve.
Didn't see the ARM on the sides, so thank you Lemonade, for pointing that out! You and Splynter always do extra-duty due to the difficulty level. Thanks for always being there!
I am getting tired of people who equate not solving a puzzle or a change from the standard way crosswords are set up with a bad puzzle. What could be more boring then filling out the same standard fill day in and day out? The past two days of puzzles are EXACTLY what we should expect and want from the puzzling community. If the execution is off then it should be judged on its own merits. Both Thursday and Friday provided interesting themes and especially for the LAT which rarely takes chances, it should be applauded.
This just isn't my kind of puzzle but I congratulate those who loved it and finished it. Gimmicks just aren't why I do puzzles. Like d-o I refused to give up SAP so GALS escaped me. I also could not dredge up ANDIRON so had to search it. CLAUSES was clever as was RUMOR.
Thank you, Roger and Kathy for the challenge and happy anniversary!
Have a sensational day, everyone!
WOW! What a great, hard Friday.
While I got most of the words I never saw the arm to pull me out of the mess.
Terrific challenge, at least to me.
better than yesterday but a puzzle with missing clues should have its own name. Cross-word implies words that cross not syllables that need to be pulled out of a theme. It is certainly a worthy puzzle but seems to me needs its own genre.
BTW why did Bearish have a question mark ? What else could it be except URSINE ?
After yesterday and today...Tomorrow I'll just watch golf.
Musings
-I thought this gimmick was fabulous and the other cluing “ALL STAR” level! Happy Anniversary Roger and Kathy!
-RAW DATA can enter two different news sources and come out 180˚ different
-The RAF’s finest hour
-The Twilight Zone had IORNY galore e.g. “A man bargains for eternal life and the next day is sentenced to life in prison for murder”
-The famous tenants of these stables can really put away the HAY
-The whole world wonders what Un hopes to accomplish by RAMPING UP
-Cora plays a wealthy American who marries into British peerage much as Clementine Ogilvy did to the author of the RAF quote above
-John Brown’s 1859 raid on a famous ARMORY was one of many portents of civil war
-Tracks in America are one of the few things that are metric. They are almost all 400 meters rather than 440 yd (1/4 mi) for one lap
-Yesterday’s puzzle raised lots of hackles and great topics to get to 71 comments. Maybe today will do so as well.
Ta- DA!
Like others I had to rely on perps to get through the Weinberg's pzl. This meant I missed out on the satisfaction of catching on, the joy of of grokking where many of the clues were taking me.
I managed to finish anyway, w/o helps except for a single confirmation.
When I turned to Lemonade's explanation, I still didn't get the gimmick. (I admit I was in a rush and didn't give it the time to sink in - but in any case I prefer my kicks while I'm doing the pzl.)
Still and all, I appreciate the time and effort by the Weinbergs and interlocutor Lemonade.
Four cheats today - the two showbiz folks, TANGRAM and MARMOT. I've only known "woodchuck" for the latter. How much mot would a marmot mot if a marmot could mot mot?
Hand up for being confident in "LEM" before being forced to abandon it. Only two other erasures - anti for TYRO and "Eloi" for ENTS.
After I finished the fill, I took the time to figure out the theme. It took awhile. I liked this puzzle, even though it was over my head. Maybe it was because I disliked yesterday's offering. Thanks Roger and Kathy. Happy anniversary.
Lemonade, I would tell NO ONE (except for my DW) until I claimed the prize at lottery HQ. I mentioned Neal Boortz the other day. He often opined that hitting the jackpot is extremely BAD luck. The people you turn down when they ask you for money, even old friends, will hate you. Your family will eventually hate you because you didn't give them enough of your windfall. I suspect there is a grain of truth there. I want to find out. Oh, and thanks for the reveal.
Hi Y'all! I got 'er done with some red-letter help and figured "M" had to go in front of three answers. However, Lemony had to explain the SIDEARM gimmick. IMHO Roger & Kathy should do more nuzzling and less convoluted puzzling. Happy anniversary, guys. This one gave me a heartburn attack. I don't enjoy confusion. "Brilliant" makes me grumpy.
Didn't know GESTALT, TANGRAM, ANTONIO, CORA.
Not being a math whiz, I didn't understand 4=16 is TWO. I'm not that power-full, I guess.
Thanks, Lemonade. I know 3rd lumbar pain. Had a moon-shaped chunk broken out of mine in 1995 after a fall on ice. All better now.
MARMOT brought back happy memories. Enjoyed the antics of some of these fuzzy creatures while waiting for Old Faithful to erupt in Yellowstone. Signs asked the tourists not to feed them. Several of the tourists obviously couldn't read English and were tossing goodies to them. Next time I was there, no MARMOTS, no signs. What happened??
BillG: are they installing duct work or something that disrupts your life?
To gimmicky/ to cute/ to bad..IMO
Well, I'm of two minds about this puzzle. On one hand I acknowledge the mastery and skill it must have taken to create it and applaud the constructors. On the other hand I tend to agree that [A] "When you need a couple of paragraphs to explain a theme, I'm thinking it's a bridge too far" (AnonymousPVX); [B] "I normally don't care for rebus-type puzzles" (C6D6 Peg); and [C] "Gimmicks just aren't why I do puzzles" (Lucina).
Damn good puzzle, though. Liked the clue for RUMOR.
September, the numbering was different depending on whether the the theme down entries were numbered or not. For example, on the grid that Lemonade shows (that Gary highlighted) ODULE is numbered 26, making CORA number 27. On the LA Times games website, formatted by Arkadium, ODULE has no number and CORA is 26d.
All of which added to my confusion.
Best wishes 'n' stuff.
I loved both yesterday and today!
rb
David @ 12:16 ~ Thank you so much for explaining why I should or should not like a particular puzzle and what type of themes I should expect (and applaud) from the crossword community. I didn't realize I have been solving boring, every-day fill puzzles for 40 years, not to mention enjoying the solves, to boot. How silly of me! I guess no one ever cared enough to show me the error of my ways. Until, today, of course.
Hi All!
Yesterday I was on the fence - did I like it or no? - I'm still leaning towards "no" but realize my bias is that foreign words are not in my wheelhouse. Today I am not fence-sitting. I loved this puzzle. Thank you Roger and Kathy and Happy Anniversary!
No, I didn't get it. Yes I had to cheat (13d - Oh, Odo!; I loved DS9). And, Yes, a DNF due to SW corner being sans TAN-R-- and GES-A--; I kept wanting IDEATE or some such for BEGOT.
When I got the SIDE ARM reveal I kept trying to link the blank "clues" with their crosses (SCA-PLE-MPS?) to the right of left totally missing the ARMs to the side.
Why I like this - what David@12:16 said ++ this ain't easy to construct. You can't just pin-wheel in you themers and hit "fill." No, this takes thought, love, and a MRS Dash of evil. I mean, really, it is a PUZZLE; it is meant for you to figure it out like a TANGRAM (yeah, looked that up too).
Thanks Lem for the expo and not Rick-Rolling us w/ BRA :-). Thanks HG for the illustrative Grid - now I see it
WOs: CRT b/f LCD, APt b/f APR.
ESPs: It was fairly fair fill so I only had to google RENE.
Fav: The theme. It totally fooled me. I was thinking DOLL? OK, you get a toy w/ a Happy Meal. SUG?, Lem will enlighten/ I bet it's a special Sugar jUG...; REGUL?, must be a Postal thing... You see where my brain went to justify bulls*** fill :-)
Fun Fill - RAW DATA; LUCKY ME, I get to play w/ huge data sets hacker-hunting. At least that's the RUMOR.*
{A-, B, A}
September - 49a c/a is SMEE. There were only 4 unmarked blocks.
PVX - based on your opinion of even punny themes, I'm going to take your criticism w/ some salt (make it CURDY?). They do make puzzle books that are more traditional and may be more to you taste. I, for TWO, like pushing the edge of puzzleDOM. Will has been doing it for years in the NYT; nice to see it occasionally in the LAT too.
ChuckL - I donno. My 1st thought at Bearish? Was falling stocks; stubborn growth; stagnation.
BigE - LOL SIDEARM as in '45.; Ditto Jinx with How much would a MARMOT Mot...
Bill G - You will enjoy the A/C. Just make sure you and Barbara are on the same page when it comes to "comfort." I woke up freezing 'cuz DW set the AC to 73F. I err'd by snarking "you pay the bill then." D'Oh!
Cheers, Commenter #39 HG -T
*For nerds: W/ 15T of data, I just tell Splunk what I want to see
Hey Lemonade, your example of a tangram only has six pieces. Never saw a nit I didn't have to pick.
Longbeachlee - look again; there's a small dark-blue triangle above the light-blue parallelogram below the yellow square. I didn't see it on my old LCD @1st but it shows UP on my iThing. -T
I could play the color blind card, but yeah, how did I miss that (more than once)?
Chuck: "Why did Bearish have a question mark? What else could it be except URSINE?" Bearish or bullish generally refers to the stock market. URSINE would be clued as "bear-like" or "of bears".
I've known and played TANGRAMS for years, but didn't know there was anything Chinese about them. They're the grandfather of parquetry block puzzles, like the one I use for my "trapagram" pictures!
I'm in the small minority who thinks the theme or gimmick (and those two are not interchangeable) IS the puzzle, and the words are just the means to reveal it! That's why I get as upset by a reveal too early as most of you seem to be by a gimmick that's difficult to suss!
And did no one else but me see the ARM anagrams on the side of the puzzle, particularly in the NW,NE,SE corners, but also several other places in the grid?
Following up after Jinx in Norfolk @1:48PM,
If you win a big lottery, do you ever have to reveal your name - publicly? I know there are legal reasons to prove yourself, esp. when claiming your prize, and I suppose full public disclosure is variable, state by state.
But I think it would be ideal to keep your win private. You could let your friends and family wonder where the $$ came from, or let them guess you've been very shrewd in your investments.
Maybe let them imagine you're tied to the Mob - or (even shadier?) an advisor to Trump.
And never let them know exactly how much money you're got, or whether it is coming your way as a windfall, or in smaller installments.
Wouldn't the mystery give you maximum protection? The president offers a model to the nation. They wouldn't know if you're in with the oligarchs, but mainly they wouldn't know if have enough to cut them in or not. Anything you decide to share might be all the more appreciated.
Longbeachlee, thanx for the 6-piece TANGRAM. I was going to make the same comment this morning...and then DW showed me there were actually seven pieces. D'oh!
Revealing lottery winners varies by state. In Florida,there is no anonymity, as is explained HERE .
PK, the ducts are mostly OK. The two old furnaces are being removed and replaced with new furnaces and the cooling units. Pipes have to be located to connect the A/C units in the attics to the condensers that will be placed outside. So with all of this, they are in and out of the attic, bedrooms, etc. It's just some noise and confusion that messes with my sedentary living habits.
Longbeachlee, as is often pointed out, I make mistakes all the time so the TANGRAM picture might have been wrong. It is fun to be right even if it is the only time.
I also have noted before that it is the controversial (and often hated) puzzles that generate the most comments. Over the years as people who began commenting on this blog back in 2008 began drifting away, the comments fell off. Now we get big crowds only when some are angry and others are defending.
OMK - you're teetering on politics and ANTONIO's trade...careful where you tread. //There's no such thing as the Mob and we don't discuss business at the dinner table... Capisci?
I'm not sure what I'd do with a windfall. I think I would keep it in my back pocket - on the DL- no one (not even me!) would know $$$. And I could just take care of shtuff that pop'd UP (stupid $600 pool pump!) and not worry too much about the future 'cuz I've got it covered.... Luxury crap must be out of that equation. I think Jinx did right; keep it quite 'cuz everyone's at the door (so I've heard).
Of course, this will never be a problem for me because I refuse to play LOTTO / pay the stupid tax.
On the other had, I invest not knowing much... Right now I'm BEARISH on the market and wanting to pull my winnings off the table. I got "LUCKY" w/ IRAs/401ks/grants over the last 5 years. They're way up (I road out 2008-14). And I was lucky in timing the company stock (before it plummeted %%$$ last week; I only sold a tad 'cuz I thought we were going up after Q2's report! I was going for $-cost averaging and, D'Oh!, wrong way! I should have sold more. I sold so I could make the first TWO payments to OU. Now I'm considering pulling my S&P$ to buy company stock low. But...I know I'm too dumb to make HAY. I can't bring myself (yet) to pull the Slot's SIDE ARM..
OTOH - I'm in a really good place with these OPTions as my "problems." C, -T
Out of curiosity, I read the Crossword Fiend review of today's puzzle and it was markedly POSITIVE It is in the difference that life is interesting for example FRITZ LANG'S VISION
At the risk of overposting says - No one linked it, so, for Tawnya. ALL STAR from Smash Mouth. Only shooting stars (like today's constructors) break the mould... -T
C'Mon not again. Two days in a row, I'm with you IM.
Get lost David.
I loved figuring this one out. I didn't look at the perp, so had CURDs instead of CURDY. Oh well, still happy.
PK et al: So the A/C installation is continuing apace in its noisy fashion. During this installation process, somehow my landline phone lines got kicked loose or damaged. I get a buzz instead of a dial tone and I can't make any calls. The A/C guys don't know what happened and have no idea how to fix it. The phone company ran some tests an agreed it's a wiring problem. Their tech is scheduled to fix it Monday PM. I assume the A/C contractor will reimburse me. If not, I still need my phone. It's just hassle and money... I think I dislike the hassle more than the expense.
Well, from what comments I see above, today's puzzle was, er, ah, um, 'interesting.' Anonymous @5:37 captured my feelings, about Husker's picture of clarity.
But, be that as it may, I remain of the feeling that this is indeed North American Crossword Challenge Week at the zoo ... can't wait to see if the (notorious) Saturday puzzle confirms my sense that beer tasting should be my new hobby.
I prefer puns as well as really clever and thoughtful cluing that forces out of the box thinking. But to each his/her own.
I worked this at work, and so I'm late to the party. But I just have to say that thumper and I will take a pass on this one.
And David, at 12:16 , you are so far off the mark it is hard to reply. (I assume you spewed all those meaningless words because you wanted a reply. ). Several others have commented....but I must add that one of my favorite constructors is Jeffrey Wexler on Friday. I don't think I have EVER solved one of his puzzles! But he is so good with words and his clues are so clever that I love the challenge. So much for failure being an evaluation.
I did finish today's puzzle, and I certainly do admire the talent that went into the complicated construction . It just wasn't my cup of tea. So there!
Lemonade, you are always wonderful!! So much insight .
Owen....all A's I thought.
What does "red letter help" mean?
BillG: Your a/c definitely sounds like a major project. No wonder you are feeling invaded! It is supposed to be hotter here the next few weeks so I hope all the ruckus leaves you grateful for the cool air. Do you a have cell phone or is the landline your only phone? I am concerned about your having an emergency during the night and no way to call for help. I certainly can identify with wanting a happy solitude.
Red-letter help to me means having the red-letter computer puzzle aid turned on. If I put in a wrong word and it turns red, I try another word. On this puzzle the strange words filled in black so I knew they were supposed to be there, but they made no sense to me. That upset me because being confused isn't something I enjoy at my creeping old age.
WOW! Lot of commentary! I guess it's "Love vs Hate" today. Sadly, I'm on the negative side. I DO appreciate the cleverness in design, but I needed several reads on the explanation to "get it" . As I've said here before, I much prefer clever word-smithing rather than quirky constructions... and today's entry is the quirkiest! After getting bad news about mold in the walls then major problems with my car, I certainly did NOT need the Angst of an unsolvable puzzle today. C'mon, LAT, give us a break. Take pity on the unwashed masses who like to solve puzzles, not disentangle obtuse mysteries.
First, thanks Owen for explaining"Mares on the Moon". It reminds me of Tolkien's "Meres of Morthond"*.
Ok. Big DNF for Wilbur. 😖.
There were several reasons, the first of which I'm just too stupid. Ok, #2: I don't like following directions eg "Look for the ARM(s) on the SIDE.
Like Tony, I thought JUG worked and the DOLL is a cheap come-on for the Happy meal. But LUN?!
OK. Reason #3. Impatience. Didn't I just post the other day the importance of putting the xword down and picking it up later? #4; I just don't listen.
And Thursday's thrill of victory doesn't match today's agony of defeat.
Congratulations Roger and Kathy. Thanks Lemonade and I hope your recovery is going well. As too, Misty.
Owen, keep'em com'n. W,W,W
PS. I think you have@David wrong. I think his emphasis was on the creativity showed today and Thursday not that other constructors are "boring".
I consider myself way to much a newbie to ever critique any of the constructors except to say I luv,luv CC's.
Well, time to cross the skyway and get home.
WC
* From The Mounds of Mundberg
We heard the horns in the hills ringing
Swords shining in the South Kingdom
Steeds went striding to the Stoningland
As wind in the morning.
War was kindled
I had it and several others memorized.
Very late to the party today as I was prepping for visit of two grandchildren this weekend. What a struggle but I persevered and found the SIDEARMs. (Yes Owen, I see lots of ARMS all over this CW.) Clever but not for everyday consumption. Thanks for the workout Roger and Kathy (Happy Anniversary), and Lemonade.
I had Pallid before PALISH, began before BEGOT and held my nose while entering CURDY (it was either that or WHEYEY!).
Hand up for CRT before LCD, and wanting LEM before LUN.
Some languages today with GESTALT , TAU, Uno MAS but nothing like yesterday.
Enjoy the remainder of this day. Maybe Saturday will be easier. LOL!
PPS The meres come later. A whole bunch of heroes died including my fav Boromir. He died defending hobbits. I loved the dirge that followed
WC
Swampcat @ 6:04 ~ Your reply to David is so spot-on (I'm jealous!) I tried to convey the same idea through sarcasm but your comments hit the nail on the head. And I share your admiration and appreciation for Jeffrey W.; he is one of my favorites!
Wilbur Charles, David wasn't criticizing the constructors as much as he was chastising the solvers who don't happen to agree with his criterion for what makes a puzzle "good."
Drinking the Drambuie im?
U and batboy might massage this into 90 comments!
Wasn't sure I was going to respond to this one...
It had me totally baffled!
However, when I read the write up, I got it!
There were two clues I had circled as unfathomable, but then I mislaid the puzzle
and could not remember them. In searching the Blog, 3d seemed a likely candidate
Number missing, in a way, from "4 = 16"
(it was the third time I reread the answer that the V8 can hit home!)
I finally found the mislaid puzzle, and, of course the two unfathomable clues were theme related.
I also saw the Anniversary reference!
So I had a lot of fun looking for an Anniversary cake the was split in three,
or had arms,
or jumped to the left...
but they just weren't funny, so I went with this...
Anonymous @ 10:26 ~ I don't understand your post. Care to explicate?
Another total waste of valuable outdoor time trying to solve a puzzle aimed a people with too much time on their hands. BTW the answers/ clue numbers are out of wack. Piss poor editing.
IM - I think @10:26p was asking if you're taking a nip whilst goading the Cornerites into 90 posts for the night.... Maybe :-)
Using my last electrons for the day I'll just say... I appreciate this out-of-the-grid puzzle on a Friday. I don't want to see silly-shtuff every day (Cyptics come to mind - too cute by 1/2 for me) but a once-in-a-while mind-bender is good for the noodle. (Rich, pls don't run these things back-to-back!). Esp. a twister as well executed as today's offering from the thenlyweds.
Again NO, I didn't "get it" and I was frustrated as hell, but that's OK - I grew a bit and the idea is pretty dern cool. Think about it... SIDE ARM curving around the black-blocks. Like Baseball; poetry in motion.
CED - I'm gonna take your and Marie-Antoinette's advice and eat cake... Without icing and SUGAR, maybe a little olive oil with pepper, oregano, and basil. OK, you got me, it's bread not cake [obligatory RUSH for BunnyM]
Eldest only has 3 days left for me to (time-)warp her mind b/f OU. We're bringing on TNG. And now she knows of (thanks Lem!) Rocky Horror Picture show.... I've prepared her for the world :-).
Cheers, -T
Nice to see the comments on Rocky Horror and Time Warp.
I am curious about the "Batboy" comment.
John Moody, the formatting of the puzzle is controlled by the publisher not the editor. My version had all the numbers in the right places.
Count me as one who loved this puzzle and I am in awe of the constructing challenge.
Hand up for LEM then a long struggle to get LUNAR MODULE as one of the last theme answers to fall.
I got the idea that the answers were meandering. But I never heard of SIDE ARM except in the sense that Big Easy mentioned, as a weapon. It took a long time before I got that the meandering consisted of ARMs on the side. That helped with the solve!
PALISH seemed a bit LAME as did MISDO. But I can forgive a lot with such a challenging construction.
Unknowns: RAE, CORA, ANTONIO, ANDIRON. Hazy memory of SMEE and TANGRAM.
Tried DOLLAR MEAL before MENU
ONE LEG before ONE LAP
ANOLE before SKINK. You have a lot of ANOLEs in Florida, too!
ALARMS spoil dreams!
A day late to the party, but had to chime in.
This is a great puzzle, one of the best of the year. Five stars from me! Wish I had thought of it first, but then I'd be the one getting the hate mail!
For those who solve the Thursday NY Times crosswords, this is the normal type of craftsmanship that forces one to think out of the box.
Congrats Roger and Kathy!
My, what a disarming couple!
Google KENT TEKULVE, sidearm pitcher for the Bucs 1979 WS Champs!
This puzzle was posted in my local paper sans title, which made it very difficult to suss out the gimmick. Meh.
LAT do not have titles except on Sundays. We bloggers try to come up with one on our own.
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