JW is back with another of his intricate visual puzzles, this time presenting 5 different iterations of the word FILES set out in an X pattern indicated by circles. The only strictly theme fill is the reveal:
39A. '90s-'00s sci-fi hit ... or what this puzzle's circles graphically depict : THE X-FILES (9).
The genius comes in when you place the five Xs in the grid so that together they create super X. This is the result of connecting the Xs from NW to SE and SW to NE. But wait - there's more! If the circles in each set are seen as a series, going from left-to-right and top-to-bottom as follows:
1 2
3
4 5
you will notice that the letters in FILES rotate in strict sequence from one set to the next. That is, in the NW set, F is at position number 1, with the other letters following. In the NE set, the F has shifted to position 2, and the other letters follow. In the central set, the F is at position 3, and so on. Thus, the positioning of the letters in FILES is not a random scrambling, but a precise progression. The Z pattern he employed to present his pattern eluded me for a very long time.
Another technical marvel of construction.
We also have some fun fill, like ACCOSTS, ACETONE, AT A RACE, BAD SPOT, DOLEFUL, EATS OUT, PROPMAN, PUFFERS, UPLIFTS, GRAIN SILO, LEXINGTON but it pales in comparison to the architectural masterpiece. Another YMMV, I guess, but let's see.
Across:
1. Sound check item : AMP. Amplifiers have been known as amps for some time!
4. Went down : SANK. Simple, but so many SYNONYMS.
8. Euripides tragedy : MEDEA. Wife of Jason.
13. __ cross : TAU. LINK.
14. Skewer relative : PRONG. A skewer is single. The better QUESTION.
16. Hipbone-related : ILIAC. No more please.
18. Even less given to emotion : ICIER.
19. Quantum of solace? : SOFT C. This had me almost as confused as the title of the BOND movie. Here it just means the "C" in the word solace.
20. Leave in disarray, probably : RIFLE.
22. Copier room quantity : REAM. 500 sheets.
24. "Taking that as a given ... " : IF SO. Logic terminology.
25. Comfortable (with) : AT EASE.
27. Indisposed : ILL.
29. Dawn goddess : EOS. I had her many times a few years ago - in my puzzles anyway.
30. Bread component : CARB.
31. Toy used on flights : SLINKY. Not airplanes, stairs.
34. Rural road track : RUT.
35. Disney character who sings, "The cold never bothered me anyway" : ELSA.
36. Go Fish request : TENS. Random, could be ace, two, six or ten.
37. Turns red, maybe : RUSTS. Reddish, actually I believe we call it rust color.
42. 2006 demotion : PLUTO. Yes Mickey was mad at him. Oh, the planet!
45. Heracles' beloved : IOLE. The STORY is more complicated. I do like seeing the Greek name for Hercules in keeping with Friday. .
46. Very little : A DAB. A little one will do you.
50. Agent : REP. Another word that is now acceptable as a word not just an abbreviation.
51. 1962 "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" singer : MONROE. There is a longer version on You Tube.
53. Fla. resort : BOCA. This is a bit misleading as Boca is now a city of almost 100,000 permanent residents. LINK.
54. Natural resource : OIL.
55. Physics unit : ERG.
56. Shut off completely, as lights : KILLED.
58. Trident-shaped letters : PSIS. More Greek.
60. Order to Spot : STAY.
63. Sugar source : BEETS.
64. Civilian garb : MUFTI.
66. Pair in the score for Beethoven's Fifth : OBOES. This is not an additional reference to Marilyn.
68. Dandy : FOP. Similar to last week's TOFF.
69. Partner of ciencias : ARTES. Arts and Sciences...pretty inferrable.
70. Forward attitude : NERVE.
71. Pizzeria chain : UNO. They opened three franchises of this Chicago Pizzeria here in late 70s; they are all gone.
72. Stick dwellings : NESTS. I like this simple clue/fill.
73. Holden Caulfield, for one : TEEN. Catcher in the Rye.
74. Court call : LET. Tennis
Down:
1. Visiting Pimlico : AT A RACE. The Preakness.
2. __ counseling : MARITAL.
3. Blowfish : PUFFERS.
4. Furtive sorts : SPIES.
5. Golf chip path : ARC.
6. "The Big Sleep" genre : NOIR.
7. Walk-in joint? : KNEE. I am left with my creaky knees and sore hips.
8. Inaccurate introduction? : MIS. Do?
9. Wells race : ELOI. I thought Yvette Mimieux was beautiful, but enough is enough.
10. Suggests an alternative : DIFFERS.
11. Enjoys a buffet, usually : EATS OUT.
12. Engages with boldness : ACCOSTS.
15. Farm structure : GRAIN SILO.
21. Company that survived Canada's Prohibition : LABATT. Labatt survives Canadian Prohibition by producing full-strength beer for export south of the border and by introducing two "temperance ales" (brews with less than two percent alcohol) for sale in Ontario. When Prohibition was finally repealed in 1927, Labatt was one of the 15 remaining breweries — giving them a strong, fresh start. (Labatt material)
23. Jan. honoree : MLK.
26. Tequila sunrise direction : ESTE. Two days in a row.
28. Old plucked strings : LYRE.
32. Minuteman Statue city : LEXINGTON. There is this ONE. Or this OTHER. You can tell JW is not from New England.
33. About to receive : IN FOR.
38. Not to be wasted : USABLE.
40. Diamond plate : HOME.
41. Garlic relative : LEEK. All you need to know; marry a cook. LINK.
42. Stage employee : PROPMAN.
43. Down time : LEISURE.
44. Makes joyous : UPLIFTS.
47. Joyless : DOLEFUL.
48. Paint thinner solvent : ACETONE.
49. Dicey situation : BAD SPOT.
52. Hosp. areas : ORS.
57. "An Enemy of the People" playwright : IBSEN. If you want to study. LINK.
59. Editor's afterthought : STET.
61. Act as lookout, say : ABET.
62. Time long past : YORE.
65. Orbiting research facility: Abbr. : ISS. International Space Station.
67. "Fairest of creation," in a Milton classic : EVE. Paradise Lost No Will, either play or poem, but one of my favorites, John Milton.
“O fairest of all creation, last and best
Of all God's works, creature in whom excelled
Whatever can to sight or thought be formed, an enemy of the people
Holy, divine, good, amiable, or sweet!
How art thou lost, how on a sudden lost,
Defaced, deflow'red, and now to death devote?”
Another interesting Friday with most of the cluing fair, but the layers used to create the visual difficult to recognize. I struggled with the pattern. For those who do not like complicated themes, this was intricate but the grid could be filled without circles and without understanding or appreciating the skill needed to build this one. Thank you JW, and thank you all for stopping by. Lemonade out.
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Jeffrey and Lemonade!
Of, goody, I made no errors on a JW!
Things partly perped were: MEDEA, SOFT C, CARB, SLINKY, TENS, OBOES, TEEN and DOLEFUL. LABLATT was a total perp, I think (or close to it).
Had a good sleep yesterday, trying to make up for lots of lost sleep!
Hope to see you all tomorrow!
FIR! The NW corner was the last! Read the reveal clue before I had enough circles filled to guess, but deciphered the X's before getting the reveal answer, so I'll give myself partial credit for that! MIC > AMP was my biggest hang up, but shOtguN > PROPMAN, both of which gave ORE > OIL, and SIC > MIS were also problems.
ReplyDeleteMy whole body has gone to RUST and to wrack!
I used to be hip, now I'm ILL in my ILIAC.
It seems that my KNEE
Goes out more than me!
But my wife dressed SLINKY is still aphrodisiac!
PLUTO was always a neglected chil',
Out on the fringe, in cold exile!
It was the planet NIOR,
But now, not any more!
Its planet status has gone in the EX-FILE!
{B+, C.}
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteSnow was too deep in Oregon, so I struck out from North Dakota and worked clockwise. Saw a whole bunch of circles...and then ignored 'em. No, I didn't get the theme, but it's impressive. Finishing up, I was staring at ATARALE and LADATT (my bread had LARD in it). Oh, CARB! D'oh! Saved from an ignominious defeat. Thanx, JW, and thanx for the tour, Lemonade.
Got it done but never did see the pattern.
ReplyDeleteThis seemed difficult at first, but I finished in less than normal Friday time. Thinking that FLIES was scrambled helped a lot because it limited the choices for the circles. The reveal let me know it was FILES that was scrambled. Wow! Impressive grid. Sometimes the theme is the best part of the puzzle for me. I didn't see that the scramble was an orderly rotation.
ReplyDeleteI was looking for a whisky company but perps suggested LABATT, which I haven't thought of in years. I like Sierra Nevada IPA.
UNO and ISS were all perps. I know UNO only as a card game.
My older son will probably have an ILIAC bone graft applied to his nonunion femur fracture if the stimulation does not work. Interesting that this should come up now after my post last night.
Almost a nit, but I always look for the reason the clue has passed muster. I know that bird nests are not dwellings but just nurseries. Then I thought of squirrel nests or dreys. These are used as nurseries and, especailly in the winter, as dwellings and shelters.
For forward attitude, livng in this area, my first thought was the Yiddish, chutzpah. Yiddish bring to mind Barry G. I miss you, Barry. Please check in if you can.
Off to Alan's commute. He is working again.
Like OwenKL, the NW was the last to fall. That's where I always start, and today I was up the stream without the proverbial means of locomotion. Gave up and moved to the center section, and filled it in from top to bottom without pulling a mental muscle or anything. The east filled in from bottom to top and then the SW, and I guess I must have gotten on JW's wavelength because the NW wasn't so daunting by then. Very enjoyable puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI pretty quickly sussed that the circles were filled with FLIES (my first guess) and even though it turned out that it was FILES they were filled with, it still helped. Never did see the progression of the letters, just that they were scrambled each time. What an amazing construction!
Lemonade, thanks for the explanations. Spot on, as usual.
Sound the trumpets, let fly the confetti! I finally finished a Jeffrey Wechsler Friday!! Probably because I'm such a rabid X-Phile. It is my favorite show off all times, not because of the Sci-Fi but for the sly humor.
ReplyDeleteAnd this puzzle has so many fun things. Walk-in Joint?? Inaccurate introduction?? At 44D, Makes Joyous, I wanted to enter Wechsler but it wouldn't fit. Thanks, JW for all the fun! Not a petard in sight.
Yes, I noticed the X-circles but not the big X or the progression. This is really a thing of beauty!! Thanks, Lemon, for your explanation and your tribute to this amazing construction. I always enjoy your tours.
Owen, both A's.
Why quantum? Anyone know? SOFT C was my last fill and all perps, not understanding quantum.
ReplyDeleteGood morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle from Jeffrey today. Never watched X-FILES, but they are "enough in the language" that the gimmick worked for me. In fact, in the NE and NW, I was able to use unfilled circled letters to get a 'bead' on what otherwise may have become a Natick. Most of puzzle had a nice cadence to it and the fill proceeded smartly. Much fresh fill, fun to work on - agree with Lemon about the fun fill. Seemed to be more 'k's than usual, which limited choices and sped things up. BZ.
OBOES - Went to Youtube to understand the clue better. Worthwhile side trip.
KNEE - A fine example of English's Anglo-Saxon roots. German Knie, L.German Knee. The k is pronounced, and the ee has a long 'a' sound as in ale.
YR, I think it's the "part or portion" definition of quantum. A "part or portion" of "solace" is the SOFTC. The seed for the clue was the Bond film of that name.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteWell, after completing this puzzle, I was very impressed with the intricacy of the theme and its execution, but after reading Lemony's astute analysis of the X's letter progression pattern and the 5 X's forming a large X, I was, as the Brits say, gob-smacked! To sum it up in a word: WOW! I caught the theme early because of the reveal placement but that really didn't help that much with the solve. There were a few crunchy spots but perps were fair and, eventually, everything fell into place. Favorite C/A's were: Woofer's output=Arf and Toy used on flights=Slinky. Whenever I see Fop, Oscar Wilde comes to mind. Also, seeing Mufti is always fun. Iole was new to me but who could forget Medea? I associate leeks with onions, more than garlic, but I guess they're all in the same family.
Thank you, Jeffrey W, for always challenging us and never disappointing us and thanks, Lemony, for the excellent expo, particularly for identifying those two extra layers of Wechsler "wizardry". By the way, the Milton verse contains the phrase "an enemy of the people" mirroring the clue for Ibsen.
Have a great day.
Speaking of garlic, what's going on? Prices are high. Quality is poor. On-hand stocks in the grocery are meager. Are you seeing this in your area?
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-A fun Jeff Wex Friday exercise and Lemon summary. I thought sure Joyless ended in FUN and NET seemed okay for a tennis call but DOLEFUN had to morph to DOLEFUL to earn me a “got ‘er done”.
-As I mentioned yesterday, I got NOIR as an anchor and worked out from there rather looking at all the clues across and down first
-Quantum of Solace? Fabulous to this physics guy!
-I find myself AT EASE with adolescents
-Leave those adolescents alone with a SLINKY and this is likely to happen
-PLUTO was always the red-headed cousin at the planetary picnic
-The drug REP next door can’t explain pricing to me either
-The press looked the other way with MONRORE and JFK. Today?
-My buffet attendees PIGGED OUT first
-Whose statue you have in your town is now a bone of contention
-Most everything is USABLE and edible to him (:31)
IM I am so glad you caught the cross reference to 'enemy of the people.' When I included the quotation, I notice that as well, and then forgot. JW, was that intentional?
ReplyDeleteUntil today I had only completed one JW grid without help. After today's effort my total is...still one. Googled ELSA (guess I'll never learn), IBSEN and ACETONE. At least I didn't have any bad cells today.
ReplyDeleteI held off on TAU cross because it seemed redundant. I especially liked "diamond plate" for HOME, and got SLINKY on the first pass.
My favorite Lexington monument is Rupp Arena, built after my student days at UK. Only Duke will have better freshmen basketball players this year.
Yellowrocks, I hope your son's graft goes well and he heals perfectly.
DW and I honeymooned at the BOCA Beach Club. We had to evacuate in the middle of a nap because of a fire.
Thanks, JW, for a true challenge. Maybe I'll get the next one. And thanks to Lemonade for another solid tour.
Definitely out of my league.....................
ReplyDeleteCan't wait til Monday!
ReplyDeleteHG, I also PIGged OUT at the buffet first, before I calmed down enough simply to EAT. I knew Euripides' tragedy had to be MEDEA because Electra wouldn't fit. So that ended pigs out.
Another construction note: did anyone notice the reveal, THE XFILES, is exactly in the center of the puzzle...and also in the center of the big X. How did he DO that??
This was a construction masterpiece! I thought I would have to come to the blog to find an explanation, but after I was away for it a few minutes and picked it up and glanced at it from afar the Xs were obvious!
ReplyDeleteWe in Jefferson City are "in the path" as they say (whoever they are)for the eclipse on Monday - so it was busy downtown this morning getting ready for visitors as they have a whole weekend of activities planned. Similar to the hoopla of July 4th - but with a broader group of people visiting from out of town.
Did I ever crash and burn on this one. Wechsler was on Venus and I was on PLUTO, which I didn't get along the entire West. PUFFERS- never heard of that fish. CARBohydrate- I had SALT. AMP- I wrote MIC. OIL was ORE. MUFTI- I looked it up and the main definition is Muslim legal expert. 'ciencias'- no idea. LABATT- never knew Canada had Prohibition; that's where Joe Kennedy got his liquor from.
ReplyDeleteThe NE- SOFT C for 'Quantum of solace?" no idea. Than areas above IF SO was blank.
UNO, THE X FILES, IOLE, DOLEFUL ( never heard of) NOIR ( Big Sleep unknown) were successfully filled by perps. It was so white, the FILES crossing an X were never noticed.
Lemonade- you explanation of the LABATT situation reminds me of the Chinese exporting the fentanyl and opoids; not legal there but okay to export.
D-O, it was snowing from Idaho to Arizona on my newspaper. I never saw the Bond film either but even after you explanation I still don't get it. Probably never will.
Kudos and bows to the genius of Jeffrey Wechsler! I loved this puzzle and its impressive construction! With circles, the Xes were obvious but not the giant X. Thank you for that additional expansion, Lemonade. What a masterpiece.
ReplyDeleteThe solve wasn't too bad, either though I almost SANK in the NW. Finally, I just bit the bullet and started guessing, AMP, MARITAL, PUFFERS, etc. and surely ELSA would have sung that ditty. I've not heard of LABATT or IOLE but they emerged.
I really liked the clue for KNEE and at opposite parallel positions we have UPLIFT and DOLEFUL. Marvelous! Not a BAD SPOT anywhere.
Thank you, JW for today's gift and Lemonade for your sage elucidation.
Have a splendid day, everyone!
OwenKL:
ReplyDeleteGood work!
Pure genius in construction. JW did us another great puzzle. No problems with completing. Great cluing, too! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteVery nice write-up, Lemonade. Thanks to you as well for the great explanations of the x's and order!
D-O re garlic. Haven't been shopping for garlic lately; I'll check out Kroger's later. About a year ago, I saw some packaged garlic, and it was from China! Googled and found that China lops off the root part before shipping.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle - got the circles, but no, I didn't see the complicated placement. Well done, Lemonade!
Glad the eclipse news will be history soon, but I will step out just to take a look at the sky, but not the sun. No glasses, so I'll just watch the news.
Good weekend, everyone!
Good day to all!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazingly impressive grid today. Bravo, JW! Thanks for pointing out the symmetry of the circled letters to form the larger "X" and the progression of the letters in FILES, Lemonade. I wonder why the Mensa site (where I do the puzzles) does not have circles. Unfortunately it seems to be the only site with the LAT puzzle that gets along with our dinosaur of a computer.
OMK--So sorry to hear that your surgery was such an ordeal. Best wishes as you heal.
Enjoy the day!
Woohoo! Woohoo! I got a whole Friday Jeffrey Wechsler puzzle without a single cheat! Yay! A week doesn't end any better than this! A million thanks, Jeffrey! Mind you, on my first run-through I had only MONROE (she sang that to JFK, didn't she?) and IBSEN (didn't remember the Milton verse and so didn't catch the "enemy of the people" connection). On my second try I also got MUFTI, although I can't imagine why--it's a word I'm sure I've never spoken or used in my life. And then, slowly, it all filled in. The one that drove me crazy was the 19 across "Quantum of solace." I had S__TC, and kept thinking what word ends in TC? The "letter answer" finally dawned on me. Again, many thanks, Jeffrey--and your write-up explaining the FILES was brilliant, Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteOl'Man Keith, my goodness, what a difficult surgery you had--so sorry to hear it. I hope you'll feel better today and heal well, without any of the possible complications.
It's a delight to have my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson visiting. Have to run.
Have a good day, everybody.
I too thought I was heading for a DNF. I'd completely forgotten the theme, I looked back at my newspaper when I opened Lemonade's write-up and there were the FILES. The F for ARF would have helped.
ReplyDeleteI wanted AT (the) TRACK. Did anyone think of CASH for bread? And of course Concord for the statue. I used to run past it everyday; never stopped and perused.
One day some one stopped and asked "Do you know where the Emerson house is?" "No, sorry, I don't know the neighbors."
Time? A breakfast and two coffees.
Tony C later. I'm only getting 69% on Phil's WiFi.
WC
PS. Lemonade, excellent write-up. Owen, I like your C's and B's. And Jeff, I spotted your moniker and tried to gear up the gray cells. The "Weschler" effect was full force today. eg. Each additional cell helped feed another.
North East got me again for a DNF. All two semesters ( well one and a third) of Quantum Mechanics got me nowhere. Two explanations aren't helping much either. the pronunciation in the midst of a word seems to me a bridge too far for me anyway especially with a Greek tragedy and a full on distractor for a clue to 11d. Who merely eats out at a buffet. PIGSOUT is in heavy black ink and I am not changing it !!!!
ReplyDeleteI also missed on PLUTO for which I should be ashamed but I've always said LABATS when ordering not realizing I was using the possessive for LABATT. Great beer by the way. At 19 we would drive across the bridge to order LABATT's on draft two at a time for $1.00 CD. God must have drove us home.
I know the gimmick/theme thing has gone too far when the whole exposition is about the cleverness of the gimmick.
ReplyDeleteWhat I liked was, gimmick or no, one could solve this by reading the clues and filling in the boxes, kind of like a crossword puzzle. Oh, wait....that's what a puzzle is supposed to be. "Look at all the Xes, how clever". Sure. Next.
What a lame puzzle.
ReplyDelete"Woofer's output" = ARF? Could we say, then, "Arfer's output" = WOOF?
A pitch is the golf shot with an ARC. The chip is usually more of a LINE DRIVE. It's often just a putt with a mid-iron.
GRAIN SILO is either redundant or wrong.
The clue for BEETS should be "sugar sources," not "sugar source."
USABLE = "not to be wasted"?
CARB and REP both need "for short" in the clues. No, REP is not a word – or, if it is, it is many words: REPRESENTATIVE, REPUTATION, REPERTORY, REPETITION, REPEAT . . . Wait! It is a word! It means "a fabric with a ribbed surface, used in curtains and upholstery."
ReplyDeleteAnon PVX, ordinarily I would agree completely. I did just fill in the words from the clues for the most part, but this grid was a masterpiece of balance and placement. Even I noticed it after I finished, and I'm not much for tricky construction. I guess that's why we're talking about it.
Besides, the clues were clever and enjoyable on their own.
to anonymous...any projectile subject to the earths gravitational field MUST by Newton's laws travel in an arc.
ReplyDeleteI can appreciate your problem with CARB, but rep has been in popular usage for a sales rep for at least the last 50 years. If you need easier clueing try just doing the Monday puzzles. Sheesh.
...and why are the most vociferous critics always anonymous ?
From an Internet ad, "We supply a range of grain silos for the storage of all cereal crops. Custom-made silos are available as well." Silos store silage, coal, cement, nuclear missiles and more, as well as grain. Not redundant.
ReplyDeleteSugar beets are a source of sugar. It takes more than one beet to make sugar. Alternatively, you could say THE sugar beet is a source of sugar. Eggs are a source of protein.
Carb is in popular usage. It's a very common term. It appears as a dictionary entry.
Chuck, yeah, the ball travels in an arc when coming back to earth.
"It's a joke, son!" Woofer's output=arf sounds better than arfer's output=woof.
Lighten up, be flexible, enjoy! Crossword puzzles are a game.
I liked this puzzle very much, and with help I solved it all. Of the numerous constructors whose work I usually like, Jeffrey is right up there in the top 5. Hand up for entering MIC before AMP and ORE before OIL. I had a hard time coming up with CARB because I was thinking of a recipe ingredient for bread component. And putting in TOLUENE as the paint thinner solvent messed me up for a while down there in the BOCA area. Waited for perps to tell me whether the plucked strings was LUTE or LYRE. A nice new clue for OBOES.
ReplyDeleteGood wishes to you all.
Hi Y'all! Thanks for the mental gymnastics, Jeffrey! Thanks for broadening the scope of understanding, Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteI was sure it was "mic" and miffed when it wasn't. Didn't think of AMP as needing to be checked and I did have an "M" from MARITAL. In fact, MARITAL (when MARriage didn't fit) was the only word I had on the entire W third of the puzzle when the other t2/3 was filled. Good ol' red-letter runs finally gave me some toe-holds to some perps to finish.
No circles, so didn't get the brilliance of the construction until Lemony 'splained.
Pimlico: For some reason, I thought this was a US Marine base until "horses" dawned on me. And I've watched the Preakness. Duh!
GRAIN SILO not "bins". We never called the storage places for GRAIN anything but bins or elevators for the big commercial SILOs. SILOs may be technically correct usage, but not common local usage out here in the "GRAIN belt".
I had been to the Minute Man Statue at Concord, but that didn't fit. Didn't go to LEXINGTON, so I had to wait for LEX to realize what was wanted. I was moved to tears, standing at the Old North Bridge and reading the poem about "Here the embattled farmers stood and fired the shot heard round the world." That's not the whole thing, just what stuck in my mind.
Anon at 11:55, When those golfers CHIP a ball out of a sand trap, it has an ARC.
YR: Your son's failure to heal sounds excruciatingly painful, as does the proposed graft aftermath. Has he tried any kind of elastic brace to aid walking? I was looking at some hip-thigh braces in a specialty catalog the other day wishing I'd had one after my ILIAC problems years ago.
OMK: Wishes for a speedy recovery for you with no encores of the problem.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteWhoot! I filled a JW puzzle w/o error! OK; It did take me 3 Googles (8a, 29a, 57d). But what fun to fill JW's theme based on one of my fav '90's SCI-Fi shows. Thanks JW for a stunningly executed puzzle.
Thanks Lem for the expo. The PUFFER was cute; I just wanna give 'im a big hug.
Not only is the Blowfish OpenBSD's mascot, there's Hootie hangin'*
WOs: Olaf b/f ELSA and Ore b/f OIL (shhhh - don't tell my employer). I almost had Mic b/f AMP but held OUT.
ESPs: MUFTI. IM, you mentioned it; you know the word. Do LET on what it means.
Fav: Sans theme; SLINKY!
Re: theme reveal: Let's see... TNG (too long spelt out), DS9 & Babylon 5 (ditto), VR5 too short. MST3K was right out... Then the V8 hit.
{A, B+ ; FLN: {A,B+,A}}
YR - Ditto going w/ whisky - I was trying to stuff Seagrams in there for a second. BTW, UNO is that Chicago chain pizza that shows up in the pzl every now and again. LOL Nuclear Missile SILO!
and, I'll just add to you for Anon - Woofer also equals a loudspeaker designed for low-frequencies. ARF is mid-pitch hence the ? and misdirection/cuteness of the clue.
D-O: HEB usually has good bulk Garlic (don't buy the 3 heads in a bag - yuch!). I'm picky about it and rub & smell; if it doesn't feel/smell right, I move on to the next head.
TxMs and all other's w/o the fun glasses; just put a colander on the ground and look at the little crescents on the sidewalk.
//FLN:
I started the grid when we got back from Norman but put it down to convalesce w/ DW re: Eldest out of the NEST and off at school. I never got back to the grid but had fun what I did; so thanks Mark & Steve. (I had MOUSE POiTRe [sic: Pointer] for too long). [BTW, I'll go with the suggested theme, i.e. OU. BOOMER! Sooner!]
HG - I work block-by-block; NW, NC, NE, etc. I look for 3ltr blocks to help (usually they don't - See: RUT & EOS today) and just build out. I bounce around a lot though. My SLINKYs always got DISTEND'd ala your experiment :-)
OMK - I've followed your Mohs trial and I thought your idea of a plug was funny. Then to hear about your pain yesterday.... SO sorry. I hope your humour returns soon mate.
Cheers, -T
*Funny (peculiar not haha) my Brother had a band in Germany whilst in the Army called Blowfish. They put out a tape and then found out about Hootie.
Anon-T, Thanx for the HEB tip. Nearest one is 18 miles, but I do get down to KW now and again. I'll check it out.
ReplyDeleteWe've got an orange cat named Houdini -- as a kitten he was a real escape artist. Nowadays, I just call him Hootie. We've also got a black/white cat that DW calls Xeno. She cringes when I call him One-Eye. He doesn't seem to mind.
Ta- DA!!!
ReplyDeleteA happy victory over a Friday Wechsler challenge!
Man, oh man, this was a doozy. But a do-able doozy, so I'm feeling pretty good about matching my wits to those of the palmary Mr. Wechsler.
Thanks, Lemonade, for a fine exegesis, although I got a kick out of seeing MEDEA introduced as the "wife of Jason."
"Today's play will be The Estimable Tragedy of Mrs. Jason!"
I reckon there is indeed a male-first attitude throughout the Greek legends, and I recall that even the female roles were historically played by men - and yet... I also notice that Euripides didn't write a Jason tragedy, not as far as we know.
MJ, PK, Misty and Anon T: Thanks all! for your very kind words. The pain is negligible today.
I must wait one more day before removing the dressing - and seeing how much of me is left...
OMK:
ReplyDeleteI'll add my sympathies to your agony. I hope it heals quickly and well.
Today is bittersweet as my granddaughter moved out after a year of living here with me. She and a girlfriend are renting an apartment which has fresh paint and new carpet as well as new appliances. Very nice. I'll miss her but not her music(!) It's also closer to her work in Tempe.
Anon T @ 3:36 - Mufti simply refers to civilian clothes worn by someone who is usually in a uniform.
ReplyDeleteOMK ~ So sorry to hear of your painful ordeal and hope you'll be as good as new soon.
YR ~ I hope David's setback is resolved without additional surgery; he's been through enough. Glad to hear Alan is doing better.
Fun puzzle. I tried to avoid getting any red-letter help. I almost made it. :>) Thanks Jeffrey and Lemon.
ReplyDeleteI think I've been in a bit of a bad mood lately. Part of it is the political climate these days. A bigger part, maybe, is three or four workmen underfoot, blocking the driveway, making noise, etc. BUT, I FEEL COOL AIR BLOWING AT ME! For years I've felt that I would enjoy air conditioning about 10 days a year. But lately, it been about six weeks a year. So, as I said before, I became convinced we had to bite the bullet and get A/C installed. I didn't mind the financial outlay as much as the installation hassle. Anyway, it's getting cooler upstairs and downstairs as I'm typing. Yeah! My only concern is the fan noise upstairs but either I will get used to it or I will try the lower speed setting.
Lucina, I appreciated your comment about your granddaughter's music. Still, I'll bet I wouldn't dislike it as much as the background music at the local coffee shop. It's joyless, repetitive, droning, tedious, yuck.
IM - Thanks for adDRESSing MUFTI. Can it be used in a sentence; etymology? :-). Never heard it. When I was in the Army we'd just call street-clothes civvies; also the word for non-Army issue underwear.
ReplyDeleteBill G. I too hate coffee shop music. Throw on some Blues or Ragtime for ambiance say I.
-T
Anon-T, many thanks for "just put a colander on the ground and look at the little crescents on the sidewalk." Local museum astronomers suggested using a colander but with no instructions for placement - uh, Professor Summers, do I just look at the sun through the colander? Knew that wouldn't be "a good thing" (thanks, Martha). And also thanks, I've always loved Hootie and the Blowfish - need to google - are they still around?
ReplyDeleteBill G, my brother (born and raised in TX) hates a/c having lived 50 years of his life in a Victorian 2-1/2 story house in Decorah, IA (small town near the NE border w MN). Even when he visits TX in summers, he grumbles about a/c. Well, his wife gave him an ultimatum four years ago - either central a/c or a divorce. He now sheepishly admits that "it's OK," especially when they have had more and more heat waves. Didn't ask him how long the installation took. It will soon be over, and you can enjoy the rest of the summer (don't know where you live though). In TX, it sometimes starts getting cooler in mid-October.
Haven't "lurked" since Aug 7 - I was AT&T'd! - and I've missed the Corner's camaraderie, personal insights, humor and links!
TX Ms: I live in Manhattan Beach, a coastal community in southern California. The weather is usually mild with a nice sea breeze. But there have been more "unseasonably hot" spells over the last several years. I am now IMMUNE!
ReplyDeleteAnon T @8:43 - Mufti is interchangeable with civvies but I have seen it used mostly in novels, not in every-day language.
ReplyDeleteOk we have Milton's EVE next to IBSEN who wrote "An Enemy of the People" which inspired Henry Miller's play of the same name.
ReplyDeleteHenry married Marilyn Monroe who descended from a cake and sang to JFK, who being perceived as a Friend of the People was "in a sudden lost".
As was Tony Conigliaro suddenly lost to the Redsox 50 years ago on a Friday night. After arguing that his beaning was the result of a feud with the Angels I run into a soda seller working in right field that night who informs me that Tony had collided with the stands in rf prior to the beaning.
So he might have had enough of a concussion to be unable to dodge an inside pitch. Death of a conspiracy theory salesman.
Actually, science is now positing that heavy thinking like xwords or video games will suppress pain in case any more of this surgery is on the way. I had that purple death where the dermatologist puts a cone over the head and zaps all the bumps. I could have used the xword that day.
WC back in the gloaming
IM - Thanks. I Googled MUFTI and found this on Wikipedia. I didn't know if there was a connection between our Gulf wars and the use of MUFTI for civvies or if it goes further back [or if it's a coincidence].
ReplyDeleteTXMs - You can also put the colander on your head and pay homage to The Flying Spaghetti Monster along side the Pastafarians. :-)
-T
And now for something completely different...
ReplyDeleteI spent a spell to find this juxtaposition - Ren & Stimpy fans (Tawnya?) will enjoy; the rest will just spend two minutes of your life going ???
SLINKY commercial vs. one for LOG. Eerie similar, no?
-T
Anon-T, where/why in the heck does your brain dredge up all these off-the-wall trivia(e)? Loved your FSM link, but Netherlands, NZ, and not Italy?
ReplyDeleteLemon - my old Safari wouldn't open your first link to the Minuteman, but thanks so much for linking Doug Yeo's site for the second one. What an amazing person he is! As a symphonic tuba player and bass trombonist I'd heard of him and his magnificent career in the Boston Symphony, but hadn't seen his website or known of all his other fascinating activities and accomplishments. I spent a good part of the day reading and listening, and have much more to see and hear. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteThe vociferous critics remain anonymous because the idiots pile up on the intelligent.
ReplyDeleteSilos are for silage, not for grain. Grain bins are for grain. But if you think silos are for grain, there is no reason to call them GRAIN silos; just call them SILOS.
Anon at 7:38AM 8-19-17 please give me an example at the Corner when " the idiots pile up on the intelligent?" There are 1,500,000 hits for GRAIN SILO. While you may be historically correct LINK crossword puzzles are games, not English lesson. They are meant to be fun and attacking the constructor for bending words and meanings misses the point.
ReplyDeleteMike Sherline, thank you for appreciating that link. It is a strong motivation for my write up
to receive positive feed back like you provided.
Thank you Lemonade for revealing the additional level of construction complexity! I just assumed the order of FILES was random. It would have helped with the solve to know there was a method to the madness!
ReplyDeleteHand up for MIC before AMP. Once I got that middle M I also thought MARRIAGE which had to be changed to MARITAL and all was solved.
Hand up only know of MUFTI as a Muslim scholar. Learning moment. Wikipedia says the dress usage goes back to the 1800s.
I am OK with AMP, CARB and REP as words. But doesn't BOCA need to be called "For short" even on a Friday?
Quite a challenge, but mostly fair (LABATT/ELSA maybe not) and totally fun!