Theme: Foreign Accents - Four Non-English words have their accented letters spelled out "in detail"
17A. Tarragona title, in detail? : SEN-TILDE-OR. Señor. Spanish. Port city in Catalonia. Here's the Roman amphitheater:
29A. Arles animal, in detail? : BE-CIRCUMFLEX-TE Bête. French. Strictly speaking, it should be "circonflexe" if we're speaking French.
48A. Toulouse trace, in detail? : SOUPC-CEDILLA-ON Soupçon. French.
59A. Augsburg above, in detail? : U-UMLAUT-BER Über. German. This was the entry where I saw the theme. There were a lot of blank spaces in the other theme entries until this point.
I'm lurching between "loved the theme" and "mostly liked the theme". I thought the idea was excellent; I conferred with a couple of friends regarding spelling out the accented letters - one thing that bothered me a little was that the "ñ" (en-yay) in Spanish is a distinct letter in the alphabet, it's not an accented "n". My Austrian buddy over in Vienna also told me that you'd spell out "Über" as u-e-b-e-r. Interesting stuff.
Some of the fill seemed a little scrappy - A MAJ to start out with, ABCD, DH'S and others are not on my list of favorites.
Let's see what else we've got to talk about:
Across:
1. Mus. key of "I Am The Walrus" : A MAJ. I was going to try to explain the lyrics, but apparently I haven't taken enough LSD this morning, so I'm stumped.
5. Gulf : CHASM
10. They're underfoot : MATS
14. Shade akin to ecru : BONE
15. Critical vessel : AORTA
16. K-12 : EL-HI
19. Tucked in : A-BED. From Shakespeare's Henry V:
20. NBC show that inspired "30 Rock" : SNL
21. It's hidden in some profiles : LEFT EYE. Let'd go for a little Bob Dylan to help things along. This is the "New York Sessions" version of the song.
23. How great minds think : ALIKE
26. Sweet __ : TEA
28. Immature bee nourished by royal jelly : LARVA
32. Amorous murmur : COO
33. Voice mail prompt : TONE. Most people's voicemail greeting is totally redundant - do you really need instructions to tell what you should do?
34. Wow : AWE
35. Rat Pack nickname : DINO
37. Wetland area : MARSH
39. Fire : SACK
43. Sci-fi SFX : CGI. Science fiction special visual effects - computer-generated imagery. That's a mouthful.
45. Take at a concert : GATE. Receipts.
47. Capital of Delaware? : DEE
52. Poundstone of "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" : PAULA. Who? Thank you, crosses.
53. Like the occasional clean sock : ODD. I've got two of them on my dresser right now. One black dress sock, one white sports sock.
54. Emphatic affirmation : I AM SO!
55. Craftsperson : ARTISAN. Every menu nowadays seems to have to have at least one "artisan" item - bread, cheese, salami, what-have-you.
57. N.L. teams usually don't use them : DH'S Designated Hitters. They can be used in inter-league matches, most notably during the World Series.
58. Bus sched. info : RTES
65. "Foiled again!" : DRAT
66. Brat condiment : KRAUT. The Kraut Dog is a menu item at the West Coast fast food chain Wienerschnitzel. I was a little surprised when I first saw this - in England the word is a derogatory term for a German.
67. Gable neighbor : EAVE
68. Jazz sessions : SETS
69. 37-Across plant : SEDGE
70. CT scan component : X-RAY. A computed tomography scan uses multiple x-rays to build up the image.
Down:
1. They might be ripped : ABS
2. "The Simpsons" tavern owner : MOE
3. Gloucester's cape : ANN
4. Lake craft : JET SKI
5. Word with roll or toll : CALL. Nice clue.
6. Mason's burden : HOD. You carry your bricks in a hod. Usually, the mason is responsible for laying the stones, his assistant, a hod carrier, does the heavy lifting.
7. "__ you coming?" : ARE
8. College in Northfield, Minn. : ST. OLAF. Liberal arts school.
9. Colt producer : MARE
10. Cleavers : MEAT AXES. Not sure I've heard this term before. My meat axe weights in at a hefty three pounds of mean blade. It makes short work of a Jamaican-style jerk chicken.
11. Finney with a recurring role in Jason Bourne films : ALBERT
12. "Look What __ Done to My Song, Ma" : THEY'VE
13. What an LP has that a CD lacks : SIDE A
18. Like helium : INERT
22. Went like mad : FLEW
23. Preschool song opener : ABCD. Yuk.
24. Sainted pontiff called "the Great" : LEO I
25. Revered one : ICON
26. Skipjack or bluefin : TUNA
27. Came to light : EMERGED
30. Stand-up individual? : COMIC
31. "The Blacklist" actress : LAHTI. Thank you, crosses.
36. Eye experts, old-style : OCULISTS. Optometrists and ophthalmologists nowadays.
38. DUI-fighting org. : SADD
40. TV Batman West : ADAM. He passed away last month at his home here in LA. His final performance as Batman in the animated feature Batman vs. Two-Face is slated for release in October.
41. Biz biggies : CEO'S
42. Bingo kin : KENO
44. Dean's list nos. : GPA'S
46. Friend of Job : ELIHU. A mysterious character, apparently.
48. "Nausea" novelist : SARTRE
49. Surpass in a hot dog contest : OUT-EAT. Joey Chestnut retained his "world title" at Nathan's on July 4th, managing to eat (and keep down) 72 dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
50. Small parrot : CONURE. New one on me. Cute things.
51. Yarn that makes fabric stretchy : LASTEX. Another learning moment.
52. Oater colleagues : PARDS. Howdy, Pards.
56. Arctic divers : AUKS
57. Check figure : DATE. I can't remember the last time I wrote a check.
60. Sore : MAD
61. Carry with difficulty : LUG
62. Backdrop for many jokes : BAR. A horse, a crocodile and an anteater are sitting at a bar. The bartender asks them what's wrong - they say "Nothing, why?" "Why all the long faces then?"
63. Actress Longoria : EVA
64. Spanish king : REY. Here's the Marina Del Rey in Los Angeles. I've sailed out of here quite a few times.
And with that, here's the grid. Hasta luego!
Steve
17A. Tarragona title, in detail? : SEN-TILDE-OR. Señor. Spanish. Port city in Catalonia. Here's the Roman amphitheater:
29A. Arles animal, in detail? : BE-CIRCUMFLEX-TE Bête. French. Strictly speaking, it should be "circonflexe" if we're speaking French.
48A. Toulouse trace, in detail? : SOUPC-CEDILLA-ON Soupçon. French.
59A. Augsburg above, in detail? : U-UMLAUT-BER Über. German. This was the entry where I saw the theme. There were a lot of blank spaces in the other theme entries until this point.
I'm lurching between "loved the theme" and "mostly liked the theme". I thought the idea was excellent; I conferred with a couple of friends regarding spelling out the accented letters - one thing that bothered me a little was that the "ñ" (en-yay) in Spanish is a distinct letter in the alphabet, it's not an accented "n". My Austrian buddy over in Vienna also told me that you'd spell out "Über" as u-e-b-e-r. Interesting stuff.
Some of the fill seemed a little scrappy - A MAJ to start out with, ABCD, DH'S and others are not on my list of favorites.
Let's see what else we've got to talk about:
Across:
1. Mus. key of "I Am The Walrus" : A MAJ. I was going to try to explain the lyrics, but apparently I haven't taken enough LSD this morning, so I'm stumped.
5. Gulf : CHASM
10. They're underfoot : MATS
14. Shade akin to ecru : BONE
15. Critical vessel : AORTA
16. K-12 : EL-HI
19. Tucked in : A-BED. From Shakespeare's Henry V:
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
20. NBC show that inspired "30 Rock" : SNL
21. It's hidden in some profiles : LEFT EYE. Let'd go for a little Bob Dylan to help things along. This is the "New York Sessions" version of the song.
23. How great minds think : ALIKE
26. Sweet __ : TEA
28. Immature bee nourished by royal jelly : LARVA
32. Amorous murmur : COO
33. Voice mail prompt : TONE. Most people's voicemail greeting is totally redundant - do you really need instructions to tell what you should do?
34. Wow : AWE
35. Rat Pack nickname : DINO
37. Wetland area : MARSH
39. Fire : SACK
43. Sci-fi SFX : CGI. Science fiction special visual effects - computer-generated imagery. That's a mouthful.
45. Take at a concert : GATE. Receipts.
47. Capital of Delaware? : DEE
52. Poundstone of "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" : PAULA. Who? Thank you, crosses.
53. Like the occasional clean sock : ODD. I've got two of them on my dresser right now. One black dress sock, one white sports sock.
54. Emphatic affirmation : I AM SO!
55. Craftsperson : ARTISAN. Every menu nowadays seems to have to have at least one "artisan" item - bread, cheese, salami, what-have-you.
57. N.L. teams usually don't use them : DH'S Designated Hitters. They can be used in inter-league matches, most notably during the World Series.
58. Bus sched. info : RTES
65. "Foiled again!" : DRAT
66. Brat condiment : KRAUT. The Kraut Dog is a menu item at the West Coast fast food chain Wienerschnitzel. I was a little surprised when I first saw this - in England the word is a derogatory term for a German.
67. Gable neighbor : EAVE
68. Jazz sessions : SETS
69. 37-Across plant : SEDGE
70. CT scan component : X-RAY. A computed tomography scan uses multiple x-rays to build up the image.
Down:
1. They might be ripped : ABS
2. "The Simpsons" tavern owner : MOE
3. Gloucester's cape : ANN
4. Lake craft : JET SKI
5. Word with roll or toll : CALL. Nice clue.
6. Mason's burden : HOD. You carry your bricks in a hod. Usually, the mason is responsible for laying the stones, his assistant, a hod carrier, does the heavy lifting.
7. "__ you coming?" : ARE
8. College in Northfield, Minn. : ST. OLAF. Liberal arts school.
9. Colt producer : MARE
10. Cleavers : MEAT AXES. Not sure I've heard this term before. My meat axe weights in at a hefty three pounds of mean blade. It makes short work of a Jamaican-style jerk chicken.
11. Finney with a recurring role in Jason Bourne films : ALBERT
12. "Look What __ Done to My Song, Ma" : THEY'VE
13. What an LP has that a CD lacks : SIDE A
18. Like helium : INERT
22. Went like mad : FLEW
23. Preschool song opener : ABCD. Yuk.
24. Sainted pontiff called "the Great" : LEO I
25. Revered one : ICON
26. Skipjack or bluefin : TUNA
27. Came to light : EMERGED
30. Stand-up individual? : COMIC
31. "The Blacklist" actress : LAHTI. Thank you, crosses.
36. Eye experts, old-style : OCULISTS. Optometrists and ophthalmologists nowadays.
38. DUI-fighting org. : SADD
40. TV Batman West : ADAM. He passed away last month at his home here in LA. His final performance as Batman in the animated feature Batman vs. Two-Face is slated for release in October.
41. Biz biggies : CEO'S
42. Bingo kin : KENO
44. Dean's list nos. : GPA'S
46. Friend of Job : ELIHU. A mysterious character, apparently.
48. "Nausea" novelist : SARTRE
49. Surpass in a hot dog contest : OUT-EAT. Joey Chestnut retained his "world title" at Nathan's on July 4th, managing to eat (and keep down) 72 dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
50. Small parrot : CONURE. New one on me. Cute things.
51. Yarn that makes fabric stretchy : LASTEX. Another learning moment.
52. Oater colleagues : PARDS. Howdy, Pards.
56. Arctic divers : AUKS
57. Check figure : DATE. I can't remember the last time I wrote a check.
60. Sore : MAD
61. Carry with difficulty : LUG
62. Backdrop for many jokes : BAR. A horse, a crocodile and an anteater are sitting at a bar. The bartender asks them what's wrong - they say "Nothing, why?" "Why all the long faces then?"
63. Actress Longoria : EVA
64. Spanish king : REY. Here's the Marina Del Rey in Los Angeles. I've sailed out of here quite a few times.
And with that, here's the grid. Hasta luego!
Steve
74 comments:
This was only a Thursday‽ I was nearly through with the puzzle with way too much still white before I figured out what was going on, and it still didn't help much. I couldn't spell CEDILiA or UMLAte correctly, and had no idea what a BÊTE was apart from noire. Combine that with unknown names LAHTI, ELIHU and words I just didn't know CONURE, DHS, LASTEX and I ended up with the worst result I've had in a long time! I did recognize ELIHU once I got rid of three (3) wrong perps, but Job had 3 friends all with uniquely unrememberable names, so I needed 4 correct perps to jog my recall! Write-overs I corrected before resorting to red included KAYAKS > JETSKI, IDOL > ICON, POSSE > PARDS, PEA > TEA.
DEE was a good girl from DELAWARE
But only had an ODD SOCK to wear!
Still she put it on
Tho its mate was gone,
And went out with everything else being bare!
There are horses on the Moon, but no one seems to care!
All those poor ponies run around with no air!
THEY'VE no one for shoes,
No PARDS rub and sooth,
Alone on Luna, there are MARES everywhere!
{B+, A.}
Hi everyone!
Thanks to Mel and Steve!
What a killer! Took quite a while but finished w/o cheats!
Most of the time went to figuring out the darn theme!
Other time consumers were: SNL, DHS, JET SKI (duh), ELIHU and LASTEX.
Hope to see you all tomorrow!
So the eclipse is going to be near 100pct around here in a couple weeks. I've waited in two lines to obtain special glasses for viewing the event. One at the local library and another at the NBC affiliate. Both ran out before it was my turn. What to do? I think I'll just use my LEFT EYE to look at it and of it causes any damage, there is always the right one to fall back on.
Good morning!
Steve nailed it when he said, "U-UMLAUT-BER Über. German. This was the entry where I saw the theme. There were a lot of blank spaces in the other theme entries until this point." Same here. I liked the variety of non-theme entries like JETSKI, MEAT AXES, OCULIST. LASTEX was a learning moment. Thanx, Mel Rosen (why does that sound like a sports name?) and Steve.
A high school classmate graduated from ST OLAF. He died young twenty-odd years ago.
Before CGI, DW and I often complained of BMA -- bad matte artistry.
I thought Wienerschnitzel was a breaded veal cutlet -- no relation to a hot dog. I enjoy sauerKRAUT as a side with pork dishes.
Not my cup of tea today. Got everything that wasn't part of the theme, but not one of those four. That left a lot of unfinished down fill. Maybe we should have warning labels for some of our puzzles - WARNING- This puzzle is intended for Cunning Linguists (or Sports Nuts, or Showbiz Experts, or Literature Mavens, etc.) ONLY!
I remember when toll CALLs were so expensive that people (meaning my mom) would stop to call friends when we traveled through a faraway town. A nickle or dime in the pay phone for unlimited duration beat $3.75 for the first three minutes. I was part of management at GTE when MCI and Sprint decided to set their prices based on duration, regardless of distance. Our consensus was that distance-insensitive pricing would never work. A few years later we found that it cost more to bill a call than to provide the call. The glut of fiber in the ground has lead to very cheap telecommunications. Great on family budgets, but it is also the reason that robocalls selling all kinds of crap that no one needs makes business ssense.
Misty - I'll be checking the Corner more than usual today hoping to see a good report from you.
From yesterday: PK - I was at a Freightliner factory class last year when they explained that the filter medium in automotive oil (and fuel, where used) filters has a designed life after first exposure to whatever it is supposed to filter. Your OIL might be OK, but the FILTER probably needed to be changed a year after the engine was first started. Dealerships don't teach filter changes alone, so just get oil & filter done. That's a free service on my 2013 Honda CRV, and less than $30 on my RAV4. Don't get cheap on oil & filter changes, tires, or windshield wipers.
Hello Puzzlers -
Chiming in today because I thought the theme was pretty darned clever.
D Otto - You're on the right track. Wiener Schnitzel refers to a cutlet or a chop - the schnitzel - in the style of the place, Wien, or Vienna. A small sausage or "hotdog" would be a Wiener würst. Dunno how it came to be that a wiener and a hotdog are about the same thing in the US.
Good Morning everyone.
Finally; they spelt über right. With the umlaut. Thank you Mel. Great theme. Got it midway through. when the light went on with the TILDE; and the others came quickly after establishing the parsing cadence. With AUK, I always want a W for the U, so after squaring that away, UUMLAUT…… came easily. Had Posse before PARDS.
ODD - In Canadian it has an added nuance to mean 'occasional' or 'widely scattered'. Winter conditions might contain the phrase "odd piece of ice" to mean nothing to worry about. More verbal than written.
KRAUT - Cabbage-like or herb-like. Weeds are Unkraut.
BÊTE - Our usual circumflexed word is tête. My understanding is the the circumflex stands in for an 's' that disappeared from the word a long time ago.
Thinking of Misty. Hope it will heal well for you. My basel cell removal from right temple in early June has healed, but Doc said it could take up to six months for the suture 'lump' to fully dissipate.
Good morning all!
Wow- is this Thursday? Felt like an impossible Saturday puzzle to me. I couldn't finish without cheating which makes me SAD(D)
Kudos to Mel though for a clever theme but it was one that didn't EMERGE(D) for me until the blog. Well, actually I had a hint of what it was with the SEN TILDE OR fill but the rest was just confusing.
Thanks, Steve for explaining and being our faithful, clever Thursday guide. My DH(S) also has both an ODD black and white sock right now tucked away in his dresser. I just don't understand where they go! ;)
I won't bore you with all of my cheats ( or embarrass myself, lol) and perps.
On the positive side I had some learning moments with CONURE and LASTEX . Madame Defarge - have you knitted with this type of yarn?
Good checkups with the OCULIST on Tuesday. The pressure in my eyes hasn't gotten worse and seems to be in a holding pattern for now. Just a slight change in my prescription but not enough to warrant new glasses right now. Phew :)
Misty - I just read yesterday's comments. I hope your surgery went well and that you're feeling good today. Wishing you nothing but the best! Please let us know how you're doing.
Bill G - I hope that Barbara had a lovely birthday!
Husker Gary- I bookmarked your link regarding the Japanese beetles. They haven't been horrible this year but have done some damage. DH applied grub killer but it hasn't done much for mole control. They've destroyed a good part of our yard this year. We finally found some bait that is supposed to look and taste like earthworms. DH put four in the active tunnels yesterday evening, so we shall see if they work. Our cat half heartedly tried to catch a mole the other day but she's a lover, not a fighter and definitely not a hunter! Our other cat that passed away last year was constantly catching them and now that he's gone, they are back with a vengeance.
I agre with AnonT- if I come back as a three legged dog, I want Pat or Misty to be my owner :) Loved your stories!
Another beautiful day here, especially for August which is usually wrought with the three H's ( hi Irish Miss! ) We've been lucky to enjoy such lovely weather- it is a treat!
Wishing everyone a wonderful day!
Ooops- that should have said "Pat or tawnya" ! Although I'm sure Misty would also be an equally wonderful owner ( Dusty could testify to that!)
Maybe I do need that new eyeglasses prescription or maybe just more coffee ;)
Good Morning:
As I am in the minority, I shall defer to my always circumspect spokesman, Thumper.
Hi, BunnyM, our weather is much like yours, and a very welcome change.
Have a great day everyone.
Hated this one, although I have to give the constructor some credit for the originality and effort. Frequently, the theme interferes with an otherwise enjoyable puzzle. Today, I did not enjoy the theme or a solid dose of the fill (e.g., A Maj, abed, elhi, DHs, RTEs, and some stretchy yarn).
Sorry, Steve, I forgot to thank you for your excellent expo. Well done, sir.
Good Morning.
Mel, Ummm, I feel like an idiot. I could see at UUMLATBER that I was dealing with something linguistic, but I didn't split the work and thought it was something to do with BEeR. Augsberger, doncha know! Thanks for the very intense challenge. DH asked, What are you mumbling about over there?" I'm on your page, Fermatprime @4:57!
Thanks, Steve for helping me EMERGE from the dark. KRAUT, in the post war years, late 40's-early 50's for me, was always used derogatorily. The cabbage dish/condiment was always called sauerKRAUT in my Chicago neighborhood. In our house, no ethnic slurs were used. The same practice continued in our home. I was always pleased when my kids read novels and had to ask what certain terms meant.
Bunny M, As far as I know, LASTEX is used more like thread to run through fabric--knitted or otherwise--to give it some stretch. For example, if the ribbing on socks or a sweater is too loose, running Lastex through it will tighten it up, but still provide stretch. I have also used it in constructing baby garments where I might want some stretch, but not a larger width of elastic. Make sense?
Patch @5:40, you can always resort to the old-fashioned hole in a piece of cardboard to watch the sun's, actually the moon's, progress indirectly by watching the shadow on the ground. I guess you can look directly at the full eclipse for a VERY short time. I'm far enough away from southern Illinois that I'll be able to observe only the weird lighting effect. By the way, I think you can also use a welder's mask if you have access to one. This information comes from someone with no astronomical background. Check for sure with the Adler Planetarium.
Have a sunny day today.
Hi Y'all! Took a long time to figure out anything resembling a theme. I knew TILDE + SENOR & UBER + UMLAUT for finally got those. I even knew SOUPCON but never heard of CEDILLA or anything about the other one. Made me grumpy. Didn't know CGI, DHS, CONURE. Had to red-letter in a few places, I don't mind telling you. Did pretty well everywhere else. Thanks, Mel & Steve.
LASTEX? never heard of it. I wanted SPANDEX which I see all the time in catalogs with stretchy garments.
JINX: thank you for the info about filter life. My car is 9 mos. old with only 352 miles, well 360 after yesterday.
CED: You were so right last night that the guy should have checked the oil. They have 8 bays in the service department and they were all busy yesterday. I stood around a long time before I got the department head service mgr. Then I'd had to park a long way so we marched out there and he fiddled with resetting the computer. I questioned him about whether I could have triggered the error punching the wrong buttons. He said,"NO" because you have to hold something down while doing something else. Then I expected him to check the oil. Instead he asked if I wanted him to run it through the wash rack. I didn't because it was threatening rain. Then he said, "Step back and I'll back it out for you." I was insulted since I am capable of doing that. He backed it out and told me to come again and raced back to the busy shop. I didn't realize he hadn't checked the oil until I had bought groceries and drove into my home garage. Aaaagh! I'm going back there and have him do the dip stick thing, if I can't get the hood up by myself.
I won't tell you in detail about the time our teenaged boy changed my old car's oil and didn't get the plug in right and I ran it out of oil going 6 miles to town. I didn't know what that tick tick tick meant. I sure knew what all the yelling cuss words meant when we had to dig up money for a new motor.
CED: you are right about all the "upgrades" on cars. My husband was a top mechanic and hated all the computerized stuff and he didn't live to see the worst of it.
Musings
-This was a hardest-earned “got ‘er done” in a long time. SEN _ _ _ _ OR gave me the gimmick and the other esoteric punctuation names resided somewhere in my less than fertile brain! Wow!
-Nonagenarian MIL has throw rugs not MATS underfoot. Can’t talk her out of them
-Have I disparaged EL-HI enough to not mention I despise it again? Nah!
-Her stage name did not make the cut today
-It’s more interesting when the great minds here do not think ALIKE
-Good administrators have the courage to SACK bad and/or mediocre employees
-My hometown’s tiny county fair was tickled that the “sold out” GATE at least covered the cost for this “Idol” in concert
-As kids, pitchers were also great hitters. Somewhere they become so delicate they can’t hit
-Her hometown never seems to be the clue here
-INERT Helium was used in the Shuttle where a non-reactive gas was much safer
-Should I be paying my OCULIST $600 for glasses?
-My PARDS were in a POSSE first
-LUGGING these was entry-level work in early plants
Son of Musings
-Bunny, my yard man looked at this device for capturing Japanese Beetles in my neighbor’s yard and said, “She’ll attract and kill a hundred beetles and thousands will come to the funeral”
-Nebraska is cashing in on the eclipse
Anyone who says they solved this one is s t r e t c h i n g the truth.
Hi everybody! Thanks Mel and Steve. Well done.
I did managed to solve most of it. I tumbled to the theme at Señor. Clever and tricky.
From yesterday: We LOVE Key Lime Pie and often split a piece when we go out for lunch. It's like sex…When it's good, it's really great. When it's just mediocre, it's still pretty good.
From yesterday, Barbara says Thank You for all the thoughtful birthday wishes. You guys are so kind. She is doing well so far as we know.
Everything will be disrupted for a week or so with the installation of AC. It will be worth it once it's done but the installation process will be a hassle I'm guessing.
Wasted to much valuable outdoors time on this crap. Already in the recycle bin. ��
C'MON! What can I say!!
Tough one today, but FIR. I'm tossed on Yea or Nay. I took a lot of foreign languages in the past which helped. I think it's over the top for most of the solvers.
But it was a clever theme!
Thanks, Steve, for the guidance, this am, and for the lovely shot of Marina del Rey and the Roman amphitheater.
Another hot and humid day here.... wish we could get a high over the area soon!
Good day to all!
What a struggle today. After hopping about the grid trying to get a firm toehold, CIRCUMFLEX appeared and I caught on to the theme and was able to finish up fairly easily. Well executed, Mel. But I agree with Peg that this would have been virtually undoable for anyone unfamiliar with French, Spanish, and German. I, too, am a lover of foreign languages and have studied all three used today. Thanks for guiding us along today, Steve.
Enjoy the day!
After reading Steve's commentary I can say this was a clever theme, but I failed to see it though the grid was filled. Thank you, Mel Rosen for the challenge. All the rest was easily solved though ABYSS gave way to CHASM, PEA to TEA and ARTISTE/ARTISAN. No other write overs. Have never heard of CONURE. It just EMERGED.
I like ALBERT Finney and really admired him in Erin Brockovich.
Thank you, Steve though today you seem more subdued than usual.
Have a fabulous day, everyone!
PK: The service guy is probably required by the dealership to back your car out. Even the Jiffy-Lube type places now require their employees to drive your car into and out of the bays. Probably got sued once too often by careless customers.
I started out great on this one. Ran through most of the north half without breaking a sweat (even at the hated, loathed, and despised EL-HI). Then WHAM, I hit the themed ones and everything was downhill from there. For the first time in ages, I had to come here to see what the heck those themers were. I got them all with perps, but still didn't "get" any of them. Then throw in some birds and threads I'd never heard of, and this Thursday puzzle seemed like a Saturday squared. Ugh! So far, my most disliked puzzle of the year. But I'll live.
Spitz: in the town where I grew up (west central IL) "odd" was often used in this way.
I was just overwhelmed seeing all those kind good wishes on the blog yesterday--too many to thank individually, but how kind of you all, many, many thanks. And many thanks, Jinx, Spitzboov, and Bunny M., for your thoughtful inquiries this morning.
The surgery was a bit worse than I expected, took several hours, two different times going in, and stitches when all was done. I now have a large white bandage on my face that needs to be kept on until tomorrow morning, and then large band-aids for the next two weeks. But I'm lucky to have no pain so far, so I'm hoping no infection and hopefully a smooth healing in store. Thank you, again, everybody, for your kind concern.
This morning's puzzle felt like a Saturday to me--had no idea, even remotely, what the theme answers might be, and of course, had to cheat widely to get anything done at all. BRAT confused me the most because I of course thought it was a naughty child, not a BRATWURST, and couldn't figure out why a kid needs a condiment. Oh, SauerKRAUT! Even my German didn't help this time around.
Still, thanks, Mel and Steve. And have a great day, everybody!
Well this CW was above my paygrade. I did eventually get the theme although my Spanish and German are not strong. Thanks for the workout Mel and Steve.
Hand up for Pea before TEA (I have related my Sweet TEA story previously - not a phrase that is used in Canada).
Spitzboov, this Canadian had no clue that Americans did not use "odd" that way!
CONURE, LASTEX, CGI were unknown.
I smiled at KRAUT under the German UMLAUT phrase.
Hope your surgery was uneventful Misty and best wishes for recovery.
Belated Happy Birthday to Barbara, BillG. LOL re Key Lime Pie comparison!
Looks like a beautiful night for concert in the park.
Enjoy the day.
BunnyM, I've also got a pair of non-matching socks in my sock drawer. They're both black but have different stitchery patterns. Oddly, deeper in the drawer I've got another unmatched pair just like 'em. Hmmmmm....
Yikes Misty, you posted while I was writing. I can imagine that you are happy to have that surgery behind you.
You probably are not planning to go very far in the next couple of weeks.
Smooth healing, minimal pain, no infection wishes from this part of the Corner.
Hi gang -
Steve - MEAT AXE is an in-the-language phrase in the States, often referring to something like brutal, poorly though through budget cuts.
KRAUT on brats is common all over the mid-west. I've had it at a Mud Hens game.
Being in AWE of the brilliance and technical virtuosity of this theme doesn't make me like it. What you have are letter strings that, until cleverly parsed, make no sense. This is confusing, and more than a little off-putting.
I concur with Steve's "ñ" (en-yay) objection. This isn't just a trivial nit. It pretty much blows up the theme.
Then there is the clunky fill Steve mentioned, plus DEE [shudder], I AM SO and ABED; plus the overly obscure CONURE and LASTEX.
A great theme can make up for some of these objections. A head-scratcher magnifies them.
ELIHU came 80% from perps.
I like "Stand up individual", "What an LP has and a CD lacks", and "They're underfoot."
On balance, though, I can't give this one an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
I got a FIW, with FLED instead of FLEW. ADE for "Wow," makes no sense, so that's on me.
Cool regards!
JzB
Very diplomatic, Steve, in trying to find something positive to say about this mess. Next time I see a Mel Rosen offering I think I'll skip it.
WJS (what Jinx Said...)
I should take a Thumper,
But,
What did The Pink Panther say when he stepped on an ant?
Dead Ant, dead ant,, dead aant deadant deadant (ETC...)
What did CED think when he saw the the theme answers?
Pedant, pedant,, pedaant, pedant (etc...)
HuskerG and BunnyM - I agree about the Japaneses Beetle traps - they just attract more! Several years ago I stopped using them and now I keep a close (LEFT) EYE on my roses in mid July. At the first sign of the beetles, I am out there every few hours with a short stick flicking them into a small container of water. They will eventually drown (don't let any rose petals fall into the water or they will climb on them and get away, the hardy little b'ers). Leave the container on the ground below the plants and the smell will deter other beetles. Continue for first few days especially and hopefully your flowers will be saved. Sounds gross but it seems to work. Sometimes I just pick my roses and bring them in the house to enjoy rather than let them attract and be eaten by the beetles.
Regarding oil changes -
Regular oil should be good for about 5000 miles of normal driving. Less, though, if it is mostly stop and go.
Expressway miles are easy on your vehicle, city driving is torture.
Synthetic oil should be good for up to 9000 miles - maybe more - of normal driving. My 200 monitors the condition of the oil and tells me when it needs to be changed.
Putting only a few hundred miles on a car in 9 months, if it's driven several times a week, is torture at its worst. With short trips, the engine never gets warmed up properly. I'd recommend getting the oil changed regardless of accumulated miles.
Cheers!
JzB
I join the negatives on this one. As I've said here before: the reliance of foreign languages knowledge has no place as a key in an English language puzzle. Occasionally, use of a foreign word or two is a proper "fit", but to use it as the key to solving the puzzle verges into elitism, in my opinion. Mr. Rosen: Shame on you!
I agree, in part, with Bobbi. My school was so darn small, English was the only language offered (I kid you not). Cornerites, having taken foreign language courses, had a better handle on this puzzle. 17a (senor; I knew what a tilde is) opened up the theme for me, and while I knew "soupcon" and "uber," I could not for the life of me figure out the accent marks. They ruined what I found to be a straightforward and easy fill, so a DNF. CONURE, ELIHU, and LASTEX were my Waterloo. Love listening to Paula Poundstone on NPR - she's a hoot.
Misty, take care of yourself! Quick healing thoughts coming your way.
My Honda Accord Sport requires synthetic oil which, according to the manual, is good for 10,000 miles and I receive a message on the dashboard screen when it's time to change it.
Misty:
Positive thoughts going your way for complete healing. The inconvenience of wearing bandages is worth saving your life.
I was watching an old Lone Ranger TV show from about 1955. Part of the dialogue included "Between you and me." Then I was watching a brand new Jay Leno's Garage about old cars. Dax Shepherd also said, "Between you and me." Geez...
(I've got to watch a lot of TV for the next week to try to help ignore the A/C installation hassle.)
* Every time you clean something, you just make something else dirty.
Misty - WCEhS. Wishing you a complete and speedy recovery.
JazzB - All good advice. Also, if PK bought the car 9 months ago, the filter may very well have been deteriorating for a year. The calendar starts when the engine is first started to drive it away from the assembly line.
"BÊTE - Our usual circumflexed word is tête. My understanding is the the circumflex stands in for an 's' that disappeared from the word a long time ago."
Dear Spitz:
You're right, so when you spell it out -- beste -- you see where our 'beast' came from, a thousand years or so ago.
this was ridiculous. For a Saturday it would be ridiculous. all the long clues foreign phrases? None of which has ever even made an appearance in the American culture that I know of. I did get Dee as I spell out letters at the sign of a question mark. But the obscure and the foreign doesn't make for a good crossword. I never notice creators but I am going to write this one down and skip Mr. Rosen's puzzles as a matter of course ! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
Never hurts to change oil. The reality is though that unless you are running two quarts low, its much more than likely ok. The amount of tiny metal filings that were present after manufacturing 30 years ago are largely a thing of the past. Filters can last years, but since oil and filters are so cheap why chance it?
I agree with the 'Consensus Cornerorum' -- this one was not fun at all.
It took half an hour to clear out 'sped' from 22d ... only to be left with 21a as 'lefteye'. Even after reading and rereading Steve's explication -- AND listening to a Dylan cut [which I did enough in the 60s to no longer enjoy] -- I only just now figured out 'profile' is as in a portrait. It's a lousy clue, because when I checked out U.S. coins, 'RightEye' is more often hidden.
Loved this one, but I'm glad I took my morning run before digging into it. I enjoy the challenge of this kind of poser and that's why I tolerate all of the trivia based puzzles, so I can get an occasional one like this.
Didn't like this one at all. Two thumbs down.
Bill G - Since we are talking about the object of a preposition - between - the objective case, me, should apply. I know usage patterns should sometimes govern, but classically speaking, 'me' is correct. That's how it's done in German except certain prepositions require the dative case.
Maybe YR will weigh in.
Ta- DAH!!
A monster of a pzl, a real love/hate concoction! Thanks, Mr. Rosen for your nasty genius! I can see how those who couldn't crack it must end up hating it. It demands three or four more leaps in logic than the average pzl. And anyone may protest along the way.
Anyway, I fully expected I'd need some Googling before I was done. But on my fifth or sixth re-examination of 29A I finally read your mind, Mel Rosen! BE-CIRCUMFLEX-TE was the only fill I'd completed - thanks to perps. And it made no sense until I stared it down and sounded it out. Bingo! (KENO?!)
The rest fell into place right away. Perps helped me with strange words, such as CONURE and SEDGE (a faintly remembered one).
Thank you, Steve for your confirmation and commentary.
Misty! Glad your procedure is over, and although it may not have been as smooth as you would like, I am sure all will be fine--and invisible--in about two to three weeks.
Visual Aid: To show you an example from my own surgery, here is the Scar, still fresh about three days afterward.
A month later, you can't see a thing.
You will be fine.
In my case I say "Dang!" As I wrote yesterday, I'd hoped for an old-fashioned Schmieß, but no such luck. In the old country, students would fake such scars, cutting themselves and rubbing salt or horsehair into the wounds.
Even those who came by their slashes on the honest edge of a saber would aggravate the cuts to make them indelible. I guess I didn't have the discipline.
Or am I just too old for such nonsense?
There are two sides (or more) to every puzzle,
and while today's was an Ass Kicker,
in Mel Rosen's defense,
it certainly provided the oil that
lubricated today's Blog...
This morning I went to the gym for my exercise class, came home and walked the dog, (BunnyM, 70* and 87% humidity was not pleasant), and sat down with the puzzle while I cooled off. Thanks for the challenge,Mel R., but this was way over my abilities. Steve, thanks for the write-up. I never would have understood it without you.
Have a fine Thursday.
Bill Graham:
It must be refreshing to hear English correctly spoken!
I had a very hard time with this puzzle and never did figure out the theme until reading Steve's explanation. I totally agree with Jazzbumpa @ 12:49 PM who said it more clearly than I could have (except I did get AWE and FLEW.)
Bill Graham, I believe "Between you and me" is correct.
Lucina, you drive a Honda Accord Sport? Woohoo! Nice car!
A few weeks ago, while our family from Arizona was here visiting us, we enjoyed a lovely evening of classic Weiner Schnitzel and sauerKRAUT at the nearby Naschmarkt Restaurant.
Misty, may you heal promptly and fully.
Best wishes to you all.
I got the theme at the SENOR TILDE and knew the UMLAUT uber UBER but have never heard of a CIRCUMFLEX or CEDILLA, nor do I care to remember them. The theme was fine but placing four foreign words for markings above letters surrounded by foreign words that use those markings made the puzzle unworkable.
LARVA- I got it but was thinking that there might have been some special name for a potential QUEEN BEE.
Northfield, MN school- it wasn't JESSE JAMES U? Oh, ST. OLAF
OCULISTS- a guess only because it fit the crosses
CONURE- unheard of and not filled crossing CEDILLA, another unknown and unheard of, which crossed LASTEX, which I also had never heard of before.
Too many unknowns today
My nomination for "Worst Puzzle of the Year", with an honorable mention of "most ridiculous theme". Also, "most terrible clueing".
Unbelievably bad. Shamefully bad. Ridiculously bad.
Mel Rosen has been constructing puzzles for almost 50 years, with 24 NYT puzzles published before Will Shortz became editor. We met him here in 2010 with a wonderful Interview conducted by C.C.
For those who found the puzzle un-doable reflect upon Gareth Bain's solving time of about 6 minutes. Even the easiest puzzles take me that long, not to mention Andy doing the NYT today in two and change.
Overall I loved it as it seemed to be really creative, but I know a few words in many languages. My grandfather spoke 9 fluently. The wonder of crossword puzzles is that one man's meat is another man's poison (or as Lucretius said it, "quod ali cibus est aliis fuat acre venenum"). Which brings me to "proper" English. While I too used to cringe when someone said "imply" when they meant "infer" or the 'I am good vs. I am well' dispute, the reality is language is dynamic, not static. Would you correct a student who wrote "one mans meate, is another mans poyson.” Well this is what playwright Thomas Middleton wrote in 1604. Relax and enjoy the one's you like and avoid the others.
WikWak- service people are probably required to pull cars into service bays as a result of what I came across about 12 years ago. It was at one of the Jiffy-Lube type places and the technician guiding the lady in got run over by her. I was driving down the street directly behind the police but before the ambulance made it there. Not a pretty scene with the body in the street.
Misty- I was taking selfies when the dermatologist was removing a melanoma from my face earlier this year. He used the Zero-Z (aka O-Z)technique instead of the Moh's surgery. He had to cut at least 1cm in all directions from the melanoma in a circle and pull skin from three directions. I had over 80 stitches and there are no visible scars.
I thought that I was going to finish never knowing what those long fill's gibberish meant. But there were enough fillable perps so I just kept going, diagonally, Jayce-style.
Underfoot? Well rats and cats both fit. Then I realized the Cleaver had nothing to do with TAXES.
I, too, finally noticed CIRCUMFLEX and slowly this underlubricated brain managed to turn over. UMLAUT has been used here and the theme explained having two "U"s leading off. I was sure that Arctic flier was an AUK.
Owen. I agree with the A but I don't get MARES on the moon.
So, I'm in the minority in giving thumbs up to Mel Rosen. Btw, the baseball Rosen was Al. He quit in his prime because he was to proud to accept the peanuts Cleveland was offering.
Organized Baseball kept the players in serfdom until Marvin Miller outsmarted them.
Misty, I'm glad you're home safe and healing. You'll have plenty of time to slog through the Friday and Saturday toughies.
WC
PS. We have three beautiful Red-breasted CONURES. I was surprised to see such an arcane clue.
Was there even a question? Aargh.
Yes, "Between you and me" is correct. Isn't it grating to hear "Between you and I" on many TV shows? It's a sign of somebody being "hypercorrect" (trying to sound more educated than they are) in the writers' room.
At such times, I wonder why neither the director nor the actor was able to catch it.
Misty--So sorry to hear that your surgery yesterday was more than you had expected. Thankfully it is over with, and it sounds from what others are saying who have had similar surgeries that you will heal well and quickly. Take care.
This puzzle pretty much sucked hind tit.
My goodness, it's so very moving to receive all your messages wishing me a good recovery today. Thank you TX Ms, Jinx, Lucina, Jayce, MJ, and Wilbur. Ol'Man Keith that's quite a scar! I'm so glad it healed completely! And Big Easy, 80 stitches! I must say I'm glad I had the Moh treatment, but am so glad yours healed so well too. We're all lucky to be able to get good medical care at times like this.
Call your local welding supply store and ask for #12 or #14 welding helmet lenses. NASA website says 12's are adequate and 14's might be too dark. My store only had 12's, so....
Misty, forgive me for getting lost in my thoughts about proper English so that I forgot about wishing you a speedy and complete recovery. Once again I learn so much from the Corner with all the surgical experiences you share.
Larry, no idea what you are talking about but good to see you.
Hey Windy! As fate would have it, we are in the totality zone, so we get to see this eclipse without so much as starting the car. I'm stoked!
I bought an old fashioned welding helmet last year in anticipation. I did upgrade the glass to #12, but they didn't have #14 available. The new self darkening helmets likely won't be as reliable, so i wouldnt trust those to stay dark when it's in transition. We've also bought some of the cardboard glasses, which work well. Evidently there's a number of knockoffs out there, and some are good, some are bad. The best advice I've seen is to try them out in full sun. If you can see anything other than the sun, pitch them. If the sun is the only thing you can see, you are likely good to go.
Please be aware that this is not to be taken as professional advice. I'm not a scientist, an oculist, a paid spokesperson, nor an attorney. Nor do i play any of these on TV. Truth told, im likely an idiot. If you should suffer damage to your eyes as a result from using eclipse glasses that do not meet the appropriate ISO rating, you are entirely on your own. This should go without saying, but it's blatantly apparent that too many folks these days can't think for themselves. Cheers!
Spitz, Lucina, Jayce, Keith et al: You're right of course. I meant to be complaining about their saying "Between you and I" but I got confused. Between the bad grammar and the A/C installation, I can't think or type straight. Rats!
Count me with the group who enjoyed Mr. Rosen's puzzle, probably because I figured out the theme early on.
- The word "swims" upside-down is still "swims".
Bill G - I kinda figured that was what might have happened. Good luck w/ your new A/C.
Good to see Windover earlier.
I didn't stand a snow-ball's chance in Hades on this one. Missteps didn't help nor did not being able to understand the clues much less parse the fill for the themers.
SENT IL-E OR? (D'Oh! HOd not HOe)
BE CIRCUMFLEX-E [Googled ALBERT for the T and that still didn't help]
SOUP C-ED---AON
--M LAU-BER
Thanks for the offer Mel. Others may have a BONE to pick but I'll just say... I AM SO not sure if I like the idea; it does seem like extreme-add-a-letter, which is original.
Thanks Steve for parsing the squares properly. Enjoyed the Dylan tune.
WOs: spEd @22d gave me pupal.* 2x Bzzt!
{B,A}
Good news Misty. Speedy-smooth recovery wishes your way!
Lem - thanks for the history on Mel. I feel like taking back some of what I just said :-)
Windhover - First, good to see you! I have a #10 helmet I purchased for the last partial eclipse we had; I'm only partially blind...
Nice to see you too AveJoe.
PAULA Poundstone [4m standup COMIC routine] is a staple on NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.
Cheers, -T
*yeah, I know it's the stage but I needed 5 letters!
Windhover, welcome! I miss you, amigo.
Also hated this puzzle. It was a little too "let me throw in all the languages phrases that I Googled up to sound artsy intelligent."
Lemonade, how kind you are, when you have your own more serious health issues to deal with. Thank you so much--I really appreciate this!
Oh, one more bit. I never got the M in MAD @60d 'cuz @22d was 'Went like MAD.' #IAMSOSORE :-)
Cheers, -T
Wilbur, Mares on the Moon. I'm amazed no one else here beat me to explaining this!
I enjoyed the interview with Mel Rosen. I thought that I'd come across him in the cruciverbalist world.
CIRCUMFLEX seems to be the English rendering of the French circonflexe. 55 years ago I recall my French teacher, Mme J., using the former in our "seulement francais" class.
Unfortunately, for my cruciverbalist career, I had no Latin in ELHI.
WC
PS. I see I earlier mixed up my "to" and "too".
Possibly the worst puzzle ever.
Sorry to say, it sucked.
I loved the originality of the theme. But some of the fill made me MAD.
Had CDS as something that might be ripped. Anyone else? With CMAJ as possible as AMAJ it made the NW my one failure.
I knew something was up when I saw AON as the ending to a long theme answer. I had taken French and Spanish among other languages so I knew those weird French accent terms.
I got it by recognizing one of those terms. I knew that 17A involved SENOR but struggled to figure out TILDE because of that obscure word HOD. Argh!
Other obscure words: CONURE (CANARY seemed intended to be a diversion?), LASTEX, ALBERT, LAHTI, ELIHU, LEOI
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