TITLE: Time To Move Your Vowels!
Throw in a generous dash of proper nouns, mythological creatures, Spanish and some muppets and you have the ingredients for a lovely Wednesday exercise. I caught on early and wondered what the fill for MUSS would be. Not to worry!
Let's first look at the theme fills from Kurt and Jan-Michele:
20. Sustained nuclear chain reaction requirement : CRITICAL MASS - This is an illustration of the reaching of critical mass in 1942 in an underground squash court at the University of Chicago as part of The Manhattan Project
27. Really botch things : MAKE A MESS - After spending $20B for 2,000 new trains, the French found out they are too wide for 1,300 platforms which will cost millions more to retrofit
35. Haphazard : HIT OR MISS - Ask Ford Motor Company
45. Edible seaweed : IRISH MOSS - Got any catsup?
51. A breeze to use, in adspeak : NO FUSS NO MUSS - Looks easy to me and more palatable than Irish Moss.
Kurt and Jan-Michele definitely did not aMASS a MESS and gathered no MOSS or MISS a trick in this MUSSless puzzle:
Across
1. Feathered Nile wader : IBIS
5. Tropical hardwoods : TEAKS
10. Title of respect : MAAM
14. Have a flat? : RENT
15. Barbera's partner in cartoons : HANNA - They had quite a stable
16. Sea eagle : ERNE
17. Designer Schiaparelli : ELSA crossing 2. __ Paese: Italian cheese : BEL (Beautiful country) got my Natick right up front and I got it, uh, right
18. Moving : ASTIR
19. Journalist Jacob : RIIS - His muckraking was very discomforting for Tammany Hall
23. Room where you may have to stoop : ATTIC - Anne Frank's hiding place
26. One working with dough : KNEADER - or with a puppy
31. Port and claret : WINES
32. __-Magnon : CRO
33. The Cowboys of the NCAA's Big 12 : OSU - Their sugar daddy Boone Pickens is an "awl man"
34. __ one's time: waited : BIDED
38. Tires (out) : POOPS
40. Give in to the munchies : EAT
41. __ green : PEA
44. Emmy nominee Fischer of "The Office" : JENNA - She played sensible Pam against Steve Carrell's eccentric Michael
48. 1992 Disney film featuring a magic lamp : ALADDIN
50. Wild West brothers : EARPS - Most famous residents of Pella, IA in their boyhood
55. Moscow news acronym : ITAR - Informatsionnye Telegrafnoye Agentstvto of Rossi (Information Telegraph Agency of Russia)
56. Retired racehorses, often : SIRES - Studs works too
57. Thames museum : TATE
61. 35-Down house : CASA and 35. Tegucigalpa's country : HONDURAS - Aquí están algunas CASAS en Tegucigalpa (Here are some homes in Tegucigalpa)
29. That, in Tegucigalpa : ESO - Es por ESO que podría ser agradable vivir allí (That is why it might be nice to live there)
62. "I give!" : UNCLE
63. Ticklish Muppet : ELMO - Oh, that's how it works!
64. Inexact figs. : ESTS
65. "My heavens!" : EGADS - Your EST was $400 and the bill is $1,200! EGADS!
66. Prince's "Purple __" : RAIN
Down
1. Intense anger : IRE
3. GEICO product: Abbr. : INS
4. One of Barbie's siblings : STACIE - I totally, for sure didn't know if it was spelled STACEY
5. Pad __ : THAI
6. Right direction? : EAST - A country boy is just as likely to say "Turn EAST" at the stop sign rather than "Turn Right".
7. Opposed : ANTI
8. Madison Square Garden hoopsters : KNICKS - Hopeless hoopsters recently
9. Clear wrap : SARAN
10. Mythological swimmers : MERMAIDS - How long do you have to be at sea to mistake one for the other?
11. Daughter of King Minos : ARIADNE - Associated with mazes and labyrinths
12. Liqueur flavoring : ANISEED - Also called ANISE. It's flavor is in many things but I love it in my black jellybeans!
13. Mr. and Mr. : MESSRS
21. HDTV maker : RCA
22. Explorer with Clark : LEWIS - They had it much tougher than Armstrong and Aldrin and were darn lucky to have Sacajawea!
23. "Preacher" network : AMC
24. Black goo : TAR
25. Ref's ruling : TKO - One of these quieted Rhonda Rousey
28. Zingers : MOTS - One of the kings:
30. More definite : SURER
34. Information units : BITS
36. Tablets that can't be swallowed : IPADS - What's a crayon?
37. __ tai : MAI
38. Jai alai balls : PELOTAS - Number 40 catches the PELOTA in his cesta and returns it. I wonder if one sips a Man Tai while watching Jai Alai?
39. Observing Ramadan, say : ON A FAST - My colleague in a multinational school in Brooklyn said Muslim kids didn't have much energy during Ramadan
41. __ favor : POR
42. Sixth sense letters : ESP - If you've seen Ghostbusters, you know he never had a chance
43. Stubborn beast : ASS
44. Muppet who plays lead guitar in The Electric Mayhem : JANICE
45. Baseball division : INNING - 33 of 'em!
46. Blokes : HE'S
47. Become an expert in : MASTER
49. Point of contention : ISSUE
52. Killer whale : ORCA
53. Blend : MELD
54. Doesn't allow to rust : USES - What moms might be saying this time of year
58. Mobile's st. : ALA
59. "Enough gory details, thanks" : TMI - ...and then the doctor had to...
60. Ages and ages : EON - Either a generic term for a long time or scientifically, a billion years
What say you?
Hi everyone!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Kurt and Jan-Michele and Gary!
Neat theme!
Things that I did not know: OSU, JENNA, STACIE and JANICE. But, it all worked out OK!
Hope to see you all tomorrow!
Thanks for dumpster remarks yesterday! Whole mess ended up costing 1175 clams. That huge dumpster was really full (got money's worth out of that)!
ReplyDeleteFIW twice this week, and it's only Wednesday?!‽¡ Misspelt AReADNE, but didn't realize it because the cross ReIS was an unknown. Guessed PaLOmAS (badminton can have birdies, Jai alai could have doves) Was befuddled by daNNA, ImAR, & dANICE. Between them, a total of 4 cells¡ Disgraceful!
ReplyDeleteI'll take my usual Thumper on a vowel progression.
ELSA said ELMO was too clingy!
Mommy ISSUES made him dingy!
She vented her IRE
To her listening SIRE,
Who calmed her, "Bakers are often KNEADY!"
ALADDIN had a magic lamp, it was made of brass.
He had but to rub it, his desires came to pass!
Would they give him bliss?
The result was HIT OR MISS,
He wished for apples and got IPADS, because Aladdin was an ASS!
{B+, B.}
For Gary:
ReplyDeleteHe settled back to watch a round of JAI ALAI
He had some appetizers to go with his MAI TAI.
He had just been at the park
Practicing his martial art,
He was a tai chi kind of guy!
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteI stumbled around in Arizona before finishing this one. JANICE and JENNA were unknown, and I'd accidentally written NO MUSS NO MUSS, so FAST wasn't obvious. The coffee finally kicked in and all was well. No, I never saw the theme. Thanx, Kurt, Jan-Michele and Steve.
This past weekend was no-sales-tax for back-to-school. Interpretation: d-o stayed home and avoided the crowd crush. Can't believe it's almost time for school to start again.
After MASS and MESS it was easy to guess the MISS, MOSS, and MUSS that would follow with the IRISH MOSS being a complete unknown. But for a Wednesday the proper names of unknowns made it a 'little' crunchy. I had a WAG at the cross or ARIADNE & RIIS. Jacob RIIS I'd seen before but really wasn't sure of the correct spelling.
ReplyDeleteI never knew Barbie had a sister, had no idea who JENNA Fischer was, was completely clueless as to the Muppet character was, ditto for "Preacher', and vaguely remembered PELOTA from years past. I was lucky to escape from the WEST. Without the NO FUSS, NO MUSS fill this puzzle would not have been completed correctly.
MAKE A MESS- New Orleans spent an absolute fortune on the pumps after Hurricane Katrina and guess what. A week ago, less than half of them were working. The place flooded again. There are five electrical generators that run on 25HZ instead of 60hz that supply electricity for the pumps. THREE were broken and one caught on fire, leaving only one generator for electrical supply . It wasn't enough. And I can't leave out our government.Tthe USA spent $800 Billion about eight years ago on 'shovel ready' projects and haven't made any messes yet.
Steady fun run this am with an entertaining explanation from HG! Good way to start the day!
ReplyDeleteOnly slowdown was I originally put MANIAC for the Muppet instead of JANICE - she was probably named for Janis Joplin.
Happy Hump Day, thanks Kurt and Jan-Michele!
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteLots of HONDURAn today, country, ESO, CASA. Liked the M (A E I O U) SS theme. couple WAGS but no problem with the solve J seemed a good pick for the JENNA/JANICE cross;, they were unknown to me.
10d - Gary: "how long to be at sea to mistake one for the other?" - - About 1hr 25 min.
LEWIS - Good map, Gary. The blue line is their return from Oregon. After crossing the Divide, Lewis and Clark split the expedition with Clark taking the southern route down the Yellowstone, while Lewis explored the Marias river in NW Montana. They met up again at the mouth of the Yellowstone, just west of the N. Dak. border. If you have interest, Undaunted Courage, by Stephen Ambrose is a very good book on the expedition. Sacajawea, reuniting with her brother, while arranging for horses, is a very poignant episode.
Thanks for the nice Friday puzzle, Kurt and Jan-Michele. Rich just published it two days early. I share the afore-mentioned unknowns and some of my own: ELSA, RIIS, ITAR (I had TASS), BEL, STACIE, ARIADNE, ANISEED, PELOTAS, JANIS, or IRISH MOSS (sounds like a happy hour special at The Tilted Kilt). So I had FOUR Natick WAGS and got them ALL right! I think I'll buy a Powerball ticket.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that "glue" didn't fit for "retired racehorses, often". Old, corney, junior high school joke of the day: How do they ensure that all the Ticklish Muppets are male? The factory gives them two test tickles before they pack them.
I got the theme early, including the vowel progression, and that helped. Nice misdirection with "Preacher" network - I was thinking CBN or whatever they call the television preachers' (with big hair and dimples) channel.
Thanks, Gary for a fine review. I think I've seen that reactor, or one like it. Maybe at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry?
Are 'MAAM'. "sIR" titles or modes of respectful
ReplyDeleteaddress ? 'ORDER OF BRITISH EMPIRE (OBE) etc are
not titles for KNIGHTHOOD ? Can someone enlighten ?
I would think that in most instances MA'AM is just a respectful address. However, if MA'AM operated a brothel, it could be a title.
ReplyDeleteI guess this one was easy for me because I had if finished before I realized there were things I didn't know! Jai Alai balls have names? And a muppet plays guitar? Even MERMAID I might have struggled with but MA'AM, ERNE, and RIIS filled in first. Thanks, Kurt and Jan-Michele.
ReplyDeleteI never did see the theme, either, till HG explained it. Thanks for the tour.
Big Easy, I guess discussing our local mess smacks of politics, but perhaps keeping our collective head above water is more than just politics. Someone asked me recently what my name, SwampCat, meant and I said, nothing....I don't live in a swamp. Ha! Maybe I spoke too soon!
Owen, thanks for the giggle.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was lots of fun with several learning moments. The only Muppets I know are Elmo, Ernie, Kermit and Miss Piggy. (I hope those are all Muppets as I get the Muppets mixed up with Sesame Street characters.) Anyway, Janice needed perps; I knew the J was correct because I've heard of Jenna Fisher, even though I've never seen The Office, I never knew that Barbie had a sister but Stacie was easy to infer. I love the name Ariadne for some reason. This Irish Miss never heard of Irish Moss but, again, it was easy to infer. Pelotas surfaced after a couple of letters were filled in and Jacob Riis is always a gimme because of that unusual spelling and his place in history.
Thank you, Kurt and Jan-Michele, for a mid-week treat with the perfect amount of crunchiness and thank you, HG, for the dazzling, and I mean dazzling!, review. Your prose sparkled and your visuals were so vibrant and colorful, I almost needed sunglasses! 😎
Have a great day.
Good grief! I mistook Husker for Steve! Apologies all-round.
ReplyDelete46. blokes=he's blokes is plural, he's is a contraction, and not plural. Even hes as plural is sketchy...
ReplyDeleteWe are back home after spending a relaxing week with my youngest sister and Alan in a housekeeping cottage at North Bend, State Park, WV. My older sister joined us for three days and my middle sister joined us for one day. Good family time. Wonderful scenery. I love the drive through the mountains. We have rented cottages or cabins in various WV state parks for more than 40 summers .
ReplyDeleteThursday we visited Blennerthassett Island and toured the beautiful reconstructed mansion there. Harman Blennerhassett funded Aaron Burr’s attempt to form a break away country in what is now the western United States. They were caught and tried for treason and eventually acquitted. Blennerhassett’s reputation was ruined. He lost his mansion and all his assets. He spent the rest of his life in poverty. I had never heard of him. Very interesting tour. We accessed the island by a boat ride which Alan enjoyed.
Wikipedia
I missed you all and thought of you every morning. . Easy puzzle today, Tuesday-like. Gary, sparkling expo, as usual.
Dictionary.com says the plural of he is hes.
“noun, plural hes.”
“hes and shes.”
Ma’am is a title. My research says titles can be used without a name or in place of a name. Yes, ma’am, is an example of a title used in place of a name.
Hi Y'all! Fun puzzle with an easy-to-get theme. Thanks, Kurt & J-M. Thanks, Gary!
ReplyDeleteMy unknowns were pretty much WEES with good perps & WAGs, I got 'er done faster than usual.
Thanks for the info on the Lewis & Clark expedition. Always of interest.
SwampCat & Big Easy: thank you for the info on the New Orleans flooding. That's not politics. That's insanity! Of course, this is the week my granddaughter is supposed to be moving into a dorm at Loyola there. I can't get ahold of my daughters or SILs to find out what they are doing. My anxiety level is somewhat elevated. They never seem to listen to news or weather reports.
INS,TMI,ALA,ESTS,ITAR,ESP,MAI,BEL,RCA,HES,TKO,AMC.
ReplyDeleteThree references to Tegucigalpa and no Mr. and Mr. clue,as "in Bordeaux"?
The phrase is "No muss, no fuss", not the other way around.
Have a flat? RENT?
Finished, but what a SLOG just to get AEIOU.
No stars from me.
Thanks to Kurk, Jan-Michelle and Gary!
ReplyDeleteNO FUSS NO MUSS for me. It all worked out in record time, even the unknowns JANICE and JENNA and ITAR, an almost three-way Natick but solved with a lucky guess.
Of course I had to love all the Spanish! I wonder if Tegucigalpa is special for the constructors. Maybe they'll stop by and tell us.
We find MOTS alone again without its bon.
Spitz:
That is really interesting about Lewis and Clark and thanks for the book reference. I love historical novels and shall add that to my list. I see, too, that Ken Follett has a new one coming out in September.
I hope you all are having an exceptional day!
PK, Loyola is in the uptown area of the city and is generally higher than most. Contrary to popular belief, the whole city is not below sea level and parts of it never flood. I've never had a house that flooded. The school has greater resources than most, also, and they will keep the students safe.
ReplyDeleteWe have had sunny mornings recently, and scattered showers in the past few afternoons. Really nothing to worry about.
I do understand your worrying! We all do when our little ones are out of the nest....even if those little ones are in college!
You might be reassurred by more information about the flooding we had two weekends ago. It was very unusual. In parts of the city, 10 inches of rain fell in about three hours. It poured!! That is VERY unusual.
As Big Easy said, the flooding was made much worse that particular Saturday because the pumps that pump the rainwater off the streets and into the lake were not working properly. We are all mad about that.... But the issue is being addressed.
Your granddaughter is in the safest place she could be!! The ground is high and the school will have all the resources they need. They will have the latest weather reports and the best warning system..... if it is even needed!
And she is in a great school in a fascinating city!! She'll have a grand adventure awaiting her!
Keep in touch if you have more questions or concerns.
Good day to all!
ReplyDeleteA few unknowns today, such as ELSA Schiaparelli and the fact that Barbie had siblings, but it seemed reasonable to WAG an "A" at their crossing. Same with the "J' where JENNA Fischer and JANICE the muppet crossed. Thanks to Kurt and Jan-Michele for the puzzle, and thank you Husker Gary for the grand tour.
OMK--So sorry to hear that you are facing another Mohs surgery. Wishing you the best.
Jayce--Congratulations and kudos to your granddaughter on her thespian achievements. Quite impressive.
Enjoy the day!
SwampCat: Thank you for your words of comfort. I'm glad to hear that Loyola is on high ground and you'd think that a school founded by a religious order would have the ear of a higher power to keep students safe. This is a smart capable girl, but she is the only child doted on by parents and childless aunt & uncle, so I am not sure she is ready to be so far from her support group and 3 dogs. Time will tell. She may be fleeing from this "helicopter squadron" to gain some personal freedom, sad to say.
ReplyDeleteHusker: I enjoyed your write-up more than this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteD-N-F ... Didn't get the "J" for JENNA or JANICE ... both complete unknowns.
Though I did notice the "A-E-I-O-U" vowel progression in the themes.
Since "The Sun is over the Yardarm" ... it is time for an OUZO ...
So I guess my fave today was 12-d, ANISEES.
Cheers!
Well, I just loved this puzzle until I got to the southwest, and then it kind of fell apart. I just don't know Jai Alai and also didn't know JENNA or ITAR, so I goofed on two letters. But I loved the theme--got it early--and everything else just fell into place so smoothly that it was still a lot of fun. So, many thanks Kurt and Jean-Michelle, and you too, Husker.
ReplyDeleteHave a great Wednesday, everybody!
Back to the party today and recovering from grandchildren's visit! Thanks for the fun Kurt and Jan-Michelle, and Husker Gary.
ReplyDeleteI did see the vowel progression and almost had NO MUSS. But like others, the SW as a MESS with JENNA, JANICE, ITAR. I'll blame my MISS on fatigue. But I see that I also had a FIW in the NE since I used E instead of I in RIIS/ADRIADNE cross.
I did know HONDURAS.
I smiled when I saw POOPS since I heard that from the 3 year old. I did not hear ASS (thankfully).
I also smiled at the IPADS clue.
Hand up for Stacey before STACIE.
My information units began as Byte but plural changed it to BITS.
Enjoy the day. Beautiful here.
Once I got MASS and MESS I went ahead and entered MISS, MOSS, and MUSS. Those turned out to be correct, but TASS had to give way to ITAR, TERN to ERNE, and STUDS to SIRES. I liked the clue/answer Mr. and Mr./MESSRS but wrinkled my nose at HES. There sure were many 3-letter entries today. Interesting that Tegucigalpa was used three times. Hand up for WAGging the J at JANICE and JENNA, both of whom I did not know.
ReplyDeleteI have been reading the news about the pumps not working in New Orleans. To coin a word: disgraceful. 25Hz, eh?
Thank you, Gary, for your terrific write-up and illustrations!
From last night, Picard, I laughed out loud at "Richard Stanz."
Best wishes to you all.
Anon@12:07: Mr. and Mr. (how many read that as Mr. and Mrs.?) is correct, the plural of mister is misters, but the plural in English of Mr. (Which is short form of Master) is Messrs. If that seems illogical, then how is Mrs. said without an R?
ReplyDeleteThe order of FUSS and MUSS bugs me to, but constructors must be given some license, or we would have used up all possible grids long ago.
Flat may be British for apartment, but it's well known enough to pass. Look at it this way, the rest of the clue was also in British as an indicator of the foreign language!
Oops, you say Picard made a late visit again? I usually check.
ReplyDeleteThis had TV guide level difficulty except I WAGed the J's but missed ITAR. I had an M. As in PALOMAR. I think that's where a telescope is? Eh?
I agree, great write-up Gary. And all in all a fun xword. CC usually doesn't cross the Naticks. These were more like Dovers*
I have Sirius Radio Classics and they had an old one about the L&W expedition and zeroing in on Sacajewa. She apparently saved their butt or ASS a few times. Once when a Buffalo stampede was averted by her neat use of an Indian blanket.
WC
* A town five miles SSE of Natick. A town where Cabots and Lowells come to visit the Saltonstalls when they're not speaking "only to God".
I found Picard and "Richard Stanz". I always confused "Gramma" and "Calvary". I always hoped the Cavalry might arrive at the last minute on good Friday.
ReplyDeleteBut my Gramma certainly never conjugated, perish the thought.
Boy and I thought I posted late. Btw, I'm still messing with the NYT Sunday. Not 0813 but 0806; it's in TBTimes. I know some of you do it behind closed doors.
Speaking of newspapers: Garrison Keillor had an article. I won't mention his political rambling but he was listing the subjects the old folks talk about*. One is the abject misery of attending a spouse's HS reunion.
I certainly second that except I'm pondering inviting Betsy to my 55th in October. ???
WC
* Old folks as in this corner except located in the country. I have those conversations all the time in my shuttle and have perfected neutrality. I did find that the Clark Kents of this world certainly disagree with the Times and Posts of this world.
"What say you?"
ReplyDeleteI say, "Ta- DA!"
Glad I remembered RIIS and JENNA and JANICE and other proper names that weren't pinned down by perps.
I am fascinated by the illustration posted by our Husker for CRITICAL MASS. What's going on in that picture? Are there three people locked under water? I hope they weren't indispensable. I'm uncertain but maybe they're POW physicists captured from Heisenberg's team.
MJ @12:31pm
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sympathy. I really don't mind the surgery. But at 8:30 am?
C'mon!
And thanks to all who expressed concern yesterday. Sorry I didn't get back to you individually. This skin cancer thing is a real pest, but so far (fingers crossed!) it hasn't been serious. Not yet.
I guess I deserve it. For over twenty years I was a true sun-worshipper. I was never a surfer, but I swam in the ocean just about every day, from Virginia Beach on the east coast down to Sarasota on the Gulf. In California from Newport Beach down to San Onofre, and from nude beaches to fun-times-with-the-family.
Now I just hope I keep catching these cancerous and precancerous eruptions before they become more than "skin-deep."
Everybody, please take heed. After a certain age (70?), please have regular checkups with a dermatologist. These things look harmless, from freckles to flaky skin, so are easy to ignore. Catch them early!
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteEldest is almost settled into her dorm and I finally got to sit down with the puzzle while her & DW went shopping (whew, got out of that! :-))
Thanks Kurt & Jan-Michele for a fun vowel-run but I FIW w/ 3 bad blocks. I had vaNNA for Mrs. Fischer and an O for RIIS's first I.
Thanks HG for the sparkly expo. Loved the Ghostbuster's bit.
WOs: AbC b/f AMC, ESt b/f ESO @29d.
ESPs: Oh, about all the names...
Fav: IRISH MOSS, just 'cuz it's only one vowel amiss of a shout-out to our very own...
{B+,A; B}
Spitz - LOL @ ~1h25m!
Welcome back YR. Glad to hear you had a good time. BTW, you missed 2 nights' ago's post re: writing on Freakonomics.
My task MESSRS, or MASTERs as per OKL, are on their way back so gotta run.
Cheers, -T
owen: two or more Mrs. can be termed Mesdames or were in a social column in a newspaper in our area when I was growing up.
ReplyDeleteYR: Welcome back. Some of us expressed missing you the other day. I'm glad Alan was well enough to go. If a trip to the mountains doesn't perk up a person, nothing will.
Thank you for thinking of me. I went back and read Freakonomics. So my always poor handwriting which is getting worse made me a poor student. Not! Bunk.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I prefer pen on paper for crosswords, I think and compose better at a computer.
I can get my thoughts down faster. I can rearrange paragraphs, choose a better word, go back and revise as my thoughts begin to flow.
Cursive is being replaced by printing and typing.The transition will be rough because young people cannot read cursive. Cursive is going the way of the horse and buggy. In the 1960's my engineering student boyfriend me sent me love letters which he printed.
Interesting about the French train goof, Husker Gary. I wish we had their problem! 2,000 sleek new high speed trains. That is 2,000 more than we have. And I am sure they will fix their MESS tout de suite! A country is not civilized until it has high speed rail.
ReplyDeleteGlad that my late posts occasionally get viewed and that Richard Stanz brought some levity!
Today's theme was fun and I got it quickly. But I was not at all pleased with all of the Naticks. So very unfair.
I FIR by lucky WAGs but I see from others they were tripped up.
JENNA/JANICE/PELOTAS/ITAR may be a record for unfair crossings at one spot!
I know ANISE as it grows wild here. Never heard it called ANISEED which made the crossing with RIIS unfair.
We had MOT recently. Otherwise it was unfair to cross it with OSU. BEL/ELSA another lucky Natick WAG. AMC also unknown, but the crosses were solid.
I love eating seaweed. But I never heard of IRISH MOSS.
Picard - I, too read and usually enjoy your posts. But it seems to me you're throwing around the word unfair pretty loosely. The fact that you haven't heard of or don't use a word doesn't render it unfair - even if two of them cross. It's called a puzzle for a good reason.
ReplyDeleteI also wonder what people are thinking when they complain about needing "perps" - after all, it IS a CROSSword puzzle - to me the beauty of the thing is the way the words intersect and complete each other. I always solve both directions simultaneously; That's the only way I can get a hint that my guess for one direction or the other may or may not be right.
And Husker - I always enjoy your comments, writeups, and links. But I have noticed that you occasionally use apostrophe s for plural (as in this blog @ 46-d - noted by Anon @ 0939). It's suprising to me that a teacher would do that. Several others here also do it and the only reason I mention it is that I consider all of you so erudite that it surprises and distresses me to see such ordinarily elegant users of language committing such blatant errors.