Theme: "King of Horror" - to celebrate Stephen King's 70th birthday, four of his very extensive fiction catalog begin the four theme entries:
17A. Measurement based on inflation and unemployment rates : MISERY INDEX. For 2016 Venezuela was ranked most miserable and Japan least miserable.The US was ranked towards the least miserable end of the scale.
24A. "Postcards From the Edge" author : CARRIE FISHER. Sadly, recently passed.
38A. Smart comment? : IT HURTS. Nice! Smart in the lemon-juice-in-the-nick-in-your-finger sense.
52A. Semipermeable biological barrier : CELL MEMBRANE. Osmosis: "a process by which molecules of a solvent tend to pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one, thus equalizing the concentrations on each side of the membrane.". Phew.
and the reveal:
62A. Author born 9/21/1947 who penned the starts of 17-, 24-, 38- and 52-Across : STEPHEN KING
C.C.'s tribute to Stephen King on his birthday. The reveal did nothing to help me, as I've mentioned before, I don't do horror books nor movies, they scare me to death and make me cry. I saw "The Exorcist", "The Omen" and "Carrie" in short order in my youth. I slept with the lights on for about a year, and even now I can't listen to Side 2 of "Tubular Bells".
Fun puzzle, crunchy Thursday cluing and a couple of trademark long downs - and A-ROD making an appearance on C.C.'s watch.
Let's see what else we've got to talk about:
Across:
1. Hopped out of bed : AROSE. Oh, the energy of youth. I stagger out of bed nowadays, stumble on a good day on the way to go hike.
6. Challenge for Santa's dry-cleaner : SOOT. I remember as a small boy asking my mother if we were getting our chimneys swept in time for Christmas. Then we got central heat installed, and I could not figure out how Santa was going to get into the house.
10. Medicine __, Alberta : HAT. Nailed it!
13. OPEC, for one : CARTEL
15. Radius neighbor : ULNA. Arm-bone pairing.
16. Sworn statement : I DO. "... the truth, the whole truth and nothing but .."
19. X, at times : TEN
20. Tesla Motors co-founder Musk : ELON. Space-X bloke too. He seems to know his tech. Did you see that Tesla came in for a lot of flak when they remotely "turned on" the extra mileage range capability of the cheaper models for drivers evacuating Florida in advance of Hurricane Irma?
21. "Inside Politics" channel : CNN
22. Poet laureate, e.g. : TITLE. My favorite UK Poet Laureate was Ted Hughes, a surprising choice as his poetry was often about subjects such as dead carrion and lines such as:
Not exactly the stuff of "Happy Birthday to the Queen" poems, a requirement of the Laureate.
28. Where Moses received the Ten Commandments, for short : MT. SINAI
31. Colorful fall tree : MAPLE
32. Put together : BUILT
33. Instagram upload, briefly : PIC. Apparently I have an Instagram account, which comes as something of a surprise considering I've never used it.
34. Three-time A.L. MVP : A-ROD. The first with the Texas Rangers, the subsequent two with the Yankees.
37. "Is there more?" : AND?
42. Baja she-bear : OSA. OSO is he-bear. A bunch of bears of mixed sexes are OSOS, the plural takes the male form. Can you tell I've been paying attention in Spanish class?
43. Understands : SEES
45. Solar wind particle : ION
46. Song of worship : PSALM
48. Off-white color : PEARL. I tried PEACH first, mentally justifying this highly curious solution to the fact that there are white peaches. I question my decision-making sometimes.
50. It may be reckless : ABANDON
55. Big glitch : SNAFU. I think it was last week we had the conversation about the meaning of the "F".
56. Inhospitable : ICY
57. 2000s Chevy : AVEO. Thank you crosses, never paid attention to one.
61. Signature piece? : PEN and ink. My signature is now a couple of wiggles and a line tailing off
66. Biblical craft : ARK
67. Roof edge : EAVE
68. "Mad About You" co-star : REISER. Thank you, crosses.
69. "But, mom!" evokers : "NO"S
70. Zoomed : SPED
71. Drumroll drum : SNARE
Down:
1. Top : ACME
2. Scenic overlook safety feature : RAIL. There's a lot of these on Mulholland Drive a the top of Hollywood Hills near me. It still doesn't stop cars plunging off the road, there's generally an incident every couple of years.
3. Driving directions qualifier : OR SO. "Make a right, then go half a mile or so and it's on the left. Oh wait, no. Make a LEFT, then go a quarter mile or so, then it's on the RIGHT. No, wait ...". Thank goodness Google Maps is more precise.
4. Sign maker's aid : STENCIL
5. Always, in sonnets : E'ER
6. Denomination of most Iraqi Kurds : SUNNI
7. Unlike spring chickens : OLD. Hand up. See 1A for bed-staggering.
8. Person : ONE
9. Advice for an e-filer : TAX TIP
10. Get going : HIT THE ROAD. Cue Ray Charles
11. One-named "All I Ask" singer : ADELE. Sorry, Ms. Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, Ray just snuck in with my music link for the day.
12. Skin care product : TONER
14. Sports bra fabric : LYCRA
18. Cross characters : INRI. Christian imagery.
23. Land surrounded by agua : ISLA. Yay! More Spanish!
25. Not pro : ANTI
26. Bahrain bigwig : EMIR
27. One of John Adams' "stubborn things" : FACT. "Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." Smart chap, that Adams fella.
28. Corp. execs' degrees : MBAS
29. Use a fork, perhaps : TUNE. I have a tuning fork in E to tune my guitars to concert pitch. I never use it, the electronic ones are quicker.
30. Exercises that strengthen obliques : SIDE PLANKS. I came across the most bizarre leotard design ever when I went to look for an example of the side plank. I can't not use it.
33. "Sign language is pretty handy," e.g. : PUN
35. Nobel Prize city : OSLO
36. Butler's last word : DAMN. That's when he dropped the teapot in her Ladyship's lap. It was his last word before he was fired. Or, it might have been "Gone with the Wind". Perhaps.
39. Flag : TIRE
40. "Chariots of Fire" Oscar nominee Ian : HOLM. He played the legendary athletics coach Sam Mussabini.
41. Time period : SPAN
44. __-service : SELF
47. Enter surreptitiously : SNEAK IN
49. Makes giggle : AMUSES
50. Cat's back shape, at times : ARCH. Accompanied by hissing, if said cat is riled about something.
51. Tylenol rival : BAYER
52. Political channel : C-SPAN
53. Calendario month : ENERO. Nailed it! I can confidently recite them all now.
54. Two-footer : BIPED
58. Authorization to enter a country : VISA. I first came here on an H1B visa which allowed me to work, but only for the company who sponsored me. Mutterings of "Indentured Servitude" accompanied bad days at work.
59. Fed. power dept. : ENER.
60. Barbarian : OGRE
63. __ water : TAP
64. Holiday threshold : EVE
65. Nintendo's Super __ console : NES. All together everyone: "Nintendo Entertainment System".
Cue the grid!
Steve
17A. Measurement based on inflation and unemployment rates : MISERY INDEX. For 2016 Venezuela was ranked most miserable and Japan least miserable.The US was ranked towards the least miserable end of the scale.
24A. "Postcards From the Edge" author : CARRIE FISHER. Sadly, recently passed.
38A. Smart comment? : IT HURTS. Nice! Smart in the lemon-juice-in-the-nick-in-your-finger sense.
52A. Semipermeable biological barrier : CELL MEMBRANE. Osmosis: "a process by which molecules of a solvent tend to pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one, thus equalizing the concentrations on each side of the membrane.". Phew.
and the reveal:
62A. Author born 9/21/1947 who penned the starts of 17-, 24-, 38- and 52-Across : STEPHEN KING
C.C.'s tribute to Stephen King on his birthday. The reveal did nothing to help me, as I've mentioned before, I don't do horror books nor movies, they scare me to death and make me cry. I saw "The Exorcist", "The Omen" and "Carrie" in short order in my youth. I slept with the lights on for about a year, and even now I can't listen to Side 2 of "Tubular Bells".
Fun puzzle, crunchy Thursday cluing and a couple of trademark long downs - and A-ROD making an appearance on C.C.'s watch.
Let's see what else we've got to talk about:
Across:
1. Hopped out of bed : AROSE. Oh, the energy of youth. I stagger out of bed nowadays, stumble on a good day on the way to go hike.
6. Challenge for Santa's dry-cleaner : SOOT. I remember as a small boy asking my mother if we were getting our chimneys swept in time for Christmas. Then we got central heat installed, and I could not figure out how Santa was going to get into the house.
10. Medicine __, Alberta : HAT. Nailed it!
13. OPEC, for one : CARTEL
15. Radius neighbor : ULNA. Arm-bone pairing.
16. Sworn statement : I DO. "... the truth, the whole truth and nothing but .."
19. X, at times : TEN
20. Tesla Motors co-founder Musk : ELON. Space-X bloke too. He seems to know his tech. Did you see that Tesla came in for a lot of flak when they remotely "turned on" the extra mileage range capability of the cheaper models for drivers evacuating Florida in advance of Hurricane Irma?
21. "Inside Politics" channel : CNN
22. Poet laureate, e.g. : TITLE. My favorite UK Poet Laureate was Ted Hughes, a surprising choice as his poetry was often about subjects such as dead carrion and lines such as:
"... Till, with a sudden sharp hot stink of fox
It enters the dark hole of the head."
Not exactly the stuff of "Happy Birthday to the Queen" poems, a requirement of the Laureate.
28. Where Moses received the Ten Commandments, for short : MT. SINAI
31. Colorful fall tree : MAPLE
32. Put together : BUILT
33. Instagram upload, briefly : PIC. Apparently I have an Instagram account, which comes as something of a surprise considering I've never used it.
34. Three-time A.L. MVP : A-ROD. The first with the Texas Rangers, the subsequent two with the Yankees.
37. "Is there more?" : AND?
42. Baja she-bear : OSA. OSO is he-bear. A bunch of bears of mixed sexes are OSOS, the plural takes the male form. Can you tell I've been paying attention in Spanish class?
43. Understands : SEES
45. Solar wind particle : ION
46. Song of worship : PSALM
48. Off-white color : PEARL. I tried PEACH first, mentally justifying this highly curious solution to the fact that there are white peaches. I question my decision-making sometimes.
50. It may be reckless : ABANDON
55. Big glitch : SNAFU. I think it was last week we had the conversation about the meaning of the "F".
56. Inhospitable : ICY
57. 2000s Chevy : AVEO. Thank you crosses, never paid attention to one.
61. Signature piece? : PEN and ink. My signature is now a couple of wiggles and a line tailing off
66. Biblical craft : ARK
67. Roof edge : EAVE
68. "Mad About You" co-star : REISER. Thank you, crosses.
69. "But, mom!" evokers : "NO"S
70. Zoomed : SPED
71. Drumroll drum : SNARE
Down:
1. Top : ACME
2. Scenic overlook safety feature : RAIL. There's a lot of these on Mulholland Drive a the top of Hollywood Hills near me. It still doesn't stop cars plunging off the road, there's generally an incident every couple of years.
3. Driving directions qualifier : OR SO. "Make a right, then go half a mile or so and it's on the left. Oh wait, no. Make a LEFT, then go a quarter mile or so, then it's on the RIGHT. No, wait ...". Thank goodness Google Maps is more precise.
4. Sign maker's aid : STENCIL
5. Always, in sonnets : E'ER
6. Denomination of most Iraqi Kurds : SUNNI
7. Unlike spring chickens : OLD. Hand up. See 1A for bed-staggering.
8. Person : ONE
9. Advice for an e-filer : TAX TIP
10. Get going : HIT THE ROAD. Cue Ray Charles
11. One-named "All I Ask" singer : ADELE. Sorry, Ms. Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, Ray just snuck in with my music link for the day.
12. Skin care product : TONER
14. Sports bra fabric : LYCRA
18. Cross characters : INRI. Christian imagery.
23. Land surrounded by agua : ISLA. Yay! More Spanish!
25. Not pro : ANTI
26. Bahrain bigwig : EMIR
27. One of John Adams' "stubborn things" : FACT. "Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." Smart chap, that Adams fella.
28. Corp. execs' degrees : MBAS
29. Use a fork, perhaps : TUNE. I have a tuning fork in E to tune my guitars to concert pitch. I never use it, the electronic ones are quicker.
30. Exercises that strengthen obliques : SIDE PLANKS. I came across the most bizarre leotard design ever when I went to look for an example of the side plank. I can't not use it.
33. "Sign language is pretty handy," e.g. : PUN
35. Nobel Prize city : OSLO
36. Butler's last word : DAMN. That's when he dropped the teapot in her Ladyship's lap. It was his last word before he was fired. Or, it might have been "Gone with the Wind". Perhaps.
39. Flag : TIRE
40. "Chariots of Fire" Oscar nominee Ian : HOLM. He played the legendary athletics coach Sam Mussabini.
41. Time period : SPAN
44. __-service : SELF
47. Enter surreptitiously : SNEAK IN
49. Makes giggle : AMUSES
50. Cat's back shape, at times : ARCH. Accompanied by hissing, if said cat is riled about something.
51. Tylenol rival : BAYER
52. Political channel : C-SPAN
53. Calendario month : ENERO. Nailed it! I can confidently recite them all now.
54. Two-footer : BIPED
58. Authorization to enter a country : VISA. I first came here on an H1B visa which allowed me to work, but only for the company who sponsored me. Mutterings of "Indentured Servitude" accompanied bad days at work.
59. Fed. power dept. : ENER.
60. Barbarian : OGRE
63. __ water : TAP
64. Holiday threshold : EVE
65. Nintendo's Super __ console : NES. All together everyone: "Nintendo Entertainment System".
Cue the grid!
Steve
59 comments:
Greetings!
Many thanks to C. C. and Steve!
Stephen King is only 70, Steve!!!
I no longer can tolerate his work.
Things that were perped a bit: SIDE PLANKS, HOLM and NES (can't believe it).
Did I tell you that my evil neighbor had someone climb up a ladder, clip my palm trees and throw all od the dead stuff on top of my other trees? He's a real sweetheart.
Hope to see you all tomorrow!
That's "of" not "od." Duh.
Hi Y'all! Enjoyed this most recent opus of our C.C., but it was not a speed run. Always enjoy your "limey" expo, Steve. (Indentured servitude, indeed. A reality for many of our ancestors.)
Last to fill was the "C" in the PIC/FACT cross, along with the whole IT HURTS/PUN/HOLM/ION/TIRE section. Flag =TIRE was slow to come. Didn't know Ian HOLM. Should have got PUN after the great ones yesterday. Loved the FACT quote from J. Adams. FACTs are so stubborn they refuse to attach to certain Politicians. C'mon name one, you can do it.
Never heard of SIDE PLANKS and my abs would attest to that. I got SIDE then waited for ESP. Does that look like Melania PLANKing in Steve's PIC?
Don't read STEPHEN KING either after the "Exorcist" blew my mind. CARRIE was the only TITLE I was sure of. I'd read "Postcards From the Edge" when it came out eons ago. Forgot who wrote it so it took a few perps.
My MISERY INDEX is based on very different factors than stated in the clue (ie. amount of sleep, food & pain).
Sorry there haven't been any poems lately. Those of you who have dealt with bi-polar depression will understand "black days". 'Nuff said, except that recovery is in process, probably not complete.
FIR, but needed the reveal to get the theme, so not a good result for me. I should have seen it, too, being a SF fan. Horror isn't my thing, and I've never read any of King's novels, but the overlap between horror and science fiction means I'm moderately familiar with his oeuvre anyway, though CELL would have thrown me off since I've never heard of that one.
Also never heard of SIDE PLANK or obliques. Nor OGRE equated with barbarian.
There was a barbarian challenged an OGRE,
They fought and they rassled, rolled over and over!
With reckless ABANDON
They went hand-to-hand on,
They were TIRED and HURT -- for a four-leaf clover!
Math isn't my strong suit, but I think if Stephen King was born in 1947 he is celebrating is 70th birthday, not his 80th.
Good morning!
Thanks for the challenge, C.C., and for the expo, Steve. I wanted Medicine BOW, but that's in Wyoming, not Alberta. PEARL is an off-white color? I know we call teeth PEARLy whites, but I still think of PEARL as silvery rather than whitish. By the time I learn AROD's name, he'll probably be retired.
I'm always amused by the "Guard RAIL Damage Ahead" road signs. You're not supposed to hit 'em. But you've been warned not to hit this one...somebody beat you to it.
PK, Stephen didn't write The Exorcist.
I was quite old when I learned that INRI is not a misspelling of the memo-related IN RE. OK, very old.
Quick run thru today. I enjoyed the two long non-themed entries and laughed at the pun. Nice clean puzzle, thanks CC and Steve.
Having never heard of PLANKS, HOLM, REISER or NES, and for some reason not thinking of PEARL as off white, I was left with blanks. I really don't like nor do I do well when there are so many names, especially unguessables like ELON. I took a long time to correct my guess there of ALAN. Sorry, C.C.
Nice and steady for a Thursday. I don't read horror either, but I had heard of several of these - more from the movies I didn't watch either. CELL sounds more like a science sci-fi then a King novel, but easily filled in by the clue.
Thanks CC and Steve!
Good morning all!
Thanks to CC. for a clever CW tribute to STEPHEN KING on his 70th birthday! He is one of my favorite authors but I've never actually read CARRIE(saw the movie) and didn't finish CELL. I'm not a huge fan of gory horror but do enjoy his works that explore the good and evil of humans, the supernatural and ghosts (such as The Shawshank Redemption, MISERY, The Green Mile, Bag of Bones, Insomnia and my absolute favorite was 11/22/63 - about the assassination of JFK and time travel) And while I did enjoy IT and the characters/story, I have no desire to see the movie that's out now. No freaky, creepy, evil clowns for me!
Thanks, Steve for a fun tour- I always enjoy learning about your life and the experiences you share with us :)
Like Steve, I also had Peach/PEARL I was thinking of white peaches and the peach colored crayons we used for skin tones. Didn't seem quite right though and then I realized why with the crosses of TIRE and HOLM
My only other w/o was for BUILT- I had Build.
PK- I loved your MISERY INDEX comment! I feel the same so it gave me a good chuckle :)
Our next trip to ISLA Mujeres is next month- can't wait...
Off to the doctor to go over some blood test results that are "of concern". DAMN, it's always something.... ;)
Hope everyone has a wonderful day!
Not ever having read any of King's books, I had no idea as to what the theme would be. That being said, I had very little trouble finishing the puzzle with the late CARRIE FISHER and HOLM as the only unknowns filled by perps.
Steve, check your math. King is 70, not 80.
FIR. I'm not a Stephen King fan, but have heard of three out of four novels, not Cell. I needed the reveal to get the author connection.
Medicine BOW I knew was wrong, but it took a perp to get HAT.
I was looking askance at PEACH. Really? Then I was relieved to find PEARL.
Bigwig originated from the towering wigs the rich, important men wore in Bourbon France. It also refers to the big wigs worn by the British judiciary. I laughed as I pictured an emir in a big wig.
REISER was the only one that needed every single perp. Others needed a perp or two to suggest the fill.
I know planks from going to the Y pool with a trainer after my knee replacement. I have been skipping gym lately. I am going to have to go by myself to preserve my health. BP is way up.
Fun puzzle and expo. Thanks CC and Steve.
DNF - I lost patience and DirecTVed for Ian HOLM. At least I didn't have any bad cells.
Same unknowns as already mentioned. Plus, I had Medicine Bay before HAT, and beige before PEARL. Also erased a-one for ACME and gets for SEES. V8 moment was when I abandoned the idea that "tine" had been transformed into a verb in a way that only Yellow Rocks could make understandable, and filled in TUNE instead.
"Carrie" was the only King novel I recognized. I like suspense but not horror.
Best wishes, Bunny. I had a similar message on my voice mail about 20 years ago. I had had a physical that afternoon, and the message instructed me to take two aspirin immediately, then told me I had an appointment with a cardiologist the next morning. Turns out I had (and still have) atrial fibrillation, or a-fib. I figured it couldn't be too bad, since the scary message itself didn't give me a heart attack.
Thanks to CC for a fun Thursday-appropriate puzzle. And thanks to Steve for another fine review.
Good morning everyone.
Good puzzle today. C.C. keeps us on our toes.
Got the solve without considering the theme. Nice touch on King's 80th birthday.
Crunch as is expected for a Thursday. Got SIDE PLANKS from perps.
ENER - While I knew what was wanted, I winced at the clue. Power and energy are not synpnyms although they tend to be used interchangeably at times. The mission statement of the DOE is presented as: "The mission of the Energy Department is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions." Nothing about power there.
Work and energy have similar units. Power is the rate of doing work. The action of power through time is energy. Your monthly energy bill is for kilo-watt hours of electric energy and therms for natural gas. The coal pile at your local power station is deemed to have so many mega-watt hours of potential energy. A 10 day supply at a 100 MW (power) plant would have 24000 mega-watt hours of energy at 100% capacity factor.
While I'm sure the DOE considers power in its deliberations about plant capacity and transmission, it is really an "adjective" and not the main "subject". YMMV.
Musings
-National Guard ag teacher is back and so today I am subbing in English
-Those titles stared right at me (Duh!) but I had to have the reveal
-An ongoing debate over his most recent movie IT
-ELON is getting payloads into space much cheaper than the shuttle and reusing most of the rocket
-CNN was the only English-speaking channel we got in Europe 10 years ago
-ICY – the reception (if any) most substitute teachers get
-OLD – When I try to do something a 71-yr-old shouldn’t, my lovely bride is quick to say “You’d better check the date on your birth certificate!”
-An inspiring example of ONE person making a statement
-In a SPAN of twenty years, Husker football has sunk from “one of the best” to “also rans”. Oh well, at least we had a great run of almost a half century.
Desper-Otto: I didn't think King wrote "The Exorcist" but after I read that book I was turned off horror books forever. I think I read a short story by King once, but none of his books. Sweet Bunny, I would never in my wildest dreams expect you to be a King fan!
Gimmee: I've been to Medicine Hat, Alberta. We ate there on the bus trip I took across the western part of Canada.
I just paid my Verizon bill and am ticked off. They charged me $1.20 for six text messages I received. Guess who those six text messages were from. Verizon itself sent some stupid little texts telling me things I didn't want or need to know. Woke me up every time to add injury to insult. Boo hiss!
Message on a T-shirt in a catalog (I won't order, but wish I would): "Being cremated is my last hope for a smoking hot body".
Thank you, C.C.! This really awakened me after the dog next door drew me out of a deep sleep.
Your puzzles require out of the box thinking!
You can count me as not a STEPHEN KING fan and have never read any of those books but have seen the movie, Misery. However, the titles were easily grokked though I did know CARRIE FISHER as the author of Postcards from the Edge. I tried reading it but gave up halfway through it.
Hand up for Medicine BOW before HAT became obvious and BEIGE before PEARL.
Is OPEC really a CARTEL? I guess I'll have to research the meaning.
Steve, thank you. You always AMUSE and congratulations on learning Spanish. What's next? Math? I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself.
Have a lovely day, everyone! Prayers for those observing Rosh Hashanah.
Thanks CC and Steve for an enjoyable morning.
Puzzles just seem easier when constructed by CC!
MEDICINE HAT--been there many times. Water slides in summer and my high school sons played football against them. My school also did a youth exchange of 6 students for a week each year.
3 MBAs in my family. Other children were a Boeing flight test engineer and a career military. Can't complain.
I don't understand flag: TIRE. Got it by perps.
Have a great day, everyone,
Montana
Math: Good one, Lucina.
Montana:
flag (flæɡ)
vb (intr) , flags, flagging or flagged
1. to hang down; become limp; droop
2. to decline in strength or vigour; become weak or tired
Didn’t know REISER, and wasn’t positve about OGRE, so a litle wise guessing went with the solve today. I’ve read a few of King’s novels, but a little goes a long way. I Mainely like his locales.
-Jinx, I thought of TINE at first, but there is no way to consider that a verb and it didn't fit with PEACH which I had at first. Then it didn't fit with PEARL. Aha! TIRE. I have heard forked used this way. He forked several pieces of meat unto his plate.
-PK, I am surprised. Verizon's messages to me are free and don't count as minutes or charges.
-Some words have exact scientific meanings and also common meanings, for instance WORK.
In everyday parlance:
Energy is “power derived from the utilization of physical or chemical resources, especially to provide light and heat or to work machines.”
Power is “energy that is produced by mechanical, electrical, or other means and used to operate a device.”
BTW, am I the only one who finds that leotard on the planking woman strange?
Good Morning, everyone.
I didn't get to any puzzles this week, which always slows me down by Thursday. Thanks, C.C., for a bit of grit today. My faves were signature piece, Ha! PEN. I was stuck with a musical term, and nothing came to mind. I love the misdirection (for me) on TUNE as use for a fork! I tried to cheat on MISERY INDEX and called across the room to my DH. He didn't get it either. I had to wait for perps.
Thanks for the tour, Steve. Stephen King is exactly four months older than I, so I panicked for a moment wondering if I'd missed a few years. I love that Fermatprime did the quick math and said " SK is ONLY 70. I loved the "only"!!
I don't like King's work. Although I, too, read 11/22/63. While I dislike his genre, I respect his career as many people find pleasure in his novels. I did find his book, "On Writing" to be a very useful teaching resource. Quite compelling for any writing teacher, especially his chapter entitled "The Writer's Toolbox."
Have a good day. I hope everyone is well.
Greetings to all!
Thank you, C.C., for the fine tribute puzzle to Stephen King. I am aware of him as an author, but have never read any of his works. "Signature piece?" for PEN was my favorite clue. REISER and Ian HOLM were unknowns and needed ESP.
Thanks for the expo, Steve. Yes, I too knew that Stephen King is 70 years old today because my sister, born in 1947, turned 70 yesterday. To celebrate I took her to lunch about a week ago at her favorite restaurant, the Fish Company in Los Alamitos which you mentioned recently in one of your blogs, Steve. Excellent food, excellent service.
Husker--If you want a reception as a substitute teacher that is not ICY, try first or second grade. I was greeted with smiles and hugs by the second graders in the class I subbed on Monday, my second day with them this school year.
Best wishes to all!
Good Morning:
I finished w/o help but needed more perp help than usual for a Thursday solve. I had Misery Index and Carrie Fisher filled in and thought the theme was going to be something about movies, in general. I forgot that Stephen King wrote "Carrie;" I also had It Hurts filled in but that "It" being a movie went right over my head. After the reveal, I still struggled with Cell Membrane because I never heard of his novel "Cell." I enjoyed some of his earlier work but I think the last novel I read was "It" and, upon finishing, I had a very strong desire to fling it across the room. So much for Mr. King, IMO. My Medicine Hat was a Medicine Man and my Tune was Test.
Thanks, CC, for a tough but doable offering; the cluing and fill sparkled, as usual. Thank you, Steve, for always adding some sugar and spice to the expo.
Owen, I wish you brighter days soon.
Have a great day.
Completely off topic, but the mention of subbing struck me and thinking back to my grammar and high school years, I can't remember ever having a substitute teacher. If my memory is accurate, those nuns and priests must not taken any sick days. (Funny, the things that pop into our heads!)
Sorry, "must not have taken..."
YR: Do you text and receive texts? I don't and have had the same $34.?? charge every month for years. Today it was $1.20 higher so I checked further. I haven't had any other texts at all. I use email because I don't know how to text on my flip phone.
My kids all have iPhones and can receive and send emails on them.
I noted the leotard on PLANK girl or should I say, the lack thereof. Pretty weird! I think that is why Steve showed it. Unusually wrinkled skin too.
Thank you all for your math corrections. Blog now edited to reflect accurate age calculations.
Hi,
I usually do not comment, but I often read and very much enjoy your blog.
I didn't have too much trouble with the puzzle although I needed to guess on the last letter I filled in. I did not know either "nes" or "reiser" so the "e" was best vowel guess.
I am not a big fan of horror movies -- too much imagination leading to too much twitching at every noise and shadow when I'm home alone or have to be outdoors after dark.
I wanted to comment on your side plank illustration. It looks like it was taken from one of the anatomy of exercise books. These books pair photos of men and women doing an exercise with an illustration that shows the underlying muscle structures. I have two of the books. I find it funny that in one, Anatomy of Exercise, the illustrations of both men and women are unclothed. In the book, Anatomy of Exercise for Longevity,
most the illustrations of women are drawn with sports bras added, as in the picture you used.
Good luck to all of you starting or getting back to an exercise program. When you are young you can get away without going to the gym. For us older folk, it is no longer a choice.
Thanks, C.C., for a fine puzzle, even though I'm not a King fan..... too gory. Think the only thing I saw was "The Shining" and was able to get through it unscathed.
Great write-up, Steve, with some great insight.
Musings
-MJ, I enjoyed your take on ICY receptions. I have never had trouble communicating with kids (kindergartners have jumped into my lap!), it is the faculty that tend to not talk to us subs. They are really busy and enjoy their own little cadres. We subs have commiserated over this fact many times.
-My favorite example is when I was sitting around a table with 12 teachers where birthday cake was being distributed and it was passed on both my sides and in front of me but no offer was made for me to partake.
-A example of the recreational PLANKING fad of a few years ago
The Exorcist is an American media franchise originating with The Exorcist, a 1971 horror novel by William Peter Blatty and most prominently featured in a 1973 film adapted from the novel, and many subsequent prequels and sequels. All of these installments focus on fictional accounts of people possessed by Pazuzu, the main antagonist of the series, and the efforts of religious authorities to counter this possession.
I was surprised so many thought Steven King wrote the book.
Husker, here in the southland "recreational planking" has a slightly different connotation, as Homer Stokes found out.
Many years ago when I substituted in elementary school it was in the same district where I had taught so usually the teachers were friendly. But in Community College where I was an adjutant instructor for 26 years, I might as well have been a ghost! The full time faculty, (with one or two exceptions) never acknowledged or spoke to us part timers. Talk about icy!
Gary, that is the most extreme example I've ever heard. I hope you spoke up.
Thanks, desper-otto.
Now flag = tire makes sense.
Montana
Woohoo! A Thursday C.C. puzzle--always a treat! I had a good time with this one, and filled in almost everything except a bit of the middle. My problem was the crossing of two clues with words with double meanings that I just didn't get. I just couldn't think of SMART as referring to pain, and I also couldn't thing of FLAG as anything other than a piece of cloth on a pole, a noun rather than a verb. So I had to cheat and look up IT HURTS to finally fill it in. I have to start learning to look for double meanings of words. I also had a tiny goof-up because I put RAISER instead of REISER, since both the co-star and the Nintendo thing were unfamiliar. But otherwise, great fun--many thanks, C.C. and Steve.
So sad about CARRIE FISHER and her mother leaving one day apart.
Owen, glad you're feeling a bit better and take good care of yourself.
Fermatprime, what an unkind neighbor you have--so sorry to hear that.
BunnyM I hope you get a good result, and help, from your test.
Have a good day, everybody!
Nailed it!
Thank you, C.C. for a smooth run, first along my preferred NW to SE route, and then for a rewarding-if-rapid completion all around. Ta- DA!
It isn't often we find a relatively easy pzl that is also fulfilling. Stephen King at 70 deserves a tribute. Like our Steve I am not a horror fan, or more accurately I am not often won over by the abnormal intruding into realistic narratives. But I can appreciate Mr. King's exceptional skill. Of these titles I have read only Misery, a tale which doesn't depend on the supernatural for its very scary plot and vivid characterization.
I connected personally in other small ways throughout the pzl. SIDE PLANKS, for instance, is the latest exercise to be added to my daily workout. I kinda cheat (there's a reason for the "Ol'" in my handle) by limiting my reps to 30 per side.
The inclusion of Ian HOLM takes me back to when I first saw him on stage with the RSC in Stratford, playing the Young Shepherd in The Winter's Tale. Must've been in '60 or '61...
Several biblical references.
INRI reminds me of a bad joke. I don't recall it exactly, but it was about a Cockney kid who swore this meant that "Henry" was Jesus' first name.
Selah.
I thought this an easy Thursday puzzle. Although I didn’t need to see the Camel Toe from plank-woman as I was drinking my coffee. Geez.
Had Side Raises before Planks, that was it.
HG--Thanks for the clarification. Sadly, it is true that at many schools subs are ignored or snubbed. Fortunately, our local school district, which is quite large, lets subs limit their availability to a list of schools of one's choice. Over the years my list has gotten smaller and smaller. Now I sub at one school only. The classrooms are arranged in "pods", with four classrooms in a pod. I virtually always have at least one of the other teachers in the pod pop their head in in the morning to greet me, and offer their help should I need anything. I find it helpful to sub at just one school because I get to know the teachers' classroom management styles, and I get to know many of the students, especially those who have challenging behavioral issues, or those who might need extra help, but are too shy to ask. And when there is any food to share, I am always invited to participate. Even subs who aren't "regulars" receive the same treatment. An added bonus is that the school is less than a five minute drive from my house.
I usually like people -- one on one. The group mentality -- cliches are another matter. Where two or more are gathered there is competition, jealousies, rivalries, snubs and bullying. I avoided those like the plague all my life.
Oops! Cliques, not cliches although I avoided those too.
Not a fan of Horror, but Stephan King is an exception.
It is a shame that most movie adaptions of his work are awful,
I guess great writing does not always translate well to the screen.
With the exception of: (IMHO)
The Shining
Stand by Me
CHristine
Shawshank redemption, etc...
As for most of them, you really have to read them to appreciate the storytelling.
He has a way of writing that speaks directly to you, and grabs your attention.
I would not have known if some one hadn't let me borrow a book called Different Seasons
by Richard Bachman. (AKA Stephan King)
The four stories included:
hope SPRINGs eternal, which became The Shawshank Redemption.
SUMMER of corruption,
Fall from Innocence, which became Stand By Me
An a WINTERs tale.
Try getting your feet wet with one of his short story collections,
the one that includes "The Ledge," & Quitters Inc. will have you wanting more...
Of course, it takes a while to get used to a writers style...
And there are some that are just plain horror-ible...
(Hungry Mother@10:04, Heh, Heh, good one!)
A nice challenge to start the day. An easier than usual Thursday, thanks C.C. Enjoyed the expo, Steve!
I had numerous write-overs, but that's expected at the end of the week.
Happy Birthday, Stephen King! I read "The Shining" and that was the end of that genre for me!
I've done my share of side planks. Haven't done them for a few years so can't do them anymore.
I don't consider BAYER a rival for Tylenol. Asprin (Bayer) is an NSAID, Tylenol is not. I am allergic to all NSAIDs but can take Tylenol.
A local non-profit, La Soupe, sent a refrigerated van to Bonita Springs, FL. with soups/casseroles/fruit/snacks, giving them to victims of Irma! Thank you, La Soupe!
Happy last day of summer. I'm ready for cooler, less humid weather.
I agree that subs often get an icy reception from the regular faculty. I befriended a sub and so was given an icy reception myself by the staff for a few weeks. In elementary school the students usually give the sub a warm and polite reception. From what kids tell me that is not the case in middle school unless it is a returning sub whom the kids have gotten to know.
PK, my regular Verizon bill with the ordinary surcharges and taxes comes to $36 every month. I don't have a smart phone. I pay for each text received and sent, normally only one to six of them. It only adds a few dollars to my bill. Verizon does not text me to advertise. They text me free of charge to tell me my bill is ready or that payment has been received or that I am nearing the end of my allotted minutes. If the charge bothers you I would suggest calling customer service.
Owen, glad you are feeling better. Bunny I am hoping for a good result from your testing. We are still awaiting the results of Alan's testing. They probably will not be definitive.
I agree with IM, CC=DOABLE. I think it was the PUN that got me to look up and see CC as constructor. Actually, I had thought of LOL before PUN.
But I FIW'ed again, after a clean weekend. Having already sussed TIRE I went to fix BEIGE and thought of PEACH(I knew CC would never go with PEARY). Ian HOLM was vaguely familiar. I need a long nap.
I can agree that EXORCIST is enough to put one off horror. I read Christine, shades of the great Chuck Berry song Maybelline. I should read 11/22/63-c my late Wednesday post.
I was going with Medicine GAP.
"ABANDON all hope, ye who enter here". Is that Dante?
Reiser, always reminds me of the great Dodger cf who kept running into fences. Pitchers would then finish the job with beanballs. Tough game in the 40s. Speaking of...
It was the INDENTURE defense used in Hollywood that provided the leverage for Marvin Miller to defeat the Reserve Clause that the Supreme Court stubbornly upheld in Flood vs MLB.
Owen, solid W. After the Morgen Le Fay masterpiece.
I loved "Smoking Hot". Steve you were very witty today. CC needs no praise from mortals.
Ferma-T, be my guest and I speak for the corner, post your neighbor's name and address. That'll fix'em.
WC
Geez, I'm worried that I might fall into that group of teachers who didn't go out of their way to be friendly toward subs. I have a natural tendency to gravitate toward people whom I know rather than strangers. If I could go back to the teachers' room, I would make a greater effort to be welcoming and kinder toward subs. Part of the trouble is that you see a stranger in the teachers' room at lunchtime and you don't know who it is; maybe a sub, maybe a parent, maybe ... I guess I should just have tried to be more welcoming toward new faces no matter who they were. The trouble is..., I guess I don't get a chance for a do-over.
HG - I'm sorry to hear of your maltreatment by the crass regulars. To pass cake right around you and openly denying you a piece; I'm floored. Having lived most of my life in the staid NE, we have always felt how noticeably friendly, people in the mid-west were.
Guess you never know.
Bill Graham, I think you perhaps understand my problem. Maybe, because of you, I understand what is happening, but I don't know what to do about it.
Although leaning away from traditional Christian dogma, I am trying a new church and haven't discussed my beliefs, so am not turning anyone off. Everyone greets me enthusiastically every time. No one snubs me, but no one invites me into their circle. I have tried small groups and volunteering. I have gone up to some people with a brief comment, but they form small circles of two or more and don't notice of me. The only people who include me are a family I have known for many years in another context. After four months I feel like an outsider. Neither of the two priests has had more than a 30-60 second conversation with me. What do you suggest?
I have no frame of reference for this. Our square dance club is known as the friendliest, most welcoming in the area. New dancers feel included after the very first meeting. We all go up to the newcomers through out the evening and talk to them. If they are near our group we call them over and tell them what were are in the middle of discussing. We invite them into our squares, even sitting down to make a place for them if necessary. We urge them to come back.
In my former church we were not as radical as that, but we did include the newcomers in our conversations and were proactive about it. The priests spent time at coffee hour getting to know them. The newcomers seemed to feel comfortable and part of us after three or four visits.
I sympathize with the subs. How does one break in?
I very much enjoyed this puzzle, as I also enjoyed yesterday's scatter-brain one. I have never met a CC puzzle I didn't like.
I simply don't like Stephen King's work. Tried reading The Stand once, but it made absolutely no sense to me and I never finished it. Did see the movie Misery, though, and actually sorta liked it. I think it was because of the excellent actors (James Caan and Kathy Bates) and because it was about real people, no incomprehensible supernatural stuff. Oh, and I started to read Dolores Claiborne but was put off by the self-conscious affectation in the writing style. I got the distinct impression the author was showing off, which totally distracted me from following the story.
Pat, interesting to see what you wrote about Tylenol (acetaminophen). I didn't realize it is not an NSAID, which I can't take because of the high risk of bleeding. (I'm on a "blood thinner" for afib.) I'm going to research it and see if maybe I can take it, because sometimes I really wish I could take something for times when the arthritis or gout is acting up. Tart cherry juice is surprisingly effective at reducing pain from inflammation but there are times when it isn't enough.
Had an interesting and busy day yesterday. I racked up several hours consulting for that earthquake research outfit that I work for and then spent an hour at the DMV getting my driver's license renewed. Thankfully that process was painless, even pleasant. So now I'm good to go for another 5 (or is it 10?) years.
Best wishes to you all.
Yellowrocks, I have been haunted by your icy reception at your new church all day. I have no solution! But I have been in that situation several times. People are "friendly" but it never goes beyond that. But I have to say I have also been welcomed and made to feel a part of the group.
I think Lucina offered an insight. She has had both good and bad experiences.
I have been a member of the same church for 60 years. Of course I am "part" of it. But there are times when I feel like an oursider....in my OWN church! The new people coming in and forming new groups don't know who I am and ignore me.
But, Thank goodness for them! That's how a church, or any organization, survives . New people come in and remake it their own image.
What can we, you and I, do? I dont know. Sometimes we just don't fit into a given group. Sometimes we outgrow groups where we once fit,..led! Maybe the solution is to keep on trying to find one where we fit.
You know there are people ...groups....where you are loved. Here on the Corner!! And apparently your Square Dance group. Keep that in mind as you keep looking .
YR:
Like you, I joined a different church a year ago and have not felt particularly welcomed by the priests. At the previous parish, the priest made it a point to get acquainted with every parishioner. That part was good; a mostly Latin liturgy was not. That's why I left it though I had been there for over 40 years.
In the bulletin are several social groups I could join, Bunco, which I love and a seniors group. I just haven't decided which or whether they are appealing enough to join. The people around me in the pew section where I sit are friendly and we have introduced ourselves to one another.
Are there any groups you could join in the parish? Sometimes that is a good way to start.
I feel really bad about Gary being so ignored. It's unconscionable.
Steve:
Our teasing about math was meant in the kindest possible way. Please don't be hurt. Yours was an honest mistake. I love your commentaries. They are witty and intelligent spiced with your inimitable British style.
Steve, it was an understandable mistake. King has looked 80 for years.
Hi All!
What a nice tribute puzzle to the KING of horror C.C. Thanks. I figured out Stephen King from MISIRY and that helped with "Post Cards From the Edge" author (Oh, of course I knew that! //I didn't w/o help). I never heard of CELL.
I musta been on C.C.'s wavelength 'cuz I few through with TUNE nor PEN giving me pause (NOs did though)
I admire King for his work but don't read any of IT - too eerie. StepMonster was a big fan of King's books and even read those published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. I did see Cat's Eyes, Salem's Lot, and The Shining. You don't un-see those - ever.
Thanks Steve for an informative expo with your unique wit.* I don't know about political influence IN Re the Poet Laureate... Billy Collins [sample] didn't seem to have any (he was my fav even over Maya Angelou (there may be politics there - but she was political and knew Why the Cage Bird Sings [bio and selected poems]). I won't pontificate on H1Bs...
WO: N/A
ESPs: HOLM, HAT (as clue'd, even I know what a hat is :-)) and I needed perp-help for spelling of Paul REISER.
Sparkle: c/a for ABANDON, NOs; HIT THE ROAD, SNAFU. Anyone else notice SPAN and C-SPAN?
Fav: c/a for IT HURTS - just like the V8 when Steve pointed out IT is also part of the theme!
{B} - Good to see you back.
WC - I think so, in Inferno... [Google just said "yep!" and provided the Latin (I think)]
BunnyM - DW and I started 11/22/63 on NetFlix (I think) but we stopped after a few episodes. Thanks for reminding me - it may still be there.
PK - I love that Smokin' Hot T-Shirt! LOL.
IM - The "Penguin Nuns" are interchangeable**... You had a sub but didn't know it :-)
On being welcome... I can offer no advice as I don't normally bother outside of work-mates. That said, The Corner is quite the welcoming ISLA on the Net.
Cheers, -T
*when I read the blog this morning I thought "is he joking?..." Then Lucina's "math" comment - LOL; I still thought there was a subtle Python there until you, Steve, pulled back the curtain. [the math was easy for me 'cuz Pop was born in '50]
**sorry Lucina - I just--couldn't--Resist. Now we're both in trouble :-)
Dear Fermatprime:
I am glad I am not the only one who has an a__hole for a neighbor. My weeping willow tree fell into his yard after a bad storm early in March. He accused me of knowing it would fall and not doing anything about it. Of course, I had no idea. There was a second weeping willow tree, thought I might be able to keep that one a bit longer, and in June, we had another storm and one of the limbs fell in his yard. He was completely out of his mind at that point. Although the arborist said the tree was alive, I decided that I no longer wanted to deal with such a jerk anymore, so I had him cut it down on 7/29. It made me cry. Such a beautiful and majestic tree gone.
This cost me $2500.00, plus the tree, and my yard was trashed by the skid steer.
Moral of the story is this:
You can't pick your parents,
You can't pick your kids,
and you especially can never pick your neighbors.
I am stuck here until my mortgage is paid. If I have it to do all over again, I will never live so close to a moron.
Kind regards,
Claudia
Jayce:
Love your new photo! Bing cherries are the best for the gout.
Regards,
Claudia
@Lucina et al - not hurt at all, I love it when I get called each out on mistakes rather than letting it slide.
Whew! Thank you, Steve. Now I can sleep well tonight.
Hand up not a STEPHEN KING fan nor a fan of horror in general. Enough horror in the world as it is.
I watched MISERY on a long plane flight and it still disturbs me to this day. The others I have managed to avoid.
Hand up for proper name unknowns. Only know NES from these puzzles. Otherwise REISER would have been impossible. HOLM also unknown. "Postcards from the Edge" unknown, but know CARRIE FISHER from Star Wars. Yes, sad to lose her and her mother. I did once get to meet her mother briefly at our Santa Barbara Film Festival.
SIDE PLANKS unknown, but the crosses were fairly solid. Thanks, Steve, for that crazy image. And thanks for explaining it is a leotard. I thought it was some bizarre mannequin.
In any case, I FIR and generally enjoyed the puzzle, even if I am not a fan of KING.
Sorry to hear about the neighbor problems. I have observed that there are actually fewer of these problems in more urban areas. A jerk in an urban area has more close neighbors to hold them accountable.
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