Theme -- Hey, what's in this drink? Here we have a complex theme: circled letters [and good luck if you didn't get the circles, since the letters are scattered] within the theme entries are anagrams of hidden words. And better yet, the hidden words are liquid assets [so to speak] of the things in which they are hidden.
17. Name on a two-liter bottle (and what's inside) : ROYAL CROWN. ROYAL CROWN, is, of course, a brand name and COLA is the generic name for the product variety.
23. Independently owned suds producer (and the suds in question) : MICROBREWERY. MICROBREWERIES are independently owned and operated purveyors of craft BEERs and ales. The quaffs that they offer typically have more flavor and character that what you find in mass produced products from the big, international BREWing companies. I'm a fan of Bell's Two-Hearted Ale.
38. Where Starbucks began (and a product it popularized) : SEATTLE. LATTE's are not unique to Starbucks, but you certainly can get one there. Our wildly over-achieving oldest granddaughter is, among other things, a certified barista and trainer at Starbucks. A LATTE is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk.
49. Pepperidge Farm treat (and its ideal companion) : MILANO COOKIE. This is a sandwich COOKIE with a dark chocolate inner layer between two flat biscuits. It's marketed to adults, but even they can enjoy a nice cold glass of MILK with it.
And the unifier -- 59. What's clued in parentheses for each of four answers, and found in corresponding sets of puzzle circles : MIXED DRINK. This is an in-the-language phrase indicating a libation made with alcoholic spirits and some sort of mixer, such as some flavor of soda. Here, the word MIXED is a hint that the letters of the respective DRINKS have been scrambled.
Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, your host for today's adventure in a glass. Let's pop a few lids and see how this tastes.
Across
1. Green Angry Birds animals : PIGS. I dunno. Never played the game.
17. Name on a two-liter bottle (and what's inside) : ROYAL CROWN. ROYAL CROWN, is, of course, a brand name and COLA is the generic name for the product variety.
23. Independently owned suds producer (and the suds in question) : MICROBREWERY. MICROBREWERIES are independently owned and operated purveyors of craft BEERs and ales. The quaffs that they offer typically have more flavor and character that what you find in mass produced products from the big, international BREWing companies. I'm a fan of Bell's Two-Hearted Ale.
38. Where Starbucks began (and a product it popularized) : SEATTLE. LATTE's are not unique to Starbucks, but you certainly can get one there. Our wildly over-achieving oldest granddaughter is, among other things, a certified barista and trainer at Starbucks. A LATTE is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk.
49. Pepperidge Farm treat (and its ideal companion) : MILANO COOKIE. This is a sandwich COOKIE with a dark chocolate inner layer between two flat biscuits. It's marketed to adults, but even they can enjoy a nice cold glass of MILK with it.
And the unifier -- 59. What's clued in parentheses for each of four answers, and found in corresponding sets of puzzle circles : MIXED DRINK. This is an in-the-language phrase indicating a libation made with alcoholic spirits and some sort of mixer, such as some flavor of soda. Here, the word MIXED is a hint that the letters of the respective DRINKS have been scrambled.
Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, your host for today's adventure in a glass. Let's pop a few lids and see how this tastes.
Across
1. Green Angry Birds animals : PIGS. I dunno. Never played the game.
5. Salon style : PERM. Short for PERManent wave.
9. "Jabberwocky" opener : 'TWAS. This poem by Lewis Carroll is included in Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, from 1871,
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
13. Les __-Unis : ETATS. United States in French.
15. Eye layer : UVEA. This includes the iris, which displays eye color. Brown-eyed people like me have irises pigmented with melanin. Blue eyed people have no little or no pigment in their irises. They appear blue due to Rayleigh scattering - the same optical phenomenon that makes the sky appear blue. Other colors are due to combination effects from various levels of melanin and collagen, which causes Mie scattering.
16. "For __ jolly ... " : HE'S A. Good fellow, and I can't deny it.
19. Double-crossers : RATS. Figuratively speaking
20. Like microwavable meals : PRE-MADE.
21. Valued caches : TROVES. Have you ever seen the word TROVE not associated with some sort of treasure?
26. Parthenon goddess : ATHENA. From Greek mythology, the goddess of wisdom, craft and war..
29. "How cool!" : NEATO.
30. Length of most TV dramas : HOUR.
31. WWI battleship Graf __ : SPEE. Read about it here.
33. Kin by marriage : IN-LAW.
37. CIO partner : AFL. The American Federation of Labor merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1955. The organization is made up of 56 national and international labor unions.
40. __ snail's pace : A TA. Moving slowly.
41. Note above A : B FLAT. It's enharmonic equivalent, A Sharp is rare, but I have encountered it already this week.
43. Snoop (around) : NOSE. Because that is what gets poked into a place, whether it belongs there or not.
44. Blockage : CLOG.
45. Slangy "It's cool" : NO BIG. I guess the "DEAL" is implied. Anyway it's not a problem.
47. Currently combusting : ABLAZE. On fire, right now.
53. Novelist Waugh : EVELYN. Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh [1903 - 1966] was a prolific English journalist, and author of novels, biographies and travelogues.
54. Scolds harshly : BERATES. You could be BERATED if your behavior were less than A-rated.
58. Jones with a locker : DAVY. The origins of the phrase are unclear. DAVY Jones' locker is the bottom of the sea, where the remains of drowned sailors and sunken ships find their final resting place.
62. Don Juan's mother : INEZ. I only know this from crosswords.
63. Just : ONLY. Only this article can do it JUSTice,
64. __ protector : SURGE. A device to shield your electronic items from potentially damaging power fluctuations.
65. Give a darn : CARE. Be concerned. There is a lot to CARE about these days.
66. Horseshoes turn : TOSS. Having your turn at the game of tossing horse shoes.
67. Dijon dad : PERE. More French.
Down
1. Cop's quarry : PERP. The PERPetrator of a crime. Or, in Corner lingo, a word in a puzzle that is PERPendicular to a given word.
2. "Like __ lump ... " : IT OR. Take it or leave it.
3. Marvin of Motown : GAYE. [1939-1984] He was a singer, song writer and producer who helped create the Mo-Town sound. Sadly, he was killed by his own father who shot him when he tried to intervene in an argument between his parents.
4. Speech therapist's challenge : STAMMER. Speech with involuntary pauses and repeated initial consonant sounds.
5. More virtuous : PURER. Like even whiter snow.
6. President Morales of Bolivia : EVO. Juan Evo Morales Ayma [b 1959] has been president since 2006.
7. DVR "back up" button : REWind.
8. Chanted word : MANTRA. A word or sound repeated as an aid in achieving a meditative state.
9. Add, as a shrimp to the barbie : THROW ON. Aim carefully when adding a shrimp to the grill.
10. Go this way and that : WEAVE. Zig-zag.
11. Autumn bloom : ASTER. The name is derived from the Greek word for star, due to the shape of the bloom.
12. Flip : SASSY. Said of disrespectful back-talk.
14. "'And hast thou __ the Jabberwock?'" : SLAIN. A bonus mini-theme.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
18. Music box? : CD CASE. Protective box for music medium storage.
22. Deal with, as loose laces : RETIE. Which is why I prefer slip-ons.
24. "Almost there!" : ONE TO GO. I associate this phrase with American football, in a situation when one one yard is needed for a first down.
25. Borscht veggies : BEETS. I think it was on a long-ago Rocky and Bullwinkle episode when one of the characters said, "When it comes to borscht, you can't beat soup!"
26. Quaker captain of literature : AHAB. Pursuer of the great white whale, Moby Dick. I didn't recall him being a Quaker.
27. Fashionable Brit : TOFF. A derogatory stereotype for an aristocratic Brit is what I found. Perhaps Steve can explain.
28. Ship frame : HULL.
32. Freak out : PANIC.
34. 2016 Best Picture nominee "__ Land" : LA LA. 2016 movie, 2017 Oscar nominee.
35. All-inclusive : A TO Z. Everything from A cups to Zebras.
36. Salary : WAGE. Not exactly. Wages are based on actual hours worked, while a salary is a fixed amount per week or month, irrespective of actual time on the job.
38. Like a path that's cobbled together? : STONY. My favorite way of thinking about a cobblestone path.
39. Allowed to get out : LEAKED. As information, not caged animals.
42. Examine in detail : ANALYZE.
44. Go from cloudy to fair : CLEAR UP. Better weather.
46. Wisecrack : BON MOT.
48. Tweeters : BIRDS. Not stereo speakers.
49. Physician at the front : MEDIC. In the military.
50. The first Mrs. Trump : IVANA.
51. Prying tool : LEVER. A beam or rod pivoted on a fulcrum.
52. Acts like a good dog : OBEYS. Sits, begs, and rolls over.
55. Lose steam : TIRE. Get used up.
56. Elec. or mech. expert : ENGR. Engineers.
57. __-Ball: arcade game : SKEE. The game is played by rolling balls up an incline and scoring points by having the balls fall into holes with different values.
60. Suffix with concert : -INO. A concertino is either a composition that is a smaller version of a concerto, or a subsection of an orchestra that is featured in a composition.
61. Big tee sizes : XLS. Extra Larges.
That wraps another Wednesday. With the libation of your choice, a toast to all. It's always 5:00 somewhere.
Cool regards!
JzB
41 comments:
Worked the Mensa site, but proud to say I sorta got the gimmick before I got to the reveal! And guessed there were circles! I did get one wrong -- got TEA instead of LATTE, since IIRC Starbucks popularized Chai TEA, which I seem to recall translates as "tea tea".
Does a TROVE of secrets count as a treasure trove?
A yenta there was from SEATTLE,
Whose MANTRA was "seek secrets, then tattle!"
No secrets TROVE
Escaped her NOSE --
That's why they kicked her out of Seattle!
DAVY JONES got bored on the floor of the sea
Thought he'd use the HULL of the scuttled GRAF SPEE.
He added SKEE-BALL and lottery,
But the drinks were so watery
Any profit LEAKED away from his MICRO-BREWERY!
The clue for "music box" made me think "concertina",
A squeeze-box to dismay even goddess ATHENA!
But no, C.D.CASE
Went into that space.
"Concert suffix" also failed, TWAS a dance for ballerina!
{B+, B, B-.}
Greetings!
Thanks to Adam and JazzBumpa!
Must we force ourselves to learn to play Angry Birds? Yecch.
Did not know AHAB or TOFF either, but they filled themselves in!
Hope to see you all tomorrow!
I likes Jazz's explanation, but didn't much care for the puzzle itself. One bad cell at 60D x 66A. More later, maybe. Gotta get the big rig ready to hit the road.
Good morning!
Cute theme, and a puzzle that had sufficient mid-week difficulty. I liked it. STuttER before STAMMER and BANTER before BON MOT were my Wite-Out moments. Thanx, Adam and JzB.
"Parthenon" was a CSO to moi; it's the street I live on.
EVELYN Waugh's The Loved One was turned into a 1965 movie satire about the LA funeral business. My father didn't care for it, but he was in the funeral business.
Hi Y'all! No circles, but I managed to get the theme answers anyway, except for SEATTLE which was not long enough for me to consider as part of the theme. Filled pretty fast. Thanks, Adam. Thanks, JzB. Enjoyed Marvin Gaye too.
Stutter before STAMMER which I didn't think of and had to PERP in.
Didn't know EVO or PIGS from that clue. Never played and didn't know there were animals in it.
"Deal with loose laces" = RETIE. Huh! Not me, I knot mine like a little kid's or I kick them loose.
Prize winning MICROBREWERY here called "Blind Tiger". Not a beer drinker, I never decided if the name sounded like something to quench the thirst.
Thanks Adam Cobb and JzB. I enjoyed the mixed drinks. I had the circles. I got MICROBREWERY and BEER right away and sussed the theme, although I needed to discover whether alcohol was involved in all of the themers.
I had one bad cell, because I waited to fill in the vowel and didn't remember to get back to it. I didn't know PIGS. I am no fan of Angry Birds. I could have gotten Like IT OR lump it, if I had returned.
STAMMER brings to mind the movie, The King's Speech which I liked in spite of its dramatic license with real history.
Although dictionaries define PERM as a hair style, that seems odd to me. A perm is a process that either waves or straightens the hair and serves a basis for a multitude of varying hairstyles. If someone says on the phone, "I went for a perm today," I have no idea what style she opted for.
I agree with JzB about wage and salary.
Hello,
I really liked the theme, but only after JazzB's explanation! Of course, I didn't see it whilst I was working! Thanks for the tour and the links.
Nicely done, Adam. A bit of crunch for me today, but what's the fun without a challenge. Thank you.
Irma has graciously provided some some cloud cover today in and around Chicago. Interesting how the clouds still carry the suggestion of the swirl. Rather delicate for such an ornery gal. All of you in Houston and Florida to stay safe with all the dangers Harvey and Irma have left behind.
60D and 61D had to be perps because the Albany paper didn't print those clues.
Good morning all!
I enjoyed this clever puzzle and the write up was NEATO- thanks to Adam and JzB!
Solved it while enjoying my morning LATTE and got the theme early on. Hand up for Stutter/STAMMER. As usual, PERPS were my friends: THAS, EVO, SPEE, INEZ and SLAIN. NO BIG deal, as they were easily gotten.
Daughter's "Fireman" is a MICROBREWERY(BEER) connoisseur and they enjoy trying out all the new breweries that have popped up around town. He has introduced my husband to some new favorites.
Youngest daughter had a flat TIRE yesterday morning. This resulted in actually buying four new ones. They were needed and she got a good deal. This all made for a long day, so had to PASS on reading the blog until this morning.
My stepfather INLAW was an ENGR for GM. We finally heard from him and MIL about their house in Naples- the caretaker reported no outside/obvious damage. Just a lot of downed trees in their neighborhood which is a relief. I hope HungryMother and CED's homes fared as well as my inlaw's did.
Happy belated birthday to Steve- hope you had a wonderful day!
Misty and Owen- I also have dry eye and use drops throughout the day and an ointment at night when it's really bad. I've never tried the warm compress, though- sounds very soothing! Albus also sufffers from it. The vet believes that it is what did the damage to his eyes and caused his blindness ( years of the eyes being scratchy, infections, no treatment by previous owners) He's great about letting me apply his drops and ointment but not sure how he'd feel about the compress, lol :) He does love any pampering he gets, so he might enjoy it!
Rain here the last couple of days- the tail end of Irma is far reaching. Best wishes to all dealing with the worst of the hurricane!
Hope everyone has a wonderful day :)
Musings
-Now that was fun, Adam. I saw COLA and BEER at about the same time (pre-reveal).
-Heating up a nice microwave meal in 4 minutes makes me think I am George Jetson
-My NCIS episodes run ONLY 43 minutes on Netflix sans commercials
-Mother-IN-LAW knocked over a heavy TV and fell yesterday. She certainly has had a stroke and we start the process of how to keep her safe today.
-I TOSS with the middle grip
-REW – “Did he really say that?”
-A pretty graphic result of a motorcycle WEAVING through traffic (:30)
-These days the Monarch butterflies are swarming onto our ASTERS
-I left LA LA LAND thinking, “It didn’t really live up to all the hype”. Many critics agreed.
-Probably the only quote about LEVERS (NOT leevers!)
Very easy fill and guessable theme. I remember when CROWN & CROWN was a drink people ordered- RC COLA and CROWN ROYAL. MICROBREWERY(s) are sprouting like weeds. Some are actually producing enough to bottle but most are just making enough to sell in their own brewpubs ( at an inflated price, I might add).
I've never bought a MILANO COOKIE. Pepperidge Farm products are just overpriced and over-rated. I'm with you JzB on the Angry Birds; I don't play any of those games.
B FLAT- A SHARP- Not too much music written in the key of B natural.
DVR button REW? I've only seen ARROWS for forward and 'rewinding'.
Not trying to act SASSY, but does any of you nice people ever use the terms NEATO, NO BIG, or RAD. Personally I've only seen them in crossword puzzles and rarely heard someone say NEATO.
I found the beer, milk, and latte, but not the cola, so didn't figure out the theme.
I also can't see the puzzle in its entirety. (darn iPad format). That makes it difficult for me to search for a theme.
desper-otto: my retired AF (age 42) son started in the funeral business a few months ago. He likes it so will now pursue a degree in mortuary science. I think the 70 year old owner has been looking for someone to take over, and is hoping my son will.
Interesting wrinkle for firefighters--grizzly bears aren't hibernating yet and don't like being disturbed. Some firefighters who were working on a fire break line had to return to their camp until supervisors came with bear spray to carry.
I am 70 miles from an island mountain range that had burned to the forest edge before being contained. Monday night, wind blew embers onto the prairie and the fire took off. With 9% relative humidity and severe drought, that can happen. The smoke in the air is so bad, a cross-country meet and football practices were cancelled yesterday for area high schools. I drove 90 miles to a dentist appt. it was as bad as driving in a blizzard. Fire is contained again and wind direction has changed so it looks better out today.
Significant RAIN and even SNOW in higher elevations is forecast Thursday and Friday!!
My whole state is praying weathermen are correct.
Montana
First access to a computer since last Friday. Soooooooooooo ...
Happy Belated Birthday to my friend Husker Gary ... "21 Again!" is a great age.
Glad to see my fellow Floridians survived the storm ...
Hope all is well when you get back home if you evacuated.
Villa Incognito survived in perfect condition.
... Thanks for giving the report Avg.Joe on Monday.
OK, Having four (count'em 4) 1.75L bottles of Scotch and a 1.75L bottle of Appleton Rum ... and Ouzo and extra beer isn't the biggest problem to overcome in Florida this week ...
But I will survive ...
Cheers!
Good morning everyone.
FIW. Had aflame for ABLAZE, which helped miss a couple perps as well. Actually I enjoyed the puzzle; lots of fresh fill. And, as against my wont, I liked the theme and circled anagrams. Had 'stutter' for the longest time but then the light went on and STAMMER gave me MICRO, and PREMADE. EVO and INEZ were gotten from the perps. Always liked the word - TROVE.
Nice informative intro, JzB. Thanks.
Belated Happy Birthday to Steve.
Good to hear you are safe, Tinbeni!
Montana
Someone did it again! I can imagine getting our initials mixed up OMK/OKL, but does Ol' Man Keith look like OwenKL? Ah, well, NO BIG prob. I don't have dry eye, in fact tend to tear up easily. Hay-fever season is an exception. I just take an ordinary wet nap/moist towelette, fold it to a convenient size, and cover my eye with that!
Good morning all,
liked the theme, but this was not a favorite today. I get stuck in the easiest places: one to go was delayed by the crossings of spee and no big... then throw in bon mot. Did have fun with the circles. just learned that my grands favorite lunch treats are those Milan cookies.I guess putting them in those little packages has upped their sales.
I also have dry eye and take my drops everywhere.Cant read at night if I use that thick gel, but it really works. I also do hot compresses and massage (pressing) my eyelids. top off the ritual with baby shampoo...not fun.
Today is odd...have both bookclubs on same day. Discussing The Other Einstein at one , and at the evening one we always have local writers who come 1/2 hour after we've discussed their book.
Belated Happy Birthday to Steve, and good day to all!
No circles, and even with the reveal, I didn't see all the theme answers. Hand up for STuttER before STAMMER, which made the NW corner the last to fill. Thanks for the thorough expo and links, JazzBumpa.
Tinbeni--Nice to hear from you. Glad you survived Irma unscathed.
Montana--Thank you for keeping us updated on the tragic fires in your beautiful state. The news I am seeing here in SoCal is focusing on the hurricanes and politics.
Enjoy the day!
Nice puzzle! Thank you, Adam T. Cobb. Any puzzle that contains some Jabberwocky is fine with me.
The theme was apparent with ROYALCROWN COLA. When we were growing up our COLA choices were limited so that one was a favorite.
INEZ always reminds me of the movie, Don Juan DeMarco, with Johnny Depp, Marlon Brando and Faye Dunaway. It's a brilliant satire with a good music track, too.
Hand up for STUTTER before STAMMER. And I don't recall AHAB being a Quaker either.
CSO to my late mother, LALA. R.I.P.
Good to hear from you, Tin. Owen, wonderful! And many thanks to today's tour guide, JazzB for an outstanding commentary!
Have a frabjous day, everyone!
I just heard that my niece in Margate, FL is all right. Her only damage was two minor leaks and a board ripped off her shed. She has few trees, so tree damage was not a problem, but her neighbors had a lot of downed trees and branches. She had no electricity for 36 hours starting Sunday morning.
Montana, I didn't realize that the fires are so close to your home. How very unnerving it must be for you. You are in my thoughts. How sad to lose all those acres of forests.
Gary, scary! I hate driving anywhere near motorcycles. Many of them are so unpredictable they give us no time to react.
I hear NEATO fairly often. I also hear NO BIGGIE fairly often. I have heard NO BIG, but rather infrequently. RAD is hippie talk from the 70's and was used constantly.
Alan has tear duct plugs for dry eye. They seem to work well.
Big Easy @ 0925.
Hand up for NEATO, but I;m not proud of it. You make a good point, but I don;t think it'll affect crosswords. Always a need to tweak the difficulty "just right".
Montana: Hearing the firemen were having problems with bears was informative. I can imagine those bears are really confused and testy with their territory ABLAZE. A Montana lumberman came out and gave a talk at our state farmers' convention years ago when the Wildlife Service was introducing grizzlies to a populated part of Montana. Residents were not happy about having the bears so close to where children play. At a public meeting a Wildlife Ranger told them the children should wear bells on their clothes to scare away the bears. He also said if there was a "bad" bear, rangers would come and remove it. Someone asked, "How do you define a "bad bear". Someone in the crowd yelled, "They're the bears with bells in their poop."
I didn't remember AHAB as a Quaker either. He sure didn't act like any of the Quakers I've known.
Gary, prayers for you and your MIL. Always a trying time, when they get to a stage where it isn't good for them to be alone.
Good Morning:
This was a very clever construction, a theme within a theme, so to speak. Hand up for stutter/stammer, stores/troves, and on fire/ablaze. Alas, it was a DNF due to having xlg instead of xls and ina/ino. Confusing horseshoes turn with hairpin turns didn't help, so no Tada today.
Nicely done, Adam, and nicely explained, JazzB. I watched the trailer for "La La Land" but I'm not sure if I'm interested enough to see it.
Have a great day.
Nice puzzle today. Thank you Adam, for a bit of challenge, and great job!
Thanks also to JzB for his completely great write-up.
Glad to hear Tinbeni and others are doing fine in Florida. Now, it's just clean-up time. Hope you fare better than the Houston area.
Also glad to hear from Montana and will pray for rain/snow.... whatever! Stay safe!
Thanks Adam and JzB. That was fun. I was pleased with myself when I figured out the theme, even without circles. I did miss LATTE though and guessed TEA instead.
Best wishes to all of you struggling with the aftermath of storms or the responsibility of caring for family members who need more and more of your support. Good wishes heading your way.
Re. La La Land. I think I'll watch when it comes on cable, mainly because of very appealing Emma Stone. She's pretty and has a great personality. I think that's mainly what makes a TV or movie star popular. When you see any of them on a late night talk show, they come across as people who you would enjoy spending time with. They're usually attractive, bubbly, funny, reasonably intelligent, etc. The exception IMO was Harrison Ford. When I saw him with Letterman (about two years ago), he was grumpy, dull, cynical, humorless and just generally unappealing. I'm amazed he has been somewhat successful in movies.
I hope you have good days, weeks and months coming up.
Angry Birds -- author should have used a different clue, since Birds was the answer to 48 Down. I seem to be an expert in spotting duplicate clue/answer combinations.
That clue didn't bother me as much as the Jaberwocky ones. Didn't read it in high school, not gonna now.
Unless I'm missing something (a common occurrence) 'hull' doesn't work as an answer for 'Ship frame'.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frame_(nautical)
Fun Wednesday puzzle by Adam--many thanks! I love seeing circles in the morning, and although this wasn't a speed run, it filled in nicely in a way that made the theme apparent before too long. Looks like Adam is a Lewis Carroll fan with references to both "Alice in Wonderland" and "Jabberwocky"--thanks for giving us the texts, JazzB. Like Spitz, I too had AFLAME before ABLAZE. And thanks for the complicated and interesting explanation of UVEA, JazzB.
Loved seeing a reference to SKEE ball. When my grandson visited last month he specifically asked that we go to Balboa Island so we could play SKEE ball at the Arcade there again. We did this years ago, when he was seven or eight, and he's never forgotten it. Sadly, this time only about three of the SKEEs were still working, and we then learned that the Arcade would be closing down soon, after being a source of delight to kids and parents for many decades. Made me sad.
So sad to hear about Marvine GAYE's tragic ending.
JD, my optometry guide too recommended finishing the dry eye hot compress by dipping the cloth into warm water with drops of baby shampoo, and giving the eyes a gentle rub. BunnyM, so sorry to hear Albus suffers from blindness. He's lucky to have such a caring mom.
Have a great day, everybody!
Argyle, Misty, & Anon T (from yesterday):
I found just the eye mask on Amazon and have ordered it! We'll see if it offers the right degree of comfort AND allows me to see at the same time.
Today's pzl from Mr. Cobb gave me an interesting twist. Since I don't play Angry Birds and couldn't quite get a toehold in the NW corner, I reversed my usual solving pattern. Today I went directly from the NE corner down to the SW. It wasn't exactly a purist's solution (i.e., not working from the first across-word to the last), but it gave me a mirror image of my customary diagonal.
Ta- DA!
It helped greatly that my starting word was 'T'WAS, the "Jabberwocky opener." I still recall most of the Lewis Carroll poem by heart. It happens I did a show as Mr Carroll (more properly as the STAMMERing Rev. Charles Lutwidge "Do-do" Dodgson) for a year tour in Virginia - and later on I directed a team of young actors in a hiphop rendition of the poem.
(Try it yourself, and see how the rhythms work perfectly as a rap song!)
"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
Good Wednesday puzzle, very nice clueing and construction.
Didn't care about the circles - they were there - or the gimmick, as no need to know in order to solve, appreciated.
FIW, & I declare a foul!
Ok, I don't know diddly about Horseshoes,
but 60d suffix with concert is definitely "INA."
& 61d big Tee sizes should be "XLG." (if I didn't miss the plural in "sizes.")
So, 66a, couldn't some kind of Horseshoe position be a "TAG?" (kind of leaner?)
I would really like to complain, except horseshoe turn="toss" is so bloody
obvious in retrospect...
(I think this puzzle is going to drive me to drink!)
This link made me think of Tinbeni! & never mix it with ice!
One of the basic rules to drinking is never mix drinks!
& when I tried to explain it to my wife...
I liked this puzzle okay. Theme was convoluted but I got it. Hand up for STUTTER before STAMMER and ON FIRE before AFLAME before ABLAZE. Agree with Anonymous @ 1:21 PM about ship frame vs hull, with JazzBumpa about WAGE vs salary, and with Yellowrocks @ 8:01 AM about PERM. Good eye about BIRDS, Marc @ 11:42 AM. Interesting to have both SKEE and SPEE in the puzzle.
I have played Angry Birds about twice, and have written NEAT-O here on occasion.
I love Jabberwocky. We once spent several linguistics class hours analyzing "And the mome raths outgrabe."
Best wishes to you all.
Ol'Man Keith, hope you eye is doing okay. And how interesting that you played Carroll on the road!
Hi All!
I had the circles and it helped fix my WOs when I realized DRINKS go in their respective clues' ans. 38a & 49a where my 1st themers.
Wow Adam, I admire the inspiration and, what must have been, sticktoitation that this puzzle took to execute. I can see you sitting there "OK, got MILK, SEATTLE's the inspiration, BEER's done.... ONLY ONE MORE TO GO. " :-). Thanks for a fun puzzle that puzzles me how you conceived & executed. There was some clunk but, for this grid, NO BIG.
Thanks JzB for a wonderfully verbose expo. I can't believe INO is right and now I know what an ASTER is.
WOs: Hand up for both Stutter and AfLAmE; Add insult, I had XX's for XLs @1st
ESPs: PERE, SPEE, INEZ (I was so worried there was and 'S' in ANALSE but I think that's UK.
Fav: BON MOT all together after just MOT 2x in the last few weeks.
Honorable mentions - clue for STONY was cute; CLEAR UP xing CLOG (think traffic).
{B, A, B-}
Montana - I also didn't realize you're so close. Take CARE & Stay safe. I'll DRINK to snow for ya'. [Oh, and there's a thing as bear repellent?]
Marc - yup, noticed the BIRDS dup too - slowed me in the SW, they did.
For those that never played, for $0.99 Angry Birds is a fun and funny game for the watercloset.
Here's some mellow Byrds with Tweeters
HG - There's a group of guys that WEAVE traffic on motorcycles on the Houston Freeways on the weekends. I don't know them and stay far back when I see them - I don't want to use one as a speed bump if they TOSS to the pavement. //shudder
Cheers, -T
Oh, C.C. If you're reading, Thank You! - you made me crave one... Your banh mi pic from Sunday gave me the perfect idea when a vendor invited me to lunch today. Pho Binh on Westheimer - Yum... TxMs - it's just a "little" outside The Loop at Foutntain View :-). -T
I immediately thought of STUTTER, but since I solve in pen (no Wite-Out in my house, D-O, can't stand the stuff being a former legal secy), I've learned to wait for perps to determine whatever choices. STAMMER it is, after PREMADE and MICROBREWERY made their appearances. Still wanted CONCERTINa, but perps were solid for -o- (I'm also musically-challenged in addition to computer-).
HG - thanks (I think) for that scary cycle video. Such idiots - Harley rider zooms down my street four or five times a day, throttling loudly or whatever the dang term is, rattling windows - drives me crazy!
C-E Dave @ 4:24 - nearly spluttered my wine @ your Top 10 Rules of Boozing. Hope Tinbeni chimes in with his opinions!
Montana - thank you for your report - I didn't even think of the frightened wildlife interacting with wildfire fighters! I can't even imagine having to drive through a smoke blizzard while the fires rage on. Those fire-fighters are a breed apart, and so very brave. Winds can change so rapidly, entrapping them as what happened in the Yarnell Hill tragedy in June 2013 when 19 Prescott "Hotshots" were killed. I know you'll stay safe, Montana, but we all hope for rain/snow or whatever precipitation in your area! Please keep us posted.
Anon-T, while working at City Centre, there was a sandwich shop there that made terrific banh mi sandwiches - addicting - had to have them at least twice a week, and best of all, cheap! Deli run kinda like the Soup Nazi's Kitchen on Seinfeld. And thanks for the heads-up on weaving hog-riders; they're all over the freeways, day and night, not only on weekends.
TxMs - I've seen a few "gangs" on Hogs but they're tame compared to the packs of 6 or 8 on crotch-rockets; they're popin' wheelies and sh** down the freeway. This isn't typical, but you get the idea. One day, I'm afraid, Karma will get them ala HG's link.
Thank... the next time I'm at Town Centre I will seek out the Banh Mi Nazi :-). Cheers, -T
I don't think anyone's around except possible Tony and Picard in the morning. I finally got to fill a xword but getting to and through the blog took awhile.
Ludwig popped in late yesterday and said something like "Frabjous". And then, a double "Wocky" today.
I moved through this one slowly but steadily. I misspelled SEATTLE". Having the circles gave me a head up on the theme. I stuttered at STAMMER and naturally thought of concertina wire.
I remember in OCS crawling under the wire with blank rounds being shot at me. NOBIG
But... When I got a prong stuck the DI* came running over singing "That's not regulation skivvies!".
YR. Re. The music. I substituted in HS Excel and the teacher played movie theme music. I was skeptical until I noticed that the students got antsy when the CD ended. I learned to be quick about getting another going.
So, I thought perhaps you could try that with Alan.
Thanks Irish Miss and the rest of you for your caring and prayers. I came back to Sun City and we had no damage, just some water where our roof AC connected.
WC
* He was referred to as "Sergeant Instructor". In boot camp drill is "sung" by the DIs. I wonder if there are recordings of drill which illustrate the synchronicity of the sounds.
Anon-T, I don't recall seeing the idiotic bikers' video on the news (published Nov. 2013) which I surely would have remembered. Maybe filmed in another city? Anyway, I enjoyed the comments more than the video, mostly from red-neck safety-conscious bikers. I should have been more specific about City Centre's locale - I-10W @ Beltway, not Town Centre, which I think is in your neck of the woods, somewhere down 59? Or is it "69" now? Never read the article about suddenly renaming a freeway that's been "59" for decades - really stupid idea, but then considering the intelligentsia down here @ TXDOT... (If any non-Texans are interested, acronym for Texas Department of Transportation)
Learning moment that AHAB was a Quaker. Apparently, so were ship-owners Bildad and Peleg. As well as Chief Mate Starbuck. Wonder if he knew how to make a LATTE?
Hand up for STUTTER confusing things before STAMMER fixed things. Vaguely remember TOFF only from these puzzles.
You don't know what you are missing, Marc, by missing out on Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I read them several times starting as a young child. They were not written for children and have many layers of meaning. I recommend "Annotated Alice" by Martin Gardner as a way to read them and get some of those deeper layers.
In any case, a fun puzzle!
One more thing: To the person looking for a good sleep mask, I spent years in the search and found "Lewis N. Clark Comfort Eye Mask With Adjustable Straps" on Amazon to be far and away the best for comfort and light blocking:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SKXRNO
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