Theme: "The wheels on the bus ..." - go like today's theme; round and round.
17A. Hand from the audience: ROUND OF APPLAUSE
27A. Group one likes to hang with: CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
48A. Area in which one has power: SPHERE OF CONTROL
63A . 1970 Temptations hit with the subtitle "That's What the World Is Today": BALL OF CONFUSION
Argyle here. Four grid spanners, impressed?. Consistent middle word; either be all the same or all be different, so long as it's consistent. A couple of old pro constructors, always a duo. Plethora of proper names.
Across:
1. Gospel truth: FACT
5. Previous time of life: PAST
9. Broadway bombs: FLOPS
14. Southwestern stewpot: OLLA
15. Texter's modest "I think ... ": IMHO. (in my humble opinion)
16. Choosing rhyme starter: EENIE
20. Actor __ Ivory Wayans: KEENEN
21. Castle barrier: MOAT
22. Con man's sucker: SAP
23. Robert of "The Sopranos": ILER
25. Is the right size: FITS
34. Prefix with logical: ECO
35. Shrunken Asian sea: ARAL
36. Braid: PLAIT
37. Jump: LEAP
39. Blue cartoon papa: SMURF
42. "Zip-__-Doo-Dah": A-DEE
43. Clear, as an argument: LUCID
45. Holiday trees: FIRS
47. "Hometown Proud" supermarket chain: IGA
 |
| "Hometown Sad" |
52. Royal sari wearer: RANI
 |
| Rani Mukherjee Looks |
53. Indian nurse: AMAH
54. Plugs for products: ADS
57. Swallow hard: GULP
59. Frightened, in dialect: AFEARD. "I don't believe in ghosts but I've been AFEARD of them all my life."
66. Sing like Bing: CROON. Bing Crosby.
67. Actress Jessica: ALBA
68. Creative spark: IDEA
69. Frets: STEWS
70. Close at hand: NEAR
71. Droops like an old sofa: SAGs. A more user friendly clue.
Down:
1. Road split: FORK
2. Skin soother: ALOE
3. Game with suspects: CLUE
4. Kind of acid in red wine: TANNIC
5. First settlers: PIONEERS
6. Big initials in bowling: AMF. CSO to Boomer.
7. Bedding accessory: SHAM
8. Fill to the brim: TOP OFF
9. Soft penpoint: FELT TIP
10. Pasture: LEA
11. Responsibility: ONUS
12. Italian tower town: PISA
13. Ooze: SEEP
18. Singer Reese: DELLA. Early Della.
19. Two of a kind: PAIR
24. Wander: ROAM
26. Actress Ward: SELA
27. Basic anatomy units: CELLS
28. Freeze over: ICE-UP
29. Insect trapped in a "motel": ROACH
30. Pillow down, say: FLUFF
31. Low point: NADIR
32. San __ Padres: DIEGO
33. Take illegally: STEAL
38. Jetty: PIER
40. Costa __: RICA
41. How the wise men came: FROM AFAR. Too soon for the song.
44. Fire-breathing beasts: DRAGONS
46. Major mix-up: SNAFU
49. Sufficient, in texts: ENUF. (enough)
50. Tin Man's need: OIL CAN
51. Grad student's paper: THESIS
54. Grade school basics: ABC's
55. Pointed pub flier: DART
56. __ gin fizz: SLOE
58. Flag holder: POLE
60. Verdi title princess: AIDA
61. "Walkabout" director Nicolas: ROEG
62. Genetic carriers: DNAs
64. Weather map "L": LOW
65. Org. with Lakers and Clippers: NBA. (National Basketball Association)
Argyle
ReplyDeleteMr. Mengel, and Ms. Gianette, thank you for a puzzle I could work sans letters.
Argyle,
Thanks for the pictures in your review, especially Della Reese's "Someday." I had never heard that song, and really enjoyed it.
Dave
Post 1/5
A bit crunchy for a Monday. The "of life" modifier on "previous time" was unnecessary and therefore obfuscating. Likewise, I know "gospel" can be used as an intensifier for "truth", but it still made for a confusing clue, even a marginally offensive one for a non-Christian like me. AFEARD? Despite it being in a dictionary, shouldn't it be AFEARED? Crossing the obscure name of ROEG and a clue for DNAS that better fit RNA-without-an-S, it made a difficult corner. I could say more, but those nits are -- ENUF?
ReplyDeleteI know that, tho it causes some guff,
Thru time, spelling changes gather much FLUFF.
Still I lodge a plaint
When letters are PLAIT
Into an abomination, that's ENUF!
His FLOPS were a FACT of the PAST,
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE came at last!
A BALL OF CONFUSION
Reached a LUCID conclusion,
An IDEA to LEAP forth and flabbergast!
Oh, my! I skipped commenting yesterday, and I see the puzzle was by one of my fans, Paul Coulter! I'll have to make up for that!
Columbus was from GENOA, an ITALIAN,
Today, he's considered a rapscallion!
But at his BEHEST,
Isabella sent him West,
And he got many miles to the galleon!
{B, B, A.}
ReplyDeleteGreetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Kurt and Jan-Michelle and Santa!
Swell puzzle! Only unknowns were AMF and ROEG.
Cool theme!
Hope to see you all tomorrow!
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteSlow to get started, but then things went smoothly until I hit SPHERE OF INFLUEN...and ran out of room. Not sure I've ever heard Sphere of Control. The wise men came FROM AFAR. That's why they were wearing firemen's hats. Thanx, Kurt, Jan-Michele, and Argyle.
In my ute AMF put me out of work, ending my budding career as a pin setter.
FIR without erasure, but still didn't know KENNEN or ROEG. Trimaran sailboats have a large center hull and two floats called AMAHs. We got SHAM again today, having discussed it to death last week. Can't wait to get to Florida - don't want to ICE UP before we leave.
ReplyDeleteD-O - In my corner of the mountains, the joke was "how do we know the three wise men smelled like smoke?".
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. I enjoyed this easy ease into the week of puzzles. I immediately got the ROUND OF APPLAUSE, and when the CIRCLE OF FRIENDS appeared, I knew we were looking for round things. I was not familiar with Mr. ROEG, but the perps filled in his name.
ReplyDeleteTaking the week off to spend time with family and get ready for Thanksgiving.
QOD: There is a saying that every nice piece of work needs the right person in the right place at the right time. ~ Benoît Mandelbrot (b. Nov. 20, 1924 ~ d. Oct. 14, 2010)
A better phrasing of the clue for 41D might have been "Whence the Wise Men came." How and from don't go together.
ReplyDeleteEasy, breezy Monday puzzle. Apropos after an extremely breezy Sunday afternoon, followed by light snow flurries this AM. Bright and sunny now.
ReplyDeleteI have read Cather's "O Pioneers!" set in Nebraska, several times. I am fascinated by the western expansion of the US. Hi Gary.
Aida is my second favorite opera, nearly tied with Pagliacci.
OKL. Columbus limerick, A+ Your first one answers your AFEARD complaint.There is often no logic in English spelling, and even less in dialect.
"The Spheres of Control scale (SOC) is a multidimensional measure of locus of control, originally designed to assess personal control, interpersonal control, and socio-political control." I wanted influence first, but readily switched to control. It makes sense. There are other references.
DNA was my first thought. Wikipedia, GENOME "In modern molecular biology and genetics, a genome is the genetic material of an organism. It consists of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses)."
Gospel has been co opted by the secular, just as goodbye has been co-opted. "From godbwye (1570s), itself a contraction of God be with ye."
This use of PAST is "the history of a person, nation, etc." The sketchy pasts (time of life) of many powerful men are in the current news. For some of them the past is only prologue.
FLN: I love my annual $99 Prime membership. It is less expensive than the shipping and any return shipping charges for my many purchases. It also lets me use the movie and ebook library and has unlimited music downloads. I purchase only items listed as Prime unless I desperately need them. After the free trial you must opt out if you wish not to be charged. I don't go for Add ons. There is a much larger ebook list which you can read for 30 days at a cost of $9.99 monthly. It is free at first, but then you must opt out to avoid charged. I don't participate in this. The customer service is great. They are liberal about removing unexpected charhes, even if they are my own fault.
ReplyDeleteOne more word about shams. Alan's new comforter is topped with flannel. The shams are flannel, too, and not trimmed. They are so comfortable he uses them as pillowcases.
Fun Monday - WEES about ROEG needing perps! And I can never remember if its AMF or IMF so waited for perps....
ReplyDeleteROUND OF APPLAUSE reminded me of working at summer camp - if the kids really liked something they would give it by clapping their hands in the shape of a circle!
Off to work!
Thanks Argyle and Kurt & Jan-Michele-
ReplyDeleteJinx,
All this talk about the wise men, and this wise acre did not get the joke. At the risk of spoiling it for those who follow, could you 'splain it ta me in words of one syllable or less.
O K L on this day was obfuscating
Which for me was very frustrating
I found him evasive
And even unclear
But to me he was oh so confus(at)ing
Dave
Poet Lariat
Post 2/5
Dave: The wisemen came from AFAR, which in some parts of the country would be interpreted to mean that they came from A Fire, hence, the firemen's hats and smelling of smoke.
ReplyDelete"Frightened, in dialect: AFEARD" That is not any dialect I know.
ReplyDeleteThis had some Monday crunch. Thanks for the fun, Kurt and Jan-Michele, and Argyle.
ReplyDelete(I was trying to think of a round theme and loved your "wheels on the bus".)
Hand up for needing perps for ROEG and KEENEN.
I noted the CSO to Boomer, ICE for Tin, and also the return of SHAM and SAGs.
I was thinking how appropriate to have Pilgrims for American Thanksgiving week, but had to change to PIONEERS. Wrong settlers!
I changed Geo to ECO, and went through many variations for Zip-(itty, itee, idee) before perps revealed ADEE.
Like D4E4H, it took me a few minutes to think about regional dialects to understand Jinx and d-otto's jokes about AFAR.
I agree with Anon@7:44 that using How in the clue was misleading; I wanted By Camels at first. IMHO Whence would have been perfect (and sounds like a Christmas carol too). I see that Crossword Solver agrees; Answer:AFAR Clue:Whence the wise men?
Enjoy the day.
John Brydels@9:13 - AFEARD is not heard in Canadian dialect either.
ReplyDeleteDictionary.com lists it as British and Midland and Southern U.S. (origins in Old English).
with an example from Dickens. "I told him it was no reason, because I was afeard of my life of you, that he should be." Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
ReplyDeleteA little rough getting started for a Monday, but the down clues made everything all right. Good puzzle from Jan-Michele and Kurt. Argyle filled in the map through the clues nicely.
WEES about ROEG, but I did know KEENEN Ivory Wayans. I enjoy the TV show "Lethal Weapon" with his brother Damon Wayans.
Again I was able to do the Sunday LA Times puzzle in the Washington Post with pencil and eraser yesterday. It did take a while and the eraser wore through the paper in a few places before the Ah-Ha moment came.
IM: I hope you are not getting dumped on with lake effect snow. We had some last night with a temperature about 31°. Roads were treacherous this morning because it turned to ice on the roads. Be safe.
Have a great day everyone.
You mean some people don't pronounce "far" and "fire" the same? How quaint!
ReplyDeleteAlso, William Shakespeare in the Tempest, "“Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,
ReplyDeleteSounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices."
In literature:
I'm a bit afeard for him.
"Jack at Sea" by George Manville Fenn
Don't be afeard; you can't tumble, you know.
"Fighting the Flames" by R.M. Ballantyne
I wur afeard to break the peace, which mout a led to a general shindy.
"The Hunters' Feast" by Mayne Reid
You're sure you be'n't afeard?
"Shining Ferry" by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
Afeard seems old fashioned dialect. I have read it in several historical novels.
Interesting how dialects can be almost unintelligible to folks from a short distance away. D4E4H is from the flatlands of western Kentucky, where as I came from the foothills of the Appalachains in eastern KY. Although the town folks back home didn't pronounce it that way, to country people "fire" and "far" are homophones ("hair" and "her", too).
ReplyDeleteAs a young adult I had temporary work in Hazard, KY less than 100 miles from home. I had a hard time understanding the folks there. For instance, they pronounced the past tense of "fight" as "fit", as in "they fit until they were both a bloody mess". While the people my age at home were into Led Zep and Rolling Stones music, the most popular songs in Hazard were "Rocky Top" and "John's Been Shucking My Corn".
I have the theory that Old English was spoken by most of the settlers in those parts, and distance and travel difficulty has kept the language partially intact. There is one turnpike going to Hazard; otherwise drivers are lucky to average more than 35 MPH when going from town to town.
Jinx, I agree completely. AFEARED and the following lines in my post remind me of Li'l Abner.
ReplyDeleteI wur afeard to break the peace, which mout a led to a general shindy.
You're sure you be'n't afeard?
They also remind of the language of the isolated hill people in novels about the southern USA.
Musings
ReplyDelete-A Temptations song I have never heard and a fun grid-spanning Monday puzzle
-Audrey Hepburn was nominated for an Oscar in the movie Breakfast At Tiffany’s but the Broadway show starring Mary Tyler Moore was a FLOP
-QB Tom Brady’s mansion has a MOAT
-FAKIR yesterday, NADIR and FIRS today
-Does anyone ever read any THESIS after it is written and stored away
-A POLE carrying a flag POLE
-FORK in the road book
-Can you guess what Della Reese classic came from this lovely Puccini waltz in La Boheme?
-QOD – Darwin was the right man at the right time to put all the contemporary evolution ideas into a coherent ideology
-Hi YR!
-My first thought of smoke was the silly song where the three wise men were “smoking on a loaded cigar”
Thanks to Kurt and Jan-Michele for an easy romp today. And thank you, Argyle, for a fine expo with lovely music! It's shocking to see the images of the ARAL Sea and I imagine not many posters remember Bing Crosby but I certainly do and loved to hear him CROON.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I spent the afternoon with a CIRCLE OF FRIENDS celebrating birthdays so this puzzle is an apt fit for me today. It's also the title of a good movie with Minnie Driver and might have been her first appearance in film.
I must agree about the clue for 41D. It should be "whence the wise men came". How asks for the mode of transportation. And perhaps AFEARD should be clued as obsolete or archaic instead of dialect.
Never having watched the Sopranos, ILER is unknown to me but it emerged with perps. One of my daughter's nicknames is SMURF because she is short in stature.
Hahtulah, thank you for explaining the joke! No, d-o, not everyone pronounces fire and far the same.
Have a fabulous day, everyone!
Round of applause?
ReplyDeleteThis circle of friends must have gotten bored...
Sphere of control, BwaHaHa!
I too thought this was a bit crunchy for a Monday puzzle, but still a delight. It was fun to get the CIRCLE theme by the second answer, and great that it was all doable even if you didn't know all the answers. The names KEENEN, ILER, and ROEG were unknown to me, but perps solved the problem. So, many thanks, Kurt and Jan-Michele, and you too, Argyle, for great write-up and pics.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the meaning of AMF? I belonged to a bowling team on my first faculty job many years ago, but don't remember those initials.
Owen, I liked your Columbus limerick. And thank you for all the great literature echoes this morning, Yellowrocks.
Well, I'm off to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving pretty early tomorrow morning, so will probably not have time to check in. But I shall return the week after.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everybody!
The ball of confusion should be called Flog! (that's Golf backwards...)
ReplyDelete"And"
the wheels on the bus are misplaced...
Misty, AMF stands for American Machine and Foundry. For most of the last hundred years all bowling centers have been either Brunswick or AMF.
ReplyDeleteLucina, I wasn't being serious. I hope you knew that. I'll bet you pronounce Oil different from Awl, too.
Anybody else think that last photo of the Aral Sea looks a lot like Ray Charles?
Hi Everyone:
ReplyDeleteFour grid spanners always impress me so I enjoyed this offering a little bit more than the average Monday. I first put an A in Keenen and an E in Smurf but no other mishaps. Any Southwest entry brings Lucina to mind as Olla did. The only unknown was Roeg; Iler has appeared many times but the picture shown isn't the Iler in my mind's eye; I must be mistaken, though, as I've never seen any "Soprano" episodes. "Circle of Friends" was one of the many Maeve Binchey novels that I enjoyed; she was an accomplished story teller.
Thanks, Kurt and Jan-Michele, for starting our week off on the right foot and thanks, Argyle, for the "bus" tour!
oc4beach @ 9:30 ~ Thanks for your concern. I think Western New York had weather problems but I'm almost 300 miles east of Buffalo. It is very cold here and we had about 30 seconds of snow flurries earlier. Right now, it is sunny and calm, after yesterday's gusting winds. I think it's time, though, to break out the warm, fur (faux) jacket. (I'm awaiting an order from Gibble's; you should request a commission on my purchases!)
My cleaning lady is here today due to Thanksgiving falling on her regular day. She and I will do the Christmas decorations after she is through cleaning. I have a 4 1/2 foot tree, completely decorated, which is already in its place of honor. (It remains covered, in the garage, the rest of the year!)
Have a great day.
A bit crunchy for me for a Monday but an enjoyable experience nevertheless. Aral, Olla, Rani and Amah filled with perps. Thanks Kurt and Jan-Michele and a special CSO to Argyle.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Mark
Don't you know this Della Reese classic. Click here.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this puzzle. Like Irish Miss, grid spanners impress me, and this puzzle has four of them. Some lovely fill, too, such as FELT TIP, PIONEERS, FROM AFAR, and AFEARD. I knew KEENAN bit not ILER or ROEG. I did very much enjoy the movie Walkabout. Loved the clue for ROACH. I did a double take and a nose wrinkle at the plural DNAS.
ReplyDeleteThere's an old computer game called Star Craft that I think must have been created by mostly southerners because most of the characters speak with a southern accent. One of the commanders, when ordering his soldiers to fire, says, "Far." Sounds more like "Fahr."
I heard that Joshua "fit" the battle of Jericho.
desper-otto, I stared and squinted at that Aral sea photo and simply do not see Ray Charles. Are you pullin' our laigs?
Neighbor gave us a nice fresh duck for Thanksgiving. But it's not frozen, so we're going to cook it today lest it go bad in the fridge. I suspect I'll have a hard time not STEALing nibbles from it before Thursday.
Best wishes to you all.
d-o:
ReplyDeleteYes, I did know you were joking and I tried an impression of a stern school marm. LOL! I've had students from those far southern parts and have visited my sister in Charlotte many times so those accents are familiar to me.
RIP, Della Reese. She died last night at the age of 86. Eerie to see her name appearing in today's cw.
ReplyDeleteDella Reese in the LAT X-word, and dies on the same day.
ReplyDeleteRIP
HG @ 10:30am
ReplyDeleteI give up ! Please tell me the name of that silly song about the "wise men". Thanks.
Jayce, don't know if this helps, but the two black circles near the top are his sunglasses. No laig pullin' involved.
ReplyDeleteHow freaky that apparently DELLA REESE just died. RIP.
ReplyDeleteYes, this was crunchy with so many proper names. KEENEN, ILER, ROEG unknowns. Nicolas CAGE the only Hollywood Nicolas I know. IGA is my pet peeve: A regional business name that no one outside that area would have heard of. Enjoyed the ROUND theme, so that made it all OK.
A LUCID dream is one where you know you are dreaming in the dream. Have any of you had one of these? I attended a two week workshop in 2011 to learn how to do this. Stephen LaBerge is the original researcher at Stanford who did all the hard work and I was honored that he invited me to the workshop.
Here are two short talks I gave to Santa Barbara City College Adult Education on some of the highlights of the LUCID dreaming workshop.
It is hard to condense dozens of hours of workshop, but this gives some of the inside secrets. LaBerge's assistant approved what I said in these talks.
This is me with a real DRAGON on the Indonesian island of Komodo.
The theory is that Chinese explorers probably saw these very exotic animals and embellished them into the fire breathing DRAGONS of lore. I had dreamed all my life of being able to see this largest lizard in the world in its native habitat. They are deadly and you have to sign a release that you understand you may be killed by one.
In fact, the voyage to get there is probably even more risky. I was very fortunate to have an Indonesian girlfriend who managed to find a boat and a crew that knew how to navigate these very dangerous waters. All without a compass or any modern instruments. It was one of the most memorably wonderful experiences in my life.
Hi Y'all! Fun & fast, thanks Kurt & Jan Michele! Thanks, Argyle.
ReplyDeleteHand up for not knowing ILER & ROEG (sounds like a law firm).
Ima Airhead at 1:45: I think he means that SPOOF song "We three kings of orient are, trying to smoke a rubber cigar." Haven't heard it since adulthood arrived.
The fire-far chatter reminded me of one of my first bosses. I kept books for a filling station that sold tires which boss called "tars". I found a post card that he was sending to our wholesaler where he said "Sen me 4 00X00 tars befor Thursday." No business name or his name. I edited it, added the business name and dropped it in the mail. When he made the delivery the wholesaler came into my cubbyhole laughing and said he almost didn't know where to bring the "tars" because they were spelled right for once.
Need to grocery shop but it is so windy, I'm not sure I can stand erect and navigate the parking lot. Leaves are changing yards madly.
The Magi, the Wisemen, the Three Kings. Called by any of these names they are part of the Christmas story and are featured in a Christmas carol which I have known all my life.
ReplyDeleteWe three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star
O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light
Born a King on Bethlehem's plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign
O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light
Frankincense to offer have I
Incense owns a Deity nigh
Prayer and praising, all men raising
Worship Him, God most high
O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light
Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes of life of gathering gloom
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb
O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light
Glorious now behold Him arise
King and God and Sacrifice
Alleluia, Alleluia
Earth to heav'n replies
O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light
-Aforementioned silly smoking 3 kings song (3:00) Well, at least Argyle got the classical music question! :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Desper-otto.
ReplyDeleteD-O Sorry about your career change. When you come to a FORK in the road, you have to take it. (Yogi Berra)
ReplyDeleteEasy solve today. ROEG was all perps. No issues.
San DIEGO - James - Santiago seems to be another variation
"` Be not AFEARD, the isle is full of noises, sounds and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not . . . "' (The Tempest)
I wasn't AFEARD of this Monday puzzle neither.
ReplyDeleteHah 836 & JB 913: You're 'splaination lit a far under me and now I aint afeard to laugh. Ha, Ha, Ha!
CE 913: "Monday crunch" sounds like a cereal which I do not eat. Study revealed the definition. I felt that the puzzle was smooth as Canadian whiskey, sweet as strawberry wine. So the opposite could be "Crunchy." Monday is not supposed to be crunchy ergo the comment.
Sec. para., sec. sen. I have my comm. sect. abbr. page beside me so I got CSO to boomer, but what is ICE for tim? Sounds like something a Magus would bring to the parched king.
YR 939: I's afeard the word "Shindy" stuck out. Seems it means shindig, and ah suspects not the twirllin gals kind. I's afeard agin.
Jinx 1007: "Flatlands of Western KY" Louisville is in north-central KY verified by Mapquest which chose Lebanon as the center. Louisville is NW from Lebanon.
Fly into SDF and you will see knobs just south of the city or in southern IN across the mighty Ohio rivlet. If you want to purchase the rio, know that KY owns it to the IN shoreline. They shore do.
You said that "fire" and "far" are homophones. So are landlines and cells that want to marry and be merry in LGBTQ bliss.
Joshua "Fit" the battle of Jerico. "John's been shucking my corn" by Onie Wheeler, I knew
before the video that something was corny. Google to find out what.
HG 1030: Alexander Graham Zelinski the telephone Pole
20 lines to you,
Dave
Post 3/5
Argyle had me thinking, "Too bad about the shrinking Aral Sea..."
ReplyDeleteBut as soon as I formed the idea, I followed with, "I might as well be saying too bad about losing that arm" or maybe just "... that spleen." The more parts we miss of our shared Earth, the fewer we're left to value & appreciate.
Naturally I'm a little more concerned about losing parts of nearby Highway 1 to the Pacific, but I hate to see any parts of the planet disappear.
Monday, Monday, so good to me...
Today's opus from the team of Mengel & Gianette provided a smooth start to our cruciverbal week. I may have set a new in-house speed record, except that I haven't been actually timing myself. No unknowns here - oops! other than that bowling thingie... AMF
A bit off-topic, but Yes, Yellowrocks, I certainly agree about Amazon's Prime membership. Not only does it pay for speedy shipping, but it gives you access to all their streaming videos. And Amazon's videos are easier to run than Netflix'; I can pause just by a tap on my iPad screen. No hunting around for that little pause button!
These days, with my decreasing mobility, I do a great deal of shopping online. Without going into the social ramifications of Amazon's powerful marketing position, I find it a great convenience as a customer to check with them for just about anything I'm thinking of buying.
So long, Misty!
ReplyDeleteBon Voyage - I hope you don't get stuck in one of the many travel glitches that are lurking out there.
I remember what it was like when I had to think of traveling to spend T'Giving with relatives. Aargh. Creeping along treacherous fogged-in roads. Stretched out overnight in airport lounges. Missing connecting flights. Triple - aaargh!!
Now that my kin have devolved to a small nut of survivors that fit comfortably about my own table, I do not need to face the rigors of travel. Glad that's all over - and wishing you to be free of the type of errors that cause your body to be someplace where it ought not to to be.
Be thankful, everybody!
Didn't like that there were two names crossing with another near the northwest end (I knew KEENEN but thought it might have ended in AN). Have heard of DELLA Reese but it didn't come to mind. And the there was a totally unknown name crossing with AFEARD, which also didn't come to mind. Very crunchy for a Monday for me. Not a big fan of (obscure) names crossing names early in the week.
ReplyDeleteWanted to add that I flew through the rest. So, it was a relatively easy puzzle for me except for a couple sticky spots which I was not able to pull out at all.
ReplyDeleteHey Lucina. We became big fans of Minnie Driver after seeing "Circle of Friends." She has an excellent American accent.
ReplyDeletePicard, IGA isn't regional, but they are rural. They can be found from Maine to Florida to California to Washington. They are also located in South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. They were a boon to small towns where the big grocery chains wouldn't go. WalMart is probably displacing a lot of these small businesses.
ReplyDeleteD4E4H - I've always thought of Lexington as being Central KY - learn something every day. I always thought that EKU's name was a misnomer. When I went to UK most of my buddies were from E-Town, and they definitely considered it to be Western KY. They were culturally closer to the people I knew from Louisville than the Lexingtonians. Thanks for the geography lesson. If you have been around long enough (meaning you are OLD) you might remember a late friend of mine named Dale Greer, who was a news anchor at WAVE-TV. He introduced me to Nick Clooney, George's dad and Rosemary's brother.
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteZipped through this quite easily.
Theme appeared right away. Some long entries.
Did not know KEENEN and ROEG. Perps.
Some of our new English grates at me. ENUF AFEARD
I confidently wrote in PILGRIMS for 5D. Now I have a big inkblot there, as PIONEERS took over.
Had no idea that TANNIC acid is in red wine. I do not drink red wine very often. Maybe once every two years.
I could not even get close to getting Sunday's or Saturday's puzzles. So, I have not been here.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
ReplyDeleteHG 1030: What Della Reese classic? I enjoyed Puccini.
Thanks Argyle 1237: for the answer. "Don't you know." Nope I didn't. I recognized and enjoyed the song. I am impressed with her enunciation, and saddened at her passing. Thanks Picard 216: for the sad news, not fake.
Lucina 1040: I bet we all scooby scooby doo. If that's not Bing, it's how he would sing.
CED 1104 I agree. The wheels are missplaced, but I never tire of their hubs.
YR 221: Thanks for the full words to "We three kings." Is that the proper title?
HG 226: How fitting that you followed YR. You smoked it. BANG!
OMK 321: I'm with you on mobility, OE in all joints. Fortunately there are no joints in the brain. There are joints in the skull, but no sxs there. I am a "Valid" invalid, who hasn't been in a store in years.
My mission is to help other people. It hurts that I am no longer able to do that, and need help myself. My purpose is to find peace which I have, and yet I want to be helping.
Interacting with you fine people is filling my days with pleasure, in fact I think I have Corneritis, and refuse to seek a cure. I'm dying
for more xword fun.
Anonymous 744, 141, 141, 406, 411: Are there 6 of you, or are these anonymi the same person. My first post was anon, but I fixed that. Please pick a screen name to enter in the block above anon., and use it consistently.
19 lines to you,
Dave
Post 4/5
Argyle - thanks for always explicating abbreviations & acronyms, as sometimes I can't figure out what they stand for, esp. when sports related.
ReplyDeleteThanks also for "Someday" - I love the jazzy piano, big band arrangement, bawdy stripper ending, and her improvisation on the melody 2nd time through; and also for "Don't You Know". Don't think I remember that, but remember wistfully that at one time some pop music was informed by something greater. What a beautiful, resonant voice. Some of the commenters on You Tube mentioned that she had died today. Eerie.
HG - thanks for the song/cartoon of "We Three Kings". I remembered the 2 lines PK gave @ 14:18, and the next one (It was loaded, it exploded) but couldn't remember the last one. Now I know why - there wasn't one, just the boom.
D4E4H@3:10 - yes you figured out my "crunchy" Monday comment. I see that Anon@4:08 used the same term.
ReplyDeleteMy Tin comment referred to Tinbeni, another Cornerite, who likes his drinks neat and refuses to enter ICE in a crossword. We think of him (thus the CSO) whenever we see the word.
Trying to find five minutes to knock this typical Monday off. I needed three separate shots including this morning to somewhat finish Sunday. I had some pesky FIRs. I missed HIC.
ReplyDeleteI will say Sunday was a work of art. There had to be a dozen clever clues mostly noted.
I will say I had TRAIL for exhaust but TO HOLD didn't fit. A mental alphabet run needed four shots to get DRAIN.
ENUF of Sunday. I don't think in all my Catholic Christmas caroling that I did the whole 3 Wisemen. We had MAGI awhile back it was it NYT?
ROEG was a perpwag (tm).
Yes Owen outdid himself although the GALLEON pun is an old Chestnut.
I tried to fit SPHERE OF INFLUENCE in. I'll bet m&g did too. Argyle always gives us a solid write-up. I've got to get back to those links.
WC
Thank you, Ol'Man Keith. I'll let you know how it all went when I return to the blog next Wednesday (hoping all goes well, and I'm back next Wednesday). Meanwhile, I wish you and your family a lovely Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteAFEARD'n y'alls gonna stick one o' dem pointy hats on myun head and stick me yonder corner wise to stare at the walls. Proper name crossing stacked propers - aye, thar be DRAGONS.
ReplyDeleteYep, I had KEENaN and DarLA... FIW (On a Monday! Oy!)
Hi All!
Back from Norman, OK (finally! last night I was delayed >3 hours and everything in the airport (including the bar!) was closed for 4 of those).
Thanks all aROUND to Kurt & Jan-Michele for an otherwise easy Monday and to Argyle for a fine expo (and the tunes). Only WO was RANI and the other proper names perp'd out NEAR as nuthin'.
Picard - I first "discovered" LUCID dreaming from OMNI magazine in HS. I got pretty good at "spinning out" and doing my own thing-ish. I do remember, one time, flying and realizing that I'd spun-into it and then fell and fell and fell. I swear I woke up right right after crashing into my bed and waking as I bounced back up - I got at least 2" of air... Like I said, trippy (and no, no artificial enhancements)
The Girls and I saw a model of Pisa's Tower at the Bizzell Library @OU this weekend. [I don't know who the people are - just pulled pic off of Google]
{B,B,A+}
Have fun Misty & Hahtoolah! See ya Monday.
Another ROUND of thanks for all the Cornerites who posted and learnt me. Next time, maybe, I won't be wearing no dunce-cap on a Monday :-)
Cheers, -T
Thank you, Anon T, and have a great Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteMisty - I will! And your Plated Pear Salad will be served.
ReplyDeleteHG - Re: Does anyone read a THESIS? I believe it was Misty's that was hunted down by someone overseas. And, this PAST weekend, the Girls and I went to Bizzell to seek out DW's dissertation in the stacks. I checked, It has been checked-out exactly once in 11 years. :-)
Cheers, -T