Theme: SHUFFLES AND CUTS THE DECK- Three different anagrams of DECK span across each theme answer.
18A With 57-Across, what a 37-Across does; also, as the circles show, what each answer containing them does : SHUFFLES AND
24A. Item that isn't on its regular hook : MISPLACED KEY
37A. Casino employee : BLACKJACK DEALER
48A. Prepared goodies for the fundraiser : BAKED COOKIES
57A. See 18-Across: CUTS THE DECK
Boomer here.
Good
morning or evening as the case may be. Remember, it's always morning
somewhere. The puzzle was a bit difficult with some stretches to get
something to fit. However, since I have never constructed a puzzle, I
can only imagine how difficult it can be. "DECK" letters are integrated
in several answers, and he got "BLACKJACK DEALER" to accomplish that.
Quite a found.
I believe most casinos now refer to that
game as "21". Here's hoping all have a safe and pleasant Thanksgiving
holiday and an eventful "Black Friday !!"
Across:
1. "Rhoda" production co. : MTM -
Initials of Mary Tyler Moore. She turned the world on with her smile,
and Mary's statue is proudly displayed on the Nicollet Mall in
Minneapolis.
4. It may follow cries of "Bravo!" : ENCORE - I don't know about this. Bravo is usually after curtain calls at a play. Encore is "sing another song".
10. Brink : EDGE - Gillette shaving gel too.
14. Longtime coach Parseghian of Notre Dame : ARA - Extremely famous. Notre Dame has more followers than Minnesota has snow.
15. Chestnut horse : SORREL
16. Witnessed : SEEN
17. B.A. or B.S. : DEG - This is one of those needed fillers that is not a word but a made up abbreviation.
20. Alamo competitor : AVIS - I first thought of Davy Crockett. I only rent a car once a year and I don't use the expensive brands (or cars).
22. DDE's overseas command : ETO - European Theatre of Operations.
23. Racers in some Wii games : KARTS - I do not have a Wii, but I have ridden go karts. The best ones are at Wisconsin Dells.
28. Gear components : TEETH - You said a mouthful.
29. Assist : AID
30. Peace, to Pedro : PAZ - I think most of you know how I feel about foreign words in crosswords.
33. Say yes : AGREE
35. Journalist Curry : ANN
36. Warsaw native : POLE - I get it but I think "Minnesota fishing stick" might be a better clue for me.
41. The two : BOTH
42.
Tolkien forest shepherd : ENT - ??? Never heard of the Tolkien Forest
but I once worked at an ear nose and throat clinic.
43. In __: unborn : UTERO - I don't think I have ever heard or seen this word. But I am only 70, there's still time.
44. Stun : AWE - Aw shucks
45.
"The A-Team" actor : MR T - I know crosswords like a lot of four letter
words with three vowels, but they also like three letters with no vowels
from the A-Team.
46. The "A" in James A. Garfield :
ABRAM - I never knew this, however Garfield was president before I was
born. I think we started paying attention to presidential middle names
after Harry Truman did not have one, so he put an "S" between Harry and
Truman.
52. Blotch : SMEAR
55. Former
transp. regulator : ICC - Another three letter acronym for something.
You know what I say - "LBJ took the IRT across the USA, what did he see?
The youth of America on LSD."
56. Confident words : I CAN
61.
Keogh plan rel. : IRA - This is a great service to everyone. But
remember to take some and spend it when you are 70 1/2, or pay a
penalty. (Good luck trying to find out how much you need to withdraw!)
62. Many : A LOT
63.
Paradise : UTOPIA - This is a book by Sir Thomas More about a fictional
island in the sun. I of course disagree, because there are no bowling
centers or golf courses on this island.
64. Third-qtr. ender : SEP - or this could be a contribution to your IRA.
65. Actress Russo : RENE - One of my favorites from "Tin Cup"
66. Fireplace shelf : MANTEL - I wonder if this is where Mickey displays his MVP trophies
67. Goal line crossings: Abbr. : TDS - Ok - I have said enough
Down:
1. Start of a famous palindrome : MADAM - This word in itself is a palindrome, I think it refers to "Madam I'm Adam"
2. Eternal City fountain : TREVI
3. Legal administrator : MAGISTRATE - "ALL RISE" Rookie of the year
4. Difficult curve : ESS - Wonderful Lombard Street - San Francisco, California, USA.
5. Tenant's winter complaint : NO HEAT - Or The heat in Miami - "No LeBron".
6. Source of support : CRUTCH
7. "Friend __?": sentry's query : OR FOE
8. Slo-mo reviewer : REF - Or in hockey - the guy with the red stripe on his black and white shirt.
9. Pipe shape : ELL - Nope - the pipe is straight, the ell is a pipe fitting.
10. Composed piece : ESSAY
11.
Expensive : DEAR - I may have clued " ___ Abby" and those of us over
40 would have gotten it right away. Did you know --? Abby Van Buren
whose real name was Pauline Philips has a grandson, Dean Phillips who is
running for third district congressman in Minnesota.
12. Bloke : GENT
13. Fades to black : ENDS
19. __ out a win : EKED - A good verb for the Vikings in the nation's capital last Sunday.
21. The State of the Union, for one : SPEECH
25. Onionlike veggie : LEEK - I have never had one. How do they taste?
26.
Moist and chilly : DANK - This is one of those crossword words. Does
anyone ever say "dank". "Do you want to go for a walk ?" "No, it's too
dank". "What's the weather forecast?" "Cloudy and dank."
27. Nice : KIND
30. One drawn to controversy : POLEMICIST - I thought this was a guy that did the vault in the Olympics.
31. Oriole or Jay : ALER - Sorry, never heard of this.
32. MapMyWalk starting point : ZERO - Beetle Bailey's Pal
33. "Waterloo" band : ABBA
34. Healthy look : GLOW
35. Pretend : ACT
36. Former New York governor George : PATAKI - Anyone who watches "Law & Order" reruns will have no problem with this one.
38. Weightlifting move : JERK - Yes it is.
39. Start a pot : ANTE - I wonder how many times this word has appeared in crosswords. (And it doesn't even have three vowels.)
40. German capital : EURO - I guess capital is money, but why be so tricky?
45. Retail outlet : MART
46. Say yes : ACCEPT
47. Italian lawn bowling : BOCCIE - I played Boccie ball as a kid, but I did not know how to spell it. Now I do.
48. Keep moist, in a way : BASTE - Thanksgiving Day is coming. Keep that baster handy.
49. "What I __ My Summer Vacation": school essay : DID ON
50. Like some seals : EARED - I Like some Mousketeer hats better
51. Spells, as of cold weather : SNAPS - How about some warm Ginger cookies
52. Emotional mark : SCAR
53. Beast of burden : MULE - 20 of them are on a team of Borax.
54. Thames academy : ETON
58. Run smoothly : HUM
59. LAX announcement : ETA
60. __ Kan pet food : KAL
Boomer
46A ABRAM, 47D BOCCIE, and 30D POLEMICIST I didn't know. The rest came easily.
ReplyDeleteDave
To live in UTOPIA would be so grand!
ReplyDeleteWhere all were ACCEPTED, across the land!
Where troll and POLEMICIST
Would AGREE to non-exist,
And we could sit on the beach, to just SHUFFLE SAND!
CUT ST. HEDECK off of your good-guy list!
The JERK was an arms DEALER, with an evil twist!
He sold BLACK-JACKS and coshes
To hoods and their bosses,
To AID them in silencing tattler and snitch!
{B, B.}
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis had some crunch but I finished in normal Wednesday time. Paz/Zero took a while to click in for me but I'll bet it was a no-brainier for Lucina! Had Them before Both and needed perps for Abram. Pataki was a gimme, naturally. The scrambled "Deck" was evident from the get-go, but the long reveal was a surprise.
Thanks, Jerry, for a mid-week treat and thanks, Boomer, for starting my day off with your humorous recap. It almost offsets my grumpiness resulting from a 4:00 am insomnia attack,
Wilbur FLN, thank you for your thoughts.
Have a great day.
I believe the correct spelling is BOCCE
ReplyDeleteFIR, but erased PAs for PAZ. Had never heard of POLEMICIST, but I have heard (and used) DANK.
ReplyDeleteLike Bill V I had never seen it spelled other than BOCCE, but I LIU and saw BOCCIE and BOCCEE as well. I remembered ABRAM because there is a tank by the same name, but I'm never sure which president(s) has/have that as a middle name. Our fighter jets have computerized Identify Friend OR FOE (IFF) systems. I hear they are not infallible. I'm embarrassed to say that last to fall in my puzzle was SEP for "third quarter ender", maybe the easiest clue in the grid.
Thanks Jerry Edelstein for a solid puzzle, and thanks Boomer for a chuckle-filled tour.
Good Morning, Boomer and friends. This was a very easy Wednesday puzzle for me, but I am not a fan of circle puzzles.
ReplyDeleteBravo is often shouted at an opera, but there is seldom an ENCORE. I recently went to see Escape to Margaritaville, a musical based on Jimmy Buffett's songs. although he is not a part of the cast. After the curtain call, while the audience was shouting Bravo, who walked out on the stage but Jimmy Buffett! The crowd really went wild.
The Tolkien creatures appear often in the puzzles, but I can never remember if the correct answer is Eft, the baby salamander, a crossword staple, or the infamous ENT, Ear, Nose and Throat doctor.
QOD: The mark of a truly civilized man is confidence in the strength and security derived from the inquiring mind. ~ Felix Frankfurter (Nov. 15, 1882 ~ Feb. 22, 1965)
Boomer,
ReplyDeleteLeek soup is delicious. Because leeks are related to onions, it tastes like chicken.
Dave
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThought it was PAS rather than PAZ, but otherwise I escaped scatheless on this one. Can't remember ever seeing POLEMICIST in a cw before. Nicely done, Jerry and Boomer. (Did you ride the Ducks at Wisconsin Dells?)
Ever notice that we know the middle names of famous murderers/assassins? Lee Harvey Oswald, James Earl Ray, John Wilkes Booth, John Wayne Gacy. Political middle names, not so much.
Boomer you can calculate that Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) Here. Scroll down to the Appendix. Most people use Table III. Married people with a spouse more than ten years younger use Table II. Use your age(s) as of the last day of the tax year.
Divide the value of your IRA on the last day of the tax year by the factor from the chart to determine your RMD. (Example: Using Table III, a person 71 on the last day of the tax year has a factor of 26.5. If the end-of-year IRA value was $100K, then the RMD is $100K/26.5 = $3,774.)
I find it troubling that PAZ was identified as a "foreign" word, but BOCCIE and EURO were not.
ReplyDeleteI hope there is no subtle message here.
There are millions of people in America whose first language, or primary language is not English.
Why don't we carry a ban on foreign words in crosswords to the max? Yeah, great idea. We would have to outlaw the names of most of our states, including Minnesota and about 25% of common English words.
Growing up in an Italian family, I've played Bocce since I was a kid. It is NEVER spelled Boccie. Always Bocce or Bocci.
ReplyDeleteSome of you were looking for a more complex theme. Voila! I thought it was clever.
ReplyDeleteJinx, I, too, wondered about the spelling of boccie so I LIU and found the alternate spellings. The BOCCIE spelling has appeared in the LA TIMES newspaper. "Guests now play boccie — there are seven indoor and two outdoor courts — where clanging slot machines once dominated the casino." Jay Jones, latimes.com, "Roam with the wild horses on a weekend escape to Reno," 25 May 2017
"These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'boccie.'"
I use DANK, and associate it most with dank basements.
I never put my keys on a hook so I needed perps for KEY. Come to think of it many people do so.
I have never seen or heard ALER apart from crosswords.
I remember ABRAM because of the odd spelling.
I knew POLEMICIST. There are so many of them these days. They never concede that the other side has a valid point or two. If a point is made that they can't answer, they just deflect to a new talking point.
With the word competitor, Alamo was obviously about vehicle rentals rather than the battle site. The Alamo in Texas had combatants instead of competitors.
At musicals I have attended the cast takes a curtain call while the audience shouts BRAVO. After several bows, the audience shouts ENCORE!
There is a La Paz is in Mexico and another in Brazil.
Interesting puzzle today. Easy in some spots, crunchy in others. I loved the theme which came quickly for me for unknown reasons. I started at the bottom and was sure I'd get some football clues after TDS, but I couldn't imagine what was so special about the end of the Third Qtr. After finishing all the rest of the puzzle, like Jinx, I was still mulling over Third Qtr. I was almost disappointed to see perps gave me September. But thanks, Jerry. All the rest of it was wonderful! And Boomer, I am still chuckling over your tour.
ReplyDeleteOwen, both A
Grr. Count me grumpy today! My newspaper didn't have the food section which includes puzzles so I had to print it from the Mensa site and of course had no circles.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Boomer, for your interesting and amusing analysis which also showed where to find the circles. BTW, I believe Pauline Philips, the current "Dear Abby" is the daughter of Abigail Van Buren, the original one. Interesting about her son running for office.
You're right, IrishMiss, PAZ was an instant fill. YR, I think you mean La Paz, Bolivia. It would surprise me to find La Paz in Brazil since their language is Portuguese.
TREVI is also a foreign word but I'm so accustomed to seeing these that it seems they have become part of the language.
Thank you, again, Boomer and thanks to Jerry Edelstein.
Have a delightful day, everyone! I hope it isn't DANK where you are.
ReplyDeleteI used the Mensa Site, so no circles. However today was a fast run without the need for the circles or theme. Good one from Jerry and Boomer's write-up was spot on.
Jinx @ 6:56am: The main battle tank of the US Army is the M1 ABRAMS, named after a Viet Nam era general by the name of Creighton W. Abrams.
DO @ 7:17am: I asked a friend who is a State Police officer why they always use the full middle names of criminals in their reports and references to them and he told me that they want to define who the individual is as fully as possible so they won't be confused with non-criminals with the same first and last names. Therefore, would you agree that we should also use the middle names of most politicians for the same reason?
Also does MR T have a middle name?
Cold (mid 20's) and frosty this morning. Try to stay warm everyone.
I stand corrected. Just now looking up peace in Portuguese I see that it's PAZ.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-A wonderful blog from the “other half” of the Minneapolis household
-I don’t like running into the reveal at the top but enjoyed Jerry’s clever puzzle
-After MISPLACING a $290 KEY fob, I now have them all on a long lanyard
-MTM was a landmark show where a woman could be strong and independent
-Uber has supplanted the need for AVIS for us
-Peripatetic granddaughter was in Poland last week and was dumbfounded touring Auschwitz
-SMEAR eliminated MALL
-The Little Train That Could
-State of the Union SPEECH – Half rise/half sit. Same way they vote.
-Don’t we all know what patriotic song accompanies these silly lyrics about being KIND?
Great Wednesday CW. Thanks for the fun Jerry and Boomer.
ReplyDeleteI started on the Mensa site and fortunately 10A came up early, warning me about the circles. I went to the LA Times site and endured the commercial. (Actually endured it 3 times because my puzzle kept freezing and I had to go out and come back. Fortunately, I did not lose the squares that were already completed!)
We had DEAR today not Steep. I also noted ESS and ELL.
Hahtoolah, hand up for debating between Eft and ENT.
Another hand up for wanting Bocce not BOCCIO. (AnonT?)
I changed Mall to MART.
I had Damp before DANK and then noted 48D "Keep moist in a way" and wanted Dampen. We definitely don't want a DANK turkey.
My Canadian disadvantage was showing with ICC and ABRAM (but I see Americans didn't know it either). I learned IRA early in my CW experience (we have RRSPs). But I did know the Toronto Blue Jay (and Baltimore Oriole) who is an AL-ER (American League -er).
Anon @7:31, are you being a POLEMICIST? Canadians are increasingly learning that unless you are indigenous, you are actually foreign (with differing dates of immigration)!
In UTERO was pertinent today with Canadian news reports of surgery to treat spina bifida in a 25-week fetus. I am in AWE.
InUteroSX
Enjoy the day.
Agree that the more common spelling is BOCCE. Never seen BOCCIE before.
ReplyDeletePOLEMICIST was a new one for me, as was SORREL (i'm a crossword n00b)
I don't like seeing Keogh as a clue; it's such an outdated investment word (even though I quickly knew the answer).
Not a bad theme, but still more crosswordy words than I like.
Welcome to the Corner, Dan! This is a great spot to learn and share.
ReplyDeleteOC4Beach, as in Roy Stewart Moore, Anthony David Wiener or Donald John Trump?
ReplyDeleteLucina, I posted and ran out the door to take Alan to work. In the car I said to myself,"Oops! Bolivia!" I hoped to get back to change it before you saw it. Too late!
ReplyDeleteWikipedia: "Sorrel is an alternative word for one of the most common equine coat colors in horses. While the term is usually used to refer to a copper-red shade of chestnut, in some places it is used generically in place of "chestnut" to refer to any reddish horse with a same-color or lighter mane and tail, ranging from reddish-gold to a deep burgundy or chocolate shade." Although not well aquatinted with real horses, I meet plenty of them in novels and have garnered a list of horse terms. The same may be said of my acquaintance with the sailing ships of the Royal Navy and with pirate ships in novels. I have picked up quite a few sailing terms used in crosswords.
"No learning is ever wasted. No experience is ever for naught." Na'am Yehuda
Clever theme that took perps to get a start on the first and theme answers. I had SHUFFLED THE and DECK OF CARDS at first before perps put a BZZT! on that. At first I was pretty proud of myself that I filled in the second one without perps- Hah!
ReplyDeleteWEES about BOCCE versus the Anglicized variant BOCCIE and damp before DANK. I remember LA PAZ, Bolivia from geography quizzes - as it and Katmandhu show up as capitals at high elevations. And Pax is the Latin root -which I remember from school days like Pax Romana - the long era of peace during Roman rule - which wasn't so peaceful for all the areas they conquered! Learning moment - POLEMICIST - one of those words I've heard of, but usually use context to figure out the meaning.
HG - Stars and Stripes forever?
Thanks Boomer and Jerry!
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteFinished it without mishap. Got the DECK schtick easily, but didn't need it for the solve. No searches were needed.
LEEK - Love soups made with them. The largest and best LEEKS I have seen were at a farmer's market in Ottawa.
TEETH - Our DD's DeLaval reduction gears featured herringbone TEETH configuration. Both sets of gear reducers could each transmit 30000 HP. to the propeller shaft.
31 Down ALER is seen often as American League 'er teams
ReplyDeleteJudge is AL rookie of the year. Our own Cody Bellinger is NL ROY. Go Blue!
ReplyDeleteDamp b/4 dank, and it would have been an FIW if I had not stared at it so long
ReplyDeletethat I realized I had changed the P to a K and had forgotten the N.
35a Journalist Curry = AMN? No, that can't be right...
In any event, I had to look up Spanish for Peace
to avoid the total Natick at Paz/Polemist.
CC writing up a Wednesday? Hope Husker is OK.
(oh wait, there he is at 9:16)
CC: The confusion about "Ent" has made me link the following,
(Don't click on them if you are Tolkien Phobic.)
Merry & Pippin meet Treebeard (3:28)
Tolkien afficionados know well that this epic was written as a serial to his son
who was fighting in WWII. There are many references to the Global Conflict going on all around them, and there are many deep meaningful passages if one does a little digging.
In the next clip, the references to (U.S.A. & others) not wanting to get involved
are obvious.
In the end the decision was made for them...
Thank goodness constructors don't use other Bocce terms as clues.
ReplyDelete(Oh no! What have I done!, let the cat out of the bag!)
I guess I wont get a tip for this post...
Cute link to make up...
I know that ALER means American Leaguer because it appears in crossword puzzles frequently. I do not remember hearing or reading it anywhere else except in the acronym finder, listed as slang. I found a quote for AL in just seconds in a sportingnews.com headline: "MLB playoffs: Umpires for AL, NL Division Series."
ReplyDeleteHere's a challenge. Who can find a reference or quote showing ALER usage? LIU. IMO "AL PLAYER" is more common, but I am willing to learn.
Delightful Wednesday puzzle--I loved the DECK circles and the fun reveal in the end. Many thanks, Jerry! And great to get your write-up, Boomer. I enjoyed it and kept wondering who wrote it and was delighted it was you. I got off to a great start because I love Mary Tyler Moore and her shows. I also know ARA by now--part of the small sports vocabulary I'm acquiring by doing crosswords. And I think I may actually have seen the TREVI fountain on an early visit to Rome. Puzzle got a little tougher as it moved down, but still fun and doable, making this a good start to my morning.
ReplyDeleteSadly, my new computer, which is great because it has everything my old one had, is very hot next to the vent, and according to my tech, that may be the new normal. I looked up computer overheating on the web, and all the sites say it's caused by dust piling up inside the computer--but this one is less than 24 hours in use, so that can't be the problem. Anyway, just thought I'd let you know so that if I ever disappear from the blog for a few days, you'll suspect the computer and not me.
Have a good day, everybody.
Misty, there's a fan made for computers to avoid the overheating that you're worried about. My son used one. I'll ask him. .
ReplyDeleteLucina, I never saw the circles either, the write-up's anagram reference was my first Clue. But you alerted me to my FIW, MGM. As Misty would say AARRGGHH!!!
After YR's challenge, I have to yield that someone who associates MANTEL with The Mick and MAGISTRATE with Aaron Judge can miss ALER. Except we get it all the time.
I naturally had ADDRESS before SPEECH. I'm going to publish before I perish* eg. lose my smart phone post
WC
* CSO to Misty and Keith
Nice puzzle and a good challenge. Since I’m relatively new to cws, aler was a lookup.
ReplyDeleteI’m a baseball fanatic and I’ve never seen that in print. Also unfamiliar with Abram. Sep via perps but a great clue.
Cheers,
Mark
I took a lot of notes. Copious in fact. I caught La Paz and was trying to think of the country, not Brazil of course.
ReplyDeleteThat children's book is The Little Engine That Could. Originally The Pony Train. I read it every night to Phil. Later he tried to teach me advanced MarioKART.
AAA lost my Fiat keys. $$$. 😑
JERK under PATAKI ???
Dear Abby advised today that 8 is too young for a smart phone. ROTFL.
CED, thanks for the dose of Tolkien. Gandalf is referred to as "Stormcrow" a POLEMIC for Churchill. I've told you about STRIDER and S INTREPID. JRR denied WWII allegory. Ok. Just many parallels.
The BOCCE candlepin bowlers tossed with their right foot in front. They were very good. Story? If asked. Ok.. Mlb'er bowler advised that he could make some 'good money' if he stuck to candlepin.
WC
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you. Jerry Edelstein, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Boomer, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteBoomer: Potato Leek soup is one of my all time favorites.
To All: What an amazing experience I had about an hour ago. I was taking a pile of letters to the post office to mail and I walked by a restaurant on the way. A car was pulling into a stall at the restaurant. The license plate said MME DFRG. The driver was the last to get out, so I asked him what the license plate meant. He said a character from an old novel, Madame DeFarge. I stopped for a few moments and then decided to follow them into the restaurant. I had to know! I went up to their table (a man and two ladies) and asked if any of them worked the crossword each day and was on a crossword blog. One lady said that she did. I told her that I saw her every day on the blog because I was on the same one. She asked me my blog name and I said Abejo. She knew me at once. She is Madame DeFarge on the same blog. We had a nice talk for 10 minutes or so. They live many miles away, but were visiting their friend in Bartlett, where I live. I got her real name and she now has mine. Her husband took our picture with my cell phone. I will send it to CC. What a small world!
To the puzzle: Puzzle was a good Wednesday level. Got most of them easily, but a few perps helped. Theme came together quickly. I liked it.
POLEMICIST is a new word for me. Ten perps helped me get it.
I agree, the spelling of BOCCIE looks fishy.
We have had ALER and NLER many times in crosswords. American League/National League.
Wanted AARON for 46A, but held off. ABRAM worked just fine.
Lots to do until I go to work this afternoon. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Hi Y'all! Enjoyed the puzzle, Jerry! Enjoyed the expo, Boomer!
ReplyDeleteNo circles. Didn't get the theme. At 1 a.m. too sleepy to study it long.
PAc, PAs, PAx, PAZ! Yay! I always remember the base is in PAcific. Didn't help much today.
Welcome sun is shining bright today. Very DANK the preceding 4 days. Depressing.
Vocabulary expander of the day: POLEMICIST. Now where in the heck can I use that?
YR: my son is always astonished that I know from books & TV about exotic places they visit and can ask leading questions so I get the most out of his kind sharing of their trips.
I liked this puzzle. Sure, it had some crosswordese abbrvs but fill such as BLACK JACK DEALER, MISPLACED KEY, POLEMICIST, and SHUFFLE SAND [Owen :)] more than makes up for the chaff. However, I did wrinkle my nose big time at BOCCIE and of course LedIU to learn that is, unfortunately, a valid alternative spelling. I had POLITICIAN instead of POLEMICIST at first, which made finishing the SE corner take a bit longer.
ReplyDeleteBoomer, thank you for your write-up.
Our son, who travels a lot for his work and is quite experienced at it, recently discovered an alternative car rental company called Silvercar. He loves it. Not only is it a lot cheaper than the mainline brands such as Alamo, Hertz, Avis, and Dollar, you always get a fully equipped (loaded) silver-colored Audi A4. He does like a nice luxury German car, he does.
Paz y tranquilidad!
The ABRAM I'm most familiar with is Norm Abram of This Old House and The New Yankee Workshop.
ReplyDeleteYR, there's an AL who plays baseball in Houston. Al Tuve.
CanadianEh's words resonated with me, as I always use the LA Times web site for the daily puzzle. The barrage of advertising there is a major irritant (Really? State Farm ads in Chinese???), and the site often freezes on me, due to all the cutesy graphics in the ads.
ReplyDeleteBut I do have some revenge: if it's advertised there, there's no sale here.
I agree with Jinx and Bill V, et alii as to "Bocce" being the correct Italian spelling of BOCCIE. My childhood neighborhood in San Francisco was enriched by a great influx of pre-war Genovese Italians, so we were quite familiar with such matters. Bocce was a great sport for elderly gents down on the Marina.
ReplyDeleteAs a kid, the popular insult (to be avoided at all costs) was Che faccia brutta! (How innocent we were...)
My thanks to J.E. for a neat theme and pleasant mid-week Ta- DA!
Off to the dentist today. I have increased the number of times per year for a professional cleaning. I have always been a faithful brusher, but my teeth do not seem to cooperate, building plaque and tartar faster than I can fight back. So now I will trust the hygienist to keep me honest.
Misty - Sorry your new PC is already giving problems. I really don't want to be one of those Mac nuts who nag about the superiority of their equipment. I will just say that I was a PC fan for years and years, mainly because it was the "default" machine when home computers first became a "thing." Then when it was time for a new machine, as a lark I went with my wife's suggestion to get an iMac. I never looked back.
Good luck to you!
Al Tuve, an Astro, is an ALER, a term that I find barely valid, I who am so supportive of the crossword constructing and editing team.
ReplyDeleteWhen the Astros were NLers (ugh) they won the NL pennant and played in the World Series against the Chicago White Sox. They lost badly 4-0.
Then this year as ALERS (ugh!) sweet revenge, they won the AL pennant against the White Sox and the series against the NL Dodgers, a hard fought 4-3 match up.
Why the Astros chose to be ALERS instead of NLERS.
NL to AL
Thank you, Wilbur, and you also, Ol'Man Keith. I'll keep a Mac in mind for the next time, which, given this overheating computer may not be too far off. And good luck on the dental check-up.
ReplyDeleteAbejo, I loved your Madame DeFarge story! The connections we make in this world!
Misty - What OMK said @ 1442. Robust hardware, robust software. On my 2nd IMac after several PC's.
ReplyDeleteAbejp and Madame DeFarge - How cool that you met up through happenstance. From a distant locale yet. Wow!
Good Afternoon,
ReplyDeletePuzzling and commenting late today. Thanks for a lot of fun today, Jerry. The long fills worked for me today, which is especially shocking since I never gamble and seldom play cards unless it's Go Fish, with my grandkids. They were especially impressed last week when I told them we could play with a regular deck! I don't have any Disney princess cards. I have, however, misplaced my keys off the hook, and certainly baked Ginger Snaps--MMM. Thanks for that link, Boomer, and for providing us with an entertaining tour.
BOCCE is correct. Bah-chee. Many final e's in Italian are pronounced. Grazie is Grah-zee-eh. And that good old soup is not Min-es-trone, but rather Min-es-trone-eh. Madame Defarge is really Italian.
Yes, Abejo only speaks the truth! What a delightful surprise! My husband and our friend were shocked at the odds of such an occurrence. Needless to say I was also. Whilst I am used to comments on my license plate from English teachers, knitters, students and anyone who remembers Tale of Two Cities from freshman year, this sighting by Abejo was a delightfully serendipitous meeting! I have been spotted in Evanston by another Cornerite, who tends to lurk rather than comment often. Hey, where are ya!?
Thanks, Abejo, for stopping in to chat with us and to provide quite a memorable afternoon!
Have a cozy fall evening, everyone.
Very cool that Abejo and Madame Defarge met.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I get funny looks from people when I say Pro-vo-lo-neh. Is it really pro-vo-lone?
If we're gonna Anglicize bocce, why not go all the way and spell it botchee or botchie?
Pace e tranquillità!
Abejo and Madame de Farge:
ReplyDeleteWhat a curious and wonderful meeting you had! I love meeting cornerites but it's usually prearranged so that was lovely. It's a good thing Abejo is so observant and persevering.
Today has been a whirlwind. First, I had an appointment scheduled to change the oil in my car and forgot about it until I happened to glance at my calendar at 9:55. The appt. was for 10:00. Still in my pjs, I dashed faster than I have in years, pulled on some clothes and drove the 8 minutes to the place. Luckily it was that close! A shuttle brought me home with a 12:00 return scheduled. At 12:10 no shuttle and I couldn't find the telephone no. It was on the back of the coupon I had cut out. Finally I found it on line, called, no driver available. Called my good friend and neighbor, Mark, who drove me there. The clerk felt chatty and I had to be at my class by 1:00. At 12:45 I finally was on my way.
For the past three weeks I have been attending a retreat at our church. We meet once a week but do the required readings at home. That's where I was meant to go and did make it though five minutes late. Others were late, too, so it hadn't started. Whew!
YR:
It sounds like Alan went to work in normal fashion. Is he feeling better?
One element of the Astros move is that Milwaukee moved from AL to NL. I'm not sure what year that was.
ReplyDeleteOf course as the Braves, Milwaukee had been a NL team having stolen the original Boston Braves in 1953.
WC
Kind of an easy puzzle today. Didn’t need the theme to solve, awesome.
ReplyDelete3rd attempt:Google has not allowed me to post so I'm hoping this works.
ReplyDeleteThank you for an easy puzzle Jerry E. Great write-up, Boomer. I like your sense of humor.
I got the mixed up DECKs. We do a lot of SHUFFLing and CUTting DECKs at monthly Euchre.
42a Tolkien forest shepherd--ENTI'm not familiar with these characters so I hope this helps me to remember who/what these critters are.
63a Paradise--eden(too short)/xanadu(cue Olivia Newton-John)/UTOPIA.
Have a nice evening
I'v been listless and mopey-dopey all day because of the rude 4:00 am awakening, but reading about Abejo's and Madame Defarge's serendipitous meeting put a big smile on my face and a song in my heart! I love this kind of "It's a small word" tale.
ReplyDeleteLucina, after your whirlwind day, I suggest you get in your easy chair, put up your feet, and have a glass of vino! 🍷
Lucina, Alan is on his 12th good day in a row. I am holding my breath that it lasts.It has been peaceful for both of us. Thanks for asking.
ReplyDeleteMadame D. and Abejo, how delightful.
WC, thanks for mentioning The Little Engine That Could. It was the little engine that pulled the toy train to the good boys and girls on the other side of the mountain.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised ABRAMS was not better known. It is a common name here, and , I think, a recognized alternative to Abraham. Different strokes.....
WEES about BOCCIE/BOCCE. Unknowns: KARTS as clued, SORREL, ABRAM, RENE, ARA. Otherwise a smooth, fun ride!
ReplyDeleteYes, Boomer, each person's idea of UTOPIA is different. Ideally we can still find common ground to build a better future.
Here are a few photos I took at the TREVI Fountain and nearby Spanish Steps
What is delightful in scenes like these: People just hanging out in big public spaces. We need more of these spaces in the US. And I don't mean shopping malls!
Thank you PK and AnonymousT for the kind words yesterday about my images of DICK VAN DYKE, ARLO Guthrie and more. Yes, PK, I also worked for our local newspaper. The biggest challenge is getting a photo of a lifetime and some foolish person in the chain bumping it for something silly. The editor usually sided with me, but sometimes it was too late when I found out.
Yes, I know the Pickle/Motor-sickle song, AnonymousT. ARLO played it by request at the free concert I attended as a student in Boston. He said it has to be the stupidest song ever written! It is fun!
Boomer: I hope you know your "initials" bit was from the Broadway musical Hair?
ReplyDeleteLBJ took the IRT
Down to 4th Street USA
When he got there
What did he see?
The youth of America on LSD
Computer cooling fan. I've dealt with this co. before. Checked out this ad because I've had a 'puter with overheating problems in the past (used blue-ice packs), but my current brain doesn't need it -- yet [knock wood] -- so haven't actually bought this thing.
ReplyDelete...Be kind to your friends in the swamp
Where the weather is very very damp!
Now you may think that this is the end.
Well it IS! [Blackout!]
Mitch Miller -- I loved that show, wish they'd at least rerun it, or remake a fresh version! Even with my hearing loss, I'd be able to enjoy it!
Coincidences are amazing. I just ran into this sentence in a book on WWII.
ReplyDelete"Hashimoto orders the sub to surface, allowing him to scan the horizon and flood the DANK confines of the vessel with fresh air."
Not sure I've ever seen/heard the term Dank before.
Gimli uses the word DANK at about 5:05 in this clip from LOTR.
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteLate to the dance but I had to thank Jerry & Boomer for the fine jobs they did today; enjoyed both the puzzle (fun theme and nice touch w/ the circles not in the reveal) and humorous expo.
WOs - Hand up DAmp, I had you hERe b/f Mapping your walk @ZERO.
ESPs: POLEMICIST, ARA, ICC, & SORREL. SEP was too 'cuz I was thinking foot|basketball b/f the penny dropped (Hi Swamp & Jinx)
Fav: DANK - fun word implying damp & musty.
It's BOCCE! I have a t-shirt from The Hill in St. Louis that has a little Italian man holding a sign - Will play Bocce for beer. That's the only reference I will cite on this :-P
{A, B+}
Abejo / MME D. That is so cool! When I was in Gilroy, CA, I wondered (hoped?) if I'd run into Garlic Gal. Nope. That your inquiring self, Abejo, made it happen; well, I think Hahtoolah had a quote...
Misty - TTP may have nailed it assuming there's 360-DEG ventilation around your system (DW uses her laptop on the bed - she's going to suffocate that poor 'puter one day). One way to check is to hit (all at the same time) Ctrl-Shift-Esc, select Performance from the window that pops up and look at CPU Usage. If the bar/history is under 20% (sustained) there should be NO HEAT. [BTW, they all run a little warm if you're close - if I leave the puzzle next to my Dell laptop's exhaust, the paper gets quite warm].
Jayce - My (not Army) Bro is now in love w/ AVIS. Sometime today his KEY fell out of his laptop bag in the rental truck. As, he was entering security at the airport (and unpacking his laptop bag), he noticed his car key wan't in the bag. He went back to AVIS counter who directed him to the return bay. 5 guys helped him resolve the saga [there were TWO red trucks!?!]. Bro wished he had more than a $20 to thank 'em for finding a $300 fob.
D-O: You were on a roll today. LOL @9:28a & 1:16p.
CED - Awesome! I've got to use Pallino in a grid...
Did anyone remind Steve that tomorrow's Thursday? ;-)
Cheers, -T
Thanks for the suggestion, Owen. I looked up that cooling fan and e-mailed the information to my tech. That might actually help--so again, thank you!
ReplyDeleteAs a totally meaningless aside, 42 years ago today, I went from a Miss to a Mrs.
ReplyDeleteIM - That you mention it, makes it un-meaningless. Got a story to tell? Just us insomniacs / still-doing-"day"-job (and the Lamppost) here. -T
ReplyDeleteDo you know the name Camilla Beeput? She was the sexy lounge singer in one of the Grantchester episodes. I like her singing.
ReplyDeleteAnonT:
ReplyDeleteIn Gilroy if you had gone to the Chamber of Commerce office you might have seen her. I believe that's where she works.
IM:
I hope you have wonderful memories of your wedding day to comfort you. BTW, thank you for the advice earlier; I did stretch out in my recliner and relaxed sans vino. I have been enjoying The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman. So interesting!
The DEALER does not CUT THE DECK; the player on his right does.
ReplyDeleteThe clue was about a casino dealer, not a casual game where the deal goes around the table. The same player would always be to the right of the dealer in a casino so I doubt they could even touch the deck.
ReplyDelete