Theme: Argyle SoC.C.ks~!
Words: 70 (missing F,J,Q,X)
Blocks: 31
A
Saturday collaboration between our Monday/Tuesday blogger and the host
of the show, C.C. Lots of multi-word answers today, and a few vague
proper names, I caved in to red-letters to help me get the NE corner
finished. Staircase pattern grid, with a pair of 9x6 corners, and
nothing longer than those;
15. [Yawn] : I NEED A NAP
12. Singer? : DIRTY RAT - the canary stoolie kind of singer. I wondered if it was singe-er, as in one who singes
62. Big brother, often : ROLE MODEL
36. Legendary court figure : LANCELOT
12. Singer? : DIRTY RAT - the canary stoolie kind of singer. I wondered if it was singe-er, as in one who singes
62. Big brother, often : ROLE MODEL
36. Legendary court figure : LANCELOT
Monty Python~! - well I got "a" note~! @ 3:30
Done.
ACROSS:
1. Stay in the big house : SERVE TIME - I've done mine - time for someone else
10. Beach pretender : HODAD
- I had no idea - I tried POSER to start - tho I probably have seen
this in crosswords before - filled via perps, but I had to Google to check it out
16. Many a Studio Ghibli film : ANIME - red letters told me INDIE was wrong - but only 60% wrong
17. Fund for incidentals : PETTY CASH
18. Character who dances on the beach at Stavros : ZORBA
- the only Stavros I could think of was Stavro Mueller and his Beta
nightclub - the scene of the climactic end to the Hitchhiker's Guide to
the Galaxy 5-book trilogy
19. Supporting : PRO - I waited to see if it would be "FOR" or "PRO"
20. Evil skill : SORCERY - I tried spelling it so"U"rcery for some reason
22. Talbot Jr. or Sr. on "Rectify" : TED - Googled; never even heard of the show
23. Obstacles on the set : EGOS
25. Confident response to "Your opponent is ready" : "SO AM I~!"
26. Funeral rite heap : PYRE
27. Poet Thomas : DYLAN - filled via perps
29. "Baby Blues" baby : WREN
- filled via perps; I looked it up, realized it was the comic strip,
which I read and like, but it did not register during the solve
30. Maranjab Desert country : IRAN - a WAG off the "I" - either this one or iraQ
31. Empty out badly? : ROB - ah, theft empty out
33. Repertoire : ARSENAL
35. Skeleton's place? : CLOSET
38. Do maintenance on, as a putting green : AERATE - I had "RE-" in the opening position, which stopped me from seeing this answer, better than "reRAKE" - but it works with sand traps....
39. Card carrier : LANYARD - generic cord for holding ID cards, etc., that is
41. Convene : SIT - MET would not work with the tense of the verb
42. Chill (with) : HANG
43. Kate of "House of Cards" : MARA - filled via perps
45. Grouses : CARPS - wait til we get to the leg picture, and the grousing shall commence~!
49. Welding sparks : ARCS
50. Better : AMEND
52. Tar on the ocean : SALT - sailor nicknames
53. Compete : VIE
54. Like free-range chickens : UNCAGED
56. West of Tinseltown : MAE
57. Country album? : ATLAS - clever
59. History buff's artifacts : AMERICANA
61. Tearful queen : NIOBE
63. First chips : ANTEs - poker, and such
64. Chaotic places : SNAKE PITS
DOWN:
1. Nursed : SIPPED
2. Zip : ENERGY - the 'pep' definition, not the 'nothing' one
3. Overhaul the plant : RETOOL - I pondered REPOTS, but it's the other kind of plant
4. Old hand : VET
5. Dessert company founded in 1928 : EDY'S - only so many ways to clue this four-letter word
6. Shells from stands : TACOS - I was thinking tomatoes, as in shelling a bad stage actor
7. Sequentially : IN A ROW
8. It runs in the shower : MASCARA - I suppose it would
9. Short-lived things : EPHEMERA - the plural of ephemeron, Greek for short-lived insect, and subsequently anything designed to be short-lived
10. Indistinct : HAZY
11. Noted resident of The Dakota in Manhattan : ONO
13. Pale order : AMBER ALE
14. Tone down : DEADEN
21. Washes out : RINSES
24. South Seas cover-ups : SARONGS - a golden opportunity for some leg~!
26. They're beaten at parties : PIÑATAS
28. Intrusive : NOSY - it's those uppity trolls around here that give "anonymous" a bad name - now that's funny
34. Church of country : ERIC - his name, not the location
35. Allergy sufferer's choice : CLARITIN
37. Mine carriers : TRAMCARS - oh, that kind of mine - I have been watching The Viet Nam War series on PBS, and those were the mines I was thinking of
40. "As if!" : DREAM ON
42. Caribbean city with cocotaxis : HAVANA
44. German chancellor Merkel : ANGELA
46. City west of Baghdad : RAMADI
47. Mercury, e.g. : PLANET - not the sedan/auto this time
48. Bargains beyond belief : STEALS
51. Teammate of Mariano for 19 years : DEREK - couldn't be a C.C. puzzle without baseball, and even though I knew who Mr. Rivera was, I went with JETER before DEREK
54. Exploits : USES
55. Small change : DIME - the one that fit, but CENT was a possibility, too
58. #16, familiarly : ABE - President of the United States
60. Booking agent? : COP - tell 'em, Steve~!
"Aloha, Suckers~!"
Splynter
I've never heard EPHEMERA used of living things. I associate it with collectables like concert tickets or play programs that would normally be discarded after the event.
ReplyDeletePity the plight of the poor PINATA
Forced to fend as fauna of EPHEMERA
Holding candies, each a DIME,
It will SERVE for a TIME,
To HANG as an example of Mexi-AMERICANA!
He was sent to camp, not allowed to dawdle.
He would BE A MAN, they would not mollycoddle!
But camp's over-rated.
A LANYARD he braided,
And learned to pack his sleep sack into a ROLL MODEL!
{C+, C+.}
Misty FLN655P
ReplyDelete-Thank you for the update. Your sxs could have been a heart attack. Seeking immediate medical review was the correct action.
-Thanks to D. Scott Nichols, and C.C. for this challenging CW with (6) 9 square, and (6) 8 square answers. On my first A pass I was left with pure white in the north cells but sw was almost full. I bought several letters today. The first at 61A NIOBE, and 58D ABE. There was a BOGO in the ne at 10 H and 11 O. Next was at 43A MARA and 40D DREAMON. Then 50A AMEND and 44D ANGELA, and last 44 A. In each case I was stuck in that area of the puzzle. The added letter helped me to continue solving the CW. This puzzle lived up to it's Saturday skill level billing. CSO to Splynter's excellent review.
xtulmkr FLN241P
-I see you are a retired tool maker living in Louisville, Ky. I live there too.
IM1141A & billocohoes237P
-In what city was the fire?
Michael237P
-Being new, the name Weschler meant nothing. I'll know to quake next time.
One commenter who shall remain anon. was working the puzzle while driving. Please wait till you get there safely.
TTP653P
-Reports his new computer is twice the size of a toaster. CanadianEh! my toaster wants to be a citizen of Canada now that machines can do that. Can you help me with the process?
Dave
Help, I can’t read all of Splynter’s comments. The blog is folded within itself several times.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I was trying to fix a picture. Alright now?
ReplyDeleteNow THAT was a good Saturday puzzle ! Well over my recent average Saturday fill times, but worth the investment.
ReplyDeleteGood morning. Thank you Argyle and CC, and thank you Splynter.
I called a friend in Houston "Old VET." He called me "Young Tom" in a long drawn out manner. He became a neighbor of D-O. Small world. Anyway, I was a rookie and he was a seasoned PRO, so I had PRO for old hand, but RETOOL told me PRO was needed for supporting. VET became a better answer for old hand.
And "better" as a clue. So many possibilities, but when I got the -M-ND in place, it was either going to be EMEND OR AMEND.
Want to better understand AMERICANA ? Watch "American Pickers" on The History Channel.
ATLAS had a great clue. Many great clues in this one. Legendary court figure ? Tennis ? Basketball ? Judicial ? Bocce ? All no. King Arthur.
In that same area, LANYARD. I think Dash T said he has a couple of FBI ones.
INDIE before ANIME. That made that area tough, and the last to fill. Thank you AMBER ALE because the NE corner was rather HAZY for awhile. That question mark after singer told me to think off tangent. Both HODAD and TED perped in. Thank goodness.
ReplyDeleteWREN and MARA also perped in. No idea on those.
ABE - Did you see "The Presidents" on The History Channel the other day ? I love that series. Anyway, good Saturday level clue, and my toehold in the SW.
Shells from the stands had me thinking of pelts, probably because I just ran into a golfing buddy at the grocery store a couple of days before Thanksgiving. He's a Philly native and an Eagles fanatic. He says he and his father were among those that pelted and booed Santa Claus. It's 50 years later and Eagles fans think they're going to the Super Bowl. Hey Philly, Santa knows who has been naughty and nice.
Old Man Keith should like this one for the diagonals alone.
See all y'all later n'at !
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteYes, New England was shrouded in fog for quite some time. My other slowdown was misreading 21 as 24 and trying to fit a South seas cover-up where RINSES needed to go. Didn't know that Baby Blues was a comic strip; I was thinking Frank Sinatra. When I saw "Stavros" I thought of Davros, the Doctor Who character who created the Daleks. Lucky for me, a DIRTY RAT crawled out of the fog and everything fell into place. Whew! That was a close call. Thanx, Argyle, C.C., and Splynter.
You use the word perp a lot. What do you mean? By the way, I looked it up and was amazed at how many urban definitions there are!
ReplyDeleteAnd how did you come up with that theme?
ReplyDeleteUnknown, perp means perpendicular around here. Saturday puzzles are always themeless.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Argyle & C.C. for the Saturday stumper, that didn't stump me. The North was a sea of white on the first pass after I incorrectly filled PRO for VET on 5D and only had TACOS and DYLAN in place in the NW. I did SPEND TIME doing it wrong. In the NE WAGged INDIE for the Ghibli film and the rest was blank. Correctly guessing PINATAS started my run that filled the SE & SW without a hitch.
ReplyDeleteAfter working my way back to the NW I changed SPEND TIME to SERVE TIME and it fell in place but the cross of EPHEMERA & WREN (both unknowns) looked weird to me but it fit. And then to the NE. The desert was in IRAN, tried LESSEN for 'Tone down' because the incorrect INDIE crossed it (both wrong). I wanted MODEL for 'Beach pretender' but ROLE MODEL was already an answer in the SE. But somehow ZORBA hit me and TED, HODAD & ANIME (all unknowns) finished it. Kate MARA was the only other unknown.
Whenever an expensive golf course offers a special rate for two weeks, they have usually just AERATEd the greens.
Unknown @7:26-- 'perp' & cross- when a word you don't know is filled by the other 'up' and 'down' words. You filled the word even though you didn't know the answer.
So it stands for perpendicular?
DeleteNice to meet you Unknown. To add to the words of D-O, "Perp" is short for perpendicular. The theme, "Argyle soC.C.ks" is a clever combination of the screen names of the two creators of the puzzle. I don't see the usual tie in to the solution of the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteOKL
-Can you translate Fe, Cerrillos, and Paralta into English with definitions? The outline of the Santa Fe National Cemetery resembles the head and shoulders of a person.
Dave
Splynter- first name (Mariano) in the clue leads to first name in the fill (Derek). I did not recall HODAD though I have heard it before. Did not know ANIME as clued or TED. Also not up on RAMADI.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Scott on what I believe is your first themeless. C.C., you continue to amaze.
The leg pic which was hidden is so hidden it will not open for me. Thanks for the effort, S.
Mike Sherline, you received two answers to your Washington Airport question for yesterday.
Too hard for me today, but I still had a lot of fun. Looked up Stavros, then easily guessed ZORBA. I also Googled and got John Lennon that gave me ONO, and my Genie gave me MARA.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite was "booking agent" for COP. Least favorite was "welding sparks" for ARC. The sparks may be the result of the ARC, but I don't think that they are the ARC. Too literal?
Thanks to D. Scott Santa and to CC for all the fun. And to Splynter for your usual fine narrative. Should I be happy that the "legs" link didn't work?
Unknown802A
ReplyDelete-You can find the list of usual abbrs on the main page. On the right side of the page is a wealth of info. Scroll down past the interviews to "Olio." About midway in it is what you are looking for, "Comments Section Abbrs." Perps is right at the top of that section. There should be more abbrs added soon so check back later.
Dave
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteYay! A Saturday puzzle that I could complete without any lookups. Kate MARA was the only complete unknown, but the perps were friendly. Favorite clues/answers were "Country album?"/ATLAS and "Booking agent?"/COP. Thanks for today's fine puzzle, Argyle and C.C., and thanks for faithfully manning the helm, Splynter.
Misty (from yesterday)--Thanks for the update. I'm glad you went to get checked out. Take care.
Enjoy the day!
RATS! Was off to the races once I gained traction in the SW corner. However 10A/11D intersection was my downfall. I guessed wrong. Not the first time ONO broke up a perfectly good thing ; )
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-A fun Saturday excursion by two talented and senior members of our entourage
-BEAT IT (BE A MAN) and INDIE (ANIME) slowed those areas
-This is as close as he came to saying (1:00) “You DIRTY RAT” verbatim
-No ROLE MODEL I, my brother did everything completely opposite
-Will any actor or politician SERVE TIME for what has been revealed recently?
-My LANYARD USE after losing a very expensive key fob
-KATE MARA’S Zoe character suffered an even worse fate in House Of Cards than Kevin Spacey’s real life victims
-UNCAGED sounds less silly/pretentious than “Free Range”
-Do you follow pickers Mike and Frank’s search for AMERICANA
-Many kids school problems stem from chaotic homes
-My Beatle fanatic friend encountered ONO outside the Dakota and said she could not have been more gracious
-Who vowed to “WASH that man right out of my hair?”
-Does the word SARONG immediately evoke Dorothy Lamour to anyone else?
-Any guesses on what is being mined in this mine 600’ under Hutchison, Kansas that offers TRAM tours?
-ANGELA – Hard “G” (Like our Don) on her side of the Atlantic
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteKudos to Argyle and C.C. for their entertaining puzzle and the hard work that went into it. BZ
North was mostly white for awhile. The south coughed up its gems more easily. Had TRAMways before TRAMCARS. Liked the clue for LANYARD. Then got RETOOL and ENERGY, and then PETTY CASH in the NW. Eventually accepted red letter help with HODAD and AERATE in the NE and it was done.
EPHEMERA - In hydrology, streams which flow intermittently are termed EPHEMERAL.
Greetings.
ReplyDeleteThanks C.C., Santa ('tis the season), and Splynter. I am not sure I should have been admitted to the party today. I was so far off base I thought I ran into a snowstorm on a sunny day. Full whiteout with lines! I left for a bit, but this time a step away provided me with no insight. HAZY says it all for me.
At least I'm finished with my Christmas decorating. Just have to keep the tree and the points watered to make the magic last. Going to see a friend tomorrow in "It's a Wonderful Life"--a recreation of a 1940's radio play. Since he's a grammar school pal of DH, we're going out with some of his long time pals who are coming in for the production. Just me and the guys.
Have a sunny weekend. See you Monday.
Fun puzzle, got it all except the upper right corner (HODAD, ANIME, ZORBA).
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle has some of the freshest fill and creative cluing that I've seen in a long time. I stumbled a bit in the beginning, but I threw Petty Cash in without blinking an eye and then I was off to the races. Loved the good "guys", Lancelot, Role Model, Abe, and Zorba, and the bad "guys", Dirty Rat, Sorcery, Snake Pits and the (Skeleton's) Closet. Only truly unknown was Eric (Church), I've never seen "House of Cards" but I recently saw Kate Mara in the title role of "Megan Leavey." Ted (Talbot Jr. And Sr.) was a gimme as "Rectified" was one of the best series I have ever watched. I highly recommend it to those who have Netflix or Amazon; be sure to start with the very first episode.
Thanks, Argyle and CC, for a delightful Saturday solve and thanks, Splynter, for giving us the grand tour.
Dave @ 4:11 ~ The fire was in Cohoes, NY, where Bill lives.
Misty, I'm so glad you went to the emergency care center. I'm sure you'll get more definitive information when you see your own doctor this week. Take care.
I'm waiting for my Shop Rite delivery, then off to do some errands.
Have a great day.
For those interested in the Cohoes fire, pictures from the Albany Times-Union
ReplyDeletehttp://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Son-defends-father-accused-of-starting-massive-12397585.php#photo-14633306
Thanks for the family friendly answers...finally.
ReplyDeleteExciting to see an Argyle/C.C. Saturday puzzle, but the grid with all those long answers really daunted me at first. On my first run-through I got only VIE, MAE, DYLAN, ANGELA, and ONO. Then slowly things surprisingly began to fill in, and I ended up getting quite a bit before I had to start cheating. Never heard of HODAD and never thought of a LANYARD as an ID card holder.
ReplyDeleteBut my biggest problem came in the Southwest because I immediately put in LANCE ITO for the Legendary court figure. I was thinking of the O.J. Simpson trial (is that the one he presided over?) and King Arthur's court didn't occur to me. I knew that that messed up NIOBE, which I had gotten right away, but it wasn't until I came to the blog that it all got corrected. Great fun puzzle, Argyle and C.C., and great write-up, Splynter--many thanks to you all.
Dave, MJ, and Irish Miss, thank you for the kind mention, and also everybody for their kind advice yesterday. I'm so glad I feel okay again this morning, but it's a little nerve-wrecking to now worry any time I feel any little sensation in my chest. Hope that worry goes away in time, and that I can feel like my happy, healthy self again soon.
Have a great week-end, everybody!
Hi Y'all! What a fun & interesting puzzle, Argyle & C.C.! Very good, Splynter! I couldn't get into your leg link but you snuck some in via CocoaTaxi.
ReplyDeleteI was on the dynamic duo's wave length except for the NW corner stumper. Didn't know HODAD, ANIME, TED, AMBER (tried India ALE). I did know ZORBA immediately but couldn't remember his name until I red-lettered the H for HAZY and got the "Z" and his dance music started playing in my head.
I NEED A NAP: Did you see the clip of the little girl who sat on Santa's lap and said that when asked what she wanted Santa to bring her. So cute.
PETTY CASH was always the hardest thing to reconcile any place I kept books. Never balanced. Too many fingers in the till.
Never heard of Maranjab Desert, but WAGd IRAN. Didn't know EPHEMERA or MARA. ESP
Gimmee: CLARATIN on which I've spent mucho dinero in order to breathe.
Misty: I read about a study to find out why a larger percentage of women died of first heart attacks than did men. The answer they came up with was "women don't have wives." We were your "nagging wives" yesterday. So glad you got checked out, dear girl! Hope it was just a trapped bubble in your wind pipe.
billocohoes
ReplyDelete-I made the URL into a link for you. Let me know if you would like to learn how to create a link. For those interested in the Cohoes fire, pictures from the Albany Times-Union
Cohoes Fire
Dave
You got me, Argyle and C.C. NE Corner would not fill at all..... but otherwise, a quick fill. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAlways a pleasure to see your write-ups, Splynter.
Never heard of Studio Ghibli, not ever. HODAD and ZORBA didn’t help,nor did the RECTIFY reference, never heard of that either, so the NE beat me.
ReplyDeleteHODAD is a new one for me and I live near a beach with plenty of surfers. Wonder if I count as one since I HANG there a lot. Thought I had FIR when that turned out to be correct. But I was wrong.
ReplyDeleteHad BEATEN/TARA/EMEND instead of BE A MAN/MARA/AMEND. Seems a bit unfair as I have no idea who is MARA or if that is a first or last name. Also, EDYS is my favorite puzzle pet peeve: A regional brand name unknown outside the region.
Otherwise it was a challenge that was fun to meet! When I saw a Greek name I immediately thought of ZORBA and was surprised it turned out to be correct!
Here are a few photos and a video from our local Greek Festival this year.
I have seen Bob DYLAN perform a couple of times. One time he was totally "meh" but another time he was wonderful.
Learning moment about HAVANA cocotaxis. I thought they just had 1950s American cars.
I am also a "Baby Blues" fan and was surprised I needed crosses to remember WREN. Never heard of MARIANO but I do know of DEREK. ERIC totally unknown.
Thanks for the invitation to connect D4E4H, but the link for your email address seems to be broken. Also, the legs link today by Splynter seems to be broken.
Whew! What a gloriously delicious puzzle this was! Hand up for INDIE before ANIME and PRO before PRO appeared below. Lots of stuff I flat out didn't know. Had to use red letters and look a couple of things up in order to finish, but it was a fun process. Thanks to Scott and C.C. for this difficult offering.
ReplyDelete"Puzzling Thoughts":
ReplyDeleteWAES, the NE was my Natick, Framingham, Belchertown, and Pittsfield. HODAD, ANIME, and DIRTY RAT made me FIW/DNF. I had ONO, AMBER ALE, PYRE, and IRAN, but that didn't help. Otherwise, the rest of the puzzle was completed without any C's, E's, or WO's
To TTP from yesterday, yes, Bilbo finally got some lovin'!
Great puzzle clues and solves; a tip of the hat to CC, and Santa/Argyle for their entry. Splynter's, I too, could not see the leg shot
Several unknowns besides the NE corner ones: RAMADI, EPHEMERA (although it perped in) ERIC Church; TED Talbot, Jr OR Sr.
I only buy eggs from CAGE FREE chicken farms - I guess they're UNCAGED, too, but rarely see that word listed on cartons.
Moe-ku du jour:
I recently stayed
In an Iraqi hotel:
RAMADI Ramada
(I know, Tony, the last line is one syllable too many ... 😜)
Picard132P
ReplyDelete-Thanks for the pictures and video of the line dance that curved. I liked it, but it was all Greek to me. How do Cubans keep 50s cars running? How many times must the odometer have turned over? I know of DEREK also. She stared in 10. Speaking of legs, I got to see them this AM. I sent you an e-mail at 12:01:44 PM EST. I do not understand how the "Link" could be broken. I got your e-mail, and will reply to it.
Dave
Re the tacos clue...tacos are often not served in shells. That happens in fast-food restaurants, not even taco stands.
ReplyDeleteThank you, PK, for your lovely "nagging" support yesterday. It was a really helpful thing!
ReplyDeleteWell, just as Splynter copped to using red letters, I must confess to needing a couple of confirmations (Googling after the fact) before proceeding to my eventual
ReplyDeleteTa-
DA!
for the day!
Thanks, Scott Nichols (Argyle) and C.C. for a sweetheart of a Saturday challenge! And thank you, Splynter for providing your very human response.
TTP @5:58, No, no no! You must be joshing! Today's grid is exactly the opposite of what I wish for. No way could I do an unhindered NW-SE diagonal on this one. Just look at that line of black squares running aslant of my favored line!
Garrgh!
LANYARD is a curious word. I was surprised to learn it has a real function - to hold a card or badge. I knew of it only as a decorative accessory to my Boy Scout uniform, identifying me as a den chief for my lil' bro's Cubbies.
Misty, how smart you were to get checked out! Isn't it amazing how quickly they can run some of these heart tests now? I remember when an EKG took the better part of a morning. Now, if you sneeze, you may miss it...
I know what you mean about being over-sensitive to the slightest hint of a new symptom. I like to think that's a good thing, at least for a while.
And you know it will fade in time.
A follow-up to Misty, to be shared with any who may be concerned about their hearts:
ReplyDeleteI have a family history of heart problems. I normally pay attention to any unusual signs, but I have slipped at times.
I recall - vividly! - one evening twenty years ago when I was driving home in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the 405 when I was struck by terribly sharp pains in my chest. They were located in the upper left region of my chest, the classic area for a heart attack, and they doubled me over with the pain. I don't really know how I managed to keep driving. I remember steering with just my right arm - and somehow exiting the freeway and reaching home (fortunately near the exit).
I told my wife the moment I came in the door. She wanted to call my doctor, but the pain was ceasing, and this was back when I was feeling macho (stupidly so!). Anyway I said No, that I was due for a doctor visit in a day and would discuss it with him then.
Two days later I had to deal with a very angry doc. He took it as seriously as I ought to have done - and immediately set me up for tests.
Bottom line: my heart was OK. It was probably gas.
I was actually surprised. Even though I hadn't responded properly - had put off a checkup - I had thought if anything had been the "perfect storm" of a heart attack, this was it!
Yet it was just an overly painful but benign experience.
Showing that we lay persons cannot diagnose ourselves.
D4E4H I would suggest it was you who "stared" at Bo Derek in performance in 10.
ReplyDeleteNot a bad choice.
Ol'Man Keith, your story had me on pins and needles. So relieved that you were okay. I guess it's always hard to know how not to over-react or under-react to situations. I certainly would have called 911 if I had had as much pain as you did, but so glad you were okay.
ReplyDeleteI logged in late yesterday and was gratified to see Misty safe and sound. As I initially was going to say: a Zantac(Rantidine) will relieve the"symptoms" . You may be proscribed a children's aspirin. I only mention this because I have similar symptoms.
ReplyDeleteI ran through this baby like a Wednesday. I went into McDonald's only to find I was penless. So I skimmed the xword and spotted ANGELA. I then, with pen, did a counter clockwise and followed the black diagonal to the SE and then due north.
The whole thing was a ridiculous twenty minutes. I guess I needed that Thanksgiving vacation and the extra sleep
Tennyson has a great poetic account* of the Lily Maid of Astolat. I was deterred slightly by associating LANYARD with sailing and thinking of PARTY RATS of yore.
HO-DAD reminds me of the ol' Crawdad hole. Any old Southerners around?
Later
WC
Ps Splynter your legs line was priceless even sans jambes
* Re. LANCELOT
Oh how late I am and I could have commented early this morning as I was on a roll! However, I had a 9:30 appointment for a hair cut and style across town in Phoenix and had to drop everything and leave.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Argyle and C.C.! This was a wonderful and amusing puzzle with splendid cluing. I started in the SW filling every alternate row until I could connect them. CLARITIN and HAVANA beamed right in but I had LANCE ITO which removed NIOBE. LANCELOT appeared when I restored NIOBE to her tearful place.
Then moving across the SE, they fell like dominoes. I loved the clues for SALT, MAE and COP. Good job! Unknowns MARA, TED and ERIC were easily perped. ANIME was a pure guess and I lived in San Diego and Oceanside long enough to know HODAD. ZORBA occurred to me immediately though I confess to not recalling Stavros.
At the top, I also had PRO then VET when PRO emerged later.
Splynter, thank you for explaining WREN which I should have known since I read Baby Blues every day.
Thank you, again, Scott and C.C., for this treat and Splynter for your tireless guidance on Saturdays. Tonight my family is having a big early birthday party for me so after my hair was coifed I went to the nail salon and now I'm ready!
Misty, I'm so glad you went to get checked.
Have a spectacular day, everyone!
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteSanta (and C.C.) gave me a diamond and I turned it to coal. I was stump'd in a blizzard of white and wrong. Thanks guys for this fun brain-bender.
I solved the NW w/o extra ink. The NE was doom'd; with the Y from SORCERY - Indistinct ≠ tinY which lead to indie Ghibli films. URAL was right out @30a.
@31a was not con. So other than HANG'n' in a CLOSET with an ARCs welder I VIE'd / ANTE'd for a loss. [those were all I got right in SW. #16 was not baseball; pass the V-8].
//insert I then went grocery shopping and starting a stew - paper says weather will chill to the 50s this week , I want hearty food for the cold.
SE - SALT, MAE, STEeLS [sic] with the COP dropping the DIME on me was the best I could suss there. Oh, and ANGELA [hard G, like HG said] because I'm a bit of a political junkie.
Hand-up for needed a perp or two to remember WREN - and I read the funnies every night before bed [need the laugh after the political news]
Thanks Splynter for finishing my grid. THEE too kind with Python's LANCELOT clip ["let's not bicker about who killed who...". I love that line]. Oh, and I too was blowing stuff up at the thought of Mine.
Fav: Of what I got, I liked IN A ROW. Like, on Monday, I'll get Once IN A ROW :-).
TACOS was cutely clue'd too though as anyone in the SW knows, "Shells?, we don't need no stinkin' shells..."
{A, C+} {ALE out the nose! - nice even w/ extra syllable [didn't notice 'till you pointed at it}
Misty - thanks for the update (and seeing the Dr.!). PK is right - if I say anything about my health... Nag, nag, nag... :-) Stay well friend.
Dave - If you've driven in Houston's "rush hour" traffic, you know you're not "rushing" anywhere. There's a plethora of time to glance at the grid before moving again. It's fun keeping it all in your head.
TTP - You remembered my FBI LANYARDs! So, at a round-table of SecDudes we were discussing how to get the business to understand / appreciate what we do... One guy said that he'd mentioned working with the FBI on an issue and every C-suite'r was wow'd. He said, "I know it's not that weird for us to work with them but, to them, the FBI is what they see on TV. Our cool factor goes up." I've not tried this yet.
Obligatory music: PYRE - the word always evokes The Doors [8m] for me.
Cheers, -T
Yep, I forgot to mention Owen. I love his"C's". Although#1 is more than a l'ick. It's poetry with the alliteration.
ReplyDeleteI've got to give it a W.
Lucina, hairdo before xword? Tsk tsk.
WC 😂😂😂
I have had severe chest pains in times of stress or anger that mimic a heart attack. They turned out to be hiatal hernia attacks instead. Part of the stomach or something pushes up through the valve into the esophagus with acid and gets stuck -- very painful but probably not fatal. I do a deep breathing exercise pooching out the abdomen as I take a big deep breath and so far it has sucked the hernia back where it belongs. A psychiatrist taught me that at a party. I follow with an anti-acid and water or milk.
ReplyDeleteHi again~!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lemonade, I got that - just trying to explain myself.
The link was to the draft version of my blog, Orthorunics. I will try again this time, here, unless it was nixed by Santa.
Family friendly~? Why, because you aren't offended by half naked men~? Go away.
Splynter
LANYARD - I like this definition: " a strong line used to activate a system (as in firing a cannon)".
ReplyDeleteWhen I took EE Lab at IM's favorite local college, the DC Series field wound motor had a long lanyard attached to the power switch. One of the lab student team members was assigned to hold the lanyard tightly and be ready to pull the switch open in case the load was lost and the motor would overspeed dangerously. EE's in the audience can appreciate this.
Wilbur@4:24
ReplyDeleteYes, hairdo first. It wasn't my choice. My stylist is very popular and busy especially on Saturdays and he only works Thurs-Sat. Normally I go on Thursday or Friday at midday but today is special so had to do what I had to do.
When I went to the gym my ID card was always on a LANYARD and I see many of those now.
Anon-T: Pyre brought to mind Leon Russell for me.
ReplyDeleteWhat's a "regional" product? Nestle sells the same ice cream as Dreyer's west of the Rocky Mountains (plus Texas) and Edy's to the east. Are both regionals?
Wilbur, interestingly, they gave me an entire aspirin that I had to chew entirely before drinking a glass of water at the clinic yesterday. Lucina and Anon T, thank you for your kind checking up on how I'm doing. I appreciate the care of my blog friends so much.
ReplyDeleteTo Jinx: Yes, both are therefore regional product names and unfair in a puzzle.
ReplyDeleteImagine if Kleenex were sold on Neptune as QPBXZ. Is it OK to have "tissue brand name" and expect people to know QBPXZ just because it is sold as Kleenex on Earth?
What do others think?
Anonymous-T, yeah, I was guilty of xwording while commuting to work but only at stop lights (13 of 'em). Always took the back roads - Houston freeways nowadays are full of totally oblivious no-signalers, texters, people sealing the deal, soccer moms on the phone, and road rage warriors (my niece is one of the latter I've discovered-yikes!). Got chest pains every day via freeway, so I took the stop-sign/light route, only added 5 minutes to driving time. Yeah, Tony, it's stew weather down here. Guess it's time to find the recipe for chuck wagon stew, made with a bit of molasses and a cup of strong black coffee that gives it a really rich taste. Thanks for The Doors clip - blast from the past.
ReplyDeleteThanks, C.C. and Argyle for a fresh-fill and fun puzzle, and Splynter! Splynter, I'm sure you're enjoying the holidays for the first time in a long while!
Convene caused an inkblot; quickly filled in MET even though it didn't match tense-wise (didn't notice plural 21D clue) before SIT appeared. It's been a while since we had HODAD as an answer - learned it from crosswords. Like the funny sound of it, but associated it with Don Ho so I could remember in the future - didn't work this a.m. for some reason. WEES, thought of INDIE before ANIME, but Stavros beach dancer could only be ZORBA. Never heard of "Rectify" as I don't subscribe to Netflix. WREN filled via perps as I don't even glance at the comics. All in all, a great Saturday work-out.
Youngest stole my iPad and I don't login w/ my laptops...
ReplyDeleteJinx - Great tune! (FTLFY) [you had https://www.blogger.com/www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmoByboj88Y for the URL, no workie]
TxMs - oooh, I didn't think of Coffee. I used a stick of butter and a cup of wine for the depth.
Spitz, I for one, appreciate that definition.
Cheers, -T
Very late, but I had to thank Argyle and CC for the fun today. It was harder for me than for some people, apparently, but I had a good time doing battle. Splynter, the write up was wonderful. Thanks for the legs!!
ReplyDeleteMisty, I'm so glad to hear from you. And glad you took out collective nagging to heart.
Have a great evening, everyone. Tonight is a super moon, bigger and brighter than normal. I believe it is the only one of this year. Enjoy.
If you don't know it, Google and watch Billy Collins "The Lanyard" poem. It is an excellent tribute.
ReplyDeleteGreg
Swamp - thanks for reminding me re: super moon. Just went and looked w/ DW.
ReplyDeleteStew
Recipe that I kinda made up from reading 4 or 5 [skip if you don't care]:
To taste: Salt, Pepper, sage, garlic powder
1/4 cup of flour
All in a Gallon Ziploc; shake to mix
Add 1.5+lb cubed stew meat and shake vigorously to coat.
Coat a heavy bottom pot / dutch oven w/ olive oil; add meat to brown
Add 1 onion - 1/2 diced & 1/2 sliced for bulk
Add 3 gloves garlic, diced (I'm Italian - this is obligatory)
When meat is browned, deglaze pot w/ Red Wine (1c)
Add 3 boxes of Chicken Broth
1/4 apple cider vinegar
Add 4 lb peeled red potatoes (cubed)
Add bag of carrots, peeled and cubed(ish)
Add head(? Is that righ?) of celery, cube'd-ish
1 stick of butter
3 bay leaves
Generous fresh Thyme & Rosemary //I put 'em in a make-shift cheese-cloth bag for steeping
Simmer (actually just a little up from the setting) for ~3 hours //this is when I got the NAP I NEED'd
Add 8oz can tomato paste and pint of whole stewed tomatoes {San Marzano!} (sliced)
If needed, add slurry of water and corn-starch to thicken (I needed - too much stock(?))
Simmer for another 30 min.
Plate and eat.
Yield - dinner for 3 +2 8c containers for the week and 1 8c container of "stew-starter" [read - no meat :-(] for next go-'round.
-T
TinoTechie - I have that Collins book; He's my favorite contemporary poet. The LANYARD. Thanks for reminding us! -T
ReplyDeleteThank you, Swamp Cat! And yes, hasn't that moon been lovely!
ReplyDeleteDash T, sounds good.
ReplyDeleteHere's my quick stew:
Open can of Dinty Moore. Heat in pot. Serve w/ crackers. Substitute w/Ritz crackers on special occasions.
The groceries used to carry a product called Soup Starter back in the '80s. Maybe they still do. There was a parallel product called Stew Starter. I bought it, cubed some beef, and made it for our supper. I thought it was fine. She said, "It was good, but you don't have to make it again."
Way, way past my bedtime, but watching the Buckeyes and Badgers and AstroTurf gate.
Good Sat. Thx to Argyle, CC, & Splynter. Couldn't have done it w/o red letters. Haven't figured out how to Google puzzle clues/answers - I use Crossword Giant or come here if I just can't get it any other way. Never saw Rectify or heard of Ted Talbot (Jr or Sr), Kate Mara or Eric Church. A lot of the known phrases & words were hard to dredge up from the clues - good & tricky!
ReplyDeletePicard FLN (actually 0747 this am on yesterday’s comments) and Lemon - thanks for the response. I knew (and I, too deplored) the name change FROM Washington National, but even though I grew up there don’t remember ever hearing it referred to as George Washington. Makes sense, though.
As for Dulles, I just knew it was named after Ike’s Sec. of State. Interesting Wiki - very influential, in good (UN, NATO, SEATO, ANZUS) and bad ways.
I didn’t know about Las Vegas airport being renamed for anyone, so I read up on McCarran too. Also good (aviation) and very bad. Didn’t see anything about him being involved in the decision to keep the “death ships” out during the war or bring the Nazi scientists here after it.
Wow! That was an awesome puzzle. Whoever filled that without help is awesome too. If I ever created a beauty like that, I’d frame it. Thanks C.C. and Argyle.
ReplyDeleteMisty, so glad you are fine. I sometimes have panic attacks and they are scary. A few weeks ago I woke up feeling that my heart was beating fast. My Fitbit said it was fine...61. I went to my Doctor and she’s doing a full work up...all is OK, but I still have a week left wearing a 30 day heart monitor. Better safe than sorry.
Picard:
ReplyDeletePuzzles provide an opportunity to learn about things outside our normal sphere. When I first heard of EDYS ice cream, it was totally unfamiliar to me. But once I came upon it on a puzzle, lesson learned. Though I've still never seen it, I now know it's specific to the eastern U.S.
I'm sure those who don't live in or have never been to the West don't know some of the place names just as those of us who aren't familiar with the East don't know places like Natick. But we learn and that is the point.
JD, thank you for sharing your information. Glad all is okay and that you have a caring doctor. I'll be much more responsive to conditions after hearing from all of you.
ReplyDeleteAnon-T, coincidentally, when I checked back into the blog, I was trying to find the HOU Chronicle article several years back re San Marzano canned tomatoes (certified D.O.P. - authorized by its Italian regional government). Only place I can find certified is @ Nundini's on N. Shepherd @ I-10. Yeah, I thought the article was hype, but they do make a BIG difference in taste! Won't buy anything else for spaghetti sauce or any recipe that calls for canned tomatoes. Thanks, Tony.
ReplyDeleteTTP@10:19, Dinty Moore? [groan]! Maybe sprinkle in some garlic/onion powder and a splash of red wine, simmer with frozen peas/carrots, and then serve with garlic toast?? Nah, even garlic can't pull it off!
ReplyDeleteTxMs: The local HEB [<-Commercial; Lucina should recognize the husk'd treats and the last shot is of George Range, 2 mi. from me and across the way from Youngest's eponymous HS] caries Cento's Certified San Marzanos.
ReplyDeleteI didn't make clear that 'Stew' in my recipie post was a link. Click it for a dose of food-porn.
Lucina - I couldn't-a-said it better. We play to learn. 3 years ago I wouldn't have even thought of Ashe for @36d. Not that it was right today but I learnt him from puzzlin'. EDYS and others fit that bill.
Cheers, -T
ReplyDeleteTx Ms, my wife tried Dinty Moore once but won't eat it. Neither will her brothers. They give me a lot of kidding about it.
Anon-T, I hope you know I was kidding. Your stew recipe looks good, and the picture proves it. Looks like auto-correct changed Ranch to Range on you.