Theme: Top 'O The Morning - Homophones. Vaguely. With an Irish twist?
17A. Author Gertrude's Irish friend? : PAL O' STEIN. Palestine. My dad was stationed in Palestine in the 1930's. He had nothing but good things to say about the county and the people.
59A. Irish physician? : MAN O' CURES. Manicures. Guinness and Jameson's whisky. Those are the Irish cures. My mom was given Guinness in hospital after I was born; she was anemic. You've got to love those kinds of diagnoses.
11D. Irish hotel that offers perfumed pillows? : INN O' SCENTS. Innocents. Here's Dublin's finest - The Clarence:
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31D. Change tossed into an Irish busker's hat? : PAIR O' DIMES. Paradigms.
I'm not totally enthused by this theme. Homophones depend on how you speak, and some work for me, and some don't. Your mileage may vary. Let's leave it at that.
The North-west was a challenge, the rest was a regular Thursday experience. Let's see what jumps out:
Across:
1. Sugar amt. : TBSP. Tablespoon. Three of them in my sushi vinegar. 4-3-1 is the magic combination - 4 tbsps rice wine vinegar, 3 tbsp of sugar and the one is a teaspoon of salt.
5. Swimmer's regimen : LAPS. I once swam 334 laps of an Olympic pool for a charity event. It was a 10-mile marathon swim. I was dizzy when I got out of the pool.
9. Margaret Atwood's "__ Grace" : ALIAS. Thank you, crosses.
14. Cosmetic additive : ALOE
15. Alternatively : ELSE
16. Small drum or large antelope : BONGO. I knew the drum, not the antelope. Now I do. They're stripey:
19. Prepared to tackle : RAN AT
20. Foul odor : STENCH
21. Liquid-Plumr rival : DRANO. Probably to fix the above from a blocked drain.
23. Brewer's kiln : OAST
26. Black Sea port : ODESSA
29. Like some time-release pills : CAPSULAR. New word for me.I got there eventually, but it took some time.
33. Old Toyota subcompact : TERCEL
34. "Don't interrupt!" studio sign : ON AIR
35. Inflexibility : RIGOR
37. Head lines, for short? : E.E.G. Electroencephalography, but we all knew that.
38. Fail to attend : SKIP
39. Checkout choice : PAPER. Or Plastic. The latter is not available in LA anymore, the former you pay for. BYOB - bring your own bag. I like it.
40. Latin word on a cornerstone : ANNO. Domini. There's a new PC term for it now, but it's hard to replace all those foundation stones.
41. Road goo : TAR. Macadam. I love the smell of freshly-laid tar.
42. Church law : CANON
43. Buzzing : ASTIR
44. Pleasant emanations : AROMAS. See TAR above.
46. Antipathy : DISTASTE
48. Air traffic control devices : RADARS
49. Assist, as a theater patron : SEAT
50. Puts a dent in one's gas mileage : IDLES
52. Herbal cough drop brand : RICOLA. The commercials are annoying.
57. Carved piece of jewelry : CAMEO
62. Alaskan native : ALEUT
63. Straddling : UPON
64. "Let me know if you're coming" letters : RSVP. "Répondez s'il vous plaît". It annoys me when I see "Please RSVP". But I get annoyed with "ATM machine" and "PIN number". I guess I'm easily annoyed.
65. Mud nest builders : WASPS
66. Dinner summons at the manor house : GONG. I tried "RING" first. Was wrong.
67. Young fellows : BOYS
Down:
1. Melody from a bugler : TAPS
2. Sour note from a bugler : BLAT. Completely unknown, thank you, crosses. Any musicians amongst us care to explain?
3. Dover flatfish : SOLE
4. Menial employee : PEON
5. Quite destructive : LETHAL. Quite? Something of an understatement.
6. Bass, e.g. : ALE. Loved this clue/answer. The world's first trademark was the red triangle on the label.
7. Pressure meas. : PSI. Pounds per Square Inch. I rate cheesecake on how many pounds I gain per square inch of cheesecake eaten.
8. Dispatch : SEND
9. Carpenter's rasp, for one : ABRADER. More thank you, crosses. I'm sure an abrader is a thing, but I'm sure I'd never walk into a hardware store and ask for one.
10. Dealership vehicle : LOANER
12. Turkish title : AGA
13. Tosspot : SOT. Yet another learning moment. A tosspot in England is a loser.
18. Search far and wide : SCOUR. Great word.
22. Common pump part : ROTOR
24. Wrap for leftovers : SARAN. Plenty of these after Christmas.
25. Photography gear : TRIPODS.
27. "Already caught that movie" : SEEN IT!
28. 1990s veep : AL GORE I'm drinking some Tom Gore wine right now. Any relation?
29. Share the marquee : CO-STAR
30. Capital ESE of Istanbul : ANKARA
32. Sample some soup : SIP
36. "Arabian Nights" spirit : GENIE
39. Behind the times : PASSÉ
40. Actor Butterfield of "Ender's Game" : ASA. Hello crosses! Thank you!
42. Where lemons may be sold : CAR LOTS
43. Cobwebby place : ATTIC
45. Fictionalized : MADE UP
47. Polynesian garment : SARONG. I looked for a link, this was the first one that came up. I thought I'd keep it.
51. Self-righteous : SMUG
53. HBO's "__ Your Enthusiasm" : CURB
54. Guesstimate phrase : OR SO.
55. Tax : LEVY
56. Nile serpents : ASPS
57. Cornfield sound : CAW. Why do crows like corn so much?
58. Menu phrase : A LA. Carte. Mode. King. What was the last one?
60. Mil. mail drop : A.P.O.
61. Haitian negative : NON. You need to know French is spoken in Haiti.Crosswords teach you a lot of things.
With that, I'm done. Merry Thursday, falling between Christmas and New Year! I couldn't find any music links - have at it!
Steve
17A. Author Gertrude's Irish friend? : PAL O' STEIN. Palestine. My dad was stationed in Palestine in the 1930's. He had nothing but good things to say about the county and the people.
59A. Irish physician? : MAN O' CURES. Manicures. Guinness and Jameson's whisky. Those are the Irish cures. My mom was given Guinness in hospital after I was born; she was anemic. You've got to love those kinds of diagnoses.
11D. Irish hotel that offers perfumed pillows? : INN O' SCENTS. Innocents. Here's Dublin's finest - The Clarence:
31D. Change tossed into an Irish busker's hat? : PAIR O' DIMES. Paradigms.
I'm not totally enthused by this theme. Homophones depend on how you speak, and some work for me, and some don't. Your mileage may vary. Let's leave it at that.
The North-west was a challenge, the rest was a regular Thursday experience. Let's see what jumps out:
Across:
1. Sugar amt. : TBSP. Tablespoon. Three of them in my sushi vinegar. 4-3-1 is the magic combination - 4 tbsps rice wine vinegar, 3 tbsp of sugar and the one is a teaspoon of salt.
5. Swimmer's regimen : LAPS. I once swam 334 laps of an Olympic pool for a charity event. It was a 10-mile marathon swim. I was dizzy when I got out of the pool.
9. Margaret Atwood's "__ Grace" : ALIAS. Thank you, crosses.
14. Cosmetic additive : ALOE
15. Alternatively : ELSE
16. Small drum or large antelope : BONGO. I knew the drum, not the antelope. Now I do. They're stripey:
r
19. Prepared to tackle : RAN AT
20. Foul odor : STENCH
21. Liquid-Plumr rival : DRANO. Probably to fix the above from a blocked drain.
23. Brewer's kiln : OAST
26. Black Sea port : ODESSA
29. Like some time-release pills : CAPSULAR. New word for me.I got there eventually, but it took some time.
33. Old Toyota subcompact : TERCEL
34. "Don't interrupt!" studio sign : ON AIR
35. Inflexibility : RIGOR
37. Head lines, for short? : E.E.G. Electroencephalography, but we all knew that.
38. Fail to attend : SKIP
39. Checkout choice : PAPER. Or Plastic. The latter is not available in LA anymore, the former you pay for. BYOB - bring your own bag. I like it.
40. Latin word on a cornerstone : ANNO. Domini. There's a new PC term for it now, but it's hard to replace all those foundation stones.
41. Road goo : TAR. Macadam. I love the smell of freshly-laid tar.
42. Church law : CANON
43. Buzzing : ASTIR
44. Pleasant emanations : AROMAS. See TAR above.
46. Antipathy : DISTASTE
48. Air traffic control devices : RADARS
49. Assist, as a theater patron : SEAT
50. Puts a dent in one's gas mileage : IDLES
52. Herbal cough drop brand : RICOLA. The commercials are annoying.
57. Carved piece of jewelry : CAMEO
62. Alaskan native : ALEUT
63. Straddling : UPON
64. "Let me know if you're coming" letters : RSVP. "Répondez s'il vous plaît". It annoys me when I see "Please RSVP". But I get annoyed with "ATM machine" and "PIN number". I guess I'm easily annoyed.
65. Mud nest builders : WASPS
66. Dinner summons at the manor house : GONG. I tried "RING" first. Was wrong.
67. Young fellows : BOYS
Down:
1. Melody from a bugler : TAPS
2. Sour note from a bugler : BLAT. Completely unknown, thank you, crosses. Any musicians amongst us care to explain?
3. Dover flatfish : SOLE
4. Menial employee : PEON
5. Quite destructive : LETHAL. Quite? Something of an understatement.
6. Bass, e.g. : ALE. Loved this clue/answer. The world's first trademark was the red triangle on the label.
7. Pressure meas. : PSI. Pounds per Square Inch. I rate cheesecake on how many pounds I gain per square inch of cheesecake eaten.
8. Dispatch : SEND
9. Carpenter's rasp, for one : ABRADER. More thank you, crosses. I'm sure an abrader is a thing, but I'm sure I'd never walk into a hardware store and ask for one.
10. Dealership vehicle : LOANER
12. Turkish title : AGA
13. Tosspot : SOT. Yet another learning moment. A tosspot in England is a loser.
18. Search far and wide : SCOUR. Great word.
22. Common pump part : ROTOR
24. Wrap for leftovers : SARAN. Plenty of these after Christmas.
25. Photography gear : TRIPODS.
27. "Already caught that movie" : SEEN IT!
28. 1990s veep : AL GORE I'm drinking some Tom Gore wine right now. Any relation?
29. Share the marquee : CO-STAR
30. Capital ESE of Istanbul : ANKARA
32. Sample some soup : SIP
36. "Arabian Nights" spirit : GENIE
39. Behind the times : PASSÉ
40. Actor Butterfield of "Ender's Game" : ASA. Hello crosses! Thank you!
42. Where lemons may be sold : CAR LOTS
43. Cobwebby place : ATTIC
45. Fictionalized : MADE UP
47. Polynesian garment : SARONG. I looked for a link, this was the first one that came up. I thought I'd keep it.
51. Self-righteous : SMUG
53. HBO's "__ Your Enthusiasm" : CURB
54. Guesstimate phrase : OR SO.
55. Tax : LEVY
56. Nile serpents : ASPS
57. Cornfield sound : CAW. Why do crows like corn so much?
58. Menu phrase : A LA. Carte. Mode. King. What was the last one?
60. Mil. mail drop : A.P.O.
61. Haitian negative : NON. You need to know French is spoken in Haiti.Crosswords teach you a lot of things.
With that, I'm done. Merry Thursday, falling between Christmas and New Year! I couldn't find any music links - have at it!
Steve
46 comments:
I'd like to go to Ireland, and maybe see Dundee.
I'd set my camera TRIPOD up, and take a snap or three!
But too much haste
Could cause DISTATE
For travel, and then TRIP O.D.!
Morning all..... Bon Matin in Louisiana Cajunese LOL ~!~!
My only trouble was Bongo, Abrader and Alias. Otherwise I would have jumped that hurdle.........
Crows love to eat the seeds and the seeds when they first start sprouting out of the ground.... They don't do any damage to the mature corn patches...... Propane cannons work well for fields down here. Corn And rice....
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a safe one ~!~!
Plus Tard from Cajun Country ~!~!
Top O' the Mornin' to ya, and the rest of the day to me.
Steve, please move the apostrophe to the other side of the O because it is the contraction of "Of." Are "Homophones" allowed to marry in your state?
Homophobia: The fear that everything you say will sound just alike.
16A Bongo's don't have stripes. That's where birds have been sitting.
37A Thanks for adding periods to EEG.
40A Please explain the "New PC term" for ANNO.
64A You sufffer from "Annoy Domini."
41A "Freshly-laid tar." That's where tar babies come from.
66A GONG with the wind. When I was a lad, our farmhouse had a bell, high in the eave that could be heard in the farthest field. Can you hear me ringing now?
2D BLAT is an excellent example of Onomatopoeia. That is the sound one hears.
Thanks to Jeff Stillman for making this CW that I could FIR.
Dave Due, that's Italian
Morning, all!
Thought this was pretty easy for a Friday. Took awhile to realize that it's only Thursday. With PALO in place I immediately inked in STEIN, and I was off and running. All of the homophones worked for me. Not a single write-over today. That's unusual. Thanx, Jeff and Steve.
Steve, ABRADER because that's what it does. It abrades the surface. So does sandpaper or an emery board
Boo, how far do the flames shoot out of a propane cannon?
Good Morning, Steve and friends. I enjoyed this puzzle. I had to check my calendar, though, to make sure today wasn't March 17!
I found this to be a fairly easy Thursday level puzzle, but I did have a few replacement, such as trying Lien before LEVY, Capsules before CAPSULAR, Rigid before RIGOR and Bell before GONG.
Another cold and rainy day here. Will only be in the 40s F. But, cold is all relative.
QOD: You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud, too. That’s a part of it. ~ Denzel Washington (b. Dec. 28, 1954)
Thanx for a fun puzzle . At first glance looked unsolvable but perserverance paid off. My wake up moment came when pairodimes showed up. Several unknowns solved via perps but it all came together in the end. Sitting in mcd's enjoying my coffee, sneaked in a little Baileys -- fitting Irish creme on an Irish theme morning.
D- Otto actually no flames come out just a loud shotgun noise.. Here is a link to a video ~!~!
https://youtu.be/3_YPpcCQZGY
Boo, thanx for the video. Wasn't familiar with that device. Seems that if it's loud enough to damage unprotected human hearing within 100 yds, it can't be good for wildlife hearing, either.
Blogger Yellowrocks said...
Me, too, DO, I was thinking it was easy for a Friday...oh, it's only Thursday. PAL O STEIN left me cold, until the next theme answer when I sussed the extra layer. PALESTINE. Very clever, after all. My only problem was putting ODESSA in the row above where it was intended and so nothing fit. Perps finally caught my mistake. Otherwise, it would have been 1-2-3 and done.
29A needed an adjective, so with CAP, it became CAPSULAR.
DO, I agree ABRADER is not a tool but describes what it does.
Dave 2 LOL.
Sooo cooold here. Single digits. It is supposed to continue for another week. We lost power for 15 minutes last night. I was envisioning no heat, but the power returned.
I wish it was warm enough to have worked this CW on the porch, sprawled out on the Patty O'Furniture. Alas, the high temp today will be right around freezing.
I EWAGged (correctly) the Natick of ____ Grace x tosspot. Also didn't know BLAT, ANKARA, or ASA Butterfield, and only kinda knew that there was a GENIE in "Arabian Nights". Hand up for erasing RIGid.
Steve, I've never asked for an abrader, but my dad once asked my mother to go into town and buy him a mill bastard for a maintenance job he was working on. She was a devout Christian, and the thought of using that language made her blush furiously. But she did as she was asked, and returned home with the exact type of file my dad needed. The story was oft retold.
I saw on TV that airports also use propane CANONs to reduce nesting by hazardous birds.
Thanks, Steve, for another fine tour, and especially for the gams. And thanks, Jeff, for another fine Thursday puzzle that allowed even me to earn a FIR.
Good Morning:
No complaints from this wee Cornerite! ☘ Palostein set the pace and the rest was fun and easy. Had Capsules/Capsular, Rigid/Rigor, Aroar/Astir, and Ana/Asa. The solve was swift and satisfying. My favorite themer was Pairodimes because I love the word paradigms. Learning moment was the bongo antelope. My, there are some strange looking animals, aren't there?
Thanks, Jeff, for a treat for my Irish eyes and thanks, Steve, for the cheery commentary.
The long range forecast is for daytime highs in the low teens and nighttime lows of single digit and below 0. It seems that much of the country is in the same boat and, in some areas, even colder. I think Saranac Lake was around -40 this am.
CED, enjoy the sun and warmth of Naples.
Have a great day.
Good morning everyone.
Not so hard today. Got half-way through and saw how the Irish schtick worked. Kinda clever. Agree with Steve on his homophones comment. No look-ups; no wite-out needed today. Tosspot was a new learning.
A TERCEL is a male falcon.
PSI - Most WWII destroyers had 600 psi main steam systems. Feed water pumps would inject at ~ 750 psi. That gives saturated steam at 489º F. Superheat was 850º so it was a real dry steam.
PAPER - Our stores usually use plastic, but we bring our own reusable bags if we can remember them. Try to use the brand of a different store than the one we're in to keep them on their toes.
I was tickled by “innoscents”, today being the feast of the Holy Innocents(the babies killed by Herod’s order when trying to do away with baby Jesus.
I love all the things I learn here not only from the puzzles but the cornerites. I had never heard of a MILL BASTARD . I had no problem with ABRADER .
I have a vague recollection of Shakespeare using tosspot to mean drunkard, but it filled for me with perps before I saw the clue.
I thought the puzzle was cute, but agree it seems perfect of March 17.
334 laps in a 50-meter pool? They would have found me at the bottom of the pool.
Thanks, Jeff and Steve
Musings
-A fun theme on a day where we will actually get to double digit temps
-Seeing chocolate melt near a RADAR unit in operation led to the invention of this device
-Church ushers have to work hard to SEAT everyone on Easter and Christmas
-Do you remember in what famous 1953 movie Montgomery Clift played TAPS at Pearl Harbor through a mounted megaphone?
-Many repair shops will drive you home or rent you a car rather than give you a LOANER these days
-We take our own bags and Tupperware tubs to Costco because they don’t supply any
-ASA for math heads
-Chicken A LA King was standard fare in our 1960’s school cafeterias
-Me too, YR. I was ready to whine about PAL O’ STINE until…
A relatively easy puzzle. I don't have any Irish relatives, although I just sent in my spit to 23&me. They'll let me know for sure.
I wasn't crazy about the theme but a good mental exercise and it's only a crossword puzzle. Mr. Stillman's Monday, December 4, 2017 puzzle was better. ("Seeing Double", Heteronyms, the last word and the last syllable of the preceding word are spelled the same but sound different.
Devotee of singer Gloria: ESTEFAN FAN, Precise price: ACCURATE RATE, Mata Hari story, e.g.: FEMME FATALE TALE, Garden purchase from a Lowe's rival: HOME DEPOT POT.)
Rigid morphed into RIGOR. Bell became a GONG. Tersel was corrected.
An observation: If Jeff kept INNOSCENTS as Innocents he could have clued, Irish hotel that caters to tightwads: INN O'CENTS. Okay, it wouldn't be a homophone and wouldn't fit the ten (10) letter frame.
No story today. I'll let Owen's poem fill the gap.
Rick
Theme was familiar to me
Dorothy Lamour was the SARONG Queen esp. in the Hope-Crosby Road films of the 30s - 50s. Also, “Pardon my Sarong” was a big hit for Abbott and Costello in 1942
Like Hahtoolah, I did a double take to make sure it wasn't March 17 today. Very clever Irish play, thank you, Jeff Stillman.
Yes, the RICOLA commercials are annoying but hearing it in my head helped me to recall it! I don't have HBO so haven't seen CURB Your Enthusiasm. And apparently I'm really PASSE on TV choices. Most of my holiday guests discussed shows and movies they see on Netflics or other platforms because as they said, they "cut the cord." My cord is still firmly in place. Anyone here?
Our two week tour of Turkey included ANKARA which has an impressive tomb for Atakurk, the founder of modern Turkey. He admired the West and wanted his country to emulate it as much as possible so he introduced democracy there.
Learning moment: BONGO antelope.
I'd invite you all to come to AZ to enjoy the balmy weather but half the country is already here and creates some really crushing traffic.
Have a splendid day, everyone!
Thank you, Steve, for your dedicated and witty expo. I flinch when I see those bylines at 3:00 A.M.
Brrrrr!
Thanks, Jeff, for a Thursday challenge. I had trouble with the theme clues until I made another pass and saw PAIR O' DIMES. Then it was breezy. TERCEL--falcon,eh? I didn't know that; it sounds like a man made fiber. I never leave here without learning something. Thanks, Steve, for the insights. I agree with Lucina about our tour guides' early hours.
Husker: Loved that I knew ASA before I clicked on your link. Geometry was my favorite math. Well, let's be honest, the only math I liked at all. A fine Geometry teacher at my school said it made perfect sense to him since I loved diagramming sentences. It's also the only math I really use. Sewing, knitting, fixing, gardening. . . .
As my kids used to say, "My piggies are cold!" Time to make a cup of tea and knit near the fireplace in woolly warm socks. Stay cozy, everyone!
Woohoo! A great Thursday morning for me, with this delightful Jeff Stillman puzzle, and I also got a tough Sudoku, the Kenken, and a funny Jumble. Plus a lovely sunny day--mornings don't get any better than this. Only one tiny erasure on the puzzle, when I put PAIR OF before I got the F omission as the Irish theme. But I quickly changed it for a perfect solve--many thanks, Jeff. And enjoyed your expo, as always, Steve.
Jinx, your Patty O'Furniture cracked me up.
Enjoyed your limerick, Owen.
Have a great day, everybody!
FLN Anon-T I second Owen's kudos for your excellent poem. I'll try one someday.
I was moving along pretty smoothly until I penned INN O'SHAMIE. EEG needed some V8 can pounding for "Head lines". I gotta watch those ?s.
Gary, was it "From here to Eternity". With Sinatra winning a SA Oscar? That's a WAG but I enjoyed that book. BOY, Idid a lot of reading in my earlier days.
I was wondering if there was an antelope called a SNARE. Well, there are snipes. That reminds me: I have to come up with Sam's last name from Cheers for NYT xword.
I thought PSI would be the Greek again until our marathon swimming write-up expliqued. Thx Steve, enjoyed it as I did Owen's l'ick.
Malone. Thanks group. Also, it's Ataturk.
I'll leave some space,, I'm early.
WC
Hello Puzzlers -
I was going to relate an old Patty O’Furniture joke, but I see Jinx got there first. Smooth sailing mostly, but the Bongo reference as an animal was lost on me. Also tried Carina before Tercel - only had the R - but that soon got washed away. I remember that somebody built a Carina but I can’t recall whether it was Toyota.
Spitz, the mention of steam quality takes me right back to Thermodynamics. That was interesting stuff, but the final exam was pretty hard. Right now I have three devices - two stovetop saucepans and an ultrasonic humidifier - making low-quality steam in my house, trying to offset the plunging dew point.
ALIAS was an easy fill as I saw the promo for the series on Netflix last night.
Geometry was a favorite subject for me in high school but we never got past ASA. The teacher was an assistant football coach and there were several players in the class. After our first test, he told us that since most had failed we would have to review the previous material. That scenario was repeated throughout the year. I am not sure if it was done to keep his players eligible or because ASA was the limit of his knowledge on the subject.
Oes: Enjoy your McD's coffee, but I would avoid the burgers.
Fun theme! Thanks for the SARONG photo, Steve! They look like my DW family! Beautiful!
Hand up ALIAS/SOT was a Natick. Learning moment about TOSSPOT.
Hand up BONGO animal a learning moment.
Here is Physics Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman playing the BONGOS
He is famed in physics for Quantum Electrodynamics (the other QED), but he probably could have made a living as a musician. Husker Gary, I am sure you knew this, too?
I think of this T Rex classic BANG A GONG when I hear the word GONG.
Crazy, fun song!
I have a photo of my good friend GENIE with a GENIE lift, but I can't seem to find it. I just emailed her to see if she has it.
Anonymous at 9:28AM
The story of Herod killing the innocents to eliminate baby Jesus is almost certainly a myth.
Check out the Wikipedia entry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_the_Innocents
Just one more story used for centuries to create hatred against the Jewish people
It seems Anonymous@12:48 violated the "No politics, no religion and no personal attacks" rule several times in the same post.
It's so warm here today that our 60 year old tortoise, who has been hibernating in her corner for the last several weeks, has actually begun to come out. Hey, Gophie, it's not spring yet!
Please forgive me for not chiming in recently, but I've been in a very introspective mood lately. I guess it began about Thanksgiving this year. My 74th TG and I finally start to "get it". It struck me this year with all of the family sitting around a luxurious feast, "I am truly a lucky man." Over the ensuing weeks as I dwell on that theme, what has really come to impress me is that I have everything that I ever wanted as a teenager; it just came 60 years late. Consider:
1) I don't have to go to work or to school,
2) I have my own pad,
3) I have a driver's license and my own car,
4) I don't have a curfew,
5) I have a wonderful woman to share my life, and neither she nor any of our friends, actually, are especially concerned about getting pregnant.
6) I get a monthly allowance.
7) I don't have acne!
Life IS good.
Cya!
Hi everybody. I enjoyed the puzzle though it took me a while to figure out the theme. Thanks Jeff and Steve.
Lucina, my cord is firmly in place too.
Re. carbide cannons: Many years ago (1970 or so?), our community decided to hold a Hometown Fair. A 10k run was part of the festivities. I had been getting some exercise at the local high school track and thought I would participate and run my first ever 10k. I showed up at the starting area about 8 am. They were expecting about 500 people but close to 4000 showed up. I crowded in the the front of the throng and nervously awaited the starting pistol. Though I had no way to anticipate it, they used a carbide cannon instead. It went off with a thunderous BOOM. It was WAY louder than in the video. My adrenalin went through the roof. I thought the sky had fallen or else we were under sttack. I was shoulder-to-shoulder and tush-to-belly with all of the serious runner who took off much faster than I had intended to start. It was either keep up with the crowd or get trampled. When I got to the first mile marker, I checked my digital stopwatch. I had run the first adrenalin-fueled mile in six minutes flat. I had never run that far and that fast in my life thanks to the carbide cannon. Needless to say, I struggled through the rest of the race but did manage to finish.
Years later, I decided to run the LA Marathon, but that's another story...
Yep!
Two neat diagonals today, a narrow NW to SE line, mirrored by its NE to SW counterpart.
Ah, TAR! Who ELSE used to chew TAR as a kid? We loved it when the tar truck came around, its steamy AROMA luring us in. As soon as it was parked we would clamber to the rear where spilled tar globs could be had for the plucking!
The best was a newly hardened piece. You didn't want one that was still gooey, and you didn't want an old one that may have been gathering road dirt and dust, even small rocks. It had to be hard because it was up to us to chew it into submission.
I'm not sure our moms would have approved, so we didn't tell them. There was a rumor among kids that it was good for you because it kept your teeth clean and shiny.
It had a flavor like nothing else - ah! a subtle petroleum essence.
In addition to the two diagonals, today's pzl provided a nicely balanced challenge, just right between frightening and do-able. Mr. Stillman has a knack. I didn't catch on to the Irish-ness of the theme until halfway through, but perps guided me through all the chewier places.
Misty, Congratulations on a winning combo today, with the Xwd and a trifecta of other distractors.
Bluehen, I enjoyed your appreciation of life in this decade we share.
Owen, neat poem!
Hands up - if you did not chew TAR!
Hurray! I almost got a Thursday puzzle! Just to letters short (NE corner). But I got to wondering, are puzzle makers fined if they don't include ALOE or ASP? Are there other mandatory words?
Happy New Year to all!
Thank you, Ol'Man Keith, and glad you're having a good decade, Bluehen!
Interesting puzzle. As usual, I liked it. I enjoy that kind of wordplay.
Keith, my hand is up; I don't think I have ever chewed tar.
A shameless plug: Last chance to see my granddaughter in Newsies at the Phoenix Theater in Phoenix Arizona. Her name is Emilie Doering.
Jinx, your Patty O'Furniture comment cracked me up, just as it did Misty. By the way, Misty, what do you feed Gophie? (You probably told us before, but I forgot.)
Bluhen, well said!
Bill G, holy mackerel.
Best wishes to you all.
Spitz, I always thought that they dreamed up those crazy car names by using dartboards for randomness. Who ever heard of a house-broken camry or a toilet-trained escalade? But it looks like 'tercel' s a real word after all.
Bluehen, don't forget to add "I don't even have to get up!" to the list.
Just for the record, ASA can also stand for Army Security Agency, a now-defunct electronic intelligence outfit.
And if we're being Irish today, we need to add: Erin Go Bragh!
Hi Y'all! Thanks, Jeff, for a chuckle-worthy theme. Thanks, Steve, for some good ones.
Everything filled fairly easily except the NE corner where I had only LOANER until the bitter end. Finally had to red-letter ALIAS, then thought it was a strangely-spelled name sorta like Elias. Didn't dawn on me it was like a/k/a "Grace" until I saw it in print on the blog. DUH! I couldn't even think of DRANO. TERCEL? Black letters don't lie. Time for bed.
Does anybody in the USA use TOSSPOT as common language? I thought it was a British word but didn't mean SOT.
Still frigid here. I've been wearing a stocking cap in the house night and day because my head was so cold it ached all the time. Hat helps. Hair in hybernation is not pretty.
Blue Hen: chuckleworthy list is too true. Jinx: Patty O'Furniture made me laugh aloud. D4: you were also in good humor form today. All the commentators were appreciated on this gray day.
Michael: or if we're being naughty Irish and un-PC, we'd say "Erin go bra-less!"
Steve - Good writeup, as always. In reference to 2d, as mentioned by D4E4H at 0600, it describes the sound made by beginner or mediocre brass instrument players - think a high school marching band. As opposed to the broad, rich, mellow, velvety or clear, bright, sparkling beautiful sounds that professionals spend our whole lives trying to achieve.
Bill G,
Your 10K experience with the cannon starter reminds me of the only time I ran a full marathon. It was the first Richmond (VA) Marathon ever, and I decided to try it after running a half-marathon on my own the week before. I would wear a tee-shirt to advertise my new theater company, hoping to pick up a little attention prior to our premiere show.
I prepped for the race by running different distances during the lead-up week. I did my carb-loading for two days before,and carefully taped my nipples the morning of the event.
The start was inauspicious. I don't recall whether we had a gun or flag. I was buried in the front mob and couldn't see the starter anyway; I just became aware of a general forward movement that was irresistible. I fell in with the tide.
All went well until the 12th or 13th mile. It was about then that I realized I wouldn't be setting any records, so why not walk for a bit? Walking seemed like a very good idea, with an occasional sprint every now and then - especially when I saw some pretty girls ahead ready to offer me water.
In this way - walking, sprinting, then walking again - I managed to move along between mile 14 and mile 25. Somewhere along the way I developed a pain in right hip that caused me to limp. Nothing like this had happened when I was training.
It was around the 25.5 mark that I realized my "style" of hobbling along might not be the best advertisement for our theater, and I knew that a small group of friends and a photographer were to greet me at the finish line!
Yikes! I sucked it up and pulled myself together. Ow! My leg was incredibly sore, but I overrode my body's cries for relief and just leaned into the spirit of the thing.
Somebody had wisely placed the finish line at the bottom of a long slope, and that aided my final burst of - what was it, speed? No, not speed, but a semi-controlled series of falls, one broken stumble after another as I rolled across that *#@! finish line!
My final time was on the far side of 4-and-a-half hours. But my friends were very appreciative.
And the photos?
Did the photos reveal how sad and sore my body felt in that final desperate moment?
Nope, the photos made me look like a champ.
Oops! I really need to proofread. Ataturk. Thank you, WC.
OwenKL:
I enjoyed your poem. Thank you!
Bluehen:
I also liked your list.
A BONGO showed up in my news feed just the other day!
Bluehen: Bravo!
SCOUR is what an ABRADER does.
Great marathon story, Ol'Man Keith.
Bluehen @ 1411 - LOL
Dudley @ 1213 - Yeah thermodynamics. And steam tables. Never knew I'd be out on the bitter end of one of those. You know, at 600 psi and those temperatures, they have to use a broom handle or some such to find a pin hole leak. Very dangerous.
Ludwig, we've definitely had a run of ALOE lately.
I enjoy hearing stories. I wish I'd continued my running which I'd made some progress on in the 80s.
WC
XTULMKR - I found your HS story (ASA) hilarious - guess 'cuz I've been there - boorring repetitions, "Can't you jocks get it the second time around?"! And can't Mickey D's find literate employees to post specials on their signs, or maybe they just have smart-asses for that duty - whatever, lol.
WEES re puzzle (rigID vs rigOR caused my only inkblot). Except OMK??...chewing TAR? No way - maybe a pica diagnosis should have been made! Again, whatever, OMK, you're still here and alive 'n kickin'!
I certainly chewed tar in high school but I didn't know anybody else other than my buddies and I did.
My goal for my first and only marathon was to finish and try to finish in under four hours. As I got near the finish line at the LA Coliseum, there was a pretty big crowd. I even heard a voice from the bystanders yell out, "Way to go Mr. G.! Very exciting. My adrenalin spiked again and I sprinted toward the finish line. A woman registered my time and gave me a medal for finishing. I checked the official clock. 3:59.22! Woohoo!
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