Theme: If It's Tuesday, This Must Be ... - some European city.
20A. 1666 conflagration that destroyed St. Paul's Cathedral: FIRE OF LONDON. Capital of England.
28A. Raphael fresco depicting Greek philosophers, with "The": SCHOOL OF ATHENS. Capital of Greece
48A. Gypsum used for casts: PLASTER OF PARIS. France's capital.
54A. Pope: BISHOP OF ROME. Italy’s capital.
Argyle here. I say, what a capital idea for a puzzle. Michael hasn't had a puzzle here for over a year. I hope he doesn't stay a stranger.
Across:
1. Daily bread?: WAGE
5. Convenient bag: TOTE
9. Flower that's a Buddhist symbol of purity: LOTUS
14. Unattributed, as a quote: Abbr.: ANON
15. Prof.'s employer: UNIV.
16. Stupefy: AMAZE
17. Checkout line unit: ITEM
18. Actress Russo: RENE
19. Words to live by: MAXIM
23. Military abbr. on a Beatles album: SGT. Pepper.
24. NYC subway line: IRT. (Interborough Rapid Transit)
25. Pup squeak: [YIP!]
33. "__-ching!": CHA
34. Venison source: DEER
35. Sunny feeling: WARMTH
36. Seventh-day activity, in the Bible: REST
38. __ Gone: gunk-cleaning product: GOO
40. Repeated Doris Day song word: SERA. 'Que Sera, Sera'. 'Whatever will be, will be'
41. Gave the slip: ELUDED
44. Indian bread: NAAN
47. At this moment: NOW
51. Subj. for immigrants: ESL. (English as a second language)
52. Color gradation: HUE
53. Coastal inlet: RIA
60. Complete chaos: HAVOC
63. Each: A POP
64. Rapper whose name sounds like a drink: ICE T
65. Plato's marketplace: AGORA
66. Fodder storage tower: SILO
67. Not this: THAT
68. Wooden peg: DOWEL
69. Informal greetings: HEYs
70. "Star Wars" guru: YODA
Down:
1. Many a Dickens child: WAIF and maybe 46D. Innocent soul: NAIF
2. Prefix with social: ANTI
3. Suffix with party: GOER. An antisocial partygoer sounds like a fun sponge.
4. Catch in a net: ENMESH
5. Sports injury on an artificial surface: TURF TOE
6. First-year law student: ONE L
7. Former Yankee slugger Martinez: TINO
8. Should it arise that: EVEN IF
9. De Niro's "Raging Bull" role: LAMOTTA. Giacobbe "Jake" LaMotta, middleweight champion boxer.
10. Arabian Peninsula nation: OMAN. Khasab Fort.
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| http://www.khalidkharusi.com |
11. Payroll deduction: TAX
12. Action film weapon: UZI
13. College yr. division: SEM. (semester)
21. Prayer opener: "O, GOD ... "
22. Sketch: DRAW
25. Native of Sana'a: YEMENI
26. Emcees' duties: INTROs
27. "Horsefeathers!": "PSHAW!"
28. Beachcomber's finds: SHELLS
29. Like some Friday work attire: CASUAL
30. Meet portion, or portion of meat: LEG. One LEG of a relay race at a track meet.
31. Maine college town: ORONO
32. Store posting: Abbr.: HRs. (hours)
33. Parisian pancake: CRÊPE
37. NFL six-pointers: TDs. (touchdowns)
39. Dolt: OAF
42. Virtuous: ETHICAL
43. Latin god: DEUS
45. At just the right time: APROPOS
49. Go over again: REHASH
50. Uncommon thing: RARITY
54. Droning lecture, e.g.: BORE
55. Freckled boy of old TV: OPIE. Little Ronnie Howard.
56. Roly-__: POLY
57. Eight, in Ecuador: OCHO
58. Renaissance faire quaff: MEAD. Fermented honey.
59. Jazzy James: ETTA. Something different.
60. "I've been __!": HAD
61. Back in time: AGO
62. Pledge: VOW
Argyle
55 comments:
Greetings!!
Thanks to Michael and Santa!
Fun puzzle. Great theme!
Didn't know LOTUS, IRT and TURF TOE, but they filled in nicely. LA MOTTA was in two puzzles that I worked today!
Hope to see you all tomorrow!
Do I want CAPITaL or capitOl?
O is the building were they enact a toll!
A is all else,
City and pelf,
Letters, and ideas on a roll!
A FIRED-up logger from LONDON
Gave a tirade when in high dudgeon!
He was dealing with HAVOC
From GOO in his hammock --
Maple syrup on a CREPE for Paul Bunyan!
Philosophers gathered in ATHENS
Met at an AGORA for fashions.
There was such diversity
As to rival the UNIVERSITY --
But the argot, to those Greeks, it was Latin's!
France was AMAZING to Harris!
He drank enough wine to embarrass
His poor child, a WAIF,
His naive wife, a NAIF --
And became known as the PLASTERED OF PARIS!
A MAXIM to recall as you roam
Is that when in the city of ROME,
Observe that the Romans
Use lots of hand motions
Not APROPOS when using a phone!
{B+, A-, A-, A, B.}
Good morning. Thank you Michael Dewey and Argyle.
No TADA today. Typo. Had BISHOP OF tOME.
Another CSO to Hahtoolah with the reappearance of ORONO.
Thanks for the brief tour of Europe Michael and Argyle. Happy Tuesday all.
Thanx to Michael and Argyle. A little messy for Tuesday. Write overs - kha to CHA ching, irr to IRT and Lord to O GOD. Tough start at NW with only anon a sure thing , so went around counter clockwise with better luck. Happy motoring all. Love always :)
Since when is REST an "activity"?
FIW! I was so sure that the college division must be SEn(ior) that I erased MAXIM for MAXIn. My only other erasure was bay for RIA.
I liked the puzzle, especially "pup squeak" and the way LEG was clued. I thought that the cluing was odd for ENMESH.
Thanks to Michael and Santa for all the fun.
Ditto TTP. Had a P in Square 39 instead of the O. M y excuse is I'm down with the flu.
Interesting. Neat theme. Fire of London was a gimme. Realizing that OF and a city were in each theme answer, getting either half of them made filling the remaining half easy.
No problems. Transit initials are handy to know for puzzle solving: IRT, LIRR, CTA, BART, SEPTA.
Do you get dozens of totes from organizations? I do.
Goo Gone is wonderful stuff for removing labels.
Owen, I liked the Plastered of Paris one best.
I thought of TURF right away and the body parts with three letters seemed to be TOE. LEG or ARM. With the T from SGT I chose toe.
I, too, raised an eyebrow at REST being an activity.
On the other hand, I have no nit with ENMESH. it has literal and figurative meanings.
1. cause to become entangled in something:
"whales enmeshed in drift nets"
2.involve (someone) in a difficult situation from which it is hard to escape:
"he is enmeshed in an adulterous affair" from Oxford Dictionary
I am sorry from all of you suffering from the flu or its after effects.
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. This was a pretty easy puzzle. I immediately got the FIRE OF LONDON, so figured each theme answer would be a three word phrase with OF in the middle. When I got to the SCHOOL OF ATHENS, I realized we were also looking for world capitals.
I initially tried Evade in lieu of ELUDE, although both words popped into my head upon reading the clue.
Nice to see my alma mater town in the puzzle. The university is on Marsh Island, which is in the northern portion of the map that Argyle provided in the commentary. Little known fact about the University of Maine: Frederick Law Olmstead designed the original campus plan back in the 1860s.
QOD: Life is an accomplishment and each moment has a meaning and you must use it. ~ Jeanne Moreau (Jan. 23, 1928 ~ July 31, 2017)
Good morning everyone.
Other possible "OF" candidates:
Congress of Vienna
Fall of Berlin
Gulf of Riga
Guess they didn't make the cut.
WAIF and NAIF are in the same puzzle. Palindrome NAAN today, too. No searches needed.
2 references to Arabian Peninsula; OMAN and YEMINI.
Musings
-Fourth “snow” day in two weeks for schools here. My activity today is to REST
-My dear friend’s daughter will get her degree in Art History in May and would know Raphael’s work. Raising capital or daily bread may soon be a problem for her
-I was taught that the right hand sign is grammatically correct
-YODA’s MAXIM
-SHELLS my kids found on the beach and kept in their luggage for a week got a little gamey
-As I’ve said before, every day is now CASUAL Friday in schools. Works for me.
-Running the final LEG of a relay where you are hopelessly behind can be a little dispiriting
-In last Saturday’s write-up, I mentioned that this guy got a Ph.D. in ORONO
-With all the competition, “banker’s HRS” aren’t all that true anymore
-DEUS Ex Machina is a phrase I learned here
-The lack of ETHICAL behavior and hard work seems to be the reason for the lack of capital in ATHENS
O, GOD! No unknowns today. A RARITY. Wasn't sure of TINO's spelling but had seen it before.
Antisocial party GOER-anybody remember people being called a 'drip'?
PSHAW- I've never known it used as a synonym for bovine feces.
ICE Tea or ICED TEA?
A possible clue: Saddam Hussein- BUTCHER OF BAGDAD (if you misspelled BAGHDAD)
Good morning all,
Finished with a WAG...the T in irt/Lamotta. I only know the ELL.
Big Easy, LOL...The many ice/iced tea conversations on this blog have never come to a clear consensus.
Fun puzzle. Thanks Michael and Argyle.
PK, hondohurricane and more: Hope you have a speedy recovery from the influenza.
Big Easy: You are a better man than I am to have no unknowns today! I did not know LAMOTTA or TINO and only know RENE from these puzzles. I thought that is the masculine spelling. Easily solved with crosses. Also never heard of that FIRE OF LONDON. Learning moment.
It was a smooth, fun ride for me to some great world cities!
I knew the IRT from this song from the musical Hair. LBJ took the IRT down to 4th Street USA. When he got there what did he see...
This is the movie version, not the original stage version. Anyone else remember this song?
We have plenty of LOTUS flowers at the right time of year here at LOTUS Land.
I have found SHELLS to be a bit of RARITY on our California beaches. We had many more on the East Coast beaches.
From yesterday:
AnonymousT and Lucina: Glad you are impressed I can function well without coffee. My drug of choice? Good Swiss chocolate.
Good Morning:
This was an enjoyable and smooth-as-silk solve. My only w/o was Panic/Havoc. Liked the Waif/Naif duo and Yip after yesterday's Arf Arf! My fav C/A was Meet portion of portion of meat=Leg. CSO to Hatoolah and, I thought, Lemony. Did I not remember correctly, L?
Thanks, Michael, for a fun Tuesday and thanks, Argyle, for the armchair world tour!
I just read that Neil Diamond has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Very sad to hear that about one of my favorite entertainers.
Did anyone watch the the first episode of "The Alienist"? It's been years since I read the book but I think they've tinkered with the characters and added some "spice" that I don't remember in the book. That said, I enjoyed it and look forward to the next episode. I was taken aback by the casting of the actor who played Roman in Chicago PD in the role of Teddy Roosevelt, who was the real-life NY Police Commissioner. I picture TR as a gruff, rotund, room-sized personality and this actor is unassuming and fit and trim. Maybe he's representative of the younger Teddy. I'm sure he'll grow on me as the series progresses.
Have a great day.
This started out as a bit of a Tuesday toughie for me, but slowly the whole west and south filled in, heading up north until I also got the tough northeast corner. In the end, got the whole thing without cheating--Yay! Many thanks, Michael--this was a lot of fun! Liked your pictures, Santa.
The Doris Day song popped into my head as soon as I got the 'que SERA' answer: 'whatever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see, que sera, sera.' But wish I could remember the name of the movie in which she sang it? Any idea?
I really hope Ron Howard does crossword puzzles. Either he or OPIE pops up in puzzles so often, I consider them total regulars. I'm so glad I watched him with Andy Griffith and then on "Happy Days" when I was young.
I liked your AMAZing poem this morning, Owen.
Take good care of yourself, Hondo.
Have a great day, everybody!
Sometimes I wish for a Deux ex machina solution to my dilemmas. It rarely happens.
Definition of pshaw from Merriam Webster.
—used to express irritation, disapproval, contempt, or disbelief
Definition of horse feathers from Meriam Webster
-nonsense, balderdash
Not exact synonyms, but disbelief and nonsense are close.
I predict that the fewer/less and ice tea/iced tea debates will be over in the next generation or two. In both cases either choice is quite acceptable in informal writing and conversation now and is becoming acceptable in more formal discourse.
fewer less
Merriam Webster: Iced tea and iced coffee may eventually go the way of iced cream, which would mean some kicking and screaming (in the style of usage commentators, which is admittedly pretty tame). We have only to note how things changed between Richard Grant White's 1871 Words and Their Uses, Past and Present and Frank Vizetelly's 1906 A Desk-book of Errors in English. While White bemoaned how both ice-water and ice-cream had "[b]y mere carelessness in enunciation … come to be used for iced-water and iced cream," Vizetelly identified both as "so firmly established that it is doubtful if they will ever be changed." A few decades from now we may all be fully expecting ice tea at our lemonade stands.
The Grammarist: The original phrase is iced tea, and this spelling is still more common in print. Yet for many English speakers, ice tea more closely resembles the pronunciation, and this spelling has gained significant ground in 21st-century writing. There might still be some English speakers who consider it incorrect, but it is common in informal writing and is even making inroads in edited publications.
Whew! Late to the party but I had a good night's sleep.
Thank you, Michael Dewey and Argyle. Good Tuesday fun to tour the world capitals.
WEES. Most of you have said what I experienced, including not knowing LAMOTTA. Like JD, I know only IRR not IRT so LAMOrTA sounded right since I've never seen the movie.
ETHICAL crossing BISHOP OF ROME might raise eyebrows if you know the history of the popes, excluding the present one.
Picard:
It's AMAZING to me that you don't know of the FIREOFLONDON but you would have to be an avid reader or a student of history to know that. For anyone not familiar with that period of time, I recommend PILLARS OF THE EARTH by Ken Follett. It starts in the 12th century but he covers the fire in great detail.
Also, Picard, I'm glad for you that you can enjoy Swiss or any other chocolate. Diabetes has nixed that enjoyment for me.
Have yourselves a splendid day, everyone!
I greatly enjoyed this well-clued xword from Michael. I never can remember which day has which commenter but thanks Argyle. Each has their own style and I enjoy all of you. Happy tenth btw.
Prescience "All over again". Daniel Ruth of TBTimes referred to the Road to nowhere" in his column today. Pressreader+earmarks will find it.
PSHAW was a trademark phrase of Nero Wolfe when he wasn't saying "poppycock".
My INEPT* waitress refilled me with high-test instead of Decaf so I'm going to be silly so I'd better stop. But..
When YR seemed to say she's sorry about those ENMESHed in adulterous affairs I cracked up when I realized it was the flu sufferers. And having just got over that flu, Hondo etal you indeed have my sympathies.
How about "Wizard of Westwood".
WC
* I think we just had it.
PS. I had SURF TOE the ailment of those internet perusers who use their feet
Misty, that movie you are thinking of is Alfred Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew too Much" with Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day. It's one of my favorites. The tension during the whole movie and especially just before the bad guys shoots is palpable.
Today's Tuesday offering from Mr. Dewey seemed easier than Monday's pzl. Ah, well, the difference a day makes can't be all that distinctive, can it? What really matters is that this was an enjoyable exercise with a few clever clues (e.g., 30D).
Bill G and Misty, and others who expressed interest in The Man Who Knew Too Much: It was back on TCM recently, seems like just a few weeks back. I don't usually sit still through re-runs of movies I've already seen, but I wasn't too squirmy for this one.
___________________
Diagonal Report: Yes! A nice broad sweep from NW to SE, a classic 3-way with a main central line flanked by two sub-diags. But still no hidden message.
Owen!
Just a brief note to say how much I enjoyed your limericks today. The meters really kept things moving along. Your third stanza was a favorite!
Thank you!
Lucina: unsweetened vanilla almond milk with Hershey’s cocoa, 100% cocoa. Gave up sugar a long time ago and this for me makes a great hot chocolate.
Cheers,
Mark
Argyle: Good job on the write-up.
Michael: Thank you for a FUN Tuesday puzzle. I enjoyed the theme. Capital idea!
Fave today, of course, was the Renaissance faire quaff, MEAD ... if it is booze, it is a fave!
As I sat solving, wearing a New York Yankee "warm-up" jersey, TINO was a gimmie!
Irish Miss, I DVR The Alienist will watch it later today or tomorrow.
(Haven't read the book ... but will check-it-out at the Library).
Cheers!
From yesterday: When we lived in Western Pa., the literal Bridge to Nowhere" was in Pittsburgh.
NYC subway lines (from former transit lines):
BMT - Bronx-Manhattan Transit
IND - Independent
IRT - Interborough Rapid Transit
KA-ching didn't fit.
My son watches COPS and Live Police, so ELUDE was preferable to EVADE ("eluding" being a charge in some jurisdictions).
I wish there were some cure, or at least a salve for those of us who were brought up with the "correct" language usage dunned into us from our early years.
I agree with Yellowrocks that it will only be a generation or two before issues such as fewer/less will be resolved - in favor of looser usage.
BUT in the meantime, we old teachers and professorial dodos suffer pangs all along our nerve endings whenever we hear "between she and I" and "who" in place of "whom."
I dunno, folks. Just take us out and shoot us...
Fun puzzle. Dowel, agoura, and Deus were unknowns nicely filled by perps.Remember mead from a not-too-long-ago puzzle.
Mark
This was a nicely appropriate Tuesday level puzzle, no issues.
Plus, if you are going to have a theme, this is the way to do it, IMO.
I liked this puzzle. Plenty of familiar and oft-used fill, such as OPIE, TOTE, UZI, SGT, RIA, ORONO, and NAAN, but some nice fresh stuff too, such as LAMOTTA, APROPOS, and TURFTOE.
The FLN News
PK FLN 1038P
Wrote "I've been on a liquid diet today with the room whirling if I move my head wrong." Why liquid diet? "Room whirling" is this new? Have you checked your BP? Could it be vertigo?
Oops, next sentence practically answered my questions. "I hate this brand of flu!" Even the generic flu is awful.
"My car battery has been dead again and I'm almost out of food." What brand of car? I know of 2 Buicks that drained their batteries when the ignition was off. Local mechanics could not identify the cause.
I know of a son who brought milk to his mother. I bet your son would bring food to his mother.
Anon T FLN 1146P
You have mail.
Wrote "I'm still in awe of Picard...." Me too. He continuously uncovers another skill. He lives a FULL life.
Coffee: black then with creme et sucre at a meal.
Now to work a Tuesday Woosday CW. (oops, sorry PK)
Dave the 2rrible
Ol'Man Keith, thanks for reminding me of "The Man Who Knew too Much." I'll have to hope it shows on one of the TV movie channels sometime again so I can watch it.
By the way, I found the _____ guide to capitalizing words in our messages, but it doesn't seem to be working for me. Am I not doing it right?
The deux ex machina link was informative. Of course, the modus operandi of detective fiction was the surprise ending (c Nero Wolfe). Not to speak of the Cavalry.
With all the Hercules movies I'd think the Alcestis Story would be made to order.
Btw, I really am ultra sensitive to the caffeine in coffee or Coke. I somehow can tolerate ice(d) tea if it's McDonald's. Perhaps because it's brewed with no added caffeine.
Picard, are you keeping count of Star Wars references.
In Boston and the Kingston Trio it's "The MTA". Officially the MBTA.
WC
OMK, who were you referring to? Was it her or me?
Thanks for the Tuesday fun, Michael and Argyle.
Thanks also to OwenKL for today's smile.
Like Oas and Misty, I thought this was going to be a workout when I started across the top. I switched to the Downs and things filled in.
Hand up for Natick at cross or IRT and LAMOTTA.
Like Hahtoolah, I waited for perps to decide between Evaded or ELUDED (similar to what I do with Aver and Avow).
I moved from EVEN So to IF; my puppy sound was an Arf before a YIP (hello IM); I had to be more specific about my Gun and make it an UZI. (Why does "an" not sound right before Uzi even though it starts with a vowel??)
APROSPOs required some rearranging of letters as I wanted to spell it as Aprospro.
I knew Waif but NAIF looked wrong (but I left it thinking it was related to Naïve). Learning moment.
Enjoy the day. Que SERA, SERA!
CanadianEh!
It's surprising that you think "an UZI" sounds odd. To me it sounds normal. What wouldn't sound right with an is anytime the "u" makes the long sound as in use, useful, union, etc. But with the "uh" sound, an would be correct as, an unusual situation, an ugly mess, etc.
That's my problem Lucina! I do pronounce it with the long "u". I really don't say it out loud very much so perhaps I am not pronouncing it properly or perhaps it has regional pronunciations.
Actually UZI is pronounced with an oo sound. As in ooze.
Better Call Saul.
The deux ex machina link was informative. Of course, the modus operandi of detective fiction was the surprise ending (c Nero Wolfe). Not to speak of the Cavalry.
With all the Hercules movies I'd think the Alcestis Story would be made to order.
Btw, I really am ultra sensitive to the caffeine in coffee or Coke. I somehow can tolerate ice(d) tea if it's McDonald's. Perhaps because it's brewed with no added caffeine.
Picard, are you keeping count of Star Wars references.
In Boston and the Kingston Trio it's "The MTA". Officially the MBTA.
WC
CanadianEh!
I've always heard it pronounced oo-zee. Perhaps others have a different experience. So to me it's an oo-zee.
Fun puzzle. I loved it at "daily bread" for WAGE! Thanks Michael. Argyle, thanks for the tour.
Owen, you continue to AMAZE!
Do you ever feel overlooked?
Hi All!
FIW - Hand up for IRT xing LaMOTTA incorrectly with an L. Thanks Michael for a fun tour of the EU. Thanks Argyle for the pictures and ETTA doing Purple Rain; THAT was different.
Like OAS, the fill was a counter-clockwise effort starting in the NW, and down, around, up, finishing (wrong) in the NE.
WOs: N/A
ESPs: RIA, AGORA.
Fav: c/a for WAGE.
Runner up: REHASH... Just because, I mean, do we have to go over this again? BORing.
WEES re: WAIF / NAÏF. Cool.
{B,B+A,A+,A - the muse is back!}
Roy - thanks for the real Bridge to Nowhere link. >20 years to complete one project? TAX dollars at "work" I guess.
D4 - I agree; between photography, travel, unicycling, engineering, Picard's got a fun full plate... Now, imagine him Caffeine :-) [you only have to watch the first 2m]
I'm sure, w/ 3d and 54a in the puzzle, I heard the collective Corner whisper, "O GOD, that BORE ANON -T is going to RE HASH Python's GOER and BISHOP (tattooed on the back of his neck) NOW."
REST assured... You don't have to click EVEN IF I just did THAT.
//It would be a RARITY if I didn't link APROPOS Python :-)
Cheers, -T
OMK @ 12:46. I agree with your angst over incorrect grammar usage. How hard can it be to follow the rules?
That's what causes misunderstandings, I think. If you don't express your thoughts correctly how can anyone else be expected to know what you mean? We see so many problems in politics, for example, which are just fuzzy thinking brought on by fuzzy wording, End of rant!
Thanks Saul and Lucina. Oozy it is. We Canadians are gun virgins!
IMO, these nit picky rules, like less of fewer, ice or iced, do not effect the meaning. The average person does not talk this way, so these rules do not aid his understanding. Eventually these rules become archaic language like Shakespeare's English. Formal language is not the only meaning maker. Informal language, regionalisms and dialects, in many cases, are very effective carriers of meaning. Why insist everyone wear a tuxedo to places where jeans are more approprite?
he average person does not talk this way
Thank you Michael Dewey for this workable CW. It took 45 min., but finally I FIR.
Thank you A+ for this excellent review. I found another video of Etta James.
Picard 1040A
I also had never heard of the FIRE OF LONDON.
"Anyone else remember this song?" "LBJ took the IRT down to 4th Street USA. When he got there what did he see..." This is the first I have heard of the song. I have heard of "Hair."
YR 1121A
I appreciate your explanation of Icy Tee, but I ordered Coffee.
WC 1130A
Surely you know the ailment that astronauts get, "Missile Toe."
Saul 434P & 632P
Did someone just write something? I felt a breeze.
Walter White 450P
Excellent ad for the "Saul pronunciation system" with "Better Call Saul.
Anon T 641P
"you only have to watch the first 2m" but then I would have missed the "Welcome to the family" at 5:45.
Dave 2 late for most of you
FYI:
The FIRE OF LONDON occurred on September 2, 1666 in a bakery. Most of London was destroyed since the buildings of the time were made of wood and/or straw. No record exists of how many people perished since common folk were not counted. St. Paul's Cathedral which was being repaired at the time, was destroyed. Sir Christopher Wren designed the new cathedral.
That, in a nutshell, is the story.
Saul, welcome to the Corner. I hope you plan to join us.
Curiosity and Lucina's post made me LIU.
So, I've heard that the term "tally-whacker" (used as a euphemism for a male's member) comes from the tax/debt guy who used dual tallies and "whacked" the thin-middle of the stick keeping one half for himself (always a dude in those days) and giving the other 1/2 of the tally to you. You've proved you paid your debts / paid taxes w/ said receipt of your side of the Tally.
Nobody liked THAT guy - what a d***, er, tally-whacker.
And this was the cause of the LONDON FIRE...
OK, apparently The city likes to burn - Tallies were part of the 1834 fire and not Lucina's 1666 incident at the Bakery. Steve, care to speculate on the next Londoner with a Zippo? :-)
//And we thought Chicago had issues w/ Mrs. O'Leary's cow...
Cheers, -T
Thank you for all the kind words about my skills and interests. Yes, I try to make every day count. Such a world of wonders we live in. It is always a challenge to follow through on long-term commitments while still staying open to new opportunities.
So, no one else is familiar with the music from the Broadway musical "Hair"? Such a memorable part of my childhood in the 60s!
Lucina: Thank you for explaining about the FIRE OF LONDON. Disasters were bigger back then because, as you say, the building materials were often flammable and flimsy. (Except for the massive stone structures.) But populations were also smaller then. These days we build things better, but a disaster can kill a lot more people.
And I do hope you can find a way to enjoy the joy of chocolate that is not a problem for your diabetes. People sometimes say I have a sweet tooth because I enjoy chocolate. It is not the sweetness I enjoy. It is the complex flavor.
Wilbur Charles: Sorry, but I am not understanding the Star Wars reference?
As for surprise at my coffee-free existence, you may be surprised at other common things I happily live without. Here is one more: I do not own a smart phone and barely even use a land line.
Hi Y'all! Strange things going on with my computer. Earlier today I couldn't post at all. The comment box would not come up. Then no internet. Melting snow. Finally checked again for the 6th time today and everything seems okay & I have internet.
Flu a little better. I could eat solid food today but not much. Still dizzy if I move my head wrong.
Did the puzzle at midnight, but it was harder than it should be due to flu. Took my mind off my frustrations, so thanks, Michael & Argyle. WAIF/WAGE/ENMESH/ITEM last to fill.
Thanks to those who commiserated with me.
Yup, I drive a battery-draining Buick Encore. Many unneeded electronics sapping the thing. Don't drive enough.
PK:
I'm so glad you're feeling a bit better. I hope you'll soon feel completely healthy.
AnonT:
Good info on the "tally whackers" thank you.
Picard:
Good for you making every moment count!
Coming from a completely caffeine-free direction, another clue for 56a, HUE, could be "Capital of Imperial Vietnam."
There has been much "Joe Jacking" lately about whether, and how to drink coffee. Here is a fresh cup.
Dave 2 cups a day
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