Theme: Nova Ova - as the reveal tells you - anagrams of types of eggs:
36A. Breakfast order ... and a hint to the last words of 17-, 26-, 51- and 58-Across : SCRAMBLED EGGS. Food! Time for a "Full English" breakfast!
17A. Aerialists' insurance : SAFETY NETS. NEST Eggs.
26A. Porsche Boxster, e.g. : TWO-SEATER. EASTER Eggs.
51A. Like some pizza ovens : WOOD FIRED. FRIED Eggs.
58A. Conflict in Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade" : CRIMEAN WAR. RAW Eggs.
Those of you with long memories might recall the theme title I've re-used today. This was a 2014 puzzle from Gareth Bain which I blogged, and I mentioned I'd been trying to come up with a "scrambled eggs" theme and failed, where Gareth had used "ova" instead and succeeded. Susan comes up with a totally different approach, and anagrams the types of eggs, not the eggs themselves. Very nice indeed.
Nothing really bothersome about the fill, it actually seemed a little easy for a Thursday, but your mileage may vary. Let's see what pops out:
Across:
1. Color changers : DYES
5. Allowing for the uncertainty of the future : SO FAR
10. Fairy tale bear : MAMA
14. Set : JELL
15. Greenland coin : KRONE. I've seen a lot of banknotes, but I'd not seen one of these before:
16. Holiday lead-ins : EVES
19. Days in Durango : DIAS
20. Side by side? : AREA. Nice clue. Multiply the lengths of the sides of a rectangle together and you get the area.
21. Medical priority system : TRIAGE
23. Visually transfixed : AGAZE
29. Mauritania neighbor : MALI. The West African country kerfuffle reminds me of the hubbub of states in the north-east US.
30. Make a big stink : REEK
31. Immobile : INERT
32. Lining fabric : FLEECE
34. Zebra hunter : LION. Lioness, actually. the guys just lay around while the women do all the work. Typical.
41. Loaves that may be seeded : RYES
42. Printing goofs : ERRATA
44. Narrow groove : STRIA
48. Take to heart : HEED
50. "Yikes!" : EGAD!
53. Decorative draperies : SWAGS. I never knew these things had a name. Thank you, crosses.
54. Brand name for the sleep aid zolpidem : AMBIEN.
55. Culture starter? : AGRI-
57. Tropical tuber : TARO
64. Tiny bit : ATOM
65. Broadcaster : AIRER
66. Sticking point : TINE. One of a number on a fork.
67. Many Christmas presents : TOYS
68. Involuntary muscle contraction : SPASM
69. Jet black : ONYX
Down:
1. Wedding reception VIPs : DJ'S
2. Vote for : YEA
3. Cookie baker in the Hollow Tree : ELF. Keebler's enchanted little person.
4. More disreputable : SLEAZIER
5. Terrier breed from Scotland : SKYE. There are quiet a few territory breeds in Scotland. Scottish Terrier, West Highland Terrier, Cairn Terrier, Border Terrier .... it's quite a list.
6. Richly decorated : ORNATE
7. Rival : FOE
8. Colony crawler : ANT
9. Stops working for a while : RESTS
10. Highway divider : MEDIAN
11. Pilot : AVIATE. The verb, not the noun. Thursday-level clue.
12. Scanty : MEAGER
13. State strongly : ASSERT
18. Little Italian number : TRE
22. "Stand By Me" director : REINER. The famous Rob. Stephen King wrote the original book from which the screenplay was developed.
23. Bowling alley initials : AMF. Chain of bowling alley operations and bowling equiment. Boomer would know. I needed crosses.
24. Some square dancers : GALS
25. Baldwin brother : ALEC
27. "Maybe" : WE'LL SEE
28. 1930s migrant to California : OKIE
30. Beverage company __ Cointreau : REMY
33. Coffee server : CARAFE
35. Binged (on) : OD'ED
37. Paint brand sold at Home Depot : BEHR
38. Got big enough for : GREW INTO
39. "Born This Way" Lady : GAGA. She's just announced she has to cancel her last ten UK tour dates due to pain from fibromyalgia. It's sad she's suffering from this debilitating condition.
40. Antlered animal : STAG
43. Program interruptions : ADS
44. Try to hit, as a fly : SWAT AT
45. Minestrone ingredient : TOMATO
46. Drink named for a Scottish hero : ROB ROY. Vermouth, Scotch Whisky and Angostura bitters. First made at the Astoria hotel in New York in honor of the premiere of the operetta.
47. Make a scene and act up : IDIOMS
49. One of a '50s singing quartet : ED AMES. One of the Urick brothers, the others were Vic, Gene and Joe.
52. Ancient empire builders : INCAS
53. Madrid Mrs. : SRA. Senora.
56. Start of an idea : GERM
59. Fabric flaw : RIP
60. Yo La Tengo guitarist Kaplan : IRA. Here's their melodious cover of The Cure's "Friday I'm in Love" with a truly bizarre video to accompany it.
61. Break the tape : WIN
62. Whichever : ANY
63. King of ancient Rome : REX. Oedipus, et al.
That's about it for me, back to LA today after eating copious amounts of curry in the UK.
This was yesterday morning in the middle of London. When I say "in the middle of London" I mean the exact center. I'm standing on a brass plaque marking the geographic center of the city from where all distances to and from the capital are measured. The gentleman over my shoulder is Admiral, Lord Nelson atop his column in Trafalgar Square.
Steve
36A. Breakfast order ... and a hint to the last words of 17-, 26-, 51- and 58-Across : SCRAMBLED EGGS. Food! Time for a "Full English" breakfast!
17A. Aerialists' insurance : SAFETY NETS. NEST Eggs.
26A. Porsche Boxster, e.g. : TWO-SEATER. EASTER Eggs.
51A. Like some pizza ovens : WOOD FIRED. FRIED Eggs.
58A. Conflict in Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade" : CRIMEAN WAR. RAW Eggs.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Those of you with long memories might recall the theme title I've re-used today. This was a 2014 puzzle from Gareth Bain which I blogged, and I mentioned I'd been trying to come up with a "scrambled eggs" theme and failed, where Gareth had used "ova" instead and succeeded. Susan comes up with a totally different approach, and anagrams the types of eggs, not the eggs themselves. Very nice indeed.
Nothing really bothersome about the fill, it actually seemed a little easy for a Thursday, but your mileage may vary. Let's see what pops out:
Across:
1. Color changers : DYES
5. Allowing for the uncertainty of the future : SO FAR
10. Fairy tale bear : MAMA
14. Set : JELL
15. Greenland coin : KRONE. I've seen a lot of banknotes, but I'd not seen one of these before:
16. Holiday lead-ins : EVES
19. Days in Durango : DIAS
20. Side by side? : AREA. Nice clue. Multiply the lengths of the sides of a rectangle together and you get the area.
21. Medical priority system : TRIAGE
23. Visually transfixed : AGAZE
29. Mauritania neighbor : MALI. The West African country kerfuffle reminds me of the hubbub of states in the north-east US.
30. Make a big stink : REEK
31. Immobile : INERT
32. Lining fabric : FLEECE
34. Zebra hunter : LION. Lioness, actually. the guys just lay around while the women do all the work. Typical.
41. Loaves that may be seeded : RYES
42. Printing goofs : ERRATA
44. Narrow groove : STRIA
48. Take to heart : HEED
50. "Yikes!" : EGAD!
53. Decorative draperies : SWAGS. I never knew these things had a name. Thank you, crosses.
54. Brand name for the sleep aid zolpidem : AMBIEN.
55. Culture starter? : AGRI-
57. Tropical tuber : TARO
64. Tiny bit : ATOM
65. Broadcaster : AIRER
66. Sticking point : TINE. One of a number on a fork.
67. Many Christmas presents : TOYS
68. Involuntary muscle contraction : SPASM
69. Jet black : ONYX
Down:
1. Wedding reception VIPs : DJ'S
2. Vote for : YEA
3. Cookie baker in the Hollow Tree : ELF. Keebler's enchanted little person.
4. More disreputable : SLEAZIER
5. Terrier breed from Scotland : SKYE. There are quiet a few territory breeds in Scotland. Scottish Terrier, West Highland Terrier, Cairn Terrier, Border Terrier .... it's quite a list.
6. Richly decorated : ORNATE
7. Rival : FOE
8. Colony crawler : ANT
9. Stops working for a while : RESTS
10. Highway divider : MEDIAN
11. Pilot : AVIATE. The verb, not the noun. Thursday-level clue.
12. Scanty : MEAGER
13. State strongly : ASSERT
18. Little Italian number : TRE
22. "Stand By Me" director : REINER. The famous Rob. Stephen King wrote the original book from which the screenplay was developed.
23. Bowling alley initials : AMF. Chain of bowling alley operations and bowling equiment. Boomer would know. I needed crosses.
24. Some square dancers : GALS
25. Baldwin brother : ALEC
27. "Maybe" : WE'LL SEE
28. 1930s migrant to California : OKIE
30. Beverage company __ Cointreau : REMY
33. Coffee server : CARAFE
35. Binged (on) : OD'ED
37. Paint brand sold at Home Depot : BEHR
38. Got big enough for : GREW INTO
39. "Born This Way" Lady : GAGA. She's just announced she has to cancel her last ten UK tour dates due to pain from fibromyalgia. It's sad she's suffering from this debilitating condition.
40. Antlered animal : STAG
43. Program interruptions : ADS
44. Try to hit, as a fly : SWAT AT
45. Minestrone ingredient : TOMATO
46. Drink named for a Scottish hero : ROB ROY. Vermouth, Scotch Whisky and Angostura bitters. First made at the Astoria hotel in New York in honor of the premiere of the operetta.
47. Make a scene and act up : IDIOMS
49. One of a '50s singing quartet : ED AMES. One of the Urick brothers, the others were Vic, Gene and Joe.
52. Ancient empire builders : INCAS
53. Madrid Mrs. : SRA. Senora.
56. Start of an idea : GERM
59. Fabric flaw : RIP
60. Yo La Tengo guitarist Kaplan : IRA. Here's their melodious cover of The Cure's "Friday I'm in Love" with a truly bizarre video to accompany it.
61. Break the tape : WIN
62. Whichever : ANY
63. King of ancient Rome : REX. Oedipus, et al.
That's about it for me, back to LA today after eating copious amounts of curry in the UK.
This was yesterday morning in the middle of London. When I say "in the middle of London" I mean the exact center. I'm standing on a brass plaque marking the geographic center of the city from where all distances to and from the capital are measured. The gentleman over my shoulder is Admiral, Lord Nelson atop his column in Trafalgar Square.
Steve
63 comments:
Greetings!
Thanks to Susan and Steve!
Not a difficult puzzle for Thursday!
Needed perps for: ED AMES, IRA, KRONE, MALI, STRIA, AMBIEN, AMF, REINER and BEHR.
No cheats (unlike NYT puzzle).
Hope to see you all tomorrow!
Papa wants a FRIED EGG.
MAMA wants a NEST EGG.
Sally DYES an EASTER EGG.
ALEC drinks a RAW EGG!
He's seen too many Rocky films,
And has a hollow leg!
Summertime, the shearing shed has a horrid REEK!
EGAD, those shearers sweat, as they shear the FLEECE!
But the ovines yearly buzz cut
Helps them keep their heads up --
Those GALS don't need those fur coats, in the Outback heat!
The limo had a driver who doted on the car.
He also played an ORNATE horn in the month Adar.
Sometimes he got to blow
At a Lady GAGA show!
The opening for early-birds: the chauffeur's shofar, SO FAR!
{B+, B-, A-.}
Good Thursday Morning Cornerites,
Thank you Ms. Susan Gelfand for this excellent CW that I was able to FIR.
Thanks Steve for the review and reveal.
More later.
Dave
Good morning!
No problem with this one...other than the theme. I looked for, and failed to find, any scrambled eggs. And so it goes. It was AMF (American Machine & Foundry) that ended my budding career as a pinsetter. No "klinkers" in this one, though AGAZE is a tad iffy. Thanx, Susan and Steve (Nice pic, Steve).
A good morning it is and thanks to Susan and Steve for your fine work. FIR !! Surprise surprise ! At first pass I was sure I'd need help to fill this one. Finally caught the theme at WAR oh yes RAW . Had WELL sitting there thinking it might fill as Well now . After WOODFIRED knew it was WE'LL SEE. A little hesitation at STRIA , a new one to me but perps did the trick. No mistakes and no LIUs . It's hard to be humble:-)
OMK@FLN 3:37A Seems to me that Canada is skiing down the slippery slope of inane political correctness. When that pendulum swings back as it must it might well destroy the good with the idiotic.
I've finished the puzzles this week unscathed SO FAR but noticing the SCRAMBLED EGGS was not in the cards. I tried MALE before GALS for the 'Some square dancers' clue and really didn't understand the "side by side" meaning 'side X side' (only for rectangles). Thanks for splaining. Ditto for SWAG-perps. AGAZE, I'll just call it an "A" word to fill the squares.
KRONE OR KRONA- have to wait for the perp.
REINER and GAGA were 'known' unknowns but IRA Kaplan and Yo La Tengo were total unknowns. All three were perped.
AMBIEN- If I had any I could have used one last night.
Oas@7:28- What's happening up north? Oh, it's just Junior Trudeau mouthing off. Just another airhead.
OD'ED is a misspelling. If we're using apostrophes, it's O'D'ED or OD'D.
FIR, but couldn't find the eggs. IDIOM and AREA were my last fills. I could picture the pinsetter in my mind, but the letters were fuzzy. I finally perped AMF.
Kids hate to hear "We'll see." But, in my case, more often than not I will say yes if I have a chance to think it over, but would say no off the top of my head.
At home we called the caraway seeds on rye, Kümmel. You, Spitz? I think that is the origin of Jimmy Kimmel's surname.
When I was a kid money was scarce and clothing was bought in larger sizes so we could grow into it. When my older son was a preteen his pants became too short every couple of weeks. They were sneeringly called FLOODS, so I had to buy him a few longer pairs at a time and washed them frequently.
Mom used to read to all of us from 101 Famous Poems. Charge of the Light Brigade was one of my favorites. Now, sadly, it reminds me of the grunts used for "cannon fodder," especially when this serves no useful purpose in the war.
Hugs from your square dancce gal, Yellowrocks,
Filled out the puzzle - but had to come to the blog to figure out how the theme answers fit. My brain is a little scrambled this am.
When my kids were teens and pushing to get permission to do something - if I was busy with something else I would say, "If you need an answer RIGHT NOW- then it's no - but if you give me time to think about it - WE'LL SEE" - shut the nagging down immediately every time.
Thanks Steve and Susan!
Oh - and I don't get the clue for IDIOMS - can someone explain it to me?
ANON @8>00 LIU. Dictionary.com gives many acceptable variant spellings.
verb (used without object), OD'd or ODed or OD'ed, OD'ing or ODing.
3.to take an overdose of a drug.
"Make a scene" and "act up" are both idioms.
Musings
-One veteran of the CRIMEAN WAR called the charge of the light brigade “the most magnificent assault known in military annals and the greatest blunder known to military tactics.”
-Patton’s take on selflessly dying for your country
-When did I Like Big Butts become a staple for wedding DJ’S?
-Our new church altar abandoned the old ORNATE one similar to this for a sleeker version
-AGRIcultural income will be MEAGER this year as farmers are a victim of their own great production skills
-GREW INTO – Didn’t your MAMA have you flex your big toe when trying on new shoes?
-Not dealing with ADS is a big upside to Netflix
-The INCAS were defeated by weapons and smallpox brought by Pizaro and his men
Hiker @ 8:25 both are IDIOMS refering to misbehaving . Raining cats and dogs is also an IDIOM refering to heavy rain showers.
@Anon 8:00am - if you want to criticize my spelling, go right ahead, but please at least learn the difference between spelling and punctuation, and learn the difference between criticizing the constructor and criticizing the blogger before you comment. But - I'm curious - how on earth do you think that "O'D'ED" is acceptable? I'd have asked you in private so as not to bore the community, but you seem to feel the need to hide behind the "Anonymous" shield.
Agree that it was an easy Thursday - so easy that even I FIR. But I did erase inky for ONYX, une for TRE and had to fix SAFteYNETS that my right hand somehow sneaked by my excuse for a brain. My favorite was "sticking point" for TINE - I was thinking snag, hitch, nit, etc. CSO to Boomer with AMF, also text abbreviation for "adios [my friends]".
Meathead turned out to be a fine director, but I haven't seen "Stand By Me". I knew REMY and Cointreau as individual brands, but didn't know the corporate name. DW and I are fortunate that we haven't ever taken sleep aids, but AMBIEN was easy to guess. There are plenty of funny and tragic stories about things that users have done when taking it (especially with alcohol). Like others I wasn't sure of STRIA. I did, however, get the anagrams after I finished the fill but before coming to the Corner.
My mother told me that "The Grapes of Wrath" was banned at our local college and many others. I became afraid of censorship at a young age because of it.
Thanks to Susan and Steve for a fun Thursday outing. Steve, it is good to see the face at the other end of the keyboard.
Good Morning:
This was a breezy Thursday with a couple of hiccups: Behr and Ira (as clued). It took me a minute or so to "unscramble" the various eggs but when I did, it was an Aha moment. Nests was the hardest to parse, for some reason. Overall, a clever theme and enjoyable solve.
Thanks, Susan and Steve, for the "sunny-side up" adventure.
YR, thought of you at the square dance clue!
Misty, hope all went well with the test.
Have a great day.
Good Morning,
Thank you, Susan, for a varied Thursday morning. Some easy and some mysterious for me, such as AGAZE. I filled it, but I'm not sure I've ever heard it or read it in this use. I thought allowing for uncertainty in the future was Plan B. It's been a week of multiple plans. ;-) Nicely done.
Another thorough tour, Steve, both the puzzle and wherever you are. Always informative. Also, thanks for checking the ANON at 8:00.
Inanehiker @8:23 on WE'LL SEE--too true!! Also I see your IDIOMS query has already been answered.
Grapes of Wrath was widely banned because of its closing scene. I found it hopeful, and I was able to impart that concept to my students. Additionally, as I recall it is also raining--my copy is not on the shelf. Rain (or snow) at the end of a novel or film is always a good sign. It's both cleansing and nourishing, thereby providing hope. I suppose not only for the characters but the readers or viewers. The list of such cases is quite long.
FLN or at least when I went back to the blog:
Misty, I hope you "studied hard" for your test and passed with flying colors.
Spitzboov, sorry to hear about your pal. . . .
OMK, I hope your find some relief. My son, who was an athlete, told me the purpose of pain is to appreciate its absence--sometimes I doubt that when often it seems always present.
Pat: Thanks, for the great Auroras. Beautiful!
Lucina: Ditto on your compliments for the humor of Pat and CMoe.
Speaking of Trombones as Anon-T was last night, where are you JazzB? Those Holiday concerts must be over by now! You must horn in; your ideas are always superb and witty.
Have a great day. Stay cozy and hunker down. I think we're in for another big one!
No serious problems today,...unusual lately for Thursdays.
Anon @8:00 am, if you do these puzzles regularly you need to be flexible in how things are abbreviated. There are various ways that become acceptable here.
Thanks to all who welcomed me back yesterday. It's great to know I'm remembered after all the times I've missed. Truth is, my eye was easier to deal with for the last 4 plus months binging on Netflix, than doing much that required reading of any sort. But in addition, I'm still heavily involved with local committees of various kinds, and that leaves less time than when I first was here in 2008 for blog comments. I do still attempt the x-word daily, though it seems they are increasing in difficulty, but maybe I just don't have as much patience as before.
Lucina, thanks for asking about our granddaughters. Still just the two in Germany, but we are also step-grandparents to our son's fiançee's daughters from her previous marriage. Since we see a lot more of them, we sometimes feel guilty about how infrequently we can get to Germany to be with that family.
Lemonade, no, no little brothers in the offing yet, but I would like to see another grandchild in our future if the gods are willing!
Melissa,
Amazing job you have taken on! If only there were more people like you. I might have missed it, but didn't see when/if your brother regained his freedom.
OH, Yes!! A CSO to our language guru and resident Square Dance GAL: Yellowrocks!
Good morning everyone.
Thanks for the intro, Steve. It explained how the theme was supposed to work. I got it all, but the theme did not affect the solve. No searches or erasures were needed.
Pilot : AVIATE. I guess the ship equivalent of pilot as a verb would be 'conn'.
YR - We called caraway seeds Kümmel. A fiery liqueur made from caraway is also called Kümmel. A similar Schnaps-like drink called Kööm or Köm is imbibed in in northern Germany along the Frisian Coast. Buffalo has a specialty hard roll served with beef called Kimmelwick. The roll is crusted with large salt crystals and caraway seeds. In a restaurant you ask for a Beef on 'Wick.
Trafalgar Square - We saw it some 50 yrs ago; had a large white coating of pigeon doodoo. Celebrates one of the great naval battles in history. The Brits should be proud. (BTW - There is an article in US Naval Institute this month describing a hard fought battle in 1759 during the Seven Years War. It was in Quiberon Bay on the Brittany coast as a result of blockading French ships. Fought in mid-November under wintry conditions. The point of the article was how important training and management of personnel was. A one-sided win for the Brits.)
Hello Puzzlers -
Zoomed right through, and until Steve’s writeup, I didn’t catch the consistency in the theme fills - all the scrambled letters are found within one word. Nice crafting!
Due to a busy schedule, I’ve only skimmed the Corner the last couple of days. Was there any exchange about the SpaceX launch on Tuesday? That got me fired up, remembering how exciting Apollo was when I was a kid. You gotta love Elon Musk’s style, putting a shiny red convertible into space, with a copy of Hitchhiker’s Guide and a towel in the glove compartment!
Thank you, Susan Gelfand, for a fast ride on the grid! I finished astonishingly fast for a Thursday. And thank you, Steve, wherever you are.
Since I solve across/down simultaneously, it helps to grok the doubting such as KRONE/KRONA, SWATAT, or the unknown IRA Kaplan.
CSO to Yellowrocks at square dance GAL, to Boomer at AMF and to Dudley at AVIATE.
I like the clever clues for AREA and IDIOMS.
Sptizb:
FLN, I'm so sorry about your friend.
OwenKL:
Really good job today!
Have a splendid day, everyone! I'll see you in a few days.
Thanks for the enjoyment Susan and Steve.
Gary, yes I remember having my mother feel my big toe to see if the shoe fit and if it had room to grow into. Also, a local department store had an X-ray machine. You could slide your feet into the machine and you could see the outline of the shoe and how you fit into the shoes. I'm amazed I wasn't sterile after all the time I spent playing looking at my feet in the machine.
Before automatic pinsetters, I remember kids and young men straddling two alleys and setting the pins. After we bowled, we would slide some quarters down the alley as a tip.
Good morning:
I did not know IRA Kaplan, also was unsure of the relationship of Remy and Cointreau as I was unaware of the 1991 MERGER . I also did not realize KRONE was the singular of KRONER so 1 would be LINK .
I think the drugs manufacturers need to be held accountable for their shortsightedness on the horrors caused by their creations. AMBIEN is a an extremely dangerous pill.
Steve, what a wonderful picture of London and no haze, no fog. I am ready to go.
Thanks Steve and Susan.
About square dancing- Please feel free to scroll down if you aren't interested.
Our Modern Western Square Dancing is not countrified. We leave behind the straw hats, the guy and gal monikers, the bales of hay, etc. At least half are members are college graduates and professionals.
The other type, Appalachian or country style, is danced to live music many times. It is not standardized; there are regional variations. There are only 10 -30 different kinds of steps or calls. In one dance the same pattern is repeated four times performed by each couple in turn. A newbie couple can watch what the others do to learn. There are no lessons.These dances are repeated over and over and soon a couple knows them all.
Our Modern Western Square Dancing is standardized and is called in English all over the world. I have danced in Japan and Canada with the same calls. It is usually done to recorded music with a live caller. The music can be, pop, country, Broadway, rock, Motown and many other types. Lessons are needed, as the first level has 68 calls and the medium level has another 29. The caller weaves these calls together in unexpected, ever changing choreography, so the dancers need to be on their toes. Great mental and physical exercise with the most sociable people I ever met.
Good morning. Thank you Susan Gelfand and thank you Steve.
I agree Steve. Rather easy for a Thursday, but fun to solve. I liked seeing TRIAGE and MEAGER, ERRATA and FLEECE. STRIA held me up for a moment; I only accepted it after making sure all the surrounding fill was correct.
The clue for IDIOMS was a great misdirection. First tried to fit some form of emote, but the plural form and tense wouldn't agree. Plan B ? Solve the other clues and see if that helps.
Loved the side by side and sticking point clues. I noticed while reading the write-up that I missed a few clues while solving.
The husband of DW's cousin had a Boxster. Nice car. Not much room for golf clubs.
I've always been partial to Benjamin Moore, but noted that BEHR was rated higher and is less expensive in the latest Consumer Reports tests.
Steve, neat on the center of London. Didn' know that. Chicago's addressing system often makes it pretty easy to figure out distances on the north and west sides. Decoding The Chicago Street Grid System
Anon@ 8:00 AM, commonly accepted abbreviations don't require the apostrophe(s) to alert the reader that letters in the middle of the word are missing. We don't write D'r or L't'd. We write Dr or Ltd. Same with OD. Adding tense to the abbreviation in informal writing is largely a matter of style, don't you think ? In formal writing you should avoid using contractions altogether, so there should be no nit there. Lastly, it's a puzzle.
OKL FLN - Nice catch with Iron Rule ferule...
Kazie, I've noticed in the past that if I'm not solving daily, puzzles seem more difficult. When I was a working snowbird between shuttles in the winter and limo up north in summer my muscles had to adopt to the shuttle luggage. Customers can't believe I can handle their luggage.
Also, that they don't know left from right.
But, yes, I did find this sticky especially AREA crossing the odd spelling of SLEAZY and Italian numbers.
In WWI Marine Sergeant Daley said something akin to "What's the matter, are you afraid to die?". Any jarheads recall the exact quote.
Steve, informative write-up and how many times is Anon going to belabor us about ODED,IDED etc ad absurdim.
Finally, the French Navy had a big victory that led to the British surrender that effectually ended our revolutionary war. The equivalent of the Washington Generals beating the Globetrotters.
I've got more but will end with this cluing for 30D
Former Redsox 2B turned broadcaster Jerry
WC
"Puzzling Thoughts":
DNF as I was stuck in the "Pacific NW" and couldn't see the DJ/JELL/SLEAZIER combo. It didn't help that I had AGAPE > AGAZE. Other "ERRATA" included COAL FIRED > WOOD FIRED, and not getting STRIA/IDIOMS without perps. I, too, didn't get the NEST for one of the SCRAMBLED EGGS. Oh well; tomorrow's another day.
A limerick for a change - had trouble making it scan, but I think I got it. Perhaps YR will "grade" me! I do know that the correct pronunciation for the final word includes another short syllable, but I'll take poetic license ... oh, and an up front apology to WC and other NE fans for the l'ick ...
You just know, that I couldn't avoid
Poking fun at Tom Brady. Annoyed
By the Super Bowl loss,
When his last second toss
Wasn't caught. Don't you love Schadenfreude?
Pilot may be a verb but IDIOTS cannot [see: Makes a scene and acts up]. D'Oh!
//ATOt seemed good for Tiny :-)
Hi All!
Thanks Susan for a sparkly puzzle. I FIW but had fun. Thanks Steve for the EGGcelent puzzle [I know, trite pun]. Great pic! and, yes, that was an odd video but I enjoyed.
WOs: Roy b/f REX because I had ebony in my head b/f ONYX. Tried risoto [sic] b/f I recalled AMBIEN and found TOMATO (San Marzano? :-))
ESPs: REMY, IRA
Fav: c/a for AREA provided the best Ahha! I did an ABC-run w/ A-EA in place. When I got to R, I smiled with a "that's good" A-loud.
C/a @61d was pretty cute too.
{A,A,B+}
WEES re: CSOs at: GAL, AVIATE, AMF.
Oas - I watched the actual event (C,Eh!'s link FLN - on the right look for "extended"). It looked like the kids thought Trudeau's quip was funny. But, some folk just can't tell a joke.
Dudley - I missed that tidbit about HGTTG - LOL!... I did hear Bowie's Space Oddity played.
HG - Great Patton QOD; My DW would not be amused if that were our DJ :-). Yep, I still toe-wiggle even though I won't GROW no mor'.
SRA DeFarge [only today :-)] - In college the players put on The Grapes of Wrath with the final scene fully 'exposed.' I don't know if it was in reaction to the BAN or they were just being edgy. They did a great job, though, portraying the plight of the OKIEs.
Hope everyone has a great day. Play later, -T
I thought it was Thursday level and satisfying! Last fill was DJS/JELL. Tried DWS/WELL but kept trying. STRIA looked wrong. But I was wrong and FIR. Learning moment.
Got WAR/RAW and FIRED/FRIED quickly. The other two I struggled with, but did win in the end. It was made easier by the fact that all EGGS were in the second of two words. Was that significant? I know EASTER EGGS from software and games where a hidden treasure awaits!
KRONE was a gimme because it was our coinage in Denmark, too.
Most of my career was spent making an instrument that could image ATOMS. Once again I present one of my most favorite ATOM images, taken by my friend Bruce Shardt.
I was once given AMBIEN in the hospital for no good reason. It caused me to hallucinate and act out on it, which caused quite a mess. No more sleeping pills for me and I was happy!
DW and I watched a wonderful performance by Cirque Eloize last night.
This promotional video clip shows a few of their AERIAL acts performed with no SAFETY NETS. It was even more amazing than shown in this video!
From yesterday:
AnonT: Glad you appreciated my photo with APOLLO THEATER star Frankie Manning. They did a huge event in his honor on what would have been his 100th birthday. (He almost made it to 100, still teaching us his dance moves!)
Here is a tribute video for him.
Such an honor to have experienced his talent in person!
As for CEBU, yes, I have photos there, too!
Two days back:
CrossEyedDave: A belated thanks for the amusing photo of the swimming pool at TAHOE split between CA and NV! I have some border photos at Stateline, too, but none as good as that!
Apparently, I'm the only one who never got the the theme till the reveal. Oh well, wouldn't be the first time.
First time in ages I didn't get a "ta-da" because I could not get the "J" in either 1D or 14A.
I loved this Thursday toughie and was so excited that I got the whole thing, I thought, including the all those cute SCRAMBLED EGGS at the end of the theme answers. But one tiny slip--guess I don't know my BALI from my MALI. But a fun puzzle, many thanks, Susan. Steve, thanks for giving us the Tennyson poem lines, and the great pic of you in the center of London.
So nice that our square dance GAL Yellowrocks explained square dancing to us.
Irish Miss and Madame Defarge, thank you for asking about my cardio exam yesterday. I'll get the results only in a few days, but I'm pretty hopeful that all will be okay. That would be wonderful, because I have never been so stressed out as when the exam began. My friend Barbara gave me a ride to the hospital and on the way there on the freeway her car crashed into another car crossing into the lane at the same time. Thank goodness no one was hurt, although both cars got pretty crunched up on the sides. We had to pull over, and it took forever for the two women drivers to exchange information, call the highway patrol, wait a half hour for it to come and make a report, etc. etc. It was hot outside and my cheeks, waiting in the car, became more and more red, and I feared I wouldn't be able to make the exam. But phoned the hospital clinic and they gave me a half-hour grace period, and I got there and was able to take the exam. Thought it was ironic that I ended up totally stressed out just before a stress exam! But no one was hurt, and all is well, and that's what's important.
Have a good day, everybody.
Wow, Misty, what an unnerving experience.
Glad it turned out ok. My cardio appointment is next Wednesday. I hate stress tests. There's one where you lie on the bed and they chemically induce stress. I fear OMK might have that ordeal(shudder).
Oh yeah, that 50s quartet had me guessing. I was trying to think of a single McGuire or Andrews even though they were trios.
I guess TRE is as big as a number can get and still be "Small".
WC
No problems with today’s puzzle...but the day I get invited to a wedding where the DJ is a VIP is the day I send my regrets. Is this the best clue available? I don’t think so.
Anon T you're right about some not being able to tell a joke. Others can't tell if it's a joke. Hands up for guilty of both at times.
Misty - Yikes! Why Drs do stress-tests is beyond me; I keep reading how stress is bad for you so I strive to stay chill (like you apparently did in the pre-stressful-test-test!). Happy to read no one was hurt.
WC, I suppose 'Tis TREs :-) I was saved by the SAFETY NET from entering una, (the loneliest Number). [Three Dog Night]
OAS - I've probably posted this before -- it's Pop's favorites on his "Son (I called him Son), learn to tell a joke" lectures... I'll try to keep it short.
Nervous on his first day in prison it's finally time to file into the cafeteria...
New Guy gets his tray and sits next to his cell-mate.
Suddenly, someone jumps up and shouts "41!"
Everyone around him roars in laughter.
Another guy shouts, "15!" - again, laughter.
New Guy turns to his cell-mate, "What's going on?"
"Oh, we only have one joke book in the library. Everyone knows them -- In order."
Eager to fit in, New Guy shouts "18!"
(Crickets)
"Is #18 not funny?," New Guy asks his mate...
"No, #18 is hilarious... It's, um, some guys just don't know how to tell a joke."
-T
DNF,
Actually, I am kind of proud of myself for sussing it out as far as I did.
(1st pass was a sea of white...)
In the end the NW corner got me.
I blanked on the J in 1d, the L in 4d
(but why?)
I knew from 11d pilot=aviate that this was going to be tough clued puzzle.
And being a guitarist 1d Wedding VIP is not the DJ!
(this is adding insult to injury!)
But I believe it was 23a that screwed me up.
visually transfixed, I had agape, and had no reason to change it,
except I had no idea...
(Oh bother, I need to take a Thumper
before I start weaving 4d into my commentary...)
Thank you for the Idioms explanation, makes sense now.
I was, well an idiom creates a scene in your mind,
but act it out? Waa?
(had no idea the clues were idioms...)
46d drink named after a Scottish hero,,,
could not get Mel "GIBSON" out of my mind...
Had to look up WWI sgt Daley, who said: "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?"
Space-x Glove compartment, Brilliant!
Oh yes, the Theme. Had no idea what was going on!
(I prefer omelettes...)
I was going to link a silly video on scrambled eggs how to,
but it was so disgusting I will just leave it to your imagination,
and post this work of art instead...
I liked this puzzle but didn't get the theme. Thanks for a good explication, Steve, and that nifty photo of you.
Owen, nice word play on SO FAR.
Husker Gary, the old altar was quite beautiful.
Madame Defarge, interesting about the symbolism of rain (or snow) at the end of a novel or film.
Elon Musk must have highly skilled teams of people to accomplish such impressive feats.
TTP, our son used to have a Boxster. Nice car indeed. I am privileged that he let me drive it a couple of times. As the car aged the cost of maintenance got too high so he sold it.
Misty, sheesh, what an experience! Glad you and Barbara are all right.
Good wishes to you all.
Semi-tough Thursday for me. Thanks for the fun Susan and Steve.
At first, I was looking for anagrams of Eggs; then I found Nest but missed the rest.
My newspaper has several inkblots. My Christmas presents were Ties before TOYS and my tiny bit went from Iota (which matched STRIA), to A Tad, to ATOM. That gave me IDIOMS which was a little obscure (yes I was thinking of Emote also). AnonT, I like your A Tot and Idiot.
Then in the north, I thought "Little Italian number" was a brilliant new clue for Uno until perps forced a change to TRE.
TOMATO for minestrone today from the other day's GARDEN.
Ambien never made it to the Canadian market; but we did get Sublinox, a sublingual form of zolpidem. We don't have many Keebler products either but ELF filled in.
I saw the CSOs to YR and Boomer, but missed Dudley (sorry!).
We had AMF in the recent past but I had to wait for perps. Brunswick is more common in Canadian bowling alleys.
BigEasy@7:35 - Canadian politics can be just as bad as American but is still off-limits on the blog I think. Some other Canadian readers might not be as "nice" as me and I am sure that I would be reprimanded if I substituted Trump for Trudeau in your comment. LOL!
Misty, sorry to hear about your stress on the way to the stress test. Glad nobody was hurt. Cars can be fixed or replaced.
Steve, is it true that the pigeon numbers have been reduced in Trafalgar Square?? This article says they are using a hawk to scare them away.
LemmyTheHawk
Enjoy the day.
I'm surprised, Steve, that Nelson's statue still stands. I know he's pretty high up, but that didn't stop the Irish from blowing him off his pillar in Dublin.
Still, the older I get the happier I am that this is so, that the good admiral prevails and still reigns over the many protest meetings beneath his boots.
I don't think my pleasure at his survival is a sign that I've become more "conservative" in my dotage, but only that I have grown more tradition-favoring, more comfortable with the idea of things lasting.
"Rule, Britannia!"
Ta- DA!
Today's victory didn't come easy. Susan Gelfand gave us some tough choices, some slightly unusual words (STRIA, AGAZE) and some mis-directions (AREA, TINE). But in the end I pulled it off with no cheats & only one confirmation.
Gosh almighty, Misty, your ordeal on the way to your stress test reads like a waking-nightmare. You make the point that you were already stressed prior to getting "stressed." I hope it doesn't mean your results were skewed. I suppose they take a base line measurement before stressing you further. But I don't know whether that would work in favor of a false positive or ... well, a false anything.
Anyway, good luck!
AMBIEN! The very name disturbs me. It is my only allergy, but it's a doozy.
For decades I never had to write anything in the "Allergy" blank on those forms they give you in doctors' offices. Then along came AMBIEN.
Five years ago I was in the hospital for surgery. When I couldn't sleep the nurses gave me Ambien. It gave me terrible dreams, and even after I woke up I remained in a weird state for I don't know how long.
I hallucinated that the hospital was under attack and that my corridor was littered with bodies. I had to protect myself with hand-to-hand combat.
Turns out I was fighting the poor nurses. When I came out of it, I had ripped up my mattress and yanked my bedding into an abatis & twisted the sheets into a kind of tent.
So, no more Ambien for Keith...
____________
Diagonal Report: Two sub-diagonals on the mirror side. No central diag. No hidden message.
Some of you have asked how I find my links,
some days it works, (& like today) some days it doesn't.
I always start with images...(nothing linkable)
When the silly (or funny) how to make scrambled eggs
videos went disgusting, I was very depressed...
But,
I keep coming back for more punishment,
& I found this.
Which is kind of blah, so/so, but what's this? Shirred? Are you Shirred...?
Unremarkable, even boring actually, but on the side bar in YouTube,
How to cook an egg in a potato!
(yes, this is what I go through to find you silly links, and sometimes it is awful...)
But, what's this? a link in the video suggests a way to
bake a cake in an orange!?!?
(The adventure continues...)
Anon T thanks for another chuckle . YR. Never bored with dance talk . When you mentioned Appalatian country style , it took me back to WV last spring. I spent 4 weeks there in voluntary service working in conjunction with The Long Term recovery Committee inthe White Sulpher Springs area. Several charties and relief agencies were there cleaning up and fixing homes and building new homes. On a Tuesday nite we went to a Music Hall in Ronceverte where local musicians were singing and playing music to dance to . Having moved from country to ballroom dance I had trouble finding the beat to dance well to the local jam sessions style. A few more times and I might have fit right in. Wonderful diversion for only $7.00 including buffet and sodas. Wondreful folks proud to be Appalacha.
Hmm, maybe the backwoods approach isn't the way to go.
How do street vendors around the world make their eggs?
D-N-F ... the 85% I filled in was correct ... but I left 15% blank ...
ROB ROY, of course was my fave today.
Cheers!
CED, ya gotta stop egging' me on!
Many thanks, CeDave, for your dogged research.
Now I know what "shirred eggs" are, and I can add them to my list of egg dishes to be avoided.
I think I have to blame this one on my Mom. She used to enjoy her fried eggs "sunny side up." Naturally, she tried to inflict them on her children. As the eldest it was up to me to rebel against these greasy, rubbery concoctions. The very thought of a pierced yolk running free grits my teeth; the memory of tasteless chewy slippery whites is enough to quease my tum.
In later years I learned to love scrambled eggs and omelets - pretty much any egg dish where the white and yellow are no long separated.
Once the yolk and white are blended, I'm good.
Oh - and cooked,.
They have to be cooked.
Thanks, Susan, for an unusual puzzle with some different clues. IDIOM and TINES were favorites. Finished it without cheating. Whew! I didnt get the theme but I seldom do. Thanks, Steve, for walking us through. Loved the shot from the center of London.
YR, I appreciate your explanation of the different square dances. I learn so much here on the Corner !
Madame D and others thanks, also, for the discussion of Grapes of Wrath. Of course, now I'll have to go re-read it but that's okay. Maybe it's time....
Owen, A+, A, A. Thanks.
Madame DeFarge and Wilbur Charles, I appreciate your sympathy - both for my various pains and for the stress test ahead.
WC, I'm afraid I am heading for the chemical test, but also for the treadmill test. They have me slated for both types, the injections in March and the treadmill in June. Nothing like being sure, eh?
Speaking of "Eh," yes, Oas, I'm glad you caught my late night comment on Canadian PM Trudeau. His preference for "peoplekind" over "mankind" is what happens when an agenda trumps common sense.
(Used the final verb advisedly.)
CE Dave, maybe my egg personality is schizoid. I like all egg recipes, except no eggs at all and sloppy sunny side up. My favorite is deviled eggs.
Moe, A or A-. My enjoyment of this type of poetry benefits greatly from meter.
Blank verse is poetry written with regular metrical but unrhymed lines.
Wiki, "Free verse is an open form of poetry. It does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern. It thus tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech. Poets have explained that free verse is not totally free; its only freedom is from the tyrant demands of the metered line. Free verse displays some elements of form. Pattern and discipline is to be found in free verse: the internal pattern of sounds, the choice of exact words, and the effect of associations give free verse its beauty." My writing here is not free verse. Poetry involves beautiful expressiveness.
Free verse:
Fog by Carl Sandber
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
Appreciation of poetry is very personal. I am most likely very unique in my tastes. Poetry either turns me on or not. If it turns others on, I am happy for them.
OAS, square dancing is like walking, or more like gliding, to the beat of the music. Put your foot down on each beat. Some inept dancers ignore the beat, but you can reinforce it.
@Canadian Eh - the first step was to stop hawkers (!) selling little bags of birdseed to tourists so they could get photographed surrounded by pigeons. Once the food supply dried up, the little bustards went elsewhere.
@OMK - the difference being Dublin is in the Republic of Ireland. A short walk from Nelson's Column is the Duke of York column. It's not as tall as Nelson's, but still a pretty impressive height. When it was erected, some wags suggested it was built that tall to keep the Duke out of the reach of his creditors, as he was in debt to the tune of more than £2M, equivalent to around £214M today.
Steve, it was actually pretty remarkable that old Nelson survived in Dublin as long as he did. Long after the Republic was established, many Dubliners still called the 150+-year-old statue their "main landmark."
I was directing a production of Brendan Behan's The Hostage in March 1966, a play focusing on the IRA. Kind-spirited friends warned me that it was maybe "out-of-date," because the whole Fenian movement was dead, dormant for more than 50 years.
It was just a couple of days before our opening that word came of the explosion that tumbled Nelson's Pillar into O'Connell Street.
Sorry, I had to delete the above,
I am running out of posts,
(I think, I didn't count..)
The original post was:
I remembered what I was looking for in the beginning!
You suck at cooking!
What I didn't know, is that the story continues...
Thank you Canadian Eh for linking the article about Lemmy. I wonder if he was named for Lemmy Kilmister. Couldn't find anything on the net.
DW also had an adverse reaction to Ambien.
Snowmageddon is on its way for those in Chicago and eastward. I got gas for the snow blower and then went to Wallyworld for a few things earlier today. Really busy. It was packed ahead of the storm. Montana and her fellow Montanans would probably yawn at the eight to fourteen inches predicted here.
Missed the parade in Philadelphia for the Super-Bowl-winning Eagles while at Walmart. I like their fight song, "Fly, Eagles, Fly." Caught a little bit of the parade on the nightly news. Jason Kelce was charged up.
Chairman Moe, it seems you remembered the Jesse James no-catch as you penned your limerick today.
Thanks for the feedback on IDIOMS - I never thought of "act up" as an idiom
OMK - YMMV, er, Side Affects May Vary..
I had a similar experience (well, not in 'reality', but I'm now afraid of the dark) w/ Chantix the Nth time I tried to quit smoking. I swear, to this day, there was a dark specter in the bedroom whilst I slept-awake "AGAZE" at Eldest dancing in black to show me her newest ballet move (at 3am!). Trippy s***. No thanks, I'll try cold-turkey (again).
CED - Um,,, day drinking again? :-)
Don't count your posts - maths is just confusing anyway :-) [loved! You Suck]
And I've heard of slow-TV in Sweden but the Norwegian Green-face took his damn time building the fire (I never got to the egg in the potato; my presentation is due tomorrow, dude!;* I ain't got time for that). The street-fare was cool tho. //I need to get that multi-pitted pan in the 1st bit.
I know we save this 'conversation' for Thanksgiving but, looking for the perfect way to fry an EGG for OMK (I agree! - rubber NOT good; like chicken at a banquet), I found Alton BROWN pealing them perfectly. //seemed apropos after today & yesterday's puzzles and CED's fun.
TTP - good way to hunker down. You laid in the larder [did you know spiders can count what's in theirs? ] //yeah, I'm really putting off work... I heard on Freakanomics that procrastination, to a point, was good!
YR - I'm keen on poetry that paints a picture {OMK & C, Moe get mostly A's & cute; they do it well}- structured or no. Billy Collins does it nicely Free in the Country
Cheers //and back to this slide-deck :-( -T
*Creative punctuation just for Steve :-)
Thank you all for the kind words, Wilbur, Anon T, Jayce, Canadian Eh, and Ol'Man Keith. Hope your stress test and other exams go well too, OMK. This sort of thing is tough, isn't it, but it can help with problems so it's good we have the option.
Good evening, folks. Thank you, Susan Gelfand, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Steve, for a fine review.
Liked your photo, Steve, of you and Lord Nelson.
Got through the puzzle. A little sticky in spots, but went along just fine. Theme was sussed after I finished. Took me a little reading to figure it out. But, I am smarter than I look.
Only two inkblots today. Had WELL instead of JELL at 14A. And I misspelled SLEAZIER, with two Es in the middle. OK.
Quite a few perps needed, but that is what makes a puzzle a puzzle.
I remember while working in York, PA, many years ago, there was an AMF plant there. They made Harley Davidson Motorcycles. It is my understanding that AMF sold the Harley business many years ago. I believe it is a stand-alone company once again.
YR: I used to Western Style Square Dance as a teenager. Had loads of fun doing that. We were on TV once dancing. Great time.
Expecting snow tonight and tomorrow. They have already cancelled school tomorrow in our area. So, I can sleep in. My work for tonight was also cancelled at Amazon because of impending weather. So, I will get a good night's sleep tonight. Of course I don't get paid. Oh well.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Hi Y'all! I had internet this morning so read the blog & wrote a comment. By that time, I had no internet and could not send the post. Waaah! At least I got to do the puzzle. Try that again now.
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