55A. Old family recipe (and see circles): SECRET SAUCE.
The remaining long fill entries, in a pinwheel array, have nothing obvious to do with each other. If you didn't get the circles, this SECRET will be a real mystery. If you did get them, you'll see they are centrally located in the shape of the letter S, which can stand for either SECRET, SAUCE, the word that the circled letters spell, SPAGHETTI, or the letter S occurring twice each in the other long fills.
This is an original theme concept. At least I don't remember seeing anything quite like it before. The fill entries with the circled letters also have nothing else in common. Here they are in order.
26A. Filing tool: RASP. A coarse file used for rough shaping.
30A. Collars: ARRESTS. Places under legal custody. When the bandit fell in love with the police woman who captured him, it was cardiac ARREST.
34A. Web unit: PAGE. An element of internet presence, not typically associated with silken threads.
38A. Skater Sasha or comic Sacha Baron: COHEN. Alexandra Pauline "Sasha" Cohen is an American figure skater. She is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World Championship medalist, the 2003 Grand Prix Final Champion, and the 2006 U.S. Champion. Sacha Noam Baron Cohen is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Baron Cohen is most widely known for creating and portraying four fictional characters: Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral General Aladeen. Both per Wikipedia. You probably don't confuse them.
43A. Struggled to achieve: EKED OUT. Just barely succeeded at something, like survival, frex., often via excessive effort.
47A. With 31-Down, "Proud Mary" singer: TINA. Because Creedence Clearwater Revival doesn't fit.
Also -- 17. Phoenix-based hotel chain (and see circles): BEST WESTERN. The chain operates 2163 hotels in North America, and over 4000 world wide.
11D. Produce served in the fall (and see circles): ACORN SQUASH. So named because of it's shape.
25. Feature of some penny loafers (and see circles): SADDLE STRAP. It's not clear to me what these last three have to do with the theme, other than each containing the letter S twice; but since the circles are mentioned, I'll include them here. Am I missing something?
Hi, Gang. JzB here. And there is your tasty theme, complete with SAUCE, a veggie burger and even an unusual dessert. The theme visual can be found in the grid diagram at the bottom of this post. Now, let's get out of the kitchen and explore the rest of this offering.
Across:
1. Film director's honor: OSCAR. One of 24 awards issued annually by the Academy of Motion picture Arts and Sciences for artistic or technical merit.
6. Rich, dusty soil: LOESS. A loosely compacted deposit of windblown sediment.
11. Greeting at a dog park: ARF. Sound of a dog's friendly bark.
14. 100 kopecks: RUBLE. Russian money, if you are in a hurry.
15. Common film festival film: INDIE. Independent - i. e. not associated with a major studio.
16. Loving murmur: COO. Get a room . . .
19. Mac platform: OSX. Version 10 of the Apple Macintosh operating system. I'm using Version 10.10.5 Yosemite.
20. Crankcase reservoir: OIL PAN. The bottom section of the crankcase where the oil resides.
21. Small bouquet: SPRAY.
23. "Help!" at sea: SOS. The Morse Code international distress signal, a continuous sequence of 3 dots, 3 dashes and three dots. So if you panic and start sending out OSO, it really doesn't matter.
27. Threadbare: WORN. Thin and tattered with long use.
28. Place for prayer: CHAPEL. Typically, a small church.
33. __ the hills: OLD AS. Contrary to popular belief, I am younger than some of the hills.
36. Here, in Spanish: AQUI. There is Ahi or alli.
Wait for it
39. Short: CURT.
40. Indianapolis NFLer: COLT.
Are they out of Luck?
42. Accra is its capital: GHANA. West African country located on the Gulf of Guinea.
45. Yellowstone attraction: GEYSER. A hot spring that emits a column of water and steam.
46. Brewski: SUDS. AKA a cold one.
49. Nine and five, in nine-to-five: Abbr.: HRS. Typical working hours.
50. Cast a ballot: VOTED.
52. Sources of fragrant wood: CEDARS. True CEDARS are conifer trees of the family pinaceae. There are many other many other conifers that have similarly colored and scented woods.
54. Make a mistake: ERR. It's only human.
60. Salty body: SEA. Of water.
61. "Carmen," e.g.: OPERA.
62. Not yet realized: UNMET. As needs.
63. Peak: TOP.
64. Ten-time French Open winner: NADAL. Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player, currently ranked world No. 1 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals.
65. Sounds from a belfry: PEALS. The loud ringing of bells.
Down:
1. Mercury or Mars: ORB. A celestial sphere - in this case a planet.
2. Alphabet Series novelist Grafton: SUE.
3. "Young Sheldon" network: CBS.
4. Kind of clarinet: ALTO. The clarinet you typically think of is the soprano version. This one is larger and pitched a 5th lower in Eb and has a curved metal bell. Little known factoid - the clarinet was invented by a French musician who named it after his daughters, Claire and Annette.
5. Does some electrical work: REWIRES. Could be shocking.
6. Speech therapist's concerns: LISPS. Eathy for you to thay.
7. Ready to pour: ON TAP. As, frex, SUDS.
8. Genesis garden: EDEN. Life was simpler back then.
9. Ringo Starr's title: SIR. Ringo was knighted by Prince William just a few weeks ago.
10. Motion detector, e.g.: SENSOR.
12. Civil rights hero Parks: ROSA. Rosa Louise McCauley Parks [1913 -2005] refused to move to the back of the bus in Montgomery ALA in 1955. She was arrested for violating the segregation law, and became an important symbol of the civil rights movement.
13. Sly: FOXY. Clever and cunning.
18. Airline to Tel Aviv: EL AL. The flag carrying airline of Israel since 1948.
22. Tediously moralistic: PREACHY. Often implying an undeserved tone of moral superiority.
23. One carrying a torch?: SCONCE. A wall mounted fixture, not a person.
24. "Hey, check it out!": OH LOOK. Get a load of that!
27. Small, chirpy bird: WREN.
29. Incurring late fees: PAST DUE. As library books or loan payments.
30. Forever: AGES.
31. See 47-Across: TURNER. Tina, from the thema.
32. Indian lutes: SITARS.
34. "Always be a __, even in prose": Baudelaire: POET.
35. Finder's cry: AHA! Eureka!
38. Computer "brains," briefly: CPUS. Central Processing Units.
42. Gets ready (for): GEARS UP.
44. Heavily favored: ODDS ON.
45. Pesky flier: GNAT. Annoying insect.
47. __ cotta: TERRA. Unglazed, typically red-brown earthenware.
48. Exemplary: IDEAL. Perfection!
50. Garment for brisk days: VEST. COAT also fits.
51. Two-toned snack: OREO. More food, common x-word fare.
52. Sent a dupe to: CCED. Carbon copies are so 1980, but still the abrev persists.
53. Reasonable: SANE. That's not-crazy talk.
56. Org. that monitors wetlands: EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.
57. Actress Thurman: UMA.
58. Cartoon sheet: CEL.
59. Purported UFO crew: ETS. Extra-Terrestrials, off planet expats.
OK, Kids. That wraps up another Wednesday. Hope you enjoyed it.
Cool regards!
JzB
1) Update on Argyle: The old Scott
is slowly coming back. He sounded cheerful when I talked to him
yesterday. He's doing great at the rehab. He still has not figured out
his tablet, but he can read our blog and comments. He's expected to stay at this rehab center for another month.
2) If you have extra time, click here and solve the puzzle by the great Brendan Emmett Quigley (BEQ). He has both Across Lite and PDF file available. Or you can solve at his site. Let me know where you get stumped. (Spoiler: Here is the write-up with answers.)
50 comments:
Greetings!
Thanks to John and JazzBumpa!
No circles. No idea of theme.
No unknowns except COLTS.
Still hot here today!
Have a great Wednesday!
spaghetti western; a movie about the American Old West made cheaply in Europe, typically by an Italian producer and director.
A spaghetti strap (also called noodle strap) is a very thin shoulder strap used to support clothing, while providing minimal shoulder straps over otherwise bare shoulders.
Spaghetti squash — or vegetable spaghetti — is a group of cultivars of Cucurbita pepo subsp. pepo. The fruit ranges from ivory to yellow/orange in color. The orange varieties have a higher carotene content. Its center contains many large seeds. Wikipedia
ARF is a greeting from a dog saying "Hi,"
COO, says the pigeon, "A lover is nigh."
The Wild West rang
With Bang! Bang! Bang!
That's how a COLT (45) said "Good-bye!"
Disney park had a problem in Neverland,
A robot who wouldn't fly, just stand.
Did it need REWIRING?
Was a WORN gear expiring?
No, time was PAST DUE to OIL PAN!
{A-, A.}
FIR, but had to erase 1 A&D to restart. I had "god" instead of ORB, then tried to cram in G-STAR for a director's honor. Didn't know LOESS, kopecks, Accra's country, and that shoes had a saddle strap. Then again I never tried to put a shoe on a horse.
Speaking of horses, an ODDS ON favorite is when the bet returns less than even money. A 2-to-1 favorite returns $2 for every dollar bet, so a $2 ticket pays $6. A 1-to-2 favorite returns $0.50 for every dollar bet, so a $2 ticket pays $3, making it an ODDS ON favorite.
We say GUY-zer, Brits say geezer (like me).
I liked the puzzle, but thought the circles were a little FIGJAM.*
Thanks to John G for a challenging Wednesday puzzle and to Jazz B for another fine tour. And thanks to CC for the good news regarding Scott's progress.
* FIGJAM: [Man] I'm Good, Just Ask Me.
Good morning!
Oh, it was a lute, not a flute. D'oh! Made a mess in the center section when I started out with AEON rather than AGES. Otherwise, this was an easy romp. Thanx, John and JzB.
C.C., that's good news about Argyle. We all wish him well. BTW, interesting 37a in that puzzle you linked.
Another cold, dismal day here -- spring has certainly abandoned this part of the world. Nevertheless, John's puzzle did bring some cheer with its cleverness. Thanks also for the tour, but I think the theme was more straightforward than explained, JzB, with everything tied together with SPAGHETTI preceding the last word of the 4 themers.
I know SPAGHETTI WESTERN, SPAGHETTI SQUASH, and SPAGHETTI SAUCE (too well, I'm afraid!), but SPAGHETTI STRAP is a little beyond my fashion ken. Luckily, the south-west fell easily with the perps. Clue of the day was 23D, "One carrying a torch?"
Have a great day, all...
Today's puzzle is one that I EKED OUT. SADDLE STRAP (perped) is a word (for a shoe) that I've never heard of before. The SPAGHETTI was an easy spot with the circled letters.
AQUI, OSX, POET- filled by perps.
LOESS- wind blown dirt formed by glaciers. Seeing a 50 foot high cliff made only from dirt just looks strange. Natchez, MS is built on LOESS.
What is ON TAP is ready to "draw," not ready to "pour."
I like the theme. I see many of you realized that spaghetti could precede the last word of the four theme answers. No unfamiliar fill, except for saddle strap. It makes sense. White saddle shoes had a black saddle across the instep.
OKL, I liked the first one best.
Spray can be a small bouquet, but I more often think of funeral sprays which are quite large. They are placed on stands and on top of the casket.
Interesting about the naming of the clarinet.
Threadbare- When I read war novels, people's clothing is always depicted as worn out or in tatters, even for well off people who have extensive wardrobes. Although new items are scarce, the clothing on hand should last longer than a year.
Chapel brings this to mind. I am showing my age.
Goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get married
Goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get married
Gee, I really love you
And we're gonna get married
Goin' to the chapel of love
Musings
-It took SPAGHETTI STRAP (WESTERN, SQUASH, SAUCE) for me to finally get the very uniquely presented theme. Woe unto those w/o circles
-Our granddaughter/kitty sitter is a vegan and so we try to accommodate her when she stays here
-OSCARS are as political as they are merit-based
-Our dog park usually has dozens ARFING at each other but I don’t think a cat park would work
-Much controversy surrounds why the Titanic’s SOS went unnoticed
-I’ve never had a job that started as late as nine or lasted as late as five
-Yeah, you’ll be doing some REWIRING
-My first day with no subbing and decent weather. Joann has lots of chores ON TAP for me
-OH LOOK, LOOK and see!. A pleasant memory for many of us!
-My school had one typewriter left that could accommodate carbon copies for old forms
Good morning everyone.
Got the circles theme near the end. Kinda cool with the SPAGHETTI connection. V8 moment - trying to parse OLDAS - did not know where OLDAS hills were; but then saw OLD AS. No searches or erasures were needed.
OSX - My Mac is currently on OSX High Sierra Vers. 10.13.4. Apple updates about every 4 weeks. So far, so good.
Thanx JzB for your usual erudite, breezy and colorful lead-in.
Argyle, I am glad to see you are improving and reading the blog. We hope to have you back with us soon.
I have been on the DL list since Monday night. I came home an hour early from the square dance Monday night in pretty much pain from arthritis and herniated discs. Yesterday I could barely walk, so I sat and read all day and used a heating pad at night. Today I am quite a bit better, but still fragile, so I will wimp out again. I have a speech to write for a panel presentation. I can do that. I hope to be back to my "new normal" by Friday.
I fondly remember those Dick and Jane readers, HG, a prelude to a life long love of reading.
I still get paper forms which I can't type on. I guess you are supposed to scan them in the computer to fill them out, but I have trouble with my scanner. Sometime I type and print answers in WORD, then literally cut them out with scissors and paste them in the blanks, then print the paste up page.
Wilbur Charles FLN at 11:11 AM
- - First the quote. I could not get the link to work, but here is the URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLe7X5FTccc
then the translation:
I will be away from my normal laptop.
Ðave
Hi Gang -
Thanks to Northern Boy and others for seeing SPAGHETTI WESTERN, etc., that I missed. There's always something.
That really adds a layer of elegance to John Guzzetta's clever and original theme. Sorry I missed it, John. Really well done!
Great entry today, OWEN.
Argyle - glad you're on the mend. Stay strong, amigo.
Our kitchen remodel is moving along. No REWIRING needed in our 50-yr-old house, thankfully. New quartz counter-top should be installed early next week. Microwave goes in today.
Cool regards!
JzB
In view of my theme title, vis-vis what I missed, I guess I should have USED MY NOODLE just a little bit more.
Oh, well . . .
Cheers!
JzB
Nice quick romp for a Wed.
Filling in 57D UMA made me think to recommend to those who may not have seen her recently, that she is in one of the best shows on TV. It's called Imposters and airs THUR nights on BRAVO @ 9PM CST. The second Season started last week. You can binge watch Season 1 (10 eps) on Netflix. The first season was great! Hoping the 2nd will be as well. And although Uma Thurman has a small part in Season 1, she's fantastic.
Good Morning:
This was certainly a fresh presentation of a theme, as HG also noted. I saw the S P A G H E T T I after completion but it took a minute or so to pair it with the theme answers. Can someone explain what part of a penny loafer is the saddle strap? I'm in the dark about that. My w/os were: Loamy/Loess, IOS/OSX, Site/Page, and Prudish/Preachy. My biggest roadblock was getting ON TAP because the clue said Ready to pour rather than the "only obviously correct" Ready to draw.
To Owen, Lucina, and YR: Feel better! Lucina, I'm unfamiliar with Valley Fever; is it an Arizona illness?
Hi, Argyle, look forward to hearing from you soon!
Have a great day.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, John Guzzetta, for a fine puzzle. Thank you Jazzbumpa, for a fine review.
Got through fairly easily.
Caught theme after I was done. SPAGHETTI WESTERN opened it up for me. The other three became obvious immediately.
I love ACORN SQUASH. I grow it as well.
NADAL was unknown to me. Perped.
Liked the word SCONCE.
I guess Reverend Hybels won't be too PREACHY anymore.
Weather is much better today in NE Illinois. 41 degrees when I went out to guard the crossing. Crossed 58 kids in a half hour instead of the normal 35-40. I guess they liked the weather as well.
Off to my day. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Thanks to John Guzzetta for a fun filled puzzle and to JazzBumpa for the fun explanation. Seems there were 4 spots for the theme:
The letter S, which is revealed in the circles [which The Puzzle Society did not have]
The Circles spelling Spaghetti
SECRET SAUCE
and the 4 long fills with 2nd words following SPAGHETTI.too
Wow!
Irish Miss, I, too, am not sure what a saddle strap is on a penny loafer. I could see perhaps having a boot strap, a little loop at the heel, to help pull it on.
Saddle shoes have a large, saddle-shaped part, but I wouldn't call it a strap.
Jazzbumpa, I am amazed that your 50-year old house had been wired adequately for the kitchen. Usually ground fault interrupters and some extra amperage are needed to be added when one remodels the kitchen.
Argyle, keep on recovering. Best wishes,
VS
IM, picture the black part of saddle shoes. That black strip is the saddle. Then look at JzB's picture of the penny loafer. It has a band of leather across the saddle. I surmise that this band of leather is the saddle strap. If you google saddle strap loafer, you will find many for sale.
I have been researching valley fever since last night. I understand it can be mild if caught in time or severe and chronic. Lucina, I am hoping yours will be mild. Do you know where you picked up the fungi? Let us know how you are progressing.
Wikipedia:
The saddle shoe is a low-heeled casual Oxford shoe, characterized by a plain toe and distinctive, saddle-shaped decorative panel placed mid foot. Saddle shoes are typically constructed of leather and are most frequently white with a black saddle, although any color combination is possible.
That instep strip IS called a saddle. And the strip can be called a strap.
Dictionary.com:
STRAP
-a long, narrow object or piece of something; strip; band.
-an ornamental strip or band.
Great Wednesday puzzle, John--many thanks. The top filled in so rapidly that I thought I would just roar through the whole puzzle, but then it got a bit more challenging, although doable, thank goodness. I loved seeing the SPAGHETTI S in the middle of the puzzle and thought it was a clever theme. And JazzB no problem with missing the Spaghetti Western--you do a brilliant commentary and I loved your pictures today.
Argyle, so glad you're able to see our messages on the blog. Take good care of yourself--we think about you every day.
Yellowrocks, so sorry to hear about your pain--hope you get some help to alleviate it. And I enjoyed seeing your Chapel Song.
Fun limericks, Owen.
Have a great day, everybody!
Hello Puzzlers -
Pleasant romp today, just what my tired brain needed. I see that others have already figured out the theme connections; I wouldn’t have known about spaghetti squash had it not been for last summer’s farm share. Weird looking fruit!
Nice to see an alto clarinet in the mix. My main orchestral instrument was the larger bass clarinet back in the day.
YR, I feel confident that the Claire + Annette was quite tongue in cheek!
Thanks JzB for today’s smiles.
Hello Argyle! Keep on keeping on.
Loved the puzzle...........
I'm seldom on the constructor's wavelength. Today was one of those days. Thanks, John, for entertaining me and making me feel smarter than I am!
Unknowns filled themselves in by perps. Favorite was SCONCE. Neither Olympic carrier, nor unrequited lover would fit. Jazz, your explanations were marvelous.
Owen, I hope you are feeling better. Your muse certainly hasn't deserted you. Both A's. today.
Argyle, we miss you every day! Keep getting better.
My bad. Kathy, you are so gullible. LIU before you post. It was so cute, I guess I really wanted it to be true.
Etymology of clarinet:
"It would seem however that its real roots are to be found amongst some of the various names for trumpets used around the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Clarion, clarin and the Italian clarino are all derived from the medieval term claro which referred to an early form of trumpet."
Figured out the puzzle ok,
but a bit confused about the theme.
Thanks Jzb, I read your explanation 3 times, & I think I have got it now...
Hmm, Yellowrocks theme explanation...
(Oh nuts! now I have to go read Jzb a 4th time!)
(but it is starting to make sense...)
No time for silliness, must go walk the neighbors dog.
(and there is an extra puzzle to do, woohoo!)
But, How does that Geyser thingy work again?
"Puzzling Thoughts":
Favorite recap was OIL PAN (the Neverland Robot, Peter) --> COO dos, Owen.
Didn't recognize the name of the constructor, but of course, I did know our "in house" commentator, JzB. He was not PREACHY at all in summarizing Mr Guzzetta's OSCAR winning puzzle.
I ERRed a few times, but perps and eventual write-overs allowed me to FIR. TORN>WORN; SOYA>PEAS; COPY>CC'ED; GUYSER>GEYSER (but in looking at it on my cellphone, as I type, how could I have ever subbed a U for an E?
As a favor to all of the Jimi Hendrix fans, I am linking this version of FOXY Lady. Enjoy!
My two Moe-COOs aren't particularly clever nor humorous, but I'm my own toughest critic!
#1: (in 5-7-7 format)
Would you say that the
Stringed instruments from Beirut
Are SITARS of Lebanon?
#2:
What would a Spanglish
Locksmith say, when opening
Door? "A key, AQUI".
A nice puzzle today, didn’t care about the theme, happy to get the solve, no issues.
We are back! We were in Tucson for a week for a most interesting convention for my work. But of course we took many days of travel along the way for other sights! I am sure I will have photos to share!
Yesterday we were in Hollywood and I got this photo of the star of Barbara EDEN! How lucky to see EDEN today!
CC: Thank you for the update on Argyle! Have you posted his mailing address at rehab?
Fun puzzle to come home to. Yes, quite unique and clever. Got the theme only after I was almost done.
JzB: Thanks for the extensive commentary, images and videos. I was privileged to see and hear Ravi Shankar and his lovely daughter play SITARS not so many years ago. Thanks for the video!
We stayed in BEST WESTERN Hotels the previous two nights! In Kingman, Arizona and in Barstow, CA.
Here Nat King Cole sings the Route 66 song that includes Kingman and Barstow! We were in many other Route 66 cities along the way!
Having grown up in Maryland, I only know the COLTS as the Baltimore team. As not much of a sports fan, this was a learning moment they are now in Indianapolis. Learning moment about its cross SCONCE, too. Plenty of past GEYSER photos at Yellowstone. Another time.
Virginia S -
Yes we are getting ground fault plugs installed. I don't consider that a rewiring event. Fortunately, the microwave is on a separate circuit. I think we took care of that when we installed the old one about 18 years ago. Memories are vague.
Yes, the vignette about Claire and Annette was one of my outrageous efforts at word play. It doesn't get any better than that. Sadly, it really never does get any better. Granddaughter Rebekka is a pretty decent clarinet player. Otherwise, that thought would probably never have occurred to me, and the world would in some small way be a better place..
Mo - loved your Ku. Technically they are senryu - same form as haiku, but different tone, feeling and content.
Cheers!
JzB
Good day to all of you pen pals. Thanks John for the puzzle and JazzBumpa for the romp.
Yellowrocks A friend of mine got married in the '70s and his bride and he walked in to the chapel song . It was considered a bit radical by some at the time.
I empathize with you in your dilemma of disc pain. If heat doesn't help , a small ice pack on the spine for 15 min might help . I used to keep zip lock bags of peas or corn frozen for emergencies. They make great ice packs and last about the right amount of time. I've lived with bulging discs for many years and have had some really bad times but have always managed to bounce back. Take heart, you sound like you handle adversity quite well.
Picard Your mention of Kingman and Barstow reminded me of a trip DW and I took to California some years ago to see our children and grand son. On the way back we did some touring and ended up passing through both those towns. DW bought a nice leather jacket at an outlet mall store there . The Joshua trees, Needles the Old route 66 the Grand Canyon . All new and exciting for first timers like us.
To the rest Get well and stay healthy
A belated thank you to John G and JazB for a fun solve and fun summary.
Jbump @ 12:54 ---->
I'd never heard of the term "senryu" before. Just LIU, and I agree, mine are definitely more those than haiku. Of course, the "Moe-ku" phrase was coined prior to my knowing about senryu. I won't file for a copyright on the name "Moe-ku" ... will leave that as the "property" of the Crossword Corner blog ... for whatever THAT'S worth!! 😜
And, of course, my all time favorite "Moe-ku" or senryu (involving a word from today's puzzle):
Mourning dove flew by,
And landed on church steeple,
Uttering high COO.
I'm not up to par today, but I think people are confused about 25D Feature of some penny loafers (and see circles): SADDLE STRAP. The saddle strap is where one inserts a penny. See URL below. In the history section it shows a Gucci shoe with a metal strap across the saddle.
http://www.wellbuiltstyle.com/up-your-shoe-game-the-penny-loafer/
If this was already covered, and I missed it, oops.
Ðave
I always liked the way Sidney Poitier pronounced CHAPEL in that clipped accent that he had.
CSO's to Lucina.
Fun puzzle, but without the circles on Mensa, I didn't get the theme. JzB nicely explained it all though.
My main hitches were CHURCH vs CHAPEL, LOAMS vs LOESS, IOS vs OSX, and SITE vs PAGE. Perps fixed them all and other than that there weren't many problems today.
I didn't know that my Penny Loafers had a SADDLE STRAP. So I looked it up and The Ultimate Men’s Dress Shoe Guide states that "The loafer often features a saddle — a decoration that might be a plain strap, a strap with a slit (as with penny loafers), or a metal ornament." Now I know what a saddle strap is on a loafer. These day it gets a little harder to bend over to tie regular shoe laces, so loafers are my preferred footwear.
Have a great day everyone.
Late today because of a very important date! Not mine, but the gentleman from church I chauffer.
Thanks to John Gussetta for this amusing and OSCAR deserving romp! I got a kick out of the S shaped SPAGHETTI fill and connected it as many of you have mentioned.
BEST WESTERN and Embassy Suites are my favorite hotels/motels to stay. They usually have superior beds and bedding and the Embassy Suites offer a full, delightful breakfast. Pricey but worth it.
To draw from a TAP would the same as pour, I believe. It's only a difference in usage.
OSX/FOXY was my last fill since I know nothing about Apple computers. However, I've seen CPU on previous puzzles.
Thank you, JZB, for your ARRESTing commentary! I liked your little joke about clarinet and really wanted it to be true, as well.
YR:
First, I hope your pain will soon be lessened; massage therapy helped me with a slipped disk. And thank you for your concern. Valley fever is most commonly found in the southwestern desert areas. The fungi linger in the atmosphere and when they are respired they settle in the lungs. If in fact I do have that it's surprising it took so long. My sister had it years ago. My own theory is not Valley Fever, but something to do with my blood pressure which has been abnormally high. Some people I've known who contract it have had to give up their jobs and spend months at rest it can be so debilitating.
Argyle, please know that lots and lots and lots of love and concern is being sent your way!
Picard, how wonderful that you were able to enjoy the beautiful sights of our state.
I hope your day is progressing spectacularly, everyone!
Ta- DA!
But I shared JzB's confusion about the theme - until Northern Boy straightened us out at 7:20 am. Very cleverly done by Mr.Guzzetta, although his cluing seemed lax, esp. when some (like me) may only notice the reference to circled letters in one or two places. Better to establish in one place the key to all of the "long" or "starred" fills.
And it would be wise to realize - as some colleagues point out - that not all solvers get to see the circles. In other words, try not to base clues on them.
____________
Diagonal Report: Two. The two main lines (NW to SE, and the mirror, NE to SW).
Anon -T and TTP,
C. C. explained that you two have developed a program based on my Owl avatar and using a theme from last Sunday's pzl.
I think I am flattered. But since I miss the Sunday pzls, I am just not quite sure what you're up to! I'm sure it is wise and generous, but I am clueless.
Any hint?
Hi Y'all! No circles, so the theme flew right PASTA me. Didn't need the theme to fill and enjoy the puzzle. Thanks, John! Thanks, JzB, for your wit. Real gotcha in there today with the clarinet joke!
YR: have you tried stretching for your back? I lay flat on my back and grab the headboard of my bed and pull so that my spine is stretched. I used to have someone pull on my feet at the same time for a more effective stretch. Alan might get a kick out of helping you. Ice usually helps me.
Lucina, best wishes for a lessor malady.
Hi Argyle! Hope your brighter spirits are the new norm.
I liked this puzzle very much. Magnificent theme/construction.
Thank you, PK.
Jayce:
I love your short and pithy comments!
Well, I did Brendan Emmett Quigley's puzzle and finished it wrong. I was stumped 44a and 20d, and also at 64a and 55d. 57a stumped me too. I was absolutely not stumped at 37a. Smiled at 61a.
Hi All!
Seeing that pasta is only my favorite thing in the world, what a theme!
Thanks John for this tasty treat and thanks JzB for the, um, explanation of it :-)
JzB is right - this is one creative puzzle; I really like the bent-noodle [in the grid and behind the keyboard :-)]
WOs: Ann b/f SUE Grafton (not enough coffee is my story...); ROSA in FOXY's squares (ibid); Beer b/f SUDS; and - almost my FIW - SAnDLE STRAP
ESPs: LOESS, SPRAY(?) OLD AS (thank goodness OLnAS meant nothing!)
Fav: TINA TURNER
SCONCE as clue'd was cute too.
{A+, A+ & LOL} {meh, cute; HA! (Thanks for Jimi!)}
Jinx - I didn't know that re: ODDS ON and the wager implications. Thx. LOL FIGJAM.
Oc4 - I now know way more about men's shoes than I did before. I love the tag-line of that site: A Handbook for Gentlemen & Scoundrels... LOL.
DO - You made me jump right to 37a. OH LOOK, I know that! ( just not how to spell it :-))
Welcome back Picard - how'd it work out with Yahoo!?
YR - I too looked up Valley Fever last night too and thought OH NO. Lucina, I hope you're self-diagnosis is right. Get well (both of you!)
Cheers, -T
Yuck - my last sentence is full of ERRs. OMK - see email. Cheers, -T
Thanks for your caring thoughts, Misty, IM, PK, OAS, Anonymous T. I'm feeling much better than yesterday but experience tells me not to push it. I will try massage, stretching and ice, as recommended.
Did anyone else notice that the circles don't form an S, but a mirror image of an S? With Best Western in the mix, there is not enough consistency for it be S. All four clues for the theme fill referred to the circles. I immediately dropped the S thought and parsed the circles as a strand of spaghetti.
Thanks for the welcome home! And for the Route 66 memories!
Here we were at the Grand Canyon Glass Sky Walk on Monday! It was a three hour round trip from Kingman, AZ and quite a unique experience!
OAS: Glad you also had happy memories on Route 66! My third grade best friend from DC came out here to visit with his family a few years ago. They did the entire Route 66 from Chicago to LA!
Here I took them all for a hike!
Lucina: Indeed! Where in Arizona do you live? My favorite is Tucson with the wonderful Saguaro cacti. So glad to have so much time there. But of course I have enjoyed many other sights in Arizona!
AnonT: Funny you ask! When I got back on line today after our travels I was astonished to see my site was back on line! Yahoo had refused to cooperate with the Better Business Bureau. But somehow with no explanation my site is back up today. I still need to find a new host. Yahoo is clearly some combination of evil, incompetent, greedy and utterly unaccountable and unreachable. But at least I have a reprieve for now!
Picard, great news! Phew!
Just went back and solved the BEQ puzzle linked by C.C. Had to think a little about some of the entries, and one in particular left me uncertain about the spelling...you’ll see what I mean, if you try the puzzle yourself!
I also solved the BEQ puzzle and found it quirky! And fun.
Picard:
I live in Scottsdale which abuts Phoenix on the eastern edge.
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