D is for David Alfred Bywaters who removes himself from the theme answers by ejecting the letter "D" from a word in a common phrase. The symmetry with D at the end of three of the fill and at the beginning of the last two is great. The wit of the resulting phrases is also very pleasing. Parsing the D from dejection into d-ejection was also very impressive. Like most of the DAB Friday efforts, there are many short fill, especially here where he has six theme answers. He does offer OIL BASE, PRESOAK, SEE HERE and TROTSKY as long fill. I seldom nitpick but I wish he had not used
ADD at 45 across. If we had AWL (leatherworking tool) crossed by WISC. (Minn. neighbor) and MOLE (Mexican sauce) the only D in the puzzle would have been DEJECTION/DIM. That would have been elegant. IMO.
16A. Shakespeare's riverside haunt?: BAR
24A. Snow-day play?: SLUSH FUN
35A. Essential pig?: KEY BOARD (7). Pig, hog, and boar essentially describe the same animal, but there are some distinctions. A boar is an uncastrated male domestic pig, but it also means a wild pig of any gender. A hog often means a domestic pig that weighs more than 120 lbs. (54 kilograms). Pigs are also called swine. Wiki
38A. Biblical voyage serving that probably upset some passengers?: DARK MEAT (7). Myoglobin is the hemoprotein (an oxygen-carrying protein) responsible for giving dark meat its reddish color. The more myoglobin, the darker the meat and the richer the nutrients. Myoglobin provides muscles with the oxygen they need during exercise or movement. Since chickens are flightless birds, they use their legs and thighs to get around, making them darker than the breast or wings. Various.
47A. Poor wig maintenance?: DRUG ABUSE (8). The funniest of the theme fill, as the picture of someone abusing their toupee, is pretty rib-tickling.
And the reveal-
59A. Sadness ... or, read another way, what five puzzle answers have in common: D-EJECTION.
1. IMDb listing: CAST. I like it when a puzzle begins with a hidden anagram.
5. Sylvester and others: CATS.
9. Biblical voyager: NOAH. Did you all like this version?
LINK.
13. Put out in the open: AVOW.
14. Predecessors of much email: Abbr.: LTRS.
15. Pasta tubes: PENNE. Penne is the plural form of the Italian penna, deriving from Latin penna (meaning "feather" or "quill"), and is a cognate of the English word pen. Wiki.
18. Spanish wine region: RIOJA. Our own Chairman Moe could explain it; all I have is this LINK.
19. On fire: LIT.
20. Irresistible desire: LUST.
21. Plead to be given: BEG FOR.
22. Overjoys: ELATES. A favorite word of C.C.
26. Need to return the favor to: OWE. To all of our teachers, I think the "to" in the clue is unnecessary.
27. Decks: KAYOS. K. O., informal - knock (someone) to the ground with a punch.
28. Fake: SHAM.
31. Ambitious sort: TYPE A. Type A personality behavior was first described as a potential risk factor for heart disease in the 1950s by cardiologists Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman. It is a personality type characterized by ambition, high energy, and competitiveness, and thought to be susceptible to stress and heart disease. Wiki.
32. H.S. course: SCI.
40. Cork's place: Abbr.: IRE. The largest county in Ireland - LINK. The county is in dark green.
41. "There's no choice for me": I MUST.
43. Takes responsibility for: OWNS. To all of our teachers, I think the "for" in the clue is unnecessary.
44. Shut: CLOSE.
45. Tack on: ADD.
50. Nap: SIESTA.
54. Kind of family: ONE CAR. Oo and I have decided to listen to this ADVICE.
55. World's most cultivated avocado, named for its developer: HASS. The LINK.
57. Roleo surface: LOG. This is the rodeo inspired name for the SPORT of log-rolling.
58. Goes down: SINKS. In the early days of the blog, this would have generated many DF comments.
61. Steps over a fence: STILE. Definition: an arrangement of steps that allows people but not animals to climb over a fence or wall.
62. Line 32 items on 1040 forms: IRAS. A new clue for one of the most common crossword words. I do not have the FORM memorized.
65. Cousteau's milieux: MERS. French for seas.
66. Not as much: LESS.
Down:
1. Internet provider: CABLE.
2. Help: AVAIL.
3. In a way, in a way: SORTA.
4. __-faced: TWO. Worse than a one car family.
5. Sentence component: CLAUSE.
6. Off-road rec equipment: ATVS.
7. Lenin frenemy: TROTSKY. Two weeks in a row - what are the odds?
8. Nine-digit ID: SSN.
9. Horseplay outbursts?: NEIGHS.
10. Switch words: ON/OFF.
11. Pear variety: ANJOU.
12. Basketball Hall of Fame announcer Chick: HEARN.
15. Treat before washing: PRESOAK.
17. Went really fast: FLEW.
21. Seller's need: BUYER. Such a simple concept.
23. Sepulcher: TOMB.
25. Wash against gently: LAP AT. The waves from the ocean here in Pompano Beach are usually quite gentle.
28. __ patrol: SKI.
29. QE2 designation: HER. Spitzboov will remind us why ships are shes.
30. Word of assent: AYE. Aye aye, good juxtaposition.
31. Bridge support: TRUSS. I had this fill less than a month ago on April 22, 2018.
32. Finalize, with "up": SEW.
33. Cylindrical container: CAN.
34. Word often improperly punctuated: ITS.
36. Kind of paint: OIL BASE.
37. Pepé Le Pew's pursuit: AMOUR. Un autre chat comme Sylvester.
39. Fashion: MODE.
42. "Wait a minute!": SEE HERE.
44. Barnyard sound: CACKLE.
45. Gauge: ASSESS.
46. Pancake, for one: DISC.
47. Martini partner: ROSSI. Not a nice Caprese salad, but the vermouth partner.
48. Apartments or condos: UNITS.
49. "Friend Like Me" singer in "Aladdin": GENIE. The late great Robin Williams.
51. Arrive at a base, maybe: SLIDE. A baseball reference for C.C.
52. Trade things: TOOLS.
53. Keats' "The Eve of St. __": AGNES. The first stanza of a long poem (the indents are the authors)
St. Agnes' Eve—Ah, bitter chill it was!
The owl, for all his feathers, was a-cold;
The hare limp'd trembling through the frozen grass,
And silent was the flock in woolly fold:
Numb were the Beadsman's fingers, while he told
His rosary, and while his frosted breath,
Like pious incense from a censer old,
Seem'd taking flight for heaven, without a death,
Past the sweet Virgin's picture, while his prayer he saith.
56. Open slightly: AJAR.
59. Badly lit: DIM.
60. Shop __ you drop: TIL. Not anymore.
Another D-day here on Friday. My grandson is already 8 months old. It is raining, raining and raining and I am okay. Hope you enjoyed the puzzle, thank you David and all of you reading these words. Lemonade out.
FIWrong¡ Misspelt PENNi and a total natick in the cell just below that, RIOJe + HieRN.
ReplyDeleteThe missing D I got quickly, but after BAR[D], FUN[D], BOAR[D], I assumed it was a trailing D that was evicte[d], so [D]ARK and [D]RUG took a while to parse.
The first l'ick today is wistful, and the others aren't very funny, either.
As the day is closing, the sun from ON to OFF,
IT'S SORTA like it's settling into the clouds so soft!
It SLIDES behind the fluffy airs
And slowly SINKS into the MERS.
It cedes the SKY to darkness; I SEE the stars aloft!
NOAH on his ARK was bound for Ararat.
Forty days is twice the gestation for a rat!
But no need for DEJECTION
At this rodent infestation --
They provided MEAT for stoats and owls and CATS!
Pepé Le Pew while seeking AMOUR, by a TOMB found a male Tom.
The SHAM didn't deter Pepé, not once the chase was on!
Driven by A VOW and LUST,
By imperative "I MUST,"
If he didn't catch a CAT, TYPE A, he'd find TOM B by dawn!
{A, B, C.}
Don't miss the prequel to today's puzzle, which will appear tomorrow on my tersely named website, David Alfred Bywaters's Crossword Cavalcade and Weekly Victorian Novel Recommender (davidalfredbywaters.com).
ReplyDeleteGood morning caring Cornerites.
ReplyDelete- - Thank you Mr. David Alfred Bywaters for this D-lightful CW. I had much whiteness for a long time. My first meaningful find was 47A RUGABUSE. I've never personally abused a rug so I added the "D" for the theme. The NW laughed at me for the longest time, and NE followed suit. I got 12D but it was an error because I was trying to make it Hank Arron. Hey it worked. Last to fall was 53D AGNES which sounds like SO time to me.
- - Thank you for inviting us to the prequel.
- - Thank you Le Mon for knowing enough to see improvements that will be made next time.
OwenKL FLN at 2:12 AM today
- - I hear you even if you can't hear me. I am in the process of obtaining a 20'' wide bariatric wheelchair. I have an order from my primary care Dr. so Medicare should cover it. Stay tuned. Film at 11.
Anonymous T FLN at 11:57 PM
- - I believe I have corrected the link problem. Here for your listening pleasure (yes the screen is black) is "500 miles" by Hoyt Axton.
Sheldor AFK
Ðave
Hi Y'all! I have reached a point where it ELATES me to see D.A.Bywater's byline. Thanks. Great as always, Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteThe NW corner was the last to fill. TWO was the sole entry until the end. I had OF AVON and ELATES fairly soon but AVAiL & AVOW evaded me.
In the N central section, I tried TOON before CATS became obvious from getting ATVS & TROTSKY & SSN.
The reveal of D-EJECTION was necessary for me to see the theme after some study time. D-RUG ABUSE & KEYBOAR-D leapt to mind and I did CACKLE aloud. Very amusing. RUG ABUSE had stimulated the mental sight of our (long gone) dog dragging his rump across my oriental parlor rug in our farm house.
DNK: HEARN, ROIJA, HASS - avocados don't grow here and I never buy them so didn't know a brand name.
ARK MEAT: never wondered before just what they ate on the ARK for 40 days & nights of rain. Did some species become extinct due to carnivorous feasts or did they actually take more than two of some edible beasties? Our info about that voyage is sadly lacking in that respect.
D4: "500 Miles" was one of my favorite songs to play & sing back when I strummed a guitar. However, my browser won't open any of the links today. It's old and defunct. Don't worry about it. I don't.
ReplyDeleteGood morning David. Thank you for stopping by. I am obviously not completely awake, but if you need help with solving his puzzle tomorrow, let me know.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteSHOW morphed into AVOW and I QUIT into I'M OUT then to I MUST. Other than those minor glitches, I TROTskyed right through this one. Thanx, DAB and Lemonade.
ONE-CAR: We're a two vehicle family, and I just got the insurance renewal form. After ten years with the same company and zero claims, I don't understand why our rate increased 25% this year. Are we being punished for Harvey?
TYPE A: My Type A boss succumbed to his first and only heart attack. He was barely 50.
TRUSS: I think a bridge support is a TRESTLE. A TRUSS supports...something else.
AGNES: Pretty clear CSO to you, Irish Miss. Not sure you're a saint, though.
Genesis 7:2-3
ReplyDelete2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
FLN: A year or two ago, the LW arranged for me to get a wheelchair. I only used it one time. She was pushing me across a sloping parking lot, lost control, the chair fell over backwards and I did a somersault out of it! Had to call paramedics to got me back up on my feet and back into the chair. A short while after that, medicare said I didn't yet qualify for them to pay for the chair, and much to my relief it was repossessed! I think it's time for me to re-apply.
First, I offer warm, snuggie thoughts for our pals Misty and Lucina. I hope today is better than yesterday, and that tomorrow will be better than today. You too, OKL, today and FLN. Sounds like that chair was possessed as well as repossessed. I can just imagine. Sounds like a skit in some slapstick comedy. Of course IT'S only funny when it happens to someone else.
ReplyDeleteFIR, but it was a bit of a workout. I had IRE for "Cork's place", but erased it because I was sure that HMS was QE2's designation. But thanks to DAB's clever gimmick I got KEY BOAR and fixed the other two.
I had no idea that there is more than one kind of avocado. I vaguely knew that "sepulcher" was related to death, so TOM easily became TOMB. Never heard of RIOJA or St. AGNES and barely avoided the V8 can when I filled in GENIE for the Aladdin singer. Didn't know it, but it stood to reason.
Thanks to David Alfred Bywaters for the fun puzzle. I'm not usually Friday-capable, so I especially liked this one. And thanks to Lemonade for another fun read.
When NOAH had to fill his ARK, to keep each breed alive.
ReplyDeleteThere were some that faltered under his all-zealous drive!
Mome raths and slithy toves,
Bandersnatchi and borogoves.
Those he brought into the Ark, Alas, those fish did not survive!
TGIF. No fuss no muss no mess FIR .
ReplyDeleteThanks David A.B. For a fun and doable Friday puzzle.
Needed a little head scratching , but when SLUSH FUN -d gave away the theme the rest filled in fairly quickly.
Looked up the abbr. for IRELAND and it came up IRL as I thought it would but the perps wanted IRE. Just like ROSSO needed to be ROSSI to come to the I SEE moment.
Light spring rain happening so a good day for goofing off ,Dr. appt. window shopping , lunch out with la reina de mi corazon.
Lo siento Lucina por su accidente. Que te sientas mejor pronto.
Is this a Wednesday? This was a fast sashay with only a slight pause in the SW. I started in the NE and found the D-EJECTION in a few minutes.
ReplyDeleteYears ago my hairdresser also restyled wigs. Periodically they need to cleaned, combed, and sometimes recurled. They are abused by not being cared for.
I OWE Bob $10. I OWE $10 TO Bob.
Avocados have been getting more and more expensive lately, however, last month there was a big sale on California HASS avocados and I took full advantage. I have discovered how to have the avocados at the optimum degree of ripeness on the day I need them. I put the avocados in a brown bag with an apple, close the bag tightly, and place it in the sunroom and check it twice a day. When the avocados are at just the right degree of ripeness, I take them out of the bag and place them in the refrigerator. Perfecto!
Wacky puns. Slush is not fun.
IRE, as well as IRL, is a legitimate abbreviation for Ireland. Just as PA, Penn. and Penna. are abbreviations for Pennsylvania.
Super puzzle to start this Friday. Thanks to David for the excellent production and to Lemony for the tour through the grid.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of 55A, HASS, and initially wrote in AMOre which slowed me down a tad, but a fair, fun exercise which I really enjoyed. A superior puzzle, IMHO.
Have been far too busy to visit the Corner lately, but I hope that everybody is well, and for those with challenges I wish you nothing but positive answers to your prayers.
A good day all....
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteNice LUSTy puzzle today. Thoroughly enjoyed the theme fill once I figured it out. Very clever. The fill itself is funny - RUG ABUSE, KEY BOAR. LOL. Big CSO to IM with AGNES. My Mom was Agneta; close to the Swedish Agnetha of ABBA.
In summary, FIR; no searches or white-out needed.
LUST - Akin to German 'lustig' meaning funny, merry, frolicsome, etc.
Biblical voyager - Thought of Paul, too, also 4 letters; but ANJOU and ON/OFF crosses nailed it. (No religion intended here.)
BTW Lemon, good job as always. You help us get through Friday travails.
Good morning all. Thank you David Alfred Bywaters, and thank you Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteLoved the theme. I have a good idea about the prequel.
SpEd before FLEW and Snooze before SIESTA slowed me down. Got the reveal before any of the 5 answers that ditched the D.
Chick Hearn and Vin Scully: LA sports fans had two of the best in their craft.
CSO to Irish Miss !
MJ, good to hear from you.
I'm not a textbook TYPE A, but have those tendencies at times. Right now, I have too many irons in the fire, so I'm going to strike while the iron is hot. Break time is over.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Me too on Lemon’s summative paragraph! To borrow a Cole Porter word, the puzzle was De-lovely!
-A pig by any other name…
-Some think this version of NOAH’s adventure may SINK and have to CLOSE due to underperformance
-PRESOAK - Oh, treat as a verb not a noun!
-FLEW? I can’t believe this is my last day of subbing!
-Once I watched helplessly as water LAPPED AT the walls in my basement
-Did anyone else think of this 3-letter Patrol? in IMDb
-I first thought Pepe’s pursuit CHERI minus the last E
-MIL called non-laying (IDLE) chickens Clucks because all they did was sit on the nest and CACKEL and Cluck without producing, uh, product
-Before I “kid around” with a student I have to ASSESS if I think he/she is okay with it
-Dizzy Dean would say, “He slud into third!”
Owen: interesting biblical verse. Still doesn't say what they used for food. Hay there?
ReplyDeleteI just had an emessage from my best friend in jr. high. Tried to contact her in Feb. She just found the message. Haven't seen her since she left mid-way in our freshman year then briefly in 1971. Yesterday I got a facebook message from an old HS classmate & boyfriend. Adds excitement to my week that almost surpasses the visit from the A/C Tech.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteWe've enjoyed a week of clever, fun puzzles, including today's offering. The theme was evident early on but the parsed D-Ejection reveal was a big Aha moment. My only unknown was Hearn and had just two w/os: Scam/Sham, and Sum (up)/Sew (up). I, too, noticed the reappearance of Trotsky. Cats conjured up Mr. Meow and, of course, I was favored with a big CSO, also. I forget my finish time, but it was more Wednesdayish than Fridayish.
Thanks, David, for an enjoyable solve and thanks, Lemony, for the terrific tour.
DO @ 6:57 ~ You're quite right, no saint here. However, many, many years ago, my workplace nickname was "Mother Superior."
CED, what's the latest on Mr. Squeaky?
Lucina and Misty, I echo Jinx's good wishes.
Is anyone getting up in the wee hours tomorrow to see the wedding? I plan on taping it but my sister, Eileen, and her daughter are getting up to watch the pre-ceremony coverage, starting at 4:00 am. Not this sleepyhead, thank you very much! I have a great-niece who is also getting married tomorrow evening at in resort in Lake George, NY. The ceremony itself is supposed to take place lakeside but I think Mother Nature is going to put the kibosh on that plan as the forecast calls for rain and very cool temps. Planning an out door wedding in May in the Adirondacks is not without risk.
Have a great day.
Agnes, which resort in lake George? My family used to sty in that area on our summer trips which my brothers and I were in school.
ReplyDeleteI do not think I would get up at 4:00 AM for my own wedding.
If I have already, I am sending healing prayers for Lucy and Misty.
HG- do you mean your last day subbing this school year, or your last day as in hanging up your eraser?
ReplyDeleteLemon - This is simply my last subbing day of 2017 - 2018. The kids are so good that it's (proper use!) like stealing $140 every time I cross the Elkhorn River to get here!
ReplyDeleteI threw a SLUSHy snowball at a break during a tedious retreat and it found IT'S mark. The victim was taken away in an ambulance. Horseplay? Guilt? DEJECTION?, Confess? Uhuh.
ReplyDeleteBoston's Chick HEARN was Johnny Most as in "Havlicek STOLE the ball!!"
My WO was SEA before SKI
Gary, I liked your Dizzy D. quote. And Owen's l'icks were excellent today. As well as all week
Mother Superior AGNES? Sounds like a TYPE A+
Thank you David, thx2 Lemonade . D4-Dave, I'm enjoying your wit. FLN, the 'Noir' from mtP was great.
WC
Wilbur, if the victim went in an ambulance, did you get to ride in another vehicle with flashing lights & siren? Or didn't you get caught. Let's hear the rest of the story.
ReplyDeleteThanks to David Alfred Bywaters for this D-lightful puzzle and special thanks to Lemonade for the scholarly analysis.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed solving this one and saw the missing Ds; that drew a chuckle especially KEYBOAR(D).
Hi, AGNES; that is a very nice CSO.
ARKMEAT is pretty funny, too. For me the story of NOAH and the ARK is symbolic, not literal.
I love RIOJA wine and have bought it on my trips to Spain as well as here at home.
Thank you all for the good wishes. The color of my bruises have intensified so that I have a purple mustache above my lip and it curves around my mouth. It's not pretty!
Oh, dear, another school shooting! Tragedy upon tragedy. My heart goes out to the victims and their families.
Have a peaceful day, everyone!
Easier puzzle than yesterday. Although some spots were sorta on and off. It was a DARK theme, with DRUG abuse, a BAR and DEJECTION. Even the horse said NEIGH and one could SLIDE to a LESS IDLE CAST or MODE that could put one in a TOMB. If I have offended Mr. Bywaters or those of this blog, I BEG FOR forgiveness.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed this puzzle, mostly because of the theme entries.
ReplyDeleteGood to read all your comments, folks.
Lemony @ 10:42 ~ The wedding and reception venue is The Inn at Erlowest. I believe it was a huge private home with a castle design that was eventually repurposed as an inn and restaurant. Apparently, it has become a destination wedding choice for many Capital Region couples. (I never heard of it until a few years ago when it became the "In" place for weddings.)
ReplyDeleteWilber C @ 11:47 ~ No one who knows me would ever use Type A as a descriptor. The "Mother Superior" moniker had more to do with the countenance and behavior of a young lady with 12 years of Catholic schooling struggling to adjust to the "real world" of the late 1950's. 😇
Fun CW - Bar of Avon was the first and a hint. Thanks, Lemonade, for the write-up and links (especially Hass).
ReplyDeleteD4, thanks for link - I had no idea who Hoyt (FY) was, and then realized I knew all the words to that song because I sang it so much when I was young. How's that for selective memory? What did I have for lunch yesterday.
D-O, yep, you're right about insurance. My auto/home insurance premiums skyrocketed (I too have been with that co. for over 10 years and no claims. Checked with AAA and AARP for their rates; AARP's ins. co. won't even write new policies in only Harris County because of dear Harvey. AAA's ins. co. won't insure my house because it's "too old" (68 yrs). My niece gave me the info for her independent agent, and my premiums have been cut in half, both for auto and home. Email me if you'd like the particulars.
Have a good weekend, everyone, and Lemon, send us some of that rain! Will catch up on my lurking for previous days.
I figured out the theme fairly quickly, but I was puzzled by the fact that the missing Ds moved around. Most mysterious was finding BARD -> BAR in the middle of a phrase. STILE was unknown and seemed suspect. Glad it was correct. Learning moment about "Roleo". Had no idea why LOG was the answer until explained. Hand up last to fall was NE with the crossings of PENNE/HEARN/RIOJA. With that, happy to FIR! Fun theme!
ReplyDeleteHere is my article about our local AVOCADO Festival featuring HASS as well as many less known varieties.
For most of my life I have been in a ONE CAR family. For a few years my mother had her own car, but that did not last long. After that I was in a NO CAR family as I did not own a car until I was about 26, after graduate school. I have only ever owned two cars. Mostly I ride my bicycle and take the bus to get around. Better for me and for the environment.
Somewhere I have photos of the BARD's AVON. Maybe later. Gotta get to work.
TxMs, yes I'd like to hear about it. However, one of the "benefits" of my hard-drive crash a couple weeks ago is that I lost all saved emails and my contact list, including your email address. Please send me the details. I've got AARP (Hartford) for both auto and home.
ReplyDeleteLemonade.....I’m right with you on not getting up at 4AM....but for me, not for ANY reason or event.
ReplyDeleteNo issue with the crossword, solved without issue.
One carp....19A On fire....I would think “HOT”. LIT to me would mean a state of altered consciousness.
"Puzzling Thoughts":
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle and recap - Lemony, I could not ADD anything more to your RIOJA link, other than Tempranillo is one of my faves
WEES, this puzzle was pretty easy (for a Friday) once you got the theme
Have a great weekend everyone!
I'm D-ferring to OKL for punny poetry. I'm like an older car; temporarily re-tired
Limonade:
ReplyDeletePépé le Pew n'est pas un chat; il est moufette! (Donc le nom anglais "Pew".)
Le français deux fois dans le même jour: AMOUR et MERS.
Perps solved RIOJA and HEARN at the same time.
HASS is a variety, not a brand name.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truss>TRUSS</a>
Yes, I am the Curmudgeon.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteTRUSS
I would have been here much sooner -
ReplyDeleteif I had not been in love with ABJECTION.
I thought it such a cool word that I couldn't see my way to DEJECTION - not until I realized I would never finish Mr. Bywaters' opus until I admitted my error and faced up to a change.
I finally worked my way backward from the theme's "D"- avoiding fills
- to claim my long-delayed
Ta- DA!
Still, I really enjoyed today's workout. I agree with Lemonade that it could have been even more elegant, but that did not subtract from my pleasure while in the act of solving it.
I'm reminded of the advice I often gave to my directing students - meant to encourage (and discourage) them:
"Audiences don't know what they are missing."
In other words, while the event is in motion, consumers rarely make comparisons with a "better model" in their heads.
(The corollary advice is that creators shouldn't rely on that principle, should never let themselves off the hook merely because audiences say they were satisfied.)
Well, enough of my lecture. This was fun.
My first fill was TROTSKY. Any knowledge of the Russian revolution must contain among leading factoids the ill-fated partnership of Lenin/TROTSKY, including the bizarre axe-assassination of the latter in Mexico.
Talk about breaking a few eggs...
I don't see dear Misty yet today, so presume she is resting her eyes from yesterday's ordeal. May her recovery go well! I hope to see her back - and in fine fettle - by tomorrow.
~ OMK
____________
Diagonal Report: Arrgh! Again, the powers that be are toying with us! There is nary a qualifying diagonal today. None.
On the mirror side we have four - count 'em four! - sub-diags that could have qualified as a remarkable abundance, but only if there had been a center line to anchor them.
Alas! No such center line can be found, and we are left with a diagonally barren grid-scape.
Maybe tomorrow?
We live, as they say, in hope.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteI didn't find this as easy as WEES but got 'er done. The NE was wicked-hard with a region in Spain (do the rains fall there?) xing a pear and a name. It was the J in my ABC-run that won.
Thanks DAB for this creative / punny puzzle. I knew drop-a-D at BAR O', but RUG ABUSE was hard to see with AMOre (Hi NorthernBoy!) in the way.
Thanks Lem for the expo; enjoyed the Aladdin link.
WOs: HMS (Hi Jinx!), AMOre, PENes(?), BEGful(?)
ESPs: too many...
Fav: I'll go w/ the theme. SLUSHy FUN.
ONE CAR was cute - I wanted Broken (family) but was sure of ROSSI.
{A,B+,C; B}
PVX - and Badly LIT is DIM and Dupe'd
Lucina - Santa Fe, TX is a Houston exurb; my buddy was on Twitter and Facebook waiting to hear from his nephew (at that HS). He did hear and nephew is OK, thank goodness. 10 kids killed though; I wish I had an answer to make this shit stop.
HG - As a fellow scientific-mind, I'm sure you're also happy to see that ARK venture SINK.
Rick - Seriously, what's your day job? Writer or the investment banker LinkedIn comes back with? :-). Good stuff again, mate.
IM, er, St. AGNES (for the day) - No, I'm not watching it at 3a nor on delay. To say I could care less would mean I cared at least a little. :-)
Cheers, -T
There were so many kind good wishes for my cataract surgery yesterday, and more this morning, that I'm afraid I can't list them all to thank you for your generous kindness. But I read them with love, and thank you for them.
ReplyDeleteThe outcome of the surgery was not great yesterday. I immediately felt as though I had something in the operated eye, but they told me not to worry. After I got home that sensation disappeared, but the vision in the right eye was very blurry, and it stayed that way all day, and is still that way right now. The pupil in that eye was also huge--with just a tiny fringe around it. I put in all the drops, and by the time I went to bed I thought it seemed a little better. But this morning, still blurry, so I went to my appointment to the eye surgeon with huge anxiety. He assures me that this is all very common and that by the middle of next week the vision in the eye should be clear again, and I can then get new glasses. Aaaaarrgggh. In the mean time I have to put two drops a day, twice a day, in my left eye (the one operated on two weeks ago) and also dry eye drops four times a day. The right eye gets three drops a day four times a day and dry eye drops four times a day. The drops all have to go in five minutes apart--I really don't know how to keep track of all this. It's a good thing I'm not still teaching or something or I'd be having a nervous breakdown about now. But with all your good wishes, let's hope it turns out as well as the doctor predicts, even though it means an anxious week ahead.
On to the puzzle, which required a lot of cheating but distracted me while I was at the doctor's office. So many thanks, David--very clever theme. Lemonade thank you for posting the "Eve of St. Agnes" as a shout-out to our dear Irish Miss. Made me very happy to see that.
Thank you again for all your good wishes, everyone, and have a great day.
Dear Misty, so sorry for all the anxiety over the eye surgery. I hope this will all turn out okay for you. Sounds like you are doing your own drops which is more difficult than having a nearby nurse to keep track and do it for you. Hugs to you, lady!
ReplyDeleteI caught the missing 'D' after ARK MEAT but the West Coast was hard to finish. I was stuck on the HMS QE-II and the KEY BOAR and HER was my last fill. Lots of dead ends until I backed out of them.
ReplyDeleteKINDA-SORTA
SORT-SOAK
SHOW-AVOW
HOT-LIT
SLYS (Stallone & Stone)-CATS
AMORE-AMOUR
RANDY NEWMAN (He did "Friend IN Me") before GENIE (unknown) and "Friend LIKE Me" (also unknown)
D-O, Insurance going up? Just look at all the Ambulance Chasing attorney's that advertise and you'll find your answer.
Yellowrocks- I just left Sam's wholesale and their 5-pack of avocados was under $5.00
HASS avocados, RIOJA, and Chick HEARN were filled by perps.
Misty!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see you back, even though you seem to be having a harder time now than before. Let's hope this is just a mild aberration, and that you'll be doing perfectly well in just a few...
Yes! it was generous of Lemon to post a section of Keats' St. Agnes, although I always find it hard to catch my breath with that one. It's much easier on the eye than from the lips.
~ OMK
Anthony T -Bill Nye (and me) on The Ark Experience
ReplyDeleteMisty: I am very sorry to hear the right eye is giving you such a scare. It is reassuring that the surgeon says this is common and OK. But it is still scary when it is happening to you. Please do keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteFrom yesterday:
Here is another HOYT Axton song: "Never Been to Spain". Also performed by Three Dog Night. Do you recognize it?
Thank you for the kind words, PK, Ol'Man Keith, and Picard. I very much appreciate them.
ReplyDeleteMisty, hang in, I have had only one cataract surgery (along with 4 major eye surgeries) and I learned it can take time for the cataract post-op. Best wished and prayers
ReplyDeleteMisty, I've never had cataract surgery but I know how upset these kinds of things make me. My sympathy and best wishes heading your way.
ReplyDeleteI even got myself in a turmoil today worrying that my old Camry (1993) might not pass the smog check needed for registration. But not to worry; it passed again with flying colors. Just an expense for the smog test and a bigger expense to California for registration. Aw, it's just money. Not as big a deal as the frustration, the uncertainty and the worrying.
PK, I was 19 or 20. I lobbed a snowball and quickly followed it with a fastball. I never exactly saw it hit. We all then went back to the church.
ReplyDeleteThe priest in the middle of his service was interrupted by the news that a kid had got it in the shnauze. And had to go to the Hospital.
He asked the perpetrator to identify himself. I sat tight. He then lambasted said evil miscreant.
I felt bad, a little. And, at the same time a little proud of the effort. The feint with the lob followed by a perfect strike with some zip.
WC
PS. IM, I was thinking of Meryl Streep as a Mother Superior type in a movie? I only did 3 years of parochial . They were going to throw me out but we moved to the burbs
Thank you, Lemonade and Bill G.--your comments are very helpful.
ReplyDeleteMisty! Good to see you're already seeing a bit. I'm sure those drops suck (I hate 'em too!) but keep at it and heal well.
ReplyDeleteRoy - when we implored you to go blue I didn't expect red :-). What's the significance of the Avatar?
Bill G. If only you had a VW pre-programmed to pass the tests, then you could just pay the fees w/o worry :-)
D4 - That worked! The song wasn't my Cuppa but you got the link to work and I got to hear the tune. Thanks.
Picard - The first chord of "Never Been to Spain" hit a chord with me but I didn't fully recognize the song until "But I've been to Oklahoma." Great tune.
BigE - Not only wrong song but wrong animated movie! Friend in Me was the intro to Toy Story. Here's Newman's Friend in Me from NPR's Live from Here (nee Prairie Home Companion).
WC - I did K thu 10 (with the exception of 2-4th when I lived with Mom) at Catholic school. It wasn't until 9th grade that I went rogue when Sister Mary Hellen taught us comparative Religion -- I realized they were all fundamentally the same quest for peace, love, and understanding but with different man-made rules. That had little do with your story except we're both bad Catholics ;-)
However, if you can separate the person from the comedy, enjoy Cosby's slush-ball story.
Cheers, -T
Thank you too, Anon T!
ReplyDeleteCurmudgeon, you comment en francais "Pépé le Pew n'est pas un chat; il est moufette! (Donc le nom anglais "Pew".)" which for non-french speakers literally, "Grandpa the Pew is not a cat; he is a skunk." But everything is context, and his girlfriend, Penelope PUSSYCAT was/is? a cat. The white on her back comes from accidents. Pepé's "pursuit" is in fact "un chat" comme Sylvester.
ReplyDelete29D was a good clue. Quickly convincing myself that the answer was HMS, I then used SEA for 28D and floundered in the corner until I had to 2D myself of this blog to dig me out of the drifts.
ReplyDelete