google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, June 8, 2018, Jeffrey Wechsler

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Jun 8, 2018

Friday, June 8, 2018, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: JW is back on Friday and he is switching letters again!

Hey; in this case, he is replacing "S" before "H" with "TC" resulting in similar sounding, but witty fill, clued appropriately. Two grid-spanners in the classic 3 and 13 rows, with 12s in the 7/9 slots make for a classic look. There are 43 words which are 5 letters or longer which means if you get some things solved you get much help from the perps. As with all Friday puzzles, it was not easy, but it was doable and fun. It featured many sparkly 7 and 8 letter fill like BAHAMAS, ENEMIES, GOT SORE, SEEMS OK, AUTOSAVE,  BY NATURE, GAINED ON and STAMP TAX. So let us solve this puppy.

17A. Surveillance camera?: WATCHING MACHINE (15). WASHING machine.

31A. Interconnected irrigation channels?: DITCH NETWORK (12). DISH Network is one of the early satellite TV providers.  

39A. Member of Cassidy's baseball team?: BUTCH LEAGUER (12).  A BUSH leaguer is a player not of the highest quality or sophistication; second-rate.  This was the stretch for me. 

56A. Obsessively uniform French fries?: MATCHED POTATOES.(15). By far my favorite of the themers. I also like good MASHED potatoes. I like potatoes, which can be a challenge living with my rice addicted wife.

Across:

1. Trap: HEM IN. The first of the many sparkly multi-word fill that Jeffrey uses this week.

6. Leaps in tutus: JETES. Defines as jumps in which a dancer springs from one foot to land on the other with one leg extended outward from the body while in the air. They can be GRAND.

11. "Major Barbara" monogram: GBSGeorge Bernard Shaw wrote this PLAY in 1907.

14. Dress style: A-LINE. The term was first used by the French couture designer Christian Dior as the label for his collection of spring 1955 (wiki).

15. Think the world of: ADORE.

16. Roger's relative?: AYE. Yessir!

20. Set of pieces: KIT.

21. They're for members only: DUES. A nice Friday, tricky clue/fill.

22. When the break rm. gets busy, perhaps: TEN AM. Eleven where I am, but people eat lunch late at our office.


23. Opposite sides: ENEMIES. A bit strong.

26. Fine art and antiques, say: ASSETS.

27. Desires more from Us?: RENEWS.  The magazine subscription, notice the capital "U."

28. Slithery danger: ASP. A very popular crossword snake.

30. Holmes and Watson, e.g.: DUO. I have never thought of them as a duo since Watson was mostly comic relief.

35. Garage sale term: AS IS.

37. Actor Stephen: REA. Will he always be most famous for THE CRYING GAME?

38. Lose impact: WANE.

42. One-time connection: AT A.  I actually usually solve looking at across/ down clues together.

43. Put in: ADD.

44. Signal on the road: BEEP AT. In many states, Florida included,

48. Religious discourse: HOMILY. I will let you consider HOMILY VS SERMON but no religion.

51. Had it up to here: GOT SORE.

52. Org. offering puppy love?: ASPCAAmerican Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

53. Tenerife, por ejemplo: ISLA. Spanish- for example.

55. Nutritional fig.: RDA.  I think this is being swallowed up by the new term DRI.

60. Gardner on screen: AVA. It was not easy to be HER. She was quite striking.

61. Ahi et al.: TUNAS.

62. Take a little off: PRUNE. A tree or bush, not a diet.

63. "Think you I am no stronger than my __": Portia: SEX. It is good to see JW and his Shakespeare quote; this is from JULIUS CAESAR, Act II, Scene 1.

64. Part of a caddie's burden: IRONS. Woods are not wooden, and irons are not iron, and golf is just a game.  I am not sure if HG and Big Easy agree.

65. Unwelcome company: PESTS. The reveal two weeks ago.

Down:

1. Bazaar figure: HAWKER. Defined as a person who travels around selling goods, typically advertising them by shouting. Clecho - 34D. Bazaar array: WARES.

2. "Primary Colors" screenwriter May: ELAINE. This talented writer-performer had much of her success partnered with Mike Nichols. BIOGRAPHY.

3. Bit of winter wear: MITTEN.

4. Business end?: INC. Cute and better than Ltd. reference.

5. Bk. after Ezra: NEHemiah. This person and BOOK are intertwined with the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. No religion.

6. Two-faced god: JANUS. He gave us January. No religion.

7. Verge: EDGE.

8. Barnyard males: TOMS. I can only think of two- turkey and cat - neither of which are in every barnyard. Also, 19D. 8-Down, for instance: HES.

9. Diamond stat: ERA. Baseball diamond, Earned Run Average.

10. Groups breaking away: SECTS. I said, NO RELIGION!

11. Began to overtake: GAINED ON. One of the two-word fill.

12. Inherently: BY NATURE. And another...

13. "Nothing wrong that I can find": SEEMS OK. and...

18. Clarifying words: ID EST. Now two Latin words, more commonly known as i.e. and Steve should be happy two days in a row.

24. "M*A*S*H" figure: MEDIC. A medic is an umbrella term for a person involved in medicine. The following fall under this term: a medical doctor, medical student and sometimes a medically-trained individual participating in an emergency such as a paramedic, army medic or an emergency medical responder. In M*A*S*H they were mostly surgeons.

25. "Would that it were true!": I WISH.

26. Dian Fossey subject: APE. Actually, she studied gorillas which are a subgroup of the family of great apes. Louis Leakey sent her along with Jane Goodall and Birute Galdikas to study great apes in their native habitat.

28. Down the road: AHEAD.

29. Complication: SNAG. There often are when you go down the road.

32. Street __: CREDibility.

33. Occasionally newsworthy comment: TWEET. No politics either.

35. Crash insurance?: AUTOSAVE. The interesting divergence of automatic from the Greek automatos of persons "acting of one's own will;" of things "self-moving, self-acting," Thus the fun play on words here as crash relates both to cars and computers.

36. Short-lived 1760s levy: STAMP TAX. The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765. The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed. The Act was repealed on 18 March 1766.(various).

39. Commonwealth off Florida: BAHAMAS. The Bahamas comprises 700 islands and over 2,000 rocks and cays, sprinkled over 100,000 square miles of ocean. The archipelago is an ecological oasis, boasting the clearest water on the planet. Brochures.

40. Big name in chips: LAY. In 1932, salesman Herman Lay opened a snack food operation in Dorset, Ohio; and, in 1938, he purchased the Atlanta, Georgia, potato chip manufacturer "Barrett Food Company", renaming it "H.W. Lay Lingo and Company." Lay crisscrossed the southern United States, selling the product from the trunk of his car.

41. WWII peril: U-BOAT. U-boat, German U-boot - the abbreviation of Unterseeboot -  (“undersea boat”), a German submarine. LINK.

45. Like much sandstone: POROUS. I have a nephew who works as a geologist for the government, but I know almost nothing about these ROCKS.

46. Gung-ho: ARDENT.

47. Toys with: TEASES. Like CED's cats and their mouse playthings.

49. Global sports org. concerned with wickets: ICC. The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909.

50. "Chicago Hope" Emmy winner: LAHTI. Lahti, 67, writes about her infamous appearance at the Golden Globes in 1998 when she won best actress in a television drama for "Chicago Hope" but was in the bathroom when her name was announced.

51. Give short shrift to, with "over": GLOSS.

53. Access-providing fig.: ID NO.

54. Go across: SPAN. A bridge.

57. NATO HQ locale: EURope.

58. Handy program: APPlication.

59. Half of sei: TRE. We finish with a bit of division in Italian. 6/3.

I had a really fine time working on this puzzle, and welcoming JW back to Friday. Thanks, Jeffrey and all who read and all who write. Lemonade out.



81 comments:

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Jeffrey did not SNARE me at 1A. For once, I waited for the perps to decide. Like the theme, though the only Cassidys who came to mind were Hop-Along and David. This one came together really quickly. I didn't time it, but still had a half cup of coffee at the finish line.

ELAINE: I remember Mike Nichols and Elaine May from the weekend Monitor program on NBC Radio. Bob and Ray were also a staple on that show.

UBOAT: Have you seen Das Boot? Makes you really glad that you weren't part of a submarine crew in those days.

HOMILY: Didn't realize that it was different from a sermon. They're best when they're over.

desper-otto said...

Oh, thanx Jeffery and Lemonade for a fun start to this Friday.

OwenKL said...

Some children there were from the BAHAMAS
Who would ADORE their Papas and Mamas
But when fishing for TUNAS
A SNAG in the rule was
Using children for bait would cause trauma!

{B}

CartBoy said...

Once I recognized the error of my Bermudian ways, got through this in good order. I think JWechsler is a top constructor in the LAT syndicate/channel and always pat myself on the back when I get the win.

billocohoes said...

Dr. John H. Watson, MD was only comic relief when played by Nigel Bruce in the 1940s and in some other cheap productions. not by Martin Freeman and Lucy Liu in the modern reboots, or Edward Hardwicke and David Burke in the 1984-94 Jeremy Brett series. There was precious little comedy in the original stories.

M*A*S*H focused on the surgeons, but there were sometimes corpsmen back from the front lines. You can debate whether the nurses are included in the term "medics."

Big Easy said...

A DNF two days in a row for me. The tip of Maine got me. I filled GAINED ON, SEEMS OF, and __NATURE but couldn't think of AYE. My mind wouldn't let go of A-OK. I was thinking GBS but have never heard of the play. Just quit with IN NATURE instead of BY NATURE. The ICH replacing the IS was an easy spot. The rest was a relatively easy Friday with only ELAINE May, LAHTI, and RENEWS filled by perps.
D-O, I also wanted SNARE for 1A.

SEX and SECTS. Jeffery is 'oversects' today.

Changed STAMP ACT to TAX.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Another great Wechsler work-of-art.
FIR. Woohoo. Thought I wasn't gonna get the North done. @4d I had ess, but finally changed it to INC. Made sense. Then the NE finally fell in line, too. Got the shtick early with MATCHED POTATOES. Made me chortle. Favorite clue was for HAWKER.
BAHAMAS - Lemon's comment, in part, was "…The archipelago is an ecological oasis, boasting the clearest water on the planet. " In oceanography, very clear water is typically associated with being a relative "desert"; a lack of nutrients permitting the clearness.
This is not a criticism; but, rather, a reminder that these are very complex issues. Biomes adapt to what is available to them.

Yellowrocks said...

Interesting post, Lemonade. OKL, good one! Jeffrey, this was fun. The central and eastern vertical stripes were done first. When I finally saw the gimmick, -SH to -TCH at BUTCH, I completed the last third quickly. Great Friday type challenge.
Matched potatoes? I WISH. A five pound bag of potatoes has all sizes from golf ball size to 4 inches across.
I first learned of Watson and Holmes in Doyle's mystery novels, so I don't consider Watson comic. I have always thought that Holmes gives him short shrift.
Madame D. I am glad you MIL is happy. Cleaning out your own home is difficult, cleaning out someone else's is more so.
IM, good news about, Jack. If I missed anything going on with any of you, I apologize. I lost several posts this week. I know I lost my post about Picard's sidewalk art. Fabulous!
Lynn, my BIL, has had his breathing apparatus removed and is doing well considering.
Although he has end stage lung disease, Lois was told he is not a candidate for hospice which covers the final six months. Good news that he has more time.

David's femur is finally healing after more than a year. He had a minor procedure Wed. to exchange the pin which was causing a lot of pain. He is expected to be back to almost full function soon.
Alan continues to suffer. He doesn't have PKU. We went for more blood tests today and will have an MRI of the brain next week. I am beginning to believe that this an unknown condition that will keep appearing off and on for the rest of his life. Lord, help me to accept the things I cannot change.

After this round of PT, I, too, will accept whatever level I arrive at. With acceptance I can just let it go. The new normal.

Nothing official about this, but in my experience homilies have been short, and sermons have been longer.

Unknown said...

I thought Portia was a character in “The Merchant of Venice”.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-I’m about ready to DITCH my Spectrum Network. Isn’t $200/mo. high?
-Opposite sides seem to be ENEMIES in this “do nothing” Congress
-In this BBC Sherlock iteration Watson is a gulf war veteran doctor who suffers all manner of abuse at Sherlock’s hand
-A HOMILY at our church usually offers more Theology 101 and a need for NoDoz
-A biography I might read
-When you’ve “had it up to here” with golf and get SORE, take up chess
-Granddaughter on going down to our local John C. Fremont Days replete with many HAWKERS – “Hey, Papa, let’s go down and buy some cheap plastic junk!”
-SECTS will disappear if they advocate no sex
-”Gaining on you” advice
-_ _ D _ _ is not RADAR
-My friend had a job where he made pricey LAY’S potato chips in the morning and then made the SAME chips in the afternoon but put them in the generic bag that sold for 30% less
-Edison was happy to GLOSS over his employees’ invention to take credit for himself

Lemonade714 said...

I am sorry if I offended the legion of Conan Doyle fans, my comment was lazy and clearly influenced by the depiction by Nigel Bruce. In my opinion, Basil Rathbone is the only actor who truly captured Holmes. I just think of duos having more equal parts to play but I guess the dynamic duo belies that.

Yes, Portia is a main character in the Merchant of Venice but she was also historically was the wife of Brutus, daughter of Cato, so was an important character in the play Julius Caesar.

Dwell I but in the suburbs
Of your good pleasure? If it be no more,
Portia is Brutus' harlot, not his wife.

BRUTUS
You are my true and honorable wife,
As dear to me as are the ruddy drops
That visit my sad heart.

PORTIA
If this were true, then should I know this secret.
I grant I am a woman, but withal
A woman that Lord Brutus took to wife.
I grant I am a woman, but withal
A woman well-reputed, Cato’s daughter.
Think you I am no stronger than my sex,
Being so fathered and so husbanded?
Tell me your counsels. I will not disclose 'em.
I have made strong proof of my constancy,
Giving myself a voluntary wound
Here in the thigh. Can I bear that with patience,
And not my husband’s secrets?

SwampCat said...

What Friday fun with Jeffrey’ delicious devilment! Of course I didn’t succeed... I seldom do... but I figure I won because of all the fun I had.

Too many clever misdirections to list. I loved Roger’s relative? Yes I saw the question mark but I was still trying to figure out who Roger was. Also, Business end. “Ess?” No... a business name.

Access providing fig had to be someone providing access but Security Guard didn’t fit. Ya caught me again, Jeffrey! But I loved every misdirection.

And,yes. I also noticed SEX and SECTS.

billocohoes said...

Will S wrote of characters named Portia in both Merchant of Venice and Julius Caesar

Bush leaguer is derogatory, accuses a player of deserving to still be in the minor leagues aka the Bush leagues, from hunters using servants to “beat the bushes” to flush game birds out into the open, so baseball scouts go thru small towns to find talented players. Also, a bush-league play is a dirty play or one not following the “unwritten rules” of the way a major-leaguer is supposed to act

SwampCat said...

Thanks, Lemonade, for the whole Julius Caesar quote. And for your always witty and informative expo.

Misty said...

I love Jeffrey Wechsler puzzles but no "Woohoo!" on this Friday because I had to cheat a little--bit of a toughie for me and had to hurry because I have to rush off to get new post-cataract glasses for my trip. But it was a lot of fun, so many thanks, Jeffrey, and you too, Lemonade, for your always helpful write-up.

Have a great day, everybody!

Lemonade714 said...

I think JW often has sects on his mind, but who am I to say?

oc4beach said...


Jeffery is truly a Friday Master. I liked the play on words and once I saw the letter switch I was able to finish the puzzle.

I had PLIES before JETES which was set straight by JANUS. Then I had HONKAT before BEEPAT, and it was a toss-up between WOODS and IRONS so I just waited for perps to decide. I also needed ESP for GBS (total unknown).

Just like HG's friend bagging Lays potato chips, my FIL worked for the Borden Food company and all of their dairy products came off the line with their labels along with house brand labels from just about every supermarket chain in the country. The private label business provided more than half of their income from the dairy products. However, The Borden company has been broken into pieces and sold to a number of other companies over the last 20+ years.

IM: Don't worry, Gibbles chips are not made by Lay's. They are still uniquely made in Lancaster, PA.

Have a great day everyone.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Congrats to all who found this on the easy side because I struggled mightily. I started solving in the wee hours of the morning and, predictably, was not too successful. I had better luck the second time around but it took quite awhile to suss the theme. My numerous w/os included: Snare/Hem in, HMS/GBS, Anorak/Mitten, Fade/Wane, Ernest/Ardent, Erase/Prune, and Isla/Isle. Some of those missteps could have been avoided by a more careful reading of the clue. Butch Leaguer was the first themer to fall into place and, from there on, I just chipped away until I finally finished sans help. IMO, JW remains the Master of Misdirection and the Dean of Deception. He also remains one of my favorite constructors, despite the occasional angst!

Thank you, Jeffrey W, for a tough (45 minutes to solve) but satisfying Friday challenge and thanks, Lemony, for your always illuminating and interesting summary.

YR, thanks for the positive update on David's condition. I wish you had better news about Alan and yourself. Just know that we're always here for you.

I couldn't believe that Jack was discharged so quickly but I'm happy that all went well and that he can now plan for his getaway to Maine.

Have a great day.

Irish Miss said...

oc4beach @ 10:56 ~ Lay's potato chips are my least favorite of the national brands. I never bought them but had them at other people's homes. Gibbles are the best I've had and, in case you missed my post a few days ago, I just received another shipment which, I think, is my tenth order. I'm forever in your debt for your recommendation! 😉

Lucina said...

I love Jeffrey Wechsler's sense of humor!

MATCHEDPOTATOES set me laughing! But my first fill was the great GBS (George Bernard Shaw) and though it was more than five decades ago I still recall studying Major Barbara, et al. He and Eugene O'Neill had some unique titles for their plays. I'm sure OMK knows them.

However, my foothold started with APE/ASP/AHEAD/SNAG and blossomed from there. Hand up for RADAR before MEDIC. Also PLIES before JETES which JANUS forced.

We have a priest who's pithy homilies are never longer than five or ten minutes but with enough to ponder on for the rest of the day.

HAWKER and WARES remind me of the first time I saw an Arabic bazaar in Morocco. Outside of Mexico it was also one of my first introductions to dickering. That was in 1973.

Thank you very much, JW, for this fun lapse into giddiness as well as some serious thinking. And thank you, Lemonade. You are in characteristic scholarly mode with your analysis.

Have a delightful day, everyone!

Lemonade714 said...

oc4beach are you saying you did not recognize the monogram - GBS - or that you are unfamiliar with the work of George Bernard Shaw? I do believe my study of Latin and minoring in English in college improved my puzzle solving skills immeasurably. I am not a speed solves, never was never will be, and I make many mistakes but as others have said, if you wait, relax and ruminate, you can magically see where you went wrong

Lucina said...

Oh, my. WHOSE pithy homilies not who's.

Chairman Moe said...

"Puzzling Thoughts":

Clever theme/puzzle, excellent recap, terrible result (on my part). Too many errors and WO's to list; I had several LU's, too. I was certainly a "BUSH LEAGUER" today. I WISH I had an EDGE, and could've GAINED ON JW. Never felt very ARDENT about the puzzle.

Seems as though JW used most of the three letter fill with "AP": ASP, APE, and APP

No puns today ...

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Fun & amusing, Jeffrey. Thought it was easier than yesterday. I got the theme with the first two. Thanks, Lemonade for the "non-religious" expo & the Shakespeare quote.

Hand up for share before HEM IN = trap. STAMP act before TAX.

No politics, but I liked the crossing of ARDENT/GOT SORE which was last to fill. Men are learning the women GOT SORE because they were too ARDENT. 'Nuff said.

"Major Barbara" monogram: I was thinking of Barbara Bush, because I think someone called her that. When GBS perped in I thought George BuSh. Duh! Didn't think of Shaw. Didn't know he wrote something with that name.

Guessed ELAINE May then LIU to be sure. Liked KIT/MITTEN crossed, thinking of "three little KITtens who lost..." theirs.

Didn't understand AUTOSAVE = crash insurance even after reading the expo. Started typing this and the light dawned. Duh!

Husker: I pay $200 a mo. for TV & Computer cable. Irks me too. I can't even get that !@#$% no email situation resolved.

YR: best wishes for Lynn, David, Alan & your work toward Serenity. Hang in there, girl friend.

Picard said...

Hand up with PK this was easier than yesterday. I loved the theme, though I was slow to catch on. The theme indeed helped with the solves! Hand up for PLIES/JETES. Was there any additional meaning to the SH to TCH theme?

Lemonade: Interesting that you prefer POTATOES to rice. I avoid most potatoes as they have a higher glycemic index than refined table sugar. At least the way they are served in the US as just the white fluffy bits. I feel lucky to be married to a rice lady!

Lizard's Mouth is one of the many local SANDSTONE formations I love to take people hiking! The POROUS rock allows for beautiful natural sculptures!

Can you spot the Lizard's Mouth?

The JANUS Theater in DC was named for the unusual fact at the time that it had two theaters in the very same building!

I could not afford to go to the movies, but my parents sometimes went there on their "date nights".

Lemonade714 said...

So far the score is Jeffery - 3 Jeffrey - 6
D-O appears in both columns.

Lemonade714 said...

Picard, my monthly intake of rice is considerable. I also like potatoes and generally eat the entire tuber.

desper-otto said...

Hey, I'm an equal opportunity misspeller!

AnonymousPVX said...

Ummm....in the write up, for 44A, BEEP AT, the comment says “...states, Florida included”

And it just ends. What’s the rest of the comment?

IMHO, Basil Rathbone was the top Holmes actor....until Jeremy Brett took the role. No one ever has approached his portrayal, and the series he was in was also the best.

PK said...

I'm mulling over the fact that Wechsler sorta resembles the theme. The "S" is shoved over to accommodate the "ch". No "T", but is one pronounced? Jeffrey, if you are lurking, please let us know how you pronounce your surname. I've wondered for some time -- not that I have much occasion to speak it aloud. Is "ch" like "chess", "shoe" or have the "X"- "ck" sound like "sex-ler", sexsler or maybe "wetchsler"?

SwampCat said...

Lemony @ 10:49. Great comment. Jeffrey does seem...er...religious. Hehehehe

PK said...

Picard: Enjoyed the hike pictures and spotted the Lizard Mouth formation. Also liked the turquoise inlaid lizard -- looks like a cloisonne hummingbird my daughter gave me. #76 formation looks like an elephant's head to me from that angle. I've never seen that honeycomb pocked effect to that extent. Weren't you a bit close to that rattlesnake or is it a rattler? The rattles didn't look like what I've seen.

Yellowrocks said...

As a teacher, I know of the Wechsler Intelligence Tests. That author's name is pronounced WEX LER.
PK and IM, thanks for your support. It is a big step for this never-say-die person. I don't believe in "You can't get there from here," but sometimes, I suppose, you just can't.

Dudley said...

PK - you may recall that I used to use the nickname Jeff Wex for the constructor. I was later assured by those in the know that Jeffrey uses the Wexler pronunciation.

Bill G said...

One of these days I'll have to try Gibbles potato chips. There are certainly some big fans here. I learn so much from folks who solve crosswords.

For two days in a row, I haven't been able to find my homeless friend in order to give him a couple of bucks and sometimes some unsold sandwiches from the coffee shop. I was getting worried. He showed up in a different spot last evening, behind another green box housing an electrical transformer. The big metal boxes offer him a little shelter from disapproving eyes in the neighborhood. I'm glad he's OK...

I too like the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies best. Nigel Bruce certainly did provide a little comic relief as Dr. Watson but why would Holmes have valued such a bumbler as a companion?

CanadianEh! said...

Fabulous Friday. Thanks for the fun, JW (I'll avoid the spelling issue) and Lemonade.
I got the theme and with P&P, I finished the CW (NW and SE corners were the last to fall).
Spitzboov and I will say Woohoo today since Misty can't!

Hand up for Plies before JETES. I started to enter Blinker for "signal on the road" but it was too long.
GBS was a given as our Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the- Lake performed Major Barbara several years ago . She was a Major in the Salvation Army. No religion!

I smiled to see ID EST and CRED again today.

Our Ontario electorate had "had it up to here" and turfed the incumbent Liberals in yesterday's election, leaving them with only 7 seats (not enough for official party status). No politics!

G7 meetings which are starting in Quebec today should make for some "occasionally newsworthy comment ". Let me just say that Canada US relations are strained at the moment. No politics!
But it is true that we did burn down the White House. (Of course, it was in the War of 1812!)

IM- glad that Jack is home.
YR - glad that David is doing well. You have a practical view of Alan's and your own health issues. Wishing you continued strength and acceptance.

Enjoy the day.

Lucina said...

Not trying to delve into politics or religion, just a comment that here there is a debate about teaching creationism and intelligent design vs. evolution! Our state superintendent wants the religious aspect taught. Ardent discussion ensues!

YR:
Please know that as PK says, we are here for you and are your cheerleaders in the constant turmoil of Alan's health and your own issues as well. Hang in there!

Wilbur Charles said...

If there's Nae gambling there's nae golf*.
HAWKER-Seller, Trap-SNARE-HEM IN not to speak of 31A which I took literally before I grok'ed the theme. I forget what I put in. I overwrote it and. And can't make it out.
Just read D-OTTO, I'll have to check the SERMON vs Homily link. My pastor** always has a great homily, preceded by a joke. It's definitely not a sermon and always over too soon

YR, so they did the test for PKU? I see it's rare. Very frustrating, God bless you for your love and patience.

*For the Scotch it's "Nae WIND there's nae golf"
**Actually Father Tony is a retired priest but the Pastor's cool, though he's ESL'er

I found the"Comedy" in Sherlock's cases the best part. However, yes, it's classic English comedy and a far cry from the portrayal of Bruce. Btw, I'd rate this a typically devilish Wesch. My blushes, Jeffrey***
I always like L-714 Write-ups. When I pretty much perped in WARES it gave me the NW but only after having a go with SELLER.

WC

*** From "The Final Problem"...
The(Moriarty) famous scientific criminal, as famous among crooks -‘

   ‘My blushes, Watson!’ Holmes murmured in a deprecating voice.

   ‘I was about to say, “as he is unknown to the public”.’

   ‘A touch! A distinct touch!’ cried Holmes. ‘You are developing a certain unexpected vein of pawky humour, Watson, against which I must learn to guard myself"


Ps

Of course LAY is Lay's. Don't like'em.
I'm a Cape Cod guy.

Lemonade714 said...

I also loved Jeremy Brett and his times as SH. Benedict Cumberbatch/Martin Freeman combination is wonderful but it is not Conan Doyle's Sherlock. The ELEMENTARY version is also not CD and Johnny Lee Miller is unwatchable by me; this is sad because I like the rest of the cast.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Ta- DAH!
Feeling good after finishing a Wechsler opus!

Ah, GBS reminds me of my old girlfriend back in undergrad days. She was very worldly - or so she thought - a sophisticate, veddy cool, & something of a wannabe cynic. She had a Germanic name and added a "Von" in the middle to make it sound more aristocratic. This dear young lady thought it too effusive to say "I love you," and so, as code words for it, she used the name of the intellectual playwright, "George Bernard Shaw."
When she was in a particularly giving mood, she would draw out the vowels, pronouncing it "Geo-orge Berna-ard Shaa-aaw!"
I wonder what became of her.

Lucina, I am not sure which "unique titles" you mean, but Shaw had some neat, pithy titles, often nailing his theme quite precisely. I'm thinking of titles like The Doctor's Dilemma and The Devil's Disciple. But then, yes, he sometimes went a bit overboard, such as with the one-act play, The Shewing-Up of Blanco Posnet: A Sermon in Crude Melodrama.
The wonder of Shaw is his ability to play advocatus diaboli or devil's advocate. He would often start off with an anti-hero, a character standing in opposition to societal norms, and then present a case that he (or she!) was the only sane person on the stage.
His great device was a sort of intellectual slight-of-hand, whereby you would listen to all the arguments on one side of an issue and be absolutely convinced of the rightness of the matter, but then after the next scene you would be turned 180 degrees and believe in the opposite side.
Shaw was the master of argumentation.

Misty, have a safe and pleasant trip - if we don't see you back here before you leave!

~ OMK


____________
Diagonal Report:
Just one, on the mirror side.

Spitzboov said...

PK @ 1334 - Re: Wechsler - -In German, Wechsler means "changer" as in money-changer. The verb "wechseln" means 'to change'. It is used in Germany when exchanging funds. Dudley and YR had the pronunciation right. I'm guessing Jeff would agree.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Spitzboov @3:41,
Except, of course, that in German, the initial "W" would be pronounced as a "V."

~ OMK

Roy said...

Just got BUTCH Cassidy! Doh...

Got the theme at WATCHING MACHINE.

JETE is related to jet; plié to ply.

I had the initial M and was trying to come up with a character name from M*A*S*H.

I consider both Sherlock and Elementary enjoyable modernizations of the canon

Spitzboov said...

OMK - OF course. I just took it for granted that if speaking German, or in Germany, I would pronounce a 'V'. Thanks.

Jayce said...

I enjoyed this puzzle. Usually I get all intimidated to see Jeff Wechsler's name on a Friday puzzle, but that intimidation quickly dissipated as I slowly, step by step, pleasurably, solved the whole thing without having to look anything up. Cottoning to the nifty SH to TCH change helped a lot. I found them all to be quite cashy and smiled at all four of them. I agree that, as Cart Boy said, J Wechsler is a top constructor and I always pat myself on the back when I get the win. Like Misty, I love Jeffrey Wechsler puzzles. And as oc4beach said, Jeffrey is truly a Friday Master.

CrossEyedDave said...

Watching Machine?

Ditch Network?

Butch Leaguer?

Matched Potatoes?

Bill G said...

I came across this online: Jamie Oliver wrote on Instagram that Bourdain "really broke the mould ..."

It seemed like an obvious mistake but it turns out to have been another example of American Englis vs. British English.

"American English has no mould, and British English has no mold." I didn't know that. Now I do.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Shakespeare had some unusually talented boy actors in his company, so wasn't about to let a nearly all-male tragedy like Julius Caesar go by without fleshing out a couple of strong female roles.

Both of the wives, Portia for Brutus and Calpurnia for Caesar, are given strong roles in the play. True, they only get one major scene apiece, but they get powerful set speeches in their respective appearances.
The play is the one of Will's that I probably know most intimately. I played Anthony in my first professional season (in Oregon) and later got a crack at Marcus Brutus. I also directed one for the Texas Shax Fest.
We had a terrific actress playing Portia when I was Brutus. I remember vividly how I would finish Brutus' act II conspiracy scene and then Portia would enter very quietly and proceed to steal the show (quite legitimately) with the speech quoted above by Lemonade.
I just looked on in awe.

Jumble fans: Today was another where I could guess the final answer well before finishing all the lead-up words.
Why is it that some of the prelim words will just fall into my lap, whereas others take several frustrating attempts to crack?
I am trying to detect a pattern here, maybe a repeated array of letters that separates the easy solve from the hard.
No luck so far.

~ OMK

Picard said...

Yellowrocks: Sorry you have lost posts. But glad you enjoyed the extraordinary street paintings!

Lemonade: Good for you that you eat the entire tuber and that you enjoy rice, too. Not all rice is equal. I get Basmati rice from India at Trader Joe's. It has a delightful aroma and it cooks in the rice cooker the same as other kinds of rice. There are so many other vegetables in the world and it is too bad Americans are so limited in our tastes and choices.

PK: Glad you enjoyed the Lizard's Mouth photos and that you spotted the Lizard's Mouth. Yes, that "honeycomb pocked effect" is all over the place in our local POROUS SANDSTONE. It really makes the "Lizard's Mouth" look like the real thing! And, yes, some of the real lizards were works of art, too!

As for the rattlesnakes, they were mostly settled in and not going anywhere. I kept enough distance that they were not too disturbed. But one of them did uncoil and move off from the attention we were giving it. Snakes are very vulnerable creatures with no arms or claws and no ability to move quickly. They generally avoid conflict as much as possible. I always consider it a treat to see any kind of snake as they are not often seen.

Lucina: I saw that in the news that Arizona wants to forbid even using the word "evolution" in its science classes. "Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution" is a 1973 essay by the evolutionary biologist and Eastern Orthodox Christian Theodosius Dobzhansky.

SwampCat said...

YR, I’m so sorry to hear of all your family’s problems. Prayers and good thoughts from here for you and Alan and David.

Wilbur Charles said...

I just went to check posts and caught the J word. So I'll post what I had and drop in again later
I have to agree, right down the line, with Jayce. When I started this Friday xword I stopped after drawing a blank and wondered if I'd wandered into Saturday.

Then I looked at the Constructor. Aha. Then I looked for a toehold and found it in all places, GBS. Despite everything, it had to be right. Jeff or Rich, if it'd been earlier in the week would the clue have been Pygmalion monogram?

I certainly watched the Jeremy Brett Sherlock series but for me it went too far in the other direction(from Basil and Bruce).

OMK, tres droll. Reminds me of my "Il faut parler Francais toutement " amie from my brief, pre-USMC Masters Class.
No thesis for me though.

I did like the A&E version of Wolfe though.

Misty, drop by and let us know how the glasses work out. I was Near-Sighted before the surgery and then became Far-Sighted. I use reading glasses rather than the progressive for something like the blog.

WC

Wilbur Charles said...

Done .

Yuman said...

Thank you for the words of welcome. You have piqued my interest in Jumble, so I have decided to take the plunge. Any suggestions for a newbie?

Anonymous T said...

Close counts in horseshoes, handgranades, and small nuclear weapons; In Xwords - no cigar for me... Like BigE, I lacked BY @12d.

While interleaving puzzle-play and work I fell for every Trap JW laid out; ESS, Apace (up the road); I really wanted 'screw'-over @51d. When I finally got home and focused, puzzle-wise, I got everything fixed and that pesky NW lick'd (HEM IN was last to fall). So relieved at that, I didn't go back to the NE. Oh, well, like Swamp, I had fun.

Thanks JW and Lem; the Fantastic Friday DUO (why did I have DRs @1st?), for the puzzle and informative expo.

Roger's relative? I knew we were going for, at the very least, radio calls. I did the whole Airplane bit in my head. AYE, I see now.

Bush League my 1st themer and Fav. I learned the term at 9yrs watching WKRP when Del, 'personable owner' of Del's Stereo, said to Herb:
"Radio exec?
I knew I couldn't fool you with this Bush League equipment...
Let's talk 'hi-end'" and then went on to make up Japanese electronic company names...
You can learn a lot from TV! :-)

Yup, oc4, I too had PLIES b/f I remembered Youngest saying Grande JETES Dad.

@26d I kept thinking of Fossey as Fosse [Williams/Bird Cage]. -PE finally set me Straight. :-)

{B+}

Lem - GBS; know the name/play write but nothing more (and DW is English Major!)

C, Eh! - bending the NP rules a bit here.... Sorry, eh? Let's hope this gets squared away soon and not too much damage is done to the relationship with our NORAD buddies in the Great White North.

Lucina - As an agnostic, I ain't touching that @2:49 :-). #ReligionInReligion/History/HumanitiesClassPeriod.

Cheers, -T

Yuman said...

For those that have asked about photo, Sugar is a 80 lb. lab that is a therapy dog at our hospital.

Wilbur Charles said...

I was afraid someone might let the J_ out of the bag. I'll refrain from my comic hints unless Misty requests so.

CED, your ticklers are worth the Weschler price of admission.

My Julius goes back to 9th grade along with Ivanhoe for which I have outlined a Hamilton style Musical. Hint: Not only is Cedric not the hero but you never really see him or hear him until the very last minute. The big problem is Richard's getting out of Austria and getting to the joust in time. And getting Eleanor of Acquitaine in there. And finally, not making the portrayal of John too politically obvious.

WC

Anonymous T said...

Didn't refresh before posting (again) says...

BillG:
Re: Bourdain, I heard that as I was waking up this morning. "Did he and Kate Spade have a pact?" was my first thought. Tragic - each had a teenager (who now needs serious therapy).

Re: Mould/Mold:
I made DW an 'Acme Instant Dissertation KIT' (Just add words!). One of the "selling-points" in a 'sticker' on the cover read:
'American' English - Now with 70% fewer 'U's!

She eventually filled the blank ream of paper I put in the 3" binder 'KIT'

Yuman - I'll let other's answer Jumble; to a dyslexic CAYNUL looks like a word :-). //Sugar is a cute pup.

Cheers, -T

thehondohurricane said...

Yuman @ 5:32,

Sugar looks like a sweet dog. For sure he (she) helps a lot of people who can use assistance and affection. My guy, Casey, goes at 64# and is the friendliest dog folks can meet. I thought he would be a great therapy dog , but the logistics were too much for me to him to get involved. Still looking @ ways to break this logjam.

Hondo

Lemonade714 said...

jesi k, we do not do business promotion on this site; if you want to comment on puzzles, please come back. If you want to promote a business in Australia- why here? Kazie is our only vocal regular from Oz.

billocohoes, I have begun the process of rereading all of the Conan Doyle SH stories/books, and while comic relief was too strong, he was a distinct contrast to the arrogant cold Sherlock.

Lemonade714 said...

CED, you are a gem. WC I also loved the A&E Nero Wolfe. series

Jayce said...

Never allow bureaucrats in the state capital dictate what is or is not, should be or should not be, taught in the classroom. The mere concept of saying "let's not even mention that" and "education" in the same breath is wrong and nonsensical on the face of it.

TX Ms said...

Great puzzle and review, JW and Lemon. Butch (w perps for LEAGUER) Cassidy opened up the solve. WO at BEEPER to BEEPAT. Signal on the road (beepat) down here would elicit an extra-long horn honk or two. Used to not be that way decades ago.

Anon-T @ 5:43 - Damn, you're right that dyslexia helps - lol! After solving all the other three words in less than 15 seconds, lunacy stumped me for over three minutes, even after I filled in the answer. Duh

What a cute pup, Sugar! Doin' a lot of good.

Misty said...

Well, no glasses right now because Lenscrafters had a technical glitch and instead of giving me two new pairs of progressive lenses in two hours I came home with nothing, and can see very little clearly at the moment--except reading, which is okay. The fellow is supposed to deliver both gasses to my house in the next hour, but I'm betting that with Friday Laguna traffic he will call and tell me he can't make it today. Will make watching TV miserable, and scares me because I go to Belgium on Sunday and must have glasses and be able to see on that trip. So not my best morning and forgive me if my responses are spotty and not helpful. But thank you for the good wishes, Ol'Man Keith--and will pray they come true.

AnonT for the J--CAYNUL is LUNACY, but you probably got that. Yuman, so glad you're willing to try the J. I try to straighten out as many of the words as I can, then read the cartoon and see if I can guess the resolve with what I have. There's usually punning in the answer, as in this morning J where the pun was on the word DUCKS. Hope that doesn't spoil anything for anyone.

oc4beach said...


IM: I did see your post about your latest shipment, but it was too late to respond when I saw it. I hope you enjoy them.

Bill G: The Gibble's chips that IM and I are talking about are made in Pennsylvania and not distributed far and wide. However, like IM does, you can order them online and they will ship them to you. I think the uniqueness of their flavor is that they are fried in natural Lard, not processed vegetable oil. Enjoy them if you get them.

Lemon: Yes, I've heard of Shaw, but never read any of his works, so GBS was not at the top of my list. Also, in many cases guidelines for monogram layouts vary, so, in some cases the monogram could be GSB with the last name in the middle instead of GBS with the first initial, middle initial and last initial. DW and I argue about this (good naturedly) when she wants to have something monogrammed. For a man it depends on where the monogram is displayed.

Anonymous said...

Picard, your posts have always been, how do I say this, anti something? I dont know how else to explain it. But how can you say that Americans are limited in their tastes and choices!!?

In EVERY medium to large city in this country has a much higher variety of food and choices than ANY other country's medium cities. Try getting Tex-Mex on Cologne. Or smoked brisket in Singapore. Okra in Osaka? Deep dish in Dubai. But I can get falafel in Fairbanks and gyros in Georgia. Even mufungo in Memphis.

I won't say you're not proud to be an American but you often come across as disparaging to us.

billocohoes said...

While there's a certain amount of wit and humor in Conan Doyle, I might not go as far as calling it comic.

Has "pawky" ever appeared in a crossword?

PK said...

Thank you, all those who responded to the Wechsler question. I knew some had been saying Wex, but I thought he made a comment that made me question that.

Picard: since I had bullsnakes living in my enclosed back porch on the farm, it didn't delight me to see one. The only thing that delighted me was they ate any rodents that snuck in. I didn't try to kill them or displace them, but it did startle me when I reached for something on a shelf in the dim light and a big fat snake started moving. The porch was built over an old cistern that attracted lots of creepies. I couldn't tear the porch off because the electrical box was out there and needed a roof for protection on the north side of the hundred-plus-years-old stone house.

Anonymous T said...

Misty - How in the heck did you get LUNACY out of CAYNUL? [oh...]. For reals, I cannot 'see' a new letter-pattern when one is presented. #ISuck@Jumble. However, I can 'see' Sudoku so quickly that it is boring.

@7:10Anon - I kinda get your point that we in the US can eat from around the world but (there's a big butt there) it's all Americanized. I've only been to Egypt, Germany, the U.K., and US Lite (read: Canada :-)) but I've found the same 'generic' food there too (there's a TGI Friday's in Maadi Egypt!).
I think what Picard was getting at is that our store shelves are stocked to our (US) taste. Let me (try) to explain in a little story of my dinner last night with my buddies of 19yrs...

We went to a place in Korean Town (didn't know we had that in Houston(?)). I couldn't understand much of the menu (I found the beer!) but my buddy D (who's Mom is Korean) knew what to order. We had to grill our own meat (D did it) and had veggies that I've never seen before galore.
[Aside: D stopped on his way to the restaurant at a Korean store to get special rice.].

My other buddy, A - from Algiers, was equally flummoxed. Both A and I were hesitant with some veggies (we ate it and it was yummy AND HOT!*)

So, in a way, you're right - we can get that in some cities. However, I beg you to find that in Springfield, IL (my hometown).

During dinner, a fly on the wall may have overheard:
Fun #1:
D (remember, he's 1/2 Korean) was impatient with some of the service and said, "This is the problem with authentic Korean - the service sucks"
A: You Americans are so spoiled. This is "service" in the rest of the world.
Me: I had great service in some dive in Cairo...
A: They needed money after the Arab Spring; they'd do anything.

Fun #2:
A: I got my daughter into the STEM program at the HS. There are so many Indians and Asians, she's [remember, A's Algerian] the only 'white' kid.

#MeltingPot
----

Puzzle WO - @36d: S---P---, I entered Syrup TAX. What do you think of that C, Eh? :-)

Cheers, -T
*And we eat jalapeños

Misty said...

Just a quick note to say that they brought my new glasses to the house, and I can see normally again. Thank you, Lens-crafters. And Anon T, don't give up on Jumble--it's fun, even if you don't get it every day--I certainly don't.

Bill G said...

I have kleptomania tendencies. When it gets bad, I take something for it.

Michael said...

Yesterday or today, someone asked about the cable bill (sorry, I couldn't find the original post -- too much traffic on the Corner).

So, here's today's love note from AT&T:

"Service: U-verse TV and Internet
Account ending in: 7229
Bill Total: $204.25
Payment Date: 06/25/2018"

Yep, we love you, too.

Lemonade714 said...

I agree with both sides about food in the US. Much international cuisine is dumbed down to be appealing to the greatest number of customers. Thai restaurants fir example are often no longer authentic,BUT there are those that are. For ever Olive Garden
… you can find a smallIsh place with outstanding Italian dishes. I can get everything from a great fresh hamburger to Mongolian food. It is easy to generalize but if yo u do not find great food, you did not try hard enough.

Picard, we prefer the more delicate flavor of Jasmine rice from Thailand. Not a surprise.

Lemonade714 said...

Happy for you IM. Bill G., keep them coming. I just bought one of those magic HDTV antenna
We will see

Wilbur Charles said...

Yes, people don't BEEP today. They'd rather collide.
I blew the J_. C-eh made me notice that#3 is not NUANCE. I went too fast. Nice word btw Mr Hoyt if you're out there. Btw, last week they had five letters for which they wanted THIRD. But DIRTH also fits except it didn't fit the riddle. ???FOUL??

Exit J_.

-T, it seems to be the case that the J_ people can't do Sudoku. I'm Monday level. I have a vague memory of doing late week S_ ten years ago.

Oh, btw Misty, Tin, -T etal. Tomorrow is Saturday, twice as tough as Friday per the Norris rule(tm). And I've been FIR'ing the weekend and FIW'ing the "easy" ones like yesterday's SMOLT. Btw, Boston has a popular fish Scrod.

Both Anon@7:10 and Picard are equally correct. If I go to a restaurant I've got pork, steak and chicken/Turkey. * and the infamous mixed veggies. The antidote is tons of hot spices, Mayo or ketchup. Anon is right that in the city there are lots of choices.

*TOMS yielded HEN before HES. It reminds me of something I'll try to link.

WC

Wilbur Charles said...

I was thinking of the "They're all chickens" line*. Apparently, one has to pay for YouTube RED in order to link(vis download)
.
WC

* Seinfeld

Anonymous T said...

Oc4 and IM... OK, my interest is piqued. I asked the Google...

Amazon has "Home Style" and "Red Bag." Then I found a supposed Mom&Pop distributor (shipmychips.com) and conglomerate Target(.com). What am I to order (operators are standing by) for the real Gibble's experience? -T

Anonymous T said...

WC - Your They're all Chickens link. LOL!

There's how-to Olio on linkage at the Corner Home. I've tried to explain it but, as y'alls know, I'm not a good 'splainer.
Type:
<a href="the_link_you_cut_from_the_browser_bar_pasted"> Stuff_in_blue_people_click </a> is the quick & dirty. Be careful with your spacing.

Re: Sudoku (I took a look) is in the key of 8. <3min

Cheers, -T

Lucina said...

Picard:
If the news report you read or heard said "Arizona forbids the mention of evolution" that is not accurate. The state superintendent of public instruction doesn't want ii because of her religion.

As for food, I have to side with Picard to some degree. Having eaten in other countries and tasting the genuine food I find it bland here, whether it's Chinese, Japanese, Mexican or any other with which I'm familiar. As Lemonade said, you have to search far and wide to find authentic tasting foreign food. But you have to know what to look for, too. Had I not traveled widely I would not know the difference.

And speaking of food, I'm so sad about Anthony Bourdain. Just writing it breaks my heart. I love his program and shall miss him.

OwenKL said...

Yuman asked "You have piqued my interest in Jumble, so I have decided to take the plunge. Any suggestions for a newbie?"

There are always 2 5-letter words and 2 6-letters. The 6es are exponentially harder than the 5s, but two rules of thumb that help me (and which the writers purposely break from time to time): whatever is the first letter in the scramble will not be the first letter in the solution, and if a letter is doubled in the scramble, they will not be next to each other in the solution, and vice versa.

A friend once advised to write the letters in a circle with the most likely middle letter (vowel or doubled) in the center to better visualize the possible combinations. It hasn't worked for me, but YMMV.

CanadianEh! said...

AnonT@9:26- LOL re US Lite and Syrup Tax. The second one starts July 1 apparently!

Unknown said...

Ooh, thanks! Julius Caesar, on of my favorites, and I forgot all about Brutus’ wife. When I was a high school teacher, we read the play in class! Where’s the wet noodle?