June 30 is set aside to celebrate National Social Media Day. The use of these sites has changed not only me but the bulk of America. It has also opened up arenas for some really nasty business but that is one of the downsides of The First Amendment.
I consider what we do here to certainly be a cog in the Social Media machinery. I have met some lovely new friends here and deeply value my contact with them through this electronic medium and, yes, SOCIAL MEDIA was in Morton's puzzle yesterday.
I have also made contact with former students and colleagues including my former commuting pal who is now married, living and teaching in Ho Chi Minh City! I could do without the winter postings questioning my intelligence for staying her in the frozen tundra but that is part of game and I enjoy winter. No, really!
On this day, Brian has supplied us with a worthy challenge that took me a lot longer than last Saturday's puzzle. There were a few fills that took some disassembling even after I got them with solid perpendicular entries including a type of clam that has escaped my purview up to now.
Let's begin our own social media exploration of Brian's Saturday offering on this last day of June:
Across:
1. Complies with a "Star Trek" order: MAKES IT SO
10. Larkish?: HAPPY.
15. Field reporter's signoff: OVER TO YOU - Kind of hard to do if you...
16. Stan's partner: OLLIE.
17. Inspiration for many pop songs: TEEN ANGST - Exhibit A
18. Period of time: SPELL - waethre is a bad SPELL of weather
19. 120 dozen?: TENS - A great hundred, also known as a small gross, is 120 or TEN dozen. That would be 120 of these bad boys!
20. "I Miss You" (1994) R&B singer: AARON HALL - Okay
22. Ring combination: ONE TWO - ONE - right jab, TWO - left hook. THREE - Good night sweet prince.
25. "Carmen" parts: ARIAS.
26. Gun offspring?: SON - "SON of a GUN" is my go-to phrase for a bad golf shot
27. Giving relief to: EASING - Ray later found out it was his own pain that needed EASING in Field Of Dreams. This is the only movie I can remember that had a real emotional effect on me
30. "Growing Up in New Guinea" author: MEAD - The revolutionary book by Margaret MEAD about her time in the Manus Province (after working with plains Indians in Nebraska) before missionaries and other western influences arrived
33. Let out, say: ALTER - I haven't had my DW "take in" any pants for a while
34. In the worst way: BADLY - Our school board wanted a new Middle School in the worst way and by golly that's what they got.
35. Stretch limits: PUSH THE ENVELOPE.
40. Two-time A.L. HR leader Tony: ARMAS - He of the Boston Red Sox of the 1980's
41. Wide-eyed: NAIVE.
42. Razor __: CLAM - Unknown to me and seldom seen here in the Platte River
43. Monty Python co-founder: CLEESE.
45. "Doctor Who" airer: BBC - All you need to know - A favorite show for Sheldon on Big Bang Theory
48. Eastern European capital: SOFIA, Bulgaria
50. Small '90s-'00s Nissan: ALMERA- As well known as a RAZOR Clam to this blogger and also not found in the Platte River
52. Worked the room: SCHMOOZED.
56. Inventor Sikorsky: IGOR - An invention of his was featured in this 50's TV series
57. "Politically Incorrect" host: MAHER - As far to one side of the political spectrum as others are to the opposite side
58. Great Depression symbol: BREADLINE - Farmers around here were broke but at least could put food on the table
61. Putting to work: USING - I am USING MacOS High Sierra, Version 10.13.4 on my MacBook Pro
62. Dog school focus: OBEDIENCE.
63. Bug: GET TO - As I said last week, LET IT GO! Don't let 'em GET TO ya (Nolite te bastardes carorundorum)!
64. Sycophant: YES PERSON - Fans of The Office know who that is in this picture and who is the 11. Top dog: ALPHA MALE
Down:
1. Guiding principles: MOTTOS - Mine is, "Nobody is better than I am and I am no better than anyone"
2. Johnson & Johnson brand: AVEENO
3. Wayans family member: KEENEN - Okay
4. "Trophy, Hypertrophied" artist: ERNST - Art is in the eye/checkbook of the beholder
5. Stop: Abbr.: STA.
6. It's charged: ION - Hey, we science guys deserve a slightly arcane joke once in a while!
7. "Rack City" rapper: TYGA - It took me about 3 seconds to get the gist of his lyrics
8. McGwire rival: SOSA - They are giving credit for saving baseball after a strike and then making baseball own up to its steroid problem
9. Left in the dust: OUTRAN.
10. President after Anwar: HOSNI - Mubarak
12. "I would like that!": PLEASE DO
13. Difficult sort: PILL.
14. Scream: YELL
21. Dot follower: ORG.
23. Paintball mementos: WELTS
24. Citizenship promise: OATH - Here's one - I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.
28. Understand: SEE.
29. Sherlock's adversary Adler: IRENE - Lovely Lara Pulver is a great IRENE to Benedict Cumberbatch's SMUG, off-the-wall Sherlock in this recent BBC iteration
31. Lofty peak: ALP.
32. Tint: DYE - My hair vanity has not reached that point yet!
33. Lighting event?: AHA MOMENT - While Dr. Percy Spencer was working on a magnetron for military radar in 1946, he reached into his pocket and discovered his chocolate peanut cluster had melted. His AHA MOMENT turned into the invention of the microwave oven. The next day he put popcorn next to the device
34. Angled cut: BEVEL
35. Super __: PAC - To whom do I make out the check senator?
36. Browser bookmark: URL - Part of today's special day
37. Blockbuster: SMASH HIT - The list
38. "Auld Scotland wants __ skinking ware": Burns: NAE - Burns tribute to his beloved Haggis, and "NAE skinking ware that jaups in luggies" translated here
39. Passport endorsement: VISA.
43. Tech boss: CIO - Chief Information Officer
44. Big name in taking it easy: LA-Z-BOY - A great couch potato option
45. Kicks off: BEGINS - The NFL wants to make kickoff ssafer and they are implementing these new rules
46. Super Bowl 50 champ: BRONCO - It was said of Peyton Manning in Super Bowl 50, "He was the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl and he played like it." The Broncos' defense won this game and Peyton was just along for the ride with his ineffective passing.
47. Lean dangerously: CAREEN
49. Waive: FORGO.
51. Bannister, for one: MILER - Having a last name that is also a common noun allows for crossword mischief
53. Trophy holder: CASE - Sir Roger Bannister and his Trophy CASE
52. Self-satisfied: SMUG - You just knew SMUG Biff Tannen would get his just desserts before the closing credits in Back To The Future
54. "Law and Order: CI" actress Kathryn: ERBE - Okay
55. They leave a lot of room for improvement: DEES - Despite what you might think, this letter never graced any of my report cards
59. Payroll service co.: ADP.
60. 21-spot item, typically: DIE - ...and six sides. Add up the spots
Now use our social media to give us your well-considered, thoughtful commentary:
DA GRID
Let's begin our own social media exploration of Brian's Saturday offering on this last day of June:
Across:
1. Complies with a "Star Trek" order: MAKES IT SO
10. Larkish?: HAPPY.
15. Field reporter's signoff: OVER TO YOU - Kind of hard to do if you...
16. Stan's partner: OLLIE.
17. Inspiration for many pop songs: TEEN ANGST - Exhibit A
18. Period of time: SPELL - waethre is a bad SPELL of weather
19. 120 dozen?: TENS - A great hundred, also known as a small gross, is 120 or TEN dozen. That would be 120 of these bad boys!
20. "I Miss You" (1994) R&B singer: AARON HALL - Okay
22. Ring combination: ONE TWO - ONE - right jab, TWO - left hook. THREE - Good night sweet prince.
25. "Carmen" parts: ARIAS.
26. Gun offspring?: SON - "SON of a GUN" is my go-to phrase for a bad golf shot
27. Giving relief to: EASING - Ray later found out it was his own pain that needed EASING in Field Of Dreams. This is the only movie I can remember that had a real emotional effect on me
30. "Growing Up in New Guinea" author: MEAD - The revolutionary book by Margaret MEAD about her time in the Manus Province (after working with plains Indians in Nebraska) before missionaries and other western influences arrived
 |
| Margaret Mead directing a group of men playing sacred flutes in Arapesh |
33. Let out, say: ALTER - I haven't had my DW "take in" any pants for a while
34. In the worst way: BADLY - Our school board wanted a new Middle School in the worst way and by golly that's what they got.
35. Stretch limits: PUSH THE ENVELOPE.
40. Two-time A.L. HR leader Tony: ARMAS - He of the Boston Red Sox of the 1980's
41. Wide-eyed: NAIVE.
42. Razor __: CLAM - Unknown to me and seldom seen here in the Platte River
43. Monty Python co-founder: CLEESE.
45. "Doctor Who" airer: BBC - All you need to know - A favorite show for Sheldon on Big Bang Theory
48. Eastern European capital: SOFIA, Bulgaria
50. Small '90s-'00s Nissan: ALMERA- As well known as a RAZOR Clam to this blogger and also not found in the Platte River
56. Inventor Sikorsky: IGOR - An invention of his was featured in this 50's TV series
57. "Politically Incorrect" host: MAHER - As far to one side of the political spectrum as others are to the opposite side
58. Great Depression symbol: BREADLINE - Farmers around here were broke but at least could put food on the table
61. Putting to work: USING - I am USING MacOS High Sierra, Version 10.13.4 on my MacBook Pro
62. Dog school focus: OBEDIENCE.
63. Bug: GET TO - As I said last week, LET IT GO! Don't let 'em GET TO ya (Nolite te bastardes carorundorum)!
64. Sycophant: YES PERSON - Fans of The Office know who that is in this picture and who is the 11. Top dog: ALPHA MALE
Down:
1. Guiding principles: MOTTOS - Mine is, "Nobody is better than I am and I am no better than anyone"
2. Johnson & Johnson brand: AVEENO
3. Wayans family member: KEENEN - Okay
4. "Trophy, Hypertrophied" artist: ERNST - Art is in the eye/checkbook of the beholder
 |
| Trophy, Hypertrophied - 1919 |
5. Stop: Abbr.: STA.
6. It's charged: ION - Hey, we science guys deserve a slightly arcane joke once in a while!
8. McGwire rival: SOSA - They are giving credit for saving baseball after a strike and then making baseball own up to its steroid problem
9. Left in the dust: OUTRAN.
10. President after Anwar: HOSNI - Mubarak
12. "I would like that!": PLEASE DO
13. Difficult sort: PILL.
14. Scream: YELL
21. Dot follower: ORG.
24. Citizenship promise: OATH - Here's one - I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.
28. Understand: SEE.
29. Sherlock's adversary Adler: IRENE - Lovely Lara Pulver is a great IRENE to Benedict Cumberbatch's SMUG, off-the-wall Sherlock in this recent BBC iteration
31. Lofty peak: ALP.
32. Tint: DYE - My hair vanity has not reached that point yet!
34. Angled cut: BEVEL
35. Super __: PAC - To whom do I make out the check senator?
36. Browser bookmark: URL - Part of today's special day
37. Blockbuster: SMASH HIT - The list
38. "Auld Scotland wants __ skinking ware": Burns: NAE - Burns tribute to his beloved Haggis, and "NAE skinking ware that jaups in luggies" translated here39. Passport endorsement: VISA.
43. Tech boss: CIO - Chief Information Officer
44. Big name in taking it easy: LA-Z-BOY - A great couch potato option
45. Kicks off: BEGINS - The NFL wants to make kickoff ssafer and they are implementing these new rules
46. Super Bowl 50 champ: BRONCO - It was said of Peyton Manning in Super Bowl 50, "He was the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl and he played like it." The Broncos' defense won this game and Peyton was just along for the ride with his ineffective passing.
47. Lean dangerously: CAREEN
49. Waive: FORGO.
51. Bannister, for one: MILER - Having a last name that is also a common noun allows for crossword mischief
53. Trophy holder: CASE - Sir Roger Bannister and his Trophy CASE
52. Self-satisfied: SMUG - You just knew SMUG Biff Tannen would get his just desserts before the closing credits in Back To The Future
54. "Law and Order: CI" actress Kathryn: ERBE - Okay
55. They leave a lot of room for improvement: DEES - Despite what you might think, this letter never graced any of my report cards
59. Payroll service co.: ADP.
60. 21-spot item, typically: DIE - ...and six sides. Add up the spots
Now use our social media to give us your well-considered, thoughtful commentary:
DA GRID
71 comments:
Nice blog! I didn't understand the clue for 19A myself until I read it. I submitted "Perfect scores on the ice" as the clue.
B.E.P.
FIWrong¡ The Natic at TYGf + fARON HALL was my only error, and one I had low confidence in anyway. After turning on the reds, I tried fARON > bARON > TYGr > AARON
TYGA the rapper, his street cred stank
So in despair he drank and drank.
His cred was positively affected
When by the cops he was arrested,
Now the cops have a Tyga in their tank!
My poems are a feeble attempt at wit.
They're often faulty -- well, a bit.
Still thru poesy I CAREEN,
Weigh in upon the rhyming scheme,
Wont feel well off until I have a SMASH HIT!
{C, B+.}
Morning, all!
Just popped in to wish our dear C.C. a happy birthday! Also checked yesterday's comments and had to thank everybody for the warm wishes. Joshua is 13 and is definitely hitting his growth spurt -- he's now taller than his mother, but still a few inches shy of my height. At this rate, though, he may be taller than me by the end of the summer.
I took the time to do today's puzzle before coming here and found it mostly easy with a few notable speedbumps. Unknown names, as usual: TYGA crossing AARON HALL crossing HOSNI was particularly brutal, but I finally pulled HOSNI out of somewhere and managed to get that section done. ALMERA was another complete unknown, but it didn't slow me down as all the perps were solid. It just left me wondering whether I had made a mistake somewhere, but no. The clue for TENS was devilishly tricky, but I liked it!
Again, thanks for the kind words and Happy Birthday, C.C!
Because I've never heard of an Almera (must have been marketed outside the US), Roger Bannister is now a tiler and will always be. The back two bathrooms need some work, Roger, can you give me a quote?
Just deserts, not “desserts”:
http://grammarist.com/spelling/just-deserts-just-desserts/
Good morning!
This one turned out to be easier than I'd feared, even with all the sports names. This one-time trekker inked in MAKES IT SO right out of the starting gate. No Wite-Out needed today. My final entry was to WAG the A at the TYGA/AARON cross. I reasoned that TYGA could be a gangsta Tiger, so the A made sense. Thanx, Brian. (Glad that "120 dozen" wasn't yours. Gross, in my opinion.) Husker, great expo, as usual.
TEEN ANGST: This is the version of Puppy Love I remember from my ute.
MEAD: Some teacher friends took a summer tramp steamer cruise through Micronesia. On one of the small islands a group of missionaries had distributed tee shirts to the women to cover their nakedness. The missionaries were somewhat taken aback when the nursing mothers cut circular holes in their tee shirts.
Happy belated birthday, Barry G. You've been silent so long I guessed you were no longer reading the blog. And a big Happy Birthday to our blog mistress, C.C. I'm sure CED will whip up a special cake in your honor.
Good to see you, Barry.
Cart Boy 6:58 - smiled right out loud at that one! Funny stuff.
Hello Puzzlers -
Typical Saturday workout, I judge, especially with tricky things like an unknown Nissan in the mix. Husker’s explanation of “tens” is clear enough, but I’m still struggling to balance the answer with the clue.
Morning Husker, I’m with you there, Laura Pulver really is lovely. Thanks for enlightening us all!
I don’t know how many actors could pull off “Make it so!” as Patrick Stewart did. Probably not many.
Hi-
Can anyone explain the answer TENS (120 dozen?). I get that 120 is ten times a dozen, but the answer makes no sense to me. Am I missing something?
Thanks!
Good Morning.
I have been AWOL all week, finishing MIL's 95th birthday celebrations. A nephew brought her sister (86) in, so DH and I showed his cousin and wife around town whilst the ladies chatted during the days. I knew I would have to PUSH THE ENVELOPE today since I haven't worked any puzzles this week. I always need to warm up my brain. I had to walk away--usually a successful practice--to experience any AHA MOMENTs. Thanks, Brian.
Nicely done, Gary. I'm still pretty much afraid of the microwave. Never used one when I was pregnant--probably should have as all three took too long to cook.
OwenKL: I respectfully disagree with your grading system. The are all SMASH HITs in my book.
Barry G: Nice to see you here. I miss your insights. Try not to be a stranger.
Happy Birthday, C.C. Enjoy your day!!
It's certainly sunny here. Egads, last week I was wearing a jacket--certainly,not so this week! Enjoy the weekend.
Same here, Cartboy, but I also first read the clue as BARRISTER. Opthamalogist later this month. Also didn't know ALMERA, figured ALtERA was close to the better-known Altima.
NE was toughest, started with back TO YOU, then tried MOralS for MOTTOS, thought 120 dozen was a weak clue and forgot AVEENO so left ToNS in there.
Greg, language usage changes over time. If nobody remembers the original usage of DESERT as something merited, what's the point of maintaining the old spelling? A DESSERT is a treat you should get at the end, so by extension "just desserts" are fitting consequences to previous actions. Even your link says it's not serious, and up to each of us to decide which to use.
90% of this Saturday offering was fairly easy but the NW was a tough one to finish, having never watched Star Trek, heard of TYGA or his song "Rack City" ( what type of rack???), and had no idea about any 'Wayans family member". After the WAG of ONE-TWO I was thinking either MANET or MONET for the artist and BACK TO YOU for the 'signoff' but couldn't MAKE(S) IT SO (foreign for me).
Then for the J&J brand, I had an AHA MOMENT. AVEENO was a product from a company (Cooper Labs) that J&J purchased a few years back.
Brian- I didn't understand TENS either. "120 dozen" at 'a dime a dozen' would be $12.00. "120 dozen" = 10 Gross. I've never heard of a 'small gross'. TENS, along with AARON HALL, Tony ARMAS, IRENE Adler, HAPPY (never heard of Larkish but I guess HAPPY as a lark), Kathryn ERBE, and the Nissan-not sold in the USA- ALMERA were all perps. WBS- ALMERA was an unknown.
HG, Ho Chi Minh City is and will always be SAIGON according to my numerous Vietnamese friends. They equate it's name change to changing the name of Berlin to "Hitlerburg".
OK, I'll give it a shot. "120 Dozen?" "What is 120 a dozen of?"
Too many "?"clues and proper names for my taste.
I wrote this puzzle a while ago, and at the time I didn't get that other people don't share my enthusiasm for pop culture and proper names. I have mended my ways since then!
Good morning everyone.
Thanks HG for a lead-in packed with info.
Fairly tough, but eventually, through patience, got it done. Still had some white-out left at the end. But for much of it, I was on Brian's wave-length so that helped. Loved SCHMOOZED. Had 'back' before OVER TO YOU. Brain coughed up HOSNI. Did not know AARON HALL. A few too many names for my liking, but Saturday is a crap shoot. HG, thanks for explaining the DIE clue.
SCHMOOZING - Comes from the Yiddish. German cognate might be schmusen; knutschen {vi} to be cuddling; to be canoodling; to be smooching. Schmooz is more in the sense of - - to gain a favor. (My Mom used the L. German smusen when we kids wanted a hug.)
It is nice to see a new constructor who comes to the Corner to share his insight. I first did one of BEP's puzzles recently in this PUZZLE SOCIETY themeless. He continues our Canadian influence here.
I too never heard of RAZOR CLAMS and don't click if you have too much imagination.
Thank you, Brian and HG.
I submit for 19 across..Bo Dereks?
Greg and Billocohoes - there’s another jolt in my awareness. I never knew that deserts preceded desserts in the merited gains sense. I took it for granted that the thing earned, whether a tasty food or a bit of praise, was always a dessert.
"Puzzling Thoughts":
Almost had this one solved until I hit the "Pacific NW", Montana and the Dakotas. Had to look up TYGA and ERNST (I, like Big Easy, was thinking either MANET or MONET). I was "lost in space" with 1a, as I was never a viewer of Star Trek the Next Generation. My first stab was: BEAMS ME UP! But other than that, I solved the rest with no lookups and just one WAG/perp with IRENE in 29d
HBTY, CC! Thanks for making this blog work!
Lots of punny possibilities but just one Moe-ku to share (the music reference might be too tame for Tony!!):
"Baby I'm a want
You. Baby I'm a need you"
Are famous BREAD LINES
Lemon, the razor clam video was, um, er, ah, .... 😀
My take on 19 across is "a dozen tens equals 120"
Thank you Brian and thank you Gary. Happy belated birthday Barry ! Good to see you pop in. Don't be a stranger. Happy birthday CC !
The clock on the Mensa site says 8:34, but in full disclosure, that was on my second run. I liked it both times I solved it. Did need perp help to get through it the first time. Lots of great clues and AHA MOMENTs.
OH ! There are 12 (a dozen) TENS in 120. D'OH!
Gary, I haven't seen a single one of those Top 10 grossing films. Guess modern movies just aren't my thing.
Lemonade, besides the big Comcast outage yesterday, Wikipedia was also down for about an hour and a half to two hours starting around noon eastern. Not everywhere, but in parts of the country. Chicago was one of them. No response to my pings. Timeouts.
House staining project continues to get delayed. Too hot again today, and the dew point is pushing 80.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY C.C.
HuskerL Wonderful write-up ... I even "solved the puzzle" today.
Cheers!
Good Morning:
Unlike yesterday's challenge, this was mostly a breeze, except for the NW corner. I loved the fresh long fill: Push the envelope, Aha Moment, Teen Angst, Smash hit, Over to you, etc. Keeping Back to you for so long kept me from breaking that corner open but, finally, things fell into place and I got the Tada at 20 minutes, still a fast solve for a Saturday. My R & B singer was Faith Hill before Aaron Hall, based on the L in Alpha male but perps quickly corrected that error. Schmoozed is a fun word but Yes person is sort of shaky, IMO. I think Almera was the only unknown.
Thanks, Brian, for an enjoyable outing and for stopping by and thanks, HG, for the interesting and informative expo, especially the explanation of the Tens clue and the origin of Push the envelope. The picture of Sosa and McGwire (sp?) was timely as Mr. Sosa has been in the news lately, dealing with questions about his much lighter skin tone.
Happy Birthday, dear CC, have a wonderful, special day! 🎂🎉🍾🎁🎈
Inanehiker, belated Happy Anniversary!
Barry G, thanks for stopping by. Try to chime in more often, we miss you.
Have a great day and stay cool! ⛄️⛄️⛄️
I forgot to mention that I have never heard of razor clams before either. My clue was "Quaghog, e.g.", expecting that to click with some "Family Guy" viewers. But maybe that is also obscure.
Well, as expected, this was a Saturday toughie for me, although I was happy to get the northeast corner right away, and even remembered HOSNI. So it took a while and a bit of cheating to get it done, but I enjoyed it--many thanks, Brian, and thanks for checking in with us. And nice write-up, as always, Husker Gary.
I'm really ticked off that I didn't get ERNST. MAX ERNST, is that right? I have a whole chapter in an early book on his art, but don't remember ever seeing or mentioning the "Trophy/Hypertrophied" picture. (Thanks for posting it, Gary). But I got IRENE Adler right away. Never occurred to me that BANNISTER was a person. My favorite clue was GUN OFFSPRING--I got that SON OF A GUN right away.
Your poems were fun, Owen.
Have a wonderful, wonderful birthday, C.C. You are our hero both for handling the blog and for your terrific puzzles!
The Jumble was a speed run for me this morning. I'm so grateful that the LA Times gives us doable Sudokus, Kenkens, and Jumbles on Saturdays, to counter the tough puzzles. Very kind of them.
Have a great weekend, everybody!
I loved your puzzle, Brian, a worthy challenge on a Saturday. Gary, great one, you never disappoint.
So good to hear from you Barry. Please try to keep in touch.
A very happy birthday, CC. I appreciate all your hard work for the blog and you loving care for the Cornerites. You deserve the best.
Only TYGA and Almera were new to me, but some of the others took a few perps to dredge up. I could picture Bill Maher, but his last name escaped me for a while.
AHA MOMENT was the last to fill, almost all perps. V-8 can, please. It was my AHA moment in the puzzle.
We collected shells of razor clams along with other types at the shore. They look amazingly like old fashioned razors that are closed.
I knew Bannister was a runner, so a perp or two brought MILER.
I remember HOSNI Mubarak from the news.
Kathryn Erbe is easy for me to remember because she spells Kathryn the same way I do.
TTP, great explanation of 120 dozen, a dozen 10s in 120, 12x10.
One of John Cleese's early roles was in The Avengers.
An episode called, Stop me if you heard this one...
It was after Mrs. Peel, and in my opinion, one of the best without her...
Unfortunately the episode cannot be found on YouTube, And sadly,
Marcus Rugman (AKA John Cleese) gets killed protecting egg shells
painted with the faces of clowns (true fact!) which is how they are copyrighted...
Ack! It's CC's B-Day?
(Dang it! I rely on her to tell me these things!)
HBD CC!
hmm, wait a sec, I think I used that cake before...
Hmm, no. too fake...
Ah! Here we go!
Clown/egg trivia...
The verse by Robert Burns @38D Is from his “Address to a Haggis.”
Haggis is a Scottish dish consisting of a sheep's or calf's offal (the entrails and internal organs of an animal used as food) mixed with suet, oatmeal, and seasoning and boiled in a bag, traditionally one made from the animal's stomach.
While it is eaten all year round, haggis is particularly associated with Burns Night, when it is traditionally served with "neeps and tatties" (Scots: swede, yellow turnip or rutabaga and potatoes, boiled and mashed separately) and a "dram" (i.e. a glass of Scotch whisky). Mashed together, "neeps and tatties" is also known as "clapshot".
Old Scots:
Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o' fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware,
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu’ prayer,
Gie her a Haggis!
Modern English
You Powers who look after mankind,
And dish out his bill of fare,
Old Scotland wants no watery, wimpy stuff
That splashes about in little wooden bowls!
But, if You will grant her a grateful prayer,
Give her a Haggis!
-T, FLN. Ah, the Gas Chamber.. oh sweet memories. Sounds like you were at the 'real' place. The threat of being sent to PI kept many of us pushing on. I was a college graduate with a year of teaching HS French. I knew absolutely nothing.
Speaking of ONE,TWO. I won my brown bar by beating the DI's fav using exactly that in pugel sticks.
Gary: Bad spell. lol++. Re. Field... I grew up with"The Connie Mack Book of Baseball". Tris Speaker was my hero.*
Tony didn't live up to his A's rep in Boston.
Problem is we saw the Dr on PBS. Easily corrected
SOSA says since he never failed a drug test, "Get off my back". **
TBBT helped with the Paintball WELTS
Re. "Popcorn".. re. Sherlock.. You are developing [ ] 'Pawky humor' Watson (Gary)***
MILER for Bannister is my Clue of the month. I naturally wanted RISER
I've just finished Gary's most excellent write-up and will post now. Suffice to say, I FIR'ed this morning so my chagrin over yesterday's FIW(ZONE out) is ERASEd
WC
*And from what I can gather Connie's too
** He's become very successful in non baseball pursuits
***Valley of Fear
Big Fat DNF - I tossed the towel after an hour+ of noodling with little (right) to show for it.
Thanks Brian but you beat me but good. NW, is a mess (@1a had nothing to do with the Prime Directive but I finally MA[de]KES IT SO thanks to a friendly ION). I had nuttin' in the NE; in the mid-West, Tony Gwynn was WAG'd way-wrong. I did a bit better in the South but that's not sayin' much. BACK TO YOU HG [bzzt again]
Also, Brian, thanks for stopping by the corner. As an aspiring constructor, I enjoy the inside-baseball. Don't fret too much re: pop-culture; it's not my cuppa but I learn and surprise the hell out of my kids: "How do you know that dad?" Today, I'll see if they know what a TYGA is. //I'm going to guess 'no', Eldest is into opera and Youngest into musicals. Both love RUSH :-)
Thanks HG for the expo and explaining @19a and 60d. Your popcorn quip was LOL.
Lem - I've seen that video you linked so we must have had Razor CLAM before (and I remembered it!) [I LIU - Sept. 26, '16; and that's same the video you linked @11:41a! LOL]
Fav: CLEESE. Nailed it //CED did you see my late FNL? Python was pitched to BBC on a Lark while(?) he was an Avenger.
{B, A} {LOL!}
Hello Barry G! Thanks for letting us know...
HAPPY Birthday C.C.!
Bill MAHER may be a lefty but last night he had Ben Shapiro on re: civility. Bill's not a knee-jerker, IMHO, and is open to ideas upon which to ideate a joke.
For breakfast, in our Aberdeen's office cafeteria: Haggis. Oh, I had to try just a bit. Spicy (not as in 'hot'; just a blend of savories (to cover the yuck(?))) and not bad in little doses.
Off to read CED's clown-egg link. BRB.
Cheers, -T
I had a lot of difficulty solving this puzzle, although I did solve it without having to resort to looking anything up. I did need red letters, though, to reveal that CAROL KING was only 4/9 correct. TENETS changed to MORALS which then changed to MOTTOS. What really did me in was the number of proper names I simply did not know, including AARON HALL, TYGA, ARMAS, ERBE, and ALMERA. I think the number of proper names I did know outnumbered those I didn't know, although I don't know why I know them; these include KEENAN Ivory Wayans, John CLEESE, Max ERNST, HOSNI Mubarak, Sammie SOSA, OLLIE Hardy, IRENE Adler, IGOR Sikorsky, Bill MAHER, and Margaret MEAD.
Interesting that HAPPY (the clue for which I loved!) crosses HOSNI, because mubarak can be roughly translated as happy, as in "Ramadan Mubarak."
I also loved the clue for SON.
Razor ___ evoked EDGE and THIN because CUT, BLADE, and SHARP don't fit. PAC and URL finally helped me remember there is such a thing as a razor CLAM. Sneaky clue :)
Excellent puzzle, Brian "No relation to Anna" Paquin!
Happy birthday, CC. Good to see you, Barry G. Best wishes to you all.
A surprisingly smooth Saturday solve. Twice through and done in 20 some minutes. That's a blistering time for me on a Saturday. WEES said re: unknowns/WOs. Hurray for perps.
A belated HBD, BarryG. Nice to hear from you again.
A very special Happy Birthday to our very special blog headmistress, CC. And many more to come.
If I have done it right, you may have noticed that I have changed my avatar. It is no longer Youdee, the University of Delaware mascot, but our grandson's grade school picture. MdF may have her "Blonde Tornado", we have our "Blond Tornado". And no, he's not ornery. Why would you think that?
Cya!
I grew up partly in Washington state and we went clamming for razor clams often. Though they will cut your hands when you reach into the hole you've dug to find them, it is worth it because they are delicious. My dad never used gloves so I guess he (and I don't remember any people wearing gloves) didn't even think of it. When we got home, they'd put the clams in the fridge in a bowl until they cooked them that night. If you opened the fridge, the clams would 'spit' at you!
Hi Y'all! Tricky puzzle, Brian. Delighted to have you chime in. Thanks. Gary, once more you gave us a lot of informative material. Great one. Thanks.
Filled it, but did not know HOSNI, TYGA, AARON HALL, ARMAS, ALMERA, CLEESE, ERBE. Other names took a while to remember.
A friend of mine loved to go Razor Clamming on Washington State beaches. He used a walker so I wondered why & how he did it.
Peck before TENS perped in. Gross didn't fit. In my mind, TENS didn't fit either but after study, I'll accept it. Rich: NOT your best clue ever.
Happy Birthday, dear C.C.! Our Social Media Queen. Thank you for reminding us, Barry! Good to hear from you again.
My grandson and his two team mates have been at the National Skills USA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, this week. They received 2nd place overall in Engineering Technology - Design competition. They took 1st with their project at state competition in Oklahoma. I reported at that time that they had taken the prize at National. I was confused by the title of the state competition being National Skills USA. Anyway I'm very proud of my tall red-haired grandson Ethan.
Razor: I tried Occam's but it was too long. Tried OCAM which was 75% right. CLAM.
HBD, C.C.! Thanks for all you do.
Well, Brian,you beat me up plenty today! I finally FIR, but it took nearly half an hour to do so. HG, thanks for 'splaining the ten dozen bit; I got the answer but didn’t understand it.
Hand up for trying Manet and then Monet before remembering Max ERNST.
Super PAC took WAY too long to figger out… I got Pez in my head and it blinded me to anything else for quite a while.
Never heard of TYGA and don’t care to ever again.
Wanting ADt instead of ADP led to difficulty with YES PERSON, which I didn’t care for all that much anyway.
HG: are you sure there are no Nissans in the Platte? That’s a pretty big river and those Nissans are fairly small…
Hot today. No, I mean really! Looking at a heat index of 110 degrees right here, right now. Ugh. Winter may not be my favorite season (it comes in second to autumn), but summer is definitely my least favorite!
Have a great day, all!
BEP, I thought of Qhahog and FAMILY GUY when I put in CLAM.
Yes, it is wonderful all the joy here celebrating the birth of C.C.
Super crunchy Saturday. Happy as heck to solve this.
The author wrote in and said that the 19A clue was changed....for the worse, obviously. Nice of the editor to take a perfect clue and make it....obscure? Thanks. Because Saturday puzzles need to be more difficult.
The Almera was never offered in the USA....not sure how anyone was supposed to solve that.
Finally, I thought the quote was “Back to you”, not “over”.
Like I said, happy to get this one.
PK, congratulations to your grandson.
Was the Almera sold in Canada?
CED - scratch me, I'm off with Avengers. He was a writer at BBC (I knew that) when it was pitched. Listen for the names dropped (Sellers is in tehre). CLEESE in his own words on Colbert in re: Python's beginning. Hey, it's his-story, so I'll roll with it :-) -T
This is a terrific online community! Lots of kind comments, and informed feedback, both positive and negative (which are equally important). Many thanks for that.
It all contributes to raising the bar on the quality of puzzles, which is getting scary-high, at least in terms of themeless puzzles.
Talk about R-rated links
(Very) Close, but no cigar!
Yep, I had 90% of today's pzl on my own, but had to give in to crack the NW corner (incl. mid-left). The Ol' Walnut just wouldn't go there on his own.
Not bad for a Saturday, but still way short of Summa honors...
Jayce, glad you managed better. I don't have red letters (still an old-fashioned pen & paper type), so guess they work by signaling that you have an error?
I did a little better than you with the proper names. I knew all you knew and half of the others. The rest needed perps.
C. C., may you enjoy the happiest of birthdays ~ We are all so very grateful you took the time to be born, young lady!
Misty, is the Saturday Jumble always this easy? Even so, I got stuck for a short SPELL in coming up with the final answer because I kept on trying to make LOW the second word - instead of the correct one.
Sometimes we just trip over our own *#@! foot.
~ OMK
____________
Diagonal Report: One today, NW to SE.
Today’s anagram, based on Mr. Pacquin’s Xwd (& including a reference to one of his clues!), offers this woeful tale:
I’m trying to get a raise, despite the company’s policy of keeping wages strictly within job title limits. I think my case is different, given my age and advanced degree.
But today when I ask my supervisor how my pitch is going, he just looks me in the eye, turns a thumb down, and
WAIVES ME, IN SCALE.
OMK, I’ve never never noticed the Jumble to vary in difficulty by day of the week like crosswords and Sudokus do. But then I’m disappointed if I can’t guess at least part of the punny final answer before starting on the words.
Brian - I'd assumed you'd been to the Corner before... (and what happens when we assume?...)
C.C. created this wonderful space for all of us to praise/kvetch LAT clues/answers on a daily basis. I learn something new at the corner every day - eg: there's a small gross? (into the back-pocket that goes -- just to whip out when I need.)
Like a local joint, we've all gotten to know each other a bit; only a few Cornerites have met IRL (in real life) but it's a fun after-puzzle party.
WC - I was not in polishing school; just the normal grunt Basic. Prey tell, were you one of those newly-minted 2nd-LT's that demanded respect? During Dessert Storm, while @Ft. Hood, we had one of those dickish "You must salute" 2LTs.
First, I got pulled out of college for a war?; I did't see that comming. I should have paid attn. to the maths of SPELLS between US global involvement.
But to 2LT butthead, I was like, "Dude, this is a Hospital, y'alls all is Officers... I was just with Full-Bird/Dr. X with the lab results* and he wasn't an ass." [no, I didn't have the cahoonas to say all that aloud]. 2LT-butthead always made me think of M.A.S.H's Maj. Winchester III.
I had a buddy (out of CMU) who was a fresh-pressed 2LT wilst I was a civilian [GS-12] @TFAB. I was pretty fresh out of college and the Reserves (where I was a lowly SPC). My 2LT buddy was cool as s***. He suggested we play "State of the Union (baby!)" drinking game together [he didn't have a TV] during Clinton's '94 speech. We down'd most a bottle of Absolute (You feel my pain? :-))
PK - Impressive what grand is doing in ET. What line of biz is he looking to? Is he keen on hunting hackers? if yes, email me off-blog.
OMK - LOL on the Diag.
Cheers, -T
Hey, a 10k bonus for being an Army 92-Bravo (LabTec) paid for a lot of University. Don't judge :-)
Musings
-Happy Birthday C.C.! You have supplied us with presents every day. You have also greatly enriched my retirement and my list of lovely friends I have made here.
-I had to drive an hour each way to play 18 with grandkids today but when they ask, I go!
-What a treat to have Brian chime in today to give us some insight into the constructing process. BTW, I prefer your cluing for 19A!
-Thanks for all the kind comments about my doing what I love best!
Thanks Brian and Gary.
Barry G, nice to hear from you again.
Thanks for everything and Happy Birthday CC!
I am a Scotsman through and through. I regret that I never had the opportunity to try Haggis.
AnonT, I agree completely. Smart, funny, perceptive.
Late to the party but what a great party it is!
First, Happy birthday, C.C. and many, many thanks for giving us this wonderful place to come to discuss the crossword puzzles each day. That has been a blessing for all of us.
Brian, thanks for stopping by. Good to meet you! Oh you beat me up good with today’s puzzle, but I loved every minute of it. And I learned lots of things. Isn’t that the point of crosswords. Having fun and learning stuff.
And I did know some things. I had heard of RAZOR CLAMS through cooking shows. Monty Python and Dr Who are old friends. I loved “big name in taking it easy.” So simple once I got it!
Please give us another challenge and do stop by for a visit.
HG, you never disappoint.
Owen, all A’s!!!
Re. TENS, I understand the intent, but New Criticism warns us to ignore intent when reading the text.
I believe the confusion we all experienced is caused by the editors' error. In changing Brian's very sensible clue to their choice, they slipped up and printed (in the LA Times at least) the numerical answer ("120"), which of course is the product of a "Dozen" TENS.
The Times pulled a similar boner yesterday when they meant to print the Dodgers' losing score to the Cubs.
Normally, they would print such a score as
CHICAGO 11
DODGERS 5
But yesterday's paper said
CHICAGO 11
CUBS 5
Sheesh.
I guess editors ain't infallible.
~ OMK
55D. DEES. Chem class again. I had an A average but never did a Science fair project or even turned in a book report. Teacher never said a word, just averaged in a zero. So, to get back to a B for the year I actually worked hard to get a 4th term A. 2A's, 1 B, 1D for a B avg.
Thx Brian. You did redeem yourself on TENS. Albeit your clue was too easy for Rich&Joyce Saturday.
How about Bo Derek clones?
Owen, your C was a SMASH for me.
Barry, I hardly knewya. I came in as you were going elsewhere. HBD. And same wishes to Inanehiker on the 33rd. And of course CC on her 39th.
Re. 1A... Some pharoah said something similar. Help?
Brian, proper names are the salt&pepper of late week xwords. The key is avoiding the Natick. CC is the master of "doability".
Re. SCHMOOZE.. NYT had a theme of that nature in late May. I sank on SCHMO. *
Misty, your comment about ERNST is it identical to the last time you missed him. I only grok'ed him of course because you mentioned him. All I know about it is his style evokes 'die neue Sachlichkeit' vs Menschheitsdammerung.
WC
Good evening Cornerites.
I was certain I would have to BAIL in the NW, but somehow I found letters, and then there were words. I did BAIL once to start the Midwest, but I did finish the CWP after that.
26A - My father used to say "Son of a blue hitching post."
This is my first post since 6-28. I have done the CWP each day, and then it was off to breakfast, lunch or dinner.
I had resisted the thought of being in a nursing home because they smell like pee, and the clients look miserable. I am in assisted living, and realize that my neighbors are 18 year old souls in bodies that can no longer keep up. This parallels the status of the Corner, and the aroma is from the next delicious meal. They even have an ice cream shop. I'll be screaming Mon., Wed., and Fri.
I realized immediately that I am in the proper place for me at this time in my life. Now that I am a resident, they will provide the appropriate level of care to support me for the rest of my life.
NO STAIRS!
Ðave
Brian - Thanks for taking the time to stop in. Looking forward to see more of your puzzles.
Happy Birthday to C.C. Hope you had a special day.
I appreciated the MAKES IT SO answer and right at 1A! Was that in any way directed at me? If so, I am greatly honored!
FIR, but I am sorry: After reading all of the Blog comments I still do not get how "120 dozen?" is TENS.
Some posts indicate it was a mis-print of an original clue? If so, what was the original clue? Sorry to belabor this, but can someone give a definitive explanation?
John CLEESE used to live in our little town. Here was one of the occasions where he graciously hosted a fund raiser for the Montecito Trails Foundation.
My photos begin and and at his home and show a wonderful hike all through the area. Some of the "hikers" were on horseback! CLEESE was not at these events, but he opened his home for us. I did see CLEESE at other local events, but I need to dig to see if I have photos. Unfortunately, after his divorce he sold the ranch and moved back to England.
From yesterday:
I am surprised that no one commented on my BARE photo? Nor on my Solstice article? Nor on the BROMO Seltzer tower in Baltimore?
Wilbur Charles: Thank you for the Picard/Patrick Stewart interview. I never heard of Xavier. But it is always a pleasure to see Patrick Stewart!
And thanks for searching for the DEC Old Mill PASSAGES. If you do come up with more about that I would be most interested! I know that DEC was founded by MIT alumnus Ken Olsen. So sad that little is left of DEC. They were quite a pioneer of computing!
PK: Thanks for the further Chemistry class stories. Wow!
OwenKL: Thanks for explaining Picard and the Chapeau. I would not have understood otherwise!
I just found the Brian Paquin post explaining TENS:
"I didn't understand the clue for 19A myself until I read it. I submitted "Perfect scores on the ice" as the clue."
But I still don't get the Rich Norris clue. Is anyone willing to explain it in more steps than were already used to explain it? Thanks!
It was great for Barry G. to stop by and wish C.C. a Happy Birthday. Our best to you + your family.
Picard...I don't know why I thought I ever understood the clue for 19A. I think I've joined the misprint camp. But a misprint of what clue?
Picard as Xavier
Picard, I watched the movie "Logan" with my savvy* son(phil). ItsI deep and dark, violent yet embued with pathos. The best and worst of humanity.
Some might call it topical. Some might say Patrick Stewart plays a man similar to Picard.
WC
Apologize for extra post. I never know what a Link is going to do.
Now for the good stuff. -T, I was a Disbursement Officer. I had the opposite of your problem in Nam. I had a Jeep and every Marine I passed was supposed to salute. Drove me crazy.
Btw. There was no point to the cheap stuff. We all had work to do. Period.
-T, I did the _J pretty quick this morning but as I proceded to the xword found it so doable that I couldn't stop and was late for my meeting.
WC
Busy Saturday with the family and I almost missed coming here. This CW was one level above my pay grade and I did not quite finish. Perhaps a little more P&P would have done it. WEES by now. Thanks for the fun Brian and HuskerG.
What, Brian is Canadian! . . and one day before Canada Day. Welcome to the Corner eh! They even listen to my rants about the improper spellings without U's and the wrong pronunciation of ZED. But they are very gracious to their neighbour to the north. See, Husker Gary even included the Canadian citizenship oath. I was born here and did not have to take the oath; I probably don't appreciate it the way some of our new Canadians do.
Thanks for joining us today Barry G.
Happy Birthday C.C. Hope it was special.
Jayce & Tony, thank you for your comments about my grandson. He's a nice kid along with the brains. Don't know for sure what field he will end up in. His dad says aeronautical engineering, but his dad wanted that at one time and ended up a mechanical engineer. Ethan has had an abiding interest in robotics, so who knows. He's got scholarships to be an OK Cowboy.
D4: glad you are adjusting to your new accommodations. Hope they will be good for what ails you. "No stairs" is why I bought my house and was the smartest thing I did for myself.
Popped in to read the later posts, and I now realize I forgot to wish C.C. a Happy Birthday! Many happy returns!
WC @9:49p - LOL your take on the 2LT Salute.
Picard - I enjoy vicarious travel through your lens but don't always have lines / posts to cite a particular photo. Like, er, I've not given a nod to in days to our NOLA Cornerites (hi Swamp & Hatoohala!) and Jayce has been left hangin' w/ brilliant one-liners. But I read and enjoy everyone's take everyday.
C, Eh!, my favourite Canadian (sans RUSH), I'll keep tossin' in extra 'U's just for youus.
PK - Oh NO! Not OSU in Stillwater! There's hope; OU is just down the road in Norman :-)
//I'm joshing; good on him. #GoCowboys and #BOOMERSOONER
Cheers, -T
Ol' Man Keith, glad you too found the Jumble easy, and that your initial SPELL turned out WELL.
Wilbur, I can't believe I've missed ERNST once before. This is not boding well for my seniority, is it?
Tony: I think Norman is too close to home for him, but what do I know. With his red hair, he looks good in Orange maybe.
Brian P,
Probably a misprint of "120/dozen"?
Hm?
~ OMK
Brian @ 2:30 -- think of the Corner as an ecology of sorts, where people have been co-evolving together for years and years. What seems scary, unsolvable, or just oddball, in a puzzle INITIALLY, becomes easy, transparent, even fun, down the line. I find myself glancing at a clue, or looking at some unfinished combination of letters, and filling in the right answer without thinking. It's practice, sure, but also an expanded experience set. (Of course, mo'kus and CED's boundless supply of cakes don't hurt either, and CC's investment in this blog pays off for us all.)
Misty, btw, my "German" earlier was two quotes I picked up which are gibberish to me. The first was from LEN Deighton whom I'm reading again ("Spy Line") and the second, right off the internet .
They both sounded good but erudite, literary criticism is over my head.
WC
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