Themeless Saturday Puzzle By Craig Stowe
What can be more American than celebrating National Day Of The Cowboy? Cowboys drove many herds up to the U.P. railhead at Ogallala, Nebraska from where they were shipped back east. Ogallala has maintained that identity even today as it claims to be the Cowboy Capital of Nebraska although the nickname of their hight school teams are the Ogallala Indians.
While the eastern part of my state became engaged in commerce and farming, the Cowboy Life has persisted out west but some modern vehicles have replaced some of the horses although it is said some herding can only be done by men and women on horseback.
I have searched in vain for info on today's constructor but he seems to be holed up in some box canyon somewhere perhaps looking for some little dogies.. 😙
Now let's see what cluing and fill Craig has rounded up for us in what appears to be his 20th LA Times puzzle. This one took quite a bit of time for me and it seemed like the puzzle pattern offered very few ways in or out in places
Across:
1. Torn: IN A DILEMMA - Unlike his predecessors, U.S. Grant was less torn about sacrificing men to win a battle
14. Shakes on it: MAKES A DEAL - Judge Judy usually requires a lot more proof than that
15. Andean cash crop: COCA - COCA is not the problem, it's the demand in the U.S. for the cocaine it produces
16. Parents often limit it: SCREEN TIME - SCREEN TIME is great for substitute teachers
17. GPS displays: AVES - AVES, STS and RTES
18. Worn: ERODED.
19. Dog in the Reagan White House: REX - A Cavalier King Spaniel
20. Try: TEST - Testing the waters
21. __ strength: TENSILE - The resistance to being pulled or stretched in Mega Pascals
23. Northern cruise destination: ALASKA and 47. Coastal feature: INLET - Do cruise ships sail into the Cook INLET to get to Anchorage?
25. Yeshiva reference: TORAH - A Yeshiva is an Orthodox Jewish School
28. Works like Beethoven's "Ah! perfido": ARIAS - "Ah! Deceiver!" Sure, I knew that...
29. Lean, to sailors: LIST - The Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia is shown LISTING 80 degrees in 2012. 32 were killed and the captain and his girlfriend definitely did not go down with his ship. He received a 16 year jail sentence for manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship
34. "Wanna bet?": CANT I - "Captain, you can't sail that close to the island of Giglio!" Oh, CAN'T I?"
35. "My mistake": I STAND CORRECTED - "Oops, you're right. I CAN'T'"
39. Cheek, in slang: TUDE - This captain had a real (atti)TUDE!
33. 1988 self-titled album: REBA - REBA McIntire attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University and got a degree in elementary education to teach
38. Mark: GRADE - How many papers have I marked/GRADED in 42 years in the classroom?
40. Zipped (through): TORE - Danny Thomas gets fined when he TORE through Mayberry, N.C. and ran a stop sign. This was also a pilot for Andy Griffin's new TV show.
41. Comedic honker: HARPO - Here he is with his all his brothers before their only televised appearance in 1957
 |
| HARPO, Zeppo, Chico, Groucho and Gummo |
42. Jam: STUFF - Even at 5' 7" tall, Spud Webb could Jam/dunk/STUFF a basketball (SPUD was also in Thursday's puzzle)
46. Uncompromising types: PURISTS - Baseball PURISTS hate the designated hitter and wild card games
51. Mideast carrier: EL AL - Israeli airline
52. Took in: ATE.
55. Written creation of Michelangelo: SONNET - A genius in many mediums!
56. __ lives: NINE - Our kitty has used up a few
57. Unlikely to inherit the crown soon: LAST IN LINE - That appears to be Prince George here at the bottom of the purple line on the left-hand side of the diagram
59. 1860s-'70s Black Hawk War combatants: UTES - A prolonged war in Utah, not to be confused with the Black Hawk War of 1832 in Illinois in which Abe Lincoln served
60. Station: TRAIN DEPOT
61. Basilica bench: PEW - The ones in the basilica have the same name as the ones in the chapel
62. Some squirts: YOUNGSTERS - "You young squirts stay off my lawn!." 😡
Down:
1. "Ready?" response: I'M SET - When my lovely bride responds like this, it will still be 5 minutes before we are out the door
2. Mother-of-pearl: NACRE - Instead of being used in jewelry, here is a dragon carved in mollusk NACRE
3. Ohio university: AKRON - The AKRON Zips start their FB season this year in Lincoln. They will get a big loss and a big check
4. Exploits: DEEDS.
5. "Over there!": I SEE IT.
6. Super superior: LANDLORD - The building's Superintendent works for the LANDLORD
7. WV summer hours: EDT - Daylight savings is a waste of time and money
8. '70s Mideast prime minister: MEIR - In a Seinfeld discussion of homliest world leader, Elaine opined, "Golda MEIR would make 'em all run up a tree!"
9. Jerry Herman musical: MAME - Not my cup of musical tea
10. Amazon assistant: ALEXA - Very cool and/or very creepy
11. Makes one's residence: MOVES INTO - Several college grads have MOVED back INTO mom and dad's house around here because their lousy degrees or lack of ambition made them 27. Strapped: HARD UP for cash
12. Rockefeller Center holiday visitor: ICE SKATER - Once she gets up, ya gotta admire how she keeps from falling again before she reaches the rail.
15. Large falls: CATARACT - Cataract Waterfalls occur when large amounts of fast moving water fall over a cliff as seen here at the Iguazo Cataract Falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina. The list of waterfall types.
22. Raises: ERECTS.
24. Spike: LACE - Frankenstien spiking/lacing the Halloween punch (some of you know why I did not include the spiking scene from Hollywood Knights) and 26. Roughly: ABOUT - ABOUT one bottle seemed to be enough for Frank
29. "Chill out!": LIGHTEN UP - Sgt. Hulka delivers this advice at the end of this hilarious scene
30. Ancient Semitic language speaker: ISRAELITE - Semitic language distribution in late antiquity
31. Begin again: START ANEW.
32. Polliwogs: TADPOLES.
36. Vegas' __ Museum: NEON - Where old Vegas signs go to retire. Recognize any of the old standards that have been 13. Discard: CAST ASIDE?
37. Declining: REFUSING - Our Visa Card was declined in D.C. when they thought 10 Uber trips 1,500 miles from home was suspect. A very nice young man fixed us up in 2 minutes
43. Palm parts: FRONDS.
48. Wading bird: SNIPE - The SNIPE is an actual bird but bamboozling people into "hunting SNIPE" with silly instructions and equipment like this has become a camp staple
49. Purport: TENOR - I leave it as an exercise to the class to find TENOR among these synonyms and related words
50. Marks in margins: STETS - Ah, change it back to "Fourscore and Seven" instead of 87
53. Leaf used in the dish laulau: TARO - C'mon, with laulau, what else could it have been?
54. Genesis character: ESAU
Charlie Cowell: I gotta leave a message about that fellow Hill
Marian the Librarian: Leave word with me!
Charlie Cowell: Not on your TINTYPE! How'd I'd even know you'd deliver these letters?
Marian the Librarian: Try me!
I gotta leave word about that fellow Hill!
Leave word with me.
Not on your tintype.
How do I know you'd even deliver these letters?
Try me.
Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=the-music-manI gotta leave word about that fellow Hill!
Leave word with me. Not on your tintype. How do I know you'd even deliver these letters? Try me. Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=the-music-man
I gotta leave word about that fellow Hill!
Leave word with me.
Not on your tintype.
How do I know you'd even deliver these letters?
Try me.
Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=the-music-manI gotta leave word about that fellow Hill!
Leave word with me. Not on your tintype. How do I know you'd even deliver these letters? Try me. Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=the-mWell, I gotta check on my cayuse out in the corral and then be moseyin' back to the bunk house. Feel free to comment in the meantime, Pard! (Did I just type Pard?)
DA GRID:
55 comments:
Did not do well. out of 7 words I had on the right side, red letters said 6 were wrong!
Undecided between ALASKA and Arctic, so that was still clear. victoria > CATARACT (Niagara and Angel didn't fit) throw away > CAST ASIDE, claim > TENOR, STick > STUFF, TUsh > TUDE (wrong cheeks), nail > LACE (huh?), rtES > AVES, stab > TEST, flew > TORE (torn was in the clue for 1a), h.r.h.wIlLIam > LAST IN LINE, REcedING > REFUSING.
There was a nice girl, she was AKRON's
Who was told she resembled the TETONS.
Not her protrusions on the front,
But the size of her rump
With the firmness of granite concretions!
There was a shy swain from ALASKA
IN A DILEMMA, and fearing disast'a.
To the prom he would go!
If his crush answered no?
Still he screwed up his courage, "I'll ask'a!"
REX was depressed and dejected.
His legs were gnarled and infected.
He stayed ERECT a few paces,
His doc prescribed braces,
His thank-you note: "I Stand, Corrected!"
{B+, B+, A-.}
Hi Y'all! Craig's puzzle was the epitome of IN A DILEMMA. I did not get that phrase until I went through the whole thing about 4 times, adding a letter here and there only because the word I was trying had one right letter that didn't turn red. Groan, Craig! Not on his wave-length.
Thanks, Gary, for trying to LIGHTEN UP a "trying" situation. When I looked up DILEMMA, the sentence used was something about ranchers having the DILEMMA of feeding their cattle or themselves in HARD TIMES. Too aptly funny in association with this puzzle and your cowboy reference.
Had Adam before ESAU, palm before TARO, CAscades before CATARACT.
UTES: I was confused, not knowing about the later Black Hawk War. I recently read a book about the earlier one.
Super Superior: I was stymied. Being a LANDLORD myself, I didn't "get it" even after it perped in. I don't have a super under me and recently my farmer has been doing some questionable things that leave me IN A DILEMMA. I'm not feeling super.
TETONs: My son's family has reservations for a lovely vacation there next week. I've been reading that part of Grand Teton National Park is closed because a large fissure has opened up. Unusual seismic activity there and in Yellow Stone. When my son told me what they were planning, I had to inform him of possible eruptions. He said, "Just once I'd like to take a vacation that didn't have a possible catastrophe there." Boy, don't I wish that too! He's always good about calling when they get back.
Good morning!
Thanx, Craig, for the Wite-out workout. The left side of my grid is pristine, and the right side looks like Fido's...but I digress. Stacked tens top and bottom, and stacked nines down the sides. What's not to like? I found many, many ways to go wrong along the east coast: YAMS/OCAS/COCA, RTES/MAPS/AVES, ARCTIC/ALASKA, ACED/TORE. I'm amazed I got it all straightened out. Whew! Husker, sterling exposition, as usual.
YOUNGSTERS: The local sot in my hometown referred to us a jubilinks.
ICE SKATER: Was looking for something along the Santa Claus, Nutcracker vein.
ESAU: Could'a been ENOS. Yeah, I tried that.
ALEXA: Neither she nor Siri is welcome chez d-o.
The sun is up, and the bicycles beckon...
Fast fill for a Saturday puzzle today. It took a few WAGs but they were correct- TARO, EASU, REBA. The North was easier. TUDE, NEON Museum, MAME, were filled by perps.
Anon ( whoever you are)- don't SNIPE today.
TTYL
I did not find this as difficult as HG suggests; TINTYPE was clever and well hidden; CATARACT as a type of a waterfall a complete unknown. I never thought of PURPORT and TENOR as direct synonyms and did not know Michaelangelo wrote SONNETS .
I think in terms of facing a DILEMMA or being on the horns of...
I notice that Craig has been published in many venues but no NYT yet, and no biographies- come to introduce yourself Craig; after 20 publications you are a regular.
Thanks guys
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Craig Stowe, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Husker Gary, for a fine review.
Well, I started this late last night, via cruciverb. Did not get very far, so I went to bed about midnight, after Perry Mason.
Got up this morning about 6:00 and spent two hours getting through this puzzle. Tons of long words and phrases. No theme. Nevertheless, got it done. The one thing that helped was using cruciverb, because when you get it all done cruciverb lets you know you got it right.
Getting TADPOLES in the SW gave me a good start. ELAL was easy, TETONS a guess, and HARPO came into my mind after GOOSE did not look right.
Tried ADAM at 54D, but he did not hold up with a perp. ESAU worked. TRAIN DEPOT and LAST IN LINE kind of surfaced at the same time.
CATARACT was unknown. I had about six perps already, so I just filled it in and hoped. After I had finished I looked it up and sure enough, that is a type of falls. Live and learn.
Had TOSS ASIDE for 13D, but could get nothing with it in upper NE. Tried COCA, then ICE SKATER. That corner soon fell with CAST ASIDE.
ALEXA was easy for 10D. We own two Echos.
So, off to my day. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Gary, wonderful, as usual. I enjoyed your reference to Nebraska's cowboys. This took slightly less time than my usual Saturday solve, just under one hour. I can never say I TORE through a LAT Saturday puzzle, but P&P pays off. Craig, great puzzle.
I knew cataract for a large waterfall. I think perhaps the eye condition, cataract, got its name because it seems like looking through a waterfall. I have no proof, not even Wiki. I think I heard that somewhere.
BTW, Misty, how are you faring?
I did find PURPORT in the Thesaurus under TENOR. TENOR was a gimme with the T.
purport/tenor
I am always "in a dilemma" over whether it is de- or di-. I commonly use that phrase, as did the Washington post on July 8, 2018. "Nevertheless, the Nats, with 17 of their next 23 games against losing teams, including two more series with the Marlins, are stuck in a dilemma."
To each her own. I really like the musical, Mame.
General Grant knew that "not to decide is to decide." The previous generals decided to just let things happen. They decided not to procede. This likely prolonged the war and cost more lives in the long run.
Owen, your Alaska poem was great!
Have a lovely day.
If "Purport" = "intent"
Wiktionary - tenor: 11. That course of thought which holds on through a discourse; the general drift or course of thought; purport; intent; meaning; understanding.
e.g. the tenor of the discussion changed
Without Daylight Savings Time, it would be getting light at 3:30 am, too soon for me, but the dog would hear the birds chirping then.
Good morning everyone.
Daunting, at first, but I finally got the SW packed away. Then the NW, SE and NE. Had todd ASIDE before CAST ASIDE. ICE SKATER took a while before the light went on. Wasn't expecting SNIPE but we've had it before. Thinking more egret, heron, or stork. It was important not to overthink this one.
ISRAELITE - Was thinking Aramean but it has only 7 letters. Phoenician has 10 letters. Canaanite has 9. Nice map, HG.
SNIPE - Also an informal name for a member of the Engineering crew on a Navy ship. See poem:
SNIPE'S LAMENT
Now each of us from time to time has gazed upon the sea
and watched the mighty warships pulling out to keep this country free.
And most of us have read a book or heard a lusty tale,
about these men who sail these ships through lightning, wind and hail.
But there's a place within each ship that legend's fail to teach.
It's down below the water-line and it takes a living toll
- - a hot metal living hell, that sailors call the "Hole."
It houses engines run with steam that makes the shafts go round.
A place of fire, noise, and heat that beats your spirits down.
Where boilers like a hellish heart, with blood of angry steam,
are molded gods without remorse, are nightmares in a dream.
Whose threat from the fires roar, is like a living doubt,
that at any moment with such scorn, might escape and crush you out.
Where turbines scream like tortured souls, alone and lost in Hell,
are ordered from above somewhere, they answer every bell.
The men who keep the fires lit and make the engines run,
are strangers to the light and rarely see the sun.
They have no time for man or God, no tolerance for fear,
their aspect pays no living thing a tribute of a tear.
For there's not much that men can do that these men haven't done,
beneath the decks, deep in the hole, to make the engines run.
And every hour of every day they keep the watch in Hell,
for if the fires ever fail their ship's a useless shell.
(con'd in next post)
When ships converge to have a war upon an angry sea,
the men below just grimly smile at what their fate will be.
They're locked below like men fore-doomed, who hear no battle cry,
it's well assumed that if they're hit men below will die.
For every day's a war down there when gauges all read red,
twelve-hundred pounds of heated steam can kill you mighty dead.
So if you ever write their songs or try to tell their tale,
the very words would make you hear a fired furnace's wail.
And people as a general rule don't hear of these men of steel,
so little heard about this place that sailors call the "Hole."
But I can sing about this place and try to make you see,
the hardened life of the men down there, 'cause one of them is me.
I've seen these sweat-soaked heroes fight in superheated air,
to keep their ship alive and right, though no one knows they're there.
And thus they'll fight for ages on till warships sail no more,
amid the boiler's mighty heat and the turbine's hellish roar.
So when you see a ship pull out to meet a war-like foe,
remember faintly if you can, "The Men Who Sail Below."
-Anonymous
This must have been written after WWII because it references a 1200 lb steam system.
Maybe I'm just more awake than usual on a Saturday, but this took no time at all (15 min). Everything fell into place almost immediately. I guess there's a first for everything. Have a good weekend all.
Good Morning:
I meandered through this quite nicely, until the NE corner. Toss aside and Rtes kept me in the dark until I finally got Mic and Cataract. My time of 33:00 is still decent, for me, on a Saturday puzzle. My only other w/o was Sped/Tore. I, too, questioned the Purport=Tenor but accept the usage. I have never heard of a Neon Musuem but it makes sense in Las Vegas, of all places! Another CSO to Tin(type).
Thanks, Craig, for s challenging Saturday and thanks, HG, for the grand tour.
FLN
Lucina and Keith, my sister and her daughter saw "Mama Mia" last night and they enjoyed it. The critics weren't impressed but sometimes a movie is just a pleasant diversion and doesn't have to be an artistic masterpiece. I watched "Wonder" with Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson and liked it very much. Its main message is the importance of accepting and respecting and being kind to the physically impaired, especially children.
Have a great day.
Who knew there are 2 "mm"'s I'd dilemma? DOH!
Spitz, I forgot to mention how much I liked the poem and its powerful message and meaning. Thanks for sharing.
Spitz, very meaningful poem. We owe those brave guys a debt of gratitude. I remember watching WW II naval movies with my ex. The poem reminds me of some the graphic scenes in the Hole when the ships came under fire.
We have often gone to see Rockefeller Center at Christmas time and have watched the skaters. (Getting the K early on was very helpful in filling 12 D.) We used to go to see the Christmas show at Radio City, but Alan doesn't like to walk the very crowded city streets at holiday time. Lately we have passed on going to see the decorations and the show. Alan loves the show, so DVDs to the rescue.
Gary, I sub'bed an Excel class The teacher had a CD player with movie themes. When it ended I didn't restart .. until...the class got all restless, I replayed and they calmed down
For the rest of the week I kept it playing and the class sedated.
Wow, a golfer who's anti daylight savings.
I tried ASSYRIAN first
Relatively easy for a Saturday. I wrote in STES before AVES.
WC
Husker: Outstanding, excellent, informative write-up. Good job!
Gotta like a puzzle with another CSO ... TIN.
Cheers!
Well, Saturday puzzles are always toughies for me, and this was one of the toughest. My heart sank as I saw all those long items in the corners, and on my first run-through here's all I got: NACRE, EDT, ELAL, PEW, ATE, ESAU, and, surprisingly, ALEXA. I also took a chance and put SOX in for the Reagan dog, but that turned out to be REX. Then I had to start cheating, and lots of interesting items shook down. I was especially surprised to learn that Michelangelo wrote SONNETs--thanks for posting a picture, Husker Gary. I also enjoyed seeing your picture of the British Royal Family tree. LACE for SPIKE totally stymied me. Anyway, still a fun experience--thanks Craig and Gary.
Yellowrocks, thanks for asking. No problem in the follow-up after the cataract surgery, but have now had three weeks of annoying conjunctivitis which is not getting any better, even though I use two kinds of drops (recommended by my eye doctor) eight times a day. And every morning my right eye is still very red and stays that way all day. Really discouraging. I see the eye doctor again on Tuesday, and hope she can suggest something to help. At least it doesn't hurt, and my vision isn't affected very much, thank goodness.
Have a great weekend, everybody.
I'll second the kudos to Gary
I meant RTES < AVES. I thought about S(C)HNOZ for Honker.
Gore Vidal was convinced McClellan wanted to stall until'64 and hope that a disgruntled electorate would vote him in and he could make a quick truce with Confederates (keeping slavery of course).
WC
PS. And of course the most excellent l'icks. Good poem at the J_ too
As always, thanks to Rich et al. for accepting my work and improving on it. I am always amazed when a puzzle is published. I'm a little puzzled about having 20 crosswords in the LA Times however. My information suggests this is lucky number thirteen but I am notoriously bad at keeping records.
I've posted a bit about myself before but in case you missed it... I was born and raised in a small town in Newfoundland, Canada but have lived in Toronto, Ontario since 2000 (you are all welcome to visit anytime; shout out to all my Canadian neighbours!) I work as a kitchen porter in a rather large hotel, which is even less exciting than it sounds. I solve and construct crosswords in my spare time.
Cheers!
Started out with a lot of white; but once I filled some of the big clues, everything fell into place. Must have been on the same wavelength as Craig. All the unknowns perped nicely. Very satisfying Saturday challenge. Found it easier than Thur. and yesterday.
Mark S
So much white! Construction must have been very difficult. Especially since most fill used common words. A fair and satisfying Saturday challenge! Last to fall was LACE/CANTI.
Plenty of learning moments in the puzzle, with special thanks to Husker Gary for all of his educational illustrated tidbits! The NACRE piece was beautiful! Who knew that Michelangelo wrote a SONNET? Interesting that HARPO and his brothers only appeared together once on TV.
But I remember seeing Groucho appear on I Dream of Jeannie back in the 60s.
Here are a few of my photos of ALASKA and a CRUISE SHIP. Including a glacier calving sequence!
Last year I led this hike that ended with a pool of TADPOLES turning into frogs.
Scroll to the bottom to see the TADPOLES. Thanks to DW for spotting them.
Ran right through this until the SE...then had to work it. But it all came together for the solve.
A pretty tough Saturday puzzle with NO THEME....,yay for me.
Had no idea Michaelangelo wrote sonnets. Agree with others about TENOR, but completely legit.
Enjoy the weekend.
Saturday Special. Thanks for the fun Craig and HuskerG.
Greetings Craig from a fellow-Canadian (and U of T grad). I vaguely recall seeing a previous post where you told us about yourself.
Hand up for Rtes before AVES, Niagara before CATARACT, yams before COCA, ENOS before ESAU.
Yes, Owen, I noted the TORE answer and Torn clue. If I interpret correctly what AnonT tod me the other day, because the meaning of the words is different, it is OK. (But word derivation is still the same so maybe a nit?)
As LAST IN LINE, Prince George is truly "unlikely to inherit the throne SOON" , but most of those others in the diagram are "unlikely to inherit the throne EVER". Even Prince Charles, the First in Line, may not inherit soon, given the Queen's robust health and longevity.
Enjoy the day.
Hi All!
FIW w/ a little help from the Google (NACRE; I knew that once but needed a nudge sans perps).
I started at EDT, ALEXA, ALASKA, ICESKATER (which ruled out 'gum' drop@11a), CAST Awa^H^H*SIDE led to NE done.
REBA, HARDUP, then I backfilled I STAND CORRECTED; FRONDS, PURISTS, STETS, SNIPE, IsLET (bzzt). SW was last to fill (LIGHTEN UP Francis came to mind too!).
My solve-time? - all of WWDTM.
Thanks Craig for a nice doable(ish) Sat. Fav: the crossings - some folks are HARD UP to say I STAND CORRECTED to STUFF they got wrong. Thanks too for stopping by The Corner and to you: 'Good day, eh?'
HG - fun expo. I enjoyed the Thomas/Andy Taylor bit and your tying 29,34, 35, & 39a together was LOL!
{B, B+, A}
WC - I too thought of Schnoz and then Durante - neither fit.
Lucina - Is this the play or the movie? Girls went to the play and loved it. I've seen bits of Mama Mia on the living room TV aplenty. Have fun today w/ your kin.
YR - "
You can choose a ready guide
In some celestial voice,
If you choose not to decide
you still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears
And kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose free will" -RUSH Freewill
I guess Grant was ahead of his time :-). //I'm sure we could tie that back to the Bard but a cursory Google found nothing. Anyone? Anyone?
Cheers, -T
^H is control-key+H for backspace on old TTYs and apparently my iPad w/ keyboard (I just tested it - cool!)
Thanks for checking in with us, Craig--nice to hear from you.
TENOR today; BASSO yesterday. ALTO tomorrow?
Owen ~ Excellent! You are hot today!
Thank you, Mr. Stowe, for giving us a toughie to chew, but one within my solveable range.
Ta- DA!
My main erasure, the one that held me up the longest, was changing MANY IN-LAWS to LAST IN LINE.
Irish Miss ~ I'm sure it's enjoyable ("Mama Mia"). It is not, as they say, my "cup of tea," but I will see it, and I too will have a jolly time.
Yes, I read some of those neg reviews, but critics (and other professionals) tend to view new work in comparison with either older and better productions or with the work they imagine it might have been. In either case, a general audience can still enjoy it.
We have a saying, "Audiences don't know what they're missing." It's a snobbish attitude, but it's a reality. It applies to everyone who enjoys a show. As long as I'm in a seat and having fun, I rarely ask "How much better could this have been?" *
~ OMK
_____________
Diagonal Report: Three! A 3-way on the near side (NW to SE).
Anagram anyone? The main line, the 15-letter anchor, tells the following tale:
Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood one day Pooh was arguing (in his sweet tempered way) with Piglet. Pooh thought it too early for Kanga to allow her little Joey to roam far from the pouch. Piglet, who always tended to side with youth, was saying,
“No – it is fine. He is old enough to have ‘interests’ that require his presence away from his Mum.”
“I don’t know about that,” said Pooh. “And I don’t know what you mean by ‘interests.’ I think him terribly young to venture on his own.”
Just then they came upon the young fellow himself. He was scrolling through personal pics and capsule bios on his phone apps.
“You see, Pooh,” said Piglet. “These are ‘interests’.”
A photo of an attractive Jill popped up on the phone.
“Yowza!” exclaimed the young marsupial. He swiped his app and was off like a shot.
Pooh understood
- and he sighed,
“[I] say! [ADIOS, FRIEND ROO!”]
____________
*If I dissected a show because the director was my student, or I planned to do my own production, that was a different story. Critics do serve a purpose.
Craig, I blogged your first puzzle, a Friday in 2015. You stopped by and said hello, but that was all. I missed part of a year so if you said more on a later publication, I missed that. You are correct this is number 13 at the LAT; you know those NASA scientists, they do not care about math.
WMOS. Spending the day/evening babysitting 3 grandchildren, all age 5 or younger, so maybe later…
Have a great day, all.
Craig, thanks for stopping by and sharing some background info.
Keith, "Mama Mia" isn't my cuppa, either. I saw the original on stage and it was fun and lighthearted, but once was enough. My sister, OTOH, has seen the original stage production at three different venues, each a little more professional than the other. She also saw the original movie and, as I mentioned, saw the sequel last night. (I can't even remember if I saw the first movie or just clips from it on TV; that says something about its appeal to me, eh?)
Misty, I'm sorry you're still battling conjunctivitis and hope you get some relief soon!
Fun seeing the Marx Bros w/o makeup & costume. Chico is the big surprise. Thanks for that pic, Husker G!
I know they were overshadowed by the other three, but I can't help wishing Zeppo & Gummo had put together their own "dynamic duo" appearances.
Move over, Dean & Jerry, Laurel & Hardy!
Just imagine the crowds they could draw as the "Marx Others"!
~ OMK
AnonT: Shakespeare
There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.
Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat.
And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.
BTW, I muchly enjoyed the poems today supplied by Spitz & Tony.
https://www.etymonline.com/word/cataract
cataract (n.)
early 15c., "a waterfall, floodgate, furious rush of water," from Latin cataracta "waterfall," from Greek katarhaktes "waterfall, broken water; a kind of portcullis," noun use of an adjective compound meaning "swooping, down-rushing," from kata "down" (see cata-). The second element is traced either to arhattein "to strike hard" (in which case the compound is kat-arrhattein), or to rhattein "to dash, break."
Its alternative sense in Latin of "portcullis" probably passed through French and gave English the meaning "eye disease characterized by opacity of the lens" (early 15c.), on the notion of "obstruction" (to eyesight). Related: Cataractous.
Whew, a hard one today, but very well constructed. A high quality challenge. Had to turn on red letters to discover neither EGRET, CRANE, nor STORK was correct, but it did display the S and E in black, which didn't help. I did like this puzzle and the struggle to solve it was worth it.
Owen, interesting about cataracts. Thanks.
I watched "Mama Mia" on TV the other night and enjoyed it as much as I did the first 20 times. Hadn't watched it for many years. I was going through a rough time several years ago and the light-hearted silliness of the movie was the best party I could go to. The ABBA music cheered me immensely.
Musings
-Thanks for the info Craig. I don’t know what a kitchen porter is but your hotel obviously has hired a bright one.
-Putting in Stowe as a search function at the Blogger dashboard returned 20 hits – maybe it caught Harriet Beecher Stowe entries also. Putting in Craig Stowe returned the correct 13.
-We loved Mama Mia onstage and at the movies. All right, without the music the story would have been insipid at best but…
- Mame was just “too too” for me but Rosalind Russell was so good in so many movies from His Girl Friday to Gypsy. That’s why things come in different colors!
-Spitz, I enjoyed the great SNIPE poem about people who really make things work
I thought Mame fine it its day, but even the best movies of an era don't always hold up - as Time, that ol' demon, wreaks his awful revenge.
I guess I call it revenge because so much of a work's specialness is tied into its creator's ability to read the TENOR of its time - its year or decade. Themes and techniques of each era have a way of slyly sneaking into a work of art, sometimes to its advantage but often to date it for future generations.
I guess this is why we really appreciate the "classics," those that can live beyond their opening date.
A film like Citizen Kane holds up because it both reminds us of the techniques of its era - the newsreel clips, shots of Hitler, the excitement of running a newspaper - and breaks expectations via Welles' genius - the fresh camera angles, the rapid jump cuts, the interweaving of intimate and epic themes. Not least of all, the importance of its theme, still pertinent today, keeps it fresh.
I haven't seen dear old Auntie Mame in a while, but if I recall correctly, it delighted in high camp performances, risqué in their time, but dated now. They can still be fun for some, but a lot of their appeal was to a then-suppressed homosexual clique & to friends who dug the code.
Bland Forrest Tucker was the arch-straight man, in so many ways. Nowadays much of that humor feels overly obvious & so falls flat.
~ OMK
Some genres that are fun to mock now are those big splashy color films of knighthood-in-flower and old Biblical epics, produced mainly from the late '30s through the '50s with beautiful damsels wearing form-fitting négligées.
Errol could bring off the medieval ones, but the Robert Taylor kind featured brawny bores with radio-announcer voices. The themes were politically correct for their time, with emperors or evil usurpers oppressing plebs or serfs and a deep strain of religiosity. This was when the Romans were bad and Crusades were good.
Still occasionally good for a laugh on TCM - when they aren't just boring.
~ OMK
Finally I'm back after a long day. I loved the movie! If you saw and loved the first one, you will love this one. Sadly, Meryl appears only in a cameo, but what a cameo! Tissues needed. We took up two partial rows at the theater then afterwards went and took over a good part of The Yard Room Restaurant. The waiters were patient and kind and we did eventually get served. What a memorable day!
Before leaving this morning I finished two corners, NE and SW, falling right into Craig Stowe's wave length. I really wanted to finish but had to go. Now the last part, NW and SE filled quickly. This was not nearly as difficult as most Saturdays.
I had CASCADE before CATARACT fell in; ALASKA was a shoo-in. I also thought of Santa Clause, Kris Kringle, etc. instead of ICESKATER but I CASTASIDE those other options.
Who knew Michael Angelo wrote a SONNET? That was a surprise!
I'll have to finish reading you all later. Gary, stellar expo as usual. Thank you.
I hope you all had a better than average day!
I am planning to go again this coming week to see the movie and savor it. It sets such a happy TONE.
Misty:
I'm so sorry to hear your eyes are still a problem.
Craig:
Thank you for visiting us!
HG - loved! your clips - Andy Griffith (they don't make 'em like that any more - guess the audience is now too sophisticated) and the skating rink one is hilarious and one I could well identify with. Brought back forgotten memories of 30 years ago. I had been dating a guy for several years who had children whom he shared custody. I got roped into ice-skating with his kids at the Galleria (he claimed a bad back, and the Galleria required that an adult be with young kids). Never ever having even been around ice before, I looked like that woman when I fell. I finally made it to the wall, and some unkempt bum in the upper tier started clapping and whistling congratulations. I held on to his oldest for the rest of the time.
West and Midwest were pretty easy, but the East? Wanted some kind of Andean tuber crop, eyedrop/dewdrop? Remembered seeing cataracts while taking a dhow down the Nile; wanted TUSH for cheeks slang, until I rethought strapped not being belted, and then all fell into place. Hand up for EGRET way too long. Yeah, HG never heard of SNIPE as being a bird until cws - "SNIPE hunting" was popular growing up in the sticks.
Thank you, Craig, for a fun puzzle and making an appearance today.
Musngs2
-OMK, What a thoughtful comment about movies and the TENOR of the times. Put good guy Cowboys and villainous Indians into yet another trope
-I can't watch those old biblical classics with all the makeup and wardrobe of the 20th (not the 1st or before) century. Are you kidding me?
-Ben Hur was about as good as it gets for realism 60 years ago
-ABBA or bust this next week!
I have to say that despite the problem of films dating themselves, and growing too passé to be fresh entertainment, we are surely blessed to have these movies.
They are the true time machine of our age. Obviously, they only operate to bring the past up to our eyes and ears, but isn't that just great?
I think of that a lot when watching old films. I am actually looking into the past - up to a hundred years' worth so far!
I can actually see those old stars and feature actors - alive again! - and I can see documented images of historical figures.
In the future, the record will stretch back longer & longer.
~ OMK
Greetings!
Thanks to Craig and Gary! Nice of you to stop by Craig!
34 min. Not bad for me. No cheats.
Unknown things were: REX, SONNET, AKRON, NEON and SNIPE.
I love daylight savings time!
Hope to see you tomorrow!
Late to the party, had to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Thank you Mr. Craig Stowe for this WEES CW. I amazed myself by FIR in 32:19.
Thank you Husker Gary for your excellent review. At 19 A I wish to add "Charles" to the breed of dog.
The full name is Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. This 'modern' breed is the true heir of the royal spaniels of King Charles II. REX was a blenheim. Colors include tricolor, black and tan, blenheim (red and white) and ruby (rich mahogany red). Scroll down for PICS of each color.
- - My dog Romeo was a tricolor, and a speed typist as seen in my avatar.
Ðave
Here are all the colors together.
Ðave
C. Stowe ~
You deserve all the accolades my colleagues are lavishing on you. The first word that pops into my Ol' Walnut regarding your Xwds is "Classy." You have your own fresh take on what can serve as fills, including many multi-word phrases clued by idiomatic expressions. You manage to steer clear of the most common 3- and 4-letter fills, allowing us few "gimmes," but making our wins all the more rewarding.
I add my thanks to all the others.
Misty ~ Sorry you're still plagued by eye problems. Here's hoping everything clears up while there's still some of this beautiful summer left to see!
Dave (D4E4H) ~
Your dog, Romeo, looks like a little love - a very sweet tempered beast.
Was he?
Anon T and YR ~
Grant was one of our very greatest Americans - not as appreciated as he ought to be. I can't think offhand of a Shakespearean quote that supports Grant's "not to decide is to decide."
Shakespeare is on record with his great respect for the process of reaching a decision, as in Brutus' well known soliloquy:
"Between the acting of a dreadful thing
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantasma or a hideous dream.
The genius and the mortal instruments
Are then in council, and the state of man,
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
The nature of an insurrection.
I once played Brutus, and loved this speech.
It encapsulates the chief difficulty of the role - that the character has exquisite poetry, much of it dealing with the complexity of thought, a subject antithetical to the very nature of drama, which thrives on fierce conflict.
Theater only puts up with thinking.
~ OMK
I did know Michelangelo was a poet as well as painter and sculptor, but never read him before.
Irish Miss, Lucina, Ol'Man Keith, and others--thank you for the kind wishes for relief from my eye problem. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Meanwhile, have a great weekend!
OKL - Wow... Thanks for the Michelangelo link. Most of the poetry makes him seem somewhat religious for a guy interested in the man-machine. The poem re: Dante was the best IMHO.
Misty - I've been following your eye DILEMMA; God Speed girl. Good to know you still can see.
OMK - This is why I love The Corner - so much is lernt from a diverse group; thanks for The Bard's Brutus (and Criticism in the PURIST meaning).
TxMs - you made it outside the Loop (but not by far in the Galleria). I SKATED as a UTE in SPI (I could do backward turns and such) but apparently it's not like riding a bike.
My undergrad chums, DW, and I all met up in Dallas one weekend (this was 15 yrs ago or so). Someone thought ICE SKATing would be fun. My buddy (now at Google) and I had a bad time of it. First, I fell/hit my head on the ICE so hard the medics came out to check (I was OK(ish) -- as if that was ever true).
Second, me and Google buddy left with torn jeans and legs abloody. I haven't LACE'd a SKATE since :-)
Cheers, -T
Correction - I just thought about the time-LINE; sonofabug -- that ICEcapade was BC (before children) and more like 25 years ago! -T
Ice Capades reminds me of Red Auerbach acquiring Bill Russell for Ice Capades dates for Rochester.
Which led me to Lou Brock since any player acquisition swindle has come to be known as a "Brock for Broglio" in memory of that 1964 trade that brought three NL pennants to St Louis and five more years of frustration to Chicago.
BfB
WC Who likes to slip stuff like this in the gloaming
This puzzle was harder for me than most Saturday puzzles. I only filled in eleven of the sixty-six clues on my first try. I picked it up again a couple of weeks later and had a little more luck and tonight I finally figured it out and got all of it right! I’m very proud that I kept plugging away and was rewarded with success at last!
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