21. In good spirits: FEELING FINE.
31. Natural source of paper or rope: FIBER PLANT.
42. Center of attention: FOCAL POINT.
54. Gridiron goof: FUMBLED BALL.
67. N.Y. or S.F. athlete known for the beginnings of 21-, 31-, 42-, and 54-Across?: GIANT.
Across:
1. Harry Potter's forte: MAGIC. Did Harry have some magic beans ?
6. USAF officer: MAJ.
9. Some spouses: WIVES.
14. Susan's "All My Children" role: ERICA. Susan Lucci played the role of Erica Kane for 41 years on the daytime soap.
15. Memorable time: AGE.
16. Has __ up one's sleeve: AN ACE.
17. Antisocial type: LONER.
18. Term start?: MID.
19. Swamp snapper: GATOR.
20. Mantra syllables: OMS.
24. Cause one's stomach to turn: NAUSEATE.
26. Monthly util. bill: ELEC.
27. Goof up: ERR.
28. Off the straight and narrow: WAYWARD. Like Jack, who stole from the Giant. The band is from Topeka.
36. Actress Vardalos: NIA. Winnipeg born Nia in an interview with Katie Couric in 2002.
37. Not hurting for space: ROOMY.
38. Heavenly body: ORB.
39. Less extroverted: SHIER. My sister had a horse that shied away from me.
Wouldn't the comparative "more shy" be shyer, and the superlative form be shyest ?
"Both versions are acceptable in today's standard English. In the 2002 CGEL page 1581: Monosyllabic dry and shy are optionally exceptions to the y-replacement rule, allowing either y or i before the suffix: dry ~ dryer/drier ~ dryest/driest and shy ~ shyer/shier ~ shyest/shiest." English StackExchange. CGEL
41. QB's stat: ATT. Quarterbacks / Attempts. We often have TDS (Touchdowns) as an answer for QB's stat.
44. Japanese straw mats: TATAMIS. 13 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Tatami. I only knew two.
47. One-eighty on the road: UEY.
48. Patron saint of Norway: OLAF.
49. Read a clock: TELL TIME.
57. Bedevil: VEX. "Make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, especially with trivial matters." - Oxford English Dictionaries. I like "especially with trivial matters" in the definition. To me, vex is a slightly milder reaction than irk. Ire is toward the anger end. Don't like seeing ire and irk clued as if they were synonymous.
58. Treat like a pariah: AVOID. Shunned ?
59. Maris, to "the Mick": ROG. Nicknames. New York Yankee baseball stars Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.
60. Afghan's neighbor: IRANI.
62. Attend the homecoming game, say: REUNE. Intransitive verb. Back formation from reunion according to Merriam Webster and others.
63. Inseparable: ONE.
64. Things to shun: NO-NOS. Deserts are to be shunned if you want to lose weight. They are no-nos. Taboos for children are often called no-nos. In baseball slang, a no-hitter is called a no-no. Even Meghan Markle has a list of no-nos now that she's a Royal Duchess. Also see 40D Hoyt.
65. Use at the table: EAT ON.
66. Pricing word: PER.
Down:
1. Honeydew or cantaloupe: MELON.
2. Pleasant smell: AROMA.
3. Infomercial knife: GINSU.
4. Sign in a hotel hallway: ICE.
5. Regular Martha's Vineyard arrival: CAR FERRY.
6. "Glengarry Glen Ross" playwright David: MAMET.
7. Nimble: AGILE.
8. Obi-Wan, for one: JEDI.
9. Like a happy dog's tail: WAGGLY. Google site search tells me this is a debut for WAGGLY here at the Corner.
Making new friends.
10. Shortly, informally: IN A FEW.
11. 1960s ecumenical council of the Catholic Church: VATICAN II.
12. MBA subject: ECON.
13. Dry as a desert: SERE.
22. Wyatt of the Old West: EARP. "It was dry as a desert in Tombstone on that fateful day. Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan and Doc strode purposefully to the OK Corral. Johnny Ringo and Ike Clanton saw the Earps and Holliday coming." Wait, let me start over. "It was a dark and stormy night..."
23. Tidy: NEAT.
25. "I __ to recall ... ": SEEM.
28. Connecticut Sun's org.: WNBA. One of twelve professional basketball team in the Women's National Basketball Association.
29. Nothing, in Nice: RIEN.
Nice is just up the coast from Cannes, and SW down the coast from Genoa, Italy.
30. Tavern missile: DART.
31. Greek campus group: FRAT.
32. Itty bit: IOTA.
33. Reach the lowest level: BOTTOM OUT.
34. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" novelist Anita: LOOS.
35. Eyebrow shape: ARC.
39. Grade school subject: SPELLING.
40. Axton of country: HOYT. Wrote the "No No Song" popularized by Ringo Starr. Also wrote "Joy To The World" and "Never Been to Spain", popularized by Three Dog Night.
42. Marching band wind: FIFE.
43. Slow period: LULL.
45. White mouse, e.g.: ALBINO.
46. "On the Waterfront" co-star Karl: MALDEN. w/ Michael Douglas during The Streets of San Francisco days.
49. Steakhouse order: T-BONE. Tenderloin on one side of the bone, and strip steak on the other side. The porterhouse is really just a T-Bone steak cut from the rear of the sirloin, so it has a larger tenderloin section.
50. Itching to go: EAGER.
51. The first Mrs. Trump: IVANA.
52. Runners occupying bases: MEN ON. Ducks on the pond. The Cubs had three ducks on the pond (bases loaded) with nobody out in the bottom of the third against the Twins on Saturday. They plated all three to tie the game.
53. Have life: EXIST. Are.
54. Cab cost: FARE.
55. Optic layer including the iris: UVEA.
56. Go down: DROP.
61. Louis XIV, par exemple: ROI. His dad was XIII. Became the King of France at the ripe old age of four years and eight months when his dad died in 1643. Reigned for 72 years. Then his grandson XV took the reign. XV arranged the marriage of his grandson XVI to Marie Antoinette. XVI took over in 1774, and was to become the last ROI of France.
XIV established absolute monarchical rule in France, appeased the nobles, consolidated powers, started a lot of wars, signed a lot of treaties, increased France's turf in Europe, and improved France's standing in the world power rankings. He had his architects and builders rehab his dad's hunting lodge and turned it into the Palace of Versailles.
France seemed to get a pretty good R.O.I. on XIV as ROI. But over the course of about 150 years of absolute monarchical rule, things weren't going so well for the people of France, perhaps especially under the rule of his successors. It all culminated in the French Revolution, the ending of the monarchy, the beheading of XVI and Marie in 1793, and the rise to power of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Enough of that. On to the grid !
FIRight, altho RiEN + NiA was a total WAG. I got the theme with FE FI FO, so filled in FUM before I got there! The placement of the reveal was right where it ought to always be!
ReplyDeleteThere was a GATOR who was FEELING FINE.
He'd EAT ON ape-men who'd swing in on a vine!
They'd DROP when they FUMBLED,
Then downward they tumbled --
Uber-Eats in the swamp was a FARE way to dine!
OLAF the first was both saint and king!
The VATICAN kept him under their wing.
In an AGE that was awful,
The VEXED king had a craw full!
Decreed all be baptized at a royal church wetting!
{B+, A-.}
Good morning Cornerites.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mr. Jeff Stillman for this Tuesday level CWP which I FIR in 27:08.
Thanks TTP for your excellent review with the French history lesson.
Ðave
Hi Y'all! Fun & fast for me. Just what I need on a Tuesday, Jeff. FEELING GOOD!
ReplyDeleteAlways interesting, TTP! No wonder I've always been confused by the Louis's. As creative as they were, you'd think they would have come up with some variety in Roi names.
I got the theme with my last entry, GIANT reveal. At first, was trying FEE, FIB but three-letter words didn't work with FOC. FUM set me straight. Oh, "I smell the blood of an Englishman" Giant.
Unknowns: MAMET & LOOS. Think we've had them before.
USAF MAJ: cso to my son (ret.). I was so VEXed the other day because my slender little garage door opener quit working. (Seems like a conspiracy to keep me from driving.) I could not see any way to open up the thing. Mentioned it online & son urged me to pry it open. Tried 3 screwdrivers before I found a narrow enough blade to work. Voila! Opened. Bought a new sliver of battery which didn't look like it could possibly have enough energy to raise the door for 10 years like the last one.
It works. VEXation begone.
NONOS: ice cream which I had twice this week. Okay, back on the diet, PK!
IVANA: Did anyone else get a "personal" letter from Melania asking for money and an oath of support for Donald? My advice to her, "FLOTUS if you need money, sell your clothes. You have more invested in them than I spent for my house. I'm not impoverished, but I don't have anything gold plated." (That's not political, that's lifestyle.)
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThings were going swimmingly (where did that word come from?) until I tried to FUMBLE A BALL. Took some time to change that A to a D, and then ROG made sense. Done! Thanx, Jeff. Sterling expo, TTP.
PK, I pictured you out in the garage, attacking the opener with a screwdriver. Oh, it was just the "clicker." A few months ago my garage door opener quit working. The coupling had failed. Two shops I called wanted to replace the entire opener since it was ten years old. They warned me that the replacement coupling, if I could find one, wouldn't last ten years like the last one. If I get just one year out of my $7 coupling, I'm ahead of the game.
HOYT: May be best remembered for, "Work your fingers to the bone. Whaddya get? Boney Fingers!"
TTP: Never heard the "They plated all three" expression before. Reminds me of that Twilight Zone episode where the aliens' only goal was to serve mankind. They even wrote a book about it...a cookbook.
The French monarchy was restored after Napoleon, so after Louis XVIII and Charles X the last King of the French was Louis Philippe until 1848.
ReplyDeleteThis was an expletive deleteive DNF for me today. The NE section being the problem. As an example, I still feel 13D s/b sera, not SERE. Haven't researched it and really don't give a hoot. 10D looked good with In a sec. INAFEW never entered my dumb @%#'ed mind. Wifes rather then WIVES. As you can see,ust a miserable attempt on my part.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the rest of the week will offer improvement.
See ya
Hondo, I found this one to be difficult as well, but I managed to eek out a FIR. Erased era for AGE, has had it up... to has AN ACE up..., tee to MID term, uie to UEY, and in a sec to IN A FEW. Didn't know ROG, MAMET, VATICAN II, LOOS (except as a brand of wire tension gauges) or that Obi-Wan was a JEDI. At least the LOOS clue was better than the trite "places to go in Liverpool" types we usually see (not that I have any objection to bathroom humor).
ReplyDeleteD/O, I was also picturing PK having at the garage door machinery with a handful of screwdrivers.
Thanks to Jeff for the challenge and to TTP for the interesting tour.
ReplyDeleteQuick run today- at first I thought the theme answers were going to be FP since I solved the 2nd and 3rd first - but then had to change gears.
ReplyDeleteWhen our kids were young they loved the old Allan Sherman parody songs. "You Went the Wrong Way, Old King Louie" about Louis XVI actually helped them later in their European History class to keep the "Louies" straight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdSzgJiR4_I
Thanks Jeff and TTP!
Musings
ReplyDelete-I hope my hand recovers from the slap I gave my head when the theme finally hit me. Fun!
-OK, I admit it, I set my Apple Watch for an analog face at first but switched to the digital face.
-I sang these PP&M lyrics – “Well a man shall leave his mother, and a woman leave her home They shall travel on to where the two shall be as ONE” at many weddings
-As I’ve stated before, my friend who is a 6” 2” WNBA veteran really stands out in Tokyo where she teaches
-Three MEN ON and nobody out for the KC Royals this year is a perfect time for a strikeout and double play. They have truly BOTTOMED OUT!
-Golf league, gotta run
I went down the western side first, so I saw FE,FI,FO, FUM quickly. When I got to the reveal, GIANT was a gimme.
ReplyDeleteThis week I learned that JUST DESSERTS could be spelled with 2 S's, but one S is still more popular. Now I see TTP spells the sweet course at the end of the meal, DESERT,
with one S. " Deserts are to be shunned if you want to lose weight." You might lose weight in the Sahara with all that sweating. LOL.
Most countries take loan words, like TATAMI today, and add their own little twist. The Japanese have no plurals, but we say the plural is either tatami or tatamis. The same with AURAS and AURAE and many others.
I have slept on a futon on a tatami mat like the one in TTP's #12 picture. Note the top sheet wrapped around the futon has an opening on top through which you see the futon. One of those times was during a home stay when I slept in a room where the extended family would gathered to honor the ancestors. Another time I was at a ryokan, a very traditional Japanese inn.
Look at picture #13. These days no way can I sit cross-legged or with my feet tucked under my tush. When I was in Japan last time I was still AGILE.
Good news. My two months of PT has helped a lot. I don't feel like a spring chicken, but now I am much more comfortable.
I agree with hondo and jinx. Some of the clues were off in my opinion. The worst one was waggly.
ReplyDeleteRemember Patti Page?
ReplyDeleteHow much is that doggie in the window?
The one with the waggly tail
How much is that doggie in the window?
I do hope that doggie is for sale
I must take a trip to California
And leave my poor sweetheart alone
If he has a dog, he won't be lonesome
And the doggie will have a good home
How much is that doggie in the window?
The one with the waggly tail
How much is that doggie in the window?
I do hope that doggie is for sale
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteGood job, TTP; many interesting comments.
FIR. No VEXing occurred in the completion of this puzzle. Theme was kinda cute. Long downs were a big + IMHO.
MALDEN - I liked him as Omar Bradley in "Patton".
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteCruciverb is still looking like a white cow in a snowstorm.
Pretty much zoomed through, but Rog sure gave me pause. I had no idea who the Mick was. Waggly seemed unlikely but there it was. At least we have precedent in: “How much is that doggy in the window, the one with the waggly tail?”
Yesterday’s A/C talk: I grew up in an old house with no insulation, and it got pretty hot in summer. We never had A/C, but at least my parents had a window fan. We youngsters could do without. No idea how we survived. As life has gone on, I’ve noticed that sleep is both precious and elusive, and for that alone I see fit to justify the cost of whole house cooling. The new place has two Panasonic mini-splits totaling 3.5 tons of cooling. Unfortunately, the bigger downstairs unit developed a leak, which went undiscovered until last week - right before the technician was to go on vacation. We’re limping along in this heatwave...
I enjoyed your blog, TTP. Thanks. I liked the discussion of shier. Apparently it is legit, but not nearly as common as shyer. More and most shy don't seem to be common at all.
ReplyDeleteObviously I enjoyed your tatami pictures. Standard tatatmi sizes are used to measure traditional Japanese rooms. Their sizes are x number of tatami.
Interesting about the French kings. I usually get their numbers confused, XIV or XV or what?
I started to think of what irks me and I realized I agree with you that irk is not as strong as ire. These irksome things don't ire me.
I loved your darling puppies. They are the epitome of waggly. Good word IMO.
Oops! I took so long typing I didn’t see that YR already had the doggy in the window.
ReplyDeleteYR, I could have happily gone for the rest of my life without being reminded of that Patti Page song. Plus, the rhythm is awkward in that, "you can't take a goldfish for a walk" area.
ReplyDeleteWe never had A/C in my ute. It wasn't necessary in central Wisconsin. Different story here in SE Texas; it's an absolute necessity. I don't know how (or why) people survived here in the pre-A/C days.
YR - glad you mentioned that part about sitting Japanese style. I can’t manage a position like that for very long myself. I found myself wondering how Japanese society accommodates older folk, particularly in households where (as I understand it) there are no tall dining tables. Can you comment?
ReplyDeleteGood Morning.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea why this was easier than yesterday, but I'll take it. Enjoyable fill. Thanks Roland.
Nicely done, TTP. Madame likes many things French: beaucoup de choses francais. And because I love how language works, I think baseball jargon is the best!!! Long ago, I used it to explain "jargon." NASA, also.
YR: Yay, for success with your PT!
Have a sunny day, everyone.
I hate to ask, but what do y’all mean when you write FIR?
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was just as easy and breezy as yesterday's romp. Hoyt was the only unknown and no w/os at all. Tin may have skipped over _ _ _, but it conjured up some coolness during this very hot weather. The theme was cute, as was the reveal.
Thanks, Jeff, for a Tuesday treat and thanks, TTP, for the mini history lesson. Your reviews are filled with nuggets of knowledge. I liked your "plated all three" comment and loved the puppy clip.
Wilbur, FLN, thanks for explaining the Jumble reference. However, CED is the kitten lover and I am the puppy lover. We have a friendly, running feud over the virtues of felines and canines.
Have a great day.
YR & Dudley: I wonder if people in Asian countries who squat or fold up every day of their lives have their joints so well trained, they don't have the problems we would have doing it infrequently. Being smaller in stature might help.
ReplyDeleteUnknown at 9:21: FIR = finished it right. FIW = Finished it wrong.
Unknown @ 0921 - FIR - - Finished it right. A somewhat recent acronym addition to the blog.
ReplyDeleteD-O & Jinx: Had to laugh at your picture of me attacking the "hoister" part of my garage door opener. I'm going to have to attack the sensors with something. Noticed this morning they are so coated with cobwebs they probably don't work right. I hate to go anywhere near the things since I had trouble getting them adjusted once.
ReplyDeletePK, they must be working. Otherwise, the door opener would refuse to close the door. You should be able to clean 'em. They just need to be pointed at each other so they can stop the door's descent when anything passes between them. We have a cat who just loves to "test" that. Some sensors will display a green light when they're set properly.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jeff, for this GIANT of a puzzle. We must think alike. I breezed through it. I'm not sure ATT. Is a meanimgful stat for a QB.. It's the completions that move the ball. But it was an easy guess. I had A card up my sleeve before perps gave me AN ACE.
ReplyDeleteKarl MALDEN and Anita LOOS were both well known.
Favorite today was White Mouse for ALBINO. Well, yes. I guess so!
Madame D, I also love all things French and the Louis' usually come easy. Was it you who suggested they might have been a bit more creative in naming their offspring?
TTP, thanks for the write-up and the history lesson.
Owen, A+, A+. Thanks for the laughs.
Prescience of the Blog: OMK yesterday talked about Waggin' the Dog and Waggin' the Pig. I think that's close enough with the repetition to be a presaging to WAGGLY. What type of Wild-Ass-Guess would that be? We could add it to our CW jargon!
ReplyDelete"FE, FI, FO, FUM" is what the GIANT said!
And "I'll grind his bones, thus to make my bread!"
From his hiding in a notch,
Jack kept a timely watch
But the hours were untold, until he safely fled!
{B+.}
"Puzzling Thoughts":
ReplyDeleteThanks Jeff and TTP for a fun puzzle and recap on "2'sDay". Just a couple of WO's but all were quickly corrected: LAB RAT/ALBINO; IN A SEC/IN A FEW.
Re: 1a ---> is Harry Potter more known for MAGIC or wizardry? When I think of MAGIC I think of Penn and Teller; when I think of Harry Potter I think of wizards, warlocks, and witches. Maybe a nit, but it's my opinion...
As I solved this from the top to BOTTOM, I immediately saw the FEE, FI, FO, and knew FUM was soon to follow. I wasn't expecting the clue in 67a (thinking it was going to have something more to do with Jack and The Beanstalk). All told, though, this was on point for a Tues puzzle.
Lots and lots of punny opportunities today, plus one from a reply I made to WC early this morning:
Sweating card player
Tried to stay cool by having
An ICE up his sleeve
(SO to Tinbeni for yet another example of how to clue his least favorite solid!)
(5-7-7 format - and a video replay)
Vulture in Kansas
Has a stubborn child. "Eat your
Carrion, my WAYWARD son."
The Entertainment
Channel shows reruns. It's an
Old "E!", but Good "E!"
TTP Excellent, informative write-up. Good Job !!!
ReplyDeleteAnother super easy puzzle. Like yesterday's I solved in one quick "pass' ...
Wouldn't have gotten 4-d, ***, never saw the clue ... but the "across" answers filled it in. LOL
Hope everyone has a safe July 4th Celebration tomorrow.
I think I'll have a 5th on the 4th ...
Cheers!
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Jeff and TTP.
ReplyDeleteSeveral inkblots in my newspaper fill today but I got the theme (although at first I was trying to make sense of the reveal using FUMBLE, FOCAL, AND FIBER until the light dawned and I saw the FI, FO, FUM and went back and filled in FE!)
Loved the association of MAGIC with the theme.
Hand up for WAGGIN' before WAGGLY (but then I remembered that doggie in the window).
I automatically filled in Oboe for the wind instrument but it was FIFE today (reminds me of July 4th!).
Hand up for Sec before FEW (I don't hear In A FEW around here), Era before AGE, and TDS before ATT.
I waited for perps to decide between Uie and UEY, Olaf or OLAV, Arid or SERE.
I smiled at the ICE for Tinbeni.
Yes YR, I saw TTP's "deserts are to be shunned" and was about to repeat my "eagle eye" SIC comment from yesterday. LOL. I had the learning moment about "Just Desserts" recently also. I saw it spelled "just deserts" in a book I was reading and was sure it was a typo that had missed the editors. When I Googled the spelling, I got the interesting history of the expression; the sense of desert used here derives from the Old French verb deservir meaning “to deserve,” and desert has been defined as “reward or punishment that is deserved.”
Interesting info today re those French ROIs and TATAMIS. Thanks TTP and YR.
Enjoy the day.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Jeff Stillman, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, TTP, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteThis seemed more like a Wednesday puzzle than a Tuesday. However, that is fine with me.
I agree with Dudley, Cruciverb is out to lunch.
Theme eluded me at first until I saw all the F's and then saw the vowels that followed. Then I remembered "I smell the blood of an Englishman"
A few inkblots on mine. I tried ERA before AGE at 15A, IN A SEC before IN A FEW at 10D, and A CARD before AN ACE at 15A. Oh well.
Never heard of MAMET. Or LOOS.
I actually got FIFE right off the bat. Since I had the F for OLAF.
Have to run. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Good Morning, TTP and friends. I worked this puzzle backwards. I got the GIANT on the first pass, then went back to see what the long answers were. I tried FEEL Good before FEEL FINE, but at least I had the FE part of the FE, FI, Fo, FUM ...
ReplyDeleteI also wanted a Card up my sleeve instead of AN ACE.
Not much else to add today. We are supposed to get a heavy storm, but so far it is just cloudy and a cool 82F.
QOD: There are two ways to slide though life; to believe everything or to doubt everything. Both save us from thinking. ~ Alfred Korzybski (July 3, 1879 ~ Mar. 1, 1950)
_J semi-spoiler alert:
ReplyDeleteWatch out! I found today's very easy to suss. I think I'm getting used to the constructors' humor. I no longer have to grind my teeth trying to figure their puns. And wasn't today's message timely? I think the following untold story says it all.
Ok, figure out the rest ...
Fairly smooth for me. ERICA/GINSU a fairly easy WAG. We have seen MAMET and HOYT before. Thanks, TTP for the reminder of the cool songs by HOYT! And thanks for the WAYWARD song link! I immediately thought of that song! And thanks for the TATAMI lesson!
ReplyDeleteHere I was on the CAR FERRY heading north out of Amsterdam
Like me, most of us were on bicycles, not in CARs! The couple you see at the bike shop at the beginning were my companions for the first part of my ride. Such a civilized way to travel!
Once again, here is my photo of the tomb of Pope John XXIII in the VATICAN who initiated VATICAN II
These people I photographed on Saturday were not happy about another kind of ICE.
Did anyone else think of that ICE?
Once again here are a few of my photos at Versailles, built by ROI LOUIS XIV, as noted by TTP
I have lots more there if anyone is interested. I also have GATOR photos. I am guessing our Louisiana members have some, too!
I almost forgot: I did the complete solve and could not figure out the theme meaning for the longest time! I was stuck thinking it was about first words in the answer. I did notice they all began with "F" and then the light went on!
ReplyDeleteDelightful, doable Tuesday puzzle--many thanks, Jeff. I pretty much breezed right through this until I got to the bottom, which felt a little tougher, but still got everything. Only the reveal puzzled me a bit, until I checked the beginnings of the theme words and noticed the FE FI FO FUM. Very cute and funny, although I didn't connect it to the beginning MAGIC until CanadianEh pointed it out. I too had OBOE before FIFE, by the way.
ReplyDeleteLike others I too wondered if the spelling of SHIER was correct. Many thanks for explaining, TTP, and thank you too for showing us those adorable WAGGLY dogs. And then Yellowocks followed up by giving us the entire DOGGIE IN THE WINDOW, which I remember so well from my youth. Lots of happy memories.
Am having some trouble getting that long answer to this morning's Jumble. Any help will be appreciated.
Have a great day, everybody.
1a: Thought of Harry Morgan as Sherman Potter.
ReplyDelete39a: Enter SHIER/SHYER and wait for the perps for the desired answer.
41a: The only football stat I know is TouchDown.
47a: The only place I've encountered UIE/UYE is in crosswords.
9d: The only waggly tail I've heard is that one in the window.
Did not catch that the GIANT said only the first syllable of the theme answers.
I see many of you made the same remarks, but I'm not going back to edit.
Misty: I had trouble at first and stumbled on two of the words including one of the short ones.
ReplyDeleteThe first word of the final two starts with "R." The last word ends in "ING." Enough? More?
~ Bill G
This was a nice Tuesday puzzle with just a bit of crunchiness, all good.
ReplyDeleteGrew up in southern CT, never had AC. The neighbor did, but only in the bedroom....he worked nights and slept days. Then I got a job at the phone co. and I worked nights, 12-8. And I bought an AC immediately because it was too hot to sleep without it. I’ve had AC ever since, and my first central unit in my house in 1984. Had AC ever since, mostly central. Now that I’m in SC it would seem impossible to live here without it.
Hahtoolah, I used to believe everything. When I got a little older, I believed nothing. Now I just believe I'll have another beer.
ReplyDeleteMy tail is not very WAGGLY this morning; I came away after solving this puzzle with a strong feeling of sheesh, which is to say a lack of satisfaction. Probably self-inflicted, since I feel stupid after I didn't get the Fee Fi Fo Fum stuff at all until reading TTP's excellent explanation. As Roy said so well, "Did not catch that the GIANT said only the first syllable of the theme answers." I got a few new wrinkles in my nasal area from disliked-by-me entries such as UEY (or UEE or UIE?), SHIER, OMS, ATT, CAR FERRY, and REUNE. For some reason I didn't mind WAGGLY, even though the Doggie in the Window never occurred to me. Had two Naticks in the area of LOOS and WNBA until I finally figured out the FIBER thingy was a PLANT. Maybe I just got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.
ReplyDeleteSome good stuff includes the imaginative clues for ALBINO and ICE, and neato fill such as NAUSEATE, WAYWARD, TATAMIS, VATICAN II, and BOTTOM OUT.
So who ever calls it a "car ferry" anyway?
Best wishes to you all from Grumpy Jayce.
Thanks, Jeff & TTP. A fun one today. Some thoughts:
ReplyDelete1) REUNE? Really? I don’t care if you CAN find it in a dictionary, REUNE is not a word. So there. Has anyone here heard anybody use this "word?"
2) SHYER vs SHIER: I have never seen it spelled with an I.
C) Hand up for making a wrong choice in the ERA vs age question.
IV) Cruciverb, oh Cruciverb, wherefore art thou, Cruciverb?!
5) For some reason, FIFE just jumped up and got a stranglehold on my (for want of a better term) brain; I never considered any other choice.
F) Roy: We used to use the term UEY a lot in HS & college, but until I started coming here nearly fifteen years ago I had never once seen it spelled out. Looks weird.
That’s about it. Stay warm everyone. :P
And oh yeah—I forgot…
ReplyDeleteChm Moe, I loved the Kansas Moeku!
Jayce, I call it a car ferry if it carries cars. In SW IL, at least, there are (or at least were; I haven’t been there for years) several people- and bicycle-only ferries.
O, clever Mr. Stillman!
ReplyDeleteA fine pzl for this Tuesday, with just enough challenge to keep it interesting all the way through to the final Ta- DA!
OwenKL, I always have WAGGLY on my mind, what with three happy critters at home. Maggie, Louie, and Nacho are my own three stooges. TTP, I loved your choice to illustrate the word. Those lil' guys remind me of my two shortest. My Golden just sits back, amused or bemused, when they carry on.
Misty, have you got the Jumble yet? It took a while for me, mainly because I thought the 5-letter opener should have been WATER. My main hint to you is that it is not.
The 7-letter word is a sound-alike for something else, a ceremony we witnessed only a few weeks ago - from Windsor.
~ OMK
____________
Diagonal Report: The mirror side offers a 3-way. In the center (anchor) diagonal we find an anagram that supports the following woeful tale:
In retirement, Harry took up gardening. He was surprised and delighted to discover he had a green thumb. Everything he sowed took root and bloomed. He thought, “Aha! I can start a new business, selling my vegetables and fruit.”
But, alas for small business economy, it was a season for great growth all around. The markets were flooded with produce, and even at reduced prices Harry couldn’t sell a thing.
It was so bad that he took to wandering the streets, trying to give his wares away, crying out,
“O, FREE BOTANICALS!”
WikWak, thank you for your car ferry comment.
ReplyDeleteOK, one more hint:
ReplyDeleteThe Jumble answer is definitely not
WATER "TOYLING"
Wik Wak @ 1:53 ---> glad you liked the Kansas Moe-ku. I had to employ a little poetic license to fit it all in; and I agree with you on the word "REUNE". Never used it; hopefully never will. Although my 50th HS reunion is in two years ... wonder if I should post something on FB saying: Hey! Who's all reuning in 2020??!
ReplyDeleteMisty, I know I may be "all wet", but I sense you'll figure the _J out. Most of the time it's a royal pain in the a$$, because of their dry humour.
OMK, Water Toyling ---> LOL!
Yellowrocks,
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting the lyrics for Doggie in the Window. Yes, I remember hearing - and seeing - that week after week on Your Hit Parade.
It puts me in mind of an even older hit, dating from 1892, that we've seen on stage, in movies, and on TV, even in Doctor Who. On stage, it's up to the audience to join in singing the refrain's several "Bow-Wows."
I'm afraid it doesn't include the word WAGGLY, but still it's an old favorite of mine, especially when sung by a saucy, petulant young lady - Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow-Wow.
The opening lyrics are:
"I love my little cat, I do
With soft black silky hair
It comes with me each day to school
And sits upon the chair
When teacher says 'why do you bring
That little pet of yours?'
I tell her that I bring my cat
Along with me because
"Daddy wouldn't buy me a bow-wow! bow wow!
Daddy wouldn't buy me a bow-wow! bow wow!
I've got a little cat
And I'm very fond of that
But I'd rather have a bow-wow
Wow, wow, wow, wow."
~ OMK
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ol'Man Keith and Chairman Moe. My problem was that Harry and Meghan didn't register with me even though People and US and all the other magazines have just been going on and on about their you-know-what. And yes, I even considered WATER TOYLING, knowing it was wrong of course. So, a great relief to finally have this problem behind me (and it's only Tuesday, sigh).
ReplyDeleteOwen, thanks for the cute Bow Wow Wow. I haven't heard it in years. DO, sorry you didn't appreciate "How Much is that doggie in the window." It brings back the good old days of my ute and "Your Hit Parade."
ReplyDeleteDictionary.com also lists WAGGLE as a verb. Both it and WAGGLY seem common enough to me.
I see REUNE in print all the time, especially in local newspapers and college alumni news.
"Two dinners will be held for each class … reuning this summer." —Dartmouth Alumni Magazine
CAR FERRY is in the language. "The S.S. Badger Car Ferry (Lake Michigan Carferry) is the fun and relaxing shortcut across Lake Michigan, from Ludington, Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin."
Uey seems to be spelled out only in puzzles, but it was heard a lot when I was young.
We say "See ya in a few" around here when someone leaves temporarily.
Canadian Eh! my experience with just deserts is the opposite of yours. All my life I seen it with one S, meaning just what you deserve. It seems to have nothing to do with dessert as a treat. Most of the time just deserts are negative. After the discussion the other day, to my surprise it can have two S's. I have found quotes with just desserts, but a much larger number with just deserts.
I seen it. Forgive the typo. I've seen it.
ReplyDeleteYR: Oops! It's OMK, not OKL who posted Bow-wow wow!
ReplyDeleteI had you in mind, Owen, but I flubbed the intia!s. Sorry, I knew it was you, our poet, not Keith, our dramatist.
ReplyDeleteRe. SHIRE.. We had Rocky's squeeze Talia SHIRE yesterday
ReplyDeleteI have the Beatles on channel 4, Sirius and "NoNo" is serious EARWORM material. Of the four I like Ringo best"
IM, I "Beg" that you hold me excused.
Re. _J... I caught it Owen. I had trouble with#4 and had to work backwards. I see that if I'd read your last l'ick I'd have had it.
Not to speak of the other three. That's why I'm doing_J First. Big improvement over my J in rhyme the other day
I'm going to post and come back I'm outta juice.
WC
Do we really have NO posts for TWO hours? Weird.,,,, Somebody say something !
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lot of Jumblies don't read my poems. :(
ReplyDeleteOr maybe they just don't notice the words that aren't capitalized?
Owen you are much too smart for most of us!!! Just keep on keeping on. Some of us do appreciate you!!
ReplyDeleteAs I hope you noticed, owen, I caught WETTING right off, and noticed you'd included all four words in your later l'ick .
ReplyDeleteBut... 1. I ran out of juice and when I put my cell on the charger came back to find that it was off the AC
2. My post at 629 was written much earlier but I wouldn't have wanted to point out your not so subtle 'hints' .
(As you noted, they were indeed subtle, I apparently was the only one to notice)
3. Ingenious, combining xword and _J into your l'icks .
4. I guess I had some prescience too because I stopped to knock off the_J before coming here.
5. That's why I was able to grok it .
1035 wow, I've turned my clock around since I don't shuttle any more .
All the xword comments I might have made have been made . fe. SEC <FEW .
Bon soir
WC
PS .Nice write-up TTP
C-Moe*, re. "Untold Story".. our royalty, Arnold Palmer, died last year but similar etiquette was expected in his presence.
ReplyDeleteOne comment. I never heard it before a xword had it but now I hear BATTERS EYE all the time. Do baseball announcers do the Latimes xword?
WC
*And yes, I noticed you too were 'subtly' ku'ing _J hints.
Misty, by the time you posted Jumble hints were all over the place. On the other hand we have you to thank for adding fun to our early week xw-commentary.
Erica Kane, 41 years, same Soap? Egad
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jeff but, I not only missed your cute theme (thanks TTP!), I DNF'd it at TATA-I- xing -OLDEN and LOO-.
Thanks TTP for the fine expo, explaining my unknowns, and for the bit of Kansas.
WOs: Hand-up w/ IN A sEc
ESPs: MAMET
Fav: I'm going with HOYT 'cuz I remembered it from last time when I realized he was the same guest-star in S1E19 of WKRP.
{B+, A; B+} {cute, cute, HA!}
Enjoyed reading y'all but I'm still working :-(
Cheers, -T
Did the puzzle on the beach at Breezy,
ReplyDelete(Brooklynites will know where that is...)
Pls note that Louis XIV thought The Palace of Versailles stunk!
Which brings us to Jack...
Fee,Fi, Fo, Fum, I smell,,,
Dang it JAck, what HAVE you been eating?
(Cruciferous vegetables...)
Not my sharpest day, clearly--but thanks for all the fun discussion, even if I didn't get it until much later,
ReplyDeleteGreetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Jeffand TTP!
No problems!
Had great swim today!
Have a great Fourth!
Misty, I've been reading a Baseball book about Baseball writers. Among other things, James Joyce and Ulysses is universally admired.
ReplyDeleteOne noted that he'd like to write a 'Ulysses made easy' type of book.
Interesting that Book Publishing is almost the Central topic of all these writers.
WC
Really, Wilbur? Baseball writers admire Joyce and Ulysses? Wow! I'm impressed!
ReplyDeleteCED re: Jack ate the beans... Thanks for my LOL before bed. Nite. -T
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th with the Cubs/Tigers
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th with the Cubs/Tigers
ReplyDelete