53 A. They're "presented" in 20-, 28- and 46-Across: ACTING AWARDS. They'll be identified in the theme entries below - "presented," yes, but in an obscure way.
28 A. "Love to everyone!": GIVE THEM MY BEST. Lots of affection to spread around. The EMMY awards are presented at various times throughout the year for excellence in television by three different organizations - the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
46. Leave the firm to work solo: GO OUT ON YOUR OWN. Do you have that entrepreneurial spirit? The TONY awards recognize excellence in Broadway plays. They are presented at an annual ceremony in New York by the American Theater Wing and the Broadway League.
Hi, Gang - JazzBumpa on center stage today, a bit surprised to not see an Independence Day theme. But we do have a fine entry by Jeffrey. So let's read this script down and see if we can act on it.
But first - come on, it's the 4th of July, so this is mandatory.
Who doesn't love the Muppets?
OK - back to business.Across:
1. Error: SLIP. Starting off with a mistake. Did somebody miss a cue or forget their lines?
5. Place for a panel: DAIS. A low platform for a lectern, seats of honor or a throne. STAGE also fits.
9. Chemistry lab fluids: ACIDS. Solutions of pH less than 7, capable of neutralizing alkaline materials by donating a proton or accepting an electron pair. Sorry for going all geeky on you. Long ago I was a chemist.
14. "Gray's Anatomy," for one: TOME. A large, heavy or scholarly BOOK [which also fits, BTW,] not the like-named TV drama.
15. Austen novel: EMMA. A comedy of manners set in Regency England. The eponym considers herself to be a match-maker, and misadventures ensue.
16. Four-page sheet: FOLIO. This is one of three page-related meanings indicated by this word.
17. Wilson of "Father Figures": OWEN. Actor, producer and screen-writer who received an OSCAR nomination for best screen play for co-writing The Royal Tannenbaums with Wes Anderson
18. Ground corn, e.g.: MEAL. The edible portion of ground grain.
19. "Poems are made by fools like me" poem: TREES. By Joyce Kilmer.
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
24. Fitting: APROPOS. Apropriate, apt, timely. From French, meaning "on that subject."
32. Summer on the Seine: ETE. A French season that is not tarragon.
33. Sch. term: SEM. Short or long, a school term is a semester.
34. Author Joyce Carol __: OATES. [b. 1938] Author of over 40 novels, and many plays, short stories, novellas and poems.
35. Arctic deer: CARIBOU. Also known as reindeer, they are native to all sorts of arctic and sub arctic terrain in Europe, Siberia and North America.
38. Org. providing creature comfort?: ASPCA. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Be kind to your hunting dog. Or caribou.
42. Sue Grafton's "__ for Lawless": L IS. Her alphabet mystery series started with A is for Alibi. I lost interest around D.
43. "Cats" monogram: T S E. Thomas Sterns Elliot. Jellicle Cat comes from his infant niece's attempts to say "calico cat," or perhaps it was "dear little cat." Some things are uncertain.
50. Run: OPERATE. Be in control of.
51. "There is __ in the affairs of men": Brutus: A TIDE. " . . . Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." Sounds like an opportunist to me.
57. Sprint, e.g.: TELCO. Telecommunications Company.
60. Bearded critter: GOAT. I wanted a GNU, the the news is - that didn't fit.
61. Picket fence piece: SLAT. Aka -- picket. If you are keenly interested, this vid might be fascinating. Otherwise, it might cure insomnia.
62. First-stringers: A-TEAM. The best ones we have.
63. Quasimodo creator: HUGO. Victor [1802 - 1885] One of the best known French novelists. Q is The Hunchback of Notre Dame. His other famous work is Les Miserables. Two of my grandsons were in a youth production of the musical a few years AGO. Watching them die at the barricade was wrenching.
64. Head, in Le Havre: TETE. French. I have no head for French.
65. Muckety-muck: NABOB. A person of conspicuous wealth or high status. Sometimes used ironically about one who overestimates himself.
66. Lose one's cool: SNAP. Throw a fit.
67. River of central Germany: EDER. A 177 Km long tributary of the Fulda, a 220 KM long tributary of the Weser, a 281 Km long river which flows through Bremen and empties into the North Sea at Bremerhaven. From this port my Hungarian grandmother came to America, lo, these many years past.
Down:
1. Unlikely to become overwrought: STOIC. One who does not show emotion, named for the 3rd century B.C. Greek school of philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium. This was a philosophy of personal ethics based on logic and an unwillingness to give in to the passions of the moment, with a view towards fairness and justice.
2. Like a McJob, typically: LOW WAGE. Also with few prospects, for which the worker is typically over-qualified.
3. "This is serious!": I MEAN IT. Not joking, this time.
4. Thoughtful: PENSIVE. Long ago I saw a movie that had a snippet of dialog that went something like this --
He: You look pensive.
She: No. I was just thinking . . .
Don't remember what movie it was.
5. Sales rep's aid: DEMO. A working model or example, used to demonstrate the product
6. Iowa college city: AMES. Iowa State U. is in AMES, which is about 30 miles north of Des Moines.
7. All-in-one Apple desktop: I-MAC. Computer.
8. Arabic for "peace": SALAAM.
9. Door holder's words: AFTER YOU.
10. Andalusian city: CORDOBA. In southern Spain, this area has been occupied since Neaderthal times. The city originated as a Roman settlement, then was a center of Muslim culture from the 8th century until it was recaptured by Christian forces in 1236. It is the hottest city in Europe with an average high temperature of 37 C [99 F] in July and August.
11. Martinique, par exemple: ILE. An island in the Lesser Antilles.
12. Quit working: DIE. Said of batteries and machinery. I quit working almost a decade ago, and am still alive.
13. Coast Guard pickup: SOS. An international code signal indicating great distress and an urgent need for help, used especially by ships at sea.
21. Chicago-to-Chattanooga dir.: SSE. South-southeast. Maybe even add in another south.
22. LP's 33 1/3: RPM. Spin [or should I say "swirl"] rate of Long Playing phonograph records, in Revolutions Per Minute.
25. Adoptee from the 38-Across, perhaps: PET. An animal taken into a person's home to live.
26. Sugar suffix: -OSE. Glucose, dextrose, fructose, etc. I wasn't able to track down the origin with only minimal effort, so we can all wonder why.
27. GPS lines: STS. Streets.
29. Safety org. with "Travel Tips" blog posts: TSA. Transportation Security Administration.
30. Part of HMS: HER. The other parts are "Majesty's" and "Ship," because the Queen owns the navy.
31. First name in American poetry: EMILY. Dickenson [1830 - 1886]
Ample Make This Bed
Ample make this bed.
Make this bed with awe;
In it wait till judgment break
Excellent and fair.
Be its mattress straight,
Be its pillow round;
Let no sunrise' yellow noise
Interrupt this ground.
- Emily Dickenson
36. Sci. course: BIOlogy.
37. Stillwater sch.: OSU. Oklahoma State University, not THE O. S. U.
38. In the past: AGO. Derived from an obsolete Middle English verb used to indicate the passage of time.
39. Absorb, with "up": SOP. As a sponge, or slice of bread.
40. "The Tell-Tale Heart" author: POE. Edgar Alan [1809-1849.] The story of a murder, committed for no known reason, as told by the murderer, who wants us to think he is sane.
41. Mai tai liqueur: CURACAO. It is flavored with the dried peel of the laraha, a bitter orange native to the Lesser Antilles island for which the drink is named.
43. How food may be salted: TO TASTE. A lot or a little - your choice.
44. Moved like a dust devil: SWIRLED. A dust devil is a well-formed, generally harmless whirl-wind a few meters wide with an upward thrust. It is formed when a pocket of warm surface air rises through cooler air above it.
45. Last chance to catch a live show: END DATE. The date on which something comes to a close.
47. Baseball legend Mel: OTT. [1909 - 1958] Right fielder for the New York Giants from 1926 to 1947; 6-time National League home run leader; All-Star for 11 consecutive seasons; inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1952.
48. Paddock sounds: NEIGHS. Horses, not whispering.
49. Like fish in ceviche: RAW. This dish is popular in the Pacific coastal regions of Latin America. The fresh fish is cured in citrus juices and spiced with peppers, and other seasonings such as onions and cilantro. It must be prepared and eaten fresh, since it is not cooked.
52. Fragrant compound: ESTER. Formed by the reaction of an alcohol with a carboxylic acid. Low molecular weight ESTERS are usually pleasantly fragrant. They commonly occur in the essential oils of plants, and are responsible for the aromas of fruits.
54. Soup or salad: NOUN. Maybe it's just me, but I find this type of reflexive clue to be profoundly annoying.
55. Wildly enthusiastic (over): GAGA. Are you enthusiastic?
They have way too much fun
56. Surmounting: ATOP. On top of.
57. Khaki kin: TAN. Colors, not fabrics.
58. Landing hr. calculation: ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.
59. Isr. neighbor: LEBanon. To the north.
Well, not surprisingly, I had my nit, but this was still a fine and fun outing from Jeffrey.
I'll close with some musical selections from last Thursday's concert when your humble trombonist performed with the Plymouth Community Band at Kellogg Park. This program is traditional for the last performance before the 4th of July, and draws, by far, the largest audience of the Summer. Videos courtesy of my Lovely Wife.
Cool regards - and have a happy and blessed holiday.
Liberty Fanfare and the National Anthem
America the Beautiful, Olympic Fanfare and Armed Forces Salute
And - to counter-balance that bit of foolishness at the top --
The Best Sousa march EVAH!
73 comments:
Greetings!
Thanks to Jeffrey and JzB!
Cool puzzle!
No problems!'
Have a great day! Happy Fourth!
The puzzle wasn't too bad, but even after I read the clue I didn't see the theme right away. In fact, I wasn't able to figure out the reveal until after I finally noticed OSCAR! I had ACTIve_WoRDS > ACTING AWARDS up until then!
A CSO to me at 17a, and Pottrites know a different meaning for a PENSIVE. —Albus Dumbledore explaining what a Pensieve [sic] is "The Pensieve is an object used to review memories. It has the appearance of a shallow stone or metal basin, into which runes and strange symbols are carved and precious stones are fitted."
A kitten would GO OUT ON HER OWN
Roam the tunnels beneath ancient Rome!
She came forth with fur mussed,
Till her owners, they fussed,
"We've got to get that CAT A COMB!"
Three brothers OWEN, and OSCAR, and TONY,
Married sisters EMMA, and EMMY, and EMILY!
The frugal couple had doubloons,
The SLIP-shod pair had no brooms,
In the NABOB chairs, the eldest were homely!
A dyslexic old parson from LEBANON
Would greet CANINE PETS with a deep SALAAM.
"God or dog, it's APROPOS,
My faith to all I DEMO,
I'll meet both in Heavenly STREETS, anon!"
{A-, C+, B.}
Happy Fourth Folks!
Thank you Mr. Jeffrey Wechsler for this challenging CWP. I had to BAIL in several cells to get me started.
Thank you Jazzbumpa for your patriotic review including the National Anthem, and a real march. I'm ready to party.
______
J
It is sure nice to have friends.
______
Ðave
Thank you JzB and JW for a nice diversion. Ron, the internet says it was in an episode of MAS*H; Hawkeye: Radar, you look pensive. Radar: No, I'm just thinking.
Some very nice fill like CARIBOU , CATACOMB , CORDOBA and CURACAO hmm I see a trend there.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY - BE SAFE
Happy 4th with the Cubs/Tigers 🇺🇸
Good morning and happy, wet 4th of July!
I'm late, because I waited for the rain to pause before heading out to pick up my still-unpaid-for yet still-delivered daily paper. On Mondays and Tuesdays the "sections" consist of single 4-page FOLIOs. Incredible shrinking newspaper.
Thanx for the outing, JW. As soon as OSCAR appeared in the circles, I knew we were looking for Muppets. Oops! Also learned that I didn't know where to put the S in APROPOS. GIVE THEM MY VEST gave me pause. Ooh, it's CORDOBA, not VA. Interesting expo, JzB. (Hand up for GNUS. Apparently no gnus is good gnus.)
GRAFTON: Think I'm up to H. The early books have interesting props like typewriters and telephone booths.
CATACOMB: We've got one with thin, closely spaced teeth for catchin' fleas.
Locally, the parade has been canceled, but the fireworks tonight are still on.
Damned near got another JeffWech right, but got the wrong silent consonant at APROPOr. Bad spellers of the world UNTIE!!!
I wanted the "Cats" initials to be A(ndrew) L(loyd) W(ebber). Erased TImE for TIDE, ILa for ILE, AAA for TSA, side for NOUN and agog for GAGA.
Folks who don't like the NOUN clue also don't like the "soft G" tomfoolery, eh Jazz? I like 'em.
I only know NABOB because of CWs. Never heard of "ceviche".
Thanks for the doable Wednesday puzzle, Jeffrey. I especially liked the "Grey's Anatomy" and "org. providing creature comfort" clues. And thanks to JazzB for the fun tour. The best part was your DWs videos.
HBD to the country that has been the biggest force for good in the history of the world. From an old Hank Williams, JR song:
It's true we've got our problems, Lord knows we make mistakes
And every time we solve one, ten others take its place
But you won't see those refugees, headin' the other way
Welcome, to the U.S.A. today
But there's a million happy homes for every homeless
And opportunity still knocks on every door
Our younger generation's really shinin'
Much brighter than they've ever shined before
We've got the right, to vote our leaders in
Yeah, and we've got the right, to vote them out again
And we're all free, to speak our mind, and not get locked away
Welcome, to the U.S.A. today
Morning all. Much better results today then yesterdays debacle. One spelling error. Had an R instead of an E for 47D RTS looked OK but like Jinx, I have spelling issues too. We'd make a Helluva team in a spelling contest.
Jazz, I did not like the cluing for b54D either. As a matter of fact I don't even like the menu option. Give me a medium rare burger or BLT, food that will make me feel like the lunch tab is appropriate.
Hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe holiday.
See ya
Hi Y'all! Enjoyed this puzzle, but had a slow start on the top tier. Had to SLIP in gradually. Thanks, Jeffrey. Great expo, JzB. I was frustrated because my browser won't open your music links. May try the other one later.
After I read the reveal, EMMY popped out at me with the other two pretty easy to find.
Hand up for TImE before TIDE. TOME, not Tv__. Sales reps aid is not cell(phone) but DEMO. I worked in a car dealership and didn't get this without perps? Duh!
Jinx: Thanks for the song lyrics. Makes a true patriot want to cry these days.
Did not know: FOLIO, CANIS (not ursa), CORDOBA. ESP & WAG, but no red runs today.
This has been a quieter 4th of July than usual. People raised a big hullabaloo about the reckless and wanton use of fireworks. Many complaints about scaring pets, war veterans, etc. A new watered-down ordinance let us know that city council members were wishy-washy, but getting a lot of static. Maybe that's why I haven't had to live in fear for fire hazard in our wooded, closely built neighborhood. A few bangs the last few days, but not as outrageous as usual with the smell of gunpowder hanging in the air for a week. I'll celebrate that.
Jinx, you should remember VP Spiro Agnew's "nattering nabobs of negativisim" comment about the press which he felt wasn't kind to him. William Safire wrote the line for him.
A tough puzzle for a Wednesday. Wechsler puzzle? I WAS SO SCARED because they are supposed to be easy midweek. I kept looking at DAIS (perped) and wondering why it fit, thinking cartoon panel. Duh! The NW gave me fits. I misspelled CANUS for CANIS, wanted TEENAGE for LOW WAGE, GOOF for SLIP, and had no idea who the 'Wilson of Father figures' was. And then there was PENSIVE, not a word I knew but have never used. Whew! Glad I finished.
The circles- easy to get ACTIN AWARDS.
TOME-"A large, heavy or scholarly BOOK " or a word only found in crossword puzzles
CURACAO- I have a friend from that island but never really knew that was in the drink. I'd always seen a MAI TAI mixed with rum and either TRIPLE SEC or COINTREAU with a cherry and umbrella. I guess you make it TO TASTE.
Have a happy and safe Fourth everybody.
Good Morning:
It's no secret that I am a huge fan of JW and today's puzzle shows why. In addition to the main theme, which was completely hidden to me until the reveal, there are two sub themes-which are both near and dear to my heart, Literature and Animals. Emma, Poe, Hugo, Oates, Emily, TSE, and in the clues, Sue Grafton and Joyce Carol Oates; turning to the animals, we have Canis, Caribou, ASPCA, Goat, Neighs, and Pet. Phew! I needed perps for Córdoba and was sure it was A Time before A Tide but, other than that, smooth sailing to the Tada. One small nit was End Date which was a tad clunky.
Bravo, Jeffrey W, for a show stopper performance, as usual, and thanks, JzB, for your fine-tuned presentation. (I'll catch the musical links later.)
I recently read Sue Grafton's "W is for Wasted, X (just X), and Y is for Yesterday." The last book was my least favorite but I read all 25 books in the series and enjoyed them and her protagonist, Kinsey Milhone. DO, her time frame never got beyond 1989, so the telephone booths and typewriters lived on through the final chapter.
FLN, Wilbur, I enjoyed your word play. 🐶
Nice work, Owen but the first one is an A+++!
Happy Independence Day to all! 🇺🇸
Less than fourteen minutes for me today, nothing to brag about.
RAW. Clue: Like fish in ceviche
I admit that ceviche fish or shrimp is uncooked, but RAW? Not to my taste. The marination process removes the rawness. When I go to central America, I have ceviche every day when dining out. (I don't often eat sushi, though, which IS often raw.)
Drive safely on the fourth so you can go forth on the fifth. Happy 4th.
Hip, hip, hooray! For me! I got a Jeffrey Wechsler CW!! I even got the theme. Oh, that's right. It's only Wednesday. Oh, well, it was fun, Jeffrey. Thanks.
And there were lots of new words. We got the celestial dog instead of the usual bear, a paddock sound that was a whole word instead of moo or arf. I loved APROPOS and CORDOBA, and NABOB. Yes, D-O, I also thought of Agnew.
The WWII museum held the annual Naturalization Ceremony yesterday and it is always so moving and inspiring. These new citizens work very hard for that privilege. The ceremony gives more meaning to all the fireworks and parades. Thanks, also, for reminding us of Hank Williams words, Jinx.
Have a safe and happy Fourth, everybody. 🎉🇺🇸
Good morning everyone.
Happy 4th to everyone.
Was expecting a patriotic motif but we got an acting one.
Another great puzzle from Mr Wechsler (Changer). Found the top a bit gnarly so worked from the bottom up. Had AAA before TSA but otherwise, no problems. Nice for this former Ch.E. to see ACIDS and ESTER (great explanation, BTW, JzB.)
HMS - prefix to British warship names. Compare RFA. Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Prefix to , say, oilers and other replenishment vessels. They are manned by civilian crews. We have a somewhat similar arrangement through the Military Sealift Command (MSC). Our MSC ships are prefixed with USNS.
Wiki says NABOB came from one of our favorite crossword languages, Urdu, thru Portuguese and British colonizers. Shortening of it led to the naming of San Francisco’s wealthy area as Nob Hill.
Also had to wait on the spelling of CORDOvA
Thanks, Irish Miss, for pointing out the mini themes. I did notice lots of literary clues, but didn't put it all together. More Wechsler Magic!
I have also read all of Sue Grafton's books and enjoyed them to various degrees. There apparently will not be a Z. Y is for Yesterday will be the last one, and that's probably enough.
Owen, your first offering was marvelous! But I loved them all.
Good Morning!
Enjoy this Independence Day!
Jeffrey, thanks for a perfect puzzle for today with just enough trouble to keep me out of trouble. I read "poet" for poem in TREES. Huh? then Aha! I wanted relay for TELCO, as in 4X100--my all-time favorite track event. This former grammar maven really laughed at being fooled by NOUN for soup or salad! Love TSEliot, but not cats--except online. I'm allergic to them.
Well, well, JazzB, you certainly outdid yourself for sure!! Great commentary. Wonderful links, and your usual good humor. A special thank you to Mrs. JazzB for providing the videos. The Plymouth Concert reminds me how much I appreciate community bands and orchestras. They are the best--all that rehearsal time simply for sheer pleasure! Thanks.
FLN: SwampCat--Eh, bien! A bit more French today. No, I didn't mention the Louis' names. It seem to be a prominent repetition with royal families.
TTP: Loved those Corgi pups. Still miss mine.
WIKWAK: PM me or check your email.
Have a very red, white and blue day!!
I didn't remember Agnew's use of NABOB. The quote has kind of a George Will feel about it. I didn't really pay much attention to presidential politics until Ford pardoned Nixon, and wasn't old enough to vote until the Carter / Reagan contest. Thanks to Bill O. I suspect I'll remember NABOB from now on. I've always wondered where Nob Hill got its name (but not enough to actually Google it, obviously).
Puzzle was fun but it's kind of sad that it takes commenters to recognize Independence Day while the LA Times puzzle dealt with largely political acting awards.
Musings
-Just the right touch by Jeffrey and Jazz!
-John Wayne on accepting OSCAR for True Grit - “If I'd have known that, I would have put that patch on thirty-five years earlier.”
-I actually spent money to see only 5 of the last 30 OSCAR-winning movies
-The light we see from CANIS MAJOR’s brightest star, Sirius, left there in 2010
-McJobs in our city start at $9.25/hr
-For us AMES is about halfway to Minneapolis
-I can’t imagine anyone being offended if I open the door for them
-It took me a half-hour to figure out MIL’s cable box DIED yesterday and I couldn’t fix it
-I haven’t figured out how I got on a preferred TSA list where I can go to a shorter line and keep my shoes on
-A big scene in Angels and Demons is played out in the CATACOMBS under the Vatican
-My wife refused to accept that a food’s END DATE means “best when used by” not “throw it out NOW!”
-Our neighborhood July 4th parade of kids had been cancelled because the kids have all moved on and we adults refuse to ride trikes with red, white and blue streamers
It was sad that Ms. Grafton died before "Z" was finished; it was fun the books were set in the 80's. of course, for many of us, we were at our peak that decade
Hi gang -
Had a lot of fun with this one. Thanks for all the kind comments.
The community band has one rehearsal on Tuesday for the performance on Thursday. Granddaughter Rebekka is playing also, in the clarinet section.
Sad time for trombonists. Bill Watrous, one of the all-time greats, passed Monday night. Not all great musicians are wonderful people, but he was one of them.
Here he is playing The Shadow of Your Smile - one of the very best trombone songs. The song title in the vid is mislabelled.
Speaking of trombone, and the 4th - this is pretty wonderful.
Hot and dry here again today.
Stay safe, everyone.
Cheers!
JzB
Wow, I didn't know there were so many different types of trombones. That guy playing with himself was pretty amazing.
AGM @ 9:42 ~ It's quite possible that Rich didn't have any holiday-themed submissions to publish today. 😔
JzB, enjoyed the musical links very much. Please thank your wife for her efforts.
Otto -
Small bore tenor, large bore tenor and bass.
I have them all.
That's the bass in my profile pic.
Cheers!
JzB
JzB, according to Wiki, there are several more types:
Types of trombone
1.1 Cimbasso.
1.2 Contrabass trombone.
1.3 Bass trombone. 1.3.1 Bass trombones in G, F, E♭
1.4 Tenor trombone. 1.4.1 F attachment.
1.5 Alto trombone.
1.6 Soprano trombone.
1.7 Sopranino and piccolo trombones.
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Jeffrey and JazzB.
Happy Fourth to all my American friends!
I saw the theme and wondered if there was an additional connection with "presented"; 28A has GIVE THEM and 46A has GO OUT, but alas nothing in 20A (unless you take I WAS to mean "to be Present").
There were a few ink blots in my newspaper today. (Yes, my paper is getting thinner too)
SYR before LEB, Go Off on your own before GO OUT . .
Some misdirection before I realized TOME, TAN, TELCO.
NW and SW were the last to fall.
I"ll have to come back to listen to all the music links.
Enjoy the day.
"Puzzling Thoughts":
Excellent recap and trombone clips from JzB to highlight the clever, albeit not patriotic, puzzle from JW.
OKL ---> saw all of your _J words and reveal in your poems;
Just as Spitzboov was, I sussed from the bottom to the top, so I got the reveal before I got the individual AWARDS. And as he did, I put AAA / TSA. And like Big Easy, I had TEENAGE/LOW WAGE. My only other WO was lightly penning SHALOM / SALAAM in 8d. Several sections filled in via perps, but I did not have to LU anything, despite a lot of proper nouns/names
Tons of "punnable" opp's today:
1st Moe-ku:
Tom S Eliot
Went on safari; was stung
By a TSE TSE fly
2nd Moe-ku:
Edgar Allan wrote
Poetry. Got paid for it.
Was quite a pro, POE (APROPOS)
3rd Moe-ku:
An Arab deli
Gives out free samples to kids
Who say, "SALAAM me"
I love, love, love Jeffrey Wechsler puzzles and this one was a wonderful Fourth of July treat, even with its great ACTING AWARDS theme! I got the theme even before the reveal--Woohoo! Woohoo! And, like Irish Miss, I was thrilled by all the literary references--a total pleasure to see them accumulating. And it was fun to see Spiro Agnew's NABOBS (thanks for giving us the quote, Desper-otto), and the reference to the Sue Grafton novels. A total delight, Jeffrey, thank you so much. And JazzB, you outdid yourself this morning with all of that meticulous information, like explaining the origin of STOIC and others. Many thanks to you too.
Jinx, thank you for the moving song.
Loved your first poem, Owen.
Delightfully themed Jumble this morning.
I was so lucky to come to this wonderful country when I was ten years old. Happy Fourth of July, everybody!
I was slow to catch on to the theme. When I did I thought it quite clever! I also did not realize it was indeed Jeffrey Weschler who often SCARED us in the past. Thanks for the informative review, JzB! Learning moment that CARIBOU and Reindeer are the same thing!
In the 1980s I did volunteer work in Nicaragua. The Nicaraguan currency is the CORDOBA. Due to the US war against them, the inflation rate was terrible and everything was in short supply. Paper products were almost impossible to find. When I asked what people used for napkins, they laughed and said they use CORDOBAs!
desper-otto: I very much remember Agnew's NABOB comment. I was just a child, but for it was memorable! Never heard the term since! I think it will always have that association!
billocohoes: Thanks for the learning moment about NOB Hill and NABOB! I thought it was a mis-spelling of KNOB, indicating its shape. Thanks!
Here I was on Broadway to see CATS during its final run. Glad to get some shots of the stage set and even one of some of the CATS.
I have seen three shows on Broadway in my lifetime. I just realized that all three were at the same Winter Garden Theater!
Here I was on a PANEL on the DAIS to talk about the meaning of Star Trek.
A few weeks earlier I was at the Karpeles Manuscript Museum in Santa Barbara where they were displaying artifacts of the Star Trek TV shows. The woman running the gallery came over to share her opinion that this was not the sort of thing she thought was appropriate to such a serious museum.
I asked her if she knew what the show was about, estimating she was about 20 when the show first ran (I was a child at the time). She had no idea or interest. But when I told her it was about the US war in Vietnam, her eyes got wide. She asked if I would give a talk about this for the Museum! I said I would be happy to do so, but maybe a PANEL with real experts would be better.
Sitting next to me on the PANEL was Kellam DeForest who worked on the original show! I was so honored to be sitting next to him on the PANEL!
George Harrison had a 33 1/3 RPM LP whose title was 33 1/3!
Wow, what a fun day this has been so far, what with an award-filled Jeff Wechsler puzzle, an informative and witty Jazzbumpa write-up, and some terrific videos! Special thanks to Mrs. Bumpa for her recordings. May you all have as good a day today, or better, as mine has been so far.
D-O: As I said before, my browser won't open JzB's music links, so I'm hoping your comment at 10:35 a.m. isn't as X-rated as one might think in reference. "That guy playing with himself was pretty amazing." LOL!
Happy 4th of July All!*
Things were slow-go this morning until I saw JW's by-line... "Oh, Boy. Think orthogonally, -T." And I WAS off-to the races...
Thanks JW for the puzzle. The NW was diabolical as there were so many possible fills - SLIP fLub; TOME, bOok, show... It wasn't until GIVE THEM that LOW WAGE went in and trimmed my options. Good one! Most of the themers were filled early on.
Thanks JzB for ACTING our host today. Wonderful music (thank your DW for me!) and sparkly expo.
WOs: OSE in PET's squares, rTS b/f STS. CURACAs tWIRLED dust-devil. SALoAM.
ESPs: CÓRDOBA; RAW was easy enough to figure out but never heard ceviche
Fav: NABOB; Love Safire's brilliant line for Agnew as D-O mentioned [I only read about it later; I was 2mo+2days old then :-)]
{A, B-,B} {boo-hiss... :-), LOL, ha}
Good to 'see' you again Linda!
Jinx - Thanks for the Hank Williams Jr.; 1st verse seems APROPOS.
MdF - I was thinking 'rah, rah' at Spirit. Then wanted airline - getting warmer... I never thought of the 100yrd dash (thank goodness).
Oh, one other WO - ASCPA - the .org for accountant PETs(?). :-)
//untie!
PK - I'm glad you said it... [D-O's 10:35]; I'd not have been so STOIC :-)
No fireworks for us. Not only are we getting a gully-washer, our little unincorporated area was annexed by Sugar Land last December. Last year, during our show over the golf course, the Constable came by to remind us that fireworks are illegal in SL and that we'd be cited after Dec 12. Damn, and now he knows where I live...
On the + side, I didn't spend $$$ on pyrotechnics.
Cheers, -T
*even to our Canadian friends... They use the same calendar so they have one too :-)
PK, I as beginning to think we had only clean-minded folks left on the blog. :>) The video you couldn't load was four side-by-side panels of the same guy playing a trombone in a four-part arrangement of Irving Berlin's God Bless America (no religion!), which celebrated it's 100th anniversary this year. It was amazingly good...and, unfortunately, sexless.
Ricardo Montalban sold the Cordoba.
With "rich Corinthian Leather..." I believe.
This was a nice Wednesday puzzle that was well thought out.
Happy Fourth, I’m doing my usual,which is watching the Yankees play, this year Atlanta. It’s been 35 years since Dave Righetti’s no hitter which I also watched....I guess I am old.
Hey JzB, I enjoyed those 'wind-driven pitch approximator' videos very much.
Happy Fourth everybody!
D-O: I don't know, I always thought there was something sexy about a trombone. I had a crush on a trombone player when I was in 7th grade. I played cornet and he sat right behind me. If he leaned up a bit, he could and did nudge me in the back with that slide. I expect JzB is above such shenanigans in his sager years. I don't think of "dirty" or "clean" minded, just "fun" minded and prudes (like my daughters).
D-Otto @ 1:32 ---> I had the same thought as you regarding PK's description of the musician "playing with himself". 😀 Certainly, I wouldn't capitalize on this to come up with a punny haiku, would I???
Trombonist was caught
Playing with himself. This time,
I will let it slide ...
I said to self, I don't think this is Wednesday??? Then I looked at the author... "Now I get it, Jeff-Wex. " But..
Once I got solving and I noticed the circles(OSCAR, Duh) I rolled right along.
Then it was back to the NW. AWEN,DANIS all perp-wags
Oh Bucky Dent. It was STOIC AAAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!! Owen,Canis
I looked up Mel Ott's stats. Amazing.
Since C-Moe let the CAT out of the bag, I noticed #2 also. Actually, the "reveal" is in Rainman's post. I didn't catch it in Owen's l'icks...
Unless he had a FOURTH.
IM, FLN. I didn't know I had any word plays. They were coming hot and heavy from C-Moe and Owen*
WC
* I use the names rather than initials for OMK,OKL. This ol' brain has lost a lot of GRAY
PS. Pk, I noticed that "Play" on words to. I suppose the "Sax" players are more apt to be loners
Oh one last thing...
Misty the USA was lucky to get you . Amazing that you, CC etal master American English. Joseph Conrad amazed me too .
Try this for patriotic if it hasn't already been posted:
https://www.facebook.com/ClassicFM/videos/10155648925229260/UzpfSTY1Njk0NjkyNTk6Vks6MTAxNTU2NDg5MjUyMjkyNjA/
Well, late to the party means it’s all pretty much been said. When I saw it was a JW I cringed a li'l bitty, but it turned out not to be quite as diabolical as some of his can be. They always present a challenge; I think that’s why I like them so much. And JzB, another excellent presentation. Thanks to both.
When I saw the Gray's Anatomy clue I quite confidently put TEXT; aha—you’re not going to catch me that easily, Mr W! Then it turned out to be TOME… >sigh<
I loves me a good community band concert; thanks for sharing yours, JzB! I feel sorry for folks who don’t have the opportunity to hear one.
Hand up for immediately thinking of Spiro Agnew on finding NABOBS today. Great fill.
Still just a blank white page on Cruciverb! What’s up with that?
Have a great day (what’s left of it) all!
Roy & D-O: so if your old Corinthian grandfather is missing …
:P
PK @ 1359 - - Very apt and very good. Toe-tapping stuff.
JzB - Thanks for linking videos taken by LW.
We're having 95º, sans heat index, as we speak. That's 35ºC for those watching outside the US. "Hot 'nuff for ya?"
Wilbur @ 1:59 ~ I just assumed that your emphasis on "Beg" was a nod to crass canines, as that is their main purpose in life, unlike the fastidious felines who rise above such boorish behavior. 😈
Ta- DA!
A fine Wechsler for this 4th of July, followed by an excellent exegesis from Jazzbumpa! Kudos all around!
Just a note of addition to the description of the TONY awards. They are not limited to work in Broadway productions, but for the past fifty years have also been awarded to America's top professional regional theaters. These are not the same as the old-time "little theaters" or community theaters; most are members of the League of Resident Theaters, LORT - also known as our "De facto national theater."
I have had the honor of acting and directing in three Tony-winning theaters - the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Williamstown (MA) Theater Festival, and South Coast Repertory.
~ OMK
____________
Diagonal Report: A single diagonal (NW to SE).
A difficult anagram, but not impossible.
The Japanese immigrant had difficulty absorbing Western medications, especially for his dry skin condition. Various lotions were applied in an attempt to relieve the itchy rashes that covered his body, but his pores seemed to reject all the usual greases and emollients. Finally, a young nurse from his homeland, familiar with native remedies, tried an herbal cream made of sun-dried rhubarb. The man’s skin had been thirsting for it! He soaked up all the creamy concoction and was eager for more. The nurse applied layer upon layer – until no more could be absorbed. At this point, she unveiled her discovery to the doctors, announcing:
“LO! ISSEI SATURATE!”
.
Thank you for the kind words, Wilbur. Apparently kids who learn English before puberty, can learn it like a native, without having to study it or think about it very much. So I was lucky I was only ten at the time. But C.C.s total brilliance in constructing her amazing crossword puzzles is a form of genius, in my opinion. Joseph Conrad, likewise.
There's a big dampener on the front page of today's L.A. Times in the lead article on the air pollution caused by fireworks.
Seems that a standard fireworks display forces air quality into the highly poisonous zone - and that the pollution lingers for over a day afterward.
I loved the comment by one of the experts who said, "“We’re not telling people to not have fireworks or anything, but we do want to let people know that there’s usually a heightened health impact ..."
Great. Thanks a lot.
~ OMK
I thought it was about age 6 that the cutoff in language acquisition occurred. But I checked and it seems that 14 is more likely the age.
Witness Henry Kissinger and his young brother who apparently has no accent at all.
WikWak@2:14- I did the CW in my newspaper, but when I saw your comment, I went to Cruciverb on Safari on my iPad (just like I did on Monday); it opened as usual and I could open the CW on AcrossLite. I'm not sure if this is an IOS thing, a Canadian thing or something else, but Cruciverb is working for some of us!
AnonT- yes we are having a happy (and hot) Fourth here in Canada too!😀
Wow! I finished a Jeff W. puzzle! Some crunch, but it is Wednesday. Loved the write-up, JzB
Fav:46a Leave the firm to work solo/GO OUT ON YOUR OWN. DH did that 30+ years ago, still enjoys his job. He could retire, but then what would he do?
Second fav:24d Adoptee from 38a/PET. Yep, mine is an adoptee from a different shelter.
38a ASPCA. In Cincinnati we have SCPA, School for Creative and Performing Arts. I get them confused.
CSO to AnonT at the TONY award.
JzB, my original plan for tomorrow was to drive up to Ann Arbor, have dinner with sister and BIL, then we would go to your concert, taking care of family stuff on Friday. Unfortunately, we have to do some of the family stuff tomorrow evening so we'll miss the concert. One of these years I want to attend a concert.
The hot/humid weather continues for a couple more days. The weekend is supposed to be pleasant. I hope.
Happy 4th of July!
PK, loved the music. Kind of a fusion of concert and fire drill.
Good Afternoon, Jazzbumpa and friends. Late getting to the blog today. Spent a lovely 4th of July at the zoo.
I laughed when I uncovered the Quit Working = DIE, since I recently "quit working", ie, retired, but not to DIE.
My favorite clue was Org. Providing Creature Comfort = ASPCA.
The first time I had CEVICHE was from a street vendor on the Yucatan Peninsula. I didn't get sick, and I loved the food.
NABOBs occasionally pops up in the puzzles, and of course, I immediately think of those Nattering Nabobs of Negativity.
I read a few Sue Grafton novels, but got tired of them after a while. There seemed to be all so formulaic. It is a bit jarring, though, to read books that make references to typewriters and phone booths. Those seem to be in such a distant past!
Happy Independence Day, Everyone. Stay Safe!
QOD: If no one ever took risks, Michaleangelo would have painted the Sistine floor. ~ Neil Simon (b. July 4, 1927)
Sunday's WaPo by Evan Birnholz had "soup or salad" as a clue for two entries, so as soon as side didn't fit I knew right away what the right answer was.
WW @ 1414 - I don't normally go to Cruciverb, but I just tried it and it worked for me.
Misty @ 1535 and others - - I agree about the age for language learning and minimizing any residual accent. In 1951, a displaced (WWII) German family moved into our school district; 5 children ages 6 - 15. The 6 and 8 year-olds were speaking good English, accent free in a few months. The oldest 2 had a much harder time and continued to have a thick accent.
OMK @ 3:41 --
"I thought it was about age 6 that the cutoff in language acquisition occurred. But I checked and it seems that 14 is more likely the age."
No, from experience, language acquisition at a native level is possible up to the early 20's. It's harder the older you get, because how we shape our mouths to make sounds becomes increasingly canalized, but not impossible.
But somewhere in the mid-20's, it's like epoxy: we become set in our oralizing, and our accent in the other language will accompany our efforts.
Yes that was it. I'd forgotten that.
Not that CATS' methods don't work as well or better. As our constructors are wont to clue: _ _ _ _ Threat word
WC
The trombonist "playing with himself" is Christopher Bill. JzB has given us links to him before - every year he puts up a month of fresh arrangements of Christmas songs. Seems to me he just keeps getting better, both at playing and at the technical stuff.
Trombones in general use today are mostly tenor and bass. Alto is still used for some 1st parts in some Renaissance, Classical and early Romantic Period works, and contrabass in a few operas. Verdi specified cimbasso because it blends with the trombones better than the tuba does, though he wrote a tuba part (even a solo) in Falstaff. Cimbasso is kind of a valve bass trombone.
And JzB thanks for the great expo with all the tbn. links. I did enjoy your community band - made me nostalgic for those and the orchestras I played in before moving to this rural area where there's nothing. I think the last time I got to play Stars & Stripes and 1812 was in the summer of '12, and at times like this I really miss it.
So sorry to hear of the death of Bill Watrous. As you said, truly one of the greats. I looked him up and was surprised to find out that he was 79; for some reason I thought he was a lot younger - maybe just because my memory's stuck in MY youth. I loved hearing Shadow and Unforgettable, and listened to some of the U of Md. clinic w/the Tennessee group. Great stuff, and there's a lot more on You Tube. Thanks for all of that.
PS - soprano trombone = slide trumpet, pretty much a novelty instrument. Don't think I've ever seen a sopranino - slide piccolo trumpet?
Happy Fourth !
Didn't check yesterday's blog until bedtime. Was up at 4:30 yesterday, and started prepping and painting at 5:30. Had to get started early, before the sun got to that side of the house. It was a looooong day. Anyway, thanks for the compliments and I will endeavor to not make the dessert / desert mistake again. :>)
Nice puzzle today. Had trouble in the NE but got it done, unaided. Thanks Jeffrey and JazzBumpa. Didn't have circles, but caught the awards easily enough.
I was trying to think of any rock-n-roll songs with trombones. Came up empty. Desper-otto ?
I'd also never heard of a rock-n-roll band play the bagpipes until I heard AC DC play "IT'S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP (IF YOU WANNA ROCK 'N' ROLL)"
My top three rock saxophonists would be 1) "The Big Man" Clarence Clemmons on Springsteen's Born To Run album - a "must-have" album, 2) Bobby Keys of the Rolling Stones, notably on the song, "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'" and 3) Chris Wood of Traffic on Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. If you haven't heard the songs, I would encourage you to listen to them just to hear the sax.
Anon-T, APROPOS to note that Canada has a 4th of July too. :>)
Canadian and Spitz - so glad you both tried and mentioned your success with Cruciverb. I have been attempting to access it solely via my usual bookmark; it never occurred to me to try navigating there through the front door in a browser. That worked properly, so far as I could tell. Interesting!
TTP @ 2036 - James Pankow in Chicago, poss. also in CTA. Great solo in "25 or 6 to 4" and a real nice harmony line in "Saturday in the Park". The absolutely amazing Dave Bargeron in BS&T. Two fabulous, wild solos in "Redemption" and (I know you didn't ask, but) a short (8 bar) kicky, ebullient tuba solo in "Go Down Gamblin". He's prominent on many of the cuts on all of their albums, and is just a fine musician, as are all the players in that group.
TTP - I see Mike S beat me by 3 minutes: 25 or 6 to 4. Cheers, -T
I got Cruciverb okay last night and Tues, but had to work Monday at Mensa. But hey, no circles! Didn't need them, but this is the first time I can recall some having them and some not (excepting Mensa puzzlers, of course).
A lot of fun comments today. Spiro Agnew, Moe, PK, WikWak, IM, Neil Simon, et alia!
While I originally required of myself to use the exact word in my poems, I've been more lenient in recent years, which explains why I used CANINE instead of CANIS, and also how I seem to have disguised today's Jumble answer so well in the first l'ick that it wasn't seen!
BTW, today's l'icks show how poorly my writing has been the past couple months. The first one is a reworking of one I wrote years ago to include phrases from today's CW & J_, the other two I wrote just this morning.
PK, that rendition of "The Stars and Stripes Forever" was wonderful. A brilliant piece of music and a brilliant arrangement! Thanks.
Thanks Mike Sherline and Anon-T. "25 or Six to Four" didn't come to mind, but it was probably the first rock song that turned me on to sax. Had the album and 8-track !
The frequency of the fireworks and mortars going off in the neighborhood are increasing as the evening has grown darker.
Forever etched in my mind will be about ten or twelve years ago when a couple of my neighbors were in the third or fourth year of their growing celebration of Independence.
That year they built homemade mortar launchers. 4" PVC pipes cemented in five gallon pails. Light the mortar, drop it in the PVC tube, and run. Six or seven went way up in the air and created tremendous explosions of sound. The last one didn't. It exploded in the pail. A shard of the PVC embedded in my neighbor's chest. A piece of concrete blew out the other idiot's rear view window in his company minivan. He later claimed it was vandals.
That was the last year they had Fourth of July fireworks.
Owen, you slipped the riddle right by me and I was looking for it
As I mentioned rainman coincidentally did put forth a riddle homophone.
Re. Quality. Remember, you only have four _J words to "l'ick". So I'm giving you all W's.
WC
TTP - I knew what you meant sax/bone...
Pat - I saw the me-award and thought CSO! but then that's egotistical, no?
[though I do call rigatoni riga-me just to annoy the kids :-)]
Moe - I can't let that @1:52p ku slide - RTFLOL!
TTP, back to you... 4"-diameter mortars? And they thought a 5gal bucket of 'crete would hold that? Dang (er, bang?). Did they make those themselves? If not, I'm sure they got on a .gov watch-list post-haste.
I like to have fun with boom-boom but, outside of the military, I limited my civilian use to 55g mortars.
Cheers, -T
Michael,
Of course I meant the ability to gain a language free of an accent. Language acquisition continues throughout life.
You might check the other posts by our colleagues to see about the cutoff for residual accents.
~ OMK
Here is a note from constructor Jeffrey Wechsler:
In reference to the comment from Anthony Gael Moral at 9:42 – It is reasonable that many people were expecting a Fourth of July theme today, and some seemed rather disappointed by the lack of it. However, this specific comment seemed to imply that the LA times unpatriotically shunned the Fourth and used an acting theme instead. As a constructor who has had a July 4th themed puzzle published in the LA Times, I think this notion is rather far-fetched. The LA Times puzzle editor has no control over what puzzles are submitted; it’s probably simply the case that there happened to be no July 4th-themed offerings this year. And by the way, about a month ago I thought of a July 4th related theme, but it was too close to the holiday to submit it in time. I will do so next year. Also, I am confident that whether the puzzle is accepted or not will depend solely on the professional consideration of the editor on the objective quality of the theme concept and the filled grid.
Was going to start working on the house again this morning. The temp is 75, but the humidity is already at 83%.
Anon-T, not real mortars. Firework mortars, like the pros use. Except these guys were wannabes.
Yes, they made 2 or 3 of those launch tubes. 5 gallon pail, 3 or 4 foot section of 4" pvc centered in the pail, and wet concrete mix poured around the pvc pipe.
Excellent rebuttal Jeffrey.
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