Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Patty Varol and Doug Peterson
What could be a better followup to yesterday's ICE CREAM puzzle by Jeffrey Wechsler than a day that celebrates one of the true delights made with it?
Latrobe, PA is famous for being the home of golfing legend Arnold Palmer but in 1904 an apprentice pharmacist in Latrobe, David Strickland, invented a banana triple ice cream sundae that sold for a dime which was twice the price of other sundaes and it was a huge hit. Strickler bought the drug store and although his invention endures, the building was torn down years ago.
Latrobe, PA is famous for being the home of golfing legend Arnold Palmer but in 1904 an apprentice pharmacist in Latrobe, David Strickland, invented a banana triple ice cream sundae that sold for a dime which was twice the price of other sundaes and it was a huge hit. Strickler bought the drug store and although his invention endures, the building was torn down years ago.
Latrobe is celebrating The Great American Banana Split Festival yesterday, today and tomorrow with many events. I wonder if anyone washes down a banana split with an Arnold Palmer?
On this day celebrating this legendary sweet treat, Patty Varol and Doug Peterson have concocted this lovely puzzle that entertained me greatly but took 23 minutes before I could put the cherry on top! Patty is our esteemed editor Rich's very able assistant as well as being a constructor herself and I have received some great feedback from her and some "thanks, but no thanks" notes as well. I blogged a puzzle Doug constructed with Neville Fogarty this past February.
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| Patty Varol Doug Peterson |
Let's see what else Patty and Doug have for us today as this (soda) jerk tries to make sense of it:
1. Knot remover: NECK RUB
8. Not pointless?: ON TOPIC - Politicians always steer debate back to their talking points rather than staying ON TOPIC
15. Took too many courses?: OVER ATE - We had Thanksgiving FOOD COMA recently which could include the portmanteau 21. Hybrid roast: TURDUCKEN (a deboned chicken stuffed into a deboned duck stuffed into a turkey)
16. "Marvelous": HOW NICE.
17. Sent along: RELAYED - Norman Rockwell captures Americana as well as anyone
18. One pulling his weight around Christmas: BLITZEN - But neither he nor his friends would let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games
19. Caper: ANTIC.
20. Stuff on the deck: STAIN - After 15 years we have given up on STAINING and a 37. House coat: PAINT JOB and so we are installing a synthetic deck this week
22. Proactiv target: ZIT.
23. European underground nickname: THE TUBE.
25. Forbids: BANS.
26. Flood insurance, once upon a time: ARK - Professor Paul Esperante and others believe this could be the remains of Noah's ARK in Eastern Turkey near Mt. Ararat
29. Copycat's talent: APERY - I suppose...
30. Alley goop: TAR - I like the play on Alley Oop!
31. Toasting candidate: RYE BREAD
33. Grizabella the Glamour Cat's solo: MEMORY - It is the show stopper from Andrew Lloyd Weber's Cats
36. Single from Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks": TANGLED UP IN BLUE - Has never crossed my turntable, CD player or MP3 device
38. Some navels: INNIES.
39. Puerto Rico's __ de Morro: CASTILLO - CASTILLO (San Felipe) de Morro
40. Hosp. sections: ERS where they are prepared to 58. Do an inside job?: OPERATE if need be
41. Warehouse supplies: SKIDS.
42. Darn things: SEW.
43. Vince with 18 CMA Awards: GILL - Not familiar with any of Vince's work that got him those Country Music Awards
45. Lacking versatility: ONE NOTE - Can you decipher this equivalent phrase? (* answer below grid at end of blog)
47. Raised eyebrow, e.g.: ARC.
48. Nine Inch Nails founder Reznor: TRENT - Okay
49. Stomach: ABIDE - Do you, like me, no longer ABIDE things you did years ago?
53. Brewery sugar: MALTOSE.
55. Where old records may be kept: JUKEBOX - Five plays for a quarter in my 6. Sporty truck, briefly: UTE (Yeah, I know it's a Utility Vehicle but I couldn't resist)
57. Congo line?: EQUATOR - Here are people in the Democratic Republic Of Congo (formerly Zaire and Belgian Congo) standing on said line
59. Fair rewards: RIBBONS - Granddaughter got many purples at the Lancaster County Fair this year
60. Small restaurants: BISTROS.
Down:
1. "Brothers & Sisters" matriarch: NORA - NORA is played by...
2. Square: EVEN - Game sevens are played when the series is EVEN at three games apiece
3. Gael, for one: CELT
4. Nocturnal Asian snake: KRAIT - India's deadliest, 10X more poisonous than a cobra
5. Singer ranked #10 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time: RAY CHARLES - Too many hits to pick a favorite but this one always moves me
7. Framework for retiring: BED STEAD - No IRA here
8. "Yowza!": OH BABY - Sounds like a Ray Charles lyric to me
9. "Honestly!": NO LIE - Truman won??
10. Matching: TWIN - The TWINS and their mother - Joyce, Martha and my bride Joann
11. Toronto's prov.: ONT - Would you do The Edge Walk from the 1800' foot tall Toronto, ONTARIO CN tower?
12. Party bites from the toaster oven: PIZZA ROLLS - A fav around here
13. Maroon at a chalet, maybe: ICE IN - A meteorological event not a color scheme
14. Coppers: CENTS - A man in England was not allowed to pay a £800 debt using 166 kg (365 lbs) of these 1 cent coppers
24. Olympic gear: EPEES.
25. Film fawn: BAMBI - Disney refused to let the National Forest Service use BAMBI in their anti-fire PDA's after one year and so Smokey the Bear was invented in 1944
26. Basic studio class: ART I - My college class so-named was boring beyond belief because all we did was take notes
27. "Deadpool" actor Reynolds: RYAN - Deadpool is the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time
28. Group concerned with good breeding: KENNEL CLUB - Looking like your owner is not necessary
30. Camper's anchors: TENT STAKES - Not quite enough here. Definitely a 33. Bungle: MISDO.
32. Speakeasy circulator: B-GIRL - Father Mulcahy, "Why Hawkeye, I earned my way through divinity school as a B-GIRL in San Francisco!"
34. Word with home or slide: RULE - I might as well show my math students a buggy whip as much as a slide RULE.
35. Stinging response: YEOW.
41. Ugly looks: SNEERS.
43. Xbox devotee: GAMER - How many hours/day is too many?
44. Kirkuk native: IRAQI - McDonalds is not allowed in Northern Iraq so...
45. Name on "The Magnificent Ambersons" theater poster: ORSON - Mercury Players ORSON Wells, Agnes Morehead, Joseph Cotten, et al moved on to this project after Citizen Kane.
46. Pulitzer-winning film critic: EBERT - Of the above movie, EBERT wrote, "The Magnificent Ambersons" (1942, a masterpiece with its ending hacked to pieces by the studio...)
48. Terry's role in the original "Wizard of Oz": TOTO - Terry/TOTO's memorial at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery (dog picture for our Irish Miss)
50. Structural beam: I-BAR - A baby I-BEAM?
51. Inflict on: DO TO - "What did you DO TO your hair?"
52. They're split: EXES - George Strait sings that all his EXES live in Texas while he hangs his hat in Tennessee.
54. Check for drinks: TAB = Jay Z's bar TAB that included an $11,000 tip. I've never heard of Ace Of Spades Champagne.
56. Org. with an "Odd News" web page: UPI - They recently led with a Calgary Museum that says it now has the world's largest working Rubik's Cube
If you can't get away to Latrobe, PA for the festivities today, why not leave a comment:
DA GRID:
*45 Across deciphered is "One Trick Pony"
62 comments:
FIRight, albeit with a lot of write-overs. 1a Knot remover: DIVORCE proved to be incorrect.
MISDO > DO TO > TOTO ?
There's a BISTRO in town that's different by far.
It's where you can find the narcissists are.
No BANS on the egos
Of wanna-be eagles,
It's appropriately named. It's the local I-BAR!
A Biblical name for any box is an ARK
One saved all animals, save Jurassic Park!
Afterwards, God put his bow in the sky,
Known as a rainbow to you and I.
But God can't tie a RIBBON, it's just a plain ARC!
Peta has freed the animals on the cracker box,
Uncaged BAMBI and BLITZEN and Reynard the fox!
Next goal is to end
The harsh discipline
Of dogs who get hit with KENNEL CLUB whops!
There was a NICE lady from Nice
Who found herself locked IN by ICE.
She didn't in panic
Do anything ANTIC,
But she did curse, which wasn't so nice!
{A, B+, B, A-.}
Good morning Cornies.
Thank you Ms.Patty Varol, and Mr. Doug Peterson for this difficult Saturday masterpiece. On first pass, I had mucho blanco lefto. P & P Paid off, and I FIR in 35:09 min..
Thank you Husker Gary for a picture of the snake: KRAIT - India's deadliest. I had not heard of it. How would one avoid it at night?
Ðave
Good morning!
Nice time, D4. You're getting the hang of this crossword thing. I enjoyed this one. No Wite-Out required, though T got over-written with Y in RELAYED. Interesting to see DOTO and TOTO. (What did you DO TO TOTO?) Thanx, Patti, Doug and Husker.
YOWZA: CSO to Lucina. It's also a song by the Chad Mitchell Trio, but Boomer knew that.
EXES: Only got one. She lives in Tennessee, and I live in Texas.
Slide RULE: Mine was a Post Versalog, made of laminated bamboo. In high school the nerd badge was a pocket protector. In college it was the slide rule dangling from your belt.
Easy Saturday, finished with no Wiki-cheats. I also had a Post Versalog before I bought a HP 35 calculator for $395 in 1973. It had RPN (Reverse Polish Notation). I have a HP 35 app on my phone that is free.
Gary, I beat your time of 23 minutes this morning by about 10 minutes (I don't time myself but this was easy for a Saturday). My last fill was 1A-kept thinking DIVORCE as the 'Knot remover' before NECK RUB fell. KRAIT and NORA were unknowns, along with MEMORY, RYAN, CASTILLO, & ORSON. What really made the puzzle easy was that I had the "Blood on the Tracks" album and TANGLED UP IN BLUE was a gimme. The album color is NOT blue, it's a dark violet colored jacket.
I only had to change ENDS to EXES for the split clue. Desper-otto-my 'EXES' is in Texas.
ON TOPIC- Politicians always steer debate (or idiotic reporters' questions) because they want to give their opinion or ignore the question that is designed to make the reporter look good or to try to embarrass the politician.
Tangled up in blue is one of Dylan’s best songs. Vince Gill is as talented as any country performer. Just sayin
Good Morning:
Nice to see Patti back and paired up with Doug. I finished w/o help in 24:51 which is not bad for a Saturday. (Your time was great, Dave.) I really slowed myself down right from the beginning in the NW corner with Massage (Neck rub) Scot (Celt) and End table>End stand (Bedstead). Before perps corrected these errors, I had Rye Blend, then Brand (neither of which made sense) and, finally perped out Bread. My Tar started out as Oil because I mentally conflated Alley G(oop) and Gasoline Alley and came up with Oil. (Don't ask!) I then confused Proactiv and Activia so Zit escaped me for ages; my first thought was Gut. (Don't ask!) The "Cats" shop stopper was a mental block; I could only get as far as the first word, Midnight, instead of the correct title, "Memory." (Don't ask!) One of these days, I'll remember Trent (Reznor) but I'm not going to even try to remember that slithery serpent. Dylan's "Tangled up in Blue" was a complete unknown. CSO to CanadianEh at Ont.
Thanks, Patti and Doug, for a very challenging offering and thanks, HG, for the outstanding review. Your links and visuals were top notch and your picture of Toto's grave was a nice touch and much appreciated. Nice picture of mom and the twins, too. I was astonished by the "Dead Pool" being the highest grossing R-rated movie. I've heard of it, but know nothing about it. I'm definitely not in Hollywood's targeted demographics. Nor am I among those who would venture on to that Edge Walk in Toronto. Yikes!
FLN
Wilbur, a belated Happy Anniversary to you and your wife.
Have a great day.
Hi Y'all! Thanks, Patty & Doug. Thanks, Gary for a sweet start that finished raising all our A1C levels after yesterday.
OH BABY! Today we had singers & actors & music references on THE TUBE or JUKEBOX with a few snacks thrown in for an entertaining puzzle we could enjoy from the BEDSTEAD in ONT or wherever if we ICE IN or we could watch the KENNEL CLUB dog show. Something for everyone. EBERT will critique.
Looked up RAY CHARLES when I couldn't get anything but ONT on the top tier first pass. I don't agree with Rolling Stone's top 100, but don't know who I'd pick. Vince GILL's "Go Rest High on That Mountain" made me cry every time I heard it, written for his dead brother.
Get out knots: I was wanting "fingers" on shoe laces. Tried "back" after perping RUB. Okay, NECK.
Worked back & forth & WAGd a lot. Went faster than expected & finished in just under 24 mins. No red-letter runs for once but quite a few red MISDOs.
Ugly looks: not ScowlS but SNEERS.
My EXES are mostly dead! Two old boyfriends, my very first & last, are still hanging on but in poor shape.
I don't usually tackle the Saturday LAT CW, but I looked at the copy on screen and it looked like fun. I never dreamed that I would FIR, but I did. But I had to erase resin for STAIN, stand for ABIDE and PIZZA bites for ROLLS (sounds awful, but haven't tried them).
"She was workin at a topless place and I stopped in for a beer...". Dylan was Steve Jobs' favorite musician and romantic rival for Joan Baez's affections.
I loved Brothers & Sisters but for some reason I always get it confused with Six Feet Under.
There is a restaurant in Sarasota that has a sign proclaiming that they are the inventor of turducken. The web site backs off that claim.
My slide rule is a yellow K&E in a fancy black leather case. Nifty.
Didn't Rocky & Bullwinkle include the country of Bongo Congo in their story lines?
Big Easy, when a guest tells a talking head "that's not the right question..." I flip to ESPN. If the guest wants to define the questions, START YOUR OWN DAMNED SHOW! Megyn Kelly is great at keeping them on point, and at asking pointed questions.
Thanks to Patti and Doug for letting me play today. I especially liked "where old records may be kept" for juke box. (Tunes were 7 for $0.25 in my ute). And thanks to Husker Gary for your fun review. I really liked the flying tent.
Thanks to all for an enjoyable Saturday puzzle. Gary, the tent video paired with 33D MISDO really made me chuckle.
Lots of mis-directions for clues today which works the brain more. It seems as though many of you time your solve. I'm curious as to the reason as I have never done so. Sometimes I come back to a puzzle after leaving for an errand or such and finish whenever I can. Do you keep track of your times trying for a personal best?
We had a Cairn terrier named Coco for 17 years who was a direct descendent of TOTO as stated in her papers.
Favorite clue today was 57A "Congo line?"
God morning, folks. Thank you, Patti Carol & Doug Peterson, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Husker Gary, for a fine review.
HG: Enjoyed Memory. We saw the musical years ago in Chicago. It was great.
Puzzle was pretty tough for me. Of course it is Saturday. Took me about two hours.
KRAIT was unknown. Perps.
Liked EQUATOR. Very clever. I was thinking of some kind of dance line. Got a couple perps and it hit me.
Wanted to put in TOTO, but held off not knowing who Terry was. After three perps I put in the T, which gave me TRENT.
Had three E's and an S. Then the P hit me in the head. Oh well.
RAY CHARLES was easy once I had about 6 perps.
Off to my day. Have to write the Maine Appalachian Trail appeal letter. I volunteered to help a few years ago since I do belong to the Maine Appalachian Trail Club and have been doing it now for a few years. Glad to help. I don't get to the trail since it is about 800 miles away. Did hike part of it with my mother in '03 and '04.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Yes, it is Saturday. This was a challenge with lots of nothing filled in for a long time. Never heard of RYAN. Only know Burt Reynolds.
Anyone else try LAND before RULE? It works just as well: HOME LAND/LAND SLIDE
HuskerGary: Thanks for explaining TAR. I had no idea. I did get the humorous reference, though!
Here was BLITZEN and his pals at an interesting Christmas art display.
My friend Pali was displaying his huge inflatable piece there.
Once again here I was at the Broadway musical CATS where MEMORY was played. Did not remember Grizabella.
Big Easy and Jinx: I have been on both sides as a reporter and as an interviewee. When I am interviewed I have my key points in mind and say them first. I am then happy to answer the reporter's questions. If I answer their questions first it is possible we run out of time before my points are made. As a reporter I am OK if the interviewee does that, too.
I am pretty sure I have photos at that CASTILLO. And lots of photos in TORONTO, ONT.
But I am off on a mission in the mudslide area right now.
Musings
-GJ, On the timing – I get the puzzles in advance which means I must do them online and that exercise has a timer built in and so you get a time whether you want it or not. I usually don’t post my terrible times! :-( and I don’t really have a “regulation time”
-Every time we see CATS, Memory is a show stopper unlike Adelaide’s Lament from earlier this week
-I just wrote our Hawaiian friend Chef Wendy hoping everything on Kauai is okay. I’ll keep you posted
-IM, Hollywood ain’t makin’ movies for this cowboy either! We have $50 of unused gift certificates. BTW, I’d do the Edgewalk!
-I made this wonderful slide RULE/cheat sheet available to my kids
-While watching a documentary on the Windsors I found that a “dunking” ceremony is in store for all crossing the equator for the first time. When the royals made the crossing on their historic 1947 voyage to their shrinking empire Princess (soon to be Queen) Elizabeth got by with a “powdering” to initiate her into the Kingdom of Neptune
Thanks, Gary. I do the puzzle in my daily newspaper and had no idea the online version has the timer. An interesting perk if you wish to use it.
Much easier than most Saturdays (for me, at least). FIR in 18 min. Biggest gimme was TANGLED UP IN BLUE: it’s one of my all-time favorites. The whole album is something I frequently listen to while in the car. Favorite clue was "Alley goop".
Not many real juke boxes left.
I have never liked PIZZA ROLLS. Kinda made me an outcast in my own house when the kids were liddle.
APERY — meh.
53 A: just put in MALT_SE and wait for the perp.
In my ute I loved reading Sax Rohmer's Dr Fu Manchu novels. People there were frequently being killed by KRAITs the evil doctor had somehow managed to have smuggled into a desk drawer, etc.
Thanks to Patty and Doug for a fun puzzle, and as always, to Husker G for the exposition.
Have a great day, all!
Good morning everyone.
Good intro, HG, thank you.
Needed help with NECKRUB and RYAN, but got everything else, so for a Saturday, I'm satisfied. Finally got good toe holds at the bottom and then moved north and west. Had 'ends' before EXES.
Slide RULE - I keep mine in my desk. Pull it out once a year and reflect on how things have changed. I wonder if the appropriate use of significant digits is still stressed today. GIGO.
Addenda (I suspected addendum had a weird plural and learned that today)
-The Saturday puzzle is the only one I do online. I do all the other puzzles in pencil in the Omaha World Herald. I really miss doing a puzzle on Saturday as I blog it earlier in the week. It's a perk I don't need/enjoy.
-I remember the first time I did a division with a calculator and got 13 significant figures and not just the 3 or so you get with a slide rule. WOW, talk about passing the torch!
-BTW, that calculator cost $69, only had +, -, x and / and now you can get them for $1 with more functions as well.
Hi everybody, I too had a slide rule. A metal Pickett I believe. To use it well, you had to understand arithmetic, more so than just pushing buttons on a calculator.
I found a timer on some online CWs. I turned it off. For me, it made doing the puzzle seem like a competition rather than an enjoyable diversion.
We went to see to see Cats years ago. "Memory" was a great song for sure but it was the only thing I can remember about the evening. The rest of the play seemed underwhelming.
My all-time favorite is The Music Man.
FIR between errands in three sittings. I'm not nearly as fast as some of you. It took a little over an hour. I loved all the clever misdirections. Blitzen was my favorite. I did think of KRAIT right off, but spelled it three different ways before I got it right.
Gary, loved your neck rub picture. Cute kitten.
Nice pic of Joann, her sis and mom.
Pounding in tent stakes finished my tent camping life at age 76. After my knee replacements I no longer could pound the stakes in. I used to love to lie there and hear the wind soughing in the tree tops.
Is turducken worth the extra price?
I get very annoyed with those who duck subjects they don't like and answer with unrelated talking points.
Great puzzle and expo. A fine start to my weekend. I actually am enjoying a weekend at home after being away and I especially enjoy reconnecting with the LAT and the blog.
GJ @ 9:42 and 10:22 ~ My reply to your inquiry would be the same as Gary's. The App gives you the time but the only day I pay attention to it is Saturday because it's how I gauge the difficulty level of the solve. Based on my own past experiences, I feel any time lower than 30 minutes is a good time for me. I don't rush through solving the puzzle because I'm not a speed solver; I'm a "savor the moment" solver. BTW, my sister's family had a miniature poodle named Coco, but no relation to Toto, I'm sure.
Spitz, do you and Betty go to the New York State Fair? How far are you from Syracuse? I believe the Washington County Fair is going on right now; it makes me think of you and Argyle spending some time there a few years back.
In that box of memorabilia that I finally tackled a few weeks ago were several Playbills from the Broadway shows we saw years ago, one of which was "Cats". We saw mostly musicals but I do remember seeing "The Iceman Cometh" with, IIRC, Jason Robards as the lead and, if I'm not mistaken, Brian Dennehy as the bartender. (I'll have to verify this as memories can be tricky.) I definitely remember Yul Brynner in "The King and I" (revival) and Zero Mostel in "Fiddler on The Roof".
Yes, Brian Dennehy played the bartender in "The Iceman Cometh" but not in the production I saw. I must have seen a clip of him on TV and conflated that with the Jason Robards production. (It seems I'm doing an awful lot of "conflating" lately. Age, maybe?)
Well, this was a Saturday toughie for me--but then they all are. My knowledge of music is not great, which was a problem with all the references this morning. At least I got JUKEBOX--a MEMORY from my teens. Lots of clever clues, though, like 'Do an inside job' for OPERATE and 'Fair rewards' for RIBBONS. But my favorite might have been 'Flood insurance' for Noah's ARK. So, great fun in spite of the difficulties, many thanks, Patti and Doug. And Husker Gary, your picture of the KENNEL CLUB duo totally cracked me up.
One quick question: was TERRY the name of the dog who played TOTO? Never heard of that one.
Have a great weekend, everybody!
D-O - - Mine is a Post Versalog, too. Cat. #1460.
IM - We are about an hour and ten minutes east of the NYS Fair. With Betty's limitation on walking (she's improving), fairs are not being considered right now. The WC fair is about 7 miles from where I grew up. We still have fond memories of the afternoon spent with Argyle. Our favorite fair in the 40's and 50's was the Schaghticoke Fair for your county, Rensselaer.
Re: BLITZEN - Years ago, while attending a conference in Helsinki, we were treated to an excellent buffet served on the icebreaker Urho. It included reindeer meat which was deelicious.
Bongo CONGO was ruled by King Leonardo, and some of the cartoons from that show appeared on Tennessee Tuxedo. However, King Leonardo's animation was done by Jay Ward Productions, the same studio that drew Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Had CASTILLa until I figured out YEOW.
HG, I hope your panel of "Where the Anglo-Saxons came from" is the first of a series. The Celts (Brythons) were resident in Brittania for 800 years before the Angles, Saxons and Jutes invaded in the late Roman Age. Just a misleading title.
I guess I'll add my time as well (26:14).
IM and I always seem to be about the same time.
I was 17 when "Blood on the Tracks" came out. Not a huge Dylan fan.... but Tangled Up In Blue is one of my favorite Dylan songs. Am playing the entire album from iTunes as I write this. It really is a good album.
Husker, Navy swabbies who haven't crossed the equator aboard ship are referred to as pollywogs. Those who've previously crossed are exalted shellbacks. A special ceremony is held upon crossing -- I went through the "ritual" in '70. The shellbacks build a punishment line. There's a garbage trough to crawl through while getting pummeled with fire hoses, among other special "treats." At the end of the line you get to meet and greet King Neptune -- some fat guy with grease smeared on his belly which you must kiss to show obeisance. Each newly minted shellback receives a fancy printed certificate. I was so impressed with mine, I pasted it to the underside of the toilet seat so I could salute it daily. The only piece of Navy memorabilia that I treasured I've since lost -- a "lifer" belt buckle with the symbol of my specialty and the name of my ship engraved on it: USS Goddamn Richard.
Just checked and discovered that I've got the two-disk Original Broadway Cast recording of Cats on my music server. I'd forgotten it was on there.
I loved this puzzle! So many deviously clever clues and sparkling fill. I learned that a knot remover is not a MASSAGE nor a BACK RUB. I learned it is not ENDS that are split and also learned that old records are not kept in a JOKE BIN. For some reason I filled KRAIT, TURDUCKEN, MEMORY, and MALTOSE correctly on the first try. I remember being so impressed by the krait in Kipling's story Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. Never heard of either "Blood on the Tracks" or TANGLED UP IN BLUE, and will likely not remember either of them if they show up again. Totally love the clues for RYE BREAD and ARK. This puzzle is in my list of the top ten, for sure.
Objectively I know Andrew Lloyd Webber is a skilled composer, but subjectively I just can't get into his works. Of all the musical shows he has written, except for Jesus Christ Superstar, I can only remember and name one or two songs from each one. MEMORY from Cats is one. Can any of you remember more than two songs from any one show of his?
Gotta go. Best wishes to you all.
Cleverly clued by the Varol/Peterson team, and beautifully explicated by Husker G!
Got most of it on my own - all of it in fact but the NW sector. I had to resort to Googling to crack that *#@! corner. In looking up Rolling Stones' top artists' list, I found - right after RAY CHARLES at #10 - Miss Aretha Franklin at #9!
Misty ~
Yes, Terry was the female Cairn Terrier who played TOTO, and appeared in 16 movie roles in all.
~ OMK
____________
Diagonal Report: Three today, a 3-way running NW to SE.
Jayce ~
I didn't start out as a big Lloyd Webber fan, but I don't know how to resist certain top numbers. "The Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera is an inescapable earworm.
On the plus side, my favorite show of his is Evita, and I think "Don't Cry for me, Argentina" is a truly transformative piece.
The movie was just OK, but I recall Patti LuPone singing it on Broadway, and it is greatly enhanced by live performance. I think there are few turns that will ever compete with her rendition.
I wonder if others have different favorites to nominate.
~ OMK
I have the timer turned off on Across Lite (cruciverb) and ignore it on Mensa. I can crow about how often I complete a puzzle without helps, but I'm sure if I ever looked at the time I'd be heartily disheartened!
I collected slide rules. Used to have a trophy for winning a contest as best slide-rule operator in the senior class! I went to a big tech high school, IIRC we had about 600 in my graduating class. A junior took the best in the school trophy that year.
About to head down the Albuquerque to pick up my SIL. She's my wife's twin, and they're going to stay in a hotel together, so I'm batching it for a week, except doing chauffeur duty for them on call.
43 A - Vince with 18 CMA Awards: GILL - - HG, I found PK's favorite Ricky Skaggs, Patty Loveless, Vince Gill - "Go Rest High On That Mountain", 3:16 min.
PK, That rendition did not require me to wipe the sweat from my eyes, but this one did. Vince Gill and Patty Loveless - "Go Rest High On That Mountain" at George Jones' Funeral | Grand Ole Opry 13:26 Min., and worth it.
Ðave
Hi,
just 90% without help. I correctly guessed the clue was linked to Cats but could not recall any song names as I have not seen it. I think I have seen only a couple of Bob Fosse pieces and Singin in the rain and Oliver! Is there a movie of Cats musical? I only know it from spoofs like in Simpsons.
Not a fan of Dylan or Country music. But on the other hand I am probably only one here who likes Trent Reznor. He makes terrific OSTs as for Social Network and Girl with dragon tattoo.
Well this started out with not much filled in at all. Worked it from the bottom up and finished in the NW.
Some clever clueing complete with the usual misdirection made this worthwhile. Very happy to get any Saturday solve, this one was most satisfying.
The Edge Walk?....I’d do it...but only with some Depends under the safety suit.
Enjoy your weekend.
PK, etc. The song starts at 7:25 min. It got me worse the second time.
Ðave
Ol' Man Keith, I agree yes those are terrific songs. The only other song from Phantom of the Opera I like and can remember is the theme song called "Phantom of the Opera" where he entices her to "Sing for me!" The whole rest of the show? I flat out don't remember any of it other than my being bored to death of it.
Yes, the song "Don't Cry for me, Argentina" is a wonderful song, but it's the only one I remember from Evita. I've never heard anybody sing any other number from that show.
And, as Bill G said, "'Memory' was a great song for sure but it was the only thing I can remember about the evening. The rest of the play seemed underwhelming." Elaine Paige sang it so well!
So yeah, to be harsh, a memorable gem or two shining out from mountains of immemorable dreck.
Krijo at 2:58 PM
- - Here is Trent Reznor "In the hall of the mountain king".
Ðave
Jayce ~
Sorry - my mistake! You were asking if anyone could recall two numbers at least from a single Lloyd Webber show, and I named songs from different shows.
But, with respect, ALW isn't really a song writer - not in the Kern or Rodgers mode - but may be understood as a full show creator, straddling somewhat between a musical and an opera composer.
Yes, I can think of other numbers from Evita; offhand, I'd name "Buenos Aires," "High Flying, Adored," and "Santa Evita." But they aren't exactly meant as stand-out show stoppers; they emerge in context as integral musical expressions of plot points. I think of many of these numbers as akin to, or a heightened version of operatic recitativo, more than as stand-alone songs.
I can't buy into your critique of them as "dreck." I think you expect too much of them, something like the arias and songs of other shows. But that is beyond their dramatic purpose. If they put you off while you're sitting through a live performance, that would be a real failing, but I haven't noticed audiences walking out or dozing during those passages.
I find them very much in the mood of the story - serving a turn other than to give the folk something to hum on the way home.
~ OMK
Oh, favorites to nominate? Too many to mention them all, but here are a few of my favorites.
"If I Loved You", "What's the Use of Wond'rin'?", and the operatic "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel.
Almost all the songs from The Music Man, especially "Lida Rose", "Marion the Librarian", and the iconic "Seventy-Six Trombones".
I love "Pore Jud is Daid" from Oklahoma.
And I can't fail to mention "America" and "Officer Krupke" from West Side Story.
One last post.
There's good ole Georges Bizet of Carmen fame. That work is chock full of terrific, memorable songs. Another opera of his, The Pearl Fishers, basically has one song that anybody ever performs, called "Au fond du temple saint" ("At the back of the holy temple"), which is also a really nice duet for tenor and baritone. My favorite version is the one recorded by Jussi Björling and Robert Merrill in 1950. It brings tears to my eyes every time. Jussi Björling is one of those tenors who doesn't howl or bark when going for the high notes, and is one of my favorite opera singers.
Hi All!
Feeling much better today and finally tackled >300 emails while interleaving puzzle-play...
<30 min on a Sat is just bragging :-) I spent over 3 hours on-and-off and still didn't get the NW before tossing the towel. Right-out @1a: Gordian nor Scissors :-)
Thanks Patti & Doug for this brain-bender. HOW NICE to have Dylan & CHARLES in a puzzle / on the JUKE -- makes me want to Shake a Tail Feather [BLUES Brothers 3:15]
My first "get" today was the Pizza ROLLS (yech) and those gave me ZITs to help fill the east. The west was harder to perp out; What?, with no knowledge of RYAN who'd think of toasting RYE(?) instead of the Roastee?
ANTIC, NORA, CELT and KRAIT (not Adder?!) were my fails. Thanks HG for letting the ink to fill those squares.
HG - The Dude ABIDEs your expos - you always provide fun learning links; thanks. And that "Owner looks like his owner*" pic - LOL!
BTW, can't you print the puzzle from the "preview" file?
Oh, and the Edge Walk - um, how do I say it politely? "Maybe in my UTE, but H-NO!" I lost my appreciation of heights in San Antonio when I thought it'd be cool to look straight down through the gap between the elevator and the platform at the Tower of Americas. Vertigo set in and my knees knocked until I got back to terra firma.
Fav: c/a for ARK. #Bonus! ARC also in the grid.
c/a for EQUATOR was cute.
{A, A+, B, B+}
Picard - nice catch on 'Land' @34d.
MEMORYs of Calculating machines. I never used a slide rule (I got that at a second-hand shop) but the HP28s (with RPN! [Hi Bob (Niles)]) was proof I was a EE nerd.
Jayce & OMK - I'm not into musicals but know most of the songs you both mention from pop-culture [Mom had Cats & Jesus Christ Super Star on 8-track]. Youngest is a huge musical fan and picked one for Movie Night tonight; I'm told it's all Beatles -- I'll ABIDE :-)
Cheers, -T
*Pop will tell you his pup, Tinker, owns him.
48D: The original Wizard if Oz was a silent film in 1925 and I don’t believe there was a Toto in that film.
5D: My favorite Ray Charles song - “I’m Busted”.
https://youtu.be/F3A6Z462SBs
Jayce, did you have a twin brother, separated at birth? I too don't enjoy most music from Andrew Lloyd Webber. I do very much like all of the music from The Music Man. (I wonder why Meredith Wilson stopped there?) And I like almost everything by Rogers and Hammerstein. Their music finds a nook or cranny in my brain and hooks onto the aural lobe. I would enjoy seeing almost all of their shows again rather than see the latest new musical, whatever it might be. For my taste, it's hard to beat Oklahoma, South Pacific, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady, etc. You get the idea. I'm a musical geezer.
Popular music...?
And guess who was the first tenor who opened my eyes to operatic music? Jussi Björling, that's who, when I heard him featured on a local FM station. I had never heard of him before but his voice made a lasting impression.
Gary, I must have had the same first calculator as you. It was on sale for $60, had just the four basic functions, utilized a red LED display and ate AA batteries at a rapid rate.
D4: Thank you for the Vince GILL clips. It's a tear-jerker.
MEMORY: My girls were going to a live "CATS" production with friends. I begged them to get me a ticket too. They were sitting on the floor close to the stage. Bought late, my seat was in the nose-bleed section where I watched them enviously take their good seats. The acoustics were not good so close to the ceiling. If I had not read T.S. Eliot to my kids when they were small, I would not have understood a thing. Grizabella's "MEMORY" was the saving grace for my expensive ticket.
I don't remember more than one tune in "Evita" with all the different songs set to that tune.
My cousin's wife saw an Andrew Lloyd Weber work on the stage in London. She came home to the boondocks and was bragging long and loud about it. We were a loooong way from Broadway. Nobody in the group had any idea who she was talking about -- ALW, whozat -- but no one wanted to admit it. We were busy with little children and didn't care. We thought she was horrible to go off to London and leave her little ones with a less than competent husband.
Thank you for explaining the TERRY/TOTO connection, Ol'Man Keith.
Fascinating discussions of musicals--I share liking all the ones that you mention, Bill G.
Hand up for being a fan of "Music Man" and any Rogers & Hammerstein musical. They were relatable to everyday life. I always thought ALW put together his productions while on LSD.
Just got back in town. Speaking of which, welcome back WikWak. Did you see the Perseid shower. That was your last previous post (I think). You were heading out to see if you could witness it.
I didn't go as far as you. Spent the day in Batavia fixing router, wireless and printer problems (that was a PITA) for friends, and then visiting.
The only opera I ever saw was Tommy, and my favorite song was Pinball Wizard.
Never heard of most of the stuff you are all talking about. Different generation. Lots of that stuff ends up in puzzles in one way or another, like Shakespeare.
Never saw that Guys and Dolls that you all were talking about the other day either, but have heard Luck Be a Lady and another song from it. I had to look Guys and Dolls up.
As far as times:
Wed was 10:10
Thurs was 15:50
Fri was 20:07
Sat was 20:57
Tomorrow was 35:38
Next Tuesday was 12:45
Those are online times in Across Lite, no red letter help. The windows are still open on my computer for each of them.
Not bragging. Just saying. The competition level solvers would cut those times by 50 to 70 %. I can't type or print that fast. Did Wednesday through Sunday in one sitting when I had time to spare.
Never had a slide rule. Never had an abacus either. My oldest brother had both. My first calculator was a TI-60 that cost $49 or $59 new.
Anon-T, glad you're feeling better. I think only a half dozen of those emails were from me. Sorry if any of them crashed your computer. Just thought I'd send you a few more for your sandbox. Tell me when to stop.
Vince Gill is on one of my playlists. Have his Greatest Hits CD. Great voice. Don't know how a guy can hit those notes.
Thanks for the review Gary.
Back from scouting the mudslide area in Montecito. Hope to have photos to share.
Husker Gary: That Concise Circular Slide Rule is exactly what I had. My freshman physics teacher would give us extra credit if we used a slide rule instead of a calculator.
AnonT: Thanks for the thanks regarding HOME LAND/LAND SLIDE
Jayce: I agree with you that other than MEMORY there were not too many other MEMORable bits to the CATS music.
I agree with the comments that the musicals of the 1950s and 1960s were far more MEMORable and enduring.
Here I found our family photos of that CASTILLO de Morro in San Juan.
The first photos are actually at the nearby Fort San Cristobal. I had just turned 13.
Having been born in the mid 50's I never had a slide rule. But my older siblings did, so I remember fumbling with it as a child. Got the basic concept, but never had to face an exam on same. Closest thing I ever owned to that device was a flight calculator. Similar concept, but in the round. don't know if those are still in use. Dudley?
First actual calculator was a Casio (IIRC, c 1978) with LCD. 4 basic functions and at a cost of ~$80. First higher test calculator was a TI BA II, but it was somewhat lame. Later graduated to an HP 12c and am on my third copy of that model. No real changes, just wore them out. Once you go RPN, you never go back! So I'd buy another if needed.
Jayce at 3:47 PM
- - Thank you for introducing me to Jussi Björling. You wrote that he is one of those tenors who doesn't howl or bark when going for the high notes, and is one of your favorite opera singers. I agree with you. Here he is at 18 years old. LINK 12:08 min.
Ðave
Jayce and Bill G. - I'm with you on the musicals. Some of the greatest pleasure I've had was playing in the orchestra for or musical directing those shows, plus Kiss Me, Kate, Don Quixote, Camelot, Gypsy, and probably others I can't think of now. In Kiss Me Kate I was playing string bass, and the top of the bass and my head were just above stage level. One of the things she threw at him came sliding across the stage and took a small chunk out of my scroll and knocked my glasses off. All in a day's work.
The battle is over for John McCain, warrior. Farewell.
Greetings!
Thanks to Patty, Doug and Gary!
FIR in 24 minutes. Cool!
Some total unknowns: TANGLED UP IN BLUE , SKIDS and NORA.
I do not try these puzzles when I am tired anymore. Really helps.
Hope to see you tomorrow!
Thanks Patty and Doug for an enjoyable brain workout this morning.
DNF
Found a paper in the AmericInn breakfast nook with the puzzle. Enroute back home after a couple a days of enjoyable family time on Lake of the
Woods . Good fishing , walleye , bass , a ten inch perch and a 32 inch pike. Tasty fish fries , steak bbqs , etc.
The puzzle was a poser for me , maybe because I was having my morning coffee and a bit hurried as DW would join me when she was ready to travel.
Got off on the wrong foot with 1 a putting down massage and moving on.
Was completely baffled by Toasting Candidate.
Had APING in stead of APER .
Had IN BLUE but not the rest.
Thanks Husker G for the review. All made sense after checking it out.
Have not had time to read the blog , maybe later tonite.
Life is good , beer is cold and people are wonderful
Youngest apparently heard that Across the Universe [Trailer] was coming to Broadway, so we watched the 2007 production of it. Great music, beautiful choreography, and fun cameos (Bono (who I thought was Ringo @first), Eddie Izzard, Joe Cocker) and, 1/2-way through, zero plot.
SandyAnon - Who new he was that close?... McCain, a true hero who I can only cite two real negatives against his service. For a politician of >30yrs; that ain't bad. RIP John McCain #Salute.
-T
I didn't always agree with John McCain's politics but I thought he was a really good guy doing his best in service to the US.
TTP: Yep, got a good view and watched for ~ half an hour. Amazing, the view of the night sky from 7500 feet as opposed to Chicago’s roughly 670 feet! Of course, much less light pollution, too. I'd move there in a heartbeat if not for those altitudes giving my breathing fits.
I believe the Newark-NY Subway is also called the Tube. Or it was in 1968.
I tried SOCIAL CLUB, and of course STILL<B-GIRL. not to speak of APING. I was afraid of BLITZEN with the B and Z.
And of course BACK < NECK RUB.
Yes it was hard. Abject refusal to Google or perk or for that matter hint for hints from the J-gang. Dylan? He pops up on my link lists*
Re. 34d.. LAND Slide and Home LAND but I think that's "illegal". I see Picard had the same idea
The Defense Of The Ancients(DOTA) Tournament (Intl) is going on in Canada.
20 mil in purse.
What was the TOTO clue a month ago?
IM. OYL as in Olive? But what I wanted to say was that I finally got ANAGram as in the words match in "a way". As in just not in the same order. Chock it up to Mr S.
Oh, and thanks IM(and PK). We had a small JP wedding( since we'd bought a house) the previous Nov but this was the big celebration.
GJ, the computer times it. I use P & I and could care less about time. I thought a week might do it . I knew Patti Varol so...
Wow, in Fer de Lance, the first Nero Wolfe, the perp slips a snake in Wolfe's drawer and Nero says "Archie, there's death in this room". Did Fu steal it from Nero or vv?
Btw, at the FedEx rd1 tournament an Aussie(Cam Smith) was interviewed after his round with his dog. A definite first as Faldo noted.
I just started 'Tangled.." Now werewup to Holly
I'd assumed Ricki caught a Cobra
No one has talked about Hamilton. Has anyone seen it. I know it never knew an anachronism it didn't like. I'm"writing" an Ivanhoe musical. I need Owen for the lyrics, OMK to stage it and some of you music people too. Hint.
Cedric is not the "hero". Of course he's not in Scott's book either.
As you can see I got a late start. And blog takes forever. HG, love your write-ups. Slide rule? I remember learning the trick in my UTE. Did anybody use one for orienteering?
WC
* Fascinating what Google decides I like . Now Ronstadt is singing Holly's " It doesn't matter anymore".
RIP John McCain, go rest high on that mountain.
WC - We had "Wizard revealer" on May 16 of this year, "Keep a movie dog from wandering?" on March 23, 2012. And of course, "Band with a self-named 1978 debut album" on 5/13/17 which not a puppy keeping the rain out of Africa...
Fun Google trick - toto site:crosswordcorner.blogspot.com
Cheers, -T
AnonT wrote "McCain, a true hero who I can only cite two real negatives against his service."
What are those negatives?
Exactly why is he a "hero"?
Avg. Joe 7:53 - I think the “whiz wheel” circular calculators still have loyal users, but of course their numbers are shrinking. It’s still useful to visualize wind correction angles on the other side of the calculator, at least for teaching.
I came along too late for slide rules, but even so I had a K & E in high school just for practice. I never learned the more obscure functions. In my first semester of college, I was surprised to learn we all had to take a slide rule course. Why, you ask? It turns out the college president had, years earlier, written a textbook on slide rules, and was determined not to let the art die out. The professors knew it was preposterous, and they therefore required students to show up just once to take an exam, using calculators. It was an easy A.
WC: Fer-de-Lance was published in the '30s, and most of the Fu-Manchus in the '00s. I guess Dr F wins this one…
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