Saturday Themeless Puzzle by Gail Grabowski
Today is a big holiday for us addicts, uh, aficionados of a certain brew. My daughter has had a heart issue and so is restricted to de-caf and I have cut my consumption to one and only one cup per day, but boy do I enjoy it while savoring my LA Times puzzle!
Kids where I sub come in with cups of "coffee" from some frou-frou emporiums that are so loaded with milk, sugar and various other ingredients that I just think, "What's the point?" However they all think of themselves as hard core consumers of the beverage.
Me? I'll take mine straight up and if there is a "too strong" variety, I have yet to encounter it!
Now let's see what our prodigious constructor has for us today:
1. Garden lure: SPIDER WEB - Eh, never mind, we'll trick or treat down the street.
10. Prefix meaning "coil": SPIRO - I'll bet even SPIRO Agnew had a SPIROGRAPH
15. It straddles the border of two western states: LAKE TAHOE - The site of Fredo's last fishing expedition in The Godfather
17. Closing question: ARE WE DONE? - Sometimes an ill-advised question to your spouse during a disagreement
18. Subjects for reviewers: FILMS - Rotten Tomatoes is a pretty good site for a compilation of reviewers
19. Kind of gravel: PEA - Used a lot at our house where flora is not desired
20. What some glasses lack: RIMS.
21. Observed visiting: SEEN AT - When I was growing up, teachers and coaches knew they were not to be SEEN AT local bars
22. Break off loudly: SNAP - Good celery test
23. Write the wrong number on, perhaps: MISDATE - "What? I put September 31 on that check?"
24. Legal option: APPEAL - If you've got enough money...
27. Warning after using an iron: FORE - A funky clue that is yelled even by Tiger
28. A.L. East squad: TOR - TORonto Blue Jays
29. __ space: CRAWL - Not for people with claustrophobia
30. Glove material: LATEX - Not welcome in some places
31. Speech interruptions: UMS - Um, I, um, don't know, um, what to, um, say about, um this
32. Work to get: EARN.
33. Support on the way up: PITON - a carbiner with a rope will soon be attached to the PITON he is pounding into the cliff crack
34. Cookout choice: BRATwurst
35. Modicum: BIT - Liza's Doolittle's dad sang "with a little BIT of luck" someone else will do the blinkin' work
36. One of a nursery rhyme trio: BAKER - Rub-a-dub-dub, I'll bet you know the other two passengers in the tub
37. Most successful African-American PGA golfer before Woods: PEETE - Lee Elder leapt to my mind
38. Custom finish?: ARY - What's reasonable and CUSTOMARY in Nebraska may not be so in your neck of the woods
39. Made it up: LIED - Oh yeah, elections are coming up...
40. Follow: SHADOW - An alternate meaning to a film noir activity
41. Armadas on the road: NISSANS - That's three Saturdays in a row (and ISUZU on Thursday) where the constructor has used car names for misleading cluing. I reluctantly had to give up on CONVOYS
43. Turnovers, e.g.: STAT - Here's a turnover caused by good linebacker play44. Take out: DELETE.
45. Shot in the dark: STAB.
46. Clicking sound?: AHA - When a clue clicks with me, I might utter an AHA
49. "Battlestar Galactica" commander: ADAMA - William ADAMA is played by Edward James Olmos in the show
50. One who's no fun to play with: POOR LOSER - Here's two minutes worth of one of the worst who was/is also 12. Sulky: ILL-NATURED
52. Showed up: GOT IN - My daughters GOT IN before midnight at our house even while they were in college or...
53. Bicycle tire feature: VALVE STEM - This biker carries a pressurized air tank to service the VALVE STEM you see in the back ground
54. Discharge: EGEST - A polite word for a necessary/disgusting body function
55. Tiny arboreal amphibians: TREE TOADS.
Down:
1. Indication of an offense: SLAP.
2. Take a little off: PARE.
3. Many of its products are named for Scandinavian places: IKEA - You mean like the Dagstorp couch?
4. Mountain __: DEW - I prefer my caffeine delivered without sugar or fizz
5. Hardly transitory: ETERNAL.
6. Like much flower symmetry: RADIAL.
7. Defeat decisively: WHOMP - I suppose
8. Quite a stretch: EONS.
9. One who does a waggle dance: BEE - I learned in an ethology class that the waggling BEE is telling the distance, direction and quality of available food
10. Sensitive health class subject: SAFE SEX
11. Practiced diligently: PLIED - I have PLIED my trade for 50 years
13. It's often used to make paste: ROMA TOMATO
14. Traditional Christmas Eve dish for some: OYSTER STEW - That and potato soup were staples of our Christmas Eve
21. Traffic stopper, at times: SIREN - Not always
22. Tailored: SEWN.
23. Power source: MOTOR - Football players that play with a lot of energy are said to have a great MOTOR
24. Elastic wrap brand: ACE BANDAGE - This self-adhereing version is easier to use than the version having to use metal clips
25. Herbivore named for its habitat: PRAIRIE DOG
26. List on a ticket: PARTY SLATE - This facilitates things on this Michigan ballot
27. In the cards: FATED.
30. Takes an interest in: LIKES - Facebook admiration
33. Revolutionary pamphleteer: PAINE - "These are the times that try men's souls"
34. Top: BEAT - As of this afternoon, the Huskers have failed to top/BEAT any team
36. Far from subtle: BLATANT.
37. High-tech communications portmanteau: PHABLET.
40. Feel a strong need (for): STARVE.
42. Rest area array: SEMIS - The yellow tubes connected to the window openings of these SEMIS provide heat/ac/wifi/TV, etc
43. Made off with: STOLE.
45. Use an updraft, say: SOAR.
46. Old movie dog: ASTA - Nick and Nora's pooch
47. Be mindful of: HEED - Or not...
48. Administrative branches: ARMS.
50. Low mil. rank: PVT.
51. Granada bear: OSO - La cama del OSO papá era demasiado dura (The papa bear's bed was too hard)
DA GRID:
55 comments:
To an old sailor on LAKE TAHOE
It's not so much which way ta go,
As if the MOTOR
Will TURN OVER
When the sun leaves him in SHADOW.
There was a TREE TOAD who wished to take a nap.
A SPIDER on that tree ARM chose his WEB to WRAP.
The spider's motion as he SEWED
Bothered much the little toad
Who SLAPPED out with his tongue, and ate the spider, SNAP!
There was a fast guy from TORONTO
Who tried to do everything pronto.
He figured belated
Just wasn't FATED --
But he drove a very slow Bronco!
The butcher, the BAKER,
The candlestick maker
Agreed to build a boat.
The butcher called dibs
"I'll supply the boat ribs!"
They wouldn't cost him a groat.
The baker then said
"Let's make the hull bread!"
(He only wanted to loaf).
The candle man CLICKS,
"We'll rig it with wicks!
And use wax to keep it afloat!"
So that's how the three
Ended up on the sea
In a tub off the Tasman coast!
{B+, B+, C+, A-.}
Good morning Cornies.
Thank you Ms.Gail Grabowski for this challenging Saturday CW. I worked it sans reading who wrote the CW. I am always pleased to see Gail's name. I could work each cell except the SW. It was completely white. I BAILed in the NW corner, and could complete the CW after this minor help.
Thank you Gary for your excellent review.
Ðave
Thank you Gail for FOUR long gimmes that allowed quick work for a normally difficult Saturday puzzle. LAKE TAHOE, ACE BANDAGE, VALVE STEM, Nissan ARMADAS.
I had a little trouble in the SW having to change GOT TO to GOT IN and SEATS to SEMIS. ADAMA was the only unknown, filled by perps.
Golfer- I knew it was either Lee ELDER or Calvin PEETE. ELDER won the PGATour event in NOLA at the course I play-Lakewood- and his picture in on the wall, along with other winners, Nicklaus, Trevino, Crenshaw, Seve Ballesteros, & others.
OYSTER STEW- I'd never had but around NOLA people make oyster dressing ( I don't like it).
PARTY SLATE- not allowed in most places and I'm glad. It allows ignorant people the chance to prove it.
POOR LOSER- McEnroe is an amateur loser compared to Serena Williams.
Good morning!
Started right off with FLAG for that offense indicator, and with RADIAL in place, figured that the garden lure would end with ...AROMA. Bzzzzzt! Hooray for Wite-Out. The PEETE/Elder issue didn't phase me -- I don't recognize either of those names. The NE turned out to be the most difficult area. My paste began, rather than ended, with TOMATO, more W-O for d-o. I really liked the stacked 9s and 10s...once I got 'em. Nicely done, Gail. You, too, Husker.
SPIROGRAPH: Had a toy model in the '50s. It was made of metal, and you clipped a round piece of paper onto the center. A slider provided adjustment of one of the two arms attached to the pencil, so it could make slightly different designs.
TOR: CSO to CanadianEh!
ADAMA: Never saw the remake. ADAMA will always be Lorne Greene in my memory.
RIMS: My computer glasses are RIMlesS. Not sure I like 'em, but they are light-weight.
Interesting puzzle with information from all over the place, but the golf perhaps resonating the most with our Corner. While Tiger is struggling in France, his predecessors LEE ELDER and CALVIN PETTE certainly paved the way. Elder who was the first of his race to play at the Masters won 4 tournaments, while Peete won 12 times. They both overcame much to become successful in Golf.
Mostly easy for a Saturday but I never heard of High-tech communications portmanteau: PHABLET despite seeing them for years. Gail, take a break, three puzzles in 7 days- whew/ Thanks HG
40A not just for film noir, and appropriate for today:
Trentino: Now Chicolini, I want a full detailed report of your investigation.
Chicolini: Alright, I tell you. Monday, we watch Firefly’s house, but he no come out. He wasn’t home. Tuesday we go to the ball game, but he fool us; he no show up. Wednesday he go to the ball game and we fool him; we no show up. Thursday was a double-header, nobody show up. Friday it rained all day, there was no ball game, so we stayed home, we listened to it over the radio.
Trentino: Then you didn’t shadow Firefly!
Chicolini: Aw, sure we shadow Fire– we shadow him all day.
Trentino: But what day was that?
Chicolini: Shadowday!
The Marx Brothers, Duck Soup, 1933, though a source says it was first used by Chaplin in 1916.
NW was last to fall. I would not give up flag for a long time. I also had Elder before I was forced to give it up.
33A: PITON - Didn’t know this word; and I’ll NEVER have to use one!
14D: Not usually in an Italian household. There you might find shrimp, baccala, eels, and non-meat pizza.
36D: I guess we’re talking about the new giant iPhones. I noticed my friend having one strapped to his belt. I asked him when he got that iPad. I like the large screens but I prefer a phone that fits in my shirt pocket.
Gail, you win! This lovely puzzle was way above my pay grade. I was pleased that I got as much as I did. I even guessed WHOMP. PITON was a learning moment. I never knew what those things were called. Gary, thanks for the picture that helped me understand. Also, thanks for the picture of the SPIROgraph. I had one as a kid. I enjoyed it but wondered why it just went round and round. I always wanted to go off on a tangent. Still do ...
Owen, the rewrite of Three Men in a Boat was better than the original!!
Anon T, thanks for your last post last
...night @1:14am
Good morning everyone.
HG - Too bad about the coffee. I have it with the puzzle, too; four cups a day, no sugar and 2 drops 2% milk.
I wanted 'convoys', too, but the perps dictated NISSANS.
After much patience and 2 revisits, I finally EGESTED and cobbled together the puzzle fill. A very fair, but with some devilish misdirections, puzzle. Had trouble getting a foothold, but finally was able to bloom out from the SE. For 29a ___space, thought of 'outer' and 'inner' and, having the 'r' and 'l', tried CRAWL (I guess CRAWL is a kind of inner space.). I must be a BIT of a Luddite because PHABLET didn't hit me.
PRAIRIE DOG - Don't normally think of rodents as herbivores but that's what Wiki says, too. Guess I should broaden my thinking. We saw lots of PRAIRIE DOGS when having a ship reunion in Medora, ND in 2001. Nice beautiful area in the T. Roosevelt Park.
Hi Y'all! Three Gayle puzzles in a week blew me away with a real Gayle-force wind. I think I've ODed.
Thanks, Gary!
Good Morning:
I'm not used to such a challenge from Gail, but it slowly came together to give me my Tada. Unknowns were Armadas, Adama, and Phablet. My Custom finish was ize before ary and my Poor loser was a Poor sport. I also had miscues with Pfc/Pvt, Osa/Oso, and Blatent/Blatant. Nice CSO to CEh at Tor. Most of the long fill was easy to suss out which helped with the solve. However, having Pfc instead of Pvt for too long held me up in the SE corner.
Thanks, Gail, for a Saturday stumper and thanks, HG, for a sparkling summary. The disgusting John McEnroe tantrum clip was offset by the adorable mischievous kitty clip.
The picture of Patrick Dempsey gave me a chuckle as my niece and her husband just saw him (and his Porsche) this week at a clam shack in Kennebunkport, Maine. I believe he is from Maine. This particular clam shack was a favorite of the elder Bush who would visit by boat.
Have a great day.
I was not on Gail's wavelength and had little P&P. After getting about 2/3 on my own,I turned on the red letters which lit up frequently. I finally solved it. Seeing the completed grid, I acknowledge it was a great puzzle and should not have been that hard. Gary, wonderful, as usual.
We had oyster stew on winter Saturdays when I was a kid. I prefer fried oysters. As a kid or as a parent we did not have a special Christma Eve meal. In later years we go out to a restaurant early on Christmas Eve to celebrate my Christmas birthday.
Nissan drew a mental block. #*&$!
The array at our rest stops are bathrooms and coin operated machines.
Never heard of phablet. I tried e-tablet.
Tromp before whomp.
Instead of brats we grill kielbasi.
Lovely day today. Enjoy the good weather.
Finished rather quickly for a Saturday. A "spider web" is a trap not a "lure." Insects are not attracted to it as far as I know and get entangled accidentally. "Got in" for "showed up" seems a stretch. I see Ms Grabowski maintains an Eastern/Southern European meatless (fish only) Christmas Eve as we do. Most enjoyable night of the year!
Please review the clue/answer for 23 down today; 9-29-18.
Power source : motor.
My understanding is that a motor is distinctly different from an engine and I often see the two conflated in crossword puzzles. It is my understanding that a "motor" requires an external power source. And, in contrast, an "engine" is a power generator/power source which requires external fuel. An engine can power a motor as in diesel electric configurations (locomotives and generators) and even some electric hybrid vehicles. But a motor by itself is incapable of powering an engine. A motor may transfer and\or transform power from a source to meet a requirement but a motor itself is never the actual power source.
Thank you for considering my interpretation.
Ray, I agree a spider web is a trap rather than a lure.
What time did your sister get in last night?
She showed up at eight o'clock.
Husker Gary Thanks for the many illustrations and explanations!
Surprised anyone found any of this easy! For me, a struggle to find any toe hold and a struggle to the end.
Total unknowns that took ESP: PEETE, ADAMA, PHABLET
The rest was just a matter of challenging cluing. Never been to a Christmas Eve dinner. OYSTER STEW? Learning moment! I thought Christmas dinners involved ham or turkey. Never heard of BRAT for a cookout. Makes sense, though.
Does anyone use the term TREE TOADS? I have only heard TREE FROGS. But I know both are equally correct. Remember, I once worked in that field at the Smithsonian.
Here we saw plenty of TREE TOADS on a hike I recently led. Tadpoles with legs, too!
Here are the rest of my photos from this outing in the Montecito Disaster Area.
Did anyone else try SOLAR before MOTOR?
Here is my photo of a paraglider SOARing in our local mountains
This hang glider was SOARing, but something most unfortunate happened as I got this photo.
There is a story behind that situation. If anyone is interested I will tell more.
Somewhere I have PRAIRIE DOG photos out on the South Dakota PRAIRIE. Perhaps another time.
Thanks to Gail for a serious Saturday challenge! FIR!
From yesterday:
AnonT Glad that you enjoyed my TILE photos and my I'M FINE story. Sorry that you were once that dude who was not really FINE. Hope you fully recovered!
MORE POSSIBLE POLITICAL QUICKSAND AHEAD
Regarding my links, sorry if anyone was offended. I am not sure what video links you meant, AnonT. The article I linked was just making a list of documented perjuries. Not aware of a video there. The second was just a lie, not a perjury as there was no oath.
desper-otto, Mike Sherline, SandyAnon I agree with your comments on the subject. As for me, I am more concerned with harm done by policy than with personal harm. But, wow, this has both.
Here was a case of HIM trying to ruin a person for something they did when when they were 17 years old.
Of course, my main concern is what will happen with climate change and environmental protection. He has a long track record of placing private profit over public interest.
Frank Corbin, I initially had the same "nit" that you mentioned. But, you could say that a motor-driven piece of equipment is powered by the motor, even though the motor is powered by electricity. Close enough. I find it to be Saturday-sensible for a cw.
Frank Corbin - I tend to agree with your sense, but engine and MOTOR are somewhat used interchangeably. Motor boat is an example. Also, motors are rated using power terms such as a 2 HP motor. Dept. of Motor Vehicles? Merriam agrees.
Oh dear, another Gail weekend toughie (didn't we just have one last week?). But I can't complain, they're always fun in the end. On my first run-through I got DEW, OUTER, STAB, STOLE, OSO, ARY, FORE, PFC and TOTO. OUTER space turned out to be CRAWL space, TOTO turned out to be ASTA, and, like Irish Miss, PFC turned out to be PVT. Not bad for a start, but the rest took a lot of cheating. The only one that still annoys me is AHA for 'clicking sound'. How is that a clicking sound? Anyway, still a fun puzzle, thanks, Gail. And wonderful pictures for your write-up this morning, Husker Gary--many thanks for those also.
Owen, you last poem cracked me up. I'd give it an A+.
Have a great weekend, everybody!
Oh the coils that Spiro weaved
When first he practiced to deceive**
Was it a butcher and a candlestick maker?
I knew it was Calvin Peete but like Edith Piaf last week it was very slow surfacing
I see Owen got the trio. Straight W on that one. And.. I wrote about the webs we weave before I saw your poem. Not prescience but minds...alike
I had STOMP and even TRUMP. And... YR,* I've had that V8 experience of giving up.
fe. I refuse to go to the J until I get yesterday's riddle. Misty????
Something lures the little critters into the web. I wonder if the web material has an aroma?
This was white city until I went about my business and sat down at McDonald's and woohoo, it filled by itself.
For me the short perps were the engine/motor that drove my boat
-T, FLN. I think the fact that Picard telegraphed his link contents ASSUAGES*** said indiscretion. All the rules were broken by virtually all the people for two contentious but entertaining posting days of which I never seemed to find time to get in here. Plus, my phone runs out of juice or I fall asleep
WC
* So glad Alan's doing so well. What changed?
**Apologies to Sir Walter
*** We had that word awhulaback
Down below on this page, just above the text entry rectangle it says:
No politics,
Misty, click can mean become suddenly clear or understandable. With Gary's excellent expo the meaning of the clue suddenly clicked. That clicking sound was my AHA!
DO @12:52 and Spitz @1:06, I agree. We have found many cases here where the cognoscenti or best informed have an expert's take on the meaning of words, but there is also the everyman's take, the common usage. Engine and motor are commonly used interchangeably.
Frank, thanks for giving us the expert's take.
Owen, my favorite was the second one. I look for the music of poems, as well as the words and humor.
Picard, I like your paraglider picture. It reminds me of when we used to love to watch them in the mountains. Also what an unfortunate accident.
Spitzboov I agree. Several people have asked that we refrain from discussing politics. Moderators, can we make it official?
WC, scientists are still studying whether spider webs lure prey. Here is an interesting study, but the jury is still out.
spider webs
As for Alan, many months ago he began taking Lexipro which over time has lifted his depression completely and greatly improved his other mental health issues. So we have been able to cut back some on his other psychotropics which were causing very serious physical side effects, severe dehydration being one of the worst. Since June he has been using a hydration chart to certify that he gets 4 quarts of liquid daily. He is much healthier and happier. I love that smile. P&P has greatly paid off. Of course, there is the outside chance the other shoe could drop at any time. We have yo-yoed many times before, but this is the best Alan has been in a very long time. I accept today as a gift. Thanks for asking, WC.
I liked this puzzle but could not solve it without red letters. When I turned them on a lot of letters lit up! I was wrong all over the place. Once I erased all those red guys it became somewhat more solvable but even so I made a lot of false starts resulting in redness that had to be deleted. As Yellowrocks said, "Seeing the completed grid, I acknowledge it was a great puzzle and should not have been that hard." My sentiments exactly.
The only bicycle tire feature I could think of was skinniness and I kinda wrinkled my nose at VALVE STEM which is also a feature of the tires on my car. We learned a lot more about valve stems when one of those doggone tire-pressure sensors died and the valve stem had to be replaced.
At least NISSAN did not fool me. Interesting there was a discussion yesterday of known transmission problems in Nissan vehicles.
Owen I loved your butcher, baker, and candlestick maker poem!
I too love coffee. LW and I both like milk in it, but even whole milk is not quite "rich" enough and we find half-and-half to be too rich. So she came up with the (obvious in hindsight) idea of mixing the two, so we keep a small pitcher of half milk and half half-and-half in the fridge for our coffee. I also enjoy a good cappuccino when we dine out.
Once many years ago I had to caution an employee who was doing something wrong and when I paused he gave me a Brett Kavanaugh-like scowl and barked, "Are we done?" I confess it angered me but I didn't fall into the trap. Soon thereafter he got into a similar "disagreement" with the CEO and ended up fired. I confess I felt, oh I don't know, vindicated I guess. God I hated being a manager. So glad to change employers and get back to roll-my-sleeves-up engineering.
I've talked too much. Good wishes to you all.
Frank Corbin, I agree with the strict definitions of engine/motor, but for as long as I can remember common usage hasn't distinguished between them.
If the coffee's good, it doesn't need cream and sugar, and oysters are best raw, when they're an excellent delivery system for horseradish. But I agree on the meatless Xmas eve - whitefish, pierogi, and mashed potatoes. Tough to get oysters in southern Poland.
Wilbur C ~
If you're still looking for the answer to yesterday's you-know-what, be sure you don't make the mistake that all of us did - by getting stuck on "Beat" as the the first word. It is not. Now that you're aware of it, it is your "Turn."
I hope that works for you. If so, you should feel free now to go to that site.
An excellent pzl today from Ms. Grabowski. Too tough for me to solve w/o helps. but worthwhile overall.
~ OMK
____________
DR: 3, on the mirror side.
Gail strikes again! Thank you, Ms. Grabowski, for a fine challenge.
Mostly I was on her wavelength and did not get caught in the SPIDERWEB. As soon as I saw IKEA, LAKETAHOE loomed and I was able to fill the entire western strand until ADAMA. Who? I have never seen Battlestar Galactica so stopped at ADA____ until SEMIS appeared which was a long time. BLATANT finished it. With NI___ I knew it was NISSAN.
Well, I guess not everyone has tamales for Christmas eve dinner.
The SE also filled in a short time. I remember TREETOADS, frogs, actually, from Costa Rica. They are smaller than the palm of my hand but deadly!
I had a Natick at PEETE/PHABLET and butchered ROMATOMATO but thanks to Gary's excellent review, I changed it and realized I had heard of Calvin PEETE.
In one of my travels I met a man from Indonesia who owned a factory that made LATEX gloves. He and his charming wife and two daughters were enjoying the fruits of his labors in Europe.
Like Misty I also wondered how AHA made a clicking sound. Oh, to click mentally. Thank you, Yellowrocks.
Owen, I loved your version of the nursery rhyme!
I hope you are having a grand day, everyone!
Late start today due to an ER visit. Everything Ok. Took me longer than usual to solve. Maybe my brain was somewhere else. Ha! Guess that's whammy wife would say about me a lot of the time.
Lucina and Yellowrocks, the AHA finally clicked for me too a while ago. Thanks for explaining. So glad that Alan is having a good spell, Yellowrocks.
Wilbur, Ol'Man Keith is right--the solution started with TURN. Hope you get it and come to the Jumble--we need you!
Its funny that Picard believes if he declares political crap is coming your way, then it's ok to ignore C.C.'s rules. He does this consistently.
"Hey, I'm going ignore the rules right now. But since I told you, it's ok. I dont care if it offends you or makes you uncomfortable. I told you it was coming, so it's your fault it you cant handle it."
My brain was so un-clicked this morning, I couldn't even spell GAIL. I apologize.
I would like to sincerely request that each and every one of us abide by CC's rules of "No politics, no religion and no personal attacks." To do otherwise, is disrespectful to the person who created this caring and harmonious community. Thank you.
Hi All!
A big fat DNF for me today. Everything I entered, sans IKEA, DEW, ALLLOY, PAINE, & SOAR, was wrong (You too Jayce?) Don't believe me? Sass & Trim @1&2d, trOMP. Tad @35a, ize @38a... I don't want to sound like a SORE LOSER so I will just congratulate Gail on one tough puzzle and thank HG for providing me poor-man's "red-letters" so I could get extra-play / learn. PITON, eh?
Fresh TOMATOes (and peppers) lure me to garden; horse-something is in paste :-)
6d was not Spiral but it showed up at 10a (I was thinking Golden-Ratio / Fibonacci sequence for my flower symmetry). Close, but no cigar. Armada - I thought they were Chevy's model...
'White' Space was right out.
{B+, A, C, A+}
BigE - I love OYSTER stuffing. My buddy from NOLA makes the best I've had - with cornmeal and all.
Picard - Had I edited my post properly, it would have been article/video. Also, I would have thanked you for helping the "I'M FINE" guy. It took about two weeks to recover but I'M FINE (really!) now. //DUDEs can be so stubborn - I wrecked good and, instead of taking help, took out my Gerber, cut the broken spoke (not 53a!), and rode another 20 miles using mostly one leg. I finally tapped-out at lunch-time.
Coffee, Mud, Java, Joe... Love it black, no sugar. And if you correct me w/ did you mean Grande?,....
Have a wonderful Saturday!
Cheers, -T
Inserting political comments here? Boorish, rude and disrespectful
Thinking you’re changing anyone’s mind or adding to the purpose of the site? Deluded, idiotic and foolish
QUIT IT!!
It took me long time to see how click relates to AHA too, but Husker explained it in his excellent writeup.
I never would have gotten 17a w/o crosses & red letters - could have been anything.
10a - never seen or heard of that toy - if that's what it is.
What Jayce said about 53a - almost all pneumatic tires have valve stems.
To me, a typically hard, good Sat. puzzle.
Okay, I gotta ask, what is “no politics”?
1. “George Washington was the first president.”
2. “In the U.S. each state has 2 senators, so there are currently 100 senators.”
3. “The name of my congressperson is XXX.”
4. “The name of my congressperson is XXX and I like him.”
5. “Based on my reading of his court opinions I think XXX is not a particularly good judge.”
So where’s the threshold of what is and is not acceptable?
The same quiz can be used with regard to religion. In fact, I believe I recall a crossword puzzle in which the clue was something like “Religion with five pillars” and the answer was ISLAM. Does that go over the line?
As for the rule against personal attacks I don’t think there’s any ambiguity. A little teeny personal attack is as verboten as a big one; there is no threshold.
I forgot to point out that in expressing any of the above statements I would not be trying to sway or convince anybody else to agree with me, but would merely be stating my opinion, my thoughts.
Jayce - I think it pretty simple w/rt No Politics...
"I'm not keen on Sen. XXX" is OK, "Did y'all see what Congresswoman XXX did today - she's nutz!" (borderline), "MAGA!!!" and/or "#BLUEWAVE!!!!" is right-out. Too, I think any outside partisan-leaning goodies (I could link a ton of clips supporting my view) is also off.
There's the talk of the day and your humble opinion [Sen XXX grandstanded!] but that's not too much.
Religion - it's the same. "I'm agnostic" doesn't put folks off (they may judge, but that's on them), "Pope Frank is awesome!" is opinion but not putting down others. "You're an idiot for believing in The Flying Spaghetti-Monster" is offensive to Pastafarians and way over the line.
Personal attacks - if you don't sign it "Blue," then...
//oh, I shan't go there even though it rhymes :-)
C.C. feel free to delete me if I'm over the line.
Cheers, -T
Jayce. I think it's just common sense. Avoid all three if possible. If religion or politics is part of a clue/answer it is a statement of fact.
Its when someone decides to inject their opinion(no matter how benign) that the subject becomes verboten. This isn't the forum for opinion in regards to religion and/or politics. These subjects are very personal to many people and can hurt feelings very easily. Its not like saying, "i like my coffee without milk or sugar" is going to offend someone. Now saying, " i think xxxxx was a terrible President and was not too bright either!", can question someones strongly held opinion. Even statements of fact can be offensive. " Bill Clinton was accused of rape by one woman and sexual assaults by 3 other women and had an affair with a much younger woman under his tutelage all while being married to his wife Hilary" is undisputed fact but will send many to crying foul. It doesn't have a place here down on the corner. There is zero tolerance in certain subects. For instance, Al Franken was probably just joking in the picture of him acting like he was groping a womans breast but there is just no place for it in her eyes. Zero tolerance.
I dont why it is such a question of why or when. Dont do it here. There are so many other great ideas to discuss. Puppy dogs, kittens, unicorns and rainbows for instance.
How ‘bout discussing the crossword puzzle?
@7:30 - Well better said than I could type. Cheers, -T
Thank you for your opinions.
Anon at 7:30: if you think this is so verbotten, why did you keep it going! The shaming of me for asking if what occurred fell under the definition of sexual assault reminds me of why women have suffered in silence so many years. At least I have the courage to sign my name to my writing which I didn't consider political so much as word meaning. I learned.
Wow, the steam pressure was up on the Corner today.
FWIW, and only as a description, it is traditional in many Slavic cultures to end the Advent fast with a Christmas Eve dinner (sometimes of 12 courses) composed of all fasting foods (non-meat; non-dairy), such as honey, garlic, prune and potato piroghies, and so on, before going to church for the Vigil service.
PK - I don't think anything was aimed at you and your experience. I read it and... well, I donno what to say. Some guys are just insecure pigs...
OK, One more link for math nerds and/or those who really need something to put them to sleep...
I've been obsessed w/ Fibonacci Numbers since HS - I actually got second-prize in State for reversing the math (LA State Science Fair, Baton Rouge '87!) for my formula for "Is X a Fibonacci number?" I learnt inverse-logs, honed my programming, and grew a true love for maths. More importantly, nature is pretty f*ing-cool and obeys irrational laws.
I've been working (on and off) on my hypothesis of "our number system is all wrong" ever since. I think I can crack crypto prime-ratios with Phi, e, or Pi if I knew what the hell I was doing / was smarter by 21/34ths :-) Fermat, got anything for me?
Cheers-T
Ok, I have started to write this three times now. It keeps resetting. I am on Amtrak heading back to Chicago. Must be the wifi is intermittent.
Thank you, again Grabowski, for a fine puzzle. Thank you Husker Gary, for a fine review.
Worked Keggs and Eggs all Saturday morning from 3:45 AM until noon. Then the clean up started.
Puzzle was hard and easy, if that is possible.
Will sign off now and then continue.
Abejo
()
Here I am again.
SW corner was my last to get, ACE BANDAGE was my Rosetta Stone.
Then my last word was PHABLET. Never heard of one, bur SHADOW helped.
Before I get kicked off again, I will sign off.
See you later today. I will now try Sunday's puzzle.
Abejo
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Gail, we disagree on several first pass answers - solar/MOTOR, poor sport/LOSER, tree frogs/TOADS but plenty of mental grease application got me to the end. Great puzzle!
I think it would be wise if each of us made a conscious effort to not bring up hotbed topics in our comments. They induce responses and quickly become political. This really isn't the venue to discuss such subject matter.
The discussions about politics and religion in this forum made me think I was looking at Facebook. It got pretty testy for crossword corner.
On a bicycle the valve stem is generally a feature of the inner tube not the tire itself. Yes there are tubeless tires but then the stem is part of the rim, not part of the tire.
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