Theme:
17A *They're for the dogs: LEASH LAWS. Shale oil
39A. *Enter on the sly: SNEAK IN. Snake oil
11D. *Two-time women's soccer Olympic gold medalist: ABBY WAMBACH. Baby oil.
Abby is one of my sporting heroes, she took the world of soccer and shook it by the ears, was instrumental in helping build a winning national team and twice carried off Olympic gold medals. My goodness, she was a factor in so many great moments. She has one of the "Greatest Goal" headers in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final game against Brazil to tie the game at 2-2 at the death in overtime and send the tie to penalty kicks which the USA won 5-3. Carli Lloyd's feed to Megan Rapinoe and her 45-yard cross was instrumental in the strike. What a great team that was.
Enjoy it here
25D. *Gravlax: CURED SALMON.Crude oil. Food! Dill, salt, sugar, pepper and bury it in the ground :)
and the unifier, and the start of the sleuthing:
60A. Jiffy Lube service, and a hint to the start of the answers to starred clues: OIL CHANGE
Wow. I was an email second away to ask for help from my fellow bloggers to figure out what on earth this them was all about, then I decided to look at the short entries first. ABBY:BABY. Oh, wait - anagrams - then CURED:CRUDE. That's another. SNEAK:SNAKE and finally .... LEASH:SHALE. In all the years I've been doing this I've never been even close to crying UNCLE finding the theme, but this one just about had me waving the white flag. The solve was straightforward, but back-tracking to find the theme - not so much.
I'd call this a meta - a puzzle solvable on its own, but you can have fun looking back to try to figure out the theme. If that was the intent, then well done, but if that is not the intent, that's a problem. The puzzle should stand up on its own as a themeless, and this doesn't really hit the mark.
There's some high spots though, let's go look for those.
Across:
1. Moment of remorse: PANG
5. Portrayer of a big scaredy-cat: LAHR. Lion, of the cowardly sort.
9. One thing on top of another: STACK
14. Saucony rival: AVIA. Running shoes. The clue is interesting. In the "obscure running shoes" category.
15. Resort town near Santa Barbara: OJAI. Up in the hills not too far from me. There's a spa/hotel which has a good reputation.
16. Buffalo hockey player: SABRE. "ER" or "RE"? Figure it out and move on.
19. French clerics: ABBÉS
20. Make rough: COARSEN
22. __ tick: disease carrier: LYME
23. Open, as toothpaste: UNCAP. "Oh, just let me uncap this toothpaste" - said nobody, ever.
26. By any means: SOME WAY
28. It may be proper: NOUN
29. Start to mature?: PRE-
32. Poll gathering: DATA
33. Lancelot and Mix-a-Lot: SIRS
34. "La Cage __ Folles": AUX. You might as well just print this in the grid as a freebie.
35. Bleak: DISMAL
38. Linguistic suffix: -ESE
41. Word before and after "oh": BOY. Boy-oh? Really? I know the Welsh affectionate "boyo", not sure about this one.
42. Freshwater minnow: RED FIN. Not a lot of meat on a red fin. Now a bluefin, you're talking sushi.
44. Chaps: MEN
45. 2002-'03 viral outbreak, briefly: SARS. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Makers of white surgical face masks have never been so happy to extend their market to the general population.
46. Together, so to speak: SANE
47. Droop: SAG
48. Plasm prefix: ECTO-
49. Followers of shots: CHASERS
52. Taj __: MAHAL. Oh, I thought it might have been Taj Smith, the famous (?) American football player, or Taj Forer, the photographer. Shame on me for overlooking the obvious.
53. Put the brakes on: HALT
54. Phantom: SPECTER
58. "Mental Illness" Grammy winner Mann: AIMEE. Thank you, crosses.
64. Engagement ring centerpiece: STONE
65. Lackluster: DRAB
66. Like some U.S. mail: CERT. Ach. Please. "I'm sending this U.S. Mail, Cert." said nobody, ever.
67. Belarus capital: MINSK
68. Start of a decision-making rhyme: EENY-
69. Actor Miller of "Justice League": EZRA. Thank you crosses. Ezra, meet Aimee.
Down:
1. Bud: PAL
2. Park in NYC, e.g.: AVE. This one made me think, and I walk up and down Park at least once a month; two of my clients have their head offices on the street. The Helmsley Building built over the top of the street at Grand Central never fails to make me smile.
3. Long of "NCIS: Los Angeles": NIA. Thank you, crosses. Nia, meet Aimee and Ezra.
4. Garage containers: GAS CANS
5. "Copacabana" showgirl: LOLA. Let's go with the other Lola, who "walked like a woman and talked like a man".
6. Open a bit: AJAR
7. Verbal hesitations: HAWS
8. Reacts to yeast: RISES
9. ID issuer: SSA. I didn't punctuate the SSA because ID is now a word, and not just a Latin one.
10. Laptop alternatives: TABLETS
12. Espresso foam: CREMA
13. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" novelist: KESEY
18. Short trip: HOP
21. Dropping (off): NODDING
23. Indy racing family name: UNSER
24. Din: NOISE
27. Key: MAIN
29. They go for the gold: PANNERS. Yep, I'm in a picky mood today. "He was a panner in the '49 California gold rush" - said nobody, ever.
30. Feel remorse for: RUE
31. Finals, say: EXAMS
36. Major artery: AORTA
37. Germ-killing brand: LYSOL
39. Triangle ratio: SINE. What was the aide-memoire we learned back then - soh-cah-toa? Sine = Opposite over Hypotenuse .... Mathematics exams redux.
40. Hawaii's Mauna __: KEA. Loa or Kea. Not Koa which was my first try. I have a koa wood ring and bracelet from Maui, so I excuse myself.
43. Buckles, as a seat belt: FASTENS
45. Yachting event, e.g.: SEA RACE
49. Great divide: CHASM
50. French-speaking Western Hemisphere country: HAITI. Not France then? Now this is oddly cunning - the Western Hemisphere is divided at the zero meridian and the 180 line at the antimeridian. France straddles the zero mark, and as such is disqualified from being a candidate answer, notwithstanding having too many letters. The only other possibility in literal terms would be Canada, but than you're talking about a minority population in Quebec, plus too many letters. A+ for educational.
51. Fine English china: SPODE. Wedgwood 1, Spode 0 in the Five Towns derby, sadly. Wedgwood cornered the marked in pale blue brooches and ornamental pottery, but Spode produced some wonderful hand-painted gold-banded white china plates. I'm with Spode - you can eat off their plates, you'd never think of serving food on a Wedgwood dish. Those bands really are painted by hand.
52. "So-so": MEH
55. Kerry locale: EIRE
56. Extended family: CLAN
57. Frozen dessert chain: TCBY. Their website has them as "The Country's Best Yogurt". Praise the Lord for correct apostrophe usage.
59. "Yikes!": EEK
61. Pince-__ glasses: NEZ
62. Watchdog's warning: GRR
63. ORD posting: ETA. Take a three-letter airport code and attach it to ETA, and voila! A crossword clue. See also ARR, and LGW, LHR, SYD, LGA, JFK, LAX, SFO, ORD, IAH, oh - who did I miss? Of course - BUR, PHX, DEN, MIA, SEA, CDG, FRA. And another hundred or three. I think I've made my point.
And .....here's the ETA for the CWD GRD! Right on time! And a genuinely-square 15x15, things are returning to normal in LAT XWD VIL
STV
17A *They're for the dogs: LEASH LAWS. Shale oil
39A. *Enter on the sly: SNEAK IN. Snake oil
11D. *Two-time women's soccer Olympic gold medalist: ABBY WAMBACH. Baby oil.
Abby is one of my sporting heroes, she took the world of soccer and shook it by the ears, was instrumental in helping build a winning national team and twice carried off Olympic gold medals. My goodness, she was a factor in so many great moments. She has one of the "Greatest Goal" headers in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final game against Brazil to tie the game at 2-2 at the death in overtime and send the tie to penalty kicks which the USA won 5-3. Carli Lloyd's feed to Megan Rapinoe and her 45-yard cross was instrumental in the strike. What a great team that was.
Enjoy it here
25D. *Gravlax: CURED SALMON.Crude oil. Food! Dill, salt, sugar, pepper and bury it in the ground :)
and the unifier, and the start of the sleuthing:
60A. Jiffy Lube service, and a hint to the start of the answers to starred clues: OIL CHANGE
Wow. I was an email second away to ask for help from my fellow bloggers to figure out what on earth this them was all about, then I decided to look at the short entries first. ABBY:BABY. Oh, wait - anagrams - then CURED:CRUDE. That's another. SNEAK:SNAKE and finally .... LEASH:SHALE. In all the years I've been doing this I've never been even close to crying UNCLE finding the theme, but this one just about had me waving the white flag. The solve was straightforward, but back-tracking to find the theme - not so much.
I'd call this a meta - a puzzle solvable on its own, but you can have fun looking back to try to figure out the theme. If that was the intent, then well done, but if that is not the intent, that's a problem. The puzzle should stand up on its own as a themeless, and this doesn't really hit the mark.
There's some high spots though, let's go look for those.
Across:
1. Moment of remorse: PANG
5. Portrayer of a big scaredy-cat: LAHR. Lion, of the cowardly sort.
9. One thing on top of another: STACK
14. Saucony rival: AVIA. Running shoes. The clue is interesting. In the "obscure running shoes" category.
15. Resort town near Santa Barbara: OJAI. Up in the hills not too far from me. There's a spa/hotel which has a good reputation.
16. Buffalo hockey player: SABRE. "ER" or "RE"? Figure it out and move on.
19. French clerics: ABBÉS
20. Make rough: COARSEN
22. __ tick: disease carrier: LYME
23. Open, as toothpaste: UNCAP. "Oh, just let me uncap this toothpaste" - said nobody, ever.
26. By any means: SOME WAY
28. It may be proper: NOUN
29. Start to mature?: PRE-
32. Poll gathering: DATA
33. Lancelot and Mix-a-Lot: SIRS
34. "La Cage __ Folles": AUX. You might as well just print this in the grid as a freebie.
35. Bleak: DISMAL
38. Linguistic suffix: -ESE
41. Word before and after "oh": BOY. Boy-oh? Really? I know the Welsh affectionate "boyo", not sure about this one.
42. Freshwater minnow: RED FIN. Not a lot of meat on a red fin. Now a bluefin, you're talking sushi.
44. Chaps: MEN
45. 2002-'03 viral outbreak, briefly: SARS. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Makers of white surgical face masks have never been so happy to extend their market to the general population.
46. Together, so to speak: SANE
47. Droop: SAG
48. Plasm prefix: ECTO-
49. Followers of shots: CHASERS
52. Taj __: MAHAL. Oh, I thought it might have been Taj Smith, the famous (?) American football player, or Taj Forer, the photographer. Shame on me for overlooking the obvious.
53. Put the brakes on: HALT
54. Phantom: SPECTER
58. "Mental Illness" Grammy winner Mann: AIMEE. Thank you, crosses.
64. Engagement ring centerpiece: STONE
65. Lackluster: DRAB
66. Like some U.S. mail: CERT. Ach. Please. "I'm sending this U.S. Mail, Cert." said nobody, ever.
67. Belarus capital: MINSK
68. Start of a decision-making rhyme: EENY-
69. Actor Miller of "Justice League": EZRA. Thank you crosses. Ezra, meet Aimee.
Down:
1. Bud: PAL
2. Park in NYC, e.g.: AVE. This one made me think, and I walk up and down Park at least once a month; two of my clients have their head offices on the street. The Helmsley Building built over the top of the street at Grand Central never fails to make me smile.
3. Long of "NCIS: Los Angeles": NIA. Thank you, crosses. Nia, meet Aimee and Ezra.
4. Garage containers: GAS CANS
5. "Copacabana" showgirl: LOLA. Let's go with the other Lola, who "walked like a woman and talked like a man".
6. Open a bit: AJAR
7. Verbal hesitations: HAWS
8. Reacts to yeast: RISES
9. ID issuer: SSA. I didn't punctuate the SSA because ID is now a word, and not just a Latin one.
10. Laptop alternatives: TABLETS
12. Espresso foam: CREMA
13. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" novelist: KESEY
18. Short trip: HOP
21. Dropping (off): NODDING
23. Indy racing family name: UNSER
24. Din: NOISE
27. Key: MAIN
29. They go for the gold: PANNERS. Yep, I'm in a picky mood today. "He was a panner in the '49 California gold rush" - said nobody, ever.
30. Feel remorse for: RUE
31. Finals, say: EXAMS
36. Major artery: AORTA
37. Germ-killing brand: LYSOL
39. Triangle ratio: SINE. What was the aide-memoire we learned back then - soh-cah-toa? Sine = Opposite over Hypotenuse .... Mathematics exams redux.
40. Hawaii's Mauna __: KEA. Loa or Kea. Not Koa which was my first try. I have a koa wood ring and bracelet from Maui, so I excuse myself.
43. Buckles, as a seat belt: FASTENS
45. Yachting event, e.g.: SEA RACE
49. Great divide: CHASM
50. French-speaking Western Hemisphere country: HAITI. Not France then? Now this is oddly cunning - the Western Hemisphere is divided at the zero meridian and the 180 line at the antimeridian. France straddles the zero mark, and as such is disqualified from being a candidate answer, notwithstanding having too many letters. The only other possibility in literal terms would be Canada, but than you're talking about a minority population in Quebec, plus too many letters. A+ for educational.
51. Fine English china: SPODE. Wedgwood 1, Spode 0 in the Five Towns derby, sadly. Wedgwood cornered the marked in pale blue brooches and ornamental pottery, but Spode produced some wonderful hand-painted gold-banded white china plates. I'm with Spode - you can eat off their plates, you'd never think of serving food on a Wedgwood dish. Those bands really are painted by hand.
55. Kerry locale: EIRE
56. Extended family: CLAN
57. Frozen dessert chain: TCBY. Their website has them as "The Country's Best Yogurt". Praise the Lord for correct apostrophe usage.
59. "Yikes!": EEK
61. Pince-__ glasses: NEZ
62. Watchdog's warning: GRR
63. ORD posting: ETA. Take a three-letter airport code and attach it to ETA, and voila! A crossword clue. See also ARR, and LGW, LHR, SYD, LGA, JFK, LAX, SFO, ORD, IAH, oh - who did I miss? Of course - BUR, PHX, DEN, MIA, SEA, CDG, FRA. And another hundred or three. I think I've made my point.
And .....here's the ETA for the CWD GRD! Right on time! And a genuinely-square 15x15, things are returning to normal in LAT XWD VIL
STV
Thank you Ms. Susan Gelfand for this challenging Thursday CW. I needed P & P, and WAGS to FIR.
ReplyDeleteThank you Steve for your critical, and educational review. I was busy finding the last letter in most cells so I wouldnt have to BAIL.
Ðave
The puzzle was difficult but doable. The theme, however, was beyond my perception, even with the reveal! That does not happen! Sometimes I may not see the whole of it, but I always get at least part of it!
ReplyDeleteNew Yorker cartoon
The shop touted The Country's Best Yogurt.
A claim that may be contested, made overt.
Aunt Gertrude says no,
She prefers the FroYo.
And it's DISMAL to argue with Aunt Gert!
Ghosts are made of loose ECTOPLASM.
The abyss it got loose from was The Great CHASM.
It's like a deep well
Between Heaven and Hell
That SPECTERS have guarded since Adam!
{B-, B+.}
Welcome to the world of the rest of the daily bloggers, Steve. I do not know what magic happens, but for me, when I get that panicked feeling, if I walk away, the theme will appear. This was a hidden one.
ReplyDeleteThe PAN-AM (now METLIFE) dwarfed the HELMSLEY . I do not get back to Manhattan any more as Oo does not like the city.
As Steve pointed out France is in both hemispheres LINK but the US preception is so much simpler. MAP.
Thanks, Susan and Steve.
Cert. is short for certified and is a legitimate way to send mail.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteNo write-overs, no problems. D-o actually read the reveal clue, and then was able to figure out the scrambled oils. Imagine! Is it KEA or LOA, SNEAK or STEAL? Devious, Susan! Thanx for the tour, Steve. Sounds as if you may need an attitude adjustment hour.
Puzzle was easy enough, theme not so.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning, Steve and friends. This was a tricky theme. I found the OIL CHANGE, then went back to look at the starred answers. Still didn't think to rearrange the letters of the first word.
ReplyDeleteWhen is a door not a door? When it's AJAR! That always makes me laugh.
I wasn't bothered by BOY. I've often heard it said in a sentence like: BOY Oh Boy, it is hot today!
My mother had LYME Disease. It caused her severe nerve damage in her leg, but she never let it stop her from her activities, although she was often in intense pain.
My favorite clue was Dropping (Off) = NODDING.
I hope all in Michael's way are safe.
QOD: Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt (née Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, Oct. 11, 1884 ~ Nov. 7, 1962)
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was a tad crunchy but, ultimately, doable. But, and that's a big but, I was bewildered for quite some time before I figured out the different types of oil. Well done, Susan, you almost had me crying uncle, ala Steve.Unknowns were Ezra and Red Fin and the w/os were Creme/Crema and Regatta/Sea Race. I wasn't keen on Panners; even though it's legit, it's clunky, IMO. I like the Sine ~ Sane and Abby ~ Abbés crossings. Ojai was a gimme from watching "Brothers and Sisters."
Thanks, Susan, for an enjoyable solve and thanks, Steve, for the usual mixture of facts and fun.
FLN
PK, I hope your niece and nephew weren't affected too harshly by Michael.
Have a great day. (It's gloomy and raining here.)
Glad to come here and see someone else took awhile to figure out the theme answers. I was on my way over to the computer to see what I couldn't see - but like Steve I took one more glance on my way and got the "Doh" V-8 moment!
ReplyDeleteGotta get to work - but thanks Steve and Susan!
Good Morning.
ReplyDeleteBeen busy as the Dickens--whatsoever that means since I returned from Dallas on 9-30 and Dubuque on 10-5. Have done some puzzles, but haven't had time to fully appreciate all of the wit and wisdom here. I hope everyone is well. AND safe in Florida and the Southeast.
Thanks, Susan, for a pretty smooth run today. My last to fall was the cross of PREmature and PANNERS. Couldn't see that. I wanted break in for SNEAK IN.
Great Coverage, Steve. Thank you. I like your description of a meta-puzzle.
We're off to Boston on Saturday and then up to Maine for two weeks. It's been a heck of a year, and I am really looking forward to some respite. (Thinking of you, IM. We're hoping to hit some of your recommended spots.)
Have a sunny day wherever you are.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteA little dense this morning; just didn't 'see' the anagrams that make the theme work. Sigh. Lots of fresh fill, though, and many good clues. Agree with Steve about AUX, but I suppose the same could almost be said for Taj or MAHAL, 'aria' and Erie', No Pinsk today; just MINSK.
UNSER - Means 'our' in German. Unser Haus is 'our house'.
Tschüß
FIR Crunchy for a Thursday. I loved the theme, but found it after the puzzle was finished. I like theme puzzles. Sometimes the theme helps in the solve. Sometimes, like this, it is an added pleasure at the end. Both are good. Susan, thanks for the fun. Steve, thanks for the interesting review.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of Saucony. AVIA, as well as AIMEE and SANE were all perps. SANE/Together was devilishly clever.
The Bird Cage, an American remake of the Cage aux Folles, is a favorite of mine. I have seen it several times. Robin Williams and Nathan Lane are wonderful in it.
My DIL has a full set of SPODE Christmas dishes and glassware. What a job to bring it out and put it away every year! Spode also makes a 3-D ceramic Christmas tree and a Nativity set, as well as the year-round dinnerware and ceramic gifts.
Wedgewood makes a great variety of usable patterns in addition to the traditional Wedgewood blue.
I don't say cert. for certified mail, but I write it as an abbreviation. We see Mrs. and Dr. but pronounce them fully.
I had CREAM before CREMA, a hiccough in the NE.
Ragweed season is lasting long this year. It is bothering Alan greatly today. Again, the decision to go to work is pushed by me.
I can't believe we are still using air conditioning and shorts the second week in October. The leaves are changing color very slowly due to the warm weather. I don't care for perpetual summer.
Agree win Anon @ 5:49 that CERT is OK for mail, but think SEA RACE sounds clunky, usually hear about ocean RACE.
ReplyDeleteKind of saw SNEAK/snake but the anagram didn't click for the theme.
Saucony was unknown
(French) Guiana is another French-speaking country in the Western Hemisphere that doesn't fit. (It's actually an overseas department of France)
I believe 41 across was alluding to the expression 'boy oh boy'. I couldn't come up with the answer without the crosses, though.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you Steve. I didn't know Aimee, Nia, or Ezra either. But somehow I was able to finish the puzzle, mainly by grinding it out. The OIL CHANGE was an easy fill but not the unknowns. ABBY WAMBACH (don't follow soccer), Gravlax & CURED SALMON, CREMA (not a coffee drinker),RED FIN, AIMEE Mann, EZRA Miller, NIA Long, Pince-Nez, & OJAI. Thank you perps, crosses, & WAGs.
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle. Gotta go.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Susan Gelfeld, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Steve, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteGot the puzzle easy enough, but I could not figure out the theme. Of course I did this last night via cruciverb while watching Perry mason. Turns out it was a clever theme.
I remember OJAI from when I lived in California. I think my company did work there for GTE.
A few unknowns, EZRA, MINSK, AIMEE, RED FIN, AUX, AVIA, NIA, KESEY, CREMA, SPODE. Thank you perps.
Anyhow, I have to run. Dr's appointment with an orthopedic doctor. My knees are killing me.
Very cold and windy today. About 40 Degrees.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Hi Gang -
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of Steve's nits.
LYME disease is carried by DEER ticks not LYME ticks.
So - MEH!
Got the unifier, but didn't decipher the various oils
Also finished it wrong.
Time to visit the tread mill.
Cool regards!
JzB
Musings
ReplyDelete-I spotted a nest of Naticks in the NE and if I had not put SOMEHOW, I would have been okay
-Steve’s summative paragraph works for me. I enjoyed ferreting out the theme jumble
-I am as familiar with Gravlax as I am with Steve’s recount of famous (I assume) soccer plays. :)
-SNAKE OIL? It’s an election year!
-Jack Nicklaus designed this golf course along the DISMAL River near Mullen, NE
-The SPECTER of a winless season is facing the Huskers in this changeover season
-Newman to girl friend- “You see, CERTified mail is always registered, but registered mail is not necessarily CERTified.”
-This non-spill nozzle on my GAS CANS works like a charm
-I wonder if Steve would have liked “Harsh movie critics” as a clue for PANNERS?
-It amazes me that kids don’t have a seat belt to FASTEN on school buses
Susan, thanks for this interesting puzzle. I filled in all the blanks, some with WAGs, but the theme eluded me. Yesterday an anon asked if themes were necessary and this is the perfect example of the theme adding interest but not being needed to solve the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI had some of the same nits as Steve. I wouldn’t use PANNERS in a sentence but as a misdirection for Go for the Gold it was clever. SANE for Together was fun.
I know in crossword-land SPODE is fine china but that always bothers me . Bone China is “fine China” to me. I have SPODE that I use as everyday china. “ Everyday” is a euphemism of course. At this stage of life paper is more everyday!
This puzzle was crunchy but ultimately doable. I never did figure out the theme until the reveal.
ReplyDeleteThe clues for these words I thought could have been better.
~ PANG ( I always think nervousness or urge)
~ UNCAP ( I unscrew my toothpaste or pop it open)
~ CERT ( I've seen CERTIFIED but never CERT... but if you say so, then I'm sure it is)
~ SEA RACE (clunky)
Ken Kesey- along with Tom Wolfe my favorite authors of the New Journalism era.
Thanks, Susan Gelfand, for the terrific work. Thanks, Steve, for the insightful write-up. Not familiar with Susan's other submittals if any but it should be noted that much of Susan's clueing seemed exceptionally fresh and therefore more enjoyable than expected, so a huge thanks. Aside from the theme (maybe all themes should be required to me meta-tized, then we'd know to look deeper) and apart from the CERT (you will always have one questionable or debatable clue), I felt this was a superlative work, so thanks again. Best to all. Oh, and thanks Lemonade for the geography lesson.
ReplyDeleteI taught a unit on the Gold Rush and later mentored an older student who was writing a paper on the occupations that the Gold Rush brought about, such as supplier of mining goods, store keeper, saloon keeper, hotel owner, washerwoman, prostitute, etc. These trades people brought more prosperity to the area and had more personal success than most of the gold seekers. With all the reading we did for her paper, I am familiar with the term PANNER.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Sierra Foothill Magazine, "The gold panner patiently crouching alongside a river is symbolic of the Gold Rush, and yet gold pans were probably the most ineffective of all the miner’s tools, even though that is what most miners used early on."
gold panners
I don't hear uncap the toothpaste, but then, how often does that subject come up? I do hear that lipstick tubes are shrink wrapped so that shoppers will not uncap them and contaminate the product. Also we speak of uncapping a pen. Did you ever try to use a pen without uncapping it because you are so accustomed to click pens?
We sent a Cert. letter to a former club member with a check refunding a small portion of his dues. It never arrived.
USPS claims, "If the Certified mail letter is not delivered for any reason (unclaimed, refused, no forwarding address on file, deceased, etc.), the Automated Tracking System provides information as to each place the letter has traveled and, if returned to sender, the reason the Certified Mail letter is being returned. If the Certified Mail letter is forwarded to a new address, the Automated Tracking System provides that information too."
Somewhere along the way this letter stopped being tracked and it never arrived. USPS just shrugged. "Things happen." I think USPS should have refunded my payment, however small. I had the receipt. The check was never cashed and we issued another one. The check was for too small an amount for us to pay for stop payment.
Hello, friends! It's good to be back!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Susan and Steve for a comforting return to solving crosswords. Though I didn't take time to sort out the theme, I enjoyed the solve. My unknowns were the same as most of yours but I had heard of NIA Long and I know that La Cage AUX Folles was the inspiration for The Birdcage. I've seen both and Birdcage is so much better, IMHO. I agree with YR about Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. AIMEE Mann sounds familiar.
All weekend I was with our CLAN in California. After the 5K the family went to my sister's house where she served a wonderful buffet for us. She had spent the entire week before preparing for it. Forty-five family members registered for the walk and about half of the Arizona contingent went. I don't know the final count of money raised but it is always substantial.
My nephew flew in from N Carolina but his return flight was canceled several times. He finally left a day late.
Am I the only one who doesn't know what gravlax is? CURED SALMON worked its way in, but not because I knew it.
Have a fabulous day, everyone!
Good morning everybody, I'm back from my trip! Great to be able to get on the blog again. I tried using my friend Kim's phone to post one day, but I don't think it worked. Anyway, great to be back, even though Thursday's are usually toughies for me, and this was no exception. Sorry, Susan--not your fault. But I did actually get a lot, including OIL CHANGE--though I couldn't figure out how it related to the starred clues. No problem, still a lot of fun. I felt really happy that I looked at "Start to mature," saw the question mark, and immediately put in PRE. Yay! Anyway, great to be back on the blog, and I'm really looking forward to an easy puzzle on Monday! Steve, I could tell this was your write-up even before seeing you name at the end.
ReplyDeleteHave a great day, everybody!
No problem on the puzzle, but the theme? Geez, by me. Thanks Steve
ReplyDeleteThursday toil and trouble (but no HAGs today). Thanks for the fun, Susan and Steve.
ReplyDeleteThis was a DNF for me as I had to resort to Google to fill the SW corner.
The theme went over my head; I looked vainly at LEASH, STEAL, ABBY, CURE for scrambled OIL. D'uh! (I hope our Anon from yesterday is noting that we did not all "get" the theme today but could still enjoy the CW. Oh, I see SwampCat beat me to this observation.)
Hand up for Steal before SNEAK.
Smiled at clecho 1A and 30D -PANG and RUE.
Also smiled at 55 & 56D moving from EIRE to Scottish CLAN.
I thought "word before and after oh" was clever for BOY oh BOY!
How quickly we forget the SARs outbreak. But lessons learned have influenced our response to other outbreaks like influenza.
I wanted EHS, ERS, UMS for "verbal hesitations" and fought HAWS. But I guess its use in Hems and HAWS fits "sorta".
I smiled as I quickly filled in the "proper" spelling for SABRES and then winced at SPECTER. LOL! I wondered how an American team got the British/Canadian spelling so I LIUed. HowTheSabresGotTheirName
I also LIUed ABBY Wambach because I had seen her on Facebook posts for Glennon Doyle Mellon's Together Rising organization. (Don't know how I started getting these links!)
Sometimes the story behind the fame is not so pretty.
NewLifeAfterRockBottom
I'm over my allotted space. Loved the QOD, Hahtoolah! Enjoy your trip, MadameD - leaves should be great in NY. Welcome back Lucina and Misty.
Best wishes for a wonderful day to all of you.
WEES about the theme. Like you, Steve I finally figured it out with the shortest theme answer ABBY -> BABY. Then the others came one by one.
ReplyDeleteBut the NE fill was almost a point of giving up. No idea who is ABBY WAMBACH. She must be quite an athlete worth knowing, though. Learning moment.
I was trying to think of a type of tick. Kept thinking DEER Tick. But KESEY was a solid cross for me. Finally realized it was LYME when I made a WAG of CREME. Which had to change to unknown CREMA. Huh? I am with you Big Easy. I also do not drink coffee.
SOME WAY seemed too weak for "By Any Means". I was thinking of Malcolm X and his declaration of "By any means necessary". Anyone else?
Here was Malcolm X saying his famous line. Don't you think SOME WAY is a bit weaker than what he said?
Hand up for unknowns AIMEE and EZRA. Crosses worked there. Definitely a challenge and glad to FIR!
Steve where are you that is close to OJAI? Abejo glad you know of OJAI. It is the next county over from us and a relaxing rural escape. I have some friends there, too. Do you know of Bart's Books there?
Here I was with my friend Bianca bicycling to Bart's Books in OJAI.
Bart's Books is quite a unique store. As you can see, it is partially outdoors. And some of their books are out on the street for sale by the honor system. OJAI is an honorable city!
From yesterday:
ReplyDeleteDid anyone else remember this IDLE RICH scene from the movie Roger and Me?
Here is the IDLE RICH scene.
The IDLE RICH golfing ladies are saying laid off workers in Detroit are just lazy. Sorry that the sound in that clip is not very clear.
Had to cheat on one word,
ReplyDeletebut it did help me get more AHA moments...
Never saw the intricate theme, dang oily mess slipped by me...
Which makes me think, how would you attract oil change customers...
Oh boy didnt like this one. North West was tough. Avia was weak so was Eek or Eke? Boy oh!?
ReplyDeleteGot the solve, no issue, for this crunchy Thursday. Got oil change and all the themers but didn’t look for or get the theme.
ReplyDeleteThese hurricanes are doing things never seen before....Florence just stalling over land, like in Houston last year, and now Michael goes from category 1 to 4 overnight....it may still be ranked as a 5.....and landing where hurricanes don’t go in Florida and actually landing in Georgia for the first time in many many years. Gee, I wonder why?
On to Friday.
Man oh man I liked this puzzle a lot. Nifty clues and fresh sparkly fill. Thank you, Susan, for a well-crafted construction. I like the pattern the black cells make in the middle of the grid.
ReplyDeleteI, too, didn't get the theme. I knew OJAI from that old TV show The Six Million Dollar Woman. In all the Sue Grafton "alphabet" novels the heroine Kinsey Millhone always puts on her Sauconies; I don't think she ever just put on plain old shoes. She also never put on, donned, or even threw on her jacket either, always "shrugged" into it. Every time.
Speaking of old TV shows I remember one about Supreme Court justices, starring James Garner as the Chief Justice, in which they often discussed whether to "grant CERT."
STV, I totally agree with you about Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, and all the team. I actually remember their names.
Wanted REGATTA for the yachting event but MAHAL wouldn't allow it. And IMM as the "Start to mature" definitely didn't work.
Welcome back, Lucina and Misty. Glad you had satisfying and productive trips. Good wishes to you all.
Thank you, Jayce. Being back on the blog really feels like being home again.
ReplyDeleteBut Jayce, in that case the "Cert" is Certiorari rather than Certified -- how that legalese managed to pop into my mind is a mystery.
ReplyDeleteYour mind is a mystery, desper-otto :)
ReplyDeleteTA- DA!
ReplyDeleteProud of myself for getting ABBY WAMBACH, a sporting idol of Steve's, w/o knowing anything of her, much less where she splits her name.
I was scratching my head over "Abbywam Bach" and "Abby W. Ambach" and am very happy to have my ignorance relieved!
A good solid pzl from Ms. Gelfand. I too couldn't figure out how the theme was working, but it did not interfere with solving. Thanks to Steve for spelling it out.
WooHoo! ~
Welcome home, Misty! You were missed, Girl!
~ OMK
____________
DR: One diagonal today on the near side, NW to SE. Its anagram is dedicated to some senior citizen's hijinks, identified here only as the
"GRAMPA CAPER"!
A deer tick carries "Lyme" disease. Named after a town in Connecticut. There is no Lyme tick!
ReplyDeleteI think Picard was trying to make the point about deer ticks, seareeferd. But good that you made it more directly.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to the three tireless (?) travelers: Madame DeFarge, Lucina, and Misty.
ReplyDeleteMadame, have a super-duper trip to Maine. (I wish I could be a stowaway!) A favorite restaurant of my sister, Eileen, is That Place on Shore Rd. In Ogunquit, if you're looking for a new spot to try.
Lucina, sounds like that family gathering was quite successful and quite meaningful. You had a major CSO in yesterday's puzzle!
Misty, I'll bet a certain Doxie was glad to greet you, with tail a-waggin! I'd love to hear all about your trip.
14a. Wrote in ESSO. Thinking of SOCONY Mobil. Perps made me look at the clue again.
ReplyDeleteSABREs was a given.
AIMEE Mann, NIA Long, and ABBEY WAMBACH were knowns, but needed perps before the light came on. EZRA Miller is unknown.
Got all the theme clues and the reveal, but not the theme
With all the "new" nations in eastern Europe, I can't remember their names and capitals.
CED, you're the bomb! I don't know where you find these 'cultural' items, but keep it up ... my first laugh today!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, Lucina and Misty. Glad you had a great time. Madame D, have a lovely visit.
ReplyDeleteMisty, I am glad your Doxie welcomes you back. I had a cat who punished me with a disdainful aloofness for a few days after my return from a trip. Then he was all lovey. All was forgiven.
I am working on getting letters from professionals to say that Alan is not independent and needs a group home.Our caseworker and the staff at his sheltered workshop were amazed that he was declared independent. I have spent my lifetime giving him support in every way.
Abby Wambach brings back memories of the US women's soccer team that had success and became a bit famous a few years back. Those were the days when Mia Hamm was leading the charge. I saw her once down on the Strand wheeling her twins along in a stroller and another time at the end of an aisle in a local supermarket. I saw Abby Wambach once heading into a pub/cafe at lunchtime. She is a imposing woman.
ReplyDeleteI used to play soccer on Sundays in a pickup game with friends. It was good exercise and a lot of fun. However, I never enjoyed watching games on TV except when that Hamm/Wambach US team was in action.
Loved your enthusiastic 'Welcome Back', Ol'Man Keith!
ReplyDeleteIrish Miss, Dusty always looks at me at first with a puzzled, 'Do I know you? You look familiar?' expression on his little doxie face. But today, we're back to the old routines, and he's acting very happy.
And thank you, Yellow Rocks, and good luck with Alan's documentation.
Misty, welcome back to the Corner, and the Jumble too.
Deleteseareeferd ~
ReplyDeleteOf course, you're right, at least technically.
But there's no "flu bug" either - is there?
Still, it's common usage to refer to those pesky critters by the disease they sometimes bring...
~ OMK
Hi Y'all! Thanks for the challenge, Susan. Great expo, Steve. You expressed my feelings about the theme. However, I never did see the light until you explained. Anagrams stump me too often.
ReplyDeleteLast fill: CURED SALMON = Gravlax of which I never heard. "Together, so to speak" = SANE (you gotta be kidding?), SINE, REDFIN & CHASERS gave me a troublesome spot. "Followers of shots" = CHASERS? I don't drink alcohol and I'd just read a novel with target shooter so my mind went elsewhere.
DNK: AIMEE, NIA, or ABBY WAMBAUGH. Tried Maria Hamm which didn't fit then realized her name is Mia anyway.
Start to mature was not "age" but PRE? What? Oh!
Aux was awkward & unknown.
MINSK was a lucky WAG! Yay, Me!
CERT. mail: As the executor of a family estate, I mailed a large check by insured, CERT, return receipt requested, etc. to an heir. It took a week to arrive in California at the post office box number given by the heir, who was estranged from the rest of the family. By day three, the heir had called our mid-USA state attorney general's office to have me investigated for failure to perform my duties. AG wasn't interested. The check finally arrived at heir's post office which phoned heir and left a message on a machine. Heir then fell and broke wrist and almost didn't get to the PO in time to receive check before it was returned. Heir did cash the check. No apology or thanks was received for my work.
Jayce, don't know which show you knew OJAI from, but it was either The Six Million Dollar Man or its spinoff The Bionic Woman.
ReplyDeleteHere in the mid-Hudson Valley, the leaves have just started to turn (not at all on the maple in my back yard, about half on the one across the street) and will probably peak next weekend. At their peak in Lake Placid now.
billocohoes, yes, that was the name of the show, The Bionic Woman. Good catch. I imagine the leaves are pretty.
ReplyDeleteHey all you double E's out there, I just learned of a semiconductor that I didn't know about before. It's called a FERD (Field Effect Rectifier Diode), which to my ear sounds really really funny. I've been amusing myself by repeatedly saying "ferd" out loud and giggling all day today. Dang I must be easily amused.
PK, mia hamm, tu hamm.
Jayce ~
ReplyDeleteYes, you are.
And that must be what we love about you...
~ OMK
I seem to be in IM's solving wavelength with REGATTA and CREME. We have an OJAI St nearby LaJolla Ave. Cali connection.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend* who won some money at Foxwoods and went west to fulfill his dream of becoming a PANNER. A couple of hundred a day he guessed.
Plenty of gold in dem dere hills.
I had AVEA/NEA. I thought the last time it was with E not I. Nope, I just LIU, AVIA is the brand.
I couldn't Grok the theme. I haven't been able to get J riddles either. I was quick with today's xword though. I got some deep sleep this morning. What a difference.
I'll bet Arnold Palmer made more from iced-tea-lemonade than Nicklaus did from ten golf courses.
Women Soccer player? I always think of Mia Hamm who married Nomar G. And.
Gary, how would you get the kids to FASTEN them?**
Welcome to the ladies: Mme D, Lucina and Misty. Mme D, enjoy a lobster for me.
WC
* That was Pat who tried to get the Limo boss to buy new tires
** I used to play a game with the kids. In order to score they had to have their belt on. Various cars were worth various points. Volvos were so ubiquitous they were only worth 1/2 point(90s).
OMK, I agree that Lyme tick makes sense,not as a real name, but as a tick which carries Lyme disease.
ReplyDeleteI fell again yesterday, and now can't walk. My left knee gave out just as I'd finished putting my walker in the car. The back of my knee hurt like a sprain. Paramedics got me into my wheelchair and back to my apartment. Later, my ankle began to hurt, and that's now the major pain. With a cane, I can hobble as far as the bathroom, but that's it, not even the kitchen!
ReplyDeleteBrenda had to get a ride home from work, and to and from today, but tomorrow needs to get to the airport in Albuquerque at 5am for a plane back to Indiana for a reunion. How she's going to get there, I don't know. :(
I've been looking at Achilles tendon, and the sites all say 6 weeks before I can walk, and up to 6 months for full recovery! But I'm not sure that's what I've injured. The AT only goes up to the calf, and while my pain is mostly at the heel, it goes all the way up to my knee.
Sounds awful, Owen. I hope it's less serious than it sounds.
DeleteMaybe a taxi or Uber for her?
Thank you for the welcome! PK, I accidentally received yesterday's newspaper so now I'm motivated to work the puzzle. Thank you for the news.
ReplyDeleteI very well remember SARS in China; there was a national quarantine for a long time and tourism was almost completely eliminated. Shortly after the quarantine was lifted many trips were offered at rock bottom prices. Six of us, including my three sisters and I as well as one niece and her then boyfriend, took advantage of it. We went for one week to Hong Kong; a tour guide was included, a side trip to the mainland and the Hyatt Regency Hotel with two meals which were spectacular, all for $800. It's the best deal I've ever had on a foreign trip.
Misty, I'm glad to know you are safely home. Mdme. Defarge, best wishes for you on your travels. That area is so beautiful; I know you'll love it.
Owen, I'm so sorry about your fall and all that pain! I hope you can find some relief soon.
ReplyDeleteFun Thursday puzzle... now it gets harder,!!!
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteBig fat fail... It's like I'm getting worse on Thursdays :-(
Thanks Susan for the challenge. I like the theme idea but the whole puzzle was above my pay-grade.
Thanks Steve for the grid corrections & expo. Thanks esp. for Kinks' LOLA; it finally got Barry Manilow out of my head!
Still wrong at the end: OJuI xing HumS; LEASH LAMS (? - is this pun day?), A-E xing A-IA [2d x 14a]
WOs: CRÈME, stop (not HALT) xing 'snaPs in' instead of FASTENS - huge mess that wasn't fixed until looking up what's a Gravlax. I had Joy, Oh, Joy b/f looking up ABBY WAMBACH.
ESPs: REDFIN, AUX, KESEY
Fav: c/a @ SANE was LOL
Lucina & Steve, you may know AMMIE Mann - She was the front for 'Til Tuesday and Franz's (had to look him up) gnarly-toe'd girlfriend in The Big Lebowski.
{A, B}
Welcome back Lucina, Misty, & MdF (and I guess, good by again).
OMK - Fun Diag. Report!
OKL - so sorry to hear about your fall. For the airport, get Brenda a Lyft. It's best as an app on your Smart-Phone, but you can use it on a PC too.
CED - I thought that's where the "new car" smell came from :-)
PANNERS - Mom & her husband go work their claims in Alaska by panning and sluicing for gold [yes, you read that right -- my mother is nuts.]*
Cheers, -T
*Proof. :-)
ReplyDeleteCheers, -T
Owen, how terrible to hear about your fall. I'll pray that you get effective help soon to help you feel better again. You are such an important colleague to us, having you disabled is really distressing.
ReplyDeleteSandyanon, Lucina, Wilbur, and Anon T, than you all for your kind welcome. It's great to be back.
I didn't come here for sympathy (beyond "sorry to hear that"). I hate that almost as much as I hate birthdays. But I seldom reveal much about myself here, and this is turning out to be something major in my life (tho hopefully temporary) that it seemed to be something I should let you know about.
ReplyDeleteYes, my leg hurts, but only when I try to stand or walk. I'm used to being bed-ridden, been that way for years. I'm very tall, so have my car-seat reclined far enough that I can sit/lay in it for a couple hours without discomfort and still drive safely. Walking to and from the car is frightening for me, tho, and for the moment beyond my capabilities. But I'm sure I'll be able to manage that much in a few days.
LW found someone (a co-worker, I think) to drive her to Albq. in the morning. And back again when she returns, I hope. I don't think we have Lyft here, but I made her get the Uber app some time ago, around the time the only cab company in town closed up shop.
Sounds as though you're handling things.
DeleteMaybe more time for reading? I've been wanting to ask you an off-the-wall question, so I'll try it now. Alan Dean Foster -- opinion?
Owen, I strained my Achilles tendon playing pickup soccer games on the uneven local elementary school yard. It would get better, I would feel more confident and then it would get sore all over again. Finally, it ruptured completely halfway between second base and third base in a slo-pitch softball game. The local orthopedic specialist sewed it back to my heel and after lots of physical therapy, it was like new again.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with yours. I hope it turns out to be a minor strain and that you're OK soon.
PK:
ReplyDeleteI worked yesterday's puzzle and found AURORA! Thank you for remembering that is my middle name.
Tony:
That is interesting about your Mom and her husband. Have they ever found any substantial nuggets?
Sandy: I haven't read a book since the Internet came along. I did read ADF's first efforts, novelizing Star Trek episodes. I liked them well enough -- they were Star Trek anyway -- but was not tremendously impressed. Then he started writing his own stories, and they were much better!
ReplyDelete