16 A. Vice squad operations: POLICE RAIDS. Unannounced visits by law enforcement, using the element of surprise to aid in making arrests, so things don't get too WILD.
28 A. Fictional feline that could disappear at will: CHESHIRE CAT. Best known for its mischievous grin, and most generally associated with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by creepy 19th century British minister Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, rather than T. S. Eliot. Its presence in folk lore pre-dates this 1865 novel, and is of uncertain origin. As it fades away, the last thing visible is its ionic grin.
45 A. "Talladega Nights" actor: JOHN C REILLY. Here he is in CHICAGO.
62 A. It eases tension in some serious tales: COMIC RELIEF. A light or humorous episode in an other wise serious dramatic work.
3 D. Social class prominent in "The Great Gatsby": IDLE RICH. People of substantial inherited wealth who have no need to work for a living. And a shout out to anyone named ERIC.
And the unifier -- 39 D. Whole-grain food, and a description of each set of circles: WILD RICE. This is a separate species from white rice. Though it is now cultivated, it is still also harvested from shallow lakes in its natural habitat in North America. The word WILD indicates that the letters of RICE have been rearranged in the theme entries.
The byline indicates that this puzzle was constructed by our gracious and prolific hostess, whose published puzzles now must number in the hundreds. Note the clever and original grid, with theme fill that is both horizontal and vertical, but not in a pinwheel array.
Hi, Gang - JazzBumpa here. Let's all have a WILD time together.
The byline indicates that this puzzle was constructed by our gracious and prolific hostess, whose published puzzles now must number in the hundreds. Note the clever and original grid, with theme fill that is both horizontal and vertical, but not in a pinwheel array.
Hi, Gang - JazzBumpa here. Let's all have a WILD time together.
1. Vice president after Hubert: SPIRO. T. Agnew [1918-1996] V.P. under Richard Nixon. He resigned as a result of a corruption scandal involving kick-backs and tax evasion dating from his time as county executive in MD, and continuing into his vice presidency. He escaped prosecution in a plea bargain.
6. Harry Potter's lightning bolt, e.g.: SCAR. On his forehead, resulting from an unpleasant incident when he was in infant, involving Tom Riddle
10. Cauldron stirrer: HAG. They seem nice.
14. Big strings: CELLI. Here is a sample.
15. "We're on __ way": OUR. Be right with you . . .
18. Prefix with angle or athlete: TRI. Indicating something in threes - a TRIangle is a three sided figure. A TRIathlete competes in a three-part combined event, usually involving running, bicycling and swimming.
19. Make very happy: ELATE.
20. "__ Go": cellphone game: POKEMON. A game centered on fictional creatures which humans can train and battle each other for sport. I'll stop here, because this is already more than i know about it, lest I --
22. Mess up: ERR. Goof.
24. PC core: CPU. Central Processing Unit. It perfprms the basic computational, logic and control functions.
26. Sorvino of "Mimic": MIRA. I had her last time.
27. Hawaiian garland: LEI. Flower garland necklace.
32. Ultra-masculine: MACHO. Overtly, aggressively and pridefully male. Short of toxic masculinity, one would hope
34. Underwater detector: SONAR. From SOund Navigation And Ranging, a system that uses sound waves to navigate and detect objects, usually under water
35. Sister of Laertes: OPHELIA. In Shakespeare's play, daughter of Polonius, and the potential wife of Hamlet.
38. Major turf battle: GANG WAR. Battle for control of a neighborhood or area between rival gangs.
44. Neutral shade: BEIGE. A pale, sandy yellowish brown color.
50. Meadow: LEA. An open grassy area.
51. Sheriff Andy Taylor's boy: OPIE. From the Andy Griffith show.
53. ISP option: DSL. Digital Subscriber Line. Distinct from dial-up, but using a telephone line.
54. "Oh, puh-leeze!": SPARE ME. Get real.
58. African country whose name begins another African country: NIGER. and Nigeria. Adjacent countries in west Africa.
Niger is in orange
61. Wee one: TOT. A small child. I once was one.
66. Baton Rouge sch.: LSU. Louisiana State University, home of Mike the Tiger.
67. Occupied, as a restroom: IN USE. Come back later.
68. Award for "Moonlight" or "Spotlight": OSCAR. An award presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for excellence in the creation and production of movies.
70. "Gee whiz!": GOSH. Golly.
Down:
1. Liquid from a trunk: SAP. Sticky stuff from a tree trunk.
2. Golf instructor: PRO. Or tennis.
4. Churn up: ROIL. Cf. 10 A.
5. White-bellied ocean predator: ORCA. The killer whale.
6. __ salt: SEA. Other wise known as . . . salt.
7. Movie excerpt: CLIP. Cf 10 A, 45 A, 70 A.
8. Big name in footwear: ALDO. I like Clarks.
10. One may pick up an embarrassing remark: HOT MIC. Conversations can be captured when the speakers think the microphone is off. Ooops!
11. Goddess of the dawn: AURORA. From Roman mythology.
12. Be amused by: GRIN AT. Smile!
14. Dessert pancake: CREPE. A thin pancake, usually rolled and filled with something.
17. Draw with acid: ETCH. Coat the substrate with a protective substance such as wax, draw on it with a needle to expose the surface, then flow acid over it. This will attack the exposed surface and create the desired image.
21. Come into view: EMERGE. Unfold, transpire, become apparent.
22. Sailor's patron: ELMO. AKA St Erasmus of Formia [d 303 AD.] The account of his various tortures and imprisonments is disturbing. You have been warned.
23. Use a scythe: REAP. For harvesting a crop. No reason to be grim about it.
25. Navy vessel letters: USS. United States Ship, applied only while it is in commission.
28. Infant's ailment: COLIC. Abdominal pain caused by gas or obstruction. Unpleasant for baby, parents, and anyone else near by.
29. Gluttonous sort: HOG. Greedy one who wants it all.
30. Once __ while: IN A. Occasionally.
31. Asked for an opinion on, as an idea: RAN BY.
33. Playboy founder: HEFNER. Hugh [1926 - 1917]
36. Mideast nation: Abbr.: ISRael.
37. Had breakfast: ATE. Typically raisin bran for me.
40. Quite a while: AGES. Non-specific long time duration.
41. Bona fide: REAL. From the Latin, meaning "with good faith."
43. Family vacay participant: SIB. Sibling, joining the fam for a vacation.
45. Push rudely: JOSTLE. To elbow or push against someone, typically in a crowd. From late Middle English, derived from jousting [Cf. 48 D.] The original meaning was "to have sex with." Current, more pedestrian, meaning is from the mid 16th century.
46. Vote against: OPPOSE. Nay, nay, I say.
47. Continuity break: HIATUS. A pause or gap in a sequence, series or process.
48. Renaissance Faire weapon: LANCE. For jousting. You can find many examples on Youtube. I chose not to link.
49. Dragon's den: LAIR. Brings to mind a poem I wrote long ago.
IN PRAYER SHE CONTEMPLATES
Far from her home, sequestered in a cave
In dampness, gloom and foul lizard's filth
With golden chains that mock a kingdom's wealth,
She waits the coming of the knight or knave --
The fool who'd face the flame and fang to save
A royal maiden from this monstrous death.
The fool arrives. To scale and scalding breath
He shouts his dare. Could one so wild and brave
Be any but a lout? No doubt he'd clench
A princess as he would some low-born wench.
Is lance of knight or fang of worm to be
The one to test her vain virginity?
Reposed in prayer she contemplates her sins,
Then spies her knight, and prays the dragon wins.
55. Vaper's smoke, briefly: E-CIG. Prompts a question about technology: just because we can, does that mean we should?
56. Stereo preceder: MONO. In monaural sound, a single channel is used, and all speakers will project the same copy of the signal. In stereophonic sound, there are typically two channels, and each one projects a different portion of the total sound package. This gives the effects of directionality and space.
57. Fast Aussie birds: EMUS. Australian native Dromaius novaehollandiae is the second largest living bird, after the ostrich, which is native to Africa. Both are fast runners, but neither can fly.
59. Earth sci.: GEOLogy is an earth science. As the saying goes, GEOLOGY rocks, but Geography is where it's at.
60. "What __ can I do?": ELSE. An offer of further assistance, or an expression of exasperation. You decide.
63. "Kinda" suffix: -ISH.
64. Piece of corn: EAR. Something to listen for when you stalk the grain.
65. Cook, as spring rolls: FRY. Cook with hot oil in a shallow pan. MAybe have some WILD RICE as a side.
That wraps up another Wednesday. Hope you found this nit-free puzzle to be delicious, nutritious and just crunchy enough.
Cool regards!
JzB
FIWrong. Tried to enter PiKichu instead of POKEMON (which, BTW, is derived from "pocket monster"). Perps corrected some of it, but ALDi looked fine, as did iMERGE. Thanks to the circles, the theme was a no-brainer.
ReplyDeleteAt home, bland OPHELIA always wore BEIGE.
Beige when she went to see a play on the stage.
Of color she was LEERY,
Shopping was so easy,
And beige doesn't RISK sparking GANG-WEAR rage!
Pocket monsters, as all smart kids know,
Were the force behind POKEMON GO!
It was such a craze
Anime would amaze.
And they did it without attacking Tokyo!
{C, B-.}
Hi Y'all! Great fun puzzle, C.C., thanks! I clickeed the wrong button and lost the puzzle before contemplating the theme meaning so didn't get it before JzB 'splained. Enjoyed your poem & witty expo, JzB. Thanks!
ReplyDelete33D HEFNER: death date should be 2017, not 1917. I didn't know he died. Where was I when this earth-shaking event occurred?
Knew SPIRO to my surprise when it was right.
Last to fill was HOT MIC. For some reason, I resisted GRIN AT too long.
NIKE before ALDO. I would have loved that ALDO shoe pictured at one time in my life. Now it just looks like a weapon of much destruction to the foot.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteNo speed bumps today, although I did have to get perp help with Aldo. Speaking of which, PK, I’m in agreement with you there - shoes like that often look fabulous, but I feel sorry for the wearer’s wear and tear. How did Ginger Rogers ever cope?
Irish Miss - lately I’ve been recharging my Manhattan Transfer batteries by viewing some of their video material and so forth. Along the way I happened to spot the fact that the late Tim Hauser, usually associated with New Jersey, was actually born in Troy.
Coincidentally, I was reminded that the dazzling soprano Cheryl Bentyne usually appeared in high heels - I came away with the feeling they added an element of risk.
-T from last night - man, I wish I had a bit of your tech awareness. I’ve been surrendering gradually to dinosaurhood in that department. BTW, in my high school, there was no girl-meeting benefit to Home Ec class. We had a mandatory all-male cooking and sewing class in Grade 7. Similarly, the girls took mandatory wood or metal shop.
WOW! A hump day with a fun C.C. puzzle and a JzB tour that includes a cynical sonnet! Were you the knight or the dragon? Well done.
ReplyDeleteRICE is more than part of a meal to my wife. When we were in North Carolina for a family vacation and she had not eaten any rice for a few days she was having withdrawal symptoms.
Dudley, what an odd high school co-ed but not.
I always know a C.C. puzzle by the skill of the gridding and her words like ELATE which always makes me smile. And I know a JazzBumpa write up by his puns and wit, though I cannot picture Ron in heels. I have purchased some ties at a local ALDO store. I did not know they were a Canadian company.
Finally, a mention of CalTech and no Big Bang references?
Thanks
Never saw the circles; never saw the theme. I know I'm "just an anon," but how many of you actually see the themes on most days? It seems like so much work for the constructor, with very little proportionate payoff.
ReplyDelete"MIRA. I had her last time"
ReplyDelete-that's funny.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteAhh...all carbed up and ready for the day. Thanx for the WILD RICE, C.C. -- for real (she sent me some Minnesota wild rice). The cooking process is slightly more complicated than the Uncle Ben's pouches that go into the zapper for 90 seconds, but the results are definitely worth it. I figured out that RICE was mixed up in the circles, but failed to read the complete reveal clue...again. JzB, enjoyed your tour and your poetry.
MONO: I remember the slow conversion from mono to stereo, both in recorded music and in FM broadcasting. My current speakers are coaxial (the "tweeter" is mounted in the center of the "woofer") -- stereo imaging is incredible.
DSL: Out here in the sticks the telephone infrastructure can't support DSL, let alone high-speed services. Folks here are restricted to the cable company or satellite for their Internet.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you Jazzbumpa, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteCaught the theme. Very good one. I like RICE and we eat it once in a while. Good with stir fry stuff.
SPIRO came after some thinking. Got him, though.
OPHELIA took me a few perps.
JOHN C REILLY was unknown. Perped.
Yes, HEFNER, what a life.
ALDO was unknown. Perps.
Have to go cross the kids in about two minutes. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
What!!! A C.C. puzzle with no baseball clues? Hard to believe. An easy mid-weeker with only two unknowns solved by perps- ALDO shoes & JOHN C REILLY. Same as Abejo. JEANNIE C RILEY of "Harper Valley PTA" I would have known. John, never heard of him.
ReplyDeleteIDLE RICH- they keep them gossip magazines and TV shows busy. Maybe they should get royalties.
HIATUS and JOSTLE- you don't see those words in puzzles much.
SPIRO Agnew- what's the difference between him and 95% of the other politicians? He got too greedy and got caught. Smoke filled rooms and bags of cash have been replaced by campaign contributions and PACs. NO difference.
Brrrrrr! How cold was it? It was so cold that the politicians had their hands in their own pockets.
ReplyDeleteGood morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteI did C.C.'s Monday WSJ puzzle last night and then this morning; "WILD RICE". Loved her longer 6-pack triple downs in today's cw including JOSTLE, HIATUS, HOT MIC. They knit the puzzle together nicely. Caught the theme letters early I C E R ; Thought we might get into baking, but WILD RICE was real cool beans.
JzB - Thanks for sharing the poem. Thought of you last night when I found this:
Brassessoires - Damenbrassquintett
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun C.C. and JazzB (interesting poetry).
ReplyDeleteStraight-forward solve today and I got the theme early. (Anon@6:45, I always try to look for the theme. It is like the cherry on the top to give added enjoyment - and if you figure it out early, it can help the solve!)
CELLI today and YoYo Ma the other day.
Our HOG was not a Harley today.
Ewe call, BAA turned Sis into SIB.
JOHN C REILLY was all perps.
I knew ALDO (Canadian advantage today, although I did not realize they were a Canadian company).
I haven't memorized all the Veeps yet but SPIRO filled in after just a few perps.
I was ELATEd to see GRIN AT crossing CHESHIRE CAT.
AnonT, FLN- glad your Whale was not hooked. He must be better aware than some others to at least question the email.
Enjoy the day. We are forecast to have record high today (Summer's last fling).
Jazz: Nice, informative write-up. Good Job !!!
ReplyDeleteC.C. Thank you for a FUN Wednesday puzzle.
Hmmm, on a rainy day ... WILD RICE and a bowl of soup, make a perfect lunch.
I am sure glad that Hurricane Michael isn't heading towards Tarpon Springs.
Trust me, those who didn't evacuate in Panama City are not going to enjoy this afternoon.
My first "Sunset Toast" is to them tonight.
Cheers!
I have a beloved nephew & niece and her family who live near Panama City. Their mother asked for prayers on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-As luck would have it, A am subbing in shop today - 90% male.
-A POLICE RAID this summer found many illegals in a huge hydroponic tomato operation in O’Neill NE
-I confuse JOHN C Reilly and Michael Pollard
-IDLE RICH : Downton Abbey :: Working class : King Of Queens
-SCAR is another entry in my “I had no clue” Harry Potter repertoire
-To ERR is...
-Quick! Make a decision! Will he expect a fist BUMP or a handshake?
-Steve Martin once ordered a “BEIGE wine”, not red, not white, in an SNL skit
-In a Seinfeld episode, Kramer ERRED by retraining Cuban cigar rollers to roll CREPES
-I OPPOSE it, if it is from the opposite party – sight unseen!
-Is this really better?
-A very nice write-up and poem, Jazz. Congrats on having MIRA recently! :)
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteWe've had a run of my favorite and frequent constructors this week starting with Jeffrey W on Sunday, followed by Bruce and Gail, then Bruce H, and today, CC, our most gracious and generous hostess. Cool beans, as Spitz would say! Saw the I C E R letters early and, like Spitz, thought of a baking theme. It's always fun to have some Down theme answers and, especially, a Down revealer. My only w/o was the singular Cello, easily corrected. My only unknown was Aldo which I never heard of before; is it a regional brand or store? Liked the duo of Hag and Hog and the CSO to Lucina at Aurora. (I hope she catches up on the comments when she returns from her trip.) Pokemon was a gimme after all the hoopla surrounding it awhile back.
Thanks, CC, for a pleasant mid-week solve and thanks, JazB, for a witty and wise write-up.
Dudley @ 5:48 ~ I'm familiar with Manhatten Transfer but not Tim Hauser. My knowledge of pop musicians is almost non-existent.
Our weather for the last two days has been more summer-like (80's) than fall but tomorrow will be wet and temps will become more seasonal. Hoping for the best for those in Michael's path.
FLN
YR, glad to hear of all your good news!
Have a great day.
No issues at all today for the Wednesday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteOne quibble....after MONO came HI-FI...High Fidelity....although still mono, this was quite a step forward. Afterwards came Stereo, which used the building blocks of Hi-Fi, the low distortion amps and the superior bass reproduction, not to mention the conversion to 33 1/3 records and phonographs from 78s.
And on to Thursday.
PK, prayers for your niece and nephew.
ReplyDeleteCC, thanks for the fun romp through the rice paddies. I love WILD RICE although the staple of our Cajun food is white rice. No, it's not true we eat it at every meal.
Hahtoolah , take a bow at LSU. I appreciated Sailors Patron for ELMO in place of the usual red tickle-me guy.
JzB, thanks for the tour and the poem. With some of the "Knights" I've seen, I'll take the dragon too!
ReplyDeleteWe're on our way
Ginger Rogers said it well when she answered, "Backwards, and in heels."
ReplyDeleteI actually played one of MacBeth's three witches in college. A lot of make up going on there.
Becky
Hi Gang -
ReplyDeleteBy having MIRA, what I meant was that she also appeared in the last puzzle I blogged, as did HOG, come to think of it.
Mira was one of the people abused by Harvey Weinstein, a HOG, in my opinion.
As always, thanks for the kind words on my write up, and that demented sonnet..
The absence of base ball from the puzzle slipped right by me. Dang - should be more alert.
Anyway --- Cool regards!
JzB
We eat RICE almost every day, so this was a treat! WILD RICE is delicious but expensive. We usually have Basmati RICE from India. I do appreciate the effort made to create a good theme!
ReplyDeleteHand up for unknowns JOHN C REILLY, MIRA, ALDO. Crosses took care of those.
Can someone explain the comment "MIRA. I had her last time."
Do people remember this scene about the IDLE RICH in the movie Roger and Me?
The irony of the IDLE RICH accusing laid off workers of being lazy?
I have been on a number of GEOLogy hikes in our area. This was my favorite sighting which had nothing to do with GEOLogy!
We moved to Maryland the year SPIRO ran for governor. He had almost no chance of winning if not for a nasty split in the opposition party. SPIRO's opposition candidate was George P Mahoney who ran on a racist campaign against housing rights for blacks.
This photo shows Mahoney with the campaign slogan "Your Home is Your Castle"
I was just a child, but I vividly remember the billboards with that slogan. They showed a white family in their house with blacks standing outside as if they were a threat. Unfortunately, I can't find any images of that. Another candidate entered the election, splitting the vote. Giving SPIRO a most unexpected victory.
Just thought people would find the history of interest. If not for that quirk of history, SPIRO would have remained an utter unknown.
Thanks, JzB for explaining the MIRA comment. It came as I was composing my post.
ReplyDeleteFrom yesterday:
Becky Sorry you also suffered the hazards of our local Santa Barbara tar on the beaches. It is quite a nuisance. It can be removed with baby oil; no nasty kerosene needed.
PK Sorry you lost your Internet service. Welcome back!
AnonT Great PHISH story!
Wilbur Charles Great Limo story!
Ta- DA! ~
ReplyDeleteThanks to C.C. for a solid pzl with its special RICE recipe! Only sorry to see no diagonals to work with.
Today's highlight was JzB's poem - a hidden treasure till now!
I wasn't sure of the source of the HAGs in the Macbeth scene. The scene was pretty dark on my screen. Could that have been Jon Finch in Polanski's film?
W A R N I N G ~ If HAGs offer you a cup from their kettle, Do Not Drink!
(Didn't you see what went into that concoction?! Sheesh ...)
~ OMK
Terribly sorry,
ReplyDelete(I haven't read the comments yet...)
It is because Jzb's write up, and all the links,
wore me out!
(I had to research Chicago, awesome! I thought it was the play with that horse racing song...)
But had to post anyway,
because of my favorite open mic clip...
Happy Double Ten Day.
ReplyDeleteI liked this puzzle and when I saw ICER and ERIC I figured the reveal had something to do with RICE. I, too, like wild rice.
I also liked your poem, Jazzb.
"Beige. I think we should paint the ceiling beige."
Until the Valerie Plame affair I never knew NIGER was pronounced Neezhaire. Is the river also pronounced that way? I guess that makes sense since it was a French colony and the official language there is still French.
Anonymous @ 6:45 AM, I usually spot the theme but sometimes don't understand it. Sometimes I don't see the theme until getting the "reveal" answer. Perhaps you didn't see the circles because you used the Mensa or other "Uclick" website to solve it. The LA Times games site always shows the circles, as do most, I think, printed newspapers.
Good wishes to you all.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteI picked the perfect day to play hooky* - The sun is shining, I got my Alfa to the shop, DW's Alfa home from one, ribs (neither HOG nor BAA) in the cooker, I'm cleaning out my garage, AND no one is around to bother me. The ICING on the cake - a C.C. puzzle & JzB expo. Thanks y'all!
I caught the theme, ICER, early on and waited for the baker's assistant to appear. D'Oh! RICE! Man, that's WILD. //It's funnier in Johnny Carson's voice in my head...
WO: supERICH [sic] -- I thought SPIRO but the supE(R)-RICH were in the way. A POLICE RAID took care of them.
ESPs: ALDO, JOHN C. REILLY, MIRA
Fav: GOSH, I'm LEERY to choose - many c/as ELATE'd me as they EMERGE'd.
I did like CPUs xing ETCH [masking is used to ETCH the circuits in OUR electronics]
Of course, seeing NIGERia after my PHISH story FLN... That's RICH.
{C, A}
PK - Are they in the evac zone? Love their way. Keep us up-to-date; I heard Michael went to Cat4 on the last news loop.
D-O: That's one of Pop's fav politician jokes. Tho, the joke's on the Pols when a HOT MIC is around [remember Biden's "This is a big f*ing deal"?].
HG - I thought that was in The Jerk [BEIGE wine: :23] - but I am wrong [7:05] twice in a row. //but, highly entertained! I'll keep looking for the elusive BEIGE wine...
Dudley - Oh, I too visit the dinosaur-village on occasion. I needed a Lyft to get DW's car and spent 10 minutes searching the Google how to unblock my "location blocking" on my iPhone -- iOS 12x changed where it's at. #GEOgraphy? //sigh
Cheers, -T
*I've got 3 more weeks of vacation to burn b/f EOY. Oh, yeah...
OMK, I recall "eye of newt" being in there.
ReplyDelete//soapbox:
ReplyDelete@6:45a Anon - Constructors play off a concept* (theme) & Puzzlers look for it 'cuz that's the Lagniappe. And, if we puzzlers find the theme, it helps us doofusi (that's the plural, right?) solve stuff like names we have no clue about.
Don't you think for a minute that those who patron the Corner are all Mensa Material. I, for one, am ~+/-1 Box-O'-Rocks** when it comes to being good at Xwords (or hell, words in general; dyslexia is a bitch). Some folk can solve a Sat in brain-bending times - It ain't me. [CCR]
However, the folks in at The Corner are nice enough to let me play in their sandbox [I hope I add something to their world every now & again]. But, GOSH, I get to learn daily from this diverse group all the time.
I guess that's my way of saying, "Pipe the F- up and play with us." I'm sure we can learn from you especially if you have fun stories apropos to the days' pzl.
Cheers, -T
*ideas are easy - I've had a couple but it took C.C.'s brilliance to made them real.
**can I get a 4d [tetrahedron-dice] up in here? I'll roll for 1/3 chance of ++Smarts/--SCARs :-)
Anon @ 0645 said:
ReplyDelete"Never saw the circles; never saw the theme. I know I'm "just an anon," but how many of you actually see the themes on most days? It seems like so much work for the constructor, with very little proportionate payoff."
The circles are a function of your newspaper. If on-line, you may not see the circles. We all deal with that.
I miss the theme half the time, usually because I'm in too much of a hurry. The LAT has a theme Mon- Fri; Saturday: no theme. Usually the theme is hinted at by a clue or by a recurring oddity. The constructor does the theming for his/her own satisfaction. The trick is getting the editor to accept it.
Payoff is in the satisfaction of achieving a printed puzzle or knowing the puzzle audience will enjoy working on it. Nobody is getting rich by submitting puzzles.
NB: You are not just an anon. You are a puzzler who cares enough to share his thoughts and concerns with like-minded souls. Thanks for writing.
Holy crap!
ReplyDelete1st, Jzb wears me out with all those relevant links.
Then somebody says there is no baseball reference?
(my world is upside down...)
I had to take a nap...
& now that I am back, Sheesh!
Anonymous T blows me away with the most silly, vintage, rare, link
I have ever seen! The absent minded waiter!!!
(I can see my job here is finished, I am no longer needed here...)
(maybe I should take another nap...)
Hmm, trying to regroup...
1st run through the Blog, I forgot to take notes...
This time I took notes, but I am not sure what the $%#@ I wrote...
Spiro, it is curious to note, was listed in todays Almanac
as the anniversary of his resignation!?!?
(I dunno, I was just a kid...)
but it did help with the puzzle solve...
I also wrote CK! (with an exclamation mark!)
if anyone can tell me what I meant, pls do,
I can only remember that I need to watch a tape of
a cooking show on the best Chicken Kutlets recipe before going to bed...
Spitz!
that link sent me down the YouTube rabbithole, again!
Oh yes, the puzzle.
Sorry CC, this Blog has exhausted me.
I have been bested by Anonymous T,
no baseball references,
I have no idea what silly crap to post...
And worst of all, now I have to make dinner!
CE Dave @5:39 ~
ReplyDeleteLucky you! To have been "just a kid" when SPIRO resigned!
Not to wax too political, that means you were probably saved from full awareness of the all-too-memorable BS the scoundrel inflicted on the nation - before his crimes were revealed.
His fall served as a very interesting civics lesson, pointing out how important it is to replace the Veep with some bland time-server before going after POTUS.*
In the wake of Watergate, who would have welcomed
a President Agnew?
~ OMK
____________
* As Aesop says:
An unsavory next-in-line is the boss's best shield from a coup.
The Hugh Hefner picture--the dates should read 1926-2017 !
ReplyDeleteFred Olenick
Fun puzzle today and CC's shout out to her home state of Minnesota as I always think of
ReplyDeleteMN when I think of WILD RICE.
My favorite wild rice soup recipe is Byerly's , the weather is perfect for that!
https://lundsandbyerlys.com/recipe/wild-rice-soup/
Thanks for the write-up JazzB- the "Beat It" video reminded me of our variety show during med school where we did a parody of the song about getting run out of the wards because we didn't know what we were doing! LOL!
Inane @ 2005: Thanks for the recipe. BH thought it sounded good, and it has been added to the recipe repertoire.
ReplyDeleteCED 5:39 - hand up for the rabbit hole. There were some fascinating instruments in there
ReplyDeleteCED: Don't get discouraged. You are your own unique self and we appreciate you and your diligent quest for humor to share.
ReplyDeleteJust received word from my SIL that my niece and nephew evacuated and survived the hurricane in Florida Panhandle. Nephew has been able to return to his condo which had little damage. Niece was having to wait to go home until a bridge is cleared. She is concerned about her pets which were left behind.
I am still having periodic internet failures. Finally realized that a sizable branch lying under the transmission line may have jerked something loose again as it fell. TV is okay. Dry and some sun today, so I'm online tonight. When I was online this morning, internet suddenly quit. And I didn't think we had much wind with our 6+ inches of rain over several days. Not a hurricane! Yay!
PK - that's good news about your Niece.
ReplyDeleteHere's a don't do:
I got a new crock-pot & it had a recipe booklet. I saw 'ribs' in it and thought "hey, that would be different (& easy) for me & Z this week." I followed the recipe - it wouldn't have mattered. The ribs steeped in it's own fat & was grezzy-yeeech! So, um, ham sandwiches it was.
CED - I'm glad you liked the waiter sketch & happy to finally return a but of HA HA to you.
Cheers, -T
Er, bit of HA HA CED....
ReplyDeleteDoes Virgin's Branson make anyone else think of Zaphod Beeblebrox?
That is all. -T