Someone Keeps Moving My Chair!
The first word of each starred theme answer describes a specific type of chair.
3-Down. *Life of affluence: EASY STREET. Think of an Easy Chair. This one doesn't really look terribly comfortable.
3-Down. *Life of affluence: EASY STREET. Think of an Easy Chair. This one doesn't really look terribly comfortable.
9-Down. *Specialty: WHEELHOUSE. Think of a Wheel Chair.
17-Down. *Magician's riffled prop: DECK OF CARDS. Think of a Deck Chair. We called these Adirondack Chairs, but they go on a Deck.
25-Down. *Swimming option: SIDE STROKE. Think of a Side Chair. This is a Queen Anne Side Chair.
And now for the Unifier: 27-Down. Perches for tots, and what the answers to starred clues literally contain: HIGH CHAIRS. If you notice, all of the theme answers go down, so that the "chair" can be "high" in the answer.
This is now an old-fashioned high chair, but looks like the one we had when we were growing up.
Thank goodness, Mr. Stowe didn't slip in the dreaded Dentist Chair!
From where I sit, this was a fun puzzle. So pull up your favorite chair, sit back and enjoy the ride.
1. Party with a piñata: FIESTA. Today's Spanish lesson. Fiesta is Spanish for Party.
7. Tin alloys: PEWTERS. Pewter is an alloy of tin and other metals, which may include, silver, copper, antimony or bismuth. In the olden days, Pewter also contained lead, but that could be toxic.
14. Online icon: AVATAR. Also the name of a movie.
15. Expo entry: EXHIBIT.
16. Begrudge: RESENT. Not to be parsed as Re-Sent.
17. 31-day month: DECEMBER. Or, as my hubby calls it, the Month of Susan. // And: 47-Down: Month after 17-Across, south of the border: ENERO. More of today's Spanish lesson.
18. Jabber: YAK.
19. Surge protector?: LEVEE. People in Louisiana know all too well about Levees. The levees ostensibly protect against a storm surge. In New Orleans, a very complex system of canals and other structures are needed to help protect against potential surges from hurricanes.
20. __-Cat: winter vehicle: SNO.
21. "That wasn't nice of you": TSK! Often repeated as in Tsk! Tsk!
22. Italian tenor Andrea: BOCELLI. Andrea Bocelli is an Italian singer who just celebrated his 60th birthday on September 22.
24. Cricket club: BAT. I sat through the 2001 movie Lagaan, which was about a cricket game in India. The game was played over several days. It felt like I sat in the movie for several days just watching the film. Cricket is not a fast moving game!
25. Went down: SANK. I initially tried Fall.
26. Dander reaction, perhaps: AH CHOO!
30. 1979 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee: ORR. Bobby Orr (né Robert Gordon Orr; b. Mar. 20, 1948), makes frequent guest appearances in the crosswords. He had a long career with the Boston Bruins.
31. Shakespearean bad guy: IAGO. Iago is the main antagonist in Othello.
32. __ the line: TOEING.
33. Word with dating or skating: SPEED. As in Speed Dating or Speed Skating. I have done neither.
35. Airport NW of LAX: SFO. As in the San Francisco International Airport, which is NorthWest of the Los Angeles International Airport.
37. Egged on: URGED.
38. Strainers: SIEVES. I had a boss who had the attention span of a sieve.
40. 2018 Stanley Cup champs, familiarly: CAPS. As in the Washington Capitals, which is a hockey team.
42. Yard tool: HOE.
43. Swear (to): ATTEST.
44. Tennis immortal Arthur: ASHE. As in Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. (July 10, 1943 ~ Feb. 6, 1993). There is a new biography about him entitled Arthur Ashe: A Life.
45. "Fareed Zakaria GPS" network: CNN. Fareed Zakaria (b. Jan. 20, 1964), is an Indian-American journalist. He hosts a television show about public affairs from around the world.
46. Took the helm: STEERED. Hi, Spitzboov!
48. Revolutionary icon: CHE. As in the revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara (June 14, 1928 ~ Oct. 9, 1967). He went to medical school before becoming a revolutionary.
52. Marmalade morsels: RINDS. My favorite marmalade is orange marmalade. I have a kumquat tree in my backyard. Maybe I will try making some kumquat marmalade.
53. Feathery accessory: BOA.
54. Marine animals named for flowers: ANEMONES. One is the flower and the other is the sea creature.
56. Nabokov novel: LOLITA. A 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov (Apr. 22, 1899 ~ July 2, 1977) about a middle aged literature professor obsessed with a young girl. It was made into a 1997 movie starring Jeremy Irons. I saw it in London. That's all I remember of the film.
59. Athletic shoe: SNEAKER. Do people really call athletic shoes sneakers?
60. Island group that includes São Miguel: AZORES. My sister frequently vacations in the Azores.
61. Italian Riviera resort: SAN REMO.
62. Triple Crown winners: HORSES.
Down:
1. Many miles: FAR.
2. "Now __ seen it all!": I'VE.
4. It might be rare: STEAK. My favorite clue of the puzzle.
5. Fail big-time: TANK. I initially tried Fall.
6. "The creation of beauty is __": Emerson: ART. A quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 ~ Apr. 27, 1882)
7. Complaint: PEEVE. A Pet Peeve is not to be confused with a Pet Rock.
8. Show a real talent for: EXCEL AT.
10. "Humble and Kind" singer McGraw: TIM. Tim McGraw (né Samuel Timothy McGraw; b. May 1, 1967) was born in Delhi, Louisiana. His father was Tug McGraw (Aug. 30, 1944 ~ Jan. 5, 2004), a major league baseball pitcher.
11. Falls back: EBBs.
12. Nothing, in Quebec: RIEN. Today's French lesson.
13. Texas ballplayer, to fans: 'STRO. As in the Houston Astros.
19. Yearns (for): LONGS.
21. La Brea attraction: TAR PIT. All together, now: La Brea Tar Pit is redundant.
22. Barnyard bleat: BAA. As in the sheep.
23. Bakery employee: ICER.
24. __ nova: BOSSA. The Bossa Nova is a genre of Brazilian music.
28. Common soccer score: ONE / ONE. I don't believe I have ever seen a soccer game.
29. Nash who wrote "Parsley / Is gharsley": OGDEN. As in Ogden Nash (né Frederick Ogden Nash; Aug. 19, 1902 ~ May 19, 1971)
34. Big nights: EVEs.
36. Desert refuges: OASES. Midnight at the Oasis.
39. "Revolution From Within" writer Gloria: STEINEM. As in Gloria Steinem (b. Mar. 25, 1934). I can't believe she is 84 already!
41. Prof.'s degree: Ph.D. As in a Doctor of Philosophy. What is the difference between an M.D and a Ph.D.? * Answer below.
48. __ scheme: COLOR. What is the Color Scheme of your living room?
49. Bridge call: PASS. I have never played bridge, but I have heard some of the terms.
50. LPGA golfer Nordqvist: ANNA. Anna Nordqvist (b. June 10, 1987) is a Swedish golfer.
51. Video game rating: TEEN.
53. Nincompoop: BOZO.
55. Spoil: MAR.
56. "Well, __-di-dah!": LAH.
57. Ball holder: TEE.
58. Pack animal: ASS.
Sit back in your comfy chair and give us your thoughts on today's fare.
* Answer: An M.D. buries his mistakes; the Ph.D. must live with his mistakes.
71 comments:
Greetings!
Thanks to Craig and Hahtoolah!
No problems. Went quickly!
Have a great day!
Good morning Cornerites, and Cornerettes.
Thank you Mr. Craig Stowe for this delightful Wednesday CW. I FIR in 21:47 min.
Thank you Hahtoolah for your excellent review.
Ðave
Good morning!
Yesterday "Ah Sin," today "Ah Choo." Missed the theme. Again. Failed to read the complete reveal clue. Again. [sigh] Thanx, Craig and Hahtoolah.
SIEVE: Hahtoolah, I didn't realize that you'd worked in D.C.
TARPIT: What to do to your roof following a hurricane.
AVATAR: Title playing the last time I was in a theater.
I'd love to live on EASY STREET
With all the neighbors I would meet.
We'd stand and YAK
Of this and that --
Like how the tax laws could be beat!
A multi-COLORED DECK OF CARDS
Might help to judge the best discards.
They could EXHIBIT
Links to prohibit
My bumping off up my AVATARS!
Could a BAT BAA like a ewe?
Would a YAK sneeze AH-CHOO?
Should a PEWTER SIEVE
Have much give,
When thrown like a chakram right at you?
FIRight, no surprise this early in the week.
What's the difference between an MD and a poor produce grocer?*
The SIEVE is more important than it seems. It is the official head-gear for Pastafarians, followers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. A lot of Pastafarians have even managed to get their drivers licenses wearing them!
Misty, you say you're coming my way? What part, anywhere near Santa Fe?
Sneakers are what I grew up calling them, sometimes tennies. I think it's a regional thing for what the Brits call trainers.
OGDEN Nash is one of my heroes. Could you guess?
*One buries his mistakes, the other mistakes his berries!
Do people really call athletic shoes sneakers? Always!
AHCHOO is a misspelling of ACHOO. Or "less common," says Merriam-Webster, charitably.
TOE the LINE first, and tried to fit BOttiCELLI for Andreas.
DECK chairs are usually folding chairs, as on the deck of the Titanic
Yes, I say SNEAKERS, though now it sounds a little dated
James Mason, Peter Sellers, and 14-year-old Sue Lyons in the title role of the 1962 version of Lolita, much censored by the movie codes.
"mind like a sieve" usually refers to memory retention, not attention span.
Being a doctor is a heavy burden that one carries.
All maladies and diseases are his adversaries.
Unlike a produce sorter
Who's of a lesser order.
One buries his mistakes, the other mistakes his berries!
{C+, C-, B-, A- (thanks, Hahtie!).}
B.S. = Bull Sh*t
M.S. = More of the same
PhD = Piled high and deep
Hi Y'all! Thank you, CHAIRman Craig Stowe, for the fun & easiest puzzle this week for me.
Got & liked the CHAIR theme, but missed why they were HIGH until Hahtoolah 'splained. Did notice they were all downs. I likes to sit down. Great expo! Thanks for contributing.
No red-runs today. No unknowns that didn't fill themselves such as CNN. Never heard of Fareed Zakaria.
People here call them SNEAKERS. What do you call them?
My small living room has off-white walls & beige carpet. I have a broad-striped couch predominantly navy & beige with a green vine motif overlay and ruby diamond accents. Found draperies with same colored narrower stripes for a big window across the room. Two ruby-colored easy chairs & throw pillows for couch. Color co-ordinated needlework pictures, collected art pieces, wheat weavings and family pictures. Oak & antique side pieces with s-curved wrought iron lamps. Not tired of it after 15 years.
Another fun puzzle to start the hump day .
Thanks Craig Stowe and Hahtoolah .
Interesting observations- at a FIESTA you need a BAT to break the Pinata.
In his prime nobody could match the SPEED of Bobby ORR.
Interesting PEWTER ART on EXHIBIT at the mall.
BOSSA nova brings back memories of youthful carefreeness fun and dance.
At 48 D thought of Ponzi scheme , but 48 A was a shoe in for my namesake, so filled in the southeast and got COLOR scheme.
I wanted Rot for Spoil but that didn’t work with SNEAKER so I scoured the Italian coast till I saw SANREMO.
Interesting theme though I had a little trouble with SIDE chair.
SIDESTROKE was my swimming style of choice when crossing the man made lake at the quarry as a kid.
Need tn make another bonfire today as I continue to cut up and clean up some large trees around our country property that were felled by strong winds a while ago .
Pleasant weather to work outdoors with precipitation pending.
Good day all.
Good morning everyone.
Nice intro, Hahtoolah. Thank you.
Nice Wednesday solve. FIR without searches or erasures. Some nice fresh fill: SIEVES, ANEMONES, PEWTERS, AZORES, and some others.
WHEEL HOUSE - It was never called that on our DD. The Helm and lee helm were on the 'bridge". The outside of the bridge or 'wings' were termed the open bridge.
SANK - Past tense of 'to sink''. German past tense is 'sank'; infinitive is 'sinken'.
Anon @ 0805. Don't you think you are being disrespectful to those who have earned advanced degrees? Many of your fellow bloggers have one or more advanced degrees, and this blog is richer for it.
Never noticed the theme and never heard of a SIDE chair or seen achoo spelled AHCHOO but it was an easy fill with only RIEN and CNN as the unknowns. (Other than guessing STEINEM.)
With no X-BOX, PlayStation, or WII at my house, how would I know that video games have ratings? I was thinking stars. Live and learn.
LOLITA- I guess that name is not in the top 100 names that in the census bureau list that is published every year.
SIDE STROKE- that's what lifeguards are taught to use when rescuing someone, with the upper leg kicking from back to front to avoid kicking the person that is being rescued.
58A: When I was a kid (long, long time ago) the only brand names were P. F. Flyers and U. S. Ked’s. My younger cousin called them “us kids”.
Good Morning:
This was a pretty straightforward solve with the only unknowns, as clued, Caps and Anna. 'Stro is becoming a regular; hi Anonymous T and DO. I really enjoyed this puzzle because A) The theme was well hidden until the reveal and B) The theme answers were down instead of across which is a nice change of pace.
Nicely done, Craig, and kudos to you too, Hatoolah, you've eased into the blogging "chair" very smoothly and successfully. I smiled at the picture of the Yak! I'm not sure if I was aware of the remake of "Lolita." Whenever I hear anything about that movie, James Mason comes to mind. I never saw the movie, though, just brief clips.
Tonight's game is do or die for the Yankees. What do you think, Tin?
Belated best wishes to our travelers, Misty, Lucina, and Madame Defarge. Madame, is the trip to Maine coming up soon?
Have a great day.
Hahtoolsh: Wonderful, informative write-up. Good job!!!
Craig: Thank you for a FUN Wednesday puzzle. I liked the "Chair" theme.
Well ... it was 24 years ago (today) I became an orphan ... seems like it as yesterday.
A "Toast-to-ALL" at Sunset ... but MOM gets the "First Toast!"
Cheers!
GO YANKEE'S !!!
Yes I will be cheering on the BRONX Bomber's !!!
They did hit the American League Record of 266 Homer's this year.
oops ... I miss-spelled HAHTOOLAH's name ...
Good puzzle by Craig. Hahtoolah's tour through the grid was enjoyable.
Only a couple of hang-ups today. I had BRONZE vs PEWTER, ANNE vs ANNA and SNEEZE before AHCHOO. With the Z in Bronze and Sneeze, I thought the theme was going to revolve around Z or ZED, but I was wrong and had to rethink it all when PEWTERS ruined my good idea. As it turned out I didn't get the theme until I read Hahtoolah's explanation.
Not a bad solve though.
When I was a kid we wore Sneaker's, Keds or Chuck Taylors. Today they are sneakers or go by their brand names like Rebboks, Adidas, Pumas, etc.
Ordered a new IPad yesterday to replace my current one that has started acting squirrelly. The screen would freeze when I tried to enter a letter into the grid and it drove me nuts. Hopefully the new one will be here by tomorrow.
Have a great day everyone.
Musings
-I worked the entire left side first because it was isolated until the 8th row and I work from words I get (FIESTA) and branch out from there
-AVATAR’s three delicious A’s are making it a new common visitor here
-How a city below sea levels protects against storm surges (2:42)
-BOCELLI is the one they can’t think of (:04)
-Sorry, OMK, IAGO is the only 4-letter Shakespeare villain that leaps to my mind
-I had an interaction with a very nice TSA agent at SFO!
-Pronouncing ANEMONES isn’t easy for me
-Even my 96-yr-old MIL says “tennis shoes”
-Pro teams TANK entire seasons to get a favorable draft position
-Soccer doesn’t interest me in the slightest unless I have DNA in the game
-Nice job, Hahtoolah!
Bravo, Hahtoolah! Your write up was as much fun as this easy breezy puzzle. Loved the YAK!
And thanks for the expo on LEVEEs. I’ll take a reluctant CSO at that because LEVEEs are now part of my DNA since ours failed after Katrina.
I laughed at TANK and SANK in the same puzzle.
I always called my Keds SNEAKERS until later on they became Athletic Shoes. Actually I think they were called Running Shoes and were Addidas not Keds. I don’t know why words have to keep changing.... insuring criticism of those who don’t keep up!! I always seem to be two steps behind.
Thanks, Craig, for the fun.
In case you didn't like the tune so didn't listen, here's the lyrics to Someone Keeps Moving My Chair. Thanks for posting TMBG Hahtoolah! Cheers, -T
I have an MS. Although I am proud of it and worked hard, too many of the courses were BS. I am not offended, Anon @8:05. LOL.
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Craig and Hahtoolah (great to have you in charge today!).
I FIR but the theme flew right over my head (too HIGH LOL!). I was looking for the word CHAIR in the theme answers, or thinking that DECKs and WHEELHOUSEs could be high. I'll blame the last two days lightbulb necessity on the cooler fall weather. (Didn't we have a CLUB chair yesterday?)
Secondary sports theme today with many sports represented: 1. Hockey with ORR, CAPS, SPEEDskating 2. Baseball with STRO 3. Soccer with ONE/ONE 4. Cricket with BAT 5. Golf with TEE and ANNA 6. Tennis with ASHE
Like billocohoes, I had TOE the LINE first; I debated between double T or double L for BOCELLI. (BOttiCELLI was the Renaissance artist)
Yes, Anon@7:59 - I noted the extra H in AHCHOO as usually we have ACHOO in CWs. LOL re AH SIN, d'otto!
PK, your COLOR scheme sounds classic; most important is that you enjoy it!
We have had the SNEAKERs discussion here recently. Very regional - Running shoes in this area of Canada.
I had Boor before BOZO. Plenty of them on both sides of the border unfortunately.
Best wishes to Lucina for her trip and run. What a wonderful tribute and bonding event for your family.
TIN- wishing you happy memories of your Mom today.
Wishing you all a great day.
Lolit WAs made twice. The first one was directed by Stanley Kubrick and starred James Mason And Sue Lyon. See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita_(1962_film)
Got the HIGH CHAIRS reveal and solved the puzzle fairly easily. But struggled to figure out the theme. Hand up I never heard of a SIDE CHAIR. But the other theme answers were familiar. Got it!
Here is the story of the No BOZOs image.
Has anyone seen this? When I was a grad student at UC Santa Barbara Physics, Jon Forrest ran the department computer system. It was often a struggle to deal with him, but in the end he usually did help me get my work done. He invented the No BOZOs logo.
For many years, my parents lived along the American River LEVEE in Sacramento. There were some scary bad storms and evacuations. But the LEVEE always held. But the park on the river side of the LEVEE did not always do so well.
Here I was with my brother along the LEVEE during one of those floods.
Gloria STEINEM spoke here last year.
Here are a few of my photos of STEINEM from afar in a massive theater.
FAREED ZAKARIA spoke here a year earlier.
My photos of FAREED ZAKARIA are a bit clearer!
I recently shared photos of my train ride from London to DOVER to Calais. Which included a cricket BAT on the train luggage rack!
Craig Stowe and Hahtoolah made this a wonderful Wednesday! Thank you, both.
ENERO and FIESTA delighted me! It was not all joy, however, until I realized that solving downwards would yield better results. Some of the answers are in my WHEELHOUSE, but not all. CAPS, for instance. Thank you for explaining, Susan.
And hand up for wanting Boticelli before BOCELLI. What a beautiful voice he has!
LOLITA is featured in the movie, The Bookshop, and causes some friction in the small town but not for the reason you might think.
Many residential developments here are given Italian names such as SAN REMO.
My last fill was PEWTER which was at first hindered by my mistaking NIEN for RIEN. I just don't get that RIEN means nothing but it's all in my head.
Now I have to get on with my packing. Thank you for the good wishes.
Tin, that is lovely to remember your mother today.
Have a marvelous day, everyone!
From yesterday:
TTP Thank you for the kind words about the Santana OYE Como Va link! Did anyone recognize the song after hearing it?
Mike Sherline and others Thank you for the kind words and respectful disagreement over what is "fair" in a crossword puzzle.
From the Urban Dictionary:
=======
A word used in crosswordese, coined by blogger Rex Parker, meaning two crossing words/clues that very very few people would know. As an example, one clue would be "A town in the eighth mile of the Boston marathon" Answer-Natick
I'm calling Natick on 12 down, 22 across.
=======
The key here is TWO crossing words that very few people would know. Why else do we have the word Natick if not to indicate that it is unfair in some way?
I love learning new things from solving the puzzles. But I would prefer to learn them inside the puzzle through clever clues and strategic reasoning. That is my view and I am sticking with it. Others are free to disagree!
PS: I am happy to say that most constructors seem do their best to allow solving through creative reasoning and I praise them for that.
Forget about politics, religion and whether puzzles are "fair".
Yesterday I published this article about my pet driving PEEVEs
I think this has generated more controversial comments than any treatise on politics or religion!
Picard, the reason a natick is not unfair is that someone always knows one or both of the words. I can’t see calling that unfair.
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Craig Stowe, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Hahtoolah, for a fine review.
Most of this puzzle worked fairly easily. A few tough spots, as always. There should be tough spots.
Theme worked out fine. My last to get was WHEEL HOUSE. Mainly because I could not think of the word PEWTERS for the longest time.
I have no problem with the words AH CHOO. It is more like two words and the term kind of drawn out. Some sneezes are like that.
No idea who STEINEM is or was. Perps. Same for RIEN.
I think we had SAN REMO the other day.
Lots to do. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Sneakers or tennies… and when I was MUCH younger, gym shoes.
Morning, all. Thanks, Craig, for a fun and easy(ish) puzzle, and Hahtoolah, I really enjoyed your blogging today.
Hand up for wanting Nien instead of Rien, but the perps soon fixed that and when I saw the correct word I remembered having this same internal dialogue before.
My first thought for the dander reaction was ACHOO and when that turned out to be a letter short, I was stumped for a while. AHCHOO (no matter what Webster may say) just looks wrong.
Not sure I have ever used the term SIDE CHAIR but I am guessing they’re called that because having no arms they go at the side of the table (leaving the armed ones for the head and foot of the table).
And now I’m having some interesting mental pictures of "armed" chairs...
Have a great day, all!
I got the chair theme today, but not the high part of it. Clever. Great blogging job, Hahtoolah.
"Wheelhouse" is often seen here on the Corner. What is in one person's wheel house is unheard of by another. Our different life experiences are what make this blog so interesting.
I remember when Steinem was popular in the 60's and 70's. I guess some of you were too young in those days.
We never say athletic shoes, just plain sneakers.
"Deck chair" usually refers to the kind of chairs you find on the deck of a cruise ship. But I have heard Adirondack chairs called deck chairs. That one was a gimmee for me.
22D could have been BAA or MAA, but Bocelli kind of rang a bell. Motcelli? Not so much.
Dining room tables usually come with one arm chair and a number oF side chairs (armless).
Achoo or the less common ahchoo, both seem fine to me. Xwords often use the less common spellings.
From yesterday's blog---Here is a club chair. club chair
Fun puzzle this morning--many thanks, Craig. I got most of it and cheated on only two items before finishing. Gloria STEINEM was an important early feminist in my younger days. Glad she's still around. I'm learning sports figures--Yay! Got ASHE and ORR without any problems. Helpful write-up, Hahtoolah, and I liked the pictures of all those CHAIRS.
SAN REMO reminds me of a time in my early days when my son and I were in Europe and driving up the coast of Italy. We never made hotel reservations in those days, just stopped in some town when we started to get tired and found a hotel and got a room. Never heard of SAN REMO, and were delighted at what a sweet place it turned out to be. Wonder if it's still as charming?
Owen, thanks for asking, but my friends have made all the arrangements for our trip, so I have no idea where we'll be staying or going. Will let you know when I get back. And I enjoyed your M.D. joke.
Have a good day, everybody.
What does “wheelhouse” have to do with “specialty”?
I liked this puzzle and enjoyed the high chairs. Hahtoolah, thanks for an informative and pleasant write-up.
I have a master degree and had heard that "piled higher and deeper" joke years ago; we all had a good laugh and nobody was offended because we all acknowledged that a lot of the process in obtaining a degree is in fact BS. (Since my degree is an MA, not MS, I and my colleagues reworded the joke slightly.) (Ah, I just used "word" as a verb!)
I laughed out loud at your TARPIT comment, desper-otto.
Tennies. At some period in my life they also were sneakers.
I have never driven a Chevy on the levee, but we have driven our Camry on the roadway next to some levees.
Bon voyage wishes to all you travelers.
Thelma, if it's in your wheelhouse, it's in your area of expertise.
WHEELHOUSE is from baseball....”that ball he hit over the fence was right in his wheelhouse”.
Now it also means something in your range....”the 25 year old was way too young for him but her divorced mother was right in his wheelhouse”.
A nice straightforward Wednesday puzzle....and no markovers.
See you tomorrow.
Specialty and wheelhouse are very close in meaning.
Specialty means forte, strong point, strength, métier, strong suit, talent, skill, bent, gift
Wheelhouse means an area that matches a person's skills or expertise
Levee can mean an embankment that is built in order to prevent a river from overflowing.
Levee can also mean a formal reception of visitors or guests (as at a royal court).
There are lots of levees in novels about royalty. I have often wondered how these two meanings are related.
In French, lever means to lift and se lever means to rise, literally "lift yourself." When the king rose from his bed and received visitors, that was a levee. When you raise up dirt or other materials to build a dam or levee, that's also a levee.
Bobby ORR:
After the Bruins milked his knees for all he was worth- unconsciounable minutes/game and colluding with the CAD of all scoundrels to underpay him- traded him to Chicago in 1975.
I can't remember the agent's name but when he tried to sneak into some arena(after his all too short prison sentence) he was booed out of the place.
Ell* something or other.
His co-conspirators, the Jacobs Bros still own the Bruins. One of the big Boston Banks hired Orr as a spokesman so Bobby is not broke.
And he's beloved in Boston.
WC
oc4beach @ 10:06 ~ How old was your now-defunct iPad. My original iPad lasted about 8 years or so, and my present iPad Mini is 5 + years old.
Swampcat @ 11:57 ~ My sentiments exactly. IMHO, unfairness, when unintended, is like beauty: "in the eye of the beholder."
Misty @ 1:30 ~ What an adventurous soul you are to go on a mystery trip! Will look forward to hearing all the details upon your return.
What Abejo always says (WAAS?)
Picard, I was just wondering if you had any photos of La Brea TARPITs?
To all those who have not been to this unbelievably entertaining place, La Brea Tar Pits, I for one urge you to not pass it up if you have the opportunity. It is one of the most enriching places I've ever gone to. There is much, much more to it than most people are aware. I haven't been lately but I'm sure it's constantly upgraded with new displays. Very moving.
Best to all.
Ta- DA!
A pleasant pzl from our friend, Mr. Stowe.
No need to apologize, HuskerG ~
IAGO is the first 4-letter Shakespearean villain who pops into everybody's mind!
Hahtoolah ~
Thanks for the write-up. I got a kick out of your boss who had the "attention span of a sieve." My old bosses, being classical types, had the retention of SIEVES.
Time to update them , I guess...
~ OMK
By the time this is posted some of this will be redundant. But...
Sue Lyons, that's the name. And professor Humbert Humbert. At first I thought Craig wanted ADA.
I solved this in a mishmash. Just writing as fast as I can, anywhere. I ended up at the NW. Then , no more white but I completely forgot to see what the theme was about.
Hahtoolah, excellent write-up.
Let's see some more posts.
Tin, I thought that spelling was deliberate, rhymes (almost) with ACHOO
I know this sounds _____* but as a Redsox fan I'd rather play the A's than NY
For the latter, I know my enemy**
Re. IAGO. If it was Dickens it'd be HEEP
Picard. The days of moving out of the left lane because someone behind wants to go faster have done gone for me. I put cruise control on 80(where speed limit is 70) and I only move when it's convenient for ME.
Btw, the "Natick" is where SANREMO crosses STEINEM fe.
WC
* Condescending??? And...
** When I talk to Mets fans that's where "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" prevails"
HG: I wanted so much to rhyme ANEMONE with ANTENNAE in my _J poem this morning, but couldn't. In fact, the couplet I did come up with (antennae & enemy) was probably the worst in the whole poem.
Tony: thanks for those lyrics, horrible as they were!
I'm curious. Because of recent discussions, I'm aware some here still have old technology type cellphones...
Did you receive the test notification today from the National Wireless Emergency Alert System?*
Also, have you ever received an Amber Alert or National Weather Service alert?**
*I received mine precisely at 118p CDT but since my phone was set to "silent", I didn't notice until an hour later.
**My phone usually sits on my nightstand while being charged overnight. I have been awakened more than once for an overnight Amber Alert. I turned to silent for awhile but then I missed a Tornado Warning text for my area. So the volume now is usually on(off when not feeling well) and as a result I am occasionally awakened by a late night/early morning text from friends and family.
Don't know how the LOLITA remake got past me, but it did. Thanks for the prompt, Craig Stowe!
I liked the old James Mason/Peter Sellers version, directed by Kubrick. I watched it a few times. But Jeremy Irons is a favorite actor too, and with Frank Langella in the Peter Sellers role, it's got to be worth a viewing. And Melanie Griffith has the Shelley Winters role.
I'll put it on my streaming list - and catch it soon!
~ OMK
IM @ 3:06pm: My IPad is a Mini that I got in December of 2013. I bought a Kindle Fire the year before and liked the size, so, I decided to try the Mini. I use the Mini a lot with my home WiFi and in conjunction with my IPhone 6 unlimited hotspot.
Lately a number of the apps will freeze and I have to reset the IPad. This has become annoying so it's time for a new one. I've heard rumors that Apple is not going to make any updated versions of the Mini so now is the time to get a new one.
DW has the first IPad that came out, then she got an IPad Air 2 a few years later when the first one wouldn't hold a charge for very long. Recently she bought the 12 inch IPad Pro. She likes them all, but uses the Pro mostly for reading news and the Air for everything else.
I ordered the Mini from the local Staples store and they matched the price that Amazon was selling it for online (Amazon Sold and Shipped) but not what the third party sellers were selling it for. It saved me about $25 and should be here tomorrow.
FWIW, La Brea isn't just the tar pits in Los Angeles:
"La Brea (plural: Las Breas) is Spanish for "the tar" or "the tar pits") and may refer to:
La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California
Park La Brea, Los Angeles, California - A large apartment complex/district in Los Angeles
La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles
La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles"
As I recall, it is also an informal name for the district around the tar pits, shortened from 'Park La Brea' district.
Posting before reading today's entries.
FLN
Anonymous-T, Sandyanon, Irish Miss and Lucina - thanks for expressing your agreement. Sometimes I feel as though I'm getting better at clues in areas outside of my knowledge too, and it does feel good.
And Michael @0204 - you're right of course, I just don't see it, as I (and I hope at least SOME others) are not even remotely interested in "pop" anything, entertainment industry gossip, or sports, and the fine arts (in my case specifically music) are everything - or at least paramount.
And from Monday: Picard - I sent you an email, but in case it didn't get through, please look at the link CanadianEh! put in her post at 2044 on Mon., Oct. 1, called Modern Day Explorer. I found it fascinating and exciting, and thought of you the whole time I was reading it. I think you would enjoy it a lot.
And CanadianEh! thanks for posting that - what an amazing story, and an important message for all of us.
Rainman Thanks for asking about my photo collection regarding the La Brea TARPITS!
Here are some of my La Brea TARPITS and a video collected over the years.
desper-otto I also enjoyed your TARPIT comment!
Wilbur Charles Thank you for taking the time to read my driving PEEVE article! If you have your cruise control set to 80 in a 70 zone, you are fine by me! That is not what my PEEVE was about!
Mike Sherline Yes, thank you for the email. It did not come through well in my email system as it was formatted to be wider than my massive display screen.
Here is a direct link to the article.
Quite an adventure, indeed! Glad to know there are still such natural areas remaining.
Thank you, Irish Miss. Kim was a graduate student of mine some forty years ago and I have been close friends with her and her husband since those days. So I'm perfectly comfortable going on a "mystery" trip with them.
Someone asked if those of us with flip phones received today's security alert. I did but was unable to look at it at the time because I was driving.
Ladies & gentlemen,
buckle your seat belts,
& hope the levee doesn't break...
A 737, with no power, makes a miraculous landing...
On, (you guessed it...)
However, you may wish you had a higher seat....
Hi All!
Thanks Craig for a fine Wednesday puzzle. I liked the theme with all the CHAIRS HIGH in the grid perched UPON their legs. The theme helped me get WHEEL HOUSE.
Wonderful expo Hahtoolah! I will thank you again for TMBG and LOL at your MD-PhD joke.
WOs: KIM McGraw (why did I think that sounded right? - oh! she was a co-worker), Rot b/f MAR.
ESPs: BOCELLI, ANNA, SAN REMO, AZORES, TIM, RIEN
Fav: ASS xing HORSES
Like Lucina, PEWTER was my last fill. With WHEEL in place I was forced to get rid of the K in TIM thus getting the R in RIEN
OMK - I'll apologize FAR more than HG: I learned IAGO was Shakespeare from crosswords. Before that, I thought it was this bird :-)
Got AH CHOO. With the extra letter in there, I just figured it was the Canadian spelling :-) [Just kidding C, Eh!]
{A, B+, B, [cute]}
Cool story about 'No BOZOs' Picard.
In college, I worked in a Chem Lab doing assays on waste-water. I was working on BS EE, Bobby his MS in ChemE, and Raj on his Chem PhD. When we discovered this, Raj pointed around the room at each of us, "BullSh*t, More Sh*t, Piled High and Deep." What made it most entertaining was his thick Indian accent.
Tin - A Toast to you and your Mum at Sunset!
Cheers, -T
AH CHOO - I just sneezed and I pronounced it correctly this time - - with the first 'h'.
I don't have a smart phone but BH does. She did not receive any security alert. Wonder what the next step should be.
Spitz. Who is her carrier? I think I read somewhere that not all carriers were ready for the test.
I guess contacting the carrier would be my first move.
The Original Lolita Movie
Nice to see you Susan
Anon @ 1928 - - Her carrier is AT & T. She is not seeking to be notified.
General questions for the masses. Does anybody know of an LAT crossword site that either autosaves or provides a save option? I've had the experience on both the LAT and WaPo sites of having my browser lose the context of the puzzle and then finding that pressing backspace takes me to the previous browser page instead of the previous puzzle square. Bam! All entries lost. The NYT crossword site saves as soon as you type in an entry (but I've never had the back space issue on that site). It would be handy to know a site for the LAT crossword where my work never gets wiped out.
Good Evening, Crossword Friends. I've been on the road all day. The Security Alert went off on my phone and my iPad at 1:18 Central time.
We wore PF Flyers as kids. Each summer we would get a new pair.
Tinbini: Thinking of you on this sad day for you. May your mother's memory be a blessing.
QOD: Never miss a chance to have sex or to appear on television. ~ Gore Vidal (Oct. 3, 1925 ~ July 31, 2012)
OMK - Thanks! Now I feel less illiterate than I did
OwenKL - I have wrestled with pronouncing ANEMONE for years. In fact it has been AN ENEMY for that long!
Flip phone, carrier Verizon. Received the presidential warning today while sleeping. Couldn't wake up enough to look at it for three more hours. Knew it was coming earlier but did not remember that when it happened. Have received Amber Alerts & storm warnings in the past.
Picard, I drove an airport shuttle around Tampa for a decade. Bicyclists could be more than a nuisance. I could have knocked off two in one weekend.
I don't have to tell you about the necessity of obeying traffic signals. Thank God I spotted them; they both knew they'd escaped a bullet.
I agree with your assessment that infrastructure needs to understand that bicycling is a big part of the entire commuting equation. But...
Perhaps not here.
PK. The thing about Tiger and fatigue is his age and recovery from serious back surgery and rehab. The other guys are mostly in their 20s.
WC
On the WEA - Imagine being at the office and hearing every iThing / 'Droid on the floor go off at once. One of my buddies didn't get it. He's on the cyber-team w/ me and claims he hacked his phone so he doesn't receive these. But we all know it was a test ahead of the Zombie Apocalypse and him, being one, doesn't need warning...
What took me aback a second was that the iPhone I have for testing got the WEA and it doesn't even have a SIM-card in it. Took me a second to realize, if it can dial 911, it's connected to the towers so...
HG - My IAGO story didn't make you feel down-right well-read? :-)
Cheers, -T
Verizon, flip phone, did Not get the alert (and calling it a "presidential" alert was a mistake with the current twit/twitterer in office). We're not in a zone for tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, or serious earthquakes here in Santa Fe, though forest fires and flash floods are dangers. Never gotten an Amber alert, only gotten an alert and estimated repair time from our electric co. for power outages.
WC: the thing about Tiger is he should not have accepted the invitation to be on the Ryder Cup Team if he is tired. Ego triumphed over common sense once more.
The FAQ on WEA. -T
Actually OKL - Calling it Presidential Alert isn't off. That's a snap from my phone. Cheers, -T
Wilbur Charles- yes that agent of Bobby Orr was Alan Eagleson. Orr is a Parry Sound, Ontario native.
YR- thanks for the interesting information on Levee. Our Canadian Governor-General and some city mayors have New Years Day Levees.
AnonT- thanks for noticing the Canadian AHCHOO. But they still forgot the U in COLOR. LOL!
Mike S- glad you enjoyed that article. He is a local young man and we know the family. I don't envy his mother for the worry when he is alone on these trips.
Attended a great concert tonight by Jim Cuddy band. Any Blue Rodeo fans here, or did they not become known in the US?
Have a splendid week, everyone! I'll see you in a week. Stay well.
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