I blogged Dan's debut here back 5 + years ago, click if you want to REMEMBER. I do not believe James Bond was the inspiration, but perhaps we can induce Dan to stop by and let us know. In the interim, the theme is straightforward, though a bit varied. There are 5 themers and a reveal. The first two have CU replaced, the third has one of its two CUs replaced. Next has CUE, and the last CCU. It is consistent because in each and every case it is the sound kju that is replaced. he does provide a reveal if you hadn't gotten the hint, though it too could be confusing. 56 theme spaces do not leave much room for outside sparkle but did leave room for lots of linguistics. We see many languages featured in this grid and I have highlighted some that I saw but maybe not all, or even correctly. The time change adjustment makes this blog harder than doing it in Thailand. See for yourself...
10A. Like many Miamians: QBAN (4). My son is married to a young lady of CUBAN descent.
17A. Not to be tolerated: INEXQSABLE (10). If I had used all the bad puns that came to mind with this theme, you likely would have found it INEXCUSABLE.
26A. Unruffled: COOL AS A QCUMBER (14). While scientifically correct - cucumbers internal temperature will be 11 to 20 degrees cooler and its surroundings, the phrase was first recorded in a poem by the British poet John Gay 'New Song on New Similies' in 1732: "Cool as a cucumber could see the rest of womankind". This is challenging because of the double "CU" but the second is not pronounced with the long U.
43A. Potentially lifesaving efforts: RESQ OPERATIONS (14). RESCUE operations are organized procedures to bring people or a person out of danger, attack, harm, etc. Collins dictionary. Here the Q replaces CUE.
62A. Charge: AQSE (4). I ACCUSE (J'ACCUSE in the original) was made famous from a letter written by Emile Zola defending Alfred DREYFUS.
The reveal:
56A. Words before entering ... and a hint to five puzzle answers: THAT'S MY CUE (10).
The reveal:
56A. Words before entering ... and a hint to five puzzle answers: THAT'S MY CUE (10).
and that is mine to get on with reviewing and discussing...
Across:
1. Accommodate: ADAPT.
6. "Who, me?": NOT I. Very formal.
14. Craft pointed in two directions?: CANOE. We begin our world of words with a word that came to us from mid 16th century: from Spanish canoa, from Arawak, from Carib canaoua .
15. __à-brac: BRIC. French.
constellations. Latin for bear.
19. Farm feed: OATS.
20. Pasture moisture: DEW. Not the same as Mountain Dew.
21. One of the two most recent Pac-12 members: UTES.
The STORY.
22. Xerxes' empire: PERSIA. This guy...
24. Krombacher output: BIER. This German BREWER makes beer which is bier in German (CSO to my son's current career in craft beer distribution).
25. In __: undisturbed: SITU. Latin, meaning “in position. We hear it in archaeology (CSO to my son's graduate school time).
32. Native American shelter: WIGWAM. This is from Algonquian language.
33. Polynesian carving: TIKI. This from the Maori language. In Māori mythology, Tiki is the first man created by either Tūmatauenga or Tāne. He found the first woman, Marikoriko, in a pond; she seduced him and he became the father of Hine-kau-ataata.
34. Waze suggestion: Abbr.: RTE. I never heard of this app (WAZE) until this year and now I have seen it often including in last Saturday's Puzzle Society by Chris King.
35. Flubs: ERRS.
36. Dominate: OWN. Tom Brady owned Peyton Manning.
37. "La Vie en Rose" singer: PIAF. The troubled but talented French singer
38. Duffer's dream: ACE. A golfer who is not very good who wishes for a hole in one.
39. Final notes: CODA. From Italian, the concluding passage of a piece or movement, typically forming an addition to the basic structure
41. Gym wear: SWEATS.
46. One often paying a fee: USER.
47. Seagoing shortening: BOSN. Boatswain.
48. Stay put: REMAIN.
51. Stare slack-jawed: GAPE. Better than agape.
52. Sleeve: ARM.
55. Like __ of sunshine: A RAY. A golden ray?
59. Beatles song that begins, "Is there anybody going to listen to my story": GIRL.
LYRICS.
60. Exude: OOZE.
61. Like some kitchens: EAT IN. These are usually the most popular room in the house.
63. Old-style "Wow!": EGAD.
64. Exceedingly: NO END. Did I mention we are going to see the King and I tonight
Down:
1. Stinging: ACID.
2. Many a "Hamlet" character: DANE. Friday Will S; cool. Well, he was Prince of Denmark...
3. Freshly: ANEW.
4. Curse: POX. A Shakespearian word.
5. Drink with blanco and plata varieties: TEQUILA. This is a Mexican liquor made from an agave. Interestingly to me, the two types mentioned really are the same though there are other KINDS.
7. "Nor to their idle __ doth sight appear": Milton: ORBS. A line by John Milton, the blind poet, in a sonnet to CYRIAK SKINNER.
8. Up to, in ads: TIL.
9. Chip maker: ICEPICK. A very difficult clue to parse, luckily the perps were there. Keebler fit.
10. Number needed for official business: QUORUM. Tricky since the answer is not a number, these meetings are often mind-numbing.
11. Support group?: BRAS. Hard to think of bras as a group; they never had a hit album.
12. Italian wine region: ASTI.
13. Rocket launcher: NASA.
18. Anger: STEAM.
23. Holder of needles: ETUI. Not Eric but ➡
French.
24. Bends over forward: BOWS. Alfonse? Gaston?
25. Newspaper ad meas.: SQIN. This is used as an acronym for SQare INch.
26. "Odyssey" sorceress: CIRCE. Inspired so many imitations including GOT's Cersei
27. Cruel sorts: OGRES.
28. Fighting big-time: AT WAR.
29. Beach Boy Wilson: BRIAN.
30. States overseas: ÉTATS. French and related languages.
31. Whistle blowers: REFS. Nice misdirection; not whistleblowers.
32. Sport: WEAR. My grandmother even in senility always commented when my mother was sporting a new outfit.
36. Frankfurt's river: ODER.
37. McJob holder: PEON.
39. Mozart's "__ fan tutte": COSI. Italian, they all do it.
40. Like pedi-showing shoes: OPEN TOE. Not open tutte.
41. Bus route components: STOPS. Such a fancy word for a bus stop.
42. Stable visitors: WISEMEN. Not one who has it together but who went to a specific stable.
44. Veep before Gore: QUAYLE.
45. Let up: ABATED.
48. Sitar music: RAGA. I do not think I knew this. The word is from Sanskrit.
49. Actor La Salle: ERIQ. I wish I could think of the actor who first came to mind with a toothpick in his mouth, but this is ERIQ.
50. Blemishes: MARS.
51. Controversial Mideast strip: GAZA. Hard to discuss as a non-political issue but here is some HISTORY.
52. Partie d'une comédie: ACTE. French.
53. Destruction: RUIN. A "u" sound but not kju.
54. Use thread on threads, say: MEND. I like this clue/fill a lot.
57. Monopolize: HOG.
58. Former hoopster __ Ming: YAO. A mini CSO to my sweet Thongyao. In Chinese Yáo, literally means ‘precious jade.' Or maybe not- Jayce? Barry G.?
I made it to the end, in a sort of zen/zombie state and I hope made some sense here and there. Thank you, Dan and all who read and write. Lemonade out.
71 comments:
Good morning!
Got the theme at QBAN, and I was off and running. Thought the SILO launching rockets would be a nit...nope...just wrong. Very cute, Dan. Welcome back, Lemonade (I always found jet-lag was worst when going west-to-east, as you did. East-to-west, no problem.)
ACE: My goal was to become good enough to be called a duffer.
TEQUILA: Doing shots can cause you to see visions -- often the sidewalk at close range.
CODA: "D.S. al Coda" is what I remember from sheet music. Go back to the "S" (dal Segno) and repeat to the coda. (I think.)
Tom, I agree about jetlag but we returned by way of California, west to east.
Lemonade, it must be the jetlag. I think that's what I said.
How funny; yes I proved your point and was too out of it to understand. Drat
I never studied archaeology - but I knew "in situ" anyway, from eye surgery: LASIK = "Laser-ASsisted In-situ Keratomileusis". Had it done years ago - but had to look it up just now, for the spelling of that last word... :)
Qte puzzle!
Anyone taken Latin more recently than the fifty years ago I did? Is URSA specifically a she-bear? The grizzly bear is URSus arctos horribilis, the plural would be ursi.
The University of Montana teams are also known as Grizzlies (or "the Griz") so it's not that odd of a nickname, especially given the Maine Black Bears, the California Golden Bears, and probably dozens of college, high school, and the NFL Chicago plain Bears.
The name of my city of Cohoes was long thought derived from the Mohawk Ga-ha-oose, "place of the shipwrecked CANOE" (from our waterfall), but more recent historians argue for Algonquian Cohos, "pine tree"
Good Morning:
Bill V @ 7:54 ~ Qte comment! 😉
It took me much longer than it should have to suss the theme and I don't even have jet lag! I liked it a lot; I had no w/os at all but a few bumps that needed perps, namely, Bier and Girl, as clued. Simple fill but tricky clues. My favorite C/A was Chip maker=Ice Pick. I was thinking of computers not tools. (I wonder what Tin was thinking.) It was kind of nostalgic to see the old stalwart, Etui, show up, complimented by the new kid on the block, WAZE, which, surprisingly, I remembered from recent puzzles.
Thanks, Dan, for an enjoyable and satisfying solve and thanks, Lemony, for informing and entertaining us so faithfully. I enjoyed your links, particularly the Piaf performance. My learning moment was that John Milton was blind.
Have a great day.
Eric Fleming?
DNF. Because I didn't see the two corners were part ofthe theme, even after I'd seen the reveal, and noted it said 5 themers, but there were only 3 spanners.
Oops. I posted this hours ago, but did it to the tail end of yesterday's comments!
Would Willy WEAR a WIGWAM?
If the weather was windy, not calm.
When he has his toupee,
It gets blown away --
He could use a wigwam to keep his wig wam!
Xerxes, on a vacation visit to CUBA
Saw the place was very unlike PERSIA.
No haboob in sight,
It could rain all night,
And Persia had no place to scuba!
{A-, B.}
FIR Friday! I thought the Coral Gables area would be my undoing, but the V8 can finally gave me my EAT IN kitchen and the rest fell into place. Erased UTEP for UTES, obit for CODA, hex for POX, toeless for OPEN TOE and teen for PEON. I disagree that McJob holders are PEONs. To borrow from Constantin Stanislavski, there are no small jobs, just small employees.
Bras may not be the greatest thing in the world, but they're next to it.
The only golf ACE I have witnessed (not on TV) was by a duffer. Short par-3. He skulled a 7 iron (skulled=hit the ball with the bottom edge of the club). The ball never got higher than a foot off the ground. It rolled, and rolled, and rolled, then climbed up on the green, trickled across, and fell right into the hole.
FLN: Jace, I have UPS protection on my desktop computers, router and modem. I make sure not to overload the power capacity of each UPS, but then modify it by substituting a small car battery for the little sealed battery they come with.
CED, sorry to hear you have small nits. Is there anything that can be done medically?
Check out Owen's 'lics for today's puzzle on last night's blog.
Great puzzle Dan. Right on the limits of my solving ability. And thanks to Lemony for teh fun review.
Good morning everyone.
FIR. Got the CUE theme with COOL AS A Q-CUMBER. Began to think of the Q as a kind of rebus. Liked Q-BAN and guessed that for symmetry, there would be a Q @ 62a; A-Q-SE, which the down fill ERIQ was trying to nudge me into. Considered 'darn' before MEND.
ODER - Two Frankfurts sit astride a major river; Frankfurt an dem Main, and Frankfurt an der ODER. BTW, ODER is feminine while Main is masculine.
Good job, Lemon. Thanks Dan and Rich for pushing us into the taller weeds and giving us a bit more experience with this type of puzzle. BZ for the breath of CUE → Q examples.
Last Saturday I passed through billocohoes' Cohoes and saw the Falls whereof he spoke.
Lemony, could you be thinking of Taurean Blacque, from "Hill Street Blues"? He often appeared with a toothpick in his mouth.
Delightful puzzle. I wanted "Cuban" so badly for the Miami answer, but obviously that answer wouldn't fit. When perps exposed QBAN, I stared at it for a couple of seconds wondering WTF? Then it dawned on me, "I think I see the beginnings of a theme". Never let it be said that I don't have a firm grasp of the obvious. Or. otoh, sometimes even an old blind squirrel finds an acorn. With the theme in hand, the rest of the puzzle went smoothly. Thanks for the fun, Dan and Lemonade714.
One Last Thought: It was foggy this morning. I tried to grab some to show you, but I mist.
Cya!
Got the theme quicky!
25 A/D gave me fits. Couldn't suss out that "S".
Well, EXQZ me. A really fun puzzle once I got the Cue for Q. Lemon's tour made for an enjoyable ride through the grid.
I had to make a few changes as I went along. WIGWAM for TEEPEE, PEON for TEEN, UTES for UTEP and ACE for PAR. Perps were instrumental in fixing my errors.
Actually I think most golfers would be exceedingly happy with PAR, especially the Duffers. I'm speaking from experience.
JINX: I laughed at your BRA reference. DW thought it was somewhat funny. I thought she would groan when I repeated it to her, but she just rolled her eyes and snickered a little.
Well, today is National Mousse Day (but with no Antlers). Enjoy.
Que cute! (Spanish; pronounced K cute)
I'm of two minds on this one: my OCD cringes at the spelling but my sense of humor loves the puns. It's a pangram so I congratulate Dan Margolis!
It was quite easy as soon as I saw the Q theme. I wasn't too sure about BIERS but Krombacher sounded German so went with it.
No problem with ICEPICK as PERSIA was in place and I smiled at seeing ETUI, such a reliable XWD staple.
I know CODA from seeing it in song books.
Thank you, Lemonade, for soldiering on despite jet lag.
Have a splendid day, everyone! Hard rain here last night.
Oh my, where to start...
Agnes, as a small boy who liked to read and who was legally blind I was moved by John Milton and to me his seminal poem - ON HIS BLINDNESS -
On His Blindness
WHEN I consider how my light is spent
E're half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one Talent which is death to hide,
Lodg'd with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, least he returning chide,
Doth God exact day-labour, light deny'd,
I fondly ask; But patience to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts, who best 10
Bear his milde yoak, they serve him best, his State
Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o're Land and Ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and waite.
Musings
-There are none so blind… I knew but ignored the gimmick and stared at Charge/A _ S E for way too long!
-A famous NOT I story
-A guy I golf with is way better than I am but I’ve had two ACES to his none
-Seinfeld’s take on SWEAT PANTS (:20)
-Today’s Congress? A POX on both parties!
-The rocket launching group now counts six private companies alongside NASA
-To take all the SQ IN on a NYT page costs about $150,000
-Jinx, Amen to your paraphrase of Norma Desmond!
-Do you share my childhood memory of a song about We Three Kings and a loaded cigar? Ah, immaturity!
-The one poem I remember from high school is the traveler who happened upon the RUINS of Ozymandias
Next, Lucina, you are one of my favorite all time posters, always sweet and positive; this time you are positively wrong. The puzzle is not a pangram. In fact I almost named it, "Not the junior varsity team" because both J and V are absent - no JV- get it?
During the weekdays, the LA Times never prints the "clue" at the beginning of the crossword, making it a frustrating chore to work the puzzle. Maybe some people find that frustration enjoyable...wonder how many even bother...?
Bluehen, you are correct and I think I understand. I see Taurean Blacque in his Hill's STreet Blues persona and was fooled by his character being Neil. I had only the "Q" in mind.
I almost "mist" your pun
The server left a
Cotton swab with the check. He
Wanted to Q tip
Fabulous Friday. Thanks for the fun, Dan and Lemonade (hope you recover quickly from the jet lag!).
LOL "Bill V. said... Qte puzzle!"
I did get the CU to Q theme and I got 4 of the 5 themers, but had a Natick with the A at the cross of RAGA and AQSE. (I should have seen the symmetry of the themers.) I did not know ERIQ LaSalle and tried Erie (thought it was a great new clue and LaSalle explored around that Lake!)
I smiled at "Support group?=BRAS" and "Craft pointed in two directions?=CANOE". I was still in Canoe mode at 16A and was thinking of Portage for "Bear overhead". Oh, it's URSA!
Nobody can complain about whether the spelling is Tepee or Teepee - it's WIGWAM today.
I knew that complaints would be lodged about "McJob holder=PEON". Jinx, you are the first!
I was misdirected at 47A "seagoing shortening" wondering if it was Lard or Suet; ah it's a shortform, BOSN.
Brain took a minute to parse SQIN to SQ IN. Also "Curse" as a noun, not a verb, =POX.
I noted CODA crossing COSI.
Hand up for changing Darn to MEND when perps demanded it.
I was trying to find an appropriate letter to put in front of BEARS for 6D Grizzlies clue. Oh, it's an anagram N BAERS.
Sad story about a Grizzly out of the Yukon the other day.
YukonGrizzlyAttack
Wishing you all a great day.
Clever, clever puzzle, Dan--many thanks. I got the middle and chunks here and there before I started cheating (hey, it's a Friday, after all), when I learned about the Q insertion. Found that really intriguing and exciting because it helped explain Qban, which I had gotten but just couldn't understand. Couldn't think of PIAF at first--I knew I knew her name but what was it? Then, Voila! I too put TEEPEE before WIGWAM. Anyway, lots of fun, and I enjoyed your write-up, Lemonade. And thank you for posting the Milton poem.
I have to take my written driving test tomorrow morning, since my license is expiring and I'm now over 70--a California rule. Have been studying the booklet and just pray I can remember all the numbers of time and distance in so many of the rules. Won't be able to do the puzzle or check into the blog till later in the day, if my spirits hold up.
Have a great day, everybody!
Craft pointed in two directions? KAYAK
No one's stated it explicitly yet:
N BAERS should be parsed N.B.A.-ERS.
The clue about stable visitors is inaccurate. The so called 'wise men' or astrologers which were warned against in the Mosaic Law arrived two years later when Jesus' parents lived in a house. They were NOT at the stable.
Hi Y'all! Fun theme gimmick, Dan! Fun expo, Lemony!
Plenty of confusion on the theme entries before I was RESQED by RESQED. Then I went back and picked up other theme entries. After that, the cw was almost easier than some of the early week offerings.
HeX before POX. Chipmaker wasn't Lays. Got QUORUM & was surprised it was right. ERIc, ERIk, ERIQ!
NBAERS stumped this NBA fan. Duh! Kept wanting _BeaRS. Grizzlies are a forgettable teams most years.
DNK: ORBS, tried "eyes". ESP
I saw a sign in a souvenir shop: "One TEQUILLA, two TEQUILLA, three TEQUILLA, FLOOR!" I don't think I've ever drank any. I try very hard to stay upright.
Jinx: BRAS, Qte comment, baby.
McJOB holder = PEON: Only the wage is PEON level. I see the person manning the money handling window while taking orders from two different order speakers and keeping it all straight. I couldn't do that for half an hour without my brain going tilt.
Two busy days when I got interrupted and didn't post. I had taken notes, but was surprised last thing at night to find my words weren't on the blog. Usually nothing happens to interrupt me at anything.
I paid my cell phone bill and it was more than usual. Those annoying one-to-three-a-day little texts from "the president" asking me to vote his party "friends" cost me $3.20. He's a billionaire and I gotta pay for his texts? Boo hiss! I got even with him.
Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. Fun puzzle. Like Spitzboov, I caught on to the theme with COOL AS A QCUMBER. That explained why Cuban was too long for the spaces provided!
I tried Hex before POX. At least one letter was correct!
QOD: Isn’t it nice to know that tomorrow is another day with no mistakes in it yet? ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery (Nov. 30, 1874 ~ Apr. 24, 1942)
I was worried too. But as I recall, there were only 18 questions, and I could miss 3. Not as tough as it could be. And in the event, I only missed 1!
Good luck. I'm sure you'll do fine.
Lemony @ 10:22 ~ Thanks for posting that poem; I can understand why you would be moved by its sentiments. I wasn't familiar with the poem itself, but I've heard and read the very last line numerous times and now knowing the context is another learning moment for me, so thank you, again.
CanadianEh @ 11:04 ~ What a sad and tragic story.
Misty @ 11:21 ~ Misty, good luck tomorrow. I'm sure you'll do just fine.
Anne said that, didn't she, Hahtoolah? I love those books.
Lemonade:
Thank you. I just assumed because of all the Qs and a Z that it was a pangram. Shame on me for not really scrutinizing it.
I love John Milton's poem.
Clever theme, well exeQted!
Unknown: KROMBACHER and Memphis GRIZZLIES
Lemonade thanks for the GIRL video. But I hope you know that is not actually a BEATLE performing? They are quite vigilant about keeping any of their music off of YouTube.
I once met Mr QUAYLE face to face and had a most interesting interaction. He was not nearly as intelligent in person as he was in that video clip.
This engineer used many a CHIP in his time, but never had to use an ICE PICK on them. Clever clue!
Here are my photos of RESQOPERATIONS for a surfer at a spot near my home.
When I saw there was no U after that Q is when I figured out the theme! FIR!
Lemon, the actor with a toothpick that comes to my mind is Taurean Blacque who played Neal Washington on Hill Street Blues. I still watch it in reruns on cable.
(Arggh, I see Bluehen had the same thought earlier. I do enjoy that show though, reruns or not.)
Good luck Misty. I passed OK after a little studying. Barbara studied long and hard and passed easily. I'm sure you'll do fine. The stressing about it is the worst part.
It rained hard at times yesterday. All gone now. I'm hoping for some more rain next week.
Jinx, good one! I hope I can remember it.
No giveaways today even after I sused the theme.... nice.
Markovers....TEEN/PEON, CUSI/COSI, USE/HOG.
Nit: it was the PERSIAN Empire, the ruling country was Persia.
Picard, thanks, I thought that might be a cover band. I'm glad you made it clear. Also, why did the surfer have to be rescued? An awfully lot of man power for a supposedly fit young person. Was he conked on the head?
Becky
Ah, I think I've had one slip by me. That actor would be Taurean BlaQ, wouldn't it?
Gary, we thought the three kings were from a place called "Orientare".
PK, I used to HATE unwanted texts before I got my "unlimited voice and text" plan.
Sandyanon: When we were kids we visited the House of Green Gables. I had read the books and still have very fond memories of the place.
Pic- I have to agree with Becky; why in the world were so many people involved in that resq? It looked staged like it was part of a tv show.
My comment about the Memphis Grizzlies was specific to the city and the nickname. I do not understand why they retained the name Grizzlies which was appropriate when they were formed in Vancouver but is silly in Memphis. Likewise LA Lakers Utah Jazz etc.
Anon PVX - Empire in the clue is a noun. Persia is a noun.
A close call. This could have been a DNF but for the P&P that carried me through the nasty Natick at 6Dx21A.
But, anyway, Ta ~ DA!
It all worked out in the end.
Hey, a Qte theme!
And any puzz that uses WIGWAM instead of TEEPEE (or TEPEE) is all right by me!
~ OMK
____________
DR: A mirror 3-way, with a central diagonal anagram of a fairly obscure batch of distinctive invertebrates...
"ASCIDIANS APART"
billc....
The word for bear in Latin is “ursus -i”. The female form is “ursa -ae”, which is possibly more commonly known owing to it being found in the name of the constellation “Ursa major” — “the Great (female) Bear. Last Latin class 54 years ago.
I agree with Lemonade about the folly of retaining inappropriate team names. I suppose it is a sign of corporate loyalty, with the bosses owing higher allegiance to the "organization" than the locale.
I would argue, however, that "LAkers" is somewhat fitting, when one considers that LA forms the front part of the team name - and that there are indeed several (small) lakes within the county, from Lake Calabasas to Toluca Lake.
But Utah Jazz?!
Sheesh.
~ OMK
As the Beachboys sang, "Fun fun fun!" I had a good time working this puzzle. The little grey cells got plenty of exercise figuring out those Qs.
Yao Ming's surname Yáo (姚) is pretty much just a surname, but it also can mean handsome, good looking.
Best wishes to you all.
Misty, good luck on the written test. Do you have to drive too? Our state has gone to an open-book test for seniors. I thought it was strange until I decided they just wanted us to read the book and take a refresher course on the rules which you have to do to answer the questions.
Me too. Only not when I was a kid, but when my granddaughter was (she'd become a fan, too). We spent most of a week and explored, as well as visiting the book sites. And we saw the musical production in Charlottetown. I remember we kept reminding each other of everything they'd left out!
PK, Misty and I are both in California. I'm WAY past 70, and just had to do the written test.
Hi All!
Grumble - Bill V & Picard took both my attempts at being Qte with the theme :-(
DNF & FIW - I just couldn't get past RAni @48d in my head and had to crib from Lem's grid for that and finally fill my last four sQuares in the SW.
Thanks Dan for your fun puzzle. I caught the gimmick at RESQ and that helped finish 10 & 17a (and finally see 10d was not going to be yOUR* id). I like that you threw in two lagniappe themers.
Thanks Lem for kicking-off the afterparty even with jet-lag. Cute secondary 'J-V' title :-)
WOs: TEEPEE @1st (hi Misty!), par b/f ACE, TEEN never got changed to PEON [and the OPERATIeN went badly]. Also, I had to write over a few presumptive Us after Qs.
ESPs: BIER, ODER, CIRCE, COSI
Fav: I'll go with BRAS 'cuz of what Jinx just did there...
{A-, B+}
@10:47 - only Sunday LATs have titles or "clues"; the daily blogger concocts a punny title.
Misty - I'll echo IM; you'll do fine on your driving test.
PK - I was wondering where you were. I was going to give you one more day before sending out a search party :-) Glad you're well.
Normally, sports' peoples' names stump me - but YAO is a Huston Rocket [NBA could only move our team to FL to stay apropos]
Picard - I've used an ICE PICK on microchips to crack 'em open after I let out the smoke. //most folks don't realize that computers run on smoke; let smoke out and it no workie...
29d - BRIAN Wilson cracked me up. I work with a guy named that (he's an application admin) and I can't not sing "'till daddy took the DB away..." when I'm around him. I do try to keep it under my breath...
Cheers, -T
*I'm dyslexic and downs make it worse!
Hello Puzzlers -
Really enjoyed today’s theme. The light came on early, with Qban, so everything else followed suit quickly.
Lemon, you’ve been around the Corner long enough to remember the DF days, in the spirit of which I offer the following off-color nugget: The Bras may not have been a famous group, but the did have their Greatest Tits.
Thank you, I’ll see myself out. :-)
JINX further to CED's dilemma - The medical advice now a days can't be trusted. What was right yesterday may be just as wrong tomorrow. I've heard that CED.s problem could stem from over use or under use . Only CED knows for sure.
Lemonade ~
More follow-up. What would be the most ridiculous team move(s) you could imagine?
How about an exchange?
Such as the Boston Timberwolves
for the Minnesota Celtics?
Dudley ~
You remind me of a real life event that took place many years ago, during my first term as a grad student at The Shakespeare Institute in England. The institute's dean was a venerable scholar named Allardyce Nicoll. He and Mrs. Nicoll would invite small groups of new scholars to tea - all very formal and English proper.
I was one of about four American students invited on this occasion, and we comported ourselves very well indeed, in my estimation. Until, that is, Mrs. Nicoll told us all about the charming birds that annually visited their country home. A particular pair were responsible for several generations of eggs and baby birds.
"And if any of you should be in the neighborhood in the early spring, you simply MUST come and see my two blue tits," she insisted. And she repeated several times how her "blue tits were so marvelous," they had to be "seen to be believed"!*
~ OMK
____________
* I recall Professor Nicoll's follow-up: "I'm terribly sorry; is there something amusing?"
~ OMK
Aaarrgghhhh!!!!! I'm such a stupid. I'd grok'ed the theme of course but never suspected it's use in a four letter word. I ran through every letter and finally decided ERIN was a first name although ANSE made no sense.
As if this wasn't enough to ruin the weekend, the TBTimes is discontinuing certain comics including Lio. Adding a bunch of junk. Double aaarrgghhhh!!!
Prince Valiant is another fatality. What's wrong with these people.
WAZE is a social media RTE finder. The appeal is the Smoky warnings. Only amateur speeders get caught. The pros make up for it when Smoky is taking a smoke break.
Now I see it. You veterans would've picked it up*, QBAN was four letters in NE and the opposite SW would be themed too. Or... One might have known this LaSalle character.
Nice haiku, Harry. I suspected we'd see Qtip pop-up.
I could see a physical driving test for>70 but what does age have to do with the book? Unless everyone takes it periodically
WC
* I see someone did pick up on that.
OMK - I once took a guided tour of the interior of Catalina Island. The guide was explaining that many different types of cacti are found on the island because Mrs Wrigley (of chewing gum fame) brought them to Catalina. Several times he mentioned that Mrs. Wrigley was "a succulent lover" which caused a few of us perpetual adolescents to titter. After a couple of those references he asked what was so funny. Someone said it was just the idea of Mrs. Wrigley being a succulent lover. He just said "well, she was!" and continued his spiel.
DNF on todays puzzle.
Actually, I did finish, but I have to take a DNF because
when I was stuck, I took a break and went to the Blog to see yesterdays comments,
and accidentally saw the "Q" clue before clicking "previous posts."
(Also, I cheated like mad...)
Jinx & OAS,
Thanks for your comments,
but I often misinterpret these things...
Besides, like the end of Life of Brian, I always look on the bright side of life...
However...
PK, if some one expected me to pay for unsolicited bullcrap,
I would be so mad I might do something stupid...
Luckily, Misty diverted my attention.
it is always good to review...
However, if they expected me to retake the drivers test,
it might go something like this...
I usually remember the handsome hunks like ERIQ La Salle.
Thank you for all the kind reassurances and good wishes Sandyanon, Irish Miss, Bill G', PK, and AnonT. I really appreciate them. I've been studying the driving manual all day, and much as I appreciate the encouragement, Cross-Eyed Dave, I can't do any more right now. But I really appreciate all the care and help.
WC, the Albany paper dropped Prince Valiant a couple of years ago, so I've had to follow it at www.oregonlive.com/comics-kingdom/
PIAF itself is the French word for "sparrow" - Edith Gassione was 4'8". Her song "Non, je ne regrette rien" (No, I regret nothing) is the background for the Dove Chocolate commercial of a young girl becoming a much more experienced one.
Lemonade: I just reread some of your posts. How were you blind as a child and now can see? Also I got to looking at your picture and realized that was you and OO on those "thrones". What was that about? Did we see that before or is that a new picture from your recent trip. Very fancy and regal.
Becky glad to reveal the GIRL singer was not a Beatle. The musician was good. I was squinting for awhile trying to decide if it was Paul or John... before I realized it was neither! I think that song was considered quite risque for the heavy breathing. But I can only find a reference to how it was done.
As for the surfer rescue, I don't remember the details. Most likely he hit his head.
A few years earlier I had a very long hospital/rehab stay after being hit by a car. During my stay another relatively young man came in after a surfing accident. I introduced myself and asked him his name. He got a very distressed look and said he has trouble with that question. I asked him if he could write it down. His face brightened. He was indeed able to write his name, but not speak it. He had hit his head on a rock while surfing.
AnonT sorry to frustrate your Q plans. Yes, I am well aware that electronic systems run on smoke.
Here is the Lucas Smoke Theory as I originally learned it.
I have opened many a CHIP after the smoke came out. Never used an ICE PICK, though.
Here are the songs I heard BRIAN Wilson and the Beach Boys perform back in 2012.
BRIAN Wilson was still on stage. But it was not clear exactly what he was doing a lot of the time. Still, I was thrilled to see him and the band performing!
Misty:
I'm certain you will ace that test!
A delightful bit of naughtiness, Jinx @5:42 ~
One wonders who in your party was thinking of "succulent" the noun, and who went for the adjective...?!
~ OMK
Good evening, folks. Thank you, Dan Margolis, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Lemonade, for a fine review.
This puzzle was easy and difficult. Easy for many words in it. Difficult for the theme. I finally caught the theme with QBAN. Then the rest made sense and were quite easy to solve.
Liked PERSIA since I lived there. The history is amazing and is documented in the Bible.
My old friend ETUI. Have not seen that word in a long time.
Tried BEER until BIER won that battle.
Finished my last day at the election commission today. They are finally caught up as far as we could help. The permanent people will finish. Quite an eye opener on how much they do there.
All set to watch Blue Bloods tonight. Great show. Try to work tomorrow's crossword while watching, as long as cruciverb is working.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
OMK - England does provide opportunities for smiles, doesn’t it?
I recall dining at a fabulous pub near Manchester, trying my best to suppress a smirk while the server described the dessert Spotted Dick. You can’t make this stuff up.
Fln. -T, I thoroughly enjoyed Cab Calloway. I didn't get to see the results of the epoxy on the gas pedal.
WC
PK, the picture is new from this year's visit and is very realistic. We just returned from watching a national touring company version of The KING and I a show I have seen before including with Yul Brynner in a revival on Broadway.
Awesome and Oo provided insight I would never have, as the music and dancing were of the Burmese style, not Thai. This was part of the plot that I had missed
Dudley @9:24 ~
At least the Brits are not immune to the humor (or, ahem, humour) of "Spotted Dick."
We Americans aren't the only ones to find double and triple meanings in the infamous pudding.
I understand that in some family restaurants the wait staff have taken to referring to the dish as "Spotted Richard."
~ OMK
I am also not looking forward to an eminent DMV visit.
Thank you, Lucina--I'll be thinking of you when I'm taking the test.
Misty:
Thank you but please concentrate on the test!
Lemonade: My first college weekend as a teenager included seeing "The King and I". I learned all the songs and sang them afterward. Also saw the original Yul Bryner movie and read the book. Fascinating always.
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