One of our regular Friday contributors is back with a puzzle, which I expect will be debated. The clues give you a hint of what is going. For example, the "B" in 17 A is read as "BE" which makes "EZR" the interpretation "EASIER." Once you get the idea then the puzzle is not too difficult for a Friday. But you need to get the push from the crosses. We have had various letter sound puzzles before, but none quite like this one. I related to 4 of the themers, but I struggled with sounding out JQZ. Which is a significant fill because it was the cornerstone of making this puzzle a pangram using three of the least used letters. Of course, once I sussed the sound, it was one so obvious. There really are so many types of HOT TUBS, I like the fact that the clue with a letter/word let us know the fill will also need the same. With two grid-spanners and 29 other blocks used in the theme, it is awesome to also get COZUMEL, ERITREA, HURTLED, I LOST IT, MENORAH, ONEONTA, PETTILY, PLATOON, SENEGAL, and SILENT C. Heavy on geography again. Damn, I wish I had studied harder.
17A. Likely to B surprisingly difficult: EZR SAID THAN DONE (15). Easier said than done is something that is easy to suggest, but much more difficult to make happen. Like keeping CED's cats of the furniture.
23A. One might Q Shamu: NML TRAINER (10). Q - cue. An animal trainer worked with Shamu who was the first killer whale (orca) which appeared in shows at SeaWorld San Diego in the mid/late 1960s.
38A. U can soak in one: JQZ HOT TUB (9). Jacuzzi jets provide serious therapeutic benefits.
54A. Something to C at Carnegie Hall: PNO RECITAL (10). "Piano" was only easy to grok because of the word recital. Of course, there is only one way to get to Carnegie Hall for a PIANO RECITAL. Practice!
61A. Possible reason Y lights get turned off: NRG CONSERVATION (15). Energy conservation is a political subject these days. I pass.
1. Figura de __: Spanish skating move: OCHO. The figure eight which is a skating move translated to Spanish. A CSO to our dear departed Clear Ayes and a winsome friend Robin.
5. Besides: ALSO.
9. Cut back a lot: SKIMP. Skimp and save. No comment considering the times.
14. It might not be proper: NOUN. An oldie but goodie clue/fill combo.
15. Secular: LAIC. Adjective for the lay = non-cleric.
16. Edmonton athlete: OILER. The greatest, Wayne Gretsky, started there.
20. __ space: OUTER. Could be inner, also.
21. Spring bloom: IRIS. The iris family is closely related to the lily and amaryllis families, differing from them in having three stamens rather than six. A shout out to our representative from Delaware.
A repeat from yesterday - clued differently. 22. __-fa: set of musical syllables: SOL. Do re mi ...
26. Cycle starter: TRI. Here in So.Fla. the look like this...
27. Place to drive from: TEE. A CSO to Gary and George and more.
28. Not irr.: STD. A standard clue/fill.
29. Affirmative reply: YES I AM. No, I am not.
32. "The Aviator" (2004) Oscar nominee: ALDA.
34. Buffoons: OAFS.
37. "The fool __ think he is wise ...": "As You Like It": DOTH. Will S. two days in a row.
As You Like It, Act 5, Scene 2: "The fool doth think he is wise but the wise man knows himself to be a fool"
41. Biblical hunter: ESAU. As Jacob and Esau grew older, Esau liked the outdoors and became a good hunter, while Jacob lived the quiet life of a shepherd.
43. It was originally called a "Biscuit": OREO. Since its maker was the NAtional BIScuit CO., this should not be a surprise. When the cookie was first introduced in 1912, it appeared as an Oreo Biscuit, which changed in 1921 to Oreo Sandwich.
44. They're mostly on the phone: APPS. I like this clue/fill though no hint to it maybe being an abbreviation.
48. Bygone predators: T-REXES. I still find this scene captivatingly frightening.
50. Long-legged runner: EMU.
52. Bulldog booster: ELI. Yalie from Jeopardy Thursday night.
53. Component of a sweep, maybe: WIN.
58. Downed: ATE.
59. Countenance: MIEN.
60. Lenya of "From Russia With Love": LOTTE. Quite a lady.
65. They're changed on the road: GEARS. Like 44A, I loved this very nice clue for simple fill.
66. Sandwich staple: TUNA. I am a fan.
67. Frequently: A LOT.
68. French greeting: SALUT. A French shalom.
69. Reach: SPAN. Fighters have their's measured.
70. Out of __: SYNC.
Down:
1. College town WSW of Albany: ONEONTA. Another shout out to upstate New York contingent.
The COLLEGES. Geography 1.
2. Island resort near Cancún: COZUMEL. Cozumel is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. G 2.
3. Went like a runaway train: HURTLED.
4. It's a start: ONSET. Again, simple but tricky.
5. Lord of the ring?: ALI.
6. Brit's bud: LAD. Steve, still used?
7. Sub (for): SIT IN. A CSO to Gary.
8. Earthy tone: OCHRE. This is an earthy pigment containing ferric oxide, typically with clay, varying from light yellow to brown or red. Also, OCHER is acceptable.
9. Juniors, maybe: SONS. In families, not schools.
10. Razz: KID.
11. "My temper got the best of me": I LOST IT.
12. Holiday candle holder: MENORAH. It is much more than that. LINK.
13. Heat at a meet, for short: PRELIM. Preliminary round.
18. LAX landings: ARRS.
19. Opposite of stuffy: AIRY.
24. Entire range: A-TO-Z.
25. Shoshone Falls state: IDAHO. They are higher than Niagara. LINK. G 3.
.jpg/1200px-Shoshone_Falls_(Idaho).jpg)
30. Academic address ending: EDU. EDUcation.
31. Nagano noodle: SOBA. Soba noodles are Japanese noodles that are made from buckwheat flour. Their nutty flavor works well as a base for stir-fries and salads. Oo like them in soup.
33. "Iliad" warrior: AJAX. I had one red betta and I named him Ajax. See above.
35. Behind: FOR.
36. Handle the wheel: STEER.
39. Ont. neighbor: QUE. Ontario - Quebec. G 4.
40. Heavy reading?: TOME.
41. Coastal East African country: ERITREA. G 5.
↢ West Africa East Africa ↣
42. Coastal West African country: SENEGAL. G 6.
45. In a small-minded way: PETTILY.
46. Army outfit: PLATOON.
47. Bit of obscenity?: SILENT C. A witty way to hide the answer. No controversy here from me.
48. Musical saw sounds: TWANGS. You decide.
49. Bias: SPIN. Doctor?
51. Pauley Pavilion Pac-12 team: UCLA. Where the basketball team plays.
55. Fits one within another: NESTS. Nesting dolls are back.
56. Best: ONE UP.
57. Frat letters: IOTAS.
59. Guinness book adjective: MOST.
62. French vineyard: CRU. A vineyard or wine-producing region in France. 2. A grade or class of wine: premier cru.
63. Biological chain letters: RNA. Ribonucleic acid is a polymeric molecule implicated in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes. RNA and DNA are nucleic acids, and, along with proteins and carbohydrates, constitute the three major macromolecules essential for all known forms of life.
64. Moving aid: VAN.
Speaking of moving, it is time for me to be moving on. I hope you had as much fun as I did. Thanks, Bruce and all of you who read our words.
Bonus geography from our trip.
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks To Bruce and Lemonade!
Hard to grok the theme! I had one cheat, I looked up ALDA.
Perhaps it has stopped raining!
Have a great day!
IMHO eN-eM-eL didn't work for me like eN-aR-Gee or the others did.
ReplyDeleteMoot point though, because I didn't know ONEONTA or OCHO, so I had to red-letter anyhow.
Coincidentally; there was a saw player on TV this AM!
DNF. Had one square nothing made sense in, and all perps seemed solid when I gave up and went to red. I had misspelt ERITRiA, which when corrected gave the unknown C⬜U. Red also showed I had another error PRELAM + TRI. I'd been thinking of starting the cycle TRA-la-la-la-la.
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of a couple poems from my childhood
O, MLE, what XTC
I always feel when UIC,
I used to rave of LN’S eyes,
4 LC I gave countless sighs,
4 KT, 2, and LNR,
I was a keen competitor.
But each now’s a non-NTT,
4 U XL them all UC.
~~~~~~~~~~
I've also heard various versions of this -- I'm sure I've heard others, but these are what I could track down. You have any others?
ABCD goldfish
LMNO goldfish
SMRA goldfish
OICD goldfish.
ABCD puppies
LMNO puppies
OSMR puppies
OICM PN
AB, CD LFN?
DeleteL, MNO LFN!
OSAR
I'd like to live in OUTER space
ReplyDeleteIn a weightless kind of place.
The service there
Is great I hear --
Things happen at a wait-less pace!
He bragged he'd ride a T.REX, if ever one were near.
Or maybe ride a TUNA, if he had diving GEAR.
Of himself he was so full,
So his buddies brought a bull
As they lifted him astride, he cried "How do I STEER a steer?
{A, B.}
Technically the holiday candle holder is a Hanukkiah, which has 8 branches. The Menorah is a 7-branched candle holder and may be found in a synagogue at any time of the year, not exclusively for holidays.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rabbi Ari; that was the point of my link. But we both know that the conventional name for the Hannukah candle holder is the menorah.
ReplyDeleteHi Y'all! Really good puzzle, Bruce! WINner for sure, Lemonade. Thanks to you both.
ReplyDeleteHappened to say EZR aloud and realized the theme. I think these clever phrases have to be said aloud to really get them. JQZ wouldn't come to me until I did. Amusing and satisfying puzzle when done, but like James, I had to red-letter some.
Quite a few re-do letters in this for me. Tried OCtO before OCHO altho I knew better. Never heard of ONEONTA but knew COZUMEL. My kids have been there.
Really proud to know on which coasts ERITREA & SENEGAL were located, but surprised when they were right the first try.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteI was changing TIRES on my UNIcycle this morning. MENORAH and CRU set me straight. Two calls for Wite-Out. Otherwise, this was a smooth solve. I got the cute theme at EZR. NRG Stadium is where the Texans play. Thanx, Bruce and Lemonade.
LOTTE: Lenya was scary in those razor-tipped shoes.
ESAU: "My brother ESAU is an hairy man, but I am a smooth man." With that opening line, Alan Bennett was off and running as a pompous preacher in love with his own voice in Beyond the Fringe.
Meh...didn't care for the theme. Had "AML" trainer, not "NML" trainer because I didn't know the NYState reference. This is the LATimes - US geography clues/answers left of the Mississippi, please.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that amazes me about Bruce's puzzle is that all the clues have a one letter hint, and all the theme answers have three. That's quite a feat of construction that needs to be mentioned. Wow!
ReplyDeleteLemonade714, re: your Delaware contingent comment. You didn't get Bluehen mixed up with Blue Iris, did you? I know a little about DE and I don't see a connection there. Very good explication, though, of a pleasing puzzle. Thanks to you and Bruce.
ReplyDeleteOne Last Thought: Life is short. If you can't laugh at yourself, call me. I will.
Cya!
I liked the theme. I filled in all but a thin strip down the west coast first because I did not get the theme, initially (HA). Then I found the three letter sound alikes. FIR, but I still did not see the point of the letters in the clues (B for be, Q for cue) until Lemon explained it. Really clever. My last fill was the second N in Oneonta. After ESP I recognized that I had seen it before.
ReplyDeleteI have seen primier cru on wine bottles. One time I LIU and found it meant vineyard. Curiosity about words is useful for solving xwords.
I enjoyed soba noodles the way my DIL cooks them.
OWEN, my MIL used to say a rhyme similar to your goldfish one. The letters were the same but I forgot the subject. It was not goldfish. Your poems were very apt.
Lemon, interesting about the menorah. I am only acquainted with the holiday one. When I had so many Jewish kids in my classes I LIU many Jewish customs and beliefs. I think I was more versed in some cases than most of the kids were. But Lemon's link adds to my store of Jewish lore and customs.
The same dearth of knowledge can be said for Christian kids concerning much of the Christian lore and customs. Is the next generation drifting away?
CartBoy, do I detect a west coast bias here? Should the LA TIMES puzzles lop off NY and all the eastern half of the USA? After all we had Sengal and Eritrea, which are more arcane.
Bluehen, thanks for your old world stew recipe. We enjoyed it. It was even tastier the second day.
Why do we have Bluehen on our blog map in Delaware? Blue Iris is in Kansas.
ReplyDeleteGood morning all.
ReplyDeleteA little later than usual, but a few friends stopped by my table at Mcd’s and slowed my solve.
Got the theme at EZR then NML and the rest came fairly quickly.
Some lookups to make sure were ONEONTA,ATOZ - thinking mountain range. Should have had that one as I’ve seen it before, and LOTTE.
Fun workout thanks Bruce and Lemonade .
Owenkl all As
Off to have breaky with friends today in a small town where the usual Fri morning Old timer jam session gives free entertainment for an hour or two in a roomy roadside restuarant.
Cheers
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteLemon - I think Bluehen lives in Delaware. Bluehen is some type of mascot or team name for U of Del. I think.
Sussed out the theme pretty much per Lemonade's 1st paragraph. The trick was finally realizing sounding out the leading word in each phrase by pronouncing the front letters. Rest of the solve was mostly easy. Oneonta is in our TV station broadcast area. Had 'else' before ALSO and reg. before STD.
IDAHO - Knew that was probably the milieu of the Shoshone.
Misty FLN - - My 'mentor' was a Prof Rumer. I think he became Engineering Dept. head about 1969.
So Rumer has it
DeleteWC
The French also say ca VA with the Cadilla. As in sa-va.=bon jour
ReplyDeleteI committed a "stupid".
Excuse, that "Sleep" study with little sleep. I had JCZ. QUE, Duh.
I inked this in with no blotches unlike yesterday. If one can grok the caps not that hard.
To add to yellowrocks re. Cartboy.. It actually could be the opposite : Rich eg LATimes doesn't want easy local references. Esp on Friday, Saturday.
I know they have software to help but XW construction seems to be of a kind where the existing clues drive the fill . fe. The Q=>QUEbec. *
WC
* Or else Bruce could've tossed in more French as in ___ Tu es belle
Good Morning.
ReplyDeleteTo be fully honest. . . . I quit. I never do that--maybe it's my overcast-polar-vortex-coming headache. Too much for my brain today. Thanks, though, Bruce, for your hard work. And merci Lemonade for trying to explain it to me.
Have a good weekend.
FIR, but changed flats before GEARS, my limy's bud was a mac before a PAL, I tanned in COZaMEL and ate SOBi (bsotw, U). I also had to erase "puck" for OREO. I watch a lot of hockey, and the capitals' announcer calls the puck "the biscuit". (He also calls the penalty box "the sin bin". Funny the first 1,000 times.)
ReplyDeleteAnother "talk like a pirate" fill with ARRS.
YR, I remember ABCD LEfont along OKL's lines.
Interesting that so many of the more accomplished Cornerites had trouble with this one, while I ended my losing streak with relative ease.
Thanks to Bruce for the fun, imaginative exercise. And thanks to Lemonade for your fine review.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI caught the theme early on so that helped with the solve. Oneonta was a gimme but, as I'm geographically challenged, I had to correct Somalia to Senegal, though I did guess correctly on Eritrea. I was in the dark about the mysterious Trexes until Lemony's parsing of T Rexes. Doh! CSOs to HG at Sub and to all of our academics at Edu, and to CanadianEh at Que. Odd to see a Silent _ two days in a row.
Thanks, Bruce, for a fun and fresh theme and thanks, Lemony, for your cheerful and colorful commentary.
PK, is your DIL's surgery today? Hope all goes well.
YR, how are David and his wife doing with their PT?
We are in for a deep-freeze and double-digit snowfall starting tomorrow. Not to worry, though, my pantry and fridge are well stocked.
The comments about parishes (Church-related meaning) led me to recount the Catholic churches and schools from my youth compared to the present day. There were 17 churches, 8 of which had adjacent grammar schools, K-8. Today, there are 6 churches and 4 schools, K-6.
Have a great day.
Musings
ReplyDelete-I’m with Lemon and Jerome on this brilliant puzzle! Wow!
-I was surprised to learn the occupation of the group that sang this song that reached #1 in 1963
-Can’t SUB today as schools are all cancelled because of snow that isn’t forecast to start until this afternoon
-I searched and found The Aviator on Netflix and that’s now part of my snowy afternoon
-For a Friday, Bruce eschewed the more well known “The lady ___ protest too much”
-Baseball fans celebrating a sweep (win all games in a series)
-Opening a TUNA can brings our four-footed assistant chef to the kitchen tout de suite (Hey, how ‘bout my French!)
-At LAX, ARR’s, DEP’s, ETA’s and ETD’s are shown on LED TV’s
-All astronauts in OUTER space have to HURTLE back into Earth’s atmosphere
-ABC dem ducks? LMN no ducks! SDR!
Very clever and very challenging! I am happy that the challenge was intellectual and not about unknowns. ONEONTA was certainly a challenging unknown, though!
ReplyDeleteIt was only after I finished that I realized that all of the tricky theme answers involved three letters all at the start of the answer. That would have made it much easier if I realized it sooner!
Last area to fill was NE where I was stuck with YES SIR before YES I AM. Anyone else? I knew LOTTE from the Mack the Knife song. Anyone else? Amazed to FIR!
Here I was at SHOSHONE Falls in IDAHO.
A wonderful surprise! I also have photos at COZUMEL. Gotta run.
Thanks Lemonade!
ReplyDeleteIf you like this puzzle I recommend you read CDB!, by William Steig
Madame Defarge @ 9:45
ReplyDeleteAt 11-d, I LOST IT ... and put the puzzle down, too.
Oh well, at least I have a Sunny, 68 degree, day to enjoy.
Cheers!
ONEONTA is pronounced oh-nee-AHN-tuh. About halfway between Albany and Binghamton (ok, not a big help.) A college friend from there called it "the Hub" for its position on the Delaware and Hudson Railroad. The D&H was bought by Canadian Pacific Railway.
ReplyDeleteA lot of waterfalls are higher than Niagara, which are famous more for the volume of water than their height.
I do my puzzle on the Chicago Tribune site, and it's nationally syndicated, not local.
YellowRocks: Thank you so much for the feedback on Old World Stew. I'm glad that you tried it and even happier that you liked it. It has been a favorite at the Bluehen Ponderosa for almost 50 years now. I found the recipe in a pamphlet of recipes in a slow cooker that was a wedding present almost 49 years ago now. 49 years come the end of October this year. My, doesn't time fly when you're having fun!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm relieved I'm not the only one who had trouble with this Friday toughie. I started out with ALI, LAIC, FACE, LOTTE, and SYNC, and FACE turned out to be MIEN in the end. After that I struggled and eventually cheated but got it pretty much. I like your puzzles, Bruce, but had trouble getting a grip on how this one worked. Thanks for explaining everything in your write-up, Lemonade. Never heard of ONEONTA. But hey, it's Friday and tomorrow's going to be even tougher, and we can use a real challenge every now and then.
ReplyDeleteThanks for answering my question, Spitzboov. Don't think I ever encountered your mentor.
Have a great weekend, everybody. We're supposed to get sunshine after all that rain--looking forward to it.
IM: Haven't heard yet whether my DIL had her surgery. There is a big storm supposed to come through later today and they have an hour's drive home. So I'm anxious as usual. My brother had a hip replacement yesterday and has been up walking and doing well. May discharge him today to my nervous Sis-IL. He is an avid bicyclist so I hope those toned muscles hold everything together. He's 6'4" and his wife is 5'6". Don't know if she can catch him if he falls. I remember when hospitals let you stay until you were really well.
ReplyDeleteI found this an EZ solve once I caught the trick. Thanks to OCHO and COZUMEL, where I went many years ago, that started me off on this fun romp and I HURTLED to the end. As someone commented, pronouncing the letters aloud helps.
ReplyDeleteMy only hiccups were best/MOST, tires/GEARS, far/FOR. The last one took some head scratching and I had many doubts about ONEONTA but perps confirmed it.
What a dull puzzle it would be if clues were limited to a small geographical area. I learn so much from all the references in puzzles.
Thank you, Bruce Haight and Lemonade! This was a lovely way to start my day.
I hope all are enjoying a peaceful day!
Thanks for stopping by Bruce and the CDB recommendation. It does get the mind thinking . Ah well, it must be T time for HG.
ReplyDeleteThe whole scheme is a foul. NRG says "energy," and "JQZ" may say "Jacuzzi"; but PNO does not say "piano."
ReplyDeleteAnd "SOL-fa: Set of musical syllables" is BACKWARD.
44a. Isn't (tele)phones as much a short form as APP(lication)S?
ReplyDeleteLearning moment: Shoshone Falls deserve a third look...
ReplyDeleteI am with Madam Defarge (& Tinbeni) on this this one, I quit...
I persevered through the acrosses, and most of the downs without
understanding the clues. (very frustrating) Until I came upon
obscure countries on either side of Africa? That was it! I threw in the towel!
I don't like puzzles that mumble at me. I prefer that they enunciate!
NML, NRG, WTF?
I even had trouble reading Lemon's introduction explaining it.
(No fault of Lemon's, this thingie is complicated...)
But it was Jerome D Gunderson @ 7:51 that made the V8 can come
whistling in and hit me square between the eyes...
THE CLUES! THE SINGLE LETTER CLUES! Oh I wish I had stuck with it...
A big "Meh!" today.
ReplyDeleteFYI: when you renew your car's license in California, you can renew it "PNO" [Planned Non-Operation], when you don't plan to operate it on the streets ... couldn't figure out why there would be a "PNO" at Carnegie, and it went downhill from there.
Repeating what I said on the Jumble site: I really like today's puzzle. It did take me awhile to get the theme, but what a fun Aha moment!
ReplyDeleteSol-fa (and several variants) is the name of a method of teaching sight singing.
ReplyDeleteI agree that APPS is a word on its own. Doubt that the Millennials even think of them as "applications."
ReplyDeleteAnon@12:58, haven't you ever heard the expression "Sol-Fa, so good?" PNO spoken quickly says "piano" to my ear.
PNO, to my ear, sounds like a game toddlers play with cheerios floating in a toilet bowl.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that works too.
ReplyDeleteI loved this puzzle, it took me a long time, but it's a Friday, right? I FIR and didn't need to look anything up!And the plumber finally came and replaced my leaking kitchen faucet. Good day for me already. I may have to go back to older post to peruse that old world stew recipe, if that's where it is. The rain has stopped, it's sunny here today so it's much better for picketing. I hope the negotiations continue and a solution is reached for the teachers and the students.
ReplyDeleteBecky
I’m enjoying reading the blog almost more than I did working the puzzle. And here I thot most cornerites were MENSA members. Thanks for bringing your humor down to my level. :-/
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThis started out tough but got easier once I left the NW for later. Went to the bottom, did the Downs until something made sense and worked my way back up. But another toughie today.
Not a lot of markovers as I couldn’t even hazard guesses.
Markovers....OCTOBER/OCHO, HUSTLED/HURTLED, INNER/OUTER, ETAS/ARRS. Like I said, I quit the NW and went back.
After the last 3 days I’m kind of wondering how bad Saturday will be.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know why OCTO changed to OCTOBER even in caps...kind of the sort of day I’m having. Geez. So OCTO/OCHO.
A real QT, this Mr. Haight.
ReplyDeleteOr as the Brits would say. "Too clever by 'arf!"
Still, I knocked this outta the park. Ta~ DA!
54A was the first to tip me off. Possibly because the first performance I attended at Carnegie Hall was a PNO RECITAL.
Misty, Picard, et al. ~
I never heard of ONEONTA either, even though I spent several years in the Albany region. It was tricky cluing it as a "College town." Yes, it has a SUNY campus, but there are 64 SUNY branches all over NY State. This is not one that pops to mind.
(There's also something called Hartwick College, but that took a minute of research. "Ad Altiora Semper")
~ OMK
____________
DR: A 3-way on the front end (NW to SE).
Today's anagram seems rather more personal than usual. I believe it is a supplication, possibly from a female offering an unknown degree of solace. I have heard of "Come to Jesus" moments, but this is the first time I've encountered ...
"COME TO ERICA!"
(Anybody know her?)
Took me a very long time to figure out the gimmick, partly because the first one I solved was the JQZ and the sound "Jay Que Zee" did not help me to think of Jacuzzi which I thought is pronounced Jah Koo Zee. I only got Jacuzzi from the HOT TUB part of the answer. So I was unclear on the concept. Thus I kept looking for some thing along the lines of ORCA TRAINER since the clue specifically referenced Shamu. However, as it turns out, the specificity of the clue didn't match the generality (animal) of the answer, which threw me. Anyway, I ended up amazing myself by finishing the whole puzzle correctly without the help of red letters or Google.
ReplyDeleteI told you in my introduction that I expected the puzzle to be debated. Saying the letters, one at a time out loud really made it come together for me, but since we all pronounce words and letters differently, it was a challenge.
ReplyDeleteGood job Jayce!
ReplyDeleteI think I have to be grouchy about this one. After Bruce's bizarre NYT puzzle this week, this one did little to excite me. Rich and Will need to shake him up a little. But bravo on the write-up.
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteOy! All the geography on the West-side; It was 'Toss-the-Towel or Cheat (A LOT!)' to keep playing (and I hadn't even crack'd the theme yet!). It wasn't until LIU AJAX that the V8 hit and the waters settled -- smooth sailing after that.
Thanks Bruce for the PZL; you WIN.
Thanks Lem for the fine expo choc-full-o links.
My first fill was UNI (bzzt) Cycle then EMU/TOME, and STEER which proved out HOT TUB and OREO; bam - IDAHO (say that aloud as the letters sound - I Da' Ho' :-)) inked.
Cheats: ONEONTA [?!? should we start calling a Natick that? :-) ], SNEGAL, AJAX, ALDA
WOs: HURriED and Uni fixed later by MENORAH*
Fav: clue for FOR is wonderful misdirection. Behind? I OWE, I OWE, it's off to work I go (and 800k GSA/Ms aren't event getting paid!)
A Tip O' the Hat to those that nailed this unaided.
{A, B+}
becky@2:03 - The recipe can be found under Blog Recipes on the main page. (it seems to be missing Misty's Pear Salad [@1:07pm])
Nice pic Picard. Ditto vid CED.
OKM - Your DRs crack me up... Re: ERICA. Yeah, I know her. She's my (Army) Bro's Ex. Apparently she muttered the phrase while he was deployed in Iraq.
[she was busted when he got a VD after returning. We can laugh at it now (no need to call BlueHen :-) ; It was 15 years ago]
MR Ducks.
MR Not.
OSAR. CM Wings?
LIB, MR Ducks.
What seven letters did the bachelor say when he opened his fridge?
OIC,URMT
I'll see myself out...
Cheers, -T
*for the last 5 years I've asked DW as she was wanting me to bring out the Christmas boxes, "Can't we just stick a Menorah in the window and call it done?"
She's yet to be amused.
IM, David powers through pain.He was expected to return to the office soon after the operation, and at the end of his long commute he walked another mile. After the second operation he has been walking seven miles a day with pain. He says PT helps, but the pain will never be zero. His bigger problem is being laid off from a relatively high salary middle management position in his fifties. Very hard to find a job. Overqualfied and too old.
ReplyDeleteAn advantage is he has free time. He came to see us yesterday and we went out to lunch. I was grateful he fixed many things I find difficult to handle these days. I loved his dear presence and help, the highlight of my month.
DIL's accident was two months ago. She does not use a cane and hobbles a good bit. She does not complain of pain. I worry about her. Some weeks she blows off all her PT appointments. Obviouly she has other problems. In my experience PT is the only way to return to near normal function. Even after a few years, when I skip my home exercises I lose function and experience pain. A MIL or husband cannot give advice. We feel helpless to boost her progress. I feel badly for her and him.
Alan quit the sheltered workshop. Who knows what comes next? I am trying to say que sera, sera. Not only alcoholics need to say "God, give us the grace to accept the things that cannot be changed, the courage to change the things that can be changed, and the wisdom to know the difference." I need that wisdom and must stop tilting at windmills.
Becky - I re-checked my link and #Fail.
ReplyDelete//there are other delicious dishes there though
The best I found (so far) is 10/24/18 @11:47a. BlueHen - did you ever SPELL IT OUT more specifically?
Cheers, -T
Anonymous T ~
ReplyDeleteAha, the tale of ERICA, your buddy's ex, explains the secret meaning of STD* at 28A.
~ OMK
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*So of the several possible readings of "irr.," should we opt for "IRRitable spouse syndrome"?
Anon-T, "Can't we just stick a Menorah in the window and call it done?" We took it one step further, no Menorah either.
ReplyDeleteTony, too funny. Thanks for finding BLueHen's comment with the ingredients for the stew. BH- a recipe for the blog recipes folder, please?
ReplyDeleteThe children's book Bruce suggested is fun
Friday FRNZY PZL (thanks AnonT). Thanks for the fun, Bruce and Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteI started doing this CW online, then went to a meeting, returned and restarted in my newspaper, then retreated back online to get the red letter help. I did finish and got the theme, but I agree with others here that the last few days have been workouts!
I smiled at EZR SAID THAN DONE which was my last theme entry. Like Jayce with Orca, I wanted WHL before NML for Shamu's TRAINER.
This Canadian knew enough NOT to pronounce the Z in JZA as Zed. (And I did smile at the OCHRE spelling.)
I spent too much time thinking of Scrimp and then entered Scimp, which slowed me from seeing KID. (I wanted Rib.)
ONEONTA was unknown and it is a closer neighbour (clue is misspelled!!) to me than QUE. But QUE is closer than yesterday's PEI. (You will all be learning our Canadian provinces!) Will we have MAN or BC tomorrow? Maybe ALTA for those OILERs.
A LOT meant "frequently" today not "Scads". Adverb not proNOUN.
Hand up for Pal before LAD, and Time before SYNC. Like IM, I needed Lemonade to parse T REXES for me.
My Army outfit was a Uniform before it was a PLATOON.
FLN, Spitzboov, that bridge to PEI wasn't started until 1993 and opened in 1997. That grad student would have been retired by the time he saw his work being used.
AnonT, thanks for the Rick & Dave links. I did not know about their Canadian content impetus.
SwampCat- I will add some Louise Penny books to my reading list. Thanks.
Wishing you all a great evening. We are hunkering down for the promised snow storm.
I will definitely have to add Shoshone Falls to my bucket list! Perhaps because we live in such an arid desert, my sisters and I love to visit waterfalls and all kinds of water destinations. That one looks especially noteworthy! In our quest to visit all 50 states we still have IDAHO, Oregon and Utah on the list. I see a road trip in our future. Maybe this summer.
ReplyDeleteI sympathize with all who found today's puzzle difficult; for me, however, it was a treat which I relished once I found the key and I solved it with gusto!
Can. Eh! @ 1625. Well, He apparently didn't wait for the bridge. He went on to a career at Wash. Univ. in St. Louis in mechanical engineering and retired in 2006.:
ReplyDelete"Dr. Szabó was a full-time member of the faculty of the School of Applied Science and Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis from 1968 until his retirement as the Albert P. and Blanche Y. Greensfelder Professor of Mechanics in 2006. His areas of expertise include mathematical modeling techniques, methods for the assurance of the reliability of engineering decisions based on computed information.
Dr. Szabó is the principal author of two textbooks on finite element analysis (John Wiley & Sons, 1991 and 2011) and has published over two hundred technical papers, mostly on the finite element method. Dr. Szabó is an external member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Fellow of the St. Louis Academy of Sciences, holds an honorary doctorate and is a founding member and fellow of the US Association for Computational Mechanics."
Hi Gang -
ReplyDeleteMEH!
I hate this gimmick.
Other than that, have a nice week end.
Cool regards,
JzB
IM - Circling back to Parishes...
ReplyDeleteIt ain't what it useta' be. I know my grade-school, St. Joe's [sorry for the "quiz" before the article], was demolished a few years ago and Ursuline, my Frosh & Soph HS years, is no longer. Griffin (Pop's all boys Jesuit[Go Pope Frank!]-run HS) and Sacred Heart (all girls) merged years ago too. Times change, I guess. It's not like I'm religious but those were all good schools that instilled morals & thinking [that's where they went wrong; Start us thinking* and... :-) ]
Frankly, folks still in SPI, are likely older. The town, Land of Lincoln, has aged-out it seems. Unless you work for the State, there's not much there to stay for [my Bros & I are scattered about; Sises are still eeking it out there (well, one has a farm, so...]. Kinda brings to mind All in the Family's [Theme: 1:23] lament.
OMK - LOL! STD tie-in.
D-O: Let me get just a MENORAH first :-)
C, Eh! So does the Canadian content rule also apply to the US? I mean, we have Trebek, Beiber, Shaffer, Shatner, Moranis, et.al. so far. It's like a slow British-y Invasion. :-)
Cheers, -T
*It was Sr. Mary Helen @Ursuline that, through her Comparative Religion class, made me think "Aha! Peace among - that's the ticket! Every religion seems to have the same fundamental: Don't hate, look for love, Peace abounds." and done. Do unto others and all that. I'm cool with that. #PeaceLove&Understanding
We have had quite a few themes where the gimmick fudged the pronounciation. I do not mind. I find it kind of fun, like this one. Purists and pedants are turned off by this kind of puzzle. It seems that, generally, the interpretation of most these puzzles is not too tight. After all it is a only a game. I often amuse myself by trying to guess who will dislike which clues and themes. Usually I guess correctly. I am less successful in guessing who will find which puzzle difficult or easy. This often depends on the player's level of patience and time while solving. An eclectic group of people like the Cornerites are so much fun. It is great to find so many different areas of expertise. We learn much from each other.
ReplyDeleteGood evening, folks. Thank you, Bruce Haight, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Lemonade, for a fine review.
ReplyDeletePuzzle was great..loved the theme. Took me a while to catch it.
A few toughies, but it all fell.
I am sick with a cold and am going to bed now.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
YR, sending prayers and good thoughts your way. I don’t know how you cope!!
ReplyDeleteSpitzboov, thanks for the info re Dr. Zabo. He sounds brilliant. I will tell my DH, another engineer.
ReplyDeleteYR, I echo SwampCat's sentiments. And agree with you about what a great crowd we have here.
Abejo, hope you feel better soon. A nice Cuppa Earl Grey might help!
AnonT - LOL re your Comment re Canadian content applying to the US. Just wait until we take over the Corner and correct all the spelling!
And yes, Peace Love and Understanding sound great; it's the carrying out of them that is the challenge.
BillO - I just saw a Tweet from Ky Ryssdal (NPR/PRI's Market Place - he's been in our puzzles before) that your Pho Keene Great noodle shop will get it's name after all.
ReplyDeleteSo how did this meme go? The Corner -> BBC -> NPR(PRI) -> The Corner. Ladies & Germs, we be setting the TREND :-)
BTW - anyone who wants levity in their life, follow John Cleese on Twitter - a whole thread tonight on sex and mastication; with a side of Brexit.
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REDACTED:
Replying to @JohnCleese
Dr. Cleese makes an important point. Sex has gotten out of hand, and is making dangerous inroads. Just last night, while dining at an upscale restaurant, I glanced at the table next to me only to see an attractive young couple masticating. It was shocking.
@JohnCleese
It's important to masticate in restaurants.
Otherwise the waiters take your plate away.
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I should be doing something better with my time...
C,Eh! We welcome our new Polite over-lords. I don't mind a few extra 'U's or switching ER to RE at the end of Metric-y things :-)
Cheers, -T
We raced against a boat named XLR8. Took me ages to figure out what that meant. You wordy types will know immediately I’m sure.
ReplyDeleteWatched a sitcim "Fam" this week. Mother(-in-law) is sending out invitations, which she calls "Save The Date"s, Many jokes on STDs ensue.
ReplyDeleteSwampCat:
ReplyDeleteaccelerate
AnonT:
LOL re: John Cleese. He's a gem!
SilentC ??? I don’t get it
ReplyDeleteLucina - Cleese is a gem. A cantankerous sweet man :-)
ReplyDeleteSwamp - re: XLR8 - I think us dyslexics can parse LTRs quickly because we only see patterns. I can't spell for crap tho (Untie!)
Unknown@12:41a - I think you do get it... C, the c in obscenity doesn't bare itself :-)
Note to my Corner Pals: If I'm not my own happy self over the next week (or fail to post) it's 'cuz I'm breaking habits and trying (for the 3rd time in 2 week (umpTeenth in years)) to quit smoking/nicotine. All of it. DW's got my 'Nic box' w/ my all eCigs, cigars, & cigarettes. It might work(?) this go.
Goal #3: I get one Cigar (no inhaling!) if I make it to 8p Sunday when I call Pop.
Time for one last drag...
Cheers, -T
-T, I suggested to two "prospects" recently that they smoke *normally" for a week keeping track of "How many?". Then .
ReplyDeleteReduce the amount by 1. Say five days. Then -1 again . Repeat until down to say 5. Then quit, period .
Hopefully the above will be moot .
Me? 45 years ago this Spring a guy at the bar said " I quit, cigs are harmful to the lungs" . "But what do I do with the new pack of Marlboros I just bought?".
"You throw them away, you don't smoke anymore!".
I did * and I don't.
Cheers,
WC
* Right into the wastebasket behind the bar. 75 cents down the drain. I wasn't going to let that happen again ..
I quit by just stopping. It was not easy despite Mark Twain who said, "Quitting smoking is the easiest thing I have ever done. I have done it hundreds of times." Good luck -T.
ReplyDelete