Very Punny! Today's puzzle uses puns, rhymes and homophones to twist common phrases. In the first three theme answers, the rhyming word is found at the front of the phrase, and in the last two theme answers, the rhyming word is found at the end.
We also have a very special remembrance of our dear friend with 9-Down (ARGYLE) and 12-Down (SANTA).
17-Across. Flatfish family founders?: SOLE MATES. The common phrase is Soul Mates.
25-Across. Barbershop levy?: POLE TAX. The common phrase is Poll Tax. A pole tax is essentially a tax placed on an adult without consideration of income or resources. In the United States, the poll tax had been a pre-requisite for voting. The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished poll taxes as a pre-requisite for voting in federal elections. A few years later, the Supreme Court ruled that States could not use the poll tax as a prerequisite for voting in State elections. (Never have an attorney explain a legal matter. I'll just send you all a bill.)
38-Across. Rabbit monopolizing the entrance to the warren?: HOLE HOG. The common phrase is Whole Hog. This clue threw me off because the clue contains one animal and the answer contains a different animal.
51-Across. Part in a Humpty Dumpty biopic?: EGG ROLE. The common phrase is Egg Roll.
62-Across. Mutant tree trunk with extraordinary powers?: SUPER BOLE. The common phrase is Super Bowl. The answer made me laugh.
62-Across. Mutant tree trunk with extraordinary powers?: SUPER BOLE. The common phrase is Super Bowl. The answer made me laugh.
Across:
1. Bonkers: LOCO. What a crazy way to begin this puzzle!
5. Raucous animal sound: BRAY.
9. Sambuca flavoring: ANISE.
14. Not up: ABED.
15. Ire: RAGE.
16. Trio in the logo of a national motorists' group: RED AS. As in the three red A's of the American Automobile Association. I found this to be a devious clue.
19. Acquires: GAINS. The word "gets" is too short.
20. Shirt with a slogan: TEE.
21. "Metamorphoses" poet: OVID. An ancient Roman poet.
22. Mindless way to learn: BY ROTE.
23. When doubled, a German spa town: BADEN. Baden Baden is a spa town in Southwest Germany.
26. Broadway restaurant founder: SARDI. Sardi's is a famous restaurant in Manhattan's Theater District. It began as a modest little eatery, known as The Little Restaurant in 1921. The founder was Melchiorre Pio Sardi and his wife Eugenia Pallera. He was known in New York as Vincent Sardi (Dec. 23, 1885 ~ Nov. 19, 1969). A few years later, the restaurant moved down the block and re-opened as Sardi's. Because the restaurant is in the Theater District, Vincent Sardi hired a sketch artist to draw caricatures of actors and other celebrities, which adorn the walls of the restaurant.
28. Energizes: GOOSES. To goose up: To cause something to become stronger or more intense. For example: Listen to him rev up his car. It sounds like he really goosed up his engine. Geese at the park can be energizing.
30. Upscale: CLASSY.
32. Go bad: ROT.
33. Pairs: TWOS. In go the animals, two by two ...
37. NFL pass, complete or not: ATT. As in an Attempt.
41. Fez or fedora: HAT. Hi, Abejo!
42. Pedi concerns: TOES.
44. Day in Durango: DIA. Today's Spanish lesson.
45. N, in a TV content warning: NUDITY.
47. Directions: TRENDS.
50. Laconic: TERSE.
54. Come to: TOTAL. Think of the tab on your bar bill. The total came to how much!!!
56. Turf grippers: CLEATS. Crabby cleats.
57. Die, e.g.: CUBE. The singular of Dice.
58. Pet's attention-getter, perhaps: PAW.
61. Great deal of, slangily: LOTTA. Led Zeppelin and Whole Lotta Love
64. Concerning: ABOUT.
65. God with a quiver: EROS. It's Greek to me.
66. Carrot (always) or stick (sometimes): ROOT.
67. On edge: TENSE.
Oops, different spelling!
68. Used to be: WERE. The way we were.
69. Tavern array: ALES.
Down:
1. Final: LAST.
2. Vowel-rich woodwind: OBOE.
3. Have a party, say: CELEBRATE.
4. One was written on an urn: ODE.
5. Valorous: BRAVE.
6. Five stars, e.g.: RATING.
7. Like fine Scotch: AGED.
8. Fist-pumper's cry: YES.
9. Sock pattern: ARGYLE. // And, just 3 clues over we have 12-Down. One-night-a-year flier: SANTA. A double CSO to our beloved Santa.
10. Minimally distant: NEAREST.
11. Jerk: IDIOT.
13. County not far from London: ESSEX.
18. Fashionable: MODISH. I initially tried Modern. At least some of the letters were correct.
22. With 52-Down, paper since 1872: BOSTON. // And 52-Down. See 22-Down: GLOBE. Together we get The Boston Globe.
I read the Globe when I lived in Boston, but that was years ago. Recently I have been getting weekly emails from the Globe urging me to subscribe.
24. Sunday paper barrage: ADs. Does anyone really ever look through all the ads in the Sunday paper? I stopped getting my local newspaper when there were more ads than news/articles, and when the sports section was longer than the news sections.
25. Friend of Tigger: POOH. Winnie the Pooh and his friends were the creations of A.A. Milne (ne Alan Alexander Milne; Jan. 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956). His son, Christopher Robin Milne (Aug. 21, 1920 ~ Apr. 20, 1996), was the basis of the character of the same name in the books. Sadly, Christopher Robin became estranged from his parents, believing that his father had exploited his childhood in writing the books. I have fond memories, however, of the these books from my childhood.
26. "Go away!": SCAT.
27. Choir voice: ALTO.
29. Mountain nymph: OREAD. More Greek in today's puzzle.
31. Mountain melodies: YODELS. You don't even have to go to the mountains to heard yodeling. Just go to your local Walmart.
34. Draining effect: WHIRLPOOL.
35. Equine eats: OATS. Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy ...
36. Eyelid problem: STYE.
39. Triangle side, say: LINE.
40. Site of unwanted suburban vegetation: GUTTER.
But that's my vegetable garden!
43. Low cloud: STRATUS.
46. Trafficking org.: DEA. As in the Drug Enforcement Administration, which is tasked with preventing drug trafficking.
48. Go around: ROTATE.
49. Daze: STUPOR.
51. Dazzling effect: ÉCLAT. The word comes from the French, which means "splinter", or "burst". Also the name of an eau de toilette for men.
53. Mount: GET ON.
55. More than a little plump: OBESE.
57. Medical research objective: CURE.
59. Natural soother: ALOE. We had this clue the last time I on a puzzle.
60. Dampens: WETS.
62. Put in stitches: SEW.
63. Product of Bali: BRA. Not the island, you silly goose! The lingerie company.
Here's the Grid:
Today is a special day in the religious communities. Today is Good Friday. It also marks the beginning of Passover, which begins as sunset today. For those who observe the these events, I wish you a Happy Easter or a Happy Passover.
Today is a special day in the religious communities. Today is Good Friday. It also marks the beginning of Passover, which begins as sunset today. For those who observe the these events, I wish you a Happy Easter or a Happy Passover.
A low-lying cloud is a STRATUS.
ReplyDeleteIt may drop a drizzle right at us.
It helps lawns stay grassy
And is surely more CLASSY
Than a low, lying cad with no status!
Some people, when they get TENSE
Will yabber without making sense,
While others grow TERSE.
Which one is worse?
That answer may hinge on intents!
At New Year's we CELEBRATE
The way that the seasons ROTATE.
The months, we note,
Are learned BY ROTE,
Each unique, without a SOLE MATE!
You plant a SOLE POLE in a HOLE.
To hold up a fence is its ROLE.
What would be there stood
Could be made of wood,
Carved from a holly-wood BOLE!
{A, B, B, A-.}
FIR, but erased steed for GET ON, DIo for DIA, and LOTsA for LOTTA.
ReplyDeleteNUDITY - If God had meant for us to run around nekkid we would have been born that way.
Yogi Berra commented about SARDIs: "Nobody goes there anymore, its too crowded." It was an old punch line before he borrowed it.
I was ABED when Zoe decided she needed to go out at 3:30. No nudging or whimpering, she just paced back and forth from the bed to the door until I woke up. Thought I would work the puzzle on the computer while I was up. I still like paper and pencil better.
Nice puzzle as usual, David. Methinks the tribute to our dear Santa / Argyle wasn't an accident. And thanks to the jam-packed review, Hahtoolah. The Corner should put you on retainer.
My old RAV4 goes into the shop today for a water pump replacement at a mere 190,000 miles. By coincidence I got my personal property tax bill last week, so I won't be tempted by those shiny new chariots in the showroom next to the service waiting area. It's nice to have a car that I really like and know that the appropriate maintenance has been performed when needed. Good way to beat the tax man, who essentially wants to collect sales tax on the value of the car every year.
Hi Y'all! Today we CELEBRATE words with D.A.B. who gives us some good laughs in the theme. Bravo! Then we continue the fun with Lemonade. Good ones, guys!
ReplyDeleteTook some perps to find the theme entries but no red-letter runs. Yay! SUPERBOLE was the most unexpected laugh. I was trying to think of a four-letter species of tree. Not elm, oak, etc.
Trafficking org. wasn't "sex" but drugs with DEA.
Last to fill: crossing squares of OREAD (did not know), LINE (too simple tried LATI(tude) & LONG(itude), DIA (knew but couldn't remember, duh!), TRENDS. Got 'er done eventually.
Hope everyone has a nice weekend. No plans for me. I long ago retired as the egg-bearing Bunny.
Hahtoolah, not Lemonade, great expo. I missed the name at the bottom until I read Unknown's post after I posted. Mea Culpa!
ReplyDeleteGreat Friday morning, Cornerites!
ReplyDeleteThank you David Alfred Bywaters for this enjoyable Friday CW. I was able to FIR.
Thank you Hahtoolah for this exceptional review.
Anonymous T -- FLN -- at 12:13 AM, Thank you for finishing my thought. Once grounded, it is no "MHO".
17 A - First groan of many.
9 D, and 12 D - May he RIP in the "Great Cruciverbalism"
Ðave
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteYup, fell into the MODern/MODISH trap. The Wite-Out got the rest of the day off. I think of GUTTER as the sides of the street at the curb rather than under the eaves. Vegetation is unwanted in both places. Thanx, D.A.B., and Hahtoolah, you were in fine form this morning.
Wednesday, during my oil change, the mechanic notified me that the cap was missing from my power steering reservoir. I stopped at two auto supply stores on the way home. Neither had one. Found one online that claimed to fit my model/engine combo. The next day, and $15 later, UPS delivered a 6X6 carton containing a little plastic cap. It didn't fit. But ingenuity prevailed. The cap from a Rolaids bottle fit nicely.
Good morning.
ReplyDeleteI, too, worked in the paper today. I do enjoy it much more, and I have better luck. I think pen in hand provides me with better brain conductivity. OHM? MHO? I enjoyed this today and saw the word play at POLE TAX. I think I'll stick with the paper for a bit--at least as long as there is still newsprint to have. This knitter doesn't even think of socks or sweaters at ARGYLE--only our beloved SANTA. Thanks, David, for a nice Friday workout. At least brain wise--now I need to do something that burns calories.
Hahtoolah, What a fabulous tour ! You provided the finishing touch to a perfect puzzle morning.
I like when Passover and Easter collide. After all, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder. Hence, Paschal is used in English to describe Easter; in French and Italian Easter is Paques (with a circumflex over the a indicating the s is missing) and Pasqua, both rooted in Pesach. Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox. The stricter Eastern (Orthodox) Catholic Church adds "after Passover" because there can be no Easter without Passover.
Blessings to you all for whatever you are celebrating--or not. Be well.
Most clever cluing I can recall seeing jammed nicely into one puzzle! ...and I missed the Argyle aka Santa thing. (Must have been on purpose.)
ReplyDeleteMany chuckles too!
Thanks Hahtoolah and David!
Well this was certainly a 'Good' Friday- no unknowns on an easier than usual Friday puzzle. The only change was MODERN to MODISH.
ReplyDeleteThe STRATUS clue was technically incorrect. Cumulus clouds can be low. As you can see in the picture there are also STRATO-cumulus, alto-STRATUS and Cirro-STRATUS clouds. Nimbostratus are very rare.
I think there is vegetation in urban, rural, & suburban GUTTERS that are not cleaned out regularly. I bought some gutter-guards from Lowe's and paid a guy $150 to install them. They hook to the gutter edge and slip up under the roofing tiles.
Hahtoolah- your EGG 'ROLE' looks like a hushpuppy with an boiled egg inside.
AAA- they just charged my Visa this week. Used them four times. They respond faster than the other towing companies that GEICO, State Farm,...etc. use.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteGreat intro, Hahtoolah. Visual support among the highest I can remember.
Another fine end-of-week puzzle. Liked the challenge of misdirection, and puns are alway 'pfunny'. Clean solve, but I looked up DIA in my $1.98 Spanish-English dictionary (from Ollies). Liked seeing BRAY again.
BH's maternal forebears hailed from the Grand Duchy of BADEN.
HOLE HOG threw me, too, but it was great cluing and fill.
Held off on GOOSES but perps were firm.
Best to everyone.
Good morning. Thank you David an Hahtoolah! I put in “yea” instead of yes and neglected to check. Therefore, I FIR by one cel. That is frustrating. This was a very pleasant start to a Friday morning since we are very tired from a long travel day in the rain yesterday and a very gray day here as well. It is nice to have an antidote for the weather. The puns were enjoyable as well as the enjoyable additions to the write up.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to all of you as we celebrate our respective traditions and Let is give thanks that we can openly celebrate.
Be well.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Learning BOLE and not knowing Bali makes women’s undergarments were speed bumps
-While ABED at 5a.m. a PAW informed me our kitty was hungry
-My neighbor told me yesterday she hated tennis because her college class in tennis required learning past Wimbledon winners by ROTE
-What will our bill TOTAL? Our plumber was here for two hours yesterday. The materials were about $100.
- Was this the first hit pop song to feature an OBOE (in the chorus)?
-DEA for drug traffic not the FAA for plane traffic
-Great wealth awaits the inventor of a CURE for OBESITY
-Lovely job, Susan!
-FORE!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun, quick solve with only one unknown, I.e., Oread and no w/os. Seeing Argyle almost side by side with Santa made me smile, just a little. My first thought while filling in Paw was of HG's Lily pawing his nose to wake him up. My favorite clue was for Egg Role; just thinking about Humpty Dumpty made me chuckle. The clue for gutter confused me until the picture in the expo; I was thinking road gutters.
Thanks, David, for a funny, punny Friday and thanks, Hatoolah, for a delightful summary. You outdid yourself today with the many stunning visuals and links. I especially appreciated the barbershop pole colors origin. Me thinks that Fat Cat needs less Kibbles and Nibbles!
Happy Birthday, PVX, hope it's a special day. 🎂🎉🎁🎈🍾
Owen, all A(s) today.
FLN
Virginia Sycamore and CED, there isn't enough money in the world to entice me to get on those rides. I can barely stand to watch the video.
Have a meaningful day.
Santa- Wherever you are... Hi!
ReplyDeleteHOLE HOG... LOL
I was surrounded by two deadly, horrific wildfires in California in the past three years. One of the biggest causes of a house burning down is gutters filled with dry leaves. Small, burning embers can travel a few miles in the wind. They might land in your gutters and catch the roof on fire. Kiss the house goodbye. And life as you knew it.
Unknown @ 4:14 was moi. Don't know what happened, but not a big deal.
ReplyDeleteGary, you got to sleep in! Zoe roused me at 3:30. I'll guess your bill will total about $350 - $450.
Good morning, folk. Thank you, David Alfred Bywaters, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Hahtoolah, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteHahtoolah, you really outdid yourself today. Great review, pictures, and links. Thank you for the fez shoutout!
This puzzle came together fairly easily for a Friday. The theme became obvious early on and helped me with some puzzle answers.
My toughest spot was in the center with OREAD, LINE, DIA, TRENDS, GOOSES, etc. I finally got them all once I straightened out DIA and LINE.
Had no idea BALI was a clothing company. SUPER BOLE helped me figure that out.
Liked ARGYLE and SANTA in the same corner. Nice photo of ARGYLE, Hahtoolah. We sure miss him.
No crossing guarding this morning. Schools are closed today.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Here's a theme answer that didn't make it into the final version: MOLE ASSES: "Donkeys ridden by spies?" Pretty funny, huh? Huh? Well I thought so.
ReplyDeleteDavid Alfred Bywaters
Wow. Just — wow.
ReplyDeleteFIR in 17 minutes, but it took a long time to get any footing in the northwest. Finally figured out SOLE MATES and then thingz came together nicely. I loved the gimmick in the long fills! Thanks, DAB! The SO to our Santa made me smile. And Hahtoolah, your efforts today went way beyond the norm; thanks so much for that.
Have a great day, all!
MOLE ASSES…
ReplyDeleteYup. David Alfred, that’s at least two of us who think it’s funny. You must have posted while I was writing.
Enjoyed this puzzle with the punny answers. The MOLE ASSES probably couldn't stay because it was 1 word and the rest of the theme answers were two words- but all made me smile!
ReplyDeleteOREAD was easier for me because I grew up in the Kansas suburbs of Kansas City and Mt. OREAD is the hill that University of Kansas was built on in Lawrence ~30 minutes away. It was originally called Hogback Ridge - so they probably wanted a classier name for a university. Now if it was at U of Arkansas in Fayetteville - they would have liked the original name better!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Oread
Thanks Hatoolah and David!
I greatly enjoyed your punny theme entries, David. Hahtoolah, thanks for the very informative and interesting blog. It was especially spectacular. I laughed my head off at the "YES!" baby.
ReplyDeleteI needed every perp for the devilish REDAS, but then I understood it.
A barrage of ads turns me off so much I ignore every one of them. Our Sunday paper is half ad leaflets which I automatically discard as soon as I bring the paper home.
When I tutored pupils who needed to learn something by ROTE, I provided context and ideas to "hang your hat on." It helped greatly. But, some rote learning, as HG pointed out, is counter productive. There are way too many Wimbledon winners and no real point in memorizing them.
Our gutters by the eaves are a big concern here. If the HOA does not clean them frequently enough, we have a waterfall over our front door. We have so many trees. Lovely, but messy.
We love Chinese egg rolls.
I never been part of an Easter egg roll on the lawn. We have participated in many Easter egg hunts. After 32 years of teaching, ten more of tutoring and 50 or more years of Sunday School and other Christian ed. involvement I have lost interest in egg hunts.
My five year old car has 85,000 miles. It will be life changing when I need to stop driving.
A very happy birthday to you, PVX.
BTW, please do not wish anyone a Happy Good Friday. It would be similar to saying Happy Funeral.
Have a blessed Easter or Passover season for all who celebrate those traditions.
Woohoo! Woohoo! I almost got a clever fun Friday puzzle and missed only two letters. Woohoo! Many thanks, David, and great to have you stop by and give us your funny omitted item. I just couldn't believe that the top corners started filling in right away and so, more slowly, did the rest. Nice to see Argyle and Santa, and neat words like WHIRLPOOL. Anyway, lots of fun, and, like others, I thought your commentary with cool pictures (loved the one of the baby) and explanations was terrific this morning, Hahtoolah.
ReplyDeleteJerome, so glad you were able to stay safe from the wildfires.
Have a beautiful Passover and Easter coming up, everyone.
I have a LOTTA admiration for this puzzle. Felt neither TERSE nor TENSE. Enjoyed working it and reading Hahtoolah's write-up. Laughed out loud at HOLE HOG (as did Jerome).
ReplyDeleteI wonder if a HYPERBOLE is even greater than a SUPERBOLE.
Owen, excellent verses today. Thank you. I loved your play with low-lying and low, lying.
Nice job with the Rolaids cap, desper-otto. MacGyver couldn't have done better.
Madame Defarge, your discussion of Paschal was fascinating and inspired me to learn more about it. Thank you.
LW and I are glad to be AAA members. Every year we can re-register our car at the AAA office and get a license plate sticker immediately, without having to make the trek to the DMV. When we called them to get a jump for a dead battery a few years ago the dispatcher was extremely professional and friendly, as was the guy who showed up very promptly and did the jump.
Best wishes to you all.
Hola y buen dia!
ReplyDeleteThank you, DAB and Hahtoolah! Excellent review, Hahtoolah.
I really enjoyed all those puns and can't choose a favorite. The all elicited a chuckle.
Yes, it's interesting what frame of references we each have. I for one, look at Macy's ADS to find sales of their Bali products. And when holiday shopping I scan them all to find gifts from my family.
Count me in for having a heart stopping moment at seeing ARGYLE and SANTA.
Happy birthday, PVX!
Please have a peaceful and blessed Good Friday and Passover, everyone!
HBDTY PVX and many more. As always, thank you DAB for being a Friday stalwart as well as checking in with an added dab of humor. Susan, you went all out in your pre-holiday exposition. Thank you also. Your choice of picture for EGG ROLL was truly unexpected. Especially as all Jews love Chinese food, don't they? Chag Sameach. Fill like RED A's are what make Fridays so tough. A simple clue/fill IF you parse it correctly.
ReplyDeleteA great time of year to honor and remember our dear Scott.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteI got close, real close... but that only counts in horseshoes and handgrenades... I had to Google OREAD to continue play.
Thanks DAB for the fun puzzle - I'm partial to puns so there's that. Why Rich wouldn't let MOLE ASSES fly, just on pfunny*-as-hell alone, is beyond me. //++Jayce for HYPERBOLE.
EGGcelent Expo Hahtoolah! I loved the Passover mashup (and I'm not even in your Tribe!).
WOs: I was thinking ROAR at 5a so that messed up 8d. CLEeTS spelt wrong; TEsty and STUned really held up the south - weren't fixed until cheat [which eventually led to G & R in GUTTER and then SUPER BOLE became obvious, I digress]. Sound's like we had the same hangup Abejo.
ESPs: OREAD wasn't.
Fav: A non-coincidental SO to our Monday & Tuesday Host (and general cleanup and contracting) of ol'. R.I.P. Scott.
//JimB. hope that clues you in on ARGYLE (his blog name) and SANTA (a (St.?) Nick name).
{B, B+, B, A+}
FLN: I would be remiss if I didn't consult my notes to give it up for "Grumpy with Circles" PVX. Happy Birthday!
WC - LOL. You completed my thought better than I yours. I guess that's Mate, mate. :-)
HG - Some are studying Poop Transplants as a possible Obesity CURE. The thought is: "it's all in the biome."
Since I refuse to end on POOH :-), I'll tell my little story of AAA. I became a member right before embarking to Florida to pick the '86 Alfa. The plan was "fly there, drive back; one night in NOLA."
I got to NOLA and overheated trying to get to my hotel (Bourbon Orleans) during the Red Dress run [all the streets were blocked off and I just sat there watching the thermometer rise...].
Next day AAA took it to the shop. +1 night in NOLA
Next day: Got the Alfa back, hit the road, and started over-heating 10 mi. away. AAA took it back to the shop. +1 night in NOLA
Next day: Rinse and repeat.
Next day the Alfa got put on a AAA recommended service for its trip to Houston and I flew home.
And AAA is total peace-of-mind when Eldest hits the road home from OU. BTW, A buddy said, "Don't use the family plan for her, make sure she's on the "student" plan - they'll tow up to 250mi." Gonna do that Monday.
Cheers, -T
*Spitz - I liked it and stole it; perfect way to spell the idea.
Husker Gary at 9:31 AM, I too was BOLEd over by "The trunk of a tree." While thinking of trees, I decided to see why DECIDuous trees appeared to be deciding something, wrong!
ReplyDeleteDecide comes from the Latin word decidere literally "to cut off," from de "off" + caedere "to cut".
Deciduous comes from the Latin word deciduus "that which falls down," from decidere "to fall off, fall down," from de "down" + combining form of cadere "to fall,"
This etymology comes to us from "etymonline.com".
Ðave
Mea Culpa - my 3:35 said WC - lemme fix it...
ReplyDeleteD4 - LOL. You completed my thought better than I yours. I guess that's Mate, mate. :-)
-T
Happy Birthday, PVX! Hope you have an enjoyable day! I made a note on my desk calendar to tell you HBD then overlooked it. All important dates are noted there.
ReplyDeleteDAB: maybe Rich had a mother like I had -- the word ASS was so evil, she would not even read it when it appeared in Bible stories she read to us every night. As a result, I'm always shocked when ASS is used. I've seen the word in cwds, but this would be a featured theme word. Who knows? I also thought as the answer for that clue, it was hilarious.
HBD PVX!
ReplyDeleteGot 'em all but one. I admit I didn't know what HOSE HOG had to do with a ham-acting rabbit. But the perp would have been SINE, and speaking as one who never studied trigonometry, that seemed to relate to a "Triangle side" in a kind of crosswordian sense.
Anybody else fall into that trap?
No?
~ OMK
____________
DR: Yet another 3-way!
But it's too late in the day for Yrs Truly to de-anagram it...
OMK... I imagine a worm, a worm who thought better of himself than the others in the coffee can. He'd dress in a monocle and top-hat... Yep, he was putting on
ReplyDeleteBAIT AIRS.
Ok, a carrot is a root but how is a stick a ROOT,? I did FIR but BRA by BALI was another unknown.
ReplyDeleteI liked the write up by Hahtoolah. And Owen's l'icks
WC
WC:
ReplyDeleteI believe stich here refers to "offering someone a stick" as in incentive; carrot is often referred to as that stick.
AnonT:
ReplyDeleteHave you ever seen the movie, James and the Giant Peach? In that movie there is such a worm as you describe.
Lucina - I have but, IIRC (If I Recall Correctly) the worm in James & Peach wasn't Bait... For what it's worth, I was just trying to fill in for OMK's DR :-)
ReplyDeleteWC - A ROOT is just a stick (part of a tree) underground. At least that's the way I justified it.
Cheers, -T
OK - you both (WC and Lucina) made me look it up because Lucina gave me the impression that the stick and carrot were connected as incentive rather than stick as punishment (boss-man offers both to keep you in-line)... Wiki says it morphed.
ReplyDeleteGrammarist's take.
Cheers, -T
AnonT:
ReplyDeleteIt was the way you described the worm, with monocle, top hat, etc., that reminded me of the movie which I saw with my granddaughter last Saturday, nothing about bait.
And look at the clue "carrot (always) or stick (sometimes). I think it's self explanatory.
I'm tired and going to bed. I'll read you tomorrow.
Anonymous T ~
ReplyDeleteGood on ya!
Thanks for filling in with your BAIT AIRS. A bit of a stretch perhaps, but no wilder than some of my crazier outliers.
W.C. ~
Lucina's on the right heading, but if she's not clear enough, let me spell it out. A stick is likely to be a root on occasion. Not every stick can be a stem, branch, or trunk, now--can it?
~ OMK