Theme: Heaps of Shapes - the four theme entries contain scrambles of the word "shape":
18A. Penny pincher: CHEAPSKATE
23A. Knot used to take up slack: SHEEPSHANK. I can tie one of these with my eyes closed, it's a common sailing knot. It shakes out when there's no tension on the rope, super-useful for shortening a mooring line. Wikipedia terms it "unstable", I didn't realize knots had personality issues.
50A. Prankster's weapon: PEASHOOTER. I shot my dad in the eye with a peashooter when I was six. I still remember the feeling of absolute dread of the consequences. He was pretty good about it, he only beat me to within two inches of my life. Actually, after he got over the surprise, he just sat me down for a little chat about safe play.
57A Project wrap-up: FINAL PHASE. The first 90% of a project takes 90% of the time. The final 10% takes the other 90%.
... and the reveal giving us a hint of what to look for:
38A. Amorphous sci-fi beings, and a hint to what's hidden in the four other longest answers: SHAPESHIFTERS
For the therianthropiist-followers among us, I recall we had LOUP GAROU a couple of weeks ago, one of the more common shapeshifting tropes.
A straightforward theme, scramble SHAPE and find four theme entries which work. The odd man out is FINAL PHASE, which has two words, the others just one.
A solid effort from Roland, the theme works nicely. The puzzle as a whole felt more like a Tuesday or Wednesday to me, but it sailed along nicely. Let's see what we've got to talk about:
Across:
1. Onetime capital of the Mughal Empire: AGRA. Slightly different slant on the cluing for this staple. Nice.
5. Pop star: IDOL
9. Idea, at times: IMAGE. Mental image.
14. Apparently are: SEEM. Not "is", that would be "seems".
15. Bering Sea port: NOME. I'm intimately acquainted with Dutch Harbor, another Alaska port, despite never having been there. I've watched all the "Deadliest Catch" episodes.
16. Center for Auto Safety co-founder: NADER. "Unsafe at any speed".
17. Part of the supreme Hindu trinity: SIVA. The Destroyer. The Creator and Preserver are Brahma and Vishnu respectively.
20. Trooper's outfit?: ISUZU. Nice clue. Car manufacturer.
22. Moan and groan: GRIPE
26. Garden nuisance: WEED. Jeopardy answer "What is a Boston fan?"
30. Prof.'s helpers: T.A.S
31. Overly: TOO
32. Fill with affection: ENAMOR
34. Relax completely: GO LIMP
37. Like lambs and rams: OVINE. I've got by bovines and ovines down now.
41. Pizzeria allure: AROMA. I can smell the aroma of Blue Mountain coffee brewing. I'm in Jamaica.
42. Refreshers: TONICS. Gin in mine, please. Tonic water was developed to mask the taste of the anti-malarial drug quinine in colonial-era India.
43. Snapper?: CAMERA.
45. Chinese restaurant general: TSO
46. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones music genre: SKA. This will get you up in the morning. I love Ska - the British band "Madness" was another fine purveyor of the genre.
49. One logging on: USER
54. Miniseries based on a Haley novel: ROOTS
56. Sucked (in): LURED
62. Voice quality: TONE
63. Old saw: ADAGE
64. Throw off: EMIT
65. Poetic black: EBON
66. Ins and outs, with "the": ROPES
67. Like yellow bananas: RIPE
68. Slight damage: DENT
Down:
1. Give a hand: ASSIST
2. "Memoirs of a __": Arthur Golden novel: GEISHA
3. Musical shows: REVUES
4. Floor: AMAZE
5. Business mag: INC
6. Self-critical cry: DOH! Homer Simpson's favorite expression.
7. Seamaster watchmaker: OMEGA. Wait for at least one letter to decide between OMEGA and ROLEX.
8. Come to know: LEARN
9. Clouseau's rank, briefly: INSP. The bumbling inspector, wonderfully played by Peter Sellers.
10. Rock the boat: MAKE WAVES
11. Periodontist's org.: A.D.A. I saw mine last week. I love getting my teeth cleaned.
12. Come down with: GET
13. Long starter, once: ERE. Ere long, this will be back in common parlance. At least among us crossword folk.
19. Toll road: PIKE. A shortened version of "turnpike". The tallest mountain in England is Scafell Pike, which towers an astonishing - wait for it - 3,209 feet. You can walk up and down it in a couple of hours. The scenery is beautiful, it's in England's Lake District.
21. Passing muster: UP TO PAR
24. Footprint maker: SOLE
25. Raise on a pole: HOIST
27. Many an oil-rich ruler: EMIR. I tried SHAH first, was wrong.
28. Many ages: EONS
29. Death Row Records co-founder, familiarly: DRE. The good Dr. with his business partners Suge Knight and The D.O.C. The label was a sensation in the 90's, but it didn't end well.
33. "You're way over the line": NOT COOL
34. Tantrum while playing Xbox: GAMER RAGE. I like this new fill. I'd never heard the phrase before, but it didn't take long to figure it out.
35. Old conductance unit: MHO. It's the reciprocal of the ohm, hence the spelling. I like inventive plays on words, especially in the sciences.
36. Ice cream buys: PINTS. I rarely buy a pint of ice cream, I'd just eat it all. I buy those little Haagen-Dazs mini-tubs.
38. Mmes., in Madrid: SRAS. Señoras.
39. House-shaped browser button: HOME
40. School group: FISH. Made me smile. The clue has been used before, but I like these plays on words.
41. Puncture prefix: ACU-
44. Each: A POP
46. Disco light: STROBE
47. Passionate about: KEEN ON. I might be more than keen if I was passionate. I read in an article this week that nowadays if you say "I love you" in Japan, it's viewed as something of a joke. You say "I like you ... a lot" instead.
48. Passionate: ARDENT
51. Upper regions of space: ETHER
52. "Likewise": AS AM I
53. Blabbed about, in a way: OUTED
55. World Cup cheers: OLÉS. There were a few of these at the Barcelona - Manchester United game this week. The Messi-led Barca knocked United out of the Champions League 4-0.
57. Go __: succeed: FAR
58. Rite answer?: I DO
59. Short snooze: NAP
60. Bit of a draft?: SIP, Draft beer. Thursday-clue for a simple word.
61. Côte d'Azur saison: ÉTÉ. I've been to the French Riviera a number of times, always in summer. I have an unpaid ticket for parking on the Cannes promenade. I had no idea what I'd done wrong, so I figured I was being targeted for having GB license plates. I couldn't pay it now even if I wanted to, it's in francs.
And with that confession of crimes past, I think I'm done. I'm off to get some salt fish and callalou for breakfast and some of that delicious coffee. Ya Mon, Respect.
Steve
18A. Penny pincher: CHEAPSKATE
23A. Knot used to take up slack: SHEEPSHANK. I can tie one of these with my eyes closed, it's a common sailing knot. It shakes out when there's no tension on the rope, super-useful for shortening a mooring line. Wikipedia terms it "unstable", I didn't realize knots had personality issues.
50A. Prankster's weapon: PEASHOOTER. I shot my dad in the eye with a peashooter when I was six. I still remember the feeling of absolute dread of the consequences. He was pretty good about it, he only beat me to within two inches of my life. Actually, after he got over the surprise, he just sat me down for a little chat about safe play.
57A Project wrap-up: FINAL PHASE. The first 90% of a project takes 90% of the time. The final 10% takes the other 90%.
... and the reveal giving us a hint of what to look for:
38A. Amorphous sci-fi beings, and a hint to what's hidden in the four other longest answers: SHAPESHIFTERS
For the therianthropiist-followers among us, I recall we had LOUP GAROU a couple of weeks ago, one of the more common shapeshifting tropes.
A straightforward theme, scramble SHAPE and find four theme entries which work. The odd man out is FINAL PHASE, which has two words, the others just one.
A solid effort from Roland, the theme works nicely. The puzzle as a whole felt more like a Tuesday or Wednesday to me, but it sailed along nicely. Let's see what we've got to talk about:
Across:
1. Onetime capital of the Mughal Empire: AGRA. Slightly different slant on the cluing for this staple. Nice.
5. Pop star: IDOL
9. Idea, at times: IMAGE. Mental image.
14. Apparently are: SEEM. Not "is", that would be "seems".
15. Bering Sea port: NOME. I'm intimately acquainted with Dutch Harbor, another Alaska port, despite never having been there. I've watched all the "Deadliest Catch" episodes.
16. Center for Auto Safety co-founder: NADER. "Unsafe at any speed".
17. Part of the supreme Hindu trinity: SIVA. The Destroyer. The Creator and Preserver are Brahma and Vishnu respectively.
20. Trooper's outfit?: ISUZU. Nice clue. Car manufacturer.
22. Moan and groan: GRIPE
26. Garden nuisance: WEED. Jeopardy answer "What is a Boston fan?"
30. Prof.'s helpers: T.A.S
31. Overly: TOO
32. Fill with affection: ENAMOR
34. Relax completely: GO LIMP
37. Like lambs and rams: OVINE. I've got by bovines and ovines down now.
41. Pizzeria allure: AROMA. I can smell the aroma of Blue Mountain coffee brewing. I'm in Jamaica.
42. Refreshers: TONICS. Gin in mine, please. Tonic water was developed to mask the taste of the anti-malarial drug quinine in colonial-era India.
43. Snapper?: CAMERA.
45. Chinese restaurant general: TSO
46. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones music genre: SKA. This will get you up in the morning. I love Ska - the British band "Madness" was another fine purveyor of the genre.
49. One logging on: USER
54. Miniseries based on a Haley novel: ROOTS
56. Sucked (in): LURED
62. Voice quality: TONE
63. Old saw: ADAGE
64. Throw off: EMIT
65. Poetic black: EBON
66. Ins and outs, with "the": ROPES
67. Like yellow bananas: RIPE
68. Slight damage: DENT
Down:
1. Give a hand: ASSIST
2. "Memoirs of a __": Arthur Golden novel: GEISHA
3. Musical shows: REVUES
4. Floor: AMAZE
5. Business mag: INC
6. Self-critical cry: DOH! Homer Simpson's favorite expression.
7. Seamaster watchmaker: OMEGA. Wait for at least one letter to decide between OMEGA and ROLEX.
8. Come to know: LEARN
9. Clouseau's rank, briefly: INSP. The bumbling inspector, wonderfully played by Peter Sellers.
10. Rock the boat: MAKE WAVES
11. Periodontist's org.: A.D.A. I saw mine last week. I love getting my teeth cleaned.
12. Come down with: GET
13. Long starter, once: ERE. Ere long, this will be back in common parlance. At least among us crossword folk.
19. Toll road: PIKE. A shortened version of "turnpike". The tallest mountain in England is Scafell Pike, which towers an astonishing - wait for it - 3,209 feet. You can walk up and down it in a couple of hours. The scenery is beautiful, it's in England's Lake District.
21. Passing muster: UP TO PAR
24. Footprint maker: SOLE
25. Raise on a pole: HOIST
27. Many an oil-rich ruler: EMIR. I tried SHAH first, was wrong.
28. Many ages: EONS
29. Death Row Records co-founder, familiarly: DRE. The good Dr. with his business partners Suge Knight and The D.O.C. The label was a sensation in the 90's, but it didn't end well.
33. "You're way over the line": NOT COOL
34. Tantrum while playing Xbox: GAMER RAGE. I like this new fill. I'd never heard the phrase before, but it didn't take long to figure it out.
35. Old conductance unit: MHO. It's the reciprocal of the ohm, hence the spelling. I like inventive plays on words, especially in the sciences.
36. Ice cream buys: PINTS. I rarely buy a pint of ice cream, I'd just eat it all. I buy those little Haagen-Dazs mini-tubs.
38. Mmes., in Madrid: SRAS. Señoras.
39. House-shaped browser button: HOME
40. School group: FISH. Made me smile. The clue has been used before, but I like these plays on words.
41. Puncture prefix: ACU-
44. Each: A POP
46. Disco light: STROBE
47. Passionate about: KEEN ON. I might be more than keen if I was passionate. I read in an article this week that nowadays if you say "I love you" in Japan, it's viewed as something of a joke. You say "I like you ... a lot" instead.
48. Passionate: ARDENT
51. Upper regions of space: ETHER
52. "Likewise": AS AM I
53. Blabbed about, in a way: OUTED
55. World Cup cheers: OLÉS. There were a few of these at the Barcelona - Manchester United game this week. The Messi-led Barca knocked United out of the Champions League 4-0.
57. Go __: succeed: FAR
58. Rite answer?: I DO
59. Short snooze: NAP
60. Bit of a draft?: SIP, Draft beer. Thursday-clue for a simple word.
61. Côte d'Azur saison: ÉTÉ. I've been to the French Riviera a number of times, always in summer. I have an unpaid ticket for parking on the Cannes promenade. I had no idea what I'd done wrong, so I figured I was being targeted for having GB license plates. I couldn't pay it now even if I wanted to, it's in francs.
And with that confession of crimes past, I think I'm done. I'm off to get some salt fish and callalou for breakfast and some of that delicious coffee. Ya Mon, Respect.
Steve
48 comments:
FIRight. No problem with the puzzle, but the first two themers were so close in sound that I thought surely that was the gimmick. That slowed me down on the last two. Even after completing the puzzle and reading the reveal (and not noticing the "hidden in") I still labored trying to figure out how those last two morphed into each other! Only after re-re-reading the reveal did I finally get it.
The EMIR was a CHEAP-SKATE of his tribe.
He wouldn't even pay a decent bribe.
Instead he had a TONIC
For a cleanse, colonic,
That he would offer for his victim to imbibe!
As a Boy Scout I LEARNED to tie a SHEEP-SHANK.
It was supposed to help me get a higher rank.
Instead my knots were Gordian,
They folded like accordions
And my ROPES would be unraveled with a yank!
StarFleet wanted a PEA-SHOOTER to AMAZE.
A sidearm that would beam atomic rays!
They had in mind an IMAGE
Of an ender to a scrimmage,
They weren't fazed by the Phasor's FINAL PHASE!
A skin-walker is a SHAPE-SHIFTING shaman.
A loup-garou, or werewolf to a layman.
Stalked an Indian with a Ranger,
Didn't realize his danger.
"That silver bullet, Kemo-sabe, saved our bacon!"
{A-, B+, B+, A-.}
We have not had a scrambled word theme in a long while. As Steve said this puzzle succumbed without much fight. I prefer the spelling SHIVA but as transliterations go that is an easy one. GAMER RAGE was new but inferrable and the only rabbit hole today, was Steve's reference to CALLOU. I am glad he got that food reference since the puzzle had none.
I wonder how long we will get ISUZU in puzzles now that it is more than 10 years since they gave up on the American market. They are very popular in Thailand.
Thanks, Steve and Roland - enjoy the coffee.
"Heaps of" a Great morning!
Thank you Roland Huget for this crunchy Thursday CW It took me 71:42 min to FIR..
Thank you Steve for your excellent review.
I solved 23 A first, and then 18 A above it.
I am not a sailor so am unfamiliar with knots. I was interested in why 23 A was named SHEEPSHANK. -- "1670s, 'leg of a sheep,' from sheep + shank (n.). A type of something lank, slender, or weak." - Ety.
Wiki talks about related knots, catshank, and dogshank, but they are not in Ety.
Ðave
I loved this puzzle so much that I jumped for joy. Really, I went APESHit over it.
Good morning!
Stormy Thursday, so d-o slept late. I enjoyed the puzzle, though only sensing, not getting, the theme. Totally missed the reveal, if there was one. DOH! AS__I, waited for the perps to decide if it'd be AM or DO. GAMER RAGE is a new one for me. Thanx, Roland. Steve, put down that rum. I can't believe you wrote, "I love getting my teeth cleaned." Absolutely masochistic.
PEASHOOTER: As a wee lad, cousin Nate and I espied a new pile of sand near my house. Out came our trusty peashooters and bags of "ammo." A couple of days later our neighbor Frances came to drag my mother up to see her newly plastered walls...which were suddenly sprouting little plants. "Why, Frances, those look like peas. Tom!" As it turned out, it was just the base coat. Not so dire as it could've been.
I got up earlier than usual today, with all the thunderstorms it made it hard to stay a-bed!
Somewhere in the recesses of the brain SHEEPSHANK was lurking - probably from Girl Scout days when I had to learn several knots! I remember the pictures didn't make it easy to figure out how to make them I did better when someone demonstrated. These days kids probably watch a You Tube video to figure it out!
I'm with Lemonade on SHIVA over SIVA - but with IVA already filled in it made more sense to add the S than the H!
Fun story D-O
Thanks Steve and Roland!
FIR, but erased emo for SKA, shoe for SOLE, and ditto for AS AM I. Much easier than yesterday, IMO.
My family had three Corvairs. My first car was a red one with a white convertible top. It kept catching on fire, but I would jump out, open the "trunk" and smother it out. It would backfire through the carburetor causing the fire. I think a previous owner made a modification that caused the problem.
My "good" watch is a Tag Heuer.
The final phase of every properly-managed project is closeout. Too often skipped to the detriment of the organization. In closeout, project documents are indexed, organized and archived, the project is closed in accounting, final lessons learned are collected, remaining resources are returned / released, and a final report is issued to executive management.
Thanks to Roland for the fine Thursday puzzle. My favorite was "school group" for FISH. Steve says we've seen it before, but (not surprisingly) I don't remember it. And thanks to Steve for the fun tour. I never used a sheepshank in my sailing life, but like OKL I learned it in Boy Scouts. We used to coil up the leftover dock lines in an artistic circle on the dock.
Two FISHy haikus today:
Haiku #2:
In Colorado,
Mackerel have squinty eyes.
I call this “PIKE’s Peek”
The penny pincher
Wanted scallops for dinner,
But opts for CHEAP SKATE
Owen, your third limerick was a winner
Jerome - very clever
Hola!
Many thanks to Roland Huget who apparently has not bought ice cream lately and to Steve, the world traveler. You AMAZE me, Steve, blogging from those distances. But if you like having your teeth cleaned, words fail me! I like that feeling afterwards, yes, but not during the process.
I liked seeing AGRA clued differently and loved FISH, school group! SOLE, PIKE and SKATE fit this clue.
I know nothing about knots but have encountered them in reading so SHEEPSHANK emerged without a problem. Then ROPES at the bottom tied it nicely.
That is an interesting factoid about TONICS.
The theme escaped me, of course, so again, thanks to Steve for unraveling the SHAPE.
I hope everyone is well today!
Finished this one a little faster than most Thursday puzzles. I liked school group=fish, even though it was used before. Good new word today, theriantrhropist. Thanks, Roland and Steve for a fun diversion this morning. Roland reminds me of Rowland. CSO to Misty.
After the reveal I was looking for names for shapes. DOH. Then I realized that the word SHAPE was scrambled.
LIU. There are many theories about what skate means in cheapskate. OED lists 'skate' as a slang term for 'a mean or contemptible person' This sounds like the most likely one.
A cheapskate has short arms and long pockets.
Rite answer isn't AMEN.
I remember my son studying knots in Boy Scouts, so sheep shank took only two perps.
ROCK THE BOAT and MAKE WAVES reminded me of trolls and politicians. Any fool can rock the boat and make waves. A competent boatman can right the boat and propel it forward.
.
Good morning everyone.
A nice clean solve. But it was entertaining with the clever, often misleading clues. Supporting perps crossing some 'iffy' fill were well placed so as to be helpful after some thought. Favorite clue was for FISH.
Would the leg of lamb that saved the starving waif be called a 'SHEEP SHANK redemption'?
HOME - Our auto dashboard control center screen also displays the house symbol; to get one back to the main screen after rooting around down several rabbit holes to change a setting that you thought you knew how to do easily.
Have a great day.
Terrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Roland and Steve (enjoy your holiday).
I had a slow start this morning but then the Down clues started to fill and I was on a roll. I finished with only one inkblot and GoT (not as in "came down with") the shifted SHAPES.
Hand up for wanting Ditto before AS AM I.
I learned Ohm, MHO and Moh here.
DH gave me SHEEP SHANK. I know nothing about tying knots.
My inkblot was Nip (Bit of a draft could be Nippy weather or some drinkers might say nip instead of SIP); PHASE corrected that.
My first thought for "Like lambs and rams" was Rhyming but it wouldn't fit.
Did anyone think of Timbre for "Voice quality"? Or Passing Snuff before UP TO PAR?
Cute misdirections with Snapper?=CAMERA and Floor=AMAZE.
We had EL CHEAPO the other day. CHEAPSKATES today.
We have no TurnPIKES in Canada and very few toll roads (4). (Don't ask about the taxes in our gas!) Only one short section in Nova Scotia (Cobequid Pass) of the Trans Canada Highway has a toll. Of course, it will cost you for the ferries at either end of the country (for Vancouver Island and Newfoundland)!
Fun lyrics, Owen and Haiku Harry.
Loved your final ADAGE, YR.
Wishing you all a great day.
Sheepshank. Interesting word. The first letter and last four combined spell shank. The first two letters and last three spell shank.
Musings
-Our school district got LURED into going from self-contained classrooms to an “open concept” idea. It took five years to change back.
-One word and ten different TONES (1:00)
-I started at my second school when I was 58 years old with 36 years of experience. My “mentor” that was to show me the ROPES was 25. He thanked me for my help
-I get my haircut at my friend’s shop he named Backstage REVUE and I know for a fact he can’t sing a note
-Steve Martin as Clouseau? Yuk! Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 22%.
-Making waves is NOT a good advancement strategy at any job. “Sit down and don’t rock the boat!”
-When you UNHOIST your flag, you must furl it
-I wonder what’s on your HOME screen
-I know you will go FAR, I just hope you go SOON! :-)
Husker, Despite Rotten Tomatoes rating, I will try to hunt that version down since I love Steve Martin. Have you seen it?
Good Morning:
I found this an easier than usual Thursday but I needed perps for: Agra, Siva, Isuzu, Sheepshank, and Dre. Echoing Jinx, I had Shoe/Sole and EMO/SKA. I also had INK before INC, why I'll never know. I didn't see the theme until the reveal and that's fine by me. I, too, think of Misty when I see Roland's byline.
Thanks, Roland, for an enjoyable solve and thanks, Steve, for keeping us informed and entertained, even though you're on vacation. Have fun in the sun and watch the Rum!
FLN
Lucina, you're correct, I don't drive that much and when I do, my destinations are just a few miles away. I don't drive on any of the multi-lane highways because I'm too nervous. (The older I get, the more skittish I get.)
Melissa, that's wonderful news about your brother. You must be on Cloud 9, with a new grandchild coming, to boot.
YR, I'm so glad your surgery recovery is going so well. I hope all goes well with Alan's upcoming transition.
Misty, I hope your tooth issue is resolved and that your class went off without any glitches.
Keith, Louie sounds like a Ham extraordinaire! How apropos for a retired Drama professor! I hope his good health continues.
Have a great day.
Good Morning.
Thanks, Roland, for another fine puzzle. I, too, favored the clue for FISH. This old teacher couldn't get out of the classroom. DOH! Thanks, Steve, for the commentary. I enjoyed learning what a SHEEP SHANK knot looked like. It seems pretty useful. I'd like to used it for overly long extension cords, but I believe once is not supposed to tie wires in that way.
Thanks also for yesterday, Jeff and Melissa. I enjoyed reading yesterday's blog this morning.
Off to gather what I need to set the table for Easter. Making my own sunshine today. Looks like I may not be alone in that.
Adios, SRA Defarge
Thank you Roland and thank you Steve.
I was really groggy earlier this morning when I solved it. Not my fastest solve by a long shot, but I put another notch in the belt.
Spitzboov, I laughed out loud at your leg of lamb / sheep shank redemption quip.
Senora, aka Madame, Defarge hit the nail on the head. Any sunshine here today will have to come from within.
Starting with the Acrosses, I thought this was going to be
a very tough puzzle. But by adding a few downs, crosschecking,
and perpage filled the blanks. The only thing I marked as a possible WAG
was the crossing of Inc & Nome...
I did get very excited about "The Sheepshank."
Thought it would be great camping to take up extra
rope without cutting it. However, I always look at at least 3
YouTube videos on HowTo, & discovered it can also be used
as a pulley!
Toll=Pike?
Around here, (New Jersey) famous for The Turnpike,
we have little known streets/Avenues/Thrufares, that
are named "Shunpike." For the obvious reason of being pissed off
at having to pay a toll...
As for the theme? Meh...
I mean, it's a good puzzle theme,
it just hits too close too home...
Neat Thursday puzzle, Roland--many thanks. Lots of fun clues--my favorite was Snapper for CAMERA, and like others, I also liked FISH for School group, and GO LIMP for Relax completely. Nice to see NADER in the puzzle--I heard him give a great lecture once in his day. Delightful commentary, Steve, and always fun to learn what part of the world it comes from.
Liked your poems, Owen, and your haikus, Haiku Harry.
Yellowrocks and Irish Miss, how kind of you to remember my sweet Rowland. He is smiling, I'm sure.
And thank you all for the kind words about my dental problem yesterday, Lucina, AnonT, CanadianEh, Yellowrocks and Irish Miss. I actually miraculously had no pain or toothache because the nerve was not affected, thank goodness. But I will need a new crown and a possible root canal, though I really hope not. So a two hour visit in two weeks and then a final one in another two weeks. Meanwhile I have to remember not to chew on that side of my mouth. I was lucky that the dental visit was relatively quick, and I had a great Senior Center class on 'Finnegans Wake' afterwards.
Have a great day, everybody.
Fun puzzle, just the right challenge level for a Thursday. And no circles in the grid! This would be a prime candidate for the dreaded circles.
I liked this puzzle ... a lot. And very much enjoyed your write-up, too, Steve.
Let me start by asking, you, Misty, to please seek a second opinion about the need for a root canal job, especially since, as you say, the nerve was not affected. Many many dentists perform, and charge for, unnecessary procedures, and unnecessary root canal jobs are the most commonly abused. I beg you to read this article in The Atlantic magazine:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/05/the-trouble-with-dentistry/586039/
A root canal is only necessary to treat an infection of the tooth's pulp, and can be diagnosed by observing the tell-tale "apricot" outline in an x-ray. Most other infections (if you have one at all) are usually treated with a course of antibiotics, Keflex being the most commonly used one.
Misty, I am not a dentist and you certainly are free to ignore my advice, of course. I just wanted to offer it anyway.I would hate to have you suffer through, and pay for, an unnecessary root canal procedure. A crown, sure, since the tooth was broken.
I'll post more later. Right now I'm reading the full Mueller report.
Good wishes to you all.
Correction:
Antibiotics of the penicillin class, such as penicillin and amoxicillin, are most commonly used to help treat tooth infections.
Ta ~ DA!
A cleverly clued pzl from Mr. Huget! It took some thought, mainly to get beyond my first impulsive fills.
The only real hangup was MHO. I'm familiar with "ohm," but not this reversal.
Electricians playing cute, eh Jayce?
Misty ~
I wish you the best and hope all goes well with your dental issues. I have had a couple of root canals, and neither was particularly painful. They get a bad rap because they used to hurt so much. But painkillers have improved greatly in recent years, and dentists compete for business by becoming more and more "painless."
I think the public is just slow to give up on complaining.
~ OMK
____________
DR: Third day in a row for a 3-way. Again on the mirror side.
Well, anagram fans, we're in for a lurid one today!
The main mirror's diagonal yields the result of a sloppy drunk's behavior.
It is a remark on the condition of m'Lady's undergarment, one that she has stained by the spill of a quantity of anise-flavored Greek liqueur. I refer, of course, to her ...
"OUZO PANTIHOSE"!
Good Afternoon, Steve and friends. I like this type of puzzle. Getting the SHAPE SHIFTERS helped with some of the other theme answers.
School Group = FISH was my favorite clue.
I read Memoirs of a GEISHA several years ago. It was a wonderful book.
I get ACUpuncture for my back. It really helps.
It's the quinine in the Tonic water that has the anti-malaria properties.
QOD: You cannot add more minutes to the day, but you can utilize each one to the fullest. ~ Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Apr. 18, 1902 ~ June 12, 1994), Russian-born Lubavitcher Rebbe
Thanks to Roland for a crunchy puzzle and to Steve for his interesting explanation. I was able to get the Shape Shifter theme ok. But like most I had to go back and forth with perps to get some of the answers.
The Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky has a ride named after the Loup Garou. However, they call it a Rou Garou.
Spellings of Loup Garou
Cedar Point floorless coaster named Rougarou
View from back seat ride on coaster. Not for the queasy.
Live Well and Prosper,
VS
Came to this nice Thursday puzzle late and got the solve with no issues.
No markovers today.
Picked up my BD cake today for my BD tomorrow...but no early bites, bought a couple of Lady Baltimore cupcakes to tide me over.
And on to Friday.
Notice that Hahtoolah's quote is from Rebbe Schneerson, aka The Rebbe, whom I mentioned several weeks ago. He is considered one of the most influential Jewish leaders of the 20th century.
We are deep into the paperwork for Alan's move. Very extensive. Due to his break down on Monday, I am advised to keep him with me at all times. Alan will have to go to Holy Week services because I am on Altar Guild duty. He will have go to our square dance graduation ceremony, because it is too complicated for me to hand off this responsibility. Extra stress for both of us. Probably this phase will not last too long. At the group home the residents are always with a staff member and, as Mom would say, "It will all come out in the wash."
We sorted more clothing today. Bringing Alan home almost every weekend, we can pick up anything we neglect now.
At the last minute he needs a cervical spine MRI so he can have a cortisone injection before he leaves. We missed the eye exam when he had the break down on Monday. The group home will have to make that up.
We are taking Arthur out for pizza. He is so nice to Alan and they consider themselves friends. Alan is treating us for Arthur's birthday.
The history of the Siemens, ohm and mho is very convoluted.
The mho measures the conductance, which is 1/resistance
SI frowns on using the mho, but electrical classes when I was in college in the late 60s used it. Even more clever the symbol for ohm is Greek omega and for the mho it is an inverted omega.
Siemens vs mho
I prefer the mho myself. It is such an amusing concept.
VS
Steve, entertaining write-up. I think your xword acumen has inrased not that difficulty has decreased. I'm actually speaking for myself.
The Boston fandom's greatest moment came as the clock was expiring as Philly wrapped up a hard faught 7 game series vs Celtics and the crowd chanted “Beat LA, Beat LA!”*
Steve, thanks for reminding me that I need a trip to the dentist
Jinx, no, final step: Distribution of stock options. Or… Distribution of blame according to pre-arranged blame list.
C-eh, did you know there's a ferry to Ontario from USA? And VV
HG, cool DUDE
Just think, PIKEs originally were originally supposed to expire after the road was paid for. Yuk,yuk
Misty, glad the tooth and talk went well
Haiku Harry and Owen; thanks for the fun
WC
* re. Boston fans. Your mileage may vary. BTW, Bob Kraft got a big cheer from the TD Garden crowd the other night ; look for extended standing O at Gillette
WC
Ol' Man Keith, re Mho, yes it is mostly a silly name game. Per Wikipedia (and my own knowledge and experience), "A name that is used as an alternative to the siemens is the mho, the reciprocal of one ohm. It is derived from spelling ohm backwards and is written as an upside-down capital Greek letter omega: ℧. According to lore the term mho was suggested by Sir William Thomson (Lord Kelvin)." Well, Lord Kelvin is very famous, especially for his temperature scale, but he did some really harmful stuff to the electronics, physics, and mathematics of his time. Case in point, he, along with a guy names Oliver Heaviside, reduced 12 of Maxwell's original equations down to 4 equations, which, although nicely "summarizing" or "encapsulating" Maxwell's theories, left some important stuff out that, IMO, should have been left in, if for no other reason than completeness. On the other hand, Heaviside did some excellent seminal work that led to, among other things, the discovery of the Lorentz–FitzGerald contraction which is a core of Einstein's work in relativity.
Yeah, TMI, I know. I seem to be unusually opinionated today.
Regards!
Misty, I too have fond memories of how much love you felt for your Rowland. They come to the fore every time Mr. Huget has a puzzle here. My father always told me the best thing he would leave us were the memories.
Perhaps they got their start as a way to tether a sheep in a short radius circle with a long piece of rope, without cutting the latter. Like a tautline hitch, tension is needed for a sheepshank to hold, but the former can be adjusted on-the-fly to the length needed. A smart sheep could probably defeat a sheepshank by walking toward whatever it's tied to and then pawing open the loosened half knots holding the folded loops together. But all he would gain would be the full length of the rope, allowing him to get that much closer to the wolf the shepherd is presumably trying to protect him from. Such a "clever" sheep might quickly find himself on the short list for a Darwin Award!
Spitzboov, I believe the SHEEPSHANK may have been invented just to prevent the wolf from making a meal of the LAMBSSHANK.
Intriguing. The last 4 letters are "hank", as in a hank of wool used to shorten it to a manageable length. And the logical limb to tie it to would be one of the sheep's hind legs, or "shank". Surely the sheep would tug at this tether, causing it to tighten, and thus remain "stable" and keeping close by the shepherd and safe from becoming the wolf's "lambs supper".
Tony Hillerman, one of my favorite authors, won two awards for his novel “Skinwalkers”.
Reading his books always make me want to move back to NewMexico.
Many thanks, Wilbur, Ol'Man Keith, and Jayce, for your encouragement and helpful comments about my tooth problem.
Lemonade, how nice of your to commend my memories of Rowland--I appreciate that.
Hi Y'all! Thanks, Roland, for the fun challenge. Thanks, Steve, for sharing your vacation time with us.
Got the theme okay and found the SHIFTEd SHAPES. I also thought of Hillerman's books.
42a Refreshers = TONICS (ESP)? I could GRIPE about this and I wasn't too KEEN ON 34a GO LIMP but eventually filled them in. GAMER RAGE was NOT COOL either. SEEMs like a lot of people are mishandling a lot of RAGE about a lot of things these days.
AGRA: LIU to start. Never heard of Mughal Empire.
I'm reading Dana Stabenow's "Silk (Road) & Song" series about traders of the 13th & 14th centuries between China, Middle East & Europe. Fascinating. Don't know how historically accurate it is, but nice change from murder mysteries I had been reading.
Virginia Sycamore,
Tx 4 the Rougarou video,
Awesome Coaster, but I was a little unnerved
by how they crowded it...
(4 in a row, Yikes! it's like the Subway...)
I prefer a little more privacy.
I think they have hand brakes ( for weenies)
but it lets you tailgate the less adventurous and give them
a push you can't do on the HIghway...
Actually,
it made me look for NO BRAKES!
Here is a Cross Eyed View
of Insanity...
Oy, I need, (what is that anti throw up stuff?)
Misc.
~ Is there a funnier writer in the world than Dave Barry? I don't think so. I got his newest book about family dogs. I started it while sitting at the kitchen table keeping company with Barbara. Somewhere during the first five pages I had to get a Kleenex to wipe my eyes because of tears from laughing. I don't normally laugh out loud while watching TV or reading but Dave Barry is the exception.
~ I like ice cream. I like Haagen Dazs ice cream. Rum Raisin, Swiss Almond, Vanilla Bean and so on. Lovely stuff. But have you looked at their 'pint' containers? Everybody else's has the usual 16 fl. oz. If you look at the fine print on the lid, Haagen Dazs has 14 fl. oz. The containers are disguised to look the same as pints. Seems dishonest to me. I'm almost irritated enough to swear off.
CED@8:27 - that Alpine Coaster ride was breathtaking. Very fast and curvy but no loops, so maybe no Gravol needed. You certainly can't beat the view, if you can keep your eyes open LOL!
WC@3:28 - yes, there are apparently 4 ferries from Ontario to USA. I have taken the ferry to Wolf Island and Pelee Island from the Ontario side but never continued to USA (New York and Ohio respectively. The other two ferries dock in Marine City and Algonac, Michigan.
OntarioBorderCrossings
BillG@8:50 - I think a lot of companies have done that sneaky downsizing over the last few years. Keep the price the same but decrease the package size (and hope the customer doesn't notice). Pretty soon those Halloween chocolate bars will be smaller than a Hershey's kiss LOL!
Speaking of ShapeShifters,
Keep your Knickers up for this one...
Hi All!
Like Jinx, I found today's puzzle easier than yesterday's. Thanks Roland for the grid - very smooth and very fun. Thanks Steve for the expo (knot's stability == personality problems; priceless :-)) and The Mighty Mighty BossTONEs - your pic, The Impression that I GET is my fav on Let's Face It (I think I'll pump that album through my WinAmp tomorrow).
WO: Ale b/f SIP
ESPs: AGRA, SIVA
Fav: clue: Rite Answer? == I DO --- you bet it is! :-)
Sparkle - Just read what Spitz (@9:04) & Lucina (@8:13) said (Lucina - C, Eh! pointed out Snapper (clue) in the School)
I kinda feel I cheated a bit - I knew SHEEP SHANK sans perpage. #BSA
{gross :-), A+, A, A+}
haikuH - I liked your second best.
Funny, Jerome @6:45a
Awesome DR today OMK!
HG - Home Screen (on my iPhone) is the Big Blue Marble.
Jayce - Maxwell tied electricity and magnetism together; Einstein mass and energy. I know you know that -- just summing it up for the English Majors :-)
John E. I too love Steve Martin, but after Peter Sellers - no. I saw a part of it and the gags felt forced (and you could see them a mile away).
So, with Dynasties in the puzzle this week and PK bringing up her read...
Tonight, Youngest told me she got +10 Bonus in AP History for naming/singing them. LEARN'd from this YouTube video.
Cheers, -T
This is for VirginiaSycamore at 3:17 PM
Mho, mho, mho your Volt gently down the main.
Wearily, wearily, wearily, wearily Ohms will cause a drain.
Ðave
D4, VS, & Jayce:
down the drain... to Ground.
Finished it for you D4 :-)
Cheers, -T
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