"Bird Idioms"
Each of these idioms feature members of our avian friends. The meaning of each idiom is well-defined by its clue. Simple and elegant.
20. Farewell performance: SWAN SONG.
26. Squinter's wrinkles: CROWS FEET.
44. Hidden danger: BOOBY TRAP.
56. Easy-peasy task: DUCK SOUP.
10. Keen-sighted sort: EAGLE EYE.
36. Big fat zero: GOOSE EGG.
Bonus birds in the fill:
12. Seagull kin: TERN.
56. Jackknifed into the pool, say: DOVE. Well, when pronounced differently, it is a bird. Dove is a heteronym: Dove DUV- a bird; DOEV- jumped off.
Across:
1. "The Big Bang Theory" network: CBS. The Corner has a number of fans of this sitcom. Sometimes seen as TBBT in clues and comments.
4. Uncertain: IFFY. I was a little iffy about the theme until I recognized that the theme answers were all idioms, and that tern and dove were just bonus birds.
8. Peek at someone else's test answers, say: CHEAT.
13. River to the Caspian: URAL.
15. Where to find a hero: DELI. I liked this clue / answer, despite it being so evident.
16. Rental document: LEASE.
17. Opera songs for one: SOLI.
18. Part of: IN ON.
19. Ready for action: EAGER. Eager beaver is another animal kingdom idiom.
22. Award-winning sci-fi author __ Ellison: HARLAN. The name is vaguely familiar. This NY Times article provided a little insight.
23. Chess match finale: END GAME. The point where I usually lost or conceded.
24. Summer camp craft: CANOE.
25. Neuter: DESEX.
30. Done with employment: Abbr.: RET.
32. Cathedral recess: APSE.
33. Go off course: YAW. Aviators, sailors and seamen probably use this word more often than the rest of us. Where's Dudley ?
34. Lively Irish dances: JIGS. Irish Miss won't be doing jigs anytime soon given her current foot ailment.
37. "Steppenwolf" writer Hermann: HESSE.
39. Lyre-playing emperor: NERO.
40. "Much __ About Nothing": ADO.
41. Broadway partner of Rodgers: HART. He later partnered with Hammerstein.
42. Reuben bread: RYE.
47. Honey-colored: AMBER.
51. Big rigs: SEMIs.
52. Track's inside track: LANE ONE.
54. Songs of praise: PAEANS.
57. Sports stadium: ARENA.
58. Jellystone Park bear: YOGI.
59. Actor Miller of "Justice League": EZRA. He played "The Flash"
60. Watchful period: VIGIL.
61. Keen: AVID.
62. Sets eyes on: SEES.
63. Lawn-trimming targets: EDGES.
64. Ballpoints: PENS.
65. Banned insecticide: DDT. The CDC's National Biomonitoring Program: Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) Factsheet
Down:
1. Used "colorful" language: CUSSED. Perhaps it is not a sign of a limited vocabulary.
2. "Doctor My Eyes" singer Jackson __: BROWNE.
3. Light lunches: SALADS.
4. Strong suit or weak sauce: IDIOM. This had me going until the perps helped. We have a bevy of idioms today.
5. African desert fox: FENNEC. New to me.
6. Criticize harshly: FLOG.
7. Yang complement: YIN.
8. Purify: CLEANSE.
9. Find out about: HEAR OF. Marvin Gaye used another idiom to tell us how he found out she loved some else.
11. Between ports: ASEA.
14. Won't go away, as an odor: LINGERS.
21. __-Coburg: former Bavarian duchy: SAXE. The dukedom ended in 1918. It began in 1826.
22. Mooring rope: HAWSER. New term for me. Spitzboov and Jinx would know.
24. Foes of robbers: COPS.
27. Many a reggae artist: RASTA. - a member of the Rastafarian religious movement. Rastafarians have distinctive codes of behavior and dress, including the wearing of dreadlocks, the smoking of cannabis, the rejection of Western medicine, and adherence to a diet that excludes pork, shellfish, and milk.
28. Corn serving: EAR.
29. Romantic dinner complement: TWO. Cute clue.
31. "To clarify ... ": THAT IS. "I meant ..."
34. Quick punch: JAB.
35. Swearing-in words: I DO.
38. Drops the ball: ERRS.
39. Formidable opponents: NEMESES.
41. Church books with many notes: HYMNALS.
43. Sudden pull: YANK.
45. Small skullcap: BEANIE.
46. Connect to an outlet: PLUG IN.
48. Drank to excess: BOOZED.
49. Hardened (to): ENURED.
50. Dinner, say: REPAST. late Middle English: from Old French, based on late Latin repascere, from re- (expressing intensive force) + pascere ‘to feed’. The word was more commonly used in the 1800s.
53. Corrosive compounds: ACIDS.
54. Cover with asphalt: PAVE.
55. Like the Mojave: ARID.
58. Chatter: YAP.
EZRA thought he could CHEAT the exam in a jiffy,
ReplyDeleteBut a passing grade in the course looked IFFY.
An AVID VIGIL
Of the lecture schedule
Would have done more to make him look spiffy!
The EAGLE was EAGER to get out and fly.
The nest was a mess, a sore to the EYE!
It needed a CLEANSE,
But that was for hens.
An eagle was intended to soar in the sky!
The SWAN was involved in a murder of CROWS.
Try to exclude her and racism shows.
But to DE-SEX any duty
By ignoring the BOOBY
Was nearly as bad, as any feminist knows!
The Speedboat's Funeral
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The DUCK DOVE into the lake.
The dove ducked out of the wake.
If the duck had ducked
And the dove had dove
The wake would have been a mistake.
{B, A, C, C+.}
Great morning Cornerites and Cornerettes.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lee Taylor for this enjoyable Tuesday CW which I FIR in 37:56 min..
Thank you TTP for your excellent review.
41 D - Church books with many notes: HYMNALS -- gives me a tie to some beautiful music which may ease our grief over the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral. LINK 1, LINK 2.
HYMNALS crosses 54 A - Songs of praise: PAEANS.
" According to the poet Homer, the Greek god Apollo sometimes took the guise of Paean, physician to the gods. The earliest musical paeans were hymns of thanksgiving and praise that were dedicated to Apollo.
They were sung at events ranging from boisterous festivals to public funerals, and were the traditional marching songs of armies heading into battle. Over time, the word became generalized, and it is now used for any kind of tribute."
Ðave
Thanks, Lee, for putting Jackson BROWNE in the grid. And thanks, TTP, for the video!
ReplyDeleteJackson is so damn good as a performer and song writer. He is in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Song Writers Hall of Fame.
"Doctor My Eyes" was his first big hit. For those of you not familiar with him, think of
"Running On Empty" or "Take It Easy"
By the way... One of the most beautiful songs ever, "Linda Paloma". You can YouTube it. The best one is of Jackson singing it live on Letterman.
ReplyDeleteOKL, I really like your Ducking dove and diving duck.
ReplyDeleteI am glad the difficult fill was in the downs because I am not sure I would have gotten FENNEC or HAWSER though the rest was a challenge as well. This is Ms. Taylor's second LAT, her first a Sunday last year. Her debut publication was oddly the holy grail of crossword puzzles, a NYT Sunday. I think this is a Q away from being a pangram, but I have not checked letter by letter.
HARLAN ELLISON was a very interesting and talented writer who influenced , along with ISAAC ASIMOV my appreciation for science fiction.
TTP, great review, thank you Lee.
Good Morning, TTP and friends. Like TTP, I wondered at first what the them was, then all the BIRDS flew out at me. Maybe because all the clues for the birds just let the answers flow from my PEN onto the paper.
ReplyDeleteI did, however, try Cursed before CUSSED, and I hesitated a moment with Feast versus REPAST.
I also learned that songs of praise are not Psalms but PAEANS. Too bad, because it would have been fun to have the Psalms cross with the HYMNALS.
APSE was poignant reminder of the sad events of yesterday's fire at Notre Dame Cathedral.
I liked how much ADO crossed with I DO.
The perps helped with the African Desert Fox and the Mooring Rope. I've already forgotten those words!
A CSO to many here with 30-Across: RET.
QOD: It is human nature to think wisely and act in an absurd fashion. ~ Anatole France (Apr. 16, 1844 ~ Oct. 12, 1924), recipient of the 1921 Nobel Prize in Literature
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteSo BOOBYTRAP refers to a bird? I did not know that. If I'd looked, I think I probably would've gotten the theme. Thanx, Lee and TTP.
END GAME: TTP, you're wiser than I am if you're able to resign in the END GAME. In my case the opponent says "Mate" to an attack I never saw coming.
SEMIS: Folks call 'em BIG RIGS around here.
ENURED: When is is ENURED, and when is it INURED, and does it matter?
PAVE: Streets are supposed to be repaved in our little town this year. The blacktop road out front has patches on top of patches -- more patches than original blacktop. Some streets are still sporting the original '70s pavement. Can you spell "deferred maintenance?"
An image of a bra came to mind after entering BOOBY TRAP.
ReplyDeleteFans of Pittsburgh's professional hockey team, the Penguins, would argue there is another bird in today's puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThey affectionately refer to their hometown team as the PENS.
Doubt me? Google "the Pens". Lol.
FIW, having CUrSED and not catching it at rOLI. Didn't erase anything.
ReplyDeleteHahtoolah, in addition to catching CURsED, I appreciate the QOD. Having spent the last four (or fore) days on the links, I can't understand why so many otherwise intelligent people take up the game of golf.
I wonder if Herman HESSE was Born to be Wild?
TTP, I did know HAWSER, but the term isn't used on small boats. But large vessels such as war ships, ocean liners, ferries and the like use them to dock or tow. A small line is passed first, either tossed or shot from a gun, then the small line is used to haul the HAWSER.
Jerome, I too love Jackson Browne music. And I'm sure Daryl Hannah beat herself up to make him look bad, a la Jussie Smollett.
Thanks to Lee for the fun Tuesday puzzle, and to TTP for the fun review.
Musings
ReplyDelete-A Tuesday puzzle full of fiber!
-I’m off for our first day of golf league on the part of the course that has been made ready for play.
D-O, the BOOBY is a large sea bird seen on the west coast of Mexico and South America. They are most famous because of the many colors of their feet.
ReplyDeleteThe BOOBY TRAP is a small chain of strip clubs founded in Pompano Beach.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteA good puzzle with some bite, today. Filled in NW, then SE, then the remaining diagonal area. Only mistake was 'cursed' instead of CUSSED, giving me roli instead of SOLI. (I only knew 'aria'.). Thanks TTP for explicating the theme.
HAWSER - My recollection is we referred to them as 'mooring lines'. Here are types of lines by usage::
[Mooring lines
Lines (or cables) used to secure a ship at a berth. Mooring lines should be arranged as symmetrically as possible about the midship point of the ship.
- Breast lines – Mooring lines leading ashore as perpendicular as possible to the ship fore and aft line. Breast lines restrain the ship in one direction (off the berth).
Note: Due to collision with shore gantry cranes, breast lines are not used in container terminals.
- Head lines – Mooring lines leading ashore from the fore end or forecastle of a ship, often at an angle of about 45 degrees to the fore and aft line. (also called bow lines)
- Spring lines – Mooring lines leading in a nearly fore and aft direction, the purpose of which is to prevent longitudinal movement (surge) of the ship while in berth. Spring lines restrain the ship in two directions: headsprings prevent forward motion and backsprings aft motion.
- Stern lines – Mooring lines leading ashore from the after end or poop of a ship, often at an angle of about 45 degrees to the fore and aft line.]
BH and I were saddened by the tragedy that befell Notre Dame in Paris. We visited it in 1965.
Loved the bird puzzle. TTP, great post. I caught the birds, but wondered why there were stray ones. Thanks for pointing out that the themes were all idioms. Terrific!
ReplyDeleteJerome, bra was my first thought, too.
Repast is almost always used for a meal after a funeral. I seldom hear it otherwise.
I hear all of them used frequently: big rigs, semis, and track trailers. I prefer semis.
Browne, Harlan and fennec were new to me, but easily perped.
In our hymnals you are more likely to find paeans, among other types, than psalms.
Alan and I like our Reuben sandwiches open faced and broiled. David likes them closed and grilled. Love them either way. You?
I associate YAW with aircrafts, although I know it is used with ships, too.
Hawser is familiar. I got it from the W.
When I was a college freshman we had to wear beanies in the school colors like the ones in these images below, but without the propellers. That is the only kind of beanie I knew of until today. Online I find wool caps like TTP showed us and hardly any of the other kind.
Beanies
Lemonade, I'm familiar with the booby as a seabird. But I had no idea that the term Booby Trap had anything to do with the bird. Maybe it doesn't. Wiki says it derives from the Spanish bobo: "stupid, daft, naïve, simple, fool, idiot, clown, funny man, one who is easily cheated"
ReplyDeleteThe Seine, the Seine, when will I again meet her there, greet her there on the moonlit banks of the Seine?
ReplyDeleteStanding there across the river, mid sound of horn and tram, in all her quiet beauty, the cathedral Notre Dame,
And as we passed beside her, I said a little prayer that when this dream was over, I'd awake and find you there.
Kingston Trio -
YR, after uncle Fred passed we had a repast. Come again?
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was a typical Tuesday solve with a bit of a bite, I.e., Fennec and Ezra, as clued. Whatever I know about the Justice League or Action figures, I learned from TBBT which I stopped watching years ago. I liked the trio of Arid/Avid/Acid(s). The theme was clever and well executed.
Thanks, Lee, for an enjoyable offering and thanks, TTP, for a fact and fun-filled review. You're right, no jigs, Irish or otherwise, for awhile! ☘
Dave @ 5:26 (Insomnia or early riser?) ~ Thank you for linking those hymns, particularly the Andrea Bocelli which was quite moving.
FLN
Spitz, thank you for linking that poignant and miraculous rescue of the Aspin. That is a new breed for me but one I'll never forget.
CED, your New York City misadventures did nothing to diminish your linking talents. I never saw "Finian's Rainbow" and I never knew that song was from the show. That was a beautiful rendition, BTW.
YR, glad the surgery went well and I hope that Alan will regain his excitement and acceptance with his upcoming transition. My foot is still painful but bearable. I'm hoping for some measure of improvement soon. (No Irish jigs, though!)
"Moonstruck" was one of my favorite movies, partly because of the stellar cast and, also, the background music of one of my favorite operas, "La Boheme". And who doesn't like a happy ending? I liked Nicholas Cage in the role he played but I haven't seen him in many other films. From what I read, though, his career hasn't lived up to his potential, for reasons unknown, to me, at least. He, Jim Carrey, and Johnny Depp seem to have gone off the rails, in more ways than one.
Have a great day.
Good Morning.
ReplyDeleteDecided at the last minute to have an Easter Brunch so I am running around like a bunny with my head cut off.
Did both puzzles this morn. Thanks Paul and Lee; Boomer and TTP.
Hope you can hang around a bit more, Wik Wak. Glad you are well and busy.
Be well, everyone. Seems like the world is dealing a few blows right now. Fare the well.
DO, my point, exactly. After funerals we have repasts. This seems to be about the only way repast is used these days.
ReplyDeleteD4, lovely music.
Well, if Yellowstuff says that the word "repast" is used only for meals after then it must be correct. Someone ought to inform the author, Paula Fox, not to used that word. She described a simple meal as a repast in the opening of her novel, "Desperate Characters".
ReplyDeleteWonderful to see all those animals pop up throughout the puzzle while working on it--many thanks, Lee, for a delightful experience. I was a little challenged in the northwest, but that filled in nicely in the end. My bigger problem was not knowing Ellison's name or the HAWSER mooring rope, since I don't do sailing. I took a guess and put in a C, so that became my one failed letter of the morning. Another unknown was FENNEC, but that filled in without a problem. HESSE has been showing up a lot in puzzles lately, as has NERO. Anyway, a pleasure on an otherwise sad and depressing morning overshadowed by that horrific Notre Dame fire. Thank goodness no one was hurt. And many thanks for your helpful commentary, TTP.
ReplyDeleteHi Y'all! Fun & fast puzzle, thank you, Lee! Another great expo, thanks, TTP!
ReplyDeleteI liked the bird theme. But I had to look up what an IDIOM was because I didn't get it from "strong suit or weak sauce". Huh?
I had trouble with the NCentral block: wary before IFFY. Rommel (the only Desert Fox, I knew) before FENNEC. "Criticize harshly" wasn't FLOG in my mind. FLOG is more physical than verbal, methinks. Finally, got the area filled okay with a ten minute + 30 secs. total time.
Hand up for CUrSED before CUSSED.
DNK: HARLAN.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lee Taylor and TTP!
No BOOBYTRAPS were found in this grid and so I breezed through it. I loved the IDIOM clue! It had me baffled for a while then I smiled when the penny dropped.
I didn't look for the flock of birds so thank you again, TTP, for rounding them up.
I know FENNEC only from reading and HAWSER, too. So many words are found mostly in literature and I believe REPAST is also one of those.
PK:
Thank you ever so much for that suggestion yesterday. Mine is the opposite of yours, though, high sugar! I took a reading last night and was shocked to see 222 so I took one of my tablets, glipizide for diabetes, and slept like a baby for eight hours. I have been eating a clementine or two every night not realizing they contain so much sugar.
I'm still in shock from yesterday's fire but I'm heartened that Macron promised to rebuild it.
Dave 4:
Thank you for linking that comforting music, especially Andrea Bocelli.
Have a special day today, everyone!
OwenKL:
ReplyDeleteYour clever verses made me laugh!
If my sleep pattern returns to normal I may be able to get back to the Jumble. I miss it.
DOVE is not a heteronym; it's a solecism. DOVE is a bird. The past tense of DIVE is DIVED.
ReplyDeleteI liked this puzzle. Didn't know FENNEC; took all six perps to fill it. Didn't realize "strong suit" is an idiom. Learning moments. Had the "A" (I knew HAWSER) as the 2nd letter of summer camp craft and had to get at least one perp to determine whether it would be CANOE or KAYAK; COPS clinched it. I knew SAXE-Coburg from watching Victoria on PBS and from reading about her and Albert.
ReplyDeleteIsn't HARLAN Ellison most known for his novel "The Invisible Man"? (By the way, when I saw ______ Ellison I immediately thought of Larry, but of course that is one letter too few.)
Excellent verses today, Owen. Thanks.
The new fence between our house and the neighbor's is looking good and will probably be finished today.
Good wishes to you all.
Jayce, I believe Ralph Ellison wrote The Invisible Man.
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 1311 - - From Merriam: dive verb
ReplyDelete\ ˈdīv \
dived\ ˈdīvd \ or dove\ ˈdōv \; dived also dove; diving
LIU before trying to correct the editor. I think he knows grammar.
D-O, I see why you d not perceive many themes; only the BOOBY was part of the theme, the TRAP is the part of the phrase used to disguise the theme. SWAN SONG has nothing to do with SWANS etc.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, "whether it's a sumptuous feast you're sitting down to or just a simple bite to eat, repast is just another word for 'meal.'" It is a word I have used often, it appears often and it has nothing to do with funerals in my lifetime or my reading. It is in the title of countless books. Life is where you live it.
Sandyanon, you're right. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteLemonade@1:43, you are correct. It is found in reading. It is not used here in speaking. I like your gentle style.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteAnother day, another puzzle with unexpected crunch, at least for a Tuesday.
FENNEC was new to me, what a neat looking little fox.
My hand's up....
Markovers....CURSED/CUSSED......I was so sure, haha.
Have a great day.
PK, FLN re. Tiger and his turtle. I noticed that too. You are aware that Tiger is bigger than CBS and the PGA. Which is the point I guess.
ReplyDeleteSo big that CBS ignored Tony Finau, leading and going for a record tying 63*
I gave up chess when I realized that it didn't mix with beer. Bridge, yes.
Isn't SAXE Coburg where King George I came from? Oops, no. Albert married into it (Victoria ) .
L., I thought that l'ick just ducky too
Time to post, more later
WC
* ok. I had $$ if Tony got his 63
Irish Miss at 9:21 AM, wrote "Dave @ 5:26 (Insomnia or early riser?)"
ReplyDeleteI had never heard the first hymn, "Via Dolorosa," (painful way) until last Sunday when it was played as special music. Parisians will travel a painful way for many years.
To answer your question, yes to all the above. I have not slept well all my adult life. I tool around here in a wheel chair. Between meals, and in the night, I sleep in it.
The daily CW is available at midnight so I work it and have a snack. A show, "Jessie," comes on the Disney channel starting at 2 AM, with more at 2:30, and 3.
It is now 3:30, and by the time I get in bed it is 4. My aide wakes me at 4:50 to help me dress for success.
This is my routine, and why I can post at 5:26. I also read the comments until the last one for the day. Yesterday, 4-15, was closed by OwenKL at 3:20 AM this morning. How many of you have read this pearl of wisdom?
We can see "Moonstruck" on Youtube for the low low price of $2.99.
Ðave
SAXE was a gimme for anyone with a theater background. Not everyone knows that the famed Old Vic Theater in London was originally named the Royal Coburg, in honor of Victoria's intermarriage with the SAXE-Coburg dynasty.
ReplyDeleteUntil Germany was first unified in 1871, under the "Iron Chancellor" Otto von Bismarck, she consisted of many small principalities and duchies, of which Saxe-Coburg was one. (Incidentally, parts of Saxe-Coburg were re-aligned into Saxe-Meiningen under the latter's Duke Bernhard II. This is important to theater history because it was his son, Georg II, who was known as the "Theater Duke"--because he created a famous touring theater company, the Meininger, that was an early pioneer of realism and ensemble performance.)
OK, end of lecture...
A fun pzl today, full of animal IDIOMs. A nice distraction while I waited for my wife to return from the vet with our little Yorkie. He's been exhibiting bouts of shivering lately, and we're worried it might be a neurological problem. He's had spinal surgery before, so we're alert to such signs.
She just came back! The verdict?
Tests show this may be just a temporary muscle problem. He's already getting better. Just keep an eye on him, and don't worry.
Who's a good boy...?!
~ OMK
____________
DR: Three diagonals, on the mirror side.
Today’s anagram (on the center mirror line) tells us what happens when several newspaper editors, hearing of important news breaking in a distant town, each hire a different local freelancer to report the story--to the point at which not a single local writer remains unemployed.
This is known in journalistic circles as a …
“STRINGER SWEEP”!
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Lee and TTP.
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought the theme was going to contain body parts when I saw FEET and EYE. Then I saw the birds (although I missed the Easter EGGs of DOVE and TERN. LOL, Sidney @7:10 re those PENS.
Unknowns filled by perps included BROWNE, HARLAN, HESSE, EZRA. I don't remember seeing FENNECs on my African safari (probably because it was not desert area).
Learning moment about Rodgers and HART. There was no way that Hammerstein was going to fit! HART died in 1943 and Rodgers began to collaborate with Hammerstein.
I fumbled around until the correct spelling for PAEANS appeared. Did those Peons sing PAEANS. I tried to fit Psalter before the HYMNAL opened. Hand up for thinking of Paris with APSE. Another hand up for thinking of Aria (and wondering if the plural is ARII since I had LINGERS) before SOLI.
EAGER seemed a little Emotive for "ready for action". You can be ready but not EAGER IMHO.
I felt the collective wince of all our male readers at 25A!
None of the hats that baby is wearing look like what this Canadian would call a BEANIE. Those are what I would call a toque! Beanies don't have pom-poms! I'm with YR. Even if you Google "small skull cap" definition, the resulting photos look more like Beanies to me (nary a pom-pom). Regional differences I guess.
Enjoy the day.
To avoid cleaning my basement, I looked up some of the questions above. (Repast has been dealt with! We do not have to save it for after the VIGILs!)
ReplyDeleted'o @8:54
You stopped reading Wiki too soon. "The word (bobo) has also been applied to the sea bird genus Sula, with their common name being boobies. These birds, adapted for sea flight and swimming, have large flat feet and wide wingspans, making it difficult for them to run or take flight quickly. As a result, they are considered clumsy and easy to catch when onshore"
d'0 @6:55
Grammarist defines "Inure means to habituate or cause someone or something to become accustomed to or less sensitive to an unpleasant condition through practice or repeated exposure." and "Enure is (1) a legal term meaning to happen, to be applied, to come into effect, to serve as a benefit to a person (2) an older variant of inure."
Daily writing Tips says to reserve Enure for the legal term. Obviously, Rich did not agree.
I balked at NERO playing a lyre. The idiom has him "fiddling" which makes me think of a violin (fiddle). But apparently, there was no such thing as a violin in 1st century Rome. Some think it would have been a lyre or a cithara (a harp-like heavy wooden instrument with four to seven strings). But it may only be a story; some versions have him singing.
Now I note after my previous post that we had AVID today. Synonym for EAGER IMO.
Yes Lemonade, I was looking for a pangram also. I believe you are correct that only the Q is missing.
Glad your surgery went well YR and that you can type.
A wiki of HARLAN Ellison brought me to the saga of the making of"The City on the Edge of Forever". Ironically, it's one of the few 'Treks I've watched .
ReplyDeleteWC
CanadianEh: I've never heard those hats like the baby is wearing anything but "stocking caps". One of my friends is an excellent knitter. Every year she knits a bunch of those stocking caps and hangs them on a special hall tree at Christmas when they have a family reunion. Each of her many relatives get to pick a colorful cap or a knitted band to take home with them. Very popular.
ReplyDeleteLucina: glad to have helped your insomnia. I usually need a midnight snack to sleep by 2 a.m. Amazing that body chemistry can mess up your life. I've had trouble with low blood sugar since 1975, but am seeing some changes. Need to get a new glucometer and chart for awhile.
WC: The media hype for Tiger needs to be regulated. There are some really good players out there that deserve more mention than they get. I didn't like him years ago before his world collapsed and I like him less now. I just don't like spoiled rotten personality types. I like womanizers even less. One analyst said "Tiger's win will revitalize golf." Gee, I thought it was pretty vital during the time he was gone. There was more suspense when you couldn't predict who was going to win. Passing the honors around a bit seems more fun and watchable to me.
ReplyDeletePK, sweetie, there are so many problems with the "facts" in your 423p post that I dont know which one to address first. So I'm just going to let the entire post stand. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, now matter how....oh nevermind.
ReplyDeleteIt's heartening to see French billionaires and millionaires step up to help with the reconstruction of Notre Dame.
ReplyDeleteLooking through one of my albums I found one of myself standing in front of the Cathedral. Now I'll cherish it even more. It is dated 6/8/99.
Fun puzzle, but comments were even better!
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteThank you Lee for a fine Tuesday puzzle that even this bird-brain could suss.
Fun expo TTP - Enjoyed the Jackson Browne and BEANIE babies. Also, I didn't notice the themers in the downs - thanks.
WOs: Hand up w/ CUrSED, Misspelt BEENEE
ESPs: FENNEC, SAXE, HARLAN & HAWSER - H was a WAG; HART, HESSE, EZRA (as clued)
Fav: Learning DUCK SOUP means Easy. I just thought it was a silly name for a Marx Bros movie.
{B+, A, B, B+}
Jinx - Me too at 37a. Steppenwolf [3:11]
D4 - I always read FLN before opening the expo.
OMK - I do not think I will be stumped by SAXE again. Thank you for that story. Good news on the Yorkie [Pop's DW's pet of choice].
C, Eh! - LOL @25a. I've been neuter'd but hardly DeSex'd :-)
Cheers, -T
Anonymous T at 8:01 PM wrote "D4 - I always read FLN before opening the expo."
ReplyDeleteAnon T and I each follow this practice. Do you?
Ðave
Okay, for what it's worth, I'm a big Jeopardy fan, but it's just not as much fun these days, watching while two of the contestants mostly just stand silently by.
ReplyDeletePK@4:15 - Stocking caps is a new term for me😊
ReplyDeleteAnonT - I'm not touching that comment with a ten foot pole😀
D4 - yes I try to read the FLN before opening the expo.
Sandyanon - yes the poor other contestants don't have a chance. I am amazed at his wide- ranging knowledge and the audacity of his wagers. But then he is a professional gambler! I stay tuned to see how much he will win.
I usually just watch for the questions and aren't too concerned with each contestant. When a winner strings together a few wins, I take notice. I usually still don't a lot of attention to him or her. I must admit, however, that when a particular contestant annoys me for any reason, I begin to lose focus and become distracted by them.
ReplyDeleteThe worst for me, is an inflection or voice-sound annoyance. I know it seems pedantic but I admit, somewhat embarrassingly,
I cant help myself.
C, Eh - funny... - Stocking Cap? - It's implied in Night b/f Christmas?
ReplyDeleteOk, we talked about Barney Miller a week or so(?). One I haven't seen b/f Non-Involvement. Classic.
I still love that bass-line in the intro...
Cheers, -T
I do not understand how pedantic formed itself in autocorrect but there it is. I cant even remember what I tried to type.
ReplyDeleteAnonT, shades of the Seinfeld finale, eh? The good samaritan law. I watched that entire episode so I could hear that bass line twice. Thanks
ReplyDeleteSandyanon:
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about watching the other two contestants on Jeopardy! stand by but I'm also intrigued by the freight-train like speed of James and his broad knowledge of almost everything! I want to know each day how much of a fortune he'll amass!