Theme: Vowel Movement - Each theme entry start with P? LL.
17. Coffin carrier: PALLBEARER.
31. College student's federal subsidy: PELL GRANT.
38. Prescription meds scheduling aid: PILL ORGANIZER.
43. One sampling opinions: POLL TAKER.
60. One whose batted balls rarely go to the opposite field, in baseball lingo: PULL HITTER.
Boomer here.
Well,
I thought I had picked the winner of the Kentucky Derby but luckily I
was too cheap to bet. The Derby is billed as the most exciting two
minutes in sports. I always thought that was Justin Morneau hitting a
triple. Speaking of winners, how about James Holzhauer, who has pocketed
over 1.6 million $$ on Jeopardy. I cannot believe how much he knows.
I'll bet he could finish a Saturday crossword in less than 5 minutes.
Across:
1. Meh: BLAH. I did the Simon and Garfunkel thing from "Bookends" last week
5. Crude, as behavior: CRASS. Clumsy riding donkey ??
10. Journey: TRIP. The light fantastic
14. "I wish __ told me": YOU'D. "I told you SO".
15. Trash bag brand: HEFTY.
16. Oxen connector: YOKE. These things come in eggs too.
19. Writer of verse: POET. He's a poet but he don't know it, but his feet show it. They're Longfellows.
20. Words before time or clip: AT A.
21. MIT Chapel designer Saarinen: EERO.
22. Sewn dress edge: HEM. and Haw.
23. Chinese toy dog: SHIH TZU. I know a lady who has one. Be careful how you pronounce it.
25. Blood-typing letters: ABO.
27. Sales team member: REP.
30. Alien-seeking gp.: SETI.
34. Carry with effort: LUG. These are nuts that hold tires in place. I am not sure how they got the name but you need a lug wrench to remove them.
37. Stirs up trouble: AGITATES.
Trouble in River City. But professor Harold Hill's on hand and River
City's going to have a boys band, and that band's gonna be in uniform.
41. Column base: PEDESTAL.
42. Prefix with graphic or centric: GEO.
Geo was a relatively unpopular car made by General Motors about 30
years ago. No, I never had one. I don't think three bowling balls and a
set of golf clubs would have fit in it.
45. Early color TVs: RCAS.
When they hit the market my family could not afford one. I did not mind
though, because I had a few friends who had one in their home, and the
picture was terribly fuzzy.
49. Cold-sounding product prefix: SNO.
Add a "W" and you have six months of Minnesota weather. Add an "A"
between the S and N and you have a third baseman in the Twins minor
league system who they think is getting ready for the "Show". (That's
what Crash Davis calls it.)
 |
| Miguel Sanó |
50. Summer in Paris: ETE.
51. Veteran sailor: OLD SALT.
54. TiVo predecessor: VCR. Video Cassette Recorder. I still have many cassettes, but no player any more.
56. Baseball family name: ALOU. Felipe, Matty, and Jesus. Skip to Alou.
57. Progressive insurance spokeswoman: FLO. Has now become a maid.
58. "Piano Man" Billy: JOEL. "What else could I do ? I'm so inspired by you, That hasn't happened for the longest time."
63. Opposite of baja: ALTA. We have three businesses in Minneapolis with the name Alta. Planning and Design, Tube fabrication, and Technologies.
64. Where to find Delhi sandwiches: INDIA. I get it -- Ha Ha.
65. Pay to a worker: WAGE. Some words are interesting. You earn wages, countries WAGE war or you might go to Churchill Downs and place a wager.
66. Dog : woof :: cat : __: MEOW.
67. State sch. near Hartford: UCONN. Famous for Women's Basketball.
68. Singles: ONES.
Down:
1. Road that avoids town traffic: BYPASS. Minnesota claims they are working on the roads. But maybe it's just a rumor so they can increase gasoline tax.
2. Hate: LOATHE.
3. Literally, "with milk," as café: AU LAIT. I think they sing this on a British golf course but I don't think they spell it this way.
4. Good cholesterol, briefly: HDL.
5. __ Whiz: processed spread: CHEEZ. A Kraft product. I like Cheese but I do not like this stuff.
6. Rise defensively on two legs, as a horse: REAR UP.
I did not see any of this at Churchill Downs on Saturday. No, I was not
there, just watched TV for about three hours waiting for "My Old
Kentucky Home". (Makes me think of Fort Campbell, KY.)
7. Picked hairdo: AFRO. There is a pro bowler named Kyle Troup who has an outrageous Afro. (And quite a closet full of funny looking bowling outfits. Like father - Guppy - like son)
8. Sault __ Marie: STE.
9. Damascus is its cap.: SYR.
10. Key in: TYPE. When you "Key in" something into your computer, do they still call it typing??
11. Hotel cost per night: ROOM RATE. Just say Bodda Book, Bodda Boom. (I still hate that commercial.
12. '50s White House nickname: IKE.
I was born during the Truman administration but Ike is the first prez
that I remember. I also remember a comedian in 1960 saying about the
campaign that this was the first time in 8 years that we had a chance to
vote for a president with hair.
13. Adopted cat, e.g.: PET.
18. Raise or call, say: BET. Hope you did not put too much on Maximum Security.
22. Stymie, in a porcine way: HOGTIE.
24. Early Jewish scholar: HILLEL.
25. Pond organism: ALGA. I have never seen a single algae.
26. Flashy jewelry: BLING. Churchill Downs saw many flashy dresses and hats on the ladies. I'll bet there was a bit of bling also.
28. U.S. dept. with a bolt on its seal: ENER.
29. TD's six: PTS.
32. Sharp-eyed bird: EAGLE. Two under par on one hole!
33. Sideburns trimmers: RAZORS. To look sharp, and feel sharp too.
35. Coat named for an Irish province: ULSTER.
36. Was able to reach: GOT AT. High up on the apple tree, I couldn't hardly reach it.
38. Lowly worker: PEON.
39. "My pleasure!": I'D LOVE TO.
40. Tool with teeth: RAKE. Time to get these out of the garage this week.
41. Second afterthought, in a ltr.: PPS.
44. Arrive, as fog: ROLLIN. Reminded me of Rich Rollins, 3rd Baseman for the Twins, about 50 years ago.
46. Lounging robe: CAFTAN.
47. Assert sans proof: ALLEGE.
48. Target and Walmart: STORES.
52. Lindsay of "Freaky Friday": LOHAN.
53. MADD concern: DUI.
I never have done this because I cannot afford the penalty. I read
outrageous stuff in the newspaper almost daily. Last week it was a
woman with her 10 and one year old kids in the car.
55. Curved hammer part: CLAW.
56. Designer Gucci: ALDO.
58. Fruity toast topper: JAM. Too much sugar.
59. Fútbol cheer: OLE. And British Golf.
60. More, musically: PIU.
61. Auntie's hubby: UNC. A lot of three letter abbreviations in this puzzle, Don'tcha think? 24.
62. Not quite a crowd?: TWO.
Boomer
A perfect introductory puzzle from brock to get people in the solving mood. Add a nice shout out to my Alma Mater UCONN and a picture of famed architect EERO and a dose of Boomer's stream of consciousness humor, and I am ready for the day and the week. Thanks to the B boys - Boomer and brock.
ReplyDeleteFIR in 24:57 min. Last letter was the "G" at 65 A and 47 D.
ReplyDeleteIt's finally Monday. Happiness to each of you.
Thank you Brock Wilson for this lovely CW.
I had a problem sussing the "H" at the Natick of 23 A - shihtzu and 24 D - HILLEL. I wanted Lhasa Apso.
Thank you Boomer for your sporty review.
Ðave
There once was a PET SHIH TZU
ReplyDeleteWho didn't have nothing to do.
So she learned to MEOW
And to moo like a cow,
And read all of HILLEL in Hebrew!
{A-.}
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteDidn't notice the theme, so was torn between PULL and FULL. WAGged PULL, though. Whew! When I finally did find the theme, I noticed that the vowels were in AEIOU order. Nicely done, Brock. Enjoyed the tour, Boomer.
BLING: Back for an encore this morning.
BYPASS: The little town of my ute was right on US 45...until they built a bypass. Businesses closed and people left. Abandoned buildings were razed. Now downtown is mostly empty lots. On the plus side, it's always easy to find a parking spot.
I agree with Boomer on this one. Too many icky three letter entries. I can tolerate up to 3, but no more. There was some good crunch here today(SHIH TZU, CAFTAN, ULSTER as clued) and some good long entries (HOG TIE, ROLL IN, PEDESTAL, ALLEGE), so I did enjoy this one very much. Thanks Brock and Rich!
ReplyDeleteSteve Out
ReplyDeleteGood morning. Thank you Brock and Boomer.
Monday fail on this speed run. Keyed in TREK where TRIP belonged, never checked the perps, and never looked back.
Other than that...
Well Boomer, with last Thursday night's banquet, our bowling season is over, and our golf season has started. Sort of. We got rained out last Wednesday afternoon, and there's a 70 % chance of rain this Wednesday. Last year's league joke was, "Well, it's raining. Must be Wednesday." Seems to be holding true again this year.
FIW, missing my wag @ SHIa TZU x aILLEL. I knew that the dog wasn't spelled like what the dog leaves om the lawn, but couldn't remember 'zactly how. And I really struggle with the Jewish references, having grown up in white-bread-and-Protestant Eastern Kentucky. (That made yesterday's puzzle tough too.)
ReplyDeleteI liked TWO crossing ONES. But UNC would have been better clued as "home of the basketball powerhouse Tar Heels". Had to wait for ROOM RATE or Rack RATE. Rack rate is what no one pays except during peak times. CSO to OKL as the Corner's POET laureate.
Thanks for the fun exercise, Brock. And thanks to Boomer for another funny tour. But the TYPE of people who split hairs about data entry are pains in the CRASS.
Thank you TTP, I am a glutton for punishment as I have entered a Spring league. Seven more weeks to go. Plus I will be defending my title in the local 700 club tournament the next two Wednesdays. We have had mostly chilly and rainy weather here and the local golf courses are lowering prices and begging people to come. They have not got me yet, but I did hit a large bucket at a driving range on Saturday. Mixed results but at least my back did not hurt when I was done. Plus, as you know, it's not about how far you hit it, but straight helps. The game is about 100 yards in and putting. C.C. used to kick my butt on the golf course - (I was always out of bounds or in a pond somewhere while she was in the middle of the fairway.) Best of luck in your league. Boomer
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDeletePOLL TAKERS are fine until they become Push Pollers, “Will you vote for [insert name] even though he wants to destroy your schools?” Bye, bye!
-If you never hit to the other field, you might see this used against you
-The first half of the SETI movie Contact is great!
-When leaving, my UNC always said, “I gotta AGITATE the gravel”
-I had to remember how to run a VCR while subbing last week
-A BYPASSER like me loves going around Valley and Wahoo, NE but the BYPASSEES therein have suffered much lost revenue
-Lindsey LOHAN’s CRASS behavior kept her in the news
-DWD is the new driving hazard
Very easy. Getting PALL right off and then a P for the second themer, I sussed the gimmick. That made the solve even easier. PIU was all perps, otherwise nothing new. Knowing Hillel showed me that Shih Tzu needed a second H. Trek before trip.
ReplyDeleteAllege means assert without proof. When a shooter is caught in the act with gun blazing, he is still called the alleged shooter. I always react to that.
We see a lot of bling in the everyday clothing of the girls, from tykes to teens. Bling has become popular in casual wear.
casual bling
Thanks, Boomer and Brock. Owen liked your poem.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI caught the theme at Pell Grant, after Pall Bearer set the pace. The only unknown was Piu and there were no w/os, so an easy, breezy finish. CSO to CED at Meow and to Lemony and Hatoolah at Storrs. (Years ago, I took some courses at UConn-Stamford.) it was fun seeing Bling again and Shih Tzu was even more fun, as that is such a cute breed. A former neighbor had two: Mai Tai and Ling Ling. I also like the crossings of Ones/Two and Meow/Claw.
Thanks, Brock, for an enjoyable start to the week and thanks, Boomer, for making me chuckle so early in the morning, especially on another rainy, dreary day. Other than later today and Wednesday, the entire week's weather forecast is for showers of varying degrees. If our recent weather is any indication, the Summer may be a huge disappointment.
FLN
DAB, thanks for stopping by and sharing those themers that didn't make the cut; I thought they were all puzzle worthy.
Ferm, I hope your renewed presence means you're feeling better.
Spitz, I remember Robert Merrill from the Ed Sullivan Show. Also, Roberta Peters; in fact, I think they may have been a couple, but I could be mistaken. I also remember Evelyn and her magic violin from the pre-TV Golden Age of radio.
Have a great day.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteFIR. No searches needed. Knew SHIH TZU but had to wait for the perps to spell it right. I guess the theme was a vowel run through P [AEIOU] LL.
Agree with Husker on push-POLLers. Also the form of the question in many cases.
Agree with Boomer on CHEEZ-Whizes.
My PILL ORGANIZER is a seven-day affair. Refill every Friday morning. (Only 4 pills daily, so not that big a deal; and no vitamin supplements..)
ROOM RATE - I always ask for available discounts or even a 'Manager's special'. I've found AAA, Senior, or Military discount RATES generally offered and worth asking for.
Haiku #1
ReplyDeleteMasseuse is known to
Apply rubs to dogs. Calls it:
SHIH TZU Shiatsu
Haiku #2
When Jill died, they asked
Jack to lift her coffin. He’s
A skilled PAIL BEARER
The true last name of the Alou brothers is Rojas. Alou was their mother's maiden name. Long story short... An american baseball scout screwed it up.
ReplyDeleteI was correct about Merrill and Peters being a couple, but their marriage lasted only three months.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, folks. Thank you, Brock Wilson, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Boomer, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteGot through, a little easily. It was tough in spots. Caught theme, AEIOU.
Took a lot of experimenting to figure out SHIH TZU. Especially with HILLEL being an unknown.
I have seen CHEEZ Whiz. I do not think I have ever tried it.
I remembered SETI from Barry's time at the puzzle. He always clarified exactly what it meant. Sometimes the cluer got it wrong.
Well, I have a dentist appointment in an hour. I have to get ready and brace myself.
Weather this morning is beautiful. Watched the Cubs whip the Cardinals last night on TV. 13-5. Bryant had a Grand Slam.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Nice to hear from another Cubs fan. They seem to be coming around!
Delete
ReplyDeleteThanks to Brock and Boomer for a nice Monday puzzle and review. Finished it in about 10 minutes.
I had the S and H (not the Green Stamps) so I put in SHARPEI. I had to change it to SHIH TZU when perps showed that I was wrong.
I didn't see the theme, but I didn't look for it either because the puzzle was all filled in already.
Boomer, I think that Holzhauer is very smart with very good button skills and a little annoying. By building up a quick lead he is not taking a big risk in his daily double strategy. Plus I think that many of the categories that Jeopardy has thrown at him haven't been that hard. (They've got to be easy if I can get them.) Where is Shakespeare and obscure authors and book titles, etc. I have lost interest in the show although I have continued watching it so far because DW is watching it. Maybe the Teachers Tournament break will renew my interest. I just hope that this is not the downfall of the show, which it may be. Just my opinion.
Anytime there is a controversial sports call, it will fester for a long time with not many people being satisfied. The Derby will be debated for a while.
Enough of my ranting. I hope everyone has a great day.
Marvelous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Brock and Boomer.
ReplyDeleteI saw the vowel progression early which helped the solve. Very helpful for PELL GRANT which is unknown to this Canadian.
Hand up for having trouble with the spelling of SHIHTZU. Thankfully I knew HILLEL.
I LOLed when I saw BLING again.
I noted the "blood-typing letters" and "Key in=TYPE" but I think the different meaning makes the dupe allowable.
ALTA could have been clued as a Canadian province.
Good to hear from you last night fermatprime
Hope your dentist appointment goes well Abejo
Apparently we have a new heir (a boy) (7th in line) to the British throne. Baby Sussex could apply for dual British/American citizenship. I love the smile in this interview with Harry.
Link text
Enjoy the day. We have a beautiful spring morning here.
Nielsen ratings show how the streak has fueled interest in "Jeopardy!" among occasional viewers. Jeopardy!'s average this season is 9.8 million, ranking third among all syndicated shows behind "Judge Judy" and "Wheel," but for the last several weeks, it's ranked No. 1 among all shows.
ReplyDeleteI am eager to see how far James can go.
I do not find the questions any easier than usual. James definitely knows more in pop culture and many other fields than I do.
I knew the Final Jeopardy answer that brought down Ken Jennings, but he is still many, many times more knowledgeable than I am.
That link is live. I am presently waiting for the announcement to be formally posted at Buckingham Palace. In this day of Twitter and Instagram, it seems a bit of an anachronism!
ReplyDeleteJust click on the It's a Boy to the right for the interview I was referencing.
Fun Monday puzzle, Brock--not totally easy, but still fun, many thanks. I had to work a bit hard in some places, and didn't get the theme until Boomer pointed it out. But it was nice seeing RCA's clue. My Dad got his first job after the military in Lancaster Pennsylvania in 1955 because they were hiring due to the onset of color TV. He worked there until he retired. I cracked up when I saw that the Delhi sandwich answer turned out to be INDIA. Never heard of SETI, or at least didn't remember it, but I got it anyway. Boomer, you had so much fun stuff in your comments this morning--made this a great Monday start. I loved your joking about Longfellow and the Chinese toy dog, and thanks for the picture of an ULSTER--never saw one before.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about James Holzhauer too, and am also thankful we have two weeks of teenage championships coming up on "Jeopardy."
Liked your crazy poem, Owen, and the crazy haiku, Haiku.
Have a great week coming up, everybody.
Hmm,
ReplyDeleteI can't remember now,
whether I put Blah or Bleh for one across,
but it is the difference in
3D being French or Fraunch...
Anywho, I can't let Sunday go by without
at least one Christmas GIF...
Well, maybe two...
Ok, snarky, but...
ReplyDeleteNow with all that money and some free time, maybe James Holzhauer can get his underbite fixed.
Remember, no personal attacks. Boo! Hiss!
ReplyDeleteHola!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Brock and Boomer! You make me laugh out loud, Boomer.
I saw the vowel progression after PALL and PELL so that was fun. When it came to TRIP, I hesitated, checked the downs and knew it was TRIP.
We haven't seen the ALOU family for a long time and it's not surprising that someone mistook the name for their surname. That is a very common mistake with Latino surnames as they all use both the mother's and father's family names. Garcia-Lorca is a good example. I usually advised my students to use a hyphen between their names otherwise only the last of the names would be recognized. In the U.S. we are not culturally oriented to such differences.
I finally learned how to spell SHIHTZU but not HILLEL or SETI. I FIW with an A. Any puzzle with HOGTIE is fun!
Thank you, Boomer, for the photo of EERO Saarinen. Though we see his name often I had not seen what he looks like. Eliel, his father also occasionally appears in CWDs.
I shall take a CSO at BLING because I have so much of it. Because I have so many Disney VCR tapes I have a dual player for DVDs and tapes. Last night my grandchildren watched Bambi on the VCR.
James Holzhauer is fascinating, IMO, not only for his thorough knowledge in every category but certainly in his speed. I can't wait to see how far he gets and how much he earns.
I hope you are all enjoying a fine day! I'll send you some virtual sunshine.
I liked this puzzle. PALL and PELL broke the code for me so I immediately filled PILL, POLL, and PULL. Usually I notice when there are so many 3-letter answers, especially when they're initials or abbreviations. For some reason I didn't notice today. Thanks to you, Boomer, for pointing out there were 24 of them.
ReplyDeleteThe spelling of SHIH TZU dates back from the old Wade-Giles system of spelling Chinese words. You may recognize the TZU as also appearing in names like LAO TZU. It is actually pronounced more like the "ds" in "fashion fads". SHIH is pronounced more like "Shrr" as in when you say "Shrr ya did!" to someone when you think he's lying to you. So, the dog is "Shrdz". (Pronounce "shards" without the "a". Go on, you can do it.) Some have suggested we say "Sheezu" to refer to the breed since it is easy to say. Personally, I like it and think maybe the official kennel clubs should adopt it.
I second what waseeley posted last night about Robert Merrill and Jussi Björling. Their duet of the famous aria from Bizet's The Pearl Fishers is sparklingly beautiful.
Bling bling poof! I'm gone.
BTW, I wasn't attacking Holzhauer. It just seems like a problem that would be expensive to fix.
ReplyDeleteHi everybody. Good puzzle, especially because I could finish it correctly. :>)
ReplyDeleteI started out being luke-warm on James Holzhauer but I've become a fan. I think most of his competitors have been unsuccessful because they haven't got the button timing mastered.
I was never an opera fan until I heard Jussi Bjorling.
My child hood friend's family had more money than we did and got a color TV early on. I agree that it was fuzzy and undesirable.
ReplyDeleteHorse Racing....the most exciting 2 minutes + 20 minutes in sports.
Thought I had this one...no markovers....but had HILLaL/ PEDaSTAL...so no cigar.
Good Monday afternoon!
ReplyDeleteWith the exception of the natick at SHIHTZU / HILLEL everything fell into place quickly and (more important) correctly. I enjoyed this one. Thanks, Brock & Boomer!
Liked the crossing of TWO / ONE but never heard the term PULL HITTER. I don’t follow baseball and the number of things I don’t know is astounding.
My computer for years spent its ‘unbusy’ time crunching numbers for SETI. There was a program that ran in the background and quietly connected to the servers at SETI, got a bunch of new data, and happily spent the rest of its down time examining the data for anything significant. I don’t know whether they still do that; I wouldn’t be surprised if people’s concerns over the possibility of being hacked put quit to that program.
Have a good afternoon, all.
I wonder why it is that some folk (Misty, oc4beach?) are bothered by James Holzhauer on Jeopardy. My wife dislikes him too. But I find him to be rather cool, unassuming, & modest in his brilliant but understated responses. He doesn't mug for the camera, as some winners do. He seems a gentleman.
ReplyDeleteHe is transparent in interviews; he responds honestly about his button skills and how he preps. Yes, he makes it seem easy in the way he gets into a rhythm and just states one winning "question" after another--removing much of the suspense from the show.
But doesn't that speak to his authenticity? He isn't up there to create drama for us.
Anyway, today's pzl from Mr. Wilson (why do I think of Dennis the Menace?) was a pleasant diversion. I appreciated the "P" theme. Was it really called "Vowel Movement"? Ugh.
~ OMK
___________
DR: A single diagonal, NE to SW.
The anagram seems to be a slogan, either to start a race of dromedaries,
or to indicate which cigarette the speaker would care to bum. It is...
"POKE A CAMEL"!
So do you Jeopardy aficionados like the Geico commercial that is a take-off on the show? I kind of like the smarty pants "Gary" who drives the host nuts.
ReplyDeleteUpdate...
ReplyDeleteI got curious and looked it up. Wiki says
SETI@home is an Internet-based public volunteer computing project employing the BOINC software platform created by the Berkeley SETI Research Center and is hosted by the Space Sciences Laboratory, at the University of California, Berkeley.
Project goal(s): Discovery of radio evidence of extraterrestrial life
Total users: 1,716,012 (January 2018)
Now you know.
Before there was Google there was Alta Vista.
ReplyDeleteOwen, solid W for your l’ick today
I started slowly adjusting to Brock’s style. EERO got me on the board then I coasted. PIU was a complete unknown. Anyone familiar with that term?
I see everyone's fav insurance gal made it. At first I thought of (Tina)FEY who peddles something else. Every bit as annoyingly.
Greg may afford the dental work but no longer will need it.
WC
The way I understand it is that the contestants on Jeopardy can't buzz in until Alex has finished speaking. How do they determine that instant? It's obviously critical to a good player's success.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna go ahead and beat my dead horse, namely give the answer to the lever problem I posed a few days ago.
ReplyDeleteFirst, since the left end of the lever swings up and down a distance of 8 and the right end swings up and down a distance of 4, we know the part of the lever to the left of the fulcrum is twice as long as the right side of the lever. Thus, we know the fulcrum is positioned 1/3 of the way along the length of the lever, putting 2/3 of the length of the lever to the left of the fulcrum and 1/3 of the length of the lever to the right of the fulcrum.
Second, since we are told that when the left end of the lever is at a height of 4, which puts the right end of the lever on the ground, we know the slope of the lever. Since we know from part one that the fulcrum is 1/3 of the way along the length of the lever, we therefore know the height of the fulcrum point above the ground is 1/3 of 4, which is 4/3, which can be rounded off to 1.33333333.
And that now wraps up that loose end.
Todays puzzle blah
ReplyDeleteSETI = Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence.
ReplyDeleteBill G ~
I wonder if Alex gives any "tells" in his inflection or facial expression. James would be an expert at reading any such signal, no matter how subtle..
Or I wonder if he can spot whoever it is that flips the switch to empower the buzzers?
Food for thought.
Hm.
~ OMK
OMK, good guesses but I'm guessing it's more complicated. Remember when IBM's Big Blue was a contestant? How was the computer programmed to ring in? It seems to me there are two critical times. Somebody or something behind the scenes has to determine the point at which a contestant is allowed to buzz in. And then the contestant has to figure out that same instant too.
ReplyDeleteJayce, thank for that. It makes perfect sense. I dunno why I couldn't wrap my head around it more easily.
Bill G @ 3:16 – Just out of camera range on each side of the clue board is a row of lights which are activated when Alex finishes reading the clue, letting the contestants know they can ring in. My youngest daughter was a contestant on the show this past Fall, and I was lucky enough to go out to LA with her for the taping (which took place in July), so I got to see some of the behind-the-scenes action. BTW, she finished in second place – but we both had a great time.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about James’ run. I admire his skill, and he seems like a nice enough fellow, but it somehow takes a bit of the enjoyment out of watching when it seems a foregone conclusion that he’s going to win. The upcoming Teachers’ Tournament will be a nice break IMHO.
I've seen every installment of James Holzhauer on Jeopordy! So I'll weigh in on this. The only thing I find quite off putting is his insistence that the game proceed quickly...IOW he demands the next clue before Alex is done with his spiel.....every time. Otherwise, he's smart, quick, well prepared and not overly smug. And he's obviously successful in his endeavor. So, for most of his critics the thing not to like is that he's smart. What's he supposed to do? Take stupid pills?
ReplyDeleteThe game has taken a turn in entertainment value since he's proven so formidable. But this too shall pass. When he goes down, it will be "in flames". Until then, I'm willing to wait it out.
On today's puzzle, done in by the personal natick of Shihtzu and Hillal. Knew the dog, not the scholar. Did Not know how to spell the dog. Oh well, a Monday fail keeps things in perspective. Otherwise, it was fun.
Yes, I have on occasion watched James Holzhauer on Jeopordy just to see what all the Hoopla was about.
ReplyDeleteIt was not until today that I discovered he is a Professional Sports Gambler! (Hmm,,)
Yes, he does seem rude rushing poor Alex, but the game is timed,
if Alex doesn't shut up questions will be left on the board
and less prize money awarded.
What amazes me is not that he answers so many questions that he always gets
the daily double, it is that he bets the mortgage on it!
Help! I've been working the Chicago Tribune crossword for years and lurking on this list for many years, posting only occasionally. I'm mostly a pen-and-paper guy although I revert to the on-line puzzle when my Trib is not available.
ReplyDeleteI just finished yesterday's Sunday puzzle from the paper and visited the blog to review the unusual phonetic theme answers. Whoa! The puzzle in the blog is a different puzzle! I solved a Gary Larson puzzle called "It's All in the Game Show" not the Alfred Bywaters puzzle described in the blog.
Help me understand this. I'm feeling dizzy. Am I in a parallel universe?
K-Dub, that was the April 21st LAT puzzle. Looks like somebody at the Trib goofed.
ReplyDeleteHILLEL - My school had a HILLEL club for Jewish students on campus; analogous to the Newman club for the Catholics. With the H in the perp, I began to recollect that HILLEL was named for the scholar.
ReplyDeleteThanks D-O. The Trib recently changed how they organize their A&E Section. This may have caused the issue. Maybe they missed Apr 21 and decided to run it yesterday. I did the Apr 28th puzzle just the other day and it matched the blog.
ReplyDeleteThere are other Chicago-area cornerites (Mme Lafarge, Abejo...) but no one else mentioned the switch.
I can't find an on-line version of the Apr 21 paper and my hardcopy is long gone. Hopefully, they'll be back in sync by next Sunday.
I haven't been around today for the Jeopardy! thread so I wont weigh in on that. I would like to say that I'm disappointed to read that someone suggested that James Holzhauer needs to physically alter his appearance. Shame on body shaming!
ReplyDeleteO'Man Keith, I actually agree with everything you say about James Holzhauser. I just worry that he'll never fail and we'll have him on forever, and, to be honest, I enjoyed the old "Jeapardy" better when anyone could be a winner, and the scenes changed all the time. I now watch knowing there won't be a change, same old, same old--but okay, that's not the fellow's fault and he does seem like a kind and caring family man, etc. But I am glad we're getting a two week break, and I pray that Alex can get medical care that will give him much more time.
ReplyDeleteProgressive, not Geico.
ReplyDeleteMisty:
ReplyDeleteDid you watch when Ken Jennings was on a winning streak? He appeared for several months! It was exciting to see how he would do every night.
I just want to say that it is heartwarming to see so many passionate Jeopardy! fans here on the corner.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the Teacher's tournament. Although the quality of play suffers a bit, the general enjoyment is still there.
I, for one, watch just for the questions. It's an extra treat if the contestants add any extra flavor.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteThanks Brock for the fine Monday puzzle. Thanks Boomer for the humorous review.
FIW - Like Jinx (and AveJoe) I knew what it wasn't but not what it was at SHI-TZU; If I'm getting a FIW; I'll do it in Style - I went with the T :-)
WOs: Hand-up on TRek, headed for POLLster, CAFgAN
ESPs: -ILLIL, PIU
Fav: Clue for INDIA was cute.
Theme helped me with 17a - I didn't know that's how you spell PALL. I always heard it as PAUL BEARER and was always too afraid to ask why we call dead people Paul. //never seemed appropriate when I thought of it :-)
{A}
Funky DR OMK :-)
Welcome K-Dub!
WikWak - I too used the SETI@home "screen-saver" to crunch numbers hoping to get the next "Wow!" signal. [5:21]
WC - Tina FEY is American Express last I saw her pimpin' product.
Jayce - that's near what I recall working out but must have thrown away my notes 'cuz I forgot to post my solution. Thanks for reminding me of the interesting puzzle.
Bill G - I think there's also a penalty-delay [LIU - 1/4 second] if you buzz-in too soon. Jeopardy! buzzer. //And I just read Java Mama who beat me to it [but I have a link!]
CED - The one sans Frosty the Snowman is LOL.
Cheers, -T
Bill G ~
ReplyDeleteYes, of course, you're right. But see my second guess.
Anyway, I think someone as confident as James just keeps clicking the damn button all the way through Alex's talk in order to "catch the moment" when the buzzers come to life. This explains why someone beats him--sometimes.
~ OMK
YR: I share your dislike for newspaper's (ab)use of "allege", and also "statement made anonymously because blah-blah". I realize why they do it, and even grant more credibility to those that do it, but it still annoys.
ReplyDeleteHad an eye dr. appointment today. Said the cataract on my left eye is so advanced glasses wouldn't help, but it's probably surgically correctable, and both eyes are otherwise healthy. Then why is all print so blurry? It's a good thing I can enlarge anything on the computer screen!
It was also only the second time I've used the wheelchair I got months ago. The hardest part was my LWs complaining about having to get it in and out of the car for me!
OMK - The way I read the article [see link] is you get a 1/4-second penalty on your buzzer if clicked before it's time. And it looks like The Board lights up just before the red-dots on the player's podium [see the fourth ANIMATED GIF down]
ReplyDeleteCheers, -T
Lucina, I don't remember Jennings, but I'll try to be patient with James. I'm sure it'll be nice to have him back in two weeks.
ReplyDeleteMisty - I've posts to burn... Ken Jennings.
ReplyDeleteHis Wiki.
Cheers, -T