Theme: Punditry - four punning theme entries as follows:
20A. San Sebastián beachgoer?: BASQUE IN THE SUN. Also known as Donostia in the Basque language, San Sebastián is a beautiful city in Spain renowned for its beaches and its wonderful cuisine.
34A. Really cranky folks in Prague?: CROSS CZECHS
43A. Majestic Nairobi native? : GRAND KENYAN. Not for me. I pronounce "Kenyan" and "Canyon" quite differently.
59A. End of a Helsinki marathon?: THE FINNISH LINE. Odd one out here, I'd say. The punning "Finnish" and the punned "Finish" are too close for my liking.
Here we have another LAT debutant in Hoang-Kim Vu, Rich really is casting the net wide for new constructors, so congratulations.
I think I've said before that play-on-words puzzles are not my favorites; they're difficult to nail for one reason or another. I did like "basque in the sun" having said all that. Let's see what else we've got:
Across:
1. Radio letters: AM/FM
5. Oust: EVICT
10. Overly submissive: MEEK. Aren't the meek supposed to inherit the earth?
14. Composer Schifrin: LALO. I think I ought to know this by now, it's been used in more than a few puzzles. The crosses filled it in for me.
15. Where one might find shade on a 16-Across: LANAI. The veranda, originating quite aptly in the Hawai'ian islands.
16. Tropical spot: ISLE. Such as the island of Lanai, now 97% owned by my old boss Larry Ellison. He's come in for a lot of criticism regarding his promises to make the island "the first economically-viable 100% green community". Not a lot of progress has been made.
17. Ceremonial promises: I DO'S
18. Explosion: BLAST
19. Bread with vindaloo: NAAN. Food! I love garlic naan. I've tried making them at home, but you need that 800F tandoor to cook them in for the genuine taste and texture.
23. Doorbell ringers' response: IT'S US
24. Joshua tree habitat: DESERT. Let's hear from U2 with a live track from their "Joshua Tree" album. I saw them perform the album live at the Rose Bowl in 2017. What a great gig.
25. CPR specialist: EMT
27. Copy, in a way: TRACE
31. "Blue Bloods" network: CBS
39. Only state whose entire east and west borders are rivers: IOWA. News to me. The Missouri and Mississippi rivers are the borders. The author Bill Bryson once wrote "Iowa is so flat that if you stand on a phone book you can see for 200 miles". Made me chuckle.
41. "Mythology" author Hamilton: EDITH. Who? Apparently this Bryn Mawr graduate passed me by.
42. Word with day or year: LEAP
46. Like many Pinterest projects, for short: D.I.Y. I never quite "get" Pinterest. I've ended up there a few times searching for images, but I don't really understand what the site is all about.
47. Inkling: SENSE
48. Young Dickens hero: PIP. From Great Expectations. "I took the opportunity of being alone in the court-yard, to look at my coarse hands and my common boots."
50. Birthplace of Marie Curie: WARSAW. I knew this, no idea how. I must have read up on Mrs. Curie at some point.
55. PlayStation player: GAMER
62. Wielder of the hammer Mjölnir: THOR
63. Gate fastener: LATCH
64. Chip in chips: ANTE
65. See 66-Across: KANE and
66. With 65-Across, Susan Lucci role: ERICA. Crosses all the way. I don't watch daytime soaps, and thus I've never seen "All My Children". The actress was 71 when this picture was taken last year. Had some "work" done?
67. Like some dorms: CO-ED
68. Was in the red: OWED
69. Disintegrate: DECAY
70. Blunders: ERRS
Down:
1. Cover story?: ALIBI. Nice clue.
2. Really upset with: MAD AT
3. Dentist's advice: FLOSS
4. The Hagia Sophia, once: MOSQUE. This place in Istanbul, now a museum. It began life as a Greek Orthodox Christian cathedral before it became a mosque.
5. Dresden's river: ELBE. Crossword staple by now.
6. Still in effect: VALID
7. Cockamamie: INANE
8. Throws out a line: CASTS
9. Church donation: TITHE
10. Faire performer: MINSTREL. Entertainment at many a Renaissance "Faire."
11. First son of Isaac: ESAU
12. Lust for life: ELAN
13. "Inception" actor Watanabe: KEN
21. "Semper Fi" org.: U.S.M.C. Properly "semper fidelis", "always faithful"
22. Tight end Zach who scored the go-ahead touchdown in the Eagles' only Super Bowl victory (2018): ERTZ. Who? And I watched the game. He came from Stanford, so he's probably smart as well as large enough not to trifle with (6'5" and 249lbs)
26. Tough journey: TREK
28. Cruised through: ACED
29. Indian spiced tea: CHAI
30. Best Breakthrough Athlete Award, for one: ESPY
31. Smokes, briefly: CIGS
32. Drag: BORE
33. Ugly duckling, as it turns out: SWAN
35. Tribute piece: ODE
36. Confession in confession: SIN
37. Hog heaven?: STY
38. "I say, old __": CHAP
40. Got back to: ANSWERED. Strangely, this word has not appeared in either the LA Times nor the Shortz-era NY Times crosswords.
44. Unable to hear: DEAF
45. Approaching: NIGH
49. Royal home: PALACE
51. Irritated: RILED
52. It's a trap!: SNARE. Nice clue.
53. Caper: ANTIC
54. Neopagan practice: WICCA. I had WICKA for no good reason at first, and ERIKA seemed OK. Not good enough for the "ta-da" though, so I sleuthed around until I saw my mistake.
56. Like the key of Beethoven's Fifth: MINOR. C minor in this particular instance. All together now - DA DA DA DUN!
57. Stage direction: ENTER
58. Some woodwinds: REEDS. The piccolo and flute are also part of the woodwind section of the orchestra, but do not have reeds.
59. Become less aloof: THAW
60. Give a fine edge to: HONE
61. Grammy-winning country duo Dan + __: SHAY. Crosses again, thank you. Never heard of these two chaps. 67 million folks have viewed their "Tequila" video on YouTube, so they're evidently popular somewhere out there. (See what I did with their/they're/there!)
62. Fight-ending letters: T.K.O. Technical Knock-Out, as I'm sure we all know by now. When the ref stops the fight.
And so to the grid, and that's my lot.
Steve
20A. San Sebastián beachgoer?: BASQUE IN THE SUN. Also known as Donostia in the Basque language, San Sebastián is a beautiful city in Spain renowned for its beaches and its wonderful cuisine.
34A. Really cranky folks in Prague?: CROSS CZECHS
43A. Majestic Nairobi native? : GRAND KENYAN. Not for me. I pronounce "Kenyan" and "Canyon" quite differently.
59A. End of a Helsinki marathon?: THE FINNISH LINE. Odd one out here, I'd say. The punning "Finnish" and the punned "Finish" are too close for my liking.
Here we have another LAT debutant in Hoang-Kim Vu, Rich really is casting the net wide for new constructors, so congratulations.
I think I've said before that play-on-words puzzles are not my favorites; they're difficult to nail for one reason or another. I did like "basque in the sun" having said all that. Let's see what else we've got:
Across:
1. Radio letters: AM/FM
5. Oust: EVICT
10. Overly submissive: MEEK. Aren't the meek supposed to inherit the earth?
14. Composer Schifrin: LALO. I think I ought to know this by now, it's been used in more than a few puzzles. The crosses filled it in for me.
15. Where one might find shade on a 16-Across: LANAI. The veranda, originating quite aptly in the Hawai'ian islands.
16. Tropical spot: ISLE. Such as the island of Lanai, now 97% owned by my old boss Larry Ellison. He's come in for a lot of criticism regarding his promises to make the island "the first economically-viable 100% green community". Not a lot of progress has been made.
17. Ceremonial promises: I DO'S
18. Explosion: BLAST
19. Bread with vindaloo: NAAN. Food! I love garlic naan. I've tried making them at home, but you need that 800F tandoor to cook them in for the genuine taste and texture.
23. Doorbell ringers' response: IT'S US
24. Joshua tree habitat: DESERT. Let's hear from U2 with a live track from their "Joshua Tree" album. I saw them perform the album live at the Rose Bowl in 2017. What a great gig.
25. CPR specialist: EMT
27. Copy, in a way: TRACE
31. "Blue Bloods" network: CBS
39. Only state whose entire east and west borders are rivers: IOWA. News to me. The Missouri and Mississippi rivers are the borders. The author Bill Bryson once wrote "Iowa is so flat that if you stand on a phone book you can see for 200 miles". Made me chuckle.
41. "Mythology" author Hamilton: EDITH. Who? Apparently this Bryn Mawr graduate passed me by.
42. Word with day or year: LEAP
46. Like many Pinterest projects, for short: D.I.Y. I never quite "get" Pinterest. I've ended up there a few times searching for images, but I don't really understand what the site is all about.
47. Inkling: SENSE
48. Young Dickens hero: PIP. From Great Expectations. "I took the opportunity of being alone in the court-yard, to look at my coarse hands and my common boots."
50. Birthplace of Marie Curie: WARSAW. I knew this, no idea how. I must have read up on Mrs. Curie at some point.
55. PlayStation player: GAMER
62. Wielder of the hammer Mjölnir: THOR
63. Gate fastener: LATCH
64. Chip in chips: ANTE
65. See 66-Across: KANE and
66. With 65-Across, Susan Lucci role: ERICA. Crosses all the way. I don't watch daytime soaps, and thus I've never seen "All My Children". The actress was 71 when this picture was taken last year. Had some "work" done?
67. Like some dorms: CO-ED
68. Was in the red: OWED
69. Disintegrate: DECAY
70. Blunders: ERRS
Down:
1. Cover story?: ALIBI. Nice clue.
2. Really upset with: MAD AT
3. Dentist's advice: FLOSS
4. The Hagia Sophia, once: MOSQUE. This place in Istanbul, now a museum. It began life as a Greek Orthodox Christian cathedral before it became a mosque.
5. Dresden's river: ELBE. Crossword staple by now.
6. Still in effect: VALID
7. Cockamamie: INANE
8. Throws out a line: CASTS
9. Church donation: TITHE
10. Faire performer: MINSTREL. Entertainment at many a Renaissance "Faire."
11. First son of Isaac: ESAU
12. Lust for life: ELAN
13. "Inception" actor Watanabe: KEN
21. "Semper Fi" org.: U.S.M.C. Properly "semper fidelis", "always faithful"
22. Tight end Zach who scored the go-ahead touchdown in the Eagles' only Super Bowl victory (2018): ERTZ. Who? And I watched the game. He came from Stanford, so he's probably smart as well as large enough not to trifle with (6'5" and 249lbs)
26. Tough journey: TREK
28. Cruised through: ACED
29. Indian spiced tea: CHAI
30. Best Breakthrough Athlete Award, for one: ESPY
31. Smokes, briefly: CIGS
32. Drag: BORE
33. Ugly duckling, as it turns out: SWAN
35. Tribute piece: ODE
36. Confession in confession: SIN
37. Hog heaven?: STY
38. "I say, old __": CHAP
40. Got back to: ANSWERED. Strangely, this word has not appeared in either the LA Times nor the Shortz-era NY Times crosswords.
44. Unable to hear: DEAF
45. Approaching: NIGH
49. Royal home: PALACE
51. Irritated: RILED
52. It's a trap!: SNARE. Nice clue.
53. Caper: ANTIC
54. Neopagan practice: WICCA. I had WICKA for no good reason at first, and ERIKA seemed OK. Not good enough for the "ta-da" though, so I sleuthed around until I saw my mistake.
56. Like the key of Beethoven's Fifth: MINOR. C minor in this particular instance. All together now - DA DA DA DUN!
57. Stage direction: ENTER
58. Some woodwinds: REEDS. The piccolo and flute are also part of the woodwind section of the orchestra, but do not have reeds.
59. Become less aloof: THAW
60. Give a fine edge to: HONE
61. Grammy-winning country duo Dan + __: SHAY. Crosses again, thank you. Never heard of these two chaps. 67 million folks have viewed their "Tequila" video on YouTube, so they're evidently popular somewhere out there. (See what I did with their/they're/there!)
62. Fight-ending letters: T.K.O. Technical Knock-Out, as I'm sure we all know by now. When the ref stops the fight.
And so to the grid, and that's my lot.
Steve
FIWrong. Easy puzzle, but 22d was extremely unknown, and I couldn't spell CzECHS correctly, tho knew it was the word I needed.
ReplyDeleteFear, fear, for in coming years,
Disney will swallow Al-Jazeer!
The religion of Allah
Will surely follah,
And children will all become MOSQUE-teers!
Good morning all!
ReplyDeleteThis was not too bad for a Thursday! I filled in the top and then the bottom with the middle filling last. Most time consuming was leaving in EJECT before realizing it was EVICT. The Z in Czech was the last to fall.
In a pre 9/11 tour of Alabama’s old State Capitol Building, our tour guide was Czech; she reminded us more than once how very privileged we were to be able to freely enter a government building. Now as a US citizen she referred to herself as a cancelled Czech.
My favorite clue was USMC, a CSO to my DH. I hear “Semper Fi” often when he meets other retirees proudly wearing their embroidered caps while traveling.
Have a great day.
I know, it's Al-JazeerA, and rhyming Allah and follow is probably a crime against the English language. But dang, I couldn't resist that last line! {A+.}
ReplyDeleteI don't know why FINNISH would be an outlier. It seems as perfectly good a pun as the others to me. KENYAN is the worst homophone in the bunch, but close enough for a good pun. CROSS CHECKS is a sports term, isn't it? I can't recall basketball or hockey and don't know (or really care) what type of foul it is in either.
There was an old lady from WARSAW,
Who was RILED at whoever she saw.
She was even MAD AT
Her Siamese cat,
And a dead turkey that just wouldn't THAW!
{A-.}
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteYay. A Wite-Out-free Thursday. Got the theme at BASQUE, which made the rest of the puz easy. No problem with KENYAN; yes it's different from canyon, but close enough for my ear. Nice debut Hoang-Kim Vu, and interesting tour, Steve.
ERTZ: An East End auto rental company.
MEEK: As Roddy McDowell sang it, "It's not the earth the meek inherit, it's the dirt."
IOWA: That guy who complained about IOWA being flat obviously never visited SE Texas (or the rest of the gulf coast for that matter). I've lived in both places and can attest.
ReplyDeleteGood morning. Thank you Hoang-Kim Vu, and welcome to the fold. Thank you Steve. Listening to U2 now. It's a Beautiful Day.
Slow going today. 24 minutes to piece it all together. Some blunders that slowed me down were:
- ITSme before ITSUS
- edits before CASTS
- Tim before PIP
- Near befor NIGH
- Major befor MINOR
Looked like, but obviously wasn't, MiScUE when I had M_S_UE.
Steve, thanks for explaining about the piccolo and flute not having reeds in the woodwind section. I was wondering about "some" in the clue.
Pretty good puzzle, though went quickly (7:38) for a Thursday. I didn't know/like the crossing of Pip and nigh, and I wasn't sure of the spelling for Erica Kane. Ms. Lucci was a long-running reference for being nominated but not winning awards, until she, well, won.
ReplyDeleteGreat morning all
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle with enough crunch to slow it down some .
Had to change ITSEME to ITSUS when MOSQUE and BASQUE appeared.
Have a great day
Cheers.
Fingers a bit too fat for my I phone 10, but it gets the job done.
ReplyDeleteHello all; nice to see a new name as a constructor and an old friend as the tour guide. I hope
ReplyDeleteHoang-kim Vu stops by and introduces himself/herself. My guess is Korean but clearly, any place in Asia or a US-born citizen is also possible.
The puzzle was all fun for me with no real unknowns as I happened to watch some of the Billboard Music Awards last night and saw DAN + SHAY . I am surprised no grumbles about ERTZ.
The puzzle is for me an homage to a wonderful DONNA LEVIN puzzle from 11 years ago. LINK.
Thanks for the Thursday trip.
What an international cast. The blog started by C.C. (Chinese), with Steve (British), commenting on a puzzle by Hoang (Vietnamese). My neighbor directly across the street is named Hoang.
ReplyDeleteI caught the homonym (homophone) punditry early, although the cross of MOSQUE & BASQUE was the only logical fill. Both were unknowns. GRAND KENYAN- not so grand. Ditto for ERTZ, EDITH Hamilton. Had to change NEAR to NIGH and IT'S ME to US.
I only know of Susan Lucci because she is a local; never watch any soaps, so ERICA KANE was all perps.
Nice puzzle, Huang-Kim. Nice blog, Steve. Kenyan/canyon? I allow a little leeway with this kind of pun. I started in the SE corner and worked upward. Not that crunchy, but these days it takes me longer to dredge up what I have stored in memory. I used a cross or two to jog my memory most of the time. Perps pointed to the unknowns, Edith, Shay and Ertz. Nigh and Pip seem reasonable for a Thursday. The P from PALACE suggested PIP and then that "I" suggested NIGH. I don't watch soaps, but I knew Erica.
ReplyDeleteBeing a Gilbert and Sullivan fan, MINSTREL always stirs up this earworm.
Wandering Minstrel
FLN, too bad, no leftovers. Scallops are expensive and so I bought only enough for one person. I adjusted the recipe with fractions. It took just 15-20 minutes to make.
Alan is happy, but calls me several times a day. Unless he cuts back, we will need a plan with more minutes.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI caught the the early with Basque in the sun, so that made the other themers easy-peasy. No w/os but needed perps for Edith, Ertz, and Shay. Riled took a while because I saw the clue as imitated instead of irritated. USMC brings our dear Argyle to mind.
Thanks, Hoang-Kim, and congrats on your debut and thanks, Steve, for the grand tour and striking visuals.
Welcome to LfromAlberta and Steve 2. Hope you'll be regular posters.
When I asked about Tin, it was because he hasn't posted in a while. Hope all is well.
Have a great day.
Correction: I caught the theme early. Too bad I proof read late. 😔
ReplyDeleteGood morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteSkipped around looking for a good footing, Concentrated on the bottom half at first. Saw 'Finnish' something happening which clued me how the theme was set up. CZECK and KENYAN then came easily, But I wanted something Spanish at 20a. Finally I realized San Sebastián was in the crotch of the Bay of Biscay which is BASQUE territory and it was done.
I did enter 'castle' before PALACE.
Liked the puns. No searches were needed.
TREK is an Afrikaner borrowing.
NIGH is akin to German 'nahe'.
I thought HKV did a pretty good job.
I like well done themes that are puns or play on words. More fun than some of the other puzzles we get.
ReplyDeleteI still remember Zach ERTZ from the Super Bowl two years ago, but my Patriots made up for it this year!
Don't think 52 down clue should have exclamation mark. Makes you think the answer should be
ReplyDeletea quotation.
Tall Jai Alai guy sucked.
ReplyDeleteTeammates suggested, he play
BASQUEtball, instead ...
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Hoang-Kim Vu, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Steve, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteCruciverb is out to lunch again. Used Mensa and printed it.
NW corner filled in easily to get me started. I also tried ITS ME. ITS US appeared after USMC.
Liked the theme. BASQUE IN THE SUN was my first.
Misspelled MINSTREL. Had an A the first time. CZECHS fixed that.
Remembered ERICA KANE well. I used to work night shift a lot and did watch a couple soaps to get ready to sleep. All My Children was one of them.
Did not know ERTZ. I probably watched the game.
Raining here all morning.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Musings
ReplyDelete-On her wedding day, Daisy Mae says those wonderful words, “I DOES”
-A golfer on our course saved a life last week by doing CPR on a fellow golfer
-Do you remember TRACING like this?
-In the famous bicycle race across Iowa, riders start by dipping their rear tire in the Missouri and at the finish they dip their front tire in the Mississippi
-My DIY project yesterday showed me how to fix my mower starter rope that wouldn’t recoil
-MIL’s driver’s license is VALID until she is 100
-So common when I was a yute, it is now unusual to see someone with CIGS
-A different CROSS CHECKING
-My hearing aids play Beethoven’s famous 4 notes after the batteries decay
Do you suppose those four notes were the inspiration for Morse to select ..._ as the code symbol for V?
ReplyDeleteFIR in a whopping 51:20 min.
ReplyDeleteTerrific Thursday, Times d'LA posters!
Thanks Hoang-Kim Vu for this easy CW with two Naticks. I worked it at midnight, and solved the Naticks just now. First I found a "Z" for 34 A and 22 D.
The last letter, "I" went to 46 A and 29 D.
Hoang-Kim Vu, no-one seems certain of your gender. Lemonade714 at 7:44 AM took the safe stance with "I hope Hoang-kim Vu stops by and introduces himself/herself."
My research supports a feminine gender. Would anyone wish to confirm my finding.
Ðave
If you think Iowa is flat go ride the RAGBRAI on your bike
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteIt took a while to get going but when the Pun(ishment) became obvious the puzzle theme answers fell quickly. Great explanation by Steve.
I had many of the same missteps others had, so I won't list them.
COED dorms didn't exist when I went to school the first time. There were separate dorms for men and women with house mothers and curfews for the female students. When my daughter went to the same school 25 years later she was in a coed dorm with male students on alternate floors but they were free to roam the whole dorm. Now with my grandson in school, he deals with a mix in his dorm. The only separate parts are the bathrooms and showers.
My grandparents came from Czechoslovakia so the CROSS CZECHS was a gimme. Being called a Cancelled Czech was not unusual when I was a kid.
Have a great day everyone.
Terrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Hoang-Kim (congrats on your debut) and Steve(1!). Almost a pangram today; just missing the J and X, I believe.
ReplyDeleteI got the theme with BASQUE IN THE SUN and enjoyed the homophone (well, not quite with KENYAN) puns.
Hand up for Eject before EVICT, and Near before NIGH. I also had Chum before CHAP, and could only think of Tiny Tim before PIP perped.
Other than that, a straight-forward solve, as unknowns or forgottens like ERICA KANE, ERTZ, SHAY, LALO, filled with perps.
We had NAAN and CHAI, and Madame Curie's WARSAW and DECAY*
MEEK has been associated with "overly submissive" or Doormat qualities in our western culture; in Near East, Greco-Roman and Biblical times, it had a higher value (patient and hopeful endurance of undesirable circumstances). Another definition I have heard is "Meekness is not weakness, but strength in perfect control".
I agree with Anon@9:13 about 52D. I wondered why it had an !
LOL Haiku Harry @9:48
YR Lovely to indulge in some "gourmet" meals for yourself. I suspect Alan will decrease the calls when he becomes more settled in his new home.
AnonT and D4 Thanks for the bolding info. Now I can go nuts!
Wishing you all a great day.
*"The Curie, a unit used to describe the activity of a radioactive substance, is based on radium-226. It is equal to the number of atoms in a one gram sample of radium-226 that will decay in one second, or 37,000,000,000 decays per second." (Jefferson Lab: It's Elemental)
I'd agree Anon @10:36. There's a lot of terrain in Iowa. Even on I-80. But it's got rolling farmland in most areas of the state, and the NE corner (near Decorah and Marquette) is downright rugged. Nebraska can be awfully boring to cross if you don't get off I-80, but it has some amazing countryside if you stray from the beaten path. Especially the Sandhills. That doesn't mean the comment isn't funny, Steve. It just means it isn't true.
ReplyDeleteAvg Joe - We did stray from the beaten path in Nebraska and thoroughly enjoyed the scenery. There was not a destination for us in Nebraska but we were going from A to B through Nebraska. To make it more interesting we stopped at all the historical markers not found on interstates. Fun and learning times!
ReplyDeleteGood morning, everyone! Fun debut puzzle, Hoang-Kim Vu – I look forward to seeing more from you in the future. Always enjoy your write-ups, Steve.
ReplyDeleteI get a chuckle out of these punny themes. (Not so fond of ones where you have to go back and find the starred clues/answers to get the reveal.) CROSS CZECHS gave me the Z in the unknown-to-me ERTZ. I liked that the final themer was THE FINNISH LINE – wave that CZECHered flag! Caught the plural “ringers’” at 23A, so was able to side-step the IT’S ME / US trap.
Have a great day!
Woohoo! I almost, almost got this delightful Thursday puzzle with only a single letter goof-up: had ESPN instead of ESPY (sports are usually my downfall). But I got everything else and loved seeing the fun geographical themes emerge--my first one was THE FINNISH LINE and that gave me a sense of how all the others would work. Great crossword debut, Hoang-Kim, and many thanks for this puzzle gift. My favorite clue was Ugly duckling, which turned out to be a SWAN. I too was surprised that Marie Curie was born in WARSAW. Anyway, great fun, thanks again, Hoang-Kim, and you too, Steve, for your always interesting and helpful commentary.
ReplyDeleteI liked your second poem, Owen.
Have a great day, everybody!
IOWA - - Its gently rolling landscape rises slowly as it extends westward from the Mississippi River, which forms its entire eastern border. The Missouri River and its tributary, the Big Sioux, form the western border, making Iowa the only U.S. state that has two parallel rivers defining its borders. Per Britannica.
ReplyDeleteThough it is subscription only, today's FIREBALL puzzle is the third publication this week for Paul Coulter. While he tours Europe, he began Tuesday with a Universal, then came the LAT yesterday. What will tomorrow bring?
ReplyDeleteI loved Edith Hamilton's MYTHOLOGY which I read many times in my youth. The Link is to a complete copy of the bok which you can download and read for free.
ReplyDeleteBok book, close enough?
ReplyDeleteNifty puzzle. The first pun I solved was GRAND KENYAN, which gave me a smile but led me a little bit astray because I expected the other theme answers to be puns where the pronunciation would be slightly changed. There were some total unknowns but the perps made solving possible; i.e. no Naticks for me. I always remember LALO Schifrin because I love his theme to Mission Impossible and made an effort to remember his name. ERTZ, however, I'll probably forget by tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteGosh, I haven't heard or read the name of Larry Ellison for ages. The last time I even thought of him was when we had Harlan Ellison in a recent puzzle.
"I say, old CHAP" reminds of the character Hastings in the Hercule Poirot programmes.
Yes, the common theory is that Morse used ..._ to represent the letter V because of those notes in Beethoven's 5th symphony. I have no reason not to believe it.
Good wishes to you all.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteWhat fun! Thank you, Hoang-Kim Vu and Steve!
This was like a return to the tours I took many years ago. On separate occasions I visited San Sebastian in Spain then later, the CZECH Republic, Finland and other countries when I saw the ELBE river and of course, I live in the Grand Canyon state. What a treat! One of the things I recall about San Sebastian besides the gorgeous beaches is the delicious fava bean soup. LANAI recalls my trips to the ISLEs of Hawaii.
It has been decades since I read EDITH Hamilton's Mythology! I have a paperback copy now but I'm sure it was a hard copy in college.
Of course, I don't know of Zach ERTZ but it was easy to perp.
Though I'm unfamiliar with Scandinavian mythology I'm slowly learning some from CWDs.
PBS showed a biography of the Curies several years ago so I know that Marie and her daughter, Irene, were Polish. Her husband, Pierre, was French.
YR:
It will likely take Alan a few weeks to adjust to his new home but once he does I suspect the calls will lessen.
Have a glorious day, everyone!
FIW, I checked when I should have Czeched
ReplyDeleteOnly in Spain?
Only in Prague!
Only in Kenya?
(well, maybe Ghana in this case...)
only in Finland???
ReplyDeleteThis was a nicely put together Thursday puzzle.
A couple of markovers similar to others....ITSME/ITSUS, NEAR/NIGH.
And on to Friday.
Hi Y'all! Thank you, Hoang-Kim Vu, for a pun-fun Thursday journey. Fitting that our master traveler Steve should do a great tour.
ReplyDeleteStubbornly tried several times to spell ChECH instead of CZECH. Duh! Must still have been asleep ZZZZ!
The clue about IOWA being a state with two mighty rivers being its borders is very apt. I saw on TV weather channel that there is big flooding in IOWA right now. Flat. Rivers. No wonder it is flooding with all the rain.
Didn't know what country had San Sebastian so BASQUE had to perp & WAG in.
DNK: EDITH, Hagio Sophia = MOSQUE, ERTZ, SHAY, LALO (yes, I know we've had this. Just doesn't stick with me for some reason.)
YR: It is great that Alan can phone you when he wants to. Should make the transition easier for him and for you, as long as he is happy. I talked to my mother on the phone every day after she was widowed and alone. Reassuring for both of us.
My favorite puzzles (unlike our intrepid reviewer, the other Steve) are puns! The more groan worthy the better! Today's puzzle did not disappoint.
ReplyDeleteThis was great debut, IMO. Not only was the theme fun, but I'm hard pressed to find any objectionable fill. My only nit is with the clue, "Got Back To" for ANSWER. It just seems wrong. Answering, to me, is a response to a question or accusation, whereas getting back to someone is starting communication. Small nit, but it gave me pause.
Steve (the other one) Out
Some funny punny fills today. I cracked a smile a couple of times.
ReplyDeleteSurprised myself that I knew ERICA KANE. I guess Ms. Luci was held up to national ridicule enough times that she penetrated even my non-soapy skull.
I was in WARSAW just as Solidarnosc was taking off. All very regimented back then. My hosts were extremely gracious. They had a nice apartment, but then he had a gov't job. They had an 8-year old boy who walked over and bit me--hard--when his parents were in another room.
I remember long lines at some places, such as when they got a new flavor in at the ice cream shop. Other stores had no lines, because the shelves were empty.
You couldn't get a taxi after 4 or 5 in the afternoon because the cabbies had all met their quotas for the day. (Ah, but they'd stop if you waved American dollars.)
~ OMK
____________
DR: One diagonal, NW to SE.
I spot two possible anagrams, neither of which seems particularly interesting.
For a truly anodyne anagram, take your pick of either the Catholic Church's view of the Anglican offshoot as a...
"LONG APOSTASY"
- or -
the study of early Chinese culture...
"PAST SINOLOGY".
Lemonade @ 12:38 --
ReplyDelete"Bok book, close enough?"
Sure, if you're Norwegian.
Use of NIGH in a Bris: From MASH - -
ReplyDelete[Radar Bleeping Morse Code] Uh, Father, the first thing to say is "Repeat after me.
May he who comest be blessed.
" [Mulcahy] Repeat after me.
May he who comest be blessed.
- [All Together] May he who comest be blessed.
- Go ahead, Radar.
"Happy is he whom thou choosest and bringest, uh, NIGH.
" "Happy is he whom thou choosest and bringest NIGH that he may dwell in thy courts.
Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=mash&episode=s03e08
At 10:17 AM I asked for help verifying that Hoang-Kim Vu is a woman. she is listed on Linkedin and Facebook, but I do not know how to navigate either one. Who would like to step up to the plate and knock one out of the park?
ReplyDeleteÐave
Checking Facebook there is no listing for Hoang-Kim Vu but several for Hoang Kim Vuong most of which are women and one is a man. All are Vietnamese. Maybe C.C. can shed more light on this constructor.
ReplyDeleteBad cold has me down today. I finally awoke enough to knock this off .
ReplyDeleteI was trying to fit MUSEUM into Mosque
This one didn't tax me thank God .
Yes. I knew ERTZ very well.
WC
WC, congratulations on 41 year anniversary of being alcohol free. Bully for you.
ReplyDeleteI see that NIGH is considered old fashioned, but I found dozens of references in 2019 media. Nigh seems commonplace to me.
"The end of Game of Thrones is nigh, and as it approaches, brands across industries are scrambling to squeeze every last penny from the mania." Slate Apr 16, 2019
"Their worries are the latest sign that fears a U.S. downturn is nigh are growing." Reuters Apr 15, 2019
"Moore declared that such measures were necessary because 'hyperinflation' was nigh." Washington Post Apr 8, 2019
"A trade deal with China may finally be nigh." New York Times Apr 6, 2019
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteThank you and congrats on a fine debut, Hoang-Kim. Love me some U2 Steve; thanks for the expo too.
THE FINNISH LINE* was 1st, BASQUE IN THE SUN last.
WOs: IT IS me, TITHE in CASTS squares, erode b/f DECAY, had ChECHS 'till near the end.
ESPs: ESITH, SHAY, ERZ, ERICA, LALO, MOSQUE. [TTP, I near had MISQUE too!]
Fav: I liked c/a for CHAP - like a Python sketch about upper-class twits.
{A, A-}
Fun! Haiku Harry.
I found the DRs interesting OMK.
Prairie Woman: LOL Canceled Czech. //didn't know that was a thing oc4.
C, Eh! - Like the Sharpie commercials say, "write out loud!" //you do have Sharpies in The Great White North, eh?
YR - The first two weeks Eldest was at OU, she'd call daily. Now I'm lucky to hear from her weekly. Alan will find friends and get comfortable with new activities. Who knows, in a few months, "Would it kill him to call?" might be something you say :-)
I'm feeling like a tune - perhaps another that DESERT evokes Horse with no name [America 4:05].
Cheers, -T
*OK, until spell-CZECH underlined it, I didn't know that's not how you spell finish.
There's a house of I'll repute . One guy's approaching in a rush. One is leaving by the back door with a big smile on his face . Upstairs there'a guy in the bed and he's not alone
ReplyDelete#1. Who him?
#2. Who him?
#3. Who him?
Care to take a crack at it dash T?
Back in a few minutes
WC
Ok. I just put T's needle in my arm and I'm back from my trip*.
ReplyDeleteSo...
1. Him Russian
2. Him FINNISH
3. Wait for it
Himalayan
Cash donations in lieu of groans maybe left in the hat by door
I'll see myself out
WC
WC - The fiver in your hat is from me :-)
ReplyDelete