Theme: Anagrams - the reveal explains what we're looking for - three "diapers" anagrams in the theme entries:
52A. New father's task, maybe ... and what the three other longest puzzle answers have in common?: CHANGING DIAPERS
And so we find:
17A. Dreamed of a career in politics: ASPIRED TO OFFICE. The alternative spelling of the past tense of "dream" is "dreamt", which occupies a singular place in the English language. Anyone know what's unique about the word?
26A. Took part in a revival: PRAISED THE LORD. And passed the ammunition, if you were Chaplain Forgy on the U.S.S New Orleans during the Pearl Harbor attacks in 1942.
42A. "We can't win!" and "It's useless!": CRIES OF DESPAIR. Accompanied by wailing and gnashing of teeth. Which brings me to the question of the day - what does a teeth-gnashing look like? The expression is so familiar that I never stopped to think about it before.
Fun puzzle from Ross today, it was a pretty straightforward solve even though there were quite a few unknowns for me, the crosses were all solid. By the time I'd worked my way down to the reveal, the theme entries were all complete, so it was just a case of admiring the elegant anagrams.
None of the theme entries have appeared in the major puzzles before, which is neat. There's one other "unique" word in the puzzle, we'll get to that later. Let's see what's what in the fill:
Across:
1. Hairy swinger: APE
4. Blue semiprecious stone: AZURITE. New to me. Pretty color:
11. Vainglory: EGO
14. "Blue Bloods" actor Selleck: TOM
15. Joint Chiefs member: GENERAL. There are six generals and an admiral on the current Joint Chiefs of Staff.
16. Bubbly title: DOM. Dom Pérignon, produced by the champagne house Moët & Chandon and named for a Benedictine monk who introduced a number of wine-making techniques and methods in the 1600's.
20. Mythical hunter: DIANA
21. Considerable stretches: EONS
22. Thames academy: ETON. Posh school across the river from Windsor Castle. You'd think the Queen would have sent her boys there as it's about five minutes walk from the castle, but she and Phil the Greek packed them off to a school in the north of Scotland.
23. Old Opry network: TNN. The Nashville Network, later The National Network.
24. Nice picnic spot?: PARC. The city of Nice, France.
25. Burn soothers: ALOES
29. Hit one out, in baseball parlance: GO DEEP
30. Atomic number of nitrogen: SEVEN
31. TV commentator Navarro: ANA
32. Fort Collins sch.: C.S.U. Colorado State U.
34. Cone producer: FIR
35. "Amscray!": GIT!
38. Singer Lopez: TRINI. I thought this person had passed me by thus far, but when I went look her up, I discovered firstly it's a man, and secondly he recorded "If I Had a Hammer" which I know from when I was a kid.
40. Name on a "Little Women" book jacket: LOUISA. M. Alcott.
45. "Something to Talk About" singer: RAITT. Quite a few proper names in the puzzle today.
46. Low-quality: POOR
47. Mining supply: TNT
48. Subject of the documentary "Blackfish": ORCA. The film deals critically with the treatment of orcas at SeaWorld.
49. __-g: ZERO. Took a while for the penny to drop on this one.
50. Terra __: COTTA. Resisted the temptation to fill in "FIRMA".
55. Luv: HON
56. Candy bowl holder's rule on Halloween: ONE EACH
57. __ generis: SUI
58. Short albums, for short: EP'S. Extended play 45's. Usually two songs on each side. Officially, an EP has a running time of less than 25 minutes and no more than four tracks.
59. "Afterwards ... ": AND THEN
60. Word before cow, dog or lion: SEA
Down:
1. Somewhat: A TAD
2. Physics particle: POSITRON. An electron and a positron go into a bar. The positron says "It's your round". The electron asks "Are you sure"? "I'm positive" comes the reply.
3. Spanish stuffed pastry: EMPANADA. Yum!
4. Taj Mahal city: AGRA
5. Zombiepocalypse start?: ZEE. What a great word!
6. Like a zombie: UNDEAD
7. Snappy comebacks: RETORTS
8. Japanese show set in a kitchen: IRON CHEF. I loved the show. It thought it was funny when the English voice-over translator would include the "mmmm" sounds the judges were making and add the laughs "ha ha ha" too.
9. New Mexico resort: TAOS
10. Pixie: ELF
11. Publishing house hiree: EDITOR
12. Start admitting both men and women: GO CO-ED
13. Fodder for soothsayers: OMENS
18. Navel variety: INNIE. Wait for the crosses.
19. Pen denizen: FELON
24. Soft drink choices: PEPSIS
25. Last Olds models: ALEROS
26. Dustin Johnson's org.: P.G.A. Need to be careful here - DJ belongs to the PGA TOUR. The Professional Golfer's Association of America is for club professionals.
27. Confidential: SECRET
28. More wicked: EVILER
33. Still wrapped: UNOPENED
35. Garganta of "Femforce" comics, e.g.: GIANTESS. Crosses all the way.
36. "No kidding?": IS IT TRUE?
37. Road gunk: TAR
38. Saturn's largest moon: TITAN
39. "It's not coming to me": I FORGET
41. "High five!": UP TOP!
42. Drive-in server: CAR HOP. My local Bob's Big Boy in Toluca Lake still features car hops on weekend nights. The Friday night has a classic and custom car show in the parking lot; Jay Leno often turns up with one of his prized collection.
43. Puerto __: San Juan natives: RICANS
44. "Camptown Races" refrain syllables: DOO-DAH
45. Valium maker: ROCHE
49. "A People's History of the United States" writer Howard: ZINN. This is the other unique word in the puzzle, which I find surprising. I'd not heard of the author before, so thank you, crosses.
50. "High Hopes" lyricist: CAHN
51. China setting: ASIA
53. Small Indian state: GOA
54. Puck's place: ICE. Topical as the Stanley Cup Finals are underway.
If you're still wondering about "dreamt", it's the only word in the English language which ends "amt".
That should do it for me. Here's the grid!
Steve
52A. New father's task, maybe ... and what the three other longest puzzle answers have in common?: CHANGING DIAPERS
And so we find:
17A. Dreamed of a career in politics: ASPIRED TO OFFICE. The alternative spelling of the past tense of "dream" is "dreamt", which occupies a singular place in the English language. Anyone know what's unique about the word?
26A. Took part in a revival: PRAISED THE LORD. And passed the ammunition, if you were Chaplain Forgy on the U.S.S New Orleans during the Pearl Harbor attacks in 1942.
42A. "We can't win!" and "It's useless!": CRIES OF DESPAIR. Accompanied by wailing and gnashing of teeth. Which brings me to the question of the day - what does a teeth-gnashing look like? The expression is so familiar that I never stopped to think about it before.
Fun puzzle from Ross today, it was a pretty straightforward solve even though there were quite a few unknowns for me, the crosses were all solid. By the time I'd worked my way down to the reveal, the theme entries were all complete, so it was just a case of admiring the elegant anagrams.
None of the theme entries have appeared in the major puzzles before, which is neat. There's one other "unique" word in the puzzle, we'll get to that later. Let's see what's what in the fill:
Across:
1. Hairy swinger: APE
4. Blue semiprecious stone: AZURITE. New to me. Pretty color:
11. Vainglory: EGO
14. "Blue Bloods" actor Selleck: TOM
15. Joint Chiefs member: GENERAL. There are six generals and an admiral on the current Joint Chiefs of Staff.
16. Bubbly title: DOM. Dom Pérignon, produced by the champagne house Moët & Chandon and named for a Benedictine monk who introduced a number of wine-making techniques and methods in the 1600's.
20. Mythical hunter: DIANA
21. Considerable stretches: EONS
22. Thames academy: ETON. Posh school across the river from Windsor Castle. You'd think the Queen would have sent her boys there as it's about five minutes walk from the castle, but she and Phil the Greek packed them off to a school in the north of Scotland.
23. Old Opry network: TNN. The Nashville Network, later The National Network.
24. Nice picnic spot?: PARC. The city of Nice, France.
25. Burn soothers: ALOES
29. Hit one out, in baseball parlance: GO DEEP
30. Atomic number of nitrogen: SEVEN
31. TV commentator Navarro: ANA
32. Fort Collins sch.: C.S.U. Colorado State U.
34. Cone producer: FIR
35. "Amscray!": GIT!
38. Singer Lopez: TRINI. I thought this person had passed me by thus far, but when I went look her up, I discovered firstly it's a man, and secondly he recorded "If I Had a Hammer" which I know from when I was a kid.
40. Name on a "Little Women" book jacket: LOUISA. M. Alcott.
45. "Something to Talk About" singer: RAITT. Quite a few proper names in the puzzle today.
46. Low-quality: POOR
47. Mining supply: TNT
48. Subject of the documentary "Blackfish": ORCA. The film deals critically with the treatment of orcas at SeaWorld.
49. __-g: ZERO. Took a while for the penny to drop on this one.
50. Terra __: COTTA. Resisted the temptation to fill in "FIRMA".
55. Luv: HON
56. Candy bowl holder's rule on Halloween: ONE EACH
57. __ generis: SUI
58. Short albums, for short: EP'S. Extended play 45's. Usually two songs on each side. Officially, an EP has a running time of less than 25 minutes and no more than four tracks.
59. "Afterwards ... ": AND THEN
60. Word before cow, dog or lion: SEA
Down:
1. Somewhat: A TAD
2. Physics particle: POSITRON. An electron and a positron go into a bar. The positron says "It's your round". The electron asks "Are you sure"? "I'm positive" comes the reply.
3. Spanish stuffed pastry: EMPANADA. Yum!
4. Taj Mahal city: AGRA
5. Zombiepocalypse start?: ZEE. What a great word!
6. Like a zombie: UNDEAD
7. Snappy comebacks: RETORTS
8. Japanese show set in a kitchen: IRON CHEF. I loved the show. It thought it was funny when the English voice-over translator would include the "mmmm" sounds the judges were making and add the laughs "ha ha ha" too.
9. New Mexico resort: TAOS
10. Pixie: ELF
11. Publishing house hiree: EDITOR
12. Start admitting both men and women: GO CO-ED
13. Fodder for soothsayers: OMENS
18. Navel variety: INNIE. Wait for the crosses.
19. Pen denizen: FELON
24. Soft drink choices: PEPSIS
25. Last Olds models: ALEROS
26. Dustin Johnson's org.: P.G.A. Need to be careful here - DJ belongs to the PGA TOUR. The Professional Golfer's Association of America is for club professionals.
27. Confidential: SECRET
28. More wicked: EVILER
33. Still wrapped: UNOPENED
35. Garganta of "Femforce" comics, e.g.: GIANTESS. Crosses all the way.
36. "No kidding?": IS IT TRUE?
37. Road gunk: TAR
38. Saturn's largest moon: TITAN
39. "It's not coming to me": I FORGET
41. "High five!": UP TOP!
42. Drive-in server: CAR HOP. My local Bob's Big Boy in Toluca Lake still features car hops on weekend nights. The Friday night has a classic and custom car show in the parking lot; Jay Leno often turns up with one of his prized collection.
43. Puerto __: San Juan natives: RICANS
44. "Camptown Races" refrain syllables: DOO-DAH
45. Valium maker: ROCHE
49. "A People's History of the United States" writer Howard: ZINN. This is the other unique word in the puzzle, which I find surprising. I'd not heard of the author before, so thank you, crosses.
50. "High Hopes" lyricist: CAHN
51. China setting: ASIA
53. Small Indian state: GOA
54. Puck's place: ICE. Topical as the Stanley Cup Finals are underway.
If you're still wondering about "dreamt", it's the only word in the English language which ends "amt".
That should do it for me. Here's the grid!
Steve
66 comments:
FIRight! And even caught the gimmick! Spotted the three anagrams and spent some time trying to figure out a fourth one for the reveal, but gave up before I got to DIAPERS. The silent A, plus thinking the first letter was likely neither A, P, nor D (since they were already used) did me in on that quest.
I was disappointed with my Jumble poem yesterday. It was okay, but I knew it could be so much better. So in the funk I didn't even try any crossword l'icks. Today's _J was about the same quality, but let's see if a couple l'icks help today.
He ASPIRED TO OFFICE, so did what succeeded.
PRAISED THE LORD that he'd not be defeated.
He heard CRIES OF DESPAIR
From, it seemed, everywhere,
But he still kissed babes (CHANGING DIAPERS not needed)!
If a TITAN is a forty-foot GIANTESS,
She ought to wear pants, not a dress.
Else some POOR squirt
Might look up her skirt
And see what he could never access!
{B-, B.}
Not too difficult; FIR in a TAD over 12 minutes. I’m with Steve—lots of names today. Steve, that bit about the Queen’s boys going up to Scotland was new to me. I have always just assumed that all the royals’ boys went to Eton. Thanks, Ross, for a nice Thursday puzzle.
Owen, I’d have given you {A-, A}.
I wondered about mining supply / TNT. TNT is the abbreviation for TriNitroToluene and I don’t think the clue as written called for an abbreviation. Of course, I could be wrong; I was, once. ;-)
EMPANADA is a new word to me. (Or is it EMPAÑADA?)
TRINI Lopez was pretty popular when I was in High School. I even bought the album that had “If I Had A Hammer” and “Lemon Tree” on it.
I tried way too long to make Alcot fit in where LOUISA was wanted.
What does SUI GENERIS really mean?
That’s enough … it’s bedtime here and things are getting pretty sleepy. Have a great day all.
FIR in too much time.
Good morning Cornies!
Thank you Ross Trudeau for this properly crunchy Thursday CW. I had problems with each cell, but I persisted, and solved. I saw the theme at 52 A - but I had already filled 17 A, and 26 A and used perps to solve 42 A.
We don't call them DIAPERS here. They are pull-ups, and we hope that they are CHANGed at least once a day. Father doesn't help us. An aide does, blue stripe in the back.
Thank you Steve for your excellent review. As noted above, "the theme entries were all complete" by the time I "Gramed the Ana."
4 A -- AZURITE, I didn't look at the whole word till your review. Is anyone familiar with this stone?
2 D -- Groan.
Ðave
Good Morning, Steve and friends. Good theme this morning, as almost exactly 4 months ago we welcomed our grandniece ~ first child of the next generation. Abba and Ima both do a lot of CHANGING OF DIAPERS. We also just celebrated my MIL's 90th birthday. So many generations!
Puck's Place = ICE was a nice misdirection. I was thinking of Puck from A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Cone Produces = FIR was also a fun clue and answer.
I would never voluntarily opt for a PEPSI.
QOD: One learns in life to keep silent and draw one’s own confusions. ~ Cornelia Otis Skinner (May 30, 1899 ~ July 9, 1979)
Owen, A plus for giantess. And Steve, thanks for the car show info. We're always looking for something fun to do in LA when we visit family. Last winter visited fabulous Peterson Car Museum.
We CSU alums need a bit more fanfare -
CSU Fight Song
I hate html
Good morning!
Didn't notice the theme until the reveal slapped me upside the haid. Interesting stuff in this one...except EVILER. Thought EMPANADA was a town in Baja -- Oops, that's Ensenada. D4, why the groan at 2d? Nicely done, Ross. Steve, maybe the queen figured they wouldn't be underfoot if she sent them to Scotland.
Yes Lucina I small a rat also and his name is Bob. He will be exposed for his agenda.
FIR, but erased ore for TNT. Also WAGged the Naticks of AN_ x EMPANAD_ and _ui x GIANTE_S. Remember that Don Rickles called his foils "hockey pucks"?
Thanks to Ross for another gem. My favorite was "pen denizen" for FELON. And thanks to Steve for the fun review. At least you got an EPANADA today. I'm always too full after visiting a Mexian restaurant to have anything for dessert.
Re 49 down Howard ZINN
Yes I have heard of this guy and his book "The Complete History of The United States". That book really knocked me on my ass. No, I didn't read it, I just saw the movie.
Howard ZINN
WARNING FOR LANGUAGE You'll have to put several dollars in the swear jar but the acting is worth it. RIP Robin.
Great morning all.
Thanks Ross Trudeau for a fun puzzle. Doable but with enough crunch to make me resort to a couple of look ups. Didn’t know RAITT or ROCHE and Azurite. Had POP for bubbly title at first. Fun theme reminded me of a time long ago when purchasing diapers was just starting to be the answer to dave the overworked moms some time.
A friend of mine was admonished by his wife for not changing the baby’s diaper while she was out . His response was the box said the diapers were good for up to 18 pounds so he figured there was lots of room.
Thanks STEVE for a great review and OWEN for my first chuckle of the day.
Cheers
desper-otto at 6:40 AM wrote "D4, why the groan at 2d?"
I had trouble recreating my reaction. The "Groan" was not for the clue or answer. It was a response to Steve's joke. One does not laugh at that type of joke. The appropriate response is a groan, and the lower, the louder, and the longer the groan, the more the jokee liked it.
Ðave
Musings
-The fun theme – “I didn’t see the forest for the trees”
-Vainglorious makes me think of the general at Little Big Horn
-TRINI acted, sang and played guitar in The Dirty Dozen
-I’m so old I better remember Bonnie’s famous dad John RAITT
-Disneyworld’s Tower of Terror gives you a real taste of ZERO-g
-AND THEN…, AND THEN…, AND THEN (2:16)
-Snappy comeback? “Oh yeah” ain’t cuttin’ it
-Some CO-ED dorms now allow men and women to share a room, not just a floor
-My wife is the world’s worst SECRET keeper
-“It’s not coming to me!” I am still trying to think of a student’s first name who I had in class this year
-Oas – 18 pounds? What a hoot!
Enjoyed the clever theme- I would never have thought a long word like DIAPERS would have had so many "in the language" words. Constructors are amazing!
A little snag as I started with "just one" before changing to ONE EACH for the Halloween candy bowl.
Valium made ROCHE a pretty penny back when it had no generic and unscrupulous docs were handing them out during the "Valley of the Dolls" era like a bowl of Halloween candy- maybe if they had just said ONE EACH a lot of grief would have been prevented!
Late for work- have a good Thursday!
CHANGING DIAPERS and washing diapers (remember that?)- I did plenty of that, but noticing the anagrams was not in the cards today. AZURITE and GIANTESS were unknowns but easily guessed. ANA, ZINN, SUI generis & 'Blackfish' (ORCA)- perped.
The Queen's kids not going to ETON? I guess Anne, Edward, & Andrew have to take a back seat to all the new royal members. The press never mentions them and personally, I can never understand why the US press really cares. I don't.
ROCHE- about 40 years ago, I received a pallet from Roche that was missing five or six cases of Valium 10mg 500's & Librium 10mg 500's. When the inspectors came to check it out they noticed that the thieves had turned the pallet upside down, bent the cardboard bottom back, grabbed as much as they could reach, and then set it upright. When it was delivered everything looked normal to my receiving clerk. After that episode I never saw another shipment from Roche come without crisscrossed straps. I'll save the missing Vicodin and Dilaudid stories for a later day if they ever show up in a LA Times puzzle.
CC is sui generis, one of kind, unique.
Gnashing of teeth is grinding one's teeth in anguish, pain or anger.
Correction for Husker Gary: "My wife is the world’s worst SECRET keeper" should actually be "Anyone who tells my wife anything in confidence is the world’s worst SECRET keeper". As a registered sexist pig, I fell duty-bound to repeat the old chestnut "There are three types of mass communications - telephone, television, and tell a woman."
Has anyone investigated how much room would be saved in land fills if disposable DIAPERs were outlawed? I'll bet it would be an order of magnitude more impact than banning plastic straws. (I once had a boss that was like a dirty diaper - he was all over my ass and full of shit. OK, it's not as good as OAS' joke, but it's all I've got.)
Hi Y'all! Enjoyed working the puzzle, Ross. Thanks. Great expo, Steve.
I read the reveal but never in a million years would have thought DIAPERS would appear as a crossword theme. I don't want to remember the cloth DIAPER parts of those years.
The NW was last to fill. DNK: POSITRON, EMPANADA, GO DEEP, ANA. Couldn't think of DIANA. Funny thing: Just after finishing the puzzle, EMPANADAs were being made by the heroine in a book I was reading by Isabel Allende and recommended by Lucina. Thanks. I hadn't bothered to LIU.
DNK: AZURITE, ROCHE, ZINN, GIANTESS, SUI, GOA. Forgot RAITT sang that song.
Tried "bon moTS" before RETORTS.
Oh, DOODAH DAY! No rain predicted. Yay!
Good morning everyone.
SUI Generis means unique.
FIR. Easy for a Thursday but I had to come here to 'get' the theme. I'm not good at anagrams. Some fresh fill with AZURITE, POSITRON and EMPANADA.
INNIE - My navel was an 'outie' until a few years ago when a Laparoscopic ventral hernia repair changed it to an INNIE. (Probably TMI.)
amt - - In German, Amt means administrative office, department, or agency.
ZINN - Is German for 'tin'. CSO to Tinman? L. German Tinn.)
Today is Himmelfahrt Tag in Düsseldorf.
Himmelfahrt Tag, journey to heaven, aka Ascension Day
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Ross Trudeau, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Steve, for a fine review.
This puzzle was a little tough. But, it is a Thursday. The theme was very good. Almost so good I nearly missed it.
Tried WSN for 23A. That did not work so I tried TNN and that did work.
35D was a little detective work. Garganta made me think of GIANT and Fem made me think of ESS. So, I plugged that in and it stayed.
Tried FIRMA for 50A. After GIANTESS I changed that to COTTA.
Took me a while to figure out ZERO-g. After that I had ZINN.
Liked FIR for 34A. Very clever.
After IRON CHEF, that gave me PARC. Me and french do not get along.
Anyhow, Done for the day with the crossword. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Appropriately crunchy Thursday puzzle. Thanks Ross. Loved Pen Denizen for FELON. Not fond of EVILER but it filled in easily. That Halloween candy bowl is the type of clue that could be anything. Wait for peeps!
I’m embarrassed that “High Hopes” gave me trouble. My first thought was Pink Floyd but I couldn’t make it work. (Are we still friends?). And, yes of course I’m old enough to remember Sammy Cahns version with that determined ant!
Thanks Steve, for the tour. I loved Iron Chef too. Morimoto was such a great champ!
I didn’t comment yesterday when Cat Cora was identified as a “former “ Iron Chef. I always thought an Iron Chef was for life.
Owen, A, A
Good morning everyone! Thank you, Ross, for a just-right Thursday crunch. Thank you, Steve, for the commentary.
Like others, I wanted Ferma before cotta. In all else, I was thankful for the crosses.
Carhop brought back memories. At the age of 16 I was one. My students were always taken aback when they would discover that was my first job. But, like most of life, it was not like the movies; the DognSuds where I worked was in a very small, very conservative, central Illinois town. There was a gravel parking lot which prevented the roller skating, and my uniform did include shorts that were covered by a black skirt. The shorts were required because here on the prairies the wind blew our full skirts and we couldn’t grab our skirts while carrying trays with those heavy root beer mugs. The most difficult part was trying to find a place to place the trays on a few Amish buggies.
Wishing a speedy recovery to Abejo after your surgery.
Azurite and the related mineral Malachite are both ores of copper (blue and green copper carbonates respectively). When they occur in crystalline formed they may also be suitable for use as gems.
As a lover of anagrams, I loved the puzzle. Clever and creative. However, anyone who thinks it's crappy is exactly right.
OH CRAP, the CARHOP dropped my tray.
Husker- There was no general at the Big Horn. Custer was a lieutenant colonel.
Terrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Ross and Steve.
Lots of crunch today and my newspaper has the inkblots to prove it.
But I got the theme, PTL, and like inanehiker, I marvelled at the many anagrams of DIAPERS.
But I arrived here to discover that I FIWed. I had Empasada and TsN (I should have known that is our sports station). I should have used my Call a Friend and asked Lucina!
I am not familiar with AZURITE, but Azure is a shade of blue and is often used to describe the sky.
I had Eras before EONS, and moved from soft to hard-g before ZERO.
Dodahs changed to DOODAH. Does anyone say EVILER?
I wanted Is That So? before IS IT TRUE.
My Canadian disadvantage was showing with the unknown ZINN and thinking Fort Collins was in Texas. Perps straightened me out. But I did enter ZEE and not Zed!
Canada/US relations are strong today in the news. Between VP Pence arriving in Ottawa this morning, and the Raptors/Warriors history-making game (1st NBA championship games played outside of the USA). First fan was lined up at Jurassic Park at 3:55am! even before Good Morning America started to broadcast. Many other cities/towns will broadcast the game live on big screens in their civic centres/Cineplex theatres. Should be exciting.
RaptorsFans
Wishing you all a great day.
Unless you live in the Diocese of Baltimore (the first in the US no less) and Ascension Thursday has been transferred to the following Sunday. *TMHDOO I guess (*Too Many Holy Days Of Obligation, for those not up on the finer points of liturgical textspeak).
Canadian Eh! I entered ZED first! Ah well...
I SPREAD my eyes wide as I saw the creepy crawler. A SPIDER!, I RASPED as I searched for something that I'D SPEAR it with.
Yeah, I know its cheating to use two words.
Btw, I PARSED 39d incorrectly after the crosses filled it in. I thought what does AS IF, OR GET mean?
This Thursday puzzle had some crunch to it.
Markovers...just one...DODAHS/DOODAH.
And yet another record high yesterday...101°.....that’s four in a row. And this isn’t Florida.
See you tomorrow.
Hola!
Thank you, Ross Trudeau and Steve for your anagramatical diapering skills! You will hear no CRIES OF DESPAIR from me.
This was more fun than CHANGING DIAPERS! Hand up for thinking of terra firma before COTTA but I knew CAHN though I first spelled it as COHN.
Yum! EMPANADA! No tilde is needed. My mother used to make them with different fillings, apple, apricots, cherries or other fruit.
ZINN is unknown to me and I had AdDTHEN so misspelled it and left EPS with a blank cell. Sigh. Sometimes I do wish for red letters.
It's the first time I've see EVILER spelled that way. More EVIL is the usual form.
Garganta is also unknown but it sounded like gargantuan so GIANTESS emerged.
I have no RETORTS for the dirty DIAPER jokes.
Have yourselves a glorious day, everyone! The heat is back!!
A great doable Thursday puzzle--many thanks, Ross. I got almost everything before I cheated a little, and loved the way things slowly filled in. The first names were a lot easier than the last names, and I did get TOM, DIANA, LOUISA, and even TRINI. Once I got the theme, it took me a while to find all those DIAPERS in the long answers, but, sure enough, there they were. By the way, washing DIAPERS was not a lot of fun, back in the day, before disposables became available. My only grumpy question was provoked by EVILER--surely the correct form would be MORE EVIL? But I guess grammar is changing over time. Enjoyed your commentary, as always, Steve.
Am having outdoor wood fixed on the recommendation of the termite inspector. So a bit of hammering and sawing on the roof and eaves out there.
Have a good day, everybody!
Good Morning:
This had the normal Thursday crunch due to the many unknowns: Azurite, Positron, Giantess, Zinn, and TNN and Titan, as clued. I also stumbled on Alcott/Louisa, Adele/Raitt, and Take One/One Each. I saw the grouping of similar letters in each themer, but the reveal was definitely an Aha moment.
Thanks, Ross, for an enjoyable solve and thanks, Steve, for your cheery commentary and expo.
I was up until 2:00 a.m. watching "Green Book". I thought Masharala Ali (sp?) and Viggo Mortensen both gave virtuoso performances. Next in my queue is "Stan and Ollie."
Have a great day.
Here in SoFla. PVX we have never had a triple-digit day. Of course with the not-global warming, that record may not last. Anyway, the point being Florida's heat is exaggerated,
The puzzle was fun, I agree about the oddity of four 7 letter words using the same letters. Then the write-up fun and I went down the rabbit holes planted by Steve, reading all about PHIL THE GREEK who was much more interesting than I ever imagined though it was creepy that he began courting Elizabeth when she was 13. I also recalled HOWARD ZINN and his views of the world. The book was pulled from the internet.
No, it is just EMPANADA
Jinx. DW and I enjoyed a good laugh at your joke..
Hi All!
What a mess of spilt ink Ross caused! A strong note to the EDITOR demanding a new pen... Afterwards...
Thanks Ross for the fun fresh grid; this is not your father's ALERO.
Steve, Wonderful informative expo, as is par. Thanks.
WOs: Homerd[sic]/GO DEEP, Firma [couldn't resist Steve; Hi Abejo], Girl something b/f GIANTESS, Papered b/f UNOPENED.
ESPs: ZINN, TRINI, LOUISA [I wanted Alcot too WikWak] and others, I'm sure.
Fav: DOO DAH [3:06 - more $$ for Oscar's swear (and not PC) jar and it's only 114F PVX :-)]
{B+, A+}
Funny OAS! You too Jinx.
Jerome - I'm at a loss; anagram of CAR HOP is too funny.
We used cloth-diapers for the Girls but not for their bums. Cloths came in quite handy as spit-up towels. Later, they (diapers) found a life in the wood-workshop. Sturdy them.
When Eldest arrived, DW was impressed I CHANGED DIAPERS so effortlessly . My oldest sib from Pop's second marriage is 9 years younger so.., practice.
Oh, yeah, I remind Sis I cleared out her back-side when she gets snooty with me. :-)
C, Eh! - With my Rockets put out by The Warriors, I'll be rooting for your Raptors.
Cheers, -T
SwampCat - LOL re Zed. My Canadian influence . . ?
AnonT - Thanks for the Raptors' support. Apparently you are not the only American cheering for them. Of course, Canadians are excited; we don't even have any teams left in the Stanley Cup (although we like to think that if the Toronto Maple Leafs could have won the opening series against the Boston Bruins, they might have gone all the way to the finals!).
WeTheNorthAmerica?
I liked this puzzle. Yeah, lots of names, some of which I knew and some of which I didn't. My first thought was Terra HAUTE, which I should have known couldn't be right. My second thought was Terra FIRMA, but I held off. Thinking that Sammy's last name was KAHN added to my not thinking of COTTA. Also, having INTERN instead of EDITOR messed me up too. The nice thing about this puzzle is that it was eminently solvable even though I had started off on the wrong foot in a couple of places.
Steve ~
Howard ZINN is very popular in my stretch of the country, pardner.
Surprised he is new to you. But that's OK...
(We put up with all types ouch here.)
Oscar ~
I didn't know it was a movie! Thanks--I'll need to look it up.
Owen ~
You underrate yourself, sir; your EGO is definitely not on display.
These two deserve "A"s.
As to EVILER, Misty, I certainly agree it's a stinker. But if grammar is going to be changed, morphed, elasticized, or stretched to the (near) breaking point, it's surely gonna be in cruciverbal territory.
Oh, forget to mention that my paper didn't show up yesterday. But it's back to normal today. PRAISE be.
~ OMK
Lucina ~
Yes, like several others I started with FIRMA instead of COTTA.
It took several perps to set me straight, but in the end it was Sammy CAHN's name that sealed it.
You weren't far off track to begin with. His birth name was Cohen. He changed it to Kahn, then flipped it again to CAHN.
~ OMK
Musings
-Just back from a day at Omaha’s world class zoo on a perfect day that was halfway between shirt sleeves and a light jacket. Hey we get great weather here on occasion!
-Jerome – You’re right, Custer was a Brigadier General in The Civil War and then got I forgot that he got demoted for bad behavior in 1867 and only held the rank of Lt. Col. at the Little Big Horn.
-I still regret I didn’t learn of where you live until two years after we were there.
-Jinx – A corollary to the fact that my bride is horrible at keeping secrets is that she has no idea of how to tell a lie.
D4: Liked "Gramed the Ana", especially since ANA was in the puzzle! A shame gram wasn't.
I also never heard of AZURITE before, but it was easy to guess, and topaz, sodalite, turquoise, and lapis lazuli didn't fit. [disclaimer: I'd also never heard of sodalite before I looked up blue gemstones just now.]
Wrote the above 4 hours ago, then got lost down a rabbit hole. Looked up the lyrics to Along Came Jones. Then tried to click Himmelfahrt Tag and realized I hadn't restored my translation app, which led to a new dictionary app, then the Sinfest webcomic where Vainglory is a character, but I'm months behind on reading, then...
Swampy: "Halloween candy bowl ... Wait for peeps!" Freudian slip?
High Hopes was Bing!
Hand up for ISthatso.
RagMan & Jerome, I'm impressed by your anagramatical talents! Two words for one are okay! Three for two?
OMK:
Yes, when pronouncing it I heard the similarity to Cohen but didn't know its evolution. Thank you.
Owen, peeps was a typo for PERPS. But it didn’t seem worth changing later. Maybe you are right about the slip. Are all slips Freudian!??
A Collaboration of Rag Man, Jerome, and OwenKL:
The CARHOP screamed, OH, CRAP, A SPIDER!
I'D SPEAR it, I RASPED, as I ran up beside her!
I SPREAD my eyes wide
As I saw its size --
I FORGET, is it "IF" OR "GET" out of danger!
Swampy, this slip seems to have been made with some sang-froid.
A Freudian slip is when you say one thing and mean your mother.
Like when Rev. Spooner spoke of "our queer dean".
Since yours doesn't seem to have a sexual side, maybe it was more unintentionally fraudian than Freudian?
Owen @ 353p
That's not impressive. It is INCREDIBLE!!!
WOW, how does you mind work!
Thanks and I'll spend the next few minutes trying to explain to my friend what A SPIDER has to do with DIAPERS and why that lick is mind boggling.
Owen, you amaze me with your wit! I’ll take what I can get! lol
Not my very first but I believe I may have been the world's first CARTBOY. 1962, Big Sam's style carts.
No idea what I was doing nor did anyone else.
I have the Zinn book. I recall but can't find the mention that the British investigated the JFK murder and concluded that they knew how it was done but since British security was not involved they gave the report to the FBI who buried it in the archives.
I believe select British Intel has seen it and possibly some in the FBI. I suspect Len Deighton has seen it
Btw, most of Zinn's book is a compilation of articles or excerpts. He is the source of "The Germans bombing of Pearl Harbor"*(1941) btw.
WC
PS. I never fixed LPs to EPs. I started rechecking and got lazy. Two stupid FIWs in a row. Actually, one of the easiest of the week. I'm doing Birnbaum from Sunday's Post xword.
** I believe the trial of the embedded German family was public knowledge just not general knowledge
Speaking of Cohen/Cahn I was slowed down by inserting Kahn until the C forced its way in.
I think peeps in the candy would be dandy.
OwenKL, I like your verses and encourage you to continue creating them. Thank you.
Wilbur Charles and Abejo, I hope your surgeries and other treatments are successful.
PK, I like what you have to say and find your posts informative and interesting. I wish you and your family well.
I have been sippin' Merlot lately, both by Bogle and by Fetzer, instead of my usual Cabs, Pinot Noirs, and red blends. I guess I'm just not a Merlot guy; for some reason it just doesn't suit my tastes very well. Heck, as much as I also like white wines I'm just not a Pinot Grigio guy either. Misty, if we do ever happen to visit you (such as on our way down to Huntington Beach and San Diego), we'll bring a bottle or two of Cabernet to share with you. (I guess if we drove a convertible we could say we'd bring you a Cabernet in our Cabriolet.)
Bill G, I toast you with a Peet's macchiato.
Good wishes to you all.
Ol'Man Keith, so glad your paper finally arrived. Jayce, it would be lovely to share your Cabernet! Meanwhile, my Merlot awaits.
Lemon, re. peeps. I’m glad someone likes my mistakes!
Owen ~
That 3rd (last) limerick takes the prize. Your brain is a finely tuned wordplay instrument, good sir.
You would most assuredly have given Mssrs. Nash & Lear a run for their money.
~ OMK
Hi everybody. It is me.
I just finished listening to NBC's world news broadcast at 6:30, normally with Lester Holt. It was SO depressing with only one positive feature in the whole show if I remember correctly. There were tornadoes, flooding, ugly partisan politics, one woman beaten while on vacation in the Dominican Republic, a four-year-old hit hard in the face by a foul ball at a baseball game, abortion legislation conflict, gender discrimination at the FBI, new tariffs on Mexico and on and on. It's seriously depressing.
BillG, your post would have been less depressing if you had told us about the one positive feature and not about all the negative ones. It seems that the news focuses on negative stories because that is what sells. Maybe if we would stop discussing the negative ones and talked more about the positive things in our world, th he media would follow suit. Just food for thought.
Mind as you go.
Good puzzle by Ross today that I was able to finish without looking anything up. I didn't get the theme until I read Steve's excellent review.
Perps prevailed today.
I did have a few hitches along the way:
I had _AIT_, so I added an F and aN H making it FAITH Hill - Wrong.
ORE before TNT.
ALCOTT before LOUISA.
TAKE ONE before ONE EACH became obvious.
Finished this early, but didn't post it until late.
Wow! What a game. Onward.
#WeTheNorth
All right, let’s just settle this once and for all. EVILER is not correct. It should either be MORE EVILER or MUCH MORE EVILER.
You’re welcome.
Catching up say...
OKL - to thee, I bow. Nice phrase of turn.
C,Eh! Whoot! #Raptors.
Bill G. The little girl hit by the foul is doing OK. I was touched how the Cub, Almora Jr., was so upset about it. Here. As for the hubbub - No nets needed - **it happens. I'm glad the kid is doing fine.
WikWak - Why you gettin' all pedanticer? :-)
Cheers, -T
Jayce, thank you.
-T: That’s much more pedanticer. Pay attention in class!
;-)
Bill G:
I agree with your assessment of the news and when would they allow a positive agenda? Never! It's all about sensationalism, sadly.
At 10 P.M. I listen to the PBS Horizon broadcast. It's usually positive with many interesting local features. No car chases, murders, scandals, etc.
The younger generation in our family (my daughter, her family, nieces, nephews) does not listen to the news. They look on the internet for current events. I can't blame them.
OMK:
I nominate your comment:
".... your mind is a finely tuned wordplay instrument . . ."
for best worded comment of the year! And I agree with you.
Lemonade @ 12:08:
" Anyway, the point being Florida's heat is exaggerated, "
Ah, so, but is it a DRY heat?
Once upon a time, we had a convention in Miami, in July, where leaving the hotel was like walking into a sauna.
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