Theme: Brian's Brains provide six theme entries today, across and down, in each case the second word is an anagram of the first:
20A. Upscale boutique: POSH SHOP. Here's one, Saks on Fifth Avenue in New York.
33A. Old money that looks new: CRISP SCRIP. Scrip was money issued as wages that could only be spent in the company store. Surprisingly, the practice still partially continues - WalMart in Mexico was sued for paying part of their employee's wages with WalMart vouchers, and Amazon makes some bonus payments in Swagbucks.
40A. Small craft on the deep sea: OCEAN CANOE. I'd call this the least obvious anagram of the six today.
51A. Quarrel of yore: PAST SPAT
11D. Fear of poisonous snakes: ADDER DREAD. I was reading just this morning about trypophobia, the fear of clusters of holes and cracks.If you are not a sufferer, Google "lotus seed pods" to see a common trigger. If you are a trytophobic, you'll know what I'm talking about and you won't want to go looking.
28D. Outstanding prize money: SUPER PURSE
Brian has had a number of themeless Saturday puzzles published here in the LA Times, so a themed puzzle seems to represent something of a diversion for him. I rumbled the theme very quickly, I'd already filled the top-left corner, and SUNHATS, so POSH was already there. The first puzzles I began solving were the cryptic ones in the UK papers which are full of anagrams, so I tend to see them very quickly.
Let's see what the fill looks like.
Across:
1. Many big reds: CABS. I prefer a cab blend, I'm never particularly smitten with a single-varietal wine. One of the most well-regarded Napa "cabs", Screaming Eagle, is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Want a three-pack of the 2015 for the holidays? It'll set you back $10,000.
5. Namely: TO WIT
10. X-ray units: RADS
14. Honolulu happening: LUAU
15. Lacking significance: INANE
16. Music halls of old: ODEA
17. Directive on an env.: ATTN.
18. Play lightly, as a guitar: STRUM
19. Apt. part: BDRM.
22. Holden Caulfield's little sister: PHOEBE
24. Constellation near Scorpius: ARA. The more common (to me) naming of Scorpius is Scorpio, and that led me to believe that ARA was another word for Aries, another Zodiac constellation. It's not, it is "The Altar" in Latin.
25. Bookstore category: POETRY
26. Personal records: BESTS
29. Tire spec: PSI, properly Pound-force per Square Inch.
31. Divest (of): RID
32. Berkeley Breathed's cartoon penguin: OPUS. Opus "retired" in 2008 and was one of my favorites in the Sunday funnies.
37. Bark: YIP
38. Handle: SEE TO. Handling a problem, seeing to it.
39. Purpose: END
43. Big fishhook: GAFF
44. Way to go: Abbr.: RTE.
45. He broke Lou's record for consecutive games played: CAL. The Oriole's shortstop Ripken Jr. broke Gehrig's record shortly after I moved here to the US. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what all the fuss was about at the time; I know it sounds odd, but I'd never heard of him.
46. Accolades: KUDOS
47. Valedictorian's time to shine: SPEECH
49. Purpose: AIM
50. Liquids: FLUIDS
56. Work to get: EARN
57. In an aloof way: ICILY
59. Twice tri-: HEXA- As an old-school computer programmer, I used to be able to do hexadecimal (base 16) math in my head. Binary too. Then Hewlett-Packard threw octal into the mix and I got myself a calculator.
60. Exec's helper: ASST.
61. "Try someone else": NOT ME
62. Vienna-based oil gp.: O.P.E.C. Why Vienna? A lovely spot, but what's it got to do with exporting Petroleum?
63. "Luke Cage" actor Rossi: THEO. Thank you, crosses.
64. It helps raise dough: YEAST
65. Bridge position: EAST
Down:
1. Applaud: CLAP
2. Mercury or Saturn, but not Mars: AUTO
3. Cricket clubs: BATS
4. Summery headwear: SUNHATS
5. Campbell-Martin of TV's "Dr. Ken": TISHA
6. Aboard: ONTO
7. Lumber defect: WARP
8. Shiba __: Japanese dog: INU. The dogs can produce the "Shiba scream" when provoked or unhappy, or "a very similar sound" when very happy. Sounds confusing as heck.
9. Pace: TEMPO
10. Stiffly awkward: ROBOTIC
12. Churchill Downs event: DERBY
13. Unchanged: SAME
21. Some discount recipients: Abbr.: SRS.
23. For madam: HERS
25. NBA great "__ Pete" Maravich: PISTOL. His college stats were mightily more impressive than his NBA record, good though it was.
26. Limerick lad: BOYO. The Irish use it as an affectionate term for a boy; the Welsh use it differently between adults, jocularly between friends, but it can be a pejorative if an older adult is addressed as "boyo". It's almost always derogatory if a non-Welsh person (especially an Englishman!) uses it to address a Welshman.
27. Herculean: EPIC
29. Say the Word: PREACH
30. School near Albany: SIENA
33. Trig function: Abbr.: CSC. Avoid the temptation to fill COS if you've only got the first "C" in place.
34. "The Raven" writer: POE
35. Facts and figures: INFO. "DATA" was an alternative, but one cross and the dilemma goes away.
36. Some emailed files: PDFS
41. Diminished slowly: ATE INTO
42. Shortage: NEED
43. Private eye: GUMSHOE
46. DIY purchase: KIT
47. Seriously reduce: SLASH
48. Forensic drama set in the Big Apple: CSI NY
49. To date: AS YET
50. Significant achievement: FEAT
51. Pocket bread: PITA
52. Donation to the poor: ALMS. Interesting noun, it's both the singular and plural form, and I've never seen it used with an article. You give "alms", you don't give "the alms".
53. Rap's Salt-N-__: PEPA
54. Hacking tools: AXES
55. Peacemaker's asset: TACT
58. Olympic runner Sebastian: COE. Now Lord Coe, Seb had a long-standing middle-distance battle with fellow Britons Steve Ovett and Steve Cram for supremacy in the 800m and 1500m events.
I think that's about it from me. If you're wondering what to bring for Thanksgiving, a case of the Screaming Eagle would go down very nicely, thank you.
Steve
20A. Upscale boutique: POSH SHOP. Here's one, Saks on Fifth Avenue in New York.
33A. Old money that looks new: CRISP SCRIP. Scrip was money issued as wages that could only be spent in the company store. Surprisingly, the practice still partially continues - WalMart in Mexico was sued for paying part of their employee's wages with WalMart vouchers, and Amazon makes some bonus payments in Swagbucks.
40A. Small craft on the deep sea: OCEAN CANOE. I'd call this the least obvious anagram of the six today.
51A. Quarrel of yore: PAST SPAT
11D. Fear of poisonous snakes: ADDER DREAD. I was reading just this morning about trypophobia, the fear of clusters of holes and cracks.If you are not a sufferer, Google "lotus seed pods" to see a common trigger. If you are a trytophobic, you'll know what I'm talking about and you won't want to go looking.
28D. Outstanding prize money: SUPER PURSE
Brian has had a number of themeless Saturday puzzles published here in the LA Times, so a themed puzzle seems to represent something of a diversion for him. I rumbled the theme very quickly, I'd already filled the top-left corner, and SUNHATS, so POSH was already there. The first puzzles I began solving were the cryptic ones in the UK papers which are full of anagrams, so I tend to see them very quickly.
Let's see what the fill looks like.
Across:
1. Many big reds: CABS. I prefer a cab blend, I'm never particularly smitten with a single-varietal wine. One of the most well-regarded Napa "cabs", Screaming Eagle, is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Want a three-pack of the 2015 for the holidays? It'll set you back $10,000.
5. Namely: TO WIT
10. X-ray units: RADS
14. Honolulu happening: LUAU
15. Lacking significance: INANE
16. Music halls of old: ODEA
17. Directive on an env.: ATTN.
18. Play lightly, as a guitar: STRUM
19. Apt. part: BDRM.
22. Holden Caulfield's little sister: PHOEBE
24. Constellation near Scorpius: ARA. The more common (to me) naming of Scorpius is Scorpio, and that led me to believe that ARA was another word for Aries, another Zodiac constellation. It's not, it is "The Altar" in Latin.
25. Bookstore category: POETRY
26. Personal records: BESTS
29. Tire spec: PSI, properly Pound-force per Square Inch.
31. Divest (of): RID
32. Berkeley Breathed's cartoon penguin: OPUS. Opus "retired" in 2008 and was one of my favorites in the Sunday funnies.
37. Bark: YIP
38. Handle: SEE TO. Handling a problem, seeing to it.
39. Purpose: END
43. Big fishhook: GAFF
44. Way to go: Abbr.: RTE.
45. He broke Lou's record for consecutive games played: CAL. The Oriole's shortstop Ripken Jr. broke Gehrig's record shortly after I moved here to the US. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what all the fuss was about at the time; I know it sounds odd, but I'd never heard of him.
46. Accolades: KUDOS
47. Valedictorian's time to shine: SPEECH
49. Purpose: AIM
50. Liquids: FLUIDS
56. Work to get: EARN
57. In an aloof way: ICILY
59. Twice tri-: HEXA- As an old-school computer programmer, I used to be able to do hexadecimal (base 16) math in my head. Binary too. Then Hewlett-Packard threw octal into the mix and I got myself a calculator.
60. Exec's helper: ASST.
61. "Try someone else": NOT ME
62. Vienna-based oil gp.: O.P.E.C. Why Vienna? A lovely spot, but what's it got to do with exporting Petroleum?
63. "Luke Cage" actor Rossi: THEO. Thank you, crosses.
64. It helps raise dough: YEAST
65. Bridge position: EAST
Down:
1. Applaud: CLAP
2. Mercury or Saturn, but not Mars: AUTO
3. Cricket clubs: BATS
4. Summery headwear: SUNHATS
5. Campbell-Martin of TV's "Dr. Ken": TISHA
6. Aboard: ONTO
7. Lumber defect: WARP
8. Shiba __: Japanese dog: INU. The dogs can produce the "Shiba scream" when provoked or unhappy, or "a very similar sound" when very happy. Sounds confusing as heck.
9. Pace: TEMPO
10. Stiffly awkward: ROBOTIC
12. Churchill Downs event: DERBY
13. Unchanged: SAME
21. Some discount recipients: Abbr.: SRS.
23. For madam: HERS
25. NBA great "__ Pete" Maravich: PISTOL. His college stats were mightily more impressive than his NBA record, good though it was.
26. Limerick lad: BOYO. The Irish use it as an affectionate term for a boy; the Welsh use it differently between adults, jocularly between friends, but it can be a pejorative if an older adult is addressed as "boyo". It's almost always derogatory if a non-Welsh person (especially an Englishman!) uses it to address a Welshman.
27. Herculean: EPIC
29. Say the Word: PREACH
30. School near Albany: SIENA
33. Trig function: Abbr.: CSC. Avoid the temptation to fill COS if you've only got the first "C" in place.
34. "The Raven" writer: POE
35. Facts and figures: INFO. "DATA" was an alternative, but one cross and the dilemma goes away.
36. Some emailed files: PDFS
41. Diminished slowly: ATE INTO
42. Shortage: NEED
43. Private eye: GUMSHOE
46. DIY purchase: KIT
47. Seriously reduce: SLASH
48. Forensic drama set in the Big Apple: CSI NY
49. To date: AS YET
50. Significant achievement: FEAT
51. Pocket bread: PITA
52. Donation to the poor: ALMS. Interesting noun, it's both the singular and plural form, and I've never seen it used with an article. You give "alms", you don't give "the alms".
53. Rap's Salt-N-__: PEPA
54. Hacking tools: AXES
55. Peacemaker's asset: TACT
58. Olympic runner Sebastian: COE. Now Lord Coe, Seb had a long-standing middle-distance battle with fellow Britons Steve Ovett and Steve Cram for supremacy in the 800m and 1500m events.
I think that's about it from me. If you're wondering what to bring for Thanksgiving, a case of the Screaming Eagle would go down very nicely, thank you.
Steve
Thanks for the explanation of the 1A clue. Not being a major wine lover, I was out to lunch on the edited clue. My own clue was "Cars for hire".
ReplyDeleteOh, and my only major editing disappointment was for 63A THEO. Detective Kojak is the only Theo that matters :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. I had trouble with both of those clues.
DeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteGot the theme when ADDER DREAD showed up, and I needed the theme to make sense of that central area. Hand up for COS (cosine) before CSC (cosecant) filled in. I wouldn't have needed perps for THEO if Brian's Kojak cluing had remained. Enjoyed the outing. Thanx, Brian and Steve ("Rumbled the theme." That's a new one.)
CAL -- Don't feel bad, Steve. I've heard the name, but couldn't tell you what sport he played.
TACT -- Nope, never been accused of that.
INU -- Never heard of the Shiba scream, but we've got a talkative black cat who can make quite a racket, especially outside the bedroom window about 3 AM.
FIR, but erased use for END, aide for ASST, knot for WARP, csn for CSC, and mystry for POETRY.
ReplyDeleteMy coach carries 105 PSI in the front tires and 110 PSI in the rears. Temperature swings require substantial inflation / deflation to keep the cold PSIs on target.
Gasses are fluids too, but mostly only pilots, sailors, engineers and scientists think of them that way.
ROBOTIC, because "gore" wouldn't fit.
What is this thing you call TACT?
I think I mentioned it before, but I was a student in college one Saturday afternoon when LSU played Kentucky. PISTOL Pete, playing for his dad, scored about 60 points, but UK won the game by about 20.
Thanks to Brian for the fun puzzle. I liked Rich's change for CABS, but Kojak was a much better clue for THEO imo. And thanks to Steve for the fun tour, and a peek at the mores in the Kingdom.
Good puzzle today as the theme didn't get in the way. Took just over 11 minutes.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle,Brian. I tumbled to the theme at 51A working from the bottom, up. Looking for anagrams helped in the solve. Steve, loved your post and the title, Brian's Brains.
ReplyDeleteWe have a family member for whom there is no PAST SPAT. She ruminates and obsesses over things that happened 10-20 years ago. Of course, she is frequently very unhappy and dejected. She never rehearses the good things from the past.
Didn't we just see CAB for Cabernet and ZIN for Zinfandel?
ARA is sometimes clued as the Altar constellation. I think it takes tons of imagination to see the altar, the bear, Orion, etc. IMO only the dipper looks like its name.
Speaking of astronomy, is anyone going to look for the meteor outburst tonight with hundreds of shooting stars? I think it can only be seen in the US on the east coast. Its time in the NYC area is estimated to be between 11:00 and 12:00 tonight.
I am heading for the Y now. Back to a regular schedule.
Fun puzzle - once the theme showed itself - it made all the rest of the theme answers much easier! The north central was the last to fall for me with INANE and TO WIT among other challenges there.
ReplyDeleteSteve - Cal Ripken, Jr.'s record of consecutive games played in MLB is amazing at 2632- never missed for illness or injury. Lou Gehrig's record of 2130 had stood for 56 years and it was thought that no one would ever surpass it! For a comparison the longest streak of Premier League games played is Brad Friedel with 310 and AC Green in the NBA at 1192! Part of why Lou's nickname was the "Iron Horse" and Cal's was "Iron Man".
Thanks Steve and Brian!
Good morning.
ReplyDeleteA great challenge today. I loved it ! Thank you, Brian ! Keep 'em coming.
First themer to work out was PAST SPAT. That helped me solve the last 5 of CRISP SCRIP, and confirmed what would be happening with the others.
Didn't know Holden Caufield's little sister's name but the perps told me it was PHOEBE.
Also did not know:
TISHA, BOYO, OPUS, ARA, THEO
Nailed:
CAL, COE, POE, INU, SIENA, PISTOL
Seemed like there were more names than usual, and I thought I was going to fail. Especially at the intersection of BOYO and OPUS and at TISHA ARA. That O and A were the last entries.
Had to change:
ATE away to ATE INTO
Thanks, Steve.
PISTOL Pete was what basketball fans called a "gunner" back in the day. That is, a player that would shoot from anywhere. It was a somewhat derogatory term, like "ball hog."
But he was different. He made more far shots than he missed. Not just from "inside the paint" like most of the prolific scorers in collegiate history had done to that point. He made them from all over creation. If there had been a 3 point line in college at the time he played, his long-standing all time scoring records would probably be much greater than they already are.
Interesting to read about BOYO. It reminds me that one needs to be cautious when interacting with other cultures. I seem to remember from orientation training in Germany that one should never point to one's own head while looking at another German driver driver as it was considered a major insult, akin to, and possibly worse than flipping someone the bird.
Fun puzzle. Got the theme fairly quickly, but a nice construction with both across and down answers. The rest of the puzzle was a bit tough I thought, even with all the fills from the theme.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-MINOR/KNOT seemed solid but…
-Catching the theme early allowed me to play with guessing the rest of them
-I know foolishness when I see it, TO WIT, $10,000 for three bottles of wine
-CAL – 80% of life is just showing up
-The final valedictorian’s SPEECH at grandson’s graduation was after all 450 kids had crossed the stage
-Complete - All (fluids/liquids) are (fluids/liquids), but not all (fluids/liquids) are (fluids/liquids)
-NOT ME! (2:33)
-TISHA – seeing grandma’s name brightens up my day
-ROBOTIC – Al Gore – snooze. Steven Wright – laugh out loud!
-I have all my tire PSI’s up to winter fighting weight now
-THEO Huxtable and PHOEBE Cates would have been more desirable to me
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteMy only complaint about this puzzle is that it was way too easy for a Thursday. The minute I filled in Posh Shop, the challenge was over. A couple of unknowns slowed me down a tad: Tisha, Theo, and Hexa, but the rest was easy as pie. Siena was a gimme as it!s just across the
Hudson; I took some classes there many years ago. CSI:NY didn't last very long but I enjoyed seeing Gary Sinise and Sela Ward interact. I was sad when Sela Ward left FBI, seemingly abruptly.
Thanks, Brian, for any enjoyable solve and thanks, Steve, for the usual dose of wit and wisdom. Very clever, Brian's Brain, BTW. I enjoyed learning about the various reactions that the use of Boyo brings. I'm sure the user's inflection would convey the message loud and clear, as well.
I'm awaiting a package of Stone Crab Claws from the Sunshine State, momentarily. Key Lime pie might be yummy to some, but I'll take the Crab Claws any day. The package just arrived! I'm looking forward to a delicious, if somewhat messy, dinner. Bon Appetit!
Lucina, did you receive my email from last night?
Have a great day.
Fascinating workout for me today. Lots of unknowns but lots of pleasant memories. Thanks Brian. I liked your clues better, too.
ReplyDeleteI’d forgotten OPUS, an old favorite. PISTOL Pete was fun to watch. I got the clever theme at POSH SHOP. Fell into the trap at COS. My favorite of course was OCEAN CANOE. There really is such a thing, hard as it is to imagine. Think HAWAII and KonTiki. I do not want to be on the ocean in a canoe!
Steve, I always learn from your tours. Who knew about BOYO.
From a few days ago, I have always planted ZINNIAS for the reasons mentioned. So easy to grow. Almost foolproof. And the cut flowers last forever. Try them!
I thought the puzzle was hard. I mean 'crisp scrip' -- yikes! As usual, I'm impressed by the rest of you.
ReplyDeleteTerrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Brian (thanks for dropping by) and Steve.
ReplyDeleteI got the anagram theme (like YR working from the bottom up) which helped the solve. Unlike IM, I did not think that this CW was a piece of cake. The west coast was the last to fall.
Hand up for COS before CSC, Aide before ASST. INU, OPUS (as clued), PHOEBE, ARA, SIENA required perps. I had Lack before NEED.
It took a while to parse ATE INTO (eroded, abated would not fit).
EAST and YEAST beside each other brought a smile.
Re OPEC and Vienna connection, the OPEC headquarters is located in Vienna. Per Wiki "The Middle Eastern members originally called for OPEC headquarters to be in Baghdad or Beirut, but Venezuela argued for a neutral location, and so the organization chose Geneva, Switzerland. On 1 September 1965, OPEC moved to Vienna, Austria, after Switzerland declined to extend diplomatic privileges."
Is ICILY acceptable to Tin?
Wishing you all a great day.
Finally finished but what an inky mess. Thought theme clues preceded by a *. Maybe not always.
ReplyDeleteFirst big mistake was immediately putting "phobia" in the bottom of 11D assuming I'd figure the first 4 letters later. Didn't realize it was a themed clue.
Embarrased that "Siena" took awhile. My wife graduated from College of St Rose in Albany. That year Siena, previously all male Jesuit school, went coed and as her first position while working on her Masters at St Rose was as the first female RA in the Siena coed dorms. And Yes, I sneaked in a few times..
Recent puzzle with Zins and Cabs helped with the first clue.
Just recently read "Catcher" as part of my bucket list so no hesitation with "Phoebe" The novel was one of a list of famous banned books at our library.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteGot it all without help. Had 'aide' before ASST. Saw the anagram twins early with ADDER DREAD. Neat idea.
30d - School near Albany - 5 ltrs. Thought of 'Union' first but CANOE and CAL augured for SIENA which is in a first ring suburb. A slam dunk for IM, I'm sure.
Nice challenge today. Enjoyed the theme, fun to figure them out.
ReplyDeleteTowit, to what? Don't bump into that word very often!
Love the name Phoebe.
Still waiting for tech support to help post pie recipe. They must be backlogged. Hope it will come through soon.
Have a great day!
LL'sM
Brian's Brains - Good one Steve!
ReplyDeleteHi All!
Loved this puzzle. It took me forever to get my first themer (PAST SPAT) and I didn't notice the anagram until trying to suss CRISPS C--P [Cash? oh, Lord, is PDF wrong?]. Finally, the V8 hit and I was able to get POSH????, ?????CANOE, A-DER--D, et.al. Filling themers really helped with subsequent fill.
Thanks Brian for the puzzle and Steve for the review (go halvesies on the Screaming Eagle CABs?) [funny 'TO WIT' HG!]
Brian - First, thanks for stopping in; your clue for 1a is too easy for Thursday (I kept thinking of chewing gum or dogs); your clue for THEO would be just as obscure (though I remember the lollipop-sucking detective*). Second, I'm curious how long it took to construct this grid with intersecting themers; Did you have other anagramical phrases that didn't work out?
WOs: [insert 'Hi Jinx' after] knot and aide. Add, I really need to remember there's no a in SPEaCH even though SPEak has one #EnglishIsWeird #DyslexiaSucks
ESPs: TISHA, INU, CSC (had to wait there but knew it wasn't CTAN :-)), THEO, COE, ARA, BOYO
Fav: OPUS. I have every Bloom County book - the comic is on par w/ Calvin and Hobbes (Hi BillG!)
My biggest hangup in the puzzle was reading 'receipts' @21d. Even after two abc-runs, I kept thinking 'coupons' or some such. It wasn't until walking away and coming back that I saw 'recipients' and SRS worked. The A in TISH- was an educated guess.
{}
YR - I never understood what the ELDERs saw in the stars until I got far-far away from city lights high up in Yosemite. "OMG! there are so many stars"; the Girls will never forget when I pulled over on a mountain road and made them look up. The constellations where easier to SEE as well as why it's the "Milky Way."
Alice - keep playing xwords. Where it not for figuring anagrams and working PAST xwords, scrip wouldn't have meant money to me. //I can be taught!
LL'sM - I received your email. I'll need to .PDF -> text and get it to C.C.. I think she is the master of the Recipe content. //love the idea in the Soufflé
Spitz - I love that phrase 'first ring suburb'! Is that something you made up or something I've missed forever /a standard idiom for sprawl? //I guess I live in a '4th ring' (Sugar Land) which used to have nothing between it and Houston.
I'm having fun burning a vacation day; I hope your day is just as swell.
Cheers, -T
*I found this '77 disco thing. Anyone know/knew that song?
56A work to get --- EARN
ReplyDeleteshould clue not be 'get by working ?'
For Anonymous T:
ReplyDeleteI was only able find a limited number of anagram pairs that could be clued, and which I liked. The mirroring also imposes a lot of restrictions. So, there weren't too many choices to reject. Don't be too impressed by the crossing themers...that was pure luck, and I barely noticed the possibility at all. I only really intended to have the 4 across entries, which probably isn't enough. Creating the grid with just the theme entries in place probably took 4-5 hours, and then filling it was another 3 hours. (That last step is mostly about watching my software do its thing, then selecting from the choices that it presented).
A few other comments:
The new 1A clue was a good improvement over mine, especially for a Thursday, as noted.
I forgot all about Theo Huxtable. The poor Huxtables have probably been swept under the rug because of real-life events. Too bad about that..
I’m with Alice - this puzzle did me in. I only knew Pistol Pete and Cal Ripken of the many proper names. I didn’t get the anagram aspect of the theme answers, and I think I just had brain freeze on others I should have known, such as To Wit.
ReplyDeleteVery humbling experience! Maybe I’ll be smarter tomorrow.
Thanks, Brian, for the challenge and Steve for showing me the error of my ways!
Anon -T @ 1112 - - Not sure when I first started using it but it was a long time ago. I took a course in Urban Planning while in graduate school and my first subsequent work was in water resources planning so it could have been part of that 'terminology'.
ReplyDeleteI also picked up 'bedroom community' there.
I give this puzzle a Double D rating (Definitely Difficult)
ReplyDeleteWhile I did manage to complete it, even with its dual purposes,
(& the theme helped a lot)
I had to put it down and come back to it to suss out
the inane/towit/warp section once I had my tempo...
WAGs panned out, with the possible exception of
the constellation Ari/Tishi? I think I went back & fixed it, not sure, must check.
& even if I did pen Ari, I am sure he is up there somewhere...
Learning moment, Caulfield...
Never read Catcher in the Rye, should I?
I thought it was this guy...
Anywho, can't keep on typing,
I have to call the ASPCA
to report this guy torturing a what's that Dogs name again?
CanadianEh @ 10:09 ~ You and I seem to see the same patterns/similarities. I noticed and was going to comment on the East ~ Yeast entries, but I forgot to check my notes before hitting Publish. 😉
ReplyDeleteRay - O - Sunshine @ 10:34 ~ I think the Franciscan Friars might be a bit miffed to hear that the Jesuits founded their beloved Siena. 😇
Brian, thanks for stopping by and giving us some inside info!
Oops....my bad it was decades ago
DeletePhoebe Caulfield once appeared on a list of the great characters of modern literature, in spite of her minor role in the book. The Catcher in the Rye used to be required reading for...everyone in the world, really.
ReplyDeleteHola!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Brian's brain! Incidentally, my doctor is also Brian and someone addressed a letter to him as Brian's Brain. He has it posted on his bulletin board.
I love anagrams and these were clearly evident so that was fun. Not unusually PISTOL Pete is unknown to me but strangely I know of Cal Ripkin. Interesting that they cross each other.
The first time I recall seeing the name PHOEBE was in one of Louisa Mae Alcott's books and I loved it.
ODEA and BOYO are known to me only because I read so many British novels. DERBY, too. I've read all of Dick Francis' books and since he was a jockey the constant theme is racing.
Interesting, too, is why Vienna is the OPEC meeting place though I can't think of a better place to go for meetings.
CSO to Owen at POETRY.
IM:
No, I haven't seen your e-mail but shall look as soon as I finish here. I watched the debates as well as the post-debate discussion so didn't get on the computer.
We are well soaked from the constant rain and are still below a desired quota.
Have a lovely day, everyone! If we all pitch in $10 for Steve's wine we could then meet there for a party!
I wondered why the Jesuits would name a school after a Franciscan saint!
ReplyDeleteSpitz - Bedroom Communities I've heard of. I like the idea of expanding concentrics that radiate from city center. We have loop 610 (8 miles from center), beltway 8 (18m from center, and now they are building 99 which is 30+mi. from center and 270m around. I live near the latter! :-)
ReplyDeleteBrian - I've tried to grid and always cry uncle and lean on C.C.'s wizardry. I have the software but, laying down the foundation is not my strongsuit. I do enjoy cluing though - I can clue a crossword in about an hour or so given a strong IPA. :-)
Thanks for more inside baseball!
I can love the work if not the man. Bill Cosby, as a 'not in real-life' man he portrayed, was super funny. Here he gives THEO a lesson on SCRIP. //notice the MR T poster in the back in 1st scene.
My memories of Cosby starts with my maternal grandfather - Grand was a vet of WWII and fairly racist but he loved Bill Cosby records and we'd sit with him and listen to them; I never saw him laugh so loud.
IM / Lucina: that's just how the Jesuits roll :-) Pop was taught by them as was I (++ the Ursuline Nuns). I like that Pope Frank is Jesuit; overall, they seem to be the thinkers of the sect.
Lucina - as I calculate it, $10ea would give 1,000 folks 3 bottles of vino; It'd be like communion w/ those little thimble-cups :-)
CED - act fast! That puppy is in emotional pain. #BaconForOzzie
Cheers, -T
Re: Siena..mea maxima culpa. I was thinking of my son's alma mater in Buffalo, Canisius. For my penance I will travel to Siena on my knees
ReplyDeleteNear Albany not the Italian city!
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon, Steve and friends. I caught the theme immediately with the POSH SHOP. When I got that on the first pass, I knew we were rearranging the letters! I didn't realize until I had almost completed the puzzle that we had two down anagrams as well. Like ROS, I immediately wrote in Phobia for the Fear of Snakes. When DREAD finally appeared, I realized that we also had an ADDER. Then I look and saw that SUPER PURSE was also a rearrangement.
ReplyDeleteI learned that Purpose is not Use, but rather AIM or END.
PISTOL Pete (June 22, 1947 ~ Jan. 5, 1988) played basketball for LSU when his father, Press Maravich was the coach. Sadly, Pete died suddenly of a heart attack at age 40. Pete's sons also play basketball. One of his sons also played basketball for LSU. The basketball arena is named after Pete.
Hand up for COS before CSC.
I never read Catcher in the Rye, but after getting PH from the perps, I the only name I could think of was PHEOBE. That is the name of one of hubby's colleagues.
QOD: Sports is the only profession I know that when you retire, you have to go to work. ~ Earl Monroe (né Vernon Earl Monroe; b. Nov. 21, 1944), American basketball player
For a while, I thought it would be a DNF and then I saw the light. I caught the theme at ADDER DREAD. I had to fill PHOEBE, THEO, TISHA, INU, BOYO, & OPUS by perps, with the cross of the last two being a WAG.
ReplyDeletePISTOL Pete- he put SEC basketball on the map. Previously it was Kentucky and nobody else. I watched him in college and after he was traded from the Hawks to the Jazz (then in NOLA). He could handle a basketball like a magician with a deck of cards. He died young from a heart problem. I don't think anybody ever took the ball away from him in his college career.
Go Tigers
Seems like rad and rem, and yip and yap mean the same.
ReplyDeleteRay - O - Sunshine ~ No Penance necessary. Franciscans are very forgiving. 😇 (I like your sense of humor.)
ReplyDeleteI don't love anagrams, but these were simple enough and the themers had me smiling. Very pleasant challenge.
ReplyDeleteYes, IM, I have noticed in the past that "we seem to see the same patterns/similarities". What does that mean about our Brains?? LOL
ReplyDeleteWilbur Charles your shout out to me yesterday roused me to post today. I never heard of Dunedin, FL. When I look for Google Images, it brings up Dunedin, New Zealand. Apparently the name comes from the original name for Edinburgh, Scotland.
ReplyDeleteINANEHiker seeing INANE today reminded me to ask: Why do you call yourself INANE Hiker?
Brian Paquin thanks for stopping by and explaining your wonderful construction today and how it was altered by Rich Norris.
POSH SHOP and PAST SPAT had me thinking the theme was P- S- which had me quite confused for awhile. Then the light went on and I was quite impressed and amused.
Did anyone else think that the theme was P- S-?
Plenty of unknown names today as clued: BOYO, CAL, PHOEBE, COE, SIENA. And YIP was my last fill as it seemed oddly clued and crossed with that odd BOYO. FIR.
This is the only SIENA that I know. One of my favorite cities because there are no cars!
Learning moment about VIENNA and OPEC. Apparently they wanted a neutral country and originally chose Switzerland. But Switzerland asked them to leave.
Neat pzl, nice theme. Missed it by one; I chose BUSTS instead of BESTS.
ReplyDeleteMissing Owen and his POETRY today--both here and on the Jumble site.
Hope all is well.
~ OMK
Picard - I recall cars in SIENA; Two months ago I was driving one. And, WAZE or no, it was instinct that got me out of the city. Venice, though, nary a motorized (non-waterborne vehicle in the canal) in town. I really need to live in Italy; I felt so grounded there.
ReplyDeleteBrian, I seriously doubt my buddy from Algiers had to read it. :-)
Hahtoolah - don't bother with Catcher in the Rye; You're beyond that teen angst. I read the book in HS -- One of the 40/50 "classics" I had to read over the summer of '87 to be prepared as a 'backup'(?!) in the Academic Decathlon. Daily, I locked myself into my Shreveport room with a gallon of sweet SUNtea to get through them.
//Reading all those books back-to-back,.. I still confuse the characters NOT in Orwell's novels. I did get to compete as a second seat in Lit. However, I was on first team for C.E. Byrd's Fortran team in Baton Rouge. Nail'd it! Science fair too!
Oh, Hell, I can't throw a football over the mountain nor live in the past :-)
Anyone look at CSPAN today? I listened on the radio and, look out Dr .DW, Dr. Hill is just as smart AND has an English accent; I'm a sucker for both.
Cheers, -T
We could use no US $s in 'Nam. The local currency was piasters. Said locals would be glad to trade ill-gotten scrip for US . Or Salem's
ReplyDeleteBrian, love that constructor will stop in. Rich is on a CAB kick these days; we've seen it a lot
Of all the unlikely marriages, Red Auerbach signed Pete, at the end, as a Celtic. Pistol Pete on '79 C's
Wow, Robert, Siena is indeed beautiful. The locals refer to DUN-EE-DIN. Albany is also Scottish.
Nice to see Anon-T so early. IM glad you found this easy; I'm in the difficult camp. The theme pretty much saved me. I do the five letters anagrams over at the J so no prob here. I was surprised when TOWIT worked as well as DERBY. They were slow to fit.
It was too long ago for me to remember PHOEBE but it perped for me. I don't agree with the clue for INANE. But I see the dict. agrees with Brian and Rich. "Idiotic" is my syn.
Mr Baseball had to correct HAL to CAL.
But I FIR
WC
I love the starry darkness deep in the PA Poconos, the Catoctin Mountains in MD, the even deeper darkness in WV. Glorious! But I still do not see the classic shapes. In different cultures different creatures are seen. To me it is like looking at cloud formations and telling what we see. I find the naming of constellations to take away from their beauty.
ReplyDeleteI am so interested in the meteor showers tonight in the east. Am I alone in this?
Yellowrocks,
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone.
If you have a smartphone
Or better yet an iPad
Download for free "starwalk"
Not only can you hold your ph9ne up to the sky and
See what you are seeing,
Opti9nal overlays will show you the classic constellation shapes
image
Been watching the hearings. Had to be up by 6:00 AM here, which for me is awful early. Exhausted. Tried to solve today's puzzle but was defeated. Good puzzle though, and I did get the anagrams. What did me in were some of the proper names.
ReplyDeleteGonna sleep in tomorrow and maybe go back to have a go at the Tuesday (Susan's!) and Wednesday puzzles.
Good wishes to you all.
Hi Y'all! Great puzzle, Brian! Liked your CABS & THEO clues better than rich. Both were all perps. Never heard of that THEO & CABS doesn't seem like anything to drink to me.
ReplyDeleteYR: the meteor shower is supposed to be visible earlier here than in NJ, but the meteorologist was bemoaning the fact that we have dense cloud cover not expected to clear. I haven't seen the stars since I moved to the city in 2003 -- too much light pollution here. I was privileged to witness a spectacular meteor shower when I was a teenager at a slumber party in a friend's hayloft. The big door gave me a great view. Everybody else was asleep. Have seen smaller "shooting star" showers since, but nothing like that one and not in a long time.
Thanks, Steve for a great expo. I noticed the same letters in both words, kinda sorta, but didn't commit to thinking it was a theme. Anagrams? There were anagrams? What you talkin' 'bout? I never see no stinkin' anagrams. OOOOOh! Duh!
My daughter was a Rotary Scholar in Dunedin, New Zealand. Many Scottish settlers went to NZ. People there are quite snobbish about the country being settled voluntarily by Scots while Australia was a dumping ground penal colony for English convicts.