It is not often I am inspired to begin a puzzle write-up with a musical link but 'tis the season. Chanukah (Hannukah or however you want to spell it in Roman letters) begins this year on Sunday at sundown and Christmas is next Wednesday. The world is loaded with HOLIDAYS and I hope you all enjoy yours. I don't want to forget Festivus or Kwanzaa.
On to our delightful puzzle from DAB. When I started blogging here more than a decade ago, the first thing I learned was to look at 17 Across for a hint to the theme. This week that is SAYCHEESE. If that is a themer then HAIRSALON also has to be part of the theme. That left me a BIGMESS. The second thing I learned from C.C. was "don't panic", so next is to look around the edges or at the Down fill. TA DAH! I found the rare Friday reveal: 26D. Disappointment ... and a hint to four puzzle answers: LET DOWN (7). So we need four fill with the trigram LET heading down from L-T. The rest was interesting mental pictures.
3D. That one curl that makes the whole hairdo work?: KEY RINGLET (10). A Key Ring...
9D. Perfectionist butcher's pride?: CUTLET CORNERS (13).
The meat man does not Cut Corners.
18D. Breakfast theater offering?: HAMLET AND EGGS (13). Our Shakespeare fill, Ham and Eggs.
30D. Hollywood's latest canine discovery?: DOG STARLET (10).
Dog Star following in Lassie's paw steps.
There was one serious Friday clue/fill difficulty - ALBEDO - I am looking at you
Across:
1. Work with dough: BAKE. We kneaded to start with a pun.
5. Cylindrical granary: SILO. Hmm, silo (n.) 1835, from Spanish silo, traditionally derived from Latin sirum (nominative sirus), from Greek siros "a pit to keep corn in." It sounds like some Asian influence.
9. City in Illinois' Little Egypt region: CAIRO. I did not know the current status of the Southernmost CITY in Illinois.
14. Blessing ender: AMEN.
15. Letter-shaped auto feature: T-TOP. I like it near 19A. Chophouse choice: T-BONE.
16. Stomach trouble: ULCER. Stomach ulcers, which are also known as gastric ulcers, are painful sores in the stomach lining. ... This allows the digestive acids to eat away at the tissues that line the stomach, causing an ulcer. Stomach ulcers may be easily cured, but they can become severe without proper treatment. I will not post pictures.
17. Words before snapping: SAY CHEESE. Pictures not tempers. It perhaps comes from former Ambassador Joseph E. Davies and is guaranteed to make you look pleasant no matter what you’re thinking. Mr. Davies disclosed the formula while having his own picture taken on the set of his “Mission to Moscow.” It’s simple. Just say “Cheese,” It’s an automatic smile. “I learned that from a politician,”
20. Estonia, once: Abbr.: SSR. Soviet Socialist Republic.
21. Inlet: ARM. Meh.
22. Eases up: RELENTS.
24. Self-conscious question: IS IT ME? Yes, it is!
26. Performed eye surgery on, maybe: LASED. A mini-CSO to me as I have had YAG Laser surgery - not the popular one.
27. Win-win: NO LOSE. A partial?
29. Not getting along: AT ODDS.
33. Troll's cousin: OGRE. Are they REALLY related?
34. Code of conduct: ETHIC.
36. "Wow!": OOH. It needs an "AAH" to make sense to me. It has a clecho - 39A. "Wow!": OH GEE.
37. Dark: UNLIT.
38. Stir: ADO.
41. Really dug, with "up": ATE.
42. Hard wear: ARMOR. Very funny clue.
44. Antarctic explorer James: ROSS.
This famous MAN.45. Spiral pasta: ROTINI.
47. Tree used for furniture and food: WALNUT. In case you want some nuts or syrup HOW TO RECOGNIZE a Black Walnut Tree.
49. Jingle-writing guy: ADMAN. Don Draper.
51. Render fizzy: AERATE. Like some others, I think of golf courses and greens.
54. Difficult and confusing situation: BIG MESS. I told you NO POLITICS!
57. Source of animal protection: FUR.
58. Sushi garnish: ROE. I am not caviar or other fish egg lover.
59. Script you can eat: ICING. We can't write in script here but Happy Birthday.
60. Permanent purveyor: HAIR SALON. Nice alliteration.
63. Obscure: BEFOG.
64. Magazine with a pronoun for a title: ELLE. A French pronoun.
65. Baseball team whose original full name is rarely used: METS. They were officially named the New York Metropolitans, after an 1883 short-lived team.
66. Outplays: BESTS. Like Dan Ackroyd and Eddie Murphy.
67. Speculator's panicky cry: SELL.
68. 53-Down synonym: ITSY. Teeny weeny? 53D. 68-Across synonym: EENSY.
Down:
1. Low voices: BASSI.
2. Gather: AMASS. Like Uncle Scrooge- a fortune.
4. Letter abbr.: ENClosure.
5. Man cave setup: STEREO. Surround sound?
6. Bag of chips at checkout, say: ITEM. Random.
7. __ Altos, California: LOS. They have many very pretty and very expensive houses there.
8. __ house: OPERA. It was the only five letter fill that came to mind.
10. Planetary reflected-light ratio: ALBEDO. After reflecting on this clue, I realized I did not know it was the proportion of the incident light or radiation that is reflected by a surface, typically that of a planet or moon. The word comes from the Latin ALBUS.
11. One who is more than just famous: ICON. Same start and length as IDOL.
12. Monthly check: RENT. Somewhat random.
13. Mine products: ORES. No, they are mine!
23. Actor Morales: ESAI. The first crosswordese fill I learned.
25. Bagels and donuts, shapewise: TORI. I like bagels and donuts, but I feel like some music with my coffee.
28. Tailor's task: SEAM. This seems incomplete.
31. "That __ it!": DOES. See, I told you so!
32. That girl: SHE. This show predated the Mary Tyler Moore Show
33. Not taken by: ON TO.
35. Group dance with hand-holding: HORA.
37. Nasser's org.: UAR. The United Arab Republic was a state formed by the union of the republics of Egypt and Syria in 1958. The juxtaposition is fun!
40. Happy __: HOUR. Are you aware of Sober Curious? Or do you get buzzed and dance the Hora by the Hour?
43. Lens holders: RIMS. Meh.
46. "You're wrong about me!": I AM NOT. Not a chance.
48. Poet's honor: LAUREL. These days you get a hardy handshake and no wreath on your head.
50. Hearth sweepings: ASHES.
52. Sweetie: TOOTS. This term is no longer pc to call a female. Spenser still calls Dr. Silverman "toots" at times.
54. Lettuce type: BIBB. Bibb lettuce is smaller butterhead lettuce with soft leaves used primarily as a salad green but also works well as a wrapper for foods.
55. Frozen drink brand: ICEE.
56. Computer images, briefly: GIFS. Graphics Interchange Format is a bitmap image format that was developed by a team at the online services provider CompuServe.
57. Sate: FILL.
61. Tankard contents: ALE. Arrgh.
62. Athos, vis-à-vis Aramis: AMI. They were French after all, just like M. Dumas.
We made it to the end of the puzzle and what appears to be my last puzzle blog of 2019. Thank you all for all the kind words and happy thoughts during the 11th year of C.C.'s creation. Thank you, DAB for being one of our regular Friday warriors. Also kudos to everyone who has created for our enjoyment. C.C. what a nice place you have here. Until next year GWATCDR, Lemonade out.
55 comments:
Hi Y'all! Great puzzle, David! We weren't LET DOWN with this challenge.
Great commentary, Lemony! Finally, someone has explained to me what a GIF is. However, that graphic mesmerized me then made me dizzy.
I got the LET in time to help with all the others.
BEFOG: (describes my brain) Took 4 perps and a WAG. "O" seemed more appropriate than "A", "E", "I" or "U". "A" definately not pc.
Learning moment: ALBEDO.
Lemony, As to St. Jude's, I have received their gimmee letter every day for two weeks. Not exaggerating. I gave generously once this year. That's all, folks! All those letters are a waste of donation money, methinks. I have had the same thing with other charities and have been getting three to six gimmees a day. One charity I've never given to sent me a huge packet of free gifts including a thin book of crosswords. I can't use any of the other stuff, including three types of calendars that are lovely but I haven't enough rooms to hang them in. What a waste.
FIRight. Had CUTLET SUPREME (Cutlass Supreme) before I understood the theme. Some very explicit pairs -- T-TOP/T-BONE, OOH/OH GEE, EENSY/ITSY.
I was going to link a video of Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini, but it was like searching thru kiddie-porn! Dozens of vids of 5-10 year-olds dancing in bikinis! Nothing appropriate.
Sam Clemens piloted a boat to CAIRO, Illinois,
A steam-powered paddle-wheeler to annoy.
He'd give the horn some TOOTS,
Because he was in cahoots
With an ear-plug maker for those ill o'noise!
{A-.}
Albedo? Really tough answer...... perps saved the day.
Good morning!
No need to D.A.B. Wite-Out on my grid today. Got the theme with KEY RINGLET, and was off and running. Didn't care for the self-referencing 68a/53d, but appreciated that there was very little crosswordese in this one. Thanx, David and Lemonade.
STEREO: In a man-cave? I guess, if you'd call my office a man-cave. I'd think specialties of a man-cave might be a beer keg, neon signs, pinball machine, pool table, and a huge flat-screen with surround sound.
ALBEDO: I'm surprised that this term is unknown to many. Snow has a high albedo. As a glacier melts, it becomes darker, reflecting less and less light, retaining more heat, melting faster and faster. It's a self-reinforcing cycle. That why it's hard to find a glacier in Glacier National Park.
DOES: "That DOES it." That's what I said yesterday when I learned that everyone in our tax group would have to apply for an on-line background check in order to use the computers at the community college. I'd have no problem passing a background check, but I refused on principle. It's too invasive. I'll find a different tax site.
Just under 12:30 today. Enjoyable puzzle that didn't "let" the theme detract from the overall solving experience. Like some others, I didn't know albedo, but the crosses were all solid. I also didn't like the eensy/itsy corner.
"Flat-screen" in a prior post struck me as, now, an unnecessary description - how about a huge color tv? Sign of the times, I suppose.
My Man Cave has a STEREO. My Yamaha amplifier has a surround sound output system for the flat screen along with separate STEREO outputs for my pair of Klipsch speakers. I have my turntable connected and play my vinyl record collection often. I even have a black light corner with appropriate artwork. Beer keg is in the garage, which is adjacent and we shuttle beer in via some plastic pitchers they sell at the local beer distributorship.
A couple old couches provide the seating. I have my eyes on a antique barber's chair for the corner near the turntable for whoever is spinning the records at the moment.
No wine in the cave. We drink that in the living room next to the fire...
FIR, but erased uae for UAR.
Add me to the list of not knowing ALBEDO. Nor Athos / Aramis for that matter.
IS IT ME? No, Jinx, it's me. And your best friend Fred.
X2 for having YAG laser procedure. Very common following cataract surgery. My second one will happen next year.
CSO to Abejo and me. OH GEE, no GTE.
I grew up among black walnut trees. Very messy to harvest the nuts, but we did it every year. First we would stomp on them to break the husks. Then after a few days we would separate the husks from the nut shells, a very messy and staining process. Then spread out the shells to dry in the sun. Finally, crack open the shells and pick out the meat. When we sold the property we had one of the trees cut down and used to make very nice jewlrey boxes for me and my two sisters.
Some radio baseball gasbag I used to listen to used to say "next we go to the Big Apple to take on the Metropolitans". Probably when I lived in LA or Atlanta.
Thanks to DAB for the fun Friday puzzle. Only trouble was around Coral Gables with AMI, EENSY and ITSY. And thanks to Lemony for another fine tour.
No LET DOWN on this puzzle. LET the good times roll. KEY RING-LET game the theme away. I loved this puzzle that had very few A&E fills. ROSS was an unknown but the the ROSS ice shelf wasn't. Super fast Friday solve.
OGRE & Troll related? Of course they are related, they are both fictional.
BIG MESS-snafu or fubar wouldn't fit.
TOOTS- I'm too old to care what's 'PC'. Some waitresses still will ask 'okay babe (honey, sweetie...etc), what would you like to eat. Doesn't bother me.
In my geology & meteorology classes, one of the main arguments against 'global warming' is that with increasing cloud cover caused by warmer seas will cause sunlight to be reflected by clouds due to the ALBEDO effect. Only time will tell but we'll all be dead by then.
FLN: Jinx,, Back BAY was an extension of the Fen(s)way(from whence the Park is named). They filled it in Circa 1880.
I think the word play on DOG(STAR) is Sirius
Then there's that "itsy, bitsy, teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini"
The pun on 1a was BANK. I was thinking of "Hot"MESS < BIG. Not to speak of LABOR<ARMOR.
WC here. New phone should be here soon
Like others ALBEDO was new to me. A good learning moment. Nice to have the theme in the down answers for a change of pace.
Went out with the guys last night to do some Christmas “shopping”. A little BEFOGgy this morning.
FLN didn’t see my favorite Grace Hopper quote on leadership: “You cannot manage men into battle.”
Good morning.
Finished the puzzle a couple of hours ago.
I then read Lemonade's link about CAIRO, and that led to many other articles on a variety of subjects. Eventually remembered I hadn't finished reading the review.
Had IDOL before ICON, but it didn't work with ULCER and RELENTS
WALNUT - Those Walnut nut rolls (kolachi) I ordered from Butter Maid Bakery were incredibly delicious.
ALBEDO ? All perps.
Hola!
I agree, no LET DOWN on this puzzle! Thank you, DAB and Lemonade for a fine Friday.
BAKE was a nice misdirection for which I awaited until KEYRINGLET emerged. That gave me the K.
ARMOR was well clued!
In fact, I thought all the cluing was superb with very little dreck. Hand way up for not knowing ALBEDO.
I love seeing Athos and Aramis; AMI is one of the few French words of which I am confident.
Yesterday when I went to the HAIR SALON my stylist friend looked better than I have seen him since his diagnosis and he was in high spirits. He said the medication was helping him. I hope it continues.
Have a grand day, everyone!
Musings
-SE corner mess - I thought HAIR??? was a themer, my team was the REDS, synonym cross reference was no help, my AMI was not a SIB or BRO. Phew! All good comes to those who wait (or persist)
-AHA! Gimmes for an amateur astronomer – ALBEDO and DOG STAR (I tell 8th graders that light you’ll see tonight from Sirius left there when you were in Kindergarten)
-Lemon, the CAIRO info was an interesting part of your fine write-up
-Famous Omaha CHOP HOUSES (called steak houses here) are all slowly closing
-My friend planted 200 WALNUT trees 30 years ago as an investment. The trees are now big, market for them is not
-When golf greens are AERATED they become a BIG MESS for a while and not fizzy at all
-“That DOES it” – What a teacher says when “the look” isn’t working
The theme was evident early on and made this puzzle easy for a Friday. Very enjoyable,DAB, as was Lemon's write up. ALBIDO was the only unfamiliar word. It rhymes with libido, so maybe I will remember it.
Fave was the armor clue.
I don't care for fill where the only clue is that they are synonyms of each other, especially when they cross. I needed all perps, except for the Y, which was my last fill.
I find it interesting how we borrow names and change them. Cairo to care-oh, Greenwich to green witch. Castile to cast isle, Lima to LIE MA (like the bean), BOGOTA to buh goat tah. I guess it's fair game. Many languages change the pronunciation of foreign countries and cities.
Alice, my temptation from yesterday is to sit at the computer and play longer than necessary when my back needs a break. If my body would cooperate, I could go on for hours when I get momentum going. When I break the momentum, inertia sets in and I make excuses. My break is over. I will resist temptation and close now.
Enjoyed the theme - DAB always has a creative puzzle with interesting clues and this did not disappoint!
I did wonder how many man caves have STEREO these days - interesting to see if the number increased with the age of the man!
We always pronounced CAIRO, IL like the syrup (KAY'-ROE), but now I live near the small towns of Versailles (prounounced Ver-sails') and Nevada (pronounced Neh-VAY'-dah) so I guess it's a thing in this area of the country!
Thanks Lemonade and DAB!
Had fun last night watching the Final Four in NCAA Women's Volleyball- of course 3 of the 4 teams were "our teams": Wisconsin, Baylor, and Stanford with CC & Boomer's U of Minnesota Golden Gophers as the 4th. These women are amazing athletes! Stanford and Wisconsin won last night - so the final is Saturday night on ESPN 2! https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/28206988/best-2019-ncaa-volleyball-tournament-wisconsin-stanford-championship-set
When I lived in Little Egypt my girlfriend was studying to become a Cairopractor. She then switched studies and took up ancient Egyptian plumbing. She was a Pharoah Faucet Major.
Good morning everyone.
Difficult one but finally, I got it all. 2 cels needed wite-out in ICON; I had IdOl first. Gradually it all filled in and the penny dropped with how LET DOWN was applied. Nice puzzle; FIR.
LET DOWN - - When milking cows, that is heard a lot. (Daal loten) in L. German
ALBEDO was easy for me to fill in but it is devilishly hard to use effectively in heat budgets. ABEDO of snow and ice scapes is particularly hard to quantify - many times with a 50% to 100% error depending on age, ablation, 'candling', particulates imbedded and other factors.
As my son's friend (a girl) once told the nun (teacher) in second grade: "It sure is an ass-freezing day out there, today."
Jerome, who said you could come out of your room?
Great NYT puzzle from CC today. It was Saturday level for me but worth the effort. Check it out if you can.
Well, I got the whole right side from the middle on without any problem--but the east side took a lot more work. And I loved getting the LET DOWN puzzle hint because there they were--all the down LETs. Lots of fun, many thanks, David. EENSY and ITSY were cute too. And I thought "hard wear" was a clever clue for ARMOR ("inlet" for ARM, not so much). The one that drove me crazy, though, was the "script you can eat." Even after I got ICING it took me a minute to remember that you can write "Happy Birthday" on a cake--oh, now I get it. And FUR for "animal protection" also cracked me up. Always enjoy your write-ups, Lemonade, and have a great end of the year.
Have a good weekend coming up, everybody.
Hi Everyone:
I found this an easier solve than a usual Friday, with little resistance other than Albedo and Ross, both totally unknown. I did go astray at Hot Mess/Big Mess, Beats/Bests, and Meal/Hour. I liked the duos of Itsy and Eensy, Ooh and Oh, Hora and Hour, and Elle above Sell. My favorite C/A was Words before snapping=Say Cheese. I agree with jfromvt that having down themers is a nice change of pace.
Thanks, David, for a Let Down that wasn't and thanks, Lemony, for several learning moments, as well as several entertaining links.
We have another frigid day but it's going to warm up over the weekend. No White Christmas, except for what's already on the ground.
Like PK, I receive untold requests from St. Jude's, in addition to many other charities. I made a decision several years ago to give to three local organizations, twice a year: a food bank, an animal rescue, and a mission that serves the needy/homeless. I feel these charities are deserving and use donations wisely.
Have a great day.
Jerome, I am glad I was not sipping coffee.
FLN - WikWak, I didn't see your post until closing some tabs a few moments ago. Funny and true. A couple down the street moved here from Northlake about 23 years ago. I know it's about that because their eldest was born that year.
Also, you must remember that bowling house in Northlake. Tried to find out how many lanes and relearned that it was named the Town and Country.
Learned that it was one of the largest in the country. Learned that the owner of Town and Country also owned Stardust in Addison. That's where I used to bowl in the late 80's, early 90s. Stardust has 84 lanes, and is listed as the largest in Illinois and tied for second largest in the country.
One of the articles said that when Town and Country was demolished, they built a shopping plaza consisting of a Walmart, a Sam's Club, a Home Depot and another business.
Jerome, you should be ashamed of yourself. Making an old man blow Pepsi out his nose. Now DW wants to take the laptop away. Thanks a pant load.
TTP, I remember that the bowling league was sacrosanct in Northlake. If you were in a meeting on league night and it ran long, too bad. Then the next morning the bowling had to be rehashed before any business could be conducted.
Jerome:
LOL!!!!
Thank goodness Jerome is not a let down...
Hi form Norman, OK!
Eldest printed the puzzle from her RA office for me so I didn't have to spend $3 in the hotel "business center" [read: small room w/ 2 computers & 1 printer].
Thanks DAB for the puzzle. Thanks Lem for a fine review (I'll click all the links after Eldest goes to bed).
WOs: IDOL b/f ICON, HER b/f SHE which led to GEE for the 1st "Wow!" and OH??R for the second. ROwe b/f ROSS [BIG MESS there]. I wanted hOney b/f TOOTS. I was stuck in the SE w/ AM- | -TS- | EENS-. It seemed like HOURs went by before I suss'd it.
ESPs: ALBEDO - hand-up for not knowing. ESAI - some "easy fill" won't set it.
Fav: ELLE's clue was cute.
{A+}
I've not read everyone yet but I will and comment later. I need a nap b/f picking Eldest up after her shift / my nap.
Cheers, -T
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, David Alfred Bywaters, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Lemonade, for a fine review.
TTP and WikWak: I used to bowl at the Town and Country Lanes in Northlake. I worked right down the street at Automatic Electric. Town and Country had 72 Lanes. We had great times there. Of course my average was no where near Boomer's.
The puzzle was a good Friday level. In other words it took me a couple hours. Caught the theme with LET.
I agree ALBEDO was all Perps.
Liked SAY CHEESE.
I love walnuts. Yes, the trees and nut pods are messy.
I have not had a T BONE steak in I don't know how long. I do like them. But, a N Y strip steak is better.
Have to run. Tons to do.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Great puzzle today! Lots of fresh cluing and some fun words as fill. Favorite clue was Hard Wear for ARMOR, favorite answers were ALBEDO (you can’t be an avid science fiction reader for more than 60 years without knowing that one) and ROSS, after whom Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf was named. I once had a fairly long conversation via ham radio with a scientist who was based near there.
Thanks to DAB and to Lemony for his dissertation. It’s been decades since I was in Cairo and that link was interesting but also a bit depressing.
TTP, that shopping center (on da Sout’ side’a Nort’ Avenue) is pretty good size. It almost seems larger than the bowling alley was, but what do I know? And my better half still bowls in a league at Stardust.
Jinx, what you said about the leagues was spot on.
Well... time to be productive (at least a little). I hope you all have a great weekend.
Oops. Abejo, you must have posted while I was still composing. When I was living in Nort’lake I spent 17 years living in an apartment complex adjoining AE’s north border. After that I had a house at Roberta and Country Club. After that I got outta Cook County. I watched my insurance rates go down and my taxes go up.
Shouldn't that be "Ungrammatical self-conscious question"? Just ask Judas. "Is it I, O Lord?"
(And, anyway, shouldn't that be "Am it I"?)
Not too difficult for end-of-the-week. Glad I didn't remember what day it was until I had it well in hand.
~ OMK
____________
DR: One diagonal, mirror side.
The anagram refers to a domestic handicraft solicitation, or one made on the cheap, a...
"HOMEMADE BID"!
I liked this puzzle. Some terrific clues and fill. (And some not so terrific.)
Having worked with solar panels I am familiar with ALBEDO.
Our STEREO and our big-screen TV are in our living room. I wouldn't want either of them in my man cave, where I have my computer and little electronics workshop (o'scope, signal generator, power supply, breadboard, etc.)
What kind of turntable ya got, Mondavi?
I liked your write-up, Lemonade, and your verse, Owen.
Damn good one, Jerome.
Good wishes to you all.
Oh, I forgot to say WALNUT made me think of Ol'man Keith.
Jerome: Groan, chuckle!
Fabulous Friday. Thanks for the fun, David and Lemonade.
I got the LET theme and FIRed with only one inkblot (Her before SHE).
KEY RINGLET reminded me of the poem "There was a little girl, who had a little curl . . ."
The bench is not going to be big enough for all of us who did not know ALBEDO.
CAIRO is pronounced with a long I sound in my neck of the woods.
BEFOG is one of those words seen in print but rarely spoken (like our A words).
Yes, WC, I saw that knead would not fit for 1A and wondered about Bank.
I smiled at TBONE crossing CUTLET. (IM, I missed TTop)
I liked the clue for ICING, and smiled to see the cross with ICEE.
IS IT ME and I AM NOT were smile-worthy also.
Open house would not fit, but OPERA did.
That man cave with the STEREO might have an ITEM (bag of chips).
Wishing you all a good evening.
Hey Jayce
I have a Technics SL-1200, purchased from a friend who needed the money waaaay back in 1982. Still works great since I have replaced the cartridge many, many times. Always has been my preferred way to listen to music even though I mistakenly bought cds for about 10 years in the 90s. I have returned to only purchasing vinyl since about 2010.
I just double checked. Technically it is a Technics SL-1200 Mark 2
And New BERlin, Wisconsin. Not to mention the crossword favorite, Des Plaines, Illinois, with both esses pronounced, as well as VIenna, Illinois. Don’t forget EldorAdo, Missouri.
Thank you, Mondavi.
Thanks!
from my Ol' Walnut to yours, Jayce!
~ OMK
Abejo, and Jinx, small world !
And WikWak, your wife bowling at Stardust too !
Yes, I could have worded that better. I haven't been that far east on North Ave since then.
A friend of a friend was the comptroller at Maywood ? and we got VIP treatment for the harness races one time. They named one of the races that night using the letters from our three couples names. Still have the program somewhere. DW won a few bucks, and I did as well as I did the one time we went to Vegas. Lost. It was fun. But like Vegas and those gambling casinos, it's just not my thing. I'm too affected by countenance of the people that I perceive to be living on the edge, trying to hit it big.
Dash T - I hope you got a good nap in. You need to be refreshed for the challenge of playing DnD against those college kids. Good luck !
For more casino talk check out the jumble blog and Owens poem
And I stumbled on how to post as Wilbur
WC
Easier than usual Friday. Just a few simple to correct mistakes...had bay for inlet instead of ARM. Having breakfast with Hamlet solved that problem.
Installed a large projection TV in my man cave with stereo speakers in the ceiling. Big mistake. The wife watching on an ancient 36inch CRT TV (the largest you could get in 1994) above in the den complained She could hear the speakers through the floor so I'm reduced to using remote headphones.
Another arctic day in Central NY. Keeping warm after work with a fleece blanket and a brandy.
Can't wait till tomorrow AM when instead of sleeping in I'll be watching my grandson play hockey at 8AM in a rink that's colder than outside..������
Thanks everyone! Here are theme answers that didn't make it into this week's puzzle:
EVIL EYELET: Hole you can't get the lace to go through?
ELECTRIC EYELET: Feature of the new cybershoe?
EYELET POPPING: Shoelace mishap?
EYELET DROPLET: Bit of shoelacing lubrication?
MIC DROPLET: Consequence of overeager enunciation?
MILITARY COUPLET: Two lines from a fight song?
LEAFLET BLOWER: Fan in a sales office?
OUTLET OF FAVOR: Corrupt politician?
RURAL ROULETTE: Gambling in the sticks?
COVERLET CHARGE: Expense at a fee-happy hotel?
BUDGET CUTLET: Cheap meat?
GROSS OUTLET: Place to pick up disgusting stuff at a bargain?
People who live in Paris, Kentucky pronounce their city the way Americans pronounce it's namesake in France, not the way a Frenchman would. And IIRC, folks in Moscow, OH pronounce their town as if it had a bovine connection.
Like most sci-fi nerds, astronomy was a tangential interest, so ALBEDO was one of the easiest entries for me. (I also seem to be better than most at mythology because it shows up in fantasy stories a lot)
Hand up for wanting hot MESS > BIG.
For the benefit of those who didn't recognize them, Athos and Aramis were two of the Three Musketeers, along with Porthos and D’Artagnan. If this novel title about 4 swordsmen weren't confusing enough, musketeers were soldiers who used muskets, gunmen who supposedly only used swords as back-up weapons.
New Mexico has Madrid (MAD-rid) and Thoreau (threw).
We gave to two charities (an Indian school and Boy's Town), that regularly send us big packets of gifts (calendars, dream-catchers, socks (small-size), greeting cards). Yeah, they cost them a lot, but they probably bring in a lot, too, from people with guilty consciences as well as big donors, so the organizations figure it's worth it. I love grab bags, so I'll even send in a (very small) donation every few years to keep them coming, and wish there was some way I could find others. Name labels and calendars we get from a lot of places, but the real goodies only from those two. Me, I think of calendars as picture books, and the very best ones as wall art, as well. I have collages of them in both my bedroom and bathroom!
DAB -- I especially liked RURAL ROULETTE with the LET buried inside a word!
PK -- What was that charity that sent you the 3 calendars and a crossword book? Sounds like one I want to add to my list!
TTP -- The pic of the neighbor's tree -- a streak of red, a blob of white, and some smaller white blobs that might be angels. What are we supposed to be looking at?
I also received the calendars and puzzle book but now I can't recall who it was from. I receive so many calendars I give them away to friends. At one time I would get as many as 16 and take them to school where my students loved them.
PK:
You might be interested to know this one. I received a telephone call telling me I had won 5 million dollars from Publisher's Clearing House and decided to go along and see where it would lead. I was instructed to call a "manager" at another number which I did. He gave me a long list of numbers, I D nos., check nos., etc. the a registration no., but then wanted an Amazon gift card in the amount of $339.05 to pay for the delivery. Luckily I had a commitment to go to then I blocked the number. I saw that it appeared again later but didn't ring, of course.
I'm sure people fall for the scam and it's too bad.
David, thanks for checking in with us with those fascinating alternatives. Puzzle construction involves a lot of decisions, doesn't it?
Lucina, what scam will they dream up next? You are more patient than I am. I just hang up if it isn't someone I know should be calling. After my bank account got hacked last year, I'm afraid to send beggars a check. I usually just give to local food bank & homeless shelter plus a couple more. This year I gave to my teacher daughter who had inadequately dressed poor children in her schoolroom when cold set in. She wanted coats and long pants & shirts. Too sad.
Owen, you are the only one I know who likes junk mail. I just don't like clutter. I've got enough name & address stickers to last until I'm 100 if no one sends me any more. I got at least 8 calendars this year. I think the "goody bag" charity was Boys Town which I consider a worthwhile org. as I had an acquaintance whose young son was headed for big trouble after his dad died and got straightened out up there. One old lady can't fund all the good causes in the world.
Jerome - LOL.
D-O: IS IT ME? Yes it was (who said he could come out of his room :-))
Cute DR, OMK.
I finally clicked all of Lem's Links... CAIRO: Sadness; like many small communities in central IL. Mom still lives in Nokomis, but not much is there.
Billo - I didn't know Grace is credited with saying that. Cool.
C, Eh! - That damn "bag of chips at the checkout, say" had me going down the 'Impulse buy' / URGE / 'wasn't on my shopping list' path way too long. I'm a sucker for a last minute snack-sized bag of Doritos to scarf on the way home. T-TOP wouldn't allow the URGE but it took -TE- for me to finally realize ~16 chips in a bag is one ITEM.
Northwest Runner - I'd not read you before I went out with Eldest but I did pickup the NYT at the coffee house, and "Wow!," a C.C..
Congrats C.C. (but, GEE, that puzzle is hard - I'm <1/2 done)
My "man cave" is the garage.* All my toys, er tools, are out there + a laptop + a STEREO receiver hooked into to A-channel over the pool and B-channel speakers inside the garage. I pipe my XM radio through it and, occasionally my iThings. There's also a mini-(beer)fridge stocked with various brands.
//Jacye - my workbench is currently populated by stuff that toys with current. I do want an o'scope - think it's too late to ask SANTA?
DAB - What Misty said. Also, I was thinking/hoping I'd see "agLET school" or some such :-)
//AGLET is that bit of plastic around the end of your shoelace. Ag School - think Texas A&M
'Tis a shame you had to dump MILITARY COUPLET - that's brilliant + evil [evil for different pronunciations of COUP]
TTP - I did get that nap. Afterwards, I picked Eldest up from the dorm and we went to the mall** [I needed new sneakers and she needed new boots.] She also wanted some yarn (can you believe Gen-Zers like to crochet? MdF - Eldest wants to learn to knit too!) so off to Joann Fabrics. After the mall she took me to this eclectic store run by (a very obviously liberal) Jewish guy that had all kinds of fun stuff in it including strong licorice! Then, dinner at a German joint (with boots full of beer(?)) where we dined on schnitzel.
Finally to the coffee shop for a few hours before dropping her back at the dorm.
Tomorrow is a) breakfast, b) drop off rental, c) four hours of DnD, and d)??? //she has to work; we'll see.
Cheers, -T
*I have a secondary MC in the loft that used to be the kids' play area. Two standup desks, 4 monitors, 4 laptops, and a few Raspberry Pi. I play up there when I work or it's too damn cold to be in the garage.
**DW called Eldest while we were at the mall. Eldest told her where we were. This stunned DW and (I guessed it!), said "Your dad loves you more than me" :-)
PSA...
St. Josephs Indian School
You don't have to send them any money, they will keep sending you free stuff...
While the school is real,
listen to the students, it is a horror story,
I cannot go into details here, as some one will insist they are
trying to save the souls of innocents, regardless of their heritage
or traditions...
The facts are, it is all about money...
CED - I've often hypothesized that starting a charity/foundation/church is the easiest way to get rich quick. Not only will 1 of 1,000 (or even 10,000) send you $$$, it's Tax Free!
//Google John Oliver Church of Perpetual Exemption for what he uncovered.
Now,
I want you to think about all those poor fish who've never felt the Joy nor the Freedom of the Wind through their gills.
Would you please give just a few dollars for Bicycles for Fish.
You can call right now.
And your donation will help build a bicycle for a fish longing to ride a bike.
Think of the freedom you can give a Flounder, a Halibut, a SOLE.
[That's 800-555-1212]
Just a few pennies a day and you can help a fish ride a bike.
Cheers, -T
um, re: my above post - 'get rich quick' IFF (if and only if) you're sans scruples. -T
WikWak, I found that article again. It was an article in Northlake History.
"The demolition of the Town and Country Bowling Alley in 1991 made way for the Northlake Common Shopping Plaza consisting of Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Service Merchandise."
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