31 D. With the answer below, dilute ... and a hint to the four longest answers: WATER.
59 D. See the answer above: DOWN.
This is, literally, how to dilute.
3 D. Mellophone's orchestral cousin: FRENCH HORN. Can you tell which is which? Similarly pitched, I guess. Not my brass niche, so that's all I have to say.
9 D. Inn for traveling students: YOUTH HOSTEL. A type of short-term low cost accommodation aimed at young people on hiking or bicycling tours.
25 D. Not being forthcoming about: WITH HOLDING. As with information.
33 D. Home on the range: RANCH HOUSE. The home located on a ranch property - a large area dedicated to raising livestock.
Each of these contains the letters H HO spanning the two word theme fill. HHO = H2O = WATER, in a vertical answer, hence WATER DOWN. The chemist in me would prefer HOH, but that is just a wet nit.
Hi Gang. JazzBumpa here. This theme of hidden chemical symbolism threw me for a while. Don't feel bad if you couldn't find it. Now that we can hold our water, let's move forward.
Across:
1. Tip politely: DOFF. As one's hat.
5. Friendship: AMITY. A friendly relationship.
10. Approved: OKED. Gave the OK to.
14. Taj Mahal locale: AGRA. City in India.
15. Longtime work animal: BURRO. A small donkey used as a pack animal.
16. Michelin product: TIRE. For your car or truck.
17. Competition with runners: MEET. At the track.
18. It may be bid: ADIEU. A fond farewell.
19. Target Field MLBer: TWIN. Will there ever be baseball again?
20. Kind of code: PENAL. I've seen this in a few puzzles recently. A code of laws concerning crimes and offenses and their punishment.
22. Tense tennis situation: SET POINT. Opportunity to win or lose
24. Talons: CLAWS. Bird's feet
27. Leveling wedge: SHIM. Space filler used to align items, such as cabinets.
28. Rhine whine: ACH. Clever clue, but I think exclamation would be more accurate than whine.
30. Opinion: VIEW. The way I see it.
32. Mass media magnate: HEARST. William Randolph [1893 - 1951] was an American publisher and politician.
36. "Harrumph!": BAH. Humbug!
37. Gillette brand: ATRA. Men's facial razor.
38. Showy: ORNATE. Highly decorated.
39. Old Testament prophet: AMOS. One of the 12 minor prophets. He spoke of justice, economic disparity and divine judgment.
41. Strong aversions: HATES. Things you can't stand.
43. Clothes closer: SNAP. Alternative to buttons and zippers.
44. High-ranking angel: SERAPH. A winged celestial beings with a fiery passion for doing God's good work
46. Rebuke from Caesar: ET TU. And you? Bummer!
48. Only NFL team without a helmet logo, on scoreboards: CLE. The Browns.
49. Big shot: HONCHO. Derived from the Japanese word meaning "leader of the squad," absorbed into English due to the large U.S. military presence in Japan after WWII.
50. Snorkeling site: REEF. A ridge of jagged rock, coral, or sand just above or below the surface of the sea.
51. Half a bray: HEE. Other half is HAW
52. Rock's mate?: ROLL. Type of popular music.
54. Splatter in a puddle: SLOSH. The sound of a boot stomped in water.
56. Helped remember: REMINDED.
60. Diving action: SWOOP. Action of a bird with talons.
63. Day when 46-Across was spoken: IDES. Of March
64. Key material: IVORY. Piano keys. But not any more. Today, the keys are made from the same wood at the sound board - usually some variety of spruce, because it is resistant to warping. The keys are then covered with an acrylic coating.
67. Subtle glow: AURA.
68. Essence: GIST. Core meaning
69. More contemporary: NEWER. The latest. Is it the greatest?
70. Bygone despot: TSAR. This is Russian to judgment
71. Night at an inn, e.g.: STAY. No reason to be HOSTLE
72. Blokes: GENTS. Guys
73. Conducted, as a meeting: HELD. Organized, set the agenda and invited attendees.
Down:
1. Like many a cellar: DAMP. Containing unwanted moisture.
2. Fancy molding: OGEE. In the shape of an S curve.
4. Like the most serious error: FATAL. Ruins the entire project.
5. Lawyer's org.: ABA. American Bar Assn.
6. Wasp nest component: MUD.
7. Pupil's place: IRIS. The eyes have it.
8. Beech and birch: TREES.
10. Hassock cousins: OTTOMANS. Tuffets.
11. Fuzzy fruit: KIWI.
12. "__ go bragh!": ERIN. Ireland forever.
13. Bad impression: DENT. As, frex, on your car's fender.
21. Soap brand: LAVA. Contains pumice particles for scouring action.
23. Embarkation location: PIER. On the waterfront.
26. Antitoxins: SERA. A substance that counteracts a specific toxin.
28. Embarrass: ABASH.
29. Hitchcock film trademark: CAMEO. A brief, often uncredited and usually silent, appearance by a well known person in a production.
34. Cliched: STALE. Hackneyed.
35. Home on the range: TEPEE. Temporary dwelling of Native Americans on the great plains.
40. Room for vestments: SACRISTY.
42. Nice saisons: ETES. Summers in France.
45. Sound prefix: PHON-. As in PHONICS or PHONETICS.
47. Alien craft: UFOS. Fictional interstellar craft.
53. Flood deterrent: LEVEE. A naturally occurring or artificially constructed ridge along a water course or coast line.
55. Mower's path: SWATH. The space cut by the motion of a mowing machine.
56. Readies for sailing: RIGS. Prepares the the system of ropes, cables and chains, which support a sailing ship or sail boat's masts, including shrouds and stays, halyards, braces, sheets and vangs.
57. Cut text, e.g.: EDIT.
58. City near Phoenix: MESA. In AZ.
61. Like some vaccines: ORAL. As opposed to injected
62. Oater bro: PARD. Short for Partner.
65. No longer working: Abbr.: RET. As I have been for 11 1/2 YRS.
66. Mos. and mos.: YRS. Twelve Mos at a time.
That wraps up another Wednesday. Hope you were able to stay dry.
Cool regards!
JzB
FIRight today. Good theme. I caught the double H's, but didn't get the H₂O gimmick until I read the reveal.
ReplyDeleteThere was a young man from AGRA
who intended to shave with an ATRA
But his father forbore,
"You're still only four,
You might trim your child-like AURA!"
Should you see a SERAPH SWOOP
You're forgiven if you whoop.
They often pose
As U.F.O.S
And have A BASH with a loop-d-loop!
Does it ever seem to you
Too many vowel in ADIEU?
Same with AURA,
Goes too far-a.
That's a thing I think. ET TU?
They tell us, wash your germy CLAWS,
REMINDING us of plaguy cause.
And so we soak
And SLOSH with soap:
LAVA or IVORY in handy bars.
{B+, B+, B-, B-.}
Good morning Cornerites.
ReplyDeleteThank you Joe Schewe for your enjoyable Wednesday CW.
Carol and I FIR in 18:04 min.
Thank you Jazzbumpa for your excellent review.
Anonymous T on June 4, 2020 at 11:14 PM wrote "Nice to see you D4. Everything still good?"
I have waited until I had new "News." Yesterday each resident of Wesley Manor was tested for the COVID-19 virus. A swab was passed through our nostril to the nasopharynx which is, by definition, the upper part of the throat behind the nose.
It is a part of the pharynx, which comprises three separate segments: the nasopharynx, oropharynx, and the hypopharynx.
I successfully held back an urge to sneeze . Results are expected by Friday, and I expect they will confirm that we are disease free.
Ðave
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Joe Schewe, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Jazzbumpa, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, could not sleep. Got up at 1:30 AM, did the puzzle, and finished at 2:05 AM. Laid back down. I think I slept a little.
Got WATER DOWN at 31 and 59D. Did not look for the themes. Was on a roll to get the puzzle done.
HEARST was easy once I had a perp or two. I read his history once. Fascinating. Also toured the Hearst Castle in California several times. That is quite a place. Now a state park.
Liked CAMEO for 29D. That was a Hitchcock trademark. Saw a lot of his shows and saw him in them, briefly.
Our favorite Latin phrase again, ET TU.
We have a Hassock, or OTTOMAN.
Lots of rain yesterday and last night. I was awakened last night with rain pelting us. We needed some. Hope my vegetables did not get damaged. I will check later.
Today I get my bronchoscopy. This afternoon. I am sure they knock me out.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Good Morning all. Normally C.C. is busy with the computer but i took some of her time today. I want to wish Abejo the most positive results with the health issues, Believe me, I know what it's like but the medical professionals are amazing. When I was first diagnosed my thoughts were "How much time do I have left ?" Now the questions are which shirt to wear when I play golf. Best wishes Abejo !!
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteI loves me a themeless on a Wednesday. D'oh. The advantage of missing the reveal is that I don't feel guilty about not getting the theme. Had to change DANK to DAMP and HEAD to HELD, but those were just minor hiccups on the road to victory. Thanx for the outing, Joe and the expo, JzB.
OTTOMANS: Shouldn't that be OTTOMEN?
HEARST: I'm a bit sore at the Barnacle, the local Hearst newspaper. I subscribe to their e-edition only, and since last Saturday I haven't been able to log into their site. I just get "sending information from subscriptions.(barnacle).com." [Cue the Twilight Zone music.] It never gets past that. I emailed them Sunday. Monday I got an response that they had forwarded my issue to their digital crew. Tuesday I called their help desk. The lady couldn't help. But she promised that she'd pass my issue on to their "tech guy," but he doesn't come in until 3 PM. So now it's Wednesday. Should I email? Should I call again? I think I'll do both.
Abejo, good luck on your bronchoscopy. Enjoy the Propofol. I predict you'll wake up asking, "Is it already over?"
ReplyDeleteGood rainy morning from NOLA. I noticed the HH quickly as I worked the left side first with FRENCH HORN and WITHHOLDING. I've played a trumpet, a cornet, and even a flugel horn (all badly) and my brother played the FRENCH HORN but 'Mellophone' is a brass instrument I'd never heard or heard of. The chemist in me would call it Hydrogen Hydroxide for water.
ReplyDeleteLet me DOFF my hat to the GENT, Joe Schewe. No A&E in today's puzzle. No tv shows, actors, or characters in those shows I've never heard of.
Hassocks-OTTOMANS or OttoMEN as D-OTTO said-...just foot stools.
SACRISTY- perps, new word for me.
Boomer- You're playing GOLF. Make sure you wear something that can be seen by others so they won't hit in your direction.
MEET 4 race was my only write-over. I played the MELLOPHONE in my elementary school in San Mateo, CA. That led to my tinkering around with bugles and trumpets. We’ve been bingeing Hitchcock movies and had fun looking for the CAMEOs. Why isn’t it “ottomen?” I’ve been RET for 24 years. I put in 27 years of professing and bought my 3 years of active duty in the Army to meet my 30 year requirement. What happens when my years on pension equal my years in the classroom?
ReplyDeleteGood morning all. JOE SCHEWE has been published only in the LAT as far I can see and I hope he stops by and tells his story to us. I have not found much searching online except for one Joe who is the bass player in the band SWEEDISH and another who is really a Marilyn !
ReplyDeleteI don't believe I knew the history of HONCHO . Thank you, Joe and Ron.
Nice to see so many up and about today and posting here. HM when you hit your 30th pension year you need to raise your avatar and say thank you. When you hit your 60th pension year... well there is always an IV.
ReplyDeleteBest!
This puzzle was enough to bring about a watered down 'wry' smile for so early in the morning!
ReplyDeleteToday's took 5:47, which may have been quicker than yesterday's. Amity, sacristy, and seraph were slow to come to mind. No complaints with this puzzle.
ReplyDelete"phon" reminds me of the irony that "phonics" isn't spelled "fonics."
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteFairly easy puzzle. FIR. Struck by the vertical orientation of the fill and also the placing of black squares to essentially divide the puzzle into three sub- puzzles with only 2 (connecting) links between them. No matter, it was fun to solve.
CSO to Lucina @ MESA. Probably shops there. :-)
RIGS - 'Victuals' wouldn't fit.
ACH - Is used in many situations. Here are a few that arguably could imply whining:
Ach du liebe Zeit! Dear me!
Ach du meine Güte! Good grief!
Ach nee, sag bloß! [ugs.] Well, duh! [Am.] [slang]
Ach wo! Certainly not!; By no means
mit Ach und Weh with doleful outcry
The question came up in another venue as to whether the TWINS do or should count the Washington senators 1925 WS making their total three.
ReplyDeleteThe Hearst's war in 1898 made the Tampa Plants a lot of money. They did use it to build hospitals.
I do these ahead of time since I can. I recall this being swift. But beware of Friday.
WC
Musings
ReplyDelete-I work from the NW corner and then out in all directions but today I couldn’t “get to” the right side until line 8 and so I worked the puzzle counter clockwise
-Me too, Owen, HH stood out and then the water half of the reveal appeared
-CLE has no helmet logo nor even an appearance in a Super Bowl
-Having a friend also be your head HONCHO can present problems
-Our new humidifier took the DAMP smell out of our basement in one day
-I too often saw FATAL Error on school’s PC machines but never on my Mac
-I can’t remember the show I saw where antitoxin SERA was WITHHELD until info was given
-LEVEES were not tested this spring like last year and have been repaired but if you live on the banks of the Platte River, you will get a lot of HHO quite often
Husker, I never saw FATAL Error on my iMac -- just solid blue screen that wouldn't go away. BestBuy said they would fix it for a mere $725, above the $75 I'd already paid for the evaluation. I bought a new Dell for under $500.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, everyone. Thank you for the write-up, Jazz. I enjoyed this puzzle and echo Lemonade's sentiment about wanting to hear from Joe about his process.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I was hoping to get the community's VIEW on this: I'm in the middle of constructing a crossword that's designed to be a Tuesday-level difficulty. Most of my fill is very clean (or, as clean as I can make it), but I do have a potential Natick. I have ATHOS (one of the Musketeers) crossing CRONE (synonym for witch). If you were solving this on a Tuesday, would you consider these two answers too obscure to cross? (The answers are clued in a straightforward way and the perps would give you everything but the 'O' in both ATHOS and CRONE.) Would this crossing sour you on the puzzle? Thanks!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was a quick solve but it took me a minute or two to fully understand the theme. No w/os or unknowns, surprisingly. I liked Ach above Bah and the Tepee/Levee duo and the Ranch House clecho. Also liked the proximity of these fun words: Slosh, Swoop, and Swath. CSO to Boomer and CC at Twin, also Lucina at Mesa.
Thanks, Joe, for a mid-week treat and thanks, JazB, for guiding us along so smoothly.
Dave4, that Covid test sounds painful. Fingers crossed that I don’t ever have to get it. I hope you and your fellow residents are all virus-free.
Stay safe, all.
Jazz: Nice write-up.
ReplyDeleteSince I consume my Scotch, Rum and OUZO NEAT ... I never "Water Down" my booze.
But I enjoyed today's theme anyway. LOL
A "Toast-to-ALL" at Sunset.
Cheers!
Fine puzzle, lovely theme. I dowsed for WATER, but came up dry. JzB, thanks for your usual masterful job.
ReplyDeleteWhat ever happened to our Corner Honcho? Honcho is an example of a loan word that has become very much in the language.
Why is a mellophone used in marching bands in place of a French horn? "These instruments are used instead of French horns for marching because their bells face forward instead of to the back (or to the side), as dissipation of the sound becomes a concern in the open-air environment of marching."
I haven't seen anyone doff his hat in decades. Baseball caps and beanies are not doffed. Unfortunately, I have seen some men receive Holy Communion without removing their baseball caps. Gauche and disrespectful. My Dad's rule was no baseball caps at the table and shirts must be worn at the table. We had similar rules for our sons. My PA Dutch Grandma said ACH dozens of times a day, not as a complaint. Oh, oh well, surely, why yes, etc. As ubiquitous as the Canadian eh!
The amoxicillin is giving me the first good week I have had in months. Low grade fever is gone, energy is back. Pain is slowly receding. Monday I finally cleared up all the end of the year paperwork for the square dance club. The year ended May first. This morning I had a walk, went to the laundromat, bought groceries and solved the puzzle by 9:45.This afternoon I will vacuum.
Abejo, good luck today.
Wheels 42, IMHO CR-NE seems obvious for witch and I believe the majority of people have heard of ATHOS, especially if the O is suggested by CRONE.
Thanks Joe, enjoyed, no names, yeah
ReplyDeleteWheels42 @ 9:10 ~ I think Athos appears often enough in puzzles to be widely known and Crone is equally easy to get, especially with a straightforward clue. Good luck with your project! 🙂
ReplyDeleteFun, easy puzzle. Another great write-up. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWheels42:
I wouldn't have a problem with Athos crossing Crone.
JB2
Wheels42 - ATHOS is not rare or obscure IMO and appears occasionally in puzzles. CRONE is also seen occasionally clued as 'hag' or vice versa.
ReplyDeleteLAT Tuesday level can be different from WSJ or NYT, so I'd let the editor make the call.
_____________________________________________________________________________
LEVEES - From a benefit/cost perspective, I've found Levees to be designed for mid-range floods, particularly in the East. That is to say roughly 20 YR to 50 YR exceedance. So when a 100 YR flood comes along, they get overtopped or otherwise compromised. Maintenance is a major issue, too, Typically local jurisdictions agree to handle the post construction upkeep of a project, but they tend to come up short on prioritizing. Encroachment tends to be tolerated, and trees and vermin (e.g. woodchucks) are not adequately controlled, so, over time, the levee can fail more easily.
After two wrongs, today was finally a right. FIR with no inkovers. Successfuly perpwalked any iffy answer. Like... is the soap Dove or Zest ? Waited for A in old reliable ATRA to rule them out. (Then IVORY shows up later.) Don't ask...once again....didn't figure out the theme.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't going to write in Morse code again. But left marks after repeatedly slapping my forehead trying to remember the very recent identical PENAL. ACH!!
Unfortunate Julius Cæsar keeps getting betrayed in at least one weekly puzzle lately. "ET TU Cruciverbus?"
Rock's mate? a hard place and Adrian! wouldn't fit.
Dad used to call one of Mom's friends "Kay Sera Sera"
Like DO...aren't OTTOMANS actually OTTOMEN? (Likewise tuffets: Ottowomen?).
Stayed in them. YOUTH HOSTELs aren't usually..."hostel."
PIER at and BURRO into this nonsense:
Dublin women's lib chant "______ go bragh - less"....ERIN
Biblically smite a housefly.....SWATH
Had a brain brain transplant....REMINDED.
Don't water down your "w(h)ine"
PS Wheels 42: What spitz and IM said. ATHOS and CRONE commonly used and recognized. Problem is now we know two of your answers..🤣🤣🤣
ReplyDeleteI finally got the puzzle done, but I made a mistake early that had the west central block messed up. Once I went over my input I realized that I left out the second H in FRENCHHORN and had FRENCHORNS. After that things started to fill in.
Since Rich sometimes seems to beat some clues to death and since we had it in a recent puzzle, I tried to put EZRA in as the prophet. This also helped mess up the west central area. There are a lot of prophets in the Old Testament, including a few 4-letter ones. Perps ultimately came to the rescue.
I wanted SPLASH but SLOSH was the right answer. Along with mistakenly entering EZRA, I also misspelled SERiPH so it took a while for SACRISTY (which I really didn't know) to fill in.
Even though I filled in TEPEE right away, I still think it should be TEEPEE. The same goes for TEEHEE over TEHEE. Enough complaining on my part.
I didn't get the theme until I read JzB's write-up. It just didn't jump out at me. However, it was a good puzzle and was enjoyable.
Have a great day everyone.
I loved the double-aitch theme and saw it right away. Favorite was ach for Rhine whine. Like Irish Miss I agree the crossing of ach and bah was clever. I love the sound of the French horn. I played the baritone from 4-8 grades. Both sisters played oboe, clarinet and piano. A quick 10 minute FIR.
ReplyDeleteSuch a good puzzle! Thank you, Mr Schewe! Answers were all common knowledge, with no obscure characters, celebrities or slang. The theme was clever. I was sorry to have it end so soon! A shout out to Jazzbumpa for the review, with more fun like "TSAR. This is Russian to judgment." Tee HEE!
ReplyDeleteEric Clapton is probably going to hell for proclaiming "I shot the seraph"
ReplyDeleteJerome
Porthos and Aramis are later week. D'Artagnan, perhaps Saturday.
ReplyDeleteI thought they wanted the name of an angel. Michael and Gabriel wouldn't fit so I tried to recall others. There's Uriel… several others. Lucina might know them as well as whether SERAPHIM are lesser angels.
My guardian angel is Mr Stupidity
Since I don't listen anyhow, I prefer someone to blame.
WC
WC dont forget my archangel Raphael...👼
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteLike Ray-O, two FIW in a row and then Nailed it! Feels good.
//unlike Ray-O, I've got some unneeded ink in the grid.
The puzzle did have some crunch - like I couldn't get Mogul[e?] out of my head at HEARST, shot meself in the foot w/ the wrong MEaT and tried to force FRaNCophone in there. Thank you theme!
Fun puzzle Joe and informative expo JzB. Thanks yous both.
WOs: aGEE b/f DOFF fixed it. Aforementioned MEaT. Seam b/f SNAP.
ESPs: SERAPH | PHON
Fav: UFOS sat there alone for a while and I thought of the band. Not sure I can name a song of theirs though [I think they had an album called Strangers in the Night].
{B, A, A+, A++}
HG - Dehumidifier to remove the DAMP?
Wheels42 - WEES. CRONE shouldn't be obscure even to someone who's never done an xword.
Jerome - Really?
//LOL!
Play later!
//and maybe I'll find a UFO song then...
Cheers, -T
Went thru it so fast, I saw the down referential clue
ReplyDelete& meant to go back to it, but got totally obsessed with the 1A1D
trick. Dank/dark b/4 damp, & Doff is not in my vocabulary.
Luckily, Ogee is such an ingrained Crosswordese that it has
not tripped me up in years...
The Clecho, home on the range, made me look twice,
thinking I had lost my place...
Jerome: GrOaN!
Wheels42,
Athos/Crone's "O" would hardly be a Natick
if the rest of the letters in both words were easily clued...
So what are the the other word/letters clues?
(I could use all the help I can get...)
(P.S. what paper is this going to be in?)
(& a printing date would be helpful too...)
This is what Google referred me to for waters down.
Fat kid on a SeeSaw?
Hey Tinbeni!
What would your Bartender say if you walked in with one of these?
Yep, Raphael and I think, perhaps, Siriel. Time to LIU
ReplyDeleteHere's one list of the Seven:
The other three Archangels, Raguel, Remiel (Phanuel) and Sariel combine with the 4 cardinal Arch Angels to form the 7 days of the week, as noted in the Book of Enoch.
Gabriel = Sunday, Michael = Monday, Raphael = Tuesday, Uriel = Wednesday, Raguel = Thursday, Remiel = Friday, Sariel = Saturday.
The last is that "Siriel" I was thinking of. Noname was given to the angel that Balaam's Ass saw with drawn sword. Probably Michael.
WC
Thanks for the feedback, everyone! Glad to hear that crossing wouldn't make anyone, well, cross.
ReplyDeleteNo publication date or paper yet--after a number of rejections from NYT and LAT, I've recently gotten a crossword accepted by the NYT (expected date of publication: some Tuesday in early 2021) but I haven't submitted this current one to any publication yet. Fingers crossed!
Hola!
ReplyDeleteGood puzzle, Jow Schewe! Thank you. Fast and easy. Thank you, JazzB for elucidating the theme which I did not find but didn't actually look for it. In my checkbook I designate the water bill as H2O.
MESA is my close neighbor and we go to the Longhorn Restaurant there. It's near the now defunct Fiesta Mall where I once shopped before Fashion Square was developed.
AGRA was once on my bucket list but that trip likely won't ever happen.
Hint to Wheels42 and other constructors: long, stretched out fill negates the challenge of solving. It's good for early week puzzles.
WATER is preciously guarded here in the Southwest. I've often thought that a pipe to conduct all the excess water from the midwestern floods would be a good idea. There is one for oil so why not? We'd have WATER and your homes would not be flooded every year.
No, it can't be OTTOMeN. It's furniture and men refers to humans. I have a couple to stretch out my legs.
SACRISTY is very familiar to me. For many years I was the sacristan at my parish. That involves setting out the altar things and in some cases, the vestments worn by the priest. I also laundered the altar linens.
I just finished reading Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly which takes place partly in Russia during the time of the revolution and the deposing of the TSAR. She also authored Lilac Girls. Both books are excellent.
The sandman has once again abandoned me and last night I finally fell asleep at 2:00 A.M. The previous night it was 3:30. Consequently there is no early rising for me.
I hope you are all enjoying your day. You are all in good form and made me laugh; good poems from Owen, too.
Drat! Joe not Jow.
ReplyDeleteRaphael: Our custom is first born son takes paternal grandfather's name. Up to recently pronounced "RAY-feel" long A like long A in "GAY-briel" and long I in "MY-kul:
ReplyDeleteThen those #$%&*# Ninja Turtles came along and now you hear mostly "Rah-FAH'-el" which is the French form. One of my French Canadian colleagues calls me that: Raphaël
Try going through grade and HS with that name! Gramps name was actually "Raffaele." Everybody called him "Fred" (don't ask)
Hi Y'all! Thanks, Joe Schewe, for a fun puzzle that was unique in being the only one in many moons for which I have NOT had to use at least one red-letter run. YAY! Got 'er done with just perps and WAGs.
ReplyDeleteAt your wittiest today, JzB, thanks! I needed a few chuckles.
I saw the reveal and all the HHO's but needed JzB to explain the theme. Duh! i was thinking more like "something stuttering Santa says". Some days I think I have water on the brain.
Cellar wasn't "wine", DAnk, DArk but DAMP. No cellar at my house.
Er guys, are you trying to make HOSTiLE jokes here with HOSTEL?
CAMEO: You just never knew when Hitchcock's distinctive profile would wander through a movie scene. Before I got enough perps, I was thinking of those black profile drawings and still can't remember the word. Some days I KNOW I have WATER on the brain. OR worse!
AnonT: I've been wondering how DW is doing? Is she home? Hope the girls are okay. My yardman's wife tested negative for corona with all the symptoms. I can't wait to ask him if her test hurt. I have maintained social distancing with him anyway.
Owen: very good verses today.
Abejo: good luck on the bronchoscope and best wishes for an easily corrected health problem!
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Joe and JazzB.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed today but failed to find the WATER although I looked in those 4 long DOWNs. Oh, it is HHO not W A T E R that we are looking for. ACH or BAH - no, D'uh! (Well, maybe ACH if it is used like Eh!)
Hand up for dark and dank before DAMP. Ottaman was corrected by POINT.
Another hand up for Race before MEET.
Oh, we are tipping our hat, not our server; our diving action referred to a bird, not a swimmer.
Yes, I waited for perps to confirm HEE and not Haw (and yes, crossing TEPEE was cute).
Ray'o - I wanted Dove before LAVA, and noted IVORY also.
And I mentally tried to fit Gabriel into the spot for SERAPH.
"Like some vaccines" brought the thought "needed immediately". The Covid-19 vaccine will not be ORAL; currently available oral vaccines are used to protect from many infectious diseases acquired through oral transmission, like typhoid, polio.
Wishing you well with your testing, Abejo.
Wishing you all a great day.
Hand up I saw the double H answers and noticed they were all DOWN. And I got WATER DOWN early in the solve. It was not until I was finished that I noticed it was HHO. I wrote it down with a question mark. Then the light went on. Such a clever theme!
ReplyDeleteWas stuck in the area with SERAPH/SACRISTY/PHON/CAMEO/ACH. Got it to FIR.
Did anyone else notice that the clues starting with 33D had extra spacing between them? Did that mean something?
Here are some of my under WATER photos at a REEF in Coron in the Philippines.
I have shared other REEF photos before and may share others in the future. This is a debut for this set.
From Yesterday and Before
ReplyDeleteWilbur Charles, Yellowrocks and Becky thank you for the kind words about my UNIcycling and Juggling. It is surprisingly not that much more difficult to juggle while riding forward than to do either one separately. What is very difficult? Juggling while "idling" (rocking in one place on the UNI cycle).
CrossEyedDave thanks for your further memories of "The Prisoner" TV series. Yes, there is an ending in a way. If you are interested, be sure to watch both of the last episodes in order: #16 "Once Upon a Time" then #17 "Fall Out". But there are a number of episodes where he seems to escape and it is all meant to confuse him. So, one never knows for sure. I recommend that you watch those two episodes in order and let me know what you think.
As for "The Avengers" with Mrs Peel. It is not easy to find, but I did find boxed sets of the complete series on DVD Amazon. You can also get used DVD sets that are not too expensive.
Here is a complete set of The Avengers DVDs that I bought a few years ago and it is still available.
From Last Thursday June 4:
I really liked the self-referential clue:
"28A With 28-Across, sad trombone sound effect: WAH"
desper-otto can you please tell us about the Barnacle HEARST newspaper? What city? Is that really the name? A Google search came up empty?
ReplyDeleteI liked this watery puzzle and solved it lickety split.
ReplyDeleteI love most brass instruments, my favorites being the French horn and the trombone. I wanted to play trombone in school but the music teacher needed another tenor sax in the band so that's what I ended up with. Tchaikovsky used the brass instruments very effectively in much of his music. I also like the trombones in the opening measures of Finlandia.
Yellowrocks, glad you are feeling better.
Abejo, good luck!
Good wishes to you all.
ReplyDeleteThis Wednesday puzzle went very quickly.
No write-overs today.
YR glad to hear you’re doing better.
And on to Thursday.
Picard, it's actually the Houston Chronicle. After my morning email and phone call, I've got two assurances that their tech guy will "reach out to me." Of course, I also got an email yesterday that said the same thing. Apparently that guy's arms are really short.
ReplyDeleteI like Tinbeni don’t want my booze watered. However, I felt completely soaked slogging and sloshing through this wonderful crossword. Just about the time I would think it was going well SWOOP a nosedive in a wrong direction to work back out of... All told was a fun adventure. (Still think the second H as a “Roman Numeral 2” is a stretch... but that’s what makes this fun!!!) ��
ReplyDeleteD-O, when he finally does reach out, find out if his name is Rex. We deserve to be told :-)
ReplyDeleteThis may not only be my favorite Wednesday puzzle, ever, but this day will be one of the greatest puzzle days of my seniority. I got everything--a perfect Crossword, Sudoku, Kenken, and Jumble. And I haven't even started to take Prevagen to improve my memory yet. Woohoo! Woohoo! Thank you Joe, for a total delight. I got the WATER DOWN, but didn't get how it worked until JazzB's neat explanation. Thank you, thank you, both--for a great Wednesday treat!
ReplyDeleteThere were so many fun moments in this puzzle, my favorite being "Rock's mate" ROLL.
I also had to laugh at ADIEU for 'it may be bid,' and ACH for 'Rhine whine," which, of course, I first read as 'Rhine wine.' Cracked me up, when I got it.
And on top of all that neat stuff, there was a delightful Owen poem and lots of fun commentary from everybody. Thank you, all, and have a great Wednesday!
My ex-wife (No. 1) was a FRENCH HORNist. She came from a musical family and was adept on the piano as well. From her I learned to play a couple of pieces on the piano--fairly complex classical pieces, with maybe moderate competence. I can't remember a note nowadays.
ReplyDeleteHer horn was very helpful when I had to stage battle scenes. For a production of Cyrano de Bergerac, I positioned her offstage to be the signal calls of two separate armies. First she would thrust her fist up the bell of her horn to sound like the muted, faraway Spaniards. Then, after a pause, she would open up with a full-throated sound to become the friendly French forces.
Very effective, that horn.
A good pzl, cleverly clued and fun to do.
~ OMK
____________
DR: A 3-way near to hand.
The central diagonal offers an interesting anagram.
It answers the question, At what would a Roman soldier be aiming his spear when face-to-face with one of Queen Boudicca's blue-dyed combatants?
ANS. -...
"A WOADED TARGET"!
Puzzling Thoughts:
ReplyDeleteFYP—-> I swear, if I ever create or co-create a crossword puzzle, I will clue yesterday’s 10 down as “Chairman, from CC’s blog”
Speaking of which, I am dabbling with some ACTUAL puzzle thoughts ...
I saw that the “reveal” was toward the middle of the puzzle, so I skirted around this so I could fill it in, last. That gave me some issues when I tried solving 59d, thinking it was supposed to be another AZ city, near Phoenix ... but I eventually prevailed, and “figured out” the theme before inking in, WATER & DOWN.
Two days in a row a CSO to moi ... MOE yesterday, and MESA today.
Only write-overs were: 1d —> started out being either DANK or DARK; and for some reason, wanted SERAPH to be spelled CERAPH.
My Haiku du jour:
Coffee-drinking cat
Was asked, “how do you take it?”
“As purr usual” 😸
Misty, Woohoo! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteMisty! ~
ReplyDeleteWe wondered where you were!
And all this time, you were knocking off one pzl-challenge after another.
WooHoo, Lady!
Congratulations are in order. Du bist die Championin!
~ OMK
Owen ~
ReplyDeleteAu contraire, mon ami!
Those are all "A"s today, give or take a plus or minus.
~ OMK
Good Afternoon, All. Fun Wednesday xword, thanks Joe and thanks JzB for the 'splainin'. One letter away from a 3 for FIR week, but not a happenin' DNF. I could not pull the trigger at 5a and 9d. Since no one else had any problems with amit_ (unknown to me) and _outhhostel, I knew it was on me. I wanted to put a direction South...If I had read the clue at 9d a little better I might of come up with the student/youth connection. As they say, can't win em all. Puzzle themes, for me, were never in the solution picture until I started reading this blog. I look now but not very successful in figuring them out. Hope everyone had a good day.
ReplyDeleteHi everybody,
ReplyDeleteUnlike SansBeach, I've always enjoyed finding and enjoying the theme. But alas, today's theme escaped me. I never noticed the HHOs. Rats! Still, very enjoyable clues. Thanks Joe and JzB.
I've always enjoyed movies featuring stories about The Three Musketeers.
I agree with oc4beach about preferring TEEPEE and TEEHEE but Rich, the opinion that counts, apparently disagrees.
Misty and others, Do any of you do JUMBLE online? I used to but I can't log on anymore. I seems as if I have to login, join, and pay a fee. Is that true?
Bill G ~
ReplyDeleteJust go here:
http://jumblehints.blogspot.com/2020/06/june-10-2020.html
This is the site established by OwenKL, our fearless leader.
We have just a few regulars who post--myself and Owen, Misty, W.C., & Sandyanon. More are always welcome.
Following Owen's example, most of us try our hand at poetry now and then, but it is definitely not a requirement.
~ OMK
Bill G, when I don't have a newspaper to solve from I just scratch the solutions on any handy pad. You've just given me an idea .. nope, can't cut and paste, got to use good old fashioned pen and ink.
ReplyDeleteWC
Oops. I am talking about the jumble
Bill G., it would be great to have you join us on Jumble.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for the kind words, Yellowrocks and O'Man Keith.