51 A. Like some conventional romances, as illustrated by each set of circled letters: BOY MEETS GIRL. The first word each 2-word theme entry ends with the letters of a common male name, and the second word starts with the letters of a common female name - hence the meeting of BOY and GIRL. There is actually a rather short list of generic plot types for stories, and this is one of them.
20 A. Sweets in an edible bouquet: CANDY FLOWERS. Confections molded into the shapes of blooms and buds. It's almost a shame to eat them. Here our romantic pair are ANDY and FLO. I hope for his sake that it's not the annoying lady from the Progressive Insurance ads. Our tour guide on a long ago white water rafting adventure was named FLO. Our motto was "go with the Flo." [I am not making this up.]
27A . Birth of a baby: BLESSED EVENT. I don't know the origin of this phrase, but it does keep the human race going. I hope ED and EVE have a long and happy marriage that commenced before the blessed event took place.
43 A. Government bonds are part of it: NATIONAL DEBT. This is the current total of all government borrowings. I hope AL and DEB don't have too much of this sort of thing hanging over their heads.
Hi Gang, it's JazzBumpa, your matchmaker making today's introductions.
Across:
1. Esau's twin: JACOB. These brothers got into a stew in an early disfunctional family.
6. Latticework piece: LATH. A thin, flat strip of wood with various uses in construction.
10. Anew Skinvincible maker: AVON.
14. Act unceremoniously?: ELOPE. Run away and get married, presumable avoiding a wedding ceremony.
15. Boo-boo: OWIE. Minor injury, usually on a minor
16. Start to suction?: LIPO- . A surgical procedure that uses suction to remove fat cells from specific areas of the body. I think this type of affix clue uses suction.
17. Improvised container for roses: WINE CARAFE. OK. I suppose you could also use a catsup bottle
19. Aspiring DA's exam: LSAT. The form of standardized test used specifically for admission to a law school. It has long been established that there is scant - if any - correlation between standardized test score and academic performance. IMHO, the whole thing is a sham.
22. Urgent PD call: APB. All Points Bulletin. A broadcast from a law enforcement agency to its personnel or other such agencies, generally containing information about a wanted suspect or person of interest.
25. Sport-__: UTE. A Sport utility vehicle - a rugged automotive vehicle similar to a station wagon but built on a light-truck chassis.
26. Deceives: LIES TO. Prevaricates.
31. Hanukkah pancake: LATKE. Potato pancake.
32. Chance: RISK. Specifically, the chance that some sort of loss or harm may ensue.
33. Mosquito-eating critter: BAT. The only mammal capable of true flight. Bats are more maneuverable than birds,
36. DIY website: ETSY. An American e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies.
37. Seafood boil staple: CLAMS. Any of several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds.
39. Wait patiently: BIDE. A good old Anglo-Saxon word meaning to wait or stay.
40. Singer Orbison: ROY. [1936-1988] From 1960 to 1966, 22 of his singles reached the top 40.
Boy loses Girl
41. Tallow source: SUET. SUET is the raw hard fat from beef or mutton. Tallow is the fat portion of SUET, removed from the fibers and membranes by melting
42. Dealership inventory: AUTOS. Cars, and also trucks.
46. Italian fashion giant: ARMANI. An Italian luxury fashion house founded by Giorgio Armani in 1975.
49. Fashioned after: A LA. In the manner of ---
50. "Big Eyes" singer Lana Del __: REY. Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (b. 1985), known by her stage name Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter and poet. Her music is noted for its stylized cinematic quality; its themes of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia; and its references to pop culture, particularly 1950s and 1960s Americana.
Girl leaves Boy
It never ends well
56. Hardware store gadget that creates the perfect color: PAINT MIXER.
60. Cardamom-flavored Indian tea: CHAI.
61. She asked Sam to play "As Time Goes By": ILSA.
Boy meets Girl's Husband
62. Writer Zola: EMILE. Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola [1840-1902] was a French author, playwright, journalist and political activist.
63. Mild-mannered Clark: KENT. Superman, by another name.
64. Vaping device, casually: E-CIG. An electronic gadget that simulates smoking by generating an aerosol vapor from a heated liquid.
65. Jeans material: DENIM. A sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. Now that is something that you know.
Down:
1. Moses, for one: JEW. Kind of an important one, actually.
2. Boxing legend: ALI. Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. [1942 – 2016] was an American professional boxer, activist, and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century and as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
3. Hornswoggle: CON. Gain an advantage over someone by cheating and deception.
4. Crude gp.?: OPEC. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Companies.
5. "__ I said so!": BECAUSE. Do as I say!
6. __ it over: ruled: LORDED. Dominated.
7. Off in the distance: AWAY. Afar
8. Small spat: TIFF. A petty quarrel between friends or lovers.
9. Like gravity wedges: HEELLESS. I never knew.
10. Full of baloney: ALL WET. Saying ridiculous things.
11. Woodshop grippers: VISES. A metal tool with movable jaws used to hold a work piece firmly in place
12. Reality-bending paintings: OP ART. Short for optical art, a style of visual art that uses optical illusions.
13. "You're mistaken": NOT SO. Possibly full of bologna.
18. Feed the kitty: ANTE. At the start of a card game.
21. Trough grunt: OINK. Pig talk.
22. More proficient: ABLER. Anything you can do, I can do better.
23. "Allegory of the cave" philosopher: PLATO. Pondering belief vs knowledge. More here.
24. "Breaking Bad" actress Brandt: BETSY. [b 1973] She is an American Actress.
28. Star-spangled expanse: SKY. The firmament.
29. Muse for poets: ERATO.
30. Vigor's partner: VIM. If you take your vitamins.
33. Dog to beware: BITER. I think I had this cur the last time. Wary or not, I can't avoid it.
34. Sun-dried brick: ADOBE. Made from clay.
35. Out of sorts: TESTY. Irascible.
37. Cupcake: CUTIE PIE. Affectionate terms that might not go over so well these days.
38. Wreath of plumeria blossoms: LEI. A garland necklace.
39. Chum: BUD. Pal.
41. Sensible: SANE. Rational.
42. Protected from burglars: ALARMED. But I would be ALARMED if the ALARM were to make a sound.
43. "Your call": NAME IT. What ever you like.
44. "Stop reminding me!": NAG NAG. Give it a rest, already.
45. Touched down: ALIT. Landed.
46. Taken __: ABACK. Recoiling from surprise or shock
47. Tamiflu producer: ROCHE. F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG is a Swiss multinational healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, Roche Holding AG, has bearer shares listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. The company headquarters are located in Basel. Tamiflu is an oral antiviral medication used to treat and prevent influenza A and influenza B.
48. "Bro!": MY MAN. Chum, bud, pal.
52. Soft mineral: TALC. Hydrated magnesium silicate.
53. Spanish ayes: SI SI. Yes, Yes, as we all say to C.C.
54. Mojito fruit: LIME. A traditional Cuban cocktail, made with 5 ingredients. The other 4 are white rum, sugar, soda water and mint.
57. Mark, as a survey square: X IN. Indicate with an X or a check mark.
58. Manning who announced his retirement in 2020: ELI. Quarterback for the New York Football Giants.
59. Sleep cycle: REM. Rapid eye movement - when you are dreaming.
That wraps it up for today. Wishing you all sweet, romantic dreams.
Cool regards,
JzB
68 comments:
Before I forget to post again today, I must recognize ANDY CAPP and FLO as the possible inspiration for Dr. Ed's puzzle
Thank you Doc and JzB, I will be back
I think the C in OPEC stands for Countries, not Companies.
FIR with one write-over: AWAY 4 AfAr. Saw the theme, but no help in solving. Seemed easy, but I had just finished the NYT.
Good morning!
Got through this one, but also stepped into the AFAR/AWAY trap. Had no idea what a "gravity wedge" was; assumed it was some sort of scifi thingee. Thanx for the outing, Dr. Ed, and for the erudite exposition, JzB.
Sport UTE: After a 25-year hiatus, Ford is bringing back the Bronco for folks who've got $30K to spend. They're trying to cut into the Jeep market.
CLAMS: Around here a seafood boil will be made with crawfish rather than clams.
DENIM: Uniform of the day chez d-o.
BITER: There's a MinPin on our weekend bicycle route. He waits under the car for us to come by, then dashes out snarling and biting. A swift kick seems to be the only effective deterrent.
FIR, but the theme eluded me.
FIR. I needed BOY MEETS GIRL to see the theme.
Very clever post, Jazz. I liked the way you handled the names and all the cute comments.
We see more fruit bouquets than candy bouquets.
Unknowns were Betsy Brandt and gravity wedges (ugh) gotten with perps and wags.
Carafes do make lovely vases.
Wile E Coyote, Bugs Bunny, et al pop back right up from drastic accidents and soon are good as new.
I don't hear blessed event much these days. "This cloyingly sentimental cliché, dating from about 1920, may well be dying out. It uses blessed in the sense of “happy.” Free Dictionary.
I was not tempted by AFAR because I already had the W.
I already had my walk, breakfast and puzzle. I am set for the day.
Hi Y'all! interesting puzzle, Ed! Great expo, JzB!
Sorta but didn't get the theme. I saw some names in there but was expecting Ed wanted celebrity couples names.
DNK: AVON, was allergic to their products so don't know names. Lana Del REY. HEELLESS, what in the heck are "gravity wedges"? Shoes? LIU, PK. BETSY Roche.
Cupcake = CUTIE PIE. Meh! ESP
I wanted "shrimp" boil, but it had too many letters. Never had a CLAMS boil. Had shrimp seafood boils when I lived on the Texas Gulf Coast.
CARAFES took a lot of perps & a WAG. I don't own any CARAFES. Do have a lot of vases.
Well, I looked up "gravity wedges" and they apparently are footwear. Definitely not buying any. I have trouble walking in high-topped sneakers. Can't go barefoot at all. One bad foot. Doctor said the only surgery that might help is amputation with prothesis. My daughter sees me with one of those running metal bouncy thingees. Sounds worse than gravity wedges but would be HEELLESS.
Yep..I also penciled in AFAR at first, and then I misread Boo-Boo as Boo-Hoo due to my tiny print-out. That gave me the cross as SNIF. so that section was the last to complete after I figured out my mistake.
At first I thought the circled words were a jumble, but I couldn't figure out what they were meant to be. When I finally got cANDYFLOwers the others at last made sense.
BOYMEETSGIRL was my favorite answer and very clever.
Not sure why Crude gp.? was a question mark. I kept wondering if I was missing something.
And I thought it was "Lord it over" or "Lorded over." "Lorded it over" didn't seem like the right expression to me.
Great puzzle! I am so glad I started doing these daily as each day is a new treat.
I FIR but I definitely felt like D-O - didn't figure out the theme until after it was done!
Ed's puzzle's are always creative and well crafted!
"Isn't it Romantic" is a fun parody of a rom-com if you are looking for a diversion and some laughs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isn%27t_It_Romantic_(2019_film)
Off to work -
Thanks JzB enjoyed the musical interludes and Ed!
Today slowed me down, took 6:20. Didn't know Betsy or the heelless shoe, and blessed event seemed forced.
Thanks, Ed. Thanks, Jazzbumpa ! I like your way with words.
Slat before LATH, and Xes before X IN.
LORDED and BETSY perped in.
No clue with the clue, "Anew Skinvincible maker" for AVON.
Same with, "Like gravity wedges" for HEELLESS. They look odd.
Did a double take on 53D, Spanish ayes. I was ready to put in ojos.
That was pretty much it. One in a row.
Aerial America: New Mexico was quite interesting. I especially enjoyed the part about the use of ADOBE until last mid century when it fell out of favor, but the style is now back in, A LA adobe. The narrator said that most homes are now typical wood frame construction, with interior and exterior layers of concrete to make them appear as traditionally constructed adobe homes. Traditional adobe construction is apparently considerably more expensive than stick framing.
Oh yeah, BATs. Yes, they can devour a lot of mosquitoes. I've read that they prefer larger insects, like juicy moths and beetles.
Bracken Cave in Texas... "Over 15 million bats live there, making it the largest known bat colony (and largest concentration of mammals) on Earth." - U.S. Department of the Interior
LORDED is past tense because RULED is past tense.
Anonymous @8:11, Blessed Event was very common back in the day and not forced at all, but you are likely to young to have heard it.
Gravity wedges. The perps easily led to heelless. Thanks for the illustration, Jazz. Stilettos are very hard on the front of the foot and the toes. These would make it even more painful. I no longer go for fashion in shoes, just comfort.
FlW. Read boo boo as boo hoo.
Wedge was some type of shim.
Had to be LORDED, but didn't feel right.
Theme? Way over my pay grade.
Bing's CLAM bake was at Pebble Beach.
Thanks Ed & JzB.
MO
Good morning everyone.
Welcome aboard to J'myle.
FIR. Waited with AWAY until OWIE showed up. Noted that ALI and ELI are diagonally opposite each other. CUTE theme; a bit whimsical. Got SI SI OK since I'm up on aye aye.
Trough - German Trog. The 'g' is glided; unlike the Eng 'gh' 'f' sound.
TIFF - reminds me of Tiffy, an artificer in the Australian Navy. We might use the phrase 'engineering technician'.
Thanks JzB for a fine intro. Always enjoy your take on things.
Good Morning:
Ed Sessa never disappoints and, sometimes, keeps you guessing right up until the revealer; such was the case today. I didn’t know Avon as clued nor have I heard of Betsy Brandt, but perps provided a rather easy and fast finish. I liked Betsy crossing Etsy and Betsy pairing with Testy! Also noticed the Eli/Lei Duo. Those heelless shoes have to be one of the most ugly and ridiculous fads ever known to man, or, more accurately, to woman. Seeing Clams made me long for the ones I didn’t receive!
Thanks, Dr. Ed, for a “meet cute” mid-week offering and thanks, JzB, for the fun review and the nostalgia evoked by both Roy Orbison and the incomparable Ingrid Bergman.
Well, I finally broke down and bought a cell phone. I was more or less forced into it because more and more companies, such as the grocery and restaurant delivery services require a mobile number and all transactions are by text. I should receive it in a few days, just in time to order some heelless shoes! NOT!
Have a great day.
Thank you, JazzBumpa, for the amusing and informative write up. I particularly enjoyed the references to the early dysfunctional family.
FIR. I did enjoy the Old Testament start at 1 Across and 1 Down, but roughly 15 - 20% of the answers were proper nouns and that is far too many for my taste. Many of those were "old friends" that seem to visit puzzles quite often (I could have easily split that infinitive). ERATO, ARMANI, ALI, EMILE, and ILSA all stopped by to say hello. There were enough company names that it felt much like a Wall Street Journal puzzle. XIN was a total punt.
I was unfamiliar with Anew Skinvincible but the perps and a rudimentary knowledge of cosmetic company names quickly led to filling in all the boxes. I was also unfamiliar with Gravity Wedges but the answer was intuitive.
The theme was unique but a bit of a stretch with AL & DEB and ED & EVE being more like abbreviations than "real" names. BTW, these are just my opinions. I am aware of how difficult it is to create and how easy it is to criticize. Somewhere in a pile of papers on my desk resides a very complimentary rejection letter from Will Shortz.
Musings
-I tried way too long to unscramble the letters (BLADE was a red herring) and then after the reveal I too saw ANDY (Capp) FLO and thought it must be cartoon couples and then it was just generic names.
-Always fun with the good Dr. Sessa!
-Note to self – UTE as a vehicle is not going away. Get over it! Mr. Google says this is more common in Australia and New Zealand
-VAYSE here never VAHZE
-If my best-ball partner hits a safe shot I can RISK trying a tougher shot
-Fun Gershwin rhyme – “But I'm bidin' my time, 'Cause that's the kinda guy I'm”
-Roy’s operatic voice was a staple of my early turntables
-Grackles are gone, so our SUET and sunflower chips bill is way down
-Four-letter tea – Generic – ICED, Flavored – MINT, Exotic – CHAI
-BECAUSE I said so! When you’re tired of trying to reason with a four-year-old
-If you’re the scorekeeper and you know someone LIES TO you. Do you call them on it?
-ELI started 211 consecutive games. “80% of success is showing up”
FIR in 5:45. Had my share of stumbles but managed to suss out the answers. I'm sure it's difficult to find three theme answers that have the name of a boy right next to (and right before) the name of a girl, so kudos to Ed. Still, I found the theme underwhelming. I also think WINE CARAFE is "green paint." Minor quibbles, though. Thanks for a fun puzzle, Ed, and I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday! I've got a slow-pitch softball doubleheader tonight and with temps expected to be in the high 90s, the games could turn into battles of attrition.
A bit of challenge for a Humpday puzzle. Finally figured at the end that the circled answers were not anagrams but boy/girl first names. Frustrated that I didn't recognize these famous couples but turns (like Husker) just random names!
An argument to be made that even if you ELOPE to you still must have a legal marrige ceremony
A bit of Judaica with JEW, JACOB, LATKE and from yesterday Superman's Clark KENT (shortened from KENTstein). A quick hello from ILSA with her favorite song request "It Again Sam". Monsieur Zolá says bonjour. Jeans material DENIM from (de) the French town Nîmes.
How about no more OWIEs? (like yesterday's UIE). They are painful and cheap fill. Thought maybe gravity wedges were astronaut gear
FIR with 2 inkovers: slat/LATH...NOTme/SO.
Say it aint so.....
Gluttony, greed, sloth, etc........VISES
One of Maynard G. Krebs pals.....ADOBE
Last week of the school year....TESTY
BOYMEETSGIRL but was too ____ to speak....CHAI.
Unwelcome critter in a Tamiflu lab....ROCHE
Medicolegal stuff today. Shoot me now.
She lorded over the other staff members because she was the boss's favorite.
More commonly said as,
She lorded it over the other staff . . . . . .
No nit with the nicknames of the lovers.
We lived in farm country when I was a teen. There was a dog that chased us from his one property line to the other, barking and snarling, as we rode past on our bikes. We were always afraid he would grab our legs. Just now I am realizing that we walked by that farm many times and the dog didn't even notice us. It must have been the bikes.
Earlier I had a TO where a TOO should have been. I didn't go back to change it.
Ray, yes, come to think of it, the eloping couple does have a civil ceremony, probably with the justice of the peace, instead of a religious ceremony.
Good Morning, JazzBumpa and friends. Interesting theme. I was trying to figure out of the couples in the circles were actual couples, but I think not.
Moses supposes his toeses are roses,
but Moses supposes erroneously.
For Moses he knowses his toeses aren't roses
as Moses supposes his toeses to be.
QOD: If things were simple, word would have gotten around. ~ Jacques Derrida (July 15, 1930 ~ Oct. 9, 2004), Algerian-born French philosopher
No circles, but finished Ed's enjoyable puzzle in typical Wednesday time. I really liked JzB's expo today. Lot's of detail.
JACOB filled in quickly, but I had SLAT before LATH and OLAY before AVON on the top row. The second and third rows were easy. I also didn't know BETSY and REY. Perps as usual changed my initial errors helped with the unknowns.
I was thinking about the Fruit Bouquets for the next line, but bouquet was part of the clue, so I knew that was wrong. Perps again ruled.
Saw our latest friends APB and UTE.
When I was three, my baby sister was born and I misunderstood what my Mother said she was, so I thought she was a BLASTED EBENT. After a while she became my BLESH HEART. That's toddler-speak for a mash-up of BLESSED EVENT and Sweetheart.
I also wanted SHRIMP for the boil but it didn't fit. It's a CLAM BAKE not a CLAM BOIL. I wonder how the beach town restaurants are going to handle the AYCE seafood buffets in the pandemic.
Although we had a black lab, she wasn't the BITER, our 18 month old son was. Took a while to stop that nasty little habit.
Another nice day in the neighborhood, I hope it's nice where you all are.
Be safe and wear your masks.
At the half way mark I figured there was no way I’d finish this one., but P+P saved the day. Thanks Dr.Ed.
Slat b4 LATH, Oyos b4 SI SI. Thanks, JzB for explaining the hard parts.
I still hear BLESSED EVENT. Maybe it’s regional, like Bless you for sneezes and Bless Her Heart when you mean just the opposite.
D-O I agree, crawfish for seafood boils.
HG, thanks for biding Gershwin’s time!
Stay safe!
Hi Gang -
Re: OPEC, the C definitely is for countries. I proof read the post at least three times and kept missing it. I'm also a lousy typist. My best explanation is I typed something that got spell checked into companies. Oh, well.
Nice puzzle from Ed.
Happy middle of the week. Stay safe.
Cool regards,
JzB
OPEC is Countries, but when you have blogged hundreds of puzzles sometimes you are just lazy and just type what is in your mind.
YR, I think you can elope with a religious officiant performing the service. These days they advertise non-denominational and religious services available.
Ray-O, I do think I understand this comment Superman's Clark KENT (shortened from KENTstein) .
I have never heard of Betsy Brandt but definitely remember Betty Brant.
My embarrassing moment was not immediately recalling WEFT which I had in a JW I Blogged in 2016. To remind you it is the crosswise threads on a loom over and under which other threads (the warp) are passed to make cloth.
Roy Orbison. Doesn't anyone have anything to say about the greatest male pop vocalist of all time?
I haven't had too many Seafood Boils - but Door County, Wisconsin is famous for their Fish Boils using generally Lake Michigan white fish!
https://www.doorcounty.com/experience/fish-boils/
Greetings from the Death Zone.
Another Ed Sessa gem to drive one nuts.
Write-overs...AFAR/AWAY.
Only one, but that North Central area remained pending. Only rereading the clue for the zillionth time did I notice “BOO-BOO” and not “BOO-HOO”. Ahhhh. OWIE.
Hi Bob Lee.
On to Thursday. Stay Safe.
vim is improved vi
some prefer emacs
LSAT scores may be overweighted, but that does not mean that there is little or no correlation with academic success. Other factors need to be taken into account; it is only one piece of the puzzle.
Fir, but had no idea what the theme was about
until I came to the Blog.
(who am I kidding-only myself)
Actually, there was much in this puzzle that was out of my wheelhouse
& saved only by the Perps...
Improvised container for roses?
(too many choices-need more perps!)
I must say that this was crafted well,
just above my pay grade...
(thank goodness for the Blog!)
NIts of interest (to me...)
Clams!
I love all shellfish
(except Clams!)
Too Fishy!
I could eat them if cooked to death, & covered in garlic butter
& breadcrumbs. but they are more like eating rubber tires...
(hmm, actually, I could eat anything covered in Garlic Butter & Breadcrumbs...)
Learning moment=Gravity Wedges?
OK, this is definitely out of my Wheelhouse,
as I blew out 2 spinal discs 30 years ago.
(sneezed after taking daughter #1's crib downstairs)
leaving my left leg numb.
The only way I can prove this is because it severed the
nerve that controls being able to stand on tip toe!
To this day, I cannot stand on tip toe on my left leg,
it just falls flat, no control whatsoever...
Gravity Wedges- not for me!
Nag!
(it was in the puzzle, so now you have to suffer the joke.)
My Wife's Indian name = Five Horses!
(Nag Nag Nag Nag Nag!)
Boy meets Girl?
Don't get me started,
All the links are either inappropriate,
or end up at Boy meets World (sitcom)
I will keep looking,
but it seems a fruitless search...
(Wow! I just reread myself, & boy, am I depressing!)
Anywho, Thank you for the Casablanca Video!
I cannot think of anything more Heartbreaking
than a lost love!
Hola!
My days are turning into nights because I can't get to sleep until the wee hours. So WEES. You have said it all.
Thank you, Ed Sessa and Jazzbumpa. I like both your styles.
In the circles I saw only ANDY/FLO then didn't even parse the others but I see them now. Only one write over, DEMOS before AUTOS.
I believe I've recounted that as a child I watched the men in the community make ADOBE bricks. They made a wooden frame with at least a dozen or more spaces then filled them with mud and straw. After baking in the sun for a day or so they lifted the frame and stacked the bricks. When a young couple married, they built them a house with those bricks.
It's sad now driving through that small town and seeing all the ADOBE houses just collapsing into the ground. A new town of Concho has developed farther east, near a lake and is now flourishing as a resort town. Lavender is the new product and a lavender festival is held each summer. I haven't attended.
Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone!
One of the better, IMHO, songs about lost love was/is performed by Tim Minchin.
Warning: Mr. Minchin does use an f-bomb or two in this performance.
If I Didn't Have You
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Ed, Sessa, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Jazzbumpa, for a fine review.
Once again, worked this puzzle at 2:00 AM. Had to make myself tired. It worked.
Puzzle was actually quite easy. Could not figure out the theme until I was finished and studies it for a while. Then it hit me! Duh.
Liked ROY ORBISON in the puzzle. Listened to Only the Lonely. He was a favorite of mine. Died too young.
Wanted WINE BOTTLE before CARAFE worked better.
You can have all the CLAMS you want. Not for me.
Needed a few perps to get through this but that's OK.
Feeling a little low on energy right now. Signing off. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
We have not formally "met" Abejo, but I have been following your story here and it is very good to hear from you. See you tomorrow.
Like C.E. Dave, I don't like things "fishy."
In fact, I'm not big on fish. I claim, when asked, that I don't like it at all.
But I eat fish n' chips gladly. I guess that is usually Cod--right?
Doesn't taste "fishy" to me.
I eat tuna fish with no problem.
I just don't think of it as "fish," y'know? Even though it's in the name.
I don't like other seafood. I can't stand CLAMS. (I wonder if I've ever had one--outside of clam chowder, which I don't like.)
I usually like shrimp and prawns.
Crab too--sometimes.
Lobster--Mmm, yes.
For a couple of years, in my 40s, I loved raw oysters. (I don't think I could stand them now.)
Who was it who said, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds"?
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I wonder what he thought about fish.
~ OMK
____________
DR: We have a 3-way on the mirror side.
The central diagonal's anagram describes the next gesture and resulting state of joy of a young gentleman who has A-LIT in Hawaii and been bedecked with a LEI of plumeria blossoms. The lucky lad is then…
“WAHINE-KIST”!
- or –
It could describe the disappointment of the sharpshooter at the carnival’s 3-Shots-for-a-Dime concession. This rifleman had his eyes on the top prize, a big, cheerful, chubby pink doll for his girlfriend.
But he only won couple of tiny…
“THIN KEWPIES”!
Did all the couples ELOPE?
Hi All!
Thanks Ed for a fine Meet Cute puzzle.
Thanks JzB for the fun expo; glad you included an illustration / demo of 'gravity wedges' - I kept thinking of Newton's inclined-plane.
WO: Started OPART one column to the left. Dyslexic REa arrived b/f TESTY showed up.
ESPs: HEELLESS, EMILE, BETSY
Fav: this is hard -- I mean, you've got Wile E @ACME [thanks JzB!] and TMBG's No One Knows My Plan.
//I'll highlight the lyric:
When I made a shadow on my window shade
They called the police and testified
But they're like the people chained up in the cave
In the allegory of the people in the cave by the Greek guy
THIN KEWPIES :-)
D-O: Hand-up wanting to stuff SHRIMP in the boil (with the crawfish, corn, potatoes,... now I'm hungry)
No one else wanted WINE bottle? [Oh, Hi Abejp!] I kept trying to make the perps work but BECAUSE it wouldn't.
Same with the 'Cookie' Bucket. //it's Bouquet!...
IM - Can't impede progress, eh? :-) Which smartphone?
@12:31 trying to start an Editor War or just trying to draw me out? //for the record, and I still use it daily (even on Windows), VIM > emacs :-)
Shankers - that ROY was also in Traveling Wilburys?
//And, that's the [End of the Line]
Cheers, -T
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Ed and JazzB.
I FIRed with P&P . . . plus a few inkblots. But I got the theme. (Did Ed give himself a CSO? Is his significant other EVE?) If JACOB had been part of the theme, would he have been paired with Leah or Rachel?
Hand up for Afar before AWAY.
I had Luck before RISK.
I thought Gravity Wedges had something to do with shims used in construction or lifts for mechanical work on cars. DH had no clue what I was asking. I was trying to fit HEELLike into the grid. Gales of laughter when I finally figured out they were shoes (even if horrible ones!)
I smiled at NAG NAG NAG beside SI SI (the proper answer to that nagging wife! LOL).
I also smiled at ALIT crossing ALA.
We have had XED before in CWs, but XIN was just a meh! for me. Very gluey fill as C.C. would say.
Wishing you all a great day.
WEES
Jayce - Really? WEES?
You were going to say: "Wile E @ACME [thanks JzB!] and TMBG's No One Knows My Plan"?
I'm just checking. :-)
How are you doing, Bro?
Cheers, -T
Anon-T-
LOL @ the Bucket listing
(or should I say Bouquet...)
Also,
I went to save The Traveling Wilburys-End Of the Line
in my Bookmarks,
But it was already there...
Also, next in the rabbithole line was handle with care.
What an amazing collection of Music that I did not know about
until most of them were dead. (tears...)
One comment about Roy Orbison. I'm stunned.
Shankers, when you first mentioned Orbison I was going to reply that You're Not Alone Anymore but I thought it would be too corny.
Burning a post says...
Shankers - go back and check IM (Irish Miss), HG (Huckster Gary), & Abejo's posts.
Fond memories from them all.
MManatee - You're Not Alone Anymore being corny :-)
Cheers, -T
I can't let PLATO and his "Cave" pass without (re?) posting this
In the land of the blind
The one-eyed reign
Or so the sages speak.
But in the land of the one-eyed men
The two eyed man is a freak
As true today as in 400 BC or perhaps moreso.
Re. Standardized tests vs academic performance. It depends on whether multiple choice testing is involved. Some People just don't do well and when Betsy was taking courses I observed that she effectively was retaking the SATs over and over.
EMILE Zola , famous for "J"accuse". Where guilty by allegation was the theme. Thank God that can't happen hear
Re. ROY. My favorite Orbison Listening is the best tribute*
Wow, wefts and warp threads: food for Saturday level xwords.
Gary, when I was president of the golf league no one wanted to play with me because of my bad habit of counting strokes and take tsktsk-ing the leg wedge.
Wheels I thought as a former softball ump it read "Battles of arbitration". My old saying: Have indicator, will arbit"
Steamed "clams" are generally mussels "boiled" and served with a butter and broth dippings sauces and copious salt. It is recommended, I was told once by the proprietor, that you remove the "clam" from shell before eating*. No more for me with that gout
CED, mucho thanks for playing the "gin joints" scene. Still moves me.
WC
* I wanted my minerals. I got sober later.
Anonymous-T, and everyone else, are you familiar with the works of Mr. Minchin? My niece turned me on to him five or six years ago. Some of his lyrics are absolutely razor sharp.
Especially in my depression year(s). I would let Roy waft* over me and actually enjoy my depression. Then boy met girl and I had no reason to be depressed
* Another WAFT
Hi, y’all! A Wednesday Ed Sessa puzzle, and I FIR! Had a couple of write overs and some perps, but all and all, it was very doable for me.
Yes, Shankers, I do, but I’m late getting here again! If anyone has never seen "Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night," check it out the next time it airs --- usually on PBS. (I looked for a free link to the entire video, but I couldn’t find one. There are a few links out there of some of the individual songs.) It is a most amazing show, in my humble opinion.
SANE --- We've had it two days in a row: Still not guilty!
MYMAN --- That is he in my avatar, KISMET or MR KIZZY, if you please.
The “S” (instead of “T”) in ETSY and BETSY was my last fill and a complete wag.
Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry drank MOJITOS in “Die Another Day”, Brosnan’s last James Bond movie. I had never bothered to look up the ingredients. Thanks JzB! Thanks, Dr. Ed.
Sorry, folk! NOBODY EVER said, “Play it again, Sam” in “Casablanca”. That line, and "We don't need no stinkin' badges" in "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (both Bogart films) are two of the most misquoted movie lines ever. Both misquotations, however, have been used many, many times in subsequent media since the original movies.
I rank Roy Orbison right up there in the pantheon of musical geniuses.
I'm good, Tony, thanks. How are you and your family holding out, Covid-wise?
As for da pozzle: t'was okay, but I'd rank it right there in the middle with other somewhat less than stellar works.
When you think of, say, France, what great, outstanding, person first pops into your mind? (Or any other country.)
Pasteur popped into my mind.
Good wishes to you all.
I am probably going over the daily allotment here but I cannot in good conscience let this one pass. A riff, by Al Yankovic, on one of the common misquotation references mentioned above by LEO III:
Raul's Wild Kingdom
I like Ed’s puzzles, but thought this one was a bit weak. Apparently random boy/girl names is not an interesting theme IMO.
FIR.
I'll take CSOs for DEB (my daughter) and ROY Orbison.
DW had enough trouble with high heels; she probably would have fallen on her face in gravity wedges.
>>Roy
Malodorous Manatee,
Next in line down the rabbit hole
(at least for me,..)
after your link, was the actual
"we don't got no badges" clip
"Awesome!"
(how did he shoot the gold watch with a six shooter?)
(without killing anyone else?)
Anywho,
to Digress, (but not digest...)
DW turned me on to Oysters at a street festival in Brooklyn.
(if you would eat oysters off the street in Brooklyn)
(You are brave indeed...)
But it turned out I liked the slimy mud puppies,
probably because they were slathered in
Ketchup, Horseradish, & Lemon Juice...
Turned out many years later,
it was the Ketchup/horseradish/lemon I liked...
After 30 (odd) years of sampling, I have discovered that
Bluepoint Oysters from Long Island Sound are disgusting!
The absolute worst Oysters I tasted were in San Fran at a bar
during a one Dollar per Oyster special. Tasted like they were
scraped off the hull of a TugBoat in the Harbor...
The best are West coast, Maine, & even Florida Panhandle!
Juicy, & taste like the Ocean!
However,
Old age has made my liver wary,
& lately I have switched to cooked shellfish.
So, the nearest substitute for Oysters (& cheaper too!)
would be Mussels!
Now, I can see you are reeling back, going Yuck!
but bear with me for a sec...
I have tried every Mussel dish I could find,
red sauce, white sauce, cajun sauce,
but the best ever Mussels has to be a little
side bar restaurant in Naples Fla. called Bar Tulia, on 5th Ave.
The actual restaurant is next door, but they have an adjoining Bar
that seats inside, or out.
I cannot make you taste this thru words, but here is my best shot.
Steamed Mussels
in a broth of imported beer
cooked with GARLIC, with a generous dollop
of BLUE CHEESE, swimming in various herbs & onion slices
Covered with Toasted Sourdough bread rubbed with garlic butter...
There is much more to the secret recipe,
but I bit off my fingers,
& half the spoon devouring this dish!
Malodorous Manatee: Great clips! Thanks!
I had a couple of perps and, Ding! Dong! AVON calling!
I took the College Boards (now SAT). Standardized tests are necessary because school grades are not comparable. [E.g.: I took 4 years of French in high school, 2-1/2 years in one school system and 1-1/2 in another. I learned more in the first than the second.] The alternative is for each school to give their own entrance exams (as they used to).
I've heard both "LORDED OVER" and "LORDED it OVER."
>>Roy
CED, you have not had or forgot the best oysters in the whole world.... those from Lake Pontchartrain or the Gulf Coast. No comparison with those cold water oysters!
Musings
-WC – We use “foot wedges” when playing for fun but always tell the other player when we are doing so. In league, however, we “play it where it lies” and report the correct number of strokes. I had a partner once who told me about a bible passage that essentially says, “A person who cheats in small matters can’t be trusted in big matters!”
-Hot weather coming up but I needed a jacket this morning.
FIR in average Wednesday time but needed JazzB’s help in understanding what was in the circles. Usually I find the circles helpful in figuring out the gimmick but today? Not so much.
I do love me a nice Ed Sessa puzzle!
There was some fresh (for me at least) fill that was nice to see: CANDY FLOWERS, BLESSED EVENT, PAINT MIXER.
WE HAD A BITER in our family too. Bit him back a few times and that ended it.
=============
Nutz... I got this far by noon thirty, then realized that if I didn’t leave right that second I’d be late for a doctor’s appointment. I left right that second. (Made it in time!) Just now I picked up my iPad for the first time since then and found this lonesome post hanging around waiting to be sent. Herewith I send it.
Stay well.
Another USA Today puzzle penned by our own Ms. Burnikel, this time aided and abetted by our own Hahtoolah.
Have fun
Jayce - Glad to read alls good with you. We are good (and well); DW still has a bit the Covid-Cough but she's up and at 'em.
To your question - Edward Jenner (which is apropos now!). Years ago, Youngest's class was asked "Most important invention ever?" While her contemporaries shouted "Ice Cream!" "Rockets!" "Dinosaurs!" [? - Oh, it was 3rd grade], she replied, "Vaccines." I think Nana's Polio stories stuck. :-)
CED - Swamp nailed it. Gulf oysters are the best.
First time I was in Monterey, I was so excited to eat NOT "local" oysters and get the "real thing" from The Ocean. Huge letdown.
WikWak: gotta ask... BITER - a child or dog?
Leo3 - I did not know Badges [Blazing Saddles] came from Treasure of the Sierra Madre until later in life. Never seen the latter.
MManatee - UHF is so underrated.
Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death [yes, that's Bill Maher], however, is not. :-)
Cheers, -T
I am glad those who enjoyed the clip enjoyed the clip.
I always thought that "UHF" had more than it's share of clever bits. Roger Ebert, though, did not like the movie. To quote him "Those who laugh at "UHF" should inspire our admiration; in these dreary times we must treasure the easily amused."
I forget what, exactly, constituted dreary times in 1989 (maybe he thought it was the Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle - thanks for that) but, in the "dreary times" of 2020, I proudly add my name to his roster of the easily amused
Dash T: Child. Now 37 (and still not biting). We’ve had our share (and maybe yours, too) of dogs over the years but nary a biter.
Gary, it was a company league. I had to fill it with geeks. The concept you're alluding to was foreign to these fun guys. They were learning. One won his division and when I offered to reimburse him for the Sweater awarded he refused saying he needed the laugh.
WC
And Gary, speaking of..
' Who bragged in song that, “I don’t pay no UNION DUES”?'
I found it familiar Sunday but when I just looked back at your clue I started singing. "Old stogies I have found, Short but not to big around... King of the Road. Roger Miller of course.
WC
MManatee - I looked for an email to tell you in private... 5 a day Bro. Maybe 6 if it's your B-day :-)
//BTW, I found Tim Minchin (Ausie, right?). Funny but unlinkable. #mightBePolitics.
Thanks for the intro.
Just checkin' WikWak :-)
WC - Too easy. Roger Miller.
It was track 10(? or 9?) on the Swingers [Trailer] Soundtrack. (a great non-KTEL compilation.)
That's 5; -T out. Cheers!
Enjoyed the puzzle this morning, Ed -- FIR without any blips worth mentioning -- and came back to enjoy JazzBumpa's comments at lunch time. Particularly enjoyed the instructive video on how to wear those HEELLESS gravity wedges. Adorbs, but ridiculous! Shoes should protect and support feet. Stilettos and all the skinny high heels are just as bad. Hooray for barefoot summertime!
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