Theme: Caddy-sack - what your caddie gets when you ask him for a sand wedge and he brings you a Philly Cheesesteak.
20A. Sandwich in Denver?: MILE HIGH CLUB. Editor Rich getting a little racy here! The Mile High city. I've actually had a club sandwich in Denver. I didn't spot the fun pun at the time of consumption.
35A. Sandwich on the briny?: MARINE SUB. I looked sideways at this entry at first, but then realized the clue was referring to a member of the Marine Corps, not the "submerging" vessel.
40A. Sandwich in the neighborhood?: LOCAL HERO. A charming movie with a wonderful soundtrack composed by the guitar great Mark Knopfler, founding member and creative genius of Dire Straits. Here's the theme track played live in London in 2017.
52A. Sandwich at a church concert?: ORGAN GRINDER. The grinder is a close relative of the sub and the hero, "regionally" New England. Some say that if the ingredients are hot, it's a grinder, but cold, it's a sub.
Nice theme from Andy. Some tricky cluing in the fill too which livened things up. It took me quite a bit longer than a typical Thursday due to a couple of unknowns and some nice misdirection.
Let's go for a wander ...
1. "Amanpour & Co." network: PBS. For some unknown reason, I had "CBS" here at first, which eventually left me wondering about "CLUMP" and whether it was rather rude to call a zaftig lady "clumpy" or "a clump".
4. Enough and then some: AMPLE.
9. Strand during a hail storm, say: ICE IN.
14. GPS finding: LAT. itude.
15. Take it easy: RELAX.
16. "__ Rae": NORMA. Actress Sally Field won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Norma Rae in the eponymous 1979 movie.
17. Put to work: USE.
18. Small earthen pot: CRUSE. I'd never heard of this, a nice learning moment.
19. Huge success: SMASH.
23. Astronomical octet: PLANETS.
24. River Foyle's province: ULSTER. Northern Ireland, or "Norn Iron" if you want to sound like Rory McIlroy. Try it.
28. Form 1099 agcy.: I.R.S.
29. Japanese sandal: ZORI. I read and re-read "scandal", not "sandal" and was going to read up on who Zori was and what transgression he or she was involved in.
31. Hullabaloo: ADO.
32. Puts up, as drapes: HANGS.
37. Scott of "Big Little Lies": ADAM. Thank you, crosses. I know of Adam Scott the golfer - the one who, in my opinion, cheats with a long putter.
38. Examined in court: TRIED.
39. Metric prefix: DECI.
42. Like a soufflé, if everything goes well: RISEN. And not collapsed. It's one thing to get a soufflé to rise, it's another thing to get it to stay riz.
43. Busy mo. for the 28-Across: APR.
44. Senate staffer: AIDE.
45. Some MIT grads: EES.
46. Wright who quipped, "Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time": STEVEN.
48. Elaborate wardrobe: ARMOIRE.
55. Left: SPLIT.
58. Bugs with weapons: MORAN.
59. Oral health org.: ADA.
60. Musical work: PIECE.
61. Revise: EMEND. "Emend" is to correct an error, "amend" is to improve something by modifying it.
62. Casual greetings: HI'S.
63. Gets the kitty going: ANTES.
64. They may be pressing: NEEDS.
65. Neruda verse: ODE.
Maru Mori brought me
a pair
of socks
which she knitted with her own
sheepherder hands,
two socks as soft
as rabbits.
from "Ode to My Socks"
Down:
1. Zaftig: PLUMP. Not clump, then.
2. Pho garnish: BASIL. Food! There's some tremendous Vietnamese food places here in LA. My local one is Pho NoHo, which is a shame as "NoHo" doesn't actually rhyme with "pho". Here's pho (pronounced fuh), basil garnish and all.
3. Inscribed pillar: STELA.
4. Quiver carriers: ARCHERS.
5. Rates: MERITS.
6. Promotes: PLUGS.
7. Mascara target: LASH. Scurvy-ridden deckhands are targets too, me hearties!
8. Corp. bigwig: EXEC.
9. Pancreatic hormone: INSULIN.
10. "The Gift of the Magi" gift: COMBS. O. Henry short story published in 1906, and a very touching story it is.
11. Stat for Clayton Kershaw: E.R.A. A baseball pitcher's stat - Earned Run Average, the lower the number the better.
12. Online chats, briefly: IM'S.
13. "Hard pass": NAH.
21. "The Imitation Game" encryption machine: ENIGMA. Cracking of the German coded messages in WWII by cryptanalysts at Bletchley Park in the UK was the primary basis for the movie.
22. Shockingly vivid: LURID.
25. Zaps: TASES.
26. Elicit: EDUCE.
27. Sign of spring: ROBIN.
29. Former name of the Congo: ZAIRE.
30. Cookie with a Tiramisu Flavor Creme variety: OREO. Didn't I say last week that it's time to declare a period of Crossword Lent for "OREO"? I know it's handy and all to constructors, but it's a little stale. Nothing like a stale Oreo, now is there?
32. "Papa Bear" of football: HALAS.
33. Take on: ADOPT.
34. Mother-of-pearl: NACRE.
35. TV's talking horse: MR ED.
36. Acquirer of more than 1,000 patents: EDISON.
38. Doohickey: THING. Closely related to a whatsit and a thingummy-jig.
41. Ophelia's brother: LAERTES. "Hamlet" characters. Laertes killed Hamlet with a poisoned sword. I suppose it was a belt-and-braces appoach in case the sword slashing or stabbing didn't do the trick, although in most cases poisoning would just add insult to injury. Although Laertes did poison himself with said sword, so I suppose justice was served.
42. Does some jogging?: REMINDS. Another nice clue. Jogging someone's memory.
45. Task for a gofer: ERRAND. There was something wrong with my clue-parsing today. I was wondering what task a golfer might be assigned other than hitting a couple of buckets of balls at the driving range.
47. Word with mail or box: VOICE.
48. Say yes: AGREE.
49. You can cross it in about an hour on I-90: IDAHO. I tried MAINE first. Having no idea where the 90 starts or ends it seemed a reasonable guess.
50. Fixed up: RE-DID.
51. Remove all traces of: ERASE.
53. Grace period?: AMEN. I like this clue - "period" as in the end-of-sentence designator.
54. Alaskan seaport: NOME.
55. Place for a peel: SPA.
56. Map insert: PIN.
57. Service to redo: LET. Tennis.
And there we have it!
And here we have the grid!
Steve
Notes from C.C.:
Happy 72nd birthday of dear Lemonade (Jason), who's been been guiding us on Fridays for over a decade. He started his first blog post in March
2010. Thank you so much for your hard work, Lemonade! This is a picture from his trip to Oo' homeland a few years ago. Happy birthday, the king!
 |
| Oo and Lemonade |
Happy Birthday to the wise man Vidwan827 also! So glad to see you on the blog regularly now.
55 comments:
Good morning Steve and Andy. A food-based theme seems like a softball for our resident foodie and world traveler. I agree that the use of MHC pushes the breakfast test envelope a bit.
Speaking of pushing the envelope, you do see it with ADAM SCOTT's LONG PUTTER . Of course, the clue is about the "actor" who now hosts the new game show GAME SHOW DON'T .
The Pablo Neruda poem reminded me of dear CLEAR AYES who loved his poetry.
I did not recall ZORI or CRUSE but I still cruised through the puzzle. Happy Thursday all.
A quick note of congratulations to our longtime friend and renaissance man JOHN LAMPKIN who was awarded first prize by AMERICAN BUTTERFLIES magazine for his photo of a Palmetto Skipper. Maybe he will stop by and link the photo for all to see.
Could someone clue me in on 58 across Bugs with weapons Answer is MORAN? My initial reaction was bees or hornets, but neither fit.
Do not know what the clue means or what the answer means. Thanks for anyones help
John BUGS MORAN was an AMERICAN GANGSTER born in Minnesota!
Thank you lemonade for the explanation on 58 across. Never heard of Bugs Moran.
When I first looked at 1a I thought PBS. But I left it blank because 'zeftig' could be anything. Plus, this beast was Saturday level except it had the grok'able themes to fill much needed box-space.
LAT over the usual RTE. MILE HIGH for Denver fit but why is it "racy"? Yes, Bostonians will call it a GRINDER and there's local slang just like other cities.
I recognized LAERTES finally but thought we were dealing with Greek mythology. The simple PIECE replaced OPERA. And I see I90 crosses the neck of IDAHO.
I immediately inked LUCID but despaired of using that U. All things Japanese I can get from Phil as in later this week. I'll have to ask him about ZOBI.
I can never gauge difficulty; I've solved Thurs-Sat and I'd still rank this hardest except perhaps for the theme which Saturday lacks.
WC
Btw, FIW: I came back to box 1 and too hastily entered C(lump). Then I stupidly peeked at the answers and there was PBS after all.
And tomorrow the theme is a savior too
Good morning!
It's fitting that Steve would be assigned a sandwich puzzle. Yay, d-o figured out the theme. Double bonus: There was no reveal to miss. I liked it, and polished off this repast in short order. CRUSE? If you say so. Thought Amanpour was on CNN. Nope. But at least I knew ZORI immediately. Thanx, Andy (Welcome back.) and Steve.
ROBIN: May be a sign of spring in the north, but not in SE Texas.
Happy birthday Lemonade and Vidwan. (Welcome back to you, too.)
I feel for the folks in Cameron and Lake Charles. The Houston area totally escaped. We had a brief shower yesterday afternoon. Period. No wind. No heavy rains. No drama, except from the TV weather crews.
Great Thu. puzzle by Andy Morrison via the Washington Post! A rare treat!!
A Thursday FIR! Also saw the theme which helped. Unfamiliar with CRUSE but it had to be, once I finally got AMPLE, MERITS and PLUGS. NAH had me wondering too until I thought of it as an abrupt response, instead of "no thanks." Here sleet is more likely to ICE IN than hail and is greatly feared with all our trees.
Lots of fun in your puzzle, Andy. Thanks! Steve, your assignment this week was an edible feast and we gobbled it up. How tasty. Thanks for sharing.
Good to hear our Houston area friends were spared. Greetings to all puzzlers. Have a nice day!
This took 10:30, a little longer for a Thurs. for me too.
Zori, Ulster, & Moran were all unknowns.
Creative theme - at first I thought they were all going to end in SUB as I had MILE HIGH'S SUB before CLUB - the MARINE SUB stayed though.
Like WC I had LUCID before LURID - thinking of LUCID dreaming which can be very vivid!
I came to the comments to find out why MORAN was the right answer after the blog didn't - thanks Lemonade and Google!
Thanks Steve and Andy!
Happy birthday Lemonade and Vidwan!
I enjoyed this Thursday. It took me several minutes to get a "Bite" but once I bit I finished it off in short order.
My mother lives just off of I-90 in Washington so I wanted to say the Cascades or the Pass but none of those fit so I wandered East to Idaho. I am in fact planning to drive there soon and it will be quite an adventure since I live in Florida. She is 90 YO and I miss her but do not want to risk her life by flying in a tube with Covid.
WC - "Mile High Club" is "Racy" because the phrase refers to hanky-panky on a jet.
Been a few weeks since I've worked a puzzle or commented here. I was vacationing in the NW and as the answer to 49D filled, I did cross IDAHO in less than an hour. Speed limit in ID, MT, WY, & SD was 80 mph in some places. Flew to Seattle and flew out of Denver Tuesday but had a MILE HIGH "Chicken Salad Sandwich", not a CLUB.
NW- also the area that gave the most trouble. PLUMP, BASIl, & PBS took some guessing because I didn't know any of them. Ditto for CRUSE as a pot.
ADAM Scott- the golfer I know of and have met; never heard of the other guy or movie.
ZORI- a new one for me.
ICE IN- that's just wrong. The hail comes down in warm or hot weather but melts very rapidly.
Musings
-I agree with your summary paragraph, Steve
-“Grace period/Bugs with weapons” was funny, eventually
-Two weeks ago I was stranded in a tin shed during a hailstorm.
-That ADAM is pretty high on the obscure scale
-I’ve only seen DECIliters used in cholesterol numbers
-The guy who told me ROBINS will not eat sunflower chips from a hanging feeder was wrong
-Steve required me to investigate “belt and braces” – Face mask and a face shield, e.g.
-I got VOICE mail asking me to AGREE to sub today. I’m still in a holding pattern
- AMPLE pictures of one of many houses Erin and Ben RE-DID in their HGTV Hometown of Laurel, MS
-A great song with the lyric ”Just a little southeast of NOME”
-Happy Birthday Lemon and Vidwan!
FIR, with write-overs: PBS 4 cnn, LAT 4 rte, TASES 4 NukES, PIECE 4 etudE, EDUCE 4 aDUCE. I always think of “olla” for an earthenware pot; we picked one up in Mexico on an RV caravan.
Good Morning:
Although this has a fun and clever theme, my favorite part of the solve was the cluing. My favorite C/As were: Grace period=Amen, Map insert=Pin, and Bugs with weapons=Moran. Coincidentally, my best friend’s name is Moran and another best friend is Schuman, which appeared yesterday, albeit with a second N. Unknowns were Cruse, Zori, and Adam, Steven, and Idaho, all as clued. I watched Big Little Lies but didn’t know any of the actors’ names, except the A Listers. I, too, thought Amanpour was on CNN and I, too, saw Golfer instead of Gofer.
Thanks, Andy, for a truly enjoyable solve and thanks, Steve, for a cheery and spot on summary. Perhaps you and I need our eyes checked!
Happy Birthday, Lemony, hope it’s very special. 🎂 🎉 🎈 🎊 (I love that picture of you and Oo.) Speaking of pictures, we haven’t seen any of the three grands in a long time.
Happy Birthday, Vidwan, celebrate in style. 🎂 🎈 🎉 🎊 (Didn’t you first start posting as Anonymouse?)
I hope CED’s absence is not due to any difficulties.
Abejo, I’m sending sincere best wishes that you start to feel better very soon! 💐🌺🌸
To those affected by Laura, please stay safe and sound.
Have a great day.
Terrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Andy and Steve.
This was a workout and I see that I FIWed. Hand up for Clump and Lucid.
GRINDER was new to this Canadian.
Thanks for explaining MORAN, Lemonade.
Hail doesn’t ICE IN a Canadian!
Steam from yesterday had me thinking of Irons instead of pressing NEEDS.
I smiled at misdirection of REMINDS clue. AMEN clue brought a smile also.
Quick post today as my half-bushel of beautiful Niagara peaches are ready to can today.
Happy Birthday to Lemonade and Vidwan.
Glad that those who have checked in already escaped the storm. Hope others are ok.
Good morning everyone.
Happy Birthday Vidwan
Happy Birthday Lemonade. Mazeltov. Great picture; thanks for sharing.
Good puzzle with some great cluing; sometimes elusive. Wondered about CNN but held off since it didn't look like it would mesh well. Finally put pen to paper at IRS and filled in central west coast. Continued on counterclockwise to PBS. We've had 'zaftig' before so I knew what to look for.
MARINE SUB is not a normal nautical (briny) expression IMO. A US Marine would not be used in that context. I've only heard 'submarine'. Am I missing something? MARINE SUBmersible perhaps?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Lemon and Vidwan ... My "First" Sunset Toast are to YOU TWO!
Hmmm ... ICE IN is something that NEVER happens at Villa Incognito.
Cheers!
Thank you CC and all the others for an anniversary.
(I prefer to forget it..... too many, for one.)
How nice to see, Lemonade as <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chulalongkorn#Notes"> King Chulalongkorn </a> ... a wonderful, still photo, from the upcoming movie musical, "The King and Oo".
Long ago, I spent 3 yrs in Thailand, as a K.G. kid, I learnt to speak perfect Thai in 2 weeks, and now remember only the numeral system, Nung, Song, sam, say, haa .... Even then, I was amazed at the gentle and peaceful nature of its people. Even a coup d'etat was conducted without a shot being fired. I have a Thai niece-in-law in NJ and the behavior of her, and her 2 kids needs to be seen to be believed. There is never a harsh word. a loud voice or an argument in the house, and I lived with them for 2 weeks. Listening to the mannerisms of the kids takes me back not to a different country or a different culture, but to a different century. Sometimes I worry how they will survive in the US. I have come to believe, that you cannot take the Thai out of a person. Its almost unnatural and unreal.
On to the puzzle itself, in my next post.
King Chulalongkorn
Hola!
Happy birthday, Lemonade! Happy birthday, Vidwan! Enjoy your day!
Yes! I learned while flying to Hawaii that passengers who asked for extra blankets were trying to join THE MILE HIGH CLUB!
Thank you, Lemonade, for explaining MORAN. That was going to be my question.
ZORI is a term I learned long ago when I used to look up information in my early solving years.
I've seen Ms. Amanpour mostly on CNN so of course that was my first fill. Wrong! I've seen her only once on PBS.
It's always a treat to find some Shakespeare and Neruda in a puzzle! Yea for Laertes and ODE though Hamlet is a tragedy where everyone dies. In Branaugh's version, bodies are strewn all over the palace in the end.
If you've never read O'Henry's The Gift of the Magi, it's worth doing so and it's a very short story so doesn't take much time.
CRUSE will require some research. That's a new term for me.
All who are in the path of the storm, please stay safe!
Abejo:
Do you drink ENSURE? It's a very good beverage for those who can't eat solid foods.
Thank you, Steve and Andy for a treat today!
Have a marvelous day, if you can, everyone!
A Thursday worthy offering from Andy with a fun theme. I started right away with CNN which was quickly corrected and slowly but steadily worked to the SW where I stared too long at 55A until split occurred to me. It continually amazes me that the majority of us here who are "of a certain age" frequently run into words we've never heard of such as, for many of us today--cruse and zori. Tomorrow there will be more unknowns I'm sure. I knew Moran right away, but thought he was called Bugsy, not Bugs. Finally, how many remember Steven Wright? One of the best deadpan comics ever, usually one-liners. Stay safe everyone and Happy Birthday to our ripening Cornerites.
Happy Birthday, Lemonade. Happy Birthday, Vidwan.
I agree that MARINE SUB is a term that is rare. The rest of the theme answers were well done.
LAERTES brought back memories of my junior high school days. We studied Hamlet in Mrs. Linville's English class. I remember her looking up a word that none of us knew, including her. Then she stumbled over her words while reading the definition of strumpet to the class.
It is always nice when Bamboo Harvester stops by to share a few words with us.
I have always thought of airplanes in relation to the MILE HIGH CLUB but, thinking about it further, Denver is one mile high. Hey, I'm a member in good standing!
Although we've all come across dozens of words for pots and jars (earthenware or otherwise), CRUSE was unknown to me. Perps took care of that and FIR in 13:15 which is a bit longer than usual for a Thursday. An enjoyable, challenging puzzle.
Ripening? So, that's what I've been doing.
Fun puzzle, nice theme answers. FIR in spite of mysterious MORAN and unknowns ADAM and STEVEN.
Thank you, STEVE, for the tour, and Andy for the puzzle. Happiest of birthdays to Lemonade and Vidwan.
Thank you Andy, for a charming puzzle, and Steve for a fascinating review.
Only yesterday, I was explaining to my wife the meaning and cognate of Zaftig. Pleasantly plump. It was not easy since my wife weighs 106.
I was flummoxed at Moran, though I am remotely familiar with him.
Would a Bugs eating roots ... be Bunny ?
An indian ubiquitous, earthenware pot is a Matka .
The unglazed pot is used for storing drinking water, and it allows for continuous cooling, via contour osmosis, surface evaporation, throughout the day, and the liquid has a pleasantly earthy taste. It is however rather fragile.
Would Pho NoHo be an exclusively mens joint ? Apologies, for the bad taste....
Finally, on Quiver. I used to think that the reverse design on a US Dime, whether its a winged Lady Liberty head, often and popularly confused as a Mercury Dime (1916-1945) ..... or the FDR dime, since .... was a quiver for arrows, sometimes aflame. Actually it is a fasces ( be careful, how you pronounce this ) ... which is a collection of wooden rods, with an axe blade poking out ... which was a symbol of Estrucan Magisterial power and authority.
As to what relevance it had in a US context, I have no idea.
Winged Liberty Dime
Winged Liberty Dime
I loved this puzzle. Just crunchy enough and clever theme answers and fill.
What a gorgeous picture of Lemonade and Oo! Happy Birthday, L. Also to Vidwan.
I think Warren Beatty met Annette Benning on the set of “Bugsy”, and the rest is history. 4 children and married 30+ years.
Cruse is new to me, but zori is pretty common in So. Cal. Never heard of Steven Wright.
Thanks for a fun puzzle, Andy and a yummy tiur, Steve.
all roads lead to Rome, No roads lead to Nome.
My mother was born there.
Hi everybody.
Happy birthday Lemonade and Vidwan!
Here are two more from Steven Wright:
~ Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?
~ I bought some batteries, but they weren't included.
Mind how you go...
W.C., you are absolutely correct about tomorror's theme...at least it was for me.
I also now recall reading The Gift of the Magi in junior high. Two literary let let long-term memory jogs in one puzzle.
Tough but doable Thursday level puzzle from Andy with a fun theme. Steve's explanations and depth of information are extensive.
I didn't know which network Amanpour was on, but I plunked in PBS because I decided to put in a network that would be reasonable. Lucky guess.
It took a minute or two to figure out the Map Insert being a PIN which was filled with perps. Clever clue.
I got planets as the Octet, but I still feel that it should be a Nonet.
I like Steven Wright's droll humor.
All those who have a birthday today can eat as much cake as they want. Ice cream too.
I hope all who are in Laura's path stay safe and well.
Please wear your masks.
Bugs vs Bugsy - I think of Moran as "Bugs", Siegel and Malone as "Bugsy".
Sorry if anyone had to look up "belt and braces" - braces would be called "suspenders" in the US, which I found quite amusing when I moved here. Suspenders in the UK are an item of ladies' intimate apparel better known here as a "garter belt".
If you wear both a belt and braces, if one or other give up you your pants don't fall down. I think engineers call it "redundancy".
Cruse? I've been making pots since 1972 and I never 'eard of it. But Mr Wiki has. Or is that Ms?
oc4beach, thanks so much for the link to Steven Wright one-liners. My favorite is #26 although they are all so clever. Truly a comic genius.
Happiest of birthdays today to Vidwan and Lemonade. Enjoy!
Happy birthday Lemonade714!
It is amazing what cake bakers can do these days...
HBD Vidwan, not sure how to personalize a cake for you,
as your profile is marked private...
(however, that is making me reread your posts
trying to figure out more about you...)
Re Puzzle: It made me cry "Uncle!"
(shirly a red letter day...)
I have never see an entire SW corner
become a Natick before...
Irish Miss,
Tx for your concern, but I have been just really busy lately.
Moving Daughter3# into her new Apt in NYC, for her Bronx Teaching Job.
(Music Teacher Grades 3 thru 8)
The past week I have been dealing with a tooth abscess that makes it
difficult to sleep. Dentist has me on Antibots, 3 days now.
But last night it blew up, & he does not want to deal with it anymore
& has forwarded me off to an Oral Surgeon. I really do not want to see
this Oral Surgeon again, & I am going to give it one more day to see
if it subsides. I would say "Wish me luck!" But, maybe you should wish
NYC luck as D#3 advises me she rented a UHaul & wants ("Me") to drive it
Sunday for the Big final delivery.
If I still have this tooth, people might want to get out of the way...
I have this premonition, but don't worry,
as I will be taking the Lincoln Tunnel, in an extra wide truck, that I have never
driven before, while screaming in pain, & heavily drugged...
Thanks, Andy and Steve! HBD Lemon and Vidwan!
Well, Laura missed us, but it looks like she tore a new one for Lake Charles. Marco is dead, thank goodness. Watched Laura hit Lake Charles, and then I printed out the puzzle and worked most of it. Kept waiting for the rain here. Even though she kept leaning this way, she got pushed to the northeast.
I don’t want to tell anyone how to run his business, but The Weather Channel (and other news/weather organizations) needs to STOP putting its people in harm’s way. Somebody is going to get killed! Watching Laura come ashore early this morning, I was quite concerned about Jim Cantore’s and Stephanie Abrams’ safety. I think they and their crews and whoever might have been there protecting/assisting them were in real danger. (TWC’s Mike Bettis was almost killed chasing a tornado in Oklahoma many years ago. You’d think they would learn!) I also question why the local authorities let them do it. They wouldn’t let ME stand there!
FIW, and I’m mad at myself. I missed EMEND/AMEN (didn’t know the former and didn’t see the error with the latter). To me, the AMEND/EMEND distinction is picking nits, but THAT is what we do here in crossword puzzle land.
Started off wrong with NPR, instead of PBS. Got it fixed quickly, though. The only time I listen to NPR is when I listen to Scott Simon on the way to the museum on those Saturdays I have to work. My PBS watching generally consists of their nighttime historical stuff.
I’m still mad about Pluto! It is really a beautiful PLANET!
The Bugs Moran clue was cute. Didn’t know ZAFTIG and a couple of names, but the perps took care of them.
Steve, from my Useless Information Department, the “O” in PHO’ has an apostrophe attached to it, which gives it the “FUH” pronunciation. Some of the Vietnamese restaurants and menus actually have the apostrophe on their signage and/or menu. Yes, at one time in my yute, I was able to speak một ít – a little -- Vietnamese. Like many (most? all?) oriental languages, Vietnamese is a tonal language, so the diacritical markings are --- well, critical --- to the pronunciation of EACH word. It is also monosyllabic. Hanoi = Hà Nội, and Saigon = Sài Gòn, and Vietnam = Việt Nam and are actually lazy anglicisations. It also uses a Roman alphabet, making it much easier to learn than the others. The trouble is that I’ve killed almost all of those brain cells, so I remember NOTHING! NOTHING!
AMPLE issues in the NE. Oy!
What's a zaftig? I kept wanting Amanpour on CNN, had RTE @14a - not USEful at all.
And then, what's a CRUSE? //I mean, obviously, from the clue but...
Oh, Hi All!
Easy theme (all filled with only 1 or two perps), Andy, but some Saturday level fill. Thanks for the grid.
Great Expo (love me some Mark Knopfler) STEVE. I kept wanting Amanpour on CNN which held up.
//Grinder | Sub distinction makes sense - someone needs to inform Subway to call it a Meatball Grinder and then heat it up ;-)
WOs: started writing Quiver@4d. Wait, those hold the arrows - ARCHERS. GPS rte == 100% bzzt, SeA b/f SPA.
ESPs: STELA(?), CRUSE, LAERTES, ULSTER, EDUCE|DECI [duh!], MORAN(? Oh, Bugsy!)*, HALAS|ADAM, ZORI,
Fav: STEVEN Wright [8:16]. No perps required; right, Shankers?
Sparkle: IM pretty much hit 'em all (like the V8 can DID to me). //Except AMEN - Nail'd It! :-)
Double Happy Birthdays to Lem & Vidwan!
MManatee - re Denver: Standing? :-)
D-O: Sugar Land didn't even get rain; just a light (cool) breeze from the east.
How did y'all fair In NOLA?
And on that.... Welcome back BigE! Wondered where you went off to or if your absence was extensive STORM prep.
Cheers, -T
*Wrong Bugsy but I couldn't resist :-)
CED is, apparently, living (driving ?) on the edge and Leo III is, apparently, Sergeant Schultz. The things one can learn here are absolutely amazing.
Anon-T, funny. I will have to choose my idiomatic expression more carefully. In pursuit of which, I looked up the meaning of the phrase "in good standing" even though I have a pretty good working knowledge. One definition is that: A person ...in good standing is regarded as having complied with all their explicit obligations, while not being subject to any form of...disciplinary censure." IIRC, check and check. Now, dare I look up "working knowledge"?
Happy BD, Lemonade/Jason!
Thanks for all you do on the Corner.
Some clever cluing today. 41D is my fave.
Is there any other idiomatic use for "to jog"?
LUCINA ~ You are mainly right about the death toll in Hamlet. But you overlook three key figures.
(1) Horatio, who has been charged by Hamlet to live and tell his tale.
(2) The Ghost--played originally by Ol' Will himself--because Whoever dies TWICE?
And (3) Fortinbras, the necessary character. Often cut, but who else is going to keep those P.O.'d Danes in line?
I didn't mention Osric because, well, the guy is hardly "key."
~ OMK
____________
DR: One diagonal on each side.
The near-end diagonal offers a couple of anagrams.
Take your pick:
(a) The new shopping center that is filled with book stores and a food court with meals laced with Prevagen, the...
"BRAINIER MALL"!
-or-
(b) An extreme progressive so far out in left field his beard is laced with ice crystals, his...
"NEOLIBERAL RIME"!
AnonT if you promise to cease and desist from calling my lovely town NOLA, I’ll tell you we are fine. Some rain, wind. No storm ( it is N’Awlins)
Hehehehe
Tony, I spoke too soon . Just heard the sugar refinery in Chalmette is on fire. Seems to be storm related but I don’t know for sure.
Is Cruse when Tom Cruise lets go of his ego and narcissism, and leaves out the 'i' ?
CED, Best wishes for your van trip to NYC. I did that 15 yrs ago.
As Steven Wright's lines go ... I Know the guy who writes all those bumper stickers. He really hates New York. (#68)
Thank you OC4 Beach for that list of Steven Wright. You have to be a genius with a twisted mind to come up with those gems. I am thinking Robin Williams, Victor Borge (?), and someone else.
CED, as to my profile, there is nothing to add, I am just a boring person ... but plaigarism really helps a lot. ;-/) I wanted to make up a fake profile, like a James Bond in an Aston Martin ....ok, ok, a Mazda Miata ... but I fell asleep in the midst of all that planning... A cake would be useless, I dont eat cakes, if I can avoid it, but a savory or a pretzel, with sufficient twists ....
CRUSE I know from religious contexts. ["(religion or obsolete) A small jar used to hold liquid, such as oil or water." Wiktionary]
ZAFTIG: Pleasingly PLUMP (a la Vidwan827); "So round, so firm, so fully packed."
>>Roy
FWIW, the word "cruse" is very KJV-ish. You'll find it in 1 Samuel 26 and 1 Kings 2:12+. The NIV translates it as"jug".
When speaking with Elijah, the widow spoke, "And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die."
I may have exceeded my posts, but I have to post this coincidence today. Ofcourse, its an honor to share a birthday, and even the age with Lemonade, such a pretigious, talented, and prominent personality. But, statistically, A Common Birthday, ... its rather common.
Wiki even has this as The Birthday Problem .
The math may be a little daunting for some of you ... Just gloss over/ IGNORE .... the math and equations ...
but the bottom line is .... in a class or group of :::
30 people, one common birthday is likely 71% of the time.
40 people, one common birthday is likely 90% of the time
50 people is likely, 97% of the time ( almost certain)
60 people group will have this phenomena >99% of the time ( for sure !!!)
Despite what some common sense will keep nudging you, .... common sense is just plain wrong ... just the math will confirm, that, that phenomena of coincidence is really quite common.
For those interested in a pure Logic puzzle .... please just read, ( with answers and explanation !!!)
Cheryl's Birthday Puzzle .
Over and Out.
I liked this puzzle but did a bit of head scratching in a couple of places. One was MORAN; I googled "Moran" but found nothing that explained what "Bugs" had to do with it. The other was trying to figure out what MARINE SUB is. Other than that I enjoyed the play. Loved the clues for NEEDS, REMINDS, and AMEN.
If I recall, Christiane Amanpour was on CNN for several years and still is. She also appears on PBS.
Happy birthday, Lemonade and Vidwan.
Looked like a DNF for a while. lots of unknowns. Fooled initially with GPS LAT instead of the usual rte even though I knew that zaftig referred to "overweight". (PLUMP = AMPLE). Wanted to try bowmen for ARCHERS but was a letter short. STELA is an unusual variant of STELE, I thought it was incorrect probably plural for STELE but LIU apparently not.
My mistaking the theme for words ending in SUB had me scratching my head over my answer MILEHIGHcSUB till LURID cross with the unknown Japanese sandals. Isn't a small earthen pot an olla? in crosswordese?
Looking for a zodiac sign of spring, oh.. ROBIN, (is Batman a sign of summer?) You get a PEEL and massage at a spa "ooh, aah, ..wait you're pressing to hard, owie!!..
We say grace at dinner ( but DW bristles if I ask if it's necessary if it's takeout?) so a meal/AMEN inkover based on perps. '"Octet" brings into question the status of Pluto. If he's a dog like Goofy why doesn't he wear clothes and talk??
Nice to get a hello from our old friend NORMA Rae....not so nice...
Lucy's DH.....DECI.
Actor Tom unable to find ______ to man his yachts... CRUSE.
"Rarely spoke to the guy, hardly ____ " NOME.
"_____, you can't come in here with sandals." ZORI.
Mom's sister's delicious side dish of ______ ANTES SPLIT PIECE? (a Turkey or Hattrick!!!)
HBD to Lemon and Vid. (didn't know the fasces were originally Etruscan, not Roman, then unfortunately Fascist).
Everyone stay safe from Fire, Water, and Airborn dangers
Happy birthday Lemonade714! And Vidwan827, as well. Many happy returns to you both.
Saturday level difficulty
STELA/COMBS/CRUSE —> all wags
ARIES/ROBIN; RTE/LAT
Are there more names for a long sandwich, than for any other food item? SUB, HERO, GRINDER, HOAGIE, BOMBER (from Buffalo area, I think) ... I prefer HOAGIE, then SUB. GRINDERS (New England term) were nearly always toasted ...
MILE HIGH CLUB? Maybe more opportunities to “join that”, now that there’re fewer air travelers. Just sayin’ ... 😀
Owen, sorry pal. Not going to SUB for you. No more ku’s or poems. You’re the muse that everyone here enjoys ...
Fun puzzle, thanks to Andy and, of course, to Steve for your recap - I always enjoy your Brit perspectives, i.e., explanation of "braces" vs. "suspenders" [snicker, oh my! - how did the English language get so divergent?]. Suspenders are now called braces in the US per the menswear ads I've seen in the past years, but when I do get a chance to see my elderly brother (Iowan for the last 50 years), they are definitely suspending his beltless pants/shorts.
IDK, Japanese sandals or STEVEN Wright - who? But perps solved the unknown.
SHANKERS @11AM - may I plagiarize your term for aging (ripening) when I write a note in birthday cards? Love it!
C-E DAVE, Good luck to you on your U-Haul driving experience - loved the link. Please report back on that trip.
Houston was damn lucky in dodging this hurricane during Laura's path in the very last hours, but the season's not over yet. Photos of Louisiana were devastating. I hope all Houstonians who were so appreciative of the valiant rescue efforts by the Cajun Navy after Harvey (three years and one day ago) and are boat owners hitch up their own boats and pay it forward. All in Laura's path, post-landfall, stay safe.
OMK - LOL on both DRs
CED - Didn't refresh b/f posting... Maybe hire a driver? :-)
ANTES SPLIT PIECE?(?) - Boo Hiss :-)
Vidwan - it's your birthday. Comment at will (to a point :-)). CRUiSE - LOL.
The Birthday Paradox is well known to computer scientists; My 20yro brain exploded when I learned of it in Finite Combinatorial Probabilities. //Just before we had the Infinite Improbabilities lecture.
Come now, C.Moe - we enjoy your 'kus too :-)
Swamp - Fair 'nough. Henceforth, I'll do my best to call it N’Awlins - I Gar-On-Tee. :-)
TXMs - After Katrina we learned TX & LA need each other to get through hurricanes.
Cheers, -T
OMK:
It has been many years since I read Hamlet or saw the movie. You have now moved me to watch it again sometime this week. I only recall that the floor was littered with bodies, Ophelia was drowned in the tub and skulls were scattered outside. I may spring for a DVD since my copy is a VCR tape and though I can play it, it's likely faded.
It's good to know you southerners are among the survivors of Laura. A few, I heard, succumbed.
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