Hello Cornerites, Chairman Moe here after a two-week hiatus from blogging. And wouldn't you know that the puzzle I got to recap was a bit crunchy; though once I saw the "reveal" (66-Across: What's taken in some court proceedings, and also (in two ways) from the answers to starred clues: FIFTH), I knew that the constructor meant "take the FIFTH letter from the entries" and you'll spell the word FIFTH!
Not on board? Well, let's look ...
17-Across. *French cheesemonger's luggage?: BRIE CASES. Put the letter "F" next to BRIE and you form BRIEFCASES. F is the FIFTH letter in the entry, which has been "taken" to form a punny phrase.
Brie cheese does have a "case", so to speak . . . I call it a "rind". And I am one of those who eats it! Yes, the bloomy rind is completely safe to eat and even keeps the inside safe from any potentially unwanted microorganisms during production. The rind on Brie not only protects and encases the cheese – it also adds a subtle, earthy flavor.
22-Across. *Potemkin village?: REALTY SHOW. Put an "I" in the FIFTH spot in this entry and you have "REALITY SHOW". There are far too many to list here, but pre-pandemic, the CBS hit "Survivor" had some 40 straight episodes of what I always imagined to be a "staged" reality show.
As for the pun, I found that the word "Potemkin" means: "having a false or deceptive appearance, especially one presented for the purpose of propaganda". But the proper name, Grigory Potemkin, was known for his love of women, gambling and material wealth. He oversaw the construction of many historically significant buildings, including the Tauride Palace in St. Petersburg. Does "REALTY" then refer to "the industry term which most accurately describes the services rendered by real estate agents, property managers and brokerages related to the purchase, sale, leasing and managing of real estate?"
35-Across. *Top performer who's hopelessly off course?: LOST ACE. Put an "F" in the FIFTH spot and the phrase "LOST FACE" appears. This was my last solve and one of my favorite puns from DAB. LOST FACE means: "to lose other people's respect". An "ACE" is also known as a "top performer". Quite clever
48-Across. *Heresies?: HOLY ERRORS. "Heresy" is defined as "belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious (especially Christian) doctrine." Literally, a HOLY ERROR! Put a "T" in the FIFTH spot and the phrase "HOLY TERRORS" appears. Which also defines: 10-Across. Teacher's handful: IMP. Not sure if this was intentional, but it is certainly clever!
55-Across. *PETA protester's emotion?: COAT ANGER. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an animal rights organization that opposes the abuse of animals in any way, such as for food, clothing, entertainment, or research. My first recall of that organization was when their followers protested, and at times, sprayed paint onto fir garments (think mink) as people were wearing them in public, thus causing COAT ANGER. But if you add an "H" in the FIFTH spot of this entry, the new phrase is "COAT HANGER"! I'm not sure if this "Sex and the City" co-star had to put her stained COAT on a HANGER, in ANGER!
But if you looked at my initial picture of my blog, you'll know that the word FIFTH has an entirely different meaning to me! And perhaps, a CSO to our Tampa Bay area imbiber, Tinbeni!
Let's see how the rest of the fill evolved ...
Across:
1. Lab kit supply: SWABS. Over the past 12 months I'm sure that the number of SWABS used to test for the Corona Virus 19 exceeded the billions . . . but this image suggests killing two birds with one stone!
6. Highland hats: TAMS. As in "TAM-O-SHANTER", the name for a Scottish hat. Highland also refers to an area within Scotland that is well known for producing wonderful Whisky. Here is MY favorite from that area:
13. "Uncalled for!": NOT OK. Or maybe this could've been clued: "if you're a Longhorn fan you're from TX, _____!" CSO to Dash T
14. Missouri's __ de Terre Lake: POMME. As Splynter would've said, "Frawnch"! Geography learning lesson. The lake is located in southern Hickory and northern Polk counties, about 50 miles north of Springfield. In the middle of nowhere. Its name is the French language word for potato. I guess this is a harder clue than using "_____ Frites"
15. Revival prefix: NEO. This was a WAG for me
16. Game millions can play: LOTTO. This is taken from an article in Time Magazine about 5 years ago: Americans spend a lot of money playing the lottery. Approximately 370 million lottery tickets were sold between Saturday and Tuesday before the Mega Millions drawing, according to a lottery official. The U.S. generated nearly $73 billion in lottery sales in 2016 and CNN reports that in 2017, U.S. residents spent about $73.5 billion on tickets. The average American spends about $223.04 per year on lottery tickets, loan marketplace LendEDU found in a report that calculated its average by dividing the 2016 lottery revenue by the U.S. population (325.7 million).
19. Like a storied equine statue: TROJAN. TROJAN horse, perhaps? FWIW, my HS team mascot and nickname were the TROJANS, and our school colors were Orange and Black. Lots of jokes were made, too, surrounding the branded product with the same name
21. Fire alarm?: SMOKE. Where there's SMOKE there's fire??
26. __ bargain: PLEA.
27. Female monster: OGRESS. Fiona didn't fit
28. Unoccupied ones: IDLERS. Moe-ku:
When self-driving cars
Are stopped at a red light, are
They idling IDLERS?
30. Word in a kids' game recommendation: AGES. As in what's printed on many game boxes. See the SW corner
31. Heroic collie: LASSIE. Here is a short video with a lot of information
34. Bks. in progress: MSS. Abbr for ManuScriptS
37. Hydroelectric project: DAM. One example: Hoover DAM can produce over 2,000 megawatts of capacity and a yearly average generation of 4.5 billion kilowatt hours to serve the annual electrical needs of nearly 8 million people in Arizona, southern California, and southern Nevada
40. Prodded: GOADED. Our Thesaurussaurus doesn't list it but that doesn't mean it isn't so. Otherwise we would not be able to provide you with a Friday-level clue . . .
41. Romcom subject: LOVE. Romcom is a portmanteau for Romantic Comedy. LOVE fits the Romantic side . . . and here is an earworm for you to carry for awhile ...
42. Chartbuster: BIG HIT. If you were curious to know which chartbuster was a BIG HIT over the decades, please visit this site. I just happened to highlight my HS graduation year
45. Lyric poems: EPODES. I wondered what was different between EPODES and ODES and found this: EPODE, a verse form composed of two lines differing in construction and often in metre, the second shorter than the first. In Greek lyric odes, an EPODE is the third part of the three-part structure of the poem, following the strophe and the antistrophe. The word is from the Greek epōidós, “sung” or “said after.” And now you know
47. Memo heading: IN RE:. This one had too many "IN RE's" methinks ...
52. Cardiologist's implant: STENT. How might a Cardiologist insert a STENT into a clown's heart?
54. Old-style "Listen up!": HEAR YE. The things you can find on the internet . . .
57. Of yore: OLDEN. Shouldn't songs from the past be called Golden OLDEN's then?
61. Hill builder: ANT. Where would crossword puzzles be without the word ANT?
62. Sneerer's sentiment: SCORN. This image creeped me out a bit
63. False move: FEINT. A homophone for the word "faint". Remember that faint is to lack perception or consciousness while FEINT is to deceive opponents
64. Word of assent: YES. Or the name of a band with multiple BIG HITS, including this one:
65. Lays down the lawn: SODS. Cute play-on-words which of course triggered another Moe-klu*:
Lawyer's landscaper
Wanted no interference
He laid down the lawn
*A Moe-klu is a haiku that parodies the clue, not the solve
Down:
1. NBC show with Ego Nwodim: SNL. Ego who? Been a long time since I've watched Saturday Night Live. Here is Ego
2. Try to win: WOO. A bit "dated" definition of the verb, as in: try to gain the love of (someone), especially with a view to marriage. "he WOOed her with quotes from Shakespeare"
3. Verizon competitor: ATT. I am a Sprint subscriber but they're now part of T Mobile
4. Wine orders: BOTTLES. Although ordering by the glass (BTG) is so much easier
5. Tennis wear: SKORTS. Another portmanteau - this time, a combo of Skirts and Shorts - worn by many women tennis players. Why? Initially called "trouser skirts," SKORTS were developed to provide more freedom to do activities (such as sports, gardening, cleaning, or bike riding), and give the appearance of a skirt. I hear that many male tennis players from Scotland prefer wearing SKILTS for the same reason . . .
6. Hebrew scripture: TORAH. Another Moe-ku: (sort of)
World War II movie remake:
Jews plan surprise attack on Hitler
Crying, "TORAH, TORAH, TORAH"
OK, hope that one doesn't get me in too much trouble . . .
7. __ acid: AMINO.
8. Toulouse title: Abbr.: MME. More Frawnch ... abbr. for MadeMoisellE; translated as "miss" or an unmarried woman. Interesting find on the Internet from 2012: French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has ordered all regional and local governments to remove the title “Mademoiselle” -- used for unmarried women and implying a youthful immaturity -- from official documents
9. Brief intervals: SECS. Another Moe-ku:
HBO remake
That features only "quickies":
SECS in the City
10. Arch support: INSOLE. These:
11. More likely to give: MEEKER.
12. Pretend to be: POSE AS. Some folks would say that Chairman Moe tries to POSE AS a blogger . . .
14. Two-spread sandwiches, for short: PBJS. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches. I still eat 'em. Love them on toasted rye bread . . .
18. Sufficient: AMPLE. My blogs and use of pictures and ku's are more than AMPLE! ;^)
20. Yiddish cries: OYS. Probably muttered by several readers here after my Moe-ku for 6-Down
22. Travel here and there: ROAM. Wasn't this a BIG HIT once upon a time? Dion DiMucci ROAMed around around around
23. Coop collections: EGGS. At first I thought this was CO-OP, not COOP ...
24. Son of Zeus and Hera: ARES. ARES is the god of war, one of the Twelve Olympian gods and the son of Zeus and Hera.
25. Ill. neighbor: WISC. Home of the Cheeseheads (aka, Packer Fans)
29. Run out of juice: DIE. One of my "go-to" Karaoke songs . . . wait for the final line
31. Vehicle for some '60s trips: LSD. This was another vehicle for some '60's trips that could've fit the clue:
32. Fed on: ATE. Crossword fill
33. Depressing: SAD. Can you even imagine Chairman Moe being SAD??!
35. Napoleonic Code part: LOI. WAG and perp. Learning moment . . . and more Frawnch . . . LOI is French for "law". The Napoleonic Code (as a rule of laws) was established in 1804 and is in use today - with several amendments
36. Swearing-in custom: OATH. Only a Stooge could find this clip
37. Birdbrain, or an extinct bird: DODO. DODO as in rhyming with MOE MOE. Birdbrain? Moi?
38. Claim with confidence: AVER. More crossword-ese
39. Confusion result: MESS. Our Thesaurus.plus character agrees
40. Home to the van Eycks' "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb": GHENT. Wikipedia has more info
41. Rhine siren: LORELEI. LORELEI (aka Loreley) is legendary German siren (often depicted with a mermaid tail), who was created by Clemens Brentano in 1801.
42. Europe's Bay of __: BISCAY. Bordering France, Iberia, and the Atlantic Ocean. It's known for its rough seas and violent storms and much of this is thanks to its exposure to the Atlantic ocean. ... Swell waves can be felt in the Bay of Biscay if you're still in deep water 100 miles out. See map below
43. Chant: INTONE. An example, courtesy of Monty Python
44. Record setters: GREATS. Moe-ku, and more WISC humor:
Trio of Cheeseheads
Shred six pounds in two minutes
The GREATS of all time
45. "And all that beauty, all that wealth __ gave ... ": Gray: E'ER. We almost always see EER clued as a contraction of EVER; rarely do we see it as a suffix, as in MountainEER
46. Remove with difficulty: PRY OFF. Hungry Homer
49. "My Lord!": OH GOD. Remember the movie?
50. Wanton gazes: LEERS. Another Moe-klu:
At Chinese Rest'rant
Diners heard soup was gone and
Had Wonton gazes
51. Story to spin: YARN. When I tried to spin a story to my kids when they were growing up they'd just yaWn! ;^)
53. Soviet news agency: TASS. Lots to learn at this Wiki site
56. Sgt., e.g.: NCO. Sgt as in Sergeant. NCO as in Non Commisioned Officer. I hear that when ex-Sergeants become civilians and go to work as a car salesman, they prefer to be paid a salary . . .
58. "What's the __?": DIF. Is it DIF or DIFF? Or both? I'm outta touch, but how about a "what's the DIFF Gif"?
59. Sinus doc: ENT. Ear Nose & Throat doctor's (aka, an Otolaryngologist) are among the highest paid medical specialists - see chart below
60. Unnamed degree: NTH. Unlike the degree I graduated college with (a B.A.), though I'm sure many of you would've thought it was a "B.S."!!
Here is the grid, and thanks again David for a fun and frantic Friday puzzle. Please add your thoughts and comments ...
62 comments:
Good morning!
No Wite-Out required. On a Friday that's a big win. Noticed that F-I-F-T-H were the missing letters, but not that they were also the fifth letters. Can I claim half credit for getting the theme? I noted the SO to our late, great DODO -- a former corner denizen. Thanx, D-A-B and Chairman Moe. (Did you mean "GRATEST of all time?")
NCO: Spitz was an officer, but d-o was a lowly SWABbie NCO.
LOTTO: I've only bought a LOTTO ticket once. I was going on a trip to Illinois, and a friend gave me money to buy him a LOTTO ticket, because they weren't sold at that time in Iowa. We did gamble when we visited Las Vegas...until our allotted $2 each ran out.
Took 13:22. Fun puzzle. Thought "pomme" was obscure too.
Shows what I know. I thought "pommes" was French for apple, and potatoes were "pommes de terre" (apples of the earth).
Enjoyable puzzle that took me just over 21 minutes to get the tada. No faster than I can type, that's a blistering pace for a Friday. Had no clue as to the theme, until the Chairman so eloquently explained it. Brilliant. Thanks DAB and CM.
The spring flowers and ornamental trees are all in full bloom here. They are beautiful, but my allergic reactions are off the chart. I have to content myself with staying inside and gazing on the beauty of the daffodils, jonquils (is there a difference? Dear late wife seemed to think so.), hyacinths ( planted by DLF to honor Patricia Routledge), ornamental pear, etc. The colors explode in the morning sun. I guess I can put up with some sneezing.
Dining German style tonight. Weiner schnitzel, warm German potato salad, cheese and onion spaetzli, vinaigrette style cole slaw. And bier, of course.
Gotta go. Cya!
Fun puzzle and theme. I got dropping the fifth letter, but not spelling fifth with the dropped letters.
Fast for a Friday, but one bad cell. What is NOTOH? I checked the perps, but refused to try to change shorts. SKORTS, NOT OK, easy in retrospect.
Potato Lake seems weird, but a few perps suggested POMME DE TERRE which I know as potato. Although strange I felt confident. In PA Dutch we said something like grundberra, ground berries, for potatoes, so I missed that one on my college German pretest. Should have been Kartoffel, which i had heard of.
I love warm brie with fig jam.
I don't watch phony reality shows. So many or staged and over-edited.
I have heard of Potemkin Village, "In politics and economics, a Potemkin village is any construction (literal or figurative) whose sole purpose is to provide an external façade to a country which is faring poorly, making people believe that the country is faring better."
Village in the clue, realty in the answer. Village could be considered real estate.
Golden olden would not be correct. A noun, oldies, is needed. Olden is an adjective.
Bluehen, good to hear from you. I would love to be your guest tonight. "Weiner schnitzel (and) warm German potato salad." Yummy.
OOPS! So many ARE staged and over-edited.
Good morning all.
Puzzle looked undoable at first .
Started with IMP SMOKE and LASSIE and worked my way around counter clockwise.
At HOLY ERRORS I caught on and the rest went OK.
POMME and PBJS were new and took a little time .
Great weekend all
Cheers
Loved the puzzle. Upper left and right were the last to fall.
I figured out how the FIFTH clue was used in the long answers once I had the whole bottom half completed.
My favorite clue answer: MEEKER. Very tricky!
The only reason I got GHENT was from the Treaty of Ghent which ended the War of 1812. Yay American history teacher of long ago.
No need to take the FIFTH that I FIR on DAB's puzzle. I caught the missing letter at REALTY SHOW & BRIE CASES but thinking that the "missing letter" was on the first word slowed me down in the South. But it wasn't a LOST (C)ACE. But LOI under the Napoleonic Code was an unknown filled by perps, along with POMME & GHENT. SNL was an easy guess; never heard of the woman.
YR- I don't watch un-reality shows or buy LOTTO tickets.
SKORTS- most of the women tennis players that I know are wearing SKORTS or SKIRTS and leggings instead on tennis panties. Some on the younger ladies wear just leggings
Good Morning:
I liked the theme while solving but even more so when Moe pointed out the added level of the missing letter being the fifth in the phrase. That feature escaped me, even though the clue specifically said “two ways.” I needed perps for Ghent and SNL was a guess, as I’ve never heard of that woman. I had Vie before Woo but no other hold-ups. CSO to CED, our resident Imp and Holy Terror and Moi at Trojan. MSS/Mess stood out. Isn’t the abbreviation for Mademoiselle, Mlle and for Madam, Mme as in our MadamDefarge? I found some of the cluing a tad off kilter, but it’s Friday, so I suppose that’s why.
Thanks, David, for a Friday challenge and thanks, Moe, for a very informative summary and outstanding clips and links. Love all your Moe-kus!
Bluehen @ 7:44 ~ You’re not Blue, today! Your menu sounds yummy. Don’t be a stranger.
Have a great day.
Good morning everyone.
Thanks Ch. Moe for an excellent intro; and for explaining the theme. I kinda got it but CM clarified the consistency. At first found it difficult to find a fertile spot to grow so ended up solving from the bottom up. Once I got BISCAY in its proper column, the SW went like goose poo thru a tin horn. Had 'vie' before WOO. Toyed with Miss(ouri) but settled on WISC.
SWAB - Thanks D-O for the SO. A snappy salute to you, too.
POMME de Terre. Potato as CM said. Funny, the Dutch say 'aardappel', earth apple; and German is Kartoffel, L. German Kartüffel, which seem to be elisions of, say, Erde Apfel, which means the same.
LORELEI - My mother used to sing it to us.
Lorelei - First 3 stanzas:
Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten,
Daß ich so traurig bin;
Ein Märchen aus alten Zeiten,
Das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn.
Die Luft ist kühl und es dunkelt,
Und ruhig fließt der Rhein;
Der Gipfel der Berge funkelt
Im Abendsonnenschein.
Die schönste Jungfrau sitzet
Dort oben wunderbar,
Ihr goldnes Geschmeide blitzet,
Sie kämmt ihr goldenes Haar.
English Translation © Richard Stokes
I do not know what it means
That I should feel so sad;
There is a tale from olden times
I cannot get out of my mind.
The air is cool, and twilight falls,
And the Rhine flows quietly by;
The summit of the mountains glitters
In the evening sun.
The fairest maiden is sitting
In wondrous beauty up there,
Her golden jewels are sparkling,
She combs her golden hair.
Good morning. This puzzle was a little tough for me, got the theme. But a little hard nonetheless. Didn’t know loi. For some reason, I think pomme means apple, not potato.
Why, who knows.
We began a kitchen reno on 3/1, which ended up including the family room, powder room and laundry area. We’re just about at the end, with maybe about a week or so to go. I’m sure most of you have done this at some point or another. Tough! Especially during the pandemic 😷 Can’t wait until it’s done.
Have a great weekend!
BYW, Blue Hen, I’m very impressed with your menu for a Friday night dinner. Wow! That’s so much work. Bon appetit!
And RIP to Prince Phillip. Quite a character, with so much commendable life experience. Especially his loyalty to his Queen. Not an easy job, considering all of the scandals and being a member of such a clan.
I meant BTW
I meant BTW
Lizza, pomme de terre, apple of the earth or earth apple
Spitz says, "the Dutch say 'aardappel', earth apple"
I see online these PA Dutch words for potato:
Grumbeere, Grumbiere, Kadoffle
What my folks said was something like the first two, literally ground berries.
Lizza, I sympathize, a kitchen reno, especially, is very inconvenient. Just think how lovely the ight at the end of the rainbow will be.
I am kicking myself for not changing shorts to skorts.
It's NOT OK that I have started a string of FIWs this week. I should have had my second cup of coffee and proofread again before beginning C Moe's merry review. Two wrong squares in the NW corner and one more in AGES. (For that I was thinking A GAS. Old slang?) I had a few WOs as well: Siren/SMOKE, rub OFF/PRY OFF, and hearT/STENT. But, I got the theme (both parts!) early and that helped greatly with those fills. Thanks, DAB, for a good puzzle to wake me up today.
We passed by the LORELEI on boat tours along the Rhine several times while we lived nearby. And today I learned LOI is French for law (similar to "ley" in Spanish). Thanks, C Moe. Hope you all have an excellent day! (Finished this comment two hours ago, but forgot to post it. What a day so far!)
Musings
-What a brilliant puzzle on every level!
-Poirot would remind us that POMME Frites are Belgian not French
-197 things MSS stands for
-HEAR YE, HEAR YE, It is 2am and Arthur Dimmesdale is just leaving the house of Hester Prynne
-Oh yeah, Toulouse is a city in southern France not just part of an artist’s name
-My new iPhone 11 doesn’t DIE in two hours like my iPhone 6
-When we sailed on the RHINE, I listened for the Siren Song Of The Lorelei. Yeah, I know…
-BISCAY always reminds me of the BISCAYNE which was the bargain basement Chevy model of my ute
-The BBC series The Crown pictures Prince Phillip quite negatively
-TORAH, TORAH, TORAH? Way cool!
Fun puzzle. Realized a letter was missing from each theme phrase, but couldn't grasp the inconsistency. First noticed that it was the 5th letter, then realized they were FIFTH in order. Neat.
Had an unfair advantage on Pomme de Terre as I spent a long weekend camping and fishing there many years ago. IIRC, while there I asked a local about the name and was told it simply means "fruit of the earth". So by extension a pomme can be a generic term for any fruit, but a pomme de terre would grow in the soil.
Potatoes only became known in Europe after the New World was discovered. So none of the European languages had a native word for them. The ones cited above are portmanteaux IMO. English potato came from Taino (Arawak) through the Spanish.
If you have ever sliced a ripe apple and a potato fresh from the ground, they really are very similar. This inspired pomme de terre, I imagine. In honor of our hosts we also have POMME DE TERRE in Minnesota.
very nice puzzle and great write-up
SKORTS do not have pockets
Anon @1045 - - Some features of Land's end SKORTS:
Hidden interior security pocket
Back pocket with invisible zipper
Like its rhyming relative, the tomato, the history of the POTATO had it banned at times as either poisonous or fraught with awful consequences for those who dared to eat them. As the article explains, it was Sir Walter Raleigh who introduced them to Ireland, thus causing the Great Potato Famine.
FIR in 28!! No WOs!! For me, this is a terrific accomplishment. Many Friday CWs end as DNFs. Also, I liked this CW a lot, liked the clues. Thanx very much DAB! POMME was perps. I got the theme, but only after I finished the CW and examined it carefully. My first thought was, unclefred, when did u get so dopey you can’t figure out the theme on a finished CW? Then I figured it out!! COATANGER finally registered as COATHANGER, then the rest fell into place. Very clever, David, especially to get them in proper order! Admirable write-up, thanx, CM!! Especially the witty Moe-Klus. Whenever I’m in the Florida Keys I make a point of stopping at the bar/grill Lorelei’s on Islamorada, although I don’t remember the mile-marker. Decent food and drinks, much of it outside/waterside. Finally got the courage to get on the scale this morning and was horrified to find that as I suspected I’d gained weight over the pandemic. More than I suspected even: 15 pounds! I vow to start a vigorous exercise program immediately....well, right after my siesta.
MM I 'm pretty sure the automobile pictured in your blog is a Ford LTD.
My error. I meant to address this to Chairman Moe.
Fun Friday puzzle--many thanks, David. And Chairman Moe, your pictures were just a delight this morning as was your witty commentary--thanks for that too.
I was just delighted to get the whole bottom area of the puzzle with few problems. I had BISCAY, but kept wondering if it shouldn't be a GOAT ANGER? But then why would a PETA member be angry at a goat--except, maybe, on behalf of a goat?
Loved getting LORELEI for the Rhine Siren, and, Spitboov, as soon as I looked at your lyrics, the melody of the song popped up in my head.
TROJAN horse was a fun clue answer too.
Have a good weekend coming up, everybody.
Enjoyable puzzle! The reveal was puzzling but I finally got it, and it helped with the solve. FIR! Last area to fall was the northwest corner. WOO, BOTTLES, SKORTS ... oh my!
Thanks, C Moe, for an excellent review, and thanks especially for the map of the Bay of Biscay. At the right side of the Bay, you can clearly see a long inlet in France, at the end of which sits the port city of Bordeaux. DH and I wound up there after two weeks of running around France, and were too tired to keep running, so we stayed put for several days and fell in love with the city. Nice to recall.
Anon 10:45
That was a very cheeky picture of Maria Sharapove!
Doh! I didn't think about the theme on my last fills :-(
I had trouble in the SW and, not knowing 40 & 42 downs,...
I guessed BISBAY and GHENR(?) giving me BOAR ANGER which I thought was a pretty cute pun (but, alas, not theme-y). Oh well. It was fast fun Friday.
Thanks for the puzzle DAB - very well executed theme (even if I didn't pay attention to it at the end) and fun cluing ta'boot.
Thanks C. Moe for the most excellent expo. Python two days in a row as well :-)
//The TROJAN Bunny.
WOs: MdE -> MME, tAle -> YARN
ESPs: [see: FIW], LOI, LORELEI, POMME (looked better than POMdE)
Fav: I'll go w/ the CSO to DODO (Hi D-O!)
LOTTO - I call it the "stupid tax." It's levied on folks that can't math. I played once with an office pool (it was the 'BIG one' and everyone chipped in $10) -- I figured it'd really suck if they won and I was the only one left in the office on Thursday.
Bluehen - lovely to read you (and your dinner plans!) again.
You too AveJoe!
Lizza - ~10 years ago Pop redid his kitchen. First, he took apart the kitchen and re-built it into the "Cucina" in the basement (a fully functional kitchen - he now has two kitchens!). Then he finished demo upstairs and built his vision.
Took him about 3 months (even moved the window a bit to the left!). He did have the countertop and cabinets professionally installed.
Not only is it beautiful, it's functional (and a great room to hang in while the marinara is melding).
Here it is w/ Tinker checking out Christmas pizzelles.
Enjoy your new space(s)!
Last night I was watching Thursday Mysteries on PBS. At 10p Unforgotten started and, even after an hour(!), I stayed with it waiting for the show to tell me if I correctly guessed who the killer was.
Whaaa!!! An hour & 1/2 in and it ends? And there's another episode?
OH, GOD no - I'm not wasting another 1.5hrs. //even if it was a nice quiet BBC programme.
Enjoyed reading everyone -- have a wonderful Friday afternoon y'all.
Cheers, -T
Good afternoon everyone! A suitably crunchy Friday outing. I got the “missing letter” part of the theme, but needed C-Moe’s review to appreciate the multiple layers. Thanks for the fun, DAB.
EPODES was unfamiliar to me, but easily perped. Thanks for the LORELEI poem, Spitz. For this novice student of German, it was a great exercise – I actually understood a good bit of it before peeking at the translation. Favorite clue/answer today was Heresies? = HOLY ERRORS. A few years back we made a visit to the Hoover DAM while on a trip to Las Vegas. The tour was very impressive! I don’t play the LOTTO except for buying a few scratch-off tickets as stocking stuffers at Christmas.
Earlier this week Lucina asked people’s opinion about the guest hosts on Jeopardy. For me the only clunker so far has been Dr. Oz; I find him a bit abrasive. Aaron Rodgers has been a pleasant surprise. There is a petition going around in favor of LaVar Burton as the permanent host. I could certainly get behind that campaign. I think he’d be a great fit with the show.
Have a wonderful weekend all!
Wees!
Must claim a DNF.
While I got the missing letters = fifth,
It never occurred to me that each letter in fifth is the
Fifth letter in the theme answers.
I might have looked longer at the theme if not for the total personal Natick
Of pomme crossing mme, which caused me to go "meh!" And hit reveal rather than bother with an
Alphabet run for the missing "M"
Hmm,
Just realized that if you type, and look at "fifth" enough times,
It becomes one of those words that lose all meaning..
A psychological phenomenon called semantic satiation...
Also, be careful how you word it when taking the fifth,
it might take on more meaning than you intended...
Hola!
Fabulous Friday puzzle! Thank you, DAB and CMoe. I like how you interspersed your commentary with MoeKus. Fun!
I finished this some time ago but my sister called and we had a long chat so could not get here right away.
SKORTS would never make it to my closet! I don't like them.
DODO brings memories of the California "coven" and my visits with them. She was a lovely hostess and procured extra tickets for the dining room in anticipation of our visit. She lived in a beautiful retirement complex in Stockton.
HOLY ERRORS really made me chuckle.
Spitz and Misty, that is so lovely that you have a connection through language.
On one of my trips to Spain we traveled along the northern coast which borders the Bay of BISCAY and I tasted fava soup for the first time. It's beautiful country.
INTONE, of course, takes me back to convent days when we chanted the Divine Office (prayers) every day.
I love PBJS!
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
Lizza:
My sympathies to you on your kitchen re-do. I went through that about 25 years ago and still recall the inconvenience which lasted one very long week! But it's so nice after it's finished!
A late friend of my mother had two kitchens. She used the one in the basement so that the upper one would stay clean! All the appliances upstairs were in pristine condition. After she died I assume her children had the benefit of using them. She lived in Flagstaff and I never returned to visit.
This was a typical Friday grid...tough.
Second day in a row that I couldn’t get a foothold in the NW, had to skip around for the solve,
Write-overs...VIE/WOO, WEAKER/MEEKER, UNOS/AGES, EROS/ARES, ERE/EER, RUBOFF/PRYOFF.
Now I want Weiner schnitzel, haven’t had that in a while. It reminded me of Hart’s Turkey Farm, I went there mid-70’s and had the Schnitzel, it was great...made me look, they no longer offer it, but still in business, 67 years.
Please Stay Safe.
Fabulous Friday. Thanks for the fun, David & CMoe.
I had to work for it but I FIRed, got the theme (yes, in two ways!) and smiled broadly.
Were OATH, PLEA, and LOI Easter eggs in the legal theme today?
I thought COAT ANGER was the weakest of the themers because of the different pronunciations of Hanger and ANGER. But still a great construction.
NW corner was the last to fill (hello Bob Lee); this Canadian entered AOL instead of ATT, did not know Ego, and had Vie before WOO (hello IM & Spitz) (wrong kind of winning!). Plus I wanted Agars in that lab kit. Parsing NOT OK finally broke it open.
I thought of Siren for 21A Fire alarm, but we had Siren in the clue for 41D. Plus the ? made me rethink. (LORELEI needed perps to verify my spelling re A's and E's.)
I thought of Orthotic but INSOLE fit the shoe; poked did not fit but GOADED did.
Tale changed to YARN (and I smiled at "spin").
VW was my first thought, but then I tripped over to LSD.
Thanks CMoe for expanding on Potemkin, and EPODES vs. Odes, and for the map showing the Bay of BISCAY. I like it when the blogger saves me from LIUing something unknown to me.
Yes IM, you beat me to correcting CMoe - MME is the abbreviation for Madame (Mlle for Mademoiselle) (and I have enough familiarity with French to WAG POMME even though I have never heard of the place!)
Speaking of NTH degrees, FLN, Uncle Fred @12:04, I too thought of CPA before MBA for the CFO's degree. But CPA is actually a certification (Chartered Professional Accountant designation) and not an actual degree. (Unless the meaning is different in the U.S.A.)
Bluehen - we will all be on your doorstep for that wonderful meal. What time?? (Sadly, they won't let me across the border!)
Wishing you all a great day.
Die Lorelei[Chinese version] for Jayce and C.C.
We used to have a Polish neighbor who had two kitchens. The one in the basement is the one they used and where they spent the evening.
One of my colleagues built a fancy new house with an ultra fancy kitchen. She didn't like to cook and wanted to keep the kitchen pristine, so she always ordered to go from gourmet shops. I believe she never did use that kitchen for cooking.
When I was very young a few people still had formal parlors which were only used for visitors. My family was large and didn't have enough space for a set aside parlor. The custom seemed strange to us. Our relatives never practiced it, at least in my lifetime.
David and Motoko remolded their while house a good many years ago. They used a PODS unit to store a lot of furniture. The house was torn up for months, but the result was lovely.
I would like to cook German potato salad, but it is a lot of work for one person. Alan prefers regular potato salad.
Time for happy hour courtesy of the Oaks, usually twice a month. HG, not really free. We pay a hefty price monthly to live here.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn that I read recently (and recommended to fellow-readers) is fiction but has some basis in British life in the 1940s. Interesting references to Prince Philip. RIP.
Super puzzle! I love when I finally get the theme at the reveal...especially when it's the last entry I fill in!
Puzzling thoughts:
IM —> yes, MME should have been blogged as Madame. My bad. I kinda rushed through the blog earlier this week as I had a lot of personal items on my plate.
“Spoiler Alert” —> we bloggers get the puzzles a week in advance. I had mine set up to publish today since this past Monday, and I never did a final “proofread”.
Anon Don —> yes, that’s an LTD. IIRC I found a 1968 model in decent condition!! And for the record, I too will respond to “MM”; I parse that as MOE MAN!
Dash T —> I am always thinking if you whenever a Monty Python or Mel Brooks clip is appropriate
Lucina—> glad you enjoyed the Moe-kus and Moe-klus!
BTW, I just started using the pool now that we’ve had a couple of weeks of warmer weather. Water temp is 76-77 which is plenty warn and refreshing.
Enjoy the weekend!
PT two:
For any of those with iPhones or other devices that may not show all of my video links, please scroll down to the bottom of the blog and press the "Web Version" button and you'll see the videos. Thanks TTP for this reminder ...
C.Moe - yesterday we had a Life of Brian clip [sure, 'aside from the aqueducts and sanitation, what have the Romans done for us?'] which is the best movie almost never made [how a Beatle financed it].
In my book, Life of Brian is #1 GOAT. #FunnyAndMakesYouThink
#2? Blazing Saddle. Brooks & Pryor -- total F*ing comic geniuses.
-T
I liked working on this puzzle. So well constructed!
I also very much enjoyed reading Chairman Moe's writeup, and appreciate the time and effort he obviously put into writing it.
Many languages invent new words or phrases to refer to things that are not native, as Spitzboov pointed out, hence POMME de Terre in French. In Chinese, for example, a telephone (which in English basically means sound at a distance) is diànhuà (电话), literally electric speech. In Japanese, the word for pants is zubon (ずぼん) which is borrowed from from French jupon. And so on.
Speaking of French, their language police will not allow the adoption of English words for high-tech things. For example, computer is ordinateur, computer science is informatique, and data is les données (literally, the given, the donated.)
Speaking of language, note that loi (law) and roi (king) in French, and ley (law) and rey (king) in Spanish come from Latin lex and rex.
But enough of that.
Good wishes to you all.
Speaking of Spitzboov, thank you for that version of Die Lorelei.
Re: Romans
What about paved roads? The Roman Road in Europe is still used with some modern tweaking, as I understand it.
Is anyone else watching the trial for George Floyd's death? It's so interesting to see the style of the different attorneys and how some try to put words into the witness's mouth!
Also, according to some documentaries I've seen, they either invented or perfected cement.
To everyone: I really enjoy this blog. I sense you are a very nice, very good group of people.
As to our reno, I disappeared to my son’s house in PA for the demo for four days.Wanted no part of it whatsoever. Then disappeared to MN to other son’s house just to get away from it all. So many people in our house all the time. Believe me we lucked out with a very good contractor, plumber, electrician, carpenters, painters, and flooring company. You get what I mean I m sure. I can’t wait until I can just get up in the morning and roam around in my jammies. Thanks YR Anon-T Lucina for sharing your reno experiences. I really shouldn’t complain, it will be quite nice when all is done.
I do have one personal nit that is aggravating enough
(To me)
To rant about here on the Blog.
(Only because this is the place where people solve puzzles....)
Skorts!
Both I and spellcheck hate them!
Have you ever tried to fold a skort fresh out of the dryer so it doesn't wrinkle?
(It makes folding a fitted sheet seem like child's play)
In an effort to be helpful, I even googled how to fold a skort.
Both YouTube and the internet are devoid of any information in the subject.
I mean they come out of the dryer rearranged into 4 or 5 dimensions
So that it is impossible to even find a starting point.
I try to find the belt line but the shorts are inside out and when you outside them in
The skirt is in side out, but when you fix the skirt, the shorts are outside in!
My main method of dealing with this phenomenon
Is to scrunch them into a ball and throw them across the room in frustration...
To CED: I have a very strong dislike for skorts as well! Ugh. Either a skirt or a pair of shorts, not both. And yes, they are very difficult to iron, they just never look nice and neat. Same thing with folding a fitted sheet. The worst! Life’s problems should be so tough. I think we’ll survive these dilemnas. 😊
Lucina, I have been keeping up to date on reports about the Derek Chauvin trial but have not been watching it live. All the classic techniques trial lawyers use to prosecute and defend can be easily discerned, such as, as you point out, trying to put words into the witnesses' mouths.
I confess I have never tried to fold a skort. In fact, I have never laid hands on one.
I have had only one skort in my life and I used to hang it after washing it. Since I have owned many other types of skirts I have hangers with clips on them and they hold up both skirts and skorts nicely. I never liked skorts so gave them away a long time ago. Shorts are the summer costume here so I have a drawer full of those. Luckily they all still fit and I shall need them for the next six months!
Because I visited MN recently, the local Minneapolis news coverage was non-stop over this trial. Still so very horrible to witness this event. I have no background in law at all, but I sadly have a feeling that the police officer involved will get off due to reasonable doubt. Makes me really dislike defense attorneys.
Hey Lucina! I love the fact you can still wear shorts especially in your lovely warm climate. Just great 👍 😊
Sipping a very nice Benrinnes (a Port Charlotte would have worked very nicely, too. No Clynelish on the shelf but Compass Box often uses it liberally in their wonderful blended malts) and reading the blog. Great write-up of a difficult puzzle to explain. Moe is correct at 20 Down. I, too, know all the words.
MM, hah !
I'm sipping an 'OK' beer, and trying to not scratch. In the "no good deed goes unpunished" department, I'm paying now, and will be for the next couple of weeks after helping an older neighbor clean up one of her gardens.
As I wrote to Chairman Moe earlier in a sidebar, I now have contact dermatitis from Toxidendron foliage.
Because of my personal reaction to it, (YMMY) I have to take prednisone, but can't now as it reduces the efficacy of the Covid vaccines. I'm due for the second shot in ten days, so the normal (for me) Medrol dose pack is out of the question.
This too shall pass.
Who knew that cashews could be so tasty and their cousins be so painful ?
Cashews are in the Sumac family. I've always eaten them with some reservation.
Lucina asked about the Jeopardy trier-outers. I prefer Aaron Rodgers or Mike Richards. Didn't care for Mehmet Oz. Rodgers's voice has nearly the right timbre for broadcast. I think there are several guest hosts still to come. Whomever they pick, it'll take some getting used to; Alex was so iconic.
I have never touche>d a skort, or at least never an empty one. They clearly were not intended to please men
Speaking of pleasing/displeasing men, Prince Phillip's death was not a surprise, but it does make me curious if this group (a) watched THE CROWN ; and if so, what did they think of the character as portrayed in the series? Season One and Two was the young Phillip, and Season Three and Four were middle-aged Phillip. Both actors seemed genuinely saddened by the death LINK . I only watched the first tow years, as I have had enough of TOBIAS MENZIES from his portrayal of BRUTUS in HBO's ROME and his dual roles in OUTLANDER .
-T, as borderline infinite the chances of winning the big one, the chances of winning without a ticket are infinity***(squared)
Lucina, I liked Gregorian chant too however brief my parochial days were*
Spitz, Chinese version is excellent. Next, the French version for Wilbur and ?
Re. Chauvin. Is there an unbiased source? I can't help think of the 90s trial of police in LA who beat a black man to death. Not guilty. Have times changed?
Then again the Simpson jury stuck it right back to the police.
I never seem to turn on Jeopardy. I caught the recap of a contestant asking Aaron about the decision to kick FG on 4th down.
Who was it that mentioned Redsox debacle to open the Season? They then rattle off four in a row. I see I can't help rooting for Sox vs Rays - pulling that pitcher in the WS turned the tide on that.
WC
Ps, I've completed Saturday so no self respecting solver should quit. My new barometer on difficulty is double digit posts by 9am EDT. I think I'll compose my comment now and post when I can. Having said that, my big thrill in life** is FIR on Sat
'Wilbur why did you leave St Thomas?'
"There were seven reasons, the first of which is they threw me out". 'That is enough for thee and for me***
**A very dull life you say,?
*** From "The White Company" by AC Doyle
Lorelei in French. I will need lyrics to understand it
WC
Oops, that was a disaster. Apparently not only is Lorelei a pop group but there's pip tunes with that name
But I'm leaving it in
Lemonade, I dont watch much TV at all, sports or anything else, including the news or the weather.
Que sera, sera.
But I did watch The Crown, only recently, and faithfully, all the way through.
And I thought the young Liz was quite delightful. even when, and after, she became Queen. The Wiki articles on her real life, and the entire TV series itself, is well presented, in great detail, and above all, FAIR.
The series, Netflix ?, spent a lot of money, $15 million per episode ?, to be near authentic, and it shows. The display of sheer wealth and the way the aristocrats and royalty spend their otherwise, rather-empty lives, is very thought provoking.
Although I am rather contemptuous of royalty, even the english kind, I thought Liz was well behaved, conscientious, and especially aware of her constitutional limitations. Her sister was something else, and an excellent reason why monarchy IMO is a useless institution, and IMO has no value at all. We, in the US, seem to do very well without it....
Prince Phillip on the other hand is not shown to be, a nice person, as depicted in the series, and I have read, about him, in real life, that he had numerous affairs, involving hundreds of love letters, ( which were later on, auctioned off by his ex-lovers !!! ) ...... which, in his position, is absolutely unforgivable. He owed All of his fame to his marriage, otherwise he was a titular Nobody ! But the TV series shows him to be bored out of his mind, perpetually resentful and very insecure, because he had to play second fiddle.... I have met other husbands in such circumstances, and he is not unique in that respect.
But, I had hoped he would live to be a 100 plus, if only because I have actually, only met one person, in real life, who has passed the 100 mark.. But, I guess it was not to be.
For the record, forgive me for my TMI, thats just the way I write.
And I responded ONLY because Lemonade asked the question, at this late hour,
and I did not think anybody else would respond,
so I did want to respond, in some detail to him.
No other interest.
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