Theme: Stagecraft. The last lines of the theme entries construct a PLAY, from the ground up.
20 A. Reveal more than is acceptable, say: CROSS THE LINE. Go to far, in almost any context
36 A. Bicker in public, say: CAUSE A SCENE. Who would ever do this?
42 A. Avoid involvement: REFUSE TO ACT. See no evil, avoid taking a side.
54 A. Miss a bunt sign, say: BOTCH THE PLAY. Any sort of offensive or defensive mis-play in a sport
And the unifier: 63. The four longest Across answers can cause it, and their last words suggest it: DRAMA.
Each entry, in order, specifies a larger portion of a theatrical production - though, since all the world's a stage, DRAMA can ensue independently with any of the theme clues.
Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa here to direct our way through this presentation. Let's not miss any cues.
1. Yearn: LONG. Earnestly desire something
5. Son of Homer: BART. On the long-running Simpsons TV show
9. New Zealand bird: KIWI.
13. Decorate: ADORN. Presumably enhance the beauty of.
15. Son of Isaac: ESAU. Biblical twin.
16. Turkmenistan neighbor: IRAN. In Western Asia,
17. Homeland of Heraclitus: IONIA. An ancient region on the central part of the western coast of Anatolia in present-day Turkey,
18. The Heritage Foundation, for one: THINK TANK. A research institute that advocates for program actions regarding economics, social policy, political strategy, etc.
22. Philosopher __-tzu: LAO. Commonly rendered as "Old Master," a semi-legendary figure taught to have live in either the 4th or 6th century BCE. Read about him here.
23. Miami-to-Kingston dir.: SSE. South-south-east to Jamaica.
24. Texting format, for short: SMS. Short Message Service.
27. __-bitty: ITTY. Teeny tiny.
30. H.S. record: GPA. Grade Point Average from your Time in High School.
33. "Can we do this?": IS IT OK? Are we allowed?
35. Crow call: CAW. Sound of crows - if there is a crow call roll call, it could lead to murder.
38. Island greeting: ALOHA. In Hawaii
40. Chiefs' org.: NFL. Kansas City tea in the National Football League.
41. Chillingly strange: EERIE. Disturbingly mysterious.
45. Bottom line: NET. The final total of a balance sheet or other financial document.
46. Password preceder: USER I D. You need both to get past a pay wall.
47. Messenger __: RNA. A single-stranded molecule of RNA that corresponds to the genetic sequence of a gene, and is read by a ribosome in the process of synthesizing a protein.
48. Reel holders: RODS. Fishing gear
49. Sun. speech: SERmon, delivered in church.
50. Never, to Nietzsche: NIE. German.
52. Biol. or ecol.: SCI. Sciences.
60. Sleeveless undergarments: CAMISOLES. Usually made of satin , nylon, silk or cotton
64. Track shape: OVAL. A closed planar curve having a long axis and a short axis.
65. Hindu deity: RAMA. The 7th avatar of Vishnu. {more]
66. Peter, vis-‡-vis pumpkins: EATER. From a nursery rhyme about revenge on a wayward wife.
67. Like some basements: DANK. Dark, cold and damp.
68. Recipe verb: STIR. Blend with mixing device.
69. Await judgment: PEND. Remain undecided.
Down:
1. Not clerical: LAIC. Not of the clergy.
2. Skunk tipoff: ODOR. The unpleasant aroma of butyl mercaptan.
3. Taboo: NONO. Something to not do.
4. Like details that make you go "Eww!": GRISLY.
5. One of the March sisters: BETH. She dies during the course of Little Women, an 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott
6. Arthur of tennis: ASHE. Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. [1943-1993] won three grand slam singles titles, and was the first black player selected to the U.S. Davis Cup team.
7. Train tracks: RAILS.
8. North African country: TUNISIA. The northernmost country in Africa, along the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Algeria to the west and Lybia to the east.
Mandatory
9. Toy on a string: KITE. Or could be a yoyo, as I first thought .
10. George's lyricist: IRA. The Gershwin brothers
11. Pale: WAN. In an unhealthy way.
12. Printer fluid: INK.
14. "Apollo 11" org.: NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research.
19. Israeli parliament: KNESSET. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the president and prime minister (although the latter is ceremonially appointed by the President), approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government. In addition, the Knesset elects the state comptroller.
21. Frat party garb: TOGA. The toga, a distinctive garment of ancient Rome, was a roughly semicircular cloth, between 12 and 20 feet in length, draped over the shoulders and around the body. It was usually woven from white wool, and was worn over a tunic
24. Fondue fuel: STERNO. Jellied denatured alcohol in a can, used for buffet heating.
25. Affluent: MONIED. Wealthy.
26. Robot companion of superhero Booster Gold: SKEETS. More here, in case you care.
27. Wax-winged flier of myth: ICARUS. He flew too close to the sun. Could this be a metaphor?
10. George's lyricist: IRA. The Gershwin brothers
11. Pale: WAN. In an unhealthy way.
12. Printer fluid: INK.
14. "Apollo 11" org.: NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research.
19. Israeli parliament: KNESSET. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the president and prime minister (although the latter is ceremonially appointed by the President), approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government. In addition, the Knesset elects the state comptroller.
21. Frat party garb: TOGA. The toga, a distinctive garment of ancient Rome, was a roughly semicircular cloth, between 12 and 20 feet in length, draped over the shoulders and around the body. It was usually woven from white wool, and was worn over a tunic
24. Fondue fuel: STERNO. Jellied denatured alcohol in a can, used for buffet heating.
25. Affluent: MONIED. Wealthy.
26. Robot companion of superhero Booster Gold: SKEETS. More here, in case you care.
27. Wax-winged flier of myth: ICARUS. He flew too close to the sun. Could this be a metaphor?
28. "Unto the Sons" memoirist: TALESE. Gay Talese [b 1932] started as a sports writer in high school, and as a journalist for The New York Times and Esquire magazine during the 1960s, he helped to define contemporary literary journalism.
29. BOGO offering: TWOFER. Buy One, Get One [at no extra charge}: two for the prices of one.
31. Fourth-down play: PUNT. In American football, a play that gives up the ball by kicking it down the field to give the opposing team a less advantageous position.
32. Concerning: AS FOR. In regard to
34. Drink cooler: ICE. Frozen water.
36. Foxwoods and Caesars: CASINOS. Gambling establishments. Remember - odds always favor the house.
37. Vigorous spirit: ELAN. Energy, style and enthusiasm.
39. Ben-__: HUR. An epic 1959 film set in A.D. 26 about a Jewish prince in Jerusalem betrayed into slavery by a Roman commander who was his childhood friend. After that, DRAMA happens.
43. Masthead names: EDITORS. The masthead is a printed list, published in a fixed position in each edition, of a publication's owners, departments, officers, contributors and address details.
44. Credit alternative: CASH. Money handed over.
48. Breakwater material: RIPRAP. Loose stone piled in place to prevent shore erosion.
51. Dazzling display: ECLAT. Brilliant success.
53. Surrender, as land: CEDE. To yield or grant, typically by treaty.
54. Defraud: BILK. Cheat.
55. Prefix with sphere: HEMI. Indicating half of
56. Winter Palace resident: TSAR. Pre- WWI Russian despot.
57. Of __: recently: LATE. Currently
58. Congregation cry: AMEN. Utterance at the end of a prayer, meaning "so be it."
59. Very tall beer glass: YARD.
60. "Sacred" fish carving in the Massachusetts State House: COD. Read about it here.
61. "Selma" director DuVernay: AVA. Ava Marie DuVernay [b 1972] is an American filmmaker. She won the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her second feature film Middle of Nowhere, becoming the first black woman to win the award.
62. Hombre: MAN. Spanish
And so we draw the curtain on another Wednesday. Hope you found it worth the price of admission.
Cool regards!
JzB
47 comments:
From IONIA came HERACLITUS
Who hated MAN and would not unite us.
A misanthrope,
Yet wisdom spoke.
He cared for others not the slightest.
To keep the river from their land,
They piled rock RIPRAP with ELAN!
The village plat
Fared with ECLAT,
And without floods, which was the plan!
The laundry was hung out to dry.
The woman did it, not the guy.
In those old days,
With their He-MAN ways,
Than CROSS THE clothes-LINE, they'd rather die!
{B, B+, B+.}
Good morning!
Anybody else start with ACHE, and then had to grab the Wite-Out? I hate when that happens. Even worse, d-o labored to produce a Wednesday DNF. I really hate when that happens. IS IT ON? gave me SNEETS for the robot's name -- looked OK to moi. Along the way I had to WAG the second S in SMS, and originally tried H for that F in NFL. The Chiefs are a football team? Who knew? At least, I immediately inked in BART as the son of Homer. That's a small comfort. Thanx, Winston (long time, no see) and JzB. (Learning moment: Skunk odor is related to the odor added to gas.)
Taxing day. Perhaps the last one.
Quick and easy except my quandary between ISITOK and ISITOn. I chose correctly, almost blindly. I saw the them for a change.
Good morning!
Nice Wednesday puzzle. No complaints from me.
Montana
A return visit from Winston, our harvard educated retired teacher etc. who moved near to our world in Boynton Beach. With his educational background it was not a surprise to see an extensive mini-theme of Philosophy and Philosophers. We have:
17A. Homeland of Heraclitus: IONIA. An ancient region on the central part of the western coast of Anatolia in present-day Turkey.
18A. The Heritage Foundation, for one: THINK TANK. A research institute that advocates for program actions regarding economics, social policy, political strategy, etc..
22A. Philosopher __-tzu: LAO. Commonly rendered as "Old Master," a semi-legendary figure taught to have live in either the 4th or 6th century BCE. Read about him here. I think he was a time contempory of HERACLITUS . and,
50D. Never, to Nietzsche: NIE. German.
I also was not familiar with SKEETS or RIPRAP but I was OK, not ON.
Welcome back Winston, and JzB you remain a master
Wonder of wonders, a Wednesday puzzle with no WOs. An enjoyable puzzle from Winston (not your first appearance here?) which I FIR! With the reveal I got the theme. Nice job. Thanks to Jazz B for explaining things.
BART took me a minute since I thought of an earlier Homer first. I liked BILK, not often used in puzzles.
FLN Congratulations on your 20th anniversary, C.C. and Boomer! Hope you all had a nice day.
And I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!
Good morning everyone.
Wanted to start with 'ache' but scanned the downs and LAIC loomed; followed by ODOR. Filled in LONG and we were out of the chute, on our way. Thought this was easy for a Wednesday; especially the theme fill. WAGged the S in SMS, which was already WAGged in SKEETS which I also did not know. Phew; avoided the black hole of a potential Natick. NIE came easily.
NIE - is also L. German for 'never'. But in L. German it can also mean 'new'. I learnt about context early.
Thanks JzB for escorting us into the day.
Off to play some bridge.
Hola!
So few comments?
I whipped right through this puzzle and was impressed to see the theme. Like Spitz, I checked 1A and 1D to avoid errors. BART is now part of the American lexicon and I know the Simpsons' characters without having seen the show. Ironic to have the modern son, BART and the ancient one, ESAU.
I hate to CAUSE A SCENE and will avoid one at all costs.
SKEETS emerged with guessing and perps.
RIPRAP is a new term for me.
KNESSET came to mind immediately for some reason.
PUNT/NFL could have been a Natick for me but the perps were fair.
Thank you, Winston Emmons and JazzBumpa! You always add to my store of knowledge.
Enjoy a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!
If there's NIE Bogo I NIE buy
FIW on SnOOTER/OK. IS IT ON was an OK answer(as D-O agrees) and I wasn't familiar with Booster Gold. The latter clue makes up for TALESE vv the new clueing philosophy.
Dear Boston, the home of the bean and the COD
Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots
And Cabots talk only to God
An OK Wed except it wasn't completely OK. I'm going to the doctor at 1130. I've had the j&j vaccine but symptoms are covidy. Painful sore throat. Not sure if it's the GULLET or tonsils
WC
Congrats to the newlyweds. My wedding was 1986
"Tuesdayish" puzzle today. I liked the way the theme answers built from a line to a whole play.
The first R suggested RIPRAP, fun to say, which makes it memorable.
I hadn't a clue about SMS. The SM was perped and the possible Natick at the last S was wagged. SKEETS was ESP. No other unknowns.
BART was perped before I thought of the Simpsons. DOH! I was in ancient Greece at first.
KITE reminds me of The Kite Runner. I read the novel twice and watched the movie.
CC and Boomer, congratulations on your 20th wedding anniversary.
Modern fashions have such low necklines that they sometimes CROSS THE LINE for high busted women. Camisoles ae a blessing.
Last night 15 minutes before my guests arrived I knocked a glass bottle of soy sauce off the pantry shelf. Of course, the bottle broke. I got the mess cleaned up before anyone arrived. This morning I tried to lighten the tan color of my white grout. I was semi successful, but the stained grout is way way back under the pantry shelves.
Good Morning:
This was a very enjoyable solve with a double theme to boot! After filling in Line and Scene, I saw a play theme coming, but to have all the themer phrases equate to Drama and the last words making up a Drama was a terrific reveal, a gimmick I don’t ever remember seeing. Lots of fun duos, too: Rama/Drama, SSE/SMS, Fer/For, Elan/Eclat, and Cod/Rod(s). I liked Punt crossing NFL and the added Yard. Skeets and Riprap were unknown but perped easily enough. CSO to HG at NASA.
Thanks a lot and kudos, Winston, for a delightful drama and thanks, JazB, for your fine direction and deconstruction!
FLN
Anon T, I hope Pops survived his traveling nightmare in one piece!
CanadianEh, guilty as charged for the 3 letter words sin!
Chairman Moe, IIRC, the theme and theme answers were all CC’s idea.
YR, I am so pleased that you are as content as can be in your new surroundings. Enjoy every minute, you deserve it. I would like to make the same move but the buy-in at the facility I’m interested in is too steep, unless I’m willing to accept a very small apartment. I’m willing to downsize from my present townhouse of 1500 sq. ft., but not to 550 sq. ft.
Thanks again, everyone, for yesterday’s kind words about our puzzle.
Have a great day.
This was a nice fast run for a Wednesday - some were definitely in my wheelhouse - I solved the puzzle wearing my Kansas City CHIEFS Tshirt from when they won the Super Bowl in 2020.
NIE - made me think of the "Knights who say Ni" from Monty Python and the Holy Grail - their "Ni" always meant no or never!
The overall theme made me think of OMK!
Thanks JzB and Winston!
From the Corner archive department, this is Winston's 9th LAT publication.
I know there are others here who watch and enjoy NCIS, so I am curious what you thought of the 4 episode arc to end the season which had Mrs. Mark Harmon PAM DAWBER playing the newspaper reporter following Gibbs around to pursue the story? I also would like our resident thespians, especially Becky for her female perspective, to provide insight into the challenges/benefits of working with a significant other. Pam who made her career in situation comedy seemed at home in the part.
Thank you Agnes for the update on the creation of yesterdays fun puzzle.
BTW, by my count, yesterday was the 27th published collaboration put together by C.C. and Irish Miss.
Musings
-A triple gimmick! Dramatic events ending phrases of possible dramatic events, which are in sequence for a drama. Wow!
-SMS texting has greatly enhanced communication in our family
-This girl running on the state track OVAL scored enough points by herself to put my hometown of 1,500 people #4 in the overall standings amid the Omaha and Lincoln schools.
-George’s fabulous Rhapsody In Blue required no lyrics from brother IRA
-The ODOR of STENO is common to graduation receptions this time of year
-Buy One Get One – At no extra cost is not free
-Omaha’s Triple A baseball team is going “cashless” this summer
-We had no alternative but to use a credit card for $3 parking at grandson’s graduation Sunday
Rapid fill from top to bottom but DNF for one unknown letter at the end of the SE corner.. RIPRA_ crossed with _ END.. (RIPRAP? wha?) (PEND = lean). ☹...Even a preschool alphabet run didn't work 🔠 ...." The river is overflowing get more RIPRAP" "What? more riffraff? river rats?"😄
Inanehiker, I thought of those Knights too..😃
Inkovers: sub/SCI, asper/ASFOR,
Booster Gold? who?....This time it's EERIE and NOT the Great Lake. Only "sacred fish" I know is Holy Mackerel 🐟.
Didn't hold onto "brassieres", 🤭🤭🤭 the perps didn't work. (heard the term but have to look up CAMISOLES, [camera hidden inside an umbrella?]).. Wonder if Peter liked zucchini as well.🤔 Is shoe polish made from KIWI?😆
more nonsense 😳...
John of Spain.....WAN.
Definite negative...STERNO.
It was Ben, not ____ HUR.
Don't bother telling Dad _____ already. ...CASINOS.
One of 52 in Western Massachusetts....COD.
Couldn't cook on Christmas Eve cuz not a creature would ___ ...STIR.
A true story? or ____ ? ...ISITOK.
🌺🌺🌺🌺
🌺Aloha 🌺
🌺🌺🌺🌺
I met my husband when he cast me in a movie that shot here, in Park City. I proposed, we married four weeks later, now it's been 40 years! Who knew? They were taking bets in post production that he would back out at the last minute.
He's a writer/ producer/ director -- a triple threat. He's directed me in a lot of things and there is such a feeling of comfort in that. Of ease. We make each other laugh a lot which can only be a good thing. And he thinks I'm a good actor and I think he's a good director so there's that.
I have a feeling that acting with someone to whom you've been happily married is much the same. That's grammatically correct, but stilted, right?
Lemony, I could no more blog one of these crosswords than I could walk on water or lose 20 pounds, but thanks for the thought.
Becky
Zouqin has been busy. She has another USA Today puzzle called "Doorsteps" published either today or tomorrow
IRA was known as the "Jeweler " for his precious lyrics
"Only "sacred fish" I know is Holy Mackerel 🐟."
If you followed the link says that Senate's fish
WC
This was a romp, and I liked the theme. SKEETS was unknown but perped nicely. RIPRAP was also unknown, and I wasn't certain that PEND was right, but it all worked out.
Many thanks to Winston, to Rich, to JzB, all y'all, and happy anniversary to C.C. and Boomer!
Delightful Wednesday puzzle, Winston--manageable but clever, many thanks. And thanks for your commentary, JazzB.
Didn't I predict that Arthur ASHE would be back, before too long? And here he is again, today--always a pleasure to see him. And, in addition to that, I got BETH right away too--hey, I know my March girls.
The only word that still puzzles me is YARD for a tall beer glass. Never heard of that, but, of course, I'm a Merlot drinker, not a beer drinker. Looked it up, and can't believe how tall those skinny YARDs are: one of the pictures shows a guy drinking from one that looks to be three or four feet tall!
Nice poems, Owen.
Have a great day, everybody.
Hi Y'all! Thanks to Winston & JzB for an enjoyable romp. Liked all the DRAMA.
Since I once did so-called "clerical" work in offices, I waited for perps to see if a religious cleric was meant.
RIPRAP: knew this from years ago when the dam was built that later formed the lake near my hometown. Big dump trucks full of huge rocks were LINEd up on our main highway for miles going between the quarry and the earthen dam base. The rocks called RIPRAP were dumped over the dirt to keep the water from eroding it. 55 years later it is still holding.
DNK: SKEETS, ECLAT, SMS, RAMA, IONIA, NIE, YARD (a YARD of beer sounds like a heck of a drunk to me). ESP
Algeria before TUNISIA.
Proud to get KNESSET first try & spell it right. With Israel so much in the news, it should be a gimmee.
"looks to be three or four feet tall" -- guess that's why they call it a "yard," Misty.
I wrinkled my nose at TROTS THE LINE... should be 'toes', no? Ah, good reason it stinks;... I FIW. I had lait (short for laity?), and GRITTY details | TAO seemed OK. :-(
Hi All!
Thanks Winston for the puzzle. I enjoyed the solve and the theme.
Thanks JzB for the expo and pointing out the errors of my fill.
WOs: N/A (unfortunately :-))
ESPs: SKEETS, NIE | RAMA | ECLAT [lucky WAGs], RIPRAP
Fav: BETH [Kiss 3:41 (go ahead WC, you might like it :-))]
{B+, B+, A}
SMS... Format? More of a protocol [see: RFC5724].
Anyone read Chefs' organization and think CIA? No, just us dyslexics?
IM - Pop got home (finally!) around 9p. Now he's complaining the grass grew too much while he was out of town. He's out there mowing it now and sent me a "mid-way" picture. He might as well be bailing it :-)
Hi Montana! Long time, no read.
Misty - A moron and a YARD of ale. [:29]
Play later.
Cheers, -T
Very nice Wednesday CW, clever cluing and nice theme, thanx, WE. Only two W/Os RHEA:KIWI which was a dopey error on my part, and BOTCHTHEKICK:BOTCHTHEPLAY again a dopey error since this was the reveal and I should have figured it out before filling wrong. But both got corrected with perps and common sense to let me FIR in 20 minutes. Kind of a sad commentary that we think of a cartoon when we think of Homer instead of the Ancient Greek author. I knew the word RIPRAP from living in Jacksonville, where I bought a house on an unimproved canal and had a sea wall and dock built. My neighbor used unstructured RIPRAP to secure his canal bank, and built a dock over the top of it. JzB really nice write-up, thanx. I always learn something from your write-ups.
Desper-otto and Anon T--thanks for your comments on my YARD. You've almost got me thirsty for a YARD of beer.
Er....3 feet in a yard.
This Wednesday go filled quickly and without issue…except for 26D, both the clue and the fill, of which I had never heard.
Filled with crosses so no problem.
No write-overs today.
“That’s why they call it a yard”…almost had coffee come out my nose.
Stay safe.
A pleasant enough PZL for Humpday. Thank you, Mr. Emmons. And thanks to JzB for the fine response!
In a rush today, preparing for a visit from my Arkansas-based son and his wife.
~ OMK
____________
DR: Two diagonals, one per side.
The near side anagram (14 of 15 letters) speaks to a Spanish grandee who uses water pressure to shape his nether tonsure. He may be said to be...
"AGUA LANDSCAPED"!
A yard of ale contains about 48 ounces, equal to four cans of beer. Imagine having to chugalug the entire yard in one gulp, the part in the bulb coming as one big splash to the face. It is basically used only as part of a drinking contest. I like to slowly savor the taste of the beer, along with bon homie and conversation.
a yard of ale is what the lawn behind our kollidge frat house looked like during a Sunday rush Kegger.
🍺
Here in Pompano Beach we have Checkers Old Munchen House restaurant. They serve beer in many different steins, glasses and in a 32 ounce BOOT . I am not much of a beer drinker, when you go there you become one. My 2 sons and nephew did not think I would be able to finish one (certainly not in one gulp) but I did.
Becks, thank you very much for your insight. A very romantic story and obviously a wonderful choice for both of you. Did you happen to watch NCIS? I have one more question; my eight year old granddaughter, Charlotte, had her career day last Friday. Her presentation was, "When I grow up I want to be a doctor, I want to be a lawyer, I want to be a scientist, I want to be an astronaut, I want to be a teacher, I want to be a writer, I want to be an artist - and I have decided to be what I want, I really must become an actor so I can be all of those things." My son and d-i-l are very apprehensive. Would you encourage her? I don't mean to put you on the spot, especially so publically but you can ignore me or send me an answer to my email in my profile. I am also sure Charlotte would say you could walk on water and blog a puzzle - if you got the part.
Hands up for having to move from ancient Greece to contemporary TV for "Homer's son."
>>Roy
I liked this puzzle. FIW because I had IS IT ON and SNEETS. Had to do a "Check grid" to reveal where I had gone wrong.
There were some nifty clues in the puzzle today but I don't know whom to applaud.
Well, there has been a proxy fight between Exxon Mobile and an outfit called Engine No. 1 and the upstarts got 2, maybe 3, of their guys onto the board of directors of Exxon Mobile. I think the corporate philosophy and strategy is going to significantly change now.
Misty, I toast your merlot with a glass of pinot noir.
Good wishes to you all.
Jayce - Exxon board is the top-story on MarketPlace today.
I heard it (SiriusXM radio with a time-shifting receiver) a minute before I read you.
Cheers, -T
Thank you Winston for a clever Wednesday puzzle which I managed to FIR. And thanks to Ron for the ASIDE on the theme, without which I'd probably be still wandering around the lobby.
A lot of great clues and intriguing fill. Selected favorites:
15A JACOB was long, so it had to be ESAU. JACOB, with the assistance of his mother REBEKAH, BILKED ESAU out of his rightful inheritance traditionally given to the firstborn. The resulting conflict between the two twins and its outcome is described in more detail here and here.
22A LAO-TZU is credited with creating the I Ching, the Book of Changes used as a tool for TAOIST meditation. This book has several "unconscious" connections to today's puzzle. The I Ching is comprised YIN (broken) and YANG (unbroken) LINES which when grouped in threes form "trigrams" corresponding to VERSES. Pairs of trigrams form "hexagrams", each with a theme corresponding to an ACT, and multiple ACTS may result when consulting a single hexagram. There are a total of 64 hexagrams in the I Ching. Daily practitioners consult it by tossing sticks or dice to select the hexagrams that comment on the ongoing DRAMAS of their lives. While this may sound like HOCUS-POCUS, in my experiences earlier in my life, I often found remarkable "coincidences" between the commentary suggested by the I Ching and what was going on around me. But wait there's more ...
These trigrams also bear a striking resemblance to the 3 letter genetic code that Ron referred to in clue 47A Messenger RNA. This correspondence is so striking that several authors have written on the subject, e.g. The I CHING and the GENETIC CODE.
60A Fortunately CAMOUFLAGE was too long and Winston had to use CAMISOLES instead.
8D I wonder was Dizzy really swilling BEER in TUNISIA? That libation is generally a 3D in that part of the world.
14D is a CSO to our own HUSKER GARY.
60D A fascinating story about my second favorite FISH. RAINBOW TROUT being the first of course.
Cheers,
Bill
I enjoyed the puzzle and the commentary, but would like to make 2 corrections.
There were no Jewish princes in ancient Israel; Ben-Hur was a fictional aristocrat. Maybe there has been a prince who was Jewish after the diaspora, but I've never heard of one. There's been way too much prejudice against Jews by Europeans.
Peter Pumpkin Eater was an abusive husband who locked up his wife. The text doesn't say anything about her being wayward or anything else.
Hey, -T ... CIA is also short for Culinary Institute of America, just up the road in Napa and St. Helena. I nearly croaked when I saw "CIA" in a local TV ad.
This is for Leigh, our previous poster.
Get a life, and have some fun.
Ben Hur was a novel based on a true story ... with "thematic elements".
That is, it was one percent true, and 99 percent made up...
I believe it was a good story,
and the movie won some Academy Awards,
but I have yet to see it ...
Your point about rampant, Anti-semitism is well noted and is a historical fact, throughout history, but I might opine that there were no europeans, in those ancient times ... there were Romans, and Goths and Barbarians .... etc. but no europeans.
As for Peter of the pumpkin eater fame ... he merely kept his wife in a pumpkin shell. To call him- an abusive husband is a little harsh. The poem does not state why he did that. .. he might have done that for her protection ... who knows ?
He is entitled to the benefit of the reasonable doubt, ... especially since the Statute of Limitations have long since, ... run out.
Nursery Rhymes are meant for little children to repeat and parrot, and are not meant to be psychologically analysed...
Next, are you going to claim Copyright Infringement ?? .... Or, Freudian Angst ?
Michael: You didn't click my links, did you? :-)
The second link is a Culinary Institute of America site (that's why I thought CIA for 'Chefs' org') and the first link is one of the funniest Snickers commercials ever - at least to dyslexic me.
Cheers, -T
DA and Leigh,
You have raised an interesting historical anomaly - what knowledge I have suggests that "[n]ursery rhymes are meant for little children to repeat and parrot..." is very far from their basis. The Grimm brothers really were; the classics like red riding hood, golidlocks, hansel and gretel were terifying tales. They may not have used words like "smote" or "struck dead" but are no other explanations. And coincidences like Santa and Satan being anagrams all make one wonder. Certainly they are at the very least tales with 'morals' to control behavior. Or not
Lemony @9:48 AM, where'd you get that info?
That Santa and Satan are anagrams and used somehow as a threat to control children's behavior is a bit harsh. As far as I know only North Americans refer to St. Nicholas, Santa Claus (Dutch), by the lazy abbreviated "Santa" as if it's a first name and Claus was his surname along with an invented wife named Mrs Claus.
A lot of Californians would be taken aback by the news that their female saint cities may be actually named for the devil.
In college, there was a local bar that had what we called a yard of beer, but in reality it was less than 48 ounces, probably half that. Very ordinary draft beer, with frequent broken glasses.
Dear -T:
Oops, my bad. I clicked on the SMS spec sheet, and the 'chefs' one in your post, but not the CIA one. My defense? Every gray hair is a brain cell gone.
But for Lemonade714, the 'coincidence' of Santa and Satan is only applicable in English, and only for the past, maybe, two centuries. Every other language and space-time group, not at all.
Living in SANTA FE (or Holy Iron, as I like to call it), I'll agree that Santa/Satan is wholly specious.
OwenKL:
That is funny! I have never thought of Santa Fe in that way since I translate it literally to Holy Faith. I can't imagine what you call Albuquerque!
I just caught the last part of Inherit the Wind on TCM. What a great movie!
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