Hello, Cornerites. Our constructor du jour last visited us on April 22 of this year, when my partner in "grime", Malodorous Manatee "delighted" us (50-Across uses "delight" in a different context) with his recap - also without a "reveal" - about "freeze" phrases. Today, Grant chose a different path to pleasure us by choosing five common words or phrases that were clued with a play-on-words "question". A la my choice of today's theme. Which could've been a sixth if there was room.
Still confused? Well let's explore:
17-Across. Expending?: ALREADY DONE. In this example, the word "pending" (as part of "ex"pending) means: about to happen. And since it was ALREADY DONE, it is no longer "pending". The "ex" refers to the opposite of
24-Across. Improved?: SPECULATED. In this example, the key word is "proved", which means that a fact has been reached. In the play-on-words, SPECULATED means that it's a hypothesis, which means: a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation. The prefix "im" means "not", so the answer fits perfectly!
38-Across. Unstable?: PUT OUT TO PASTURE. "Stable" is the key word - meaning an enclosure for farm animals - and when you "un" stable horses, e.g., you might PUT (them) OUT TO PASTURE. Brilliant!
50-Across. Delight?: EXTINGUISH. Unlike the word delight/delightful, this p-o-w focuses on how one might turn off a light (think of a match or bonfire), and of course EXTINGUISH definitely "holds water"
61-Across. Distress?: GET A HAIRCUT. "Tress" is another word for hair; "dis" - as in remove - would absolutely mean "GET A HAIRCUT". Something that C-Moe no longer needs to do, now that he is shaving his head, and looking a bit like this guy (minus the earring):
And do you now "get" my theme entry? Unplug? In this case, "plug" refers to a type of promotion (or in my case, "spam"), and when you "un"plug, you can (hopefully) REMOVE ADWARE!
Across:
1. Org. visited by zombie victims in season one of "The Walking Dead" (there was no cure): CDC. Center for Disease Control has been a popular acronym over the past 15 months or so, with the pandemic aka "COVID-19". This guy has not become a "zombie victim" yet, although he is "dead" or "alive" to many who followed his advice. YMMV
4. Looks after: TENDS TO. One of my "retread" haikus uses this term:
Biblical Shepherd
Started gardening. And TENDS
TO his phlox, by night
11. Place to relax: SPA. I wonder if this word could be spelled "SPAHH"?
14. Virgo preceder: LEO. "LEO" was recently an LA Times crossword puzzle "theme" word hidden in entries, when the reveal was "lionhearted"
15. Begin: START ON. I chose to START ON this recap a full week before it was due to publish
16. Not talking: MUM. Moe-ku #2:
The florist wants to
Promote a new arrangement.
I hear "MUM's the word . . .
19. Zoo draw: APE. This came to mind when I saw the word "draw", but I think it means "an animal that draws people in to view them!"
20. Only single-syllable surname in an immortal '60s quartet: STARR. Would this image be a zoo draw?
21. Drilling structure: RIG. The word "RIG" has several meanings, as our Thesaurussaurus knows:
22. Family nickname: GRAN. NANA also fits
23. Conceal, in a way: PALM. As in to "PALM" a card. How about a "back" PALM? This example:
27. He beat Connors at Wimbledon in 1975: ASHE. Arthur ASHE has had his surname used in crossword puzzle thousands of times
29. Note next to a D?: SEE ME. I could only find one next to an "F", but a "D" is also a failing grade
30. Signal for help: SOS. In Morse Code, “SOS” is a signal sequence of three dits, three dats, and another three dits spelling “S-O-S”. The expression “Save Our Ship” was probably coined by sailors to signal for help from a vessel in distress. I hope that Spitzboov never had to signal this
33. Party VIP: HOST. "HOST" also refers to the sacremental bread used in the Christian ritual of the Eucharist, but I doubt that if a party HOST served this, they'd be much of a VIP
35. Optimistic: SUNNY. Please don't ask me why this came to mind, but it did. My folks were big fans of this quartet
42. Word of distinction: FIRST. Charles Dryden coined this phrase back when the Washington Senators were the laughingstock of the Major Leagues: "“Washington: FIRST in war, FIRST in peace, and last in the American League.” No distinction, there
43. As it __: WERE. Second person singular past, plural past, and past subjunctive of the word "be". And foreigners wonder why the English language is so difficult . . .
44. Print maker: PAW. Cute clue. PAW prints. These:
45. Beethoven's "Ah! perfido" and others: ARIAS.
48. Vineyard measure: ACRE. Your resident Sommelier, C-Moe, HAD to get this one! Many wineries specify how many "tons" of grapes they harvest, per ACRE of vineyards, as a measurement of its perceived quality. The fewer the tons/ACRE the more robust. And that's achieved through pruning during the growing season
53. Stout-bodied rodent: VOLE. This cute little bugger. My image compares its difference to a MOLE
57. Bric-a-__: BRAC. Bric-à-BRAC or bric-a-BRAC, first used in the Victorian era, refers to lesser objets d'art forming collections of curios, such as elaborately decorated teacups and small vases, compositions of feathers. Wikipedia. And another Moe-ku:
Commissioned mason
Formed a wall that looked like cups.
Called it "Brick-a BRAC"
58. Pacific __: RIM. Both a geographical and political term which refers to the Asian countries that border the Pacific Ocean
59. Sweet potato casserole topper: PECAN. Also a component of pralines, which I prefer to sweet potatoes
60. Personal holder of tricks?: BAG. Did anyone else think of this?
64. Look at: EYE.
65. Looking closely: PEERING. I had PEEKING/PEERING. A W-O for the Chairman
66. "You __ here": ARE. Akin to "WERE", but this is: second person singular present and first, second, third person plural present of the word "be". As I said earlier, English is a complicated language
67. Mil. honor: DSM. Distinguished Service Medal. The Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Wikipedia
68. Court stat: ASSISTS. Court, as in basketball. An ASSIST in basketball is when a player passes to another, or sets that player up for a made shot. The all-time ASSISTS leader in the NBA is none other than this guy, with 15,806 total for his 19 year career. He averaged 10.5 per game:
69. Scratch, e.g.: MAR. Glad that Grant didn't use an abbr. for the third month of the year for this clue
Down:
1. Hold tight: CLASP. Are these still being worn? Ties, or the CLASPS, aka clips or bars? This image will show you where to wear it
2. Fraternity letter: DELTA. Fun fact: DELTA Kappa Epsilon (ΔΚΕ), commonly known as DKE - or - Deke is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, currently with fifty-six active chapters across North America. Founded at Yale University in June of 1844. Just celebrated its 177th birthday
3. Snorkeler's sight, perhaps: CORAL. Pretty
4. Old Eurasian ruler: TSAR. Another crossword staple
5. Gate info: ETD. Estimated Time of Departure. These aren't going anywhere soon
6. Voice vote option: NAY. I'll leave this open for RAY-O-Sunshine to pun
7. Death Row Records co-founder: DR DRE. Interesting label. DR DRE - aka Andre Romelle Young - is an American rapper who co-founded Death Row Records in 1992! Man, don't you feel old knowing that "rap" has been around that long? By Source, Fair use
8. Imperturbable sorts: STOICS. It's not in this image, but STOIC basically means all that. It's Friday folks; clues get tougher!
9. Shoe part: TONGUE. Moe-ku:
Penny Loafer struck
Man on his butt. "Really hurts!"
He said, TONGUE in cheek . . .
10. Only Fibonacci number that appears twice in the sequence: ONE. Helps to know what the Fibonacci System is! Well, here it is: The Fibonacci sequence is ONE of the most famous formulas in mathematics. Each number in the sequence is the sum of the two numbers that precede it. So, the sequence goes: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and so on. See? It's ONE! Friday, Friday, Friday
11. Make spiffy: SMARTEN UP. 3rd definition at Merrium Webster: SMARTEN UP: to make (someone or something) neat and attractive. Spiffy
12. Larvae precede them: PUPAE. Did this one bug you as much as it bugged me?
13. Update for the better: AMEND. The US Constitution has 27 AMENDments
18. Writer Bombeck: ERMA. Another crossword staple
22. Spectrum: GAMUT. Moe-ku:
Sometimes these puzzles'
Clues, really pisses me off.
GAMUT all to hell!
24. Camera operator's concern: SHOT. Another W-O. I had "STOP", as in F-STOP
25. Nuisance: PEST. 2nd definition: PEST - an annoying person or thing; a nuisance
26. Minor: LESSER. How come we don't say: "The minor of two evils?"
28. Recluse: SHUT IN. This could also mean someone who is rehabbing from an illness, I think
30. UV-blocking letters: SPF. I use SPF 30. You?
31. Jacque's okay: OUI. If Splynter were blogging, he'd say "Frawnch"
32. Scheme to gain an end: STRATAGEM. STRATEGEM: a plan or scheme, especially one used to outwit an opponent or achieve an end. Wow! A straightforward clue, for a change!
34. Drag along: TOW.
36. Org. once led by Charlton Heston: NRA. National Rifle Association. A less polarizing clue, perhaps, might've used this acronym defintion instead: The National Recovery Administration (NRA) was a prime agency established by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) in 1933. The goal of the administration was to eliminate "cut throat competition" by bringing industry, labor, and government together to create codes of "fair practices" and set prices. Wikipedia. But the right to bear arms is outlined in the 2nd AMENDment
37. Tree in the genus Taxus: YEW. ELM fit. But the "genus" Taxus refers to a conifer, so now YEW know
39. "Hamlet" courtier: OSRIC. W-O for C-Moe. I put YORIC in, not "K"nowing that it ended with a "K"
40. Garden __: PEAS. This was a stretch! I had "no clue". Garden PEAS? Really? Another Moe-ku:
Garden PEAS went viral.
They decided the best way
Was via podcast
41. Aqueduct feature: ARCH. My first thought was about horse racing venues, but I couldn't fit "Daily Double" into four squares
46. Signs, with "to": AGREES. Another Friday clue. When someone "signs" a document, it's a verification that they AGREEs TO the contents
47. Hotel options: SUITES. Great movie!
49. Even once: EVER. But of course!
50. Pulled back: EBBED. EBB: intransitive verb. 1 : to recede from the flood. 2 : to fall from a higher to a lower level or from a better to a worse state his popularity EBBED
51. Discovery honored with the inaugural Nobel Prize in Physics: X-RAYS. The Nobel Prize in Physics 1901 was awarded to Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen "in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by the discovery of the remarkable rays subsequently named after him. But who calls it "Röntgen RAYS"?
52. Japanese porcelain: IMARI. This:
54. Name associated with a razor: OCCAM. The term "OCCAM's Razor" comes from a misspelling of the name William of Ockham. Ockham was a brilliant theologian, philosopher, and logician in the medieval period. ... The idea is always to cut out extra unnecessary bits, hence the name "razor." Examples of Occam's razor:
“You have a headache?”, “Oh no… you might have the Black Death!” Sure, it's true that one of the symptoms of the Black Death is a headache but, using Occam's razor, it's obviously much more likely that you're dehydrated or suffering from a common cold. Google
55. "Family Matters" daughter: LAURA. Kellie Shanygne Williams-Jackson (née Williams; born March 22, 1976) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as LAURA Lee Winslow, the middle-born child of Carl and Harriette Winslow on the ABC/CBS television series Family Matters which ran from 1989–1998
56. Oft-used key: ENTER.
59. Orwell's Napoleon and Snowball: PIGS. Napoleon is a fictional character and the main antagonist of George Orwell's 1945 novel Animal Farm. He is described as "a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar" who is "not much of a talker" and has "a reputation for getting his own way". Snowball is also a character in Animal Farm, and is largely based on Leon Trotsky, who led the opposition against Joseph Stalin. He is shown as a white PIG on the movie posters for both the 1954 and 1999 film versions of Animal Farm. Wikipedia
61. School stat: GPA. Grade Point Average. Look here for more info
62. Relaxed greetings: HI'S. "HI" is a relaxed/informal greeting meaning "hello"
63. Certain farm worker: ANT. Friday clue
Here's the grid:
Comments welcomed!
58 comments:
Maizie was a steeplejack churches often hired.
She would repair holes, or whatever was required.
But when not on the job,
She ran a GAMUT as heart-throb,
Her cast-offs eulogized she was ex, spired!
Barny was a barber, of wealth he had a glut.
He also had a HOST of kinfolk, mostly nuts!
He kept his lawyer busy,
'Cause his will was such a tizzy --
He would TEND TO spend his time engaged in HEIR CUTS!
{B, B+.}
It took me a very long time to figure out the theme, which was very clever. I liked that each prefix was different. And I liked that each root (pending/proved/stable/light/tress) had a different meaning in the clue and the answer.
I kind of wish that the constructor had used something other than "Improved?" for the second answer. Although it's consistent that "in-" before "p" should be "im-" (like in "impolite"), I don't really think of "im-" as a prefix meaning "negate," so there was an extra mental hurdle to jump to get to the constructor's intent. The im- made me think he was going for "I'm proved." And then I was led astray because IMARI also starts with im-. But that's all probably just me.
At first I thought this was a Saturday-level puzzle, but after walking Zoe I started to make inroads. FIR thanks to the gimmick, with only a few minor erasures (DSC-->DSM, etc.)
My mom topped her sweet potato casserole with marshmallows. Probably cheaper than PECANs.
I had a musician-girlfriend once whose favorite joke was "what do you call people who hang out with musicians? Drummers!"
Thanks to Grant for the fun challenge, and to C. Moe for the expo. DNK that a Morse code dash could be called "dat". In my ham days it was called "dah". Dat just goes to show how de language changes with de times, mon.
Up early today because of heavy rain and thunder made sleeping in an impossibility!
Clever theme- understood it once I saw the EXTINGUISH - the ALREADY DONE took a minute!
I'm with Jinx on the marshmallows - but I just had sweet potato casserole last Thanksgiving with PECANs on top when my SIL made his mom's recipe!
Thanks C-Moe and Grant!
Good morning!
Cute theme, nice romp. Went through GRASP/CLAMP/CLASP and MORAY/CORAL, but that's what Wite-Out is for. My worst fox pass was thinking the "immortal 60's quartet" was referring to comic book heroes. D'oh! And when STARR appeared, my mind strayed to the Packers. Double-D'oh! Thanx, Grant and C-Moe for a worthy challenge.
SOS: I'd always heard it was an initialism for Save Our Souls. When heading offshore in a helicopter, the pilot will radio his base to report the number of SOBs -- souls on board.
Bric-a-BRAC: Dw has a grouping of empty tobacco cans atop our fridge -- emptied by her brother. Why save them? Why display them? No idea, but this guy knows better than to ask.
proper-improper
mortal-imortal
FIR and found it very easy. The names were all known to me for a change. Very nice theme was of some help in the solve. Starting on Sunday, I’ll need to do the puzzle online during a 3 week road trip north.
After 13:35 today, I was "extending" to this puzzle.... (Sorry, that's the best I got today).
Good Friday puzzle, with just a few unknowns (Osric, Imari, and Laura).
The "IM" prefix meaning "not" is a direct usage from the Latin. I was IMpressed with the theme.
It took perps for Tree in the genus Taxus: YEW Now I know LINK .
Thank you Moe and Grant
Yippee, ending the week with another FIR and on Friday! Got the theme in the middle with OUT TO PASTURE. Was puzzled before then. I had cling/CLASP and curiously enough put spider/SHUT IN. Recluse, right? It's like garden PEAS, no? Another twist in my thinking today was (ink) pad/PAW for print maker. Otherwise, a pretty clean looking puzzle. Thanks for the fun, Grant. And thank you, C Moe, for the amusing and helpful review!
Now to prepare for the weekend; after all we aren't SHUT IN any more. Have a good day, everyone!
I thought for a sec that was Pistol Pete who played for N.O. Jazz. But not 19 years.
.
What bugged was how to spell PUPAE(PUPpi)
I had pAR for Scratch as in a scratch golfer and GET A HAIR out but I recalled William of Oakham/Ockham/OCCAM
Thankfully I couldn't remember neither Yoric nor OSRIC until OSR perped.
Lots of w/o's especially prism/GAMUT and GRAN/papa and goes/WERE and Tug/TOW.
FIR after yesterday's disaster
WC
Ps, enjoyable write-up, I know it's C-Moe when the Moe-kus arrive.
WC
Good morning everyone.
Tough but fair. Rhythm to the misdirection. Clever theme and very clever cluing to the theme fill. No help was needed. FIR.
Good job by Grant.
PUT OUT TO PASTURE - - was easy. Our dairy herd was put out to pasture morning and evening every day from May - mid-Oct.
SOS - No, we never needed to send that. We almost always steamed in company with other ships, so there was help around if it was needed.
For the first puzzle I've done this week this ONE was just weird. I FIR by the hardest starting with 1A & 1D. CDC was unknown and it was either GRASP or CLASP; THETA or DELTA. I don't follow the zodiac so LEO was a WAG. Starkey called himself STARR. I don't follow rap music. Never heard of Fibonacci. My Garden PEST became PEAS. Japanese IMAR, CDC, & LAURA were unknowns filled by perps.
But the theme clues took a while to understand and by the time I realized it the puzzle was almost ALREADY DONE.
"Note next to a D"- had no idea what that was about but SEE ME worked its way onto the grid.
It took a lot of luck to get this puzzle done.
30. UV-blocking letters: SPF. I use SPF 30. You?- I use SPF 70 if it's available. If I don't stop getting squamous cell and basal cell growths I might be PUT OUT TO PASTURE in the future.
Good morning. It took a while to grasp the theme but after it was understood a bit of cogitating at each theme answer led to the dis-cover-ry of the appropriate letters. Thanks. CH M for a great explanation of the not-so-straightforward mechanics. A hand up, here, for MORAY before CORAL which led to a couple of w/o's or whatever we call them on a computer.
A real beat down DNF today. Red Letters were needed to fill it in. Moe's explanation was the saving grace.
Didn't get the theme exactly, but did sort of figure it out at the end with Unstable meaning PUT OUT TO PASTURE. But by then it was too late to claim victory.
I think I'll put myself out to pasture for the rest of the day.
Have a great day everyone.
Musings
-Expending = ALREADY DONE? Huh? Wait, it’s Friday – oh so clever!
-On that fateful night in 1912, the Titanic sent out SOS and CQD signals
-In 1930 Nebraska corn fields yielded 30 bushels/ACRE. With hybridization, it is now 172 B/A and up
-You ARE here – It still amazes me that my GPS gets that within a few feet
-I still remember high school boy’s glee – “Then there's nothing in the world can halt or MAR a plan, When stout-hearted men can stick together man to man.”
-It’s a Fibonacci sequence (:40)
-Some say William the Conqueror used a “feigned retreat” as a STRATEGEM in 1066 at Hastings
-OCCAM’s Razor – My Keurig coffee was too hot and so I searched the web for a technical solution. Then one day I turned around and noticed the fridge with ice and cold water stood right in front of me!
-Fun write-up, Moe!
Good Morning:
It took me an inordinate amount of time to see the theme and when I did, I appreciated its cleverness. However, I didn’t fully understand Already Done until reading Moe’s expo. I thought the cluing was challenging but Friday appropriate. I needed perps for Laura as I have no memory whatsoever of that show, not even the title. Only one w/o, Single/Suites. Fun duos were Eye/Peering, Spa/SPF, Starr/Tsar, and Oui/Agrees. And the always welcome mini critter theme with Pigs, Ape, Ant, Paw, Pest, Pasture, and Pupae. Overall, an enjoyable solve.
Thanks, Grant, for a Friday frolic and thanks, Moe, for your wit, wisdom, and wry Moe humor. Enjoyed all of the Moe-Kues.
I’m so thankful the A/C is available as Sunday’s temp is hitting 90. We did have several comfortable days this week, but summer is definitely here!
Have a great day.
IMPOUND - BUY EUROS, BUY DOLLARS or BUY BIT COINS ??
HG 10:18 AM. Gary, thanks for that stirring link to the wireless operators following the Titanic disaster. That's the most compelling account I have read
Puzzling thoughts:
Thanks Lemony and HG for the links to YEW and SOS; as Bill said, the transmission notes between the Titanic and other ships, that fateful evening, was eerily cool …
As you’re all aware by now, we constructors get a few extra days to solve the puzzle/write our blog. And our small fraternity of bloggers is always there to lend a hand if we’re having problems figuring out what the constructor was aiming for. Today’s puzzle almost had me calling or emailing one of the others, as I didn’t “get” the theme until seeing delight:EXTINGUISH. Ironic, isn’t it, that I needed a light to go out for one to come on??!!
As I mentioned in the blog, the signing group “The Hi-Lo’s” was a SO to my folks, as they had every one of their albums. Both of my parents sang (church choirs), but my Dad was also in Barbershop Quartets, one of which won a National competition back in the 1950’s. So I practically grew up with this kind of harmonized singing …
BTW, the other choice I had for SUNNY was this one, from Bobby Herb. I think I like this one better, probably because it resembles more of what I listened to … either way, hope y’all are enjoying a SUNNY day!
Delightful Friday puzzle, Grant--many thanks. And helpful commentary, Chairman Moe--although I admire Dr. Fauci, whose explanations are always clear and illuminating.
Loved some of the clever clues--like "unstable" for PUT OUT TO PASTURE, and "distress" for GET A HAIRCUT--very funny. ANT as a farm worker comes up pretty often in puzzles these days. And Irish Miss, I loved your list of all the little critters.
Fun poems, Owen.
Have a good weekend coming up, everybody.
Bobby Hebb not Herb! Damn you, autocorrect!
unplug?
Hola!
This took me way longer than it should have but I finally "got" it and then it filled in quickly.
Bric-a-BRAC was my FIRST fill then oh, not YORIC but OSRIC. It grew from there.
Delight, (de-light) EXTINGUISH cracked me up. In fact, all the phrases amused me.
Print maker, PAW, is hilarious!
OCCAM really gets some ink in puzzles.
It's fun reading you all! Have a delightful day, everyone!
Sunny by Bobby Hebb I thought it was Herb too, C-Moe
I thought Saturday level, too while solving except for various HF* which we don't get on Saturday. Said, HF being aforementioned BRAC,ANT OUI etal.
WC
* HF is not yet in lexicon but stands for Hanging Fruit. ie easily gettable. Now Sports is my HF, though Greek to others; Greek is HF to others along with pop-cul
BTW, check out the comments for "Sunny", especially how children love that song and the inspiration for Bobby to write it
WC
I sort-of figured out the theme at 61-across (distressed), then went back to see if the other long fills fit some sort of pattern. Honestly, I didn’t see it despite finishing the puzzle correctly. So, thank you Chairman Moe for a clearer explanation.
This Friday grid was tough until it wasn’t.
Just kept filling in what I could, it was hard to suss the theme…again, until it wasn’t.
Miracle of miracles…wait for it…no write-overs today.
But only because stuff left blank just filled in on crosses.
Sports? I’ll give you sports…Red Sox at my Yankees the next 3 days, while NASCAR has Cup races tomorrow AND Sunday. So I’m pretty well set for that.
Stay cool, see you tomorrow.
Hi All!
Fun Theme, Grant. Didn't figure it (theme) out until I was stuck on 50a and went looking - Ha!, cute 'opposites.'
All-in-all, I found this relatively easy for a Friday (meaning, I solved in less than an hour while working). Started w/ CDC ('no cure' gave it away), and moved on...
I musta been on Grant's wavelength.
Excellent expo, C. Moe. LOL TONGUE in cheek.
//Your parent's idea of a quartet is what I was thinking b/f -T-RR perp'd; Duh, Fab Four.
WOs: NAe, STRATEGEy [sic]
ESPs: LAURA, OSRIC, IMARI*
Fav: ONE clued vis-à-vis Fibonacci.
{B, A}
WC - add an L(ow) and I'll join in. LHF - Fibonacci clue; had to get a ladder for higher fruit like ARIAS.
Funny last line, Jinx.
LOL 'unplug,' CED. //would that be PULL THE AD?
Housing prices in Austin are going up to $100k over asking as Californians move in. Says the seller, "YEW ain't from Texus, are ya?"
//I'll see myself out...
Cheers, -T
*that's one of those words: If I hear it, I know what it means but if you tell me what it means I can't recall the word.
Love this puzzle -- the theme is fantastic, the clues are great...what a great time. Many thanks to the constructor, and to the Chairman for a super review!
Dash Tony: same is happening here in AZ with Californians moving/relocating to The Grand Canyon State with fistfuls of cash. A friend of mine said his cousin moved from a nondescript, 1500 sq ft bungalow in NoCal, to Prescott (about an hour and a half north of Phoenix), and bought a 4400 sq ft mini-mansion, with acreage and a magnificent view of the valley, and had $650k left over!
Thanks Grant for a Friday FIR with clever theme, which I inTUITED, but couldn't arTICULATE until it was 'splained by CMOE (the preceding CAPS are really all MEANingless and inCLUDED simply for efFECT).
20A Technically Richard STARKEY's name is DIsyllabic. And the quartet in question is HEMImortal at this point.
FAV was "PUT OUT TO PASTURE", which I'm waiting for, but STABLE at the moment.
45A Your choice of the young soprano Lise Davidsen for the Beethoven aria caught me by surprise,just as she has done to entire the operatic world.
53A This "cute little bugger" is an enormous Garden PEST, who'll eat all of your 40D's if you don't stop him.
if you don't stop him.
66A As in "66A"?
2D So the DELTAs are deCEITFUL hokey players?
12D The Brood CHI 12D's that emerged this Spring were a BUG BUST as far as I'm concerned. 17 years ago you couldn't hear yourself think 7x24. The ones in my neighborhood have come and gone with barely a whimper.
37D When I was little we used to have a Japanese YEW on the stone path down from the front porch. They had fruit that looked a little like pitted red olives, which didn't taste good at all. Only later did I learn that they were good wood for making archery bows and that they perp well with PAWS.
40D had PEAR for while, but they grow in ORCHARDS not GARDENS.
51D Well actually XRAYS ARE measured in "Röntgens", which are defined as
" - a unit of ionizing radiation, the amount producing one electrostatic unit of positive or negative ionic charge in one cubic centimeter of air under standard conditions."
Cheers,
Bill
WC —> thanks for finding a useable link to SUNNY …
Hi Y'all! Thanks, Grant, for the tricky, chuckle-worthy puzzle. Good one, CMOE.
DNK: Fibonacci number but WAGd ONE right away. Yay, me! PIGS was another unknown that I got at once. Yay, Yay!
I don't need SPF stuff because I'm a recluse.
Charlton Heston org.: tried SAG for Screen Actor's Guild then remembered the NRA flap.
Oak, elm, YEW!
Got the theme at that great farm clue: unstable. I think it's a shout-out to my my farm situation.
CED: love the T-shirt.
Hand up for not knowing OSRIC, IMARI, LAURA.
No nap today. Sun came out after a stormy morning so that the scheduled big air show could fly. Lots of planes turning over my neighborhood. Glad the planned festivities weren't a wash out.
Here is the Iceberg Analysis for 25 JUN 2021.
and
here is the Iceberg Analysis for 12 APR 2021..
You may find this site of interest too: Icebergs in the North Atlantic Ocean
Husker Gary, I put an ice cube in my Keurig coffee every day. Then it's at just the right temperature for me!
An ice cube in coffee! Yikes. Not for me.
I just returned from having a mani and was ready to watch daytime Jeopardy then the news interrupted to go into detail about the Derek Chauvin sentencing. What? Just throw him in jail for the rest of his life, I say.
It was pitiable to see his mother telling what a "good man" he really is and how he is misjudged. GOOD men don't murder! I guess I would plead for my son if I were in her place.
I'm sorry but all that just put me in a bad mood.
Whooee, what a clever theme! This puzzle was a delight to solve.
EFLAT had to be changed to SEEME. SONGS had to be changed to ARIAS. HERMIT had to be changed to SHUTIN. YORIC had to be changed to OSRIC.
Take care, all.
A brilliant Friday PZL!
This was created--interestingly enough!--by a gentleman whose name suggests he is a plural manifestation (can we say a "herd"?) of the perissodactyl creature named in today's Jumble!
A coincidence?
Hmmm. I think not.
~ OMK
45A was tricky--only because, with only one opera, Beethoven didn't write that many ARIAS.
~ OMK
CED @12:18 PM LMAO, a timely a timely T.
OMK @3:57 PM I don't think Ah Perfido is in Fidelio. I think it's a concert ARIA intended for recitals.
Fabulous Friday. Thanks for the fun, Grant and CMoe.
I FIRed and got the theme.
Two inkblots changing See to EYE (smiled at PEERING next door), and Hermit to SHUT-IN.
I also smiled at GRAN and MUM.
IMHO, a Shut-in is confined to home (often unwillingly) because of illness, injury, bad weather, while a recluse has made a conscious decision to live without much social contact.
Hand up for trying to fit marshmallows on top of the sweet potato casserole.
Gillette Atra was not the razor needed today😁
We had Least yesterday (although I am used to Lowest Common Denominator) and LESSER today.
Was the clue for 1A the longest EVER?
SMARTEN UP could have been the answer to “Note next to a D. (I wondered about C sharp or E flat - hi Jayce).. We also had GPA. Lots of graduations yesterday and today (and photos on Facebook).
Strategy was too short, STRATAGEM fit. Grammarist says that STRATAGEM can have a deceitful component.
Re NRA - without getting too political, this Canadian will only say that ONE big difference between Americans and Canadians is their view on guns.
Ontario moves to Stage 2 out of lockdown. Yippee, I can get a HAIRCUT👍👍😁 (ATLGranny, we are still a little SHUT-IN here🙁)
Wishing you all a SUNNY day.
Thanks, waseeley ~
I should have noticed it's Italian.
D'oh!
~ OMK
CanadianEh! ~
Canadians are lucky that way.
You guys didn't have founders who thought of the mother country as tyrants who needed buckshot to quit quartering soldiers and taxing tea.
Now we're stuck with arming every conspiracy theorist who thinks all traffic cops are agents of the perfidious deep state.
~ OMK
Anon-T, I like LHF. Low Hanging Fruit. Not much to be had , usually, on a Saturday. My LHP, as in peaches, disappeared whilst I was away for several days. They were delicious.
WC
So, CanadianEh, you are going to get a haircut, eh? Going to leave some salt and pepper on the salon floor, eh?
Ah yes, in Italian, not German.
Chairman Moe, I forgot to say how much I enjoyed your exposition today. I appreciate how much time and effort it takes to blog a puzzle, and I thank all of you for doing it.
I can't let that last word go without this
The Song of the Bow
What of the bow?
The bow was made in England:
Of true wood, of YEW-wood,
The wood of English bows;
So men who are free
Love the old YEW-tree
And the land where the YEW-tree grows.
OMK @5:23 PM Surprisingly Beethoven was pretty eclectic in his song writing. Here is the Amazon link for a superb album of duets with Victoria de los Ángeles and Dietrich Fischer Dieskau
performing his songs in not only in Italian, but in English as well. My favorites are the Irishe Lieder.
C-Eh, the restaurant servers in Florida tell me that the primary difference is that Americans tip.
Spitzboov @ 2:33: Out of curiosity, the iceberg map for 25 June shows 106 bergs at or near Groswater Bay in Labrador ... can this be correct?
That map shows many bergs ... spring thaw?
Hello everyone. This was a very good puzzle IMO, once I caught onto it. Thanks C- Moe for your very good explanations, and thanks Mr Burroughs for a very good job! Not enough time today to read everything. Hope you’re all doing well, coping with the heat in the SW and western states. So very surprised to hear that Oregon is going through such very severe heat.. Best wishes to all
Michael @ 1916 - That's 106 bergs in a 60 x 60 nautical mile area. I'm sure it's possible. Probably affected by the season. Many of those bergs come from the high Arctic. Glaciers calve year round. Reading a Coast Pilot for that region might be instructive.
Mr. Chairman:
In my experience, a D is not a failing mark. In elementary school, our report cards interpreted the marks as:
A = Excellent
B = Good
C = Average
D = Poor
E = Failing
The last was a peculiarity of that school system. It's F in most schools.
>> Roy
Jayce- yes, after 124 days, I think about 2 inches will be on the salon floor - but it is pretty salty now😁
Jinx - really?😮. Those snowbirds don’t tip?
OMK - no, but we Canadians are currently struggling with recent discoveries revealing that our founders and subsequent generations were guilty of institutional colonialism and oppression of our indigenous peoples. Very troubling and sad.
Thanks Jayce!
Roy: I’ll go you one better! In our elementary school our grading was:
E = Excellent
G = Good
M = Medium
P = Poor
U = Unsatisfactory
And our HS was on a 5.0 grading system
But when I was in college, I think I needed at least a 2.0 in my major or overall GPA to graduate. A “D” would have been a 1.0 (on a 4.0 grading system) and thus a “fail”
But we can agree to disagree, eh??!!
FWIW, I think the clue would’ve been better if Grant used the letter “F” instead of “D”
Enjoyed their singing at The Lyric Opera in Chicago! In the 1960's.
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