google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0
L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, October 26, 2021 Daniel Sweren-Becker and Daniel Neussbaum
Tuesday, October 26, 2021 Daniel Sweren-Becker and Daniel Neussbaum
One Word, Many Definitions:
20-Across. * Island known for its bars?: ALCATRAZ.
Alcratraz was once a Federal Penitentiary. It is now a museum.
35-Across. * Tom Sawyer's creator: MARK TWAIN. See
also 29-Across. Mark Twain was the Pen Name of Samuel Langhorn Clemens (Nov. 30, 1835 ~ Apr. 21, 1910).
Mark Twain was actually a term that was used by Mississippi River
steamboats crew, which measures the depth of the water. The term literally
means "mark number two", which signifies 12 feet: the safe depth for a
steamboat on the river.
45-Across. * Highest peak in the Alps: MONT BLANC.
A Montblanc Pen is an expensive writing instrument.
And the unifier:
58-Across. What the answers to starred clues are, in different ways: PEN NAMES.
And, we have an additional theme clue posing as a French lesson:
29-Across. __ de plume: NOM.
An another interesting definition of the word Pen. Did you
know a Female swan is called a Pen?
Across:
1. Conservatives' foes, briefly: LIBs. As in Conservatives
and Liberals. 'Nuff said.
5. Word with run or drive: TEST. As in a Test Run or a Test
Drive.
9. More than nudge: SHOVE.
14. Inactive: IDLE. Not to be confused with 2-Down.
Adored singer, say: IDOL. Since these two words cross, does
this make the Idol Idle?
15. Muppet who doesn't use the pronoun "I": ELMO.
16. One faking it: POSER.
17. Frame of mind: MOOD.
18. Landed: ALIT. This has become a crossword staple.
19. Student's measuring stick: RULER.
22. Windshield shades: VISORS.
23. Homer's neighbor: NED.
24. Thrill: ELATE.
26. Part of a play: ACT. Hi, OMK!
31. Polar masses: ICE CAPS.
38. In a wistful way: SADLY.
39. Soft French cheese: BRIE. Yummers!
40. Dunks, Blazers and Jordans: NIKEs. All are models of
Nike athletic shoes.
42. Corned beef specification: LEAN.
43. Happening: EVENT.
47. Bureaucratic sticking points: RED TAPE.
49. Sign of a sellout: SRO. Standing Room Only. The Fire Marshal might have something to say about a SRO
performance.
50. __ Vegas: LAS. Sin City. Las Vegas has a very interesting history.
51. Slides uncontrollably: SKIDS.
53. Not online, for short: IRL. Text-speak for In Real Life.
55. Best of the hits: TOP TEN. Casey Kasem (1932 ~ 2014) can
still be heard on some oldie radio stations.
63. Opera solos: ARIAS. I have to include this aria
from Carmen. The first post-Covid live performance of the
Houston Grand Opera will be Carmen.
64. Steep rugged cliff: CRAG.
65. Indianapolis NFLer: COLT. The team began in Baltimore, then in the 1980s, moved to Indianapolis.
Logos of the team over the years.
66. Linguistic group that includes Zulu: BANTU.
67. Bee home: HIVE.
68. Green smoothie green, perhaps: KALE. This is a very
trendy leafy vegetable. The idea of putting Kale in my morning smoothie,
however, is not for me.
69. Somnology study: SLEEP.
70. Mellowed in a cask: AGED.
71. Winter fall: SNOW.
Down:
1. Peruvian capital: LIMA.
3. Voting unit: BLOC.
4. Family car: SEDAN. More families in my neighborhood are
apt to have an SUV over a Sedan.
5. Remove, as the wall in Reagan's demand to Gorbachev: TEAR DOWN.
6. Jazzy Fitzgerald: ELLA. Ella Fitzgerald (née Ella Jane
Fitzgerald; Apr. 25, 1917 ~ June 15, 1996) make occasional guest appearances
in the Crossword Puzzles.
7. Tyra Banks portmanteau for happy peepers: SMIZE. How
to Smile with your Eyes.
8. Little one: TOT. Followed by 9-Down: Little
ones: SPRITES.
10. Obsolescent doctor visit: HOUSE CALL. When we were kids,
the family pediatrician made house calls. My sister was sick once, too
sick for my mother to feel comfortable taking her to the doctor's office, so
Dr. Wilson came to the house. When he went into my sister's room, she
was under her bed and holding tight to the slats, so couldn't be pulled out
from under the bed.
11. Viking trading post now a world capital: OSLO.
33. Opening strategy: PLAN A. In 2020, I was on a committee
planning a region conference. That was our Plan A. When Covid came
along, we had to go to our Plan B and hold our conference via Zoom.
34. Lip-__: mouths the words: SYNCS.
36. Campus setting for Neil Young's "Ohio": KENT STATE. Ohio
is the anti-war protest song.
37. When repeated, classic New Orleans refrain: IKO. The
history of the Mardi Gras song Iko Iko.
41. Like guitars and sitars: STRINGED.
44. Starts to learn, as a hobby: TAKES UP.
46. Delivered: BORN.
48. ATM user's need: PIN. As in a Personal Identification Number.
52. Parsley piece: SPRIG. What is a Sprig, anyway?
FIRight, but that's not the same as solving the puzzle. I had the three themers, and had evaded looking at the reveal. But I searched them for lettters in common (A and T, but next to each other in only one), embedded words (CAT, ARK, none), similarities (one was a NOM DE PLUME, one was a fountain pen, the other was setting for a couple classic movies). Finally gave up and read the reveal. Good one, guys. You got me.
I did have one difficulty. SMIZ_ was unguessable, and ViC(tim) < VAC(uum), so had to do an alphabet run to get ELATE (I had been expecting a roller-coaster type thrill).
Nature and dogs abhor a VACUUM, That's a truism sure as doom! But I ask you, Why the double U? It was concocted by linguists in a back room!
ALCATRAZ was a federal PEN Where they'd SHOVE the worst of men. Now tourists poke Where cons were broke, And birds are nesting there again!
This was a DANdy puzzle -- a nice easy romp. Didn't notice the starred clues during the solve, but was able to find the PEN NAMES after the reveal. Very nice, Dan, Dan, and Hahtoolah.
HOUSE CALL: Hahtoolah, your story is almost exactly what happened at our house. I was the brat under the bed.
SEDAN: Ford has removed most of 'em from the production list in favor of SUV's like the Escape, Edge, Explorer, and Expedition. In our neighborhood most homes sport a pickup and an SUV. I was surprised that our new neighbors have a pair of SEDANs. They must've arrived from out-of-state.
Camping in a TENT? Where do you put the ICE maker or the machines that clean the LINENS?
Vendors used to give me MONT BLANC pens for Christmas. I pried off the little logo on the pocket clip before I used them. (Truth be told, I liked writing with a cheap pen better.)
I was in college at U of Kentucky when those kids were killed at Kent State. I stood outside my dorm to watch the protest march, and got tear gassed for my trouble. Guess I got my fair share of abuse, but you can't always get what you want.
Thanks to Daniel^2 for the fun, easy puzzle. And thanks to Hahtoolah for the cute review. You outpunned Boomer today and I love it.
Good Morning, Crossword friends. I hope you are all safe. I have been hearing about the first Nor'easter of the year hitting the East Coast as well as the Bomb Cyclone on the West Coast. For once, we are not experiencing rain.
QOD: I told my kids when they were little, “Look, kids, your mother and I are screwing you up somehow. We don’t understand how, or wer wouldn’t do it. But we’re parents. So somehow we’re damaging you, and I want you to know that early. So just ignore me when I go to that part of my parenting.” ~ Pat Conroy (né Donald Patrick Conroy; Oct. 26, 1945 ~ Mar. 4, 2016), American Southern writer
It's Tuesday with a puzzle from two Daniels. Thanks for the fun FIR! I must admit to a WO when I wrote in "cut up" before checking the perps to see it should be CARVE. Favorite fill was VAC, little sucker. I toyed with the idea of "bat" but waited. Got the theme only after the reveal. We hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc one summer and enjoyed it so much we repeated it the next two.
Thanks, Hahtoolah, for explaining IKO and SMIZE (Hi, Jinx!) and enriching the blog so much. Feeling smarter and entertained and hoping you all are, too!
I never caught the PEN NAMES until the reveal. Kept looking for something in the 'downs'. SMIZE & IRL-unknowns.
IKO IKO- played a lot around Mardi Gras; not so much for the CHA CHA SRO- been seeing it for 40 years in crossword puzzles but nowhere else TOP TEN- Casey Kasem can still be heard on Sirius XM. Did his wife quit hiding the body? LIBS are not 'foes' of conservatives; they just want to spend YOUR money for THEIR things. SPRITES & TABS- Coca Cola Products
SEDAN or the misnamed SUV that has nothing to do with 'Sport'. Most of them are basically 'station wagons' on a frame (instead of a unibody) that sit taller, bigger than the original Jeep Cherokee and smaller than a Chevy Suburban or the defunct International Harvester Carryall. The CROSSOVERS are built on unibodies. I once referred to DW's Murano as a "Nissan Maxima Station Wagon on Steroids". Years later I saw the same description on a car review.
FIR in reasonable unclefred Tuesday time. A very nice, fun CW, thanx DSB&DN. I saw the theme only after the reveal; clever theme! DNK SMIZE, thought “What the….?” and was sure SMIZE was wrong but couldn’t see how any of the perps were wrong, so had to conclude it was something new to me. Also looked at PLANA and couldn’t see PLAN A. (Doh!) Overall I enjoyed this CW. And Susan you outdid yourself with this truly terrific write-up, thanx for all the hard work!
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun to the two Daniels and Hahtoolah. I FIRed in short order . . . Wait, I ERRed (sigh). My Cockney said Allo (probably influenced by our Spanish Alo the other day), and I failed to correct Namas to NAMES (although I did see the theme). (It did take me a minute to parse PENNAMAS as I could only see Panamas.)
Push came to SHOVE. TAKE On changed to UP. COLTS, BANTU, SMIZE, IKO all perped. We were In Labor last week; the baby was finally BORN today.
Yes, I noted IDLE crossing IDOL. TOP TEN was above ARIAS. Do we have a top ten listing for arias? We had SNOW and ICECAP. Winter is coming (with its attendant SKIDS). Great catch, Hahtoolah, of the NOM EasterEgg.
Fortunately, my AGED 106 year old aunt has a doctor who still makes HOUSECALLs to her apartment (where she still lives independently!)
I gasped to see Canadian politics to open the CW. We have the Liberal Party of Canada, the Conservative Party of Canada, Bloc Québécois, The New Democratic Party (NDP), and the Green Party of Canada all with elected members in our House of Commons. The LIBS currently have the minority government. (Big Easy, your LIBS comment is VEERing over the “No Politics” line IMHCO*).
I had long ago forgotten that MONT BLANC was a type of ink pen. That said, I felt today's theme was quite innovative. Got it all w/o aid. The few unknowns perped in easily. Liked the several long downs. A nice, bright puzzle. FIR. BRIE - One of my favorite cheeses. SHOVE - Akin to German schubsen. Dutch schuiven OSLO seems to be almost as frequent a visitor as Erie. LIMA; not too far behind. 2 capitals today. HOUSECALL - - Dr. Duby came several times to treat my sister and me for measles and other childhood sicknesses. 5 miles each way on a gravel road.
Hahtoolah; a pleasure, as always, to peruse your intro.
Musings -Today, cold, wind and cloudy skies have stayed this golfer from the successful completion of his rounds. -Me too, Owen -PENS! Fun gimmick. ME and Elmo like! -I taught the metric system for decades but, IRL, I use feet, pounds, gallons, etc. -If you drive in Nebraska winters, you learn to “turn into the direction of a SKID” - The COLTS' move from Baltimore to Indianapolis was full of intrigue -LIBS and conservatives – Talk about yer voting BLOCS! -Did Danielx2 really know SMIZE or was it a happy discovery? -“It’s a DEAL” - After six months, my car dealer finally said yes to my original offer -Discovering retirement days still have 24 hours, led me to TAKE UP golf and crosswords
FIR, but needed Hahtoolah to explain the PENS. I guessed SMIZE from just SM. You smash together smile and eyes. IKO was all perps. I guess you have to live in Louisiana to appreciate it. Another example of our changing language, POSER is becoming interchangeable with POSEUR. It used to be poseur was someone who pretends to be something he is not, a person who puts on airs or tries to project the attitude or appearance of someone more important or more accomplished than he truly is. The word poser is increasingly used interchangeably with the word poseur, meaning someone who pretends to be something he is not. Years ago I would have bemoaned the change. These days it accept it, as I realize wide usage often makes new takes on language acceptable. BE, not fair. Earlier I had some thoughts I knew would raise your dander and I eschews posting them. Safer is "-LIBS and conservatives – Talk about yer voting BLOCS!" HG, did you mean blocks? LOL.
We are double-Danned today..both names beyond my ken. All kinds of PEN NAMES except the usual pig sty
A not so simple FIR and more than a slew of inkovers:.thru/TEST, Tic/VAC,bore/BORN, carp/MOAN, Lime/KALE (gag!). 😒
VAC is an abbrev. not found in the clue unless "little" implies it 🤔
IRL? oh "in real life" (in Ireland?)
Never heard "little ones" (kids?) referred to as SPRITES. Is CHA half or a third of a Latin dance?
Loved the "Cheese: cartoon/song"!!... SMIZE? c'mon..🙄
Origin of numbskulls....ICE CAPS Cell phones made them obsolete...HOUSECALLS Kitchen basins...SYNCS Forbid as well....BANTU Questions about the puzzle? ____....SEDAN
A clever theme today. I had never heard of a Mont Blanc pen so I did not fully understand the reveal until I read the expo. No white out needed today. A fun Tuesday.
Learning moment: How to measure a "sprig." Thank you Hahtoolah...
Got the pen name Mark Twain, But who the heck is Al Catraz and and this Monty guy? Oh, again, thanks Hahtoolah...
Went looking for other names for depths other than mark Twain, But only found another name when I got to 100 fathoms (Cable, or cable length, or length of a cable) a weighty subject...
Note: sultana education foundation has some excellent videos, But they made the mistake of classifying there YouTube vids as suitable For children, which unknown to most means they cannot be saved, Copied or posted... I found the explanation of depth measurement interesting in the Sultana vids as they also explain that bringing up a sample of the bottom Surface can be compared to charts and also identify your position!
Speaking of pen names, Have you read the book "The Yellow River" By I.P. Daily...
Delightful Tuesday puzzle--many thanks, Daniel and Daniel. And as soon as I saw all those great pictures, I knew our commentator would be Hahtoolah. Many thanks for those too, as always.
I was so happy to have my perfect puzzle Monday followed by a perfect puzzle Tuesday! I got everything, although, like others, I had serious doubts whether SMIZE and IKO could be correct: but they were--Woohoo!
I also got PEN NAMES, though I didn't understand it until coming to the blog. Very clever.
But I did remember Reagan telling Gorbachev to TEAR DOWN that wall, those many years ago.
Note, You will have to watch the entire episode to Understand the car key, mid west face, I sex in 6 months, and ate a fly references As there is no abbreviating them...
Thank you Dan SB and Dan N for a delightful and enjoyable puzzle. Thank you Hah2lah for all those interesting links, and the cartoon jokes.
Did not know --- SMIZE and IKO. But not a problem. I did not get the Pen idea until you explained it.
MONT BLANC: I read the whole article, in great depth. I never had such a pen. but know of someone who had one, and let me use it, sometimes. I always had Parker 51's that my father gave me, they were my pride and joy... then some chinese knockoffs came along ... then ball pens. I am just thinking, the MBlanc logo is just like the Star of Solomon, but they managed to make it quite unrecognizable. A lot of ( other ) pen nibs also had iridium/osmium and rhodium tips ... but the metals were much cheaper in those days. Like the Epsom printers, nowadays, it was the fountain pen ink that was expensive.
Last month, my DW finally gave up on sedans and got an SUV. Only in America ... such a waste of fuel.
BANTU:: Based on atleast 5 authoritative books, including Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. ... southern Bantu was the first spoken language spoken by all of humanity. It is based a series of clicks and murmurs, that closely resemble the language of the chimps, one of our closest ancestors. Makes sense.
If a female swan is called a Pen, wouldn't it be nice, if a female pen (?) be called a Swan ?
RED TAPE:: Acts passed by the British Parliament, then sent over to the Queen E II 's palace, for her assent and signature, ... are traditionally bound in Red Tape.
The last time I ever had a HOUSE CALL, was when I had malaria, in 1965, ... the doc came over. felt my swollen spleen, on the left hand side, under my ribs, declared the disease, .... and prescribed quinine or mefloquine. I dont remember if doxycycline had been discovered, at the time.
A solid Tuesday PZL from the Sweren-Becker/Nussbaum team. Entertainingly answered by Hahtoolah.
Never encountered SMIZE or IKO before, but am always pleased to learn. (And just how does that compute with "Ignorance is bliss?" I think I know the answer....) ~ OMK ___________ DR: Four diagonals, three on this end, and one opposite. The near central diag offers a curious anagram (12 of 15 letters), referring to a marsupial of an especially aggressive nature. This one is a major organizer. Yes, I mean a...
FIR in about an average Tuesday time even though there were a few DNK’s, namely smize (which obviously my auto-correct isn’t familiar with either), and had no clue about IKO and IRL but worked them out with the perps. I knew Alcatraz and Mark Twain were “pen names”, but Mont Blanc?? Looked it up and figured it must be a status symbol such as a Rolex, who the heck spends $250-4,500 on a writing instrument, somebody with too much $$. Thanks D & D and Rich for the puzzle and Hahtoolah for the informative write up!
Ray-O ~~ where I live, the locals refer to a second residence as their “camp”, which may range from a rustic cabin with no amenities to an elaborate home. People from outside the area may refer to their places around here as “cottages” but it’s definitely not the local term. We have 2 camps on the shore of Lake Superior, could be used year round but the fury of the Lake in winter is too much for most people, including me :)
Also D-O ~~ the preferred vehicle in these parts is definitely a pick-up, my wife and I each have one, hers a Colorado, mine a Canyon, 4X4’s with full crew cab and tonneau covers, perfectly practical for us!
d’o@9:18- thanks for letting me know that it is a Terrific Tuesday. I guess my coffee had not kicked in yet at that early hour.
PK@1:11pm - LOL!
Ray-o and YooperPhil- We call them cottages in southern Ontario (although those multi-million dollar ones in Muskoka should be called estates); but in northern Ontario (especially in the Thunder Bay area), they are called camps.
Vidwan, I found J. Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel very enlightening. When I used to drive eastward into the rising sun to take Alan to work, I appreciated the visor in my car. I bought a clear extension for it because I am too short for using just the visor. Warm brie with fig jam, yummy. My company really eats it up. Our doctor made house calls in the 1940's. I loved them. They livened the tedium of staying in bed all day. IRLis a term familiar to me. We had neither house calls nor office calls during part of the pandemic. My PC is an excellent diagnostician. He can tell a great deal just by actually seeing me. I found telemedicine very unsatisfying. Now that we are back to in person visits, I find my PC is back to his expert self. Telephone and computer visits are totally inadequate for Alan. SRO is quite common around here. There are even cheaper SRO seats. Newspaper reviews talk of SRO hit plays. Is this a vacation "camp?" "The long-time estate of late billionaire David Rockefeller on picturesque Mount Desert Island in Maine has sold for $19 million, according to property records."
The last HOUSE CALL I remember was when I was a kid. I'm not sure what my illness was, but this was back when we got ALL the usual diseases--measles, mumps, chicken pox, &c. My brother and I had scarlet fever, which today sounds absolutely horrible. But then it was just another of the many illnesses that caused us to place the "Quarantine" sign in our front window.
The doctor who came to our home parked his dark blue Buick in front (the usual car for docs back then) and came to my bedside with his black leather valise, the familiar "doctor bag." This was Dr. Roget, the same guy who delivered me (which gives an idea of how LONG ago this was) in the old French Hospital (at 6th Avenue just off Geary) in San Francisco. This is now one of the Kaiser hospitals. ~OMK
"A sprite is a spirit, a mythical, fairy-like creature who lives by the water. Sprites are supernatural and sometimes tricksy. ... Elves and fairies can be described as sprites, and so can the water nymphs from Ancient Greek mythology. Sprite comes from the Old French esprit, or "spirit," and the Latin root spiritus."
YR, I'm thinking that you bought a translucent visor extender; can't imagine how a clear one would help. If so, did you get one of the "as shown on TV" doodads? Does it get the job done? I need something to augment my RV's sunshades. There's a gap between them that always seems to be in just the wrong spot, especially this time of year when the sun is fairly low in the sky.
Also, what are the SRO seats like? Seems like an oxymoron to me. I remember going to watch the Cincinnati Reds in old Crosley Field, and thinking the SRO customers really had a pretty good view. But they had to stand.
Vidwan Your comment on RED TAPE brought to mind two cryptic clues today from Lovatts. It's from Australia in the British Commonwealth, so solvers would know E.R. = Elizabeth Regina, and the City of Westminster occupies much of the central area of Greater London. Many of London's most renowned sites are situated in the borough, including Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and 10 Downing Street. Never having lived in a really big city, NY boroughs are foreign to me, but I guess London is also cut up the same way. With all the British mystery novels I've read, it's surprising I wasn't aware of this!
Anyway,
Responds to queen backing parliamentary laws (6) R_A_T_
Witness term reformed at British Parliament (12) WE_T_I_S_E_N
I liked this puzzle and the pen gimmick. Hand up for not knowing SMIZE and IKO.
Yes, CHA is 1/3 of a dance, not 1/2.
CED is right. IRL does not mean off line. AFK comes close, meaning Away From Keyboard. IRL I am so-and-so but I can be Jayce and on line at the same time. It took at least a year for the editors to learn that DSL is not an ISP. Maybe it will take that long to learn that IRL does mean off line.
Vidwan, interesting about the BANTU language. Jared Diamond was a pretty insightful guy.
I've been reading "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck and came to an extremely interesting part where the characters are discussing the Cain and Abel story and refer to the term timshel which they translate as "thou mayest." Look it up to find some fascinating scholarship about it. Captivating reading.
Jinx. I had to LIU. I take it you're referring to the link to the cigarettes vs Cancer article. Bomb? That's quite a reach Even calling it politics is a reach and ironically both sides of the spectrum could link it to support their arguments. But I'm thrilled to see someone is reading my posts, especially in the midnight hour
CED, no but I recall reading "Rush to the Head" by Willy Maykit, illustrated by Bette Downt
I must have seen that Penny scene several times but it gets funnier everytime
"such a waste of fuel". Regular is dropping back towards $3.00 but diesel is $3.59 at Wawa. Jinx, no wonder you're testy today. As am I (BMW Diesel)
Walter Mitty in Thurber's short story is a man with a vivid fantasy life. He imagines himself a wartime pilot, an emergency-room surgeon, and a devil-may-care killer. IRL (in real life) he is a meek, mild manner man. Jayce, East of Eden is one of my favorite novels. The visor extender was actually smoky colored, but easy to see though. I searched for it for a year. I do not remember the brand. It worked well for a year, but by then it was quite scratched and thus no longer useful. I intended to say SRO tickets, not SRO seats. These day I am lucky if I can stand in one place for a half hour, although I can walk several miles.
Wilbur Charles and everyone, I always read everything you post and I check the previous day to see if there are any posts I missed.
I've been thinkin' (uh oh!): it seems to me that at least half of what is controversial in the news is created by the media itself. I'll bet nary a single person in the news business actually knows what a "bomb cyclone" is, even though they have been over-freely bandying the term about because it sounds so cool and makes them appear so knowledgeable.
WC, it wasn't the link, it was the "poor Greta and Picard" part that was political. That was at least as political as BE's comment, IMO. Actually I found both to be rather mild, but it aggravates me that there were two comments jumping on Easy's comment but crickets about yours.
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I nearly always read the final comments from the previous day before clicking on the current day's page. Heck, when you read the comments from the rest of us in the peanut section, it becomes obvious a lot of us don't even read the current day's comments before posting (albeit sometimes for good reason). I do understand why someone would opt to skip some contributors. Heck, if I was sensitive to ribald writing I'd skip everything written by me.
YR, guess I'll keep looking for an auxiliary shade. I'm the same way - can walk for miles, but can't stand in one place very long (or shuffle along, as in a crowded flea market for that matter). But I've been that way since I was a young man. I've never understand how grocery checkers can take it, and always wondered why they don't give them stools to sit on.
I read East of Eden many years ago and even listened to the audio version but it may be time to re-read it. John Steinbeck was such a good writer, INO.
I always read all of your posts and usually learn something, especially from you who are mathematicians or engineers. Both areas are outside my wheelhouse so I am eager to know what you pros have to say.
Late for the party, as it's been a busy week. Thanks Dan & Dan for an ever so slightly crunchy Tuesday, but I did manage an FIR. Missed the theme of course, but Hahtoolah INKED it in for me with lots of humor and good info.
15A ELMO. We'll meet another of his comrades in a day or so.
29A NOM, Also has an onomatopoetic riff as we'll also so soon.
50A LAS. VEGAS, like Venice, is one of those truly unique cities. I'm not much of a gambler, but I ventured 5 bucks worth of nickels on the slots there once on a business trip. Won 'em all back on the last pull and left them neatly stacked for the maid (plus a tip of course). Oh and the link was fascinating. I remember Bugsy Siegel from the eponymous 1991 film.
63A ARIAS. Here's that top 10 list of arias CanadianEh! asked for. A few of the YouTube links are missing, but you can surf up lots of replacement performances.
65A COLT. The story as viewed from Indianapolis of course. Baltimore had a different perspective, e.g. why did they HIE under cover of darkness in the middle of the night? But the bright side is that now we've got the RAVENS, a much better team. 😁
1D LIMA. I've tried growing them, but never have any luck.
22D VAC. I wanted TIC, but it didn't click.
26D AMBER. Thanks Cat, we needed that.
36D KENT STATE. And we don't need any more of this.
Owen KL, I would have had a tough time completing British Cryptics, although I have read the Wiki article on Cryptic crosswords many times. That article explains all about Cryptics in great detail. I guess Im not as good with anagrams.
I also read all the previous days posts before I start solving the next days puzzle.
waseeley- thanks for the Top Ten Arias link. Now I will have to listen to them. (although a couple are Unavailable to me, probably because YouTube does not permit them to be viewed in Canada. Censored as too Er——ic for our tender eyes LOL!)
FIR in fairly good time today. I saw the PENNAMES, but I didn’t know how MONTBLANC fit, until Hahtoolah ‘splained it. Obviously, I’ve never owned one. Can’t remember if I ever owned a Paper Mate.
I knew the song IKO, but only because I’ve heard it on the radio, but I had no idea of its context. Did not know SMIZE, but the perps got it.
Casey Kasem’s original show was “America’s Top 40.” I want to say it aired on Sundays, but I might be mis-remembering. Might have just been whenever the local station wanted to air it.
I remember when the Colts left Baltimore in the middle of the night. Talk about a gnashing of teeth!
Hand up for 1944.
I try to go back and look at the later comments from the previous day; mine are often the last ones anyway.
50 comments:
FIRight, but that's not the same as solving the puzzle. I had the three themers, and had evaded looking at the reveal. But I searched them for lettters in common (A and T, but next to each other in only one), embedded words (CAT, ARK, none), similarities (one was a NOM DE PLUME, one was a fountain pen, the other was setting for a couple classic movies). Finally gave up and read the reveal. Good one, guys. You got me.
I did have one difficulty. SMIZ_ was unguessable, and ViC(tim) < VAC(uum), so had to do an alphabet run to get ELATE (I had been expecting a roller-coaster type thrill).
Nature and dogs abhor a VACUUM,
That's a truism sure as doom!
But I ask you,
Why the double U?
It was concocted by linguists in a back room!
ALCATRAZ was a federal PEN
Where they'd SHOVE the worst of men.
Now tourists poke
Where cons were broke,
And birds are nesting there again!
{A, C+.}
Good morning!
This was a DANdy puzzle -- a nice easy romp. Didn't notice the starred clues during the solve, but was able to find the PEN NAMES after the reveal. Very nice, Dan, Dan, and Hahtoolah.
HOUSE CALL: Hahtoolah, your story is almost exactly what happened at our house. I was the brat under the bed.
SEDAN: Ford has removed most of 'em from the production list in favor of SUV's like the Escape, Edge, Explorer, and Expedition. In our neighborhood most homes sport a pickup and an SUV. I was surprised that our new neighbors have a pair of SEDANs. They must've arrived from out-of-state.
FIR with no erasure. DNK IKO or SMIZE.
Camping in a TENT? Where do you put the ICE maker or the machines that clean the LINENS?
Vendors used to give me MONT BLANC pens for Christmas. I pried off the little logo on the pocket clip before I used them. (Truth be told, I liked writing with a cheap pen better.)
I was in college at U of Kentucky when those kids were killed at Kent State. I stood outside my dorm to watch the protest march, and got tear gassed for my trouble. Guess I got my fair share of abuse, but you can't always get what you want.
Thanks to Daniel^2 for the fun, easy puzzle. And thanks to Hahtoolah for the cute review. You outpunned Boomer today and I love it.
Good Morning, Crossword friends. I hope you are all safe. I have been hearing about the first Nor'easter of the year hitting the East Coast as well as the Bomb Cyclone on the West Coast. For once, we are not experiencing rain.
QOD: I told my kids when they were little, “Look, kids, your mother and I are screwing you up somehow. We don’t understand how, or wer wouldn’t do it. But we’re parents. So somehow we’re damaging you, and I want you to know that early. So just ignore me when I go to that part of my parenting.” ~ Pat Conroy (né Donald Patrick Conroy; Oct. 26, 1945 ~ Mar. 4, 2016), American Southern writer
It's Tuesday with a puzzle from two Daniels. Thanks for the fun FIR! I must admit to a WO when I wrote in "cut up" before checking the perps to see it should be CARVE. Favorite fill was VAC, little sucker. I toyed with the idea of "bat" but waited. Got the theme only after the reveal. We hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc one summer and enjoyed it so much we repeated it the next two.
Thanks, Hahtoolah, for explaining IKO and SMIZE (Hi, Jinx!) and enriching the blog so much. Feeling smarter and entertained and hoping you all are, too!
Took 5:34 to ink this one in.
I had no idea on "smize" or "iko."
Clever "pen" tie-in.
I never caught the PEN NAMES until the reveal. Kept looking for something in the 'downs'.
SMIZE & IRL-unknowns.
IKO IKO- played a lot around Mardi Gras; not so much for the CHA CHA
SRO- been seeing it for 40 years in crossword puzzles but nowhere else
TOP TEN- Casey Kasem can still be heard on Sirius XM. Did his wife quit hiding the body?
LIBS are not 'foes' of conservatives; they just want to spend YOUR money for THEIR things.
SPRITES & TABS- Coca Cola Products
SEDAN or the misnamed SUV that has nothing to do with 'Sport'. Most of them are basically 'station wagons' on a frame (instead of a unibody) that sit taller, bigger than the original Jeep Cherokee and smaller than a Chevy Suburban or the defunct International Harvester Carryall. The CROSSOVERS are built on unibodies. I once referred to DW's Murano as a "Nissan Maxima Station Wagon on Steroids". Years later I saw the same description on a car review.
FIR in reasonable unclefred Tuesday time. A very nice, fun CW, thanx DSB&DN. I saw the theme only after the reveal; clever theme! DNK SMIZE, thought “What the….?” and was sure SMIZE was wrong but couldn’t see how any of the perps were wrong, so had to conclude it was something new to me. Also looked at PLANA and couldn’t see PLAN A. (Doh!) Overall I enjoyed this CW. And Susan you outdid yourself with this truly terrific write-up, thanx for all the hard work!
Thanks, Hahtoolah, for the amusing cartoons and for the QOD. They have provided a great way to start the day.
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun to the two Daniels and Hahtoolah.
I FIRed in short order . . . Wait, I ERRed (sigh). My Cockney said Allo (probably influenced by our Spanish Alo the other day), and I failed to correct Namas to NAMES (although I did see the theme). (It did take me a minute to parse PENNAMAS as I could only see Panamas.)
Push came to SHOVE. TAKE On changed to UP.
COLTS, BANTU, SMIZE, IKO all perped.
We were In Labor last week; the baby was finally BORN today.
Yes, I noted IDLE crossing IDOL.
TOP TEN was above ARIAS. Do we have a top ten listing for arias?
We had SNOW and ICECAP. Winter is coming (with its attendant SKIDS).
Great catch, Hahtoolah, of the NOM EasterEgg.
Fortunately, my AGED 106 year old aunt has a doctor who still makes HOUSECALLs to her apartment (where she still lives independently!)
I gasped to see Canadian politics to open the CW. We have the Liberal Party of Canada, the Conservative Party of Canada, Bloc Québécois, The New Democratic Party (NDP), and the Green Party of Canada all with elected members in our House of Commons. The LIBS currently have the minority government. (Big Easy, your LIBS comment is VEERing over the “No Politics” line IMHCO*).
Wishing you all a great day.
*In My Humble Canadian Opinion
CanadianEh!, I agee with your veering observation, even though you seem confused as to what day this is.
Good morning everyone.
I had long ago forgotten that MONT BLANC was a type of ink pen. That said, I felt today's theme was quite innovative. Got it all w/o aid. The few unknowns perped in easily. Liked the several long downs. A nice, bright puzzle. FIR.
BRIE - One of my favorite cheeses.
SHOVE - Akin to German schubsen. Dutch schuiven
OSLO seems to be almost as frequent a visitor as Erie. LIMA; not too far behind. 2 capitals today.
HOUSECALL - - Dr. Duby came several times to treat my sister and me for measles and other childhood sicknesses. 5 miles each way on a gravel road.
Hahtoolah; a pleasure, as always, to peruse your intro.
Musings
-Today, cold, wind and cloudy skies have stayed this golfer from the successful completion of his rounds.
-Me too, Owen
-PENS! Fun gimmick. ME and Elmo like!
-I taught the metric system for decades but, IRL, I use feet, pounds, gallons, etc.
-If you drive in Nebraska winters, you learn to “turn into the direction of a SKID”
- The COLTS' move from Baltimore to Indianapolis was full of intrigue
-LIBS and conservatives – Talk about yer voting BLOCS!
-Did Danielx2 really know SMIZE or was it a happy discovery?
-“It’s a DEAL” - After six months, my car dealer finally said yes to my original offer
-Discovering retirement days still have 24 hours, led me to TAKE UP golf and crosswords
FIR, but needed Hahtoolah to explain the PENS.
I guessed SMIZE from just SM. You smash together smile and eyes.
IKO was all perps. I guess you have to live in Louisiana to appreciate it.
Another example of our changing language, POSER is becoming interchangeable with POSEUR. It used to be poseur was someone who pretends to be something he is not, a person who puts on airs or tries to project the attitude or appearance of someone more important or more accomplished than he truly is. The word poser is increasingly used interchangeably with the word poseur, meaning someone who pretends to be something he is not. Years ago I would have bemoaned the change. These days it accept it, as I realize wide usage often makes new takes on language acceptable.
BE, not fair. Earlier I had some thoughts I knew would raise your dander and I eschews posting them.
Safer is "-LIBS and conservatives – Talk about yer voting BLOCS!" HG, did you mean blocks? LOL.
RayO, on Cape Cod they're ALL cottages, including the Kennedy estate in Hyannis
"Nuff said"? Nuf Ced McGreevey Long but most interesting article about the original Redsox mania later depicted in "Fever Pitch"
I was "delivered" in 1944 as I see were uncle Fred and Misty. Any other war babies?
FIW on aLLO/ELLO therefore completely missing PEN NAMES. Talk about a visit from Mr S
I slept under the bed one hot night. My parents searched the house and exclaimed to my brother, "Billy's been abducted". "Look under the bed"
We certainly have no shortage of places to go to talk politics.
WC
We are double-Danned today..both names beyond my ken. All kinds of PEN NAMES except the usual pig sty
A not so simple FIR and more than a slew of inkovers:.thru/TEST, Tic/VAC,bore/BORN, carp/MOAN, Lime/KALE (gag!). 😒
VAC is an abbrev. not found in the clue unless "little" implies it 🤔
IRL? oh "in real life" (in Ireland?)
Never heard "little ones" (kids?) referred to as SPRITES. Is CHA half or a third of a Latin dance?
Loved the "Cheese: cartoon/song"!!... SMIZE? c'mon..🙄
Origin of numbskulls....ICE CAPS
Cell phones made them obsolete...HOUSECALLS
Kitchen basins...SYNCS
Forbid as well....BANTU
Questions about the puzzle? ____....SEDAN
Fun write up..thanks H2LH.
Okily-dokily have a nice day.
WC, "We certainly have no shortage of places to go to talk politics."
Like your bomb toss on the last post Sunday?
A clever theme today. I had never heard of a Mont Blanc pen so I did not fully understand the reveal until I read the expo. No white out needed today. A fun Tuesday.
Hola!
Thanks to the double Dans for a Tuesday twist. And thank you, Susan, for the icing on the cake!
SMIZE? Really? Since I don't watch Tyra Banks, beautiful though she is, have never heard the term.
IKO? Another unknown for me. Do people really say that? It doesn't sound like a compliment. More like icky.
I think of VISORS more as eye shades than for windshields.
I love, love, love BRIE!
As a teenager I listened to the TOPTEN while cleaning house.
Carports here have about an equal number of SEDANs as pickups and SUVs. Mine is a SEDAN.
Thank you, Susan, for interpreting IRL. Textspeak is almost a foreign language for me.
KALE? No thank you.
What happened at KENT STATE was a tragic EVENT.
When I was BORN the doctor's HOUSECALL was already too late but he was paid the $50 anyway.
It's 65 degrees and partly cloudy here at the moment in another beautiful autumn day in the desert.
Have a fantastic day, everyone!
Learning moment:
How to measure a "sprig."
Thank you Hahtoolah...
Got the pen name Mark Twain,
But who the heck is Al Catraz and and this Monty guy?
Oh, again, thanks Hahtoolah...
Went looking for other names for depths other than mark Twain,
But only found another name when I got to 100 fathoms
(Cable, or cable length, or length of a cable)
a weighty subject...
Note: sultana education foundation has some excellent videos,
But they made the mistake of classifying there YouTube vids as suitable
For children, which unknown to most means they cannot be saved,
Copied or posted...
I found the explanation of depth measurement interesting in the
Sultana vids as they also explain that bringing up a sample of the bottom
Surface can be compared to charts and also identify your position!
Speaking of pen names,
Have you read the book
"The Yellow River"
By I.P. Daily...
Delightful Tuesday puzzle--many thanks, Daniel and Daniel. And as soon as I saw all those great pictures, I knew our commentator would be Hahtoolah. Many thanks for those too, as always.
I was so happy to have my perfect puzzle Monday followed by a perfect puzzle Tuesday!
I got everything, although, like others, I had serious doubts whether SMIZE and IKO could be correct: but they were--Woohoo!
I also got PEN NAMES, though I didn't understand it until coming to the blog. Very clever.
But I did remember Reagan telling Gorbachev to TEAR DOWN that wall, those many years ago.
Have a great day, everybody.
Oh,
Also,
Not online=IRL???
(In real life?)
Pfft! Who are these upstart texters usurping OUR language!
It has always been AFK!
For reference,
Here is Penny becomes a Gamer...
Note,
You will have to watch the entire episode to
Understand the car key, mid west face, I sex in 6 months, and ate a fly references
As there is no abbreviating them...
Thank you Dan SB and Dan N for a delightful and enjoyable puzzle.
Thank you Hah2lah for all those interesting links, and the cartoon jokes.
Did not know --- SMIZE and IKO. But not a problem. I did not get the Pen idea until you explained it.
MONT BLANC: I read the whole article, in great depth.
I never had such a pen. but know of someone who had one, and let me use it, sometimes. I always had Parker 51's that my father gave me, they were my pride and joy... then some chinese knockoffs came along ... then ball pens.
I am just thinking, the MBlanc logo is just like the Star of Solomon, but they managed to make it quite unrecognizable.
A lot of ( other ) pen nibs also had iridium/osmium and rhodium tips ... but the metals were much cheaper in those days. Like the Epsom printers, nowadays, it was the fountain pen ink that was expensive.
Last month, my DW finally gave up on sedans and got an SUV.
Only in America ... such a waste of fuel.
BANTU:: Based on atleast 5 authoritative books, including Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. ... southern Bantu was the first spoken language spoken by all of humanity. It is based a series of clicks and murmurs, that closely resemble the language of the chimps, one of our closest ancestors. Makes sense.
If a female swan is called a Pen, wouldn't it be nice, if a female pen (?) be called a Swan ?
RED TAPE:: Acts passed by the British Parliament, then sent over to the Queen E II 's palace, for her assent and signature, ... are traditionally bound in Red Tape.
The last time I ever had a HOUSE CALL, was when I had malaria, in 1965, ... the doc came over. felt my swollen spleen, on the left hand side, under my ribs, declared the disease, .... and prescribed quinine or mefloquine. I dont remember if doxycycline had been discovered, at the time.
have a nice day, all.
A solid Tuesday PZL from the Sweren-Becker/Nussbaum team. Entertainingly answered by Hahtoolah.
Never encountered SMIZE or IKO before, but am always pleased to learn.
(And just how does that compute with "Ignorance is bliss?" I think I know the answer....)
~ OMK
___________
DR: Four diagonals, three on this end, and one opposite.
The near central diag offers a curious anagram (12 of 15 letters), referring to a marsupial of an especially aggressive nature. This one is a major organizer.
Yes, I mean a...
"KOALA WARLORD"!
See Dans duo do a SEDAN clue. Do Dans duo do a PEN NAME too?
FIR in about an average Tuesday time even though there were a few DNK’s, namely smize (which obviously my auto-correct isn’t familiar with either), and had no clue about IKO and IRL but worked them out with the perps. I knew Alcatraz and Mark Twain were “pen names”, but Mont Blanc?? Looked it up and figured it must be a status symbol such as a Rolex, who the heck spends $250-4,500 on a writing instrument, somebody with too much $$. Thanks D & D and Rich for the puzzle and Hahtoolah for the informative write up!
Ray-O ~~ where I live, the locals refer to a second residence as their “camp”, which may range from a rustic cabin with no amenities to an elaborate home. People from outside the area may refer to their places around here as “cottages” but it’s definitely not the local term. We have 2 camps on the shore of Lake Superior, could be used year round but the fury of the Lake in winter is too much for most people, including me :)
Also D-O ~~ the preferred vehicle in these parts is definitely a pick-up, my wife and I each have one, hers a Colorado, mine a Canyon, 4X4’s with full crew cab and tonneau covers, perfectly practical for us!
Puzzling thoughts:
FIR; cute puzzle with some "fresh" fill; witty and entertaining recap as always from Susan
With regard to "PEN" NAMES, I might've preferred seeing Mario Lemieux or Sydney Crosby
d’o@9:18- thanks for letting me know that it is a Terrific Tuesday. I guess my coffee had not kicked in yet at that early hour.
PK@1:11pm - LOL!
Ray-o and YooperPhil- We call them cottages in southern Ontario (although those multi-million dollar ones in Muskoka should be called estates); but in northern Ontario (especially in the Thunder Bay area), they are called camps.
Vidwan, I found J. Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel very enlightening.
When I used to drive eastward into the rising sun to take Alan to work, I appreciated the visor in my car. I bought a clear extension for it because I am too short for using just the visor.
Warm brie with fig jam, yummy. My company really eats it up.
Our doctor made house calls in the 1940's. I loved them. They livened the tedium of staying in bed all day.
IRLis a term familiar to me.
We had neither house calls nor office calls during part of the pandemic. My PC is an excellent diagnostician. He can tell a great deal just by actually seeing me. I found telemedicine very unsatisfying. Now that we are back to in person visits, I find my PC is back to his expert self.
Telephone and computer visits are totally inadequate for Alan.
SRO is quite common around here. There are even cheaper SRO seats. Newspaper reviews talk of SRO hit plays.
Is this a vacation "camp?" "The long-time estate of late billionaire David Rockefeller on picturesque Mount Desert Island in Maine has sold for $19 million, according to property records."
The last HOUSE CALL I remember was when I was a kid.
I'm not sure what my illness was, but this was back when we got ALL the usual diseases--measles, mumps, chicken pox, &c.
My brother and I had scarlet fever, which today sounds absolutely horrible.
But then it was just another of the many illnesses that caused us to place the "Quarantine" sign in our front window.
The doctor who came to our home parked his dark blue Buick in front (the usual car for docs back then) and came to my bedside with his black leather valise, the familiar "doctor bag." This was Dr. Roget, the same guy who delivered me (which gives an idea of how LONG ago this was) in the old French Hospital (at 6th Avenue just off Geary) in San Francisco. This is now one of the Kaiser hospitals.
~OMK
"A sprite is a spirit, a mythical, fairy-like creature who lives by the water. Sprites are supernatural and sometimes tricksy. ... Elves and fairies can be described as sprites, and so can the water nymphs from Ancient Greek mythology. Sprite comes from the Old French esprit, or "spirit," and the Latin root spiritus."
YR, I'm thinking that you bought a translucent visor extender; can't imagine how a clear one would help. If so, did you get one of the "as shown on TV" doodads? Does it get the job done? I need something to augment my RV's sunshades. There's a gap between them that always seems to be in just the wrong spot, especially this time of year when the sun is fairly low in the sky.
Also, what are the SRO seats like? Seems like an oxymoron to me. I remember going to watch the Cincinnati Reds in old Crosley Field, and thinking the SRO customers really had a pretty good view. But they had to stand.
Vidwan Your comment on RED TAPE brought to mind two cryptic clues today from Lovatts. It's from Australia in the British Commonwealth, so solvers would know E.R. = Elizabeth Regina, and the City of Westminster occupies much of the central area of Greater London. Many of London's most renowned sites are situated in the borough, including Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and 10 Downing Street. Never having lived in a really big city, NY boroughs are foreign to me, but I guess London is also cut up the same way. With all the British mystery novels I've read, it's surprising I wasn't aware of this!
Anyway,
Responds to queen backing parliamentary laws (6)
R_A_T_
Witness term reformed at British Parliament (12)
WE_T_I_S_E_N
**SPOILER**
Cryptic clue solutions
Responds to/ queen/ backing/ parliamentary laws.
REACTS/= ER/ reversed/+ ACTS
Witness term/ reformed/ at British Parliament.
WITNESSTERM/ anagrammed/= WESTMINSTER
I liked this puzzle and the pen gimmick. Hand up for not knowing SMIZE and IKO.
Yes, CHA is 1/3 of a dance, not 1/2.
CED is right. IRL does not mean off line. AFK comes close, meaning Away From Keyboard. IRL I am so-and-so but I can be Jayce and on line at the same time. It took at least a year for the editors to learn that DSL is not an ISP. Maybe it will take that long to learn that IRL does mean off line.
Vidwan, interesting about the BANTU language. Jared Diamond was a pretty insightful guy.
I've been reading "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck and came to an extremely interesting part where the characters are discussing the Cain and Abel story and refer to the term timshel which they translate as "thou mayest." Look it up to find some fascinating scholarship about it. Captivating reading.
Hand up for not being a fan of kale.
Good wishes to you all.
Jayce: East of Eden is my favorite John Steinbeck novel. I read it every few years. Always find something new in it.
Jinx. I had to LIU. I take it you're referring to the link to the cigarettes vs Cancer article. Bomb? That's quite a reach
Even calling it politics is a reach and ironically both sides of the spectrum could link it to support their arguments. But I'm thrilled to see someone is reading my posts, especially in the midnight hour
CED, no but I recall reading "Rush to the Head" by Willy Maykit, illustrated by Bette Downt
I must have seen that Penny scene several times but it gets funnier everytime
"such a waste of fuel". Regular is dropping back towards $3.00 but diesel is $3.59 at Wawa. Jinx, no wonder you're testy today. As am I (BMW Diesel)
WC
I forgot to thank hahtoolah for her always sterling write-ups
Owen, lets just say both l'icks were excellent. I'd be useless at cryptics
Walter Mitty in Thurber's short story is a man with a vivid fantasy life. He imagines himself a wartime pilot, an emergency-room surgeon, and a devil-may-care killer. IRL (in real life) he is a meek, mild manner man.
Jayce, East of Eden is one of my favorite novels.
The visor extender was actually smoky colored, but easy to see though. I searched for it for a year. I do not remember the brand. It worked well for a year, but by then it was quite scratched and thus no longer useful.
I intended to say SRO tickets, not SRO seats. These day I am lucky if I can stand in one place for a half hour, although I can walk several miles.
A very clever unifier for theme entries that didn't seem to share anything.
Wilbur Charles and everyone, I always read everything you post and I check the previous day to see if there are any posts I missed.
I've been thinkin' (uh oh!): it seems to me that at least half of what is controversial in the news is created by the media itself. I'll bet nary a single person in the news business actually knows what a "bomb cyclone" is, even though they have been over-freely bandying the term about because it sounds so cool and makes them appear so knowledgeable.
WC, it wasn't the link, it was the "poor Greta and Picard" part that was political. That was at least as political as BE's comment, IMO. Actually I found both to be rather mild, but it aggravates me that there were two comments jumping on Easy's comment but crickets about yours.
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I nearly always read the final comments from the previous day before clicking on the current day's page. Heck, when you read the comments from the rest of us in the peanut section, it becomes obvious a lot of us don't even read the current day's comments before posting (albeit sometimes for good reason). I do understand why someone would opt to skip some contributors. Heck, if I was sensitive to ribald writing I'd skip everything written by me.
YR, guess I'll keep looking for an auxiliary shade. I'm the same way - can walk for miles, but can't stand in one place very long (or shuffle along, as in a crowded flea market for that matter). But I've been that way since I was a young man. I've never understand how grocery checkers can take it, and always wondered why they don't give them stools to sit on.
I read East of Eden many years ago and even listened to the audio version but it may be time to re-read it. John Steinbeck was such a good writer, INO.
I always read all of your posts and usually learn something, especially from you who are mathematicians or engineers. Both areas are outside my wheelhouse so I am eager to know what you pros have to say.
Late for the party, as it's been a busy week.
Thanks Dan & Dan for an ever so slightly crunchy Tuesday, but I did manage an FIR. Missed the theme of course, but Hahtoolah INKED it in for me with lots of humor and good info.
15A ELMO. We'll meet another of his comrades in a day or so.
29A NOM, Also has an onomatopoetic riff as we'll also so soon.
50A LAS. VEGAS, like Venice, is one of those truly unique cities. I'm not much of a gambler, but I ventured 5 bucks worth of nickels on the slots there once on a business trip. Won 'em all back on the last pull and left them neatly stacked for the maid (plus a tip of course). Oh and the link was fascinating. I remember Bugsy Siegel from the eponymous 1991 film.
63A ARIAS. Here's that top 10 list of arias CanadianEh! asked for. A few of the YouTube links are missing, but you can surf up lots of replacement performances.
65A COLT. The story as viewed from Indianapolis of course. Baltimore had a different perspective, e.g. why did they HIE under cover of darkness in the middle of the night? But the bright side is that now we've got the RAVENS, a much better team. 😁
1D LIMA. I've tried growing them, but never have any luck.
22D VAC. I wanted TIC, but it didn't click.
26D AMBER. Thanks Cat, we needed that.
36D KENT STATE. And we don't need any more of this.
Cheers,
Bill
Owen KL, I would have had a tough time completing British Cryptics, although I have read the Wiki article on Cryptic crosswords many times. That article explains all about Cryptics in great detail. I guess Im not as good with anagrams.
I also read all the previous days posts before I start solving the next days puzzle.
Note to Self:: I must read East of Eden. ;-)
Jayce @5:40PM An astute observation re the press/media. They are businesses and "dog bites man" stories don't sell many papers, bits, or ads.
waseeley- thanks for the Top Ten Arias link. Now I will have to listen to them. (although a couple are Unavailable to me, probably because YouTube does not permit them to be viewed in Canada. Censored as too Er——ic for our tender eyes LOL!)
CEh! @10:28 PM Would one of them be Carmen by any chance?
FIR in fairly good time today. I saw the PENNAMES, but I didn’t know how MONTBLANC fit, until Hahtoolah ‘splained it. Obviously, I’ve never owned one. Can’t remember if I ever owned a Paper Mate.
I knew the song IKO, but only because I’ve heard it on the radio, but I had no idea of its context. Did not know SMIZE, but the perps got it.
Casey Kasem’s original show was “America’s Top 40.” I want to say it aired on Sundays, but I might be mis-remembering. Might have just been whenever the local station wanted to air it.
I remember when the Colts left Baltimore in the middle of the night. Talk about a gnashing of teeth!
Hand up for 1944.
I try to go back and look at the later comments from the previous day; mine are often the last ones anyway.
Thanks, Daniel and Daniel and Hahtoolah!
waseeley@11:16pm- LOL re Carmen. Habenera is there, but not Toreador Song. Nessun Dorma is also missing.
And obviously, I read the previous day’s evening posts in the morning.
Post a Comment