Title: F as in Factor
As luck would have it, by switching with Moe to blog a JW puzzle, I am blogging another of his Friday frolics. One of his classic styles is an add a letter to create many punny places. Today is a simple exercise in adding an "F" to the beginning of an in the language phrase. The result is some serious frivolity, he said ironically. There may be more to it, but I have had an incredibly hectic week. The puzzle is sprinkled with so much yummy fill DIG THIS, LATERAL, PC DESKS, UNLINED, ADRIAN II, CEREMONY, DARKSIDE, DOG BRUSH, MEANNESS, PREPARED, RED NOSED and STEMWARE. If you do not like the introduction of PC Desks it generates about 244,000,000 results (1.29 seconds) on google.The feel is much more of a traditional Friday with fewer words and more open spaces and no abstruse gimmick. I am not suggesting it is an easy puzzle, certainly 1A was not a gimme but it is a Friday crossword.
19A. Like one hiding contraband on his person?: FRISK AVERSE.(11). Perhaps some LSD? You can't be risk averse if you are carrying.
24A. First-time hot-dog griller?: FRANK AMATEUR (12). By far my favorite of the themers, as I picture someone who keeps losing the dogs between the grill parts. The phrase “rank amateur” employed this sense to mean, as the Oxford English Dictionary puts it, “a person who is completely inexperienced or inept at a particular activity”44A. Like designers of Halloween costumes?: FRIGHT MINDED.(12). Right minded is probably too political and Fright minded missed the deadline.
55A. Campus anti-hazing policy, basically?: FRAT CONTROL (11).Some might say RATs and FRAT boys are hard to tell apart.
On to the rest
Across:
1. Takes over: CO-OPTS. One meaning is to assimilate, take, or win over into a larger or established group: The fledgling Labor party was co-opted by the Socialist party.
7. Set: PREPARED. Are you ready? I am all set.
15. Mendeleev's homeland: RUSSIA. This clue is used periodically.
16. Nobel Prize presentation, say: CEREMONY. More 8 letter fill COURTESY, EXERCISE, FUNCTION, HOLY RITE, OCCASION, PRACTICE, PRIMNESS and PROTOCOL that are synonyms.
17. Fix: ATTACH. Really?
48. Scout in "To Kill a Mockingbird," e.g.: GIRL.
49. Peninsular U.S. st.: FLA. CSO to all of us Flo-ridians
52. Org. with briefs: ABA. A CSO to all of us with law backgrounds
59. Lab neatener: DOG BRUSH. Not the laboratory but the puppies.
61. Face: VISAGE.
62. Ninth-century pope: ADRIAN II. You might not think this would be hard but there were twenty-one, yes 21 9th Century Popes!
63. Fill with love: ENAMOR.
64. Bully's trait: MEANNESS. Too many in the world.
65. Supremely irked: SOREST. It makes me sore.
Down:
6. Much of Algeria: SAHARA. Are desert their just desserts?
7. Modern office furniture: PC DESKS. This has billions of hits
8. With 13-Down, has a fender bender with: REAR. 13D. See 8-Down: ENDS.
9. Isn't correct: ERRS.
10. Toy since ancient times: PEKE. More very difficult cluing, as we are looking for a toy dog!
11. KLM hub letters: AMS. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (IATA: AMS), known informally as Schiphol Airport is the, myself. main international airport of the Netherlands. If you know where KLM is based this is inferable. I like to call the airline Koninklijke Luchtvaartmaatschappij.
12. Agitate: ROIL. The word roil is often confused with rile, which has a slightly different meaning. If you roil someone you're stirring them up but not necessarily annoying them. To rile someone is to deliberately provoke or antagonize them. Dictionary.
14. Like gumdrops: DYED. Gumdrops are notoriously unhealthy, but I never thought about the food colorings being dyes.
20. Ute relative: VAN. I do not equate the colloquialism for a utility vehicle for a van which is an abbreviation of caravan.
24. It often includes trysts: FLING. Not on the football field.
25. Falcons' home: Abbr.: ATL. American Football.
26. "Give __ break!": ME A.
38. Nov. NJ setting: EST.
39. Rep. foe: DEM.
42. "Oh, man, check it out!": DIG THIS. Another flashback Jeffrey?
45. Actor Cage, casually: NIC. Is he ever casual?
46. Large numbers: DROVES. They will come in droves comes from cattle drives. Makes you think.
47. Climate-disrupting phenomenon: EL NINO.
49. Home-building stage: FRAME.
50. Colonel Sanders' head, and its ilk: LOGOS. I like this.
51. Watchful: ALERT.
52. Driver with lines: ADAM. Have you seen his sex scenes with Lady Gaga?
53. "This was my dream. What it doth __, God knows": "Henry VI, Part 2": BODE. Jeffrey will always include some Will in his puzzles, it just depends if Rich leaves it in.
56. Early writing symbol: RUNE. Maybe that is what ruined my handwriting.
57. Sale condition: AS IS. That is how you have to take me.
58. Past 15-Across leader: TSAR.
60. Receptacle: BIN. Laden?
1. Takes over: CO-OPTS. One meaning is to assimilate, take, or win over into a larger or established group: The fledgling Labor party was co-opted by the Socialist party.
7. Set: PREPARED. Are you ready? I am all set.
15. Mendeleev's homeland: RUSSIA. This clue is used periodically.
16. Nobel Prize presentation, say: CEREMONY. More 8 letter fill COURTESY, EXERCISE, FUNCTION, HOLY RITE, OCCASION, PRACTICE, PRIMNESS and PROTOCOL that are synonyms.
17. Fix: ATTACH. Really?
18. Vader's choice: DARKSIDE. Actually it was Ani's choice for love.
21. "Dropped" drug: LSD. Why is LSD the only drug that is dropped?
22. Texas __: oil: TEA.
21. "Dropped" drug: LSD. Why is LSD the only drug that is dropped?
22. Texas __: oil: TEA.
23. Notable times: ERAS.
32. Aqua relative: TEAL.
35. Flutes, for example: STEMWARE. Drinking glasses
36. Notepad option: UNLINED.
40. Gridiron maneuver: LATERAL.
41. Like some allergy sufferers: RED NOSED. No reindeer here.
43. __ Stone, co-star of the "Jacques Brel" musicals: ELLY.
LINK
32. Aqua relative: TEAL.
36. Notepad option: UNLINED.
40. Gridiron maneuver: LATERAL.
41. Like some allergy sufferers: RED NOSED. No reindeer here.
43. __ Stone, co-star of the "Jacques Brel" musicals: ELLY.
LINK
48. Scout in "To Kill a Mockingbird," e.g.: GIRL.
49. Peninsular U.S. st.: FLA. CSO to all of us Flo-ridians
52. Org. with briefs: ABA. A CSO to all of us with law backgrounds
59. Lab neatener: DOG BRUSH. Not the laboratory but the puppies.
61. Face: VISAGE.
62. Ninth-century pope: ADRIAN II. You might not think this would be hard but there were twenty-one, yes 21 9th Century Popes!
63. Fill with love: ENAMOR.
64. Bully's trait: MEANNESS. Too many in the world.
65. Supremely irked: SOREST. It makes me sore.
Down:
1. Boats: CRAFT.
2. Quite odd: OUTRÉ. I always liked this word.
3. Harbor city of ancient Rome: OSTIA.
4. Useful TV spots: Abbr.: PSAS. Public Service Announcements
5. Wall Street crawl: TICKER. When I began watching the stock market with my father when I was 12, that was literally how the prices came into the Hempill Noyes office.
2. Quite odd: OUTRÉ. I always liked this word.
3. Harbor city of ancient Rome: OSTIA.
4. Useful TV spots: Abbr.: PSAS. Public Service Announcements
5. Wall Street crawl: TICKER. When I began watching the stock market with my father when I was 12, that was literally how the prices came into the Hempill Noyes office.
6. Much of Algeria: SAHARA. Are desert their just desserts?
7. Modern office furniture: PC DESKS. This has billions of hits
8. With 13-Down, has a fender bender with: REAR. 13D. See 8-Down: ENDS.
9. Isn't correct: ERRS.
10. Toy since ancient times: PEKE. More very difficult cluing, as we are looking for a toy dog!
11. KLM hub letters: AMS. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (IATA: AMS), known informally as Schiphol Airport is the, myself. main international airport of the Netherlands. If you know where KLM is based this is inferable. I like to call the airline Koninklijke Luchtvaartmaatschappij.
12. Agitate: ROIL. The word roil is often confused with rile, which has a slightly different meaning. If you roil someone you're stirring them up but not necessarily annoying them. To rile someone is to deliberately provoke or antagonize them. Dictionary.
14. Like gumdrops: DYED. Gumdrops are notoriously unhealthy, but I never thought about the food colorings being dyes.
20. Ute relative: VAN. I do not equate the colloquialism for a utility vehicle for a van which is an abbreviation of caravan.
24. It often includes trysts: FLING. Not on the football field.
25. Falcons' home: Abbr.: ATL. American Football.
26. "Give __ break!": ME A.
27. Qty.: AMT. Amount.
30. Long border range: URAL.
31. Bank (on): RELY.
32. Gang land: TURF. Slang; the neighborhood over which a street gang asserts its authority.
33. Dept. formed under Carter: ENERgy.
34. German family-owned discount market: ALDI. There is so much more to this STORY than just cheap prices. TRADER JOE'S anyone?
37. Kabuki relative: NOH. Japanese theater alternatives.
31. Bank (on): RELY.
32. Gang land: TURF. Slang; the neighborhood over which a street gang asserts its authority.
33. Dept. formed under Carter: ENERgy.
34. German family-owned discount market: ALDI. There is so much more to this STORY than just cheap prices. TRADER JOE'S anyone?
37. Kabuki relative: NOH. Japanese theater alternatives.
38. Nov. NJ setting: EST.
39. Rep. foe: DEM.
42. "Oh, man, check it out!": DIG THIS. Another flashback Jeffrey?
45. Actor Cage, casually: NIC. Is he ever casual?
46. Large numbers: DROVES. They will come in droves comes from cattle drives. Makes you think.
47. Climate-disrupting phenomenon: EL NINO.
49. Home-building stage: FRAME.
50. Colonel Sanders' head, and its ilk: LOGOS. I like this.
51. Watchful: ALERT.
52. Driver with lines: ADAM. Have you seen his sex scenes with Lady Gaga?
53. "This was my dream. What it doth __, God knows": "Henry VI, Part 2": BODE. Jeffrey will always include some Will in his puzzles, it just depends if Rich leaves it in.
56. Early writing symbol: RUNE. Maybe that is what ruined my handwriting.
57. Sale condition: AS IS. That is how you have to take me.
58. Past 15-Across leader: TSAR.
60. Receptacle: BIN. Laden?
And so we continue our trek toward so many holidays for so many, one for everyone; and we received an early present from our own Jeffrey W. I was too busy, but I had fun. Love to hear from you. Lemonade out.
37 comments:
This theme gets an F. More specifically, FR[I|A].
In olden days, a mountain GIRL
Gave the RUSSIAN TSAR a whirl.
Her pa to thank,
He gave him RANK,
Gave him the title of URAL EARL!
TSAR Rudolph was a drunk, my dear.
His VISAGE showed he loved his beer!
He was no terror
And so his ERA
Was known as Rudolph the RED-NOSED reign, dear!
{A, A+.}
Good morning!
Yup, this one was Friday-worthy. D-o sussed the theme and stumbled to victory well within the self-imposed Friday time limit. Wasn't thinking about a desktop computer when PC DESKS showed up, but was thinking of a Notepad computer when UNLINED sneaked in. VISAGE always invoked the Old Man of the Mountain in New Hampshire -- glad I got to see it before it slid off the slope. ALDI is CC's favorite market -- gotta bring your own grocery bags. UNLINED and RED NOSED (Rudolphian?) were slow to appear...but finally did for a Friday win. Thanx, JW and Lemonade.
FIR, but I have no idea how. I think walking Zoe in the chilly (50 degree) morning air cleared up my so-called brain. Too many erasures and NTMs to mention. I got and loved the theme.
The only reason I knew Texas TEA (AKA black gold) was that I never missed an episode of Beverly Hillbillies back in my ute.
We have Lidls and ALDIs here. Haven't been to either. Ve have vays of making you shop!
Lemony, folks that lose their hot dogs between the grates must have really skinny wieners. Guess that doesn't matter once they are between the buns.
Thanks to Jeff Wech for another gem.
Isn't there an old punch line that says "Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear."
Good morning.
A tale of two puzzles. All but the NE in about 10 minutes.
That NE corner gave me fits, and easily doubled the amount of time. Rile morphed into ROIL with the LSD entry. Felt PC DESK was going to be the answer, but had "runs into", for the fender bender, with runs meshing with LSD. Had no clue with Vader's choice, but it wasn't going to start with DT, whatever it was.
The toy from ancient times was first a kite, then a yoyo, then a bike. A bike isn't so ancient, but at that point, I had taken out 'runs into' for the fender bender and put in PC DESK.
My gumballs were also hard by then, so I had D--K-I-r, but worked out DARK SIDE as a possible answer, and then filled REAR ENDS. That helped clear up my confusion for FRISK AVERSE, and then CEREMONY and PREPARED became obvious. Whew !
Solving crossword puzzles can be strange at times. On another day, I might have breezed through the NE corner, and some other area might have caused problems. But today I was breezing through 90 % of this one, thinking how easy it was for a Friday, and then wham !
Time to make some coffee and then read Lemonade's recap.
Took 8:51 to F-finish. Got tripped-up in the lower left. Adrian II didn't seem right, and "dig that" wasn't right. Plus, my allergy sufferer was originally red faced before becoming red nosed.
I didn't know Elly Stone or the musicals she was in, nor did I know Ostia.
I do enjoy a good Friday puzzle. Hope you all do too.
Hi Y'all! Another amusing Jeff Wex challenge, thanks.Thanks, Lemonade, for the great expo. I hope your health problems aren't what was keeping you so busy.
The entire top tier was a vast snow field until the last and took multiple red-letter runs to get some toe-holds. Fortunately, the rest of the puzzle went much better.
I got the theme after everything filled except the top F phrase and that helped that.
Didn't know Mendeleev or his country. Had ___SIA & tried PerSIA. BZZZT. What other country has those letters? Took awhile to remember. Duh!
Fix wasn't "neuter" which fit but would mean to deTACH. Don't quite understand ATTACH but maybe meaning AFFIX or glue on.
Dang! I missed noticing one bad square. I had RED NOSEs and didn't think long enough about the perp: sIG THIS. I was so enjoying Jeffrey's Friday puzzle but FIW in the end. I did puzzle out the rest, including the tough NE corner (Hi TTP). My toy was a "doll." Glasses didn't fit for STEMWARE but perps led the way after I got rid of woodwind, which did fit. Skipping around, I got the theme with FRIGHTMINDED. That was a big help. Thanks Jeffrey. Looking forward to your next puzzle.
And Lemonade, thanks for your very helpful review. Filling in ADAM, I didn't quite understand it referred to the actor which explained "lines" though I knew Minnie Driver. I was somewhere lost in the Garden of Eden. LInes of descendants? Oxen? What? Of course I knew the Falcons' home ATL!!! Enjoy the day, everyone.
Serious frivolity, indeed. Thanks, Lemonade.
FLN, thanks for that additional link to the British Journal of Anaesthesia, Vidwan. It adds much to the topic . . . even if my auto spelling correct feature doesn't embrace it.
Good Morning:
Anonymous @ 8:02 ~ Kudos to you for wrestling this bear in less than 9 minutes. It took me a few seconds shy of 60 minutes, the longest time I’ve spent on a solve in ages.
I started the puzzle late last night and completed it all but the NE corner. This morning, I went back to the NE and was just as perplexed as I was last night. My major breakthrough was FINALLY coming up with Averse and that opened the floodgates. Dyed would be the last word I’d associate with Gumdrops, possibly because I don’t eat them and really never gave a thought to them being dyed. Like TTP, I had Runs Into before Rear Ends and I hesitated to enter Peke, not being sure of how long they’ve been around. All in all, that corner almost made me throw in the towel, however, P and P paid off, albeit slowly and with much frustration.
Thanks, Jeffrey W, and despite my kvetching, you’re still one of my favorite constructors and thanks, Lemony, for your always informative and entertaining summaries. I really enjoyed reading the Fran Lebowitz interview; she is the epitome of a “New Yorker”, the city, not the state.
Have a great day.
Too many starts and stops today, lost track of the time it took to FIR, but best guess would be 30, once again winning the trophy for slowest solve, I’m sure. DNK OSTIA, ADRIANII, or ADAM. The crossing of those last two I guessed the “A”. Never heard of Adam Driver. The clue was a real head scratcher, and when ADAM filled I had to just hope it was correct. I had the exact same run in the NE as TTP, starting with RUNSINTO:REARENDS, and every thing else mentioned there by TTP. A tough challenge for my meager abilities. Thanx for the mental workout, JW. And thanx for the terrific write-up, Lemonade.
Definitely a Jeff W. Friday. Enjoyed the challenge even though I had to turn on Red Letters to finish the puzzle. Did Jeff choose the F because it was a Friday puzzle?
Like PK I tried perSIA before perps changed it to RUSSIA. I then got to change SHAH to TSAR.
There were a few Down words that were filled in by perps totally before I got to the clue, like DYED, ENDS, AGRA and NOH. Perps also helped with a number of other words.
Have a great day everyone.
Thank you, Ms. Irish Miss. I admire your determination.
Hola!
I rose to the JW's Friday challenge starting at 6 A.M. and almost finished before sleep overtook me. The bottom filled quickly first, giving me TSAR which led to the top and RUSSIA.
Thanks to reading so much historical fiction, I knew OSTIA. That and RUNE are a blast from the past.
And I'm happy to see the EARL of Grantham! I loved Downton Abbey. Recently I saw the full length movie again.
ME A is often clued MEA culpa.
Four letter, long border range? Hmmm. URAL, of course.
Thank you, again, Jeff Wex. We haven't seen enough of you lately.
And thank you, Lemonade. I hope you finish all your tasks in good time.
Everyone, have a fantastic Friday!
Tough but still doable Friday puzzle--many thanks, Jeffrey. And helpful commentary, Lemonade, thanks for that too.
Owen, your funny verses cracked me up this morning.
Fun clues included 'Lab neatener'. I of course thought of a chemistry lab--not a DOG BRUSH.
Same with 'allergy sufferers'--RED NOSED? Made me laugh.
Sadly this puzzle ended on the down-side, with MEANNESS and SOREST--not two cheerful words. But, hey, it's Friday.
Have a great weekend coming up, everybody.
Like TTP I romped through most of this, but the NE corner was a real puzzler. I took a break and finally got it. DYED for gum props was hard to come up with. I saw the theme with the added F's right away. Still, I had one bad cell. Like ATL Granny I knew it was wrong and forgot to go back and fix it. Drat!
No trouble with fix/attach, after 3 perps. Example:
"And there was a burglar alarm prominently fixed to the front of the house, and a large spotlight at each corner. . ."
Of course, the right and the left both think they are right minded, having sound views and principles. Sometimes I think both sides are out of their minds.
I used to wonder about dropping LSD. LSD in liquid form is dropped on the tongue with an eyedropper.
I am a one-store grocery shopper. ALDI does not have the variety of choices I need.
I was impressed with the Old Man of the Mountain and was sorry to see its doom.
I am finally rid of my unintentional Halloween costume during the middle of Nov. The ghoulish mask of blood dripping from my mouth to my chin has disappeared. My jack-o'-lantern smile is now gone, too. This Sunday I bit down using my temporary tooth and it detached from the flipper. No tooth for 3 or 4 days. By yesterday the lab had fixed it back on the flipper at no extra charge.
It took long to think of the toy as a Peke.
This is a good day for me. I am finally catching up with things.
BTW, I use quotes from printed sources not to show they are correct, but that they are being used, are in the language, and not that uncommon.
My NEAR MISS was funnier than REAR ENDS, but in the "end" I had to give in.
I also had LEGOS before LOGOS. I'm pretty sure the Colonel is one of the popular little LEGO figures. Should be, anyway.
Otherwise, I had no gripe with Mr. Wechsler's Friday PZL. A good challenge. Tough but do-able.
And the four "F" theme fills were all amusing.
~ OMK
Having already FIR I was tempted to add, fln, 'Wait til you solve Friday '
I should do my write-ups after solving, but I do recall that the theme became helpful. If I can figure it out that's a lot of perps for the downs.
I'm becoming pop-cul phobic. Funny thing is I have vague recollection of the names.
WC
When I saw the Wechsler name I was PREPARED for a tough puzzle and he provided one. The North gave me the most trouble and the NE was the last to fill. I knew RUSSIA, SAHARA, TEA, LSD, and DARK SIDE were correct but the rest was a grind. I caught the added F at FRANK AMATEUR and filled from there to the bottom without much problem.
TEAL directly under TEA looked neat. And with the Texas TEA fill the ELLY should have been MAY CLAMPETT. ELLY Stone, ADRIAN-II, AMS, PC DESK, DYED, and BODE were all filled by perps.
ALDI- bought an old Western Auto building near me. It currently houses a kidney dialysis unit and doctors' offices. I wonder if they will kick them out. It is too small to house a big grocer and it is directly by a WAL-MART Superstore.
Ute- that gave me fits. Trying to think of an Indian tribe or college mascot with three letters. I don't think a little utility vehicle is similar to a VAN other than having four tires and a steering wheel.
Whoot!!!! I nailed* a JW and on a Friday!
Freakin' Fun JW. Thanks for the F-themed humorous grid.
Thanks Lem for the expo. Your opening paragraph called out the sparkle and your mention of Mendeleev's periodic clue was cute.
WO: MINDEr
ESPs: OSTIA, AMS, NOH, ELLY, NIC or NIk, and Pope "Yo! ADRIAN" II
Fav: FRAN Lebowitz. Looking for a fun series (IM!) on Netflix? Pretend it's a City.
Serendipity: YouTube has been trying to get me to watch Colbert's interview with ADAM Driver the last day or so. I don't care for celeb interviews; I just watch the monologs (of all late-nite hosts) and move on [the 'fill-time' gags are also a bore].
Fill progression: LSD, TEA, ME A, TEAL | ALDI, EST, ABA | AGRA and then the SW filled spilling into the SE giving me hope.
WEES said, that NE was a bear. The e in PEKE was last square ink'd after three (3) hours of fits & starts.
{A+, A++}
Glad to hear health is back to normal, YR.
BigE - I too was in indigenous lands at Ute (both are larger than a car.
Re: ALDI - I don't go oft but they do have imported (mostly German) goods (cookies, beer, wine) that you can't get elsewhere. And it's cheep/inexpensive.
Jinx - LOL penultimate line.
Well back to dealing with DW's Alfa. It stopped accelerating about 3 blocks from the house. She took Youngest's car and let me deal with hers.
I told her not to buy an Italian car:
her: "But it's so pretty."
me: "Sure but, like everything Italian, Sexy as hell but doesn't always work." :-)
Cheers, -T
*no look-ups, no red-letters (duh, I do ink on newsprint), not even a Google for spelling!
We have a new ALDI's in our town and they are building another on the other side of the town. I'll have to check them out.
Typically the ALDI stores are small and average around 16,000 sq ft whereas the Wegman's, Giant and Weis supermarkets here are in the neighborhood of 60,000 sq ft. More space should mean more variety.
Also, Trader Joe's is now owned by the ALDI's.
Puzzling thoughts:
Jason, was thinking the same as you, that our “switch” a few weeks back brought you another Jeff Wex to recap. Nice! And thanks for the - as ever - erudite expressions in the review
I got the puzzle and puns correct all but the Natick @ the crossing of BODE/ADRIAN II - I had BORE/ARRIANI I 😜
A few W/O’s here and there, but overall, a pretty clean grid
FLN: Lucina: regarding your question about the “potency” of GINGER BEER: essentially, GINGER BEER is “steeped” or “brewed” as you would do to tea to make it taste stronger. And since there is no fermentation (no yeast introduced to convert the sugars to alcohol) the process merely produces a more intense flavor of ginger. As I mentioned yesterday, GINGER ALE is merely carbonated water flavored with ginger.
And I’ll disagree with Vidwan that you should only drink GINGER BEER in small amounts. Treat it like a can or bottle of soda (pop). 12 ozs is perfect. Go to Basha’s, Fry’s, Trader Joe’s, ALDI, or anywhere you buy groceries and try a bottle. If you like ginger ale you’ll like ginger beer, too
Back to today’s puzzle: I’ll take a mini SO to STEMWARE; I knew that right away by the flute clue! 🍾🍾🍾🥂🥂
Anon T @ 2:13 ~ I’ve already seen Pretend It’s A City. That’s why I wanted to read the interview with Fran, to get an additional dose of her sardonic viewpoints. Thanks, though, for the suggestion.
Whew, what a fun puzzle. The hardest area for me was the NW. I knew Mendeleev's homeland is RUSSIA, which I put in and then took out because I had FLEET instead of CRAFT and DESERT instead of SAHARA. Struggle struggle struggle. For some reason I put in REAR and ENDS right away but I can't remember if that's because I already had CEREMONY, DARKSIDE, and LSD. ELLY was filled solely from the perps. I enjoyed the addition of the F.
Excellent verses today, Owen.
Good wishes to you all.
Jayce - I'm with you on wanting deseRt 'cuz ERAS' R was there.
Fortunately, I held off.
How you got CEREMONY early? I was thinking "cellcall"(?) (when I hear, on NPR, "How did you hear?" the reply is inevitably "I was in bed and the phone rang").
Re: DARKSIDE: I was thinking DARTH opt'd for the RED LIGHT [saber]? :-)
Texas TEA in the Sahara? Who likes The Police?
Nice to read you y'all.
Cheers, -T
I was thinking of a tangible Nobel prize like a purse or a statue or whatever. Ceremony should have been obvious, but I labored over it.
For Darth Vader I thought of all the light saber wars my grandson and his friends had. Kenny had a whole arsenal of them to share with his friends. That made gifting him easy for a while, after exiting the era of all the Thomas, the Tank Engine, trains, tracks and accessories. Those years were the most precious days of my life. I would have had a larger retirement income retiring later, but it was well worth retiring early to spend those precious years with Kenny. I am in a comfortable financial spot.
Thank you Mr. Jeff Wechsler, for an appropriate challenging puzzle ... enjoyed it Very Much !
I did not get the 'F' ..... addition gimmick, but I thought, .... its Friday .. so anything goes ... I have quit analyzing the rhyme or reason in late week puzzles.
Thank you Lemonade for your ALWAYS charming review ! Enjoyed it all, and thats why I am late to post... your puns were delightful, as always.
Thank you Anon-T, for your comments, and the Periodic Table etc., I have read the bio of Mendeleev, many times. He was like a Rasputin, but saner ... what a prescience !!!
BTW, your wife must be very lucky to put up with such a jolly person, like you.
And also so handy to get things done .. Car, House etc.
My family, in India, owned several italian FIAT 1500's and Lambretta Scooters ... they were very reliable, not very powerful but lasted a long time....
FIAT owns Chrysler now, but their own cars are not very popular in the US.
Chair Mao, Re: Ginger Beer, I use Ginger as a spice, so I guess I think of the beer, as a Ginger cider. Its a little too concentrated for my taste buds. To each his own. I've had a Moscow mule, in the appropriate copper mini-mugs once, or twice, or thrice or four....
I also had RUNS INTO before I figured out REAR ENDS .... BTW, whats is worse than a rear end accident, that 'totals' your new expensive, imported, sedan, in pristine condition .... and you are not at all, "at fault " ? ....
.... aside from the fact that nobody had a serious injury ?
When the driver is a 'learner' ... doesn't have a driver's license, is an illegal alien, and driving a Utility truck, with bad brakes, and doesn't have any insurance coverage whatsoever, and doesn't speak english.( ... or says so...)
Yup, happened to us, last month. But, I'm grateful, we are still in good shape .... Property can be replaced, Lives cannot.
have a good evening, and a good weekend, all.
I 'got' OSTIA, which I thought was in Israel, as I had visited it.
Its actually the beach fronting the city of Rome ( Roma ).
The beach pier, I visited in Israel, is Caeseria.
I was totally confused about Flutes as STEMWARE, altho I have a dozen glasses in my pantry - unopened. ( They were a gift.) I was too busy thinking of the musical instrument.
Although I knew Briefs, referred to lawyers, I also thought of the wrestlers in WWF ....and also the TV show, Baywatch ...
Quite Odd,.... OUTRE' .... the clue should have, maybe, indicated, that it was a french word ... or is now mainstreamed in English ?
My ancient toy was Tops ( spinning -)...before I got PEKE
Thank you Lemonade, for the ALDI, story ... the story on the Albrecht brothers in Wiki, is also very inspiring. We have an Aldi, about a mile away, but Marc's (Glassman -) has much lower prices.
Also, for the record, Bin Laden's receptacle is in the Indian Ocean...
FRIGHT MINDED reminds me of another ADRIAN, this one was a mere
Monk
-T, I stayed with The Police for 5 minutes. I had a girlfriend who thanked me for bringing her to a concert*. Her words, "If only I could have come [with someone who'd appreciate it"]. How could I get angry, it was true
Interesting that it was assumed everyone knew Medvedev. I thought he might be a chess player.
YR, you have such a healthy, sane outlook on life.
WC
* Willie Nelson on Boston Common
Learning moment: trader joes and Aldi
Puzzle kicked my butt,
NE was the hardest, but it didnt help that I misread the clue
For dark side not as darths choice, but as darths "voice."
I was trying to fit some version of "basso" whatever in the space...
Vidwan,
Sorry to hear of your run in.
Been there too, sued the driver and took time off for court.
She shows up with some 6 to 10 kids and requires and interpreter.
Judge sides for us and says,
" I can only garnish her only source of income,
But do you really want to garnish her child support payments?"
Sometimes you just gotta walk away from a bad situation.
Back home from Florida as DW needed to see her ailing mom
Before it's too late, so we drove into Brooklyn today.
Head8ng eastbound on rte 78 where it approaches the turnpike tolls
Sandwiched between Newark city, and Newark Airport.
78 local 2 lanes run next to the express lanes and split further
As they approach the tolls. I was in the left lane doing 55 and
Needed to get in the right lane to take an exit but had a tailgater
Trying to push me. The second I got 8n the right lane he rushed past me on the left
And then cut in front of me just missing my bumper. Immediately following. Was
Another guy racing him that cut in front of me and tried to pass my tailgater.
I had just enough time to say to DW, "two a**holes!"
When a large deer (buck) jumps over one of the a**holes about 20 feet in front of me,
Lands in the left lane and jumps again over the barrier in the express lanes.
This was followed by a very loud and sickening bang that I could not see
As I was trying t9 control my car, but daughter #2 in the back seat said
She saw the deer explode into pieces.
We could not stop, and I do not know what happened to the other cars around us...
Yellowrocks:
Good for you on catching up with things! That is such a relief when it is all accomplished. I still have a long way to go on that. But in the meantime, I'm still working on wrapping gifts.
My daughter informed me she wants to come and discuss my end of life wishes/plans, location of important documents, etc. A friend of theirs just passed away suddenly and nothing was known of his wishes so she decided to keep herself informed. Very smart, I think and am eager to cooperate.
My sister, Yolanda, will be here to spend the night Saturday and Sunday prior to returning to Charlotte on Monday. We plant to go to a Mariachi concert on Saturday so she will come with me after that.
I really enjoyed the movie, BELFAST. It is apparently semi-autobiographical by Kenneth Branaugh. The violence was not too prolonged and the human connections were touching. Judi Dench, though playing an old woman, was completely believable as was Ciaran Hinds whom I've only seen in minor roles before. It was definitely worth watching though all in black and white.
I should add that in Persuasion (a Jane Austen novel) Ciaran Hinds was superb as the Captain who woos one of the Bennet girls.
Lucina, you & your daughter are smart to talk about end of life matters. Especially important is a Living Will if you don't want to be hooked to life support or other painful stay-alive tortures. My daughter gets upset when I try to inform her of things. However, my son and I discuss everything he needs to know, thank heavens.
PK & Lucina - I freaked out Youngest before DW & I went to Italy a few years back.
I gave her a run-down of all bank numbers, passwords to everything (in a lock box), and the lawyer's contact information.
Youngest was all like: "Why are you doing this?!?"
"In the very unlikely event something bad happens (and I don't expect anything to) wouldn't you rather know that you can eat and keep a roof over your head while you deal with being an orphan?
That and your sister wouldn't be able to deal with this rationally."
#WorstDadEver :-)
IM - If you want a dumb heist movie, DW & I enjoyed Red Notice this eve.
//well, I did - she fell asleep from hard-days work / margarita
Cheers, -T
Michael - IIRC, you're in Hawaii. This would be about the time my (Army) Bro would call when he was stationed there.
What you said about @9:43 is spot on.
Now, how'd you take JW's FFFFun offering?
Cheers, -T
We have a lot of blowhards here, tho if I was to single one out it would be Spitzboov.
(For newbies here, Spitz is a horn-player.)
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