64. Watcher ... and homophone of a letter that appears exactly once in every clue and all but two answers: EYE.
It's rare to see something new in a puzzle and/or theme - but here's one I haven't seen before. The only two answers without an I are 40A CYCLOPS and the reveal at 64D EYE. See?
Melissa here. A total of 39 I's in the grid. And one I in every clue, too - wow! This appears to be a debut for the team of Dave Tabor and Laura Moll. Ironic that neither of their names contain an I. There are also a handful of multi-word answers which are fun and an added challenge. I hope we see more from Dave and Laura.
Across:
1. Little __ Muffet: MISS.
5. Roger Bannister, famously: MILER. Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister was an English
middle-distance athlete and neurologist who ran the first sub-4-minute
mile.
At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Bannister set a British record in the
1500 metres and finished in fourth place. "The Bannister Effect" is the phenomenon of one person showing others that it can be done and, thus, prompting others to believe and achieve.
10. Speaker in Cooperstown: TRIS. Tris Speaker (1888-1958) hit a Major League record 792 doubles; he also had 3,514 hits and holds the record for outfielders in assists & double plays.
14. Elvis or Coca-Cola: ICON. That was pretty tricky.
15. "The L Word" co-creator Chaiken: ILENE. Showtime series.
16. Whisper: HINT.
17. Interstate hauler: SEMI.
18. Ad prizes: CLIOS.
19. Dramatic opener: ACT I. Nice clue.
20. Adagio and allegro: TEMPI. Plural of tempo. In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece.
22. Leave the city to evade arrest: SKIP TOWN. Another tricky clue.
24. Like some tanks: SEPTIC.
27. Where the old woman lived: IN A SHOE.
28. Permits to enter: LETS IN. So sneaky these clues! Permits is verb, not noun here.
30. Title of respect: SRI. Polite form of address in India. It is also commonly used as a title of respect within the yoga community.
31. Exec, slangily: SUIT.
33. Schoolmarmish: PRIM.
35. List to-dos: ITEMS. Even in this age of technology, I still tend to write to-do's on paper. Then I lose them.
39. Intense anger: IRE.
40. It has just one 64-Down: CYCLOPS. In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes are giant one-eyed creatures.
42. Shapiro of NPR: ARI.
43. Delivery, as of a baby: BIRTH.
45. Inter __: ALIA. Latin, meaning "among other things." Used in legal pleadings and writings to specify one example out of many possibilities. In general terms, the phrase is used to say that there are other things involved apart from those that are mentioned.
46. Recipe word: STIR.
47. Relieved (of): RID.
49. Comes to light: ARISES.
51. Secret fraternity member: SHRINER. Masonic society established in 1870 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
55. Party or wild follower: ANIMAL.
57. Bit of encouragement: KEEP AT IT. Don't give up!
59. Vinyl-covered, as a floor: TILED. Tough clue - I usually think of tile as ceramic.
61. Worldwide: Abbr.: INTL. International.
62. Absinthe flavor: ANISE.
65. Half a round on the links: NINE. Golf.
66. Ohio's lake: ERIE.
67. R&B family name: ISLEY. Ronald and younger brother Ernie Isley are the two remaining siblings of The Isley Brothers.
68. Budget sister company: AVIS. Avis is regarded as a higher-end car rental company, while Budget is cheaper. There are locations where the same mechanics services both.
69. Runs out of juice: DIES.
70. "It's true!": NO LIE.
71. Guido of Baroque art fame: RENI. 144 Guido Reni Artworks.
Down:
1. Light fog: MIST.
2. Relatives of Slurpees: ICEES. What's the difference?
3. Server with a blush?: SOMMELIER. Great clue.
4. Piece of prose: SNIPPET.
5. A hot one can be problematic: MIC. Microphone.
6. Laid up: ILL.
7. Island necklaces: LEIS.
8. Long, thin soup mushroom: ENOKI. The Complete Guide to Enoki Mushrooms.
9. Viscous plant substances: RESINS.
10. "Bingo!": THAT'S IT.
11. Japanese electronics company: RICOH.
12. Cut down the middle: IN TWO.
13. "Goosebumps" series author: STINE.
21. Gomez's furry cousin: ITT. From TV show The Adams Family.
25. Road trip game: I SPY.
26. Approximately: CIRCA.
29. Nabisco brand name: NILLA.
31. Jem, to Scout Finch: SIB. From To Kill a Mockingbird. We have a cat name Scout, and another named Boo. Now all I need is a dog named Atticus.
32. Psychic Geller: URI. Israeli-British illusionist, magician, television personality,
and self-proclaimed psychic. He is known for his trademark television
performances of spoon bending and other illusions.
34. Ballerina Shearer: MOIRA. 1926-2006. Scottish ballet dancer and actress. She is best remembered for her
performances in Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes and Michael
Powell's Peeping Tom.
36. Completely dominates: EATS ALIVE. Again with the two-word answer!
37. Med. injury detector: MRI. Magnetic resonance imaging.
38. Title for two Beatles: SIR. in 1997 Paul McCartney was knighted for services to music; Ringo Starr received the same honor in 2018.
40. The good dishes: CHINA.
41. Discomfort cause: PAIN.
44. Makes four into twelve, say: TRIPLES.
46. Advanced course offering: SEMINAR.
48. Hold for questions: DETAIN.
50. Take care of a kitty: SIT.
51. Went down a slippery slope: SKIED. Nice.
52. Matisse of the art world: HENRI.
53. Knot again: RETIE. Haha.
54. Old-time laundry soap brand: RINSO. Laundry soap and detergent marketed by Unilever.
56. Red Square figure: LENIN. Red Square serves as the resting place of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin. His preserved body has been on public display there since shortly after his death in 1924, with rare exceptions in wartime.
58. Place for singles: TILL. Dollar bills.
60. He loved Lucille: DESI. Aw.
63. Cinque e uno: SEI. Italian: Five and one = six.
Melissa
Notes from C.C.:
Please send your thoughts and prayers
to dear Spitzboov (Al), who's been hospitalized due to breathing
problem, which could be the result of the weekly Retacrit injection for his rheumatoid arthritis. He called me last night and he sounded good. He might be out of the hospital soon.
 |
| Spitzboov, Betty & Argyle |
FIWrong. Misspelt the abbreviation of international as INTn instead of INTL, and didn't notice the perp.
ReplyDeleteThe theme was too meta for me to guess (hands up, all who tried to find a link between SOMMELIER and SKIP TOWN), but once I read the reveal, I had to laugh at the clue for CYCLOPS!
There once was a CYCLOPS who said,
"I have but one EYE in my head!
When sailors say 'Aye, aye',
It IRES me, NO LIE,
And I want to grind their bones for my bread!"
On a day that was shrouded with MIST,
HENRY got his first kiss from a MISS!
It STIRRED him so,
He collapsed in woe
At all of the kisses he'd missed!
Once a haughty SOMMELIER said,
"White wine is no better than red!
Drink what you will,
It's all SNIPPETS of swill,
Unless paired with the right type of bread!"
{A-, A+, A-.}
Best wishes for speedy recovery, Spitz. Hope you get some turkey tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteFIR, but erased enos for TRIS and ses for SEI (what's Spanish for Untie!?). The arts and mushroom fills were NTM.
I enjoyed "The L Word". I felt like a spy. Favorite series of episodes revolved around the Dinah Shore golf tournament, back when it was held in the Coachella Valley.
Hand up for pausing when the tiles were vinyl. OK, I've seen them, including conductive ones to mitigate static charge in an electronics production facility.
FLN: I've been gone a long time, but I think the motto of my native Kentucky is "Don't Marry Kin".
- T: Did the bank seem pleased that you brought your coins in? My credit union hates it. They have to break them open and put them through a counting machine, and off they go to some federal banking facility to be replaced by machine-rolled replacements.
Thanks to Dave, Laura and Melissa for all the fun.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteSending good wishes to Spitz in the hospital. Hurry back to the corner.
I loved, loved, loved the theme, which I failed to get until Melissa 'splained it. It's brilliant that everything has one I, except of course, the CYCLOPS (and EYE). Then with one I in each clue, it takes egotism to a whole new level. Noticed the CSO to our winer, C-Moe. Tried TREY (the only name I could think of beginning with TR) before TRIS filled in. The only Speakers d-o knows are tweeters and woofers. In mid-grid NORMA and I SEE really slowed things down. But it all worked out, and in good Wednesday time, too. Yay. Well done Dave, Laura, and Melissa Bee.
ICEES -- Created quite the conundrum for the TBBT Nerds. (Note the ICEE/Slurpee issue at 1:10.)
Very, very clever CW. Terrific clues. I struggled to come up with ICON and for some reason SKIED. DNK ILENE, RENI, MOIRA. FIR in 32 for my usual booby prize for slowest solve; my trophy shelf is sagging!! Interesting that one of the two words that does NOT contain an “i” is “cyclops” noted for its one eye! And the other word that does not contain an “i” is the solve word, “eye”! VERY clever! Thanx, DT and LM for a truly terrific CW. And thanx too Melissa for the masterful and entertaining write-up.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly to what Melissa stated, just when I thought I’d seen about every twist and angle of a puzzle theme, along comes this one! The amount of thought that had to go into the creation of this grid is simply amazing to me. And the only two words that didn’t contain an “i” were directly related to the theme, impressive! Thank you Dave and Laura and I hope to see more of your clever collaborations :). As always Melissa, I enjoyed your enlightening write-up. Good day to all.
ReplyDeleteHappy Day before Thanksgiving to all, and a special best wishes to Spitzboov for a speedy recovery. It is no fun to be under the weather for the holidays.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree about the unique, interesting, inviting... enough "i"s. Well done. I did discover that Dave is not a novice constructor as can be learned from this CROSSWORD SITE with hundreds of his creations. I think Laura may be a photographer friend of his. Welcome to the LAT and our special little band of solvers. Please come tell us about yourself.
ReplyDeleteI also was blown away by the two words not containing the letter were CYCLOPS famous for one EYE, and EYE because...
I did not know 71. Guido of Baroque art fame: RENI , loved the CSO to C.C. with ENOKI and Moe with SOMMELIER.
I join in praying for Al Hollmer, a fellow Floridian and a rock here at the Corner. It is one of the horrors of modern medicine that so many have such horrible side effects.
Happy Thanksgivng Eve to all
What a great Idea for a puzzle! Please stop by and tell us if CYCLOPS and EYE were your theme beginnings, Dave and Laura. It took me a minute to realize that you meant what you said. The letter I truly was in all but two words. And only one time for each clue and fill. Whew! I managed to FIR but with two WOs that perps corrected. The unknown to me TRIS was my last fill, but I had seen RICOH since they run the mail services for Emory University.
ReplyDeleteMelissa B, you get many thanks for your excellent review today. And get well soon to our Spitzboov! Hope you have turkey at home tomorrow. Happy Preparation Day to all. See you tomorrow.
I liked it immensely
ReplyDeleteI iced it in 6:24 (I'll stop using "i" words now.)
ReplyDeleteVery impressive theme, which I didn't see notice until reading the review.
Quite a few unknowns, but they somehow fell into place.
I loved it. Esp. CYCLOPS!!
ReplyDeleteAye, EYE didn't notice the I's. The center took a few minutes to work out before I FIR. MOIRA was an unknown and my brain wasn't clicking for CIRCA. ILENE and RENI were other unknowns. But if you KEEP AT IT the puzzles will work themselves out (usually).
ReplyDeleteYou need to DETAIN the perp before he can SKIP TOWN.
ISLEY Brothers- "It's Your Thing"
CHINA- we have 27 over tomorrow; it will be CHINette.
Boomer said it all very well. Feel (much) better (very) soon Spitzboov.
ReplyDeleteA fun puzzle to solve. The theme was very creative and the execution was very well done. Ultimately, the theme provided only an iota of assistance.
Hi Y'all! The "I's" have it. And I vote for this being a great fun puzzle. Thanks, David & Laura.
ReplyDeleteThe last to fill for me were the top middle & NE corner. Names were my tie-up. Forgot Bannister was the runner. DNK: TRIS, ILENE, ARI, RICOH, ISLEY, RENI, ENOKI, MOIRA, RICOH. But all eventually filled. I think I remember Moira as a mature actress in movies but not as a ballerina.
D-Otto: Norma? Where is there a Norma.
Spitzboov, prayers for your return to health. So sad when the remedies cause more trouble than the diseases.
Thanks, Melissa, for a fun expo.
ReplyDeleteGoing back for another look at this STUNNINGLY CLEVER CW, I just noticed that not only did every answer but two include an "i", but, as ATLGranny mentioned, a SINGLE "i"....giving the two words w/o an "i", "cyclops" and "eye", even more meaning. Wow! What a CW!! As if all that is not enough, the "i"s run in diagonals! This CW just amazes me! It has to be the most difficult to construct CW I've ever seen! A true masterpiece!
ReplyDeletePK, methinks you're guilty of the same mistaken identity as moi. The movie actress was NORMA Shearer; the ballerina was MOIRA. Not related, apparently.
ReplyDeleteAn amazing puzzle. Exactly one I in each clue and answer, except of course CYCLOPS and EYE. One of the best puzzles I’ve seen in a long time. They should all be this fun.
ReplyDeleteD-O: Hmmm! Thanks for informing me about the MOIRA-Norma mix-up. Facial features seemed familiar.
ReplyDeleteWonderful Wednesday workout! Thanks for the fun, Dave and Laura, and melissa.
ReplyDeleteEYE had plenty of inkblots, but EYE saw the theme and smiled at the no-EYE CYCLOPS.
NO LIE, this was a Wow.
Hand up for Enos before TRIS. ISLEY, MOIRA, ILENE, RENI required perps and WAGs.
When SIR filled at 38D, 30A changed to SRI.
I noted MISS crossing MIST.
We had ARI, URI and IRE, SRI and MRI, plus ARISES. Ira SKIPped TOWN.
We had some numbers with IN TWO, TRIPLES, SEI and NINE. Also SEMI.
CSOs to Irish MISS, C Moe (SOMMELIER), wasn’t Abejo a SHRINER?
Wishing you all a great day.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteLong i's and short i's, both are present. Very clever puzzle, Dave and Laura! Congratulations! I like that CYCLOPS is right in the middle, just like on the one-EYED one. I don't believe I've ever seen that many i's in a single puzzle.
CLIOS followed by ACT I is also clever.
LENIN's tomb is sheltered slightly underground on Red Square so going down a few stairs is required.
I love ANISE flavored anything!
When my daughter had a pet snake, I learned that they eat the rats ALIVE. We bought them once a week at the pet shop.
How I love NILLA crackers but that's another thing forbidden to me.
Spitzboov, I am sorry to hear you are ILL. Prayers and positive thoughts are on the way for your recovery.
Enjoy your day today, everyone! If you are traveling, I wish you a safe trip.
I would like to say this puzzle was easy for me....
ReplyDelete(But it wasn't )
But, eye see it was a team effort!
Our Bannister is a certain anon who recently broke 4 min.
ReplyDeleteSHRINERS are actually across the Bay in Clearwater ironically Scientology is in Clearwater on the Gulf side.
I'll just award 3 W's, Owen, although I liked #1 best.
"The L Word". Yes, it's that Word. Dinah Shore connection is intriguing. All episodes begin with L. Love it or Leave it.
Prayers for Spitzboov; breathing issues are hell. Had a terrible attack age 15, my father didn't believe in doctors. My mother ran the shower and moist air relieved the symptoms
There was a near diagonal of I's from NW-SE diverting at CYCLOPS. If COIN could have been slipped in at 14A…
OMK can work off the other diagonal.
TRIS Speaker was my favorite oldie as a young Pony League and Babe Ruth League CFer.
I had the Connie Mack Baseball Book and patterned my shallow CF after TRIS. PK I believe you're familiar with your fellow Texan?
I was just reading about the giant exposition of avant garde artists in New York in 1913 with HENRI Matisse one of the stars.
WC
Musings
ReplyDelete-Talk about not seeing the forest for all the trees. SKIP, SNIP and TRIP teased me! BRILLIANT!!
-I still remember an Easter sermon that used “The Bannister Effect”
-An athlete at a local college did SKIP TOWN after getting two girls pregnant. The families of those two girls stood by their daughters and the two boys he sired and abandoned have become great kids.
-LET’S IN - I’ll let you into my lane but I’d like at least a wave
-I can think of very few past or present colleagues I would call PRIM
-I played NINE with a friend who did not continue with me because, he said, “I’ve run out of Advil”
-I am typing on my new MacBook Pro. I was just having an Apple “genius” look at my old 6-yr-old machine for other issues when the battery DIED.
-“Give me your tired…” is a SNIPPET from Emma Lazarus’ poem The New Colussus
-For a better grip, baseball players use rosin bags filled with dust made from a RESIN
-Cut IN TWO was a well known Solomonic decision
-DETAIN - “You have the right to remain silent…”
-Sending good thoughts of calm seas to our resident sailor!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteWhat a unique and challenging theme this is! The Cyclops and Eye entries, sans an I, are the frosting on the cake. This is a CW to remember! Alas, due to carelessness, it was a FIW because of not correcting Acte/Stene to Act I/Stine. I needed perps for the unknown proper names: Ilene, Isley, Reni, and Ricoh. Tris Speaker was a given because I was a baseball junkie in my younger years and once read a multi-volume history of the game. We had a few fun duos with Sir/Sri, Uri/Ari, and Sir/Stir. We also had some CSOs, to wit, Sommelier (Moe), Mist (Close enough to Misty), Nine (All of our golfers), and Seminar (Our esteemed academics).
Many, many thanks to Dave and Laura for one of the most interesting puzzles I have ever solved, and to Melissa for giving it the praise it deserves in her excellent summary.
Best wishes to our dear Spitz for a rapid recovery and return to home. Hope your Thanksgiving is happy and healthy!
Have a great day.
Thank you Dave and Laura for a delIghtul outIng. ThIs puzzle was so much fun to fIll, that EYE wasn't even lookIng for the theme, much less seeIng all the Iful clues and fIlls. They flew rIght over my head. What a tour de force!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you MelIssa for your IllumInatIng explanatIon and for the best grId annotatIon i've ever seen. Looks like a lot of work. I've got to find out how you did that.
5A MILER. My son is a marathoner and is fond of asking the question: "Do you know why it's 26.2 miles?". "Because any more would be CRAZY!"
27A SEMI. As IN TWO?
30A SRI. A CSO to our very own SRI VIDWAN.
46A STIR. You might see this tomorrow in a different context.
59A TILED. Vinyl TILE is much easier to install than sheet vinyl, which must be cut to the fit around the walls, appliances, counters, etc.
66A ERIE. An uncloyingly honest clue for a most common bit of crosswordese.
71A RENI. DNK Guido Reni. Thanks for the link MB.
3D SOMMELIER. Generally a man's world, but our local wine store has a certified lady SOMMELIER who womansplain's wines very well. Her superpower is being a good listener.
8D ENOKI. Aren't they those cute fuzzies from STAR WARS?
13D STINE. So not the kind you drink ALE out of?
23D PARIS. For once it wasn't EUROS.
31D SIB. Didn't we have SCOUT just yesterday?
Spitz, we are praying for your speedy recovery. We are AT SEA without you.
Cheers,
Bill
OwenKL @4:45 AM I concur with your grades. I'm glad to see you're going a little easier on yourself.
ReplyDeleteThoughts and prayers for Spitzboov.
ReplyDeleteFor our Louise Penny fans, I just started The Beautiful Mystery (I am working my way up in order through her books, as I had not read all of the earlier ones). I think that Lucina would like this one - monks, an isolated monastery (in the wilds of Quebec), music (Gregorian chants), and murder!
Puzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteAy yi yi yi yi!!
Or should I say “oy”?
FIR with two w/o’s: ISEE/ISPY & SIR/SRI. Interesting that we had both SRI and SIR.
Excellent puzzle by Dave and Laura. Very cool and very clever
FLN: CanadianEh! I got a high-five from Margaret when I correctly said “Ottawa” for the Final Jeopardy answer. The skating part gave it away for me
Best wishes to Spitz/Al for a speedy recovery
MM —> I wasn’t expecting the SO I got today would be SOMMELIER! And yes, ISLEY is quite close to ISLAY.
Back to my Friday recap …
Lucina @ 9:48 AM Thanks for reminding me of what my Father would have said about the "I"s in this puzzle: "If they'da been a snake, they'da bit me!"
ReplyDeleteI loved this puzzle, especially the clever CYCLOPS and EYE.
ReplyDeleteOKL, all of them are fabulous.
ISELY was all perps and DESI suggested RENI instead of RENE. No other unfamiliar fill.
I stopped rolling coins years ago when I could just dump a bag of them in the counting machine at the bank. I wish they had that when I was a waitress and had to roll the coins from my tips.
Spitz, sorry to hear that you are in the hospital. I offer my thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.
I have been asked to make PA Dutch potato filling for tomorrow. Have any of you Pennsylvanians had it? My mom and grandmas used to make it and I have been making it for 60 years. I sauté chopped onions and celery with a torn up bread slice or more. I add this to slightly stiffer mashed potatoes, then brown it in the oven. Several years ago I ordered potato filling at a PA Dutch festival. It had no flavor and was overheated in the steam table. Yuck. I should have ordered regular mashed potatoes. The staff said they don't use onions because some people don't like them. I will be busy all day. I will probably cook it this evening.
CanadianEh! @10:39 AM Don't tell anybody, but I just bought Teri a Kindle version of "The Beautiful Mystery" to launch the Kindle I bought her for Christmas. We love mysteries, monks, chant, and chocolate, and it sounds great for her maiden voyage.
ReplyDeleteWonderful Wednesday puzzle--a total delight! Many thanks, Dave and Laura. And your pictures are always a treat, Melissa--thank you for those too.
ReplyDeleteLoved your second poem, Owen.
I instantly thought of the Old Woman living IN A SHOE, but kept thinking 'how can an old woman live in a shoe'? But to my surprise, it turned out to be right.
I've taught a lot of SEMINARS in my day, so no problem with that one.
Seems like Lake ERIE shows up in puzzles nearly every day.
Thank you, Irish Miss, for thinking of me at that very first corner in the puzzle.
I love the way MISS (your name) crosses with MIST(Y: my name)--a lovely tribute to our long friendship.
You're in our thoughts and prayers, Spitzboov. Get well soon.
Have a great Thanksgiving coming up, everybody.
waseeley- what a wonderful present. Teri will love it!
ReplyDeleteCanadianEh!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the suggestion. It sounds great! I'll add it to my list since the pile in my bedroom continues to grow. Next in line is Bill Clinton's and James Patterson's book, The President's Daughter.
Last night I heard about Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny's book so that will have to be added as well. Oh! So much to read! So little time! I need a plaque with that on it since I don't wear messaged t-shirts.
Last night I finished The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. The plot line was: Jesus married to Ana and had a child. Believable, but I had not heard of that before. It offers insights into Mary, His mother, Martha, her sister, Mary and Judas.
However, my late sister-in-law, Linda, read the Koran at one time and told me it contained information about Mary and her family.
The Church, of course, teaches that Jesus never married and that Mary was a virgin.
Being a member of the Mystic Shrine, I can say if we are a "secret" fraternity we certainly do a poor job of it. With an international hospital system for children, college all star games, PGA tournaments, and parading in our not so subtle red fezes, we are anything but secret.
ReplyDeleteAnon, I questioned the "secret" Shriners, too. I wondered whether the reference should have been to the Masons. We used to go to the Shriner circus every spring.
ReplyDeleteNursery rhyme:
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children, she didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth without any bread;
And whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.
Lucina, I agree about Jesus not being married, but these days there are many books that speculate about it.
I have been reading Marie Benedict's interesting historical novels about famous super achieving women whose talents were under appreciated. The books contain quite a bit of actual history and also many "might have beens" based on the known nature of the women.
Carnegie's Maid (my favorite)
The Other Einstein
The Only Woman in the ROOM (Hedy Lamarr)
The Mystery of Mrs.Christie (Agatha) IMO the most fanciful
A fine Wednesday PZL from the Taber/Moll team! Well analyzed by Melissa B!
ReplyDeleteI found this a tough one to crack when clues were taken in isolation. More than usual, this one needed perp parsing.
~ OMK
___________
DR: Four diagonals today. Three close to hand, and one in opposition.
Searching for an anagram to post proved a difficult task--because each diag offered either a scarcity of vowels or an overabundance of a single vowel.
Yes, that superfluity was of the letter "I"!
A perfect conclusion to today's theme.
I finally came back to the first (main NW to SE) diagonal, with its record of seven "I"s!
The anagram (13 of 15 letters) is in the form of a question--and it is a very fair question to pose of every international undertaking. Focused on the Russian for "Peace," we should always ask...
"IS MIR IMPLICIT""?!
Just returned from seeing Spitz in the hospital. Had an enjoyable visit. He's looking good, moved from bed to chair. Unfortunately won't be home for Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteWe live in suburbs on opposite sides of Utica, and it took a hospital stay to finally meet.
CanadianEh and Misty ~ You both made the Miss connection which sailed right over my head. Thanks for the CSO.
ReplyDeleteRay O ~ I misspoke the other day when I said I had already seen the new episodes of The Sinner. I was going by the last series on Netflix, completely unaware that the new series is on USA. I stumbled across this news today and am looking forward to watching it as I really like Bill Pullman.
I bought all of the ingredients to make French Onion Soup but, so far, the spirit hasn’t moved me into action. One of these days . . . . . 🧅🧅🧅 🥖🥖🥖🧀🧀🧀
Ray O @ 1:53 ~ Thanks for the update on Spitz. I’m sure your thoughtful visit cheered him up. Too bad he can’t be home for Thanksgiving but maybe he and Betty will celebrate when he does get home.
ReplyDeleteI add my praise for this puzzle. Outstanding.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to Spitzboov.
I hope you didn't lay any RayO Spoons on him. What with that breathing problem etal. When I was in post ICU from bypass surgery my old pal showed up as I still had the stitches. Laughing was no laughing matter but when we two got together there was plenty of them.
ReplyDeleteRay - O @1:53 PM So it's true then? Cornerites are actually REAL and not a cyber creation of some enormous BOT. I hope you gave him a big sloppy Italian kiss for the rest of of us. 💋
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteSpitz: If you're reading this (well, even if you're not) I'm sending positive healing vibes your way. Get well Sailor.
//Thanks for the update, Ray-O.*
Crunchy Wednesday Dave & Laura... Thanks for the puzzle.
How you executed the theme... *Chef's Kiss*. Really cool.
Thanks for the fine expo, mb. Enjoyed the read. Oh, I knew that about the ICEE :-)
WOs: stupidly wrote Necco instead of NILLA, CYCLone, wanted split b/f IN TWO fell
ESPs: MILER, TRIS, ILENE, spelling of SOMMELIER, MOIRA | ALIA (thank you theme!), ISLEY, RENI (see a names pattern?
Fav: do I get to pick one? They're all kinda part of the theme, eh?
I'll go w/ ANISE. It's Pizzelle time of year again. [from last years batch].
{A, A, A}
Cute on the DR, OMK.
Jinx - The bank was cool with the coins. They had coin trays like these that they lined up all my rolls in and took my word the rolls weren't full of slugs or old Canadian coins.
Anon@12:26 - LOL. The SHRINERs do a lot of good out in the open. What yous do in those Masonic temples... That's the secret :-)
WC - When I had broken ribs, my buddies were particularly cruel in making me crackup and keel over in PAIN.
Lucina - Eldest, as she was headed to Barnes & Noble, asked if I wanted a book. Like you, I have a stack piled high of in the queue. So I said "no" quickly followed by "wait, if they have Grohl's Storyteller..."
Cheers, -T
Funny (peculiar) re: finally meeting Al. D-O & I are on opposite ends of Houston. We got close to meeting up once after a hurricane when The Corner wasn't sure his status; I was going to drive up there to check on him.
Yes, Anon-T lives on the civilized end of Houston, and I live up here in redneck country, land of no sidewalks and deep drainage ditches. When we first moved up here, I'd walk into the Food's Fair, and double the number of teeth in that store. They keep building new subdivisions in this part of the county, gentrifying the place. But the central and western residents of our county still look down on us as red-headed step-children.
ReplyDeleteD-O: LOL. Ten minutes farther South of me and teeth are as hard to find as hen's. :-) -T
ReplyDeleteLate, as usual.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dave Taber and Laura Moll for a very nice puzzle, that I throughly enjoyed. When I read the Moll surname, I was sure there were going to be some gangsters in the hood, in the puzzle, but it was much tamer than that !
I 'got' the Cyclops and his EYE .... but I never saw the ubiquitous 'i's in every answer ! very clever, including the precise placement.
With my eye problems, I sometimes, feel like a Cyclops myself, ... especially during night time driving.
Thank you MelissaB for a very explanatory review.
Thank you Waseeley for thinking of me, at SRI. I am however, not deserving of the honor.
At one time, SRI and Shri meant the same thing ... 'Mister' or gentleman. However now, by convention, ... SRI is reserved for very respected teachers and Gurus, more in a religious sense .... not merely ordinary men. The word Shri, has now pretty much gone out of style, but it was a common address for, generally married men, when I was growing up. The female equivalent was Shrimati. The term for unmarried men was Chi., which stood for Chiranjeevi - 'May he live for a hundred years' ...
Best wishes for Spitzboov, for a good recovery and prognosis.
I thought of the late Abejo at Shriners.
If I recollect, Absinthe, which is a green liqour, and contains wormwood, was once banned in the US. It was called the Green Fairy in some novels...
Although I knew the answer SEMINAR, for the clue, ... I had 3 seminars when I was studying for my BS degree... which is hardly an 'advanced' degree.
We bought a very expensive Japanese CHINA set, for our dining room hutch, about 40 years ago, ... and have never used it. We don't even look at it, since it is overshadowed by a million curios from all over the world, that I collected from my various trips to garage sales ,,,
;-x)
Have to get ready for Thanksgiving, and a party. Have a good holiday, all.
Ray O, good on you for visiting Spitboov. Thanks for the update.
ReplyDeleteCH. Moe, glad to read that you caught both the SO and the (almost) Inner Hebrides reference.
Slainte Mhaith, to all of you and yours. Have a great Thanksgiving Day!
Wilbur, I don't live in Texas. I did for a couple years back in 59-60.
ReplyDeleteRay-O, thanks for the update on Spitz. It's encouraging that he was able to sit up and visit.
Lucina, I don't want to discourage you about the Clinton-Penney book, but it was the scariest thing I've tried to read in years. I couldn't finish it. Gave me nightmares.
ReplyDeleteFIR and easily but sometimes I have to come here for explanations. Today it was 10A. I had the answer from the perps but I still didn't get it. Thanks for explaining that one.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous@12:26 Ah, nice to know there's another Mason among us again! Abejo passed away, and Bluehen hasn't been seen in ages, leaving me the last (known) rep of the Craft!
ReplyDeleteAs for secret, I once had the characters in my comic strip decide to fight that secret society misnomer, and their first step was to look it up in a dictionary. The entry read "Secret Society: The Freemasons or any similar organization."
My own solution is in a poem I wrote a couple decades ago, Mystery Society.
OwenKL @9:08 PM I believe Mozart was a Mason and they come off as the good guys in "The Magic Flute". Their leader Sarastro is opposed to the Queen of the Night and he wins in the end.
DeletePK:
ReplyDeleteThank you for the warning. It is far down on my reading list so I don't know when I shall buy it or get to it.
Did everyone who watched Jeopardy tonight catch the CYCLOPS reference?
Anon-T:
I get that. Today I had to make a quick trip to B & N for a gift buy and was in a hurry so had no time to browse or buy another book! Our church has a secret Santa tree and I have a young girl's name so, of course, she will get a book, a toy and a warm jacket.
When we were children the Salvation Army usually brought our gifts; I hold those memories and hope the recipients of our gifts enjoy them. It may be the only ones they receive.
Vidwan Sahib @ 4:07: "The term for unmarried men was Chi., which stood for Chiranjeevi - 'May he live for a hundred years' ..."
ReplyDeleteInteresting ... the Polish prayer version is "Sto Lat", roughly, '[May you live for] a Hundred Years!'