Title: Cinderella, what are you wearing to the ball? (See later inspiration)
Today our constructing phenom, Gary don't call me Far Side Larson, presents me with his 6th Friday that I have blogged in 2021 (along with 2 for Moe) to go with his 7 Sundays. We have slang for 'clothing' which are the second word in a two-word in the language expression as the theme. I would say this is a whimsical effort overall. I am sure you missed Gary since his most recent LAT was all the way back on Sunday. In keeping with modern Fridays, this has more words and fewer empty spaces but the theme is tight and the amusement factor high. The longish non-themers BETRAYS, BLAME ME, CALYPSO, CAPSULE, DINGBAT. DOGBANE, ECOCIDE, ENDRUNS, FASTENS. FLAILED, LABORED, MADISON, RISES UP and TEHRANI are quite a diverse field. They are each 7 letters long. So we start:
15A. Outfits for a climber?: HIGH GEAR (8). A climber goes up wearing his climbing gear and his friend cruises in his car in high gear. LINK
18A. His-and-her outfits?: BINARY NUMBERS (13). The binary numbers (0 and 1) are how computers work. Per the Oxford English Dictionary, “number” has been used to mean “an article of clothing." gender specific clothing is binary. LINK
35A. Outfits for tourist town natives?: LOCAL RAGS (9). When I was in boarding school the locals were the "townies." I think of our hometown newspaper as the local rag, but it can also be a worthless piece of cloth, especially one that is torn or worn. rags, ragged or tattered clothing.56A. Outfits for the masses?: COMMON THREADS (13). Know your threads will not help you here. This is the simplest of the fill.
62A. Outfits for dairy farmers?: MILK DUDS (8). My favorite and the silliest. Duds as clothing comes from Middle English dudde, originally meaning worn-out or ragged clothing. Dairy farmers milk their cows and we all know
MILK DUDS Candies were introduced by F. Hoffman & Co. of Chicago in 1928. The Candiesgot their name because their maker found it impossible to get the chocolate-covered caramels to form perfectly round balls, so he called them “duds.” He wanted candy symmetry but failed. Gary did not. This very symmetrical set of five themers has 51 spaces of the 225 in this 15x15 with no reveal.
Across:
1. Follower of Jefferson: MADISON. President number 4 followed number 3.
8. Turn on: START. This works well for machines, but is more complicated with humans.
13. Polluter's crime: ECOCIDE. I put in ___CIDE and ruminated for a while. (Cow sub-theme?)
14. Mountaintop home: AERIE. This variant of eyrie is the bird nest of an eagle, falcon, hawk, or other bird of prey.
17. Refuse: TRASH. I refused to be tricked.
21. The first "A" in A.A. Milne: ALAN. Alan Alexander was more than the creator of Winnie the pu pu platter (oops)...anyway, he studied under H.G. Wells and played cricket with J.M. Barrie, A.C. Doyle, and P.G.Wodehouse.
23. Fictional 1847 autobiographer: EYRE. Oh Jane you fictional woman.
24. __ Paulo: SAO. Brazil.
25. Typographical ornament: DINGBAT. No this is not ...
but in the computer industry, a Dingbat font is a font that has symbols and shapes in the positions designated for alphabetical or numeric. Wingding is very popular.
29. Evasive tactics: END RUNS. To circumvent from the Football play.
31. Spot: SEE. I got this right away.
32. Infuriates: IRES. I am irked.
34. Polynesian capital: APIA. Apia, town, port, and capital (since 1959) of Samoa. It is located on the northern coast of Upolu Island, in the South Pacific Ocean. Many famous athletes and actors come from Samoa.
39. Jessica of "Dark Angel": ALBA. She played a genetically enhanced government superhuman prototype, Max Guevera who teamed with a journalist, played by Michael Weatherly (NCIS and BULL) in a post-apocalyptic Seattle to right wrongs. Seattle also was the home of iZombie another SciFi series.
42. Long-gone time: YORE.
43. Tiger, e.g.: CAT. Deceptively simple.
46. Belafonte #1 album on which "Day-O" was the first track: CALYPSO. The Banana Boat Song.
50. Turns on: BETRAYS.
52. Corp. alias letters: DBA. Doing business as.
53. Subway fare?: HERO. Not the price of travel...
55. Sword with a three-sided blade: EPEE.
61. They hold your horses: REINS. Literal but amusing.
65. Deejay, at times: EMCEE. DJ MC ...
66. Swung wildly: FLAILED. Facing a famed Twins pitcher...
67. Transfers, as a house: DEEDS. My bread and butter.
68. Secures: FASTENS.
Down:
1. Follower of Jefferson: MADISON. President number 4 followed number 3.
8. Turn on: START. This works well for machines, but is more complicated with humans.
13. Polluter's crime: ECOCIDE. I put in ___CIDE and ruminated for a while. (Cow sub-theme?)
14. Mountaintop home: AERIE. This variant of eyrie is the bird nest of an eagle, falcon, hawk, or other bird of prey.
17. Refuse: TRASH. I refused to be tricked.
21. The first "A" in A.A. Milne: ALAN. Alan Alexander was more than the creator of Winnie the pu pu platter (oops)...anyway, he studied under H.G. Wells and played cricket with J.M. Barrie, A.C. Doyle, and P.G.Wodehouse.
23. Fictional 1847 autobiographer: EYRE. Oh Jane you fictional woman.
24. __ Paulo: SAO. Brazil.
25. Typographical ornament: DINGBAT. No this is not ...
29. Evasive tactics: END RUNS. To circumvent from the Football play.
31. Spot: SEE. I got this right away.
32. Infuriates: IRES. I am irked.
34. Polynesian capital: APIA. Apia, town, port, and capital (since 1959) of Samoa. It is located on the northern coast of Upolu Island, in the South Pacific Ocean. Many famous athletes and actors come from Samoa.
39. Jessica of "Dark Angel": ALBA. She played a genetically enhanced government superhuman prototype, Max Guevera who teamed with a journalist, played by Michael Weatherly (NCIS and BULL) in a post-apocalyptic Seattle to right wrongs. Seattle also was the home of iZombie another SciFi series.
42. Long-gone time: YORE.
43. Tiger, e.g.: CAT. Deceptively simple.
46. Belafonte #1 album on which "Day-O" was the first track: CALYPSO. The Banana Boat Song.
50. Turns on: BETRAYS.
52. Corp. alias letters: DBA. Doing business as.
53. Subway fare?: HERO. Not the price of travel...
55. Sword with a three-sided blade: EPEE.
61. They hold your horses: REINS. Literal but amusing.
65. Deejay, at times: EMCEE. DJ MC ...
66. Swung wildly: FLAILED. Facing a famed Twins pitcher...
67. Transfers, as a house: DEEDS. My bread and butter.
68. Secures: FASTENS.
Down:
1. Not so hot: MEH. The bloggers' safe word.
2. Handel's "__, Galatea e Polifemo": ACI. A most emotional TALE from the mists of myth. I will await comments from all of our musically educated posters.
3. Poisonous plant reputed to repel canines: DOGBANE. It is poisonous to dogs and looks like milkweed to which I am extremely allergic. It does feel like a CSO to John Lampkin.
4. Chinese book of divination: I-CHING. My late brother David studied these rituals.
5. Register, with "up": SIGN. Be cause you ...
6. Music halls of old: ODEA. If you look up ODEA in the dictionary it tells you "noun:the plural of odeum." Helpful.
7. Close: NEAR.
8. Ring bearer?: SATURN. A debut for this clue/fill combo. Very clever.
9. Called: TERMED.
10. Many an Omani: ARAB. And 12D. Like many "Argo" militants: TEHRANI. The capital of Iran.
11. Revolts: RISESUP. They have had their share in that part of the world.
16. White alternative: RYE. Just bread but it does rhyme with...
19. Emmy-winning scientist: NYE.
20. '90s-'00s Cubs star: SOSA. No indication of his being one of many being blackballed by the Hall of Fame voters. This ARTICLE is very long but should be of interest to our dedicated baseball fans.
21. GEICO highlights: ADS. Most of their's are funny. I see you LIMU!
22. Tell tales, maybe: LIE. Maybe, baby?
26. Book jacket text, often: BIO.
27. Semicircle, say: ARC.
28. Leaves for a spot: TEA. A CSO to many at the Corner who enjoy a spot of tea, but not a cup. It is a more confusing IDIOM.
30. Student housing VIPs: RAS. Resident Assistants.
33. Wily: SLY. Sly E Coyote just didn't work.
35. Set down: LAY. Two versions: I set down the book on the desk. Or, I laid down stricter rules for my...
36. Take badly?: ROB. A now common clue/fill to deceive the audience.
37. "__ you done?": ARE. No, we have many clues left.
38. Perceive: GET. I perceived Gary's meaning.
39. Like some appliances: AC/DC.
40. Worked: LABORED.
41. Words of confession: BLAME ME. Meh. That is not a confession.
43. Tablet alternative: CAPSULE. Not computer but pills.
44. Supportive response: AYE. Nay!
45. "The Waste Land" monogram: TSE. The best link I could find for those interested in THOMAS STEARNS ELIOT.
47. Called: PHONED. Someday this to will be gone from the lexicon.
48. It's sometimes necessary to come to them: SENSES.
49. Food bit: ORT.
51. Website with "Ask Me Anything" interviews: REDDIT. Reddit AMAs (which stands for “Ask Me Anything”)—whether they're timed around the news cycle or simply focused on a topic of great general interest—are Q&As designed to bring an authority on a subject to a community of interested people.
54. Unit of resistance: OHM.
57. Laptop navigation aids: MICE.
58. Jazz phrase: RIFF.
59. "Enchanted" movie girl: ELLA. Recently this version
60. Aliases: AKAS. Also Known As.
63. Thieves' place: DEN. A concept from the Christian Bible.
64. Radical '60s org.: SDS. Students for a Democratic Society. Very active at my college alma mater while I was there 1965-1969.
2. Handel's "__, Galatea e Polifemo": ACI. A most emotional TALE from the mists of myth. I will await comments from all of our musically educated posters.
3. Poisonous plant reputed to repel canines: DOGBANE. It is poisonous to dogs and looks like milkweed to which I am extremely allergic. It does feel like a CSO to John Lampkin.
4. Chinese book of divination: I-CHING. My late brother David studied these rituals.
5. Register, with "up": SIGN. Be cause you ...
6. Music halls of old: ODEA. If you look up ODEA in the dictionary it tells you "noun:the plural of odeum." Helpful.
7. Close: NEAR.
8. Ring bearer?: SATURN. A debut for this clue/fill combo. Very clever.
9. Called: TERMED.
10. Many an Omani: ARAB. And 12D. Like many "Argo" militants: TEHRANI. The capital of Iran.
11. Revolts: RISESUP. They have had their share in that part of the world.
16. White alternative: RYE. Just bread but it does rhyme with...
19. Emmy-winning scientist: NYE.
20. '90s-'00s Cubs star: SOSA. No indication of his being one of many being blackballed by the Hall of Fame voters. This ARTICLE is very long but should be of interest to our dedicated baseball fans.
21. GEICO highlights: ADS. Most of their's are funny. I see you LIMU!
22. Tell tales, maybe: LIE. Maybe, baby?
26. Book jacket text, often: BIO.
27. Semicircle, say: ARC.
28. Leaves for a spot: TEA. A CSO to many at the Corner who enjoy a spot of tea, but not a cup. It is a more confusing IDIOM.
30. Student housing VIPs: RAS. Resident Assistants.
33. Wily: SLY. Sly E Coyote just didn't work.
35. Set down: LAY. Two versions: I set down the book on the desk. Or, I laid down stricter rules for my...
36. Take badly?: ROB. A now common clue/fill to deceive the audience.
37. "__ you done?": ARE. No, we have many clues left.
38. Perceive: GET. I perceived Gary's meaning.
39. Like some appliances: AC/DC.
40. Worked: LABORED.
41. Words of confession: BLAME ME. Meh. That is not a confession.
43. Tablet alternative: CAPSULE. Not computer but pills.
44. Supportive response: AYE. Nay!
45. "The Waste Land" monogram: TSE. The best link I could find for those interested in THOMAS STEARNS ELIOT.
47. Called: PHONED. Someday this to will be gone from the lexicon.
48. It's sometimes necessary to come to them: SENSES.
49. Food bit: ORT.
51. Website with "Ask Me Anything" interviews: REDDIT. Reddit AMAs (which stands for “Ask Me Anything”)—whether they're timed around the news cycle or simply focused on a topic of great general interest—are Q&As designed to bring an authority on a subject to a community of interested people.
54. Unit of resistance: OHM.
57. Laptop navigation aids: MICE.
58. Jazz phrase: RIFF.
59. "Enchanted" movie girl: ELLA. Recently this version
60. Aliases: AKAS. Also Known As.
63. Thieves' place: DEN. A concept from the Christian Bible.
64. Radical '60s org.: SDS. Students for a Democratic Society. Very active at my college alma mater while I was there 1965-1969.
Gee, I am done and now it is your turn. It has been a hectic time in my life but what good is life without stuff happening. Be well all; thank GL and thank all who read and/or write. Lemonade out.
Easier than yesterday, for me, although when I went back and reviewed yesterday it didn’t look that difficult. I just couldn’t get into it yesterday. Today in a booby prize winning 28 minutes I managed to FIR. I liked the theme which I got immediately with HIGHGEAR. Fun CW, thanx, GL. Enjoyed your write-up, Lemonade, thanx for all the time and effort.
ReplyDeleteFIRight today, tho the NE corner came close to stumping me. I think I caught on to the theme from about the third one I solved.
ReplyDeleteTwo clechos- Turn on & Called, the latter symetrically placed.
When people RISE UP, they'll START a revolution!
The juntas and cabals will TURN ON their solution!
However they are TERMED,
By PHONES they confirmed,
So BETRAYAL was CALLED a cell-circumlocution!
CALYPSO was a real cool CAT,
Tho some said MEH, called her a DINGBAT!
A maid of the sea,
A beauty to SEE,
She dressed in billows of -- just that!
{B, A-.}
Proving my point about world dominance, Gary Larson scripted today's UNIVERSAL PUZZLE with Amy Ensz. It appears to be her first.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteFailed to hear the coffeemaker this am, and slept in till 5:20. This puz was a breeze. Easy-to-understand theme, plus no reveal to miss, what's not to like? We had both MEH and SOSA. And it all came together faster than yesterday. What do they say at McDonalds? "I'm lovin' it." Thanx, Gary and Lemonade. (That "He's dead, Jim" photo was hilarious.)
Fun and Fast For a Friday. Wednesday-like, in fact. FIR. ACI was all perps and I-CHING was recalled after using all perps. I didn't know the movie, Argo, but --H-ANI suggested TEHRANI. Very few names, thank you, Gary.
ReplyDeleteLemonade, the spot of tea article was interesting.
Blame me. To me, this is a light hearted admission to a minor deed. I'm to blame, a not too serious confession.
DEEDS, another example of verbifying.
Took me 12:12 to get my puzzle pants on this morning.
ReplyDeleteSolid puzzle, no need for a reveal, and, no circles (joy!).
I didn't know "aci", "dogbane," and "iching" (and that definition of "dingbat") - so you can tell I struggled in the upper-left.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteToday’s solve was yet another example of my lack of observation skills. I got the theme as far as the word play goes but, until Lemony’s expo, it didn’t register that the second words were all clothing synonyms. Apparently, the “Outfits” in the clues didn’t register, either! Talk about a Dingbat! Anyway, I didn’t understand the clue for Dingbat and I didn’t know Alan, I Ching, Aci, or Dogbane, so the NW was a major struggle. My favorite C/A was Outfits for farmers=Milk Duds. Our fun pairings were Lie/Lay, Cat/Mice and the melodic quintet of Rye/Nye/Sly/Aye/Lie. CSO to Hahtoolah, CED, and HG at Cat.
Thanks, Gary, for a fair challenge and thanks, Lemony, for the detailed and, for me especially, enlightening summary.
FLN
MalMan, in contrast to your 3 degrees, yesterday was 61 here. Not going to last, though, as tomorrow brings much colder weather and snow. The party’s over, I fear. Stay warm and watch out for the hot-doggers!
YR, I laughed out loud reading about your remote faux pas!
Have a great day.
FIR, but erased irks for IRES, barns for REINS, sells for DEEDS, and resists for RISES UP.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have a MOUSE working with my laptop for this extended winter vacation, I think this is a misdirection clue. I suspect that most laptop use is sans-MOUSE.
ECOCIDE? MEH.
Again, NYE isn't a scientist. But he plays one on TV.
COMMON THREAD is a fabulous tribute album with famous (mostly country) artists covering Eagles music.
I thought of The Who's "Teenage Wasteland", but Gary wanted TSE.
One of the many things you never want to hear from your wife: "ARE you done"? (Also "we need to talk" and "does this dress make me look fat?")
Thanks to Gary for the fun challenge. Unlike others, I found this one to be very difficult - almost Saturday difficult. And thanks to Lemony for yet another fun expo.
MalMan - We have frigid weather coming here too - Next Wednesday the high will be only 65 and the low will be down to 41. Break out the furs!
Fabulous Friday. Thanks for the fun, Gary and Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteI required a couple of Google helps to finish, but I got the clothes theme.
I’m here early today; otherwise, like yesterday, I may get too busy and not get a chance to post.
Starting off with an American president slowed me down, but I saw MADISON with just a few perps.
ECOCIDE was calculated WAG, and it took a Google help to confirm and parse I CHING. Ditto for ACI.
Irani was too short for the Argo militants; another Google search reminded me of TEHRANI which broke open the NE corner.
AC/DC took a while and I am not familiar with DBA.
Some nice misdirection with BETRAYS, (vs. STARTS), SEE (was that a Spot of TEA) vs. GET. We are getting wise to “take badly?”.
Another planet today with SATURN.
Wishing you all a great day.
FLN Thanks Ray-o for the link to Spitzboov’s obit. He had a good knowledge of the Niagara area from his work in conjunction with Ontario Hydro, and would often comment to me about local areas.
ReplyDeleteYR- that remote/cell phone story was hilarious.
FIR today on a pretty fast Friday. It did seem a little easier than yesterday. I gradually got the clothing theme as I went along. Interesting fill, I thought, with DINGBAT being my favorite. Not too many WOs: bAtTENS/FASTENS and deSerts/RISES UP (I know, that didn't make sense). Oh, and I started putting sEe/GET, forgetting I had entered SEE elsewhere. On the whole a nice looking grid for which I thank you, Gary. Also for a new EPEE clue!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lemonade, for an enjoyable review. Yes, the mice trying to revive the mouse was hilarious. Good choice!
As usual the weather here varies, with warm now and cooling down again during the weekend. I hope you had some nice weather while you were here recently, waseeley. Greetings to all.
FLN, I.M. and Lucina thank you for the meteorological updates and advice. Both were well received. Currently 18F on the porch. . and the ski lifts open in about one hour.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-We have sheriff deputies in the school halls today because of this
-Since he was the principal author, President MADISON knew the constitution very well
-Some politicians get accused of making END RUNS around the aforementioned document
-For me D.B.A. stands for Doing Blogging As Husker Gary
-I C H I _ _? Ichiro made as much sense as anything else
-LIE or LAY, I first run it through the “what a hen does” test
Thank you Gary for a FIRable Friday that didn't WEAR me out too much and for a clever, helpful theme, my favorite kind.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you Lemony for an equally clever and beautifully illustrated review. DOGS and CATS and MICE living together, Oh My!
Some favs:
I was turned on by 8A START and 30A BETRAYS. What a difference that extra S in a clue makes.
18A I made a living shuffling BINARY NUMBERS around, something that is also done during consultations of the I CHING (see 5D re "The Book of Changes").
35A LOCAL RAGS. Actually RAGS aren't so bad if they're GLAD RAGS ("clothes for a special occasion; one's best or most showy clothes").
46A CALYPSO. One of my favorite memories is a puppeteer in our Paris Metro car flash mobbing us with a performance of "Day-O", accompanied by Belafonte on a boombox.
2D ACI. Well you asked for it Lemony. Here's the aria "Sorge il dì" ("The Day Rises") from Aci, Galatea e Polifemo. Lest anyone think the ALTO and SOPRANO are gay lovers, it was common in Händel's time for ALTOs to play "trouser roles", i.e. male characters. Here's the plot.
4D I CHING. There are uncanny similarities between the I CHING ("The Book of Changes") and DNA. Each 6 line I CHING hexagram consists of two 3 line "trigrams" comprised of YIN and YANG lines, which may "change" during a consultation, giving a total of 4 possible line types. This 3 x 4 arrangement is exactly the same as the DNA triplets (CODONS) consisting of 4 possible "stair steps" in the helical ladder (NUCLEOTIDES). If this sounds like a bunch of nonsense, consider this article from the National Center for Biotechnology Information
8D SATURN. Nice clue.
19D NYE. Not really a scientist, but he plays one on TV.
63D DEN. I believe the New Testament quote was "You have made my Father's house a DEN of THIEVES".
Cheers,
Bill
FLN
ReplyDeleteI echo what CEh! said re your cellphone caper. You spawned some new textbabble: WNLAYWLWY 🙃 ("We're Not Laughing at You, We're Laughing With You"!) DW relates a similar incident where she actually had her cell phone, but once tried to make a call with her "Calculator" app.
Jinx @7:29 AM Speak for yourself re MICE. I have that stupid scratch pad below the keyboard covered over with a piece of masonite, due to its tendency to move the cursor to a randomly selected location while I'm typing. You can't teach an OLD DOG, NEW TRICKS (unless your a British detective).
Hola!
ReplyDeleteMy solve this morning was in two parts, first at about 6 A.M when I sashayed through the better part of the puzzle. Then after going back to bed and sleeping some more, finished, well not exactly. I find myself getting easily frustrated so I left some of the NW blank and followed Lemonade's expo to complete ECOCIDE/ACI, DOGBANE. I also had RED, so no BINARY.
This is a new phase in my life and I am not used to it. In the past I have always persisted and finished a puzzle no matter how difficult.
The movie ARGO told the true story of how some Americans trapped in the Embassy in Iran, cleverly escaped.
Ring bearer for SATURN was clever but not foolproof. And ROB as clued made me laugh.
Speaking of laughing, Yellowrocks, you made me laugh with your story but then it is a cautionary tale of what is happening to many of us.
I love CALYPSO; thank you for posting it, Jason.
Ironic to have CAT/TSE because T. S. Eliot wrote the poem CATS on which the play is based.
Have a fantastic Friday, everyone! It's 49 degrees here which is unusual.
Hmm,
ReplyDeleteHaving no fashion sense,
I find puzzles involving clothes very uncomfortable...
From recent PSA's
I have rec'd texts on my phone saying
Amazon returned pkg as undeliverable
FedX returned pkg to warehouse
And today I got one that said UPS could not deliver.
I can only be 100% sure this is a scam because
A) I have not ordered anything
&B) the link they ask me to click on to respond misspells Amazon,fed-x,ups etc...
I now just copy the offending text, delete it,
and forward its copy to 7726
Note, be careful, I have found html hyperlinks to still be active even in a copy.
I accidentally touched a misspelled fed-x hyperlink and it took me to a very real
Looking site with correctly spelled federal express logos and everything,
But it was still a fake!
Puzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteLucina: we made it down to a low of 33 early this morning in the East Valley … brr!
FIW as my Natick was the triad of DOGBANE/BINARY NUMBERS/RYE. I kinda figured EYRE was correct but when the R from HIGH GEAR appeared, I, like Lucina, entered RED in 16 down. My DOGBANE was DOGVANE. VINARE NUMBERS looked weird, so visiting here and reading Lemony’s informative and witty recap, gave me the final AHA.
ACI = unknown; perp. Ditto, I CHING. A few other “forced” words (AKAS, RAS, ODEA), but as Jason alluded, using 51 letters out of a possible 189 (after subtracting the black squares) for the themers makes filling a puzzle quite difficult
Clues for SATURN and AC/DC were different than usual
Moe-ku du jour:
When IRKED and IRE
Appear in a day’s puzzle,
I see some cross words …
Not bad for a Friday, great punned theme 😊..one inkover.. assumed "Laptop navigation devices" would end in S until I filled DEEDS giving me MICE 🐁🐭..so a final FIR. Thought "Outfits for the masses" would be priestly garb. Is it "REH' fuse" or "ree FUSE'"?
ReplyDeleteAnd... when will IRED be banished forever? 😡
"Mr Wizard" (Don Herbert) wouldn't fit in the Bill NYE space. LIUed: "Herbert twice was nominated for an Emmy and won a Peabody Award for best TV program for children, plus three Thomas Edison awards." 🏆
"Take badly" for ROB would have normally given me "paws" but this misdirection has been used before. ECOSIDE new to me. 😕Thought an ÉPÉE just had a sharp (or blunted) point. MILKDUDS: common movie theater concession fare.
Needed splaining for DINGBAT. Don't know how I knew Jennifer's last name. (Alba: It. dawn)
A cool example of what you guys call a CLECHO clue echo: "Turns on" 8a, START and 50a BETRAYS, completely different meaning.(Owen KL)😏
A.A. Milne clinically depressed equine....YORE.
Scottish "yes men" ... IRES
Claude ____ ...REINS
Canine howling....DOGBANE
Feminine form "Meh"....SOSA
3 sunny days in a row in December... YEESH
In my defense, my phone case is a Vera Bradley wristlet so you do not see the phone, or whatever, unless you unzip the wristlet, but I can hear the phone ring. I expected the story would give you a laugh.
ReplyDeleteBill, I could not stand the touch pad on my new laptop. I connected the mouse from my old computer. I went to settings, then devices, touchpad, disable, then back to mouse and followed the prompts.
Another party coming up at 2:00. I will skip dinner. It will be fun.
Clever, but challenging Friday puzzle from our favorite Gary Larson--many thanks, Gary. And thank you, as always, Lemonade, for all your help.
ReplyDeleteI STARTed out with AERIE. I live in a Laguna Beach neighborhood called "Top of the World," but I wouldn't describe my place as an "aerie"--too many house roofs blocking the view going down the hill.
Didn't remember that Jane EYRE told her own story.
Ah, youth and early adulthood--all days of YORE now we're in our seniority.
I don't have any horses, but if I did, I'd certainly REIN them in.
Have a great day, everybody.
YR...were you able to chat with TV stars when you used the remote as a phone?..(at least you knew where the remote was, mine likes to snuggle and hide between the couch cushions)
ReplyDelete📺
Like Jinx and some others, I was a bit thrown by the clue for 57D. I do not have a mouse for my laptop.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know MICE were an option; I just manage to get by with the built-in touch pad, the distinctive means of "laptop navigation."
Otherwise, this was a fine Friday PZL from Mr. Larson. Well parsed by Lemonade.
The clothes line theme was fun. Ta ~ Dah!
Nice to see that CALYPSO album cover with the pic of the Very Young Belafonte. What a handsome guy.
He carries himself well these days, but he is a true time signature, 94 Y.O., reminding us that none of us is immune from severely aging!
(I know, I know it "beats the alternative.")
~ OMK
Larson's on a roll with all his puzzles. I was out of town last week and as I was catching up on the financial news in the WSJ I noticed his name on one of their puzzles. I caught his theme but the North was hard for me to finish. ECOCIDE sounds like a made up word and the three side-by-side downs-ACI, DOGBANE, and ICHING- were total unknowns. Then there was the great clue- Ring bearer- for SATURN- and the unknown IRANIAN called a TEHRANI- I know Tehran is the capitol but the word is new to me. Never heard of NUMBERS being used for clothing, only as a musical pieces.
ReplyDeleteAnd the west wasn't that easy either. ALAN was a WAG and DINGBAT was all perps- never heard of it or Wingding.
CALYPSO and ELLA were also filled by perps.
SOSA- being blackballed? The HOF is run by sportswriters, aka those who couldn't play baseball. Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, & Rose were great ballplayers. A lot of HOF members were the writers' favorites and nothing more.
Nebraska man- you have police and deputies in school halls because of idiotic federal rules that don't let the principals expel the bad eggs. If their 'disability' is cussing you can't discipling them for that. Those students know that and have no fear. Fighting- they know they can't be kicked out. ETC.
And you may ask "ARE you done"? Yes.
Big Easy, funny you should take exception to NUMBERS as a term for clothing.
ReplyDeleteJust yesterday evening, I was arguing with the TV, during Jeopardy, when hostess Mayim Bialik announced "LBD" as the initials for a "Little Black Dress."
She was correct, of course, but I was yelling that I always heard it called "a Little Black Number"!
I guess it is regional. Or class? Or...?
~ OMK
The NW corner was definitely a MEH. A fairly easy Friday I thought. Cute theme. Guess that’s it, short and sweet.
ReplyDeleteWell, HEY THERE, HI THERE, HO THERE I am back from my surgery to remove my skin cancer. It was more extensive than I expected, but I am here I see that you have not needed so far. My wife took pictures, but and sent them to my two boys who thought they were, "GROSS." I will not add them. Some fun stuff and comments, thank you all
ReplyDeleteI liked this puzzle and got a huge laugh out of MILK DUDS. Loved that "He's dead, Jim" picture, Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteSo, Lucina, what is this new phase in your life that you are not used to? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? (I worry a little bit.)
Speaking of milkweed (not milk duds), do you still have it growing in your back yard, Misty? And does it still attract Monarch butterflies?
Take care, all.
Jayce, thank you so much for remembering that at one time I had Monarch butterflies in my back patio, presumably attracted by milkweed.
ReplyDeleteSadly the milkweed must be gone because I have not seen a single Monarch this year. I must confess that I miss them--they were so lovely.
Thank you Gary Larson, ('Far from Wild Side') for a very challenging puzzle. I had to jump around a lot before I could get a foothold, but eventually I enjoyed the experience.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lemonade, for your always thought provoking review, which I enjoyed very much.
I trust you are keeping well, as can be expected. Happy Holidays.
Have a good weekend, all.
Welcome back from the surgery, Lemonade. I hope it went well even if it was more extensive than expected. I, too, enjoyed the write up especially the "He's Dead Jim" bit.
ReplyDeleteRereading flw I see we had ORT a week ago
ReplyDeleteGolfer didn't fit for Tiger. I saw DBA here recently. And MEH every day in here
We have an I CHING book kicking around somewhere
Anybody ink Opry/ODEA?
Hope surgery does the trick Jason. I was seeing dermatologist twice yearly. Purple cone of death on early treatment
WC
I did this online in 20 minutes at 8 am. Never got to post.
DeleteDNF, and some that I did finish was incorrect. I had trouble across the north. Snow and fog on my brain. There were some, like DINGBAT, that I knew, but I couldn’t convince myself of some of the crossing downs, so…. Everything below DINGBAT was correct.
ReplyDeleteBasically, I found this puzzle to be rather easy for a Friday, except for the few items I couldn’t suss. I liked it. Thanks Gary and Lemon.
I simply cannot work on a laptop computer without a standard keyboard and mouse. My lazy hands won’t stay off the laptop keyboard, so I carry a standard of each in my computer bag.
Ditto what Jinx said about NYE. Wiki calls him a SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR and a SCIENCE EDUCATOR. He IS a mechanical engineer and did work for Boeing and Sundstrand Data, though
Wore shorts to work today. Balmy, global warming 80-something degrees. We have our monthly open house tomorrow. Santa arrives at noon. Cold front with heavy-ish rain will either precede or bring him to the museum. Bah! Humbug!
Jayce:
ReplyDeleteThank you for asking. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. What is new for me is the fuzziness of my brain that is becoming more and more prevalent. I know it is part of aging but I am very unused to it and I resent it not that I can do anything about it.
Thankfully, solving CWDs helps me think and the more challenging they are, the more I have to dig into the recesses. I also read constantly so that keeps me thinking, too. I just do not like that I am slower and slower about accomplishing tasks. But what to do, what to do?????
Does anyone have any experience with Prevagen? I would love to know if it's as effective as the ads claim.