Saturday Themeless by Billy Bratton
Billy is a new constructor here at the LA Times. He makes me feel very OLDE, but I had a good time with his devilish clues and got this nice note from him:
I'm happy to have my first (and hopefully not last) puzzle in the LA Times! I constructed this one a long time ago so hopefully I can still dredge up some interesting things about it.
I am a first year student at Carleton College (h.g. It's 45 min. from Minneapolis and Billy said he is very aware that C.C. is a big name in crosswords!), and I've had puzzles in the NYT, Atlantic, Universal, Crucinova, SPYSCAPE, and now the LAT.
I didn't start with a seed per se, but rather worked through a lot of possibilities for the center
Not much to report on the clue front. I found the fact in 30A interesting and felt the world absolutely needed to know. Props for the clue change on 34A (I'm pretty sure I wasn't clever enough to write that one).
Also, I just noticed that like half of the long answers start with T. Any solvers out there who particularly enjoy that letter of the alphabet are in luck.
-Billy
1. Jiggly edible: ASPIC - Hey it's great to get 1A right off the bat with JELLO. What...?
6. One swimming in a pod: ORCA - That boat might want to think about vacating the pod area
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10. It's dangerous to trip on it: ACID - Oh, that kind of trip and that kind of ACID
14. Put away: STASH - What kids do to things in their school lockers
15. Sound from a boxer: WOOF - Last Saturday, C.C. had 47. Watched a boxer, say: PET SAT
16. Words of dismay: OH NO.
14. Put away: STASH - What kids do to things in their school lockers
15. Sound from a boxer: WOOF - Last Saturday, C.C. had 47. Watched a boxer, say: PET SAT
16. Words of dismay: OH NO.
20. Former MLB outfielder whose name sounds very similar to a Kellogg's cereal: COCO CRISP.
21. APB subject: PERP - An All Points Bulletin might be put out for a suspected PERPetrator
22. Spots on a screen: ADS - Ah, yes, ADvertisement spotS can be on your TV or computer screen
23. Half a candy bar?: KAT
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| WWII Version |
24. Ring setting: CIRCUS
26. Stock room: PEN - Uh, that would be a livestock PEN
27. "Downton Abbey" countess: CORA - Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes based the fictional CORA Crawley on the real Countess Almina Herbert who was one of many wealthy Americans who married into the financially strapped British aristocracy
27. "Downton Abbey" countess: CORA - Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes based the fictional CORA Crawley on the real Countess Almina Herbert who was one of many wealthy Americans who married into the financially strapped British aristocracy
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| Countess Almina Countess CORA |
29. Lure for some conquistadors: ORO
30. They hold less than 10% as much as their name suggests: TEN GALLON HATS - Billy thought this fun fact should be known by all. 😊
33. Ones battling demons: TORTURED SOULS.
34. They need to be blown up: AIR MATTRESSES - Fun cluing for which Billy does not take credit
35. Dorm room metaphor, maybe: STY - Mine was
36. Amontillado holder: CASK - "A complex and interesting sherry" and a Poe story
33. Ones battling demons: TORTURED SOULS.
34. They need to be blown up: AIR MATTRESSES - Fun cluing for which Billy does not take credit
35. Dorm room metaphor, maybe: STY - Mine was
36. Amontillado holder: CASK - "A complex and interesting sherry" and a Poe story
38. Maker of 49-Down: LIPTON and 49. 38-Across product: TEA - There is no chance you would find this TEA in C.C.'s house
40. Pride, for one: SIN.
41. Research bldg.: LIB - I first did my research in a science LAB but 42. "You're going down!": IT'S ON forced me into the LIBrary.
44. "Drive" band, with "The": CARS - Ah, the '80's
44. "Drive" band, with "The": CARS - Ah, the '80's
48. Cook Islands export: TARO - Makes sense
50. Start of a play: ACT I.
51. Norse name that means "eternal ruler": ERIK
52. Jackson 5 features: AFROS - On Ed Sullivan. They soon saw who the lead singer should be.
53. Suffers the consequences: PAYS.
54. Get in the game: ANTE.
55. Cheerful: SUNNY.
Down:
1. Humane gp. for 150+ years: ASPCA.
2. Stopped lying: STOOD - Fun clue
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| ..and the bed is still made! |
4. :: IS TO - Sometimes :: means "AS" in the analogy
6. Answer for something: OWN IT.
7. Joeys, e.g.: ROOS.
9. At the stern: AFT - Titanic's AFT sank last
10. Many a surfer: AOLER - I surf on Safari
11. Some sketches: CHARCOALS.
12. Not all at once: IN SPURTS
13. Make a point: DOT.
13. Make a point: DOT.
18. Rainforest denizen: ORANGUTAN - It does NOT end in the letter "G"
21. Chopin trio: PIANO SONATAS - He composed three of them but Billy had me thinking of three instruments. You?
24. Features on a track: CROSS TIES.
25. Coast Guard pickup: SOS - There was no Coast Guard in 1912 but an SOS did go out
26. Waves overhead?: PERM.
27. Stocking employee: CLERK - Some CLERKS doing the stocking have much less to stock these days
28. Pleasingly dated retail adjective: OLDE.
30. BoJo's political affiliation, informally: TORY PARTY - The leader of the TORY PARTY, BOris JOhnson, might need a PERM
28. Pleasingly dated retail adjective: OLDE.
30. BoJo's political affiliation, informally: TORY PARTY - The leader of the TORY PARTY, BOris JOhnson, might need a PERM
32. Black Panthers co-founder Newton: HUEY.
33. View from Bolivia's Isla del Sol: TITICACA - The red symbol is the Isla del Sol in Lake TITICACA on the boundary between Peru and Bolivia
34. Digital communication syst.: ASL - Type in your name and see it in American Sign Language
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| This is GARY |
39. Cinq moins deux: TROIS - 5 - 2 = 3 in Français
40. Share: STAKE.
41. Teach improperly?: LEARN - "I'm gonna LEARN you how to putt"
43. First name in flags: BETSY - Did she really do the first one?
45. Cousin of a gull: TERN.
46. Bail: EXIT - We did bail early on a bad college play last year
47. Vegan staple: TOFU - Not my choice but...
48. Designate: TAP - Quite a few NFL teams will TAP a new head coach for next year.
59 comments:
FIRight! Last to fall was changing LaB to LIB.
Cross Eyed Dave, it's been piquing me for some time: Why do you start every line with a capital letter? It's not poetry, tho it looks like poetry.
The band had a gig they felt was grand,
To play at a CIRCUS, setting up its stand!
For uniforms they were strapped
But each wore a TEN-GALLON HAT,
So they want on stage as "The Stetson Hat Band"!
Some say poetry, to achieve its goal
Must come from a truly TORTURED SOUL.
But my poor doggerel
Has a different goal --
To pay for new shoes for my tortured sole!
The preacher had some fashion eyes,
And wore only neck-wear that was Christianized.
The symbol scattered
On the cloth mattered.
When he traveled by train, he wore CROSS TIES!
Down in the land of the Alamo,
If to a restaurant you should go,
No rolls are set,
Nor baguette,
But TEXAS TOAST as a side, you know!
{C+, C+, B-, B-.} So cruddy today I gave you extra to make up for it.
As I mentioned fln this was a bear. And after everything I made a careless WAG on FSL thinking originally of LAN then DSL. Of course Billy was thinking "digits" as in hand signals. And how do you blow up a FIRM MATTRESS.
I just couldn't wait to check the answers.
I started really slow not even grok'ing the French play area
Yes, and the center fielder who once played fortheRedsox. Still a Long way to Titicata.
Who's BoJo? Bon Jovi?
V8 can just hit. A "side" in a southern restaurant. Not one of the coasts. Perps held as did PERP for that APB. Anybody actually "Trip" in the day?
I'll bet many knew CORA and of course Chopin's works. I had f/SUNNY
MY Fwanche helped with TETE A TETE. PRIDE is one of those so called "Deadly Sins" of which "lack of " is equally grievous.
Well let's get the CC CIRCUS going.
WC
Ps, Owen your l'icks today were superlative.
Re. "BoJo"... Yes, TORY told me it was Boris Johnson
Good morning!
Have I ever mentioned that I hate it when I get 1a wrong? Hand up for JELLO. Was there really a ball player named COCO CRISP? Needed TORY to figure out who BoJo could be. Also fell into the LAB/LIB trap. Plenty of opportunities to hone my Wite-Out skills. Got 'er done, but almost ran out the clock in the process. Nice LAT debut, Billy. Enjoyed your expo, Husker.
Yes, DO, Covell L Crisp played for several MLB teams, I saw him with the Red Sox. His sister gave him the nickname. Very fast outfielder.
Great puzzle, the only clue I didn't know was for CHICKENTACOS, but perps filled in.
FIR, on a Saturday, yay!
Good morning. Thank you Billy and HG. A few seconds longer than yesterday, and with the same result.
Me too, HG. First thought was jello.
Half a candy bar? 3 letters ? K-T and check the perp.
LaB before LIB
Getting the three 13's across the middle seemed to speed the solve.
"Some CLERKS doing the stocking have much less to stock these days" - I noticed a small bit of that on my outing to Walmart yesterday. Hardly any soda crackers. Three boxes of Premium saltines. No oyster crackers. One beatup box of Ritz. No Townhouse. But, catch-as-catch-can, we'll make do with a couple of bags of Ritz Toasted Chips for now.
As I unsuccessfully looked for a head of cauliflower, a nearby customer was upset with an order picker because there was no rhubarb. I would think it's pretty hard to find fresh rhubarb anywhere around here this time of year, under any circumstance.
Desper-otto, seriously, during almost the same span of the 14 year MLB career of COCA CRISP, there was another 11 year veteran player in the bigs named Milton Bradley. In the 2002 and 2003 seasons, they both played for the Cleveland Indians.
Billy Bratton might as well be Billy Batson as this puzzle was a Marvel! Once again showing the world is for the young, he knows so much more about gridding than I ever will. It was not the most challenging Saturday but it did take some work which made it fun.
HG, I really enjoy your approach to blogging a puzzle. Thank you both
I finished it in 18:01. It was a fun workout. Very good Saturday puzzle.
Good to know there's young talent in the pipeline - I hope he stays away from those dreaded circles.
Grumble, grumble, I failed to notice ERIc didn't work with the perp (STAcE?) in my rush to read Husker Gary's review (Hi WC!). FIW. This puzzle was slow going to start with and my first fill for dangerous to trip on "wire" was my last WO, ACID. That NE corner almost got me. I had held off on "jello" long enough to get ASPIC so no problem there. Lots of learning moments, Billy. Thanks for your explanation to Gary, too. Always interesting to hear about the construction. Welcome, Billy!
Thanks, Husker Gary, for your review. It's reassuring to read what you experienced as you filled the puzzle, as well as how other posters did. LaB before LIB for me too as well as wondering why TEXAS TOAST, before getting it. Southern side dish. Sure. Now that I know that ERIK means eternal ruler I might also remember the K at the end!
Hope everyone has a fun weekend and many learning moments as well. I got Wordle in three tries today. Woohoo!
Hello Billy. I think the world already knew that TEN GALLON HATS didn't hold that much. I always enjoy the themeless puzzles vs. the gimmicky ones. On Saturday I'm sure some TORTURED SOULS are thinking OH NO, another toughie today. I know there are real tough puzzles out there but the LA Times' Saturdays are as tough as I care to work. Some of the clues had unfamiliar words, but guessable fills. BoJo, antojitos and amontillado - TORY PARTY & CHICKEN TACOS WERE easy Fills; CASK was perps.
COCO CRISP-heard of PUFFS but not CRISP
TEXAS TOAST- just thickly sliced bread with butter
AIR MATTRESSES- everybody in S. LA has them for unexpected guests in case of a hurricane
LIB- had to change from LAB after I noticed the 'bldg.' abbr.
CROSS TIES- didn't like the clue as crossties are UNDER, not 'on' a track. The rails are the tracks.
Gary, LEARN me how to keep it in the fairway; putting was never a problem.
D-O, my first thought was also JELLO instead of ASPIC.
ATLGranny- I call it a FIW from sloppy writing when I don't look over what I filled incorrectly.
Good Morning:
I liked everything about this puzzle, particularly the devious cluing that led to Kit/Kat, Funny/Sunny, DSL/ASL, and Lab/Lib. I had the most trouble in the SE because of that head-scratching clue, South Side. After filling in some Down answers, the light came on and Texas Toast materialized. There were several fresh and lively entries: Ten Gallon Hat, Tortured Souls, Air Mattresses, Chicken Tacos, etc. And, of course, we were treated to some fun pairings: Pen/Sty, Tea/Toast, Lipton/Tea, Perp/Pen, and Ante/Pays/Stake. I also appreciated the fairly low number of three letter words. CSO to Moe (Cask), Wilbur (Betsy), and Lucina (Tacos and Oro).
Thanks, Billy, for a very enjoyable solve and congrats on a fine LA Times debut; hope to see your work again very soon (I noticed the plethora of Ts throughout the entire puzzle), and thanks, HG, for your always educational and illuminating write-up. Your knack for connecting the constructors to the commentariat is much appreciated and adds an extra layer to our solving experience. Kudos, Sir Husker! 👏
Anonymous @ 8:05 ~ I share your dislike of circles, particularly in late week grids. However, I have resigned myself to accepting them in early week offerings because they’re helpful to new and inexperienced solvers. There are also occasions when they’re necessary in late week puzzles to help with an especially complicated theme. My pet peeve, as I’ve voiced many times, is the staggering amount of three letter words in some puzzles. That said, these minor nits are far outweighed by the satisfaction and enjoyment these constructors provide to us solvers, IMO. 😉
Have a great day.
A few comments:
(1) "Coco Crisp" - never heard of him
(2) At first, I thought of "Odin" as the Norse "eternal ruler" but the perps made it clear that it was "Erik" as in "Erik the Red".
(3) I, too, thought of "lab" rather than "lib", but the perp "it's on" gave it away
(4) "kit" or "kat"? Since it was "orangutan" it had to be "kat"
(5) I don't know why "learn" serves as "teach improperly", but perhaps some kind soul here could explain it to me.
In the end, fir.
Well this was a fun solve - felt like a Silkie- at first a sea of white with a little foothold here and there. But then a few aha moments that got some longer fill in and with P& P I was on a roll! A big help at first was getting COCO CRISP - I always thought that was an amusing name for a MLB player. I had wanted 33 across to have EXORCISTS somewhere in that long fill before I realized it was referring to the TORTURED SOULS who needed the exorcising!
Lot of learning moments today. I had no idea what antojitos were - I've heard of a mojito - so thought it might be another alcoholic beverage. Then had the start with CHIC and thought it might be a CHICano something or other. I love CHICKEN TACOS but have only seen them on menus listed as such!
I had SSM for the digital communication before it morphed into ASL and helped open that middle section. on 51 across I confidently put ODIN for Norse eternal ruler before perps turned it into ERIK.
Thanks HG for the fun expo and congrats to Billy for his LAT debut and stopping by
Subgenius, see B-E's post at 8:49. "Teach" improperly.
Oh, I think I get it now, D-O. It's kind of like "i'll learn ya to talk to me that way!" or similar threat by an irate back-home parent or somebody, I guess. That makes sense, now.
Well said, Irish Miss.
ATLGranny, Congrats on your 3 in Wordle today. I chose a fruitless first word today. I got to the 6th chance needing just the first letter. But I had three legitimate words that could be made from the remaining letters. Bzzt !
Subgenius, See HG's write up, or Bid Easy's as D-O said. That'll learn ya ! :>)
Maybe this will help:
Teach = Educate
Learn = Comprehend
Slugging Saturday. Thanks for the fun, Billy (congrats on you LAT debut) and HuskerG.
Lots of P& P required today, but officially a FIW (can I claim the sloppy writing too?).
I never did get Lab corrected to LIB. I thought of COCO puffs (hello Big Easy) and never corrected the U to I; that gave me OWN Up and Kap did not get corrected to KAT. I failed to do a final edit.
Hand up for Jello briefly before ASPIC, Eric before ERIK, DSL before ASL (clever).
LSD was too short- ACID fit.
Like inanehiker, I thought of Exorcists before TORTURED SOULS.
SONATAS made me change that Coast (it is on the south side!) to TOAST, but I didn’t get it. Thanks HG.
Fortunately, the unknown Spanish foods (and that island) were solved with PERPs.
12D “Not all at once” was One By One (which I thought went well with TÊTE-À-TÊTE,), before IN SPURTS opened up the NE.
Favourite was the clue for PERM.
WORDLE in 4 today. Congrats on 3, ATLGranny.
Wishing you all a great day.
Mea Culpa, I've committed the SIN of "pride". I'm proud I finished a Saturday puzzle.😊 Been so preoccupied with it didn't have breakfast, ...on to the SIN of "gluttony" but no "Sloth", DW just presented me with her honey-do list.🙄
Husker, I agree, to us OLDE-sters Billy looks like a young whipper snapper. He constructed this puzzle "a long time ago" huh?? during recess?😮...Amazing..(but I bet he doesn't know cursive.) Congratulations William, you have a long puzzling career ahead of you.😉
Anyway...
Once the long across clues were filled kinda moved quickly..inkovers: jello/ASPIC, OWNup/IT, lab,lit/LIB (clever). Learned what "Antojitos" are. (not refried social insects).🤭 I like the sound of ORANGUTANg.
PERP: a Cornerite BFF
BOJO needs a good barber💈or at least a hairbrush (like the one DOTU uses for his comb-over)...CORA..been waiting for the sequel "Uptown Abbey"...TEXASTOAST, more of a bread substitute than a "side" on a plate like beans or corn, just sayin'
My son read The CASK of Amontillado in middle school. Me: "What did you think of the story?" Son: "What's a CASK?" ☹
Haven't had a CW visit from Yoko ____ in a while....OHNO
Enormous Texas biting insects...TENGALLONHATS
Oven worry when away...ITSON
Our "Utica Observer-Dispatch" will cease printing on Saturdays soon (there's not much to it anyway, Spitz once called it "My Weekly Reader")..so I'll be thumbing my way through the puzzle on my phone..
SUNNY but -11 Fahrenheit (that's a minus sign)🥶
Boy this was an excellent puzzle! Some great long answers, and just the right level of difficulty. Being a big baseball fan, I got COCOCRISP right off, which was a big help. Most casual or non-fans probably never heard of him. Great first puzzle Billy!
Thanks Billy for a fine Saturday puzzle (despite my FIW/DNF); congrats on your LA Times debut; and welcome to the Corner. You'll love it here.
And thanks Husker for going the extra mile to find out what was going through Billy's brain as he was putting this piece together.
Some favs/not so favs:
16A OH NO. That GIF is not one of my favorite SNL MEMES. Doubtless Billy doesn't remember it, but I've heard it a thousand times.
21A ABP. Nabbed the PERP without PERPS.
24A CIRCUS. Had ___CUT for awhile, then CIRCUT (misspelled of course!), but missed the SOS, because I didn't bother to pluralize TEN GALLON HAT_. DUH!
40A SIN. This week it was PRIDE, last week it was ENVY. I'm glad the constructors are looking out for us TORTURED SOULS!
41 LIB. My undoing. Started by filling 44A with INST. By the time I realized it was in the wrong slot I had already filled 41A with L_B, so the "Research Bldg" was obviously LAB. NOT! Great piece of misdirection Billy.
19A TEXAS TOAST. Got it on perps, but the misdirection slid right beSIDE me.
4D IS TO. Thanks for the analogies chart Gary. Husker:reviewers::Teacher:students.
30D TORY PARTY. Rumour has it that BOJO is in trouble with his PARTY for too much PARTYING.
34D ASL. Loved the app Gary! Here's my name. And here's Billy's.
Cheers,
Bill
Word of the Day: cacophony
Pronunciation: kê-kaw-fê-ni, kê-kah-fê-ni
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: 1. Dissonance, harsh discordant sound, mishmash of sounds. 2. A chaotic mixture.
Notes: Be sure you pronounce the A and following O in the correct order. I have heard [kaw-kæ-fê-ni] as often as the correct pronunciation above. The adjective is cacophonous, though cacophonic is a rarely used alternative.
In Play: A cacophony does not have to be unpleasant: "Beverly arrived at the concert hall amidst the cacophony of the symphony tuning up." This word may be used figuratively, too: "The evening meal was a cacophony of flavors in which the oysters managed to hold their own."
For more on this word see the Alpha Dictionary.
I, too, read Poe's The Cask of Amontillado in middle school. I did know what a cask was. I had no idea what Amontillado was.
Challenging, as it should be, Saturday puzzle with some fun cluing. Another hand up for JELLO and LAB. The puzzle had to be "worked" but it was workable. Nice job, Billy.
Very nice, and informative, recap, H.G.
OwenKL @ 4:33 AM I managed to make it back safe and sound from a couple of excursions. But I had at least one friend who got lost and took a long time to get found. I don't recommend this form of travel anyone.
Ray - O @10:49 AM Here's the link I use for the puzzle when the Sun arrives late. All you have to do is open it and print it out. You do own a printer right? 🙄
I am impressed with a freshman college student making such a construction. Yes, learning moment about TEN GALLON HATS. Yes, JELLO was doomed on a Saturday. Hand up LAB for where I did my research before LIB.
HuskerGary Thanks for the reminder that ORANG UTAN does not end in "G"! In Malay ORANG means Man and UTAN means Forest. Man of the Forest. I had a girlfriend for many years who spoke a version of Malay. Whenever I heard "orang" I was happy I knew at least one common word in her language!
Whenever I see AFRO in the puzzle I have wanted to share my driver's license photo of me with an AFRO back in the day. Alas, it seemed to be lost forever. Until it wasn't!
Here was my first California Driver License with my AFRO!
Just a few weeks ago I found it in the last place I ever looked for it. Yes, you can think about that.
Fun Saturday toughie, many thanks, Billy. And fun commentary, Husker Gary.
My first solution was ACT I. You can tell this was a toughie for me.
But then, a while after, I actually got ORANGUTAN. Go figure.
And getting that one helped me change KIT to KAT.
Had to laugh when first name in flags turned out to be BETSY Ross.
Kept playing around with ARRF, ARFF, and others, until WOOF finally dawned on me.
PERM for waves overhead was funny.
And, Owen, your second poem cracked me up.
Have a good weekend, everybody.
Great puzzle! Tough but fair, with creative clues. TEN GALLON HATS was my favorite. Thank you, Billy, and come back soon. We lived in Edina for several years and considered sending our children to Carleton - great school, as i’m sure you know.
Thanks, Gary, for the tour. The clip of The Jackson 5 was fun. If only Michael hadn’t weirded out later on. What a great talent!
Well, I guess I need to jump into the Wordle pool and join the fun - stay tuned..
From Yesterday:
Vidwan Glad you also got to meet Sue the T REX in Chicago. The Field Museum received much of its endowment from Marshall Field. As in the famous Chicago department store. Which apparently is now a Macy's.
As for sexing T REX dinosaurs I did a Google search and found some surprises. I would have guessed it is down to the hip size. As in other animals, female hips have to be wider to allow a baby or egg to pass. But there is also something called a medullary bone which has to do with providing calcium for egg shells. Learning moment.
By the way, Sue is not a "sculpture". That is really her bones.
Bill Seeley Thank you very much for the long and thoughtful email regarding the WATERSHED MOMENT theme. I very much hope you are able to contact the constructor to find out if you are correct. I hope you got my email reply. Check your spam folder if it was lost.
AnonT Thanks for the answer about DOS and Windows. I remember that NT was supposed to be a revolutionary change where Microsoft claimed it ran natively without the need for an underlying OS. I was pretty sure that was BS regarding the OS. Something clearly has to run underneath. Microsoft wants to hide what is under the hood. Thanks!
Bill Seely and Vidwan Thank you for your physics comments regarding me. I am very grateful I had the opportunity to learn at the feet of some wonderful teachers.
I think you are mistaken, Vidwan, about the source of the word QUARK. It was not Feynman but Gell-Mann. Same tribe. Feynman gave the name "partons" to these parts of these BOSONs.
I remember riding the elevator to class one day in 1978 and seeing a flyer for a talk on this latest "parton" theory. A student wrote "Dolly" in front of "parton".
Everyone should know the word BOSON now because of the famous Higgs BOSON! Also known as the God (damn) particle! So named by Nobel physicist Leon Lederman (same tribe) because it is so difficult to find!
Picard @12:18 PM The exact word "quark" came to Gell-Mann from James Joyce's "Finnegans Wake".
Got your email. I've already given away two copies of the book you mention, but I'll see what I can come up with - some of it may be available from the author's original sources on the net.
Musings
-Irish, I love your coined word “commentariat”!
-Bill I also liked your overly kind analogy.
-I’m glad many of you like the comments from the constructors. Sometimes they are easy to contact and sometimes, not so much. I have never had one that didn’t enjoy sharing with us.
-Michael, Elvis, Marilyn – some flames burn bright and do burn out faster
-Wordle was the talk of the teacher’s lounge this week. I failed miserably today because I forgot the rules. I had two yellow letters that I thought were in the correct place not just in the puzzle. That’s my story/excuse and I’m sticking to it.
-Coco Crisp is way cool, but c’mon, the image of this Taiwanese player is priceless!!
-Robert, are you sure you are not Harold Ramis’ younger brother
Held off entering JELLO, as it just seemed too easy for a Saturday. Sure enough, eventually ASPIC showed up. WMOS, LAB:LIB, DSL:ASL, etc. Did not understand TEXASTOAST until HG ‘splained it. I did manage to FIR in an award-winning 41 minutes. Very clever CW, thanx, BB. Terrific write-up, thanx, HG. Picard w/ an Afro? Who’da thunk it!! Owen, u limericks are better than u gave them credit for today.
Alas, I cannot Wordle. It is not compatible with my browser (Waterfox), and I'll be danged if I'll change for one silly app, no matter how popular!
However, I did find a picture of Tяцmр playing Wordle.
Waz: Thanks for the link..
Has anyone tried Amontillado? And is it better straight from the CASK? 🍷
Picard: Your Afro kind of reminded me of my 1967 HS yearbook..the girls had their hair so teased up their pictures had to be expanded to fit.
Wees,
(Including Wordle in 4)
It may be the first Saturday ever that I was able
To tease out the long answers in order to fill the fill.
(Usually it is the other way round...)
OwenKL,
It is not me!
This dang Ipad capitalizes the beginning of every line!
and I can't make it stop!
Oops!
hmm, seems I can make it stop...
but why do I have to go to the hassle of
manually shifting to lower case at the start of every line!!!
SOMEBoDY PlEASE HELP mE!
(It's another puzzle)
Was about a typical Saturday puzzle for me where about 90% of First Glances result in a DNK (or more aptly, an OH NO) but eventually find a foothold which today was in the SE, from there it was bits and pieces all over the grid till It finally came together in the NE for a FIR in 32 minutes with no walkaways. Hand up for first thought of Jello and Lab, also thought soya and not TOFU, Tetley and Salada before LIPTON, Funny before SUNNY, Stock before STAKE, in other words this took me a lot of work but I enjoy the challenge of a good themeless and this one fit the bill. Thank you Billy for putting this one together and for coming to the Corner and sharing your thoughts! Impressive CW resume you have, your future as a constructor looks bright!
MM~ I also had to read “The CASK of Amontillado” and same as you didn’t know what Amontillado was, and now I have no memory of the story either, just that it was EAP so must have been dark and macabre in some way.
Ray-O ~ LoL @ your comment about Billy constructing this “at recess”, quite a while back, if that is a current pic, Billy still looks about 12.
Bill W ~ thanks for the the correct pronunciation of cacophony which I have mispronounced or misread all my life.
Gary ~ always enjoy your Saturday reviews and how you bring the constructors to the Corner to share their inspirations. Sure appreciate the time and effort you put into this for all to enjoy, thank you for that!
Oops, I meant Bill S, not W. Is there any way to edit my own comments after I have posted?
Yooper:
Yes. Click on your blue name at the top of your comment. That will bring you to an edit screen where you can edit your post. (I hope I'm remembering that correctly.)
What's a Yooper?
Oops, I misremembered. Click on the trash can at the end of your post. You can delete your original post and replace it with an edited version.
Husker @1:15PM Is that Hu on first?
CED @1:55 PM The programmer "Is only trying to help you"*
Phil @2:11AM. A man is lured to a cellar by an enemy on the promise of a cask of Amontillado. When he gets there his foe directs him into a dark niche and then quickly chains off the entrance and seals it up with bricks and mortar. Poe's tomb is in Baltimore and a local radio DJ reads the story every Halloween night.
Re editing comments I don't think so. You can cut and paste them into a new comment, edit, republish and then delete the old one.
* See Eric Berne's "Games People Play" [just substitute "programmers" for "people"]
Phil, on second thought I'd strongly suggest you compose any long comments in a word processor or text editor and then cut and paste them into the Blog comment window.
Didn't finish. Seeing the completed grid, more P&P would have helped.
HG-Irish, I love your coined word “commentariat”! Me, too.
The list of analogies brought back memories. I studied a prep book like that for the Millers Analogies Test, with all those types of analogies and many more listed with examples. It helped me ace the test. Others who did not see that book did not realize how many different ways the word could be related. Some ways were parts of speech, the way plurals are formed, fields of study, the way plants reproduce, science theories and on and on. It required real knowledge also, but the types of relationships were the trick. The flexible thinking crossword puzzles require was a big help, too.
Saturday Crow Feast, side course:
41A just had to be LAB, making 42D 'ATSON'. I spent 5 minutes trying to parse what this mysterious 'ATSON' was about ... finally gave it up and went looking in the reveal. I figured this was some obscure, newwavey type thing like 'TOTS DORBS', open only to the cognoscenti, but, no, NO! It was just a vowel shift.
Puzzling thoughts:
HTC so I technically FIW
I had ASPIC; no J-ELLO for me; but I did have LAB/LIB; DSL/ASL; and TOW/SOS
Never watched Downton Abbey so I looked up CORA
TEN GALLON HATS clue was a good one
Agree with CROSS TIES being under a track, not on it as the clue suggested
Picard, dang, you were a skinny dude back then! 5’10” and 130 lbs? I think that’s a perfect statistic for a model! 😜
Tiny nit for Husker Gary: Paris has a Parc Monceau; morceau means piece Probably a typo.
Waseeley@3:36
yeah, I was kinda afraid that was the reason...
Oh well,
Anywho,
This is not the first time OwenKL
Has got me motivated t9 try and find out the
Reason for something.
There must be a reason why this dang @#$&* caps every line
And I'm going to find out why even if it kills me!
Yes Yellowrocks, you heard me right,
I'm afraid punctuation is going to kill me...
HG and YR, I can’t take any credit for coining commentariat as it’s a word that is used often on that other crossword blog by a few of the regulars. I’m glad you like it, though, so do I. 🤗
Bill G ~ Yooper, per Merriam Webster : a native or resident of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It’s sort of a colloquial term derived from the initials U.P. as opposed to the mitten shaped Lower Peninsula or LP. Bordered by Lake Superior on the north, Lakes Michigan and Huron on the south and east. Connects by land to Wisconsin, but only to the Lower Peninsula by the 5 mile long Mackinac Bridge. Land area is approximately 1/3 of the state but only 3% of the population. It’s a running joke up here that we are continually left off of U.S. maps, (including HG’s blog map 🤣), or sometimes identified as part of Canada or Wisconsin. My geography lesson for the day!
A fine debut PZL from Mr. Bratton!
A tough one, requiring 3 cheats by moi.
"For the love of God, Fortunato!" Ah, yes, The old "CASK of Amontillado." To this day, I have never tasted Amontillado. I know it is a type of sherry, which is not my favorite flavor.
Amontillado is said to be a dry wine, but aren't all sherrys sweet?
~ OMK
____________
DR: A 4-diagonal grid! A 3-way to the far side and one nearby.
The central diagonal on this side yields a fair-sized anagram (13 of 15 letters) that refers to the kilt displayed by the first speaker at the annual Bobbie Burns luncheon.
I refer of course to the...
"KEYNOTE TARTAN"!
Picard, you were one cool dude in them thar days
Apparently not as difficult as I thought it was as I solved it. I'd got a head start Thursday night then tackled it again Friday. If there's 120 squares then if 40 can be populated the next 40 go quicker and then 20 more. The last 20…
WC
BTW, the Ocala paper has the Saturday NYTimes xword. Talk about a sea of white. They were looking for an NBAer, "Wade". Oh, I know that: Dwayne. Except it's 5 letters.
Talk about a long way to Titicata
WC
BTW, my foreboding about the Saturday CC seemed to be akin to the boy who cried WOOF
Hi Y'all! Thanks for a hard, but doable puzzle, Billy. Thanks, Gary, for letting us know what we're up against.
I had trouble with all the unknown foreign phrases & words.
Almost felt like a TORTURED SOUL when most of the middle was white. Filled it little by little back & forth. Noticed all the T's & C's. Thought they must be Billy's idea of a theme.
Couldn't think who BoJo might be until perps showed me TORY. He need some kind of glue to tame that hair. But maybe he wants people to focus on the hair and forget what he says.
Hallo!
Tortured soul!
I need help with the every new line caps th8ng...
hELP!
Late to the game, but better late than never.
I had to attend my first lunch/brunch party for this year, and I 'introduced'.... Wordle to three other couples, and was the quizmaster/emcee for a Wordle contest. I was easily the most popular guest and was lionised by all. ;-x) I also had my first alcoholic drink for the year... Then I came home, failed miserably at my attempt at today's Wordle, and also failed miserably at todays CW puzzle.... so I am back to Square One.
Picard, thank you for clarifying how Sue the Trex was sexed... I would've thought the hip size/style could be the factor .... I was going to make one more joke about Sue,but I better stop and have respect for them that have passed on, before us.
I can't say much about the puzzle, except that I was not on the wavelength of this young constructor, and the arcane meanings ( teach = learn ???) are too much to comprehend.
As my father used to say,' ...There will be days like this.' .... although he was taking in a different context...
4 Down IS TO ...Analogies. Many decades ago, I remember a question in my GMAT / ATGSB ( Adv Test for Graduate Study in Business) was an analogy ....
Adagio: Allegro :: ---- : -----
If you are not a student of western music, or have never heard of these italian terms ... the analogies would not make any sense at all !!
That is what is meant by such tests having a strong cultural bias ....
The question almost made me wet my pants .... honestly.
have a good evening, you all, and onto Sunday !
Text inputs automatically capitalize at the start of every new sentence. And they can tell it's a new sentence if it follows a period OR A LINE FEED! You've inherited a typewriter habit of doing a linefeed (Enter) at the end of every line, instead of letting your pad take care of it for you!
I had the same problem. Except 42D equally had to be 'ITSON'.
My brain couldn't cope and decided that 'LIB' had to be a typo.
Thank goodness for Corner provided enlightenment (even if it does come with great embarrassment)
Vidwan @9:38 PM You deserve at least one reply for showing up.
Adagio: Allegro :: Slow:Fast
Good night!
Those of you enjoying Wordle may wish to search for its evil twin Absurdle.
Same basic play but Absurdle doesn't pick one word at the start. Instead it creates lists of words compatible with the information you have gathered.
You have to try words to eliminate letters and so narrow the list down to a single word before you win.
The other evil thing about Absurdle is that it doesn't limit you to one game per day. It is dangerously addictive and can make entire afternoons disappear!
I'll cavil at 10D.
A May 2021 CNBC article suggests that AOL dial-up users number in the "low thousands" and that there are about 1.5 million paying subscribers.
A million and a half paying customers is not trivial but perhaps it is a stretch to describe them as "many a surfer"?
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