Saturday Themeless by David Karp
After a Christmas Day debut, our provincial policy advisor from Victoria, B.C. returns from north of the 49th parallel with another fun entry. Here are his notes:
Hi Gary,
It's always interesting to see how the editors change the clues. One of my favorites that made the cut (with some improved phrasing by the editors) was clueing RELIGIOUS ORDERS in relation to sisters. A couple that didn't survive were clueing HAIRCUTS in an investment context (interesting to me as an economist, but perhaps not to a wider audience), and WALKING DISTANCE (I really like the fun quote the editors found for this one; my attempt was the more minimalist "Two-foot reach?").
Happy new year! I'm excited to have my second Saturday themeless in as many weeks.
This puzzle started with BLACK FRIDAY SALE — I'm always on the lookout for interesting 15-letter grid spanners that haven't (at least to the best of my knowledge) been used in a crossword before. A few other personal favorites are BAR BRAWL (I pulled it from a word list, but it feels like a fun answer), OTTAWA (I'm Canadian and lived in Ottawa for four years, and I always look for an opportunity to slip Canadian clues or answers into my crosswords if I can get away with it), KITING (I used to work in anti-money laundering) and ELAINE (I'm a Seinfeld fan).
BOOSTER didn't stand out for me when I made the puzzle many months ago, but looking at the puzzle again now, it feels much more timely with the push on for people to get their COVID booster shots. It's funny how the relevance of some words can ebb and flow over time like that.
Thanks again for the opportunity to share my thoughts! I hope folks enjoyed the puzzle.
Cheers,
David
1. Brews-to-bruises event?: BAR BRAWL - A bit more than a BAR FIGHT
9. Rubberneck, at times: GAWKER.
15. Epitome of Americanism?: APPLE PIE - Part of a Chevy ad campaign
16. "Seinfeld" character who dated baseball's Keith Hernandez: ELAINE.
17. Vitamin intake for some: MEGADOSE - Sheldon's opinion of the use of vitamins
18. Screenwriter __ Trumbo: DALTON - DALTON was a Hollywood screenwriter and communist sympathizer but refused to testify in front of the HUAC committee in the 50's. He went to jail for "contempt of Congress" and said, yes, that he certainly had that. More
19. Events in a crime film subgenre: CAPERS.
21. Bypass: SKIRT - If you SKIRT sensitive issues you might avoid catching 22. Criticism: FLAK.
25. Doesn't squander: USES.
28. Winter hat feature: EAR FLAP - A Johnny Carson original
31. Got into a new outfit: CHANGED.
33. Godfather cocktail ingredient: AMARETTO and scotch whiskey
35. KFC bucket piece: LEG.
36. Many of them have sisters: RELIGIOUS ORDERS - Here is my daughter with a teacher colleague Sister Peter Marie who is in the ORDER of Christ The King
42. "Pens down": TIME IS UP - After 30 seconds your Final Jeopardy pen quits working (*Final Jeopardy correct question at the bottom)
43. Put drinks on plastic?: RAN A TAB - Liquor on a credit card. What could possibly go wrong?
47. Source of added protection: BOOSTER - I got BOOSTED on October 27
48. Two-time Tony winner Judith: IVEY - Her IMDB
49. Appoint: NAME - A president can NAME anyone he wants to his cabinet but the Senate has the final say
51. Boris Johnson, e.g.: TORY.
52. So yesterday: PASSÉ.
54. "Aha!": EUREKA.
57. Capital north of Washington, D.C.: OTTAWA - A shoutout to Canada's capital which is on the opposite side of Canada from David
59. Salsa roja ingredient: CILANTRO - Here CILANTRO is being added to the blender
63. Defeated: FALLEN.
64. Tonsorial work: HAIRCUTS - The guy who has cut my hair for 30 years would give me a quizzical look if I called him a "tonsorial artist".
65. Least constrained: FREEST - Janis Joplin sang:
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', it ain't nothin' honey, if it ain't free
66. Restrained: ON A LEASH - Lily never cared for it
Down:
1. "Batman" sound: BAM.
2. Make fun of: APE.
3. Final Fantasy, e.g., briefly: RPG - I'm told it's a Role Playing Game
4. Christmas shopping draw: BLACK FRIDAY SALE - They never drew us
5. "The Scarlet Letter" letter: RED A.
6. Per unit: A POP.
7. Figure out: WISE UP TO.
8. Looks lasciviously: LEERS.
9. H.S. dropout's test: GED.
10. "__, I am not coop'd here for defence!": Shak.: ALAS - Omitting it here was probably too easy for a Saturday
11. Everywhere, "if you have the time": Steven Wright: WALKING DISTANCE - Now that's funny!
12. Fraud with checks: KITING - What is this?
13. Massive, in Montréal: ENORME - Les diplômés universitaires peuvent avoir une dette ÉNORME (College graduates can have enormous debt)
14. Let: RENTED - "Trailers for sale or RENT, rooms to LET fifty cents"
20. Jiff: SEC.
22. __ Street: R.L. Stine series: FEAR - My girls read Stine's Goosebumps series
23. Like dad jokes, to kids: LAME - E.g, I gave away all my dead batteries today, free of charge!
24. Depleted sea: ARAL.
26. Israeli violinist Mintz: SHLOMO.
29. For real: LEGIT.
30. Lorazepam brand: ATIVAN - For anxiety
32. Word on Spanish mail: AEREO.
34. Open about one's sexuality: OUT.
37. __ tiger: SIBERIAN.
38. This, in Tenerife: ESTO - Esto es Tenerife en el mapa
40. Lissome: SPRY - I associate SPRY with people of my advanced years and Lissome with younger, very flexible people
43. Bargain antithesis: RIPOFF.
45. Food giant: NESTLE.
46. Main squeeze, in modern lingo: BAE.
50. Lotsa: MUCHO.
53. Lambs' moms: EWES and 55. Lamb pen name: ELIA - A frequent four-legged and two-legged cwd fill
56. Marx not seen in films: KARL - Groucho's socialist brother? Nein!
58. Creature that can carry many times its body weight: ANT.
60. Dolphins quarterback Tagovailoa: TUA - Most announcers just use his first name
61. Shares again, on Twitter: RT'S - All those ReTweetS can spread information or disinformation in a hurry
62. __Kosh B'gosh: OSH.
*Final Jeopardy Question: "What is Charleston, S.C.?"
42 comments:
FIWrong. No incorrect words, 4 misspelt words led to 2 bad cells, one with an I that should have been an E, the other with an E that should have been an I. AMARiTTO + LiGIT, CeLANTRO + SIBEReAN.
For a Saturday, not too difficult, especially compared to that grotesque monstrosity yesterday.
One day past Thanksgiving, DALTON was in a BARROOM BRAWL.
His wife had left him there, while she did the Mall Crawl.
Brews had led to bruise,
He had some spots of brilliant puce.
He'd call it henceforth the BLACK and blue FRIDAY FALL!
APPLE PIE and AMARETTO make a nice dessert.
The epitomes of America and Italy in concert.
A pastry so pure,
AN almond liqueur,
Alas, a poor combo if calories you're trying to SKIRT!
{B-, B.}
FIR! Here it is, 2022, and Jinx got a Saturday!
But I erased inn for DIV (hi HG), CeLANTRO (hi OKL), WISE UP on, WAstING DISTANCE, SHLOMe, AvIVAN, and nIgERIAN. Thank you perps!
BAR BRAWL reminded me of a tee shirt I once saw: "Instant Asshole - Just Add Alcohol". As most police reports say, "alcohol was involved".
The town of Gaffney, SC (population 12,000) has a big Nestle factory. They make Stouffer's frozen dinners, but their factory outlet store has products from many of their DIVisions. I go there when I take my motor home for annual maintenance at Gaffney's Freightliner factory service center.
Thanks to David Karp for the challenging grid. Unlike yesterday, there will be no carping from me. I had noted the two CSOs to our C-Eh!, but after reading your comments I see that it isn't so coincidental. And thanks to Gary for another fine tour, and for getting David's comments.
Good morning!
Twas not to be. Turned my PUB CRAWL into a BAR BRAWL, FUR TRIM into an EAR FLAP, and DUMB into LAME. "Final Fantasy" seemed like a weird name for a Rocket-Propelled Grenade, but I went with it. Didn't know the "Lorazepam brand," and had no idea what an MLB DI_ could be. What the heck is a DIV, anyway? Opposite of a MULT? And that dude's name is really TUA? There was just too much that was outside my wheelhouse. But d-o had fun working on his DNF. Thanx, David and Husker.
Very unusual for me on a Saturday, but I romped through this one really fast, laying down "black Friday sale" immediately, and went on to FIR.
Took 11:19 to finish this puzzle.
I loved the Steven Wright line, but didn't care for "div" or any Israeli violinists (as a clue, I'm sure they are nice people). I was confident barfight was right, but alas, it wasn't (mostly).
Long time follower, first time poster. This one just clicked with me. A Sat puzzle normally takes me to all quadrants in chaotic fashion. Today, however, started 1A and just kept going. A couple of refinements (Gawk at to Gawker and run to ran). The 'v' on "MLB segment" took a bit, but overall enjoyed it. Happy Saturday!
Good Morning:
What a breath of fresh air this solve was compared to yesterday’s. I liked the two grid spanners and the O parade: Mucho, Shlomo, Amaretto, Cilantro, Wise Up To, Aereo, and Esto. I’ve never tasted Cilantro but many people describe its taste as soapy. Freest abutting On A Leash caught my eye. Major CSOs to Lucina with Religious Orders, Esto, and Mucho and a double nod to CanadianEh with Ottawa and Enorme. As David pointed out, Booster hit home.
Thanks, David, for a challenging but enjoyable offering and thanks, HG, for the usual sparkling and informative review. Lily is such a pretty kitty!
Have a great day.
Bolster worked pretty good if you are not familiar with spanish!
This was a little faster for me than many Saturdays - but the grid spanners filled in nicely opening up many areas of the puzzle.
I had the middle A first so had to change ALBANY to OTTAWA for the capital north of DC.
I only know one Israeli violinist, Itzhak Perlman - so waited for perps to get SCHLOMO - but it is a very Yiddish name so I was confident it filled correctly.
I had a little hesitation with filling GAWKER - for rubberneck - has I think of it as a verb and am used to rubbernecker as the noun.
I knew DALTON Trumbo - because I had watched the movie "Trumbo" with Bryan Cranston playing the lead (he was nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards for his performance) I didn't know a whole lot about that era of McCarthy and the blacklisting except the minimal facts - so it expanded my knowledge- I would recommend it.
Thanks HG and David
Continuing my trend of small mistakes, I left RPt/RPG (an unknown), not noticing MEtADOSE didn't work so well. So, a FIW Saturday. I struggled more with GAWKER and RENTED, my last fill, as well as RAN A TAB and the SE corner, but got them OK in the end. It was a satisfying puzzle, David, and I look forward to more to come. Thanks too for the constructing information.
Husker Gary, you always come through with lots of extras in your reviews, and we appreciate your contacting the puzzle makers. Today was much easier than yesterday and I got the Jeopardy question right as a bonus. Things are looking up this weekend! Have a good one!
Super Saturday. Thanks for the fun David (always great to have a fellow-Canuck here, and two CSOs! See my AVATAR) and HuskerG.
Fast fill for a Saturday with just a few inkblots.
GRE changed to GED with perps. That NE corner was the last to fall.
Like inanehiker, I resisted GAWKER (I had GAWK at) because I was not familiar with the noun use of the word.
Failed changed to FALLEN.
I waited for perps to decide between Ogles and LEERS.
Perps also gave the unknown RPG, SHLOMO, IVEY, DALTON.
EARFLAP reminded me of Vidwan’s tuque (I spell it “touque”) discussion FLN. Definitely needed to do any WALKING DISTANCE here today.
Yes, BOOSTER was timely, as we have a big push to get more of them into arms. HG, I was surprised to see your hand-written form, as all of ours are computerized.
Welcome Chicago Steve. Please continue to post.
Off to take down the Christmas decorations now that Ukrainian Christmas is over (or at least that is my excuse for being so late).
Wishing you all a great day.
After yesterday's debacle David's puzzle was a like taking candy from a baby. I woke up at 3am, couldn't get back to sleep and printed out the puzzle at 3:45 and had finished it before 4:00. My last fill was the cross of the unknown DALTON Trumbo and ENORME I had CHANGED GAWK AT to GAWKER.
BAR BRAWL- I don't frequent bars but would definitely look for the nearest exit. My first thought was PUB CRAWL but the perps wouldn't allow it.
AMARETTO- never heard of a Godfather cocktail but it was an easy fill after a few perps.
RPG- all very solid perps for that fill. RPG is a Rocket Propelled Grenade.
SHLOMO & IVEY-unknowns.
RTS- I don't use twitter but it was an easy guess after 3 perps.
ATIVAN- photo of the 2mg, that's strong medicine. Almost all of my sales were 1mg and .5mg.
Relatively easy Saturday. I filled the Thursday-like 3/4 quickly, but needed to eke out the NW.
I looked up Amaretto. Although I was looking for an Italian drink, Amaretto does not seem to me like a tough guy drink, but I concede it is. I like Amaretto as a dessert over ice cream or fresh strawberries.
I didn't know Final Fantasy and never associated it with RPG, role plying game or grenade. I missed the R. I should have had BAR BRAWL. Black Friday took too long to suss.
Tua and Dalton were new to me, but perped. I have heard Shlomo Mintz play on NPR.
Fine puzzle, fine review, Gary.
Thank you David for a fine Saturday puzzle. Unlike yesterday this one was within WALKING DISTANCE.
And thank you Husker for another fine review.
Some fav clue/fill/bling.
15A APPLE PIE. Chevys? Not Fix Or Repair Daily?
16A ELAINE. So who's Keith Hernandez?
36A RELIGIOUS ORDERS. Hi Lucina!
57A OTTAWA. Hi CanadianEh!
59A CILANTRO. Also an ingredient in SALSA VERDE.
5D RED A. Hester Prynne took the rap, but in the end the father, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, dies in her arms on the same scaffold on which she had confessed her guilt. Four centuries before #METOO.
11D WALKING DISTANCE. DNK Steven Wright, a master of one liners. Now I do.
26D SHLOMO. Here's his take on Paganini's Caprice No. 5.
37D SIBERIAN. When we got our grandson from China, we visited a compound of acres and acres of fenced in SIBERIAN TIGERS. Previously endangered, the Chinese came up with a plan to raise them in captivity and then train them to hunt. I ask you, would you like to teach a full grown TIGER to hunt?
Cheers,
Bill
Word of the day: trammel
Pronunciation: træ-mêl
Part of Speech: Noun, verb
Meaning: 1. Restraint, impediment, or hindrance to progress, activity, or freedom. 2. A net for catching birds or fish. 3. Pothook for a fireplace crane. 4. A compass-like instrument with two moveable sliding parts on a beam for drawing circles and ellipses. 5. (Verb) Enmesh, trap as in a net.
Notes: This word is often confused with trample. The first 12 examples at Vocablary.com contain 5 such misuses. Trammel usually refers to nets or things that nets do. Don't forget the E precedes the L in this word. Someone who trammels is a trammeler and, in the distant past, a hairnet was called a trammelet. This noun may be used as a verb meaning "to capture in a net".
In Play: As a noun, it means "restriction, constraint": "Sidney could only relax on her vacations far from the trammels of work." As a verb it is commonly used in expressions like this: "Rodney Hine-Maiti had no wish for his art to be trammeled by convention."
For more on this Word of the day see alphaDictionary
I don’t remember a Saturday CW where the spanners were the easiest part of the puzzle, but today they just came together with a little help from the perps, and once I sussed those it certainly helped with the DNK’s, DALTON, IVEY, RPG, SCHLOMO, and (I didn’t know where Tenerife was located) which led me to a decent time and a FIR, Most will probably find this not too difficult and shouldn’t lead to the consternation of yesterday’s grid. 😊
Congrats to David for consecutive Saturday’s in the LAT, quite impressive!
And as always Gary, I enjoyed your Saturday synopsis, always learn new things from your research!
waseely ~~ in addition to your defs: Trammel, Alan Proper noun: HoF Major League Baseball player with the Detroit Tigers 1977-1996
Terrific Saturday puzzle, David--so much more manageable than yesterday's beast--many thanks for this weekend gift. And helpful write-up, Husker Gary, thanks for that too.
It was so nice to have lots of straight-forward items--like the power invested IN ME, and OSH Kosh B'gosh. Oh, and EUREKA for "Aha!"
Loved getting those lambs, EWES and ELIA, close together.
Can an ANT really carry many times its body weight? Surprised me.
Well, I've got a busy Saturday, so my TIME IS UP.
Have a great weekend, everybody.
"I can't believe I finished the whole thing" in an hour!!
Inkovers: BARfight/BRAWL, outré/PASSÉ, inn/DIV.
BLACK FRIDAY is the true "epitome of Americanism." After 6th grade wearing EARFLAPS would get you "derided" in my school.😮
Is "let" the past tense of "let"? like "put" 🤔
So today it's GAWKER not gawper. 🙄Plus I thought "rubberneck" was a verb, "rubbernecker" the noun. Didn't know "Mintz" but SHLOMO only Hebrew name I know that starts SHL. Godfather cocktail ingredient, bullet stuffed olive 😁wouldn't fit. Liked "put drinks on plastic" ...MUCHO clue should have implied a furrin word like ESTO. Never heard of the "two-timing" Judith IVEY. "Boris Johnson;e.g." needs HAIRCUTS 😆. ...OTTAWA: DW and seems half our town went there decades ago for Lasik surgery.😎
My mom was not a "drop out": unable to even start HS for a number of reasons. Got her GED at 60 for a her job as a "elem" reading/math aide when after 15 years they realized she didn't have a diploma. They had never asked her.😁
Frequent shout at "Cheers".....ENORME.
Cinegraphic technique....SHLOMO.
Choosy mothers choice....JIFF
Plural of thou....EWES
Karl's currency....MARX
Candles....RELIGIOUSORDERS
Where kids might throw snowballs.. ATAVAN
If Ester Prynne's name had been Amy Adams instead, her neighbors woulda just assumed she was showing off her embroidery skills.🤣
Welcome Chicago Steve in VB. It is always fun to hear from the lurking population. With thousands of views daily and 30 to 70 comments the norm, we know there are many out there. Which reminds me of Norm MacDonald and all the people who have died which brings me to Sidney Poitier a remarkable performer born in SoFla, who changed the landscape of entertainment. RIP.
Speaking of Shlomo being a typical Yiddish name coming from SHALOM the universal hello/goodbye/ peace word; when Facebook started my oldest created a profile for Shlomo Chapnick. He did this to encourage the distant relatives to have a single gathering place. It worked well, and we met Chapnicks from all over the US and the world, virtually.
The puzzle was doable as many have said with fair perps and many tricks and it is always a treat to FIR on Saturday but I miss the joy of the aha moment. Thank you DK and HG
After yesterday, I can’t Karp about this one. A fine Saturday puzzle. Loved BARBRAWL to start it off.
Anon T
Thanks for " Muh muh muh my Bologna"..couldnt tear myself from the rest of that vid; Forgot about the MTV stuff like "Money for Nothing:, "I lost on Jeopardy" (from the Art Fleming/Don Pardo days). Never saw many of those music videos that accompanied the songs from "Living with a Hernia" "Like a Surgeon"
"Who's Fat"!!!
Lemony...Isn't SHLOMO Hebrew for "Solomon".🤔
Waz .....another dedination for "trammel" is a small trolley..😃
Hola!
Oh, joy! Joy! A doable Saturday puzzle! Thank you, David Karp.
Of course, BLACK FRIDAY SALE was my first fill! I don't shop on that day, except maybe online but the hype leading up to it makes it impossible to ignore.
Surprising to see AEREO though ESTO not so much as it is a frequent visitor. Always have to wait for the A or O. TORY made it ESTO.
I'll take a CSO at GED which I taught for many years.
I have a recipe for a delicious AMARETTO cake which I haven't make in a long time. It used to be a hit at our potluck parties at work.
Do the letters in BAE stand for something or are people too lazy to say baby?
There is an APPLE PIE in my freezer which I plan to take to our next book club meeting. Also a chocolate one.
Oh, what is a Saturday puzzle without some Shakespeare in it? Thank you, David. ALAS came quickly.
I've never heard of or seen ATIVAN but am thankful for perps.
Have a sensational Saturday, everyone!
Sooooo much better than yesterday. Actually a doable CW. Do not understand RPG for Final Fantasy; am too old I guess to know what BAE means. But as YP said, I got the spanners with WAGs early which helped enormously. All the clues made sense and DIDN’T SKIP LETTERS, thank God. I agree with WMOS especially WMISTYS. I managed to FIR in 31, which is EXCELLENT time for unclefred on a Saturday. Thanx, DK, for the difficult but straight forward, witty CW, which was solvable, unlike yesterday’s skull smasher. Thanx too to HG, for his outstanding write-up. All the time you spend IS appreciated, HG!!
As a bruised and bloodied survivor (sort of - FIW) of yesterday’s challenge extraordinaire, today’s puzzle was balm to my wounds. It was challenging but doable, and the clues were intelligent and clever. And... I love all things Canadian, so having a Canadian constructor was icing on the cake. Thank you, David, and thank you, Gary for the tour, which is always fun and enlightening..
On a personal note, I recently had a Watchman device inserted near my heart as a physical guard against clots. The procedure was minumally invasive, took about an hour under general anesthesia, one night hospital stay for observation. There are no side effects, and I can now throw away my blood thinner meds HOORAY! I highly recommend it.
Gary, thank you for not only your wonderful analysis but also for the interview with the constructor, David Karp. It is nice to know those details and to realize that the constructor puts so much heart and soul into his (or her) work.
FLN:
d-otto, crashing into a car is totally random, as I'm sure you realize, but the BMW SUV is formidable in size and looked fairly new, so of course the increase to my insurance is likely to be significant. ALAS! And though my 2014 Honda looked puny in comparison, it sustained a lot of damage as well. $$$$ will be shelled out. Grateful for insurance but there is a $500 deductible.
What a way to start the New Year!
Wendy, Glad your Watchman implant procedure went well, So there is no misunderstanding. the device only prevents clots from a specific part of the heart in patients with A fib. Anyone interested should LIU and discuss with primary MD.
Hi, this is Darryl C. Unlike yesterday's debacle, I FIR today. It was a great deal of fun, as well.
Today is the 80th anniversary of Stephen Hawking's birth. He is without doubt one of the greatest scientists and human beings who ever lived. Today's brief Google doodle pays a beautiful and moving tribute to him.
Good, tough Saturday PZL from Mr. Karp.
I had to run all the way back to Jinx @5:46 (!) to see who beat the rest of us in making a play on "carp/Karp" in our responses. As she put it, "...there will be no carping from me...."
Hard as it was, this PZL was fair indeed.
~ OMK
Thank you David Karp ( fifth cousin, thrice removed, from my neighbor Karps -) for a fine puzzle, relatively easy Saturday, which I really enjoyed. .... Unlike yesterdays, hint hint wink wink...
Thank you Husker Gary for an excellent review, and BTW, you have a very pretty daughter, looks just like her mother.
A fine picture of your darling Lilly. I love cats and dogs, but now am too old to start having any pets. I just make do with feeding treats to my neighbors' pets...
Alas, I'm only too familiar with ATIVAN because it was used often for reducing withdrawal symptoms for a family member. Hence no AMARETTO, for me or us, as well.
Cilantro, is my favorite herb leaf choice, bar none, and I religiously buy three bunches, a week. The seed equivalent is the coriander seed, which I do not care for, whole or powdered, in my cooking. The plant is apparently very easy to grow, in a garden, but unfortunately I am just too lazy to bother keeping a garden.
My Jeopardy answer would have been Louisville or Charlotte ... both wrong.
The last time when I went to receive my BOOSTER shot ... the security for Vaxx cards was so lousy. There were piles of empty vaxx cards lying on the desks, for the taking !!! I said to myself, thank God these are not passports or drivers licenses !! ... although I can't imagine what sort of protection a fake vaxx card would provide, for anyone !?!
David Karp mentioned of HAIRCUTS in an economic sense .... the last time I remember reading that concept is when the German and French Banks had to take a haircut on their loans to the Greek government during the 2010-2015 debt economic meltdown in Greece. The loans were written down by over 50 to 60 percent of the principal value - hardly a Haircut - more like the necks being cut off.
Have a nice day, you all.
Onto Sunday !
Thanks, Waseeley. Just watched it. Wonderful.
Husker Gary, I love that sweet picture of darling Lily in her pink outfit! Thanks for posting it.
BARFIGHT --> PUBCRAWL --> BARBRAWL.
EARLAPS --> EARFLAP.
RUNATAB --> RANATAB.
THIN --> SLIM --> SPRY.
OGLES --> LEERS.
PROZAC --> ATIVAN.
EACH --> APOP.
POW --> BAM.
Well, golllllly, as Gomer Pyle used to say! LEO III FINALLY got an FIR on a Saturday puzzle. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I actually finished one. I can’t believe it! Yes, it took me a long time. Yes, I have many question marks beside the clues for the answers that I simply did not know or wasn’t sure. Perps and WAGs played a large part, but those grid-spanners were GREAT! Oh, got to order another truckload of Wite-Out too.
Thanks, David and Gary!
Luckily, in all the gin joints…I had the pleasure of frequenting (back when I did that kind of stuff), I’ve never witnessed a BAR BRAWL. However, I usually RAN A TAB, which was not the smartest thing to do. My former bride acquired a taste for AMARETTO. Luckily, neither one of us partakes anymore.
My avatar (Mr. Kizzy) got up and left when he saw the picture of Lily on the leash.
I agree with everyone about the difficulty of yesterday’s puzzle, although I usually have trouble with Fridays too. Guess I’m going to have to go back and read the comments. I had to spend ALL DAY working on the puzzle at work yesterday, because we had absolute ZERO visitors at the museum. Staring at it for seven hours wasn’t fun, and the northeast wind blowing through the place (it ain’t airtight) wasn’t any fun either.
BAE has got to be the STUPIDEST new slang term I’ve ever heard! Just sayin’. Sonny and Cher never would have made it, if....
Welcome, Chicago Steve!
Puzzling thoughts:
Late to the party; had a video chat earlier with my mom and sister; then Margaret and I went for a 3-1/2 mile hike in the desert before shopping for groceries
As others said, I started with PUB CRAWL and the NW went unsolved until the last. RPG meant nothing to me. MEGA DOSE seemed a stretch, too
Other mistakes before I FIR were:
GAWK AT; ESTA; POW
So, Wendybird, are you now committed to taking aspirin from now on?
Hi All!
This musta been an easy Saturday 'cuz I, -T, nail'd it -- in ink w/ no outside help! Whoot!
Thanks David for the very fun Sat puzzle. The two 15s down xing a 15 across is impressive. Oh, and Rich did you proud with the Steven Wright quote (my 1st confident fill). Thanks for responding to HG's 'inside-baseball' inre: puzzle ideas.
Thank you HG for a fine review. LOL at your SKIRT comment leading to a Catch 22.
//not quite what you wrote but the juxtaposition caught my eye and made me giggle.
WOs: I started EUREKA with a U for a second, RuNATAB
ESPs: DALTON, IVEY, TUA, SHLOMO, ATIVAN, ELIA
Fav: Steven Write quote. I steal that joke every chance I get.
I enjoyed 'Pens Down' c/a too.
ORDER of St. Ursula Sisters taught me, among other things, Trig and Comparative Religion during my 1st two years of HS. //Ironically, the latter turned me agnostic.
GED - I think DW is among the very few that has one and a PhD.
pub BRAWL is what I was thinking at 1st; And Batman's POW would have worked until it didn't. Fortunate, no ink was harmed in my noodling.
No one else wanted FPS (First Person Shooter) at 3d?
{A, A}
Welcome ChicagoSteve in VB(?). Stay and play.
Wendybird - I had no idea your were having health issues. Glad the surgery went well.
YooperPhill: ++ re: your Spanners were 'duh!' (though I was hesitant to fill) and really helped. I'm really liking David's style too :-)
Misty - High Hopes. //Bonus lyric: APPLE PIE
Lucina - I'm guessing too lazy to say Baby(?)
Vidwan - I had no idea of the coriander seed / cilantro connection. I like both.
LEO3 - I loved your phrasing / tec talk noir "gin joints."
Nap time. Cheers, -T
As promised the other day (since Picard did not have any photos of the Matterhorn), here is a link to a few of my photos of the Matterhorn. They include photos taken from Zermatt (town at the base), the lift at Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, and view from 360° viewing platform.
And of course, the obligatory St. Bernard.
Matterhorn
CEh! @8:05 PM Beautiful, and the mountains are beautiful too. Woof, woof!
Hi everybody
I've been missing in action lately because my old iMac is barely compatible these days what with wanting passwords for the cloud etc. I used to use Safari or Firefox but I'm trying Chrome to see if it's more compatible.
Friday's crossword and Saturday’s were very hard for me. If it wasn't for red letters, I think I'd give up. I still do OK with early and midweek puzzles though.
I've been a bit lonely and depressed lately. I need to work on that. Living alone doesn't suit me. Thank goodness son Tim and daughter Bonnie live close by. Grandson Jordan does too but he is a senior in high school and has his first job (working at Trader Joe's) so I don't get to spend time with him as much as I would like.
I am enjoying several TV shows these days. I am a big far of All Creatures Great and Small, I am looking forward to their second season. I hope they continue with the recipe that made the first episodes so enjoyable. Wonderful stories, actors, scenery and animals!
My other favorite series is Endeavor.
Thanks for all the kind comments about Crissy, her mother and the irrepressible Lily.
Bill G:
It's so great to see you here! I often think about you and have wondered how you are doing. It's wonderful and comforting to have children and grandchildren during those hard times in life, or any time, really. I hope you keep hanging in there.
I also love All Creatures Great and Small and am thrilled that a new season will soon start.
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