Theme: This puzzle is for the birds! You'll soon see why.
17 A. 1994 Best New Artist Grammy winner's winged pet?: SHERYL'S CROW. Sheryl Suzanne Crow [b. 1962] is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of pop, rock, country, jazz and blues. She has released ten studio albums, four compilations and two live albums, as well as contributed to several film soundtracks. She took home not just the GRAMMY Award for Best New Artist, but also Record Of The Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “All I Wanna Do.”
A crow is a bird of the genus Corvus, a widely distributed genus of medium-sized to large birds in the family Corvidae. The genus includes species commonly known as crows, ravens and rooks.
28 A. "La La Land" actor's winged pet?: RYAN'S GOSLING. Ryan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor. He began his career as a child star on the Disney Channel's The Mickey Mouse Club, and went on to appear in other family entertainment programs, including Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps. I'm not an expert in such things, but I think he is generally considered to be a hunk.
A GOSLING is a young goose that has not yet developed flight feathers. Don't we all start out that way?
44. "Shake It Off" singer's winged pet?: TAYLOR'S SWIFT. Taylor Alison Swift [b 1989] is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her narrative songwriting, which is often inspired by her personal life, has received widespread media coverage and critical praise.\
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are not closely related to any passerine species. Swifts are placed in the order Apodiformes with hummingbirds.
58 A. "Network" Oscar winner's winged pet?: PETER'S FINCH. Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch [1916 – 1977] was an English-born Australian actor. He is best remembered for his role as crazed television anchorman Howard Beale in the 1976 film Network, which earned him a posthumous Academy Award for Best Actor, his fifth Best Actor award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and a Best Actor award from the Golden Globes.
The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usually resident and do not migrate.
Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here to guide this bird watching excursion. I hope it's not more than we can swallow. So stay eagle-eyed.
Across:
1. Gauchos' gear: BOLAS. A bolas is a type of throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, used to capture animals by entangling their legs.6. Postpone: DEFER. delay for an unspecified time.
11. Shakespearean possessive: THY. If yours is thine, then what is mine?
14. Pass a test with flying colors: ACE IT. I have my first stress test early next month. How should I study for it?
15. __ Lodge: ECONO. A cheap [supposedly] motel.
16. Tint: HUE. Color
19. Noteworthy time: ERA. As, free. jazz, Elizabethan.
20. Drives up the wall: IRKS. Angers, annoys.
21. Word with filter or field: OIL. The original fossil fuel.
22. Google __: EARTH. A mapping app.
24. Retirement fund: NEST EGG. What you have saved for later.
26. Causing the heebie-jeebies: EERIE. Strange or frightening.
32. "1984" antagonist: O'BRIEN. An agent of the thought police who tricks the protagonist, Winston Smith, into believing that he opposes the totalitarian state. It does not end well.
35. Got the pot: WON. In some game or gambling event.
36. Also: TOO. In addition.
37. Backing-up warnings: BEEPS. Required of large vehicles as a safety measure.
38. Auntie, to mom: SIS. Family ties.
39. Sheepish?: OVINE. Literal.
41. "__ say!": I'LL. Indication of strong agreement.
42. Quagmire: BOG. Marsh, fen, swamp.
43. Sees, and then some: RAISES. Increases the bet in a poler hand.
48. Arctic abode: IGLOO. A type of shelter built of snow. They were traditionally used only by the people of Canada's Central Arctic and Greenland's Thule area.
49. Biblical shout of praise: HOSANNA. Evidently derived from an Aramaic root meaning save, rescue or savior, possibly indicating a special kind of respect.
56. Defensive ditch: MOAT. A deep, wide ditch surrounding a castle, fort, or town, typically filled with water and intended as a defense against attack.
57. "I need a __": HUG. Comfort and warmth
62. Kerfuffle: ADO. A state of agitation or fuss, especially about something unimportant.
63. "Superman" actor: REEVE. Christopher D'Olier Reeve [1952 - 2004] was an American actor, director, and activist, best known for playing the titular main character in the film Superman and its three sequels.
65. Bronze component: TIN. Mostly copper, with about 12% tin.
66. Gives the green light: OKAYS. Allows to proceed.
67. Sees: DATES. Goes out with.
Down:
1. Tidal low area: BASIN. An area that is only navigable at high seas.
2. Yellowish shade: OCHRE. A light brownish yellow produced by clay containing ferric oxide and sand.
3. Onion relatives: LEEKS. Hardy biennial plants of the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae), grown as vegetables. The plant is related to the onion and has a mild, sweet, onionlike flavour.
4. Landing site: AIRSTRIP. An airport runway.
5. Farm structure: STY. Home for pigs.
6. Pattern: DESIGN. A regular repeating form.
7. Bk. after Proverbs: ECCL. Ecclesiastes written c. 450–200 BCE, is one of the Ketuvim of the Hebrew Bible and one of the "Wisdom" books of the Christian Old Testament.
8. In favor of: FOR. I had "pro." Oh, well.
9. Music producer Brian: ENO. Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno RDI [Royal Designer for Industry] is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his pioneering work in ambient music and contributions to rock, pop and electronica.
10. Coxswain's charges: ROWERS. In a race setting, the coxswain is tasked with motivating the crew as well as steering as straight a course as possible to minimize the distance to the finish line.
11. Pointer's proclamation: THERE IT IS.
12. Damage: HURT.
13. "Uh-huh": YEAH.
18. Easternmost major U.S. airport: LOGAN. In Boston.
23. Plague: AIL.
25. Seers?: EYES.
26. Big heads?: EGOS.
27. Dog's age, so to speak: EON. I am not familiar with this usage.
29. Gulps: SWIGS. Drinking increments.
30. Squat: NONE. Zip, nada
31. Leaves: GOES. Exits.
32. Last bio: OBIT. A notice of a death, especially in a newspaper, typically including a brief biography of the deceased person.
33. Horror film first name: BELA. Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó [1882 - 1956] known professionally as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian-American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 film, Ygor in Son of Frankenstein and his roles in many other horror films from 1931 through 1956.
34. Putting one's faith in: RELYING ON.
38. Middling: SOSO. Not so hot
39. Big galoots: OAFS. A stupid, uncultured, or clumsy person.
40. Nutrient abundant in liver: VITAMIN A.
42. Dude: BRO. Homie.
43. Rolling-in-the-aisles causes: RIOTS. A laugh riot, not a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd.
45. Tee size: Abbr.: LGE. Large.
46. Seasoned expert: OLD PRO.
47. Waldo forerunner?: WHERE'S. The word placed in front of Waldo's name in children's picture books. This is a strained use of the word "forerunner."
50. Large chamber ensemble: NONET. Nine musicians
51. Mother-of-pearl: NACRE. An organic–inorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer; it is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent.
52. Oldest Musketeer: ATHOS. I did not know this.
53. "__ now?": WHAT. Inquiry into ensuing events.
54. Volkswagen subsidiary: AUDI. A German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.
55. Bunch of beauties: BEVY. A large group of people or things of a particular kind.
59. Comics shriek: EEK. As, free., on the occasion of a rodent sighting.
60. Green or black beverage: TEA.
61. Sustained: FED. Supplied nourishment for.
44 comments:
Although I had a bit of trouble with "ochre" vs "ocher" and at first I thought "bevy" was "posy" I ended up fir. The theme was pretty clear early on, so that was a help.
Does it ever give you EERIE creeps
That 'toons about Wily and Acme (peaks)
Don't bear his name?
It's sort of a shame,
But it's only Road Runner who speaks in BEEPS!
Sometimes a puzzle has easter eggs
Bonus answers for perspicacious yeggs.
Roadrunner's BEEPS,
(OVINE for rhyming sheeps)
A BEVY of quail, and a big NEST EGG!
{B, B-.}
Good morning!
DEFER killed my DELAY and changed my PRO to FOR. The E led me to EZRA when it should've been ECCL. Hooray for Wite-Out. The theme was obvious (even d-o snapped to it), and that helped with the solve. Thanx for the puz, Craig, and JzB, our Audubon Society rep, for the esoteric expo. (Good luck on that stress test. Try not to lean forward.)
IGLOO: Local manufacturer of coolers, in competition with Coleman. Meals-on-Wheels has a large supply of the 48-quart model. As I write this, there are five of 'em in the back of my SUV.
FIR, but erased delay for DEFER, air for OIL, sec for HUG, lgs for LGE, and cheryl for SHERYL. Didn't remember PETER FINCH, but I knew the rest of the plentiful show biz stuff for a change.
There used to be a "gentleman's club" near LAX called "jet STRIP". Folks said that they had a very good, cheap lunch buffet.
We're on the road today, moving our residence to Winter Haven. My Verizon "unlimited" high speed internet access is supposed to reset by tomorrow, so I will again be able to enjoy our commenters' links (until I use up my 25 GB again).
Thanks to Craig for the fun, although it was more Hollywood-themed than I like. My favorite was "squat" for NONE. And thanks to JzB for the interesting tour.
"Folks said," Jinx?
I thought it was BOLoS until I landed on the AIRSTRIP. DElay/DEFER another w/o(I followed same path as D-O
Re. Stress test prep. I suggest memorizing some poetry and reciting it whilst the machines are buzzing and beeping. Mine was chemical so the high heart rate part was brief.
ADO: CSO to OMK as in Will's "MUCH ADO…"
I had thiAMINE*/VITAMIN A. B Complex is the main plus from eating liver
Jinx, Redsox trained in Winter Haven in 60s. A present from Tom Yawkey for Ted W who had a Camp there
Not easy as indirectly noted fln as the birds and their famous owners needed perping.
JzB, are you referring to Gambling? I'm shocked. Speaking of...
I WON a small Lotto pot($150). A fool and his $$$ …
Re. Gentleman's Club buffet. Much like my friend who subscribed to Playboy for the articles.
WC
FIR today for me. It was a fun puzzle, Craig, with a few twists in the cluing to keep it interesting. The theme was clever and helpful once I caught on. In the first themer I had some WOs since I left off the possessive S in the middle and spelled CROWe. Figured that out with perp help and the rest went smoothly. Another WO was due to carelessness, looking at the wrong clue.
I liked how you carried on the bird theme, JazzB. Thanks for reviewing today and including new information. You BET I did see the sub-theme, too. "In a dog's age" indicates a long time to me (like an EON) because of the old practice of multiplying a dog year by 7 to get the human equivalent.
Back to delivering Meals on Wheels, DO? Good for you! And FLN, I hope you are more comfortable now, Lucina. Best wishes to all!
I finished this in 6:32 without running a-fowl of anything.
A fun puzzle with a wonderful write-up. A fair Wednesday with both the theme and sub-theme accessible. My personal takeaway is embodied in this book Speaking of Animals A Dictionary of Animal Metaphors .
From the theme clues I was clueless but after the bird names appeared by perps the first names were easy, although the correct spelling of SHERYL CROW wasn't known. Usually spelled Cheryl but it seems that people want their 'chilldryn' to have 'youneeklee' spelled names.Nice clueing for a harder than usual Wed. puzzle. HOSANNA was almost filled by perps before I read the clue.
Nest Egg IRA- I told the oldest granddaughter (who is still in college but works two days a month in a hospital) that I would match whatever she saved and put in a Roth-RIA. I still have ALL my money. If you regularly save at an early age and get in the habit you should not have any money problems later in life.
EON seems a little excessive for the phrase. "I haven't seen you in a dog's age" usually means a few months or years, especially for someone you used to see regularly.
FIR so I didn’t feel like a dodo. Was actually in a little better time than yesterday, so I feel I somewhat beat the system. Someone stated yesterday that they weren’t a fan of the progressive difficulty of puzzles but as Yellowrocks replied, the early week easier grids may get new people to start enjoying solving, if they were all stumpers like Friday and Saturday, folks may not take any interest. Personally I like the progression.
Nice puzzle Craig and I enjoyed the avian theme, as I like to feed the birds here which don’t migrate in the winter. WMOS I first thought of Delay but didn’t fill cuz I also thought of DEFER. Figured the theme out after SWIFT and FINCH, had a little difficulty in the NW before I finally got SHERYLSCROW. Not sure if it’s a game of chance but I did notice the Poker references, RAISES, BET, WON a pot, and airSTRIP.
Very nice informative write-up JazzB. Must have been just a coincidence that the original TV Superman was George REEVES. Well enough warbling by me, good day to all!
Word of the day: hortatory
Pronunciation: hor-dê-to-ri
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Exhorting, rousingly urging or encouraging, strongly entreating (with stirring speech).
Notes: This word has a far less often used synonym, hortative. These two words correspond to exhortatory and exhortative from the verb exhort. There is no verb hort, though a few centuries ago hortation and hortator occasionally arose in writings.
In Play: A hortatory message must be strong and uplifting: "The bank relied on hortatory e-mails and text messages to encourage its employees to comply with the voluntary masking mandate." It is useful in referring to statesman-like speeches of politicians: "Jerry Mander's speech was filled with hortatory platitudes but no firm commitments to any of the issues."
For more on this Word of the day see alphaDictionary
Good Morning:
Fun theme today but the only one I knew without any hints was Ryan Gosling who was delightful in La La Land. Learning moment is that there is a bird called Swift. Hand up for the Delay/Defer miscue, plus And/Too. As noted, Nest Egg was an Easter Egg but I missed associating the others mentioned. I did, however, notice many cute pairings: Sis/Bro, Eno/Enero, Eon/Eno, None/Nonet, Oil/Ail, There/Where(s) and the rhythmic Bro/Pro/So So.
Thanks, Craig, for a mid-week treat and thanks, JazB, for guiding us along so expertly.
FLN
Lucina, I hope by the time you read this that you’re out of pain and ready to sashay smoothly through the day!
My brother, Jack, is home at last and doing well. He’ll be getting IV antibiotics for six weeks, fortunately, at home.
Have a great day.
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Craig and JazzB.
I FIRed in good time, and saw the avian theme early. Also saw the sub theme, and loved OwehKL’s Easter eggs.
Several inkblots. Bolas changed to BOLOS (equipment not clothing gear).
I was waiting for perps to decide between Pro and FOR; DEFER decided the choice (and prevented any thoughts of Delay).
I wanted Air field or filter before OIL. But then AIRSTRIP prevented the dupe (and ECCL) confirmed my error. That A at 21A had me wanting LaGad (for LaGuardia); LOGAN fixed that. (I flew to LOGAN with a stop at LaGuardia years ago. I recall the short AIRSTRIP at LGA).
YooperPhil- this Canadian was happy to fill in OCHRE (and NACRE).
Squat had nothing to do with kneel. Clue could have been “ Diddley ______”
Even though Liver is a powerhouse of nutrients including VITAMIN A, B12, B2, B9, iron, copper, choline, I hate it! I think it may be an inherited taste gene, according to love/hate history in my family.
CSOs to TIN, Lucina (ENERO). No, I don’t want one for IGLOO (although we Canadians joke that Americans think we live in them).
IM- glad to hear that your brother is home.
FLN- Lucina, you certainly are having a rough start to 2022. Hope your dental woes have WANED today.
Wishing you all a great day.
CanadianEh! R before E and U after O, I’m getting pretty fluent in Canadian, now I just have to remember the conversion tables from feet to metres and Fahrenheit to Celsius! 😊
Thank you Craig for a pleasant Wednesday morning spent TWITCHING on the Corner. Aside from the clever theme, and all the sparkly fill, I'm CROWing about this puzzle because it broke my 3 day loosing streak!
Thank you Jzb for EMCEEing a great set of clips. CROW and SWIFT were only fill for me before today, but I can see now why they've become IDOLS.
14A ACE IT. JzB I've had at least four stress tests and lived to tell about it. Just KEEP CALM and CARRY ON.
21A OIL. I think COAL might have predated OIL as the original fossil fuel.
49A HOSANNA. Thanks for the Superstar clip JzB.
58A PETERS FINCH. DARWINS FINCHES were his "winged pets". He cited the various types on the Galapagos Islands to support his theory of speciation, their different beak types having gradually adapted to changing diets. However it was later discovered that they can actually interbreed to produce viable offspring, indicating that they are not really separate species.
7D ECCL. This book supplied the lyrics to a song by the BIRDS.
10D ROWERS. Wanted OARERS, but ... Just kidding.
55D BEVY. A thought a BEVY was a collective noun for BEAUTIES. Like a FLOCK of GOSLINGS, a MURMURATION of STARLINGS, or a MURDER of CROWS.
Cheers,
Bill
JzB: ACE it, BET, WON, RAISES, Sees (clue for DATES), and FED (the kitty).
This CW took flight when I filled 17a and got the theme immediately, went to the other themers and with the help of a few perps filled them, giving me a great grip on the grid. W/O BOLLO:BOLOS:BOLAS. I delayed entering DELAY until I got 17a which meant it was FOR not PRO which meant it had to be DEFER not DELAY. Very nice CW, CS, thanx. I managed to FIR but took 22 minutes. JzB thanx for the avian education and the many nice musical links. You say “my abs do not look like this”. My abs might or might not look like that, I don’t know, I haven’t seen them in years!
Another enjoyable puzzle this week. JzB's tour of the grid was enlightening about our avian friends. I was able to finish it in reasonable time with no LIU's or cheats.
I'm not a bird watcher, but I do enjoy watching the birds that come to the bird feeder outside our Living Room window that brings a lot of visitors to feed. Cardinals, finches, sparrows, blue jays, chickadees, mourning doves, and many others partake of the feed we put out. Fun to watch. We also have an enterprising interloper (a squirrel) that helps himself to the feast. I've been thinking about using a Slinky to thwart his attempts.
Coal may have been predated by Peat.
I hope Lucina's pain is gone.
Have a great day everyone.
A fairly easy Wednesday with a fun theme.🦅
Had to crisscross perp my way thru with many initial partial answers. The directIon the theme was heading was clear. (Kept looking for Walter's Pidgeon but the bird parts need to be spelled correctly so no go. Ethan's Hawke had the same issue).
Echoing Canada Eh...AIR "filter/field" gave me LAGAN Airport (which must be an airport in MAINE?, clue did say eastern most.) ECCLS finnally had me change to OIL and LOGAN (I've flown out of there many times 🙄)...So there are no major airports in Maine? 😳....later I looked up Ecclesiates, which follows Proverbs; ECCL didn't look right to me. The abbrev is actually ECCLES. (The book of Ecclesiaticus abbrev is ECCLUS)😇
In Anatomy there are 4 birds of the chest: esophaGOOSE, (œsophagoose, for Canada Eh) vaGOOSE nerve, azyGOOSE vein, thoracic DUCK (duct).😁
EON ,quite an exaggeration for "Dog's age" Usually the first "bio" is written after an OBIT. Agree with JazzB about "forerunner"
Happen.....OCHRE
Oarers only in crosswords....ROWERS
Political info plagues ...LEEKS
Umbilical position....AUDI
Grass is high, go out and ____ MOAT
Nice respite but back to cold reality tomorrow.
Jinx ..if I was driving I'd probably pass you in the other direction.
IM...Glad your BRO is doing better.
Hola!
I took flight on this puzzle even though I am still in pain and my cheek is swollen. But it's amazing how all of that can be deferred when concentrating on other things, e.g., a CWD puzzle.
Thank you, Craig Stowe for the challenge and JazzB for the analysis! Many learning moments there.
The assortment of birds filled the grid easily as I am familiar with the names if not an avid fan. Well, there is RYAN GOSLING!
Thank you all for the concern and good wishes. Thanks to pain killers I slept well and now will go to have that tooth taken care of and will no longer AIL.
I must thank my good friend Kathy for her assistance and sustenance. She brought me soups and ice cream in my hour of need. The latter might actually not be the best but it is so good.
Have a lovely day, everyone! I'll report later, hopefully, pain free.
Puzzling thoughts:
I FIR with similar w/o’s as others noted: PRO/FOR; BOLOS/BOLAS. My unique w/o I suppose was to have BELIEVING / RELYING ON
I saw the theme develop SWIFTly, though I almost balked @ 28-across as I thought the small goose was spelled GOSSLING
I used to play a lot of poker with my neighbor buddies; no gimmick games: only 5 card draw, 5 card and 7 card stud. We started getting into Texas Hold ‘em, but I prefer the stud games, myself
The key word in the clue for 18-down is “major”. Whilst there are significant AIRSTRIPS in ME, none are that “major”. I’m thinking though, isn’t Bangor’s airport sometimes used for landing larger (jumbo) jets, in case of an emergency? I seem to recall it being a place where many intercontinental flights were forced to land on 9/11
NEST EGG was appropriate for today’s puzzle, given all the birds
Today’s bird-inspired haiku:
Grammy winner used
Unique place to store trophy.
Filed it in S CROW
This theme should have been difficult for me as I don't know many names of popular culture stars. But I was pleased to get them all and had a fine ride! I was thinking of DEFENSIVE DITCH to mean bailing out of a difficult situation as in parachuting from an airplane.
Here was a MOAT at Beaumaris Castle in Wales that we visited when I was a teen.
Subgenius Welcome to Crossword Corner! Do you take your name from Bob Dobbs of the Church of the Subgenius? If so, you absolutely need to make him your avatar!
From Monday:
Vidwan Thanks for the learning moment about the Fountain of Knowledge at CAL TECH. Who knew that there was a word for a 38-sided geometric figure?
Yes, CAL TECH is probably harder to get into than MIT because it is smaller. An older high school friend went to CAL TECH and warned that life there was not fun.
Birds?
I don't know why Peter Falk came to mind instead of finches,
Except that it could be construed as "falcon."
Little know fact: Waldos predecessor was Wally!
Hmm,
I would have clued Audi as "what rich people say when they get a boo boo..."
Slinky squirrel deterrent! What a great idea!
aw, doggone it! He went and taught all his friends....
Bolas!
what a great bushcraft, how to idea!
(I'm sure it could come in handy in Brooklyn...)
I'm. It sure why,
but I found this puzzle very satisfying..
Musings
-In an episode of Seinfeld, George pretends to be a horrible person named O’BRIEN. Coincidence?
-The springtime GOSLINGS on our golf course are so fun to watch
-Network, remember when movies were smart, engaging and entertaining?
-Our feeders and heated bird bath can have as many as two dozen FINCHES engaged at any time
-FB fans know all about DEFERRING after a coin toss
-Did you ever play Monopoly that had a growing pot that could be WON by landing on Free Parking?
-My wealthy farmer friend has no STY but does have an AIR STRIP for his two airplanes and a pad for his helicopter
-The Byrds made a hit song out of a verse from this in ECCLesiastes
-At least the ROWERS were not OARERS
-Near 60F today on the plains today, FORE! Can’t use a tee or make a divot but the ball rolls an extra 20 yds
oc4beach ~~ not sure what you mean when you say you’re not a birdwatcher, but then go on to say how much you enjoy watching the birds at your feeders, which pretty much defines bird watching? I have the same varieties here that you mention and I agree they can be fun to watch, all have their own little idiosyncrasies in how they feed, and if you watch birds you become a squirrel watcher by default, here I have gray, black, and red, and the chipmunks when they are not hibernating.
We finally caved -- now we just call it a squirrel feeder.
Picard, as a matter of fact in my youth I was a rabid fan of Robert Anton Wilson and it was from him I learned about the Church of the Subgenius. If I ever figure out how to create an avatar, I may well take your advice.
C moe:
The Maine DOT Airports and Aviation would like a few words with you🧐.
But I yer point, look close minenis at the top of my head 🙉
Oc4beqch
I use this squirrel baffle to baffle the squirrels. Make sure its long enough. The cone shaped baffle alone won't do the job. They eat up the fallen seeds and keep them from sprouting 🐿
Husker
A new CW clue for SPA..."Heated bird bath" 😀
Subgenius Glad to know I was correct about the origin of your name!
Please click on this link to set up your profile and avatar.
Does that bring you to your profile setup page? Be sure to provide an email address so that people can contact you directly. I have gotten to meet many people on this blog this way. It is sad when someone does not provide an email address for direct contact.
You should also see the option to upload an avatar image.
A Google search brought up this Subgenius image but you will find many more.
Please let me know if that worked and/or where there was a problem. You may need to crop the image to a certain size. I can help you if you need help. You can email me directly at earthmanrobert (at) gmail.com
CED: I've seen a few videos where the squirrels manage to defeat the Slinky. It still slows them down. I don't mind them cleaning up the seeds on the ground though.
YooperPhil: When I say I'm not a bird watcher, I mean I don't go out in the woods and fields looking for them. I do have friends who are true birder's with binoculars and all of the manuals and sighting sheets that they record each bird they see. I just watch out the window.
Ray-O: That baffle looks interesting.
I have a friend who has multi-colored squirrels from the paint balls that he has shot them with. He has them so paranoid that all he has to do is pop the gun and they scramble.
They are smart little characters.
Delightful bird theme for this Wednesday puzzle, Craig--many thanks. Even as I worked
on the puzzle, the birds were landing in the feeder right outside my study window, enjoying their breakfast. And thanks for the helpful commentary, Jazz B.
ENERO was a great clue answer, given that it's January right now.
For some reason I put an O between H and G, and said, Wait!"I need a HOG"? That doesn't make sense. Why would I need a HOG? Well, after feeling totally silly and stupid, I needed a HUG.
How can a dog's age be an EON? My sweet dachshunds had a good life but they didn't make it much between 17 and 19.
So great to get your poems, Owen, many thanks!
Irish Miss, so glad to hear your brother is back at home. Hope he continues to have a good recovery.
Have a great day, everybody.
A cool Stowe PZL for a happy humpday challenge!
1A reminds me of the junior high school social studies report I did on the Argentine Pampas!
Among other attempts to garner an "A" on my written work, I spent hours at my kitchen table carefully tracing a picture of a Gaucho swinging his BOLAS.
~ OMK
____________
DR: Just the one diagonal, on the far side. But it's a doozy! WooHoo!
It contains a rare JACKPOT anagram (15 of 15 letters!) of the name the platoon sergeants reserve for the brash new second lieutenant who has earned no friends by using a constant stream of nasty epithets with his commands.
This is the lieutenant who relies on ridicule and insults to put others down while trying to inflate his own superiority.
They call him the...
"DEROGATORY LOUIE"!
My email is leo23dc@gmail.com. I have emailed you and eagerly await your response
Hi All!
A theme based on names?!? Oy! Fortunately, after enough perps, I recognized(ish) the names (except PETER's) and knowing birds helps.
Thanks Craig for the challenge; I did not think I was going to finish the SE but, letter-by-letter, it fell.
Thank you, JzB, for the sparkly expo and explaining what a GOSLING is and that you don't have those abs (WHAT a RIOT :-)).
WO: bEttING ON
ESPs: ECCL, ATHOS, O'BRIEN,
Fav: Got a chuckle when NONE show'd itself for [diddly]-Squat.
I also liked BRO & SIS in the grid.
{A, B+}
LOL Ku, Moe... speaking of
BigE - Matching? That might get Youngest's attention. Eldest is already setup with a KO ($0.35/yr/share) DRIP.
CED - LOL #1. Thanks for the laugh I needed today* I also [TOO?] appreciated your other links.
Still doing better Lucina? PK, how about you?
Jinx seems to be doing fine bellied up to the STRIP buffet :-)
IM - great news about your Brother!
FLN & Today - I agree YooperPhil & YR. The early week puzzles get new solvers hooked. 7+ years ago, I couldn't get a Wednesday to save THY a**.
//I'm still working up to Saturdays :-)
Picard - I was thinking of throwing away the ball (ala Football) to Ditch in defense. Nice MOAT pic - does it have sharks w/ laser beems?.
Waseeley & HG beat me to the BIRD's Turn, Turn, Turn. So, um, Oc4 - Mark's Squirrel Maze [BRO's gotta ton of fun videos for the Engineer in you]
Cheers, -T
*Casa -T is AILing. Only DW isn't under the weather and has sprayed all of us w/ Lysol; the house reeks of it. //I found C-19 tests Sunday and we were neg. DW went out for tests today but found Squat.
Anon-T,
I was about to post
A squirrel being catapulted into a lake,
Or the guy that tries to catapult them into a garbage can for points,
But I saw you beat me with Marks squirrel maze....
Being CED, I have to click on links.
So my 1st reaction was,
20 minutes! Jeez! I don't have 20 minutes!
But after 2 minutes, I was LMAo...
Most entertaining 20 minutes I have had in a while!
(Fav, "the tourist trap...")
Anon T- she's a party girl, has no expenses, and blows every dime she makes. Her 16 year old younger brother and my other 16 year old grandson are both skinflints. Somehow those two have managed to save a couple of thousand dollars each.
Squirrel proof bird feeder? I've seen them wired so that the bushy squirrel's tail completes the electrical circuit as it moved up the pole. And the ones that don't learn from that shocking experience don't live too long.
D-O, Of course "folks say", especially after I told them about the breast deal in town.
W.C. - my buddy lives very close to Ted Williams' retirement home in Inverness, FL. The property looks as though he still lives there, even though he died years ago. IIRC, there is a baseball bat decoration on the entrance gate.
I laughed when I heard SHERYL CROW’S Soak Up the Sun on the radio this afternoon with the “diddly squat “ line!
Coincidence.
SoakUpTheSun
Thank you Craig Stowe for a delectable Wednesday puzzle, that I enjoyed very much. Altho I am not familiar with many stars and singers, the long answers came like clockwork, and the rest of the puzzle just fell into place.
Thank you JazzBumpa for a very interesting and informative review blog.
As regarding your upcoming stress test, .... I had one, not six months ago, and there are long periods of waiting involved, ... and it helps if you can make up a never ending story, in your mind, and keep going, to take your mind off all the mental stress that gets involved....
C E D I love your links and jokes, and thanks for linking Where's Waldo, and his creator, Martin Hanford. Very interesting bio and story. I still have my kids books on Waldo, and I dont think my grandkids would be particularly interested in them ... they have their video games and Iphones.
Thanks to all other bloggers for many learning moments, which I really value.
Lucina, glad you're doing OK.
One of the most imp Vitamins in the Liver, especially Calf Liver is Vitamin B12 .... and that was the major dietary medical requirement for people suffering from pernicious anemia... that they consume atleast one pound of liver, every day, for the rest of their lives !!
Atleast 5, or maybe 7 people have won Nobel prizes involving the discovery of the treatment, the Vitamin B12 and its synthesis. Robert Burn Woodward ( Not Robert Bernstein ...;-)) synthesized it in one of the most complex set of organic reactions. 74 in all. with over 88 Ph.D's from 16 nations, still known. One lb of liver has 3 micrograms of B12 ... and this is one of the very few major reasons that one should not be a strict vegetarian, because upto 80 percent of vegetarians cannot get enough Vit B12... unless they also take dietary supplements. My uncle worked for Merck, Sharpe and Dohme, who made B12 by a fermentation process, and he inundated me with all this information !. You need very little of the Cyano-Co-balamin, but it is crucial to your well being.
End of rant.
Have a nice day, all.
Well, I stared today’s puzzle to death for an FIR. It took me all day (well, I was working too, but we only had one senior group tour this afternoon), but there were a couple of sections where Mr. Wite-Out had to completely clear the decks, before I could see the light.
Anyway, I did end up winning, so I’m happy. I also didn’t think I’d be able to get the theme fills. TAYLOR was the first one that I recognized, but I cannot recall ever knowing anything about a bird named SWIFT. Once I reconciled to the fact that the intention of the puzzle was indeed for the answer to 44A was TAYLORSWIFT, half of my problems were solved.
Unknowns were ENO, EON (as clued), and NACRE. Perps got them, once Mr. Wite-Out did his thing.
Thanks, Craig and JazzB! I really enjoyed figuring out this one.
Thanks to all who expressed your concern for my well being. I have such good friends in Mark and Kathy who at separate times have kept me company and provided nourishment. I am well stocked with various kinds of soup and crackers as well as ice cream. Tomorrow I shall go for the root canal procedure and am not looking forward to that. I'll likely sleep most of the afternoon following the visit to the dentist. I am deeply grateful to those two friends as my family is working and I would not interrupt them unless it was unavoidable.
For entertainment I come here to read your comments. Some of your posts are engaging and keep me laughing. Others, like Vidwan are educational. Thank you all for that.
The only occasion I've had to observe squirrels was when I lived in Denver. They made endless trips up and down the tree in our yard and scampered on the roof. They are lively creatures.
Pain pills have kept me quite settled in, not sleepy, but inactive.
Jinx, Inverness is 1/2 hour S of Dunnellon. I'll have to check it out. In Seminole, next to St Pete, is the house that Babe Ruth lived in during Winter and Spring Training.
Downtown St Pete has plaques commemorating the heyday of Yankees Spring training(or they were there 10-15 years ago)
WC
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