Julie Bérubé last visited us on September 4, 2019. She is a native of Québec (hello CanadianEh!) but currently lives in the U.S. She has had puzzles published in the NYT and the Wall Street Journal, and she was one of the constructors for the 2017 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament.
Today Julie has dropped by to drop the ONs from four idiomatic expressions consisting of pairs of themers split across non-consecutive fill. NO circles (CSO to AnonymousDNLC), NO asterisks, and NO reveal. But mercifully she parenthesizes the (beginning) and the (end) for each pair. If there's more to it than that then I've dropped it:
14A. Act cautiously (beginning): WALK. [ON]
17A. (End): EGGSHELLS.
25A. Require formality (beginning): STAND [ON]
27A. (End): CEREMONY.
43A. Vacillate (beginning): SIT [ON]
46A. (End): THE FENCE.
55A. Have financial difficulties (beginning): FALL [ON]
58A. (End): HARD TIMES.
I don't know about you, but the cluing in this puzzle seemed at least Fridayish to me.
And now ON to the rest. As we'll soon see, Julie has very eclectic tastes in music, and as would be expected from a Québecoise she is also a Francophile.Across:
1. Reduction in hostility: THAW. We could really use some of this at this moment in history.
5. Kind of palm: SAGO. Despite its common name, sago palm (Cycas revoluta) isn't technically a true palm tree.
 |
| Sago Palm |
9. Like some fall days: NIPPY. Or puppies.
15. Sandwich order: WRAP. Sari, not a garment.
16. Asteroids producer: ATARI. Alright kids, this should keep you busy while I'm blogging the rest of the clues (pivot with arrow keys; shoot with space bar (doesn't work on cellphones)). ... (5 seconds later) ... I'm back, I got smashed! See also 51D.
19. Ruhr Valley city: ESSEN. "To Eat". Today's German lesson. Oops! I think Julie was really thinking of this.
20. Kia model: RIO. Not today's Spanish lesson, but this:
 |
| Kia Rio |
21. "Good __!": IDEA.
22. Pry: SNOOP.
23. Fine restaurants cater to them: PALATES. Those of us who don't eat in fine restaurants just have TASTES.
26. Live mixers: DJS. I'll bet a lot of them have one of these.
30. Web company with a bang: YAHOO. Well yes Yahoo is a web company (IIRC one of the first), but the "bang" reference escaped me. I don't think it was a reference to a Jonathan Swift creature. The best I could do was this (although it doesn't seem to be making a lot of noise at the moment).
33. Lisbon greeting: OLA. Portuguese for HOLA and thus a CSO to Lucina.
34. Color of Death's dart, in "Venus and Adonis": EBON. BLACK in the poem by William Shakespeare. If your Elizabethan is a little rusty, here are the Cliff Notes.
35. Thurman on screen: UMA.
36. Fragrant Asian rice: BASMATI.
40. Name of 13 popes: LEO. (LEO XIII - X) = CSO to (LEO III).
41. First name in raga: RAVI. An Indian raga is a melodic framework for improvisation akin to a melodic mode in Indian classical music. Pandit Ravi Shankar KBE (April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known exponent of North Indian classical music in the second half of the 20th century, and influenced many musicians in India and throughout the world (see e.g. 60A). Shankar was awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1999. Here he is in concert with American violinist Sir Yehudi Menuhin:
44. Explosive trial: N TEST. Now would not be a good time to try one.
48. Jenny's offspring: ASS. A Jenny being a female donkey.
49. Ski equipment: POLES. A CSO to MalMan.
50. Hot-melt adhesive applier: GLUE GUN. An essential tool for many crafters.
54. Result of rounding, perhaps: ERROR.
56. Zoo draw: APE.
57. The John B, e.g.: SLOOP. A CSO to Jinx. "The John B. Sails" is a Bahamian folk song from Nassau. A transcription by Richard Le Gallienne was published in 1916, and a version was included in Carl Sandburg's The American Songbag in 1927. Since the early 1950s there have been many recordings; variant titles include "I Want to Go Home", "Wreck of the John B", and most famously, "Sloop John B," as recorded by American rock band the Beach Boys in 1966 (lyrics):
60. "Day after day, __ on a hill ... ": Beatles: ALONE. The Fool on the Hill from The Magical Mystery Tour (lyrics) ...
61. Classic Callas role: AIDA. Here she is bringing down the house in Mexico in 1951 with the aria Gloria all' Egitto ("Glory to Egypt"). Her voice starts at about 50 secs in ...
62. One left in a cashier's dish: CENT. By a stiffer?
63. Sidewalk lunch spots: CAFES.
64. Meredith in a longtime medical drama: GREY. Grey's Anatomy is in its 18th season. Meredith is played by actress Ellen Pompeo.
 |
| Ellen Pompeo |
 |
| The Sosibios Vase |
Down:
1. Pipsqueak: TWERP.
2. __ Sophia: Turkish mosque: HAGIA. Hagia Sophia, built in 537 AD (officially known as the Holy Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque) is a Late Antique place of worship in Istanbul, designed by the Greek geometers Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles.
 |
| Hagia Sophia Mosque |
3. Computer language family: ALGOL. Geeky clue, geeky riff: ALGOL (short for "Algorithmic Language") is a family of imperative computer programming languages originally developed in 1958. ALGOL was arguably the most influential of the four high-level programming languages among which it was roughly contemporary: FORTRAN, Lisp, and COBOL. Perhaps surprisingly, the latter is still widely used in business applications deployed on mainframe computers. And this is for you Python geeks.
IMHO programming languages are like rabbits: you turn your back on them for a minute and the number quadruples.
4. Cal. units: WKS. No this had nothing to do with measuring your waist, but rather measuring time.
5. Uppsala natives: SWEDES A CSO to SwinglishMom.
6. Van Gogh setting: ARLES. Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. Here's one of his paintings from the time he spent in Southern France in the town of ARLES:
 |
| Almond Tree in Blossom |
8. Photo __: OPS.
9. Dance done to the 2015 hit "Watch Me": NAE NAE. "Watch Me ( Whip/Nae Nae)", is the debut single by American rapper Silentó né Richard Lamar Hawk. In August of 2021 Hawk was indicted and jailed for murder and related crimes, and currently his legal status does not appear to be available via the Internet. I've decided to pass on a video.
10. "I'll get this": ITS ON ME.
11. Traditional Spanish dance derived from a military march: PASODOBLE or PASO DOBLE. Today's Spanish lesson. Paso doble ("double step") is a fast-paced Spanish military march used by infantry troops. Its
speed allowed troops to give 120 steps per minute (double the average of
a regular unit, hence its name). This march is the basis for the traditional Spanish dance of the same name, a musical genre that includes both voice and instruments. This couple performs a Paso Doble on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing to the Toreador Song from Bizet's Carmen ...
12. __ school: PREP.
13. Feminine side: YIN.
18. Mob assignment: HIT JOB. Or an RBI.
22. Fender guitar model, familiarly: STRAT. The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously manufactured the Stratocaster since 1954. Here's a short documentary on the restoration of Eric Clapton's "Brownie" Stratocaster. He does some nice riffs on it (8 min.) ...
24. Big fuss: ADO.
25. Ward of "The Fugitive": SELA. Sela Ann Ward is an American actress, author, and producer. Her breakthrough TV role was as Teddy Reed in the NBC drama series Sisters (1991–96), for which she received her first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1994. Ward played Helen Kimble, the wife of Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) in the 1993 film version of "The Fugitive".
27. Title in a Dumas title: COMTE. Comte is the French title for the protagonist (Edmond Dantès) of the Alexander Dumas novel "The Count of Monte Cristo". Like Dr. Richard Kimble in the previous clue, Dantès is framed for a crime he didn't commit.
28. Rejections: NOES.
29. 2010 Ringo Starr album: Y NOT. Y Not is the 16th studio album by Ringo Starr. Here's track 3, his confessional "Other Side of Liverpool" (Lyrics)...
30. Home on the Asian steppes: YURT. A traditional yurt (from the Turkic languages) or ger (Mongolian) is a portable, round tent covered with skins or felt and used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes of Central Asia.
 |
| A Mongolian ger |
31. Eastern nanny: AMAH. An amah or ayah is a girl or woman employed by a family to clean, look after children, and perform other domestic tasks.
32. Stand ready to accuse: HAVE PROOF. The burden of proof is on the accuser.
37. Moore co-star: ASNER. Mary Tyler Moore and Ed Asner in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show".
38. Incites to attack: SICS.
39. Put down: INSULT. This clue/fill can be a noun or a verb ...
45. "Cats" poet's monogram: TSE. A CSO to Hahtoolah! Thomas Stearns Eliot OM (26 September 1888 – 4 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor. Considered one of the 20th century's major poets, he is a central figure in English-language Modernist poetry.
 |
| T. S. Eliot |
Here are 10 Eliot poems [that this critic thinks] everyone should read. "The Naming of Cats" made the list at number 9.
47. Skips the ceremony: ELOPES.
48. When some diners serve breakfast: ALL DAY.
50. Musketeer's word: GARDE. More French, and more Dumas. En garde is a friendly warning from one of The Three Musketeers that he is about to skewer you.
51. League of Legends fanatic, e.g.: GAMER. I'll bet lot of them got their first fix by playing 16A.
52. Sch. founded by Franklin: U PENN. Abbreviated clue, abbreviated fill. Benjamin Franklin, the University of Pennsylvania's founder and first president, advocated an educational program that trained leaders in commerce, government, and public service, similar to a modern liberal arts curriculum with a practical perspective. They also have strong programs in science and engineering.
53. Loons' lodgings: NESTS. Such beautiful birds. See this section for their nesting habits.
 |
| The Common Loon |
54. Purnell of "Churchill": ELLA. Churchill is a 2017 British historical war-drama film, which portrays Winston Churchill in June 1944 – especially in the hours leading up to D-Day. The film stars Brian Cox CBE, as the titular character with Miranda Richardson and John Slattery in supporting roles. Ella Purnell also had a supporting role as Churchill's new secretary, Helen Garrett; performing with the legendary Cox certainly must have been a big step up for the 20 year old. Unfortunately, the film was roundly panned by the critics for numerous historical inaccuracies in the script.
55. __ trade: FAIR. Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit fair trade organization that markets handcrafted products made by disadvantaged artisans from more than 120 artisan groups in more than 35 countries. As one of the world’s largest and oldest fair trade organizations,
Ten Thousand Villages cultivates long-term buying relationships in
which artisans receive a fair price for their work and consumers have
access to gifts, accessories and home décor from around the world.
58. Witch: HAG.
59. Post-op stop: ICU. Intensive Care Unit.
Here's the grid:
waseeley
And as always thanks to Teri for proofreading and for her constructive suggestions.
If you are reading this then, God willin' and the crick don't rise, Teri and I are in Alabama celebrating the wedding of one of our nephews. As I'm not taking my laptop I won't be able to make any needed corrections that you folks might discover, but I will probably be able to use my cellphone to provide terse (Ha!) answers to any questions you might have regarding this review.
Cheers,
Bill
48 comments:
FIRight. It's Wednesday. Did take several passes, so not a gimme.
Caught
to the theme with the first one I solved, STAND/CEREMONY, and that made the other themers fairly easy.
I WALK/EGGSHELLS when I SNOOP.
I am not searching for some loot.
No, evidence
Of malfeasance.
When I find it, then I'll toot!
Should I FALL/HARD TIMES,
Measure my wealth in dimes,
I'll SIT/THE FENCE
And sing a lament,
And for a better time I'll pine.
{A-, A-.}
Good morning!
One darned letter! Bzzzzzt. DNF. It was that T in STRAT/BASMATI. D-o errantly entered a D. Thought the Spanish dance was the PASO ROBLE. STAND fixed that. Got the theme early, but wondered what RAVI (on) THE FENCE was supposed to mean. Oh, it was SIT. This was a good late-week entry. Enjoyed it. Thanx, Julie and Waseeley. (The bang is the exclamation point.)
URN -- Can't hear "Grecian URN" without thinking of Hermione Gingold and her dancing dowagers in The Music Man.
SAGO -- We've got 14 of 'em around the yard. Only one succumbed during the big freeze of 2021. The rest came back, though for some it was several months before signs of life appeared.
FIW, missing the Natick BASsATI x COsTE. Waited for a-test/N-TEST. Erased date for SAGO, cobol for ALGOL, and crisp for NIPPY (which also describes peasant blouses at a Renaissance Faire).
I think of programming languages as being either algorithmic or object-oriented. Would love to hear our resident softheads' input.
Thanks to Julie for the easy Friday puzzle, presented as a difficult Thursday grid. And thanks to Bill in absentia for doing your homework before leaving for merrymaking.
FLN: Must be leak season. I have a Delta single-handle bathroom faucet that is dripping both hot and cold. I see on YouTube that there's a kit for that.
Bill here reporting in from beautiful downtown Foley, Alabama...
First, Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Shoulda', coulda', woulda' riffed that into the revie. Re SAGO palms perhaps? Seems like everywhere I look in Foley I see one. Also had a private report of some better answers for two of the clues that I expressed doubts about and invited she/he to comment about them here. See if you can spot them before the mystery person appears.
Owen, glad to see that you are being kinder than yourself - nice licks.
Headed for breakfast. TTYL!
Cheers,
Bill
Happy St. Patrick's Day: "As you slide down the banister of life, may the Splinters never point the wrong way"
I will be back in a bit, enjoyed the puzzle and look forward to any mystery posts
DNF. Basmati was a complete unknown, and the NW corner just wouldn't fill.
This was really slow for me until a theme answer was solved and then it sped up. Very creative theme. I always want it to be basamati rather than BASMATI - but since there weren't enough spaces for the former- I dodged that error.
Since I had that fill first, I dodged the error of putting in Count (of Monte Cristo) and entering the French COMTE. I remembered that in retrospect from reading the book.
And thanks D-O for explaining the bang in YAHOO!
Thanks Bill - enjoy the beautiful spring weather in AL Thanks to Julie for a creative puzzle
Happy St Paddy's Day!
I was able to COME OUT
TOP in 9:52 today.
Thank you for the shout-out (I think, I don't know "DNLC").
I confidently entered "Count" and fought valiantly to keep it there, even once "Basmati" finally revealed itself to me.
Happy St. Patrick's Day to all.
Now it's time for me to GET
GOOD FOOT.
Ok, so my attempt at word play didn't work due to spacing. Not that you probably need it, but for clarity:
I was able to COME OUT
..............TOP in 9:52 today.
***
Now it's time for me to GET
........................GOOD FOOT.
Anonymous @ 8:38
A real slow slog and struggle to win the booby prize for slowest FIR in 39. (O.K., anon, rub it in!) Anyway, I did pick up the theme with the very first theme clue “WALK” being ON “EGGSHELLS” which should have speeded up the solve by helping with the others. “STAND” being ON “CEREMONY”, etc. but too many DNFs and a few W/Os like ATEST:NTEST and ARIA:AIDA slowed me down enormously in spite of getting the theme about the first half of the clue being ON the second half. Like Bill, I do not understand how YAHOO has anything to do with a bang. Anyone? Overall a clever CW although more like a Saturday than a Thursday. Thanx (I think) for busting my head, JB. Thanx for the excellent write-up, Bill. My only criticism is you put so many interesting, irresistible links in there it took me a long time to get through it! Happy St.Pat’s Day! Don’t forget to take your little bottle of green food dye with you when you go out to suck beer!
Top ‘0 The Mornin’ To Ye ☘️☘️☘️☘️
It took me forever to figure out the theme but once I did, I was able to finish it 1-2-3, a feat I had little hope of on the first run through. For me, this was the hardest Thursday in ages and took me 32 minutes which is way longer than my usual solving time, but I’m not complaining because the cleverness of the theme, the cluing, and the execution made it a very satisfying solve. Several unknowns added to my slow pace: Atari, Hagia, Nae Nae, YNot, Ella, and ALGOL. Today’s duos include: Atari/Gamer, Nests/Eggs, Sit/Stand, Thaw/Nippy, Snoop/Sloop, All/Fall, Rio/Ola, and Me/I. I’ll add to Bill’s CSO with Paso Doble (Lucina), Nae Nae (Wilbur) and Ray O and Inanehiker (ICU).
Thanks, Julie, for a challenging but ultimately doable Thursday and thanks, Bill, for the usual in-depth commentary. Loved all the stunning visuals and links, especially the Paso Doble performance. That pleased Susan, I’m sure, a Carmen aficionado. Thanks also to Teri for keeping you on the straight and narrow! 😉
Happy St. Paddy’s Day and May The Wind Be Always At Your Back. ☘️
Good morning.
Thank you, Julie and Waseely.
Almost turfed it in the NW corner. DNK HAGIA and THAW took forever. It didn't help that I fixated on Calories rather than Calendar, so WKS wasn't apparent.
Owen, I think today is Thursday. Or, were you just testing us ?
Did not know the backstory about the Beach Boys Sloop John B song. New to me.
Bill, relish the festivities in Foley.
Anon, I would suggest that in reference to you, DNLC means does not like circles.
Unclefred, a bang is another word for an exclamation mark, especially in computing lexicon.
Has anyone used a service that converts old 8mm or VCR tapes to CDs or video files ? Any recommendations ? Do really old tapes convert ok ? Or is it just a waste of time and money ?
My old 8mm video camera no longer works. I am looking to convert the 8mm tapes and some VHS tapes.
"Does Not Like Circles" 🙂
After I solved the third theme answer, it hit me like a ton of bricks just what was going on. Of course, it helped that I substituted "comte" for "count" when I realized I had made a mistake. I thought this was a devilishly clever puzzle. In the end, FIR, so I'm happy.
I too join the FIW club today with my wrong vowel in GRaY, not noticing the perp which could have helped. I did change three other vowels during proofing and finally got THAW, my last fill, so, it could have been worse. I worked from the bottom up in the end, getting that themer first. Quite the challenge, Julie. Thanks!
Thanks also to waseeley (and Teri) for your extensive review and added details. The crossword puzzle always is a learning experience and I enjoy it.
Hope you all have an enjoyable day, especially our southern visitors. Happy St. Patrick's Day, too.
Bill, BTW, it looks as if you inadvertently grabbed the Wikipedia URL on TS Eliot rather than 10 TS Eliot Poems Everyone Should Read.
10 T. S. Eliot Poems Everyone Should Read.
I assume you and Teri flew down rather than drove. Thus, no laptop. I can edit your blog post and change the URL if you want, or we can let it be.
Waseeley: Thank you. I did figure it out (duh!) about 15 minutes after posting (and re-posting). I had just assumed it was some texting shorthand or computer programing term I wasn't familiar with.
UncleFred: No shame at all in that time, which was comparable to Ms. Irish Miss's time. And, it really wasn't that many years ago that my goal for the LAT Crossword was to simply finish a Thursday puzzle.
On that note, when I first started doing crosswords, I didn't know that they got harder throughout the week (there really should be a warning, or a rating of sorts, like with Sudoku). Seeing as I had more free time on weekends, I first tried Friday and Saturday level puzzles, thinking they were standard and representative of all days. A few weeks later, I tried a Monday level puzzle and was quite surprised at my sudden increase in ability.
Anonymous (a.k.a. S.S. a.k.a. D.N.L.C.)
Terrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Julie (greetings fellow-born Canadian)and waseeley (and Teri).
Well this was a workout of Friday level or more. I required P&P (and two visits to Google- for ALGOL and STRAT) to FIR. But I did see the theme midway, and that lightbulb moment helped the solve.
Plenty of inkblots today.
Date turned to SAGO.
Gourmet wouldn’t fit, but PALATES finally perped.
Ecru changed to EBON. D’uh!
Coin changed to CENT (which no Canadian cashier will have).
I was misled, thinking of Demi not MTM, until ASNER perped.
Hand up for thinking of calories not calendar with Cal.
I had the most problem with Count in my Dumas title. Now knowing that Julie is Québécois, I understand the French use of COMPTE. (And I loved the Musketeers duo.)
It’s time for lunch. Read you all later.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all (and especially Irish Miss).
FLN Vidwan, my husband has had gout, yes very painful, in his big toe. He's not overweight, does not drink too much, exercises regularly -- it was just a build up of those nasty crystals that form needle like stabbing things that hurt like hell. For a while he was drinking cherry juice, which you can buy at Trader Joes, but for many many years has been taking Alpurinal. Hasn't had Gout for years. For which he is very grateful.
Becky
Deciphering the theme was fun,
The rest of the puzzle was not...
Not sure why, maybe different wavelengths.
Or I am just having a bad day...
DNF
Yeah,
It's a bad day...
The wheel bearings went on the scooter
And the Atari asteroids game doesn't work on an iPad either...
Rats!
Musings
-What a clever and fun puzzle by Julie Bérubé
-This was one of the themes that was baffling and then very helpful.
-STAND ON CEREMONY – some golfers insist on this as to who is first to hit on each tee
-Rounding ERRORS in today’s government is in the billions
-I have always attributed Fool On The Hill to Sergio Mendes
-“IT’S ON ME” – My practice when I see military people in a CAFÉ.
-Clayton Moore/Jay Siverheels and Dudley Moore/Bo Derek occurred to me first before MTM.
-The actual Winston Churchill and the fictional Robert Crawley both took American brides
-My iPhone is a FAIR-trade item
Thank you for a fun puzzle, Julie. And thank you, Bill, for a fun review--enjoyed listening to some of the music, thanks for that too.
Thursdays are usually a bit tough for me, but I got lots of neat stuff in this one.
I know my popes, and so got all the LEOS.
Got the SLOOP John B, and loved hearing the song again.
Always nice to see UMA in the puzzle. And, of course, I love TSE liot's "Cats."
Have a great St.Patrick's Day, everybody.
Hola and happy St. Patrick's Day!
This was not a WALK in the park for me. It took longer than usual to finish. Oddly enough, TWERP was my last fill.
After reading Bill's expose I appreciated the cleverness of the theme. Thank you.
ALGOL completely baffled me and I was sure it was wrong.
I learned to eat and appreciate herring from the SWEDES when visiting their country. Yum!
Pictures and photos do not do justice to the beauty of the HAGIA SOFIA. It is magnificent!
It's a WRAP! I hope you all enjoy this fine St. Pat's day!
I must chime in to thank Bill for all the effort and information he puts into his Thursdays. I must assume Teri did all the packing for the trip. Speaking of packing, Julie also treated us to a visual as well as verbal theme. Look at the grid and you will see that each part one is on top of (on) part two. We have a few wonderful visuals in my time here.
Bill I also imagine nothing beats home grown.
Thanks so much for the CSO and for the fun write up. My 15 year old was looking over my shoulder and loved the eclectic assembly of info. She was dutifully impressed at the corner shout out to li'l ole me. Loved showing her the computer game I used to play as a college student.
Hope you enjoy the wedding, always such amazing events with hope and dedication to the future.
Wow. Hand up thinking this was a Friday or Saturday level challenge. Got the ON theme with SIT ON THE FENCE. Very clever. Almost DNF with crucial NW and NE unknowns HAGIA and NAENAE. But managed to have the light bulb turn on and FIR. HAGIA looks like it is worth a visit!
I often play FOOL ON THE HILL and SLOOP JOHN B on my flute.
Right now there is an extraordinary VAN GOGH exhibit in our little city! We are museum members so we can go back as often as we want any time for free.
Here we posed with VAN GOGH himself!
If this were in Los Angeles you would need a reservation months in advance even if you were a member. And still probably wait in a long line and be rushed through. Feeling very fortunate.
I liked this creatively constructed puzzle. Fortunately, I know and love BASMATI rice and know of the HAGIA Sophia. But I did not know ELLA Purnell, ALONE on a hill, or Meredith GREY. Like several of you I waited for the perp to reveal whether it was ATEST or NTEST. I don't consider a WRAP to be a sandwich, so I had a bit of difficulty there. So many actors named Moore I had to wait for a perp or two to get ASNER. I liked the clue for ALL DAY.
Thanks for a terrific write-up and in-depth informative links, waseeley.
Good wishes to you all.
Puzzling thoughts:
Well, compared to tomorrow’s puzzle, this one was far harder, IMO
I’m gonna SIT/THE FENCE as I decide whether I enjoyed today’s offering by Julie, or WALK/EGGSHELLS. As a blogger I am usually non-biased; but I’m going to go full desper-otto, and say that any puzzle that has a (beginning) such as this is not a favorite. The states of WA and OR (NW corner of the crossword puzzle) gave me fits: COBOL/ALGOL (never heard of that - thanks Bill S for the explanation), and HAGIA (not a word that a majority of folks would know)
PALATES was another that escaped me; and for that I’m a bit embarrassed because as a wine geek I also am quite the foodie. But I’ll take issue with the clue. Seems a bit snobby and elitist to think that only “fine” restaurants cater to PALATES. I swear that Bob Evans makes THE BEST sausage gravy and biscuits, and that chain is anything but “fine” in the context of the clue
Rants over
Aside from the errors I made in the (beginning) I managed to (end) the puzzle with a pristine grid
GLUE GUN; HAVE PROOF; PASO DOBLE were new ones that were fun to suss; NAE NAE; COMTE; Y NOT, and the clue for ELLA were not
I should’ve BENT/THE KNEES, as this puzzle required some heavy lifting 😜
CMoe, I'm sorry you found this puzzle so difficult. I thought it was moderately difficult with only the unknowns ALGOL and YNOT. Unknown to me.
AIDA is an easy guess even if I don't know that Maria Callas sang it. I read that she was enraged when she learned that Onassis married Jacquie Kennedy. I, for one, was shocked though I don't know why. His daughter was also supposedly upset.
DNF
I think "Jasmine" would've been a better answer for fragrant rice, rather than "basmati". Never heard of that one. Plus, jasmine is also a flower, so the fragrance part would've been a cute clue. The NW corner was the last part undone. Once I understood the theme, it all became so clear. I feel a bit dumb for not knowing that Cal. was shortened for calender, rather than calories. Perhaps the wording could've been better. Can't wait for the rest of the week. If today was hard, I can't imagine how Sunday will look. Haha. Happy St. Patricks Day. I need to hit the pub after today's crossword.
TTP, I stand corrected. It's Thursday, not Wednesday. I can think of a few ways that could have happened, none interesting enough to bother sharing.
SS, I feel for you. I've only tried to enter concrete poetry here once. There is a complicated way to space out blanks, but had to preview it several times to finally get the blanks to align properly. Finally I had it! I entered my post! You know what? The preview panel uses a different font from the blog, with different letter widths! My glorious picture was ruined!
BTW, I wasn't able to figure out
GET
GOOD FOOT,
and I'm usually a wiz at these things.
JB did a !UP JOB
THIS 1.
A CSO to my eldest daughter, Jennetha. She somehow twisted that into a nickname "Nay Nay".
After multiple delays and rocky flight finally made it. 🙄
Found a few minutes at the pool to do the puzzle online with stumble thumbs and a piña colada 🧉...With the accents aigues in the authors name and where she hails from almost expected a puzzle in French-Canadian.."oh non!" 😳
....By the second theme clue I realized ON was "off" to various stances. 😊
Inkovers: date/SAGO, gluepen/GUN, count/COMTE, (Who didn't put count first without perpaid? ) Inanehr, I put up a fight too.☹
Are all "pipsqueaks" TWERPS and vice-versa? ...Three "Beatles" references if you include RAVI. Which "Moore"? Roger, Julieanne, Demi, Dudley? Franklin also composed the U PENN motto: "Don't fly a kite in a lightening storm." 🤣
Knew Jenny's ASS from a previous puzzle. 🤭Spanish Military march: (Flamenco wouldn't fit), Fender guitar model, league of legends, ALGOL?
Roman procurator with good taste, Pontius ____ PALATE.
Dancing Hawaiian duck....NAENAE
In a mob hit "to stick 'em up" for good you need a... _____ GLUEGUN.
Happy St Patrick's Day. 🍀 IM and to all
A toughie to FIR today. I never could figure out the theme. Never bothered to consider the words above the beginnings and ends. Just had to grind it out and guess after some perps were in place. I hope I'm not ALONE. I'd seen PASO DOBLE before but it took all perps. ELLA Meridith was unknown. ALGOL- never heard of it; was thinking COBOL as a WAG.
HAGIA Sophia- thank you perps
YAHOO- still don't get what it has to do with 'a bang'.
SAGO- last week a friend of my grandson's dog ate some sago palm seeds and died.
Chairman- I like tougher puzzles so I won't SIT on THE FENCE. It would INSULT the constructor if it were too easy to complete.
A neat PZL today from Ms. Bérubé, well answered by waseeley!
Yes, and Erin go bragh! Happy to leave behind the Ides of March, over to the wearin' o' the green!
And, yes, the old SLOOP John B. One of my favorite Kingston Trio covers!
~ OMK
____________
DR: Three diags, all on the far side.
My obsession with finding anagrams in diagonals may have met its match today, as the central anagram (a mere 11 of 15 letters) tells me, as if to sass, that I pursue this quixotic quest in a solitary way that may be charitably described (in a non-PC manner) as...
"MORONICALLY"!
(Thank you very much, ye cruciverbal gods....)
Big Easy, printers have called the character "!" a BANG for as long as I can remember. And Yahoo's service mark is YAHOO!, meaning that they appended a "bang" to the common term for people like me.
BTW, YNOT is the name for a very good local pizza chain. In our case, the name is the owner's first name, Tony, spelled backwards. If he contributed here I wonder if he would go by Anonymous -Y?
TTP @10:34 AM I would appreciate it. I thought I had two links, one for a bio and one on the poems, but somehow mixed them up. Thanks.
CMOE @1:17 PM I wouldn't call The Fish River Grill in Foley a "fine restaurant", but their Mississippi Catfish Po Boy sure appealed to our PALATES today
Forgot to mention that Algol is also a star in the constellation Perseus, taking its name from an Arabic word meaning the Demon's Head or, literally the Ghoul. It represents the terrifying snaky head of the Medusa monster. In the mythology of the skies, Perseus – a great hero often depicted mounted on Pegasus the Flying Horse – slayed Medusa to rescue Andromeda.
A very tough one for me, cried uncle and conceded at 37+ minutes for FIW, could not locate my mistake which was the M in the BASMATI/COMTE cross of which I knew neither. Also DNK HAGIA, ALGOL, NAENAE, PASODOBLE, or ELLA as clued, but the perps filled those. But I must say I enjoy the difficult puzzles, thanks for the challenge Julie, a very fine construction!
Bill ~~ another masterful write up, replete with illustrations and information, I always admire your work, so very well thought out!
I am familiar with Uppsala Sweden, my maternal ancestors hail from there. Also my last name being Moran, my paternal ancestors hail from the Auld Sod of Eire, so Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all ☘️! “An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hold on to one blade of grass and not fall off the face of the earth”
Well,
Me having a bad day, might be a valid excuse for not
getting more fun out of this difficult puzzle.
but I can only blame myself...
Last month I took the scooter to the shop thinking the
Front bearings were shot (vibration when turning),
And was told, "dude, there's nothing wrong in with them!"
Today I took the scooter to the shop thinking
The rear bearings were shot,
And was told, "dude, your mufflers falling off."
TTP,
A couple of days ago you said I had not lost my marbles,
Well, if bearings are like tiny marbles,
I think I lost them...
PT2:
Just so there's no confusion ... the Chairman likes tough puzzles and tough clues. He wouldn't have signed up to blog every other Friday if he didn't
Today's puzzle had a bit of a crunchy start due to multiple words (HAGIA, ALGOL) in the NW corner that were complete unknowns (to me), and a there were a couple of clues (both 1-Across and 23-Across) that were head-shakers (to me)
I used the "desper-otto" reference, as our long-time poster with that moniker has been on record as saying that puzzles that have a deceptive start (1-Across, in particular) are not his favorites. Nor mine
There's a mixed bag among other constructors with whom I've both collaborated about the severity of the NW corner. Most solvers begin there and work toward the SE corner, so it's nice to have a small foothold to start
It's probably OK to have one or two words in that upper left corner that are tough, but the perps should always help you solve it. I'm not blaming Julie, either. For all we know, the editor could've re-written her clues for 1 and 23 across
Anyhow, I hope that 'splains where I'm coming from ...
See you tomorrow, bright and early ...
Started the write-up at 8am but lots of interrups
COMTE not count(WEES). A lot of Fwanche today(GARDE,CAFES, PALATES) OK, latter two are anglicized
My old Diner had midnight breakfast for a buck (Eddie's)
You'd see everyone there
Oops, there's my FIW, OLA/e and the unknown Fender model.
Some who pay in cash leave the pennies. Cashier has a dish which they'll use to ROUND up other bills
I fortunately knew HAGIA
I was thinking of Roger Moore.
I'm currently reading "The Unlujely Spy"(Daniel Silva) about the same 1944, pre D-day period (re. Churchill)
Maria Callas was displaced by Jackie K. A lot more to that than is generally admitted
I'm off red meat and rarely eat shellfish so gout has stayed away. I dropped the allopurinol.
C-Moe, your palate / Bob Evans remark was comedic(intenional?). Heck Eddie's Diner eggs and bacon was PALATABLE as I recall
WC
Waseeley, done. The link is now what I think you wanted. I was outside all day, prepping the lawn mowers for the season and spreading top soil and mulch in the gardens, so I didn't back get to it very quickly after I offered.
Chairman Moe, you are wrong ! Cracker Barrel makes the best biscuits and gravy. At least for a commercial chain, our local one does. YMMV. There is a family restaurant in a small town about 30 miles or so SW of here that serves the absolute best B&G I've ever had. Morning fresh biscuits. Their specialty is serving the early morning farmers and the families out for a weekend breakfast. Waiting in line to get a seat seems unusual in a small town, but that is what happens on the weekends. Or at least it did, pre-CoVid. Ample portions of excellent breakfast fare for modest prices that will get- you through a long day. Like it should be everywhere. PS, I almost always start in the middle of the puzzle.
Ray O, I knew Jenny's ass for a different reason. I always hated to see her leave, but I loved to watch her go.
Cross Eyed Dave, it wasn't me. I know you've lost your aggies and steelies, but it wasn't me.
Thank You Julie Be'rube' ( ... Bey rue Bey ?) for a challenging puzzle that I enjoyed. I confounded at times, but I persisted and finished it in good order. Difficult words were COMTE, SAGO, NIPPY and AIDA. I have read about Maria Callas who was married to Ari, and then he divorced her...
Thank you Waseely for a very thorough and interesting review. I hope your and Teri have a good time at the wedding. Having undergone a somewhat risky procedure, more than once, I am convinced that a little enjoyment and a little hedonism, when you are in seemingly good health, ,,, is not all that bad.
In Feb, this year I had a Foley catheter stuck up my you know where, for most of the month, and I always blanche when I hear that name... I also had a couple of Jackson Pratts drains ( aka Brain drains ...) but they were in kinder places. Sorry, I can't help but reminisce.
I know Basmati ....
( Bas= smell, odor, ... could be good or bad ...)
( -mati = that it is, or causes or engenders ..)
Thus, rice which has a good smell.
Basmati rice has a strong aroma, but it is a hard rice, which is totally non-sticky and even after cooking retains its grain structure. Very useful for Biryanis....fried rice varieties.
Alas, I am old, so I need a soft rice, with a mild flavor, which will turn to paste when overcooked. So I eat Jasmine Rice, from Thailand, exclusively... never Basmati.
A jenny's offspring could be an ASS, if male, only if the sire/father is also an Ass - a Jack Ass. If the father is somehow a horse, then we have a situation comparable to the sterile Mule ... the offspring of a jenny and a stallion is a henny. Not as common or as useful as Mules ( Jack Ass + Mare).
The Hagia Sophia was the main church of Byzantium, much like the St Peters Basilica. It is notable that the later conquerors decided not to demolish it, but convert it into a place of prayer for their own followers.
Have a good evening and night, you all, and we face a Friday puzzler tomorrow ! ( He said with a BANG !! )
TTP@7:12
Terribly sorry, my mistake...
I was talking to Malodorous Manatee yesterday
When the subject of marbles came up,
I guess I got confused...
(What a tough puzzling day this has been)
I went to look for a funny visual to lighten the mood,
When I came upon this insult to my injury...
Hi All!
Big Fat DNF. I couldn't get enough on my own to solve any of the themers. Clues would have made much more sense with even one themer under my belt. C. Moe hit the nail on the head.
Thanks Julie for the grid; after four Googles, it was fun.
Excellent expo, Waseeley. Clapton was my first thought at STRAT followed by my little brother has (a '70!) one. Enjoy the wedding.
WO: sol->RIO, SeGO, coin->CENT
Cheats: HAGIA, SLOOP, COMTE, RAVI
Fav: I'll go w/ clue for ALONE... no perps needed ;-)
I needed perp-help to spell BASMA[D?|T?]I. ~11% of Sugar Land are from India or Indian-decent and we HAVE fantastic restaurants as PROOF.
Thanks for the meaning break-down, Vidwan.
{B+, A}
LOL DR.
Lucina - that's a big dude.
Cool Van Gogh, Picard. Tomorrow DW & I are going to the new Escher exhibit at MFAH for our date-night.
Ray-O: we had the same thought(s) at Moore. Mary didn't occur to me until ASNER was only missing the N. Cute: HIT JOB needing a GLUE GUN to "stick 'em up.'
Jinx - language families: Procedural (C, perl), Object-Oriented (C++, Python3), Logic (Prolog), and Functional (LISP). Here.
I don't do much real development - just little stuff for myself. perl or Python are scripting languages (no need to compile & cross-platform!) and my daily drivers.
Cheers, -T
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