Title: I am nobody's fool! I am going to rock your world!
Sadly, the Chairman had to bow out of this write-up as he was not up to the challenge. All his years slapping us around never prepared him to have, let alone use an imagination. So appropriately on this first day of April, known as April Fool's Day, he called on me, Curly Joe , the reincarnation of the fourth and final performer to share the stage with Moe and his cousin Larry Fine, to save his bacon (they were not observant of the dietary laws). I am relied on to unravel a Friday fun fest from the overly-productive Jeffrey Wechsler who lives to hear his audience whimper. I am new to this so bear with me, I am going to begin with the one and only theme answer.
37A. Architectural marker, or what can be found four times in this puzzle: CORNER STONE (11). A cornerstone is a ceremonial building block, usually placed ritually in the outer wall of a building to commemorate its dedication. They have been aound for millenia.
If I knew puzzles would be so easy to make... what does that mean? I left no stone unturned in contemplating these building blocks, which brings me to my first Joe-sho:
Well back to what it all meant. To prepare I went back and reread many of Mr. Wechsler's prior puzzles and concluded the man is whack. I could not stop there, as I knew that would not be much of a write-up. So this is what I decided...it is another of those damn visuals Lemony talked about last week.
In the top right corner if you go up continuously from MARB and turn right to BLE you have MARBLE, a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. This is the"stone in the corner" a corner stone. The words spins around the B.
In the top left corner if you go right from BAS and then down to SALT you see BASALT which is an aphanitic extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron. This time S is the pivot.
In the bottom left you go down from SHA then turn left to ALE you will see SHALE which is a soft, finely stratified sedimentary rock that formed from consolidated mud or clay and can be split easily into fragile slabs. This time A is the pivot.
Lastly in the bottom right corner if you start with the PUM and turn right and combine with the MICE you get PUMICE a very light and porous volcanic rock formed when a gas-rich froth of glassy lava solidifies rapidly. We have one that spins on the M. It all spells MBSP which means nothing to me.
The constuctor uses these in a rather haphazard way, three 6 letter rocks and only one 5 letter; we have 2 rocks formed from lava, 1 metamporphic and 1 sedimentary rock; but the most telling flaw is the flow, or rather absence thereof. Basalt is the hardest, Marble next, Shale and then poor porous Pumice. Why didn't we get these in the proper order? Hardest to softest...maybe the clues could be scaled not by the day but by their place in the grid.
He tries to show off and distract us with so many long shiny words like BRAMBLE, ETERNAL, LITERAL, NATASHA, SPURTED, WAHINES, ECONOMIC, EMIGRATE, SAIL AWAY, THE BRAVE, BROTHERLY, and the most appropriate I'LL FORGET which I certainly will this puzzle. I am done, I am out of here.
Wait, Moe says I have to do the whole thing! What did I get myself into?
My first limerick
There was an old man who performed,
But sadly his body was deformed.
So his jokes were hurtful and mean,
And none could ever be called clean.
He died on stage, never reformed.
Now that you all are in the proper mood for a day of fun...
1. Came out in the wash?: BLED. If you stab someone use a thin knife like a stiletto, the cut does not bleed much. Oh, he meant the fabric color bleeds, why didn't he say so?
5. Support pieces: STUDS. Some of my best lady friends are supporting their young men.
10. Execs' wall displays: MBAS. I doubt that, maybe they have diplomas on the wall but not random letters.
14. Houston campus: RICE. I did not know they grew rice in Houston? I thought that only grew in watery swamp like areas? Why build a school there? Be careful all you Texans.
15. Fiddlers follower, in verse: THREE. I know this one...
16. Soft drink opener?: COCA. I never mix chocolate or cocaine with soda.
17. Small step: A TO B. I do have small feet.18. Flight maintenance word: DEICE. Limerick 2...
I am told I have to be nice,
And eat my chicken and rice.
Do not drink too much wine,
We'll have fun while we dine
Only if Tinbeni's drink I deice.
19. Worldwide: Abbr.: INTL. International, at least he tells us this one is an abbreviation.
20. Lists for patrons: MENUS. Which ones? Merriam-Webster tells us the definition is:
1a: a person chosen, named, or honored as a special guardian, protector, or supporter
a patron of the arts
b: a wealthy or influential supporter of an artist or writer
c: a social or financial sponsor of a social function (such as a ball or concert)
2: one that uses wealth or influence to help an individual, an institution, or a cause
a patron of the city library
3: one who buys the goods or uses the services offered especially by an establishment
a restaurant's patrons.
We finally made it to a restaurant...
22. Toucan's pride: BEAK. Did you know it is made of keratin, like human hair and is quite light and cannot be used for protection? This brings me to my second Joe-sho:
23. I.M. Pei alma mater: MIT. Where else could he go?
24. Like much love: BROTHERLY. Moe loves me like a brother.
See how he pushed Cousin Larry out of the picture?
26. Word with board or mentioned: ABOVE. I hope you are not bored with my stooge mentions which brings me to my limerick 3.
The Stooges were supposed to be three;
Moe Larry, first Shemp and then Curly.
Shemp left and came back when Curly got sick
Shemp left and came back when Curly got sick
But those three could never together stick;
They tried other Curlys but ended up with me.
28. Sudden flight: LAM. Rack of lam is one of my favorites, but I usually have it with the b?
29. Actress Longoria: EVA. Is she related to Eva Braun? Ooo ooo, I looked at her picture. maybe she could relate to me!
32. Romance novelist Hilderbrand: ELIN. She has written about NANTUCKET which reminds me of a classic limerick...sorry it was censored.
34. Natural climber: IVY.
36. SUV part, briefly: UTE.
41. WWII org. with a Pallas Athene symbol: WAC. Before my time.
Women's Army Corps
42. __ Paulo: SAO. Saint Paul.
43. Govt. agents: T-MEN. My grandson plays t-ball.
46. Some surfers: WAHINES. The word wahine came into English in the late 18th century from Maori, the language of a Polynesian people native to New Zealand; it was originally used for a Maori woman, especially a wife. The word is now used for a woman or a young girl in Hawaiian. In the US we call them surfer girls.
Limerick 4
Like MLK I too had a dream,
I saw a surfboard that did gleam;
Riding the board was a wahine
So I whispered something obscene,
Before long I awoke with scream!
50. "It depends" components: IFS. Ands and butts!
52. Give-go link: IT A. Give it a go; that is what I am doing.
53. Ain't like it oughta be?: AREN'T. The gramma police are out in force.
54. "Please remind me": I'LL FORGET. I already did
57. VII x CCC: MMC. I don't do math.
58. Ottoman honorific: AGHA. Fancy words for a foot stool.
59. Hall of Famer who was a Yankee manager and a Mets coach: BERRA. This clue must have been written by Will Sortz, I mean Shortz. He loves the Yankees but he does not know the whole history.
59. Hall of Famer who was a Yankee manager and a Mets coach: BERRA. This clue must have been written by Will Sortz, I mean Shortz. He loves the Yankees but he does not know the whole history.
LINK.
60. Canapé delicacy: PATÉ. I think this is what the rappers are singing about when I hear "paté time". Foie gras is foie gross to me.
62. Astonished: IN AWE. As you all must be by now.
64. Keeps out: BANS.
65. Yard, for one: UNIT. It makes you need to pee so bad.
66. 67-Across sites: MESAS. Ours in Arizona are more better.
67. Rockies state: UTAH.
68. Modern navigation aids: MICE. I should have used this for Limerick 2.
69. Court orders: STAYS. That's what I tell my dog. Man I am tired,
70. Ward of "FBI": SELA. She left the show years ago. Who makes these clues?
Down:
60. Canapé delicacy: PATÉ. I think this is what the rappers are singing about when I hear "paté time". Foie gras is foie gross to me.
62. Astonished: IN AWE. As you all must be by now.
64. Keeps out: BANS.
65. Yard, for one: UNIT. It makes you need to pee so bad.
66. 67-Across sites: MESAS. Ours in Arizona are more better.
67. Rockies state: UTAH.
68. Modern navigation aids: MICE. I should have used this for Limerick 2.
69. Court orders: STAYS. That's what I tell my dog. Man I am tired,
70. Ward of "FBI": SELA. She left the show years ago. Who makes these clues?
Down:
1. Berry bush: BRAMBLE. Isn’t that where Br’er Rabbit went?
2. True to the original: LITERAL.
3. Like Paul Samuelson's field: ECONOMIC. Paul Samuelson? Wiki says: Paul Anthony Samuelson was an American economist, who was the first American to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
4. Rollout: DEBUT. This is my debut as blogger; I had no idea how much work it was going to be.
5. Criterion: Abbr.: STD. This is standard abbreviation fill I am told.
6. Key ending words?: THE BRAVE. So cute, Francis Scott and land of the...
7. Archangel of repentance: URIEL. I watched Lucifer on Netflix and he did not seem very repentant.
8. Falls into ruin: DECAYS. I know, I have to take care of my teeth.
9. Try to locate: SEEK. I am looking for a dentist who likes Nitrous Oxide.
10. Defunct AT&T rival: MCI. Is't that where IMP worked?
11. Witticism: BONMOT.
12. Still at it: ACTIVE. I am but I am tired.
13. Like roads in winter, at times: SALTED. Or the rims of the margarita glass.
21. Maritime pronoun: SHE.
3. Like Paul Samuelson's field: ECONOMIC. Paul Samuelson? Wiki says: Paul Anthony Samuelson was an American economist, who was the first American to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
4. Rollout: DEBUT. This is my debut as blogger; I had no idea how much work it was going to be.
5. Criterion: Abbr.: STD. This is standard abbreviation fill I am told.
6. Key ending words?: THE BRAVE. So cute, Francis Scott and land of the...
7. Archangel of repentance: URIEL. I watched Lucifer on Netflix and he did not seem very repentant.
8. Falls into ruin: DECAYS. I know, I have to take care of my teeth.
9. Try to locate: SEEK. I am looking for a dentist who likes Nitrous Oxide.
10. Defunct AT&T rival: MCI. Is't that where IMP worked?
11. Witticism: BONMOT.
12. Still at it: ACTIVE. I am but I am tired.
Joe-sho 3
13. Like roads in winter, at times: SALTED. Or the rims of the margarita glass.
21. Maritime pronoun: SHE.
Limerick 5
They say all boats are girls.
So they name them like pearls.
But women we often learn,
Would like to see us burn;
So they make our sails unfurl.
25. Expose: EVINCE. Who is this Vince?
26. Road runner: AUTO. I thought he was a bird.
27. Spiner of "Star Trek: T.N.G.": BRENT. This was the robot guy
31. Postpone: PUT OFF. I can't put off finishing this, it is a
33. Bad sort of situation: NOW IN. I thought it meant the situation I am in, but I now see it is NO WIN, which is no better.
35. Annual arrivals: Abbr.: YRS. They are coming faster now
38. Tirade: RANT.
39. Subtitle of Enya's Grammy-winning "Orinoco Flow": SAILAWAY.
40. Settle in a new country: EMIGRATE. All this immigration emigration talk grates on my nerves, and I do not know if I am coming or going. Where did I hear that before?
44. Always there: ETERNAL. I am beginning to think this puzzle is forever.
45. Boris' sidekick: NATASHA. Alone he was never badenov.
46. Old Native American currency beads: WAMPUM. This seems very unPC for the woke generation.
47. Luxury fashion name: ARMANI.
48. More than busy: HECTIC. One armed paper hanger...
46. Old Native American currency beads: WAMPUM. This seems very unPC for the woke generation.
47. Luxury fashion name: ARMANI.
48. More than busy: HECTIC. One armed paper hanger...
49. Seal on a ring: SIGNET. Signet rings have been around for centuries and were traditionally engraved with a monogram or symbol that could be pressed into hot wax to create a seal, not a sea lion.
51. Blubber: SOB. I admit we large men do tend to sob and it looks a bit like a whale.
55. Capital at 12,000 feet: LHASA. You bet you find that in Tibet.
56. Picture puzzle: REBUS. Not the fancy crossword ones
58. Intentions: AIMS. I aim to get out of here.
61. Summer at the Sorbonne: ÉTÉ. I learned that in school.
63. Start to snow?: ESS. The start of the word snow, and the end of my being here, I was really snowed by Moe. Be well. CJ.
61. Summer at the Sorbonne: ÉTÉ. I learned that in school.
63. Start to snow?: ESS. The start of the word snow, and the end of my being here, I was really snowed by Moe. Be well. CJ.
I would like to tell you how much fun I had, but I hate lying to people I don't know. I am sending this off and wish you all luck.
Oh wow, I mailed the write up to Lemon to post and I guess his email included Mr. Wechsler address and I received the following! Oy vey!
Memo:
From: Jeffrey Wechsler
Re: Today’s crossword
What? This puzzle is published on a Friday? This isn’t one of those insidiously tricky Friday puzzle themes that sometimes raise people’s hackles– maybe it’s a Thursday, or even a Wednesday. Hey, I ‘ve got a reputation to protect! So – um, wait – it’s April Fools’ Day! Maybe that’s it. But wait – are you calling me a fool? Wrong day and an insult? I want to complain to the editor! Wait, what – the editorship is changing? Are they using that as an excuse? Maybe I should sue. Any lawyers involved in this review? Maybe I should check with this Lemonade character who sometimes writes on Fridays. Lemonade: Ha! What a moniker! With that name he must be a real sourpuss. (But sometimes the writer is Chairman Moe; that sounds like Chairman Mao – might be a subversive, someone should check into it.) But maybe I should think twice about getting a lawyer: didn’t someone once write “Let’s kill all the lawyers”? Who was that? Oh, yeah, some guy supposedly named Shakespeare. Now that’s a made-up name if ever I heard one! Just some scribbler who used weird words like “hath” and “doth” and crazy contractions like “e’er” and “e’en”. Totally not worth quoting.
And perhaps I should dial it down. The Crossword Corner is generally a calm oasis among crossword blogs; I shouldn’t rock the boat. And its participants are so varied – they might be Irish or Canadian, they range from a Husker to a Jinx. Sometimes reading their comments provides a Ray-O-Sunshine. (I’d better stop here; my eyes are getting Misty.) So, an April Fools’ Day toast to this blog (including even those who still misspell my last name) and especially to whoever runs the Corner – not a big drink, maybe a very, very tiny one, maybe just one CC.
YAD SLOOF LIRPA!
F
51 comments:
Even after I solved the puzzle and got the reveal, it took me a good while to see marble, basalt, pumice and shale. But they are in the "corners" so I guess it's a fair puzzle. In the end, FIR, so I'm happy.
As usual for a JW CW, a real struggle. Almost gave up. Too many DNKs to list. And never saw the corner stones. But did manage to FIR in an award winning 39 minutes. W/Os: BLURTED:SPURTED, ISNOT:ARENT, BARS:BANS, SANDED:SALTED. No wonder it took me so long! Congratulations on this CW, JW, I can’t even imagine putting something together with the “corner stones” in place. Devilishly brilliant! Terrific write-up, Lemonade, thanx.
White rabbit white rabbit.
FIRight. On a Friday!
BASALT, MARBLE, PUMICE, SHALE
The NW corner was the hardest for me. no specific word, just a mass of confusing clues.
The theme was good, and I didn't get it until long after I finished the puzzle, so it was no help.
Update on my personal struggles: Bren sent the scammers a last payment of $50 Wednesday. The $15,000 check, as I expected. On her own initiative, she used Google Earth on the check's address, and found it was a vacant lot. I'm pretty sure that she finally admits these scammers were phonies. But she is so gullible, next month another scammer will get to her with a different scam she'll fall for.
Anyway, our account is now over $500 in the hole. I gave the okay to sell our car, finally admitting I'm not going to drive it again. It will bring in enough to cover our shortage - provided it gets to our bank account in time! Overdraft charges multiply like white rabbits, and won't be small enough to cover if it takes too long.
Good morning!
Fell into the blURTED/SPURTED trap (Hi, unclefred.) That was my only Wite-Out moment. URIEL came bubbling up unbidden. No idea where that came from. Went looking for the stones after finishing and, surprise, found 'em. Maybe there's hope for d-o, yet. Really enjoyed this one, and finished well under the time limit. Thanx, Jeffrey and C-J.
BEAK : I remember a TV nature show involving a Toucan. Some vandals had smashed his BEAK. The folks at the nature center repaired it with fiberglass, restoring the bird to his former glory. Wart-harming.
DECAY : An upper molar is scheduled to come out next Tuesday. The oral surgeon offered a four-step removal/replacement program. The first two steps are only a few $hundred each. Then things get interesting. Proof that dentists live for clients with "deep pockets."
RICE : That great southern university where Uncle Ben was converted.
I do not understand this clue: VII x CCC: MMC. I know Roman letters but have never seen CCC or MMC. Can someone explain?
FIR, but erased pupu for PATE, snit for RANT, fat for SOB, if i FORGET for I'LL, and had to respel AGah. UNTIE! DNK ELIN, pallas athene, URIEL, or SAIL AWAY (but I do know "Come Sail Away" by Styx). I could have looked for the stones until the cows came home and I still wouldn't have seen them.
The reason boats are SHEs is that, like human SHEs, the rigging is more expensive than the hull.
Thanks to JeffWech for another entertaining puzzle, and to Curly (or should I say Mr. Joe?) for the sparkling review. So much fresher than those other guys. BTW, 1 cc may not be much, but "I'm Not In Love" with 10cc either.
When the Sea of White became the Black Sea I finally searched for Author. I should have known. A masterpiece of cruciverbal cruelty. Lirs of extra black ink, too many overwrites to mention
And I do Math I just don't read well. And my writing is worse. I had dcc then re-calced
Of all the BERRA Clues…
I cut my ECON Major teeth on Paul and indirectly Keynes. The latter seems to be invariably right about the Economy but doesn't fit the various agendas.
Yes, Key clue was cute. N.O. as in Laughing Gas. I'd trick the dentist into giving it for free by regaling him with early Celtics history.
How'd I dredge up BRENT?
Interesting the JW would have REBUS in a clue after last Friday
Never spotted the CORNERSTONES because my writing was so bad. Enjoyed the April Foolish write-up L. Was mixing your lefts and rights part of it?
FIR and happy about that
WC
TML (as I wind up to toss the V8 can), VII = 7, times CCC = 300. 7 x 300 = 2,100, which is MM (for 2,000) and C (for 100). Hope the can didn't hurt too bad.
Thanks Jinx in Norfolk.
Almost put up the white flag on the day of the white rabbit, but managed to finish it in 21:17. The upper corners were going to be the death of me, but I eventually got blood from those stones.
TGIF.
(Thank Goodness I Finished.)
Curly Joe thanks you Jinx for helping our TML get his answer. As CJ said, he does not do math.
Another clever theme from JW - but do-able with P & P.
My biggest slow down was when I put LaPaz for the capital at 12,000 feet instead of LHASA. the I'LL FORGET answer encouraged the LaPaz to stay in, but the rest of perps did not. Somewhat confusing with LHASA not being the capital of a country, but the administrative capital of the "Tibet Autonomous region" within China. The Tibetans would love to have their country back but China says no- sound familiar?
Thanks for the blog CJ
FIR, but never got the theme. Lots of arcane clues, but doable nonetheless!
Good Morning:
I am a huge fan of JW but this one was disappointing for me because it lacked his unique word wizardry skills, the reveal entry appeared too early and was simple to guess without any filled in letters, and the placement of the theme answer’s letters did not jibe. I saw Pumice and Shale but because I was expecting the same placement of letters, did not see Marble or Basalt which was kind of frustrating. Despite those criticisms, I enjoyed the solve and found several clues that had the Wechsler wit and cleverness. Brent was the only unknown and Seek/Beak the only pairing I noticed. (No excuses, but I wasn’t fully awake when I did this puzzle). JW gave us a nice A Game with Coca, Eva, It A, Agha, Berra, Sela, and Natasha. CSOs to Picard (MIT), Sail Away (Jinx), The Texas Posse (Rice), and Lucina and Moe (Mesas).
Thanks, Jeffrey W, for keeping us on our toes and thank you to whomever did the blogging. I must be a true April Fool because I don’t know if Lemony or MalMan is the culprit. Another sign that I wasn’t fully awake! 😴
Have a great day.
No April Fool joke; I FIR but could not see the CORNER STONEs. I had to guess between T-MEN or G-MEN because BRENT was unknown. The NW was the most trouble as BRAMBLE was unknown to me as a 'Berry bush' and ELIN was not known either. Wechsler never makes things easy.
RICE- There are many Ricelands around Houston.
IF I FORGET before I'LL FORGET
BLURTED before SPURTED
UTE (36D) could have also been clued with MESAS to UTAH. UTE must be a crossword abbr. for a non-JEEP S-UTILITY-V. Has anybody ever called a SUV a 'utility vehicle'. Those vehicles are the golf cart type runarounds. SUVs are really station wagons with more headroom, some with RWD, some with FWD, some with AWD.
George, SUV is the initialism for Sport Utility Vehicle.
Agnes, the theme was CORNERSTONE and all the theme fill went around the corner. CJ commented that the corners were not symmetrical. I assure you Malman was not a participant in the write-up. The comments highlighted as coming from Jeffrey were in fact a copy and paste of an email from Jeffrey to the Corner. This was not a product of my imagination...or was it... a product of Moe's...or was it...or a product of Jeffrey's?
Not a good day for me. FIW with two squares I just couldn't figure out. Not many WOs otherwise but just filled in wrong at A TO B and INTL. My choices didn't make sense but....
Thanks, Jeffrey, for a challenge today. I did find the CORNERSTONE in each corner! And thanks to whoever did the review today. As I read it I thought it was C Moe's humorous take with the limericks and all but it seems it was Lemonade after all, or a group joke? Entirely appropriate for April Fool's Day.
I'll try not to be fooled again today. Good luck, everyone! And TGIF!
Big Easy, I used to listen to a consumer advocacy / travel advice show by a guy named Clark Howard. He called them "sport utes". (Clark was a self-made multimillionaire who lived like he didn't know where his next meal was coming from, much to the chagrin of his family.) I'll bet ATL Granny knows of him too.
Lemony @ 9:20 ~ I realize they all went around the corner but they weren’t symmetrical, as you mentioned, and that was my complaint. My confusion about the blogger was forgetting the Curley Joe reference and then thinking the Joe-kues were MalMan’s (Joseph). As I said, I wasn’t fully awake, so I plead guilty to cognitive confusion. Mea Culpa. 🤭
I just looked him up on Facebook - Clark has over a million friends there.
BTW, the only ELIN I had heard of before today is Elin Nordegren, Tiger's ex-wife. She was very good with a five iron, even though she didn't golf.
KS, which clues are "arcane?" Remember the constructors do not get final say on the cluing and 30-70% of clues are altered by the editors. I do remember a first time published author rant about the changing of his clues...I have never seen him published anywhere since.
KS' comment caused me to email JW about his email and what he had meant, and he advised his submission was not intended for Friday and had circles to highlight the "stones." The editors also decide (except for Themeless Saturday and 21x21 Sunday) what day of the week a puzzle runs. One of the benefits of this blog and the diverse information coming from C.C., a dramatically successful constructor, and the rest of us with our different backgrounds and perspectives and creative juices is to enhance the fun. AFD is meant to be FUN!
Foolish Friday. Thanks for the Fun, Jeffrey (I won’t even try to spell your last name!) and CurlyJoe (and Lemonade for posting).
I FIRed, saw the theme, found the CORNER STONEs (but missed the Moh’s scale). Arrived here to the hilarious blog, and wonderful letter from JW, that I’LL (never) FORGET. (Thanks for the Canadian SO)
It took a moment before it was EVINCEd that the themer referred to the four corners, and not the longer fills of 24A, 30 A, 46 A and 54A. Is STUDS an Easter Egg for our building on the CORNER STONEs? And if our building survives long enough, will it be IVY- covered?
Ariel changed to URIEL (I don’t know my angels!).
Isn’t was too short- AREN’T fit.
I thought of Quito before LHASA.
I WAGged Brett, but perp changed it to BRENT.
Entering WAMPUM at 48D instead of 46 D held up that corner.
I thought those surfers at 46A might be using MICE.
Wishing you all a great day.
Musings
-Jeffrey’s usual very witty puzzle complemented by his après solving comments! Way cool!
-My dad always used Lava soap that advertised that it contained volcanic PUMICE
-I live 20 minutes from from this city of BROTHERLY Love (Ain’t works better than ARENT)
-I was surprised to learn that Canadian Football Fields are marked off in YARDS and not metres
-Some of Agatha’s BBC Poirot mysteries take liberties with her original novels
-THE BRAVE - I’ve been invited to sing the national anthem for the Royals’ AAA Omaha farm team
-DECAYS – It would be nice if plastic did this in the landfill
-Annuals – Kids look at me funny when I say this instead of yearbooks
-NO WIN – I either had to offend my lovely audiologist or save $3,200. I chose the latter.
Lemony @3:30 AM Wow! Lemony APING Curley Joe APING CMoe, complete with poems, run on sentences, and a REAL letter from JeffWech, an April Fool's Hat trick. Had me fooled. Great puzzle, great review (no foolin').
Loved the theme with actual STONES. . Geology was my very first hobby and at one time I had all the stones in today's puzzle in my collection. I recall a similar idea in one of my early reviews, "CORNERSTONES" disappearing into circles in each corner. Threw me for a complete loop (I was so clueless that I had to call on MalMan to bail me out). Turned out to be EMMA STONE, OLIVER STONE, SLY STONE, and SHARON STONE making the rounds in the corners.
Hola!
No, I was not fooled by JW's puzzle. In fact, I believe it to be one of his easiest to solve. Maybe that was the joke, fooling us into believing it was someone else. Thank you, Jason, for the LITERAL interpretation.
The bottom filled quickly then the top center. I laughed at Fiddlers THREE for some reason.
Nice to see BON MOT. Usually we have just BON or just MOT.
VII x CCC, 7 x 300.
I know I've mentioned before that I've had only one student named URIEL.
Luckily, our roads never have to be SALTED.
T-MEN waited for BRENT to decide on T or G.
Have a wonderful day, everyone, and don't let anyone fool you!
I loved this CORNER STONES theme! I do not consider the puzzle solved until I dig out every bit of the theme and understand it. I realize others may disagree. Very pleased to dig out all of the CORNER STONES to FIR!
Irish Miss Yes, I appreciated the MIT CSO. And IM PEI also designed some of the most iconic MIT buildings, as I have shared before.
Today I will share this never shared photo of me in UTAH at Bryce Canyon in the snow.
UTAH is my favorite state for NATURE SCENES.
From Yesterday:
Yellowrocks Thank you for the very sweet words. I would like to meet you, too. I sent you an email last night.
AnonT Thank you for the validation that BACKSPLASH is a word that you and your industrious family use.
I am still curious: Has anyone else ever POSEd at the JACKSON HOLE Antler Arch? It is a memorable sight!
Puzzling thoughts:
Imagine me, waking up this morning, realizing I hadn't written a recap of today's puzzle ...
But lo and behold (or was that "Joe, and be bold") the last Stooge standing came to the rescue ...
On the "Moe's" Hardness Scale this was a 6 for the solve; 10 for the reveal ... the Chairman tried fifteen ways from Tuesday to see the "CORNER STONE(S)", but never did ... not until Curley Joe came to his aid ... and Bill Seeley, I do recall the "STONES" from your puzzle blog and was trying to find the same here ... I guess I never saw the quarry for the pebbles ...
I actually thought the "April Fool's" was that there was no reveal at all ...
I offered L714 a haiku, dad joke, pun, and/or limerick, but it terns out he didn't knead Juan
To paraphrase JeffWech's favorite author/poet/playwright, William Shakespeare, "all the world's a stooge" ... thanks CJ for bailing me out
I liked this theme, even after realizing the stones were not going to be spaced regularly. It helped me with marble in the tricky NW. I tried to read shale backwards for a time, ELAHS. I found this easier than most JW's.
Can there be more than one YR? 35D LOL
Tinbeni we miss you. Will you come back if we promise no ice?
From WIKIPEDIA:
A ute (/juːt/ YOOT), originally an abbreviation for "utility" or "coupé utility", is a term used in Australia and New Zealand to describe vehicles with a tonneau behind the passenger compartment, that can be driven with a regular driver's license.
Traditionally, the term referred to vehicles built on passenger car chassis and with the cargo tray integrated with the passenger body (coupé utility vehicles). However, present-day usage of the term "ute" in Australia and New Zealand has expanded to include any vehicle with an open cargo area at the rear, which would be called a pickup truck in other countries.
I wrote a comment yesterday but it never went through. I’ll try again.
I never saw the cornerstones either, but I enjoyed the challenge. I appreciated JW’s bons mots; they made him sound half-way human. Over the years I wondered! The clever man.
I admire all the smart comments by our cornerites and our fearless leaders.
Picard: I have pictures of the antler arch in Jackson Hole, but I’m not posed in front, however. It is indeed quite a sight.
Got the reveal, went looking for the stones, but only found salt in the NW, and got sidetracked with my own personal Natick. Studs crossing Uriel. ( I really wanted support pieces to be I bars. )
Arrived at the write up, started reading, and realized I had forgot to look for the cornerstones.
"I know" (I thought) "I will scroll down and look at the grid to solve the cornerstones!"
Except, Lemon had highlighted the stones in the corner ruining my "aha" moments...
( Rats! Fooled again! )
One of my nits with the Blog, (actually, the only one)
is that you can never find out who the author is until you get to the bottom.
So I scroll to the bottom (again) and it says "Lemon."
No! Can't be! This sounds like Chairman. That Lemon signature must be a fake!
( I'm still not sure who wrote this blog)
And another thing!
You can't convince me that the email was really from Jeffrey Wechsler.
How do I know?
If it was really from JW, he would have mentioned Cross Eyed Dave!
Thank goodness they shed their antlers every year
Becky
Somebody said? 16. Soft drink opener?: COCA. I never mix chocolate or cocaine with soda.
I misread this as NEVER mix, and as a New Yorker was taken aback...
Lemon, you don't know what you are missing!
(Cocaine and soda? I dunno, but I think it would make you sneeze...)
Read about Wahine, and thought it innocuous.
But I wonder what tomorrow will bring. Squaw used to be innocent enough, and now appears to be an insult?
Jinx said: The reason boats are SHEs is that, like human SHEs, the rigging is more expensive than the hull.
I may get in trouble for this, but I thought boats are called She because they can be temperamental.
( I call my scooter a She...)
Husker Gary said: -DECAYS – It would be nice if plastic did this in the landfill
It is all over the NJ newspapers how they are about to ban not only plastic, but paper bags as well.
I think this might be a hasty decision. but being CrossEyedDave, I tend to look at both sides of any issue, and it may be quite possible that our Grandchildren will be in cars that are being eaten by bacteria as they drive....
Finally,
VII x CCC
I stink at math...
(Apologies to Bill G.)
I never know where to put the zeros...
Hey Lemon! When I'm famous, would you represent me?
Like many of you say. Didn't think I would finish, till I did. The NW was last to fall. LITERAL literally seemed wrong but by plugging it in I completed BRAMBLE, (Thought that was just any kind of dense thorny bush) RICE, ATOB (hafta wait for the reveal to see how this relates to a "small step"). Ooooh now I C.."A to B"...meh...🙄
CORNERSTONE 4 times? but no "stone" answers in the 4 corners of the puzzle..I give up on the theme. Wait wait...just read Lemony's remarks: there ARE stones around each 4 corners, I was just too stoopid to notice the astoot right angle arrangement..Cleverrrrr!!!😃
BRENT unknown and ELIN was on an old puzzle answer that by tomorrow I'LL FORGET. "Ain't"ECONOMIC as a "field" called Economics? ("Social studies" not "Social study")🤔
Inkovers: feds/GMEN, erupted/SPURTED ,marker/CORNERSTONE, sanded/SALTED ("salting" is a no-no in our town, we DEICE the roads with sand.)
Don't get me started on how long it takes to DEICE a airplane while the passengers sit on board as flight connections vanish. Makes me wanna RANT.
I s'pose we can let URIEL into our Arcangel club. Raphael, Michael (stop swinging that sword around) and Gabriel (the horny one) 😇😇😇
Liked "ain't like it oughtta be" and "Key ending words" Lemony, I believe WAHINE is 3 syllables Wah HEE' Nee (or neh).🌺 DO I liked the "Conversion of Uncle Ben"🤣🤣
UTAH "sites" starts with M but isn't Mormons. WAHIN?S, E or i?...so perpwaited. Pooch at 12000 feet, LHASA Apso?
Jada Smith has a shaved _____ ...PATE; led to a ____ on stage...WAC
Property of singer McEntire.....REBUS
Defunct road runner....SOB
Odds' opposite...EVINCE
Comedian Imogene ____ COCA.. (Lucina, her father was Spanish "Joseph Fernández y Coca).
As "The Who" said erroneously..."We won't get fooled again" 🎸🥁 🎹
Apparently 'atob' is a prayer chanted by women to a dead person in the Karao language.
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/atob
Hi Y'all! Well, I hit rock bottom trying to find the theme CORNERSTONES until whoever blogged clued us in. I wasn't so much fooled on this day as just continuously confused.
Thanks, Jeffrey, for a head-scratcher challenge. I filled 'er and liked some of the clues.
I got April fooled yesterday on grocery delivery day. I ordered 4 pints of vanilla ice cream. After insisting in at least 6 texts to my shopper that I wanted only vanilla of any brand available, she brought me chocolate chocolate chip. Apparently she doesn't like vanilla and can't believe any fool could.
Ut-OH. Looks like we're in for it tomorrow.
When a Friday PZL is this easy, Saturday promises blood.
I was stuck for a while, but only in a coupla places.
The single fill that gave me the most trouble was 35D, YRS. Even with the clue telling me it was an "Abbr.," I was unable to see the obvious reference.
I went with it, but only when I read Lemonade's note did the fog lift. Sometimes the brain cells just won't click.
My wife and her mom are finishing their week-long vacay, with a visit to the Grand Canyon today. They'll drive home tomorrow or Sunday.
~ OMK
____________
DR: Happy to report a 3-way on the near side.
The central diagonal's anagram (12 of 15 letters) speaks of the manners of a British (but NOT an American) klutz.
Yes, from the geographic clue you can tell I am speaking of ...
"OAF BEHAVIOUR"!
Ask an Australian about a SUV and you'll get a puzzled look. Down under they're known as UTEs. Not sure about the rest of the British Empire. I think they're cognate with the English "caravan".
Roman numerals
I = 1
V = 5
X = 10
L = 50
C = 100
D = 500
M = 1000
I̅̅ = 1,000
V̅ = 5,000
X̅ = 10,000
L̅ = 50,000
C̅ = 100,000
D̅ = 500,000
M̅ = 1,000,000
What follows sounds so much like a scammer that I cringe to write it. I said we sold our car to get enough money to save our bank account. I was hoping to see that in our account a couple days ago. This morning I asked Bren where it was, and she tells me it won't be until all paperwork and authorizations are done -- 7 to 10 days! By then, all the bank fees and penalties will wipe out every bit of the price of the car, and leave us back on the edge. So the part I hate. Is there anyone here rich enough that they can loan me $3000 for a few days. If so, email me so comments on this don't clutter the blog.
OKL, I hope I am wrong but it sounds like Bren is scamming you again. Most car purchases are paid for on the spot and two days would be the longest for the check to clear.The paperwork and authorizations are figments of her imagination. Please get someone from the outside to help you- now!
Becks, that is by far the most concise comment on the puzzle. Well done.
I like a challenge, but to finish this and the reasoning behind the answers is not a good response.
I guess everyone has left but I did want to say I had a very good time, after speaking with Chris (Moe) who asked me to blog this puzzle because of my experience of blogging around 100 of JW's puzzles. I told him since it was April Fool's Day, with Moe's permission, I would blog as an alter ego, the borrowed Curly Joe character who really was the final third Stooge.
Waseely (Bill) at 10:29 was spot on with what was published and how it got here. Chris (Moe) unlike the Smith family understood parody and humor are forms of flattery and come from an appreciation and a respect for the roastee. The fact that I fooled some of you means I did a good job. As some have mentioned in their comments (confusion) today each of the bloggers has their own voice. It was fun using two today. Happy APD to all and to all a good night.
Kerek, I add you to the question I asked KS, please give us some specifics so we all can learn of what you speak.
Thank you Jeffrey Wechsler for a very challenging puzzle ... even for a Friday, but I finally finished it, and it was enjoyable.
Thank you Lemonade, for your uncharacteristic method od todays blog ... I had to look down thrice, to make sure it was really you.
I have read that during the WW2 the germans in occupied France could make out the 'writer' or puncher of telegraphic messages based on their hand ... how 'heavy' or light it was and how smooth it was. But it was impossible for me to know as to who had actually written the blog.
But a great job, never the less.
My NW corner gave me the most trouble, I was looking for some type of berry ... wrong again.
Before I forget ... Message to PICARD ... I have been to Jackson Hole 3 times, twice on the route to Yellowstone, and once we spent a week there for a conference in JHole itself, in some cabins. We also took a sky tram or cable cab to a nearby mountain top, that I faintly remember... no pictures survive though.
I was far more impressed by their National Museum on WildLife Art, that is fabulous....
... than the downtown park with the deer antler Arch.
We did take some pictures, but I dont know where they are.
Also I had a client who was a deer hunter, in southern Ohio, and he gave me a dozen antlers, some even gnawed by forest mice - who love the calcium .... and he informed me that the deer shed these antlers every year... which I think is a waste and consumes too much of the animal's energy and which could be better used to build up their muscles ....
BTW, Picard, I have used the word BackSplash ... and I installed the (Plastic ) tiles as backsplashes ...in our house ... behind the Ovens and behind the faucets in the kitchen sink.
in our basement gas ranges, I just cut an appropriate size of our hallway linoleum leftovers scrap, and stuck it to the wall, as a backsplash.
well, my post is already too long ... you all have a nice day, and a nice weekend.
Woohoo! Woohoo! This will be not only my favorite Jeffrey Wechsler puzzle of all time--but my favorite crossword morning of all time.
How wonderful to have Jeffrey check in with us, and chat with us about the puzzle. But then he did much more, making nice comments about our blog.
And then came the moment that almost brought me to tears: when Jeffrey said "my eyes are getting Misty." Jeffrey, you made my eyes get misty too! Thank you for that!
And thank you for your commentary, as always, Lemonade.
Misty, we all get misty when your unfailing optimism and sweetness appears, whether here or in Jumbleville
WC
Hi All!
DNF - had to cheat 2x.
JW, You win again (WAHINES?). Thanks for the fine puzzle that frustrated me until it didn't. And, nice to know you read The Corner(?)
What a fun expo, you Stooge. Thanks for the time y'll put in to entertain.
WOs: doNor -> MENU, gte->MCI
Cheats: ELIN, LHASA (I was lost and in Peru somewhere)
ESPs: BRAMBLE, AGHA, URIEL,
Fav: Boris & NATASHA. SE filled in a flash.
Runner-up: BRENT SPINER. Not only was he great as Data, he's pretty funny too [cite]
BigE's right. Houston was a swamp. RICE grows well as does sugar... I'm in Sugar Land which was the HQ of Imperial Sugar. Imperial's silos still sit in the old part of town.
I liked seeing MIT & RICE in the puzzle. The consulting firm I was at for 15 year was founded by one guy who went to RICE and the other (my buddy) MIT. Hence, the firm was MRE (MRE == MIT & RICE Engineers)
Thanks for The Who, Ray-O!
OKL - 7 to 10 days!?! NO! Take it to CarMax and end it. The market for used cars is inflated and you should get way more than $3k for any used car right now.
Tell Bren to halt the sale and take it to a dealership of some sort; they're paying top dollar. //or what Lem @3:31p said.
That's a great DR, OMK.
CED / Y'all see this? New Jersey's Governor changed the State Bird to the Middle Finger by Executive Order. #BestAFthisYear
Cheers, -T
Misty - I'll second WC's 7:52p post. You're a treat and I have an affinity for Eng.Lit PhDs - DW is one too :-)
Cheers, -T
My goodness, I thought my day couldn't get any better. And here in addition I got two more incredibly sweet comments! Thank you so much, Wilbur. And thank you, too, Anonymous T, and how nice to hear your wife shares my field.
Well, a two-square FIW, and it happened at 2D, so I didn’t have to work my way through the expo to get the bad news. I had errors in two of the across fills, which doomed 2D. However, I must say that I am extremely pleased to have come within two squares of solving a Jeffrey Wechsler Friday (or Thursday or Wednesday – whatever) puzzle.
I got the reveal, but missed the corners altogether. Circles would have certainly helped!
Um, believe me! Houston IS a watery, swamp-like place! In fact, one of my mostest favoritest derogatory remarks about the place is, “Well, what do you expect, when you live in the middle of a swamp???”
Thanks, Jeffrey and Lemon.
Oh, goodie! Saturday's puzzle should be up now!
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