Puzzling thoughts:
Chairman Moe here, doing his normal Friday blog ...
First off, just want to say that I FIR with minimal w/o's (if that is such a thing on a computer); and second, I want to commend Ben Tolkin on what I think is his LA Times debut. Seems that this blogger has had his share of first-time constructors to critique, but it seems, too, that the new editor(s) are providing ample opportunity to newcomers
And in my "Husker Gary" manner, I googled Ben and came up with this brief biography ... as well as what appears to be his "blog" to showcase his puzzles. I'm going to give them a try, when I get a Moe-ment
Today I am placing the "reveal" first, as it gives away the rather covert clues for the three entries: 48-across. Evolutionary mysteries, and a feature of three clues in this puzzle: MISSING LINKS.
So how does this tie into the three clues, you ask? Let's examine 20-across. S: MOVE SNEAKILY. If you add the word "LINK" to the letter "S", you get "SLINK", which means "MOVE SNEAKILY"
In 28-across. C: SOUND OF A TOAST, if you add "LINK" you get "CLINK". As your resident wine geek and erstwhile sommelier, this one makes perfect sense!
And last, but not least, 42-across. B: CLOSE ONES EYES, which offers us: "BLINK"
Very clever. So, Moe, what does the theme title have to do with this puzzle? Well, to those of you who watched sitcoms back in the '60's, you'll know that the only clue that Ben left out was, K: STALAG OBERST, or "KLINK"! [note, "KLINK" is a hyperlink ...]
So without further ado, let's SLINK into the other clues/entries, but don't BLINK; afterward we can all CLINK a toast to Mr. Tolkin!
Across:
1. Have over: HOST.
5. "A Land More Kind Than Home" novelist Wiley: CASH. OK, who - besides me - will be the next to comment about how much they hate having a proper name describe what should be described as an object? My "CASH" is on Irish Miss!!
9. Mary-in-mourning sculpture: PIETA.
14. 1968 self-titled live folk album: ARLO.
15. Baseball family name: ALOU. I'm one who thinks that this entry should be stricken from crossword puzzles. How many years has it been since the ALOU brothers played MLB? ALOU should not be ALOUd
16. Cruise stopovers: ISLES. PORTS also fit
17. More than a little unkind: MEAN. Was my comment in 15-across a bit MEAN?
18. Dozes off: NODS. Chairman Moe looks forward to his mid-afternoon NODs, aka, naps
19. Magazine featuring Pencil Pointers: GAMES. First off, has anyone other than a GEN Y or Millenial even heard of this magazine? C'mon Patti, don't play GAMES with us!! ;^)
23. "Gloria in Excelsis __": DEO. Second of the "biblical" words
24. Shelter adoptee: RESCUE. I liked this clue! We had a RESCUE in our home up until last November when Sadie crossed the rainbow bridge
32. Cornfield cries: CAWS. As in what a murder of crows might "say"
33. Total: RUIN. Totalling a car (in an accident) would definitely RUIN your day
34. Joe: MUD. Black coffee
35. Dilutes: THINS. Think of adding water or ice to whisky; something that neither I nor tinbeni (where has HE been?) would do
36. "The Street" novelist Petry: ANN. Of all the "ANNs" in the world, Ben chose this one. Good choice
37. Thoughts: IDEAS. My "thoughts" are always "puzzling"
39. Feel unwell: AIL.
40. Canine kiss: LICK. As per Wilbur Charles, this word could also be spelled L'ICK, and be a CSO to our Prince of Poetry, OwenKL, whose LimerICKs grace our blog most every day
Fun fact: The aforementioned Sadie (a cat) gave occasional LICKs. So the clue could also have been: "Feline kiss". This was Moe's first experience with a cat as a pet, and I did not know that they did this to their humans!
41. Not too keen: DULL. And if (38-down. Opposite sides of a rather pointed fight?:) DUELISTS were using EPEEs as their "weapons" of choice, the word DULL could also apply
46. Looking to add staff: HIRING. Post-pandemic, businesses were having trouble HIRING
47. 100%: ALL.
55. Swing for the fences: GO BIG. Is this a baseball metaphor?
58. Summer hangout: POOL. Brings back memories ... and fortunately, Chairman Moe and Margaret have a POOL in their backyard; a true God-send in this oppressive Arizona summer heat
59. Stock exchange membership: SEAT. [investopedia.com] "The term "SEAT" is a reference to a seat on a stock exchange from which a person can trade, either as a floor broker or a floor trader. Historically, owning a seat was possible only for the wealthy and the lucky as there were a limited amount of seats. The term seat was most commonly used in the context of the NYSE.
60. Tourney format: PRO-AM. These "events" are still widely conducted on the Wednesday of a weekly golf tournament
61. Boo-boo: OWIE. That hurts!
62. Flooring preference: TILE. Also found as a liner material for most POOLs
63. Hatha yoga posture: ASANA. Moe-ku:
Skirt steak's favorite
Pose at Yoga studio?
Carne ASANA
64. Patches potholes, say: TARS. Another clue could've been: Nickname for sailors, but that might have been in conflict with 28-down
65. Quick cut: SNIP. Not something I do anymore since I've gone "bald"
Down:
1. "Good Omens" actor Jon: HAMM. The only HAMM I knew is Mia
2. Cookie with a Cakesters variety: OREO
3. Balkan native: SLAV. As in SLAVic
4. Soft-pedal: TONE DOWN.
5. "1812 Overture" instrument: CANNON. These
6. Facial tissue additive: ALOE. I found that these are not very good at cleaning your eyeglasses
7. Pop: SODA. Here's a map showing which state's population calls it SODA or pop, or even Coke (to which they'll ask you "What kind of Coke do you want?"
8. Tamale wrapper: HUSK.
9. Milne friend who notes, "It is hard to be brave when you're a Very Small Animal": PIGLET.
10. "It's my call": I SAY SO. A baseball reference? Some of these "calls" are questionable
11. Blight-stricken tree: ELM. CSO to Lemonade714, a Connecticut native, who's state honors the ELM as their state tree
12. Bit of concert merch: TEE. Any "Dead Heads" in this community? Comment below, or better yet, show us your favorite TEE
13. Donkey: ASS. When I am referring to it as a body part, I spell it "A$$"
21. Sneetches creator: SEUSS. Is there a DR. in the house?
22. Nation that follows the Solar Hijri calendar: IRAN.
25. Caravan mounts: CAMELS. This was the last pack of cigarettes I smoked; quit in 1980
26. Customary: USUAL. Today's blog recap is not my USUAL ... see if you can figure out why ... comment below
27. Gate postings, briefly: ETDS.
28. "__ Moon": manga series: SAILOR. See 64-across for another name for SAILOR
29. Pull the plug on: DRAIN. Does anyone take a bath anymore? Just showers for me
30. Light weight: OUNCE. Would not have been the correct response if the clue was written: "Lightweight"
31. Squeals (on): FINKS. Here is a term for us "old-timers"! FINKS, as a verb, had its heyday in the 1800's (and before) and had a slight uptick back when I was a ute
32. Bowlful served with a cinnamon roll in the Midwest: CHILI. More specifically, in Cincinnati OH (where I lived for 17+ years). You could order it up to five "ways". What are the "five ways" you ask? [Skyline]"The most popular order is a "three-way", which adds shredded cheese to the chili-topped spaghetti (a "two-way"), while a "four-way" or "five-way" adds onions and/or beans before topping with the cheese." There is no "one-way", as that's reserved for a street that allows no on-coming traffic!! ;^)
Folks there debate whether Gold Star or Skyline is the best, but I liked only this one from a local CHILI parlor:
35. RPM gauge: TACH. Remember when a TACHometer was NOT a standard feature of a car's instrument panel, and was an add-on? Many "looked" like this:
37. Poem of rustic life: IDYLL. As defined [merriam-webster] "The meaning of IDYLL is a simple descriptive work in poetry or prose that deals with rustic life or pastoral scenes or suggests a mood of peace"
40. Record holders: LOGS. Nice misdirection with the clue; ties into the "nautical" entries. A ship's LOG records events that happened
43. Apelike: SIMIAN.
44. Challenging puzzle: ENIGMA. Not today's puzzle; quite easy for a Friday
45. Aerie nesters: EAGLES. Also the nickname for Boston College athletic teams, the Philadelphia NFL team, and one of the Chairman's favorite rock bands. Enjoy!
49. Espy: SPOT. AWARD didn't fit
50. Skunk River state: IOWA. IOWA fit, if only because OHIO and UTAH didn't. [According to Google] "The SKUNK River is a 93-mile-long (150 km) tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States"
51. Gritty film genre: NOIR. [Wikipedia] "Film NOIR is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas"
52. "Ja" opposite: NEIN. A CSO, in memoriam, to Spitzboov
53. Hindu goddess of destruction: KALI. I'm guessing that this was the only word that fit into these cells; not someone/something I knew of right away
And my final Moe-ku du jour:
The Hindu Goddess
Got a lei in Hawai'i.
Her KALI flowers?
54. Manual component: STEP. Another Friday clue? DIY'ers know all about STEPS to take when completing a project, and following along on a manual
55. Transcript fig.: GPA.
56. Hosp. areas: ORS.
57. Fluffy wrap: BOA.
That's all she wrote! Please enter any comments below ... see you in two weeks ... promise!
A final "CLINK" to Ben:
55 comments:
DNF. Had most of the center still white when I gave in to the red. Only one bad word was narkS < FINKS, which was also in the center. More effort and thought produced OF, DRAIN, OUNCE, RUIN, ANN, & LICK.
But even with the reveal and all 3 themers, I lost. I could not figure out the theme or gimmick.
~~~
Okay, read the write-up. I get it, but it gets the prize for convolutedness. Humf.
28A. Wish I could make out the text on the wine glasses picture.
5. Johnny & June CASH I'd recognize.
19. Moe, you never heard of GAMES Magazine? Unbelievable!
33. made me think of when my Bren managed to TOTAL 2 cars within a much. Our own, then a loaner rental car. Nevertheless, I wasted time trying to fit some other meaning for total.
40. I am humbled by your accolades!
55.& 10. Swing is baseball, my call isn't.
6D. My experience is that Puffs w/ lotion is excellent for cleaning glasses lens.
27. Estimated Time of Departure or Extended Tour of Duty?
30. Light weight? Photons have no weight, only Higgs Bosons have mass. But NONE wouldn't fit.
31. How could the king of Id be a FINK? As absolute ruler, he's the one everyone else can fink on.
35. I've never understood why manual cars, which need them, rarely have TACHs, while automatics. where tacks are just a curiosity, the darn things take up a large share of dashboard space.
33. * month, not much.
Good morning!
Confidently entering SERB at 3d made the NW corner the last to fill. MEAN finally showed me the error of my ways. It took the reveal (yes, d-o actually read it today) to figure out the theme. Very clever, Ben, and nice LAT debut. Enjoyed your tour, C-Moe. (That "Lick" from a cat is just to test if you've ripened enough to eat.)
IDYLL -- Only know of this from the old Authors card game. Idylls of the King was a work for Tennyson.
GAMES -- C-Moe, I have learned of that magazine back in the early '80s. Spent a few hours at the Rice Library trying to solve one of their scavenger hunts.
CAWS -- We had a half-dozen perched around the rim of our birdbath last evening. Earlier a herd of deer, four does and three fawns, had showed up to drink. The fawns weren't tall enough to drink from the bowl.
People forget Santa was also an Elf.
Drawing him people-size isn't himself.
As his coursers hoofs
SLINK across roofs,
Santa becomes the Elf of Pelf!
The toys he delivers are chilren's wealth!
He's got no time to be an Elf on a shelf!
To fly his sleigh
On his special day,
He does ASANAS (as Santa) for health!
{B+, B+.}
Awful puzzle I guess we don’t get a grip today either
Welcome to the LAT, Ben,and our self-proclaimed best LA Times blog. Moe you did a great job on short notice, but then again any notice to you or I would be a short notice. You also upped your discover the constructor game as well.
We continue to get some "creative" cluing for simple fill but the perps were fair.
Thank you Ben and Chris
11. Blight-stricken tree: ELM. CSO to Lemonade714, a Connecticut native, who's state honors the ELM as their state tree
Ummm, nope. Also a CT native, state tree = White Oak, specifically the Charter Oak. Link: https://portal.ct.gov/About/State-Symbols/The-State-Tree
And, all else aside, OAK woulda fit in the allowed spaces, but woulda wreaked havoc with the crosses!
But, many thanks to all the bloggers - no one's perfect, not even me (despite many opinions to the contrary)! Happy Friday, everyone!
Uh, not Mia Hamm, but Brandy Chastain would be close.
I somehow finished this one in 8:28. The theme showed itself, which is rare for me, which allowed me to fill-in the remaining white spots. Like OwenKL, the middle section was the last to fall.
Didn't know that Cash, Ann, Kali, or Sailor. I second the motion by our Chairman about the obscurity of clueing common words (cash, sailor, etc.). Please note my suggestion that Friday puzzles return to being themeless (maybe an occasional "quip" puzzle).
Mr. Chairman, that Mia Hamm that you know -- sorry, but that's Brandi Chastain (a former teammate of Ms. Hamm).
FIR, but erased naps for NODS, and oinks for FINKS. Yeah, I know FINKS as clued, but I think of the word more as a pronoun for "rat bastards". Didn't get the gimmick til C-Moe 'splained it.
Wonder if Wile E. CASH buys his stuff from Acme?
Do floor traders ever take their SEAT? My sister knows all of the hand signals used by floor traders. She can also type using carbon paper. Both skills are nearly obsolete these days. (She can also twirl fire batons, but that one is still relevant today.)
Our little uni's team's names were the Eagles. They managed to come up with enough money to hire the band of the same name to play one homecoming. The band and roadies bought out all of the merch labeled "Morehead Eagles", for some reason.
Thanks for the fun, Ben. I especially liked total for RUIN, CANNON as an instrument, and pull the plug on for DRAIN. All very Fridayish. And thanks to C-Moe for the review. I guess the roboump isn't such a bad idea after all.
Good Morning:
I was totally flummoxed (great word, BTW) solving this, and even after I filled in Missing Links, it took several minutes to get the link, so to speak. Kudos to Ben for a very clever and fresh theme. I also, as always, appreciated the low three letter word count and the mini creature theme with Ass, Camels, Boa, Eagles, Simian, Piglet, Lick, and Caws. Kali was a gimme due to the recent Hidden Goddess puzzle, but several knowns were unknowns due to the cluing, to wit: Cash, Games, Ann, Seuss, Iran, Sailor, and Iowa. Yes, Moe, the clues for Cash, Games, and Sailor, particularly, were irksome. The Pro Am/Tee/Eagles entries brought a smile as my niece and her husband leave at 6:00 am tomorrow for an all-expense paid week at Pebble Beach, compliments of Dave’s company’s recognition of a highly valued employee. I know enough about the world of golf to appreciate how exciting and memorable this experience will be.
Thanks, Ben, for a very enjoyable solve and congrats on your LA Times debut and thanks, Moe, for the usual wit, wisdom, and whimsy. I thoroughly enjoyed the write-up and the Moe-kus. Your A$$ comment reminded me of my sister’s mild epithet on something (or someone!) being a Pain in the SSA.
Purchased my first 🌽 of the season yesterday @ 95¢ an ear. Between the price of corn and tomatoes, I may have to take out a loan to get me through the summer! 🤣
Have a great day.
Thank you, Ben, for a Friday FIR which I could solve before my second cup of coffee! And I got the theme after the reveal plus my only WOs were in the middle when I put CLOSE your EYES first. That really slowed down the center section, but once I got SOUND OF A TOAST's middle word figured out, it ALL started to fall. What a nice debut! Come back soon, Ben.
Thanks, C Moe, for the review and its enhancement. Other than only having two Moe-kus, I didn't notice anything different. You and Lemonade have been switching Fridays lately, but short notice?
DO, I liked your comment on why cats lick their owners. I'm going to share that with our cat owning daughter.
I see OwenKL and Anonymous had center problems too. And I heard FINKS used while growing up back too, C Moe. I didn't know about the GAMES magazine but enjoy my favorite free games in the online NYT. And finally never smoked, thank goodness, as I probably wouldn't have been able to quit successfully as DH did long ago.
Anonymous, I think Saturday is the USUAL theme-less day of the week, not Friday. Since it's Friday, tonight we'll CLINK our wine glasses and TOAST the weekend. Have a good one!
Hola!
This is unusually early for me, but I awoke and decided to stay up and solve the puzzle. Thank you, Ben Tolkin, this was an ENIGMA for quite a while. It's amazing that some fill, like ARLO, which is a common crossword choice can be obscured with a change in cluing.
But, even though it took a bit longer than normal, I finished it without help. Yay!
SIMIAN crossing MISSING LINKS was clever. KALI is completely unfamiliar to me but luckily the perps filled it.
Our POOL has been well used this summer although on those 100+ days no one is outside and if they brave the heat, it is not for long.
For a while I had NYET for "ja" opposite.
Have a fabulous Friday, everyone!
Thank you, CMoe, for your exceptional narrative.
Good morning. Thank you, Ben and Moe. Ben, Congrats on your debut here.
Yes, a Friday quickie. The few unknowns perped in. I liked the theme. The single consonant clues left me puzzled at first, but the reveal solved the mystery.
Moe, not your USUAL recap ? Not heavily laden with pics and links ? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I did notice it was mostly commentary for the across answers, before the images started popping up.
Mystery Writer at 7:30, I've only been doing crosswords since 2012, and I don't recall ever seeing a Friday themeless crosswords at the LAT. Do you have the dates of any themeless Fridays, or are you talking about some time period before 2012 ?
I enjoyed watching The Open yesterday and again this morning. It's being played on the Old Course at St Andrews. I've played St Andrews perhaps four hundred times over the last 25 years, but it's the one here in Chicagoland. Anyway, it's a good day to rest. Mowed the lawn last evening in temps that made it almost to 80 after feeling unwell all day. Glad I got it done, because we've been having heavy rain showers all morning and everything is drenched. Finally. More to come later today and this evening.
Me too, ATLGranny. Normally, it's the LAT, the Universal, the USA Today and the Best crosswords. Then 7 Little Words, Wordle and Worldle. I don't care for Spelling Bee. Even when I'm super busy, I make sure to do 7 Little Words, Wordle and Worldle because they're only good for that day. I thought I would do better at Worldle, but that game is tough. After 99 games played, my win % is 40, and my max streak is only 4. Are you still playing Worldle ? Ja oder nein ?
CMoe, it's only fourteen years since Msises ALOU retired, there are many xword clues WAY older than that, even baseball clues (Mel OTT, anyone?)
I've heard the transition from SODA to "pop" heading west in New York state starts around Canastota, just west of Syracuse
Jon HAMM became famous starring in "Mad Men"
Oops, just east of Syracuse
Thanks Chairman for explaining. I FIR but seeing the MISSING LINKS was was ENIGMA in my brain.
HAMM, CASH, KALI, ANN, IRAN, & SAILOR, were unknowns filled by perps and WAGS but the rest of the puzzle was easy for a Friday.
One change- DUMB to DULL
Jinx- speaking of carbon paper, in 1970 our original printer was so slow (30 lines/minute) that we had cases of continuous 3-part carbon paper for printing reports in triplicate. One to keep, one to send to the accountants, and the third copy for the owner.
Billocohoes- I go to the MEL OTT center in Gretna, LA three times a week to play pickleball. His statue is in front.
Nein. I so seldom knew the country. Too frustrating!
FIR in 24 which for me is a good time for a Friday. Thanx for the fun CW, BT. For some reason I thought the Skunk River is in Utah, which woulda fit lengthwise, but not perpwise. Maybe I’m thinking of the Snake River? As clued, DNK CASH, KALI, GAMES, ASANA, ANN. No matter how hard I looked I was not able to suss the theme, even after getting the reveal and studying the CW. It took CMoe to enlighten me. Nice write-up, CMoe, but I didn’t notice anything different about it. Are you gonna tell us?
I actually sussed the gimmick before the reveal, along about the third themed solve. A few of the clues were misleading, but on the whole a fair and fun puzzle. FIR, so I'm happy.
BTW, folks, I'm getting my new I-phone from my brother (and his ingenious wife, Cindy, who thought up the idea) tomorrow. I can hardly wait!
Not much of an ig ma for a Friday..prolly MEANs tomorrow'll be a monster 😕. Didn't suss the clue cuz I been such a busy SIMIAN 🙉 so far.
Never heard of Games Magazine... "Sneetches"? (SEUSS characters? ). MUD would be bad "Joe".
At first I thought it said "cornflakes cries" !!!MILK!!😄 ...Then there's a coupla unknown novelists..
I beg to differ with the soda/pop map. Somewhere between Rochester NY (soda only) and Buffalo (pop only) is a very confused town..More or less what Bill Cohoes said.
OWIE!!!...back like a bad penny!! or a CW zombie 🧟♂️
Inkover: naps/NODS, mall/POOL, sings/FINKS
Rent out the sty....PIGLET
The embroidery contest starts when ____ ISAYSO
_____ "daylight come and we wanna go home"...DEO (ditto)
Run without moving....IDYLL
Name for a seeing-eye dog...SPOT
DW's weekend "honey _____" DUELISTS
Mr Tolkin, besides the CW I especially enjoyed the LOTR and Hobbit books..(what? Really? Sorry, never mind) 😊
No printed solved crossword?
Jeez. Puzzle solver from Ohio. Got all the words right, but didn't have a clue on what the missing links were all about. A bit convoluted, but not too bad for a Friday puzzle! Lol
Thank you Ben for a Friday FIR and congrats on your debut.
Thank you CMOE for a fine review and for 'splainin the theme, the URL of which I MISSED entirely.
A few favs:
5A CASH. CMOE, would ya settle for the "Writer of A Boy Named Sue"?
15A ALOU. You can SOOTH your troubles with this CMOE by subbing an E for the U.
19A GAMES. Just one of those GAMES PEOPLE PLAY.
37D IDYLL. Can also be a piece of music, e.g. Wagner's Siegfried Idyll. He gave this piece to his wife as a birthday present after the birth of their son Siegfried in 1869. Imagine coming down the stairs on Christmas morning and being greeted by these sounds (18 min. If you don't have time to listen now, save the link. It's beautiful).
53D KALI. I believe she visited us just this past Sunday. She was one of Amie and Christine's INNER GODDESSES.
Cheers,
Bill
Since no one mentioned it,
I am wondering if I am having a problem with my iPad?
The write up pic imbeds @
5. "1812 Overture" instrument: CANNON
9. Milne friend who notes, "It is hard to be brave when you're a Very Small Animal": PIGLET
10. "It's my call": I SAY SO
And
45. Aerie nesters: EAGLES
Are completely blank, no picture at all?
I am using an iPad with latest iOS and safari browser...
Anyone else having this issue?
Creative theme - congrats on it and your debut at the LAT Ben!
Much of this puzzle solved smoothly - but the Iowa/Missouri area was a slowdown for me.
Fun that it was published the week of The (British) Open Championship at St.Andrews which is a LINKS golf course.
GAMES was a gimme for me as I used to subscribe to it when I was in college/grad school in the 70s- a whole magazine of games to play- heaven! I didn't have a newspaper and there was no internet/online back then. I didn't realize that it was actually started in 1977 and now it has merged with another publication "World of Puzzles" to become "GAMES World of Puzzles". I also didn't know Will Shortz worked at the magazine before going to NYT.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Games_World_of_Puzzles#Games
I know Jon HAMM - but took a second with "Good Omens" Friday cluing - when he is known more from "Mad Men" and this summer he was the admiral overseeing the op in "Top Gun:Maverick"
He grew up in St Louis - so a local favorite son.
Thanks C-Moe- only difference I see is what Anon at 9:29 pointed out - no answer grid.
Have a great weekend - try to stay cool!
CED - I had that issue on my Iphone but not on my desktop
Also - fun to see the regional map on the SODA/pop/coke issue - when I grew up in Kansas City (Kansas side) and college - it was always pop - but when I went to grad school in Saint Louis and worked in WI- it was always soda. No wonder I use them interchangeably.
Never used coke like that - but my Texas extended family does
Glad to see the return of gimmicky Friday, with a puzzle just hard enough to leave a bunch of theme blank spots that made me work on the reveal to solve. Very satisfying to Suss out. But I got sidetracked sussing and was hit in the head by the V8 can reading the write up! I never connected that the clues were the missing link to the theme answers! Well done puzzle!
That missing pic of 1812 overture cannons made me want t0 link the scene in Help where dingo was trapped with a tiger that could only be placated by the overture? (Can't find it anywhere, maybe I am remembering it wrong?) oh well, I'll just have to watch the whole movie all over again. silliness abounds!
Also, being licked by a cat is like being scraped with sandpaper!
here is a better cat kiss...
Speaking of missing links,
does anyone know where my missing blog pics went?
And I was pleased to see an old favorite, Sailor Moon!
I must have watched every episode with 3 girls growing up.
But, sometimes the subject matter was a little hard to explain...
Hi Y'all! Thanks, Ben & CMoe!
No idea what the theme meant until Moe 'splained it. Disliked it.
As clued, DNK: HAMM, CASH, GAMES, FINKS, JOE=MUD, SAILOR, ANN, IRAN.
DNF because I misspelled SIMIAN, so didn’t see GOBIG since I kept hesitating between OR and ER. I also didn’t get the link. Very clever theme.
TTP: thanks for the reminder about Worldle. I had been doing regularly then started forgetting about it. I’ll start again. Yes, it is quite tough even for a geography buff that I am.
Have a great day all.
TTP, Wordle, ja, Worldle, nein. The one I really like is the Waffle (https://wafflegame.net/).
Waseeley, Johnny recorded it, but Shel Silverstein wrote it.
TTP, another good one is the Quordle -- solve 4 Wordles simultaneously in 9 guesses or fewer (https://www.quordle.com/#/)
Usually get the wordle at 3 - 4 tries. Sometimes over two sessions. About 85% correct but very frustrating!
Dave, those 4 embeds are all videos. The HTML is correct to display videos on mobile devices. The videos work fine on my Android. No idea why they aren't displaying on iPhone/iPad.
Tante, you are welcome. As for WorLdle, there have been a couple of places that I didn't even know were countries ! Tough game.
Moe, I took the liberty of adding the grid to your review. Also, It will always be Heinz Field to me.
Pittsburgh Dad Reacts to Heinz Field Name Change. There are also some pretty funny Twitter reactions, using clips from some of Tomlin's old post-game press conferences.
D-O, thanks, I'll try them.
I am now back from the Sierras where a very good time was had by all. Thanks for the nice comments on yesterday's write-up.
I enjoyed today's clever theme and the clever comments by our "erstwhile" sommelier.
I never considered myself to be a Dead Head per se but I did see the band a dozen or so times and IIRC enjoyed all of the concerts. My memory might be a bit fuzzy on that count. Lately the line from "Truckin" keeps popping into my head - What a long strange trips it's been.
Friday toughie, but a fun one with some neat clues--so, many thanks, Ben. And always enjoy your commentary, Moe, thanks for that too.
What first struck me was that hymn, GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO, which reminded me of that other religious icon, the PIETA.
Like others, I was delighted by the animals in this puzzle, the CAMELS, the PIGLET, the ASS, and then, of course, the sweet canine that LICKS you to let you know he loves you.
But also a bit of pain in this puzzle, and just hope the OWIE that made someone AIL wasn't caused by anyone MEAN.
Liked your Santa poem, Owen--many thanks for that.
Have a good weekend coming up, everybody.
PK, there's an old dad joke:
Man calls over the waiter and says "Waiter, this coffee tastes like mud!"
Waiter says "I can't understand it, sir. It was ground just this morning."
Mr. Tolkin's PZL, well expounded by Chairman Moe, is one of those that surprise me by how gettable they actually are.
At first, I could not find a foothold. My first fill didn't occur until my second time through.
And then it was RESCUE, because my little dogs have been much on my mind of late.
And then the fills came tumbling through, a happy series of surprises!
I only slowed down again when I came back to the middle. Because I had written SOUND AT A TOAST rather than SOUND OF A TOAST, those three downward perps in the middle remained elusive.
But eventually, even they yielded.
O happy day.
~ OMK
____________
DR: A single diagonal on each side.
On the near end, the diag yields an anagram (14 of 15 letters) that celebrates an entry-level libertine.
This could be a kid who aspires to full-on Casanova status. Make way for a DonJuan wannabe!
I mean, of course, a...
"RAKEHELL INTERN"!
Puzzling thoughts II:
Owen: Nope; never heard of the Games Magazine until recapping today's puzzle. I will occasionally buy a Penny Dell puzzle book/magazine when traveling, but otherwise I don't solve a lot of puzzles or games each day. Also, I drive a manual gear box vehicle, and wish that the TACH was more centrally located. Its position on the dashboard isn't all that convenient
Barry T and Cart Boy and others: OOPS to the mixup on the HAMM/Chastain photo, as well as the mistake about the CT state tree
IM: You'd have been jealous and or envious of a recent sale here in AZ (at Safeway and/or Albertson's) where fresh ears of corn were being sold for $0.01 per ear
Bill S: Yes, I'd have been OK with the "Boy Named Sue" clue for CASH!! Thanks for sharing that LINK
TTP: You wrote: "Moe, not your USUAL recap ? Not heavily laden with pics and links ? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I did notice it was mostly commentary for the across answers, before the images started popping up" BINGO!! WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!! Yes, I placed only comments and one LINK in the Across answers; pics and videos were used only in the Down answers. Thanks, too for inserting the puzzle grid; I don't know what happened to it as I know I inserted it once before. Maybe during one of my final proofreads I accidentally erased it. Also, regarding St. Andrews in West Chicago, that place brings back many memories. I lived in St Charles from 1990-1993 and twice attended the St Andrews New Year's Eve celebration event. I don't know if they are still hosting that event, but I never got more drunk in any other venue!
Puzzling Thoughts III:
I haven't been posting much lately as we have been quite involved with family goings-on. All good but quite busy and unfocused on doing puzzles or posting on the Corner
I'm working on three new crossword puzzles - two of which will be published probably in October or November. Despite my love for creating puzzles they are never that easy to get "across the finish line"
Enjoying the LINKS @ St. Andrews in Scotland - am looking forward to what should be an exciting final two days of golf at the Old Course
I started out doing this online until I got fed up with all the snow in the grid. Just because I had someone cleaning carpets at the time probably didn't help. Thanks for the challenge, Ben Tobin. Very much appreciated your write-up, C. Moe!
Of course my Fav is 24A Shelter adoptee/ RESCUE. Maggie came home with us and had another good 10 years I hope to adopt again in a few months.
40A Canine kiss/ LICK. I usually get lots of those at the shelter. Some of them just can't hold their likker!
32A Bowlful served with a cinnamon roll in the Midwest: CHILI I've been in Cincinnati for 40 years and I've never heard of serving the Chili with a cinnamon roll! I haven't acquired a taste for it so have only been in Skyline 2-3 times, so what do I know?
As many of us are experiencing hot/humid/oppressive temps I'd like to thank Willis Carrier for his invention. Willis Haviland Carrier (November 26, 1876 – October 7, 1950) was an American engineer, best known for inventing modern air conditioning. Carrier invented the first electrical air conditioning unit in 1902.
Have a good weekend!
Musings
-I found this to be a delightful challenge with a DOH! gimmick. Familiar ARLO offset unknown CASH
-After vandalism in 1972, the PIETA in St. Peter’s is now behind bullet-proof glass
-18 holes this morning, a refreshing 10-minute NOD off, unlocking my wife’s Mac and I’m rollin’!
-I’ve known about GAMES magazine for decades and used some its content in class
-We have panhandlers in front of our Wal~Mart store where I know they are hiring at $19/hr
-Pothole TARRING crews are ubiquitous in Omaha every winter
-I had a great classmate named Ron SUESS (I had to correct their pronunciation on Memorial Day)
-Our car is so quiet I check the TACH to see if it has turned off
-My pre-med grandson works in an ER in Lincoln where he says there are sometimes 45 people and only 25 stations
I liked this puzzle but didn't understand the gimmick until Chairman Moe explained it. Hand up for filling NAPS first and changing it to NODS. Also, PORTS changed to ISLES. I confess I had not heard of RESCUE as a noun before, but I guess it falls into the same category as calling Chinese food simply Chinese (Let's go get some Chinese.) When I saw "Milne friend" in the clue I was trying to think of an author or other real person who was a friend of Mr. Milne, not one of his characters. It was a total WAG to guess the S crossing SAILOR and SOUND, and for a while I considered MAILER and MOUND because the alliterative title MAILER MOON made as much sense to me as anything. Enjoyed exercising my reasoning powers today on this lovely puzzle by Ben Tolkin.
Chairman Moe, thanks for your excellent write-up.
Good wishes to you all.
The following is a statement of my opinion of a journalist and is not "political."
From now on I shall never believe anything Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post writes.
On a related topic, I offer this essay. I just came across the essay and have not yet fully read, let alone formed an opinion about, it. The original essay dates from 1986 and a book of the same title, and by the same author, was published in 2005.
On Bullsh*t, Harry Frankfurt, Princeton University
A very brief excerpt: "The liar cares about the truth and attempts to hide it; the bullshitter doesn't care if what they say is true or false, but cares only whether the listener is persuaded."
Clever MISSING LINKS theme that I was slow to figure out. When I got it I was very pleased and amused. Hand up not so amused at the obscure clues for GAMES, SAILOR, ANN and CASH. I suppose I should be happy that a GAMES magazine even exists anymore. Few people have the attention span to read magazines anymore.
GAMES was the theme of our 2014 Solstice Parade. I created our own unicycle ensemble for the occasion. Three of us on unicycles circulating around human cones, forming a Unicycle Slalom GAME.
Here we posed for a Unicycle Slalom GAMES photo before the parade began.
Here was a short video of me being helped around the slalom by the human cones.
From Yesterday:
AnonT Thank you for the kind words about my Leopard GECKOs.
I did also mean to say that I enjoyed the wordplay and the construction yesterday.
Magazine ??MES. Times of course. But it's Time. That and CASH slowed me down NtSo the theme that I finally grok'ed after all squares were filled.
My Boston born mother referred to carbonated drinks as TONIC
WC
The only place I ever heard of serving chili soup and cinnamon rolls was in the school lunchroom as a child. This was a well-loved lunch usually served one day a week.
I say a meme today that said to live doing what gives you goosebumps. I was sitting under the A/C vent at the time and definitely had goosebumps. Somehow I don't think that's what the author had in mind. Best I can do these days.
Moe, I cut my teeth at Old Wayne and Pheasant Run, but St Andrews will always be my home course. 36 holes of bliss. DW and I celebrated our 25th in the St Andrews banquet room with family and friends there. Food and drinks on me. Biggest tab I've ever had.
We went to the Y2K New Year's Eve there. I was officially "on call" at work but said screw it. I prearranged for DW to hit the first tee shot to start 2000, and she nailed it,. Not that many people were paying any attention. But we did. Just a minute or so after the clock struck midnight.
A few years later, Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, and one of his friends drove up to the first tee in his golf cart as my wife and I and one of her friends were having lunch. I'd met him personally before out on the course, and was certain it was him.
They didn't believe me. We went outside and said hello, and then she ended up hitting his tee shot on the 1st hole of course # 1. She striped it. Middle of the fairway, way, way out there. A short wedge to the green.
That's one of the many reasons I don't golf with her anymore. :>)
The PIETA is one of the few experiences I have had with statues that is forever locked in my memory.
What an incredible experience in compassion. I believe it has enough latent power to turn every onlooker into an empath, not that everyone understands this.
I first saw the work at the World's Fair in New York in 1964. I forget how long we were given to view it, but it was long enough to seal the image in my brain. We were standing on a movable track that kept each group slowly inching forward--until we were beyond the viewing space.
For decades the image stayed with me. Then, on a later trip to Rome, either in the mid-'80s or late-'90s, I made a point of visiting St. Peter's cathedral and had another chance to stand in front of the grand piece. This time I was almost alone in that small chapel just beyond the entryway.
It felt like a visit to a very old friend.
~ OMK
Phew. Another Futbol fan ‘sides me. Thx
Hi All!
Nope - the whole middle is messed up [END IT@29d | TALKS @31d]. And, the LINK theme (I kinda got it(?)), wooshed right over my head.
//Bear with me folks - Eldest is still C22+ while I've maintained (as of this am) C-neg --but I ain't 100% and this post took me all day (on/off) to write
Fun grid Ben. Great post-game [yes, it's baseball!], C. Moe.
WOs/ESPs/Fav - let's not get into all that with this inky FIW mess.
//Me be foggy.
C. Moe - how can anyone not be a Dead Head. Truckin' is a story.
2) Menthols? (Army) Bro smokes those. No, I want to feel the burn.*
C) where I grew up every tavern had their CHILI.
In Houston, I expected better - doesn't seem anyone here knows how start with a proper base of suet, onions, & garlic and they refuse to add beans. (I think I know why [Blazing Saddles])
{A, B+}
Thought of Pat and The Stones at (emotional) RESCUE
Wordle... bane of The Corner. Youngest beat SIL & I (again!) today.
Jinx - I can do fire devil sticks. Does that count?
//The MUD joke doesn't ;-)
Speaking of MUD - In the Army, you get a mix of folks... So, SODA, pop, Coke, light-beer are all the same in my head.
Wanted Highlights @19a but not enough blocks for ink.
waseeley - I clicked [book, read it] 'cuz I thought GAMES People Play was gonna beAlan Parson's Project.
//For the record [see what I did there?] 1812 is Vocal-Major Eldest's fav 'cuz "Dad! CANNONS! Who uses cannons anymore?"
CED - LOL 1/2 lost-poster. //where do you find these things?
OMK - 40+ years ago, Aunt visited Italy and gave me a little greenish PIETA statue and a Rosary w/ catacomb dirt in the Cross. The PIETA is not something you can un-remember.
Last night, after PBS mysteries, The Hunter [Trailer] came on. I had to watch 'cuz these people have my same hair! :-) But, dang, it was slow. Anyone know if it gets better?
Gotta C LICK the lecture MManatee linked. Later!
Cheers, -T
*when I was 9, StepWoman gave me a Benson & Hedges menthol to keep me away from cigs. The nic-hit was nada. Then Gram gave me a CAMMEL stud... I turned green. And,yet, 10 years later picked up the nasty habit.
What surprised me about the PIETA is the size! It was shocking to see it so small. I expected it to be much, much larger. But the fine workmanship is glorious. What a great talent to be able to carve those fine features in such a perfect manner.
Picard:
Almost forgot to comment on your unicycle ride. I keep saying, your city has the most fun and the most parties. One thing that puzzles me though, is that I don't see any children. Are your festivities for adults only? I'll look for your answer tomorrow.
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