Title: Friday fun day with your host Lemonade who has been annointed by your host C Moe to do this write-up. I chose the two "nn" irregular spelling for reasons which should become apparent. Or not.
Hello and welcome back, and if you read the blog you know that today would be his week, but you also know JW and I have established a bond shown by the publication of this tribute PUZZLE in 2016, the only collaboration in his hundreds of puzzle publications. Doesn't matter, it just is.
Today we have a thoughtful theme, which makes it easy to know where to begin because there is no reveal, Instead, I will reveal what you are looking for.
17A. Piano trio?: SYLLABLES (9). The fill is not the theme, the clue is; there are three syllables in pi-an-o. pretty cool and if you parsed this without more you have my admiration, I did not. My first thought was, gee there are lots of Ls.
30A. String quintet?: CONSONANTS (10). We need to count again, s+t+r+n+g equals five consonants, which is a quintet. There is a clear trend here but the three Ns again distracted me.
36A. Duet for bassoon and bass fiddle?: DOUBLE LETTERS (13). Duet we know is two, so the fill features two instruments which each have 2 double letters! How fun, bass is pronounced totally differently which is completely irrelevant! Wow, but now I know what this puzzle is really about.
43A. Duet for oboe and vibraphone?: LONG VOWELS (10). We all know oboe, but the vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. Two again, though this time they are long vowels as highlighted. To complete the puzzle symmetry we must have one more themer, and we get...
62A. Flügelhorn solo?: DIACRITIC (9). The umlaut is a diacritic and it is the only one in Flügelhorn, therefore there is no s at the end, but we have 9-10-13-10-9 symmetry and a disguised theme hidden in the clues. Wiki tells us this instrument also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flüegelhorn which is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. I will let Ron and other explain more in detail. Nifty, but wait, there is more, much more.
Each clue is built around a musical instrument or instruments with no repeats. The clue is something unique to that instrument(s). Balance that with each fill a term or terms from English grammar with no repeats. Can you imagine a tighter, more restrictive theme-fill combination? Can you imagine having this thought pop in your head?
Well, too late; Jeffrey already had it. (Not an accurate likeness).
He also throws in some longer fill AIRLINER, DROPS OUT, OENOLOGY and REGATTAS and many 6 letter fun fill but it is time to move on from the wonderful theme to the rest of the puzzle.
1. Political commentator Navarro: ANA. There are so many named ANA now, but Ms. NAVARRO is well known in South Florida both from her education here and her work. Very political.
4. Dump: SCRAP. To abandon an idea, a thing. The Cambridge dictionary sees it as to get rid of something unwanted, especially by leaving it in a place where it is not allowed to be:
The tax was so unpopular that the government decided to dump it. Several old cars had been dumped near the beach.
9. Whom Cordelia calls "As mad as the vex'd sea": LEAR. How cool, JW gets his Will Shakespeare quotation in, this time from Act IV, Scene 4:
Alack, ’tis he. Why, he was met even now
As mad as the vexed sea, singing aloud,
Crowned with rank fumiter and furrow-weeds (modern English Thick Weeds). Not a happy daughter.
13. Marvel Comics artist Buscema: SAL. If you have doughnuts, I have dollars that say this is not JW's clue. I collected, bought and sold comics drawn by this wonderful artist, but I would guess either Mineo or Jack Kerouac.
14. People who call New Zealand "Aotearoa": MAORI. The only people I know from New Zealand that are 5 spaces made this easy but I did not know and still cannot say Aotearoa.
15. Far from ordinary: ALIEN. I know I am a bit different, but this seems harsh after all I am a...
19. Earth sign: VIRGO. And proud of it with the...
20. Ordinary: USUAL. Smiling, puzzled...
21. Confront: FACE.
23. Mideast carrier: EL AL. The Israeli airline.
24. "The Body in the Library" sleuth: MARPLE. I have read every published mystery written by Dame Agatha. There have been two mini-series versions done of this short story. One with JOAN HIXON and one with GERALDINE McEWAN as part of the PBS Masterpiece Mysteries. I have my favorite, do you?
26. Big grazer: ELK. Did you know, according to Simple English Wikipedia a grazer is an animal, usually a herbivorous mammal, which eats grass. It is contrasted with browsers, which eat trees & shrubs. Since Elk are situationally herbivores this is confusing but with three letters...
28. "Who am __ argue?": I TO. You are a fully paid up member of the Corner and argue away.
29. Watched warily: EYED. We do watch you warily and wearily.
34. Start to bat?: ACRO. Strike one. A new way to clue a tortured prefix?
35. Planning session contribution: IDEAS. Pretty much the whole point of the sessions.
41. "Grazie" reply: PREGO. Italian thank you and you are welcome.
42. Bigelow products: TEAS. This company was founded in Fairfield Connecticut by Ruth Campbell Bigelow to promote and distribute their proprietary product under the label Constant Comment. The recipe is still a closely guarded secret.
46. Dost possess: HAST. Old English.
50. Mil. mail site: APO. APO stands for "Army Post Office". It is normally followed by a number which serves as a code for a particular military unit or installation. APOs were often mobile, and moved with the units to which they were attached. Government brochure.
51. Feta source: EWE. Feta cheese is made from sheep milk, not cow milk. This causes the unique taste.
52. One to hold on to: KEEPER. Long time slang for a potential partner who is worth hanging on to for life.
54. Tenerife, por ejemplo: ISLA. Tenerife, in Spanish or in English is always an Island.
56. "Why don't we?": LET'S. Let's not and say we did.
59. Dishwasher handle: AMANA. Handle is also an old expression for name first recorded 1870, originally U.S., from earlier expressions about adding a handle to (one's) name (1833) like saying...King Jason. etymonline.com
60. Really bad turnout: NO ONE. When you draw a crowd of zero it is time to rethink your plan.
64. Cotton candy, mostly: SUGAR.
65. Like Santa's helpers: ELFIN. Why are they elves?
66. Groundbreaking tool: HOE. So tempting...
67. Donor card datum: TYPE. Blood type I assume rather than arrogant, for example.
68. Monopoly cards: DEEDS. As a property based games these are vital. From the original English version.
69. Time pieces: Abbr.: YRS. Not watches but increments in time. I like this whether it is JW's or not.
Down:
Down:
1. Trust without verifying: ASSUME. A bastardization of biblical as well as political rhetoric to underline the idea that to ASS U ME makes an ass of u and me.
2. Speak against: NAYSAY. You don't say? Oh, you just did.
3. Magazine with annual Best of Beauty awards: ALLURE. This historically black magazine has contests in many categories and publishes them each year.
2. Speak against: NAYSAY. You don't say? Oh, you just did.
3. Magazine with annual Best of Beauty awards: ALLURE. This historically black magazine has contests in many categories and publishes them each year.
2021 list.
4. Minor: SMALL. I guess this is from show business as I know many under 18 who are much larger than I am.
4. Minor: SMALL. I guess this is from show business as I know many under 18 who are much larger than I am.
5. Red choice: CAB.
We have them here as well as yellow cabs.
We have them here as well as yellow cabs.
6. Massage deeply: ROLF. A technique developed by Dr. Ida Rolf. Maybe.
7. Sod buyer's calculation: AREA. It is a good idea to measure no matter what you are buying.
8. Water sign: PISCES. The fish; there are two so be careful.
9. WC: LAV. I hope by now everyone knows the Jack Parr joke that got him fired from the Tonight show.
the JOKE
10. Nobelist Wiesel: ELIE. We love those vowels.
11. Plane: AIRLINER. And simple.
12. Meets near the shore?: REGATTAS. Meets, not as gathering but competing. The Henley Regatta was very important to many classmate in high school 60 years ago.
16. "Good riddance": NO LOSS. Rather cruel, even if true.
18. "The Rookie" org.: LAPD. The latest TV show for the now bloated star,
22. Jeff Lynne's band: ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.
25. "A time to every purpose" Bible bk.: ECCLiastes.
27. Gentle washer setting: KNITS.
31. Minecraft resource: ORE.
32. "Cape Fear" co-star: NOLTE.
33. Drink suffix: ADE. A CSO to the Friday blogger before you. JW covers all of his bases.
34. Superior to: ABOVE.
36. Finishes one's studies, in a way: DROPS OUT. Quitting is one way to finish.
37. Viniculture science: OENOLOGY. A CSO to the Friday blogger scheduled for today.
38. Comfy shoe brand: UGG. Never tried them but many female friends swear by them, not at them.
39. Unadon fish: EEL. A CSO to C.C.'s favorite.
40. Chore: TASK. I do not consider this a chore or a task. I see it as an opportunity to control your minds.
41. Great __: Midwest region: PLAINS. Home to so many who visit here daily. We even have our own blog bird. FAMILY PHOTO.
44. Bird in the Duolingo logo: OWL. Not JW's I bet.
45. Took care of garden pests: WEEDED. Are weeds the pests or are the pests the pests?
46. Powerful engine: HEMI. A man's toy or perhaps a subliminal message.
47. Indifference: APATHY. None allowed here.
48. On the job longer: SENIOR. Only C.C. and mb blogged puzzles here before me.
49. Vestiges: TRACES. There are still some things that have not changed in the 14.5 years, I hope.
53. Brings in: EARNS. Brings home too, rather than spending it all on pinball.
55. "I think somebody needs __!": A NAP. Napping is now my field of expertise.
57. Shower wall unit: TILE. These days they have one piece shower walls.
58. Protected: SAFE. The Ring doorbell camera and others are trying to make us feel safe, but as far as I can tell all we do get is a nice picture of the people robbing us. It is like going car shopping.
61. Before, in an old ode: ERE. Is there a specific ode (poem of praise) that Jeffrey had in mind? Nah, he likes his music and his painting.
63. El __: CID. Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar was a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain. Fighting on the side of both Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific al-sīd, which would evolve into El Cid, and the Spanish moniker El Campeador, a person who has defeated all others in a competition. (Lucy and others forgive me if my Spanish sucks). His fame came to American and the world on the broad shoulders of 
CHARLTON HESTON in a 1961 MOVIE.
CHARLTON HESTON in a 1961 MOVIE.
Finally, the grid.
Halfway through I noticed it was a jeffwesch . Clueing alerted me but thankfully not as difficult as yesterday
ReplyDeletePatti could have clued ___ the Barber(Maglie). Equally obscure as the Kerouac character.
I had child for 4D but MAORI was a solid. And I remembered ROLF (deeply is an understatement)
I knew the 'org' was a PD(LA,SF,NY?) giving me a sleuth with a P. PL gave me MARPLE. Never read Agatha, my bad.
So that's what the sauce means in Italian
Not natURE although plenty of beauty there. Hmm, maybe they'll steal my idea
CAB the wine of course. I too thought of the ride that Uber killed
The WC(CSO?) joke is hilarious and the whole link was great
Doubling up on ELIE made for another bedrock
"Meets…" another great clue. Boston Globe covered REGATTA,America's Cup etc profusely. Growing up with real Sports Sections was a blessing
Gentle washer setting: beginning with a K. ????
Minecraft. Assumed it was the video game
I was thinking of the earlier(1963) "Cape Fear"
(The real) WC
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteI never met a JW puzzle I didn't like. This one did not disappoint. APO was FPO (Fleet) for swabbies. Went astray here and there with HATH/HAST, RUGS/TEAS (Bigelow), and EZEK/ECCL. But that's what Wite-Out's for. Caught the theme with SYLLABLES, and always appreciate it when there's no reveal to miss. Nice. VIRGO -- There are several here at the corner, myself included. I don't believe in astrology, but I do believe that being a Virgo is a sure sign of what dad gave to mom for Christmas. Thanx, JW and Lemonade (Methinks Minor/SMALL relates to non-major rather than to a pre-adult. Hope you get good news on those medical tests.)
FIR, but erased believe for ASSUME and loo for LAV. "Mad" made LEAR an easy guess. DNK ANA, SAL, ALLURE, or Duolingo. Couldn't believe that my feeble mind dredged out TEA and PREGO without perps or guesses.
ReplyDeleteI knew vibraphone from listening to the gifted Lionel Hampton. Jazzheads just call them "vibes".
When I lived in SoCal, I raced my sailboat an average of 3 days per week. You gotta REGATTA!
Thanks to JefWech for another gem. I was concerned that you may have stopped submitting to the LAT. Favorite today was "dishwasher handle" for AMANA. And you outdid yourself today, Lemony. Thanks, and good thoughts for your test results.
RIP former PM Shinzo Abe. A true friend to the USA.
WC, you ask "Gentle washer setting: beginning with a K. ????" Kitten just would not fit. As a teenager I watched talk shows whenever Lionel Hampton was playing. He was inspirational.
ReplyDeleteWechsler never disappoints. Was this puzzle musical? Nope. Just musical clues that had nothing to do with music. They were 'instrumental' in their misdirection. Before CONSONANTS was filled I was thinking SONATAS but IDEAS was already filled and the AA looked weird.
ReplyDeleteBut I started badly. ANA, SAL, ALLURE, and "The Rookie"'s LAPD were unknowns in the NW but perped nicely. MARPLE was the unknown WAG that opened that area up for me. OWL, TEAS, and the spaghetti sauce PREGO were the other guessable unknowns filled by perps.
Great clues for AMANA, REGATTAS, and DROPS OUT.
The 'real HEMI' was the 426 HEMI-head engine in the Dodge and Plymouth cars back in the 60s & 70s. Chargers, Road Runners, Challengers. Maybe got 6 mpg but at $.30/gal that was 15 minutes of work if you were getting the big minimum wage of $1.25/hr back then.
This CW did not look promising, with three out of the first four clues being proper names. ANA and SAL were perped, and fortunately I knew LEAR, for off I went! I immediately caught that the CW is about grammar, which was a huge help. Eventually, a FIR in 29 minutes, which is typical for me on a Friday. I struggled more with yesterday’s CW. Thanx JW, for a really interesting and well thought out CW. Thanx too to Lemonade for the outstanding write-up. Paar did not get fired for his joke, however, he quit when NBC censored the joke without telling him. He came back to the show on a later date. At least I think that’s what happened.
ReplyDeleteTook me 9:30 to get to the encore today.
ReplyDelete"Ana" on "Sal" (clued as a comics artist?) made for a daunting beginning, but everything else seemed to fall into place.
I was thinking of "The Rookie" as the 2004 film of the same name about an older baseball player portrayed by Dennis Quaid. Couldn't figure out how to stretch MLB into four letters.
As Big Easy said, Wechsler never disappoints.
Oh happy Friday FIR! And the added pleasure of a Jeffrey Wechsler. Thanks! SYLLABLES was the first themer I got, though I circled around to it. I first thought of musical fill and tried to fit concerto, sonata, and such in the spaces. All soon became clear and I eased around the puzzle happily.
ReplyDeleteBy the time I got to the last themer, the umlaut in flügelhorn jumped out at me and I tried to find a way to fit umlaut in the answer but it was too short. (In my experience, high school band French horn players switched to playing flügelhorns for marching band season since the sound was louder coming out in front rather than behind the players.)
Lots of fun fill in the puzzle and a jolly review by our Lemonade. Thanks! Best wishes on your test results.
I thought I needed A "hug," but I needed A NAP. Hope you all have a fun Friday!
Easier than most Friday puzzles. Since the NW corner was so name heavy, I started at the bottom. A few perps suggested diacritic and I sussed the gimmick which helped immensely.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought for Bigelow was carpet or rug.
I thought somebody needed a hug, before nap occurred to me.
I had say nay which needed to be changed to nay say which gave me ANA and helped me finish. I have not heard or seen nay say in many years.
Lemonade, your picture of the tall man reminded me of my high school years. I had a boyfriend who was well over 6 feet tall. I was five foot two. We were called Shorty and the Giant. When The Giant, George, came to pick me up for a date, my pesky little brother called him Johnny, a rival. George didn't speak to me all evening and never asked me out again.
Little brothers!
Sooo much easier than yesterday. Lotsa clues that are old buds..but the theme seems all over the place. "Piano trio" both words have 3 Syllables (like that word does). "String quintet" string has 5 consonants?...instruments all with DOUBLE LETTERS. "Flügehorn diacritic I get it....etc... I'll hafta check the reveal..(just did..so I was correct to a point but complicated theme)
ReplyDeleteInkovers: banal/USUAL, hath/HAST, elfen/ELFIN, Loo/LAV (c'mon I'm not the only one 😄)
PREGO: literally "I pray" (also "please" or "beg")... as many of you would say to me "ti prego smettila" ..."please (or I beg you) stop it!!!" 😇
I remember another kyna Ro(w)lf
Vibraphone? A sensual cellular instrument? 😁. Does APPLE make one? OENOLOGY, Italian wine shop: Enoteca and why is VIRGO an "earth" sign?
"Took care of garden pests" ..Recently noticed some Japanese beetles munching on my zinnias.. Forgot last season I put some Roundup in an empty insecticide bottle and sprayed them all...YIKES 🙉... no more beetles 🙄
Sicilian ravioli stuffers...REGATTAS
Lousy kids..KNITS
Horse talk...NAYSAY
Angler's spinner...ALLURE
Ran out, can I get some feta from ___ ? EWE
That AIRLINER is considered one of out great ____ PLAINS
Tenerife Canna lily I saw at the Chicago Botanical Gardens last week
Great fun. Too young (74) to remember Paar. Realize now how much Johnny imitated his timing. Since I discovered this site my puzzle fun has doubled. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteAnon at 8:32, I will be 74 next month gwatcdr and realized my parents were heavy sleepers and I would sneak out of bed to watch Mr. Paar. He was very droll and he had Lennt Bruce and Mort Sahl as guests. Good memories
ReplyDeleteLennt = Lenny
ReplyDeleteRay - Please rethink your pesticide. "Roundup", at least the type I use, is a nondiscriminatory herbicide. Don't know if it will kill beetles, but it WILL kill your plant.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteAs previous comments indicate, Jeffrey is a Corner favorite and Lemony is expert at showing us why. Indeed, today’s theme is not complicated, but it’s so fresh and clever and well executed that solving it was not only fun, but also a reminder of why I enjoy this particular pastime so much. An added bonus, as always, was a mini creature theme with Ewe, Elk, Eel, Owl, and Pisces.
Thanks, Jeffrey W, for another satisfying solve and thanks, Lemony, for your spot on explication of JW’s thoughts and talents. I think of you and Jeffrey as two peas in a pod!
Have a great day.
I'm fairly new to this blog and I never paid much attention to who the crossword constructors were before this, but I'm beginning to realize that when it's a Jeffrey Wechsler puzzle it's going to be fair and a whole lot of fun. I was familiar with Miss Marple so that helped. And I figured a "wine" answer would start with "oen" and I was right. With those out of the way, the rest of the puzzle came fairly easily. FIR, so I'm happy.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great puzzle. JW never disappoints. I wish I had not held on to LOO so long, but it finally worked out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the memories, Lemonade. I miss Mort Sahl and my favorite, George Carlin. However you should not wash your kittens in the washer.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Jeffrey never disappoints and this was fabulous on every level! I too wondered about clue authorship.
-NW - The cluing for SAL and ANA, OPPOSE as a red herring and an obscure magazine were offset by Poirot’s sleuth alter ego of Miss Jane MARPLE
-I am a fervent debunker of astrology but “Who am I TO argue” that I’m a VIRGO
-NO ONE? Some USFL games came close
-Last month I had to buy enough fescue sod to fill a circle with a 4’ radius. Can you estimate the AREA?
-Is Eyeore the quintessential literary NAYSAYER?
-Good job and good luck, Lemon, and “Amen” to your comments, Irish!
Jinx @ 9:29..I probably wasn't clear....I forgot that I has put Roundup a herbicide into an old Sevin, an insecticide, bottle and sprayed the plants which killed them all. (thus starving the beetles 🙄?)
ReplyDeleteRoundup supposedly can cause lymphoma and a form of leukemia. But if 35 + years of radiation exposure hasn't done me in I'm not that worried now
Thank you J&J for this puzzle and for this review. I can't say enough good things about the two of you. The puzzle was a delightfully unexpected Friday FIR, the clue-driven theme was ingenious and helpful in completing the fill, and the reviewer's insights matched the virtuosity of the constructor. And unknown to me the former was a previous partner-in-crime to the latter, with the added distinction of being his only collaborator. As I'm in the post-Argyle generation I began my review review by reading his entire June 28, 2016 review of J&J's tribute to comic genius Mel Brooks. And it only got better when I came up for air.
ReplyDeleteSelected favorites:
All the themers. Brilliant!
1A ANA. PETER was too long, so I waited for perps. But when PETER's new book hits the streets, he won't have to wait too long to land a COMMON TATER job with some eRAG.
9A LEAR. My antenna started to tingle with this one.
13A SAL. I haven't read comics since I was a kid, so I waited this one out as well.
14A MAORI. Who else could it be? BTW, there are lots of good MAORI actors who appear in the New Zealand "Brokenwood" mysteries and they just started dropping the latest series on ACORN.
24A MARPLE. Google lists 11 actresses who have played the sleuth over the years, and if I had to pick a favorite (I don't), it would be Julia McKenzie. BTW Joan Hickson played Mrs Rivington in the 1980 TV adaptation of Agatha Christie's "Why Didn't they Ask Evans", but Miss Marple is not the sleuth in that one.
41A PREGO. "NO PROBLEMO" wouldn't fit.
42A TEAS. I think the secret ingredient in "Constant Comment" (my sisters must drink a lot of it) might be the herb Bergamot, an aromatic member of the mint family.
41D PLAINS. I think "LOONS" may be the collective noun for the denizens of the Corner.
9D LAV. Had LOO, but had to change it for 19A VIRGO.
45D SENIOR. I think I'm still the resident NOOB on the blogging team.
55D A NAP. I think I'm about due for my diurnal NAP. TTYL ...
Cheers,
Bill
Ray - O @8:26 AM The reason VIRGO is an Earth sign, is that people are usually PRONE when they lose it.
I couldn't think of any way to get a cat into a washing machine. Fortunately, Gary Larson (not the CW constructor Gary Larson) did think of a way.
ReplyDeleteHard not to enjoy a Friday toughie by Jeffrey Wechsler, a favorite all around. Many thanks, Jeffrey, for a fun puzzle. And thanks for your commentary, Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteNice to see Miss MARPLE in the puzzle--or was that Mrs. MARPLE?
Put in LOO for the WC, but turned out to be LAV.
Glad we got a little Shakespeare with King LEAR.
Thanks for pointing out the critters, Irish Miss.
Have a great weekend coming up, everybody.
Ah yes, lav/loo got me too...
ReplyDeleteThere were some names and Naticks that made this difficult, but slowing me down left the themers empty for quite some time, making the "aha" moment that much more enjoyable.
Not familiar with Miss Marple, so I dug up a video to add to my watch later queue.
I am intrigued to see a British murder mystery done right having so far only seen Th Murder at Haversham Manor....
Puzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteJason, it's my pleasure to swap Friday recaps with you when JW appears as the constructor. It's a no brainer. As others have noted, you and he have a special connection. I'm sure this will happen again, and we'll be back where one or both of us have to flip-flop our assignment
Now, my biggest challenge is having to follow my "twin brother" Joseph (MalMan) instead of Bill (waseeley). I'm gonna TONE DOWN (spoiler alert) my recap to spare our readers of two consecutive days of puns and Dad jokes!! 😂😂😂
I liked the puzzle and recap equally well. Good job to the J & J duo!
Hola!
ReplyDeleteAy, caramba! It's a JW puzzle! He is always fair and fun even when puzzling about LETTERS.
ANA Navarro is a favorite of mine on CNN.
Count me in for I think somebody needs a HUG before NAP. SUGAR corrected that. I am the TYPE that loves to hug.
And I vaguely recalled NOLTE in Cape Fear. Not that I saw it, just knew of it.
The clue for AMANA did not fool me. I also wanted loo but LAV was needed.
Thank you, Jason, for an excellent expose'.
Have a fun Friday, everyone! Mani, pedi day for me.
CrossEyedDave @12:36 PM Your clip tells me that the LOONs on the Corner have finally influenced you to get some kultcha. Now that you're moving up to the higher end British dramas, you'll find that Miss Marple's mysteries are "bloody good" without a whole lot of that gooey red stuff. Not only is she disarmingly understated (without fail she disarms her perps), but she's sharp as a tack.
ReplyDeleteA Friday Wechsler, stirred up for us by Lemonade!
ReplyDeleteChewy, but digestible. FIR.
Hands up whoever else had LOO before LAV. / Oh, I see a bunch admitting to it!
How about A HUG before A NAP? / OIC, again I am not alone.
A pleasure seeing LEAR in the top row. I had the honor to play the old king. Looking back afterward is a surefire way to date oneself! LEAR is in his 80s, and I performed it in my early 60s, probably the last actual age an actor can handle the physical demands of the role. Even then I had to drag the corpse of Cordelia onstage, rather than carry her.
Now that I am the true age of the king I wouldn't dream of doing it again--other than for a radio dramatization!
~ OMK
____________
DR: Just the one diagonal, on the near side.
I'm not quite sure what to make of its anagrams.
One version (14 of 15 letters) could refer to someone who arrives too late at the Taco bar to partake of his fave condiment. This would be a...
"SALSA LATECOMER"!
But another (13 of 15 letters) could refer to one of the nobility--maybe the Earl of KENT, or the Earl of GLOUCESTER--either being a contemporary of a certain regal person, who might have attended Eton kindergarten together with him, back in olden times.
This would be a...
"LEAR CLASSMATE"!
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteThe theme went right over my head... I had no idea how the clues matched the grammar bits but the grid filled.
Thanks JW for the fun puzzle. Thanks Lem for the fabulous explanations.
WOs: A hug [@1:38*] -> A NAP, ELFeN, HAth
ESPs: SAL | ALLURE, MAORI | ROLF, ELIE, ISLA,
Fav: LOL'd at DROPS OUT
Love the 1st DR, OMK. Fortunately, SALSA is free so you can get the table more ;-)
Ray-O: Why would you think you'll remember herbicide is in the pesticide bottle? I know I'd forget I did that by morning.
//is it because you're still seething that your wife's new flower garden is where you were going to shed your new sports car? ;-)
Jinx - It's because of that Larson cartoon that Pop labeled the kitty's kibble container "Cat Fud."
I also recall when this comic came out - Pop, Gramps, and I are all laughing and Step-mom, confused, asked "why is it fud?" and Pop, mater-of-factly explained, 'Dogs can't spell."
CED, you'll enjoy Marple. And, while it's really good - it's not a funny link. Get back to work, pal! :-)
Cheers,-T
*watch the whole thing; it's hilarious
I love this puzzle and wholeheartedly echo Irish Miss. I did put in POIROT at first but quickly realized it had to be MARPLE. Hand up for LOO --> LAV, HATH --> HAST, and ELVEN --> ELFIN.
ReplyDeleteI like Constant Comment TEA and have drunk gallons of it over the years. Bigelow has a commercial on TV that is actually not annoying.
LW and I have watched and enjoyed every episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. At least I think we've seen every episode. Since Fern Sutherland moved to Canada and Nic Sampson moved to the UK, I doubt they'll be making any more. An excellent movie by and about the Maori is Whale Rider, made in 2002. LW (who is a KEEPER) and I loved it.
Good wishes to you all.
Oh, I forgot to also say RIP Shinzo Abe. Thanks for saying that, Jinx.
ReplyDeleteFabulous Friday. Thanks for the fun, Jeffrey and Lemonade (best wishes for good results).
ReplyDeleteI finished with one Google search for ALLURE; that opened up that name-heavy NW corner.
I loved the grammar theme. Arrived here to discover it was a JW masterpiece.
Hand up for Loo, Hug. WEES by now.
Favourite was the clue for REGATTAS.
Irish Miss beat me to the E creatures.
I had Presume before ASSUME, but RAL looked wrong. Another Google search led me to John Buscema. Wiki only gave a passing look at his brother SAL, But I see Lemonade knew him.
Ray-o- I have heard the expression “burning down the house to kill the termites”, but killing the zinnias to get rid of the Japanese Beatles!!! Your pesticide probably wouldn’t have killed them anyway. Those shells make them very hard to kill. When I find them on my roses, I flick them into a small bucket of water and leave them to drown. Put the bucket under the roses, and the smell of their rotting bodies will deter others. Probably TMI for any non-gardeners here.
OMK- I love to hear the stories of your experiences on the stage.
Wishing you all a great evening.
Jayce @4:12 PM I think Nic Sampson is gone for good, but according to this article Fern Sutherland is still very much in the picture. We just saw her in the first two episodes of the latest series, streaming on ACORN. I don't know if they've gotten new writers, but the first episode was definitely weird, and the second was a bit over the top. But Kristen is her same understated, by-the-books self and Gina still has the hots for Mike. We can't wait for Monday for episode 3.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteCanadian Eh, I was just about to make a similar comment.
Catch and toss the beetles into half filled jars or cans of soapy water around the base of a zinnia garden. Let them decompose to ward off new arrivals. It will deter the others from eating your zinnias.
Their strong sense of scents is also why the hanging beetle trap bags work so wonderfully well, but also present another challenge. They'll attract the beetles, but they may attract them from your neighbor's neighbor's neighbor's yard as well. They'll come from heaven knows where, dropping their eggs in your yard where they will turn into root eating grubs. Then you'll have to spread nematodes or Grubex, or you will be destined to resow or re-sod portions of your lawn next year.
So if you use the beetle bags, place them in the deepest corner of your yard. Or maybe in the yard of the neighbor that seldom mows or plants any flowers. With permission of course.
Lastly, I would not use Sevin Dust. I know vegetable gardeners that use it to control insects, but it, as Roundup is to all vegetation, is non-selective. It kills all insects, including the ladybugs that eat your harmful aphids. Worse yet, it kills your pollinating bee friends. You should never use it in powder or liquid form when any plant or tree is in bloom. The dust can adhere to the bees and be taken back to their hives and kill an entire colony.
Hi Y'all! Bravo, Jeffrey, on your enjoyable masterpiece. It looked harder at the start than it turned out to be. I filled it in exactly half the time of that Thursday NO FUN grinder. I got today's theme with the first one.
ReplyDeleteDNK: ANA or SAL for a discouraging start. Filled the NE then worked back over to fill NW. WAGs turned out to be right. Then I started in the SE & backed up to the SW. Not my usual TYPE of solve. Then I needed A NAP. A Hug would have been nice.
I thought "cab" meant a RED wine cabernet. Never heard of a RED cab to ride in.
Couldn't remember ROLF altho we've had it before. ALLURE was ESP -- not being a black beauty, I never heard of it.
Nothing puzzlepropos: I'm going to play the fool ['cuz, well, I am]...
ReplyDeleteI was aghast to hear ABE [who I vaguely know from politics but knew #Crosswords] was assassinated this morning. Now there's one incident of gun violence in Japan this year. #ContrastUSA
But I'm confused by Jinx's & Jayce's sentiments. I understand the LDP as a conservative party that oversaw 20+ years of Stagflation that, more or less, crippled Japan economically & socially [whereas S. Korea gave us KPop! ;-)] after they were such a powerhouse in Autos (still are) and Electronics #RIPSonyDiscman.
I've spent the last 30 minutes trying to figure out why ABE was a) killed b) celebrated as a politician. I certainly don't want to go down a politics rabbit-hole here (#NotTheVenue), but I want to understand - and Cornerites are most informed, globally adept, thoughtful, and I know who to take with a grain of salt. Please, y'all, fill me in.
C, Eh! - To add to your beetles bucket... When Pop gets a worm in a garden tomato, he'll take it to "the post", stick a fire-cracker in the worm-hole, and light it. #Catsup!
"That will be a message to the other worms who even THINK about ruining my tomatoes."
//You can take the boy out of Italy but you can't take Sicily out of the boy ;-)
Cheers, -T
-T, I'm no expert, but that hasn't kept me from opining before. Subject to review from more knowledgeable Cornerites, here are some thoughts:
ReplyDelete- He was a true public servant in a long line of public servants. He resigned from his first stint as PM due to a bad case of colitis (insert favorite bowel joke here).
- After recovering, he won the office again, and served for many years before being forced to resign again for the same reason.
- He fought for repeal of the article of the Japanese constitution that prohibits the country from creating military forces. He recognized the Chicom threat to their country, and to the region in general.
- He championed a get-tough stance on North Korea, not just at home but in the UN as well. He also aligned Japan's foreign policy to be compatible with ours.
- He recognized the changing culture, especially the dissolution of the traditional relationship between companies and workers. The old system of job for life in exchange for devotion to the employer and long hours on the job has come and gone. This was a huge challenge, and he didn't solve it. But he saw it coming and tried to address it.
- Likewise, he wrestled with Japan's problem of shrinking and aging population. Again, he didn't cure these problems, but he at least acknowledged and addressed them.
- He encouraged inflation to lower the Yen on the world market. Although that is a horrible approach here, in a country that depends on exports it is a rational strategy.
I'm sure others can add more, but this is a start.
Jinx @6:12 PM Thanks for that capsule bio of Abe. I knew very little about him. His death shows that a bad guy with a gun who determined enough can get away with murder.
DeleteThanks, Anon T @3:05 ~
ReplyDeleteBut even with all the freebie salsa--lo siento--this particular eatery ran out! ¡ Ay, Caramba !
~ OMK
OMK, Ain't that like Chili's running out of Tabasco, or ordering one port-a-potty for a big chili cookoff?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info on The Brokenwood Mysteries, waseeley.
ReplyDeleteJinx - Not realizing he stepped down and was reelected, I didn't realize it was the same PM responsible for all you cited. Thanks. -T
ReplyDeleteBoy, I am the fool - BBC Radio has a programme on NPR discussing ABE right now. And it's not pronounced like our 16th Prez on the penny. Now I recognize / remember who the Japanese PM Abe was.
ReplyDeleteBut, nevertheless, thanks Jinx. -T
ReplyDelete"why is VIRGO an "earth" sign?"
" Virgo is an earth sign historically represented by the goddess of wheat and agriculture, an association that speaks to Virgo's deep-rooted presence in the material world. Virgos are logical, practical, and systematic in their approach to life."
Just clicked the 2016 (PUZZLE) link. Shocked to see a certain Wilbur Charles at 4:19 pm. Great seeing the old names and some fabulous OKL poetry
Sad news from Japan. My nippon nutty son is devastated. They'll role out the single, crazed assassin theory again.
My last attempt at posting.
WC