Theme: Double or NO thing. Each theme answer is a unique phrase that you might never see anywhere else; and it contains a duplicated word. But you have to surgically remove a certain letter combination: that NO thing, in order to see it. Let's start with the unifier.
69 A. "Find another way out" sign and a feature of four answers in this puzzle: NO EXIT. The type of wording you might see over an entrance-only doorway. And here it indicates that the "NO" letter combo must be excised from the answer.
20 A. Teatime treat topped with shaved ice?: SNO-CONE SCONE. This is a frosty treat you're not liable to find any time soon. But it might be good. Let me know. Maybe have two, for a SCONE SCONE
33 A. Feature of King Arthur's court?: NOTABLE TABLE. The notable thing about King Arthur's table was that it was round. So nobody was seated at the head nor the foot; and all were equal. So anyone at the TABLE could TABLE the discussion.
41 A. Gaggle native to northern Italy?: GENOESE GEESE. Genoa is the northern-most city on the western shore of the Italian peninsula. Do GEESE there mate for life? Maybe I'm thinking of swans. Anyway, you get a pair of gaggles here. And maybe a giggle or two.
54 A. Trainee's bad habits?: NOVICES' VICES. A NOVICE is a person new to or inexperienced in a field or situation. I've been playing the trombone for decades and, sadly, still have bad habits. Perhaps the novice can overcome hers. Or she might double down and Get caught in the VICE'S Jaws.
Hi, gang. JazzBumpa, your humble blogger for the day, is in awe of this theme. It combines the duplicated word idea with the removable syllable technique, with a resulting variable degree of silliness. I can't imagine how David found these examples. Seriously -- Wow!
Let's move on and see what else is notable.
Across:
1. State with conviction: ASSERT. AVER and AVOW are both too short.7. Adventurous: BOLD. Willing to take risks and do new things.
11. Hit the slopes: SKI. Slide down a hill side on wooden slats attached to your feet. I tried this once. The slope hit back.
14. Less abundant: SPARER. A condition of having no excess. Not sure there can be degrees of spareness. A comparative based on a root ending in -R always seems awkward.
15. Purple berry from Brazilian palms: ACAI. The açaí palm, Euterpe oleracea, is a species of palm tree cultivated for its fruit, hearts of palm, leaves, and trunk wood. Global demand for the fruit has expanded rapidly in the 21st century, and the tree is cultivated for that purpose primarily.
16. Midmorning hour: TEN. That's when I like to be on the treadmill; though the word "like" is used rather ironically here.
17. State that's an archipelago: HAWAII. Located about 2000 miles from the U.S. mainland, the Hawaiian archipelago contains 137 volcanic islands spanning 1,500 miles.
18. Went on and on: YAMMERED. Yadda, yada, yada . . .
22. Bistro: CAFE. A small restaurant.
25. Spanish article: UNA. Meaning "one," or the English article "a."
26. Wind quintet wind: OBOE. A woodwind instrument with a double-reed mouthpiece, a slender tubular body, and holes stopped by keys. Can also be used as a drumstick -- at least once.
27. Pub order: ALE. Bottoms up.
28. Played the part of: ACTED AS. Either in a play, or some real life situation.
32. Put a stop to: END. Make it quit.
36. Buffet fuel: STERNO. Flammable hydrocarbon jelly supplied in cans for use as fuel for cooking stoves or chafing dishes.
37. Farfalle shape: BOWTIE. Small pieces of pasta shaped like bows or butterflies' wings.
45. Augment with superfluous verbiage: PAD. Lengthen a speech, piece of writing, etc. with unnecessary material. Hence the admonition to write tight.
48. Runs again: REPLAYS. As a TV program or sports highlight.
49. "It's __ good": ALL. Phrase used to express a sense of general approval, despite a perceived slight, sometimes used ironically.
50. Biblical land west of Nod: EDEN. EDEN is the biblical earthly paradise inhabited by the first created man and woman, Adam and Eve, prior to their expulsion for disobeying the commandments of God. After killing his brother, Cain was exiled to the land of Nod. "Nod" (נוד) is the Hebrew root of the verb "to wander" (לנדוד). Therefore, to dwell in the land of Nod can mean to live a wandering life. Perhaps this suggests that Cain would not know peace.
52. Part of t.i.d., on an Rx: TER. Three. T.I. D. is short for ter in die. three times a day.
53. Lover of Aphrodite: ARES. It's complicated. Aphrodite was the wife of Hephaestus. It did not go well.
59. Microscope blobs: PROTOZOA. An informal term for a group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris.
60. Excuses: ALIBIS. An ALIBI is a claim or piece of evidence that one was elsewhere when an act, typically a criminal one, is alleged to have taken place. An excuse is an attempt to lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offense); seek to defend or justify. These are not even close equivalents.
64. Folk singer DiFranco: ANI. Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco (b. 1970) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influences from punk, funk, hip hop and jazz. She has released all her albums on her own record label, Righteous Babe.
65. Champagne designation: BRUT. The word Brut is French for “dry” which means that Brut Champagne is a dry, sparkling wine.
66. "That's it for me!": I'M DONE. Can be literal, meaning some task is finished, or as an expression of anger or exasperation.
67. Drug in Michael Pollan's "How to Change Your Mind": LSD. A synthetic crystalline compound, Lysergic Acid Diethyl amide, that is a potent hallucinogenic drug.
68. Feed adequately: SATE. Satisfy (a desire or an appetite) to the full.
Down:
1. Tennis star Barty who announced her retirement in 2022, familiarly: ASH. Ashleigh Barty (b. 1996) is an Australian retired professional tennis player and cricketer. She was the second Australian tennis player to be ranked No. 1 in the world in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) after fellow Aboriginal Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley, holding the ranking for 121 weeks overall.
2. Day __: SPA. A business that provides a variety of services for the purpose of improving health, beauty, and relaxation through personal care treatments.
3. Adage: SAW. A proverb or short statement expressing a general truth.
4. Wipe out: ERASE. Remove or eliminate.
5. Halter attachment: REIN. A long, narrow strap attached at one end to a horse's bit, typically used in pairs to guide or check a horse while riding or driving.
6. Half a sextet: TRIO. A group of three individuals engaged in a collective activity.
7. Rifle attachment: BAYONET. A blade that may be fixed to the muzzle of a rifle and used to stab an opponent in hand-to-hand fighting.
8. Anthem with the line "The True North strong and free": O CANADA. A genuinely great anthem.
9. Fabric with metallic threads: LAMÉ. Fabric with interwoven gold or silver threads.
10. Turns down: DIMS. As, frex., a lamp.
11. Flashing light: STROBE. A type of specialized lamp that produces a continuous series of short, bright flashes of light.
12. Heavily into: KEEN ON. Very enthusiastic or excited about.
13. "No doubt": INDEED. Used to emphasize a statement or response confirming something already suggested.
19. Prefix with friendly: ECO-. Not harmful to the environment.
21. Adorable: CUTE. Attractive in a pretty or endearing way.
22. Some recyclables: CANS. Along with bottles and paper.
23. Much: A LOT. An indefinite large quantity
24. Big party: FETE. A celebration or festival.
28. Doubleday incorrectly credited with inventing baseball: ABNER. Abner Doubleday (1819 – 1893) was a career United States Army officer and Union major general in the American Civil War. He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war, and had a pivotal role in the early fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg. In San Francisco, after the war, he obtained a patent on the cable car railway that still runs there. In 1908, 15 years after his death, Doubleday was declared by the Mills Commission to have invented the game of baseball (a claim never made by Doubleday during his lifetime). This claim has been thoroughly debunked by baseball historians.
29. Knockoff: CLONE. A product that is very similar to another one that it was copied from.
30. Westminster landmark: ABBEY. Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is a large, mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United Kingdom's most notable religious buildings and the traditional place of coronation and a burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. Construction of the present church began in 1245 on the orders of King Henry III.
31. Tedious journeys: SLOGS. A spell of difficult, tiring work or travelling.
34. Bol. neighbor: ARG. South American countries Bolivia and Argentina.
35. Short-horned bighorn: EWE. The female of any ovine species.
38. Hot streak: TEAR. Having great success over a period of time
39. Land in the water: ISLE. Not making a splash [a verb], but instead, a part of the earth's surface [a noun] extended above the surface of a body of water.
40. Slithery fish: EELS. A snake-like fish with a slender elongated body and poorly developed fins, proverbial for its slipperiness.
42. Chooses not to participate: OPTS OUT. Just so.
43. Raise: ELEVATE. Move to a higher level, either literally or figuratively.
44. South Asian garb: SARI. A garment consisting of a length of cotton or silk elaborately draped around the body, traditionally worn by women from South Asia.
10. Turns down: DIMS. As, frex., a lamp.
11. Flashing light: STROBE. A type of specialized lamp that produces a continuous series of short, bright flashes of light.
12. Heavily into: KEEN ON. Very enthusiastic or excited about.
13. "No doubt": INDEED. Used to emphasize a statement or response confirming something already suggested.
19. Prefix with friendly: ECO-. Not harmful to the environment.
21. Adorable: CUTE. Attractive in a pretty or endearing way.
22. Some recyclables: CANS. Along with bottles and paper.
23. Much: A LOT. An indefinite large quantity
24. Big party: FETE. A celebration or festival.
28. Doubleday incorrectly credited with inventing baseball: ABNER. Abner Doubleday (1819 – 1893) was a career United States Army officer and Union major general in the American Civil War. He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war, and had a pivotal role in the early fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg. In San Francisco, after the war, he obtained a patent on the cable car railway that still runs there. In 1908, 15 years after his death, Doubleday was declared by the Mills Commission to have invented the game of baseball (a claim never made by Doubleday during his lifetime). This claim has been thoroughly debunked by baseball historians.
29. Knockoff: CLONE. A product that is very similar to another one that it was copied from.
30. Westminster landmark: ABBEY. Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is a large, mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United Kingdom's most notable religious buildings and the traditional place of coronation and a burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. Construction of the present church began in 1245 on the orders of King Henry III.
31. Tedious journeys: SLOGS. A spell of difficult, tiring work or travelling.
34. Bol. neighbor: ARG. South American countries Bolivia and Argentina.
35. Short-horned bighorn: EWE. The female of any ovine species.
38. Hot streak: TEAR. Having great success over a period of time
39. Land in the water: ISLE. Not making a splash [a verb], but instead, a part of the earth's surface [a noun] extended above the surface of a body of water.
40. Slithery fish: EELS. A snake-like fish with a slender elongated body and poorly developed fins, proverbial for its slipperiness.
42. Chooses not to participate: OPTS OUT. Just so.
43. Raise: ELEVATE. Move to a higher level, either literally or figuratively.
44. South Asian garb: SARI. A garment consisting of a length of cotton or silk elaborately draped around the body, traditionally worn by women from South Asia.
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45. Epistolary friend: PEN PAL. A person with whom one becomes friendly by exchanging letters, especially someone in a foreign country whom one has never met.
46. Festoons: ADORNS. Decorates.
47. Without, with "of": DEVOID. Entirely lacking or free from.
51. Minor issue: NIT. A small imperfection or a minor glitch in a system or piece of software.
53. Out of the way: ASIDE. Literal.
55. Picnic discards: COBS. From ears of corn.
56. "The Snowy Day" Caldecott winner __ Jack Keats: EZRA. Ezra Jack Keats (né Jacob Ezra Katz; 1916 – 1983) was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He won the 1963 Caldecott Medal for illustrating The Snowy Day, which he also wrote.
57. Adam's eldest: CAIN. In Genesis, Cain was the first human offspring. He murdered his younger brother, Abel. Cf also 50 A.
58. Red Muppet with a pet goldfish named Dorothy: ELMO.
61. Amazon.com delivery: BOX. A container full of stuff, used for transporting said stuff.
62. Suffix on some pasta names: -INI. As in rotini, linguini, etc.
63. Good to go: SET. Prepared to do something.
46. Festoons: ADORNS. Decorates.
47. Without, with "of": DEVOID. Entirely lacking or free from.
51. Minor issue: NIT. A small imperfection or a minor glitch in a system or piece of software.
53. Out of the way: ASIDE. Literal.
55. Picnic discards: COBS. From ears of corn.
56. "The Snowy Day" Caldecott winner __ Jack Keats: EZRA. Ezra Jack Keats (né Jacob Ezra Katz; 1916 – 1983) was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He won the 1963 Caldecott Medal for illustrating The Snowy Day, which he also wrote.
57. Adam's eldest: CAIN. In Genesis, Cain was the first human offspring. He murdered his younger brother, Abel. Cf also 50 A.
58. Red Muppet with a pet goldfish named Dorothy: ELMO.
61. Amazon.com delivery: BOX. A container full of stuff, used for transporting said stuff.
62. Suffix on some pasta names: -INI. As in rotini, linguini, etc.
63. Good to go: SET. Prepared to do something.
That wraps up another Wednesday. Let's get set for whatever the next adventure might be.
Cool regards!
JzB
FIRight. Seemed a tad on the easy side for Wednesday, but not by too much.
ReplyDeleteI'll take half credit for catching the theme because I recognized the second word was the first, missing letters. I half-lose because I didn't look at which letters before I got to the reveal.
He went to tea, expecting SCONES,
but instead was served SNOW CONES.
She bought Who's Who learn the NOTABLE,
Alas, of Contents, there was no TABLE.
He went to meet the Doge of the GENOESE,
Instead met a dog, who chased some GEESE.
They tried all these things as NOVICES,
All they did instead was gain some VICES.
If you think of doggerel I'M DONE,
You'll find NO EXIT, no, not one!
{B+.}
It took me a while to get “dims” for “turns down.” I was thinking of “deny” and all kinds of things along that line. And “sparer” seems a little suspect to me. Also, I didn’t really grasp the gimmick until the reveal, but I did then. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteFIW on one bad square. I had BOoTIE and could make no sense of E?E.
ReplyDeleteI think Nod is located somewhere near Winken and Blinken
ABBEY Road is considered by many to be the best Beatles album
Aldous Huxley was a proponent of LSD Apparently he convinced Bill Wilson to try it for a spiritual experience
WC
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteNoted the doubles on my way through the grid, but then went looking for "exits" after reading the reveal D'oh. Neat theme. Thanx, D.A.B. and JzB.
O CANADA: Why can't we have a national anthem like that? This Land Is Your Land, anyone?
FIR, no problems. Lots of neat cluing!
ReplyDeleteDrives me nuts when they get horse things wrong. A REIN is attached to the bit of a bridle, not a halter. The bridle is for riding or driving, a halter is just for leading around, and is attached to a lead shank.
ReplyDeleteI found the exit in 8:28 today (exactly twice as long as yesterday), sort of. While solving, I noticed some repetition, but missed the "no" exiting the word.
ReplyDeleteI struggled in the bottom-left: "without, with [of]" threw me, and pen pals, adorns, & devoid took a long time to see. I vaguely remembered lame` from several weeks ago, somehow. And, I concur with SubG, "sparer" is suspect.
Also, I have an issue with "Adam's eldest" - if there's only two (Cain and Abel), then shouldn't it be "elder" not "eldest"? Haven't we had that issue discussed here before?
You can't say there was NO rhyme-time today. I had a couple of unknowns and changes to make before I FIR. Farfalle was and unknown so BOWTIE was filled by perps to go along with EZRA.
ReplyDeleteI wanted SCARCER or SPARSER for "Less abundant" but they wouldn't fit, so SPARER got the job. I've never heard that word.
My 'Tedious journeys' were not my TREK bicycles but SLOGS.
"Picnic discards' changed from CANS to COBS. Couldn't fill it twice in the same puzzle.
ASH Barty recently got married. Yes INDEED, she quit at the top. Why not. You've made millions so there's no reason to go through the daily grind. If other athletes were only so smart. Take the money and run.
I'M DONE here.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI agree with JazzB on the intricacy of the theme but wish there had been more sparkle in the fill and the cluing. Ezra, as clued was the only unknown and no w/os necessary. Sparer gets the side eye from me, also. Interesting to have both Cain and Eden. No Exit is also a play by Sartre of which I know nothing about, other than the title.
Thanks, David, for a mid-week treat and thanks, JazzB, for your always informative summary.
I watched Cruella last night and was very disappointed. Emma Stone and Emma Thompson were both very good in their roles, but the story line was nothing like what I was expecting. Just not my cup of tea, I guess.
Have a great day.
Here's what I learned from today's puzzle:
ReplyDelete1. That there is a tennis star named ASH Barty who announced her retirement in 2022
2. That the muppet ELMO has a pet goldfish named Dorothy
3. That there is a Caldecott winner entitled "The Snowy Day," written by EZRA Jack Keats
Here's my favorite clue I didn't write from today's puzzle:
"Microscope blobs" for PROTOZOA
I originally thought of this as a 21x21 puzzle. I'll indulge myself by listing some answers that didn't make the cut (you might want to congratulate yourselves for having been spared them):
NONET NET: Online chamber music site?
PINOT PIT: Bar that serves upscale wine in an "authentic" setting?
DO NOT DOT: Capital "i" construction caution?
NOMAD MAD: Crazy about wanderers?
DOWN ON DOWN: Opposed to the commercial use of animal feathers?
NOSHED SHED: Gingerbread house outbuilding?
My thanks to Patti Varol for editing, JzB for describing, and everyone here for solving my humble puzzle--and to C.C. Burnikel for making it possible for me to thank everybody else.
By the way, I agree heartily with desper-otto about our national anthem. Follow these links to read my incisive commentary on the subject:
https://www.davidalfredbywaters.com/2018/6/30/crossword-032-its-magic-no-4
https://www.davidalfredbywaters.com/2018/7/7/crossword-033-its-magic-no-5
I'm not sure how "thoroughly debunked" Abner Doubleday's creation of baseball is or has been. It is easy to deny something is so without offering an alternative. If he is not to be credited, who is? Maybe it was spontaneous generation.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, whoever invented the game, it is the greatest of all and I thank him.
FIR with no erasure, sitting at the Honda dealer waiting for my free state inspection. They didn't try to sell me anything this time! My service advisor was James Comey. I told him that I would refrain from any FBI comments, and he thanked me. DNK EZRA, nor did I know my ASH from a hole in the ground. Caught the word play in the theme entries, but not the NO removal.
ReplyDeleteI have to work when reading something with a lot of PADding. We see that in crossword clues a lot, and test questions frequently have a lot of superfluous content that needs to be ignored. Mark Twain famously said “I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”
Anon @7:06, if you take the Bible literally, ya gotta believe that Eve had at least one daughter that the author didn't get around to documenting, no?
I liked this puzzle, but I like most of DAB's offerings. Easiest of the work week, IMO. Thanks to JzB for the thorough explanation without PAD.
FLN: Leo, I loved "...because being retired, I don’t have the time."
I really liked the theme, but didn't catch the disappearance of NO until the reveal.I saw the the double words from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteHaving been a kindergarten teacher EZRA was easy.
ELDEST is correct, because Adam had Seth in addition to Cain and Abel. Some experts posit that there were many more sons.
I, too, took issue with the halter clue. The reins attach to the bridle. The lead attaches to the halter for someone on the ground too lead the horse.
Google: What is the difference between a bridle and a halter?
Horse halters are sometimes confused with a bridle. The primary difference between a halter and a bridle is that a halter is used by a handler on the ground to lead or tie up an animal, but a bridle is generally used by a person who is riding or driving an animal that has been trained in this use.
Spare already means more than needed, extra. It can't be more more, like more stronger. The definition of sparer is "a person who refrains from inflicting something unpleasant on someone. "I am in general a sparer of the rod." This would have been a better clue.
When I studied for my Masters degree most students padded their writing assignments with superfluous words and thoughts. I "died" whenever I saw how much shorter my papers were, but I received great grades for them.
To this lover pf butterflies, farfalle meaning butterfly is lovely. I am disappointed that the pasta is called bow ties in English. I don't care for bow ties anyway. I fnd them too dense and doughy.
While 'spare' can indeed mean 'miore' or 'extra' it can also mean 'scant' or 'less abundant' (according to Wiktionary anyway).
DeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-A “SLOGLESS” puzzle that was clever and fun complemented by wonderful comments from its author.
-NOVICES VICES – There are A LOT of these a rookie teacher should avoid
-Joann has ACTED AS her mother’s legal representative for years now
--I was today’s years old when I learned of the source this admonition to not PAD
-The lead character in Better Call Saul changed his name to Saul Goodman for his favorite phrase of “(It)’s ALL good, man”
-A good excuse and $4 will get you some coffee at Starbucks
-I remember this BARTY
-On 8/11/51 the N.Y. (now S.F.) Giants were 13 games out of first place but went on a TEAR to finish in a tie for the pennant.
-Substitute teaching allows me to OPT out off any job I choose
Very good!
ReplyDeleteI was completely fooled by looking at "exit" when I should have been looking at "no."
DO NOT USE THIS LINK if you want to stay on the Blog!
Liked the parsing. Had an issue with Sparer, Ezra, and Ani. Had to capitalize spar... or spell check corrected it. What does that indicate? Lol
ReplyDeleteHola!
ReplyDeleteThank you, DAB and JazzB!
In the convent, or ABBEY, trainees are called NOVICES and if they have any VICES they are soon shown the EXIT.
Irish Miss beat me to Sartre's NO EXIT. It is a play about people stuck in a room with no doors. There is a much deeper meaning, of course, about not finding one's way in life.
I agree about BOWTIE pasta being too thick. Not my favorite.
Not familiar with tennis star, ASH Barty put easily perped. I'm very familiar with HAWAII, though. Let me count the trips . . . . . . .
Have a lovely day, everyone!
FIR in 24. Saw the theme which helped and you would think help me finish quicker, but, NO. Last to finish was SE. no W/Os today, but lots of DNKs that needed perps, including 1A. Geez, every letter filled by perps. ASSERT just did not assert itself in my brain. I thought SATE meant to fill completely, not adequately. Nice Wednesday CW, thanx, DAB. As always, a fun and educating write-up, thanx, JzB.
ReplyDeleteUncle Fred, SATE struck me as odd, too. Sate is more than just adequate.
ReplyDeleteI only had to Wipe Out Eros for ARES (Always make that mistake). Fun humpday puzzle with an amusing double meaning theme.
ReplyDeleteI know the words to 3 athems..Ours, "O Canada" (had to learn it as a frat pledge in college, one of the brothers was from PEI, Prince Edward Island), and "La Marseillaise" for HS French Club (brutal lyrics)
ASH Barty..kind of out there for a such a simple answer
"State with" most "convictions"?.. not HAWAII (clued elsewhere) .. wait let me reread that clue again. "Farfalle shape" butterflies 🦋🦋....not BOWTIES. 😬
Happy to see our OBOE woodwind bud stop by. "Westminster" is a London Downtown ABBEY. "West of Nod?" Winken or Blinken ? (W Charles got there first 😁)... I thought it was bayonette for some reason. "microscopic blobs"??? How insulting to PROTOZOA everywhere 😄
____ "excuses"....Lame
Knocked down pins....BOLD
Hot streak...TER
South Asian board game...SARI
Lotsa hungry folks to ___ at the GALA...FÊTE
C U 2morrow
ReplyDeleteGood morning. Thank you, David, and thank you, JzB
I always enjoy David's crosswords. More so with the Friday and Saturday level puzzles, but this one was fine, too.
I definitely needed the reveal to understand what was going on with the theme answers.
JzB, I filled ALIBIS but also thought that the clue "Excuses" was not a good fit.
Really running late today. Part of my notes from early this morning:
FLN, PK, birds of a feather ? Keeping track of stuff ? As for the mowings, it's the fertile soil, the cool weather grasses, and the rain. We've only had one real hot spell so far this year combined with no rain, and the lawn didn't need to be mowed for 10 days between June 27th and July 7th.
Compare that to May of 2018, when I mowed on May 1st, drove down to Texas and got back on May 11th. The grass grew to over a foot tall. And thick. I had to take the hood off of JD because the engine was getting too hot. I cut it on the highest setting on John Deere, down to 4". Then walked the entire yard with the Honda to bag the clippings. Then had to cut again 4 days later.
Backyard Lawn - May 2018
Over all adequate puzzle. I got the double sounds right off but not the reveal until Jazz’s explanation. I hung on to DETOUR for NOEXIT for too long. When I ended up with two i’s together in the northwest, I thought I was in trouble but remembered HAWAII.
ReplyDeleteI too find SATE not so apt. Bow ties or 🦋🦋 are not my favorite pasta. They do look like bow ties also.
Owen, I really like your poem today.
Delightful puzzle, and your puzzles are always a pleasure--many thanks, David. And so are your commentaries, JazzB, thanks for those too.
ReplyDeleteSome national references in today's puzzle. There was CANADA right near the top, and then HAWAII. Neither of those is an ISLE, is it? Well, maybe HAWAII. And what about GENOA? And, of course, once upon a time there was EDEN--also a bit of geography.
A few nice names here and there: ABNER, and EZRA, and CAIN, and ELMO. Wonder if they could hang out together at the SPA, and share some CANS of ALE. Would that SATE them? I don't think so.
Also some things to wear, like a BOW TIE and a SARI. Could those ADORN some folks?
Well, I guess I'M DONE and it's time for me to EXIT.
Have a great day, everybody.
FIR. Thanks to DAB for the fun and to JzB for the helpful write-up!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was an anagram theme until I got to the reveal.
I agree with Anonymous @ 6:58 and Yellowrocks @ 9:17. Constructors & editors who are unfamiliar with reins should seek advice in their clueing of this useful fill word. We recently had the clue "bit parts" and the answer was (supposedly) "reins". A rein is not a part of a bit. As was previously explained, the reins are attached to a bit (or bosal in the California Vaquero tradition). To be even more precise, if you have braided rawhide reins, you want to protect them from moisture so you attach the reins to slobber chains and then attach the slobber chains to the bit. Fortunately, we usually know what the constructor is going for so, IT'S ALL GOOD.
RE: Ezra Jack Keats. I volunteer one day a week at my local library. "A Snowy Day" is a popular children's book. It is regularly on my work cart. It warms my heart that this gentle book, published in 1962, is still a favorite amongst today's internet-speed youth.
ReplyDeleteA Rein is not attached to a Halter! It is attached to the Bridle. Halters don’t have bits, they have Leads.
ReplyDeleteWhew! There is some angst out there. Calm down, please. It's only a puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI don't exactly have PEN PALS but I do like to write letters to my friends. One, in fact, doesn't have and has never used a computer, so a physical letter and the telephone are the only ways to communicate with her. I think I'll call her today, in fact.
TTP
That is a huge back yard! I hope you have a sit down mower and you must live where it often rains to have it that green.
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, David (and for joining us)and JzB.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in good time , and saw the “remove the NO to get the double words” theme. (I like JzB’s Double or NOthing title!)
One inkblot to change Elk to EWE (d’uh!).
SPARER was the last to fill. I didn’t know ASH, and Day ____ could have been anything. Alphabet run prevented a Natick cross. I agree that SPARER is awkward.
Hand up for immediately thinking of Aver or Avow at 1A.
We don’t see “epistolary” very often. I thought of “epistle” and it made sense.
I thought we were going to say NO with 10D “turns down”, (hello subgenius) but we were DIMming the lights (maybe going to say yes LOL).
I’ll take a CSO with O CANADA. That link had an interesting rendition. We don’t usually stress the syllables the way that singer did!
Ray-o- if you learned O CANADA years ago, one line has been changed. “In all our sons command” to “in all of us”; now every gender is included.
I’ll take a second CSO with TER. I saw plenty of tids in my career (plus bid and qid etc.- but od or as is frowned upon now due to possible confusion and med errors).
Wishing you all a great day.
Thanks, JzB and David for the puzzle and for the commentary. This one reminded me of an old Ron Cobb cartoon dealing with the issue of ingress/egress. I tried to find it online but, so far, without success. I will keep looking for it in, to quote Tom Lehrer, "my copious spare time." (The sarcasm does not come across nearly as well when typed out as it does audibly).
ReplyDeleteHi Y'all! Thank you, D.A.B., for a fun & doable puzzle. Thank you, JzB, for 'splainin' stuff.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievably got the theme on the first one which helped on the others.
NW was the last to fill. Not Avowal but ASSERT. DNK ASH. Couldn't come up with SPARER for awhile. Finally got it without any red runs. Also DNK: SAW, EZRA, TER, LSD.
Don't know why I had never heard of EZRA or his book. Probably because we didn't have a book store in our town & I was too busy to take my little kids to the library. We all were big readers though.
YUP, TTL, guilty. Last night I found some lists of prices of books purchased one year. Took a while to realize I was wanting to check my credit card statement. Must have been ok because I quit listing them after two years. I was reading a lot.
ReplyDeleteLuciana! Letter-writing is almost a lost art...thank you for keeping it alive!
Delightful DAB puzzle today, to no one's surprise. I LOVE when the reveal is at the end, like this one.
Guys? Adam and Eve had three kids at least...Seth was born after Abel died. CAIN indeed was Adam's eldest.
Thank you for the puzzle, David, and for the write-up, JazzB.
A halter has no reins; it is a bridal that has reins (and a bit.)
ReplyDeleteCanada Eh @ 1:29
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm remembering it wrong but I thought I was singing "in all thy sons' command" not "our" 🇨🇦
But then again it was only a few years ago I realized that it was "Whose broad stripes and bright stars" and not what I was singing "Who's brought stripes and bright stars" 🙄
I see now that Anonymous @ 6:58 AM made the same point about halter vs. bridal.
ReplyDeleteI liked the NO EXIT gimmick. Neither liked nor disliked the rest of the puzzle, except for that REIN clue.
ReplyDeleteI wish Congress would pick a different song for our national anthem, such as the one desper-otto proposed.
On a positive note, I really like reading what you all have to say, and I often learn useful information from you.
Good wishes to you all.
Anger at a wedding shower?
ReplyDeleteBRIDAL BRIDLE
😄
From yesterday,
ReplyDeleteSorry about the general/major link.
(I thought it would have more linguistic value.)
But I did have (some) success working on the leaf blower...
I will definitely be upgrading to those new cordless electric quiet eco friendly thingies as soon as my neighbor either moves or I can no longer borrow his blower.
But my old gas blower has sentimental value...
It is only 30+ years old...
I have been fixing it since the day I got it!
About 2 years ago, it finally gave up the ghost, but with a little tinkering I found that the engine is still perfectly usable.
Unfortunately the carburetor is toast, and was discontinued about 25 years ago. I might try Amazon for a diaphragm/gasket replacement kit, but it cost $8- (I pride myself on fixing things for zero dollars from junk) and the replacement kit may or may not work.
Anywho,
I have been picking thru the trash at the recycling center, and found a (somewhat) compatible carb on an old weed wacker!
I just have to put it on upside down, with the primer bulb backwards, and use the weed wacker wand throttle control, and the dang thing works!
Frankenstein LIVES!
Nice to see our friend CanadianEh! getting her shout-out via "O CANADA."
ReplyDeleteIt is one of my own favorite anthems. Not that I know that many. But I find myself singing it softly, under my breath, whenever it's played over the air.
"O CANADA" has a calming tune. It is uplifting, but soothing too. I'm not sure why, but I think that is important in a national air.
Honestly, though, of the ones I know, the very best is the Japanese anthem, "Kimigayo.".
I used it once in a play I premiered, a sort of docudrama about the history of Japan, from its mythic origin through WW2.
It ended with the A-Bomb. We symbolized that each night (this was an outdoor drama) by burning a 14-foot high Tori gate.
While the flames rose, our cast hummed the anthem and handed out origami flowers.
A strange juxtaposition, but we could feel the "closure."
~ OMK
Here's a link for anyone interested.
ReplyDeleteIt is maybe the shortest of anthems: Kimigayo
~ OMK
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteThank you DAB for a the amusing puzzle sans pop-culture names. An enjoyable Wednesday outing.
Also, thanks for stopping by The Corner. I like MAD NOMAD.
Excellent and extensive expo, JzB. LOL OBOE as a drumstick.
WOs: N/A
ESPs: ASH, EZRA, ANI
Fav: YAMMERED is fun
Eric Clapton used AILBIS as clued.
{A}
FLN - LOL 'no time now that I'm retired' LeoIII.
D-O: I love the sentiment but I think half the country would consider Woody's song communistic.
YR / Lucina - farfalle is great for pasta salads and light sauces (my fav: butter, garlic, & black pepper topped with parmesan).
Each pasta shape & texture has it's "best-used-as" depending on the sauce and add-ins. I have farfalle, rigatoni, spaghetti, angel-hair, penne, spiral, and both thin & wide egg-noodles in my pantry (but I can't use them 'cuz DW is no-carbin' it!)
MManatee - I've heard 'copious free time' but didn't know that came from Lehrer. Thx.
CED - Enjoyed the leaf-blower rig-up story (and pic).
Cheers, -T
Ray-o- LOL! You remembered the old words in O Canada better than I did! I’ll make you an honorary Canadian.
ReplyDeleteMy local newspaper misprinted the crossword today - it was simply yesterday's with the answers filled in, plus the small inset of yesterdays answers as expected. So, I had the clues and that was all - no idea where the numbers and spaces were on the grid. So naturally I decided to take that on, and long story short, I did it! I just got out a piece of graph paper and had at it. Now I'm no crossword master and I'm sure any of you could do it faster than I did, but I must say I was rather pleased that I could figure it out. I did not look up the answers. I did use my phone to research more than usual, but hey, I needed that much help.
ReplyDeleteWhen you get a little bored with the regular way, I highly recommend doing this for a real brain twister.
Those are called "diagramless" puzzles. I enjoyed them a lot in pre-computer days. they have their frustrations because the finished grid is often a weird shape. e.g. rabbit ears You have the tips of the ears, but how far apart are they. Even worse, what if one is taller than the other? For a 21x21, you'd best use a blank grid twice as wide!
ReplyDeleteAsk Mr.G to look you up some!
David: I finally got around to reading your 4&5 on National Anthem critique. Cute. But, there's an argument to be made that the wanna-be poet, Key, inked it as the battle raged. Or so the myth goes.
ReplyDeleteIf Ukraine hangs on, there's going to be more myth-making, I'm sure (and we can be their France!)
That said, you made me think about my response to D-O: "[...] I think half the country would consider Woody's song communistic."
Upon further consideration, there are many that think Born in The USA [The Boss] is patriotic instead of a scathe of our foreign policy & treatment of vets.
I don't think they listened to the lyrics 'cuz some folk, I guess, only hear the hook.
Maybe thems wouldn't notice the underlying message in Woody's words(?).
C, Eh! - I want to be an honourary Canadian. I'll learn the Anthem, I promise!
//I inserted a 'U' there and I know all of RUSH's songs - does that count for anything?
OKL - Do you have other ways of punishing yourself in puzzle-land? :-)
Cheers, -T