Lunch Break
 |
| Luncheon of the Boating Party Pierre-Auguste Renoir 1881 |
The above scene depicts a break for lunch
that was taken by a group of the artist Renoir's friends as they were
boating down the Seine. They've disembarked at a shore side restaurant
and are treating themselves to quite a feast. The Wiki link in the
painting title contains
an interactive view of the painting that shows you the identity of each
of
the friends who appear in the work (can you guess his future wife?).
While the restaurant is real, and the excursion may have actually taken
place, obviously Renoir couldn't have painted it in the restaurant; we
know that each of the diners posed separately over a period of 16
months, and he then assembled their portraits into the final work. Not
only is it a masterpiece, but it's a tour de force of the painter's
craft. You don't have to go to France to see this painting: it's owned
by The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. For a deep dive into Renoir's magnum opus here's a docent's video tour.
So what does all of this have to do with today's puzzle, constructed by Michael Schlossberg? He also invites us to a lunch break,
although one with far simpler fare than that of Renoir's sumptuous spread. The grid circles
are a mixed blessing: the actual themers
are fill fragments, and depend on their visual positioning across
adjacent lines to complete each theme entry. Without the circles they
would be almost impossible to spot, nor could they help you to solve the
puzzle. However they make it almost too easy to figure out what's going on (YMMV you know who).
Here are the theme fragments and the results of combining them highlighted in RED:
28A. Denial: REFUSAL and 33A. Catchy pitch: AD SLOGAN. SALAD. Could this and the previous themer be metaphors for crossword puzzles?
39A. Grand: THOUSAND and 45A. Kansas home of McConnell Air Force Base: WICHITA. SANDWICH. Wichita, Kansas is perhaps better known for this song than the AFB:
The reveal provides a simple menu for a quick ...
59A. Midday hiatus illustrated three times in this puzzle: LUNCH BREAK. As we can see, each dish in the lunch is broken across two lines.
Here's the grid:
And the rest of the fare:
Across:
1. Mamba kin: COBRA. One of the most deadly of which is the black mamba.
 |
| Black Mamba |
6. Peak: ACME. Near the top of the list for 4 letter CWD fill.
10. Some Dada pieces: ARPS. Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966), better known as Jean Arp in English, was a German-French sculptor, painter, and poet. He was known as a Dadaist and an abstract artist.
 |
| Jean Arp |
15. __ and proper: PRIM.
16. Exactly: TO A T. Also, to a turn.
19. Theater award: OBIE. The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City.
20. Art Institute of Chicago area, with "the": LOOP. It's windy there.
21. "Come with me, Spot!": HEEL. The ABC's of dog training, based on principles originated by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov:
 |
| Pavlov's Dog |
23. One with pointy ears and pointy shoes: ELF. They make frequent appearances in crosswords, e.g. last Thursday.
24. Actress Thurman: UMA. UMA who?
25. Unintentionally reply all, say: ERR. Could also be a job changing experience.
27. Longtime NASCAR sponsor: STP. Short for Standard Temperature and Pressure. Also short for Stone Temple Pilots. Here's their Interstate Love Song (lyrics):
30. Miserly desire: AVARICE.
32. Egg layer: HEN.
34. Flour used for naan and paratha: ATTA. Atta/Ata or chakki atta is a wholemeal wheat flour, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used to make flat breads such as chapati, roti, naan, paratha and puri. It is the most widespread flour in the Indian subcontinent
37. "We card" cards, for short: IDS.
38. Novelists Patchett and Petry: ANNS. Ann Patchett (born December 2, 1963) is an American author. She received the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in the same year, for her novel Bel Canto, based on a true story (Patchett patterned one of her characters after the great soprano Renée Fleming and later became friends with her).
 |
| Ann Patchett |
Ann Petry (October 12, 1908 – April 28, 1997) was an American writer of novels, short stories, children's books and journalism. Her 1946 debut novel The Street became the first novel by an African-American woman to sell more than a million copies. In 2019, the Library of America published a volume of her work containing The Street as well as her 1953 masterpiece The Narrows and a few shorter pieces of nonfiction.
 |
| Ann Petry |
44. Furry toy spiders that move when screamed at: YELLIES. This puzzle is starting to get a little creepy:
49. Capitol Hill fig.: POL. If only we could figure out what to do about 'em.
50. Actor who played Clubber Lang in "Rocky III": MR T. Mr. T (born Laurence Tureaud, May 21, 1952), is an American actor. He is known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series The A-Team and as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III. In 1995 the "Ultimate Tough Guy", went head to head with his own personal form of cancer.
 |
| Laurence Tureaud |
52. Boar's mate: SOW.
53. Elba of "Cats": IDRIS. Rumor has it that T.S. Eliot didn't even bother to roll over in his grave about this 2019 movie. IDRIS is an incredibly versatile actor, but he may have gone a whisker too far this time ...
55. Tirade: RANT.
57. Floor model: DEMO. We really needed a new car this Summer and it was the first time I can recall that we couldn't just walk into a showroom and buy a floor model. We actually had to wait for a month to take delivery.
58. Murmurs lovingly: COOS.
61. Asia's vanishing __ Sea: ARAL. Here's hoping it vanishes completely from crosswords someday.
62. Juvenile outburst?: ACNE.
63. Join: UNITE. Or was it UNTIE? Last week this was a CSO to Jinx. It still is.
64. Mother of Castor and Pollux: LEDA. Their father was a swan. And HIS wife didn't approve. It's complicated.
65. __ Spunkmeyer: OTIS. My D.I.L. has strong opinions about nutrition:
Down:
1. Square dance figure: CALLER. A CSO to Yellowrocks. Here Phil Jamison calls a Texas Star square dance at a North Carolina high school. Brought to us by the Square Dance History Project.
2. Fútbol cheer: OLE OLE. Here's the World Cup 2022 playoff schedule. Some are expecting a clash of cultures over this one.
3. Removed with one's chompers: BIT OFF. Or the two week old carton of milk in the fridge was a BIT OFF.
4. Abrasive tool: RASP. More Thursdayish fill from last week.
5. Bat wood: ASH. It's now an endangered species.
6. Legal challenge: APPEAL. Here's how it works.
7. Manitoba people: CREE. The Sapotaweyak Cree Nation (SCN, Cree: ᓵᐳᐦᑕᐍᔮᕽ, sâpohtawêyâhk, meaning: "golden eagle") is a First Nations band government whose reserves are located in northern Manitoba, north-east of Swan River, approximately 400 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.
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| Flag of the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation |
8. Deceives: MISLEADS.
9. Genre with introspective lyrics: EMO. Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of post-hardcore and hardcore punk from the mid-1980s Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered by bands such as Rites of Spring and Embrace. Here's Dashboard Confessional's Vindicated. Sounds like they're on the road to recovery (lyrics):
10. On: ATOP. Up there with ACME and APEX.
11. Endorse without reading, say: ROBO SIGN. Investopedia defines this as applying to employees of mortgage companies, but also might be applicable to any of us confronted with the ubiquitous prompts to "Click to accept Terms and Conditions" on websites.
12. Makeshift storage container for brushes: PAINT CAN.
13. Becomes more inclined?: STEEPENS. Or a hill that seems to STEEPEN as we age.
18. "That sounds rough!": OH MAN.
22. River through Orsk: URAL. I think that URAL may be turning into the geographical OREO cookie of crosswords. You are probably not likely to visit anytime soon, but in case you do, here are some things to know about Orsk, Russia.
24. Employ: USE.
26. Trailer park parkers, for short: RVS. Recreational Vehicles. The crosswordese for someone who parks one is of course RVER.
29. Ryder rival: UHAUL.
31. "Stiff" and "Bonk" writer Mary: ROACH. Mary Roach (born March 20, 1959) is an American author specializing in popular science and humor. She has published six New York Times bestsellers including Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (2003) and Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex (2008) (puns intended I'm sure).
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| Mary Roach |
34. Out of the ordinary: ATYPICAL.
35. "Sister Carrie" novelist Dreiser: THEODORE. Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser (August 27, 1871 – December 28, 1945) was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm moral code, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of choice and agency. Dreiser's best known novels include Sister Carrie (1900) and An American Tragedy (1925).
36. E-ZPass stretch, say: TOLL ROAD. A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or toll) is assessed for passage. But back in the day things weren't so E-Z if you wanted to cross a bridge in the Holy Roman Empire (or a ferry across the river Styx).
37. Educate: INSTRUCT.
40. Virtual citizens in a video game: SIMS. The Sims is a series of life simulation video games developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The franchise has sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and it is one of the best-selling video game series of all time.
41. __ Lingus: AER. Aer Lingus (an anglicisation of the Irish aerloingeas meaning "air fleet") is the flag carrier of Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 2015 and it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of International Airlines Group (IAG). The airline's head office is on the grounds of Dublin Airport in Cloghran, County Dublin. We flew Aer Lingus to Ireland in 1999 and I'm happy to report that the service was excellent.
42. Levity: MIRTH.
43. "Eww!": ICK. This puzzle is not only getting CREEPY, but ICKY!
45. Flinches: WINCES.
46. Happy cry from someone who finally deciphers a Magic Eye picture: I SEE IT. DNK about Magic Eye pictures. They are a series of books (and posters, post cards, and lots of other kinds of images) that feature autostereograms.
If you look at them just right you can see a 3-D image on 2-D surface
without a special viewer. They're very sophisticated optical illusions
that were derived from insights into optics, neuroscience, graphics
design, and computer generated imagery. They started as a fad back in the 1990's and faded after a few years. But they never really went away and they're still being produced and marketed.
Here's what one looks like, but I don't think they can be viewed very
well from a computer screen. If you're curious, there are lots of
images in the last two links that you can print and experiment with.
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| Autostereogram "Magic Eye" picture |
Once again CrossEyedDave has scooped me with a great example of how to view Magic Eye pictures:
47. Salsa ingredient: TOMATO. Teri has picked every last one on the vines and they're ripening in the sun room.
48. No longer asleep: AWOKEN.
54. Cuba, por ejemplo: ISLA. Today's Spanish lesson.
56. Years, in Rome: ANNI. Today's Latin lesson.
57. Spy-fi villain in a Nehru jacket: DR NO. What a franchise! Bond takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' (well maybe not). There have been 25 canonical Bonds,
starting with the great Sean Connery in 1962. [Spoiler alert!] Who do
you think will succeed Daniel Craig who died in in the oxymoronic No Time to Die?
59. Southeast Asian language: LAO. Lao, sometimes referred to as Laotian (ລາວ, [láːw] 'Lao' or ພາສາລາວ, 'Lao language'), is a Kra–Dai language of the Lao people. It is spoken in Laos, where it is the official language for around 7 million people, as well as in northeast Thailand, where it is used by around 23 million people, usually referred to as Isan. Lao serves as a lingua franca among the citizens of Laos, who also speak approximately 90 other languages, many of which are unrelated to Lao.
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| Lao Language in the Phetsarath OT font |
60. Software glitch: BUG. The origins of this term. Back in the day we used to say, "If carpenters built houses like programmers build programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization". -- Anon.
Cheers,
Bill
As always, thanks to Teri
for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
44 comments:
Good morning!
Easier than yesterday, methinks. Will it be SEN or REP? Nope, POL. CALLER was a CSO to our own YR. Do you suppose in New Orleans they do a CreOLE OLE? Without the circles, d-o would've had no chance at getting the theme, especially after failing to read the full reveal clue. Again. Thanx, Michael and Waseeley. (I thought ROBOSIGN referred to the machine that politicians and celebrities use to create autographed photos.)
TOLL ROAD: EZPass is convenient for commuters; you can blast through the toll booths at 70 MPH.
I SEE IT: We have a book of those Magic-Eye pictures. I think they're neat. D-w has never been able to see them.
I agree w/ D-O, this CW seemed easier than yesterday. FIR in 17. Lots of DNK proper names, but they seemed to perp in pretty well. 19A wasn’t sure if it was OBIE or TONY, but ATOP solved that. No W/Os for a rare neat looking CW. I saw the theme with SOUP and that was a huge help at filling the other circles. Thanx, MS, for the fun Wednesday level CW which is here on Thursday this week. Thanx too to Bill for the really nice write-up. I like MagicEye!
Good morning All!
Wow, this was quite a write-up, especially about the Renoir. Very nice. Somewhat difficult puzzle but got it done. So much information to read but just great. Didn’t know the authors, but filled it in. Mr T and Dr No, funny. Very enjoyable.
Hubby on the way to MN to meet our new grandson, early flight so I’ve been up since he left before 5:00 AM. Tree service coming today which always makes me nervous. Men hanging on ropes offf of the trees, limbs coming down, etc. Not my favorite day of the year. Has to be done.
Best wishes to everyone.
I agree with others that this puzzle seemed easier than yesterday’s. In fact, things seem to be going backwards , with the hardest puzzle on Tuesday and from then on getting easier every day. I wonder what tomorrow will bring? I got the gimmick pretty much right away, and by that almost already knew what the reveal was going to be. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning. Thank you, Michael, and thank you, Waseeley.
Six sets of circles, and "... illustrated three times..." in the reveal ? Oh, I SEE IT !
DNK / never heard of: YELLIES. Ditto Mary ROACH and THEODORE Dreisler.
Waseeley, I am a bit surprised that you know of Stone Temple Pilots and actually linked "Interstate Love Song." Especially given the genre of your apparent musical preferences. Or did you just come across them when searching STP ?
Magic Eye is new to me as well. I think. Maybe. The eye doc asks me to find numbers and letters as she tests my vision. Perhaps checking for color blindness ?
I have an award plaque for the shelf and framed thank-you letter that was ROBOSIGNed by the CEO of the company I worked for. Very nice, but the financial award was much more useful. Better yet, the recognition brought both job security and future pay increases that were much more meaningful over the rest of my career. Unfortunately, along with more workload and responsibilities. The reward for good work is more work. I am so glad to be happily retired and enjoying a much less frenetic and more irresponsible life. :-)
TTP @ 6:29 AM Despite my oft stated preference for "classical music", I like classics in other genres as well, as long as they're done well. One of my old IT buddies was an STP fan and the name just popped into my head when I saw the fill. I'm sure I've blogged the lubricant at least 2 times before and I bore easily.
When surfing for bling to illustrate ROBO SIGN I expected to find something about mechanical signing, but it all had to do with some real estate scandal. It must be one of those memes that just creeps into our language after some well-publicized event, e.g. "The Smartest Guys in the Room".
FLN, Dash T - The TexMex fajitas were excellent. I think the key to making a great pico de gallo is using fresh ingredients and then letting them meld in the fridge for a few hours. She made the guac just before we ate. There's something so satisfying to me about the taste of chicken fajitas with pico de gallo and guacamole wrapped in a warm tortilla.
Jinx, Lucent had a large presence in Lisle and Naperville. My wife did some contract work there one year. On one especially brutal cold winter night, her car wouldn't start. I drove over and jumped the battery. While I was doing it, a guy was repeatedly slamming his driver side car door, trying to get it to close. He came over to where we were, and in very broken English said "My door won't slam, my door won't slam !" I shouldn't have laughed, but I did manage to muffle it while asking if his door wouldn't shut.
The latch in his door somehow got stuck in the closed position when he opened the door. A little prying with a screwdriver and we got it working. I'll never forget that bitterly cold night in the Lucent parking lot, with that guy repeatedly slamming his door saying, "My door won't slam !"
I took my lunch break in 8:19 today.
Oh joy, circles.
I'm growing tired of the daily parade of unknown (often female) authors (e.g., Anns, Roach, & Theodore). Has occurred so often that it must be intentional.
Ural & Aral in the same puzzle. Not sure how to feel about that.
I also was surprised by, and enjoyed, the link to STP. Thank you for that, and the nice review.
FIR, but erased oils for ARPS and all for MIC. I remember a short-lived sitcom Open All Night; guess that is another indication that I'm a relic.
Speaking of relics, Stone Temple Pilots are frequent artists on the oldies FM station I usually listen to.
Relics Part III, Happy Kyne and the MIRTHmakers were an important part of the hilarious comedy show Fernwood Tonight.
Like U. Fred, I had to wait for tony/OBIE.
I am almost to the point that I can remember IDRIS as easily as URAL and ARAL. Repetition INSTRUCTs.
Thanks to Michael for the fun, pretty-easy-for-Thursday puzzle. And thanks to Bill and Teri for the after show party.
Very easy puzzle for a Thursday, only requiring logical guesses to get unknowns ATTA, YELLIES, and THEODORE. The circles weren't noticed and LUNCH BREAK was filled before the clue was read.
I remember Glen Campbell posing as a FOOTBALL lineman on his TV show as "WICHITA Lineman" was playing.
ANNS & ROACH were filled by perps.
MR. T.- a bloody Mary mix with his wife, MRS. T. Oh, " I pity the fool".
MAGIC EYE- comes in the paper's Sunday Comics section.
Subgenius- Patti has a 'thing' about using proper names for unknown people. I'm not one to RANT but I wish she would get away from it, LET'S HOPE SO.
TTP - Great story. Lucent/Western Electric/Bellcore had great technical classes. I think the key was that they took people from the field that were interested in being INSTRUCTors, taught them how to teach, and let them teach for two years. At the end of the two years, they went back to the field. That way they always had INSTRUCTors with current experience, and they didn't permanently lose expertise from field operations.
FIR, despite many unknowns. Thank goodness for the perps which saw me through.
Good Morning:
I never paid attention to the circled letters until I filled in the reveal and then saw the Soup, Salad, Sandwich. Cute theme and, as Bill pointed out, the circles were really necessary. (Sorry, SS). I don’t think I had any w/os but I needed perps for Atta, Yellies, Otis, and Roach, as clued. Awoken looks and sounds awkward to me.
Thanks, Michael, for a smooth and satisfying solve and thanks, Bill, for another outstanding review and commentary. I’m looking forward to checking out the rest of the links later, but I did read the article on Mr. T’s ordeal, of which I was totally unaware. We are very lucky to have you and Teri as our Thursday team.
Big Easy @ 7:14 ~ I think you meant to address SS’s (Anonymous) @ 7:06 comment about Patti’s proper name penchant. Of course it’s deliberate and one of yesterday’s C/As is a perfect example, to wit: “Bad Feminist” writer, Roxane=Gay. I’ve mentioned this annoying and unnecessary habit numerous times, but the fact remains that Patti, as editor, makes the rules. Please take note of the book’s title, as well.
FLN
PK, I’m sorry for your daughter’s pain and sorrow.
Anon T, yes, Netflix is still in the mail order business. I have a mail subscription as well as a streaming one. The DVD’s I get by mail are of current movies, usually available within months of theatrical release.
Have a great day.
Thanks for the write up and the puzzle. I wholeheartedly agree with Bill's assessment of the circles. I most likely would not have spotted the theme without them but they did make it "too easy". A first world conundrum.
Anon-T's Colbert link ended up bringing me to this long analysis of Portrait of JRR Tolkien At 1.35 there's an interesting critics response when LOTR was published which may address skeptics in here
WC
DNF (rather than FIW) in 2 places...SI__ crossed with __ RT....and __RNO crossed with ___ EMO. too busy scratching my head I noticed most but not all the obvisous lunch references. (Where I come from a local would say "sang-widge")
"Mamba kin": by now I know it's not a salsa dance. ("Watch out fo' yo' MAMbA) ..COBRA was yesterday's wrong snake.
"Cover name" almost put title. Thought teeth were choppers but "chompers" makes more sense. I remembered the square dance partner and corner but witnout a CALLER nothing happens. Never heard of ROBOSIGN. ATTA, knew we had it before but fergit.
ROACH? it's only Thursday, why an unknown proper name? Why not a clever misdirection instead? GOTON "did well together"? Not "got along"? (is how I use it). I got on (along) with most of my teachers.... The original events, the basis for Dreiser's "An American Tragedy" took place on Big Moose Lake, a few miles north of my place in the Adirondacks
"Moved when screamed at":...me and my brother Rich as teens: by Mom
ORSK? isn't that the planet Morsk is from? (Or is it Mirk from IRK, MIRTH from Earth 😄, OK OK, I promise I'll stop now)
That HEN strutted over from yesterday's puzzle. The film version of "Cats" was so bad (and with all those stars) I turned it off after 15 or 20 min. Knew ANN Pachett from "The Dutch House"
Banana cause of a pratfall.....Appeal Little Orphan ____ ..ANNI (a 3rd ANN)
Fearless ____ .....LEDA (she hadda be to do it with a swan)
Waz: Thanks for all info. 55 in Orlando 😳 gonna take our daughter to one of those stay in the car drive thru zoos today.
🚗 🦘🦒🦍
Hmm,
This puzzle makes me wonder if I'll enjoy my lunch today...
Musings
-I saw the gimmick and wondered what fill would start with WICH
-I ERRED when I composed a nasty email for my wife about a colleague and sent it to the colleague instead. I went to apologize and her computer was wide open and she was not at her desk. Yup, I found and deleted that message!
-Of all the ANNS in the world, this puzzle maintains the streak of selecting ATYPICAL ones
-Bill and COO – I think I’ve done the latter and I am not sure what the former is
-I never GOT ON with some principals but they liked that kids learned science and I didn’t send them any problems
-My neighbor has put a lot of money into the ASH that gives us great morning shade but it appears to be a losing battle
-Can you sign your name legibly with your finger on an electronic screen?
-Pawn Stars call in experts to authenticate signatures. I remember how an expert caught a fake one by illiterate Shoeless Joe Jackson
-It is amazing when the Magic Eye images suddenly appear!
-Ferreting out BUGS in my BASIC programs was like a challenging game to me
-My golf partner calls his sand wedge a sandwich
Yes, IM, I’m sure you’re right about Big East’s remarks being meant for SS and not for me. I also agree with you about Patti. Interestingly enough, in that recent puzzle that she crafted herself, there were very few of her trademark “quirks.” Go figure!
That should be “Big Easy” of course. Stupid autocorrect!
As I recall the clue was Quenya or Sindarhin language and answer ELvish
Unks: ATTA,IDS, ANNS,YELLIES,ROACH but I'd heard of SIM City
turnpike/TOLLROAD
Aa I've said, I enjoy unk pop-cul when it's perpable
RV was a CSO to Jinx. It's supposed to reach the 60s today
WC
I should correct: We like old pop-cul like Dreiser just not new stuff. STP/EMO I'll pass to Anon-T and TTP
Hola!
IDRIS Elba in a puzzle will awaken me every time!
Luckily I am familiar with both THEODORE Dreiser and Mary ROACH. The former's Sister Carrie I read for a lit class and the latter for pleasure or what I thought would be pleasure.
A couple of unfamiliar terms, though: YELLIES, SIMS.
One W/O at OTIS, I had OTTO. ANNI and WINCES corrected that.
CSO to my cousin, Paul, who lives in WICHITA.
Hello, YR. I see that Bill cited you for CALLER in a square dance.
Thank you, Bill and Michael, for an amusing start to my day. Grocery shopping today. I already bought the turkey but need the trimmings as well as pies.
Have a joyous day, everyone! Sunny here today.
Re: magic eye images.
I have "never" been able to see "any" 3D images when looking at these,
However it maybe that it did not work with an iPad.
I did some research, and found this tutorial,
The first time it did not work, same as always. However, I tried it again without my glasses, starting with my nose touching the iPad,then moved it 3 inches away and waited a bit. I then "slowly" moved the iPad further, noting the reflection of the sunlight shining then the window behind me. When I wiggled the iPad a bit, I realized I was looking at a 3D image of a shark, just like shown in the animation in the tutorial.
I think the reason I never saw an image before, is that I was expecting some remarkable color 3D image to appear, when in reality it is just a very blah, nondescript outline, of a hidden object floating about an inch above the background. It is exactly the same as the background but looks like it is elevated above it, and is a 2D image floating above the background.
If you try, and still do not see anything,
Try slowly moving your iPad away, at the same time noting any reflections there may be on the iPad glass surface.
If the background suddenly seems to be about an inch below the iPad glass surface, you are there! Now just wiggle the iPad slowly and a 2D shark outline the same as the background will appear in the center facing left.
Ok, I tried it again,
And now I can't see a damn thing!
Oh wait, I forgot to put my glasses back on...
Hmm,
Nope, still can't see a damn thing...
I confess. I slipped up today putting SIaS crossing aRT. I should have gotten it but.... So I have a FIW. Michael, thanks for the puzzle which filled from the bottom up for me. Lots of white left after my first pass through.
WOs were ARte/ARPS, True/TO A T, HEre/HEEL and I put tO at the end of LETS HOPE SO before I saw what the beginning of the phrase was.
Thanks, waseeley and Teri, for today's excellent review. The theme was obvious and since I worked from the bottom up, I had the reveal early. SANDWICH came next.
Thanks, CED, but nope, I can't SEE IT (the hidden image in the Magic Eye picture). I think my eyes have changed since the last time I successfully tried it.
Hope this Thursday suits everyone TO A T!
Cute theme; I too needed the circles, I think. ICK and IRK rubbing elbows was nice. Waseely: loved the info on Renoir. Thanks a lot.
The Baton Rouge Advocate publishes a MAGIC EYE with the Sunday cartoons.
I had never heard of YELLIES, or ANN Roach. THEODORE Dreiser is part of the cannon of American Lit.
That verb wake and its many relatives always baffle me too.
All in all a good experience, both the solve and all the clever and fun comments not to mention the informative review. I always look forward to a trip through this blog.
Wilbur Charles @9:17 AM Thank you for the link on JRRT, which I'll watch a bit later. I've already sent it to my Son, who has read the trilogy to his children twice now. The Peter Jackson movies are also masterpieces of cinematic story telling. However it sounds like the recent prequel "Rings of Power" may down in history as one of the biggest cinematic flops.
On a completely different topic, I've been meaning to thank you for the link on the evacuation of Niels Bohr from Denmark during WWII. A real nail biter. Apparently the version I heard years back was a completely fabrication, perhaps created due to the British Official Secrets Act.
Ray - O @9:19 AM Looks like you got outa Dodge not a day to soon. I saw a weather report for upstate NY that said they'd just received 9" of snow and that's just the appetizer. I think it was [cruciverbalist's favorite] lake effect snow though, and I don't know how far you live from there.
CrossEyedDave @10:46 AM You've done it again! I just updated today's blog with your HowTo video on Magic Eye pictures.
On the days I blog I usually download a David Alfred Bywaters puzzle. The current puzzle is "260-Double-Duties". Just go to his website and scroll to the bottom. It's available online, in .puz format (you need AcrossLite), or in PDF format. FYI it's a 21 x 21 with 65 fills and ONE PROPER NAME (and that for a famous Russian novelist).
Enjoy!
p.s. to CED Maybe you need new glasses!
Nice puzzle with a fun theme, many thanks, Michael. And always enjoy your commentary, Bill, thanks for that too.
Well, this LUNCH BREAK theme with all that nice food was bound to have a lot of APPEAL, and you could just hear hungry readers yelling OLE! OLE! and adding a BIT OF TOMATO to their SALAD.
But there was also a BIT OF negativity here and there, with that AVARICE creating a mean REFUSAL to give everybody a treat, and causing some folks to RANT about the situation, rather than to COO with pleasure. I bet some people would like to set a COBRA on them, and hope they get ACNE.
But LETS HOPE that everything turns out well and we can all have a nice day after all.
So best wishes for a Thursday, everybody.
The Magic-Eye picture that Waseeley posted did work for me...after I opened it in a new tab (which made it slightly larger), and using my computer (mid-distance) glasses.
Thank you, waseeley, for presenting Mr. Schlossberg's PZL.
I appreciate seeing ARAL & URAL together. I am never sure which is which, so this helps to keep them straight.
Never heard of44A, but the fill makes sense. The best kind of unknowns are the ones that offer intrinsic logic. As you fill them, your brain is saying, "Of course."
~ OMK
____________
DR: One diagonal, far side.
Its anagram (12 of 15) names the kind of certificates awarded to those who excel in one or two academic disciplines, yet fail in their social skills.
I mean, of course...
"NERD DIPLOMAS"!
News about Owenkl!
He surfaced last night on the Jumble site.
We were concerned because we had not heard from him since he sent a call for unspecific help a week ago. But he is apparently well, still in the hospital in Albuquerque.
He does not have access to a computer, hence the lengthy silence.
~ OMK
Hi Y'all! Thanks, Michael, for a delicious puzzle. Found it 6 minutes easier than yesterday.
Thanks, Bill & Teri, for a great expo. Love Renoir and knew this picture. Imagine being a woman and wearing all those clothes for boating.
Hand up for trying dances before COBRA slithered in. The late great Kobe Bryant was nicknamed Black Mamba.
Needed perps for ATYPICAL. DNK: YELLIES, ATTA, SIMS, MRT, ROBOSIGN, DRIVE, ROACH, MAGIC EYE.
WICHITA was a gimmee. Been there. Got lost at McConnell once.
Knew ANN Pachett, not the other one.
Agnes, thank you!
FLN: Lucina, if your g-grandson persists in resisting training, you might want to catch a specimen and have your doctor check for low-grade urinary track infection & child-onset diabetes. I've known of both these cases.
D-O, thanks ! Now I see it !
It's a group of alternating rows of indiscernible things appearing to be moving left or right !
AMIRIGHT ?
Happy ides of November.
I liked waseeley's exposition much more than the puzzle. I did rather like the theme gimmick, though. My having entered ONE UP rather than UP ONE prevented me from seeing the SOUP. I discovered that it was open MIC night, not open ALL night. The rest of the puzzle? I forgot already.
Got my hearing aids yesterday and love being able to hear clearly again. I had forgotten just how noisy the world is.
Good wishes to you all.
Ol' Man Keith, thanks for the news about OwenKL.
I zoomed through the NW then screeched to a halt when I ventured into the other quadrants. I started to make some gains and eventually came upon the theme which made the circles a quick fill then things got better from there. I was surprised that I FIR because I did not think ARPS and TOAT were correct. Thank you, waseeley for explaining those and for bringing culture to the Corner.
FAVs: Grand and Becomes more inclined?
Terrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Michael and waseeley (and Teri).
I FIRed in good time (sailed through the top and then slowed a little) and saw the LUNCH BREAK foods quickly.
I noted ARAL and URAL, and like OMK often get them confused.
AWOKEN just sounds odd to me also.
I changed Yuk to ICK, Sen to POL.
I WAGged the we cards IDS. We don’t USE that term.
ACNE clue brought a smile.
Wishing you all a good evening.
Hi All!
Ya got me Michael. FWC (Finished With Cheat) I was stuck in the SW and finally looked up ATTA to get 34 & 36d and WAGing 44a. Thanks for the diversion during our all-hands meeting.
Waseeley an STP fan? Stone Temple Pilots was part of my grad-school soundtrack. Thanks for the fun expo and I appreciate the nod to Renoir ATOP.
WO: AVeRICE, uRAL @61a when it showed up at 22d
ESPs: ANNS, LEDA, THEODORE post cheat.
Fav: Mary ROACH. I love her books. Grunt & Gulp are good too, waseeley.
Y'all who enjoy nitty-gritty non-fiction, check out ROACH's books. She's factual around things not talked about in polite company (and Lucina ;-)) and pretty cute|funny.
I can always see a Magic Eye; DW not so much.
OMK - Thank you for the OKL report!
SpeedyS - I kinda liked URAL & ARAL, two puzzle staples, appearing in the same grid.
Jinx - Mental gymnastics were going on trying to make 'oils' work. I gave up and let it 1/2 perp. And, OMG!, there's someone else out that watched Martin Mull and Fred Willard (RIP) in Fernwood 2 Night?
TTP - Your TexMex talk this morning made me want for Ninfa's for LUNCH. Boss-man & I walked over and had enchiladas. Chips & salsa guy spilled salsa on my phone - manager comp'd the queso! //iThing is fine.
Cheers, -T
Just want to make a general comment. I seem to remember that when I used to read this blog via my phone, it appeared that any response I made to a previous post apoeared right after that post. But that's not true on the web version; posts appear in chronological order. Is that the reason that some Anonymous response posts seem to be answering no one? Tonight I noticed another one from an Anonymous like that, at 6:59. That makes it a very good idea to identify whose post, posted at what time, anyone is responding to, yes? Hope that is helpful.
Anon @ 7:06 et alii aliaque:
It feels like I'm getting 'turfed out' by the wave of meaningless clues: ATTA, unknown ANNS, MRT, ROACH, ....
We cannot know everything, yes, but it is as if the circle of my knowledge has less and less congruence with Ms. Varol's, and the cwd. therefore becomes less attractive, less fun.
I first came across Mary Roach long ago when I subscribed to Reader's Digest where she wrote a regular column. Always amusing.
Tonight I've thoroughly enjoyed my solitude. Granddaughter and gr-grandson are both gone.
Si! Si! Si! que gran sabor!
Sandyanon, yes, readers on smartphones will see that a comment is "In reply to" with the pointer to a previous comment, and they are listed in a parent/child manner.
Not so for readers on other platforms such as desktops or laptops. The comments are listed chronologically. Then other readers are left to guess what these comments are in response to, so your suggestion that a writer should address the response makes sense. Waseeley usually addresses his responses with the inclusion of the time stamp. Very easy to follow, regardless of platform.
I can usually figure out who they are responding to, but not always. And sometimes, it appears to be just a comment totally that is not associated with anything anyone wrote about. I delete those. Be careful on those, especially if there are embedded links of if the name field is in blue and it it a link to a website. Those are spam and I delete them.
Dash T - looking at Ninfas menu makes my mouth water. I knew the area of the original Ninfas on Navigation very well, and that street along with Canal were traveled almost daily, so I'm sure I passed by it many times, and may have eaten there. But my go to in that area was the Lockwood Inn for BBQ, and for Tex-Mex food it was Donerakis (sp?) just north of downtown. Now I'm getting hungry again. Time to raid the refrigerator.
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