Hello Cornerites!
sumdaze here, filling in for the delightful Hahtoolah.
Today's CW is a worthy challenge from constructor/blogger, Michael Sharp. For more on M.S., follow this link to a 2011 article titled, "How an English professor became the online king of the crossword".
Our theme is: A PHEW POINTERS
We begin with:
1. Across. Sci-fi weapon that makes the sounds heard at the ends of the answers to the starred clues: RAY GUN.
Later, M.S. neatly wraps things up in the SE corner with a clecho:
71. Across. Sci-fi weapon that makes the sounds heard at the ends of the answers to the starred clues: PHASER.
Notice that both answers have 6 letters. Perps are required to start this puzzle. (Hi D-Otto!)
There are 3 themed answers. Each ends in the sound associated with sci-fi weapons:
Pew-Pew-Pew
20. Across * "Black Widow" co-star: FLORENCE PUGH.
I had no idea who this could be; but, perps, along with the standard spelling of Ms. Pugh's first name, helped me until I got to the last letter and found it crossed with another unknown name. Fortunately, the theme came to my rescue and I reasoned only an "h" could provide the "pew" sound.
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| Florence Pugh |
36. Across * Cathedral bench: CHURCH PEW.
56. *Offer of assistance: LET ME HELP YOU.
I find this answer especially clever since we need to borrow the "p" in "help". Tacking the "p" onto "you", we have a third way to write the "pew" sound.
Let's look at the rest of the clues:
7. Hubs: Abbr.: CTRS. CenTeRS
11. Catch: NAB.
14. Operating mindlessly: ON AUTOpilot.
15. "Call on me! I know!": OH OH. Remember Arnold Horshack from Welcome Back Kotter (1975-1979)?
16. Mined resource: ORE.
17. Getting some sun: DAYLIT. (adjective) illuminated by daylight
18. Like a phenom's rise to stardom: METEORIC.
22. Placeholder abbr.: TBA. To Be Announced
25. Court divider: NET. Think "tennis", not "legal system".
Watch this player leap over the NET during play.
26. Light lunch: SALAD.
27. Spy of kid-lit fame: HARRIET. Published in 1964. Recommended for ages 8-12.
 |
Do you consider the horses participating in Olympic equestrian events "athletes"? Equestrian Olympics Sports Facts
32. Oxen harnesses: YOKES.
33. "Should that be the case ... ": IF SO.
35. Costa del __: SOL. a region in the south of Spain
32. Oxen harnesses: YOKES.
33. "Should that be the case ... ": IF SO.
35. Costa del __: SOL. a region in the south of Spain
I always like the name Marysol (sea & sun) so I named my cat that. She's in kitty heaven now.
40. Isr. neighbor: SYR. ISRael is abbreviated, so is SYRia
40. Isr. neighbor: SYR. ISRael is abbreviated, so is SYRia
43. Genius Bar pro: TECH.
44. Capital city on the Andean Plateau: LA PAZ. The hint here is "Andean" so we can narrow down our options to South American capitals. Wiki Link
48. Forced: COERCED.
51. Binge watcher's unit: EPISODE.
54. Sound from a fold: BAA.
61. Much of nursery school: PLAY TIME.
62. Of France: GALLIC.
(adjective)
- 1.French or typically French.
- 2.relating to the Gauls.
68. New York prison in 1971 headlines: ATTICA. NPR Attica link
69. Mormon initials: LDS. Latter Day Saints
Last week I read Josh Hanagarne's memoir, The World's Strongest Librarian. Josh is 6'7" tall, was raised in the Mormon Church, has Tourette Syndrome, and works as a librarian in Salt Lake City. It was interesting to read his thoughts on all of that.
70. Enthusiast, colloquially: NERD.
70. Enthusiast, colloquially: NERD.
Down:
1. Towel holder: ROD.
2. De Armas of "Blonde": ANA. Lovely Ana is from HavANA, Cuba. (for realz!)
3. Happy cry: YAY.
4. Wide gap: GULF.
(noun)
- 1.a deep inlet of the sea almost surrounded by land, with a narrow mouth.
- 2. a deep ravine, chasm, or abyss.
5. Elec., for one: UTIL. ELECTricity is a UTILity.
6. Zero: NOT ONE. I suppose "two" could also be "not one".
7. Cupid colleague: COMET. Nice misdirection! I was thinking of the cupid with wings and an arrow.
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| Coming to your rooftop in 39 days! |
8. "__ what?": THEN.
Do you know someone who needs money to pay for college? Army ROTC scholarship info
10. "Jeepers!": SHEESH.
11. "Anything goes!": NO RULES.
10. "Jeepers!": SHEESH.
11. "Anything goes!": NO RULES.
At first I had "NO hoLES" because I was confusing "holes" with "holds" as in "no holds barred"; which, it turns out, is a term from wresting meaning, "no restrictions (RULES) on the kinds of holds that are used." So I got there, eventually!
12. Japanese "thank you": ARIGATO.
12. Japanese "thank you": ARIGATO.
This word is often mispronounced by non-native speakers of Japanese. Do not combine the "a" and "r" as one syllable. It is not ar-i-ga-to. Instead, say a-ri-ga-to. The "a" is like the "a" in "father". Also, extend the last "o" sound a bit, almost as if it were 2 syllables.
13. Alison who wrote the graphic memoir "The Secret to Superhuman Strength": BECHDEL. Crossing unknown names can be tricky but we had some help with this one. (See the 20A themer.)
19. Stone for a Libra: OPAL. According to most charts, there are only 2 birthstones spelled with 4 letters: Opal & Ruby. Wait for a perp.
21. No longer working: RETIRED.
13. Alison who wrote the graphic memoir "The Secret to Superhuman Strength": BECHDEL. Crossing unknown names can be tricky but we had some help with this one. (See the 20A themer.)
19. Stone for a Libra: OPAL. According to most charts, there are only 2 birthstones spelled with 4 letters: Opal & Ruby. Wait for a perp.
21. No longer working: RETIRED.
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| Several Cornerites are retired teachers. |
22. Poetic possessive: THY.
23. Steamed bun in Asian cuisine: BAO. On Sunday, 11/6/22, we had 57D "Bun cooked in a bamboo steamer".
24. Genesis boat: ARK.
28. "Parks and __": REC. Recreation
This video is 8 min. of "best of" video clips from the TV show Parks and Rec. (Fans of the show will probably enjoy this more than those of us who are not as familiar with all of the characters.)
29. Sorta: ISH.
Informal (adverb): to some extent
30. Metaphor for no-longer-relevant history: ASH HEAP.
30. Metaphor for no-longer-relevant history: ASH HEAP.
"The ash heap of history (or often garbage heap of history or dustbin of history) is a figurative place to where objects such as persons, events, artifacts, ideologies, etc. are relegated when they are forgotten or marginalized in history."
31. Blouse: TOP.
"Blouse" is an interesting word. I always associated it with a lady's TOP so I had to resist the temptation to snicker when I married my Marine husband and he called the TOP to his uniforms a "blouse". Also, my Aussie boss called his shirt a "blouse". I am thinking the connection is that both U.S. Marines and Australians have a history with British English ... which obtained the word from French. Would anyone like to chime in on this?
31. Blouse: TOP.
"Blouse" is an interesting word. I always associated it with a lady's TOP so I had to resist the temptation to snicker when I married my Marine husband and he called the TOP to his uniforms a "blouse". Also, my Aussie boss called his shirt a "blouse". I am thinking the connection is that both U.S. Marines and Australians have a history with British English ... which obtained the word from French. Would anyone like to chime in on this?
Also, "blouse" can be used as an adjective (in its participle form) and a verb. Marines use "blousing bands" to blouse their boots so things cannot fall down into their boots. Here is a 34 sec. video on how to blouse military boots. (Marysol used to love to steal DH's blousing bands! We'd usually find them under the couch.)
34. Media-monitoring org.: FCC. The Federal Communications Commission
37. Great Basin native: UTE. a CW staple
38. Actor Wallach: ELI. Oh, that's who he is!
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| Eli Wallach (1915 - 2014) |
39. Is past?: WAS. Fun clue!
40. Surgical tool: SCALPEL.
41. Sang some high notes?: YODELED. Some clever word play here in that "high" can refer to the yodeler's vocal range as well as the altitude at which Swiss yodelers live.
I hope this song will put a smile on your face:
Riders in the Sky sing "A Cowboy's ABCs"
Y is for "the Yodel"
42. Colorful sale labels: RED TAGS. The hint on this one is "colorful".
45. "Kaboom!": POW.
46. Commotion: ADO.
47. Garden type: ZEN.
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| I took this photo at Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. |
49. "Ratatouille" rat who loves gourmet food: REMY.
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| Remy in "Ratatouille" (Pixar 2007) |
50. Greek islander: CRETAN. Start with the first Greek island you can think of then adjust the suffix.
52. Evidence of workplace gender bias, perhaps: PAY GAP. Similar to 4D ??
54. Mix: BLEND. Interesting that both words can be used as a noun or a verb.
57. Walk in the park, maybe: HIKE.
At first I thought of this type of park. Then I thought of this type of park.
58. Mideast dignitary: EMIR.
EMIR: a title of various Muslim (mainly Arab) rulers.
IMAM: one who leads Muslim worshipers in prayer
OMAN: a country in the Middle East
OMAR Sharif: Egyptian actor
59. Pledge: OATH.
60. Beauty store chain: ULTA.
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| With 1,356 stores, you've probably driven past one. |
63. Fleur-de-__: LIS. (Hi Big Easy!)
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| also spelled fleur-de-lys |
64. Curling surface: ICE.
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| Not this type of curling! |
65. Automobile: CAR.
Here's the grid:
That's all for today. I look forward to reading your thoughts.
Oh, and in case you missed it, here is Hahtoolah’s note from 11/8/22:
If you are reading this on Tuesday, I will likely be on the crossword puzzle's favorite airline heading towards Tel Aviv. Part business, part fun. Unlike the song, however, I do know when I will be back. See you at the end of the month. You will be in capable hands during my absence.
This was a bit of a slog. (And I’m having some trouble posting, so let me start with this).
ReplyDeleteI hadn’t heard of “Florence Pugh” but had heard of “Alison Bechdel” so, as Jinx would say, I had that going for me. As is often the case these days, you had to know some pretty obscure women’s names to solve this puzzle, but I got through them and FIRed, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteWow, a FIR in a disgraceful 27. Seemed like Thursday come on a Tuesday this week. Knew ATTICA and ELI, other proper names needed perps. Not seeing the PEW theme didn’t help. DAYLIT was perped in after valiant efforts to make TANNED fit, but ROD had to be 1D, so TANNED was a no-go from the start. BECHDEL crossing PUGH? No fair!! Anyway, eventually managed. Thanx MS for the challenging Thursday….oops, I mean Tuesday….CW. And thanx too to Sumdaze for the enlightening write-up. PEW indeed.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteInteresting to have the reveal at 1a. For once, d-o didn't miss it. Tried a U (GAULIC), but UUTA made no sense. Fixed it. Here in redneck territory, GULF is pronounced GUFF. As Sumdaze noted, the theme helped with a couple of the proper names. (PUGH and BECHDEL, I'm lookin' at you.) Nicely done, Michael. Enjoyed your walk in the park, Sumdaze.
FIW. Just flat ran out of enjoyment when only FLORENCEPU__, ARI_ATD and BEC_DEL remained, and just threw in "s" and "e". I've quit mentioning how much I dislike "sound" clues and fill like "uhuh", but now I'll add "pyou". Also DNK HARRIET, ANA, REMY, and even though we had a lot of recent discussion about it, BAO.
ReplyDeleteMy front porch never gets sun, but it does get "day". It is DAY LIT. Seems like an unforced error from trying too hard to be cute.
Sub - I robbed the phrase from Carl Spackler (aka Bill Murray) in Caddyshack:
"So we finish eighteen and he’s gonna stiff me. And I say, 'Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know.' And he says, 'Oh, uh, there won’t be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.'
So I got that goin’ for me, which is nice."
Thanks to Sum for doing a great job of filling in for Ha2la. Nice graphics.
FIW. Once again my pet peeve, two proper names crossing, did me in. Did not know Florence Pugh or Alison Bechdel. Took a WAG and had e instead of h. Other than that, the rest fell into place nicely
ReplyDeleteThis one took 6:23 to finish, and, in spots (e.g., the aforementioned intersection of Pugh/Bechdel), it smelled like Pepe Le Pew.
ReplyDeleteNot a fan of a foreign word (arigato), especially crossing a foreign location (Costa del Sol).
I do love our National Parks.
Good morning from this RETIRED guy. I noticed the 'U' sounds but c'mon, those sounds are pathetic for a Sci-Fi killing machine. The P-YOU- I never noticed so this guy couldn't see how YOU had anything to do with RAY GUN or PHASER. Duh! I FIR but had no prior knowledge of FLORENCE PUGH or BECHDEL. I'd seen ARIGATO and the guess on the spelling of PUGH got that one.
ReplyDeleteIt took a while to get the "Placeholder abbr."- TBA because I didn't know BAO or HARRIET.
REMY & ANA I learned from X-words.
Fluer-de-LIS on the Saints' uniform helmets.
ReplyDeleteGood morning. Thank you, Michael, and thank you, Sumdaze.
Knowing "domo arigato" made me change net to NAB, which also gave me the unknown Alison BECHDEL. HARRIET was unknown. Also did not know FLORENCE PUGH. At one point, because I rarely solve top to bottom, FLORENCE looked like it was going to be cLaRENCE.
I went to high school with a guy named PUGH, but because he was the biggest person in school (including teachers) no one made fun of his name, except a few of his football buddies. He was also one of the nicest people you could ever meet.
I tried to fit in Utica as the NY prison. D'Oh !
Like Sumdaze, I too found the the last themer, "helP YOU" clever"
There's a Marisol that works at our grocery store. She is so pleasant. Always smiling. She seems to be perpetually happy.
That Venn diagram on Geeks / Nerds seems to be so true !
First had GAeLIC, but ULTA fixed that.
All in all a good puzzle and a light and cheery review. What's not to like ?
This did not seem very Tuesday-like. Thursday, maybe? H seemed most likely for the Natick at BECHDEL and PUGH, especially because it had the theme sound, PEW. I understood the theme almost from the start, but I thought PYOU was a big stretch. I can't find any examples of that spelling. It kind of spoiled the theme or me.
ReplyDeleteNOT ONE is an idiom for none. I never heard it used to mean two.
We elementary teachers had a leg up with Harriet the Spy.
SALAD can be a light lunch if we don't pile on the calories with rich dressing and add-ons like bacon, although tempting and yummy.
Sumdaze, fun blog. You are a natural. Arigato for your hard work.
DAYLIT is a legitimate word, lit by daylight or sunlight. There are many examples cited. A daylit room … clocks that show which parts of the planet are currently daylit and which are in darkness.
Some dictionaries list arigato as a loan word from the Japanese. Many Japanese words have become English loan words.
Good puzzle. Not typical for a Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteTrying Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Michael and sumdaze.
ReplyDeleteOfficially a DNF and FIW today. Perhaps I should just say Thumper, but I can say PU.
Not my favourite CW today. I threw in the towel (not hung neatly on the ROD) when I returned to the NW corner. Even when I WAGged ANA, I had Yea, wanted Blotto for 14A, and simply ran out of patience with my mess.
But the cross of PUGH and BECHDEL was insufferable (although I WAGged it correctly . . . but I never corrected my Costa del Rey to SOL which left errors at 12 & 13D. (My Japaneses is lacking)
I missed seeing the P before YOU as part of the theme which left a GAP/GULF in my appreciation of the theme.
I did smile at the cross of COMET and METEORIC. We also had BAO and BAA.
Hopefully PLAYTIME will be more enjoyable for me tomorrow.
Wishing you all a great day.
Oops, FIW. I had GAeLIC. I should have known UeTA was wrong ntsf Gaelic is Irish
ReplyDeleteYes, I kept looking for Tuesday clues but precious few. I definitely slogged through which is good as my Citrus Chronicle has two xwords but after solving the NW corner sans ink I desist(too easy)
As said, if labeled Thurs that would be APT
And, yes, the theme yielded PUGH
WC
Enjoyed the write-up sumdaze. If I'm TV surfing and a P&R rerun shows up I'll watch. Inane humor works for me
WC
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis is no more a Tuesday puzzle than I am a Lion tamer. I have never seen or heard Pew denoting the sound of a raygun or phaser because I don’t read or watch Sci Fi, so, therefore, had no idea of the theme, especially since I saw only You, not Pyou, in the third themer, which I still don’t understand. Besides the indecipherable theme and, to many solvers, the unfamiliar names, my major criticism is the inordinate number of three letter words which, if I counted correctly, totaled 29. I finished w/o help in normal Tuesday time but I can’t say I enjoyed it.
Thanks, Michael, for your efforts and thanks, Sumdaze, for a great review and the plentiful visuals and links. Loved seeing my favorite culinary critter, Remy, and A Cowboy’s ABCs did indeed put a smile on my face, as did the gossipy squirrel. Well done, Reneé, as YR said, you’re a natural.
Bill, I don’t know about you, but I’m still in the dark about the villain in Magpie Murders. At least we know it wasn’t Andreas.
Have a great day. (Forty seven years ago today I exchanged I Dos.)
A hard-won FIR today. I too thought the puzzle didn't seem like one meant for Tuesday since I only got ROTC and ARIbATO starting out. Then I discovered the short words going down in that area were easier. Thank goodness for three letter words today! (Sorry, IM)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michael, for a challenging puzzle. I liked the two theme reveal's starting and ending the puzzle, as well as the sounds pugh, pew and "p" you. I did catch the need to include the P for the last but not right away.
Sumdaze, you do an amazing job of substituting for bloggers! I especially liked the retired teacher and pigeons cartoon. Thanks!
My main WOs were NOT aNy/ONE, ARIbATO/ARIGATO, vipER/ADDER,and GAeLIC/GALLIC (Hi, TTP and WC). I had heard of a family in the neighborhood named PUGH so no trouble with that.
Happy Anniversary, IM. I have been trying to watch Magpie Murders but keep falling asleep during it.
Hope everyone else has a SUNLIT day. We are having a much needed rainy one here.
TTP, there was a pro lineman name Jethro PUGH(obit). Note the contributors at the bottom of the article
ReplyDeletePsychology plays a role in xword solving and thinking "Tuesday=snap" made it difficult. Similarly, we feel daunted by Saturday and may make it harder than it already is
WC
NERD is too far from Enthusiast. I am a music enthusiast but hardly a nerd. In fact, I'll knock you down if you accuse me of nerdism! Now, does that sound like a nerd? Well maybe a bit on the macho side.
ReplyDeleteThank you Michael for a tougher than usual Tuesday puzzle, but you didn't shoot me down. PHEW, what a relief!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you sumdaze for another entertaining and informative review. I'm so glad you've joined the blogging team. YAY!
A few favs:
27A HARRIET. Harriet the Spy was banned in much of the Southern U.S., the reason being that it encouraged children to disrespect their parents by talking back, spying on others, and lying.
51A EPISODE. We're currently binge watching Touch of Frost on Britbox and this Friday we're binge watching our two youngest grandsons at the National Aquarium in downtown BMORE.
53A COBRA also fit, but didn't perp.
70A NERD. I'm a GEEK. Definitely not a NERD, they have some fashion sense, albeit a bad one.
2D ANA. She was really great in Knives Out.
7D COMET. Didn't see this coming, but it perped.
30D ASH HEAP. Be patient, eventually it'll become RETRO.
Cheers,
Bill
WC @8:56 AM IIRC GAELIC and GALLIC are cognates. While the GAELS ended up predominately in Ireland and the UK, for a time they settled in France and were called GAULS. As Caesar said "All Gaul is divided into three parts." The local dialects of the French today in Brittany and Cornwall have a heavy Gaelic influence.
WEES ~ a bit crunchy for a Tuesday, with FLORENCE PUGH? (the gh was the last fill), BECHDEL? and ARIGATO? but I always welcome a challenge. Took 17:45 which is akin to a Th/Fri time, but I did manage a FIR. Thank you Michael for the brain test.
ReplyDeleteVery nice work Sumdaze, you’re a natural at this blogging!
Happy 47th IrishMiss! ☘️
PEW! PEW! PEW! Gotcha with my Ray gun . OR... are we talking about Maloderous Manatee and his funky friend Pepe Le PEW? 🤧
ReplyDeleteNearly a DNF in the NE, I stuck with "cLaRENCE" waaay too long. Finally that corner DAYLIT and I squeaked by with a FIR, PHEW!! ..😥
Inkovers: AReGATO/I, ipso/IFSO, mri/EEG, asin/AKIN
It's either cobra or viper..NOPE, A " calculating" snake: an ADDER (can they do long division?)
ANON T your dinosaur cartoon from yesterday kinda eerie showing up again today...😲
SHEESH, was hoping never to see that non word again. NERD, enthusiast? meh
Meteors fall with a crash: seems oxymoronic to say METEORIC "_rise to stardom" (but nicely crossed with COMET..."Cupid colleague": why won't Erosfit?? 🏹💘
Unkowns: Alison,
A champion runner must suffer from _____ foot...ATHLETEs
Mr. Onassis imperative...ARIGATO
CAR with worn down tread needs to be______ ....RETIRED
Bend at the waist...BAO
where Arthur tossed his defective tennis rackets..ASHHEAP
I'll spare you all any more bad YOKES.
😇
Musings
ReplyDelete-The fun gimmick even erased the Natick crossing of FLORENCE PUGH/BECHDEL!
-LET ME HELP YOU tickled me as well.
-This interesting site shows an up-to-the-minute image of where the Earth is DAY LIT and where it is not
-METEROTIC – My former student’s daughter abandoned being an average softball player for cross county as a junior. She then became a dominant state champion for two years.
-Yeah, I guess TBA is a placeholder
-Equine athlete? Look who is #35 on this list of the Greatest Athletes Of The Twentieth Century
-The paper towel ROD has the towels loaded backward
-The GULF between Bama and the rest of college FB teams has been narrowed
-There are NO RULES in a knife fight!
-RED TAG SALE: We’ve marked prices down 20% on items we had marked up 400%
-Athletes the size of Jethro PUGH and Willie GAY do not get teased about their names
-Lovely job, Sumdaze!
I had to check the calendar as I struggled through this challenging CW. The NE corner remained blank a long time, did lots of erasing but finally conquered it. PHEW.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Irish Miss on 47 years of marital bliss.
Hi Y'all! ARIGATO, Michael & Sumdaze. Knew that word.
ReplyDeleteManaged to fill & like this challenge, but theme? There was a theme? Phew!
Towel "bar" before ROD threw me off getting 1a.
Snow here last night, but most of it melted when it LIT. SOL shining on a light dusting of white stuff this morning.
GALLIC GOOFÉRIE
ReplyDeleteFLEUR-DE-LIS (or LYS) translates
"FLOWER-OF-LILY"
But it's not a lily, it's an IRIS ⚜
In Central NYS, Utica, Ithaca, and ATTICA often get confused...so do Oswego, Otsego, and Owego
Didn’t Michael Sharp originate the term “Natick” years ago and then used it to give us a sly twit at Pugh and Bechdel?
ReplyDeleteI’ve been doing the LA Times puzzle for years (thank you TU) and I remember when Michael and two women took turns reviewing the LA Times. His reviews could often be brutal, informative or hilarious. I agree, more like a Thursday but this thoughtful puzzle gives one a sense of accomplishment when completed. Thanks, Michael. Loved the review Sumdaze.
Irish Miss, love Magpie Murders! I hope Seaside Hotel comes back soon!
Ray-O, I remember OSWEGO as the first words of that Air Force song.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI remember P-You meaning stinky, but never as a Ray gun sound though.
🤔... DO...that Oswego commemf took me a few brainbeats. 😄
ReplyDeleteOswego and it's Fort have successfully protected NY State from invasion from Ontario CA. I
🤨
Why is it called a meteoric rise?
ReplyDelete"Because meteors move through the sky so quickly, we often refer to something moving very fast as meteoric. A newly-popular singer might be said to experience a meteoric rise to the top." Especially if it is spectacular.
In the late 50's girls would wear their hair done up in curlers (like in Sumdaze's picture)all day so their hair would be perfect for date night. They covered it with a scarf. Not I, I didn't like the look.
I think "P YOU" works with the other themer sounds if you pronounce it with one syllable (pyou) instead of two (pee you). Just my take on it....
ReplyDeleteOur CW Corner abbrs section says Rex Parker originated the Natick Principle. Reading further I learned Rex Parker is Michael Sharp in real life., so you are right, Unknown @ 11:13 AM.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your encouraging comments, everyone! It's a learning process....
ReplyDeleteH-Gary: I like your ESPN link to Secretariat at #35!
Unknown & ATLGranny: Good sleuthing!
Ray-o- I didn’t remember the Fort at Oswego from my War of 1812 history lessons. I LIUed.
ReplyDeleteLOL, it is named Fort Ontario!
I think it is safe now. Just don’t march on Fort Erie or Fort George; they are still manned (even if only by reenactors)!
The NFL careers of Jethro PUGH and Lynn Swann overlapped, and they both were in Super Bowl X. Even folks who aren't football fans have a good chance of guessing which was a tackle and which was a wide receiver.
ReplyDeletePUGH is a fairly common name around these parts, and there is even a well-to-do community near here called PUGHsville.
Puzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteRenee, another excellent recap! You ARE a natural at this!!
FIW with a NW corner Natick or two
I wonder what a Rex Parker review would say about this work had it not been constructed by Michael Sharp?! ;^) I think this puzzle falls into that segment of "do as I say, not as I do", with regard to a blogger's and editor's puzzle ... kinda like Patti's Friday puzzle with the 14 abbr's., and a plethora of proper names ...
But then, who am I to be critical? I try to get my puzzles "past the finish line", too. My Chairman Moe persona stays in the background when I solicit my puzzles ...
Canada Eh, it took me a while to figure out.the Frt. Oswego/Ft Ontario difference and found this online..
ReplyDeleteFort Ontario was one of several forts erected by the British to protect the area around the east end of Lake Ontario. The original Fort Ontario was erected in 1755, during the French and Indian War, in order to bolster defenses already in place at Fort Oswego on the opposite side of the river. At that time its name was the "Fort of the Six Nations," but the fort was destroyed by French forces during the Battle of Fort Oswego in 1756 and rebuilt by British forces in 1759
I also read that Fort Ontario housed about 1000 Jewish European refugees in 1944.
Welcome, sumdaze, in for Hahtoolah, escorting Mr. Sharp and his XWD!
ReplyDeleteI see sumdaze is keeping with the Tuesday tradition that includes several delightful illustrations! Good deal!
Today I learned ULTA and BAO.
And... So THAT's how to blouse my military boots!. Never knew before--how they cheat with a special band.
A cute theme today. No more to say.
~ OMK
____________
DR: One diagonal, far side.
Well, this one gives us a choice of anagram (13 of 15 letters).
We can either go with a breakfast dish served all in one sitting at the hotel for the members of a sequestered jury.
That would be their...
"PEERS' SCRAMBLE",
OR, for those of a nastier bent,
it can just as easily refer to the last minute helter-skelter rush by Hitler's chief engineer of wartime production, to move thousands of slave laborers from one factory to another.
This would of course be the desperate...
"SPEER SCRAMBLE"!
ATL Granny. P- YOU that makes sense. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteRay-o- thanks for the update. These old forts are confusing!
ReplyDeleteHappily, they are just historical relics along our undefended border.
That reminds me of the Entre Amis 1976 book.
I hope you are enjoying sunshine.
Chairman Moe @ 1:53 ~ Having read Rex/Michael’s blog daily for the last 10+ years, I could tell you exactly what the review of this puzzle would be. However, Thumper strongly advises against my doing so. 🤐
ReplyDeleteMy car is ready for whatever Old Man Winter has in store and my furnace is being serviced as I type this. Just in time, as our weather has turned markedly colder. In fact, snow is in the forecast for later tonight into tomorrow. Ray O, you picked a perfect time to head South, if only for a brief reprieve.
Interesting, if challenging Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, Michael. And your commentary was most helpful, thanks for that too, Sumdaze.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'd love to think of myself as a puzzle ATHLETE but this EPISODE made me feel more like a puzzle NERD. When I saw METEORIC crossing COMET I almost YODELED with pleasure, but when all those tough names gave me trouble I felt COERCED and almost wanted the author to e-mail me and say LET ME HELP YOU. IF SO, I would have said yes, and the rest of the puzzle would have been PLAY TIME. I survived anyway, but am going to take a NAB--no, wait, that's a NAP.
Have a great day, everybody!
Mixed feelings about this puzzle. Yesterday's puzzle I liked a lot.
ReplyDeleteI discovered that PHASER didn't go in at 1a but rather at 71a.
I discovered that VIPER and COBRA didn't work, and that ADDER, which was my first instinct to write in but which I rejected for being "too obvious," was indeed the right answer.
So, it wasn't QUITO; it was LA PAZ.
SHEESH.
Good wishes to you all.
How strange!
ReplyDeleteI posted hours ago, but now I can't find my message.
I doubt it would have been censored, as there was nothing controversial in it.
I welcomed sumdaze for filling in, and Mr. Sharp for his XWD.
I was happy to see the usual wealth of illustrations on Tuesday--very much in the tradition set by Hahtoolah.
Could there have been an objection to my Diagonal Report?* It does contain reference to an imprisoned Nazi, but certainly not in any positive light.
If anyone knows a reason for the vanishing of my post, I would appreciate learning it.
~ OMK
____________
* I will repost this report separately.
ReplyDeleteWilbur, I read the Jethro Pugh obit you linked, and also the list of people and foundations that honored his last wishes. I recognized a number of the players and Cowboy's organization in that list. Is that what you were referring to ?
Husker Gary linked the ESPN Top 100 Athletes of the (last) Century and noted Secretariat at 35. Upon further inspection, there were 5 athletes from Horse Racing, and 3 were horses. Man O' War and Citation joined Secretariat in that list. The other two from horse racing were jockeys Willie Shoemaker and Eddie Arcaro.
Here is the "DR" or Diagonal Report for today:
ReplyDeleteJust one diagonal, far side.
It offers a choice of reading on the anagram (13 of 15 letters). It either refers to a breakfast dish provided by the hotel in which the members of a sequestered jury are staying.
That would be their...
"PEERS' SCRAMBLE",
OR, for those who see a nastier meaning, it could refer to the helter-skelter rush of Hitler's engineer in charge of wartime production, as he moved slave labor from one factory to another (for which he was found guilty and later imprisoned).
This would be the...
"SPEER SCRAMBLE"!
C.C., I'm so excited about your puzzle book but it's a long wait! I'm sure it will be worth it, however.
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteFinished with a cheat [DNF :-(]... I had oRIGATO and I had to lookup ARIGATO's spelling to 'see' NAB.
Thanks Michael for the grid. Thanks sumdaze for the delightful expo (I love the squirrel pic!).
WOs: No_ -> NAB
ESPs: ANA, FLORENCE PUGH | BECHDEL, LAPAZ | ELI, HARRIET, COMET (every single letter before the V8 hit!)
Fav: COMET as clued.
Like many of y'all, I thought the puzzle is tougher than a normal Tuesday.
At DEF CON 27 (2019) there was a lot of Pew-Pew jokes poking at the new "Space Force." The sub-con, Vet Con (for veterans), even put it on the back of their Challenge Coin :-)
Cheers, -T