Theme: A watch with nothing to watch. Each theme answer is an in-the-language phrase that is repurposed to remove a feature from a timepiece.
20. "Only a fool would want a little calendar on their timepiece!": DROP DEAD DATE. A provision added to a legal or trade act, such as a contract or a court order that sets a last-delay date past which certain consequences will automatically follow, such as cancelling the contract, taking property or entering a judgment. Here, it removes a date indication from the clock face.
26. With 45-Across, "I don't need two silly sticks that rotate on my timepiece!": HANDS OFF THE. 45. See 26-Across: MERCHANDISE. A phrase used to indicate that someone does not want to be touched or - even worse - groped. Haven't heard it in a few decades. Here, it removes the hands from the clock.
37. "Digits on a timepiece? That's ridiculous!": FUDGE THE NUMBERS. A dishonest process of altering data to fit a pre-conceived concept or theory, or for some nefarious purpose. Here, it removes the numbers from the clock face - I think. Not familiar with "FUDGE" used in this way.
55. "Won't happen as long as I'm around," and a summary of 20-, 26-/45-, and 37-Across?: NOT ON MY WATCH. The clue explains it perfectly. Here, all the features indicated in the previous theme answers have been removed from the timepiece, now revealed as a wristwatch. This leaves it featureless and useless.
What time is it?
I don't care!
Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa on hand [unlike the watch in the theme] and rather pressed for time before the Thanksgiving holiday. We're having a crowd at our house tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to eats, drinks, football and merriment. Let's see what interesting tid-bits we can find in this timeless puzzle. Looks like this is Lance's first entry in the L.A. Times. So -- congrats!
Across:
1. Brother in "Am I my brother's keeper?": ABEL. From the story of brotherly non-love in the book of Genesis.
5. Seize: TAKE. Grab suddenly and forcefully.
9. Decides not to go to: SKIPS. Opts out of an event.
14. __ reversal: ROLE. I swapped a crescent roll for an orange scone. No - wait. This is a situation in which someone adopts a role the reverse of that which they normally assume in relation to someone else, who typically assumes their role in exchange.
15. Train travel: RAIL. By Rail, actually.
16. Book review?: AUDIT. Clever clue. An official inspection of an individual's or organization's accounts, typically by an independent body. Just in case somebody fudged the numbers.
17. Egg warmers: MAMA BIRDS. Hens.
19. "Fame" star Cara: IRENE. Irene Cara Escalera (b. 1959) is an American singer and actress. Cara sang and co-wrote the song "Flashdance... What a Feeling" for which she won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1984. Cara is also known for playing the role of Coco Hernandez in the 1980 film FAME, and for recording the film's title song. Prior to her success with Fame, Cara portrayed the title character Sparkle Williams in the original 1976 musical drama film Sparkle.
5. Seize: TAKE. Grab suddenly and forcefully.
9. Decides not to go to: SKIPS. Opts out of an event.
14. __ reversal: ROLE. I swapped a crescent roll for an orange scone. No - wait. This is a situation in which someone adopts a role the reverse of that which they normally assume in relation to someone else, who typically assumes their role in exchange.
15. Train travel: RAIL. By Rail, actually.
16. Book review?: AUDIT. Clever clue. An official inspection of an individual's or organization's accounts, typically by an independent body. Just in case somebody fudged the numbers.
17. Egg warmers: MAMA BIRDS. Hens.
19. "Fame" star Cara: IRENE. Irene Cara Escalera (b. 1959) is an American singer and actress. Cara sang and co-wrote the song "Flashdance... What a Feeling" for which she won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1984. Cara is also known for playing the role of Coco Hernandez in the 1980 film FAME, and for recording the film's title song. Prior to her success with Fame, Cara portrayed the title character Sparkle Williams in the original 1976 musical drama film Sparkle.
22. Chase off: SHOO.
24. Golden yrs. fund: IRA. Individual Retirement Account.
25. Twitter titter: LOL. Laughing Out Loud
31. Garage occupant: CAR.
Oops -- wrong CAR
32. Rangers goalie Shesterkin: IGOR. Igor Olegovich Shestyorkin [b. 1985] is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. He was selected by the Rangers in the fourth round, 118th overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
33. Veal cordon __: BLEU. Thin slices of veal stuffed with cheese and ham and then sauteed.
42. In years past: ONCE. - upon a time.
43. Stud farm stud: SIRE. The male parent of an animal, especially a stallion or bull kept for breeding.
44. "You __ here": ARE. Signage to indicate your location.
50. Singer DiFranco: ANI. Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco [b. 1970] is an American-Canadian 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.
53. Nice street: RUE. Ha! A street in that French city, irrespective of its nicety.
54. In very sharp resolution: IN HD. Hi Definition.
60. Move effortlessly: GLIDE. Move with a smooth continuous motion, typically with little noise.
61. Keeps safe: LOCKS AWAY. Secures
65. Tangerine coats: RINDS. The tough outer skin of certain fruit, especially citrus fruit.
66. Crumbled froyo topping: OREO. FroYo is premium self-serve frozen yogurt, available in low fat, dairy-free, or no sugar added options. OREO is a brand of sandwich cookie consisting of two chocolate wafers with a sweet creme filling. It was introduced by Nabisco on March 6, 1912,
54. In very sharp resolution: IN HD. Hi Definition.
60. Move effortlessly: GLIDE. Move with a smooth continuous motion, typically with little noise.
61. Keeps safe: LOCKS AWAY. Secures
65. Tangerine coats: RINDS. The tough outer skin of certain fruit, especially citrus fruit.
66. Crumbled froyo topping: OREO. FroYo is premium self-serve frozen yogurt, available in low fat, dairy-free, or no sugar added options. OREO is a brand of sandwich cookie consisting of two chocolate wafers with a sweet creme filling. It was introduced by Nabisco on March 6, 1912,
67. Tardy: LATE. What do you expect, with this watch?!?
68. Baker's supply: YEAST. Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitute 1% of all described fungal species. Bakers get a rise out of them.
69. Loch __ monster: NESS. The Loch Ness Monster, affectionately known as Nessie, is a creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or more humps protruding from the water.
70. Former partners: EXES. I have one. Which means I don't have . . . OK, this is confusing.
Down:
1. Upper limb: ARM. A human upper limb, especially the part between the shoulder and the wrist
2. Fluffy scarf: BOA.
3. Tree on the Great Seal of North Dakota: ELM. Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae.
4. String along: LEAD ON. Mislead or deceive someone, especially into believing that one is in love with or attracted to them.
5. The Schuyler sisters in "Hamilton," e.g.: TRIO. We saw Hamilton on Sunday. It was amazing.
6. 50+ group: AARP. American Association of Retired People. Like me.
7. "The Secret Life of Bees" novelist Sue Monk __: KIDD. Sue Monk Kidd [b. 1948] is an American writer from Sylvester, Georgia best known for her novels The Secret Life of Bees and The Invention of Wings
8. Conditional programming statement: ELSE-IF. Use the else if statement to specify a new condition if the first condition is false. For example: if time is less than 10:00, create a "Good morning" greeting, if not, but time is less than 20:00, create a "Good day" greeting, otherwise a "Good evening". The programed device evidently is a better time keeper than our dysfunctional watch.
9. Anticipated a tongue depressor, perhaps: SAID AH. When opened wide with tongue stuck out, what else can you say?
10. Southeastern Turkey native: KURD. Kurds or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northern Syria. As I understand it, when Winston Churchill invented Iraq with a pen stroke in 1921, he deliberately set the boundaries so that the Kurds would not have a home land.
11. Worth emulating: IDEAL. This scone is a good roll model.
12. __ bean: PINTO. A variety of common bean. In Spanish they are called frijoles pintos, literally "painted bean". It is the most popular bean by crop production in Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States, and is most often eaten whole, or mashed and then refried.
13. Construction alloy: STEEL. Steel is an alloy made up of iron with typically a few tenths of a percent of carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant typically need an additional 11% chromium.
18. "The Prime of Miss Jean __": BRODIE. A novel by Muriel Spark, the best known of her works. It was first published in The New Yorker magazine and was published as a book by Macmillan in 1961. The movie version, starring Maggie Smith, was released in 1969.
21. Fine print, say: ART. Continuing the theme idea of repurposing common phrases, this indicates an item of fine art rather then small print I need a magnifying glass to read.
22. Snowboarder White: SHAUN. Shaun Roger White [b. 1986] is an American former professional snowboarder and skateboarder. He is a five-time Olympian and a three-time Olympic gold medalist in half-pipe snowboarding. He holds the world record for the most X Games gold medals and most Olympic gold medals by a snowboarder.
23. Head of cauliflower?: HARD C. The initial letter of the word is here considered to be the "head." Kind of a meh! clue.
27. Mil. rank: SGT. Sergeant - a noncommissioned officer in the armed forces, in particular (in the US Army or Marine Corps) an NCO ranking above corporal and below staff sergeant, or (in the US Air Force) an NCO ranking above airman and below staff sergeant.
28. "Look at THAT!": OOH. Gee-whiz, golly, gosh!
29. Hot out of the oven: FRESH. Don't burn your fingers.
30. Recede: EBB. Like ocean tide or my hair line.
31. Corp. money manager: CFO. Chief Financial Officer. It's not good news when one is in the news.
34. Boxer's restraint: LEASH. The refers to a type of canine pet, rather than a pugilist.
35. Goofed up: ERRED. Made a mistake.
36. Put into play: USE. Deploy (something) as a means of accomplishing a purpose or achieving a result; employ.
38. Jewel: GEM. A precious or semiprecious stone, especially when cut and polished or engraved. Figuratively, a person or thing of value.
39. Peeples of "The Fosters": NIA. Virenia "Nia" Peeples [b. 1961] is an American R&B and dance music singer and actress. Peeples is known for playing Nicole Chapman on the hit TV series Fame; Pam Fields on the drama Pretty Little Liars; Karen Taylor Winters on The Young and the Restless and Sydney Cooke on Walker, Texas Ranger. Not to mention whatever her role was in The Fosters.
40. Caterer's vessel: URN. For your coffee. Because you deserve it.
41. Combat doctors: MEDICS. Military jargon.
46. Author Hemingway: ERNEST. Ernest Miller Hemingway [1899 - 1961]was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his adventurous lifestyle and public image brought him admiration from later generations.
47. Alcohol in a Dark 'n' Stormy: RUM. With ginger beer and lime. Sounds interesting.
48. Sri Lanka, formerly: CEYLON. Officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and southeast of the Arabian Sea; it is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.
49. Breathing exercise direction: INHALE. Breath in.
50. Hopping mad: ANGRY. Furious.
51. "For real!": NO LIE. Not joking.
52. Turner memoir: I TINA. -- My Life Story is a 1986 autobiography by Tina Turner, co-written by MTV news correspondent and music critic Kurt Loder. The book was reissued by Dey Street Books in 2010
56. Sportsbook offering: ODDS. Betting features. That's all I know about it.
57. Became frayed, say: WORE. The past tense of wear. Here it means deteriorating.
58. Top poker cards: ACES. Higher than kings.
59. Ring stats: TKOS. Technical Knock-Outs. A boxing term describing a situation where one boxer is judged the winner after knocking the other down three times.
62. Surfboard application: WAX. Surfboard wax is essential as it gives you a tight grip and creates traction for your feet on your board. The wax also stops you from slipping off when you're paddling out to the waves.
63. Polished off: ATE. Common crosswordese.
64. "Certainly": YES. I agree.
12. __ bean: PINTO. A variety of common bean. In Spanish they are called frijoles pintos, literally "painted bean". It is the most popular bean by crop production in Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States, and is most often eaten whole, or mashed and then refried.
13. Construction alloy: STEEL. Steel is an alloy made up of iron with typically a few tenths of a percent of carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant typically need an additional 11% chromium.
18. "The Prime of Miss Jean __": BRODIE. A novel by Muriel Spark, the best known of her works. It was first published in The New Yorker magazine and was published as a book by Macmillan in 1961. The movie version, starring Maggie Smith, was released in 1969.
21. Fine print, say: ART. Continuing the theme idea of repurposing common phrases, this indicates an item of fine art rather then small print I need a magnifying glass to read.
22. Snowboarder White: SHAUN. Shaun Roger White [b. 1986] is an American former professional snowboarder and skateboarder. He is a five-time Olympian and a three-time Olympic gold medalist in half-pipe snowboarding. He holds the world record for the most X Games gold medals and most Olympic gold medals by a snowboarder.
23. Head of cauliflower?: HARD C. The initial letter of the word is here considered to be the "head." Kind of a meh! clue.
27. Mil. rank: SGT. Sergeant - a noncommissioned officer in the armed forces, in particular (in the US Army or Marine Corps) an NCO ranking above corporal and below staff sergeant, or (in the US Air Force) an NCO ranking above airman and below staff sergeant.
28. "Look at THAT!": OOH. Gee-whiz, golly, gosh!
29. Hot out of the oven: FRESH. Don't burn your fingers.
30. Recede: EBB. Like ocean tide or my hair line.
31. Corp. money manager: CFO. Chief Financial Officer. It's not good news when one is in the news.
34. Boxer's restraint: LEASH. The refers to a type of canine pet, rather than a pugilist.
35. Goofed up: ERRED. Made a mistake.
36. Put into play: USE. Deploy (something) as a means of accomplishing a purpose or achieving a result; employ.
38. Jewel: GEM. A precious or semiprecious stone, especially when cut and polished or engraved. Figuratively, a person or thing of value.
39. Peeples of "The Fosters": NIA. Virenia "Nia" Peeples [b. 1961] is an American R&B and dance music singer and actress. Peeples is known for playing Nicole Chapman on the hit TV series Fame; Pam Fields on the drama Pretty Little Liars; Karen Taylor Winters on The Young and the Restless and Sydney Cooke on Walker, Texas Ranger. Not to mention whatever her role was in The Fosters.
40. Caterer's vessel: URN. For your coffee. Because you deserve it.
41. Combat doctors: MEDICS. Military jargon.
46. Author Hemingway: ERNEST. Ernest Miller Hemingway [1899 - 1961]was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his adventurous lifestyle and public image brought him admiration from later generations.
47. Alcohol in a Dark 'n' Stormy: RUM. With ginger beer and lime. Sounds interesting.
48. Sri Lanka, formerly: CEYLON. Officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and southeast of the Arabian Sea; it is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.
49. Breathing exercise direction: INHALE. Breath in.
50. Hopping mad: ANGRY. Furious.
51. "For real!": NO LIE. Not joking.
52. Turner memoir: I TINA. -- My Life Story is a 1986 autobiography by Tina Turner, co-written by MTV news correspondent and music critic Kurt Loder. The book was reissued by Dey Street Books in 2010
56. Sportsbook offering: ODDS. Betting features. That's all I know about it.
57. Became frayed, say: WORE. The past tense of wear. Here it means deteriorating.
58. Top poker cards: ACES. Higher than kings.
59. Ring stats: TKOS. Technical Knock-Outs. A boxing term describing a situation where one boxer is judged the winner after knocking the other down three times.
62. Surfboard application: WAX. Surfboard wax is essential as it gives you a tight grip and creates traction for your feet on your board. The wax also stops you from slipping off when you're paddling out to the waves.
63. Polished off: ATE. Common crosswordese.
64. "Certainly": YES. I agree.
Well, this wraps up another Wednesday, I think. There is no calendar on my watch, so I'm not sure. Nor do I know what time it is. Tomorrow is probably Thanksgiving, so have a great one, don't eat too much, and don't argue politics.
Cool regards!
JzB
37 comments:
I wonder what IGOR has in his Luggage
Interesting clueing for xword staple OREO
I drove a PINTO 1971-73
We had PRIME for Wordle and last week I mentioned the AFL going after BRODIE precipitated the merger
Lots of LHF balanced by pop-cul, a couple I knew and TINA I never saw
Convoluted theme
WC
I count ten proper names, but I knew four, so not too bad. It too a while to see where this CW was going, theme-wise, but I did eventually get it. Cute. Overall, FIR in a sonic-booming time of 22 minutes. Thanx LE&JC for the fun. JzB I can’t imagine the time you musta put into your outstanding write-up. Well done! Thanx for all your creativity, time and effort.
Like JazzB, I don’t understand how “fudge the numbers “ fits into the theme. Perhaps one of you genius-level folks (as opposed to “Subgenius “) could explain it? Other than that, I didn’t have too much trouble with this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Immediately inked CAIN at 1a, after all he's the one who supposedly said that line. Bzzzzzzt. Have I ever mentioned...? Also went sideways with GRAB/TAKE, and wanted LOOKS AFTER (but ran out of room) before LOCKS AWAY barged in. Got 'er done, but the Wite-Out got a workout this morning. Nicely done, Lance and Jeff. Esoteric review, as usual, JzB. (Eukaryotic? First heard in 1957, and not heard again until 11/23/22.)
FIR, but erased irate for ANGRY. It looked like this one was going to be very hard for a Wednesday offering, but it turned out to be easier than yesterday for me. None of the names had ODD spelling, which kept the enjoyment factor high.
I got distracted by "in very sharp res..." and IN HD. First, shouldn't "very sharp" require UHD? And b), since when do we use "in" in clue and answer?
OK, some one has to explain it. When a situation calls for a mild oath instead of what the speaker was really thinking, FUDGE mighty be used. "People are selling driveway parking for $50? FUDGE the driveways, we'll go way early and park in the city lot."
Also, a long time ago, people would go to buildings called "stores" to see and feel items before actually making a purchase. After purchase, customers usually actually took the merchandise home, with stuff being delivered to the customer's door only occasionally. Some items could be soiled or damaged by frequent feeling, and store owners would display signs "please don't touch the merchandise." Grocery store produce managers would sometimes implore shoppers not to squeeze tomatoes and melons. Remember Mr. Whipple asking folks "please don't squeeze the Charmin?"
In my imbibing days, Dark 'n' Stormy was a favorite. Hampton Yacht Club bartenders built great ones.
My Apple II's Basic programming language didn't have "if...then...elseif," just "if...then...else." I thought I had hit the jackpot when I learned that my new IBM PC's Basic had that capability, circa 1979. Then I got Pascal and found the "case" statement. NERD HEAVEN!
I guess that sportsbooks offer odds for wagers on things like who will win the 2023 Masters golf tournament. But mostly they offer line bets, like Dallas is a 9 1/2 point favorite over New York tomorrow. A better (bettor?) clue would have been "craps table offering." ODDS in craps are a great bet - the house has no advantage at all. The trick is that the amount a player is allowed to wager is limited by the amount wagered on the "pass" or "don't pass" line. (OK, "come", "don't come" too, but if you know what that means, you know all about ODDS bets anyway.)
Lots of Rooskies in the NHL. My favorite is Alex Ovechkin, The Great Eight.
Thanks to Lance and Jeff for the fun challenge. And thanks to JzB for another fun narrative.
When I finished today, the stopwatch said it took 7:23.
I associated this use of "fudge the numbers" with Ralphie's "Oh Fudge!" from "A Christmas Story."
I didn't know today's female author (Kidd) or today's book title (Brodie), nor did I know Ceylon. Nia and Igor were only vaguely known from prior crosswords. So, I say thank you to the perps.
FIR, but had a little trouble with the north center. 5D and 7D were complete unknowns to me, and 8D, "else-if", didn't look right to me. Perps saved the day.
Hola!
Thank you, Lance and Jeff. Seeing Jeff Chen's name induced a shudder but this was much, much easier than his usual offerings. I guess it was the influence of Lance. Perhaps Jeff mentored him. Anyway, it was a quick fill.
It took longer to read and absorb JazzBumpa's esoteric essay-like explanations than to solve the puzzle. Thank you for that, JB. I always learn something from you.
CSO to my niece, IRENE.
ELSE IF sounds awkward.
The Secret Life of Bees was the first book we read for our Book Club. That many years ago?
I like the double meaning of NOT ON MY WATCH
Luckily I know the names SHAUN, IRENE, TINA, ERNEST, BRODIE (that movie started my idolization of Maggie Smith just like her pupils) and CEYLON, a name I hadn't heard of or thought of in a long time.
In fact, Lance and Jeff played right into my knowledge base which of late has not been the case in many recent puzzles. It seems that puzzles have been moving into a more contemporary arena and I'm at a disadvantage there. So I appreciate today's puzzle and was able to finish it in quick time. Exactly how long I'm not sure since I don't time myself.
It's going to be a busy day today so I'm glad to finish the puzzle early. I wish you all a safe, trouble free eve of Thanksgiving Day.
Good Morning:
This was not my cup of tea as I found the clues for the themers and the themers themselves convoluted (Hi, Wilbur), with little reward for the effort in figuring them out. I admire and appreciate the creativity and execution, but I just wasn’t on the constructors’ wave length with this offering. I needed perps for the unknown Igor and Else If and the tricky to discern Hard C. I thought Drop Dead Date referred to either a gorgeous woman or a handsome man. Silly me.
Thanks, Lance and Jeff (Congrats on the debut, Lance, and, Jeff, I love your XWord Info commentaries), and thanks, JazzB, for explaining the theme in terms that made sense and I echo Uncle Fred’s compliments on your write up. Your efforts are very much appreciated.
I wonder why Tony didn’t post yesterday. I hope it’s because he’s too busy and not under the weather!
Have a great day.
A not so easy puzzle for a Wed. The Dakota Region got me with unknowns. Not familiar with "The Schuyler sisters", "the Secret life of Bees", BRODIE. IGOR, and the ELSE-IF command. Never heard of a DROP DEAD DATE. A DNF this morning. I filled the rest correctly but still have no idea how FUDGE THE NUMBERS had anything to do with the clue. Neither does Subgenius.
JxB- a crowd at your house? I'm praying that it doesn't rain and stays warm. I've got 22 coming. But somebody else is bringing the turkey and turducken.
Wilbur- I'm glad your Pinto didn't get rear ended. They had a problem.
NE corner was tough...
Hmm,
what could possibly be silly about a timepiece?
ELSE IF is classic COBOL
Easy, I did get rear-ended but only a slight dent.. Wasn't it the Corvair that went up in flanes?
WC
Musings
-The Omaha World Herald had tomorrow’s Samantha Podos Nowak puzzle instead of this GEM.
- I had a delightful struggle (and three bad cells) with this amazing puzzle. FORGET (makes more sense than FUDGE to me) THE NUMBERS and OLDE wouldn’t leave and HARD C evaded me. Jimmy Crack Corn…
- ROLE REVERSAL – Kids love to teach me something I don’t know and I’m happy to learn
- The first image I saw IN HD was of Wrigley Field at EPCOT in the late 90’s. I was AWED.
- Dutch ELM disease took millions of trees in my childhood and today the Emerald Ash Boer is at work
- FRESH out of the oven. The Family Consumer Science kids were preparing a Thanksgiving feast across the hall all morning.
- The S.F. 49ers obtained Christian McCaffery and immediately started to USE his skills
- Oops, the Omaha paper had two LA Puzzles today: One in the regular Wed. edition and one in the skinny Thanksgiving insert. That way they give employees tomorrow off. It appears I already have the Thursday puzzle done.
Addendum
-That TV at EPCOT had a price tag of $50,000. Joann just told me of a 55” HDTV at Wal Mart for $299.99.
-My childhood friend’s wealthy parents bought a 23” RCA set with a very low-res picture in 1960 for $699.00.
-But, hey, gas was 29¢
FIR today for Lance and Jeff's puzzle. Welcome, Jeff! Come back soon. The puzzle had some surprises, causing a few WOs, but I liked it and got the theme OK.
WOs included peelS/RINDS (anyone else?) and eEYsON/CEYLON. I had sOCKS AWAY which made sense until it didn't. And I started with MERe HAN_SE which never made sense. I thought "baker's supply" could be "dozen" and started writing the D, but stopped because I already had the P for "peels" in place. Oh well, the rest was pristine.
Jazz B, it's always a treat to read your entertaining and informative reviews! Eukaryotic, a learning moment indeed! Thank you!
Happy Thanksgiving prep day to all. We're going to a friend's house so I have it easy this year. Getting old has its benefits after all.
Was sure I was headed for a FIW with ELSEIF* (huh? wha?) But it perped right. I kinda, sorta, maybe got the clever but convoluted theme (FUDGE THE NUMBERS doesn't seem to fit)
Like DO, I put Cain first as the speaker of the quote.
I guess I ate the last OREO with my cappuccino after lunch yesterday . Nothing sadder when your fingers meet the cold hard ceramic bottom of an empty cookie jar (this morning).. 🥺
"In very sharp resolution": INHD : IN is "in" the clue and the answer I agree with Jinx. A CW error.
Yesterday we had HARP, today AARP.
"Rangers goalie" ? We've had I TINA before and yet I was thinking Lana or Ted Turner this time 🙄. I read "The Secret Life of Bees" a few years ago, remember the author? Nope
"Head of cauliflower": HARDC like yesterday's "Sharp's Head": ESS so didn't need a sharp head today to figure it out.
Miss Jean BRODIE is definitely now in her prime. She turns 88 next month 🎂
I enjoy a self made "Moscow Mule" think I'll try a Dark 'n' Stormy.
ANGRY: "Hopping Mad" Yosemite 😡
Agreed in St Peterburg.....SAIDAH.
Don't use if the ____ it is broken...CEYLON
If we were playing cards, ____<....IDEAL
Thanks JzB for the wealth of knowledge .... *but I read the 'splanashun of ELSEIF 3 times still not sure I unnerstan'. 😕
WC, the Corvair had a rollover problem, documented by Ralph Nader in Unsafe at Any Speed.
My family owned three of them. My mother won our first in a newspaper subscription sales contest, the second was a new model of the one she won, and the third was my first car. Mine was old and a piece of junk, but looked great. Candy-apple red with a white rag top, teardrop fake spotlights, and 4 on the floor.
The Pinto had a rep of catching fire if hit from behind. Yes, I owned one of those too. Cal Worthington and his Dog Spot sold my then-DW one. (Cal Worthington and his Dog Spot was a car dealer's ad in Southern California, and can be heard as background noise in many movies. "His dog spot" was anything other than a canine. Assorted zoo animals filled in as "his dog spot.")
For those who are having trouble with the programming's ELSEIF:
Think of how you would instruct a computer to handle the following, based on how you would handle it.
You come to a red traffic light at in intersection where you want to make a right turn:
Is it red?
-If no, make your turn
-- Elseif there is a "no turn on red" sign, wait for green
--- Else stop before making turn when it is safe to do so.
Ray, the most important part of a D'n'S is to use ginger beer, not ginger ale. If your grocery store doesn't have it, your liquor or wine store probably will. (It is nonalcoholic.)
Jinx
Thanks for the advice
I now use a Moscow Mule mixer that has just the right about of ginger kick and lime made in the Finger Lakes (Geneva NY) that I found at an Adirondack craft fair this summer. Unlike most MM mixers its not too sweet but spicier. I like to use tonic water rather than the usual club soda. Probably just need to substitute rum for vodka and don't forget the copper mug.
😛
A fine CW from Lance and Jeff, which I managed to clock in at 13:36 for a FIR, (as usual about double the time of Anon SS). The DNK’s easily perped so no problem there. Jeff seems to do a lot of collaborations with newcomers as he seems to like to bring new people into the cruciverbalist fold, always nice to see new constructors with fresh ideas.
In my bar tending days I made many Dark and Stormy’s, a little lime juice is first poured over the ice, then the Barritt’s Ginger Beer on top of that, then the dark rum and maybe a dash of bitters, giving the effect of a stormy looking sky. Gosling’s rum actually trademarked the drink, although we used Papa’s Pilar dark rum, fairly expensive at $40+ for 750ml. Probably a coincidence that ERNEST Hemingway was referenced in the same puzzle as this drink, as legend has it that he imbibed a few.
JzB ~~ always enjoy your very thorough reviews, always learn new things that hopefully I can retain!
Interesting Wednesday puzzle, many thanks, Lance and Jeff. Also appreciated your commentary, as always, JazzB, thank you for that too.
Hope my IRA advisor doesn't FUDGE THE NUMBERS. And he'd better keep his HANDS OFF of any refunds. I don't want any trouble if there's an AUDIT. Well, he's only ERRED ONCE in the past, so the ODDS are that we won't be LATE filing the paperwork. That would be IDEAL.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow, everyone.
Puzzling thoughts:
FIR after looking up IGOR for 32-across
Jinx in Norfolk @6:53: Great responses; both to the puzzle and explaining the word "FUDGE" in 37-across
LE/JC/JzB - kudos
OK, I will comment on the Dark n Stormy as it is one of my favorite drinks:
I have found THE BEST dark rum for this drink; it's called Koloa Kaua'i Dark Hawaiian Rum. It is a bit pricey but worth every penny. My local Costco has it on sale for $19.97/bottle, and I "loaded up"!!
I use a good quality Ginger Beer (don't go cheap on this, either), as well as mixing the drink in a pewter mug (a la a Moscow Mule).
FIR after much reworking in the NE. stays then stops then SKIPS. Also, started with 'if then' before ELSE IF.
FAV: Tangerine coats and Book review
Thank you, JzB, for the informative & funny (67A) review. The CARs probably started as a "garage" band! LOL
Jinx @ 10:25. I remember the Go-See-Cal Worthington car commercials!
RAIL. This morning I booked an excursion on the Napa Valley Wine Train. Love these CW coincidences.
Loved this CWP! Thanks Lance for a smooth ride and fun theme. Finally got a chance to sit down & read the review on this busy day. Thanks JzB. For a change I knew the names (KIDD,IRENE, SHAUN, ANI, ITINA, ERNEST). Got IGOR from the perps.
Haven't thought of ginger beer in decades! I remember Moscow Mules served in a copper cup. Must look for some ginger beer!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
My take on "Fudge the numbers" is akin to "cook the books" but in this context, digits in the clue and NUMBERS in the fill both meshed perfectly with the theme, IMO.
JazzBumpa offers us a PZL from the Enfinger/Chen team, a pretty clever one...
I particularly liked the AUDIT clue (16A). I was a bit thrown by the breaking up of a theme clue answer between 26A and 45A.
If there is one thing cruciverbalists prize, it would seem to be symmetry. We would simply be more comfortable with either breaking the answers up in pairs, OR, NOT breaking them at all.
What catches us by surprise is breaking up ONE fill, while leaving the others alone.
WooHoo! Gives me the shivers.
We had Miss Jean Brodie indirectly on Wordle a couple days ago, when the answer was PRIME. And BRODIE is in the news these days on the field and in divorce court.
Reckon so-called GOAT Tom knows not when to quit.
~ OMK
____________
DR: One diagonal, near side.
Its anagram (13 of 15 letters) refers to an fantasy fashion event.
Use your imaginations to suppose you are attending a display of ladies' hair bags.
Yes, I meant what I said. I am speaking of those clever little receptacles, usually made of fabric, sometimes plain and sometimes highly decorative, designed to be filled with a back sweep of ladies' hair, to prevent said hair from flying free and tossing strands into the meal she is making and/or serving.
I am writing about a...
"SNOOD SHOWTIME"!
Speaking of car commercials, anyone else remember Earl Scheib ads to paint your car for just $29.95?
desper-otto @ 2:07 --> yes. His price has gone up over the years, but I think the company is still operating. Here is a clip from when it cost $49.99 and you got $10 in free dent repairs.
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Lance (congrats on your debut) and Jeff, and JzB.
I FIRed in good time, and got the great NOT ON MY WATCH theme.
It took a minute to correct Shain to SHAUN, and parse Fidget to FUDGE THE.
My start was rocky, deciding between Cain or ABEL (waited for perps).
Then I moved right to 5A, entering Grab (perps later demanded TAKE).
Another inkblot to change Wow to OOH, plus LOCKS down to AWAY.
We have seen ANI, NIA, KIDD, here before, but IGOR was a WAG.
Shaved head was ESS the other day, but enlarged to HARD C today not Cee.
Down to a tense final in the Belgium-Canada World Cup soccer game.
Wishing you all a great day.
I did too for Wordle but others may not have solved yet!
omk@2:05
When you said, "display of ladies' hair bags."
I thought you were refering to these...
But when I went looking for "snood,"
These came up...
My theory about FUDGE THE NUMBERS, clued as "Digits on a timepiece? That's ridiculous!", is that with a no-digit, i.e. analog timepiece, one commonly says things like "It's about 10 minutes to 12" when a digital watch might show exactly 11:48. I wear an analog watch and often "fudge" the numbers by saying "a quarter past 9" when the hands are actually pointing anywhere from 9:13 to 9:17.
Other than that, Jayce, how did you like the puzzle? Well, some good stuff and some not so good stuff.
Things I liked:
The clues for AUDIT, SAID AH, and ART.
MAMA BIRDS.
Things I disliked:
All entries based on extremely specific trivia, such as "Fame" star Cara and The Schuyler sisters in "Hamilton".
All gratuitously obscure clues that require knowledge of very specific information and cannot be reasoned out, such as the aforementioned "Fame" star Cara, Rangers goalie Shesterkin, Tree on the Great Seal of North Dakota, "The Secret Life of Bees" novelist Sue Monk __, Snowboarder White, and Peeples of "The Fosters".
The clues Head of cauliflower and "Look at THAT!"
I liked the rest of the puzzle okay.
Here's wishing you all a pleasant day today and tomorrow. Oh, and Friday, too.
Irish Miss, Anonymous T said a couple of days ago that he was going to be away visiting relatives.
Wilbur Charles, you posted your Wednesday comments correcting Old Man K's on Tuesday's blog.
Got a FIR but was too busy to comment (my doctors are gonna have to start taking a number to see me). Did anyone else snag the NIT at 54A with the clue including the word "in" in the fill "IN HD". TSK Patti!
I forgot to mention that since reading The Secret Life of Bees I've read other books by Sue Monk Kidd. She is a prolific writer.
Finally my gr-grandson fell asleep, early since he didn't have a nap today. His mother had to work today since she won't tomorrow. Normally she is off Mon-Wed.
IM - What TTP @7:46p said...
Yesterday, I finished the puzzle on the plane to SFO. We got to the Air B&B just after mid-night, so kinda late to post.
Anyway, I'll be spotty over the next few days as we visit with family.
Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!
-T
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