Today marks constructor Joe Deeney's 29th appearance in the LA Times and 15 in the NY Times. We're winning! Will Schortz
has this to say about him: 'Joe Deeney, of Melrose, Mass., is a supply
chain director for Philips, a health technology company based in
Amsterdam (the manufacturer of my CPAP machine!). He's been solving
crosswords for as long as he can remember. In 2015 he was solving one
he wasn't particularly fond of and thought, "I can do better than
that!"' Three years later he had his first trip to the Corner, blogged by TTP. Today his theme asks us what we should do about
Loose Change
...
a problem that has lessened in recent years due to people's
unwillingness to touch the stuff. But if you think it's going to go
away anytime soon, think again. Anyway, Joe has pondered this question in depth and reveals this answer:
50A *Spot for coins, and what five letters in the answer do in each starred clue: CHANGE PURSE. Notice is that the embedded string PURSE has been CHANGED (scrambled) in each of the following 4 clues:
16. *Research without direct application: PURE SCIENCE. Science is not quite as pure as it used to be in the good old days of Galileo and Isaac Newton (17th Century). Things started to get murky with the arrival in the early 20th century of two seismic paradigm shifts: the Theory of Relativity developed by Albert Einstein; and the Theory of Quantum Mechanics (QM) developed by an international team of physicists led by Niels Bohr.
Over one hundred years later there are still unresolved conflicts
between these two theories. Efforts to reconcile them have led to a
series of what are called Theories of Everything (TOES). [Geek Alert!] Here is a video by German mathematician and physicist Sabine Hossenfelder on some problems with Relativity (5:27 min). Here are two more videos with her thoughts on problems with two of the most prominent TOES: the Multiverse theory (7:42 min) and String Theory (7:37 min) [End Geek Alert]. Here is a simplified illustration that attempts to stub the second TOE.
23. *Czechoslovakian movement of 1968: PRAGUE SPRING The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ), and continued until 21 August 1968, when the Soviet Union and most of Warsaw Pact members invaded the country to suppress the reforms. The Prague Spring inspired many Czech and Slovak artists and musicians to protest the invasion through their work. Here is Czech composer and guitarist Karel Kryl with his dark song about this period, veiled in cryptic poetry ...
 |
| Demonstrations during the Prague Spring |
34. *Helpline offering: CUSTOMER SUPPORT. Customer Support is system of services designed to assist customers in making cost effective and correct use of a product. It includes assistance in planning, installation, training, troubleshooting, maintenance, upgrading, and disposal of a product. Regarding technology products such as mobile phones, televisions, computers, software products or other electronic or mechanical goods, it is termed technical support. Here are some skills needed by a customer support specialist:
 |
| Balance of trade |
Here's the grid:
And now it's time to PURSUE a CHANGE of pace ...
Across:
1. Striped pet: TABBY. Here's one of my grandchildren's cats, a TABBY named Poco Loco, and also today's Spanish lesson, an adjective meaning "a little crazy". Actually I think he should have been named Mucho Loco. He and his fellow felines, Rascal, Butterscotch, and Fizzy are all outside cats. Rascal (also a TABBY)
is the oldest and biggest pet, and is a hunter who supplements the food
he gets on the porch with various critters he finds in the nearby
woods.
 |
| Poco Loco |
6. "__ chic!": TRES. "Very stylish". Today's French lesson.
10. Gear tooth: COG.
13. Sprightly: AGILE. AGILE is also a software development methodology.
14. Bridge predecessor: WHIST. WHIST is a classic English trick-taking card game which was widely played in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the rules are simple, there is scope for strategic play. Here's an online version you can play if you get bored with this review.
15. Back on a ship: AFT. The opposite of ASHORE?
16. [Theme clue]
18. Spending power, for short: CFO. Chief Financial Officer, the member of the C Team who can write checks.
19. "No Ordinary Love" singer: SADE. Helen Folasade Adu CBE (Yoruba: Fọláṣadé Adú [fɔ̄láʃādé ādú]; born 16 January 1959), known professionally as Sade Adu or simply Sade (/ʃɑːˈdeɪ/ shar-DAY), is a Nigerian-born British singer, known as the lead singer of her eponymous band. Surrealistic.
20. Eleven digits?: ONES. 11.
21. Treadmill setting: PACE.
.
23A [Theme clue]
27. Yuletide song: NOEL. Even though 'tis not the season, I interpreted this clue like my favorite conductor Arturo Toscanini, who used to exhort his orchestras: "Come scritto!" ("As written!"):
28. 33-Across years: DECADE. Half a score.
29. Paper or plastic: NOUN. "A word (other than a pronoun) used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things" - Oxford Languages Dictionary. E.g. "Materials used to make grocery bags".
30. Father of the Muses: ZEUS. Their grandfather and grandmother were Uranus and Gaia. According to ancient Greek mythology, the Muses are the sources of inspiration for all of the arts and of knowledge. The daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, they were the romantic companions of Apollo’s entourage of gods. Their names were Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Thalia, Terpsichore, and Urania.
 |
| Apollo and the Muses John Singer Sargent |
34. [Theme clue]
38. "I see," at sea: AYE.
39. Noodle nugget: IDEA. No doubt an offshoot of the clue "Bean sprout" that we saw recently (e.g. 2/4/23 clue 21A)
40. "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's __": Caldecott Medal winner by Verna Aardema: EARS. Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale is a 1975 children's picture book by Verna Aardema and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. It is told in the form of a cumulative tale written for young children, and recounts an African legend.
44. "An Caighdeán Oifigiúil" language: ERSE. ERSE is a synonym for the Irish or Gaelic language. And it's today's Irish lesson, i.e. it's an "Official Standard" language in Ireland. I think Joe may be Irish.
45. [Theme clue]
49. Recycle bin, e.g.: ICON. As in ...
51. Becomes compost: ROTS.
55. "Gross!": ICK.
[Theme reveal]
56. [Theme reveal]
59. Baseball great Ripken: CAL. Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed "The Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001). One of his position's most offensively productive players, Ripken compiled 3,184 hits, 431 home runs, and 1,695 runs batted in during his career, and he won two Gold Glove Awards for his defense. He was a 19-time All-Star and was twice named American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP). Ripken holds the record for consecutive games played (2,632) on September 6, 1995, having surpassed Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,130 that had stood for 56 years and that many deemed unbreakable. My son was at that game with 50,000 other fans (and another 150,000 who claim to have been!), and still has the tickets to prove it:
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In 2007, Ripken was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility with 98.53% of votes, the sixth-highest election percentage ever.
60. Comes up against: ABUTS.
61. Isaac of "Moon Knight": OSCAR. Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is a Guatemalan-born American actor. Known for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Latino characters in Hollywood. He was named the best actor of his generation by Vanity Fair in 2017 and one of the 25 greatest actors of the 21st century by The New York Times in 2020. "I am Moon Knight. The bearer of the mantle of Khonshu. Khonshu the justice bringer. I am vengeance". Looks like a pretty nice guy actually ...
 |
| Oscar Isaac |
63. Response heard during a pool game: POLO. Oh "POLO!", as in "MARCO POLO, a game played in swimming pools. Here are the rules.
 |
| Marco Polo |
 |
| Lieutenant Wharf |
1. Spigots: TAPS.
2. Río flower: AGUA. A fluid not a flora.
3. __ of paradise: BIRD. A flora not a fauna.
 |
| Bird of Paradise |
5. [Nod]: YES.
6. Org. with 27 member states: THE EU. The European Union.
7. Salon procedure: RINSE.
8. Key to going back?: ESC.
9. Grassy expanse: STEPPE. The best description for this clue is musical ...
10. Word on an Italian menu that means "hunter": CACCIATORE. Today's Italian lesson. Here's a recipe for Chicken Cacciatore. I'm unclear how this dish got its name, as you don't really have to hunt for chickens. Aren't they usually found in coops?
 |
| Chicken Cacciatore |
12. Classic Pontiac muscle car: GTO.
14. Annex: WING.
17. Anthracite or lignite: COAL.
22. __ de Triomphe: ARC. The Arc de Triomphe was inaugurated in 1836 by French king, Louis-Philippe, who dedicated it to the armies of the Revolution and the Empire. The Unknown Soldier was buried at the base of the arch in 1921. The flame of remembrance is rekindled every day at 18:30.
 |
| L'Arc de Triomphe. |
24. Nevada city about 100 miles from Burning Man: RENO. This year this bacchanal takes place from Sun, Aug 27, 2023 to Mon, Sep 4, 2023. Mark your calendars!
 |
| Burning Man |
25. The Aztecs of the NCAA's Mountain West Conf.: SDSU. The Aztecs are the athletic teams that represent San Diego State University (SDSU). San Diego State currently sponsors six men's and eleven women's sports at the varsity level.
27. Center of a 3-4 football defense: NOSE TACKLE. It takes a whole team to win a football game (even if it's just by a NOSE) ...
 |
| If you're still confused, this might help ... |
29. Spanish dialect in the Big Apple: NUYORICAN. A CSO and thanks to Chairman Moe for helping me find a utility showing that this is probably the first crossword to use this fill (and congrats to Joe! (although he probably already knew that)). NUYORICAN is a portmanteau of the terms New York and Puerto Rican and refers to the members or culture of the Puerto Ricans located in or around New York City, or of their descendants. An estimated 1,800,000 Nuyoricans are said to live in New York City, the largest Puerto Rican community outside Puerto Rico. Some prominent Nuyoricans you might recognize are Jennifer Lopez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. And here's the band Nuyorican Soul with their 1996 hit Runaway featuring Nuyorican crossword queen india.arie ...
30. Character debuted by Zadie Smith?: ZED. Zadie Smith, FRSL* (born Sadie; Willesden, London, 25 October 1975). Another CSO for MOE, as this also appears to be the first time ever that this clue was used for crosswordese ZED. Zadie is British and ZED being the first character in her name thus "debuts" it. [Double groan]. Dr. Smith is an English novelist, essayist, and short-story writer. Her debut novel, White Teeth (2000), immediately became a best-seller and won a number of awards. She has been a tenured professor in the Creative Writing faculty of New York University since September 2010.
 |
| Zadie Smith *Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature |
32. Can. neighbor: USA.
34. "You __ be serious": CAN'T. I avoid it wherever possible.
35. Leave out: MISS.
36. Home of many Quechua speakers: PERU. Quechua is an indigenous language family spoken by the Quechua peoples, primarily living in the Peruvian Andes. Derived from a common ancestral language, it is the most widely spoken pre-Columbian language family of the Americas, with an estimated 8–10 million speakers as of 2004. Approximately 25% (7.7 million) of Peruvians speak a Quechuan language.
 |
| The four branches of Quechua: I (Central), II-A (North Peruvian), II-B (Northern), II-C (Southern) |
37. Means to an end?: PASS RUSH. As the QB is the usual target of a PASS RUSH I was a bit confused by this clue (see also 27D). Or maybe Joe's clever attempt at misdirection was actually a veiled reference to this (Hi Anon -T!):
42. Final words of an engagement: I DO. Before them you're engaged. After them you're married!
43. Top removed before dashing off?: PEN CAP. Precedes "dashing off" a memo.
44. Conditional programming word: ELSE. One of the three basic structures in programming.
46. Mover's rental: UHAUL.
47. Cost: RUN TO.
48. Identifies (as): PEGS. Thought this might be a kinky gender reference, but more than likely it's an abbreviation for more than one MARGARET.
52. Largest member of the dolphin family: ORCA. The OREOS of crossword aquatic mammals.
 |
| Orcas |
 |
| Standard of the Tsar of Bulgaria |
54. Feudal laborer: SERF. Betcha' Simeon I had more than a few Bulgarian SERFS at his beck and call.
55. Diamonds, in slang: ICE.
57. "Last Week Tonight" network: HBO. Last Week Tonight is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by comedian John Oliver. The half-hour-long show premiered in April 2014 on HBO. Here's the only trailer I could find that didn't need to be BLEEPED OUT ...
58. "Bam!" kin: POW. We now conclude with a few UNBLEEPABLE words from Batman and Robin ...
Cheers,
Bill
As always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
I must admit that with the first two themed fills, I thought the gimmick was going to be a simple “two letter “ affair. But with the third one, I was disabused of this notion and I’m glad I was, because it was a much more interesting puzzle than I first thought. The only real difficulty with this puzzle was that “New York dialect “ word, which was solved through ESP. The Italian word for “hunter “ was also a puzzle at first, but soon became clear. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeletePASSRUSH and NOSETACKLE filled, but continue to be mysteries. Is it really legal to tackle somebody by grabbing his nose? NUYORICAN was downright brutal. Saw the PURSES after the reveal...but not before. Looks like another winner, Joe. Excellent expo, Waseeley. (Picard is going to dock you a few points for spelling "WHARF.")
I started off really well, then bogged down after the first 6 fills. Struggled thru much of the CW and finally ended up with a DNF because I couldn’t come up with PENCAP, ICON or RUNTO, and kept thinking billiards for pool game so POLO never entered my brain. So in the end I was left with four blank cells staring at me. Ya got me, JD. Thanx for the terrific write-up, Waseeley.
ReplyDeleteD-O @5:58 AM DARN! I should have given him a CSO on that one. After all, they served together.
ReplyDeleteAn Caighdeán Oifigiúil, in ERSE
ReplyDeleteIs how the Irish folks converse.
"The Official Standard" is telling
Of Irish grammer and spelling.
I wonder what it would rule of my verse?
I think, as I DASH OFF these lines,
Going back to some earlier times,
That I'd sharpen a quill
So that ink wouldn't spill;
Or ruin shirts when a PEN CAP unaligns.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteLike Subgenius, I thought we were heading toward a P S theme but Customer Support ended that notion, and I still didn’t see the theme until the reveal. My w/os were only two, Ugh/Ick and Omit/Miss but the unknowns were plentiful, some strictly because of the cluing, e.g., Zed, Tsar, HBO, and Orca, plus the true unknowns of Sade, SDSU, and the head-scratching Nuyorican. I thought the cluing ranged from mostly clever to too clever by half.
Thanks, Joe, for a Thursday treat and thanks, Bill, for another interesting, fact-laden commentary and the many striking visuals and links. Favorite cartoon was the fictional football team (Nose Tackle). Thanks to Teri, as well.
Yesterday’s temp was 64, breaking a record. I’m just wondering when Old Man Winter is going to strut his stuff and remind us that winter means cold temps and lots of snow! As Yogi would say, “It ain’t over till it’s over!” 😂
Ray O, any sign of that box of chocolates? 🤔
Have a great day.
DNF. What a weird week. Monday was like Thursday, and Thursday is like Saturday. And last Saturday was very easy. It's like opposite week.
ReplyDeleteFIR, but erased omit for MISS and case for ELSE. (I think using"case" is easier to understand than a bunch of "if...then...ELSEif...ELSEif...ELSEif...ELSE" functions.)
ReplyDeleteI come out ahead in NO TIP restaurants, mainly because my personal policy is (for adequate service) 20% (rounded up to the next buck), or $5, whichever is larger. Since DW and I usually share a sandwich or entree, the pre-TIP bill is usually under $20. Thank goodness the IRS is staffing up to make sure those millionaire and billionaire servers are reporting their TIPS honestly.
Little Jimmy Dickens had his biggest hit with May the BIRD of Paradise (Fly Up Your Nose).
Thanks to Joe for the fun challenge. Favorites were the clues for CFO (once I finally figured it out) and PEN CAP. And thanks to Bill & Teri for the fun review. Your explanation for CUSTOMER SUPPORT was really funny. I think it is common knowledge that the function of CUSTOMER SUPPORT is to convince the caller to give up and Google it.
I really enjoyed today’s CW, took a little work as a Thursday level puzzle should, but thought provoking, entertaining, and when combined with Bill and Teri’s excellent review, very educational. Took me 20:08 and a few corrections to get the FIR, wasn’t sure how to spell CACCIATORE, so I had an “i” inserted as the last letter before ERSE perped the “e”. OSCAR, NUYORICAN were unknowns as was ZED as clued, but they perped as well. Didn’t see the theme till the reveal, but didn’t need circles to figure it out (👊🏼 SS). Nice to see the two football references with NOSE TACKLE and PASS RUSH, but I agree with Bill on the clue, PASS RUSH denotes a blitz, or going after the QB for a sack or put pressure on him to disrupt his throw, the ends are usually covered downfield by the LB,s, CB,s, and Safeties. Thank you Joe for today’s grid, fine piece of work!
ReplyDeleteBill and Teri ~ always appreciate your Thursday synopses and the time and effort you put into them. Just your blurbs on PURE SCIENCE and ZEUS must have taken quite a bit of research, a learning experience for us all. Thank you!
Enjoyed this puzzle by Joe Deeney - they are usually a lot of fun. Needed the reveal for sure to get the theme. Got a chuckle out of the new-to-me portmanteau NUYORICAN- similar to the Spanglish of Southern California.
ReplyDeleteI think the PASS RUSH clue came from a defensive end using that means to get to the QB.
48D PEGS as one person identifying another in a certain category - eg "I had you PEGged as a Oriole fan"
There is still a lot of PURE SCIENCE going on (no immediate, direct application) but it is much harder to get funded for that research.
Thanks Bill & Teri - love Pentatonix any time of the year!
HG hope you are doing okay PO day 1 - let us know if you are up to posting- continued prayers for a smooth recovery!
Took 8:58 for me to usurp everything. Needed to come here for the theme.
ReplyDelete"Spanish dialect in the Big Apple" was brutal. I didn't know Zadie Smith, but was able to figure-out it was either a Zee or a Zed. Cacciatore was tricky, as are most foreign words for me (also, tres and whist).
I wanted "inside linebacker" for the center of a 3-4 defense.
I liked the clue for "I do", and the lack of circles.
For those of you who thought this puzzle was too tough, here's the latest DAB opus. I got a FIR, but as David doesn't have a reviewer I'm not sure what "52A Half of MD: DCCL" means. A CSO to anyone who can 'splain it.
ReplyDeleteMD in Roman Numerals is 1,500 so half of that is 750, which in Roman Numerals is DCCL
DeleteRay O, check out today's Family Circus.
ReplyDeleteBill at 8:29 ~ Roman Numerals, MD=1500, DCCL=750
ReplyDeleteBill MD = 1,500. DCCL = 750.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning! I thought this a very Thursday-worthy puzzle. Thanks, Joe!! Deceptive cluing, but only a few unknown fills.
ReplyDeleteNew term for me: NUYORICAN.
DNK: ZED as clued. WAG ZEUS got me to it.
Learned that ORCAs were dolphins. Thought they were whales.
I don't understand the ESC key. I've clicked on it in a few different circumstances, and it seemed to do nothing, so I clicked on the UNDO arrow and got done what I needed to do.
Thanks, Bill & Teri for the review. I found the STEPPES of Central Asia hauntingly beautiful.
I learned the rules of Marco POLO, and enjoyed the photos and links, especially that beautiful BIRD of Paradise. What an elegant flower!
Jinx @8:03 AM I just showed up on the CUSTOMER SUPPORT fill. It's much more involved than just putting a bunch of "experts" at the end of phone lines. It has to be coordinated with trouble-ticketing, problem determination, triage, the paging system, etc, etc. Just pushing customers off to Google is a long-term prescription for bankruptcy.
ReplyDeleteNina @8:15 AM I don't really understand the nuances of football, so I just punted and threw a bone to ANON -T; I was just funnin' with PEGS; And yes, I am a BIRDS fan. But my son is a BIG BIRDS fan; "Pure science" was replaced by "Directed research" in the '80's.
Anon @8:17 AM "usurp?" LOL SS!
A Thor's Day challenge. Came close to throwing in his hammer but pursevered and FIR...but haven't the foggiest "noodle nugget" about the theme.
ReplyDeleteAlls I know about calling CUSTOMER SUPPORT IS "listen carefully because our menu has changed"
Inkovers: omit/MISS, Zoe/ZED, Isn't a ferry a "Bridge preceder?"
"Dashing off"/PENCAP great clue!
"Largest member of the Dolphin family": Frank Delfino (Dolphin) a buddy of mine is the largest member of his family.
Thought a TABBY was just any old (female) 🐈. Tom (male)
Get fooled when an answer starts with THE, like THEEU...and once again taken in by a "flower" (not Rosa but AGUA). Bulgaria had an Empire? and even spelled its leader's title wrong 😄
John Oliver's "Last Week Tonight" one of my favs.
"Spigots" discriminate against them...TAPS
Extra finger... ELEVEN DIGITS.
Bored pirate's game: "I see at sea with my little___....AYE.
Can't write? Just sign with ____ ANNEX
Broke a temperature record yesterday in the Utica-Rome area, 64⁰... previous high was 55⁰ in 1954! 🌴.. similar throughout CNY.
IM..my chocolate serum levels are getting dangerously low..after DW went to bed last night I went hunting to no avail. 🥵 ..found two old Hershey Kisses in a drawer to tide me over.
I was mostly on Joe's wavelength today until I stumbled in the middle. But it worked out and I had a FIR in the end. Thanks, Joe. I needed the reveal to see the theme today, at first assuming it had to do with P and S, like IM and Subgenius.
ReplyDeleteProofreading saved me today when I caught on to PEN CAP. I had entered NO TIES for the perp which kinda made sense but NO TIPS finally dawned. I too had omit/MISS, IM and Jinx. Thanks for clearing up my questions, waseeley (and Teri). You always provide learning moments.
Some spelling challenges today (CACCIATORE and NUYORICAN) so perps were appreciated. And "TRADE deficit" fit the space but didn't work with the perps. All's well that ends well. Have a great Thursday!
Owen, the waitresses at my breakfast stop have been suffering ink leaks from carrying pens in hip pockets
ReplyDeleteMy USMC MoS was DisbURSing ie. I kept the PURSE
Jinx, ever play with (Y/N) Decision Tables? To illustrate: I used a French Restaurant and the footnote read
"Poisson sans Boisson est Poison!"
I just grok'ed PENCAP ie. Dashing off a letter. Anybody write from an inkwell in Grammar School. I was a lefty….
By now someone has 'splained Roman numerals re. MD(1500) DCCL(750). Yep, IM was on it
I liked the devilish clueing(ZED,NOUN,and the football)
WC
Post Surgery
ReplyDelete-I’m home now after yesterday’s successful surgery at Omaha Methodist Hospital
-Former student Dr. Brad Winterstein was recommended by my former student Dr. Misty (Svitak) Janssen and Brad did a wonderful laparoscopic procedure
-The pre-op nurse, Korina, remembered me, married a former student and graduated in my daughter’s class
-The anesthetist, “call me Hap”, said he spends time with Dillons and Sajevics in Fremont
-A surgical nurse was walking by my room and came in and said, “I’d know that voice anywhere!” She was a former student and married a former student who was the son of a colleague and had to give me a big hug.
-Then LPN came in to shave my stomach and she said she recognized me as a substitute teacher she had at Arlington High.
-All of a sudden, that huge hospital felt very comfortable.
-The best help I had was from my lovely wife who was such a great comfort and got me back on track when we got home. Tomorrow we will have been married 56 years and every day I realize how lucky I am to have her as a partner!
Husker @9:41 AM Glad you're on the mend Gary. The whole affair sounds like a high school reunion. And we learned that you have a hairy belly! Congrats 🎉 🎉🎉 on the anniversary. You're three years ahead of us
DeleteCongrats Joe on all your puzzles. The CHANGE PURSE fills were easy but as is my norm, I never noticed the scrambled letters. Just a few unknowns today, starting with NUYORICAN, which I'd never heard or seen, and was 100% perps. Add to it- HBO, SADE, and OSCAR. ERSE and ZED were WAGs.
ReplyDeletePERU- the Quechuans are not too happy. Their elected President attempted to pull the old "dissolve Congress" ploy and rule by decree but they put him in jail.
SDSU Aztecs. The PC crowd tried to get them to change their nickname but the tribes objected; ditto for the Seminoles of FL State.
TSAR- whatever happened to CZAR? I guess Xword puzzles don't want too many ZZZ's in their puzzles.
PRAGUE SPRING- Russia is attempting their tactics again in Ukraine but meeting a tiny bit more resistance.
CACCIATORE- what a member of the Labour Party would like to do to a member of the conservatives, like Johnson, May and the new PM.
Wilbur- "Inkwell"- I was lucky because the fountain pens that I had to use for maybe 2 years had cartridges and I didn't have to get it from a jar of ink. But I definitely remember the bottles of black and blue-black ink. When BIC came out with their 19-cent ballpoint pen that basically killed the use of fountain pens.
ReplyDeleteI guess those who still use them have rotary phones, wood burning stoves, ride a horse for transportation, manual typewriters, and manual adding machines.
This was a fun, thought evoking puzzle. Really liked the clues for POLO, PENCAP, and ZED. I agree YP@8:12 that a PASSRUSH is a defensive call, but I liked seeing it and NOSETACKLE in the puzzle, especially after such an exciting Super Bowl. I’ve often made chicken CACCIAROTE (Biba Caggiano, Italian restauranteut and writer - “cacciatorA”) but had trouble spelling it.
ReplyDeleteCUSTOMER SUPPORT at Bosch is for the BIRD(s), ICK, offering NOTIPS on how to fix your dishwasher problem. Much time was spent looking for a new one while the machine took a 10 day vacation, and then started working again. Just like the cat, a mind of its own.
Lot’s of time spent in NYC but NUYORICAN was new to me.
Very informative write-up! Thank you, waseeley.
Thanx to IM and Jinx. Duh! Typical DAB and I missed it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joe and Bill, for the enjoyable puzzle and entertaining and informative write-up, respectively. The string theory cartoon was my favorite. Nice catch, D.O. @ 5:58.
ReplyDeleteJust to be clear re all comments about WHARF. It was a riff 😃
DeleteHG @ 9:41 ~ Glad to hear that all went well and that you’re back home receiving Joann’s TLC and Darling Lily’s company. You sound as chipper as always, so I hope you and Joann are able to celebrate tomorrow’s joyful milestone in style. I’d say you’ve both been blessed as partners. (Your brief hospital experience was certainly brimming with many friendly “blasts from the past”.)
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joe Deeney and thank you, Waseeley
We had "coin purse" as an answer earlier this month. Irish Miss commented that she was more familiar with the term "change purse". Today we get a puzzle rearranges that purse. Neat.
I thought this was a very well clued puzzle. I did not notice the jumbled purse in each of the theme answers until I read the reveal clue. Aha !
Chicken Cacciatore was the first "complicated" recipe I ever made on my own. Until then, it was always sandwiches, soups from cans or frozen meals. I was my worst critic about the cacciatore.
25. The Aztecs of the NCAA's Mountain West Conf.: SDSU or:
25. The Jackrabbits of the NCAA's Missouri Valley Conf.: SDSU
I agree with inanehiker about PEGS, and NUYORICAN was new to me as well.
Bill, I scanned through the review of Joe Deeney's first LA Times puzzle and through the comments. Interesting that in the comments Krijo mentioned the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, and in today's crossword we have PRAGUE SPRING.
I especially liked your comments at 2 and 3 down.
I like the name of your grandson's TABBY. My sister's brought offerings to the back stoop.
Gary, welcome back. You've touched a lot of lives. Some of them are now getting to touch you back.
I just lost everything I had written. Bummer.
ReplyDeleteHere we go again
Husker Gary, what a wonderful surgery story. Talk about CUSTOMER SUPPORT. Wow. And congratulations on your wedding anniversary tomorrow.
Waseely. Poco Loco is a handsome TABBY. He exudes self- confidence. And thanks for all the interesting info links on the various theories. I’ll be going back to that.
Challenging but fun puzzle. At first I had TRADE deficit but once I got to the reveal, I knew I had to change deficit to its opposite.
What I didn’t know, WAGS, quite a few of those, and perps helped.
I too liked the PEN CAP clue.
Great theme. I, too looked for P____ S____ at first.
ReplyDeleteFIR, most was easy, but the central west coast was difficult for me.
IMO, the Monday puzzle was the most difficult so far.
I wanted COMPUTER SUPPORT. NOUN fooled me for a while. Getting CUSTOMER solved that section. NUYORICAN was all perps. I have never heard or seen this.
Why Do Mosquitoes Bizz in People's Ears? Rudyard Kipling's JUST SO stories are similar. After reading these stories my students wrote stories about how thing came to be. Very creative. I collected all of them and made a great booklet.
The ERSE clue was devilish, but perps gave me ER-E. It had to be ERSE.
My comments yesterday about different age groups and social sets having different words for things reminded me of BAE which is panned here. It seems BAE is very common in some circles. It appears in some of this year's tiny candy Conversation Hearts for Valentine's Day.
PEG can mean categorize.
INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN
form a fixed opinion of; categorize.
"most music journalists have us pegged as a comedy band" I have heard this usage often.
How did the term, hunter style cookery originate? "It is a dish originally born from hunters returning home with their bounty of small game and wild mushrooms." I posited that this was the answer and then I looked it up. Yes!
Favorite clue was noodle nugget/ idea. My noodle took a while to think this up,
Eleven digits? (That ONE really got me...:)
ReplyDeleteChange purse?
Not really familiar, as I just accumulate change in my pockets, until my pants fall down...
How change gets in your couch.
how change gets out of your couch...
You have to be careful about machines you find on the street though...
CED @10:55 ATM? ROTFL 😆
Delete
ReplyDeleteRosE - ESC(ape) key - It may or may not have an active function on your 'puter, depending on what you are doing. It's usually controlled by the operating system or the application.
To see an example of it working, if you are on a Windows 10 computer, left click on "Type here to search" on the task bar. A dialog box will open. Press the ESC key. The box will disappear.
If you watch YouTube videos, you can make them full screen by pressing the f key. While in full screen mode, pressing the ESC key takes you back. Alternately, you could press the t key to cycle through the screen sizes.
Some online games and website functions use the ESC key as a quick exit in case the boss has walked into the room :-)
Neat Thursday puzzle, many thanks, Joe. And always enjoy your commentary, Bill and Teri, thanks for that too.
ReplyDeleteDoes that NO TIPS policy in the puzzle have CUSTOMER SUPPORT--maybe if there's a TRADE SURPLUS?
At least customers wouldn't have to carry coins in their CHANGE PURSE any longer. But the really fun theme in this puzzle got started with that sweet TABBY right at the beginning. She's so cozy and pleasant that she's never an OFFENDER, even though she's AGILE and bounces around the house to keep the BIRDs on their toes by mewing sounds in their EARS. That ORCA that now lives in the family pool doesn't let her RINSE in there any more--just as well. Hope the family gets somebody to take care of her when they go on their vacations to PERU and PRAGUE.
Have a good day, everybody.
Husker Gary Thank you for that heart warming story. You obviously have given much and this was an occasion where you received some of that back.
ReplyDeletedesper-otto Thank you for the shout out. Yes, the Klingon in the Federation on Star Trek is Worf. But it is pronounced like WHARF. I do appreciate the post by Bill Seeley even with the spelling issue.
Here are some Star Trek fans at a convention playing various roles. WORF is third from the left.
From Sunday:
Thanks for the comments regarding DOROTHEA LANGE and her history-changing image of hardship in the Depression.
HG - Great to read about your operation results and confab.
ReplyDeleteTTP:
The Gamecocks of the NCAA'Southeast Conf.: USC or:
The Trojans of the NCAA's Pacific 12 Conf. (for now): USC
The Spartans of the NCAA's Big 10 Conf.: MSU or:
The Bulldogs of the NCAA's Southeast Conf.: MSU
WC: Poisson sans Boisson est Poison! Easy for YOU to say.
AtlGranny - Could you get the powers-that-be rename that railroad "Atlanta Southern"? They left Norfolk for your fine city a couple of years ago. Grates every time I hear an update on those poor souls poisoned in East Palestine.
Bill: "Just pushing customers off to Google is a long-term prescription for bankruptcy." Thanks for the heads up. Guess I'll have to sell all my stock in Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and, I guess, Bosch.
Thanks TTP for the ESC info.
ReplyDeleteYes!! I left clicked on the Type Here Search; the box appeared, then ESC and it went away!
I am a YouTube fan, so this also is handy info.
LOL at the Boss and quick exit.
RosE can you please explain the unusual capitalization of your name? Are you male or female?
ReplyDeleteJinx and WC...everything in français sounds the same
ReplyDelete...... "Towards the glass green worm" is
"Ves le verre ver vert" (Vare le vare vare vare)
⚜⚜⚜
Puzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteHusker Gary - glad you came through surgery unscathed; happy healing! BTW, as I now remember, you and your wife share a special day (tomorrow) with C-Moe ...
Bill and Teri - great write-up (as usual); knowing how long it takes me to do mine I can only imagine how long you two spend doing yours!
Enjoyed the puzzle despite some of the weird words (NUYORICAN, e.g.) - Joe is a crafty constructor; as IM said, I, too was looking for a "P-S" theme
I just solved tomorrow's puzzle ...
Oh well. The general consensus seems to be that I outclevered myself with my attempt to pun WORF with WHARF 🙄. Hand up if you saw it?
ReplyDeleteROSE Curious @1:26 PM Well if she's a he, he sure had us fooled. An alternate explanation is the that "I" on her keyboard doesn't work. 🙃
ReplyDeleteTerrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Joe, and waseeley and Teri.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed and saw the CHANGE PURSES. Figuring out the reveal enabled me to go back and fill IN TRADE SURPLUS, which opened up some blockages in the mid-south.
I had Cree before ERSE, Meets before ABUTS, Yuk before ICK, SDAK before SDSU (what does this neighbour to the USA know about the Western Conference?), and I moved through Yea, Yeh, before getting to a simple YES.
I waited for perps to fill MISS, but really wanted Omit.
But perps filled NUYORICAN.
Lightbulb moment for AGUA as a Rio flow-er. And thanks to waseeley for explaining Marco POLO., and ZED (can I take a CSO?).
And CFO - ok I see, it’s the person with the spending power! Devious clueing.
I noted ONES and TEN, ESC and ICON, YES and AYE, NOSE TACKLE and PASS RUSH.
We had a TABBY named Tabby who lived for 18 years, through the growing up years of all my children. It was a sad day when he passed.
HG- glad your surgery went well and you had great support.
Wishing you all a great day.
I waitressed at college and during some of the summers in between. I waitressed summers when my kids were school age and as a second income in addition to teaching while David was in college. At that time 20% was the usual tip. On sales under $5, $1 was customary. I considered that my tips were satisfactory or better, but nowhere near many thousands of dollars.
ReplyDeleteWe did not serve entrees that cost $50 or more, so 20% to 25% of less is lower. Tips were higher when alcohol was served. Men tipped much more when no women were present. They liked us waitresses to laugh with them.
In later years, tutoring paid more per hour and was less strenuous and more rewarding.
Elementary school subbing pays well, but requires serious work and actual teaching and prep.
A waseeley presentation of a Deeney PZL.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the challenge and the cleverness. This appeared to be a real toughie, but it merely required one to suss out the mindset behind the clues.
My fave? Hard to say, but probably 42D...
~ OMK
____________
DR: One diagonal, far side.
Its anagram (13 of 15) speaks of the fate of monks who are caught engaging in fist fights against monastery regulations!
These are...
"DEFROCKED PUGS"!
ReplyDeleteI lost internet connectivity, most likely caused by the sleeting rain. Our unusually warm winter weather has disappeared. Day before yesterday I was doing some work in the gardens ...
RosE, you are welcome.
Jinx, good ones.
I enjoyed today's puzzle and waseeley's write-up! NUYORICAN was not 'new' to me but spelling it was another matter....
ReplyDelete35D. CSO to our delightful Irish Miss!
H-Gary. I'm happy to hear your surgery was successful and that you were well-cared for. The good karma you put out there is circling back to you! Please follow your good doctor's directions and be a patient patient.
HG -- The actual surgery is pretty straight-forward these days. The speed bump is the recovery: as we enter further into "Modern Maturity," the body doesn't heal as quickly as we used to.
ReplyDeleteCan I make a motion here, that any puzzle answer has to be within ±3 parsecs of normal? Case in point: NUYORICAN, or as Misty would say it, YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!
Any write up that includes references to the rock band Rush AND the Batman TV series is awesome.
ReplyDelete