Hello Cornerites!
sumdaze and Billy Joel here with today's theme:
We Didn't Start the Fire
"It was always burning since the world's been turning." ♪♪♪
song & lyrics (1989)
Rebecca really brought the heat! She gave us:
19 Across. Not making the grade: GETTING AN F.
36 Across. Mobile virtual network offered by a tech giant: GOOGLE FI.
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| Basically, it is a no-contract, wireless phone plan available only to U.S. residents. |
44 Across. Evergreen native to the rocky elevations of Big Sur: BRISTLECONE FIR.
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| The thin spines on Abies Bracteata's cones, for which the species is named, are unique within the genus. Learn more here. |
Culminating in:
57 Across. Jack London short story about survival in the Yukon Territory, and the goal of this puzzle?: TO BUILD A FIRE.
There are several CSOs in today's answers. Let's find them!
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| synopsis |
There are several CSOs in today's answers. Let's find them!
1. Seek divine intervention: PRAY.
5. Calc prerequisite: TRIG. "Calculus" is abbreviated, so is "TRIGonometry." Briefly, TRIG is the study of the relationships between a triangle's angles and side lengths.
9. Secretly keeps in the email loop: BCC'S. Blind Carbon CopieS. an anachronism?
13. Pride month: JUNE. History of Pride Month
14. 1980s tennis star Mandlíková: HANA. The crossing of HANA and 6 Down. Malek of "Mr. Robot": RAMI got me today. I could picture his face but not the spelling.
15. "Here comes trouble": UH OH.
16. Red line on a baseball: SEAM.
17. Love, in Spanish: AMOR. CSO#1 to Lucina!!
18. Impolite: RUDE.
22. Popcorn bit: KERNEL.
24. Decide on: OPT FOR.
27. Physician's gp.: AMA. Group is abbreviated, so is the American Medical Association. It was founded in 1847.
28. Every time: ALWAYS.
32. Arizona county: YUMA. CSO#2 to Yuman!!
34. Pickling herb: DILL. as in DILL-icious!
35. Time for cake and prezzies: B-DAY. "Prezzies" is slang for "presents" so we needed a slangy answer.
39. Paradise: EDEN.
41. "Just joking!": I KID.
50. Dada pioneer Jean: ARP.
"Arp was a gifted poet and painter, though it’s as a sculptor that he’s best remembered — for his reliefs, and his smoothly rounded, biomorphic forms, above all. In November 2018, one of these, Déméter, fetched $5,825,000 at Christie’s in New York, the highest price ever paid for an Arp at auction." source
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| Jean ARP amid his biomorphic forms |
51. Defeated in a hot dog contest, say: OUT ATE.
Last July 4, Joey Chestnut won his 15th Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest by scarfing down 63 hot dogs (including buns) in 10 minutes. This is how he trains for this event.
52. Self-confidence: EGO.
53. Bamako's country: MALI. Its population is estimated at 2.8 million people. As I write this, the Bamako weather forecast is for highs of 103 - 105ºF (39.4 - 40.5 ºC) all week.
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| Joey Chestnut OUT ATE his opponents. |
53. Bamako's country: MALI. Its population is estimated at 2.8 million people. As I write this, the Bamako weather forecast is for highs of 103 - 105ºF (39.4 - 40.5 ºC) all week.
55. Mouth-puckering: TART.
56. "Smooth Operator" singer: SADE.
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| a rough operator ??? |
61. Not better: WORSE. There is a comic strip called For Better or For Worse. Lynn Johnston started drawing it in 1979. In 2008 Lynn retired. It now runs as repeats.
62. Gem weight: CARAT. Metal weights (like gold): karat.
63. "The Ant and the Grasshopper" writer: AESOP. The moral of the story: Time is precious so we should make the most of it by doing positive things.
Down:
1. Bedtime attire, for short: PJ'S.
2. Regret deeply: RUE. Try not to ruminate on the actions you RUE. Doing so will ruin your sleep.
3. Grand Am for grandma, e.g.: ANAGRAM. I asked a ragman for help with this one.
Also, CSO#3 to Ol' Man Keith, our diagonal ANAGRAM finder!!
4. Country south of Saudi Arabia: YEMEN.
5. "Enough already": THAT'LL DO.
7. __ the ground floor: IN ON. and 37 Down. Not misled by: ONTO.
8. Carved figure on Notre Dame cathedral: GARGOYLE.
9. More than well-done: BURNT. an Easter egg???
10. Quite pleased, in British slang: CHUFFED. Does anyone watch Escape to the Chateau? Angela often tells the camera that she is "so, so CHUFFED" or "reeeealy CHUFFED" or "proper CHUFFED". Here's a British in a Minute video that explains the meaning and origin of CHUFFED.
11. Fish and chips fish, often: COD. Speaking of British slang, fish & chips shops are called "chippies".
12. __/her pronouns: SHE.
20. Steeped beverage: TEA.
21. High-level HS exams: APS. "High-level" is a hint to "advanced". Advanced Placement ExamS are standardized exams high schoolers can take to get college credit (with qualifying scores).
22. "Every kiss begins with __": jeweler's slogan: KAY. The tagline was introduced in 1985.
23. Down Under bird: EMU. They have a reputation for being quite aggressive.
25. "Let You Love Me" singer Rita: ORA.
26. Sunbeam: RAY. CSO#4 to Ray-O-Sunshine!!
29. Halloween headpiece: WIG.
38. Late fee: FINE. This made me think of library fines so I looked for something interesting to share in that vein. I learned that in Oct. 2021, the New York Public Library (the largest public library in the U.S.) announced it was no longer charging late fees on overdue materials. Since then, more than 72,000 materials have been returned. More importantly, people are coming back to the library. Read the CBS news story here.
39. All over the map: ERRATIC. not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable.
40. Graduate's document: DIPLOMA.
42. "Alas, that seems likely": I FEAR SO.
43. Do some serious soul-searching: DIG DEEP.
44. Sound of impact: BAM.
45. Stringed-instrument player at Renaissance fairs: LUTIST.
46. And others, briefly: ET AL.
47. Item in a magician's deck: CARD.
48. Canada's capital: OTTAWA. CSO#5 to Canadian-Eh!!!
49. Lobster eggs: ROE.
54. Letter-shaped girder: I BAR. I have always loved this photo -- even though my stomach does somersaults just looking at it!
56. Distinguished gentlemen: SIRS.
58. Thurman of "Super Pumped": UMA. They had me at "Thurman" with 3 letters.
59. Nemesis: FOE. Well, well, well...
That's all for today. I'm stoked and delighted to read your thoughts! Have any burning questions? Fire away!
4. Country south of Saudi Arabia: YEMEN.
5. "Enough already": THAT'LL DO.
Babe (1995) 3:29 min. clip
"That'll do, Pig. That'll do."
Am I the only one crying right now?
7. __ the ground floor: IN ON. and 37 Down. Not misled by: ONTO.
8. Carved figure on Notre Dame cathedral: GARGOYLE.
Maybe later on tonight you'll have time to watch this official video of the GARGOYLE tour at the Washington National Cathedral in D.C. It is 1:16 hrs. long. You won't be disappointed!!
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| This is me on the GARGOYLE tour at the Washington National Cathedral in 2013. |
9. More than well-done: BURNT. an Easter egg???
10. Quite pleased, in British slang: CHUFFED. Does anyone watch Escape to the Chateau? Angela often tells the camera that she is "so, so CHUFFED" or "reeeealy CHUFFED" or "proper CHUFFED". Here's a British in a Minute video that explains the meaning and origin of CHUFFED.
11. Fish and chips fish, often: COD. Speaking of British slang, fish & chips shops are called "chippies".
12. __/her pronouns: SHE.
20. Steeped beverage: TEA.
21. High-level HS exams: APS. "High-level" is a hint to "advanced". Advanced Placement ExamS are standardized exams high schoolers can take to get college credit (with qualifying scores).
22. "Every kiss begins with __": jeweler's slogan: KAY. The tagline was introduced in 1985.
23. Down Under bird: EMU. They have a reputation for being quite aggressive.
25. "Let You Love Me" singer Rita: ORA.
26. Sunbeam: RAY. CSO#4 to Ray-O-Sunshine!!
29. Halloween headpiece: WIG.
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| My friend Kim always makes the best costumes. |
30. __-purpose flour: ALL.
33. Long, long time: AGES.
35. Commuter's two-wheeler: BIKE.
33. Long, long time: AGES.
35. Commuter's two-wheeler: BIKE.
38. Late fee: FINE. This made me think of library fines so I looked for something interesting to share in that vein. I learned that in Oct. 2021, the New York Public Library (the largest public library in the U.S.) announced it was no longer charging late fees on overdue materials. Since then, more than 72,000 materials have been returned. More importantly, people are coming back to the library. Read the CBS news story here.
39. All over the map: ERRATIC. not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable.
40. Graduate's document: DIPLOMA.
42. "Alas, that seems likely": I FEAR SO.
43. Do some serious soul-searching: DIG DEEP.
44. Sound of impact: BAM.
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| also, Chef Emeril Lagasse's catchphrase |
45. Stringed-instrument player at Renaissance fairs: LUTIST.
Here is a 3 min., very pretty but not-at-all-from-the-Renaissance-period song.
It turns out a lute is much more guitar-like than I was picturing. "Lute" does rhyme with "flute", after all. This one looks like it has 16 strings.
46. And others, briefly: ET AL.
47. Item in a magician's deck: CARD.
48. Canada's capital: OTTAWA. CSO#5 to Canadian-Eh!!!
49. Lobster eggs: ROE.
54. Letter-shaped girder: I BAR. I have always loved this photo -- even though my stomach does somersaults just looking at it!
56. Distinguished gentlemen: SIRS.
58. Thurman of "Super Pumped": UMA. They had me at "Thurman" with 3 letters.
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| UMA as Arianna Huffington in the 2022 drama, Super Pumped |
59. Nemesis: FOE. Well, well, well...
62 comments:
If Geppetto had been a YEMENI
A FIR Pinocchio we would see.
Not malicious
With his cricket --
He had a conscience, by Yimminy!
An evergreen is the BRISTLECONE FIR,
Found on the rocky hills of Big Sur.
A cat may bristle
When you whistle,
But if you're quiet, she'll curl and purr.
{B+, B+}. Yimminy.
Wow, took me far longer than most Monday CWs. Only W/O KERNAL:KERNEL. I had a long wait for TART to appear, couldn’t get SOUR out of my mind. When I looked for the theme, I saw “F” at the end of 19A, “I” at the end of 36A, and “R” at the end of 44A, and thought I had sussed the theme. I did not notice the super-clever progression as ‘splained by Sumdaze. Anyway, I did manage to FIR. Thanx, RG, for once again starting the week off for us. And thanx too to Sumdaze for the usual excellent write-up. Great cartoons, too!
Should have been clearer: yes, I did see that the theme was “To build a fire”, but thought 57A was the final bit in “building the fire” and didn’t see each theme clue added one letter.
Thank you, Rebecca Goldstein, and thank you, Sumdaze
I liked the song choice to open the review ! I've always loved that line from the lyrics. So many of Billy Joel's lyrics have resonated with me, but that one is a fav.
Interesting about the New York Public Library, but what is to become of Lt. Joe Bookman and his peers ?
Once again, I did not see all of the clues and answers while solving. I try to avoid that. Today I missed CHUFFED. Good thing I read the review. Thanks for that vid, sumdaze.
Good morning!
D-o is dead CHUFFED to have zipped through this one, and even tripped over the theme in the process. Wow! Nice one Rebecca. Great tour, Sumdaze. (I understand there's even a Darth Vader GARGOYLE at the National Cathedral. Did you see it?)
It was pretty much a standard Monday-level puzzle to me, despite the possible Natick Sumdaze referred to and a couple of other obscurities. FIR, so I’m happy.
Never heard of GOOGLE FI or a BRISTLECONE FIR but my solve was as smooth as a typical Monday. The crossing short stuff in the middle north is "meh" but THAT'LL DO and GARGOYLE are awesome.
FIW Monday. Missed GETTING AN e x CHUeFED, and made the Sumdaze error (ReMI x HeNA). Erased pima for YUMA. Didn't think about the theme.
Jack London also wrote a book about London's notorious East End around the time of Jack the Ripper's heyday. I'm reading Patricia Cornwell's nonfiction analysis of The Ripper case, and she mentions Jack London's findings in late 19th century in what was then a horrible place filled with desperate people.
We should be back home today around 3:00. Hard to believe that we haven't been there since before Thanksgiving.
Thanks to Sumdaze for the fun, colorful review.
FIR, but not my most favorite clues. "Chuffed"? Never heard of it. Same with "Google FI". But the perps made it happen. I've never been a fan of vertical puzzles, so Monday didn't start off well for me. Better tomorrow, I hope.
That Jack London short story reminds me of the Robert W. Service poem. Here's the first stanza:
There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.
Took 5:26 for my tinder to catch.
Chuffed & GoogleFi were new. Didn't know Hana. Took forever to parse "thatlldo".
My streak is snapped: I knew today's actress (Uma)!
Sumdaze, I've seen a few episodes of a "chateau" show where a family is renovating an old chateau - is that the same one?
Oh joy, daylight savings time.
In response to your question at 5D. Yes, after watching the movie clip from "Babe", you were not the only one with a tear in your eye.
Musings
-A nice puzzle, payoff and recap
-Great hitters are said to be able “to read the SEAMS” as the pitch comes in
-AMA – our new friend Ask Me Anything gets Monday off
-CHUFFED and SNOG are firmly in my vocab but will remain unused as we are done crossing oceans
-We gotta run. MIL is having a Zoom session with her (and my) doctor at 9:30 am
FIW today to my dismay, breaking a nice streak of FIRs recently. I had a Natick (HANA) and uncertainties about the spelling of ReMI and I'm ON, guessing wrong. I never caught onto the meaning of IN ON the ground floor so that didn't help me. I was out to lunch, as DH says.
Thanks, Rebecca, for a well-crafted puzzle with the FIRE theme progression which I did notice. Nice new fill of GARGOYLE and CHUFFED, too. Thanks, sumdaze, for explaining CHUFFED in your review. Liked your riffs on the theme too. Hot stuff!
Have a good day!
Good Morning:
I saw the F Fi Fir progression but was in the dark about the theme until the AHA reveal, as that Jack London story was unknown to me. Also unknown were Bristle Conifer, Google Fi, and Mali, as clued. No w/os, so smooth sailing to the finish line. Chuffed, and its meaning, is a fun word, as are many of the English expressions. Until reading the review, I saw the clue for Bday as Time for cake and pretzels. 😂
Thanks, Rebecca, for a nice start to the week and thanks, sumdaze, for a fun and fact-filled review. I never saw Babe, so I’m not sure what’s going on in that scene. I have the same reaction to the I-bar photo as you and the thought of how they had to get up and walk off that beam makes me weak-kneed! Nice job, as usual!
FLN
PK, considering the amount of blood you lost, you may need a transfusion. Is a visit to an On Call clinic possible to have a blood test?
Have a great day.
Typical Monday..building the word FIRE with each clue... (GOOGLEFI?)
Prezzies? Presents? C'mon. k/CARAT, I never remember which.... then there's carrot and caret, (^) ...all pronounced the same in our odd Ingləsh language.
PRAY for us, ORA pro nobis. For the love of COD Fish and Chip shops run by monastic orders are staffed religiously by Chipmonks.
Was going to try thISTLECONE but perwaited. THAT'll DO...there's a small cabin /camp not far from mine in the Adirondacks called "Thistle Do".
"A Rose is a Rose is a Rose" an ALL purpose flower 🌹?
Jinx are you implying that Jack "London" was actually London's Jack the Ripper? 😱 it all makes sense now.
MALI: always tempted to put BALI
If you win a hot dog eating contest you OUTATE everyone as well 🌭🌭🌭🥵
Regretted being "impolite"....RUDE
Flour made from the whole dolphin "All ____" ...PORPOISE
Won the hot dog eating contest...ETAL
Lucina: Had lunch at Cien Agaves, thanks for an excellent suggestion.
Back to the icebox, snowing quite hard right now. Always forget that although March is the month of spring it is rarely spring-like. 🌨
TTP@5:19 and TonyExpress@7:44. Thanks. It always feels good to put up something that resonates with others! Also, Lt Joe Bookman, LOL. Didn't Melissa Bee post that clip not too long ago?
D-Otto@5:39. Yes, I saw the Darth Vader GARGOYLE. Another memorable one was shaped like a camera and pointed towards the Russian embassy. The story is that, when noticed, it drew a response.
Anonymous@7:41. I think so. Dick (very clever engineer) & Angela (very red hair) moved from London to France and started renovating a chateau for their destination wedding business. I love, love, love their walled garden!
I left the A in HANA blank. I think I meant to fill an A.
FIW
A little crackle to the xword for a Monday, by yimminy
WC
What was 23D?
A little harder than the usual Monday fare, but FIR, I even caught on to the theme. Sumdaze, thanks for pointing out the elegance of the grid. Impressive.
Like IM☘️, I read pretzels instead pf prezzies that I was unfamiliar with. I’ll blame my new eye lens, waiting for the second eye surgery Wednesday. I’m so glad we have only 2 eyes.
I had never heard of GOOGLE FI. and CHUFFED., a funny word.
Anonymous @ 10:08
The down under bird is called a Cassowary..
sorry about the cake...
Coalcracker Bushcraft is a good starting place to learn stuff that may save your life someday...
Had only known BRISTLECONEs as pines, not the fir. The fir is very rare and near-threatened, a Bristlecone pine is the oldest known living tree, and possibly living thing at 4800 years old.
Anon at 10:08, 23 down is common crossword resident EMU, the Australian bird and much-maligned mascot of Liberty Mutual insurance.
Wow...an old fashioned Monday x-word! Zip, zip, done. Only stumbled a bit on KARAT, CARAT. Never remembered the gem VS. Metal. Thanks for the learning moment, Sumdaze! DO: "...it's fine in here, but I greatly fear, you'll let in the cold and storm. Since I left Plum Tree, down in Tennessee, it's the first time I've been warm!".
Thank you Rebecca for showing us how to rub two sticks together. I got a smoking result, but it didn't quite ignite. Theme? There was a theme?
And thanks sumdaze for the CHUFFY recap. And thanks for sharing that you had the same NATICK as I did (HENA x REMI). Now I don't feel quite so BURN'T.
Some favs:
27A AMA CSO's to not only Ray - O, but inanehiker, and Dr. Ed Sessa.
44A BRISTLECONE FIR. Not to be confused with the BRISTLECONE PINE.
5D THAT'LL DO. Not only one of my favorite flicks, but also one of my favorite soundtracks, with a finale from Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 ("The Organ")
11D COD. And speaking of CHIPS, they're Brit slang for FRENCH FRIES.
Cheers,
Bill
PSA link library:
Another trusted source of fire starting info is Lonnie, of Far North Survival and Bushcraft.
If you live in the northeast, Birch Bark is a life saver. I never pass a Birch Tree without taking a small piece of loose, peeling bark for my kit as just a small scraping with a knife will produce dust that can be ignited with a spark. even if it has been underwater!
Speaking of Bristlecone Pine, if you have pine trees, you have FATWOOD!
The easiest way to find fatwood.
Note: don't use fatwood for cooking, it gives off a black sooty smoke like burning car tires that you will never get off your pots and pans.
Whenever hiking/camping, I carry:
Matches
2 lighters
A knife for batoning wood and making shavings.
Some fatwood
Birchbark
Ferrocerium rod to create sparks
Flint and steel
Tinder
And believe it or not, a small tiny pencil sharpener. Why. Because when all else fails in the pouring rain, you can get the best dry shavings easily by taking a pencil sized twig and sharpening it...
Oh, and don't forget to practice at home...
Hola!
I'll read you all later. I finished quickly very early this morning but went back to bed and now I have to go do my volunteer work at church.
WEES. This puzzle was fun and fast. Thank you, Rebecca and sumdaze!
Have a marvelous Monday, everyone!
JJB: Being a tennis buff, I remembered Hana. Getting an F into chuffed was clever Didn’t know Googlefi, so needed the perps. Never heard of the Jack London short, so needed the perps as well. Nice workout for a Monday.
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Rebecca and sumdaze.
I FIRed in good time, and saw the Building FIRE theme. (Great catch on the BURNT Easter Egg, sumdaze.)
(Small nit with the OPT FOR slightly obscuring the themers.)
I noted ORA crossing ERA, WORSE crossing I FEAR SO, and like sumdaze, I saw IN ON and ON TO.
I agree that the vowel in the cross of RAMI and HANA was a possible Natick. I WAGged it correctly.
GOOGLE FI and BRISTLE CONE FIR were not known to this Canadian, but perps filled. (I see that others did not know either- perhaps I can’t claim Canadian disadvantage!)
But I will take the OTTAWA CSO.
Call of the Wild is a more familiar London book, but the short story had the required FIRE in the title.
Thanks for the Lynn Johnson cartoon reference, sumdaze. Great Canadian cartoonist,, with cartoon family based in Ontario.
We were British today with CHUFFED, those COD fish and chips, plus TEA. (Yes, waseeley, we Canadians call them Chips too if eating with fish, but Fries otherwise; plus we use Chips for the snack. Multilingual we are!)
Wishing you all a great day.
Puzzzling thoughts:
FIR (interesting that this is also 3/4 of a FIRE) but it took me a bit longer to finish than Monday puzzles. But I am sensing that Patti is using Monday puzzles as her way of altering the norm. Another 14x15 grid without rotational symmetry this time
sumdaze, you are clearly a natural for doing the blogs. You certainly "made the grade" today! A+
From yesterday, kudos to @Robin Stears for her Sunday punday puzzle
For the sports fans at the Corner, were any of you surprised by the choices made by the NCAA Tournament Committee regarding "March Madness"?? My alma mater got in (sort of; they have to play-in to the 11 seed in the Midwest) for the first time in 7 years
Greetings! Rebecca gave us a challenging puzzle today, Thanks, Rebecca! FIR, but then Patti put it on the Monday rotation. More proof that the progressing concept of difficulty may not exist anymore... IMHO. Bunch of unknowns, WAGs & perps. (Same as noted by others today.)
WOs: Aeon -> AGES
I'm ON -> IN ON
Thanks, sumdaze, for the fun & informative recap. I did not see the FIRE building until you pointed it out. I was just so glad to finish!!
Loved the Gary Larsen toon! I follow him on FB, and every day brings chuckles, gasps or groans.
Fun Monday puzzle, many thanks, Rebecca. And always enjoy your commentary, Sumdaze, thanks for that too.
We ALWAYS send our niece a DIPLOMA for her B-DAY, rather than a CARD. But this year we OPTed FOR getting her a cake and a TART and a ring with a CARAT and some PJs. SHE was CHUFFED and said "THAT'LL DO." And we said, "No," because we had also gotten a LUTIST to come and play (no, not PRAY) for her and we did ALL sing for her. Said "FINE" and her EGO was so pleased that she felt she was in EDEN. Best birthday she ever had.
Have a great week coming up, everybody.
Thank you, Rebecca, for a lovely little Mo nday puzzle with some crunch. The theme was very clever, and the fill was interesting too. A nice way to start the week.
Sumdaze, I loved your tour. Right on cue, I teared up at the Babe clip - how can you not?! It is one of the most delightful movies of all time IMHO.
Enjoyed the TO BUILD A FIRE THEME. There is zero doubt that RAMI/HANA is a Natick cross any day of the week. Not nice. Did WAG to FIR.
sumdaze Thanks for the Billy Joel FIRE link. I thought of that song immediately. I also loved the UH OH cartoon and the ARP ART.
Learning moment about BRISTLECONE FIR at BIG SUR. I know about BRISTLECONE Pines in the high Sierra.
Here we recently were at NOTRE DAME on our way back from Madagascar.
Very sad to see how extensive the FIRE damage is.
Here are a couple of GARGOYLEs from my last visit in 2015.
From Yesterday:
sumdaze, Jayce, Lucina, CanadianEh, ATLGranny Thank you for the very kind comments about my LASCAUX and Orchid Show photos. I was surprised no one commented on my ATLAS MOUNTAINS photo in Morocco! Very other-worldly.
Thank you Sumdaze for the informative recap and the CSO at 37 across.
Chances are if you are eating any salad greens they came from Yuma County, AZ. We produce 90% of all the leafy vegetables grown in the United States from November to March. The big concern for the Yuma area agriculture is the decreasing water supply from the Colorado River.
Gotta run, late for my Aqua Zumba class. Adios
A for Hana is the most likely vowel for a name. I remember her in the news
"That'll do" can mean enough or more strongly, "That's quite enough. Please stop," said by my dad about our antics. We had best stop.
Another meaning is "If you have small twig and a little pencil sharpener. that's do in a pinch to make tinder." Hello. CED.
Knowing bristlecone pine gave me the idea of bristle after getting cone and fir.
This puzzle was maybe Tuesday like. The reveal gave me the theme FIR.
Time to make my artichoke crab dip for the square dance tonight, by popular request.
Okay, public service announcement…
KARAT vs CARAT….when it’s a Metal/GOLD, K….when it’s a Gem/DIAMOND, remember the 4 C’s…CARAT, CUT, CLARITY and COLOR.
But either use all A’s in their spelling. No way to mistake with caret or carrot.
end of PSA.
ANON PVX @ 2:10
With a sharp knife....Kancha CUT a yellow COLOR CARROT with CLARITY?
🥕
Hi All!
Cute theme Rebecca. Like unclefred, I missed the full FIRE building 'cuz I was just looking at the last letters. So thanks for pointing that out in your fun review, sumdaze. I liked Billy Joel at the top and the cat taunting the dog at the end.
WOs: N/A
ESPs: HANA, BRISTLE, MALI
Fav: Putting GARGOYLE in the grid.
THAT'LL DO took almost ESP until I parsed two words.
Hand-up: _AR_T and wait for perps for K|C & A|O at gem weight. Ray-O feels me.
{A, B+} //Yimminy definition: OK, but, um, what's a kollyplunckle?
D-O & sumdaze - LOL Darth Vader (I knew about that one) and Camera aimed at Russian embassy GARGOYLEs.
CED - um, who's Birthday did I miss? Great extra links!
Moe & PK: I'm hoping University of Houston gets to the final-four and gains the home team advantage. //Houston is hosting Final Four.
RosE - thanks. I've forgotten to look at Larson's Face Book for some time now.
Cool pix, Picard.
Yuman - are the massive snow/rain 'atmospheric rivers' storms out west not getting to the Colorado River's upstream?
//I've followed this on NPR but never heard if all that precipitation is making a difference to the drought.
Saturday, I DO was the prelude to Kiss; today it's a CARAT gift from KAY's.
DILL reminds me I forgot to pick that up at the garden store yesterday. I did get 4 tomato plants, 4 bell pepper plants, and 6 basils.
Alas, the garden at the new house is pretty small and there's no room for cukes nor zucchini - I'll fix that this summer.
I'm waiting for the Ides of March to put them in the ground (historically, 3/15 is < ~95% chance of frost in Houston - If I nail that, I'll have tomatoes in early June before the heat sets in and the tomato's flowers don't).
Heads-up: If you're looking forward to Hahtoolah's expo tomorrow -- Y'all are stuck with me as she's tending to family matters.
Cheers, -T
To Picard @12:50pm, et al -- I found RAMI Malek and HANA Mandlikova to be two of the easiest answers, but that's just me. Why is is that people call something a Natick because they happen to be unfamiliar with the information? Why is it not just their personal information gap?
I am just continually puzzled when people describe something as obscure because they are not personally familiar with it. Considering the range of information among posters here (and the range of lack of information), why can't people simply say, "I wasn't familiar with ..."?
Rant over.
A Goldstein XWD, brought to us by sumdaze (who may be amused to learn that my spell-correcting AI changed his name to smudge!).
I often shorten "birthday" to B'DAY myself. But I don't expect that kind of abbreviation to be clued by "prezzies." I went with it, of course, but that didn't feel good.
I did not get the theme until reading the Corner. Now, I think it's very clever.
~ OMK
___________
DR: Nope--no diagonals today.
How-to-tell-at-a-glance dept.: For any who follow such things, the 8x8 test is not in play here.
We all know that if the 8th square on the 8th row is blacked out, there can be no true grid-spanning diagonal.
In today's example, the 8x8 square is in a fill, with the letter "L." But a quick glance below shows that the 9th row has four blacked out square directly below 8x8. That's enough to wipe out any hoe of a diagonal.
Another way to suss the situation, though, is to note that this is an asymmetrical grid (14-A by 15-D). Although less obvious at a glance, it is another way to be sure there can be no diagonals.
Anon-T. Even in warm south Louisiana, the wisdom is don’t plant before Easter. I remember one year we had a few days of freezing temps. The evening before that Easter my grand nephew was getting married and they had an OUTDOOR wedding. We all froze and the organist, his cousin, had to wear mittens.
OMK @5:00 PM Um, sumdaze is a she.
Sandy @4:45 PM NATICK has become a shorthand for a "personal information gap". At least it is for me at least. I missed the HANA/RAMI cross due to a FTPR - I've seen MALEK in a number of shows and HANA would have a been better guess at a woman's name.
-T @3:16PM Rats! 😉
Sandyanon, I wonder why some folks feel they must pick on other Cornerites' choices of crossword terms. We have people here report a FIR, even if they Google a fill or two. I don't do that, but who am I to say it's wrong? But I do think some things are indeed obscure. If the clue is "third layer" and the fill is NETWORK, some of us would easily get it, albeit with a perp or two. But I would classify that as obscure. Same with little-known directors, authors, and even actors. There are tons of actors who should be household names because of the volume of roles they have performed, but almost no one knows their name. And what percentage of the American public can name even one Tony Award winner? Probably about the same percentage that know "alee" outside of crossword fill.
And I, at least, usually use the qualifier "personal" with Natick, because I realize that it is probable that others don't have the same blind spots than I do. But even if I don't say it, do you really think that "Natick" should be only used to imply that not one of us would have the knowledge to complete the fill without guessing or looking it up? I don't think that anyone uses that definition, but it is your right to do so if you like.
I liked this puzzle and sumdaze's exposition.
Hand up for SOUR before TART and PIMA before YUMA. My other hand up for appreciating GARGOYLE, THATLLDO, and CHUFFED. I also liked DIGDEEP, LUTIST, and ERRATIC.
I have read To Build a Fire numerous times and still enjoy it. I also love The Cremation of Sam McGee and have not tired of reading it, especially aloud.
Pleased to learn that the Bristlecone Fir is different from the Bristlecone Pine, with which I am familiar and upon which I have gazed with my own eyes.
Speaking of eyes, I wish you good success on the Eyes of March, Tante Nique.
Sandyanon, I don't lump myself in with whomever you claim to be people who call something a Natick because they happen to be unfamiliar with the information, or with people who describe something as obscure because they are not personally familiar with it. I regularly acknowledge my information gap in my posts.
Good wishes to you all.
waseeley @ 5:33 ~. Thanks for the gender correction.
Her profile doesn't let on.
But I suppose I shouldn't have assumed a male default; I could have used "their" instead of "his."
~ OMK
Waseeley, the Comments section definitions still show a natick as a cross no "normal person" would know. Maybe that definition should be changed. Otherwise, it's saying that people with the necessary clue familiarity are "abnormal"? Doesn't seem quite accurate. Rex Parker was a bit less critical, defining it as something that less than 1/4 of solvers could be expected to know, but that's pretty impossible to quantify.
Perhaps the term should at least be explicitly "personal Natick" instead iof just "Natick".
On 2nd thought, I would not have used "their." I have no beef with the idea of people choosing their own pronouns--except when changing a singular for a plural version.
That only serves to confuse.
English provides us with a perfectly good gender-free pronoun--in the word "one."
One wonders why do we not use that...?
~ OMK
Hey, Jinx, I believe you misunderstood the reason for my puzzlement about Natick, as you will see when you read my response to Waseeley.
There are multiple reasons that I generally refrain from posting too often, and I guess today has been a good example of one, i.e., having even a couple of people take offense when I meant none. Clearly I should have been more explicit by saying "some" or "a few" people instead of just "people".
AnonT Thanks for the kind words about my NOTRE DAME and GARGOYLE photos.
Jinx at 6:12 Thank you for your explanation to Sandyanon about the use of "Natick". I will just add one more point: I used the term "Natick cross". I am fine with learning new words and even new proper names. As long as the cross is fair in some way.
Sandyanon In this case if you did not know those proper names there was no way to figure out the cross. The fact is, any vowel could have fit if you don't know these names. I hope that answers your question.
sumdaze I almost forgot to thank you for the CHUFFED video explanation. To me, CHUFFED does not sound good! It sounds like "MIFFED" or "STUFF IT". Good to know the back story. When I am diving, I love watching puffer fish.
Ooh! Jayce, you would remind of the dreaded EYES of March. Let’s hope I’m luckier thank old Julius.
Picard @6:47, I did not mean to imply that the particular cross was solvable if one knew neither name. I was simply questioning the use of the term "natick" as it is currently defined in the comments abbreviations section.
Some/a few posters seem to me to be using it as a general term for something that just doesn't happen to be part of their own personal knowledge base. If you reread my several comments and replies to others, you will see that I believe either the definition could constructively be changed or that posters might helpfully use the term "personal natick".
Anyway, I think explaining and re-explaining myself is just too frustrating to continue, so I'll follow my inclination not to post in future.
I do read and appreciate this blog every day.
Everyone, please make it a point to comment on Needy Picard's daily pictures of him so he doesn't keep begging for attention on those too. OMG !
In my 'ute there were Classics Illustrated and "White Fang" (London) was one I read and enjoyed .
Sandy, regardless or better, irregardless of anything, it's great to see you commenting
I too have noticed "Natick" applied where one of the P&P seemed obvious. fe. I am familiar with Hana as I am with most Sports clues just as I am unfamiliar with RAMI.
Last week it was DIOS, very simple for Lucina as would jour be for me.
So, in conclusion, I suggest no negative connotation to the word especially since the town itself was part of the Bay State League and spawned the immortal Doug Flutie(which if crossed with CHUFFLE would get some groans)
WC
Sandyanon: Many people here use the term "Natnick. I don't know why you were singled out but please keep posting. Nit-picking is no different than using natnick, IMHO. So please just let it slide.
TC
++1 on Token Creek, Sandyanon. Don't let folks use / understanding of Natick be a gnat-nit. Please stay and play. I for one, enjoy your company.
WC - In addition to Mr. Robot [loved the series - some pretty realistic hacking], RAMI also played Freddie Mercury in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
Cheers, -T
Always reminded me of biblical scenes complete with shepherds and sheep.
Sandy @8:39 PM Yes please stay. I can see where inconsistent use of the term could be confusing. I plan to qualify my usage with the word "personal" from here on out and I think we seem to be seeing more and more crossings of pop culture P&P with a very limited fan base that could be termed classic NATICKS.
NO CLUE!!! (get it?)
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