Ooo, baby baby
Puzzling thoughts:
Take a moment to listen to this great oldie from Smokey Robinson and the Miracles ... in the second and third stanza, the lyrics read:
Mistakes, I know I've made a few
But I'm only human
You've made mistakes too, I'm crying . . .
Ooo, baby baby
Ooo, baby baby
I'm just about at the end of my rope
But I can't stop trying, I can't give up hope
That was kind of how today's puzzle hit me. Mistakes? I made MORE than a few ... but yes, I am only human ... did you make mistakes, too??
Crying? There's no crying @ the Crossword Corner!
I WAS just about at the end of my rope ... but I never stopped trying, nor gave up hope ...
"So when did you get the 'AHA' Moe-ment on this puzzle, Chairman?" [you might ask]
After I looked more closely at the circles ... ARRGGHH. Circles. But without the circles, would YOU have figured out the reveal?
55-across. Tiny units of progress depicted four times in this puzzle?: BABY STEPS.
Let's examine the grid first, and then crawl around in the 15x15 square "play pen" of words and circles ...
One BABY STEP at a time will solve this ...
Step #1: 23-across. Fritterlike side with fried catfish: HUSH PUPPY
But, but, but Moe, the entry for 23-across is only five letters? HUSH P is all that I see. Well, if you have circles in your grid, take a couple of BABY STEPS above and to the right, and the PUPPY crawls onto your lap
Step #2: 27. "La La Land" Oscar nominee: RYAN GOSLING. Again, follow the circled letters which take BABY STEPS up and to the right of RYAN G, and the GOSLING waddles into view
Step #3: 45-across. Blue Apron offering: MEAL KIT. The smallest of BABY STEPS belongs to the KIT, as it takes just two circled squares to complete its birth (that foxy lady)
Step #4: 54-across. Roomba target: DUST BUNNY. Easter Sunday is just a couple days away, so what better BABY to greet us than the BUNNY, which hops along four circled squares on its trail
Four "BABIES" (a PUPPY, a GOSLING, a KIT, and a BUNNY), all taking little STEPS to form their names. Out-effin-standing, Ms. Dershowitz!
Across:
1. Home of the College World Series: OMAHA. A CSO to our Saturday blogger, Husker Gary
6. Many Chrome runners: PCS. [according to Microsoft dot com] "... Microsoft Edge is more secure than Google Chrome for your business on Windows. It has powerful, built-in defenses against phishing and malware and natively supports hardware isolation on Windows—there's no additional software required to achieve this secure baseline"
[according to Google] "With Google apps like Gmail, Google Pay, and Google Assistant, Chrome can help you stay productive and get more out of your browser"
9. Dog breed of Tokyo's Hachiko statues: AKITA. [wikipedia dot com says]: "A statue of the AKITA dog HachikÅ, remembered for his unwavering loyalty to his deceased owner, is installed outside Tokyo's Shibuya Station, in Japan"
14. Cars sold at auction: REPOS. And the guys who bring them there, perhaps? 1984 original trailer
15. Barrel wood: OAK. Ella must love this word; she used it recently, in 62-down with a different clue - which I explained in depth to Wilbur Charles
16. Western Wyoming county: TETON. Grand TETON National Park is on my bucket list of National Parks to visit
17. Giddy: SLAP HAPPY. Moe-ku:
Snow White felt depressed;
But can get giddy when she
Starts to SLAP HAPPY
19. Urban Dictionary content: SLANG. This. They always have a SLANG du jour on their website
20. "Big __" Delaney: "Sons of Anarchy" character: OTTO. Learing MOE-ment: [fandom dot com] "“Big Otto” Delaney was a member of SAMCRO of the FX original series Sons of Anarchy. Played by American actor and show creator Kurt Sutter, Otto makes his debut on the episode "Giving Back" in the series' first season"
21. Common toothbrush holder: CUP. I hang mine on the wall on its recharging base ... I use a Braun (now known as Oral B) electric toothbrush
22. Pop music's __ Vanilli: MILLI. This could also be clued: "Start for 'meter' or 'second'"
25. Emblems: LOGOS. The one that I saw on my business card for 2-1/2 decades
26. "Ditto": ME, TOO. Last Friday's puzzle had ME, FOUR
28. __ milk: OAT. SOY also fits
29. Recruit with arm-twisting: ROPE IN.
31. Butter used in saag paneer: GHEE. Do I need to clarify this for you?
35. Haggler's concern: PRICE. "Never pay retail"
37. Cupcake: HON. Not sure how this one got by Patti ... perhaps because Ella identifies as a she/her? HON seems a bit non-PC ... too bad this wasn't a four-letter entry ... could've used BABE for this puzzle, no??!! ;^)
38. Past potentates: TSARS. EMIRS fits, too
39. Qdoba snack: TACO. Qdoba serves these on days other than Tuesday
40. Con artist?: FORGER. The world's most famous FORGER??
42. On: LIT. Interesting clue ... "on" as in something that is LIT up?
43. In the running: VYING.
47. Indiana state flower: PEONY.
48. "Stayin' Alive" genre: DISCO. Bee Gees song
49. Any "Gilmore Girls" episode, now: RERUN.
50. Cartoon still: CEL.
51. Silly fool: TWIT.
57. Mid-pirouette, say: ON TOE. Ballerina position
58. Blue-__: pain relief brand: EMU. Johnny Bench was the spokesman
59. Fine-tune: TWEAK. Something I usually do to this blog several days before it goes live
60. Origin of the street food koshary: EGYPT. Another learning MOE-ment
61. Freelancer's job: GIG. Musician's term, usually
62. Swimming holes: PONDS. I wonder how many kids of the current generation actually go swimming in a POND?
Down:
2. Cheesy diner fare: MELT. A Friday clue, for sure; as in, a cheese MELT
3. Not engaged: APATHETIC. Not "SINGLE" [the word I was looking for]
4. "We're here!": HOP OUT. A BUNNY term?
5. Cigar end: ASH. I know all about this as I always enjoy a cigar with a bit of Scotch, Bourbon, Rum, Gin, Wine, or _____. Many times, a portion of the ASH will fall off unexpectedly ... haven't burned anything yet, but have come close
6. __ shop: POP UP. Many of these appear in October, in advance of (32-down. Time for a costume from a boo-tique?:) HALLOWEEN
7. Photographer Kristin: CAPP. I can relate to this CAPP, but not the other
8. Pie in the __: SKY.
9. Part of an online tag: AT SIGN. As in, @ChairmanMoe, for example (not my Twitter name)
10. Breakfast brand: KELLOGG'S. A 1960's jingle: "K-E Double L! O Double Good! Kellogg's Best to YOU!!!"
11. Emphatic letters, for short: ITALS. A CSO to Ray-O-Sunshine!
12. Singer Braxton: TONI.
13. Filmmaker Lee: ANG. Crossword-ese
18. Allergy season sound: ACHOO. "God bless you!"
22. Complain: MOAN. CARP also fits
24. Feeling yesterday's yoga class, perhaps: SORE. ACHY also fits
25. Full of beans: LYING. And its clecho: (30-down. Full of beans:) PHONY. Good ones
26. Name before Wilson or after Rooney: MARA. Lots of proper names in today's puzzle; go figure ...
27. Corp. shake-up: REORG. 3M never went through a REORG that I can recall ...
28. Go (for): OPT.
33. "Black Panther" villain Killmonger: ERIK. A "Marvel"-ous clue
34. Contractor's fig.: EST. With another clecho (of sorts): (1-down. Guesstimate phrase:) OR SO.
36. Spy mission: COVERT OP. Would another clue for this be: "The highest surface of a blanket?" Think about it for a second or two ... BTW, this is a first time use of this word entry in the major crossword publications ... either as COVERT OP or COVER TOP
38. Cinco menos dos: TRES. And yet, another Friday CSO to Lucinda!!
40. Wolfhard of "Stranger Things": FINN. I don't know this guy. Am I your huckleberry today?!
41. "Revenge" star VanCamp: EMILY. Would ___ Dickinson be too easy?? (44-down. "No doubt about it!":) YOU BET.
46. What many modern plays lack: ACT TWO.
47. Annoying: PESTY. Moe-ku 2:
A basil-laced sauce
That rubs you the wrong way, is
A PESTY pesto
48. Correct coding errors, say: DEBUG. I'll leave this quip for Ray-O-Sunshine! ;^)
49. Ladder part: RUNG. STEP also fits
50. Tank: CAMI. Moe-ku 3:
Military brat
Wore an appropriate top:
A camo CAMI
52. Streaming device: IPAD. KINDLE didn't fit
53. Judgy syllables: TSKS. I hope that none of you used a TSK TSK whilst reading my blog ;^)
54. Generic surname: DOE. John or Jane are their first names
55. "I __ to differ": BEG.
56. Indy brand: STP.
And there you have it! Another successful puzzle and blog! Please add your comments below ...
53 comments:
A PUPPY and a GOSLING, a BUNNY and a KIT,
Sailed off together, in a tiny ship.
They had such fun
Playing in the sun,
At night they all cuddled in companionship!
Once there as a happy TSAR,
Was not Russian, was Bulgar.
Sang an aria
To Bulgaria,
And danced around his scimitar!
Well, this is what happened, folks. I had “meals” instead of mealk” . I realized it needed some kind of “baby”, but I thought “maybe baby “sit”? In other words, the great Subgenius ended up with a FIW! So I can’t say “I’m happy “ about this, but “I’m happy “ to have given it “the ol’ college try.” That’s the story. I hope the rest of you did better!
Good morning!
Looked for awhile like d-o was headed for another Friday fail. Fell into the SOY, ACHY, PESKY traps, but managed to climb back out again. Didn't snap to the gimmick until DUST BUNNY showed up. AHA, it's MEAL KIT, not MEALS. That makes more sense. Whew! Ya almost got me, Ella. Thanx for the 'splanation, C-Moe.
AKITA: Richard Gere played the dog's owner in Hachi: A Dog's Tale -- sure to bring tears to your eyes.
PONDS: Our little town had a mill pond where we went swimming in summer and skating winter. It played a major role in our limited social scene.
I’d actually heard of five of the ten proper names! Good for me… Otto, Capp, Erik, Finn and Emily took a little more work.
Hi Y'all! Thanks, Ella, for a stumble-step puzzle which tripped me up more than I like. I got the theme gimmick with HUSH PUPPY but didn't understand the reveal until the end after much musing it over and saw the infants.
Thanks, Moe, for a truthful expo with much humor.
Got stuck in the middle. DNK: FINN/FORGER/EMILY/PHONY/HON/REORG/ROPE IN. Finally figured it out. Also DNK: chrome runner was PCS, OTTO, GHEE, EGYPT, POPUP shop, CAPP, MARA, ERIK. Thought most of those clues were unnecessarily hard.
Hey, I knew OMAHA, thanks to Husker Gary's comments during that event. Been to the TETONs.
Big DNF. Didn’t see the gimmick, and therefore was stymied. ED, ya got me. Now that CMoe ‘splained it, I see how clever it is and think, “I shoulda got the gimmick with “HUSHP” …. But didn’t. ☹️ nice write-up, CMoe, thanx for ‘splainin it.
Other than reading 52D as steaming and filling in iron, it was a smooth sail. I caught the gimmick with hush puppy, no southerner could miss that.
T ook 9:06 to get this one today.
L oved Grand Teton National Park. Very beautiful there. Close to Yellowstone if you want to see both parks.
O h joy, circles. Not the way I prefer to start the weekend. I feel like my friend SubG would agree with me today.
C ouldn't even venture a guess for the photographer clue. I only needed four perps to get "Capp."
Wow! It was tough to FIR today. It took a while to figure out the BABY STEPS. I'd filled the right half except RY for RYANG. But noticed the GOSLING in circles. Then LYING and REORG finished the East. With that V8 I was able to get HUSHP-UPPY and DUSTB-UNNY. MEALK-IT was the last fill.
A&E unknown proper names filled by perps today. OTTO, CAPP,TONI,ERIK, EMILY, FINN. I'd be LYING if I said I really knew EGYPT, CAMI, or PEONY but they fit the grid nicely.
Roombas and vacuums will get most DUST BUNNIES but sometimes you need to use a broom to get the stuff that manages to get along the edges under the molding. Once a year I use my leaf blower to blow those critters from behind and under heavy furniture. Easier than moving heavy things- washing machine, dryer, dressers, chest of drawers, desks,...etc. The stuff that manages to get into small spaces.
FIR, but it was a workout. Too many proper names once again. Luckily the perps saw me through. Clever theme with the baby references. Only kit had me stumped for a bit, but that section finally fell when I substituted ghee for my first entry shea.
Good Morning:
My feelings about this offering went from admiring the construction feat of the “stepping” letters to being absolutely dumbfounded upon learning, thanks to Moe, that the babies in Baby Steps were all actual baby animals. My observational skills remain as non-existent as ever! So, the appreciation for the cleverness and super-tightness of this theme and execution went up several notches and negates any nits about the pop culture entries that, as usual, were unknown: Otto, Finn, Kristin, and Erik. My only w/o was Achy/Sore, and my only nose wrinkle was at Itals, but Lying/Vying was cute and starting off with the gimme of Omaha, thanks to HG’s oft reference to the Baseball WS, was smile-inducing.
Thanks, Ella, for a fun and challenging Friday and thanks, Moe, for your detailed explanation of the theme and your informative review. Your Slap Happy Moe-ku made me laugh out loud!
DO @ 5:43 ~ Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, The Art of Racing In the Rain, and Marley and Me all brought me to tears. ðŸ
FLN
Tante Nique, glad you got a good report on your eyes. That Coffee Ice Cream Cake is sort of a tradition for that families’ birthday celebrations, and it was fine with me as coffee ice cream is my favorite!
Have a great day.
Musings
- That catfish side is a HUSH PUPPY but there’s not enough room. Never mind! :-)
- I recently learned what baby rabbits are actually called
- Because the mayor did not want to be known as the one who lost the CWS, OMAHA spent millions building a new stadium to satisfy the NCAA.
- Some REPO agents carry weapons
- Names that are beyond obscure are a moot point with good cross cluing
- I learned of GHEE and Shea butter in these puzzles
- Seeing Johnny Bench and Joe Namath do ads shows how stars of yesteryear didn’t make all that much
- A great use for FaceBook: A former colleague recently toured EGYPT and posted wonderful pictures with informative comments!
- APATHETIC: The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference – Elie Wiesel
- MOAN/complain/carp: The reason I avoided teacher’s lounges
- DEBUG: Write a program, and then give it to a group of 13-yr-olds
Wow! This one was a head scratcher and took the excellent write-up by Moe to explain BABY STEPS. After getting HUSHP I thought it might be hush up ( be quiet) but then HUSH PUPPY (yes BobB) and slowly the others were revealed. RYAN GOSLING learned to play the piano for LaLaLand and I thought he should have won the Academy Award.
With -GY—-, it seemed only EGYPT would fit but I didn’t know what it meant. Also didn’t know the five names others listed, O,C,E,F,E. Menus before MEALK, did not know EMU. AT SIGN seemed off.
3d - not engaged, APATHETIC filled in as a big surprise; I was thinking ringless.
Moe - COVER TOP -funny!
DO @5:43 POND skating and sled riding was our recreation in an era without TV, cell phones and other devices. I wouldn’t trade it for all the gadgets kids now have.
Happy day, all!
Many esoteric answers.
Hi All!
My only trip-up (the STEPS) was entering DISCO in 49a's squares... I caught the gimmick at HUSH P *UP* PY. Very cute theme Ella; thanks for the fun.
Your expo and Moe-Kus added to the fun, C.Moe. I love Frank Abagnale's stories - an American ArsÚne Lupin. Cute clarification of GHEE.
WOs: DISCO in the wrong squares.
ESPs: FINN, EMILY, CAPP, TONI, MARA, ERIK
Fav: I enjoyed the Full of Beans clechos.
{A, B+}
FLN: Happy to hear eye-healing is going well, Tante Nique.
D-O: We had a swimming hole. It was a bend in a river outside of Bossier, LA with a ROPE swing one could "whee!" into the river. Why did our parents never ask what we did all day? //Swam with the snakes. But it had a rope swing and we had beer ;-)
Being in Louisiana, it never iced up - very much unlike Lincoln Park's pond (SPI) which you couldn't swim in but could skate on.
I was warned not to eat the street food in Cairo but I remember it smelled delicious.
DEBUG - I was pretty good at that. I could spot a run-away loop or casting error [using an int but then float for division] a mile away. Useful in hacking.
BigE - I tried the leaf-blower (electric so not as much noise) for dusting once. Once. DW put the kibosh on that.
I'll echo everyone else - there's becoming way too many proper names in puzzles. It's starting to feel 'glue-y.'
Y'all have a lovely Friday. We've got more storms acomin' so I'm just going to sit inside and watch the clouds.
Cheers, -T
What a joke. Got the unifier, baby steps, but was completely flomaxed by the extra letter at the end of the answers until I read your comments. Too complex.
For some reason I got the theme and reveal right away, the rest however gave me fits. So many unknown names I had to guess or hope perps would help. I had AT SIGN, but had no idea why. Didn’t know EGYPT as clued.
C-Moe’s explanations were so helpful. I loved the Repo Man movie.
IMð coffee ice cream is my favorite ice cream that’s why I salivated when you mentioned that cake.
OKL what a sweet animal poem.
Good Morning! What a breezy puzzle for a Friday! Thanks, Ella!
Tunes were running thru my head reading the recap with Smokey Robinson, the Kellogg’s jingle and DISCO.
C-Moe, loved your intro!!
Thanks, C-Moe, and for taking the theme to the second level! I saw the theme at HUSH PUPPY (YUM! if they’re done right!!), but I’m too anxious to get to the reveal to ponder further. (Memo to self: CHILL!) Very clever in so many respects, Ella.
One WO – s to K in MEAL K
I met EMILY VanCamp in Everwood with Treat Williams.
Gilmore Girls – I watched the whole series in RERUNs.
DNK/ESP: OTTO, CAPP, ERIK, FINN.
I put my hummingbird feeders out yesterday. I know it's a week - 10 days early, but I want them to feel welcome when they come!!
RosE, I'm not certain where you write from, but here in SE Texas we've had our hummingbird feeder out for two weeks, and have had daily visitors the past ten days -- two different breeds, so I'm certain there are at least two different visitors.
Not a "good" Friday....giving up early, busy day, too many blank Naticks (is that redundant?).
Lotsa strange food items and proper names
Never heard the word ITALS
Google says...
Ital (also spelled I-tal) is used to refer to the type of food celebrated by people in the Rastafari movement. However, many people who aren't directly in the movement have adopted this way of eating to boost their health, prevent damage to the environment or for spiritual reasons too.
And...
The ITALS are a Jamaican reggae vocal group formed in 1976 by Alvin "Keith" Porter, Lloyd Ricketts, and Ronnie Davis, all of whom had previously also recorded as solo artists. All three had worked together in the late 1960s in The Westmorelites.
So if this is CSO to me I better get dreads and learn the steel drum..ð
More likely a constructionist Siri/Alexa request for an odd fill, didn't like their response and went on to invent a clue.
ð
TITT. I know Friday puzzles should have more crunch, but adding obscure names from TV shows on channels not everyone has, or movies not everyone is familiar with, was a real fun sponge for me. Should have skipped directly to CMoes recap...now, THAT was enjoyable!
D-O, I'm in Southern PA. Latest I saw was the hummingbirds had made their way to N. Carolina.
R-o-S, I believe the clue/fill was to put a sentence in ITALicS for emphasis.
WIMS, (What Irish Miss Said)
Very clever, liked the steps, but I dunno...
I can only speak personally, but for me this puzzle was about as painful as giving birth...
The clueing was totally out of my wheelhouse. While I had nothing with the themers, the perps were giving me agita.
"Where here" = hop out? Ok, I see it now, but without the perps, this was hell...
Tank=cami? Ok, if you say so. I wouldn't know having never worn one.
DustB finally cracked this nut, while the nut meat was good, I think I broke all my fingernails on the shells...
What finally got me to sink my teeth into this th8ng was realizing that it was not "cheesy dinner fare", but "diner" fare...
I have never ordered a melt anywhere, but I make them at home all the time, but I call them "toasted sandwiches."
Yes HG, "bunny" seems out of place to me too. Baby rabbits are called "kittens." But a google look up under bunny def, says
Bunny = rabbit, especially young ones.
So, in summation, I guess you can say, if you finished this puzzle, We're here! Hop in!
Loved the multi-layer theme of this puzzle - so creative!
Just an hour south of me is one of the main companies in the country for making OAK barrels for wine and spirits: Independent Stave and its Missouri Cooperage.
https://www.independentstavecompany.com/
Lots to do today with DH being a pastor! Have a wonderful weekend
Thanks CM for the fun blog and Ella for the puzzle!
Hi Ella, it's good to see you again so soon and thanks for a Friday much more challenging than the one you tossed to me on March 30. Today was was a struggle, but I managed a FIR.
And thanks MOE for the expo. I got all the BABIES and noticed that fill below them were all truncated, but didn't put 2 & 2 2gether. Like I always say, there's no place to fill the theme, so like SG I'm happy (well not today so I hear*).
A few favs:
16A TETON. MOE, when your bucket gets full enough to tour the TETONS, pop down to Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, WY and say hi to my grandson Ben.
31A GHEE. Teri and I were vegetarians for the first two years of our marriage and ate Indian food almost exclusively, so we made our own GHEE.
40A FORGER. One of my favorite series is LOVEJOY, antiques dealer extraordinaire and occasional FORGER (two trades that apparently go hand in hand).
2D MELT. Cheesy yes, but hold the HAM. Today is Good Friday.
55D IPAD. Had IPOD, but they're obsolete, so I upgraded.
Cheers,
Bill
*Subgenius @4:04AM Ich habe kein Schadenfreude Freund fÃŒr dein FIW.
RosE @10:40 AM Teri's from Shamokin, PA, which is probably North of you. What city in PA if that's not TMI?
Waseeley, does that make you and Teri GHEE Whizzes?
Waseeley, just up 83 from you in what the locals call SoYoCo. (Southern York County.)
I've driven thru Shamokin Dam many times, but not familiar with Shamokin.
D-O @12:06PM Actually I'm her sous chef. She doesn't deal with the details.
MOE hinted at the recipe when he ask if he needed to "clarify that for you". The recipe is quite simple:
1. Melt a pound of butter in a pot.
2. Heat it until it starts to froth, stirring to make sure that it doesn't burn.
3. Keep spooning off the curds until all that's left is a yellow liquid.
4. Pour it into a class jar with a metal lid (e.g. a Ball jar), let it cool, and then store it in the refrigerator.
5. Just spoon it out as needed. It will last for weeks or even months.
Hola!
This was a bit of a challenge but I managed to finish it with no problems or any wite-outs! Oops! I wrote too soon. TWEAKS/IPAD was misspelled as TWEeKS/IPeD.
What happened to cluing AL CAPP?
It's a good thing EGYPT emerged with perps because the clue was too obscure for me.
Is going after Osama bin Laden the most famous COVERT OP ever hatched?
Thank you, Ella, for the TRES clue and a clever puzzle!
My great-grandson is beyond BABYSTEPS! He can now reach almost anything! He is an agile climber!
Have a peaceful Good Friday, everyone!
OwenKL:
Loved your poems!
RosE @12:16 PM We've gone by York many times on the way to Shamokin. I think we've gone by Shamokin Dam on the way to Sunbury, Elysburg, Paxinos, etc. We've been to Knoebels park many times.
Lucina - I donno Argo was a good con, er COVERT OP ;-)
Cheers, -T
I guess it's due to my English upbringing, but to me "Full of beans" means lively, energetic and not lying or phony. Also, although I've lived in the US for nearly 30 years now, I've never heard the expression "Hop out".
Pedant The Brit - when you eat beans you're full of hot-gas, air -- filling the room with stink. Lying. See: Blazing Saddles.
Hop Out is common to tell a hitchhiker when s/he's reached their destination. Or what a rude Uber driver says.
Hope that helps. C, -T
More puzzling thoughts:
Thanks for the positive comments; I did have fun with this one! MOE's "M.O.": the more clever the puzzle, the more clever the recap ... but I will always give it my best shot; the constructor's deserve that
waseeley and RosE: the Chairman grew up in York; in the Hillcroft/Valley View neighborhood. I recall when I-83 was called US 111 before the Interstate System was established
Are there any golf fans out here? The Masters is one of my favorite tournaments, and is an amazingly beautiful venue. Despite stretching the course out to almost 7,500 yards, 36 players shot below par yesterday; an all-time record for a first day
Or… If it's NAE bogo it's NAE sale
A school superintendent up near Boston got canned for referring to the hiring women as "ladies "
Did you notice the Catcher behind Johnny was a Lefty?
HOP OUT was last fill; it had to be OTTO and HUSHP but it was very inky by that point
POP UP not dOnUt shop
Although I grok'ed out the added circles , I failed to revise , append, KIT to MEAL. I just saw an ad for Blue Apron while solving. FIW (arrrggghhhh!!!)- Hi SubG etal
"Era without TV " parsan just how old are you. I was born in 44 and grew up as TV grew up(Uncle Miltie,Howdy Doody…Superbowl). Gotcha on pond skating though
-T, I inked MILLI in HUSHP squares
It's not where re. Shmokin but what(I've been…)
WC
Great write-up C-Moe, and…
Now I know all about OAK
Fabulous Friday. Thanks for the fun, Ella and CMoe.
I FIRed with just a little Friday exertion, and saw the BABY STEPS (although it took a few looks before I realized how they completed the whole word ending in the bottom circle - I was a little upset by that name with only an initial for the last name, until I saw how the GOSLING completed it). I really was looking for KIT to continue with TEN though at first too.
Some hesitation caused by names, but they all perped eventually.
Hand up for Soy before OAT.
We had OAK and OAT, VYING and LYING. HOP OUT and ROPE IN, RERUN and REPOS.
The BUNNY and the HOP (OUT) were OPT (whoops that’s Apt) for Easter.
ON TOE following BABY STEPS was cute.
Pedant the Brit- I know “Full of beans” as energetic, lively also (but I also know it as being full of hot air, lying). Another example of British/Canadian and American meanings. At least it doesn’t have a U to omit or they would! LOL.
Wishing you all a great day.
Wilbur Charles @l:52 - Well, you’re just a baby! Born in ‘34 (am I the oldest person here?), we had no TV until ‘54 because they couldn’t get a signal from Pittsburgh over the mountains. I had a show on our new local station in ‘54 and we knew there were only 100 sets in our area. In early TV you were producer, director, on-air talent and swept up the studio after going off the air. How about Capt. Kangaroo and Romper Room?
Pendant the Brit @1:06 - Full of beans suggested 2 things to me - 1. mischievous or boisterous 2.chili (but not in Texas, right?).
Chairman Moe @1:28 - watching the Masters but they are on a rain delay. How about the amateur Sam Bennett in second place? Awesome! Not a fan of LIV.☹️
Chairman Moe leads us through today's Dershowitz PZL.
A toughie, to be sure. I needed several cheats to reach the end.
Oh, but it is a clever one and deserves our respect, if not love.
My fave fill? SLAP HAPPY -- because it is fun to say and because it leads into the theme response for "Puppy."
~ OMK
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DR: Four diagonals today, one near side, and three opposite.
The near side anagram (12 of 15) is another curious one. It seems to identify an over-zealous police unit on the first day of hunting season, active in either the northern United States or (CSO to CanadianEh!) a militaristic branch of the RC Mounties.
I refer to the ...
"MOOSE GESTAPO"!
Wilbur, I'm 82 and my folks didn't get a TV until all their kids were out of the house. We were too busy with activities to watch TV anyway. I was mad when my new husband brought a TV to our first home. I wanted the money spent on a washing machine so I didn't have to go to the laundromat after working at a job all week. I couldn't watch TV from there.
Parsan @ 2:58 --> not a big fan of LIV either; Greg Norman continues to hold a grudge over the PGA Tour, et al, for not adopting HIS suggestion of a World Golf Tour a couple decades ago. And yes, to Sam Bennett being relevant in his Masters debut! The new kids coming into the game have no fear ... also, I forget where you're from? Over the mountains (from Pittsburgh) would suggest Johnstown or Altoona, but I seem to recall your having a connection to WVU
Parsan @2:58- We also got our first TV in '54. My dad borrowed a set from a co-worker who was upgrading to see whether or not he wanted to invest so much money. It had about a 10" round screen. I think what sold him were the Friday night fights, "brought to you by Gillette Blue Blades! Look sharp! Feel sharp!" I remember Pinky Lee, Ding-Dong School, and The Homeymooners.
I was in Australia when we got our first TV set. Early60's B&W
My first memories were, Outer Limits, Fractured Flickers, Perry Mason (the theme anyway) and then JFK's demise.
(I can't seem t9 spell assasination according to spell checker.)
(But then I couldn't spell it in '63 either.)
But one th8ng we all did seem to agree upon, was t9 watch Disney on Sundays at seven.
a fav memory, The Little House...
I'm becoming a fan of Ella's as I managed to get another FIR today. And I liked the theme BABY STEPS, which I understood when I added KIT to the animal list, after changing MEALs to MEAL K(IT). Clever!
So many WOs to list as I sequenced through possible fills: emirS/shAhS/TSARS, for example. And Photo (didn't write in)/dOnUt/POP UP. Oh sure, I've heard of those shops. And I couldn't remember how to spell KELLOGGS at first!
Thanks a bunch, C Moe, for today's creative review, both informative and humorous. A pleasure to read while I learned more about my unknowns that were filled by perps.
The discussion of early TV viewing reminded me of the interactive show "Winky Dink and You" in the mid-50s that I watched with my younger sister.
Hope you all are gearing up for a special weekend! Enjoy!
I loved the clever theme and loved Moe's write-up. I also love your ethic, Moe: "I will always give it my best shot; the constructors deserve that."
Do you detect a pattern here? --
"Big __" Delaney: "Sons of Anarchy" character: OTTO
Pop music's __ Vanilli: MILLI
"Stayin' Alive" genre: DISCO
Any "Gilmore Girls" episode, now: RERUN
"Black Panther" villain Killmonger: ERIK
Wolfhard of "Stranger Things": FINN
"Revenge" star VanCamp: EMILY
We really knew how to play with others as well as entertain ourselves before TV and gadgets, didn't we? Yep, I ice-skated on the local pond in winter and swam in the local pond in summer. Climbed trees, rode bike for miles, ran and hiked in the forest, caught frogs and then let them go, threw knives at targets, played tag and hide-and-seek with neighbor kids and went trick-or-treating with them, etc etc etc. And yes, I confess to having eaten a few bugs and worms, too. We used to catch box-elder bugs and fry 'em in mom's frying pan. Good times.
I don't have any memories of York, PA, other than I think that is where I went to join the Air Force. Good memories of Lancaster, though; I used to go there for BarberShop singing when I was in a quartet (I sang "lead".) My brother-in-law (who also sang "bari" in the same quartet) graduated from Franklin & Marshall College there. We actually lived in Coatesville at the time. Many years later, LW and I stopped off to have another look at Coatesville on our way to somewhere else, and I remember thinking, "What a dump it is! Not the way I remember it."
Good wishes to you all.
Chairman Moe @3:23 - Yes WVU and south of Pittsburgh and the Allegheny mountains, or maybe just hills, but tall enough to prevent a TV signal to come from KDKA - TV into WV.
CE,CED, and ATLG - Memories of early TV always makes me smile.
Jayce @4:20 - We invented our own fun and worked out our differences, not always in fistfights or hair pulling. My friends and I formed clubs like these two:
The Nut Club - We wore pins made from walnuts, ribbon and safety pins with a secret (to the outside world, often meaning brothers) nut name sealed inside the walnut. At meetings we addressed one another as Miss Pecan (me) or Miss — Almond, Peanut, Cashew, etc. Cost free good fun.
The Squirm and Giggle Club - Named by my uncle after watching us at one of our gatherings. It was a theatre group that met at members houses and raided closets for props and clothing for the plays we invented on the spot. The club was shut down when one mother said “Enough is enough!”. Fun while it lasted and it didn’t cost a cent.
Parsan, that's so cool!
Tough, but still fun, Friday puzzle, many thanks, Ella. And your commentary is always so helpful, many thanks for that too, Chairman Moe.
Well, I suppose one could picture a HALLOWEEN party with a DISCO making music and folks playing with little kids taking BABY STEPS, but not ON TOE yet. But maybe most of us would rather just have a pleasant morning with some KELLOGGS cereal and some OAT MEAL and later a TACO with a CUP of cider or something. And then go out and find a PEONY to put in a vase and cheer up the room. That sounds pretty pleasant, doesn't it?
Have a good evening coming up, everybody.
I had a very slow start to today's puzzle and didn't have much hope. Then I saw GOSLING and thought that could be something. Then I filled RYANG and the jig was up. I still had to get brave with EGYPT, PEONY, and the proper names. In the end, a very satisfying FIR.
I knew ON TOE from watching MelissaB's ballet video on Wed.
= )
Congrats to Ella for a cute & clever construction!
Thanks for your write-up, C-Moe. Excellent opening!
Forgot to mention this earlier, but I believe the correct ballet term for standing on the very tip of the toe is EN POINTE, not ON TOE.
AnonT
Yes, Argo was a good one! I'd forgotten about that. It was brilliant, in fact
MOOSE GESTAPO - LOL, OMK.
Ah, the games we'd just make up when left to our own devices, eh? Jayce & Parsan. We'd play hide & seek on the whole block [rule: no back-yards & can't go in the house]. I'm sure the Mr. Wilsons were thrilled.
First TV I remember was Star Trek RERUNs on the B&W with Pop. I couldn't have been more than 5yrs 'CUZ we still lived in Detroit.
Pop & I would play hide & seek then. One time, he decided he was done with the game and told me he was going to flush himself down the toilet. I heard the water and ran in yelling, "Dad! No!"
The snickering behind the shower curtain gave up the ghost.
Cheers, -T
C-Eh @ 2:18 -- "“Full of beans” ... At least it doesn’t have a U to omit or they would! LOL."
Dear Lady, you need to think creatively -- just ADD an 'o' and, presto! FOULL of beans, and we are back in business.
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