What's It All About?
Corner favorite Jeffrey Wechsler tries to stump us with a
real POSER today. Since the three theme clues all punt to the reveal
we'll start with that ...
55A. Profound philosophical subject, as defined by the answers to 21-,
32-, and 42-Across?: THE MEANING OF LIFE. As you might imagine illustrating
this was a real toughie, causing me to ponder several alternatives ...
I finally stumbled upon the incredible correspondence between the number for Jeffrey's third theme clue and this classic revelation of THE MEANING OF LIFE announced by the supercomputer Deep Thought in this trailer from the 2005 film A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, inspired by the magnum opus of British humorist Douglas Adams ...
So now that we've solved the question that has puzzled all of humanity since the beginning of civilization, what the heck do the following cryptic theme clues have to do with it? Turns out the answers are themselves clues to products all containing the word LIFE.
21A. See 55-Across: HISTORIC MAGAZINE. LIFE. Here's the Life magazine cover published 10 years after the discovery of the structure of DNA. LIFE always was a little slow out of the gate (story starting on page 73) ...
32. See 55-Across: BREAKFAST CEREAL. LIFE is also a breakfast cereal produced by the Quaker Oats Company. Introduced in 1961, the cereal has a brown, checked square pattern and mainly consists of oat flour, corn flour, added sugar, and whole-wheat flour.
Across:
1. Electronic music duo __ Punk: DAFT. A classic
Wechsler clue for DAFT I'm sure. 😀
Daft Punk
was a French electronic music duo
formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de
Homem-Christo. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the
French house movement, combining elements of house music with funk, disco,
techno, rock and synth-pop. Here's their
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. Listen carefully, as you're not
likely to hear this again ...
5. McEntire of country music (and old sitcoms): REBA. I'm glad that parenthetical afterthought was included in the clue. McEntire is a great musician, but apparently she's also quite a comedienne, and last week I didn't have room for two clips, so here's the funny lady today ...
9. Wetlands area: MARSH. I grew up meandering along White MARSH run in Maryland before US 695 paved over most of it in 1962. One of my most vivid memories of the area was all the dragonflies flying over our heads, which we called "Snake Doctors", and of which we were mortally afraid.
14. Uzbekistan's location: ASIA. Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan, is a doubly landlocked country located in Central Asia. It is surrounded by five landlocked countries: Kazakhstan to the north; Kyrgyzstan to the northeast; Tajikistan to the southeast; Afghanistan to the south; and Turkmenistan to the southwest.
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Uzbekistan in Asia |
16. BP merger partner: AMOCO.
17. "A likely __!": STORY.
19. Noodle: BEAN. Sorry, but I couldn't resist. Just a little one ...
20. Twangy: NASAL.
21. [Theme clue]
24. Physics particles: IONS. An ION is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convention. The net charge of an ion is not zero because its total number of electrons is unequal to its total number of protons. Two IONS with opposite charges attract one another and can form an ionic bond resulting in a molecule, e.g. Lithium Fluoride ...
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| Electron transfer between lithium (Li) and fluorine (F). Forming an ionic bond, Li and F become Li+ and F− ions. |
25. Some Hollywood workers: AGENTS. Recently other Hollywood workers -- writers and actors -- went on strike demanding higher pay and regulation of the use of AI for generating scripts and cinematic images.
30. Move like molasses: OOZE. Especially in February.
32. [Theme clue]
38. iPad assistant: SIRI. I'm not into giving computers speech therapy.
39. Pound mix: MUTT. A CSO to PAT.
40. Superficially fluent: GLIB.
42. [Theme clue]
47. Pine for: MISS.
48. Smoothed (out): IRONED.
49. Plays, as a banjo: STRUMS. Here's Whitewater, written and performed by BANJO virtuoso Bela Fleck with special guests from his album My Bluegrass Heart ...
53. Silk Road desert: GOBI. The Silk Road was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. It is also the moniker for the musical ensemble Silkroad conceived by cellist Yo Yo Ma in 1998 as a reminder that even as rapid globalization resulted in division, it brought extraordinary possibilities for working together. Here's their performance of the theme Going Home from Dvorak's New World Symphony ...
62. "Game of Thrones" actor Gillen: AIDAN. We've never seen
GOT, but we did see AIDAN Gillen in
the creepy English village thriller Mayday ...
64. Subway need, once: TOKEN.
65. Reduces slightly: TRIMS.
66. Vatican's environs: ROME. A country within a city within a country.
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St. Peter's Square from the top of Michelangelo's dome |
68. Oscar winner Redmayne: EDDIE. EDDIE Redmayne played physicist Stephen Hawking in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything...
69. Some half pints: ALES. Watson and Crick are reported to have quaffed quite a few ALES in the Eagle Pub in Cambridge whilst "they" discovered the secret of life.
70. Grub: EATS.
Down:
1. Short run: DASH. Or half an EM DASH (--)
2. Italian city east of Turin: ASTI.
3. Verizon bundle: FIOS. This review is being brought to you in part by the ISP known as VERIZON.
4. Like cranberry juice: TART.
5. Bird associated with spring: ROBIN. The ROBINS in my back yard seem to be here year round these days. Like everything in America, they're bigger than English ROBINS.
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American Robin English
Robin |
7. Roofing timber: BEAM.
8. Swedish golf champion Nordqvist: ANNA. ANNA Maria Nordqvist (born 10 June 1987) is a Swedish professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour. She has won three major championships: the 2009 LPGA Championship, the 2017 Evian Championship, and the 2021 Women's British Open. She is the only non-American woman to have won major championships in three different decades (2000s, 2010s and 2020s).
10. Wow: AMAZE.
11. Violinist's aid: ROSIN. Here's the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem singing Rosin up the Bow. Apparently this substance loosens up the vocal cords (lyrics) ...
13. Boring outcomes?: HOLES. If it turns out to be a Black HOLE, it might not be so boring (see 68A).
18. "Taking this!": YOINK. DNK YOINK. A sound effect created by Don Martin of Mad Magazine used to indicate the rapid pulling or removal of an object, much like 'Pow" or "Bam" would indicate a punch. ...
22. Certain sleigh's parking spot: ROOF. That would be the one driven by SANTA CLAUS.
23. Wondering look: GAZE.
26. "Pygmalion" writer's monogram: GBS. George Bernard Shaw. Shaw's play was based on the Greek myth about the sculptor Pygmalion who falls in love with a statue he has created called Galatea. The story was basis for a 1956 Lerner and Loewe stage musical, later made into the 1964 hit musical comedy-drama film My Fair Lady. The story has inspired many other works of art, including the operetta The Beautiful Galatea, by Franz von Suppé. Here's the overture ...
27. "Deny thy father and refuse thy name, / __ thou wilt not, be but sworn my love": Juliet: OR IF. The line just before it is one of the oft most quoted lines in Shakespeare and here serves as Jeffrey Wechsler's signature.
28. Blood fluids: SERA.
29. "Women in Music Pt. III" pop band: HAIM. Women in Music Pt. III is the third studio album by the sisters HAIM. It was released on June 26, 2020, in the United States by Columbia Records and internationally by Polydor Records. Here's Los Angeles (lyrics) ...
30. Director Preminger: OTTO. OTTO Ludwig Preminger (5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-American theatre and film director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre. He first gained attention for film noir mysteries such as Laura (1944) and Fallen Angel (1945), while in the 1950s and 1960s, he directed high-profile adaptations of popular novels and stage works. Several of these later films pushed the boundaries of censorship by dealing with themes which were then taboo in Hollywood, such as drug addiction (The Man with the Golden Arm, 1955), rape (Anatomy of a Murder, 1959) and homosexuality (Advise & Consent, 1962). He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. He also had several acting roles.
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| Otto Preminger |
33. Organic frozen-food brand: AMY'S. Looks like good stuff.
34. Some sandwiches: SUBS.
35. Waffle brand: EGGO.
36. Rickman of "Love Actually": ALAN. Here's the Necklace Scene with some familiar faces besides ALAN ...
41. "The Princess and the Pea" prop: BED. The PEA purportedly felt like this ...
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44. Simpson daughter: LISA. LISA does the crosswords, while Homer rakes it in ...
45. Part of RNA: RIBO. Prefix for RIBOSE, a sugar that forms the backbone of RiboNucleic Acid, an important component of the cellular process for the synthesis of proteins.
46. Go with the flow: DRIFT. Or CATCH somebody's meaning.
49. One of Mexico's 31: STATE.
50. Show place?: THIRD. Clever clue. The THIRD in the sequence WIN, PLACE, and SHOW.
51. Overhauled: REDID.
52. Fish sauce taste: UMAMI. Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and UMAMI.
53. Fairy tale figure: GNOME. GNOMES are NICE figures.
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Garden Gnome |
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| Shrek |
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| Nora Roberts |
58. Ancestral knowledge: LORE.
59. World's largest furniture retailer: IKEA. Could also be clued "Four letter furniture manufacturer:"
60. Heroic deed: FEAT. Here's a less heroic FEAT performing Dixie Chicken with Emmy Lou Harris and Bonnie Raitt ...
61. Aims: ENDS. ... and thus ENDS the review.
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
Here's the family of Human BEAN,
ReplyDeleteHis once successful uncle, Has Bean.
His cousin, a Hindu
Who's become a guru
Meditation master, GAZE on Navel Bean!
Is an OGRE at all like a GNOME?
One calls a garden his home.
The other will lurk
In a cave in the earth,
And gnaw on a human arm bone.
{C, A-.}
Surprisingly, perhaps, the toughest thing for me to get in this puzzle was the phrase “Gosh, No!” Also, I had “famous board game” before “Lisa” clued me in that it was “family board game.” I figured out the answer was “Life” before I got to the reveal, but still the way it was phrased was a surprise to me. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteThis one could've been named "42." Failed to look at the setter's name, but when d-o got to OR IF...hmmmmm...I wonder...yup. JW almost always includes a Shakespeare quote. Thought that sound was YOICK, making GOSH NO slow to appear. This one felt more like Friday-Saturday fare, but it's welcome on any day. Thanx, JW, Waseeley, and Teri.
Rickman : Cultural highbrows would recognize him from the Harry Potter (Professor Snape) and Die Hard (Hans Gruber -- his first movie role) franchises.
Robin: Not considered a sign of spring in these parts.
Here's the bi-weekly DAB puzzle: Bending Down.
ReplyDeleteI liked this puzzle. I didn't see the theme until the word LIFE appeared in the SE. I found it a little crunchy, like a Friday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteMany unknown names were guessed from a few perps.
I knew Mexico's 31 were states, but I thought the fill had to be in Spanish, ESTADOs. Finally I accepted STATES.
I wrote YOINK, but it seemed wrong. I have never seen it before.
Alan watched REBA on DVDs so often that we had the scripts memorized.
My favorite clue was boring outcomes/hole.
HAIM was an Easter egg. It is Hebrew for LIFE.
DNF, like Subgenius had trouble with GOSH NO, but unlike Sub I didn't have the cranial firepower to suss it out, and Googled HAIM. I'm especially abashed that there was something in Mad MAGAZINE that I didn't know. It's kinda like if Bayou Tony missed a fill from a Rush song.
ReplyDeleteThe theme brought to mind a couple of famous songs named That's Life:
One by
Gabriel & The Angels
and the other by
Frank Sinatra.
There is a big difference between a supervisor and a manager.
Ok, ok. One time bi was just a summer camp lark. Oh, then there was that time at the frat party. And hey, what happened at Woodstock was supposed to stay at Woodstock. But FOUR TIMES?
I like the futuristic crime dramas written by NORA's nom de plume JD Robb. Eve Dallas is a hoot.
Thanks to Jefwech for the fun challenge, even though I messed it up. And thanks to Bill 'n' Teri for the fun review. And I'll bet that not only are the American ROBINs bigger than their English counterparts, I'll bet they get better dental care as well.
I was not fond of this CW due to the number of names, 18 by my expansive count. Also not a fan of CWs that have clues that refer to another clue, like 21A, 32A, & 42A refer to 55A. Almost gave up a few times, but eventually managed to FIR, after a Saturday level struggle. DNK YOINK, or many of the names. Thanx, (I think) JW for this brain-spraining CW. Thanx too to Bill for all the time and effort he put into todays outstanding write-up.
ReplyDeleteFIW. The crossing of Daft and Fios did me in. Took a WAG and put "T" instead of "F".
ReplyDeleteWay too many proper names for my liking. The theme was simple once I got the reveal, but this puzzle was poorly clued with too many odd answers, such as gosh no and yoink.
YR @7:11 AM Nice catch on the Easter egg. The toast is usually L'CHAIM, but I think that the C is added by non-Hebrew speakers, as H is pronounce as cH in Hebrew, e.g. Hanukkah. And I thought HAIM was just a rock band, albeit a good one it seems.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteWe don’t see JW often enough to suit me so today’s appearance is very welcome, indeed. While Jeffrey’s trademark style usually focuses on word play and devious, misdirection cluing, this theme takes us down a different path, one that I found enjoyable and refreshing. Definition puzzles are fun to solve, for me, because I’m always anxious to see how well the constructor will define the theme word in several different, but strong, in the language phrases. Not only did Jeffrey do that successfully, but he gave us an outstanding revealer, which is an extra bonus with this type of theme. I needed perps for Daft, Aidan, Haim, and the nose-wrinkling Yoink, but no w/os. I liked the Bean crossing Beam and the neighborly Gnomes and Ogres. Favorite C/As were Boring Outcomes=Holes and Show Place=Third.
Thanks, Jeffrey W, for a super-fun solve (don’t be a stranger, please!) and thanks, Bill, for the fact and fun-laden review. Loved all of the videos and musical interludes. Seeing Love Actually always brings Bill G to mind as that is one of his favorite movies. Thanks also to your Teri, your Gal Thursday.
FLN
Ray O, I hope your iPhone issue is resolved. 🤞
Have a great day.
A DNF today. But it's a Wechsler. I had no idea about YOINK or ORIF and GOSH NO for 'Don't make me laugh'? Don't make me laugh is said when somebody says something really stupid. I would have never thought GOSH NO for that clue.
ReplyDeleteAIDAN, HAIM, DAFT, and EDDIE we unknown people filled by perps.
I caught the LIFE at BREAKFAST CEREAL, then the V8 noticed the MAGAZINE. Unfamiliar with the BOARD GAME. We just played Monopoly or cards.
STRUMS- most banjo music is plucked.
Terrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Jeffrey, and waseely and Teri.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed, but not without a few struggles. There was an almost Natick area at the crosses of YOINK, GOSH NO, and HAIM; it opened up when I saw Gosh No.
I WAGged the F in DAFT/FIOS.
I smiled when I saw the LIFE theme. (Did that LIFE cereal remind anybody else of those Miley commercials.)
I was WOWed by this JW creation.
Nice misdirection with HOLES. I wanted Yawns.
I had Slims before TRIMS.
I noted BEAM crossing BEAN (I love Mr Bean).
Favourite was the clue for THIRD. I was thinking of theatre and it took a minute for the lightbulb to come on.
I’m close enough to Niagara-on-the-Lake to know about and visit often the Shaw Theatre. GBS was easy. We saw Pygmalion in 2015 and My Fair Lady in 2011.
Wishing you all a great day.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Always a fun exercise from Jeffrey! 15-letter and 14-letter gimmicks and a 15-letter reveal? Wow!
-DA_T/_IOS: DAFT Punk appeared out of my nether regions and gave me FIOS, whatever that is. HAIM, AIDEN and YOINK were also challenges.
-”A likely STORY”. Jon Lovitz’s pathological liar character covered with, “Yeah, that’s that ticket!”
-After I leave the golf course, my first words are, “Hey SIRI, call Joann.”
-Mrs. ROBIN flew out of her nest chirping excitedly at me this spring until her little ones left.
-Name this John Denver song with, “I pull out my fiddle and I ROSIN up the bow, The kids are asleep so I keep it kinda low.”
-Lucille Ball came backstage to meet Carol Burnette when Carol was starring in Once Upon A Mattress based on The Princess And The Pea and they became lifelong friends
-Me too on what Irish said!
-Thanks Bill and Teri!
Good puzzle, but I failed in the midwest. Should have been able to come up with the G in GBS, but I drew a blank, and also needed the H in HAIM, which was a complete unknown. That left me with _OS_NO, which certainly looks like GOSH NO, but that made too little sense. Weak clue!
ReplyDeleteHusker, that'd be "Thank God I'm A Country Boy." (I can just picture Siri, "JOANN!!!")
ReplyDeleteAs I often do, I solved the reveal first and was intrigued by that elusive secret, adding to the fun of solving this delicious puzzle. Although I didn’t know the BOARD GAME, perps helped.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn’t all fun and GAMES however. I too had trouble with GOSH NO and YOINK. I had to leave blank DA?T and ?IOS. I had, and still have no idea what FIOS stands for.
I appreciated Waseely’s explanation of the DAFT musical group.
I’ve been eating AMY’S bean enchiladas for many years, and at times I’ve tried various of her fares.
Down here ROBINs are not a sign of spring, more like fall, although I don’t see as many as I used to.
Husker @9:42 AM "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" is played during the 7th inning stretch at every Orioles home game. IIRC I used it the last time ROSIN was clued in a review.
ReplyDeleteTante Nique @9:54 AM FIOS stands for Fiber Optic Service, Verizon's name for the connection service for their Internet/TV/Phone bundle. Guess I shoulda' said that in the review. 🙄
ReplyDeleteVerizon's FIOS is available only in the NE.
ReplyDeleteDE, MD, MA, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA and Washington DC.
It is a super fast fiber optic network that delivers internet, TV and digital voice phone service. My son, David, has it. It is widely advertised here. It's no wonder you in other states have not heard of it.
Greetings! A challenging Thursday. Thanks, Jeffrey!
ReplyDeleteOne box away from FIR: 29D - __ AIM crossing YOINK. Never heard of YOINK and the N was a total WAG.
WO: 49D tried ESTAT(O) before STATE.
Otherwise slowly it all came together.
Thanks, waseeley & Teri, for the recap which I’ll have to read later. Appt for car recall fix is anon...
FLN-TTP, I certainly don’t remember what I did to get this blog to recognize my avatar from my iPhone. I remember it was rather intricate, though. But it looks to me like Ray-O-Sunshine has figured it out. You might ask him how he did it; I’d be curious, too, because of my faulty memory. Just a suggestion.
ReplyDeleteYoinks!
ReplyDeleteA Jeffrey Wechsler that wasn't that hard!
(Until it got hard, right at the end, )
Gosh no crossing haim, crossing GBs and orif, with a little Amys thrown in...
Actually, the theme filled,itself in with historic magazine, but those last little Naticks really had me going.
Want to know the mean8ng of life?
don't step on the mat!
Wees re: banjos
less strumming, and more pickin and a grinnin...
Actually, if you ever got to the end of Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, they do discuss the ultimate question and ultimate answer at the end of the 7 million year programs demise. watch at the two minute mark where the ultimate question is revealed to be, "is she the one." And the ultimate answer, is "yes."
I'm wondering if some of these connection problems have to do with Blogger. It doesn't recognize me with the brain dead command-line interface they implemented awhile back, but when I switch to the web view (link on bottom line) suddenly it works.
ReplyDeleteTo “Waseeley”: Bill, I always use “switch to web view” too, and it always works for me. (Of course, I get those annoying “robot tests” but I always manage to get through them. I guess nothing’s perfect!)
ReplyDelete"Gosh no" crossing "Yoink"? I think not. Other than that forced entry I enjoyed the CW. I did like "Boring outcomes" and "Pound mix". GC
ReplyDeleteThank you Jeffrey, and thank you, Waseeley.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle. Mikey liked it.
I knew DAFT Punk, so that was not a problem. GOSH NO was the only real delay, but on my speed thru, I did have to change acid to RIBO and giant to GNOME. The reveal clue and answer helped speed up the missing letters in the theme answers and in the few perps that were not filled in the first pass.
I know of FIOS because tech. And telephony. My buddy worked for AT&T and worked on their U-verse among so much else he did. I would ask if he had taken any FIOS calls, and if it was ever going to be available in my neighborhood. I only did it because he earnestly and diligently explained (the first few times) that FIOS was Verizon, not AT&T.
ReplyDeleteSubgenius, I see that Ray-O showed up in blue last night doing a couple of tests.
What we don't know is if that was from his new iPhone, or if that was from his existing computer. I think it was the latter, from his existing computer.
Bill, Subg, et al, the blogspot is delivered to readers in two formats. One of those is optimized for mobile readers. For mobile users, the right side columns aren't shown, AND the commenting interface is different. It should not make a difference. Not saying that it doesn't, but it shouldn't. I think I've figured it out. Would you both tell me what you are using for your browser on your phones ? Subg, I know you have an iPhone. What is your browser? Waseeley, are you Android or iPhone? What browser do you use on your smartphone?
Big Easy - If banjos weren't strummed, we would never have known that:
ReplyDeleteSomeone's in the kitchen with Dinah, someone's in the kitchen I know.
Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah strumming on the old banjo.
Fee fie fiddle eeii o, fee fie fiddle eeii o, fee fie fiddle eeii o,
strumming on the old banjo.
Who knows, maybe no one would have ever been working on the railroad. And don't forget about those clawhammer folks, too.
So frustrating to work my way through this lovely puzzle by one of my favorite constructors and see the FIR beckoning me … only to fall into the abyss of YOINK, GOSH NO and DAFT,FIOS with no idea how to clamber out. Oh well, it was still an enjoyable ride and loved some of the clues, such as Show Place and Boring Outcomes. Thanks, Jeffrey!
ReplyDeleteBill and Teri, your tours are alwys worth the price of admission. There’s so much to see/listen to, I have to set aside some time later to enjoy it all and not miss anyrhing.
I eat Amy’s lentil soup for lunch often. I like the enchiladas too.
As a native Michigander, robins were always a welcome sight as the long, gray,slushy Ann Arbor winters yielded to spring. I miss their cheery song here in So. Cal.
Waseely @ 10:04. Thank you for explaining FIOS. I was told at the Verizon store to be on the look out that they were starting to offer internet/Tv/phone in our area.
ReplyDeleteMy dear niece has a visceral hatred of garden GNOMES. Why? She has never explained. We let her have her little mysteries.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteOle! Ole! I love a JW puzzle. He tickles my brain every time. It is slow going at first but then I pick up momentum and it's done! LIFE was one of our favorite games when my daughter was small.
BREAKFAST CEREAL is my usual fare every morning.
CSO to little NORA who is my niece's granddaughter.
THIRD has a clever clue.
IKEA is never a style I would favor.
Time to go. My garbage disposal quit LIFE last night so it's time to go to Lowe's for a replacement.
Have a great day, everyone!
A JW FIR!! Yay!
ReplyDeleteSo last Friday (7/21) we had 39A "Haim" of Licorice Pizza. Answer: ALANA. I commented that Alana and her 2 sisters have a band. I should have added that the band's name is "HAIM". Perhaps mentioning that might have helped several of you today.
Thanks for your fun & interesting write-up, waseeley! Interesting about SH not getting a Nobel.
Today's Wechsler is delivered by waseeley.
ReplyDeleteAs with several colleagues, the nexus of HAIM, YOINK, and GOSH NO did me in. I had everything else, but that nasty combo went beyond my power to guess.
THIRD & AIDAN almost caught me as well, but the correct reading of "Show place" came to me, as if by a divine gift.
Although I finished all the theme fills, I did not see "LIFE" as the answer. I thought the three long answers might each be pointing to a different "philosophical subject."
When I saw they were all pointing to the same, I struck my forehead with a "Doh!"
~ OMK
____________
DR: Asymmetrical grid 16Ax15D, no diagonals.
I knew _IOS but I guessed v. Of course an obscure punk rock duo could have been anything. FIW (1BW strikes again)
ReplyDeleteBoring outcomes?: HOLES.
The Weschler touch. As in a hole borer. And of course YOINK and Show place?: THIRD.
WC
ReplyDeleteThank you for confirming, Waseeley.
I've figured it out. Just like a tough Saturday puzzle, it was a good challenge. I'm stoked.
I'll clean up all of the comments. Good teamwork. Thanks to you and SubG for your input assistance and answering my questions.
SubG, you were right. I guess that I forgot, but I did figure (part of) this out before when you got your new iPhone. From July 21, 2022 at 10:52 AM, " Subgenius, try this on your iPhone. Scroll down to the very bottom of the comments. Press the "View Web Version". After it loads, scroll to the comments section and see if you are able to select your blogger profile from the Web Version when you comment."
This time I dug a little bit deeper and know much more. In short, part of it is Blogger's handling of the optimized version for smartphones, but the larger piece is the smartphone browser and it's privacy settings. Of course, how you manipulate would depend on the browser and how you get to the settings, and whether or not the browser will even let you (selectively) manipulate the settings.
Getting there on my PC on Firefox was a breeze. Getting there on my smartphone on Firefox to do the same was trial and error process. Thus my various tests and comments above (that I'm going to delete.)
The easiest solution for most readers on smartphones who want to comment using their Google Account (to be in blue and to show their avatar) is to simply scroll to the bottom and take the option to "Use The Web View".
Tante Nique, I'm interested to hear whether FIOS really materializes in your neighborhood. Last I heard they had capped the product at the current service areas. My guess is that new Verizon high speed internet offering will be via 5G cellular. Probably the really fast 5G, not the sorta-fast 5G.
ReplyDeleteI worked at GTE HQ when the FIOS product was being developed. We first thought that we would also be a content provider. This was before DSL and cable modems, and cell phone data was limited to text messaging.
I can't figure out how many landlines Verizon still operates, but I'll bet it's not many. They sold virtually all of their former GTE properties to Frontier Communications.
This puzzle filled quickly for a Thursday and a Jeff Wex - slight slowing when I wanted to start the reveal answer with "What is" THE MEANING OF LIFE- and had to drop the beginning to make it fit. When Iphones first had Siri - my kids loved to continually ask her that question and she eventually gave the answer 42
ReplyDeleteI think ALAN Rickman was a gifted actor - so different in his varied roles, but . My favorite was Colonel Brandon in the 1995 adaptation of "Sense and Sensibility"
SD- I remembered that prior puzzle with Alana HAIM in "Licorice Pizza" - she had never acted much before that movie except in a music video for the band she has with her sisters.
Thanks Bill & Teri for the fun blog!
inanehiker
ReplyDeleteThank you for reminding me of Colonel Brandon! I loved ALAN Rickman in that role! I'm not a Harry Potter fan so never saw him in that. However, I love Sense and Sensibility and have seen it several times.
A neighbor who is our handyman will come tomorrow morning to install the new disposal unit.
Last night's storm was so strong it blew a panel off someone's A/C. It was in the middle of our lawn so it's hard to say where it came from.
ReplyDeleteSo, Waseeley, I know you (and Dash T, and some others) will "get" this, but here is what I know now:
Blogger uses third party cookies so you can comment from your Google Account. If third party cookies are disabled on your browser, you MAY not be able to comment on blog posts while you’re signed in. You can still comment anonymously, or with a name/URL.
Disabling third party cookies is SOP on Firefox, Safari, Edge, Chrome etc. Waseeley, it may fix some of your other site issues, but use cautiously...
The third party cookie blocking issue manifests itself on the optimized mobile version of the blog used by smartphones. That's why you do not get the option to use your Google Account / avatar when reading the mobile version, and why scrolling to the bottom and selecting the Web Version works.
If you want to read the blog in the optimized version for mobile users AND have the ability to use your Google Account / Avatar, you MUST allow Crosswordcorner.blogspot.com as an exception to the normal tracking protection that browsers provide. That's what I did when I tested at 1:08. I changed my Firefox Enhanced Tracking Protection settings to allow the corner site.
Ray-O, tell your son-inlaw that, or take it to the Genius store. I know what to do, but not how to do it an an iPhone. He must change your Safari privacy settings to allow the third party cookies for the Crosswordcorner blogspot. (That's what I meant by "selectively allow" above. For this site. Not every site, which would expose your privacy everywhere). You will be able to use your Google account and blue name and avatar in the mobile version. You will not get the Preview function back in Mobile mode (which automatically loads when the blogspot is loaded from a smartphone), but it MAY give you the Preview function back if you scroll down and select the Use The Web Version. It did so on my Android. It appears to me that comments Preview in may have been totally deprecated in Blogger mobile version.
Having said that, Preview is still not going to check for malformed HTML. At least as far as I know and as far as I tested.
Someone should write all of this down for the next time.
ReplyDeleteAgain, and to be clear, for most readers on smartphones, there is absolutely nothing you have to do. Unless you want to comment "in blue" using your Google Account and avatar profile and it's not working for you. In that case, you should scroll down to the bottom and select "Use Web Version"
Jinx @ 2:41. Even though Verizon’s web site encourages us to check internet availability in my area, Baton Rouge, it is not available, yet. When I look at the coverage map New Orleans is the only Louisiana location indicated. Their advertising way precedes their reality.
ReplyDeleteI liked the clues for HOLES, THIRD, and MUTT, waseeley's write-up, and all your comments.
ReplyDeleteHI All!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jeff for a fine Friday puzzle (what do you mean it's only Thursday? ;-)) I love the theme and your execution.
Thanks waseeley for the informative PG-13 review.
WOs: OCTo -> OCTA
ESPs: FIOS (oh, yeah!), ALAN, ANNA, EDDIE, AMYS, and GBS, ORIF, HAIM - took a leap of faith to go from at __S_ NO to GOSH NO.
Fav: Show place? was clever and is tied with "Boring outcomes?"
{C+, A}
AMACO - Everyone knew AMOCO? I'm surprised anyone outside of M&A or the oil patch would know BP's absorption of the company (or ever remembered them).
BigE - or banjos are picked (CED beat me to the Hee Haw link).
Enjoyed reading everyone today.
Cheers, -T
Hello, Cornerites! Thanks for the challenge, Jeff W., and for the write-up, waseely, and for remembering my involvement with dogs. I still solve the puzzle M-F and just read the write-up the other 2 days. I don't feel that I have anything to add to the wonderful comments made by others.
ReplyDeleteI still get out to the shelter a few times a week. It's therapy for me, relaxes me and gets me out of the house. Current residents This is who's available to play with right now.
Enjoy your evening and stay cool!
Pat @ 6:32 PM I'm so happy to hear from you. I was hoping that CSO would elicit a comment from you. Please keep up your wonderful work with our canine friends, who are my favorite pets (and please don't mention this to Hahtoolah 😊).
ReplyDeletePuzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteHG @ 9:42 --- as OMKeith pointed out, no diagonals today due to the puzzle's "across" length (16 squares). The theme entries were actually two 15-letter and one 16-letter (as was the reveal).
Glad to see a JW puzzle again at LAT
I will be back soon ...
Only three countries qualify as completely surrounded by another country's land and/or internal waters. Besides Vatican City, what are the other two?
ReplyDeleteTTP@9:00 I was intrigued so looked the question up: Lesotho and San Marino. Maybe?
ReplyDeleteJinx- Is "someone's in the kitchen with Dinah" by Daft Punk? Unknowns both.
ReplyDeleteIt's never too late to learn something new and so I learn something with so many of these CW puzzles. JeffWex is a good one from which to learn. Eight and a half decades and I'm still learning!
ReplyDeleteTante Nique @ 9:22. Correct. Italy surrounds two of them.
ReplyDelete