Puzzling thoughts:
Well, well, well ... today marks my 75th recap here at The Corner, and what a fitting puzzle "theme" to have ... it's all about the (64-across. Measure of grossness avoided in the answers to the starred clues?:) ICK FACTOR.
Those of you who have followed Chairman Moe over the past few years will know how the word "gross" connects to him. And though the Chairman grew up in the (61-down. Eventful times:) ERAS where "gross" meant large, great, and 12 dozen (144), the generations that followed came to know "gross" as being, well, ICKY.
Today's offering is by Ruth Bloomfield Margolin. Ruth celebrates her LA Times puzzle debut today while managing to find three phrases that can be sussed with or without the word (letters) ICK. How, you ask?
For starters, we have: 17-across. *Litter collection vehicles?: P(ICK)UP TRUCKS. One of a litter of dogs is called a PUP. Additionally, a vehicle that might be used to collect litter (aka "trash") is a PICKUP TRUCK ... what does a PUP PICKUP TRUCK look like? This!!
Next, Ruth gave us: 24-across. *Malcolm's status at the end of "Macbeth"?: ALIVE AND K(ICK)ING. I had to dig through Google to confirm that Malcom was indeed both KING as well as being "ALIVE AND KICKING" at the play's end. What does a KICKING KING look like?
And last but not least we have: 52-across. *Source of friction when a messy person lives with a neatnik?: ST(ICK)Y SITUATION. While the phrase "STY SITUATION" seemed a bit forced, the "ICK" fits, as this messy roommate might indeed cause a source of friction. I immediately thought of:
In what seems to be a common Friday event, today's crossword puzzle adds/subtracts a word to create a grouping of punny entries. It wasn't what I'd call "Friday tough"; and honestly, I wondered if Patti had this queued up just for me, given the "gross" connection ... but it may have been coincidental 😉
The grid, and then a new twist (for at least half of my bi-weekly recap):
Across:
1. Rum mixer: COKE.
Unlike SNL
Skit, the Billy Goat Tavern
Serves COKE; no Pepsi
5. Tarot suit: CUPS.
We heard there's a bar
Where the patrons play Tarot.
They're all in their CUPS
9. Destructive bug: BORER.
Tahitian island
Has destructive bugs. It's now
Called: BORER BORER
14. Receptive: OPEN. A brief pause from Moe-ku's, as this word was somewthat uninspiring
15. Draft choice: ONE A.
Army needed a
Steak sauce. They held a draft and
A.1. was ONE A
16. New car option: LEASE. Not every entry in today's puzzle will be a Moe-ku, (see 23-, 31-, 32-, and 41-across for the continuation of this sentence)
19. Laudatory poet: ODIST.
Orchestra hired
Wind player who wrote poems:
ODIST oboist
20. First baseball team to play in a dome: ASTROS.
Original name
For this team was floral-based.
Was called: "ASTER-ROSE"
21. "Birthplace of Aviation": OHIO.
Dayton was the home
Of Orville and Wilbur Wright
The Founders of Flight
Fun Fact: Chairman Moe's birthplace is also OHIO
23. __ salt: SEA. and not all will be winners 😜
27. Writer who populated the Hundred Acre Wood: A. A. MILNE. Home of Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, et al
30. Shade in four-color printing: CYAN.
Japanese printers
Bid farewell to blue when they
Said:"CYAN-ara"
31. Actor Reeves: KEANU. and once in awhile I will just toss in a photograph;
32. Mission control org.: NASA. or maybe a simple link,
35. Scale abbr.: LBS..
Mormon Church scales have
Weird measurements. Not LB'S;
They're in LDS
37. Fish sticks fish: COD.
In Massachusetts
There are special fishing "sticks"
Called "rods for a COD"
38. *"Arf" or "meow"?: PET LINE.
A retractable
Leash for barking dogs is called
A PET LINE zipline
41. "Tubular!": RAD. because even MOE needs a break during his recaps
43. Trawling need: NET. You know, when I started this recap, I really thought it would be cool to "Moe-ku" each and every entry ... [continued in 45-across]
45. Future atty.'s exam: LSAT. but I am nearly 2 hours into blogging, and have only completed about 1/4 of it ...
46. Quick-as-lightning Bolt: USAIN. Another Moe-ku "break" ... the capital letter "B" in "BOLT" gave this away
48. City near the heel of Italy's boot: BARI. A CSO to my fellow Friday blogger, Malodorous Manatee who was in BARI on the day I was writing my recap
50. Supplementary items: ADDENDA.
How you terminate
"Legal dispute"? It's simple.
You just ADD "END A"
Get it?? END A legal dispute ...
56. __-di-dah: LAH. Or what (LAH-di-dah) Moe's puns are, mostly
57. See 26-Down: PENN. (26-down. With 57-Across, co-star in the "Harold & Kumar" film series:) KAL.
58. Regret not wearing a coat, say: FREEZE. A Moe-l'ick for a change:
When the man saw the snow-covered trees,
He decided to do as he please.
He said, "I am a Czech!"
And besides, what the heck,
He went coatless, 'cause Czechs never FREEZE
62. Degrade: ABASE. Another "break in the action" ... I left this one for Ray-O-Sunshine to pun!
66. Forbidden things: NO-NO'S.
When cramming for test
Use caffeine to stay awake.
NoDoz aren't NO-NO'S
67. "America the Beautiful" pronoun: THEE. This entry was not meant to be parodied. THEE appears @2:19
68. "Frozen" princess: ANNA.
Chiquita opted
To name fruit for a princess:
ANNA's banana
69. Beckett title character who is not in the cast: GODOT.
Beckett was seeking
A new sour bread starter:
Looking for GODOT??
70. Rise sky-high: SOAR.
An injured eagle
Continued his lofty climb
Yes, he would SOAR sore
71. Fifth Avenue retailer: SAKS.
Big Apple merchant
Decides it would be clever
To call their bags SAKS
OK, before we transition to the "down" clues/entries, Moe realizes that he has spent nearly three hours coining these punny -Ku's. There might be few more, but his creativity tank is on empty ...
Down:
1. __ Mundial de Fútbol: COPA. COPA in Spanish means "CUP" - as in a drinking vessel or trophy (the meaning in today's clue)
2. Major work: OPUS. Beethoven's Magnum OPUS (Symphony No 9 in D minor, Opus 125, also known as Beethoven's Ninth) is an hour and a half long performance. Here is a 3 minute clip:
3. Maintained: KEPT. This definition of KEPT is not one that is used as much anymore
4. Board, in a way: ENTRAIN.
Could we honestly
Say that Moses did this? He
ENTRAINed the entrails
5. Reunion attendee: COUSIN; with (6-down. 5-Down's dad, for short:) UNC. Was her dad a Tar Heel perhaps??!
7. Tea type: PEKOE.
What kind of tea do
Ghosts drink? Why of course you would
Call it PEKOE boo
8. Obama daughter: SASHA. With sister Malia
9. __ Mary: BLOODY. I like mine with LOTS of additives
10. Wordsmith's ref.: OED. Oxford English Dictionary
11. Post production?: RAISIN BRAN. Very clever clue! Post is the company that produces RAISIN BRAN, along with Kellogg's
12. Steel city north of Cologne: ESSEN. The word "ESSEN" in German means to eat or munch
13. Put on sale, say: RE-TAG. So in the childhood game, would this mean that if you "RE-TAG", the new "IT" person is marked down??!
18. Arrive, as in a limo: ROLL UP. I had ROLL IN before the perps fixed it
22. Like some ancient Peruvian pottery: INCAN.
Potter from Lima
Decided to repackage
Ancient pots IN CAN
25. Air ducts: VENTS. Another pun opportunity for R-O-S??
27. Pedigree registry since 1884: Abbr.: AKC. American Kennel Club
28. Long, long time: AEON. Fun fact: an AEON and an EON are the same length of time [a billion years]. AEON is used more by the British; we Colonists prefer EON
29. Like all ancient Peruvian pottery: MADE BY HAND. Almost a clecho to 22-down
33. In the style of: A LA.
What's "the style of"
Called in S. California?
It's A LA L.A.
34. Occupy, as a desk: SIT AT. "WORK FROM" didn't fit
36. "__ no one ever": SAID. Chairman Moe might be the one exception to this statement ...
39. Top-tier: ELITE.
Monospaced typeface
Was disliked by other fonts;
Was just too ELITE
40. Author Welty: EUDORA. The Optimist's Daughter won her a Pulitzer Prize
Really trICKY & ICKY puzzle, thanks, Ruth. I filled 'er with the help of red-letters. Filled my wakeful night-time hour, so there is that.
ReplyDeleteHad to have Moe explain the theme. He came online just as I finished and had decided it must be themeless. NONO, it wasn't. Enjoyed the expo more than the puzzle, thanks, Moe.
I agree with C-Moe that this puzzle was relatively easy for a Friday. For one thing, all the proper names in it were well-known or easily perped. And while I didn’t see the gimmick until the reveal, I did “pick it up” then. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteFIR, with lots of erasures: old->SEA, kneau, kenau->KEANU, usane->USAIN, shiver->FREEZE, and lungs->VENTS.
ReplyDeleteToday is:
NATIONAL MANUFACTURING DAY (Division 1 coaches are important cogs in the machines that manufacture pro football and basketball players)
NATIONAL COACHES DAY (you’re welcome, NFL and NBA)
NATIONAL BODY LANGUAGE DAY (who speaks YOUR language?)
NATIONAL PLUS SIZE APPRECIATION DAY (Some bodies speak louder than others)
WORLD COLLEGE RADIO DAY (I put in a lot of board op hours at the local college station as a high school student)
NATIONAL NOODLE DAY (no, not your brain, the stuff you eat)
NATIONAL GERMAN-AMERICAN DAY (my roots are Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants from Germany)
I'm proud to say that I know just as much about Tarot as I know about the WNBA.
NASA is another shout-out to the Corner's resident space guy, Husker Gary.
Homeward bound this morning! I really enjoyed this trip, but it is always good to get back home.
Thanks to Ruth for the fun challenge. My favorite was Post production; my least favorite was ENTRAIN. And thanks to C-Moe for the always fun tour, and for being no threat to OKL for the Corner's Poet Laureate position.
Thank you, Ruth Bloomfield Margolin.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I will ever see the name Margolin and fail to think of Stuart. For those that don't get the reference, he played Jim Rockford's shifty con man "friend" Angel on The Rockford files.
Thank you, Moe. You gave us a ying-yang of Moe-kus today. In other words, a gross amount of them... :>)
That wasn't meant to be ICKy.
An easy listening, pop hit from 1970: ALIVE AND KICKING - Tighter, Tighter The group was a one hit wonder. The song was co-written by Tommy James. According to Wikipedia, James had considered giving them Crystal Blue Persuasion, but decided to record it himself, and gave them Tighter,Tighter a bit later.
ZONK out. That's what I did just after the Bears / Commanders game started. Woke up after the game was over.
FLN, Darren, what happened to Art Speed? Another Packer backer? :>. One of my friends had a close Wisconsin friend who had inherited season tickets to the games at Lambeau. The Wisconsin guy missed a lot of games because of work travels one year, but wasn't going give up his season tickets, so my buddy made the 4.5 hour drive up to Green Bay multiple times that year. The wait list for season tickets is something like 30 years. Single game tickets are hard to come by and mostly happens when the visiting team returns some portion of their allotment. You have to go to NFL Exchange to try and get lucky to get single game seats. Hens teeth.
From Wednesday, sumdaze, I meant to reply to your "you guys" comment as it commonly used without regard to gender. One of my long time neighbors used to get so riled up about "you guys" anytime she heard it. Invariably she would recount the time that she and her husband went to an upscale, formal attire type of restaurant for a company special recognition event that included her husband. They were greeted by the server with, "How are you guys doing?" followed by a few more "you guys" references, like "What would you guys like to drink?" and "Would you guys like to order appetizers?" and "Are you guys ready to order?" before she couldn't take it anymore. "Do I look like a guy to you?"
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteWow, d-o got the theme at ALIVE AND KickING. Then PickUP TRUCKS made sense. Hooray for the blind squirrel. Thanx, Ruth and C-Moe. (Thought an EON was a long, but indefinite amount of time.)
We recorded 6+ inches of rain so far this week. That may just be a drought-buster. The trees that haven't already died should be happy.
FIR. I struggled a bit with this puzzle, but it is Friday after all. But slow and steady won the race.
ReplyDeleteI think we missed a theme answer at 38A. Pet line becomes p(ick)et line, and it has an asterisk meaning it is part of the theme.
KS --> indeed you are correct. 38-across does have an asterisk. My bad. But now that you point it out, I don't get how PICKET LINE connects to the clue "arf or meow?" That's confusing ... thanks for catching it, though
DeleteA line in a movie or play is what the character says. Arf and meow is what one of our pets would "say".
DeleteTook 7 minutes exactly today, so not exactly a st()y wicket for me.
ReplyDeleteI will dissent on point from SubG's post, as I did not know today's author (Eudora).
Good puzzle, but I still miss the old Friday-level puzzles.
I was eating a bowl of Kellog's Raisin Bran while solving today, so a little off 'brand'.
Good Morning! And congratulations to Ruth on her debut. It was a fun puzzle and a clever theme which I didn’t grasp until reading the Blog.
ReplyDeleteAlas, DNF. I just lost my concentration by the time I worked my way back up to the top & the NE got me. I had entered enTAG instead of RETAG & couldn’t work my way out of it. Post RAISIN BRAN, though I know of it for sure, just didn’t click with me today. Kept thinking movies…
C-Moe, the entertainment you gave to us today was much enjoyed. Thanks.
My heart melted at the Golden Retriever pupmobile!! 🥰🥰 !
TTP, I have to say, “Hand Up” for your tale of your neighbor at the restaurant.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been in this situation. I said to the hostess, “I’m not a guy” and she replied that it was just an expression. No, “You guys” is a form of address. To men, it’s fine. Not so much to women, and to young girls, just sad.
How's about "you folks" or "you people"? That should work.
DeleteWell Mr. Chairman, Gross & Gros are a pretty 'BIG' names in South LA in Cajun country. Some pronounce it 'grow' and others 'gross'. I caught the ICK FACTOR immediately at PUP TRUCKS. I had to guess to get CUPS, UNC, and SASHA as CUPS was unknown and I didn't know Obama's daughter. Jinx- I know zilch about Tarot and one WNBA player. COPA- only knew cabana-perps
ReplyDeleteBARI in Italy? New to me.l
RAD for the unknown 'Tubular' macaroni- perps
RAISIN BRAN- DW prefers Post over the 'two scoops' brand
SOO- I didn't have a 'clue' but I see a future Xword theme in SUE, SOO, SIOUX.
All those gov. workers in D.C. don't want to go back and SIT AT a desk. They prefer to stay home and act like they are working via the internet. Everybody knows they are lying but it's hard to fire a gov. employee. Less than 30% have gone back to their offices but they are still getting paid.
Thanks Ruth for a clever and witty puzzle. A fun 🏃♂️ run for a Friday and no white out needed… kkFlorida
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteThe theme eluded me until Sty Situation filled in and then I knew the reveal would be the Ick Factor. The puzzle was fine but, like SS, I miss the Weschler-esque Fridays of the past. My favorite C/A was Quick as lightning Bolt=Usain and my favorite fill was Bloody (Mary)! The No Nos/Taboo and Copa/Cups duos were cute. I was all set to criticize Pet Line as green paint, but KS @ 5:50 saved me the embarrassment by wisely pointing out that it was a themer.
Thanks, Ruth, and congrats on your LA Times debut and thanks, Moe, for the entertaining and exhaustive review, especially the massive number of charming Moe-kus. My favorites were the ones for CUPS, CYAN, and SAKS, although all were great. I also enjoyed the musical treats of Ray Charles and Herr Beethoven. Best of all was the Precious Puppy Pickup Photo!
FLN
Moe, Bill, HG, Taint Nique, and Anon T, thank you for your concern and kind words. I'm almost back to normal. Yesterday's "Fir Babies" certainly brightened my day, thanks to Barbara Lin's most enjoyable puzzle!
Have a great day.
FinICKy Friday. Thanks for the fun Ruth (congrats on your debut here) and CMoe (you outdid yourself today!).
ReplyDeleteI finished in fairly good time for a Friday, and saw the ICK theme.
But I knew I had a possible problem at 38A. I had PET LIN g. Like KS@5:50am, I saw the asterisk and was trying to see the theme here. All I could think of was Pet Licking, which made no sense. And since I am not familiar with author Welty, I came here for an answer, to no avail. Thanks KS for elucidating P ICK ET LINE (although I still don’t see how those cat and dog sounds fit that answer?).
I had plenty of inkblots.
Alumna changed to COUSIN (wrong reunion today).
I moved from K to C to ZONK.
This Canadian had Kgs for my scale abbr. to match those metric UNITS (even if they were not spelled as litres and metres!). Perps corrected that.
SIT AT crossing LSAT was cute.
And “SAID no one ever” crossing the SLANG RAD for “Tubular” was apropos.
Wishing you all a great day.
Glad to see you back, Irish Miss.
ReplyDeleteCanadianEh!, what someone says is their "line."
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-I thought this was an uber clever gimmick!
-Post Production/RAISIN BRAN was fun too.
-I am truly OPEN to anyone else’s opinion
-UNITS: My doctor’s office measures weight in KGS where the number is less than ½ the LBS number
-The PICKET LINES are down in Hollywood but not in Detroit
-For good or ill, the list of NONOS and TABOOS is shrinking.
-I am bombarded with SLANG these days by doing these puzzles and being hip-deep in teenagers
-Division I coaches are usually the highest paid government employee in the state by far
-I am subbing in the building where I saw many of NASA’s early launches on b/w tv’s.
-My first email client was EUDORA
-I am much more cognizant of what gender nouns I use these days
-Thanks for the fun write-up, Chris. Keep me posted on where I can find your puzzles!
ReplyDeleteLotsa hopping, skipping, and jumping around for clues. Not my cuppa. The theme “stICK ICK somewhere in the phrase” was FRN’ HARD 🥺, but an otherwise a fairly easy Friday
The only one of us who uses “meters and liters” doesn’t…Canada Eh says metres and litres
“Inkovers”: Hal/KAL, alumna/COUSIN
“Almost puts”: virgin/ BLOODY, Steve/KEANU
Learned about the runner USAIN from prior CWs. BARI, Santa’s home (St Nicholas) he leaves this balmy seaside town headed for the “Polo Nord” just long enough to cobble together our Christmas presents.
Plus 2 volcanoes in one puzzle!! thatsa lotta lava 🌋🌋
Liked the “Post production” clue RAISIN BRAN. Simple but clever.
Ohio license plates state “BIrthplace of Aviation” but N. Carolina’s declare “First in Flight” … thought meant “first to run away” …🏃♂️🏃🏃♀️ 😁
First time I met DW at a local watering hole she asked for a Roman coke.
Glad you’re back Irish ☘️ M ☺️
Moe you went Koo Koo with klever Kues and puns today, how can I keep up?
I’d need help from Dear____ advice column…. ABASE 🤗
For a while I struggled up north, but once I got the ICK FACTOR, I was able to climb out of my slump and FIR. There were a few unknown names like KAL, SOO, and couldn’t remember if the Obama daughter was Tasha or SASHA. So no complaints.
ReplyDeleteC-Moe. You had me laughing out loud with your little limericks and loved the PUP TRUCK.
Ick?
ReplyDeletereminds me of when I kept tropical fish...
I had 10 am Covid/flu appt scheduled...
However, I start my day by reading the late night comments. I was taken aback by what happened to Irish Miss...
After much brain wrestling, I decided to go anyway. But when I got there, the electronic germ catching machine I had to fill out said I did not have an appointment. That combined with the happy little girl who was now screaming behind closed doors, and the fact that after some time waiting some one finally came to help me, and pointed out my appt was not with their special section, but with the pharmacy. Now a half hour after my appt. Time, I went t9 the pharmacy only to find 5 people in front of me.
All in all, I thought this to be one too many bad omens, and decided to get the heck out of there...
I hope it wasn't a mistake.
Irish Miss, was your booster Moderna?
Easy run for a Friday. The few obscure names were nicely perped. Not a fan of the combination clues, but the solve was enjoyable. Only nit was DRAFT CHOICE. When I was classified as ONE A, it was certainly NOT my choice! Had so much fun reading the Chairman's review, I think I'll go back and read it again!
ReplyDeleteIM@9:50 a.m. - IM, I must confess that I often don’t read the afternoon postings here, at least after a certain point. So I just read about your trials, and Bill’s, with getting the latest Covid shot. I’m glad you’re feeling better. I must say, your experience gives me pause as to whether I will get the latest Covid shot or not. I’ve gotten all the others appropriate to my age and general condition, but after your recent experience, I’m not so sure about getting this one. But, anyway, I’m glad you’re back! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteFIR with one guess the O in Soo and Godot. Got the theme which sped things up. Took me a sec with Post production. Funny. With all the vaccines we are encouraged to get. RSV-Flu-Covid it does give you pause. I had a friend this year who developed a bad shoulder problem after getting his Covid shot. All of these things like I.M. give one further pause. I get the flu and Covid every year. Its still worrisome. GC
ReplyDeletePuzzling thoughts, Part II:
ReplyDeleteJinx, no worries; I would never try to replace Owen as poet laureate for the blog. His style and mine are quite different ...
TTP, thanks for the link to the band "Alive and Kickin(g)"; I certainly remember the song but I would lose any bet made for trying to remember the group's name
Irish Miss, thanks. The "CYAN" ku was the one I liked best, too! 😀
Ray-O, I think the whole "gross/ICK" factor of the puzzle somehow stimulated my "koo koo ku" brain into action ... but as I commented in the blog, it was a lot harder to come up with these than to cut and paste random pictures, hyperlinks, et al
I am still scratching my head about the PET LINE/ PICKET LINE connection with the way the clue was written, but shame on me (also as a constructor, who should have realized that a word placed dead center in the grid was part of the entries) for not seeing the * in front of "Arf or meow?" and commenting about it ...
What if that clue read: "Striking spaniels at the Purina plant?"
Maybe Ruth Bloomfield Margolin will drop by and comment for us??
Hola!
ReplyDeleteReading the Chairman's post was as much fun as doing the puzzle! Thank you, Moe.
All went well and smoothly until I hit the NE corner thinking about a specific "destructive bug". Oh, a BORER. Generic. Tricky!
And, of course, I had ALIVE AND well, not KING. Inkblot!
I guess I'm not awake enough to think it through.
IrishMiss
It's good to see you back. I hope you are fully recovered.
EUDORA Welty was one of the authors I learned about in my American Lit class. We read 30 books that term.
I, too, waited to see if it was Malia or SASHA for Obama daughter. The H in OHIO confirmed SASHA.
Time to go eat some RAISIN BRAN!
Enjoy your Friday, everyone!
Ray O @ 10:21 ~ Thank you! 😉 ☘️
ReplyDeleteCED @ 11:28 ~ Yes, all my shots have been Moderna but, as I mentioned, this is the first with such extreme after-effects. I sympathize with your appointment snafus as I experienced a similar experience. My appointment was 12:45 and the actual shot was administered at 1:15, with no explanation or apology for the delay. Based on my observation of the behind-the-counter activity, the person who injected me stood idle for that entire half hour, waiting, I suspect, for the vaccine to thaw out! There is no other logical explanation for the delay.
Subgenius @ 11:45 ~ Thank you for your well wishes; it's nice to be back.
I wouldn't let my singular experience affect anyone's decision to get their shot. Being protected is important.
C-Moe, I don't understand your problem with PET LINE/PICKET LINE. All of the ICK-less themers fit the descriptions, and all of the themers become in-the-language phrases when ICK is added. The "ICK" versions don't need to fit the descriptions.
ReplyDeleteCanadianEh @ 9:53 and Lucina @ 12:07 ~ Thank you both for the warm wishes! 🤗
ReplyDeleteI got the triple-whammy Flu-Covid-RSV shots on Monday with no negative reactions. I'm happy to report that the RSV vaccine doesn't make you pee -- it's not an RSVP shot.
ReplyDeleteThat's only two thirds of a PUN.
DeleteOh crap!
ReplyDeleteI had no guilty feelings about ducking out of the Covid shot, especially after they had already delayed me a 1/2 hour. I was a last minute phone squeeze in anyway when the internet was sending me 30 miles somewhere else. It was obvious they did not have the time, manpower or inclination, so I thought I was doing them a favor by exiting.
It never occurred t9 me they might have thawed out a batch just for me...
There is more than one dose in the vials. None are for one person only.
DeleteFIW today. I went for kgS for scale abbreviation. RAISING RAN didn' make much sense, but why should it? Had no idea about KAk/KAL.
ReplyDeleteMy DW and I inquired about the new Covid shots at our pharmacy. They were available. The pharmacist told us that previously the Sera were supplied through the government and were free to all. Now the pharmacy must purchase it and that is why it may not be available in some locations. If their stock goes bad, they must eat the cost.
We then got our flu shots and put off the Covid so my DW's arm wouldn't hurt as badly. We have not experienced any after effects with any of our Covid shots.
Enjoyed your puzzle, Ruth, a bit pr()ly but doable. Most, you always entertain. Thanks!
Never wait for tomorrow, when you can have it today.
Puzzling thoughts III:
ReplyDeleteLee and desper-otto: I have no problem with PET LINE / PICKET LINE as the entry. I do have a problem with the clue. Here's why: all of the other three entries' clues are suss-able and make sense if you have ICK in the answer or not, as you'll note from my opening comments. The one for PET LINE / PICKET LINE does not; at least in MY opinion. Hoping that someone can comment about this to relieve my frustration!!!! 🤪
Thanks Ruth for a remarkable debut, for a very clever theme execution, and FIR some crunchy Friday fun.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you CMOE for your A1 review. A real Tour de Gross (in the German sense) -- I was laughing WITH you all the way! Also I loved your new popup MoeKu format.
Just a few favs (only because Chris is a tough act to follow):
58A FREEZE. Czechs never FREEZE, but they can BOUNCE.
2D OPUS. I could tell from the splash screen exactly what 3 minutes it was. This OPUS changed music for ever.
4D ENTRAIN. No, but IIRC ABRAHAM did.
11D RAISIN BRAN. I'll say it was clever -- and it was the last to fall.
65D KEA. That the LOA and the short of it.
Cheers,
Bill
Jinx @5:40AM NATIONAL GERMAN-AMERICAN DAY is a CSO to MOE.
Irish Miss@ 9:50 AM Great to have you back Agnes! And the last I heard was that there are still some FUR BABIES left at the Seeley household!
This puzzle was just right for me. I had to work at it but I got a FIR and was able to see how ICK fit into all the starred clues to make an in-the-language phrase. Thank you, Ruth and congratulations on your debut! I look forward to your next offering.
ReplyDeleteLoved Post production?
Thanks and congratulations on #75 to C-Moe! I was blown away by your creativity. Fav was the ADDENDA ku.
My ICK FACTOR is probably above average.
Happy to see IM back in time to enjoy a Bloody Mary!
CED @ 1:12 ~ Don't worry, someone will get the portion allotted for you.
ReplyDeleteMoe @ 1:36 ~ It took awhile, but I finally understand your position and I think others will, too, after a careful reading of this explanation. You are 100 per cent correct.
Bill @ 2:14 ~ Great to be back! I'm sure those Seeley Fur Babies are adorable but if I was in the market for any furry friends, they would be of the canine persuasion. Alas, my fur baby days are over, unless my furry teddy bear collection counts! 🤣
sumdaze @ 2:27 ~ Cheers! 🍹
ReplyDeleteI found this puzzle inspiring and Moe’s write-up excellent, good enough to post here to acknowledge and thank them.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI had a tough time with this puzzle ... and although I completed it, I could not, for the life of me, understand why some things were there ... although they seemed to 'fit' and there appeared to be no other choices....
Arf and /Meow was an example, ... the word Pet Line, didn't really mean much, ( .... unless you know the lingo ...). Plus the clever theme was too intellectual and half, for my dotty brain.
I guess the wordsmith in me, needs a lot of refining yet ... and at my age, I'm afraid I'm running out of time. Anyway.
Ch Moe, you outdid yourself, with all the stupendous Moe-kus and Moe-ricks ... Sometimes, I think, that some people are more attuned and more talented in wordsmithy ... and this shows up in both constructing and solving of crossword puzzles, and also other pursuits, like making limericks, puns and what not. As for me, ... I just assumed some of the concocted answers, which looked meaningless, ... were 'normal' for a themeless Friday.
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I quit drinking alcohol some years ago, voluntarily, as a penitence for a confirmed alcoholic amongst my relatives, and now, when somebody mentions 'bloody Mary' ...
... I think of the older step-sister of Elizabeth the 1st, ... Catholic Mary- ruled 5 years til 1558 ( per Wikipedia - ) ... who probably started that name ...
She was queen before Liz, and while queen, ( Mary arranged for the massacre of all the nonconformists, and non-Roman catholics religious personnel ...) in revenge for what was done earlier, by her earlier step-brother, King Edward the 6th, who, in turn, took vengence at all the Roman catholic monks and heirarchy, and killed most of them ...
... That Catholic Mary ... or the Mary, Queen of Scots, cousin to Liz the first, who was involved in some ciphercodes and planning/treason against Liz the first. And Her head was chopped off ... Ironically, her son James, succeeded Liz, as King of England.
I'm now waay off the subject.
Better quit. Have a nice weekend all you folks.
Yes CMoe@1:36- that’s what I was questioning @9:51 when I said “Thanks KS for elucidating P ICK ET LINE (although I still don’t see how those cat and dog sounds fit that answer?).” The other themers all made sense to the clue with or without the ICK.. P ICK ET LINE seems to be an outlier. Is the dog or cat sitting by a picket fence saying “arf or “meow”?
ReplyDeleteI just break in fora a moment to say congratulations to Narges Mohammadi on winning the Nobel Peace Prize. So sad that she will not be able to attend the awards ceremony -- due to being in jail. Perhaps her husband and children, whom she has not been able to be with for eight years, will receive it for her.
ReplyDeleteMy PCP is an older,conservative guy. Last month he gave me a Prevnar 20 shot, and wants me to wait about 3 weeks then get a COVID booster, wait about three weeks then get a flu shot, wait about three weeks and then get an RSV shot.
ReplyDeleteJinx
ReplyDeleteIs there a reason for all that waiting? Otherwise, why not just go to a different location and get them. I received the flu and Covid shots the same day, one in each arm.
CEh! @ 4:18 --> I like your clue better: dog and cat sitting by the PICKET fence and uttering their arf and meow ... still, it's a stretch ... as I said before, it would be nice if the newer constructors were aware of this blog and would stop by to say hello and explain any clues that we all had problems with
ReplyDeleteBTW, thanks for all the positive comments regarding the blog today; it was my pleasure!
Jinx @ 5:36 and Lucina @ 6:18 --> all of my flu-like vaccines (RSV, COVID booster, and annual flu shot) were done 2 weeks apart. I chose this spacing both as advice from my PCP as well as wanting to give my "shot arm" a couple weeks off to heal - if there were any side effects. Fortunately, knock on wood, I had none
Not sure if this falls into my "fun facts" or not, but I heard that with vaccinations it's suggested that you always get the shot in the same arm. It has something to do with efficacy. Maybe one of our resident/former MDs will respond to validate this ... as they say, I read it on the internet so it MUST be true 😜
PERUVIAN POTTERY, MADE BY HAND,
ReplyDeleteIs a reminder, in that ANCIENT land,
INCAN craft
Was made to last.
Today they just package things IN CAN.
Wrote this last night, but never got a second one done before my innards started acting up. So here it is, solo and very late. 😔
I was describing to Teri what a clever puzzle this was and how creative Chris's review was and had some additional thoughts about one of the clues [Please bear with me on this] ...
ReplyDelete2. Major work: OPUS. For this MOE provided a beautiful clip of Zubin Mehta introducing the ODE TO JOY theme in the 4th Movement of what is unquestionably Beethoven's MAGNUM OPUS in the symphonic repertoire.
But Beethoven was a master in many repertoires, including the String Quartet. In the closing movement of one of Beethoven's late quartets, No. 13, Op. 130, he included a movement that was so difficult to play and so far ahead of its time that his publisher forced him to compose a replacement for it. Igor Stravinsky described it as "an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever".
Rather than simply discard the music Beethoven spun it off to a separate piece, his OPUS 133. I don't think there is a way to shorten un-embedded links, so I'm just going link the whole 16 min. work. Be warned that you may find this masterpiece very difficult to listen to. It has come to be known as "The Great Fugue", or auf Deutsch "Die Grosse Fuge". An anticipatory pun on our reviewer's name perhaps?
Cheers,
Bill