Puzzling thoughts:
Zachary David Levy is our constructor today, and in keeping with the Friday puzzles this year, wordplay is in full force. Each of the three theme entries use the letters "ge" to form a "zhuzh" sound, and that also fits the reveal: 61-across. Added panache, as was done three times in this puzzle?: ZHUZHED IT UP.
How so, you ask?
First, there is 17-across. Farmer's tan?: BEIGE OF PIGS. The common term "BAY OF PIGS" refers to the location of the botched invasion of Cuba in 1961
A "farmer's tan" is the image you see in this link. The "wordplay" farmer's tan focuses on the color beige, as in the color of some PIGS
Next, there is 30-across. Battle hymn?: SIEGE SHANTY. As is the case with BEIGE OF PIGS, SIEGE SHANTY wordplays off the common "SEA SHANTY" with the SIEGE part being the "battle" reference in the clue. Not sure that this tune would have the same meaning if it were called "The Siege Shanty of the Republic"
And last, we have 49-across. Don rose-colored glasses?: ROUGE THE DAY. Some say the phrase, "RUE THE DAY" has its roots with Shakespeare; as the link indicates, Shakespeare never used those exact words in any of his plays, but the use of "rue the day" eventually led to its meaning of when you bitterly regret a moment
ROUGE THE DAY, on the other hand, might look like this
So where in the world did Zachary David Levy come up with the word "zhuzh"? According to several sources [found after Googling] "the earliest records of the word "zhuzh" show that it is part of Polari, an argot used in Britain since perhaps the eighteenth century primarily among gay theatrical and circus performers. The claims that the word was borrowed from Yiddish or Romani are not supportable"
Here is a link to today's puzzle grid: Zachary David Levy 11/3/2023
Blogger's note: For some reason I was unable to load images from my computer to the blog; hence, all of the links today. Not sure what happened but I hope you all will still enjoy the recap ... C-Moe
Across:
1. Representative: AGENT. Still a 10-percenter, I believe
6. Comets, to some: OMENS. Erstwhile Mercury compact cars didn't fit
11. "Pow!": BAM.
14. Like some opposites: POLAR.
15. Manuscript sheet: FOLIO.
16. Single: ONE.
19. Ill. neighbor: IND. Illinois has five neighboring states; only one of which is usually abbreviated with three letters (INDiana). The other four? WISConsin, IowA, MissOuri, and KentuckY
20. Save for later: STASH. Does anyone here have a secret, special "STASH" they want to reveal and/or confess to?
21. "Lonely Planet" recommendation: HOSTEL. Moe-ku #1:
Did you hear about
The dangerous inn for youths?
The hostile HOSTEL
23. Skewer: SPIT. Again, today you will have to click on the hyperlink to see an image
24. Buzz: HYPE. I had a bit of a Natick going in this section of the puzzle, due to my wanting (26-down. Green gp.: PGA, to be EPA. (28-across) "I __ HATE to say it, but I think the clue should have been written: Green gp.? Why? Because the PGA would use the plural, "greens", instead. A bit of a nit, but this should have indicated a misdirection
29. Org. with complex schedules: IRS.
33. "u crack me up": ROTFL. Text speak; Roll On The Floor Laughing. Or this emoji: 🤣
35. Purple Heart recipients: WAR HEROES. Fun fact: There were over 1 million Purple Heart medals awarded over the five years of WWII alone. Open this link to see the entire list of Purple Heart recipients since 1782
36. Copa locale: RIO. Sorry to disappoint you but there is no way the Chairman is going to post a video of Barry Manilow singing "At the Copa"!! 🤣
38. Shaggy ox: YAK. Barry Manilow, no; The Coasters? Yes!!
39. One handing out cigars in a waiting room, perhaps: PROUD PAPA. Here is a throw-back clue. So give a guess; when did maternity wards first allow PROUD PAPAs to be involved in the delivery room? I will link something at the end of the blog.* As a "personal" Fun Fact, I have two 40-something kids, and was in the delivery room for both of their births. I was "allowed/encouraged" by the OB/GYN to cut the umbillical cord for my younger child. As for the handing out of cigars, it most certainly happened, but not in the waiting room ...
45. Winner's gesture: V-SIGN. Same two fingers as the peace-sign; but the V-SIGN is made with your knuckles facing out. In lieu of an image, just close your eyes and imagine it ...
51. Pinch: NAB. Sounds like a reference to catching a criminal or perpetrator
52. Beyoncé's "Cadillac Records" role: ETTA. "At Last", we have some crossword-ese!! 😉
53. High-and-mighty sort: SNOB. At one time in my adult life I was a true Wine SNOB. Fortunately, that passed once I got into the business (proprietor, sales rep, sommelier) as I came to appreciate the vast variety of palates wine drinkers had. And just because the wine comes in a box instead of a bottle, or is called "White Zinfandel", I realized that folks drank this and liked it
On the other hand, I am DEFINITELY a BEER and COFFEE SNOB. I'd rather drink water than Coors Light, e.g.; and Folger's? Puh-leeze ... same goes for Starbucks. The best thing that happened to the BEER and COFFEE industry was the growth of craft brewers/craft roasters
And its clecho: (3-down. High-and-mighty sort: ELITIST
54. Aquarium growth: ALGA. I have this vague memory of my elementary school days when I brought a tadpole to our classroom for "show and tell". It was in a small "aquarium" and our teacher thought it would be interesting to watch it develop into a frog ... ALGA (or maybe it was SCUM) was a constant presence
55. Piehole: GULLET. Click for an image: Not one of the more common synonyms for the word "mouth"
58. Rapper Kendrick who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018: LAMAR. I know most of my rappers from doing crossword puzzles. I can now add LAMAR to that list
60. JFK-to-Tokyo carrier: ANA. All Nippon Airways. Fun Fact: ANA was awarded the 2023 SKYTRAX Top Winner for Airport Services, Cleanliness and Airline Staff in Asia, and ranked 3rd in Airline of the Year (behind Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airlines). It has won these individual awards multiple times:
World's Best Airport Services (10-time recipient)
World's Cleanest Airline (5-time recipient)
Best Airline Staff Service in Asia (8-time recipient)
66. Some NIH grant recipients: MDS. The National Institute of Health issues grants to Medical DoctorS
67. Seized items: REPOS.
68. Acrobatic: AGILE. Is there anyone more AGILE than she?
69. Make a fast stop?: EAT. Got it! When you stop "fasting" you? EAT
70. "Is that my cue?": AM I ON?. Surprised to find that this phrase is a "debut entry". AM I UP also appears to be unused in published crossword puzzles
71. "Woman With a Parasol" painter Claude: MONET. Here is both an image and a description of this work by Claude MONET. It's of his wife and son
Down:
1. PD advisory: APB. All-Points Bulletin; according to [Wikipedia], "An all-points bulletin is an electronic information broadcast sent from one sender to a group of recipients, to rapidly communicate an important message. The technology used to send this broadcast has varied throughout time, and includes teletype, radio, computerized bulletin board systems, and the Internet"
2. Joins the big leagues: GOES PRO. Moe-ku #2:
When the naysayer
Was convinced of the truth, he
Yielded, and GOES PRO
4. Worry: NAG AT. I guess that when something NAGs AT you, you tend to worry ... a longer clue could have been: What a spouse might do to you if you procrastinate too much
5. Square root of nueve: TRES. Spanglish
6. Askew: OFF. Moe-ku #3:
VP Spiro cheats
On taxes; the headline read:
"Agnew is ASKEW"
7. Disheveled do: MOP. I don't know why, but when I saw this I thought of Opie Taylor
8. "Boola Boola" collegian: ELI. "The authorship of Yale's iconic fight song “Boola Boola” has traditionally been ascribed to Allan M. Hirsh, Class of 1901. In October 2000, Hirsh's grandson, Philip Hirsh '60, published an essay in this magazine that appeared to be the definitive account of his grandfather's writing of the song
9. At hand: NIGH. Anyone else have the word "NEAR" in this spot?
10. Only fair: SO SO. Moe-ku #4:
Chicago slugger
Hit fewer homers one year;
Was Sammy SOSO
11. Orser's rival in the "Battle of the Brians" at the 1988 Winter Olympics: BOITANO. You can find the damndest things on the Internet when you Google!! Two versions; the second is the original
12. Actress Bening: ANNETTE. [Wikipedia] "Annette Carol Bening (Born: May 29, 1958) is an American actress. In a career spanning over four decades, she has received various accolades, including a BAFTA Award and two Golden Globes as well as nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, two Tony Awards, and four Academy Awards"
13. Collages of songs: MEDLEYS.
18. "Well, hey there!": "OH, HI!".
22. Mavens: SHARKS. Another one of the "Friday-level" synonyms used today. [Vocabulary dot com]: "Definition of maven: someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field". Synonyms (include): ace, adept, champion, genius, hotshot, mavin, sensation, star, superhero, superstar, virtuoso, whiz, whizz, wiz, and wizard. SHARKs fit, too; as in Pool SHARKs
23. Title for Andy Murray: SIR. Brits
25. Common name of Taxus baccata: YEW. (Genus; Species) for a tree known for its use in making archery bows
27. Poetic adverb: E'ER. Have you EVER seen this in x-word puzzles??
30. Go downhill: SLIDE. Had SLIDE first; then tried GLIDE when I was wrestling with that center portion of the puzzle. The S in SIEGE solidified the SLIDE
31. Not bold: SHY. Not sure I would E'ER be called "SHY". A better Friday-level clue might have been: "Lacking"
32. Hard to handle: HEAVY. I could imagine the word "HEAVY" being found in this book
34. Penny-pinching: FRUGAL. Moe-ku #5:
Penny-pinching chick
Made a very unique sound:
Not "cheep", but FRUGAL
37. Bow (out): OPT. Bow (wow): ARF
39. Warmup time: PRE-GAME. The PRE-GAME show at the Super Bowl lasts most of the day
40. Domed hall: ROTUNDA. Building feature; think the U.S. Capitol. Last time I visited there was when I was in 6th grade
41. Stay longer than: OUTLAST. Appropriate part of the three-word motto (OUTWIT, OUTPLAY, OUTLAST) for the TV Reality Show Survivor, which is now airing its 45th episode/season. One more and the show will have as many seasons as the U.S. has had Presidents
42. Relaxed sounds: AHS. Where you hear these sounds, usually, are at a SPA
43. Stock room?: PEN. Nice misdirectional clue. "Live"stock (includes pigs, too) are sometimes kept in a PEN
44. Big bother: ADO.
46. Like many state mottoes: IN LATIN. Here in AZ, our state motto is: DITAT DEUS, which is Latin for: "God Enriches"
47. Regulation that restricts discussion: GAG RULE.
48. Org. with Thunder and Heat: NBA. Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder and Miami Heat
50. Up to the task: ABLE. I am more than ABLE to recap and post to our blog; I am willing, too! 🤪
54. "¡Mi hombre!": AMIGO. Spanglish
56. Alt-rock band Better Than __: EZRA. This was all perps, with the "Z" coming last because, well, it just did. I won't admit that this one may have been a Google look up, 'cause I certainly didn't know the word "ZHUZH" before today
57. Not us: THEM. If a group of people who didn't identify as HE's or SHE's, would they be THEM?
59. Scott of "Severance": ADAM. Only on a Friday (well, maybe on Saturday) would the word ADAM not be linked with Eve, Cain, Abel, the Book of Genesis, the Garden of Eden, ...
62. Initials in the news: UPI. AP was too short. [Wikipedia]: United Press International is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th century. At its peak, it had more than 6,000 media subscribers"
63. Menagerie: ZOO. I put in ZOO early in my attempt to solve the puzzle; and then scratched my head as I tried to figure out "ZHUZHED"
64. Retail channel: HSN. Home Shopping Network
65. Gently stroke: PET.
And so it ends. The answer to my question in 39-across:*1960's for being in the "labor room"; 1970's for being in the delivery room
Sorry again for the absence of images without having to link them. I hope to have my computer figured out in two weeks when I next return ... please add your comments below
WHAT is this “weird” word that made up the reveal, and what does it have to do with anything?? C-Moe explained where it came from, but I still don’t see its relationship to “ge” or how it “reveals” the theme of the puzzle. And, like C-Moe, I could hardly believe that I had put it together correctly, but apparently I had. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy, if still a bit confused.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteThat first Z in ZHUZHED was a WAG, and my final fill. It was the only letter that seemed to fit the unknown word. GULLET is the throat; "piehole" refers to the mouth -- poor clue. That "Ill. neighbor" could've been WIS -- it was the postal abbreviation prior to WI. Yup, an "I" was required, so NEAR had to go. Thanx, ZDL, for the Friday-level challenge, and to C-Moe for the well-unillustrated expo.
"Beer snob" -- I think of myself as a connoisseur of what's on sale.
UPI -- I worked at radio stations with UPI newswires and others with AP. The UPI radio wire was written to be read aloud. AP's stories required rewriting.
Nope. Got about half. Another big DNF. ZHUZHED? Come on. Thanx for ‘splainin it CMoe.
ReplyDeleteCreative theme - I had heard the phrase "ZHUZHED IT UP" said before, but had never seen it in print so how it was spelled was a challenge. But it does have the exact sound that was at the end of BEIGE, SIEGE, and ROUGE.
ReplyDeleteThe community choir I'm in performed that same arrangement of Battle Hymn that was linked in the blog - though I'm sure the Mormon Tabernacle choir did a better job!
My husband & son ran the Marine Corps Marathon in WAshington, DC last Sunday (along with Bill & Teri's son and nephew) and during the race they had a mile or so of pics and names of all the Marines who had died in action since the 40s- everywhere else the crowds were cheering loudly but during that mile it was quiet.
When my brother was born in 1960, the doctor was going to let my dad in the delivery room, which was not protocol. But they wanted him to scrub like going into the OR, and since it was my mom's 4th, my brother was born before my dad could get in there
MONET is a favorite artist - and last week we got the see "Madame with a Parasol, Madame Monet and her Son" in the National Gallery
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman_with_a_Parasol_%E2%80%93_Madame_Monet_and_Her_Son
Thanks CM for the fun blog -LOL with the South Park/Brian Boitano video.. And to SDL for the puzzle
Completed puzzle, not a clue as to the theme.
ReplyDeleteTook 9:28 today for me to get from A to Z, I guess.
ReplyDeleteKept looking at "zhuzheditup" and kept thinking, "no way." "Is it a rebus?"
I don't care for the foreign language(esque) answers (amigo, which was easy enough), but I especially don't like doing math in a foreign language (despite math being the universal language).
Like Ms. Irish Miss, I've grown to dislike too many 3-letter words. Many of today's 3-letter answers were clunky (Ana, eer, ahs, upi, hsn, etc.).
But hey, at least I knew today's actress (Annette).
FIR, but still don't know how I did it.
ReplyDeleteEven with an explanation I still don't get the reveal. I got the long answers, but what has zhuzhed got to do with anything?
And once again more proper names than seems possible. If it weren't for a few WAG's and a few well placed perps, this puzzle would not have gotten done.
FIW, figuring there couldn't be two "z"s in the reveal word and settling for cHUZHED IT UP. Isn't the reveal supposed to help get the theme clues?
ReplyDeleteToday is:
WORLD JELLYFISH DAY (Jellyfish predate dinosaurs and have been around for over 500 million years. Sorta like a lot of folks in US Judicial Branch. And the Legislative Branch. And the Executive Branch.)
NATIONAL HOUSEWIFE’S DAY (the Rolling Stones honored Mother’s Little Helper, AKA Valium)
NATIONAL SANDWICH DAY (my favorite is a chicken Parmesan submarine)
NATIONAL JERSEY FRIDAY (support your favorite professional team by wearing your team jersey. Doesn’t even have to be a New Jersey)
I thought the acronym was ROTFLMAO.
We've had Bouncy two days in a row.
No, "piehole" is not a GULLET. A "throat" is a GULLET, a "piehole" is a mouth.
AMION sounds like a subatomic particle.
Maybe my favorite MEDLEY is 5 hits by the 5th Dimension.
DO's a connoisseur of what beer's on sale. I've always been a connoisseur of whatever beer someone else is buying.
Thanks to our Chairman for the fun review. I hope the ability to paste the grid into the blog is restored soon.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI was familiar with Zhuzhed and its literal meaning from Rachael Ray's cooking show. However, never in a thousand years would I have ever known the correct spelling. This type of puzzle is not one of my favorites, especially when appearing on a Friday. I know, I know, Fridays have, for the most part, become gimmicky, add/subtract a letter, etc. offerings, but that doesn't mean I have to like them. I thought the solve was easier than a typical Friday but I did go astray at Yam/Yew and Sty/Pen and I needed perps for Etta and Ezra, as clued. Some of the cluing was too cutesy for my taste and, as DO pointed out, Gullet does not equate to Mouth. The high number (26) of three letter words, as usual, detracted from the solving experience.
Thanks, Zachary, and thanks, Moe, for the concise explanation of the theme and the commentary and links. Your Moe-ku mojo is a magical as ever!
Subgenius, I sent you an email yesterday.
FLN
Lucina, congrats on treating yourself to housecleaning services. My cleaning lady is worth her weight in gold. She is a Jack-of-all-trades and would do anything for me. She always brings our lunch (my treat) but never sits down to eat, just takes a bite here and there, as she goes about her work. I can't begin to list all of the non-cleaning errands and tasks she's done for me. 😉
Have a great day.
Irish Miss, thank you for your beautiful letter. For some reason, it was in my “spam” folder, so I didn’t see it at first. But I’ve fished it out now, and treasure it! I have just sent you a reply. I certainly hope you don’t find it in your “spam” folder as I found yours! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteZHUZHED may be real, but that's not the way I pronounce SIEGE anyway, more like a J or soft G.
ReplyDeleteAgree!
DeleteWow, that was a challenge! Thank you, Zachary David Levy, and thank you, Moe
ReplyDeleteFIR, albeit in one of the longer Friday times that I've had in a long time.
Part of that may have been due to staying up so late to watch the Steelers win against the Titans.
Thanks for the link to the interesting and educational article on ZHUZH. New to me, but the perps were all solid, so it stood.
Yep. Near before NIGH and EPA before PGA.
I agree with D-O about the piehole / GULLET disconnect.
I agree with Moe about Coors Light. I'd sooner go without.
ANNETTE Benning stars in the new Netflix movie "NYAD" along with co-star Jodie Foster. IRL, Nyad wore a protective jellyfish suit on her long distance swim from Havana to Key West. I mention the latter only because Jinx said today is WORLD JELLYFISH DAY. She also had divers and repellent devices to protect her from the SHARKS.
"Better than EZRA" had an alt-rock hit song titled Good that gets regular airplay on FM 95.5 Chicago.
I HATE to say it. I had no idea what ZHUZHED IT UP was and almost FIR. Nothing made sense. Never heard of ZHUZH, I did notice the GE in BEIGE, SIEGE, and ROUGE but it didn't help. I had NEAR for NIGH and had filled FOLEO by perps-didn't read the clue. BEIGE OF PIAS and ROSTEL was filled; The clue "Lonely Planet" was unknown so HOSTEL was never a thought. But I scratched my way through the rest of the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteETTA, LAMAR, BOITANO, and SHARKS were unknowns. ADAM Scott was a guess for the clue. A different ADAM Scott won The Masters.
D-otto. My favorite beer? OPB, 'Other People's Beer'. I'll try any brand once. Most of the craft brewers shouldn't quit their day job because their swill ain't cuttin' it.
Friends don’t let friends drink Starbucks
ReplyDeleteGlad I'm not your friend. 😉
DeleteGood Morning! C-Moe, you were most kind and informative to your task today. Thanks, and your Moe-kus were a cheerful addition.
ReplyDeleteNot on the ZDL wavelength today. I was nearly finished, literally & figuratively, when I went to Google for the remaining 5 empty boxes. Not fun. It was mostly an uphill slog for me.
I’ve heard ZHUZHED spoken before but have never seen it in print.
WO: Near -> NIGH; JAL -> ANA; aPI -> UPI; HI in, out & back in.
I wanted jazzed it up, but the combination of Z’s required didn’t come to me since I am not familiar with the expression and the theme answers didn’t match what I had so TITT.
ReplyDeleteI really liked make a fast stip.
C-Moe I had images with your very helpful recap.
That should be make a fast stop.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle was not on my multiverse time-line. Finally TITT, could not make sense of most clues. A Friday fun sponge. WAR HERO? In my outfit, we called the Purple Heart the "I forgot to duck" medal.
ReplyDeleteZHUSHED??? Really? I agree with billocohoes@8:57 that is NOT how I pronounce an ending "GE". FIW but I feel cheated. Didn't know EZRA, so I tried wH iZZed ITUP.
ReplyDeleteYou can run, but someone is always faster.
Bye
ReplyDeleteUnbelievably bad clueing in a horribly edited puzzle…apparently the more normal.
I got the solve and hated doing it.
Hard to believe this type of….fill in the blank…passes muster with anyone who actually likes crosswords.
I’m not sure who the editor's boss is, but I sure wish I worked for them during my career as it is obvious they are asleep at the switch.
Musings
ReplyDelete-I threw in the towel at E_RA/_HUSHED IT UP. Yuk! EZRA as a biblical prophet would have been fairer but I would still have been confuzzled by ZHUSHED.
-Walt Disney used the phrase “Plus It” meaning to add something to an attraction to make it even better.
-Have you ever yelled “Representative” into the phone over and over to try to speak to a real person?
-This PROUD PAPA handed out bubble gum cigars
-Make a fast stop/EAT? Way cool!
-Omahan Billy MCGuigan does a brilliant show all over the country called Yesterday and Today. He and his group sing a MEDLEY of Beatles music by doing songs the audience shouts out. His high energy finale of I Saw Her Standing There brings the house down.
-PRE-GAME: I get the exact time for the Super Bowl kickoff and wait to tune in at that time
-Good job, Chris. Sometimes you have to “play it where it lies.”
Thank you Zachary. I came here thinking I had a FIR thanks to some last minute assistance from Teri (changing SIEGES DITTY to SIEGE SHANTY), but alas, perp the reveal, ZHUZEL IT UP should have been past tense. But I did get a FUN puzzle with a FUN theme, so I'm happy (to borrow a phrase from SG, who I'm sure has already posted it.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you MOE for the explication and poesy. Clever of you to force us to use our imaginations, which are worth much more than a thousand words.
Some favs:
39A PROUD PAPA. I was EXPECTED in the delivery room in 1969, as the birth of my son was via the Lamaze Method. Teri had to keep me awake!
6D OFF. I shook Governor Agnew's hand once (actually he was a County Executive at the time). But I never shook this governor's hand.
22D SHARKS. BOFFINS was too long.
25D YEW. I was looking for a 3 letter slang for a yucky germ, but this perped in.
32D HEAVY. TOME was too short, but that dictionary might just fill the bill.
46D IN LATIN. The Maryland State motto is "Fatti maschii parole femine" - "Strong deeds, gentle words"; or as Teddy would say "Walk softly and carry a big stick".
Cheers,
Bill
p.s. to inanehiker -- I may re-use some of your material next week. 😀
I had it but couldn't figure out what I was missing. This one zhuzhed on by me. ROTFL got me for a minute. Didn't really care for the puzzle. Sorry. GC
ReplyDeleteI was aware of the term zhuzhed but had no idea how to spell it. This was a challenging Friday 🏃♀️ run but not really enjoyable. Some of the cluing was chunky and lame. Thanks ZDL for a novel idea for a crossword and I’m sorry the editor couldn’t put more effort into the cluing. Thanks Moe for the informative recap….kkFlorida
ReplyDeletePuzzling thoughts, 2:
ReplyDeleteGary @ 11:37 --> thanks; yes, the golf term you used described it perfectly! BTW, was that hole-in-one photo I saw of you a recent accomplishment? Regardless, congrat's! I am fortunate to have three of them in my 60+ years of playing golf. My FIRST was with a 9-iron from 145 yds. Now I'd probably hit a 6 iron that distance ... maybe! Pros (and as well better amateur players) are hitting their 9 irons 175+. It's a different game ...
Regarding "GULLET" ... thanks to all who reminded me that the GULLET refers to the throat, not the piehole. No wonder I couldn't find the synonym in the Thesaurussaurus
C-Moe
Hola!
ReplyDeleteFirst, AMIGO is not spanglish; it is in fact, Spanish. Spanglish is a combination of English and Spanish.
I HATE it when I have to look thinks up but that happened today. I had no idea about ZHUZHED; have never heard nor seen it.
My DH was one of those WAR HEROES in Koria and has the Purple Heart as well as some other medals. My daughter has a mini "shrine" set up to honor him.
I love ANNETTE Bening! She is a superb actress and so likeable.
ROUGE THE DAY. I love this line.
Thank you, Zachary David Levy, for the challenge. This was really hard and forced me to think which is always a good thing.
IrishMiss
When I was working I had a regular house cleaner but for a long time after that I was able to do it myself. That is no longer the case. The two ladies who came yesterday did a wonderful job. They were organized and efficient.
Minor league players are pros too. I don't know of any baseball players that went straight to the Big Leagues.
ReplyDeleteI miss the filled in crossword BIG TIME!
ReplyDeleteHi Y'all! Thanks, ZDL, for the challenge. Thanks, Moe, for making sense of it.
ReplyDeleteSince I don't hang out with the type of people that Moe said use this term, I couldn't believe it was a word even when I red-lettered it in. If I ever heard it, I thought they said "juiced" it up.
Whether the PAPA got in the delivery room may have had something to do with the size of the hospital and how strict they were. I had a summer job as a nurses aide in 1957 in the delivery wing and the dads watched from the doorway in the delivery room of our small rural hospital. My brother-in-law was in the delivery room in 1961, fainted, and whacked his head. His wife got stitches then the doctor had to put a few in his head. They had trouble restoring his consciousness.
Hmm,
ReplyDeleteDid the puzzle, didn't get it...
Read the write up, didn't get it...
Read the comments, still don't understand it, but went back and read the the link explaining it, still don't get it...
It used to be I did these crosswords, and looked forward to learning new words. This is not one of them...
Dear Chairman Moe,
I posted this once before, and rather than go Thumper on this puzzle, I take this opportunity to add some colourful language.
You said:
45. Winner's gesture: V-SIGN. Same two fingers as the peace-sign; but the V-SIGN is made with your knuckles facing out. In lieu of an image, just close your eyes and imagine it ...
However,
From the movie, Churchill,
To the constructor and editor, Up your Bum...
(Pls take this criticism humorously...)
Lucina @ 12:53 --> you are of course, correct. I incorrectly used the word "Spanglish" for AMIGO on purpose. Reason? Tons of English-speaking people use the term "AMIGO" when referring to their male friend(s)
ReplyDeleteI did not like this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI really really get annoyed when news anchors mispronounce the capital city of China by ZHUZHing it up to "BeiZHing". The second syllable is "Jing, for goodness sake, as in our "Jingle Bells"! Ten years ago people pronounced it more or less right, so what the heck happened? It seems many "j" sounds get ZHUZHED into "zh" sounds these days. Is that in order to appear all chic and snooty and sophisticated?
Good wishes to you all from this crabby (at the moment) old guy.
ChairmanMoe
ReplyDeleteI understand what you are saying but that still does not make it Spanglish. Example: me gusta chatear con los blogueros en este sitio. chatear is not strictly speaking a Spanish word but composed of "chat" plus the infinitive ending. Blogueros is composed of blog and the ending "ueros".
Translation of the above: I like to chat with the bloggers.
ReplyDeleteThis one was DOA thanks to that ZHUZHE-y thing. What we have here is a word that will likely only ever be used once in this century, and that’s here in this puzzle 😖 I mean, even with C-Moe’s reveal on it, as with most of the others here on the Blog, it’s still a “what the 🤬?!?” I won’t even mention the crossed proper names…
ReplyDeletebtw, Chairman: Nice punt on the review today — the links were almost as much fun as your usual masterpieces; the Brian Boitano song by the South Park boys was a total hoot, thanks!
====> Darren / L.A.
Anonymous Darren / L.A. @ 7:14 ---> the one link I was most concerned about was the one to the filled-in grid ... although from the sounds of it, for most of the posters, seeing the word ZHUZHED once was more than enough! 🤣
ReplyDeleteCED @ 5:14 --> too funny!
ReplyDeleteseereeferd @ 1:03 --> there are a whole bunch of baseball players who went directly to the Big Leagues
ReplyDeleteAmen
ReplyDeleteMoe, you made up for the atrocity of today's puzzle with that stunning video of Simone Biles' routine. That alone was worth the slog of the rest of the 'puzzle.' Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Michael - you're welcome!
DeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteBusy as of late and then fell-out for two days with what I can only describe as exhaustion. I tried to keep up with the blog but sleep was more important at the time.
Yesterday's puzzle was a fine romp and my fav was ABFAB. DW & I watched every episode while laughing our bums off.
Today's puzzle, however... I'll just say something nice: Making a fast stop? == EAT is brilliant.
Thanks for the review C. Moe!
Glad to read everyone's take today.
Cheers, -T
Friday Folly. Thanks to Zachary and CMoe, but it was hardly fun for me today.
ReplyDeletePerhaps my brain was tired, since I did not start this CW until late in the day.
Or perhaps I can plead Canadian disadvantage because I didn’t know HSN, and am not familiar with your IRS schedules.
I actually WAGged the reveal, but like others here, was not enlightened by it.
Did nobody else think we had a homonym change from a colour as our theme? (Beige, rouge)
Since I had trouble with the second themer (yes I had EPA), I was looking for a colour that was a near-homonym to Sea to fill that section.
Oh well.
Like AnonT, fav was the clue for EAT.
New Father fit the spot, but PROUD PAPA perped.
Wishing you all a good evening.
CanadianEh
ReplyDeleteI also had NEW FATHER first. Great minds.....
Where's the grid
ReplyDeleteThat was a pathetic reveal. The editing keeps getting worse. I can't believe that made it to print
ReplyDelete