Theme: The Comic Element
17A: Start of G. K. Chesterton quip: EVERY MAN IS FUNNY
27A: Part 2 of quip: IF HE LOSES
47A: Part 3 of quip: HIS HAT AND
61A: End of quip: HAS TO RUN AFTER IT
The complete quip is "Every man is important if he loses his life; and every man is funny if he loses his hat and has to run after it."
This is Chesterton's "On Running After One's Hat" essay:
"......There is an idea that it is humiliating to run after one's hat; and when people say it is humiliating they mean that it is comic. It certainly is comic; but man is a very comic creature, and most of the things he does are comic - eating, for instance. And the most comic things of all are exactly the things that are most worth doing - such as making love. A man running after a hat is not half so ridiculous as a man running after a wife......".
I don't think I totally grokked this hat trick. How can "humiliating" be equated as "comic"? Love the last 2 sentences though, perfect for a Sunday 21*21 grid quip, should Mr. Williams dare.
I also like the Chesterton line Mike Huckabee quoted last January in his Iowa victory speech:
"G.K. Chesterton once said that 'a true soldier fights not because he hates those who are in front of him but because he loves those who are behind him'".
Very powerful. Huckabee really has a good sense of humor and is so gifted with gab. I like men who have a way with words, who can combine a series of seemingly helpless words and somehow transform them into dynamic stuff. I do believe that thepenis pen is mightier than the sword.
Not a bad puzzle, some of the clues are very creative. But I won't hide my disdain for this weekly quip themed puzzle. It's excruciatingly boring and irksome.
Across:
1A: Rain unit: DROP. Lois was right yesterday, don't ever compromise the quality of your special raincoat.
5A: King of Crete: MINOS. The labyrinth king. Some of Greek mythologies are so tragically beautiful. Reagan's "Slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God" Challenger speech always reminded me of Icarus' escaping of Crete.
15A: Pathogenic bacteria: E. COLI. I survived the Dole pre-bagged salad scare 3 years ago because I ate MOREL and other mushrooms often, which undeniably strengthened my immune system.
21A: Stellar blasts: NOVAE. Almost trapped by the plural S again. With V from OLIVES (8D: Drink garnish) in place, I thought of LAVAS for a fleeting second, imagining the LAVA Bombs.
23A: Venetian strip: SLAT. I had no idea that such blind is called Venetian.
31A: Christian's frocks: DIORS. Christian DIOR. Clever clue, very misguiding. I like how it intersects SPEND (34D: Use credit cards).
42A: Rocky's last name: BALBOA. No idea. I googled. Only knew him as Rocky.
44A: Incisive remark: MOT. Literally "word" in French. And their crossword is called "mots croisés". I like the Spanish "crucigrama". It just sounds so mysterious and enigmatic to me.
55A: Storage battery type: NICAD (Nickel-Cadmium battery). Another unknown to me.
57A: Dental exams?: ORAL. Good clue.
68A: Grow dark: LATEN. Unknown to me also. I've never seen LATEN being used in any paper/magazine that I've read.
Down:
4D: Reads with care: PERUSES. That's how I deal with your comments. So you'd better write with care too.
5D: Hebrew letter: MEM. No idea. I got it from across fills. It's the 13th letter of Hebrew alphabet (total 22).
9D: Fiber source: SISAL. It's clued as "Agave Plant" twice before.
19D: Battled on and on: FEUDED
24D: Way from the heart: AORTA. Are you OK with this clue?
28D: Parade entry: FLOAT
29D: Selassie of Ethiopia: HAILE. Gimme for any Bob Marley fan.
30D: Varnish ingredient: ELEMI. Absolutely no idea. Lacquer was the only thing that came to my mind and it did not fit.
32D: Honshu port: OSAKA. Literally "large hill/slope" in Japanese.
33D: Harp on: RUB IN. New phrase to me. I only RUB lotion IN/on my skin.
37D: River of forgetfulness: LETHE. The river in Hades. Obviously I've crossed this river because I could not remember it. I also accidentally crossed the River of Rubicon a few days ago and could not find my way back home now. Help!
39D: County bordering Napa: SOLANO. Big stumper here for me, with the thorny BALBOA & NICAD intersections.
40D: Follow in time: POSTDATE
47D: Priam's wife: HECUBA. Mother of Paris & Hector. Loved TROY, but I could not remember seeing this lady.
50D: Like the flu: VIRAL
52D: Perlman of "Cheers": RHEA. Unknown to me. I pieced her name together from the across references. She is Danny DeVito's wife. Pretty dangling earrings.
C.C.
17A: Start of G. K. Chesterton quip: EVERY MAN IS FUNNY
27A: Part 2 of quip: IF HE LOSES
47A: Part 3 of quip: HIS HAT AND
61A: End of quip: HAS TO RUN AFTER IT
The complete quip is "Every man is important if he loses his life; and every man is funny if he loses his hat and has to run after it."
This is Chesterton's "On Running After One's Hat" essay:
"......There is an idea that it is humiliating to run after one's hat; and when people say it is humiliating they mean that it is comic. It certainly is comic; but man is a very comic creature, and most of the things he does are comic - eating, for instance. And the most comic things of all are exactly the things that are most worth doing - such as making love. A man running after a hat is not half so ridiculous as a man running after a wife......".
I don't think I totally grokked this hat trick. How can "humiliating" be equated as "comic"? Love the last 2 sentences though, perfect for a Sunday 21*21 grid quip, should Mr. Williams dare.
I also like the Chesterton line Mike Huckabee quoted last January in his Iowa victory speech:
"G.K. Chesterton once said that 'a true soldier fights not because he hates those who are in front of him but because he loves those who are behind him'".
Very powerful. Huckabee really has a good sense of humor and is so gifted with gab. I like men who have a way with words, who can combine a series of seemingly helpless words and somehow transform them into dynamic stuff. I do believe that the
Not a bad puzzle, some of the clues are very creative. But I won't hide my disdain for this weekly quip themed puzzle. It's excruciatingly boring and irksome.
Across:
1A: Rain unit: DROP. Lois was right yesterday, don't ever compromise the quality of your special raincoat.
5A: King of Crete: MINOS. The labyrinth king. Some of Greek mythologies are so tragically beautiful. Reagan's "Slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God" Challenger speech always reminded me of Icarus' escaping of Crete.
15A: Pathogenic bacteria: E. COLI. I survived the Dole pre-bagged salad scare 3 years ago because I ate MOREL and other mushrooms often, which undeniably strengthened my immune system.
21A: Stellar blasts: NOVAE. Almost trapped by the plural S again. With V from OLIVES (8D: Drink garnish) in place, I thought of LAVAS for a fleeting second, imagining the LAVA Bombs.
23A: Venetian strip: SLAT. I had no idea that such blind is called Venetian.
31A: Christian's frocks: DIORS. Christian DIOR. Clever clue, very misguiding. I like how it intersects SPEND (34D: Use credit cards).
42A: Rocky's last name: BALBOA. No idea. I googled. Only knew him as Rocky.
44A: Incisive remark: MOT. Literally "word" in French. And their crossword is called "mots croisés". I like the Spanish "crucigrama". It just sounds so mysterious and enigmatic to me.
55A: Storage battery type: NICAD (Nickel-Cadmium battery). Another unknown to me.
57A: Dental exams?: ORAL. Good clue.
68A: Grow dark: LATEN. Unknown to me also. I've never seen LATEN being used in any paper/magazine that I've read.
Down:
4D: Reads with care: PERUSES. That's how I deal with your comments. So you'd better write with care too.
5D: Hebrew letter: MEM. No idea. I got it from across fills. It's the 13th letter of Hebrew alphabet (total 22).
9D: Fiber source: SISAL. It's clued as "Agave Plant" twice before.
19D: Battled on and on: FEUDED
24D: Way from the heart: AORTA. Are you OK with this clue?
28D: Parade entry: FLOAT
29D: Selassie of Ethiopia: HAILE. Gimme for any Bob Marley fan.
30D: Varnish ingredient: ELEMI. Absolutely no idea. Lacquer was the only thing that came to my mind and it did not fit.
32D: Honshu port: OSAKA. Literally "large hill/slope" in Japanese.
33D: Harp on: RUB IN. New phrase to me. I only RUB lotion IN/on my skin.
37D: River of forgetfulness: LETHE. The river in Hades. Obviously I've crossed this river because I could not remember it. I also accidentally crossed the River of Rubicon a few days ago and could not find my way back home now. Help!
39D: County bordering Napa: SOLANO. Big stumper here for me, with the thorny BALBOA & NICAD intersections.
40D: Follow in time: POSTDATE
47D: Priam's wife: HECUBA. Mother of Paris & Hector. Loved TROY, but I could not remember seeing this lady.
50D: Like the flu: VIRAL
52D: Perlman of "Cheers": RHEA. Unknown to me. I pieced her name together from the across references. She is Danny DeVito's wife. Pretty dangling earrings.
C.C.
