Hi Cornerites! Chairman Moe here, getting to recap my second Gary Larson puzzle, which today features multiple "polysemies". For those whose lexicon is feeling lethargic on this day after Thanksgiving, a polysemy is defined as the coexistence of many possible meanings for a word or phrase. And today's used a verb tense (observe) as one meaning, and a noun as another. Gary chose five such phrases that we'll describe in just a few moments.
And if November 27, 2020 was added to his list, might we have seen this clue and solve? "Observance of cream-less coffee?" BLACK FRIDAY
Yes, folks, it's BLACK FRIDAY, and while this year's version might be done with shoppers wearing masks and keeping a 6' separation, it of course made me think of this comic:
So while you're contemplating whether or not to go to the mall today, let's see how Gary's polysemies fell into our grid:
16-Across. Observe music festival performers?: WATCH BANDS/WATCHBANDS. Concert goers at this 1969 Festival got to WATCH 32 BANDS/ACTS over the course of three days in mid-August at Max Yasgur's dairy farm in the town of Bethel, NY. I doubt this would happen in 2020, what with masks and social distancing
The polysemy is WATCHBANDS, which Apple has a plethora of
38-Across. Observe woodworking tools?: SEE SAWS/SEE SAWS. SEE SAWS could also be parsed as one who views Proverbs! But who, as a kid, didn't fear THIS event:
61-Across. Observe bank drafts?: SPOT CHECKS/SPOTCHECKS. I dunno about all y'all, but C Moe hasn't written an actual CHECK in years. All of my banking is done online, and I also make my deposits of any "physical" CHECK by taking its picture and sending it via my phone and bank app. Glad I have adopted this as my closest bank is several miles away ... SPOTCHECKS: could Gary have meant this trio of a highly reliable product used to detect surface cracks or discontinuities in any non-porous material (metals, plastics or ceramics). Magnaflux Spot Check is a red visible nondestructive test method for Liquid Penetrant Inspections (LPI)?
10-Down. Observe engagement jewelry?: SPY RINGS/SPYRINGS. SPY RINGS is not an activity I've done in several years; it used to be that the amount one should spend on an engagement ring is = to 3 month's income. If the median income is about $40k, then you'd need to spend about $10k on a ring. Here is what $10k might buy; 2.5 karats:
SPYRINGS brought this image to mind; from my youth:
37-Down. Observe fancy dances?: EYE BALLS/EYEBALLS. I'm not sure that a sleuth would actually "EYE" BALLS - as in the dance - but I suppose so ... OTOH, these EYEBALLS are kinda creepy:
BTW, I forgot to include this prior to Thursday, but thought you might enjoy ... I didn't know Dagwood Bumstead was a friend, but he made sure I had my turkey!
On to the other clues!
Across:
1. Easter beginning?: NOR. LENT obviously didn't fit ... a NOR'easter
refers to a storm, as this video describes:
Moe-ku #1
Folks who use coupons4. Small amount: DOLLOP. Not sure that I've seen this word used before, but I know that our resident crossword historian, Lemonade714 will chirp in ...
During NOR'easters? Of course,
They're Arctic Clippers
10. Hot tub with a whirlpool: SPA. Not sure that I like this clue, but YMMV
13. Period often with a name: ERA. Or, a pitcher's (baseball) stat
14. Ring of color: AREOLA. Why does this clue/solve always appear whenever I blog? Let your imagination run wild thinking of an image ... maybe the next time it shows up in a Moe Blog I will take the bait ...
15. Welcoming: OPEN. Signs at establishments today?
18. Russian refusal: NYET. Was this Putin's response when asked if they interfered with this year's election?
19. Small battery type: C CELL. Most of my small batteries are either AA or AAA
20. One snugly in bed, say: NESTLER. I wonder if Gary thought of THIS when he chose this word? Go ahead and click on it ... it's safe ...
22. 2018 SAG Life Achievement Award recipient: ALDA. Well, all I can say is that this is a more "modern" clue for this famous actor, AKA Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo
23. Ukr., once: SSR. Crosswordese
24. Comment not meant for everyone: ASIDE. Muttered under one's breath perhaps ...
27. Wish undone: REGRET. I rue the day when I next see this in a crossword puzzle ...
29. Vegas attractions: CASINOS. And here I thought Gary meant these:
31. Ones who take things badly?: KLEPTOS. Apparently the word KLEPTO entered into our language about the same time as I emerged from the womb. It is a shortened version of KLEPTOMANIA and requires no "abbr." in the clue. As a kid, and a dog lover, I came to know that Irish Setters are "career KLEPTOS"
34. Freudian topics: EGOS. So many clips to choose from about Freud and EGOS. So here is an imbedded video clip (1:07) that speaks to the ID, EGO, and SUPEREGO. And here is a meme of our eponymous psychoanalyst:
And lastly, Moe-ku #2:
Do you know what wives
In Berlin call petticoats?
Their Frau-dian slips.
35. Word of encouragement: OLE. One of these days, we are going to get a clue for OLE that refers him to either Sven or Lena. For example:
"Ole and Sven die in a snowmobiling accident, drunker than skunks, and end up in Hell. The Devil observes that they are really enjoying themselves. He says to them 'Doesnt the heat and smoke bother you?' Ole replies, 'Vell, ya know, ve're from nordern Minnesooota, da land of snow an ice, an ve're yust happy fer a chance ta varm up a little bit, ya know.'
The devil decides that these two aren't miserable enough and turns up the heat even more. When he returns to the room of the two from Minnesota, the devil finds them in light jackets and hats, grilling Walleye and drinking beer. The devil is astonished and exclaims, 'Everyone down here is in misery, and you two seem to be enjoying yourselves?' Sven replies, 'Vell, ya know, ve don't git too much varm veather up dere at da Falls, so ve've yust got ta haff a fish fry vhen da veather's dis nice.'
The devil is absolutely furious. He can hardly see straight. Finally he comes up with the answer. The two guys love the heat because they have been cold all their lives. The devil decides to turn all the heat off in Hell. The next morning, the temperature is 60 below zero, icicles are hanging everywhere, and people are shivering so bad that they are unable to wail, moan or gnash their teeth. The devil smiles and heads for the room with Ole and Sven. He gets there and finds them back in their parkas, bomber hats, and mittens. They are jumping up and down, cheering, yelling and screaming like mad men.
The devil is dumbfounded, 'I don't understand, when I turn up the heat you're happy. Now its freezing cold and you're still happy. What is wrong with you two?'
They both look at the devil in surprise and say, 'Vell, don't ya know, if hell iss froze over, dat must mean da Vikings von da Super Bowl.'"
40. Full house sign: SRO. Standing Room Only. But I immediately thought of this:
41. Plays (with): TOYS. Another verb tense for the grid-filler. Somewhat similar in meaning to TEASE. As a noun: My S/O would be fine with us getting a dog, but not one of these:
43. Brimming: REPLETE. I'm sure this word has appeared in x-word puzzles before, but not recently as I recall. We just watched the remake of the 1940 Academy Award winning movie "Rebecca". The 2020 version (on Netflix) is REPLETE with scenes from various British manors. Never saw Hitchcock's version but Rotten Tomatoes seems to like the original better. Moe-ku #3:
The tailor got wild;
Sewed scores of folds on the pants.
REPLETE with repleats
45. Washington Monument, for one: OBELISK. Again, if this word has
appeared before in an x-word, I'm not recalling it. Loosely translated, an
OBELISK is a four-sided monument with a tapering "pyramid" at the top. I found
this link
that will allow you to "click" on each remaining OBELISK and get more facts
...
47. Had an intense longing: LUSTED. In the Catholic world of the Ten
Commandments, the 9th of these poo-poos "carnal concupiscence", AKA "lust".
Glad they found a shortened word ... ;^)
51. Vagabonds: HOBOS. And now that I did some research, there could be
another definition for this abbreviated term:
52. Abe's role in "The Godfather": SAL. Abe Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016) was a character actor who played the role of SALvatore Tessio in the movie, "The Godfather". Abe also starred in the erstwhile police show "Barney Miller" as detective Phil Fish:
54. Video recorder since 1999: TIVO. Is the brand name for a digital video recorder that made its debut on March 31, 1999. Its name is as synomynous to DVR's as Kleenex is to facial tissues, or Scotch Tape is to ... well, Scotch Tape!
55. Java products: APPLETS. Or, spelled with just one "P", something that can go with a different Java as a snack. I will let our resident computer geeks 'splain the one with two P's ...
58. Kind of horn: TENOR. A rendition of "Autumn Leaves" as a TENOR horn solo ... he is the one on the left in the video ...
59. Clinton's 1996 opponent: DOLE. I always thought this was one of the more clever crossword puzzles created - back at the 1996 Presidential Election - where either the word "BOBDOLE" or "CLINTON" could fit in the same space and all other crosses make sense using the same clues
63. Punches in a workshop: AWLS. Moe-ku #4:
Shakespeare Comedy
About pleased belt repairer:
"AWLS Well That Mends Well"
64. Oxygen-loving organism: AEROBE. I offer the
the condensed
version. Why is it that describing or defining science, physics, or biology
can't be dumbed down?!
65. Three-way joint: TEE. Or a kind of shirt, or a kind of wooden peg
which supports a golf ball ... gotta keep clues for these words fresh
66. Okay: YES. Not sure if when CC asked me if I would blog every other
Friday puzzle I said "Okay" or "YES"
67. Wee: TEENSY. TEENSY or teeny (teenie)? TEENSY is thought of to be
more of a childish adjective for something that is wee or very small; OTOH,
teeny (also spelled TEENIE) is so much more adolescent!
68. Old boomer: SST. Not sure if this is a CSO to our Monday Blogger "Boomer"! I think the "boomer" Gary refers to is the airplane that caused a sonic boom when it exceeded the speed of sound - as in Super Sonic Transport. Now if he were thinking of OUR Boomer, the SST might stand for Spares Strikes, and Tenpins
Down:
1. It has a smell named for it: NEW CAR. Having bought a NEW CAR this past June 30, I can attest to this smell. And with the pandemic, I have yet to drive it 2,000 miles. NEW CAR SMELL lingers still ... but once it disappears, perhaps I can buy these to replace it?
2. Soothsayer: ORACLE. Wait just a doggone moment! Earlier, we had JAVA as a clue and it referred to APPLETS. Now, we have ORACLE and it refers to a Soothsayer? I wanted a clecho ... ;^) Here is a video about the ORACLE of Delphi
3. Like many Disney films: RATED G.
here's a short list
4. Wonka's creator: DAHL. Roald DAHL (13 September 1916 – 23 November
1990) was both a noted WWII pilot as well as a most famous author. Willard
Wonka (aka Willy, from the book: "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory")
5. Venus or Mars: ORB. Crosswordese; hardly goes a week by that we
don't see this word as a 3-letter answer. Pick any two planets, but Venus and
Mars? Wonder why? This?
6. Depends (on): LEANS. More wordplay. Gary definitely dug into the lesser known definitions when doing the clues for today; or perhaps, Rich and Joyce took care of some changes
7. Norman Bates, thankfully: LONER. Does this clue make this answer more emblematic of a Friday puzzle? No Norman Bates videos; but here's a "NORM" who's anything but a LONER:
8. Cutlass, e.g.: OLDS. Ransom E OLDS (June 3, 1864 – August 26, 1950) was a pioneer of the automobile industry, and his OLDSmobile was one of the General Motors brands until 2004, when it produced the now popular crossword car, ALERO, as its final model. The OLDS Cutlass began as a premium, mid-size two-door coupe that was produced from the mid-1960's through the end of the 1990's. Several versions. I drove the car shown below in 1976. It was a company car and quite a nice ride
9. Over and done with: PAST. Not to be a nitpicker, but I would add the words "IN THE" to PAST to make the definition fit. Maybe Yellowrocks can offer her two cents?
11. Capital of Portugal?: PEE. Lisbon? Euro? No you dummy! PEE as in the capital letter P. And when you translate PEE from English to Portuguese you get "Xixi". Another learning moment, compliments of your head Stooge!
12. __-Man: Marvel hero: ANT. Again, keeping the clue for the insect fresh. ANT-Man, according to many sources, appeared in the following Marvel Movies: Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
15. Baby's bodysuit: ONESIE. Another word not often seen in x-word puzzles but ideal for crosses needing vowels and common consonants. Here is a cute example:
17. First name in superhero lore: CLARK. CLARK Kent - the alias for Superman. We often see LOIS with similar cluing
21. Syllables in some madrigals: LAS. More fresh cluing; Vegas was already used today
23. Has the wheel: STEERS. As in driving a car. I will keep this one open for punning for Ray-O-Sunshine should he choose
25. Way out: DOOR. EXIT also fits into a four-letter space; but not this one
26. Canadian gas: ESSO. Moe-ku #5:
I hear that up north
Farts are called ESSO, 'cause it's
Canadian gas
28. Trains over the road: ELS. I wonder if golfer Ernie has ever ridden
on these?
29. Shade of black: COAL. OK, fresh clues notwithstanding, this may be
a stretch, but it is a different way of cluing this word
30. Too: AS WELL. Along with "your and you're", and "its and it's", and
"their and they're", TOO and to are among the more misspelled words in
texting
32. Cheat, in a way: PEEK. As in taking a PEEK at your neighbors test
sheet in school. With the 2020 pandemic, and the 6' spacing between desks, I
doubt that a cheater can PEEK anymore
33. Sugar amt.: TSP. Crosswordese
35. "However," in tweets: OTOH. On The Other
Hand, perhaps school kids are taking a different PEEK when their
classes are conducted via Zoom
36. Western wolf: LOBO. Also, the mascot and nickname of the University
of New Mexico athletic teams
39. Apt name for a chef?: STU. I pencilled in "SUE" at first; as in SOUS chef. STU = stew, but that's not a dish normally prepared and/or served by a chef, IMO
42. Math class calculations: SLOPES. I wanted "Places where one skis", but that's not a good Friday clue
44. First name in cosmetics: ESTEE. Crosswordese
46. DSL provider: ISP. The good old Internet Service Provider. Ours is Century Link
48. Colors: TINCTS. "Lightly colors" might have been a better clue. As in this erstwhile anticeptic that always stung like hell!
49. Calls up: EVOKES. From the Latin "ex vocare" --> "out of; to call"
50. English sheep breed: DORSET. From the county in SW England. Here's an image:
52. Set aside for later: STORE. Yet another "polysemy"! Gary was on a roll with his cluing and word definitions
53. Starter for 007's car?: ASTON. As in the ASTON Martin. James Bond drove these in many of his films. I doubt that the ones we could purchase have all the bells and whistles that his had
56. Future JD's hurdle: LSAT. Crosswordese; Law School
Admission Test
57. Blunted sword: EPEE. PEE and EPEE in the same puzzle?
58. Unnamed ones: THEY. Another fresh clue?
59. Calendar square: DAY. Dinah Washington sang it well
60. Run a tab, say: OWE. Popular activity in bars/taverns when consuming many rounds of drinks. THEY almost always run a credit card to make sure that the "tab" is paid and no one OWEs when the last call is made
62. "Survivor" station: CBS. Survivor is one of the longest running "reality" shows, although the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted the show. From multiple sources: "The series' 40th season Survivor: Winners at War premiered on February 12, 2020, during the 20th anniversary of the show, and finished airing on May 13, 2020. Production for the 41st and 42nd seasons were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are now planned to begin filming in spring 2021, with a fall 2021 premiere date for season 41.
Well, folks, that's about enough for us to digest on this day after Thanksgiving! Hope all are staying safe and look forward to your comments below!
The GRID:
