Words: 72 (missing F, Q, V, X)
Blocks: 28
My brain hurts.
I
simply would not let this one get the better of me, but in the end, I
had to succumb to the dreadful "red-letter" cheat....but I am smarter (
and smarting ) for the effort. Some of the cluing was just sooo good,
it was "bad". A few examples, taken from this pinwheel grid of triple-10's
include:
17A. Bit of paste : RHINESTONE
- GAH~!!! I was so flummoxed by paste, thinking of kindergarteners
eating non-toxic Elmer's that I neglected to consider the classic term
for faux gems; I did not know that a rhinestone was 'fake'; I had always considered it to be similar to quartz....the things you learn....
67A. Peripheral connection : SERIAL PORT - towards the end I had ---PORT, and was thinking AIR, CAR, BUS, TRAM, EL - some sort of transportation that would get you from the terminal to where ever....oh, the computer peripherals, like printers, etc. Duh.
14D. Lack of pies, say : SPOONERISM - if you are not familiar with this term, then the clue made absolutely no sense at all; a slip of the tongue, from Pack of Lies to Lack of Pies; the first one I ever heard was "Sew you to your Sheet"
30D. Target opening : BULLET HOLE - this image evokes such a feeling for me....can't explain it, but....and here's a Rob Dougan link of music, too.
AwDNoR~!
ACROSS:
1. Its two halves can't run simultaneously : CHESS CLOCK
- ARGH~!!! I was not giving up on this; I needed to figure out what
device we were looking for, but did myself in with A-B-C at 6D.; when I
changed it, TA - DA~!
11. Seasonal poem lead-in : 'TWAS - the night before Christmas....
15. View from the Jefferson Memorial : TIDAL BASIN - CHERRY TREE fit, too
16. 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Warren : SAPP - I knew him, but needed a letter to help me along
18. "Steakhouse inspired" food company : ALPO - oh, uh, dog food; I was thinking A.1.'s maker (Kraft)
19. Gene Vincent's "__ Lovin'" : LOTTA - link away ~!!
20. One objecting to a called strike : SCAB - D'oh~!! C.C., didya get fooled? (Yes, I was picturing a ball player!) This strike is the one I plan to go on if UPS expects me to pay for my benefits this coming contract; a person objecting to a union strike is a 'scab'
22. Regulus is in it : LEO - Nailed it; so did Husker Gary, right~? - I have me an 8" telescope, but stars are not as exciting for me as the planets
23. '80s-'90s Mormon leader __ Taft Benson : EZRA
26. Black Sea resident : ODESSAN - one from Odessa
28. Position : JOB - I was given a higher position at UPS today; I was the high-volume sorter, which happens to be 12 feet above the trucks....
31. Many millennia : EONS
33. Alight : SETTLE
34. Certain leg : DRUMSTICK - well, that is a certain kind of leg
37. Less likely to be seen : RARER
38. Rural landmark : SILO - dropped it in, and it never went away
39. ASCAP charter member : COHAN
41. Time-saving, commercially : REDI- - commercialization of "ready"
42. Bright : AGLOW
44. Retirement planning consideration : NET ASSETS - Don't know why, but I had NON- to start with
46. Avoid detection : LIE LOW
48. Part of a spread : DISH
49. Many a turkey : TOM - we met him on Thursday
50. Consumed amounts : INTAKES
52. Abbr. that usually refers to people : ET AL. - ALIA, or ALII, the Latin for other(s); and 55A. Israir alternative : EL AL - Planes to/from Israel
54. "Uh-uh" : NAH - not NOT
57. 2011 civil war setting : LIBYA - hey, I was paying attention to current events ~!
61. Whipped cream amount : GLOB - I really wanted DOLLOP, but....
63. Once in a while : ON OCCASION
66. Self-titled 1969 jazz album : ELLA - DAR~!!! I was stuck in instrument mode, like our JazzB on trombone; forgot all about vocals....
68. Bar lineup : RYES - um, SOTS fit, too - days of YORE when I would have a beer ( or 6 ) at Happy Hour; ended up "billing a lot of spear"
69. Intrusions : TRESPASSES
DOWN:
1. PC feature that doesn't do anything by itself : CTRL - my (left) Control Key is loose; threatening to abandon keyboard
2. Ritz alternative : HI-HO - the 'other' cracker
11. Seasonal poem lead-in : 'TWAS - the night before Christmas....
15. View from the Jefferson Memorial : TIDAL BASIN - CHERRY TREE fit, too
16. 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Warren : SAPP - I knew him, but needed a letter to help me along
18. "Steakhouse inspired" food company : ALPO - oh, uh, dog food; I was thinking A.1.'s maker (Kraft)
19. Gene Vincent's "__ Lovin'" : LOTTA - link away ~!!
20. One objecting to a called strike : SCAB - D'oh~!! C.C., didya get fooled? (Yes, I was picturing a ball player!) This strike is the one I plan to go on if UPS expects me to pay for my benefits this coming contract; a person objecting to a union strike is a 'scab'
22. Regulus is in it : LEO - Nailed it; so did Husker Gary, right~? - I have me an 8" telescope, but stars are not as exciting for me as the planets
23. '80s-'90s Mormon leader __ Taft Benson : EZRA
26. Black Sea resident : ODESSAN - one from Odessa
28. Position : JOB - I was given a higher position at UPS today; I was the high-volume sorter, which happens to be 12 feet above the trucks....
31. Many millennia : EONS
33. Alight : SETTLE
34. Certain leg : DRUMSTICK - well, that is a certain kind of leg
37. Less likely to be seen : RARER
38. Rural landmark : SILO - dropped it in, and it never went away
39. ASCAP charter member : COHAN
41. Time-saving, commercially : REDI- - commercialization of "ready"
42. Bright : AGLOW
44. Retirement planning consideration : NET ASSETS - Don't know why, but I had NON- to start with
46. Avoid detection : LIE LOW
48. Part of a spread : DISH
49. Many a turkey : TOM - we met him on Thursday
50. Consumed amounts : INTAKES
52. Abbr. that usually refers to people : ET AL. - ALIA, or ALII, the Latin for other(s); and 55A. Israir alternative : EL AL - Planes to/from Israel
54. "Uh-uh" : NAH - not NOT
57. 2011 civil war setting : LIBYA - hey, I was paying attention to current events ~!
61. Whipped cream amount : GLOB - I really wanted DOLLOP, but....
63. Once in a while : ON OCCASION
66. Self-titled 1969 jazz album : ELLA - DAR~!!! I was stuck in instrument mode, like our JazzB on trombone; forgot all about vocals....
68. Bar lineup : RYES - um, SOTS fit, too - days of YORE when I would have a beer ( or 6 ) at Happy Hour; ended up "billing a lot of spear"
69. Intrusions : TRESPASSES
DOWN:
1. PC feature that doesn't do anything by itself : CTRL - my (left) Control Key is loose; threatening to abandon keyboard
2. Ritz alternative : HI-HO - the 'other' cracker
3. Polish, in a way : EDIT - I am remodeling a kitchen next week, so I was thinking about EDGE detail of a countertop; well, it's sort of right
4. Part of a French toast : SANTE - liked the slight misdirection here from French Toast to "a" French toast
5. Dirtbags : SLEAZES - I was referred to as a Dirtbag in high school, only then it meant anyone with long hair who was into Heavy Metal music
6. "Mike & Molly" network : CBS - Good thing is, the "B" part was good to go for all three major networks~!!!
7. Parallel meas. : LAT - itude, the measure about the globe East/West
8. Chicago team, on Spanish radio : OSOs - Chicago Cubs, or Bears, in Spanish
9. Quince factor : CINCO - More Spanish, this time 20 (50?) and 5
10. Works with one's hands : KNEADS
11. Defense org. since November 2001 : TSA - Transportation Safety Administration; big news around here
12. Financial metonym : WALL STREET - I like to check out the "skirts", and sometimes the garment is pretty, too~!
13. Interested : APPEALED TO
21. Sierra Nevada, e.g. : BEER - brand name
24. Drillers' org. : ROTC - Reserve Officer's Training Corps
25. Electrolysis particle : ANION
27. Presidential Seal's 50 : STARS
28. "I almost always write about very young people" speaker : J.D. SALINGER - solid fill
29. In the beginning : ORIGINALLY
32. CPA's work : SCHEDule - part of a tax return
35. Cabbage : MOOLA - I had money slang last week
36. Show on which Notre Dame's Manti Te'o was interviewed : KATIE - missed some
40. Tweed lampooner : NAST - the Wiki
43. Roused : WOKE
45. Clinton cabinet member : SHALALA - Donna - more from Wiki
47. Brief post-game summary : WE LOST - ARGH~!!! More of that deep thought trying to figure out WEBLOG, no wait, REPORT, no, WEL--T....
51. Less bananas? : SANER - I am not sure if I gained or lost bananas on this puzzle
53. Speech troubles : LISPS
56. It's retold often : LORE and a little rhyme; 59D. "To show false Art what beauty was of __": Shakespeare : YORE
58. Who's who entries : BIOS
60. They're sometimes seen in columns : ANTS - ants in cartoons are industrious, make me think of this jazz piece ( @1:25)
62. Some coll. degrees : BAs
64. USSR successor : CIS -Commonwealth of Independent States; more learning, more Wiki
65. Keep from going higher : CAP - like in hockey, the limit a team can spend on players, renegotiated this past lockout because of a loophole that allowed clubs to spend $100mil+ on a player by spreading it out surreptitiously
Good luck to Marti at the ACPT~!!!
77 comments:
I see you finished this one early Splynter. It had all that I love and hate about silkie saturdays. The clues were hard, but it slowly came together after almost quitting. I loved RHINESTONE and SPOONERISM but found CHESS CLOCK a real bear. Enjoy all go Marti.
Hi y'all, I did better on this one than usually do a Silkie, but lots of unknowns too.
Thanks, Splynter for 'splainin' CHESS CLOCK (I needed a picture) and SPOONERISM--never heard of it. Didn't know 25D AN ION? or 64D CIS.
2D HIHO was my first fill. RHINESTONE and TIDAL BASIN came more easily than I expected. I did know RHINESTONEs were paste, but lovely to a young lady who got some one Christmas (me).
Maybe my brain's drained so I can sleep now!
This was one of the hardest Saturdays in recent memory for me. But (with thanks to those that noted the MENSA link yesterday) I powered through after nearly going to the google, or the red letter a couple times, and finished all on my own in 1:05. The north of the puzzle was what stumped me for the longest. Had AONE instead of ALPO and SKY instead of LEO forever, which didn't help. Eventually TIDALBASIN and EZRA came together, and looking carefully at my keyboard gave me CTRL and that section fell. But, ow, does my brain hurt.
Morning, all!
Man, this one was a real OSO today. I thought I was so smart figuring out the trick at 4D and confidently put in VOTRE. Oops... Finally had to turn on the red-letter help at the end to correct that mistake and get any headway in that corner. Once that got corrected, though, I managed to get everything else up there unassisted (although CTRL nearly killed me -- can you really call it a "feature" without mentioning "key"?).
Down in the SE, I had all sorts of wrongness. DAUB instead of GLOB, LAY LOW instead of LIE LOW and ALES instead of RYES just completely hid J.D. Salinger from me. I finally Googled the quote to get the answer. And even then, I stared at BULLY THOLE for EONS until the light bulb finally went off. I thought "Target" referred to the store, you see, and I was thinking it was something about a sales opening there....
So, one assist from the red letter genie and one trip to Mr. G. for me. But at least I finished!
[forhab]
The answers were whipped cream but the clues were a glob.
In 1914, George M. Cohan became one of the founding members of ASCAP. How did I miss that?
Closs Check: Payment to professional basketballer Keith from Central Connecticut State University.
Perial Sort: A type of arch through which the spinal cord passes.
Strumdick: A game played by bored little naked boys.
Yeouch!! Just brutal. My solve was very similar to yours Splynter..right down to really really wanting dollop. First fill was Ken's instead of Alpo. That caused no end of grief. First correct fills were Tom and Cap, then Silo and Nast. Went round and round and finally had it all except several gaping holes in the NW. For 19A I had Lot--, so googled for that, then hit Mr G again for Ezra. That gave me ROTC and allowed a guess for Sched to finish.
All told, just a little too much to be enjoyable. But it certainly makes you think.
Good morning all.
Nailed 1D CTRL and then got to 2D "Ritz alternative". Townhouse did not fit. Then I got to 3D "Polish in a way" and I was thinking Kielbasa. When I got to 4D "Part of a French toast", I couldn't take it anymore and had to go make breakfast. I hadn't even made it to 34A DRUMSTICK yet, but I had to get something into my 67A SERIAL PORT.
Had LayLOW before LIELOW. I thought whipped creme came in dollips. ELLA not EttA.
25D AN ION ? Really ?
Tough puzzle. West and SW fell first, then SE followed by NE. Had all kinds of things going on in the NW, such as ScuzzES instead of SLEAZES. I began to wonder if scuzzes was a word, and then I remembered all of the girls in high school saying I was scuzzy. "Ooh, he's so scuzzy, ooh." None the less, I took it out as the answer when TIDaL BASIN became clear.
Last section was the center. AN ION ? Really ? CPA's work = SCHED ? I get 'em, but just don't like 'em. I forgot Manti Te'o was on KATIE and didn't know that CHAN was a founding member. Finally got NET and the puzzle was done.
Wonder why we don't see more of Donna ? She has such a crossword friendly last name. Oh yea, last fill was the D for DISH in the "Spread' clue. Hmmm, lots of food references in the puzzle today. But shoot, no theme today...
Time to read Splynter and then the blog updates.
@TTP: ANION is one word meaning a negatively changed ion.
Good morning, all!
This was a typical Saturday Silkie for me. Lots of white space that filled in little-by-little, and finally it was finished. My only over-writes today were AEON/EONS, SCUZZES/SLEAZES and AONE/ALPO.
I knew Regulus was a star, but had no idea as to the constellation. Hand up for wanting DOLLOP, but it was GLOB that fit the space. My favorite Spoonerism -- smooth as a well-boiled icicle.
Congrats on your new position, Splynter. Now you get to look down on your fellow employees. :) Am I wrong? I thought SCAB was not one who merely objected to the strike, but one who actually showed up for work.
Wow...the rest of the day has to be easier! Had a lot of trouble even after resorting to Google.
Wow! What an OSO, indeed! Thanks for the great expo, Splynter. This took me forevah, but I was determined not to be defeated. I loved all the tricky misdirections. In the end, I had to Google one letter.
I had WELO_T. I wagged S, but couldn't parse WE LOST, so I was very conflicted about that S. My Natick was CIS crossing SERIAL. I didn't get the I. I was sure TTP knew it and was jealous. He is such a smart computer tech.
The "storm" was pretty much a pussycat here. It didn't keep us in. Yesterday I had lunch with four friends at a great restaurant. We had several delicious Chinese dishes and a wonderful sushi/sashimi platter to share.
Today is delightfully warm and sunny. The snow is melting. Ah, spring! It makes me want to sing.
Good morning everyone,
Am I glad this week is over. I finally said "....." it and turned the red letters on. My completed grid was about a 30% win for me & 70% for Silkie. Can't come up with any comments about the puzzle that would be appropriate for our group so I'll just shut up.
Now I can go and de-ice my driveway after yesterdays 16+" on top of a wet surface. Thankfully, my plowing service has been top shelf.
Temps going to be in the 50's today. Ya gotta love March!
I made a great start on the NW but this ended up being the last section to fall. CHESSCLOCK was just about my last entry - and I own one! Great word and a great clue, and I had CLOCK staring me in the face the whole solve.
What a great puzzle. The thrill of getting a fill from out in left field is exhilarating (yeah, I know, I gotta get out more!). Those triple stacks are impressive and turn out to be your best friend. Not having Target opening be “THE LETTER T” (I had the …LET…) was my only WAG that sucked wind. We are on our way to Lincoln to watch (insert grandchild) (insert activity) We are also helping oldest daughter <(insert home improvement project). You know there really is no statute of limitations on being a good parent/grandparent. Hope to blog later!
Good morning, gang - I think it's all been said, but let me just add: WOW!. I don't know if it was lack of sleep, too much alcohol, continued brain-cell loss or what, but I got my tail kicked all the way through this one. I left it incomplete after I got home last night, and fresh eyes this morning helped, but this was a slog for me, although I finally beat it down. Great cluing, as always with a Silkie; favorite clue was 'Drillers' org.'.
Went to a great Pop Rock DooWop concert last night. Hosted by 'Cousin Brucie', they had the Platters, Drifters, Danny & the Juniors, the Chiffons, Passions and Cascades. Still great sounds, although their ranks are interspersed with relative newcomers. We went to the VIP 'after-party' and I ended up having a wonderful extended conversation with one of the Drifters who was a fellow former Marine/Vietnam vet. If you ever have one of these concerts come to your town, I'd highly recommend it; the music in person, while not quite as sharp, just brings back a flood of memories.
Hope it's a great weekend for everyone; do something fun!
45 minutes today with red letter and Google help. Was looking for dentists for association of drillers.
Loved clues for ANTS, SANER, RHINESTONE
Learning moment with CHESSCLOCK. Should have had one of those for the cat in my avatar!
We don't have HiHo crackers but I googled HiHo hostels and it fit if you think of Ritz as the hotel!
We have 3 Target stores opening in Canada this week. Such excitement!
Good morning everyone.
A nice Silkie treat. Have learned that his long acrosses/downs are usually quite getable with a little perp help. Took me awhile to get CHESS CLOCK but it made a lot of sense. Had SLEaZES misspelt for awhile but LOTTA fell in nicely when I fixed it. Somehow remembered that Regulus was in LEO. Learned a new word 'metanym' to get WALL STREET. Got ODESSAN once the middle 3 lts, ess, came from BEER, etc. Sierra Nevada is one of my favorites. Also Stella Artois. Last to fall was the H in SCHED. D'uh.
Is it anions go to the cathode and cations go to the anode? Always have gotten a little confused with the +- labeling of electricity flow.
Nice sunny 40º day here today.
Hi All ~~
Yikes ~ my beloved Saturday Silkie did me in today! I was more on Splynter's wavelength than on Mr. Silk's ~ many similar thoughts and errors. A wonderful write-up, Mr. Splynter!
I fought my way through most of this, but had to leave the NW corner for last. I walked away and came back, and even then I had to resort to the dreaded Google. Usually one time will give me enough to finish, but not this time. RHINESTONE and CHESS CLOCK were just not in my brain. I'm exhausted. I did enjoy the challenge and learned a number of things that I hope will stay with me for next time!
Favorites: 14D - 'Lack of pies' - SPOONERISM and 'Brief post-game summary' - WE LOST ~ wanted something relating to 'recap.'
Yesterday's snow is melting and we "Spring ahead" tonight! (except for Lucina) :-)
Hope Marti is having fun ~ can't wait to hear from her!
Good Morning All - Well thank you Barry for a very 'learning' puzzle today (you gotta have these once in a while or how will you ever learn anything new).
First past thru w/o red letter help left more spaces than fill-ins. First entries were TWAS, SAPP (I do know a little about football), ODESSAN, ELAL and a few more. 2nd pass added a few more then I was stuck. Thought I was pretty clever adding 'UNDO' for 1D. HA wrong! Turned on red letter help, but it was still difficult. SPOONERISM was an unknows, WELOST - I broke it at WEL OST??? Sometimes you can't see what's plain as day to someone else.
Thanks for a super write-up Splynter.
Dennis - Sounds like you went to a great concert.
Bill G - I always liked Dana Delaney in China Beach and watched her for a while last season in Body of Proof, but this year it’s on opposite ‘Smash’ and I’ve wanted to watch that - so no BOP.
Off to visit some friends in N. Fort Meyers this afternoon. It's going to be a beautiful day here on the Gulf Coast. Have a great Saturday everyone.
medianro
Ouch!
I thought I would try to do todays on paper, in ink... (What was I thinking!) This is what I got:
1D PC feature that doesn't do anything by itself, well that's obvious, "undo."
47D Brief post-game summary, "recap."
& then in between I did get Regulus=Leo because everyone knows Regulus is the star at the bottom of the backwards facing question mark, & an apt reference to this puzzle...
Also, I did get less bananas, but I think that was just Barry Silk teasing me.
Barry G. Help! what does OSO stand for?
LOL, Loved peoples parsing of Anion.
Hmm, i hope you can enlarge that link, because There are additional names used for ions with multiple charges. For example, an ion with a -2 charge is known as a (insert answer here) and an ion with a +2 charge is known as a (insert answer here). A (insert answer here) is a neutral molecule with positive and negative charges at different locations within that molecule.
Next week, there will be a test on the names of Electron Orbitals.
Splynter: Thank you for the informative write-up & links.
Aarrgghh, my SCAB "perps" want to 'Go-on-strike' after this workout!!!
SAPP was a gimmie. He played for my Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (A "helluva" price to pay for Corn).
TTP @8:08 I had a great laugh at your "AN ION" comment/joke. Good one!!!
Anon @8:13 You're an idiot! Get a sense of humor.
My fave today, of course, was RYES. (I wonder why?)
A "toast" to All (but the idiot Anon) at Sunset.
SANTE !!!
Regulus in LEO is one of 58 commonly used stars in Celestial Navigation. These stars need to be bright enough to be seen at twilight while the horizon is visible and also juxtaposed from other stars to result in lines of position(LOP) crossing at a decent angle.
SPOONERISM - Years ago one of the top officials of US Skating, F. Ritter Shumway, was announced at an event by the emcee as F. Shitter Runway.
A Canadian friend sent me this link of robot over Niagara. She says:"For everyone who, like me, lives here in Niagara, for those who have been here, and for those who have not seen Niagara ~ here is a promotional video that is well done and done by a fascinating means." It opens with views of downtown Niagara-on-the-Lake, and also shows close in views of the Falls and also the vinyards of the Niagara Peninsula.
I think CanadianEh lives nearby.
tinbeni, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bottle today?
what was wrong with the 8:13 post?
this is usually a welcoming blog except for a couple of cliquey regulars.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Barry Silk, for a swell Saturday puzzle, albeit quite tough. Thank you, Spynter, for the swell review.
CED: Oso is spanish for bear. I learned that doing these crosswords.
Needless to say I did not get started in the NW. I headed South. Got the SW and SE and all in the center first. Was not easy. Had TREE for 38A. Once SALINGER became apparent I fixed that to SILO.
BULLET HOLE appeared.
In the SE, after WE LOST fell, I was able to get the long ones with a few perps. Wanted SYRIA for 57A. LIBYA became apparent after awhile.
Had everything but the "H" for SHALALA. DISH fixed that. Do not remember that person.
TSA was easy for the NE. As well as TWAS and ALPO. The rest were tough. Finally got it all including SPOONERISM via perps. Did not know what that meant, but with 10 perps how could I be wrong.
BEER was easy for 21D. I have had it and like it. Same as Spitzboov.
NW was my last to fall. I had the last five letters of all three, but the first five were tough. TIDAL BASIN appeared after I googled it. I needed a foundation to get going. Finally got the rest. My wife gave me a clue for 19A. SANTE I did not know, but perps got it. Must be french.
NAST was easy in the middle. We have had him many times through the years.
Off to my day. See you tomorrow, and one of our own later today.
Abejo
(rsubway)
Spitzboov@10:47
Your link wouldn't play for me but I found it here. robot over Niagara Fantastic. Especially in full screen.
Spitzboov:
Nice video over the Niagara area. Near my stomping grounds.
Abejo
(irstudu)
Tinbeni! Be Nice!
After all, the Anon was only charged up!
Well, I've had such a great solving week, I refused to be daunted by a "dreaded Silkie" this morning. But after the first scan, I had to say "He's baaaack!" My goodness, this was tough. I couldn't even get a toehold on this one for the longest time, and then it was only SILO in the middle of nowhere. But after DRUMSTICK kicked in, the SW corner and far South fell into place, although that was it. After that it was cheating, and I never "got" CHESS CLOCK and would not have "gotten" it, in the sense of meaning, if it hadn't been for Splynters's picture. Anyway, I don't want to say anything mean about LaLaLinda's "beloved Silkie" but, boy, this was a toughie.
I did learn what a Spoonerism is, though, and loved Arthur's examples.
Dennis, it sounds like you had a great evening.
I wish the ACPT convention was televised so we could see our Marti in action. I'd be glued to the set.
Am going to an annual women's Literary Luncheon today. One of the speakers will be the author of "Lost in Translation," I gather. Should be fun.
Have a great weekend, everybody, and see you Monday!
Thank you Barry C Silk. Thanks for the write up Splynter. I am glad you explained Spoonerism. I got the answer without understanding it, just as I got WALL STREET without knowing what a metonym is. But now I do.
And Yellowrocks, thank you for the nice compliment. I'm more of a systems guy, but since PCs have long replaced the "dumb" terminals as workstations, I have learned a little bit about them.
Spitzboov, you'll get differing opinions of "flow direction" depending on whether you are talking to a layman or an electrician, or an EE or physicist. It's been years since I've studied electronics, but the traditional teaching of flow in one direction, from positive to negative or vice versa, makes the concept easy to understand. In reality the flow can be in both directions at the same time - if you are to believe physicists. It's just easier to conceptualize that electrons flow from valence shell to valence shell, as if they were ping pong balls in a tube, and as you push one in one side, one falls out the other side in a singular flow fashion. It's all too heady for me for what I've needed to know. Liked your video !
Let's all send positive mental vibes to Marti !
OK, back to the Saturday morning chores. See all of y'all later. And I get to meet Abejo later today !
Wow.. Anyone who was able to complete this puzzle with no helping is my hero. I did get tidal basin..
Thanks for that great video on Niagara Falls. I was raised in western NY. It is beautiful in the summer. It would be fun to see one of these done over the finger lakes.
Enjoyed the write up..
Have a great Saturday.
Hi Everyone:
What can I say? This was a certainly a Saturday Silkie but a Saturday Silkie on Steroids! I did finish w/o help but it took almost an hour and it was by no means a " Happy Hour."
But, as I have said before, it takes patience and perserverance to just keep chipping away and, sooner or later (mostly later), things fall into place. Thank you, Mr. Silk, for a brain-bruising challenge and thanks, Splynter, for your great expo.
Hope all is going well for Marti. I don't envy her in what must be an extremely competitive and nerve- wracking atmosphere. But I'm sure she's up to the task!
Happy Saturday. Don't forget to change your clocks.
Barry Silk has obviously been reading the Corner, seen how many people have been easily zooming through puzzles lately, and decided to do something about that. He has succeeded with todays offering. I got it done, but it wasnt pretty. Where's that bottle of Advil?
I was wondering why anyone would be excited about taking the Auditory Continuous Performance Test and decided to investigate.
Oh, you mean this ACPT.
Check out all the familiar names under the officials heading.
Click on "alphabetical" under Overall heading to find Marti.
First puzzle was at 11am. Results to follow.
Speaking of DST, my "atomic" wall clock in the family room just leaped forward all by itself. The minutes and seconds are correct (when compared to my other two atomic clocks), only the hour has been changed (to protect the innocent?). Weird! Wonder if it's gonna make a second leap tonight.
Perhaps the most famous Spoonerism occured back in the 30's when radio announcer Harry Von Zell referred to President Hoobert Heever. Here are some examples of real Spoonerisms -- actually spoken by Spooner, himself. There are also examples for how to change cards in a deck to Spoonerisms. The Four of Hearts is a good one!
Pinto, what did poor Vicki Eastus do to be rated 543rd when everyone else is rated 1? And do you think Marti is really a rookie? Or maybe that means a first appearance in the contest?
Oh dear! Today I could not even get a foothold on anything to start. LA Times comes with a local paper on Saturdays and it has a puzzle more suited to my newbie skill level.
Love this site, get to see that it was a struggle for most!
Ouch. Humiliated. Humbled. But amused. Call me old fashioned, but no "red letter" hints for me. I still love my fine tipped uniball pen, the paper and a cup of morning coffee. Enjoy all you regulars- a cadre of clue solvers much smarter than I!
It took me a while to "get" chess clock and then I was pretty proud of myself when I saw the hourglass being turned over at the end of each move. Then I was humbled when I saw the photograph of the real chess clock. I was hoping someone might have had the same thought and validated me, but after more thought, that's just dumb. Like we'd go somewhere else while the rest of the sand "runs" through.
Hello. I'm glad to see you, Splynter, and really needed your insight for this rough Silkie.
I'm late to the party because after finishing the SW and SE my brain felt fried so left the puzzle. Today is Book Club meeting and I had to eat breakfast and make corn bread to take to said meeting.
When I picked up the puzzle again, the NE fell as WALL STREET and TWAS were there. I had filled and erased ALPO several times, finally I just looked up SAPP. That left the NW and finally TIDAL BASIN appeared but too much time had passed so I googled clue #1 and there was Splynter's quote about it.
EZRA Taft Benson was often in the news back in the day and his name stuck with me. That was my first fill.
If anyone is interested our book is The Kitchen House and it's very good. It's a quick but riveting read.
I just have to say that while OSOS was a given for me, CINCO was not and I have a knot from the V-8 can!
Have a lovely Saturday, everyone! Go, Marti!!
Lucina:
Our Book Club is also reading "The Kitchen House." I have not finished it yet. We review on Monday. It is good so far, but some bad stuff as well.
Abejo
(croeleb)
LaLaLinda:
I don't envy you all having to change your clocks! I would have to switch my battery and electric clocks to atomic ones!
Spitzboov:
Thank you for posting the Niagara video. It's beautiful! This summer we hope to acquaint our one sister who has never been there with Niagara Falls.
Abejo:
Considering the era and the subject some bad is to be expected, don't you think?
I just put a picture of Rich & Marti at the end of the Saturday Stud's write-up.
PK,
I'm still here. New York is along way away from Minnesota.
TTP & Abejo,
Have fun!
It's amazing what is expected of sports fans these days. The state college I sent much money to is playing an important game this afternoon. The local TV station put a message on the crawl for everyone to get naked. Anything for the good of the team, right?
Well, they were having technical problems and what they said was, "BARE with us. We are having issues and are trying to work them out." The game came back on and now it's the half. Do you think they'd notice if I put my clothes back on. It's kinda chilly.
Argyle- Really? C'mon, everbody in the world knows Cohan was a charter member of ASCAP... :)
TTP- Change SCHED to SCREW. COHAN to CORAL. Voila! The dreaded Abbr. gone!
Hello everybody. Well, I sure didn't finish this wonderful puzzle in one swell foop. I learned the word "metonym" which I think I will gladly remember. For 1A I was thinking of something like the two halves of a ball game. I got LEO only because it was the only 3-letter constellation I could think of. On the whole I found this puzzle to be as hard as most of you did, but loved working it. Gotta get us some of those atomic clocks; I hate hate hate resetting our clocks twice every year. Yellowrocks, the image of you singing happily made me smile. Best wishes to you all.
Lucina & Abejo, I got "The Kitchen House" several years ago before Kindle and have read it several times. A sad book but compelling.
It's "roaring with pain" here. Thank God, we sure need the moisture! Maybe my bare spots where the sewer line was replaced will get soaked up and settle so I can plant grass.
C.C.: I didn't think you went but you seemed so excited about the tournament, I wasn't sure. If Marti is considered a rookie, all us peons wouldn't make it in the door. Those puzzles must really be OSOs comparing the scores. I bet they don't let you use red letters either. LOL!
Hi everybody. I would never be able to finish a Saturday puzzle and keep my sanity without some help. Thanks red letters!
Annie, have you watched Body of Proof? Her character is very unpleasant I think.
I sometimes read my wife's Facebook page. I'm always frustrated with people who made some short cryptic statement and don't elaborate at all. Somebody we both care about said, "I dont know anything anymore." Is he hurting? About what? Somebody else barely mentioned being in an ambulance with the sirens going. Really upsetting until we heard a few details later that everything was OK. Is that way of communicating typical these days due to Facebook, Twitter, etc.?
Good photo of Marti and Rich.
PK, the world seems to have more illiterate people these days though not here at the Corner. We're still holding down the fort...
In a couple of days I'm going to try to see the new comet. It'll be low in the western sky. Going down to the beach with binoculars ought to do the job.
Spitzboov@10:47 -Thanks for the link to the wonderful Niagara video. I hadn't seen it.
DH and I were in Niagara-on-the-Lake last weekend for Fabulicious meal. We bike on that trail along the Parkway but it's too cool yet. We have just returned from Niag Falls visit today - spring flowers in greenhouse were beautiful. Casino was busy too but in my view, it and Clifton Hill are just tourist traps!
Sunny and bright today but still ice on the river.
Funny how we become so used to the beauty when we see it all the time. It is a real treat to introduce someone to the Falls for the first time and see their reaction.
My brain is fried!! So far I am # 404 of 570 something contestants...Hey, I have nowhere to go but down from here! The fifth puzzle today was absolutely brutal - I didn't even come close to finishing in the allotted time.
But, it is really great to meet everyone finally. Rich is really sweet to indulge me with my "hugs" pic. One more puzzle tomorrow, and I'll have my first ACPT under my belt.
until this puzzle, I had never really thought about the Chicago Cubs and the Bears being the same animal (probably because it is MLB and NFL), fun clue.
Typical Silkie, inch by inch.
Afternoon All, Missed Yesterday due to storm but today was a crash and burn. Chess clock, thinking White sox for team and Cohen killed me.
Bill, What could go wrong? A friendly retired Gentleman with binoculars at the beach.
Is he looking at The moon or... aww hell, we all know what Bill is Looking at Whats this about a comet?
-Marti, That's a lovely picture of you and Will. You are doing well for your first competition. I would never even get my foot in the door.
-Misty, We read, "Lost in Translation" for my Masters program. I enjoyed it, but I preferred the other immigrant experience book we were asked to contrast with it. I can't dredge up its name right now. The teacher obviously preferred "Lost in Translation." He said he gave me an A on the essay because he liked my classroom contributions.
-Jayce you might like the image of me happily singing from so far away, but you are fortunate to be far enough away not to hear it.
- I will have to read The Kitchen House. Thank you for the suggestion. “Wench: A Novel” by Perkins-Valdez was another excellent book about the slave experience.
-We can get the Sunday’s NYT magazine section at the library on the day before. I did that today and found the March 10 puzzle relatively easy and fast to solve. It had a gimmick which I found very early on. I had only one doubtful letter which I confirmed as correct by Googling after I finished. The puzzle reminded me of a recent LAT. Please don’t give anything away because some papers will carry this puzzle on March17.
Spitz, I just got around to watching your Niagara Falls (and surroundings) video. Very enjoyable. Thanks.
Manac, great links. As you probably know, the first girl was playing beach volleyball and signaling to her partner. The second girl reminds me, years ago, of another similarly-unclad girl lying next to the bike path as I was pedaling along. I almost ran off the bike path into the sand. They should have signs warning about hazards like that. Geezers like me could get hurt.
Earlier, I was mentioning being annoyed at a post on my wife's Facebook page saying "I dont know anything anymore" and having no more information about what was going on. I guess the reason I reacted that way is because it was from my other grandson whose family is up in Portland, Oregon. I just heard from my son (who is very poor about keeping in touch) and he went into detail explaining that his son, Felix, was going through a really bad time having severe emotional problems resulting in therapy, police intervention, medication, and huge stress on the family. Geez... I feel so bad about what they all must be going through. I know at least we can help them with the extra financial burden.
Lucina: Yes, I agree. It was a bad time for many people in our country. Glad things have changed, even though slower than they should.
To All: TTP and I met this afternoon and swapped crossword and personal stories over a beer (two beers, one each). We plan on doing it again and hopefully Mari can join in, as well as anyone else in Chicagoland, whoever that might be.
C.C. and Marti: Sounds like you are having fun in NYC. Good luck with the tournament. We are pulling for you.
Abejo
(gingfre)
Marti: Hang in there! Tomorrow's puzzle may be more on your wave length! Rich looked much happier with you hugging him than he did in the picture we saw the other day. Good luck!
Judging from the pan I leave out for water for birds & wildlife, we've had over 2 inches of rain and it is still coming. Hurrah!
BillG: Prayers for your grandson & family. It is such a hard time for young people growing up today. How old is he? Too bad you aren't closer to them. It's so hard to help when families are scattered.
Hello all,
I just got to meet Abejo. Such a wonderful, nice man. The time flew by as we talked and traded stories and got to know each other. I think it would have kept going, but he had a dinner engagement this evening.
We were from the same general area, about 100 miles apart. As a teenager, I worked in his home town, and we were both overseas at the same time. We shared work experiences and they are similar, except that he traveled much farther and experienced much more than I did.
Turns out we are not that far from each other now, and I pass by his house when I get my vision checked. And he and his wife had friends that once lived in my subdivision, so he knows my area. Small world.
Mari couldn't make it, so we chose not to come up with a name, like the "California Coven." Am looking forward to the next get together. We will get Mari on the next go round, and anyone else that is in the area that wants to join in.
I should have read before posting.
CC, we did ! I think so.
Jerome, perfect solution !
Marti, no matter the final tally, you are a champion in my eyes for entering the ring. Hats off to you, and as Scotty would say, "give her all you got" tomorrow.
PK, too funny ! Inside or outside, it's too cold to be running around with your clothes off this time of year.
Bill G, best wishes for you nd your family.
Back from my Ladies Literary Luncheon. Yellowrocks, I liked your Masters's essay story--thanks for sharing! The book I bought at the luncheon is called "The Care and Handling of Roses and Thorns" by Margaret Dilloway. I used to be an avid gardener before my back went out, and this book is about a cultivator of roses, I gather. The author told me that her consultant for the book actually produced two new roses called something like "Yellow Lemonade" and "Pink Lemonade." I'll have to see if I can find Pink Lemonade.
On and off, as I worked at my wife's store helping customers, since 10 AM I've pecked away at this puzzle. Ever so slowly it began to take shape. Finally, just now the upper left corner finished it off. And the thing that finally got that corner done was solving "knead" for 10 down. Thanks for the enjoyable time!
Splynter re 9D Quince factor:
Quince (pronounced keen-say) is 15. So 5 (cinco) is a factor of fifteen (quince).
We've had a lot of spanish words in the LAT puzzles, but I think this may be the first time for quince. In my recollection, anyway.
Nice Saturday here with the sune out. Today's puzzle was one of the hardest I have worked in a long time. Never heard of Sierra Nevada beer. Had to resort to google to finish. So how long to they give you to do a puzzle Marti?
Hi everyone, my husband said even with all of our WAG's this puzzle really kicked our A's ! It was difficult to get a foothold in the NE corner, not chess players. Happy to see others were challenged a little, doesn't discourage us as much. We are used to Saturday Silkie's presenting a challenge and this one held up to that tradition!
The quince I'm familiar with.
Argyle - I love quince jam. Hard to find here.
Well, I got to the bank and transferred some money into my son's account. I know that won't solve the problems that his son is going through but maybe it will give him one fewer thing to get stressed about.
Argyle, what a coincidence you mentioned Quince!
For your Vegucation...A recipe for "Membrillo."
P.S. In case anyone wants to know the answers to my quiz at 10:19
-2 charge = dianion
+2 charge = dication
& the neutral molecule with positive and negative charges at different locations within that molecule = The Zwitterion.
(yes it's a real word, put that in a crossword & see how many nitwits pick nits...)
Marti, you set the all time best finish for Corner regular; say hello to Bruce S. another of my favorite Friday people. Love the pic of you and Rich. Did you remember to whisper my message in his ear?
Bill G.--just got the gist of your message about son and grandson. My goodness, family problems are so heartbreaking, aren't they? But your generosity will surely pay off in the end--I'm very hopeful about that. Just know that we're all caring and hoping for the best for you and your family.
Bill G. my heart goes out to you.. my prayers will be with you and your family..
thelma
BillG@5:07:
I just read your post and I'm so sorry to hear about your grandson and what a distressing way to learn about it. I'm sure that your generosity is appreciated. I'll keep them in my prayers.
Lately I've been hearing about deaths in the family through Facebook and it really irritates me. They were not close family, but still, I believe, deserving of a more private announcement.
Have a good night, all.
52 hours, 35 minutes.
Now that's stick-to-it-ness.
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