Theme: Just take it two days at a time. Common words that can all precede the word "DAY" and thus describe a recognized event are stacked in the puzzle so that they can be considered paired.
13A. *Shady spot : ARBOR. A garden alcove formed by trees or climbing plants over a trellis. ARBOR DAY. A day devoted to the planting and care of trees, nationally on the last Friday in April, but at various times from January through May around the continental U.S. and the first Friday of Nov. in Hawaii.
16A. *Furry forecaster? : GROUNDHOG. A burrowing rodent (Marmota monax), also known as the woodchuck,
whistle-pig, or land-beaver. Nobody knows how much wood it would
chuck. GROUNDHOG DAY. Feb 2. when
the eponymous rodent is coaxed from its cozy hole in the ground to give a
mostly inaccurate prediction about the duration of winter. Also the
title and subject of a now classic movie.
27A. *Jolly Roger, e.g. : FLAG.
A piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is used as a symbol, a
signaling device, or decoration. Roger's design is more distinctive
than jolly.
FLAG DAY. Celebrated on June 14th, commemorates the adoption of the U.S. Flag by the 2nd Continental Congress on that day in 1777.
30A. *Formal beginning : INAUGURATION. The start of a new operation, practice or administration. INAUGURATION DAY. The day of the official swearing in of a U. S. president to signal the beginning of her/his administration.
45A. *Freedom from control : INDEPENDENCE. A condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population exercise self-government. INDEPENDENCE DAY.
Celebrated in the U.S. on July 4th, commemorates the adoption of the
Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence of
the 13 colonies from the Kingdom of Great Britain. The rest is history.
48A. *Leave the ground : LEAP. Launch oneself skyward, an activity that before which one should generally look.
LEAP DAY. Feb 29, the added day in leap year, making the most miserable month even longer. Big mistake, IMHO.
61A. Big name in publishing, and a visual hint to the three adjacent pairs of answers to starred clues : DOUBLEDAY. Famous publisher of many fiction and non-fiction books. DOUBLE DAY. Two days at a time, or one day at a time if you live under a double star.
Hi, gang, it's JzB guiding you though a nifty DOUBLE play turned by our fearless leader and dynamic soloist. Come along, let's make a day [or two] of it.
Across:
Across:
1. '60s activist Bobby : SEALE. Co-founder of the Black Panther Party
6. Forward sail : JIB. A triangular staysail that sets ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel.
9. Flavonoids-rich berry : ACAI. Comes from a variety of palm tree.
14. Mesabi Range output : ORE. I can dig it.
15. Not for minors : ADULT. The minors can't dig it. Relates to the language, visuals or situations of a publication or production.
18. Chain with a red cowboy hat logo : ARBY'S. They have a good fish sandwich this time of year.
19. Some spring rolls? : SOD. Rolls of green grass. Clever.
20. Former "Today" co-anchor Curry : ANN. Her departure was not amiable.
21. Plant sold in animal-shaped pots : CHIA. Makes a great gift.
22. Gave away, as true feelings : LET ON. As ANN did on her last Today day.
25. One __ time : AT A. Unless you live under a double sun.
33. Lip balm stuff : ALOE. Common ointment for puzzlers.
35. Subleased : RELET.
36. __-ray Disc : BLU.
37. Gives substance to, with "out" : FLESHES. Otherwise all you have is a skeleton.
39. Decks out : ATTIRES. Puts clothing on. After fleshing out. Proper sequencing is important.
41. L.A.'s __ Center: second-tallest building in California : AON. A mere 62 stories, located at 707 Wilshire Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles.
42. Salsa ingredient : ONION. Tomatillo doesn't fit.
44. Hard-to-hit server : ACER. An unreturnable serve is an ACE.
49. Stoplight color : RED. Poorly timed ones make me see RED.
50. "Done!" : THERE! See! Told ya'!
53. Vagrant : HOBO. A wandering laborer, not just an ordinary bum. Vagrants are beggars, so this isn't quite right.
55. PSAT takers : JRS. High School juniors take the Pre-Scholastic Achievment Test.
57. Acct. accrual : INT. If accounts accrue interest, do no-accounts accrue disinterest?
59. Summers in China? : ABACI. The original digital calculators. Clever again.
64. "My Little Grass Shack" singer : DON HO. Is his little grass shack filled with tiny bubbles?
65. Die down : EBB. As when the bubbly goes flat.
66. Hoover rival : ORECK. Vacuum cleaners.
67. A&W rival : DAD'S. Old Fashioned Root Beer. Full of tiny bubbles.
68. Versatile Scrabble tile : ESS. The letter "S" spelt out.
69. Small bite : TASTE.
Down:
1. Loses muscle tone : SAGS. Not to be confused with Cooper's Droop.
2. Dashing Flynn : ERROL. Famous buckler of swashes.
3. Dwelling : ABODE. The place where I abide
4. Reed of The Velvet Underground : LOU. Not my cup of Earl Grey. YMMV.
5. Compass point ending : ERN. Suffix for East-; West-; North-; and South-. Any direction the sea-eagle may fly.
6. Poet Keats : JOHN A quote:
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
'Gainst the hot season; the mid-forest brake
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
'Gainst the hot season; the mid-forest brake
7. Historic toolmaking period : IRON AGE.
After the bronze age, metallurgy became more sophisticated, and men
learned to make useful things out of iron, a. much harder and more
durable metal.
8. Importune : BEG. What HOBOS don't do.
9. Lacking purpose : ADRIFT. Much better than being ASEA.
10. Tropical rum drink : CUBA LIBRE. Rum and Coke over ice with a lime wedge. Probably not Tinbeni's cup of Earl Grey.
11. Prince __ Khan : ALY. I wanted AGA, but that was his dad.
12. "__ in the bag!" : IT'S. It is. Really
15. "That hits the spot!" : AAH. Like a nice cold CUBA LIBRE.
17. "Body of Proof" actress Delany : DANA. Cute, but I don't recognize her.
21. Insertion symbol : CARET. This thing "^" tells you where to put it in.
23. Cancún uncles : TIOS. Spanish.
24. Like many an easy grounder : ONE HOP. Who would have imagined our first baseball reference wouldn't occur until 24D?
26. New Orleans school : TULANE.
28. IM user : AOLER. AOL users can send Instant Messages to other AOL users
29. Safari sights : GNUS. A word derived from the indigenous Khoikhoi name for the Wildebeest, the Afrikaans name for wild cattle.
31. Like grizzlies : URSINE. They go bear in the woods.
32. Tack on : ATTACH. [Cf 59D]
33. Solo : ALONE. As in flying an airplane, performing music, or constructing a crossword puzzle
34. Pitch in : LEND A HAND. Help somebody
37. Flunk out : FAIL.
38. Año beginner : ENERO. January begins the year. Más españoles.
40. Slurpee cousin : ICEE. Do you suppose Tinbeni enjoys these?
43. PennySaver ad subjects : ODD JOBS. Or, what HOBOS might do.
46. Big times : EPOCHS. Can denote any of various times or time spans; geologically speaking, less than a period and greater than an age.
47. Black-box analyzers: Abbr. : NTSB. National Transportation Safety Board
51. Takes for a spin : RIDES.
52. Pass : ENACT. As, a law.
54. Theater program item : BIO. Biography
56. Chafes : RUBS. Probably the wrong way.
58. Little one : TYKE.
59. Tack on : ADD. Hey look - a clecho! [Cf 32D]
60. Accessorizing wrap : BOA. A long thin stole of feathers or fur worn around a woman's neck
61. Below-average grade : DEE. The letter "D" spelt out.
62. Parking place : LOT. For some reason I had a LOT of trouble with this one.
63. Stat for R.A. Dickey : ERA. Earned Run Average.
And a perfect ending with some more baseball. Robert Allen Dickey is a
pitcher who has bounced around both leagues, spent some time with the
Twins, and is now with the Blue Jays. Last year, while with the Mets he
led the N.L. in strikeouts, and won the Cy Young award.
OK,
folks, THERE! A fun puzzle with a clecho, some top-notch pitching and a
ONE HOP hit into a DOUBLE play. Hope you enjoyed the game. See ya'
next time.
Cool Regards!
JzB
67 comments:
shouldn't ORECK be a theme answer?
Sorry, but ESS not my TASTE.
Morning, all!
Delightful puzzle from our fearless leader. I figured out early on that the starred clues referred to days, but I completely missed the doubling aspect (the theme reveal clue was just waaaaay too long to read).
Smooth fill overall, but AON and ALY were new to me and required the perps. Really wanted ALI instead of ALY and am wondering why it wasn't clued with respect to ALY Raisman instead of that Khan guy...
Favorite clue today was definitely "Chinese summers" for ABACI. Did you come up with that C.C., or was it Rich?
[guxityp]
Hi.
Just back from visiting my youngest in Denver where we had a 24 hour snow storm and slow of 7. Imagine my surprise when we landed this morning and sunny SoFla was 48.
Loved the theme heavy C.C. special and JzB as always. Thought ACAI ACER and ABACI were cool,it all made my day.
Dana Delaney has been on my radar since China Beach.
Flunk out, flunk out, flunk out ! Must quit trying to fly through these. Completely filled the grid in just under 14 minutes, but no TADA. Spent the next 21 minutes looking for the error. There were a few.
My 60s activist was Bobby SEALs, and for some reason spelled "formal beginning" as INnaGURATION. That left body of proof actress as DANn, and my grizzly was aRSINE. Double duh ! Haste makes waste.
I did get the theme for a change, and thought it was clever. Many clever clues in this puzzle, such as Chinese Summers and Spring rolls. There was a great Vietnamese restaurant in Houston that I frequented that had the best spring rolls.
Who didn't "ch ch chia" at 21A ? Couldn't fit 'blank' into the grid for Scrabble tile ESS.
Thank you CC for a very enjoyable puzzle, and thank you JzB for your great game day recap ! Had to look up Cooper's Droop.
Good morning. Nice romp from our fearless leader, and some clever mots from JzB. Well done.
Don Ho reminds me of Miss Congeniality when one of the beauty contestants calls Miss Hawaii a "Don Ho." No Cooper's Droop in that movie.
Does anybody still use AOL? Anybody?
Tom and Dickey Smothers had a funny bit about the wild GNUs of Australia (yes, Australia) that lived in the "cravasses."
This was a quick solve. My only misstep was TESTS for RIDES. Quickly corrected.
Barry G,
My clue. For once I'm not letting you down :-) Thanks for a new ELY clue.
TTP,
SOD clue is Rich's. Lovely. I had to Google "Cooper's Droop" as well.
Hello all!
Swell puzzle, CC! Great theme! Great expo, Jazz!
Have been having too much pain trying to sleep. Both shoulders horrible now. Aargh.
Friend Chris taking morphine for back and has been swimming with me several times lately.
Harvey taking a variety of things for his shoulders. They are worse off than mine. The three of us are really on the wrong train.
Where do you folks get the L A Times sudoku? I work 2 or 3 but cannot find the one my friend works in the paper. Long ago I sent him a large template to use for those that are monsters. Anyone want one? Email me.
Cheers!
Nice middle of the week puzzle here, CC. I didnt get the theme until DOUBLEDAY appeared, tho. Started to put ADDxxx for "Tack on", but that led to some weird crosses. Fixed it with ATTACH. Also misspelled CAReT as CARaT. The rest was smooooth sailing. Liked the Summers in China clue.
I started out online years ago with AOL, but after finding out it took over my entire computer, soon got rid of it!
Good morning Jazzbumpa, C.C. et al.
Great write-up, Jazz! You had me chuckling all the way. And now I know the difference between a HOBO and a plain bum.
I seriously thought I would never finish this one, especially with that NW corner holding SEALE, ERROL, LOU, JOHN, DANA and ANN. But somehow I tiptoed around that minefield and managed to fill everything in. I did misspell CUBA LIBRa, but I finally realized there were no zodiac signs involved when I looked at ACaR.
C.C. managed to pack this one with theme entries - 55 squares by my count. Neat!
I was looking for baseball references, and wasn't disappointed with ONE HOP and ERA, but I was really surprised that DOUBLEDAY wasn't clued as Abner, who invented baseball....Oh, wait: he didn't invent baseball, did he?
Have a happy hump day everyone.
P.S. I also had to look up Cooper's Droop!
I blanked out in the SE corner. Couldn't think of DOUBLEDAY because I was sure the black box analyzers had to end in 'S'. I felt that RIDES had to fit in there, but didn't think riding meant "taking" for a spin. That would be the driver. In addition--as if all that weren't enough--I had ENSUE/ENACT, as in "came to pass". So I never did see the theme connection. Also misspelled EPOQUE wondering why it was plural.
I guess it just wasn't my DAY. Sorry C.C.
Good morning everybody. Wednesday already? Wow! Very nice puzzle, and an excellent write up, as always JzB.
I got the "days" early on, which helped.
I loved 19A: Some spring rolls? SOD. And I didn't understand it, but now that I do I like 59A: Summers in China? ABACI. Very clever!
I was stumped with 5D. I had ERN and figured I must have flubbed somewhere because I thought the Compas point would be something like ENE. It looks like ERN was correct.
I liked seeing the words EPOCHS and URSINE. Not words used in everyday conversation.
Well, off I go. I hope you all have a great day!
Speaking of Cooper's droop, my mother had a friend who used to kid that she had to roll her breasts up (visual: like twirling a rubber band on the index fingers) to get them into her bra. Wouldn't be of interest to Dennis, I'm sure.
BTW, did you know ERROL FLYNN was an Aussie?
I'm sorry, I didn't understand "Summers in China." Is it a person, a verb, a sport?
Do tell.
Though I finished by perps/crosses, I didn't know several: NTSB, DADS, AON, ACER.
I'm in the habit of doing fill in the blanks and 3-letter words first; so, I had Aga before ALY.
Desper-otto,
I still have an AOL account. It's free. It's mostly for non-essential email.
I have a friend that still has his Prodigy email account.
Bet no one can top that !
Sfingi, since nobody has answered (yet)
Summers in China = (Sum) = Add + -ers in China.
What is used in China, to sum / add = Abacus, plural Abaci.
Good morning everyone.
THERE, Voilà, Done. Agree with Barry G. My favorite clue was for ABACI, too. Interesting theme. Lots of good stuff in this hump day puzzle. BZ to C.C. FLAGs.
ADRIFT - One of those 'A' words, but is actually used frequently. ie. 'gear adrift' - tidying up needed.
ACER - Maple genus. We had lots of maple the other day.
Thank you C.C. for a very nice, quite challenging, puzzle. Enjoyed it. Thanks JazzB for a charming commentary.
I got all, but had trouble at the lower right sector. Doubleday helped a lot. I thought 'D' was a failing grade.
'Summers' in China gave me fits. What next - winters in Vienna ? Spring in Syria ? I still didn't get "Abaci", even after I got it .... until I read the blog. Now I know - Numbers, Flowers, Summers .... I really should make a list. Last month, I asked an Anesth., at a dinner party, about an 'ancient number' - 5 letters. When I gave her the answer, she nearly dropped her dinner plate. She told me her crossword puzzle page goes 'straight' into the trash, right away, the moment she gets her daily paper. Like my Sports Section.
I have an old US Indian 'Hobo' nickel. If any hobo, got the price I paid for it, he wouldn't have been a hobo in the first place.
Happy hump day, and have a good day, you all.
Had to look up 'Cooper's Droop', after so many peeps mentioned it. Attrition and stretch of the Breast ligature muscle. Discovered by a - and named after a man, - no surprise - most women have better things to do.
What the sag on the other side called ? Pooper's droop ?
(nymphobi)
CC, interesting theme rich puzzle. I loved SOD and ABACI Jazz, great blog, as always.
I didn't know of ALY RAISMAN. I had to look her up. I knew ALY KAHN. He was married to Rita Hayworth for a few years. They went through a messy divorce. From Wiki, "Due to his well-publicized romances, Prince Aly Khan was mentioned in a verse of Noël Coward's new 1950s lyrics for Cole Porter's 1928 song "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love": "Monkeys whenever you look do it / Aly Khan and King Farouk do it/Let's do it, let's fall in love."
I, too, was a little put off by "takes for a spin". "Takes a spin" would have been better. Often she takes a spin in her fiancées new car. Off she rides in her fiancées new car.
IMO, a hobo is a vagrant, a wanderer. Vagrant has the root meaning of wander, as does vagabond. Some vagrants beg, some wander the streets soliciting sex, some are itinerant peddlers, usually without a license, etc.
I have had free AOL ever since I started emailing. I have no problem with it, and it hasn’t taken over my computer, as far as I can tell.
Hmm, I actually finished a Wednesday CC puzzle without difficulty, a 1st for me! but, being CrossEyedDave, there were a few things that for me need elucidation. 51D take for a spin = rides? Is this a Noun/Verb thing? It just doesn't seem quite right to me? There was something else, but for the life of me, I cannot find it now. Perhaps it was Vagrant = Hobo, because somewhere in the past year a crossword enlightened me that "Hobo" was short for "Homeward Bound."
Hmm, Homeward Bound... reminds me of a clip I saw this AM about The Meaning Of Life. (I just don't have the heart to tell the kid that the answer is 42...) But then again, maybe he's on to something!
Dorothy was right, there is no place like home! Hanging on to DINHA Shore, (albeit misspelled – Man I’m tired), and missing Summers as not being a season in CC’s homeland, this was fun with only two errs. (also loved spring rolls and ERN).
Musings
-ARBOR Day of course was founded by J. Sterling Morton here in Nebraska where there were few trees
-Our recent trip to the frigid south seems to be grounds to sue that GROUNDHOG! Lemon?
-How many people signed the Declaration of INDEPENDENCE of July 4, 1776? Surprising answer.
-Sheltering minors from ADULT content seems futile today
-ACAI is one of those miracle pills to make you lose weight. Hey, I’ve got this seaside property in Nebraska…
-Men’s tennis has become a game of mostly ACERS (I’ve only seen the word here) and fewer volleyers. I prefer the latter.
-ERROL could have gone to jail for 50 years in 1942 for swashing some under aged buckles
-Retiring has made me feel ADRIFT occasionally. Any of you?
-My Spanish is so bad, I have to think back to torO to remember the masculine TIO. Soy estúpido!
-If you get a DEE in grad school, it’s “Thanks for playing and we have some lovely parting gifts for you!”
-If those ONE HOPS take place about 10 feet in front of you at 90 mph, they ain’t easy!
-Is Cooper’s Droop related to this disease?
-What film character said, “I’m sorry I had a fight in the middle of your Black Panther Party?”
Good morning, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a great Wednesday puzzle. Really enjoyed it. Thank you, Jazzbumpa, for the great write-up. When I am done I will look up Cooper's Droop. Also liked your reference to Earl Grey tea. That is my tea and I am drinking a cup right now.
Zipped through this puzzle pretty quickly for a Wednesday.
Did not know ALY Khan. ARBYS fixed that.
I, as well, thought the ABACI clue was excellent. Great job!
AON is big in Chicago too. W. Clement Stone was the founder. Great philanthropist.
Been a while since we have add GNUS.
Theme was good. Got all the answers without really thinking about it.
Off to my day. see you tomorrow.
Abejo
(thirmsf)
YellowRocks, probably the word 'love' in the lyrics was a euphemism for 'sex', when 'sex' was not mentioned in polite society. Aly Khan was married only twice, to Joan Guinness, and then to Rita Hayworth. (Although, his 'affairs' are reputed to be in the hundreds - ). He was 'engaged' to Bettina, the French model, when he died in an auto accident, of his own fault. He was also superseded in the Aga-khan-ship, by his eldest son, Price Karim, the present Aga Khan the 4th.
In an aside, on the subject of hobos, I've heard of soliciting money - but soliciting sex ? Who would want to have sex with a hobo ? Other hobos ? (lol)
Re: 21 down (Caret), can anyone explain why that character is included on the normal keyboard? I'm sure it has some specialized use in a field, but I'm also sure there could be a more widely-useful character (cent sign, pi, a bullet point, ???).
I too would have loved to see the ¢ sign retained on the keyboard but the CARET ^ was probably put in so it could be used to denote a number raised to a certain power such as 3 x 3 = 3^2 or three squared.
We are off to shop to get our house replensished after 11 days on the road. No milk today for bkfst.
Anon @ 10:26...the caret is there to make smiley faces!!
(^0^)
OM Goodness - I've just been informed that BH is preparing this lamb dish for tonight's dinner. Dessert is Berries and Almonds in Phyllo Dough.
I don't know what I've done to deserve it but I'll be drooling the rest of the day.
Hello, my cyber friends. And congratulations, C.C., for yet another SOLO puzzle admirably blogged by Jazzbumpa. Than you both.
I thought it easier than usual for a Wednesday and sashayed quite quickly. Loved the clue for ABACI and was not deterred by ONE HOP or ERA as they emerged before I realized it.
No, Kazie, I did not realize ERROL Flynn was an Aussie. Thank you for that info. He certainly was dashing!
Not one erasure today!
Have a wondrous Wednesday, everyone!
Always get excited when I see a C.C. puzzle in my morning and had a great time doing this one until I got on the blog to see that I'd stupidly goofed in the top corner. Like TTP, I had SEALS instead of SEALE, and so confidently put in SSN for the compass point ending, forgetting that of course you can't have a compass point to both SOUTH and NORTH simultaneously. That also turned ARBOR into ARBOS. Aaaaarrrggghhh. I must not be getting enough sleep these days.
But I did get DOUBLEDAY and got all the single days, but without seeing that they were paired or doubled with adjacent ones. So I give myself a DEE on this puzzle.
Great expo, JazzB, and your allusion to Tinbeni's "cup of Earl Grey" cracked me up.
DANA Delany is terrific on "Body of Proof." Our ORECK is standing upright in our broom closet at this very moment. Never heard of ACAI. And got ABACI without "getting" it until JazzB 'splained it.
Great, fun, workout, in spite of the goofs. Have a great Wednesday, everybody!
@Anon855 - Thanx! Guess I better watch out for "Adders in the Orient," in the copycat puzzles.
@Husker - better not even get a B in Education! I wondered why the students were bothering the teacher to raise their marks with all sorts of explanations. In math, don't expect an A. C is fine. We had guys from Saudi Arabia who audited the math course at full price before they actually took them for credit. In education I made up my B in Math for Behavioral Sciences. A gut for me.
The problem with cents is I expect the gov will get rid of pennies like Canada did. I hope.
ANON @10:22 I always thought this song was sexually suggestive. Look at some of the lyrics. "Folks in Siam do it, Think of Siamese twins" and "Why ask if shad do it? Waiter, bring me shad roe" and "Sweet guinea-pigs do it, Buy a couple and wait.”Many other writers took off on Cole Porter’s lyrics, including Noel Coward who penned the line about the well know playboy, Ali Kahn.
I was pointing out thatVAGRANTS are not always beggars. Itinerant peddlers without a license, as well as street walkers and others can be vagrants, and they can be picked up for vagrancy. I didn’t say HOBOS, in particular were prostitutes, but it is in the realm of possibility. Hobo can refer to the freight train hopping tramps who developed a distinctive subculture during th Depression Era. BTW, a few of them were women, too, but those are not the kind I meant. If you take a broader meaning of the word, HOBO can be generic for any vagrant and thus, perhaps, street walker. Not all prostitutes are Heidi Fliess types. The drug addicted, lower end of the spectrum are neither lovely nor savory.
YR - Touche' - you made your point clear, on the sex lyrics and the behavior pertaining to hobos.
Accepted.
Minor point - In common terminology, as conventionally used -
Kahn is a common German Jewish surname, from the Hebrew, meaning 'priest'.
Khan, is originally a Mongol word, (Khagan, as Kublai Khan ) then transferred to the Arabic, (Middle East Asia and then later to SE Asia ) meaning Emperor/ Ruler / warrior or tribal leader. It is a very common, Muslim last name. Especially since, most muslims have no last names, no 'family' names, or surnames.
Though probably pronounced similarly, as a homophone, the English spelling is critical to distinguish the contextual origins.
Anon@5:38a: I too thought there should be a matching theme answer for ARBOR in the ORECK slot, although I see that no one else has broached the subject.
DOUBLEDAY is a reveal and not a theme entry, only a hint. ORECK shouldn't be related.
Hi Y'all, Fun puzzle, C.C.! Very witty, JZB!
Importune is a new word for me. BEG?
SOD came easily since I have a decision to make over all my new utility lines: to seed or SOD?
ACAI: never can remember this one. I've only heard of it here. Sounds like a puzzle constructor named it to help with fill.
Hi Everyone:
Late to the dance due to appointment with my ophthalmologist; vision is still blurry from dilating drops.
Loved the puzzle, CC, especially abaci and sod. No write-overs and no nits. JazzB, great, witty expo. The icee answer reminded me of Sheldon and the gang trying to find a movie theater and restaurant that fit all of Sheldon's requirements.
We have a nice, sunny day with the tiniest hint of Spring. Have a great day.
Thanks CC an JzB for a fun puzzle and writeup.
I'm probably in the minority here but Dana Delany has become so annoying to me that I stopped watching her show. Her character is an unpleasant person. I don't know if it's her personality or the personality of her character but there is no sense watching something that is more annoying than pleasurable. (I see that Misty disagrees with me.)
Having played tennis for years, the term ACE is used all the time. However, the only place I've ever heard or seen ACER is in CW puzzles; kinda like ELHI.
Here's this week's animal slide show from MSNBC. Good stuff as usual. Animal Tracks.
The boxing championships
Brown, Todd, Robinson, Slater, Mitchell, O’Brien, Grant and Ford reach the finals of the amateur boxing championships. They were finalists in the 118 lb., 126 lb. 145 lb. and heavyweight classes.
a) Brown weighed in at 117 lbs. and Todd was the heaviest winner of all.
b) Grant defeated Mitchell, and Slater won by a knockout.
c) O’Brien lost the 145 lb. final by a knockout and Ford defaulted in the 118 lb. final.
Who were the champion and runner-up in each division?
C.C. Thank you for a FUN WednesDAY puzzle. Great theme & clever cluing.
Jazz: I like both Slurpee's and ICEE's in the summertime.
(Just wish they came out with Avatar flavor).
Husker: Forest Gump is glad you're back to the party.
Bill G.: I also like the DANA Delany "Body of Proof" show.
Just "for the record" I think the Ellen show sucks ... but (until today) I kept that opinion to myself.
Didn't feel it was necessary to "trash" something to feed my ego.
Well "IT'S Five O'clock Somewhere."
Cheers!!!
Hi gang -
This puzzle was great fun, and I glad you all enjoyed it.
Gary - In 4 1/3 years of retirement, I have yet to feel ADRIFT for even a single minute. Of course, sometimes I'm up blogging in the wee hours.
I see no conflict between "Takes for a spin" and RIDES. In each case you have a present tense singular verb form. DRIVES would be a better conceptual match to the clue, but doesn't fit the grid. Sometimes life aint easy.
Symmetry would suggest a theme answer at 66A. But since the theme answers travel in pairs, and the unifier was paired all by itself, 66A was free to pursue other endeavors. Not a problem.
Cool regards!
JzB
When it comes to TV series, Body of Proof is in my ambivalent category. If there's nothing better on at that hour, we may watch it. DW agrees with some of you that the Dana Delaney character is not likable. Jeri Ryan, who used to play Seven of Nine on Star Trek Voyager is also in it. DW used to call her "44 of D."
The Today Show talked about how people are obsessed with the word "obsessed" lately. It's used (overused?) all the time in the media these days. More than "awesome" and "amazing"? I doubt it. My head is about to literally explode. :>)
I was going to head out to a little Greek café for lunch. When I tried there last week, they were closed. So I called to check on their hours. It turns out they were closed most of the week because of a death in the family. Sad...
Gary and Marti got the puzzle already. Logical pugilism pros obviously.
Tin, I'm not sure what you mean. I don't think I trashed 'Body of Proof'. I just don't like it very much for the reason I gave. And my ego is still marginally OK even though you don't like Ellen for whatever reasons. :>)
ANON @12:24 I found your discussion of the KHAN name interesting. It also made realize that I was misspelling it, KAHN instead of KHAN. OOPS. I also learned from you that KHAN is related to the Jewish Cohen, priest. I never thought of that connection.
Bill G. I agree that I have never seen in print or heard in speech the use of ACER as one who serves an ace in tennis. Can anyone find that meaning in the dictionary? Not I. I think of ACER as a maple genus. Has anyone found ELHI anywhere, except in crosswords?
RIDES may be the correct tense, but conceptually it is off. Just dropping the FOR and saying TAKES A SPIN would handily solve the conceptual problem.
Hola Everyone, Hands up for Ali instead of Aly. Arbis looked ok, until I came here and realized that it needed the Y. Oh well, I had the words but not the spelling!
I enjoyed the Double Days theme. This was another of C.C.'s clever ideas.
My favorite clues were favorites of others, too. Spring rolls, and Summers in China were two. I also liked Jolly Roger. My mind went to the candy called Jolly Roger, but Candy wouldn't fit.
Have a great rest of the day, everyone.
Bill G.
On March 8, 2013 @ 11:17pm you said:
"I've discovered I don't like Dana Delaney very much and I very much dislike her character on the show. The last show was so annoying that it prompted me to action. No sense wasting my time watching an unpleasant show with unpleasant characters."
I would say that comment was "trashing" the show "Body of Proof."
Just to be clear ... THERE is nothing wrong with NOT liking ANY show on TV.
I'm sure there are many shows on TV I wouldn't "waste a minute watching" that are enjoyed by others (here at the Blog).
To each his own.
Cheers!!!
I don't understand why the anons want Oreck to be a theme answer, is there an Oreck day? No, so that shouldn't be an issue IMHO
My older sister loves Sudoku. She makes charts and uses all kinds of logic. It is much more than guess- and-check for her. I don’t have the patience for that. Sis doesn’t have the patience for difficult crosswords. Conversely I will work on a really difficult crossword for more than an hour. Sometimes I will set it aside and take it up the following day. I think my interest in words spurs me on in crosswords. Also, in Sudoku if you mess up you have to reevaluate every cell. In crosswords there are cells that you are absolutely sure are correct so you can concentrate on problem areas.
Every day I do Cryptoquotes and Word Game, where you must finding many words that can be formed from letters within a given word.
They say solving all kind of puzzles, including crosswords, prevents Alzheimer’s. My mom was an avid crossword solver and voracious reader. Still the dreaded malady claimed her.
Of course, everybody loves and hates different television shows and movies.
I like "Body of Proof" for the same reason I like Sherlock Holmes (in "Elementary," for example)--because the shows don't sentimentalize detectives or coroners or people who deal with horrific situations. In both cases the crime solvers are first of all scientists and don't let emotional issues cloud their vision. Of course that doesn't make them very likable. But it gives the plots of the programs an unusual clarity. In the case of "Body of Proof" I like that we have a female scientist who is attractive, sharp, has a strong personality--but doesn't come off as mushy or emotional or sentimental. That's unusual and novel.
Sorry to go on so long. This isn't meant to persuade or change Bill's or anyone's mind: just explain why I like a cold and tough character on a TV show.
This is a brilliant theme idea. Wish I had thought of it! Congrats C.C., you continue to amaze!
Oh dear, I just submitted a puzzle to Rich with ELHI in it. And looking back, I could have substituted ELOI for that dreaded fill. Will anyone on this blog forgive me if it is published without changes?? Anyone???...
ANYONE??
John, so sorry I missed you at this year's ACPT - maybe next year?
Marti
Re: Takes for a spin=RIDES. Think Bicycle.
Ah me, Tiger Woods is back to #1 in the world of golf. He also announced that he has a new girl friend who says she doesn't worry about his past. He's had a long dry spell on the golf course since his wife & girl friends turned against him. Do you think his former lack of success had anything to do with that dreaded Hawaiian disease which caused a buildup of fluids in unwanted places? Just asking.
YR: your revelation about your mother has dashed my hopes. Oh well, there are lots of things I will be better off forgetting. LOL!
Hello All!
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Tried reading the starred clues as I filled them in to get the theme & TADA! There it was! Loved the clues for SOD & ABACI.
Trivia tidbit: Calumet Farm's great Thoroughbred racehorse Alydar was named after Prince Aly Kahn.
Thanks Yellowrocks 3:44, that elegantly alleviates my brain drain.
PK@4:48, Yes, that works also, but in my confused mind, I can't help but see one fool giving a ride to another by riding on the handlebars!
To further the confusion,,, having never seen an actual Abacus, I was curious. so I went to YouTube, & now I know how to add. Hoping to eventually be able to figure out an 18% tip at a restuarant, I moved on to multiplication. (note: sound starts @0:19, actual website uses flash, so it probably will not be interactive using an Ipad.)
Ack!
Great! Thanks to the Blog, I can add but not multiply using an abacus. I can also type 100 WPM, but only using the middle row of the qwerty keyboard...
(someday I really must finish what I started!)
Congrats, C.C. on another solo flight!
FUN puzzle and theme.
Jazzbumpa's write-up was right on.
Thanks for the real grande jeté
clip, Jazz.
Wish I had time to read comments. Everybody probably said it all for me, anyway.
Missed ORE and BEG.
Marti, your puzzles are a pleasure to solve, even if they might contain some clunky terms. Fun is in the solving.
Marti, I totally share Lucina's view of your puzzles. Whatever you do in them, they are great fun to solve!
WooHoo.... I finished a C.C. puzzle without help.... :) thank you C.C. for the fun .... and JazzB thank you for the enjoyable expo.... always enjoy a few chuckles along the way....
Like others I wanted ali.... until arby came along... and I also had to guess at beg... but it was all good and the rest of the fill went smoothly.... tho, I filled in doubleday right off the bat it didn't trip any triggers.....
Chickie, I too thought of candy as I wrote in flag... :)
Hope you all have had a good day........
thelma
Yeah, Tin, it was Forest Gump (2:07) who had a fight during the Black Panther Party. We drove by the park where they filmed the bench scene in Savannah. Thanks for the welcome back!
BTW, I don't know Ann Curry from the Easter Bunny but obviously she had issues about not putting butts in the seats. We watched a lot of morning TV when traveling to get local info and I despised all the jocularity and inane interactions between the anchors. Gimme the news!
@Husker - agree. I couldn't wait to retire so I could watch the Today Show, but by the time I did, it was all fashion and cooking. Yuk. Anne Curry was extremely controlled and polite and didn't even make a noise when bungee jumping. I admired how she talked about her parents (mother was Japanese, father American).
@Yellowrocks - I use only logic on Sudoku. If it comes to guessing (which the books call Ariadne's needle!) I throw it out - about 10% of the time. I have a series of steps I use, which I've made names for.
Misty (and other fans of Elementary):
The show has been renewed for the fall season. Other CBS favorites being renewed: The Good Wife, Person of Interest, Blue Bloods, both NCIS, and The Mentalist. Awaiting a final decision: Criminal Minds, Vegas, and Golden Boy.
Almost time for Chicago Fire, another favorite of mine. I hope it also gets renewed.
Sfingi, I like and admire your approach to Sudoku. I don't care enough about Sudoku to do that myself, so mostly I just pass. I'll spend all my energy on crosswords. I imagine my sister has a similar approach to yours. I was reacting to a remark by someone on the blog about guess-and-check. That doesn’t work very well.
PK, brilliant! Takes for a spin could mean RIDES a bike.
I know a senior's idle brain deteriorates more quickly. Use it or lose it, as we discussed some time ago. On the other hand, I know many active seniors who lived fully engaged lives but still came down with Alzheimer's. I don't worry about it, but treat it as the luck of the draw. Similarly, as careful as we might be to drive safely, someday we could be in a very bad accident. I try to keep mentally and physically active and forget about it. Life is fun when you live it to the hilt!
Pinto, I enjoyed looking at young, pretty naked women but other than that, what was the point?
Irish Miss, ooh I hope Vegas gets renewed. I like that show a lot.
Oreck@3:51p
I think my post wasn't clear. I don't think ORECK is a theme answer. I think that the spaces occupied by ORECK should contain a theme/reveal answer. Its grid partner spaces contain ARBOR. Oh well, I guess its not important. I'm just trying to learn crossword construction rules.
Maybe if was a math problem, I would recieved a more helpful response.
Bill G., for me it was more enjoyable then deducing that Grant defeated Mitchell in the 126 pound class. I learned of the video sweeping the internet on MSNBC and thought "I must share this with the blog". No biggie.
p.s. Do tell us if you solved your lunch dilemma. I'm on pins and needles.
Pinto, I apologize. I must try to be more careful. I wasn't questioning the point of your posting it; more what was the point of creating it in the first place. I don't think I paid attention to the fact it was a new 'viral' video. Then earlier Tin thought I was 'trashing' a TV show when I meant to be explaining why I didn't like it much. I think it is easy to take offense to any negative comments. I do that too easily myself. As I said, I need to try to be more careful in the way I say things. No offense intended.
Lunch was good though the Greek café was still closed. I had lentil soup and a panini sandwich with chicken, artichokes, etc.
Bill G @ 9;50 - I also like Vegas a lot and while I wasn't keen on Golden Boy's premiere, I have changed my mind and am now enjoying it. I really like Chi Mc Bride.
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