Theme: None
Words: 71
Blocks: 32
WOW~!!!
And again, WOW....
I did not look at the grid, I just started with 1-across; it was when I got to 30-across that I realized this puzzle has SIX spanners, four-stacked in the middle AND
two more grid-spanning climbers to boot. A special 16*15 grid (16 rows). I was able to finish this bear, but
way over my allotted time, and I do have to admit, I switched to
red-letter to figure out where I went wrong. I had "EGG" for "WAG", and
FITTENDS for FITMENTS (a drawback to filling in, and then not going
back and looking at what's wrong). Truly drained my brain, but most
satisfying. A look at our author's construction, who is new to our corner;
17A. Words of relief : "AM I GLAD TO SEE YOU"~!
30A. Food stamps, e.g. : STATE ASSISTANCE - I was on state assistance while I lived in the sober house for 13 months; rent was $444/mo.
39A. Contributing factor in ozone depletion : COSMIC RADIATION - I had TEST IRRADIATION to start; not a half bad guess, considering my thoughts were on A- and H-bomb (and N-) type tests
40A. Without nostalgia : UNSENTIMENTALLY
41A. Chumley's title friend in a '60s cartoon series : TENNESSEE TUXEDO - never heard of either of them; I was born in 1971
39A. Contributing factor in ozone depletion : COSMIC RADIATION - I had TEST IRRADIATION to start; not a half bad guess, considering my thoughts were on A- and H-bomb (and N-) type tests
40A. Without nostalgia : UNSENTIMENTALLY
41A. Chumley's title friend in a '60s cartoon series : TENNESSEE TUXEDO - never heard of either of them; I was born in 1971
59A. Leader elected in 2005 : POPE BENEDICT XVI - I was shocked to hear we have had fifteen Popes named Benedict; here's a full list; some didn't last a full year
8D. Daydreams : CASTLES IN THE AIR - nailed it - I love Castles, and I love this song
15D. Solution for lens transparency problems : CATARACT SURGERY
And just some brilliant cluing....
onward -
ACROSS:
1. "My Dinner With Andre" co-star Wallace __ : SHAWN - total unknown; more here
6. Offensively blunt : TACTLESS
14. Early Web browser : MOSAIC
16. Cadillac Ranch site : AMARILLO - well, I was pretty sure it was in Texas
19. Sanguine : RED
20. Royal Scots for more than three centuries : STUARTS - 1371-1714; more here
21. Salon job : SET - not DYE
22. Not kosher : TREF - learned from crosswords
24. First name in photography : ANSEL Adams, B&W beauty
25. Fit solidly : MESH
26. Mt. Carmel setting : ISRael
28. Needle point?: Abbr. : ESE - Great way to overcome the "Rome to Troy direction" cluing; Rome to Troy New York, that is - map
1. "My Dinner With Andre" co-star Wallace __ : SHAWN - total unknown; more here
6. Offensively blunt : TACTLESS
14. Early Web browser : MOSAIC
16. Cadillac Ranch site : AMARILLO - well, I was pretty sure it was in Texas
19. Sanguine : RED
20. Royal Scots for more than three centuries : STUARTS - 1371-1714; more here
21. Salon job : SET - not DYE
22. Not kosher : TREF - learned from crosswords
24. First name in photography : ANSEL Adams, B&W beauty
25. Fit solidly : MESH
26. Mt. Carmel setting : ISRael
28. Needle point?: Abbr. : ESE - Great way to overcome the "Rome to Troy direction" cluing; Rome to Troy New York, that is - map
42. 1989 Jay Presson Allen monodrama : TRU
43. Bit of a laugh : HEE - had TEE, was close enough
44. Half of a downpour? : CATS - 50/50, and I guessed right. Who had DOGS~?
47. "Peg Woffington" author : READE
51. Way up : STEP - not HIGH
55. Hop-__-thumb : O' MY - The WIki on this story
56. Ulterior motives : AGENDAS
58. Galley propeller : OAR
62. Catholic recitation : AVE MARIA - I'm not Catholic; had to wait for perps
63. Target of a Pasteur/Roux vaccine harvested from rabbits : RABIES
64. Sycophant : YEA SAYER
65. Stripes : BANDS
DOWN:
1. Sharp : SMART
2. Big hit : HOMER - Ah, still get some baseball in for C.C. - I was on a "movie" wavelength
3. It's not for everyone : ASIDE
4. Comedian : WAG - now that's not what it means, at least not here....
5. Rock's Lofgren : NILS - Nailed it
6. Exit lines : TA-TAs - as in "I'm leaving, see-ya"
7. "L'elisir d'__": Donizetti opera : AMORE - well, I had A-O-E, so....and it gave me 16 and 20 across
9. Nevado __ Cruces: Andes section : TRES - map
10. Pack item? : LIE - what a pack of lies~!
11. Steven's wife on "Family Ties" : ELYSE
12. Tart fruit : SLOES
13. Gray area? : SOUTH - I thought it was BRAIN, then SKULL, then YOUTH - we're talking about the Civil War south
18. Grayish brown : DUN
23. Furnishings : FITMENTS
25. Cleavers : MEAT AXES
27. Commercial fishing boat : SEINER
29. Body of art? : STATUE
30. Deer tail : SCUT - the online Merriam-Webster dictionary lists it as a "short erect tail (as of a hare)"
31. Writing style : TONE
32. Professional gp. : ASSN - association
33. Indian titles : SRIs
34. Corresponding : SAME
35. French noodle product? : IDEE - French for IDEA, a thought from your brain noodle
36. Historic Egyptian lifeline : NILE
37. How vichyssoise is usually served : COLD - I knew this
38. Greek war goddess : ENYO - never heard of her
44. Patient responsibility : CO-PAY
45. "Don't make __!" : A MOVE
46. Not at all laid-back : TYPE-A
48. Selection word : EENIE - eeny meeny miny moe - various spellings
49. "Now seems it far, and now __": Scott : ANEAR - ah well, an "A" word
50. CD letters : DDD - the way the recording is, well, recorded; I just learned something new; it's referred to as the SPARS code
52. Deadly agent : TOXIN
53. Hung over? : EAVED - har-har, house eaves are "hung" over the walls
54. Schoolmarmish type : PRISS
56. Quatrain rhyme scheme : A B A A
57. Labor pain? : SCAB - I'm in a union, so I knew this one
60. Common pair? : EMs - coMMon, the two "M"s in the middle
61. "We'll let you know" letters : TBA - To Be Announced
Splynter
74 comments:
Woke up early, printed the puzzle from the Chi Tribune, knocked it off.... fastest Saturday ever, found Splynter's write up and thought WTF!
The Trib puzzle was from Thursday, Feb 23, 2006. Never even looked at the date.
UntilI saw the error, I was really ecstatic after yesterdays mashing; I hope this isn't indicative of the day ahead.
I went to the Chicago Tribune site to work the crossword online as I usually do. It was really easy for a Saturday and then when I read Splynter's comments I was feeling smug that I had finished so easily. Then, the answers didn't match my puzzle at all! No more smugness for me, it is a different puzzle!
I just uploaded the correct puzzle. Click here to solve on line, or here for PDF file.
Greetings!
Same here, except was from upuzzles. Realized almost immediately that something was wrong and looked at the date! So worked it in cruciverb. UGH! No such thing as red letters, just have to keep clicking on check letters! Finally got it finished that way. Loved: EENIE, CATS, LIE, STATUE. Never heard of the comic strip (not because I am too young)! Also new: FITMENTS, READE.
Thanks Martin and Splynter.
Michele: thanks for advice! Visit blog often!
Definitely a learning experience.
Morning, all!
*sigh*
Did the wrong puzzle today and don't have time to do the right one at the moment. Can I just say how much I loathe SINKAGE?
Since I don't have anything to say about today's puzzle, let me ask for advice instead. I've been asked to host the family Thanksgiving this year and have been told I need to cook a ham in addition to a turkey. I've cooked turkey before, but never a ham. I picked up a pre-cooked spiral cut ham (with the glaze in a little packet) with the thought that I could reheat it in the oven after the turkey was finished, but from what I've read you're supposed to reheat it on low for something like 4 hours???
I've checked, and the oven is not big enough to hold both the turkey and the ham at the same time. Any suggestions on how to heat it up? I'm thinking maybe slice it up and microwave the slices for 10 minutes in the microwave, but maybe that would make it too dry. Could I do it in the crock pot in 4 hours or less on low? Do I really even need to heat it up (and what do I do with the glaze if I don't)?
Thanks in advance for any advice.!
Hello Puzzlers -
Just finished the right puzzle, and what a bear it was!
Put me down for a Technical DNF because I had to look up three things to clear up logjams (Shawn, Reade, and the right country for Mt. Carmel).
I resisted Seiner for a long time. Only knew one grid spanner right away, that was Tennessee Tuxedo. The rest needed major perpage that was slow in coming.
I can only guess how hard it was to create this puzzle - kinda on par with understanding the tax code, probably.
I thought today's puzzle was unusually easy for a Saturday, but that's ok. I enjoyed it. Was fun seeing tow Giants of the 50s/60s in the clues for the Mick and Bart Starr, and then GIANTS as a response.
ORME got me started in the NW and the area fell in just a few minutes. Then went right down the angle to the SE. En route, we have actor Willem clue. Enjoy FILM NOIR movies. Better to be a 70A than a never was ?
OH well, time to post and see what Splynter had to say.
Well, well, well. Saw CC's note.
No wonder it was so easy. Will be back after I solve the real Saturday puzzle.
Good morning Splynter, C.C. et al.
Wow, I had a workout this morning. I was feeling real smug about finishing a Saturday in record time, until I came to the blog and saw that I had done the wrong puzzle. So, go back to square one and start over again with the right puzzle. Not so smug anymore...
Tons of missteps today, but I did eventually finish it after checking to see if my memory was correct about Wallace SHAWN. I happened to catch "My Dinner With Andre" a couple weeks ago, and it was pretty boring. Just two guys conversing over a meal in a restaurant. Anyone else see it?
The grid was really impressive, with the quad stacks and two long downs. FITMENTS and EAVED both gave me FITS! Other than those, it seemed like a really smooth puzzle.
Have a lovely day, everyone - I'm off to "play" in the last of the leaves...
Well, I guess I have to stop patting myself on the back for solving the "wrong" puzzle [8:26]. I'll now give the right one a try but I'm not optimistic. After all, it's Saturday.
Bunch of "never heard ofs" today -- not kosher, fitments, etc.
beautiful day. Little nippy, but enjoyable .. Have a good weekend before Thanksgiving.
This one was tough. I wound up cheating here at your corner. First time I couldn't get going. . .
Started and finished the puzzle in record time for a saturday though it seemed sort of familiar. then I read CC note relooked at the date on the Puzzle and dropped a few F and S Bombs went to LA times site and did the correct puzzle.
Barry, If you have a grill foil line the grate place ham on grate flame on low (actually use indirect heat) close cover and let it go for the proper amount of time if you have a meat thermometer or your grill has a thermometer you can keep an eye on the temperature. hope this helps enjoy your thanks giving.
Wow, if the puzzle looks impossible, it must be Saturday! At least the Barnacle published the correct puzzle. I quickly entered 1D and 2D -- incorrectly, and realized I was going nowhere in the north. I started down south, and things went a little better.
The CATARACT started out as GLAUCOMA and SEINER as WHALER. Once CASTLES IN THE AIR appeared, I was finally on my way. This one ran into overtime, but the home team won. Whew!
Splynter, has that Rome-to-Troy ploy ever been used in a cw? I don't recall it, but it is clever.
My husband does it on our gas grill. Hope you have one.
Why would someone do the crossword on a gas grill?
I didn't think "it" meant crossword, but it does sound uncomfortable.
I actually have a charcoal grill, so that might not be the best idea given the time of year and temperature...
When I was writing answers as fast as I could I knew that the puzzle would be a cinch for everyone and could not be the real Saturday puzzle. CC's note lead me to a much more Saturday-like puzzle which was much more fun. I finally got it all, doing it in thirds, all across the south, all across the center, and then all across the top.
Ansel is a favorite. Thanks for the pix. I had many of the perps, so I could dredge up TENNESSEE TUXEDO.
I liked needle point ESE and pack item, LIE.
We had TREF before. READE is usually clued as aptly named author, so with REA, READE is a good guess.
I had DDD but had no idea why until I read the blog. The same with SOUTH for gray. Oh, the Rebel gray and the Yank blue.
After correspond and jibe yesterday, today we have corresponding and SAME.
Great Saturday work out and great blog, Splynter.
Did LAT have a “Themeless Thursday" 2006? I couldn't find a theme to the mistakenly published puzzle.
Any thoughts from those of you that did solve it?
Good morning everyone! My jaw dropped when I first saw the grid on this one – well done, Martin!! Thanks to Splynter for a great commentary. Could not figure out for the life of me what DDD had to do with CD’s until you ‘splained it. Hop O’My Thumb was a complete unknown, so the Wiki info was enlightening. Loved the link to Don McClean’s “Castles in the Air”. His tribute to Vincent VanGoh (4:03) is one of my all-time favorites . The video includes the “Potato Eaters” (at 3:05), which we just had recently. (Thanks, Bill G., for the linking tutorial!)
All those grid-spanners looked so intimidating, but once they started to fall (beginning with TENNESSEE TUXEDO) they actually helped quite a bit. I thought Pack Item (LIE), Grey Area (SOUTH) and French Noodle Product (IDEE) were all very clever. Needed a li’l Google assist with TREF, READE and SHAWN, but managed to finally get it done. Whew! Now I think I’ll have a nap to recover.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Wait a minute Gary, you left some blanks and you’re happy? Yeah, I gave it my best shot and unlike our feckless anon’s I learned a lot in the struggle! Woulda, shoulda, coulda don’t count for anything on this elegant (now) Martin Ashwood-Smith puzzle. Being greeted with “fastest Saturday ever” didn’t provide any succor either but now that is explained as well.
Musings
-I got the incredible stack of four grid spanners in the middle (how do you do that, Martin?) and the POPE and the long downs, some of the clever fill and was feeling pretty full of myself but then, hello Google and red letters. The devil is in the details.
-TREF, TRES, Woofington, DUN, TRES, L’elisir d’, Sanguine as a color and not a feeling,…
-Some days you get the bear and some days the bear gets you. Congrats Smokey!
-Bring on football!
Wow, I had a string of being able to tackle the Saturdays, but this was one big google fest. Tricky in that so many wrong answers fit the spaces, like I had m-----es for cleavers and thought machetes!!--WRONG---meat axes. I learned a lot today though, and had a wonderful breakfast of humble pie.
Wow, another Saturday DNF; very hard to solve, but once I got to the blog, I could appreciated the clever cluing. Good job, Martin. and thanks for the explanations, Splynter.
Barry, you could rent or borrow a Nesco-type countertop roaster oven for that ham. I'm curious to hear what you end up doing for your dinner. May the Force be with you!
Barry, Party rental businesses rent small ovens and roasters. They also have tables, chairs, linens AND frozen margarita machines available.
Argyle, Re: the 'other puzzle'.
BLANC. BLEU, ROUGE and NOIR.
Theme? Colours.
Maybe the Korean Flag?
Also 2/23/06 was the 26th anniversary of the Miracle On Ice?
so...U.S. Flag with Hockey Puck theme?
Wow!
Today was another confirmation of my theory that doing a puzzle on paper and doing it online accesses one's brain in two entirely different ways.
Barely got started on paper (our paper had the correct puzzle), switched to my laptop, and bingo! Quickly solved it online. Some researcher needs to study this phenomenon. Has anyone else experienced this? Weird.
Enyo, really? I taught mythology and never heard of her even tho she hung out with Ares who took star billing.
Thanks for the explanation of DDD. I knew it was right but had no clue about it.
desper-otto, yeah, I was just playing with her.
Oh, and if it's possible to crash and burn repeatedly, that pretty much sums up my solving experience with this one. Tough, tough puzzle, but lots of fun to wade through, with some good learning moments. Wouldn't have made it through without multiple passes at the g-spot.
I had two interesting errors for awhile and both seem to make sense. I had TRUTH for 13 off the at the end and had HYPER for 46D with three of the crosses fitting.
Seen @ 10:44, how clever of you! BLANC. BLEU, ROUGE and NOIR/ colours. I didn't see it.
DO @8:38, sounds like the last of the red hot lovers. LOL
I went to the Trib online puzzle, finished it in record time for a Sat, then came here only to find out that the puzzle is from a THUR months ago!!
Don't have time now to do the real one, as I have to put up the Xmas lights on this beautiful 55degree day in Chicago.
My husband did it on the dinette table which I thought was exciting. But doing it on a grill seems even hotter. Alas, my dearie's blood pressure meds, Metaprolol, makes any exciting spur of the moment decision, a long term project. Calls for every bit of my massaging skills.
Barry, honey, just cut the ham into even slices and wrap up a couple or three packages in triple layers of AL foil, with a lil bit of honeyed water, and roast for a half hour. And if you need a plump turkey, I can give you my seven yr old kid - he squaks too.
All right, I finally got around to doing the actual puzzle for today....
Ye gods!
I was actually very impressed with the stack of 4 15-letter answers in the middle as well as the other 2 15-letters answers in the grid. Each one was perfectly in the language and was gettable with only a small assistance from the perps. And, a amazingly enough, most of those perps were actually quite reasonable (with the exception of ENYO, which was just plain bizarre).
I also have to give props to the two long vertical answers -- again, both very common phrases and inferable with a little help from the perps.
Not everything was lollipops and rainbows today, however. I had NEST instead of MESH at 25A which gave me SOUTT and NEATAXES as a result. Took me awhile to figure out what went wrong. And FITMENTS? Really? Nope, not gonna do it (wouldn't be prudent).
What really killed me though, was the crossing of READE (who?) and DDD (WTF???) I wanted to guess a D for REA_E, but DDD meant absolutely nothing to me and didn't even look plausible, so I punted and turned on the help. Seriously, having READE or DDD (especially as clued) in a puzzle is fine, but having both crossing? Boo! Hiss!
Oh -- and I like the idea of just cooking slices of the ham in the oven instead of the whole thing. That could definitely work!
Hello, everyone!
No time to do the puzzle or post today, and it looks daunting.
We are participating in National Adoption Day with one of my nieces who has adopted three children and one more today. Their mother is an addict and they are all siblings.
Have a great Saturday!
My sympathy to everyone who happily solved the wrong puzzle and had to start over with this toughie. I almost gave up when I saw those grid-spanners, and did have to cheat quite a bit. But it was still fun, for a Saturday, so thanks, Martin. And Splynter--oh you kid! I was already married, divorced, and almost through with graduate school when you first joined your future bloggers! But for all that, I never heard of TENNESSEE TUXEDO either!
Have a great weekend, everybody!
This was a toughie. I had the most trouble with the NE corner. Once I finally got Amarillo the rest tumbled in. I only solve from the paper, so I had no problem with the wrong puzzle.
With tons o' help from Google & my Crossword Puzzle Dictionary I FINALLY made it through this toughie. The AZ Republic did have the right puzzle today. One answer I did get on the first pass was Tennessee Tuxedo- a penguin voiced by the wonderful Don Adams. Now my brain is tired and its time to do the honeydo's...
Lucina, bless your niece for providing those kids with a loving family. All my best wishes to her and them.
Good afternoon:
All I can say is this puzzle affected me in the same way as Bill G's math puzzles do. Tylenol Time! After much plodding, I did finish but needed red letter help with the Reade/DDD crossing. I thought some of the cluing was a trifle devious, but I guess that's what makes Saturday puzzles so challenging.
Hats off to Martin for this masterful effort and thanks to Splynter for your detailed review.
I went to a family member's 60th birthday party last night. The birthday "boy" is an avid, rabid Packers fan. (How a native New Yorker becomes a fan of a Wisconsin football team is a mystery to me.). Anyway, his wife's present was two tickets to the Packers game at Lambeau Field against Minnesota ((I think), airline tickets and reservations at a hotel. He was dumbfounded, to say the least.
Have a great Saturday.
Just about everybody has those counter top roasters on sale now. If you have a Kohls they have an 18 and a 22 quart on sale. The big one is like $25. Big enough to do a large bird. Good luck!
Splynter: Wonderful write-up & links. Very informative. Thank you.
Java Mama: Glad to see that Bill G. helped you with the "Linking".
(He really is a good teacher.)
DNF ... My normal, all too familiar, Saturday Rorschach Ink Blot test.
and I always thought that TA-TA'S were a "come-on" not an Exit line.
Cheers !!!
Good afternoon everyone. Kudos to Splynter for introing this difficult opus.
Started it in my local paper. Basically got bupkis. Looked up READE and AMORE in my cw dictionary. Came here just to read Splynter's intro and saw the Chi Tribune flap. Tried C.C.'s link but found navigation difficult. Went to LAT site and solved with much red letter help. Call it a DNF, but got lots of difficult solving practice. Many clever clues, once sussed.
EAVED and FITMENTS???
DDD was a learning.
I guess the cw had 16 rows so the 4 stacked mid-across spanners were balanced top and bottom.
WEES about doing the (wrong) puzzle in record time (less than half an hour).
To add to Husker Gary's musings, you just have to accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue....
It's NOT cheating. It's using your resources!!!
Toughest crossword ever. Questions: Why is "RED" the answer for "sanguine"? Why is "ASIDE" the answer for "not for everyone"? (Is it to do with the side of a record?)Shouldn't the clue for SLOES have been plural?
Since I do the puzzle before reading the writeup, I did the wrong puzzle too. But one Saturday puzzle is enough for me. So I'll enjoy the comments rather than the puzzle.
Java Mama, nice job on the link. Glad I could help. Vincent has always been a favorite song of mine even though I never seem to remember it was about Vincent Van Gogh.
For no particular reason, here's a poem I like a lot.
To the Virgins, to make much of Time
GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he 's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he 's to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry:
For having lost but once your prime,
You may for ever tarry.
Barry@5:57
"I've been ASKED to host the family Thanksgiving this year and have been TOLD I need to cook a ham in addition to a turkey.
Tell whomever TOLD you to cook a ham to bring SAME.
Dennis @ 8:31 ROTFLMAO!
Today's puzzle ? FAT CHANCE of solving this one.
Right puzzle, wrong brain! Not sure I live on the same planet as M.A-S. Had 8 (only) answers right after the third pass: TREF, ANSEL, NILE, COLD, O'MY, OAR, RABIES, & PRISS. Very proud to get these.
Even Splynter's brilliance couldn't help me today. Usually after one or two of his answers, I can come up with the other words. Not today. I Kindled READE (an apt name for an author).
I had "Hail Mary". Right answer, wrong language.
Well, guess I'll go jump in the shower and soak my dunderhead a while, preparatory to going to my grandson's 12th birthday party.
to Anon. @1:09---Sanguine is from the Latin root for blood - the temperment came from the 4 humors the physician Galen used to explain people's health: blood,yellow bile, black bile, phlegm; one of its definitions is red or blood red.
Fruit is singular or plural-- so is okay for sloes.
And an "aside" in a play is when the actor talks of to one side and tells the audience or someone else something that not everyone in the room is supposed to hear.
Barry, how many people are you trying to feed? I like Pas de Chat's answer.
anon @1:09
Sanguine is a word of many meanings, but oft related to blood. RED, blood red and reddish are all listed synomyms.
The fruit of the blackthorn tree is SLOES (unless the tree produced only one SLOE). Fruit can be singular or plural.
ASIDE refers to the theatrical comment by an actor to the audience that the onstage characters supposedly can't hear.
Irish Miss@12:02 -- I hope your relative realizes that Lambeau Field is an outdoor, roofless stadium. Those cheese-heads (I used to be one, so I can call 'em that) like it cold.
Anon@1:09 -- Sanguine can refer to blood, so as a color sanguine would be RED. An ASIDE is a comment from the stage to the audience, not meant to be heard by the rest of the play's cast. The word "fruit" can be both singular and plural, so SLOES can be tart fruit.
Anon@2:12 said: "The fruit of the blackthorn tree is SLOES [...] Fruit can be singular or plural."
But if used as a plural, that should be 'are', not 'is'.
Just dropped by to say thanks for all of the great feedback today!
Yes, it was a toughie, so don't feel too bad if you had to Google a few things :)
Martin Ashwood-Smith
Irish Miss, I downloaded Lonesome Dove to my Nook this morning. Thanks for the recommendation. I also purchased a couple of the other books that folks here suggested. Thanks again.
I won't get to start Lonesome Dove right away 'cause I already started the new John Grisham book. I hope it gets better because it's started off slowly.
I've settled in to watch USC/UCLA. I don't really have a rooting interest though my wife went to graduate school in psychology at UCLA and I got a MSEE at USC at night. Neither of us developed much school spirit after graduating from Cornell (who never had much of a football team).
Thank you, last 2 Anons. That meaning for sanguine was new to me. The fruit and asides were not new to me, but brain did not make the connection with the aside clue.
Today's cw was amazingly difficult for me. But I did it. I did use a dictionary for sanguine, although I was pretty sure it had to do with blood. It took me forever to get aside, and it shouldn't have because I'm in the business. I spelled tref wrong for a long time, with an A, fitments might be a British term.
Barry G, you can make a liquid glaze out of that powder, just mix it with a little water and cook it down a bit.
My daughter is at the UCLA/USC game. I hope she's dry, but she's probably happier than she's been in a long time at that match.
DO @ 2:16 - Yes, they do know about the stadium and about Wisconsin winters. They will just have to dress accordingly and pray there is no blizzard or gale force winds! I believe the game they are going to is Dec. 2nd, so maybe they'll get lucky. It wouldn't be my cup of tea!
Bill G @ 2:37 - Glad you got Lonesome Dove: keep me posted when you start it. The new Grisham got very mixed reviews on Amazon, so I passed on it. Did you ever read his "A Painted House?". That was my favorite after "A Time To Kill."
I might have spoken too soon about Katie's reaction to the game. Ouch.
Bill G. I read the latest Grisham and liked it all right, but didn't think it was as good as some of his others. I read it a month or so ago and can hardly remember what it was about, if that says anything. Of course, I've probably read at least six books since.
BillG: Are you watching the Lakers this year? I'm not excited about Mike D'Antoni as a coach. He doesn't have a winning history with his last two jobs. He didn't use or develop his bench like I thought he should in Phoenix. Gortat sat on the bench and didn't get to play so they traded him and he did well in Orlando so they brought him back. He's great in Phoenix now.
Hi Everyone ~~
Wow. DNF three days in a row! After struggling with the Thursday and Friday puzzles, I was actually hoping for a Saturday Silkie today - I can usually fight my way through those. I was WAY over my head with the cleverness of today's puzzle. Mr. Ashwood-Smith really fried my brain. There was just so much I didn't know. Even after giving in to the dreaded Google (and I spent a lot of time there) I was still barely able to finish. (FITMENTS??)
Thanks to Splynter's explanations and the comments of other posters I finally made sense of it all ~ I think.
I DID get 44A - CATS =^.^=
Hoping for more success tomorrow!
PK, yes I've been watching the Lakers and have been disappointed so far. Their starting five are very strong but it hasn't always looked that way yet.
I'm not far enough into the newest Grisham book to have an opinion, that is, except it's slow starting off. I have always been disappointed in the ending of many of his books. The last few pages, somebody gets sent off to witness protection or something else equally unsatisfying.
Irish Miss, I enjoyed "A Painted House" very much. I read it twice several years apart. I also enjoyed the movie.
"Truly drained my brain, but most satisfying." Well, it was more draining than satisfying, but with the help of 6 trips to Google, (41,47A;5,7,38,49D if anyone cares) I reached cricial mass and rolled through handily. Tennessee Tuxedo, indeed - harrumph.
Splynter,
Thank you for the marvelous review of the LA Times Crossword puzzle. Reading your review was even more fun than working the puzzle itself!
Deacon John
Worked on this thing off and on all day. Finally googled Tennessee Tuxedo and several of the authors to get the totally unknowns. Wanted to move Cadillac Ranch to Las Vegas so that screwed up that corner for a while. Liked the Nile clue. Learning moment was scut for deer tail.
Barry, I agree with pas de chat: they can bring their own ham. Being told what to make when you're the host is just plain rude. BTW, when's dinner??!!
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It is a celebration of food, family, friends and thankfulness. If they want ham, give them ham. Be thankful that you are fortunate enough to have friends, family and food and live in the new world. I know tomorrow can be overwhelming at times, but find a moment to look around and smile. Remember, it's the last day to enjoy until New Year's Day!
p.s. Sorry blog master. I clicked on edit to make corrections and it went post crazy. Please delete all anon msgs.
Barry, I like pas de chat's thinking, but assuming you're committed, I'd go with anon at 12:09's suggestion. We have a Rival roaster for exactly that purpose, and it does the job nicely while being affordable. The only issue is having room to store it.
The puzzle? Brutal. Actually completed it before coming here, but with too many googles to count. Some of the clueing was pure genius ((say for Lie), but way too much arcane fill to be any fun. That much work without pay is no way to start the day.
On a brighter note, it was a good day at Memorial Stadium.
Great write up today Splynter, thank you for the links too. This puzzle was a bear! Had not heard of TREF before or TENNESSEE TUXEDO.
I wanted greenhouse gases for 39A.
I was able to WAG many answers. However, in the end it was an inkblot as Tinbeni says.
Although I DNF in the end I enjoyed working on this one!
Barry, I think you could put the ham in a slow cooker with the glaze and it would stay moist. You could put it in early in the morning or befor you go to bed. I wouldn't microwave it as that will make the meat tough. Good evening all!
Martin, you have the uniqueness of giving us a puzzle that many couldn't do and yet they still liked it immensely. Now that doesn't happen often. Bravo!
Good evening! Thank you, Splynter, for your illuminating expo. Some things I wouldn't have otherwise known such as DDD, and TREF.
One look at this challenge told me I would need Google so I right away looked up all the names and that gave me a foothold. What a masterpiece Mr Ashwood-Smith!
Still I could not finish it all and came here for STATE, COSMIC and AVE MARIA. I can't believe that! Hail Mary fit but of course didn't work.
The adoption day was wonderful. Dozens and dozens of children had their adoption finalized and there was a great celebration.
JavaMama
Thank you. I'll convey your good wishes to my niece and her husband. They do have their hands full.
I hope your Saturday was fantastic, everyone!
I second Argyle. Today's puzzle was one of the toughest in my memory, yet when I finished it (after much googling and red letter help) I really enjoyed it.
I started it in the paper and was able to finish the top third. CASTLES IN THE AIR and CATARACT SURGERY (ugh) fell easily. Then I came to a screeching halt and decided I needed to try it on line. Went to the Tribune and was shocked to find it was a different puzzle. Then went to the LA Times site. The puzzle format there is now much more user friendly. Favorite clues were French noodle product and Half of a downpour. SEINER, SCUT, FITMENT and ENYO among others were unknowns. DNF for me, but fun nonetheless.
Thanks Splynter!
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