Theme: None
Total words: 68. Total blocks: 27
Average Word length: 5.82. Missing: J, Q, X & Z.
Rather low in terms of total words and blocks account.
The puzzle is framed by triple stacks of horizontal 11s at the upper right and bottom left, intersecting another vertical 11 and triple columns of 7s on each end. Another triple columns of vertical 7s in the upper left and lower right completes the basic skeleton of the grid. The eight 11s are:
4A. Workout apparatus : STAIRMASTER. The only one word 11.
16A. Old fortune-telling site : PENNY ARCADE. Have never heard of this term. Is it in a mall?
18A. Carried out by : ON THE PART OF. Can you give me an example of how the clue & answer equates?
58A. Sought some shelter? : OPENED AN IRA. Tax shelter, I suppose.
62A. Balance in the end : COME OUT EVEN. Nice entry.
64A. Had an in : KNEW SOMEONE. Didn't come to me readily.
5D. Garments lacking waistlines : TENT DRESSES. Gisele is wearing one here. She's gorgeous no matter what she dons.
25D. "El Cid" co-star : SOPHIA LOREN. Nice to have her full name. I've never watched "El Cid" though.
Very difficult solving for me. Lots of unfamiliar references. This is our first encounter with Joe DiPietro, who has constructed over 100 puzzles for NY Times, mainly hard late week themeless grids.
Across:
1. Cable initials : TMC. I figured it would start T??. TBS, TNT.
15. Joey in Milne stories : ROO. Kanga's kid in "Winnie-the-Pooh". Joey is young kangaroo.
17. The Cyclones of the Big 12 Conf. : ISU (Iowa State University). In Ames.
19. Mystery author whose work has been translated into more than 100 languages : CHRISTIE (Agatha)
21. "I can do that" : LET ME
22. Made one's view known : OPINED
23. 1940s-'70s bandleader Edmundo : ROS. Alien to me. He's still alive. 99 years old now.
26. Tahari of fashion : ELIE. Nope. Have never heard of the guy or his brand.
27. Heading to overtime : TIED
28. Exude : REEK OF
31. LAX posting : ETD
32. Scattered : STREWED
34. Union members? : SPOUSES. The ? hints it's not about labor union. Awesome clue.
36. Carefree state : EASE
37. Chain with links : IHOP. Nice clue too.
38. Multiple-ride ticket : BUS PASS
41. Terry of Monty Python : GILLIAM. Was he in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"? I just could not understand the humor. Stopped watching after 2 minutes of nonsense.
45. Adder's kin : ASP
46. Aircraft company since 1927 : CESSNA. Named after its founder Clyde Cessna.
48. When Eliza sings "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" : ACT I. Filled in ACT immediately.
49. Tough test : BEAR
51. Called with chips : SAW. Poker reference often confounds me. See and raise.
52. Liquor store buys : LITERS
54. Doctor, ideally : CURER. Why "ideally"?
56. Expiate : ATONE FOR
61. Dramatic way to go? : APE. Go ape.
63. Mauna __ : LOA
65. You'll trip if you drop it : LSD. This damned drug often tripped me, no matter how it's clued.
Down:
1. Warp-knit fabrics : TRICOTS. New word to me. It's pronounced like "TREE-koh". T is silent.
2. Slam-dancing area : MOSH PIT. Stymied me last time.
3. Express service employee : COURIER
4. "Imagine, Zeke ..." : S'POSE. Dennis told me he did not like this clue. Zeke is a nickname for hayseed, correct?
6. Nonpro? : ANTI. I'd prefer "Non pro?".
7. What a hider shouldn't say to a seeker : IN HERE
8. Bar order : RYE. Whiskey I suppose.
9. It may include highs and lows : MAP. What do "highs" and "lows" here refer to?
10. Uzbekistan border sea : ARAL
11. Rocky debris : SCREE. Like this.
12. Snitches : TATTLES
13. Early inhabitant along the Dead Sea : EDOMITE. Descendant of Esau's land Esau. Got me.
14. Carb-up days, to low-carb dieters : REFEEDS. Well, maybe Al can explain to us what the heck is going on here. Makes no sense to me, both the clue and the answer.
20. Committed and then some : IN DEEP
24. Circular signal : OK SIGN
29. Greek regional capital : EDESSA. No idea. Modern name is Urfa. Early center of Christianity in Mesopotamia, says Dictionary.
30. Trick : FOOL
33. WWII enlistee : WAAC (Women's Army Auxiliary Corps). I can never remember this initialism.
35. Burning the midnight oil : UP LATE
38. Detroit Red Wings coach Mike : BABCOCK. Here he is. Out of my knowledge zone.
39. Consume with regard to : USE UPON
40. "Puh-leeze!" : SPARE ME. Nice one.
42. Irregular glacial mass : ICEFALL. Spitzboov seems to know a lot about this stuff, and geology.
43. One of the Fates : ATROPOS. The Fate who cuts the thread of life. I simply forgot.
44. See Tears for Fears? : MISREAD. Does Capital T look capital F to you?
47. Gershwin's first hit : SWANEE. George Gershwin. Here is clip. Unknown to me.
50. Agree to more issues : RENEW. More issues of the magazine.
53. Harebrained : INANE
55. Old Royale 8's, e.g. : REOS
57. Save for later, in a way : TIVO. Drew a blank.
59. Comedy team, usually : DUO
60. Pharmacy convenience, often : ATM.
Answer grid.
C.C.
Total words: 68. Total blocks: 27
Average Word length: 5.82. Missing: J, Q, X & Z.
Rather low in terms of total words and blocks account.
The puzzle is framed by triple stacks of horizontal 11s at the upper right and bottom left, intersecting another vertical 11 and triple columns of 7s on each end. Another triple columns of vertical 7s in the upper left and lower right completes the basic skeleton of the grid. The eight 11s are:
4A. Workout apparatus : STAIRMASTER. The only one word 11.
16A. Old fortune-telling site : PENNY ARCADE. Have never heard of this term. Is it in a mall?
18A. Carried out by : ON THE PART OF. Can you give me an example of how the clue & answer equates?
58A. Sought some shelter? : OPENED AN IRA. Tax shelter, I suppose.
62A. Balance in the end : COME OUT EVEN. Nice entry.
64A. Had an in : KNEW SOMEONE. Didn't come to me readily.
5D. Garments lacking waistlines : TENT DRESSES. Gisele is wearing one here. She's gorgeous no matter what she dons.
25D. "El Cid" co-star : SOPHIA LOREN. Nice to have her full name. I've never watched "El Cid" though.
Very difficult solving for me. Lots of unfamiliar references. This is our first encounter with Joe DiPietro, who has constructed over 100 puzzles for NY Times, mainly hard late week themeless grids.
Across:
1. Cable initials : TMC. I figured it would start T??. TBS, TNT.
15. Joey in Milne stories : ROO. Kanga's kid in "Winnie-the-Pooh". Joey is young kangaroo.
17. The Cyclones of the Big 12 Conf. : ISU (Iowa State University). In Ames.
19. Mystery author whose work has been translated into more than 100 languages : CHRISTIE (Agatha)
21. "I can do that" : LET ME
22. Made one's view known : OPINED
23. 1940s-'70s bandleader Edmundo : ROS. Alien to me. He's still alive. 99 years old now.
26. Tahari of fashion : ELIE. Nope. Have never heard of the guy or his brand.
27. Heading to overtime : TIED
28. Exude : REEK OF
31. LAX posting : ETD
32. Scattered : STREWED
34. Union members? : SPOUSES. The ? hints it's not about labor union. Awesome clue.
36. Carefree state : EASE
37. Chain with links : IHOP. Nice clue too.
38. Multiple-ride ticket : BUS PASS
41. Terry of Monty Python : GILLIAM. Was he in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"? I just could not understand the humor. Stopped watching after 2 minutes of nonsense.
45. Adder's kin : ASP
46. Aircraft company since 1927 : CESSNA. Named after its founder Clyde Cessna.
48. When Eliza sings "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" : ACT I. Filled in ACT immediately.
49. Tough test : BEAR
51. Called with chips : SAW. Poker reference often confounds me. See and raise.
52. Liquor store buys : LITERS
54. Doctor, ideally : CURER. Why "ideally"?
56. Expiate : ATONE FOR
61. Dramatic way to go? : APE. Go ape.
63. Mauna __ : LOA
65. You'll trip if you drop it : LSD. This damned drug often tripped me, no matter how it's clued.
Down:
1. Warp-knit fabrics : TRICOTS. New word to me. It's pronounced like "TREE-koh". T is silent.
2. Slam-dancing area : MOSH PIT. Stymied me last time.
3. Express service employee : COURIER
4. "Imagine, Zeke ..." : S'POSE. Dennis told me he did not like this clue. Zeke is a nickname for hayseed, correct?
6. Nonpro? : ANTI. I'd prefer "Non pro?".
7. What a hider shouldn't say to a seeker : IN HERE
8. Bar order : RYE. Whiskey I suppose.
9. It may include highs and lows : MAP. What do "highs" and "lows" here refer to?
10. Uzbekistan border sea : ARAL
11. Rocky debris : SCREE. Like this.
12. Snitches : TATTLES
13. Early inhabitant along the Dead Sea : EDOMITE. Descendant of Esau's land Esau. Got me.
14. Carb-up days, to low-carb dieters : REFEEDS. Well, maybe Al can explain to us what the heck is going on here. Makes no sense to me, both the clue and the answer.
20. Committed and then some : IN DEEP
24. Circular signal : OK SIGN
29. Greek regional capital : EDESSA. No idea. Modern name is Urfa. Early center of Christianity in Mesopotamia, says Dictionary.
30. Trick : FOOL
33. WWII enlistee : WAAC (Women's Army Auxiliary Corps). I can never remember this initialism.
35. Burning the midnight oil : UP LATE
38. Detroit Red Wings coach Mike : BABCOCK. Here he is. Out of my knowledge zone.
39. Consume with regard to : USE UPON
40. "Puh-leeze!" : SPARE ME. Nice one.
42. Irregular glacial mass : ICEFALL. Spitzboov seems to know a lot about this stuff, and geology.
43. One of the Fates : ATROPOS. The Fate who cuts the thread of life. I simply forgot.
44. See Tears for Fears? : MISREAD. Does Capital T look capital F to you?
47. Gershwin's first hit : SWANEE. George Gershwin. Here is clip. Unknown to me.
50. Agree to more issues : RENEW. More issues of the magazine.
53. Harebrained : INANE
55. Old Royale 8's, e.g. : REOS
57. Save for later, in a way : TIVO. Drew a blank.
59. Comedy team, usually : DUO
60. Pharmacy convenience, often : ATM.
Answer grid.
C.C.
50 comments:
Well gosh, golly gee, C.C. it is just you and me, and I been up all night.
The puzzle had a real NYTimes feel to it, both because of some of the unknowns (like Greek regional capital : EDESSA, 1940s-'70s bandleader Edmundo : ROS, and Tahari of fashion : ELIE, which is a typical NY State of mind; if it is in Mnhattan, everyone should know it.
However, overall it was a fun, and not impossible puzzle, I really liked Union members? : SPOUSES. You'll trip if you drop it : LSD
As far as your questions, if you pick up a copy of the movie BIG starring Tom Hanks, you will see the kind of Old fortune-telling site : PENNY ARCADE. Why Ideally? Because you want your doctor to cure you not kill you; sadly the odds are even on that one. What do "highs" and "lows" here refer to? I believe it is a Weather Map and T look capital F to you; if you write in classic American cursive they are identical except for the line in an F. Be careful when you TUCK someone in.
Off to swim, since I cannot sleep
Great work CC!
Highs and lows could refer to altitudes, me thinks.
Really a tough puzzle. Googled coach and, with several answers undone, turned on red letters.
CC--It has been my experience that women don't particularly like the humor in Monty Python. (But the woman who likes the Stooges will probably respond here!)
Slept too late and now have to worry about getting some sleep before 11 AM.Yuck!
Happy weekend!
Good morning, C.C. and gang - plain and simple, this puzzle beat me up as badly as the 4A does. Needed a LOT of perp help to finally get through it, and the finished product looks like a classic Rorschach test. As Lemonade points out, this definitely had a NYT feel to it. Great puzzle, with just a couple exceptions.
First, the things I didn't like: I don't know why 'Imagine, Zeke' implies the slang 's'pose'. Is it because it can be a western (read cowboy) name? 'Map' for 'It may include highs and lows'? A weather map? Vague at best. 'Refeed' days are known among low-carb dieters evidently, but I sure as hell never heard of them. I guess ever since the first meal I ever had, I've been doing nothing but refeeding.
I loved 'See Tears for Fears'/'misread', and of course, how can you not like 'in deep'? And as always, loved the long fills.
I had 'I'm here' for 7D for a long time, and 'ale' for 8D, so the entire NE was a problem except for a recent repeat visitor, 'scree'. It didn't get any better heading south, but I'll spare the details; suffice to say, my time could've been measured with a sundial.
Today is Race Your Mouse Day. And no, I have no freaking idea.
Did You Know?: (some toothy issues)
- Some toothpaste contains antifreeze.
- Dentists recomment that a toothbrush be kept six feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.
- Colgate faced a big obstacle marketing toothpaste in Spanish-speaking countries. Colgate translates into the command "go hang yourself".
Morning, all!
Definitely a workout for the brain today. Total unknowns like EDESSA and vague clues for stuff like BEAR. The SW corner was the hardest for me, but I did eventually manage to finish unassisted.
GILLIAM was a big fat gimme today. Not only am I a huge fan of Monty Python, I just watched GILLIAM's "Brazil" last night. [And, C.C. -- Gilliam was the only American member of the Monty Python troup. He appeared on camera occasionally, but was more involved in the writing, directing and animation. He directed "The Holy Grail" and other films such as the aforementioned "Brazil," "Time Bandits" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." He also directed Heath Ledger's last film, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus."]
Hello Puzzlers - That took a while! C.C., thanks for clearing up a few things with the write-up, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who ended up with some WTF moments.
Proper names got me as usual - ELIE, BABCOCK. I wrote BOEING in right away for airplane company, but once that looked suspicious, it took a while for me to even think of CESSNA - a touch ironic since I own one of those.
Terry Gilliam's animations are superb! Please, C.C., give Holy Grail another chance, it's really very clever.
A tough puzzle. Took 38 minutes to finish, with a struggle for almost every fill. In the end, I missed one letter--the "s" cross between 2D and 17A. Didn't know MOSHPIT or ISU. A worthy Saturday challenge.
Loved this puzzle. Very tough, but doable if you just hang in there. Another woman that does not like Monty Python so didn't get Gilliam without the perps. Hope to see more of Mr. DiPietro.
Good Morning C.C. et al.
This was like eating an elephant...you can do it, but only one bite at a time. And that's how the grid looked after the first pass - a nibble here, a nibble there.
I had "DAY PASS" for 38A for the longest time, which did nothing to help in the SW corner.
Finally got "STAIR MASTER", and I was finally making some progress. Then for some reason I filled in "Odessa" for 29D. I know, I know, it's in the Ukraine or Texas. But it was just too tempting, with "_DESSA" already there from perps. Shook it off, and finally completed the grid with only one gg for "BABCOCK".
Loved some of the devious clues like 58A"Sought some shelter", and especially 50A "Agree to more issues" for RENEW (like a magazine subscription) - very clever! This was a good Saturday challenge, and I hope we see more of Joe DiPietro here.
Hi there~~!!
Phew !
Lots of great clues with some real rough ones, too.
Loved "Tears for Fears" ( yes Lemonade, be careful!; plus, a great link to BIG - just what I was thinking ) 'Circular sign', and a hockey reference, too, with Mike Babcock - only a month away !!
"Spose" was OK, but I didn't get the Zeke part, just guessed it meant slang...
"Ice Fall?" Ugh.
"Refeed?" Double - ugh
"TIVO" was cute, "USE UPON" not so much...
Here's Terry from Holy Grail - it is definitely an acquired taste - and I had the whole coconut/horse theme at my wedding - great fun.
King Arthur's Patsy
Whew! The NW corner was a loss leader as I zipped through it (I do puzzles from known answers and work out from there). ISU is from here in Big 12 country (not so much next year!) and ROO came from having grandkids (like MR. SALT yesterday) and MOSHPIT is from being around adolescents since Moby Dick was a guppy.
After that, the puzzle handed me my hat! When you get your butt kicked, you can either quit or try to learn and I chose the latter course. I agree with comments about some of the reaches on some of the clues, but after some help from Google and http://www.oneacross.com I reclaimed some dignity and finished strong.
Well my lovely bride and I are off to Grand Island, Nebraska (140 miles from here) today to attend the State Fair after it had been in Lincoln for 125 years! The old fair grounds abuts UNL and the University got the ground for high tech expansion which makes a lot of sense. There were numerous quixotic attempts to keep the fair in Lincoln, but they were doomed from the start (redundant after using quixotic as an adjective?). As I am finding from retirement, sometimes you just have to let go.
She and I also attened a game at Rosenblatt Stadium this week as it is being demolished so the College World Series can move into a beautiful downtown facility in Omaha. The Henry Doorly Zoo which I have mentioned before is licking its chops to expand west into the former stadium area and improve its already world renowned status!
This seems to be our year of firsts and lasts. Despite loving the movie Back to the Future, I know the arrow of time only points in one direction even at 88 mph in a DeLorean.
To close the loop with another My Fair Lady reference, I've had to assimilate these lyrics Without You
First of all, let me compliment you C.C. on a wonderful blog today and yesterday...Yesterdays puzzle I solved,.... todays ... I just came and read your blog, and filled in the blanks... like paint by numbers... but your blog made it all the more worthwhile. IMHO, after I filled it out, I didn't think it was worth it... But, I am tempted to take the puzzle to a 'talking heads' party tonight, and put it on the table , just to impress the c--p out of all the others ...
Dennis: Brand names can be funny in 'other' languages ... remember the Chevy best selling sedan 'Nova' ? (1975-1980). In Spanish, it means 'wont go'...
CC- I agree with almost all your attitudes, especially 'Monty Python'.
Re: IRA as 'tax shelters' ... Ha, ha, hee, hee ... an IRA is a very poor, privately under-funded retirement plan ... calling it a tax shelter, is like calling a handful of birdseed - 'lunch' !
My 'Preview' function is not working ... anybody else have the same problem ? Now, my 'publish' is not working either ... Maybe, I'll have to go 'black' - or should I say, 'in the money'...
Gang, when I posted, the blog posted many copies and I will try to delete them. I don't know what happened but such are the vagaries of the web.
Husker, I'll get 'em. No problem; it happens a lot.
Thanks Dennis!
Hi on Saturday morning (YAWN!)
This puzzle really got me ... but it was such fun. My favorite clue is 50d agree to more issues - RENEW!!! Brilliant.
Those who compose these puzzles must be clever geniuses who are up on *everything* from history to pop culture. I'm always amazed and impressed by the constructors. They must all be MENSA members!!!
Have a great weekend.
In the dieting sense, a "refeeding" is where you set aside days where you eat some of the foods you have been restricting yourself from.
The theory behind it is, that as you diet, your metabolism starts to adjust itself so that it takes you more and more activity to burn the same amount of calories as before, that is, your body is starting to go into starvation protection mode, something that would have improved survival chances in primitive hunter-gatherers when food became scarce.
By reintroducing those foods for occasional planned days, supposedly that thwarts what is a natural reaction.
In reality, such restrictive diets are unnatural and doomed to fail over time. You shouldn't cut out any of the three main food sources. You do need to choose the correct ones, though. Carbs from raw or minimally cooked whole vegetables, fats from virgin olive, avacado, coconut, almond oils, and use butter, but not oleo in cooking. Proteins from free-ranging grass-fed animals, etc. Avoid trans (man-made) fats, refined sugars, and anything that is highly processed.
There is actually something called refeeding syndrome, where people that have been rescued from starvation conditions (anorexa, war holdouts, trapped earthquake victims) can go into shock and have heart problems from the RE-introduction of a normal nutritious diet. It should be obvious that restrictive diets that put you into that state are not very good for you...
RE:Yesterday's comments... I was very tempted to write on 'taxes'... having lectured on 'it' several times ... but mercifully, it became too 'politicized'...
I think a point, we can all agree on .... the attitude one has, on taxes, is based by and large, on whether one makes that type of money, ... or doesn't.
On Opium Dens... this existed, mostly in the chinatowns, ( NY, LA, San Frisco etc.) and was during an older, kinder, gentler 'era' .. when opium was crude, cheap and generally 'tolerated' by society ... they were like bars with alcohol, of today ... you went, got a cot, got a pipeful, imbibed, got 'knocked out', slept for 8 hours ... then got another 'refill' ... all with the confidence, that the den owners, wouldn't rob you, rape you, kill you or any such sort of thing...
Todays, 'crack'( cocaine ) is pure, extremely potent, immediate, and the whole atmosphere is extremely and ruthlessly violent...(not from personal experience ...).
BTW, the Density of Opium is between 1.28 to 1.67 grams per c.c. - Cubic Centimeter,... depending on purity.
Good morrning all.
Agree with the earlier comments. Pretty tough one today. Had red letter help with TMC and LSD. No other lookups needed. Many clues were a BEAR. GILLIAM was a WAG. Thought RENEW, WAAC, EASE, and IHOP were quite clever. Wanted 'icefloe' before ICEFALL fell. Icefalls cause 'crevasses' (from yesterday's puzzle). Unfamiliar with REFEEDS.
ARAL today; not Ural or Orel.
Many arcane clues but fair. A good workout.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
C.C. Great write-up.
I'm beginning to think constructor's
get a "Kick-back" if they put IHOP in the grid as a subtle suggestion to where I should go for breakfast?
HeartRx, I agree, one bite at a time.
This was a challenge needing perps all over the place to get my unknowns: ELIE, BABCOCK, ROS, EDOMITE (damn, I always forget about them).
Be careful if you use the OK SIGN in Brazil, it has a much different meaning there.
A slog, can't say the solve was FUN.
Good Morning All, I think I have mentioned that I usually work the puzzles online the previous evening. Well, I did that and still had to come back this morning to finish up a good chunk of it. I'll try to remember Joe DiPietro's name and be sure to allow sufficient time for his puzzles.
I laughed at HeartRX's elephant analogy...so true.
This was so tough and even though I finally got through it there were so many things I was unsure of. EDOMITE, REFEEDS, ROS, EDESSA, ELIE, REOS and ATROPOS were mostly perp assisted guesses.
The 38 cross of BABCOCK and BUS PASS had to wait until I came here. I've never heard of Mike BABCOCK and when do Californians ride buses? Yes, most cities have bus systems, but I think most of us are auto addicts.
It seems to me TRICOT was a big seller in 1970's disco shirts....so shiny and snug! Don't forget the chains and Angel Flight pants to complete the look. (As I recall, Dennis once fessed up to having worn a similar outfit.)
Yes to everything Monty Python. My parents got me hooked on the old BBC TV show and I still watch them when I can. GILLIAM's Brazil is a favorite. Dark and bizarre, it is very unlike the antics of the whole troop. As far as the ensemble goes, The Life of Brian is my favorite.
PENNY ARCADE reminded me of the lyrics to It's Only A Paper Moon. It is in there and what's not to like about Ella Fitzgerald's version?
No worries fermatprime, I still don't care for the Three Stooges. I'm with Lois, I definitely think they are a guy thing.
Lois, we lost your post...it was terrific (as usual). What went wrong?
Hi c.c. and all:
Very hard puzzle for me today, lots of googling.
c.c.: I believe that a tent dress is more of a dress that falls from the shoulder to the hem loosely, with no gathering at the bust or waist. Very popular in the 60's. Giselle is wearing a strapless empire-waist dress I believe.
CA: I have no idea. It posted 3 times and I erased 2 of them. Maybe CC can get it back, I can't. It's weird lately. I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't said something. Beats me. Oh well. The point of it all was that Zeke just ain't a cowboy name that I'd ever seen nor heard of. It just doesn't get the blood flowin' like Zach, or Bill, Bret, Joe, John even Steve or Gil, Volney, Cortez, Tex, Rex, or Tom. But if Zeke's a cowboy, then guess what! It's all good.
That was the gist of it all. Not a thang wrong w/them thar cowboys no matter how they're called as long as it ain't late for dinner. They're a breed all unto themselves and a likable bunch too.
Good morning CC, et al., Well, it's truly a Sat and it was a challenge. I slogged thru it w/the same dislikes as Dennis.
Now, if Zeke is a common enough cowboy name to elicit a s'pose for 4D, it's not in my experience. Joe honestly is the most common name followed closely by John, Larry, Bret, Jim/Jimmy, Mike and David, but never Zeke. Oh yeah, Steve.
Also 6A, I agree w/you CC, non pro? for 'Anti' would've made sense to me too then. I got 'In here' 7A only because in our hide and seek the girls were kissed when found (by a cute boy). Oh yeah, Zach another good cowboy... name..he got me 'in deep' trouble -staying 'up late' and 'fool'ing around...'Fool'ish games! But those were those wild oats or 'rye's that we 'strewed' out in those great plains. No 'LSD' or 'bear's 'but lots of 'liters' of brews, buffalo and bull -as in long horn- and a bunch of great tales (I think I spelled that right??)
Favs were 17A IHOP; 49A Bear; and 40 A Puhleeze! cute, 58A IRA, and Mosh Pit. Dying to go to DC for one special mosh pit experience up there that I've heard of. Oh yeah, Gil was a cool cowboy & name. Good dancer.
I'm crazy about Monty Python but not the 3 Stooges. I watched them w/my brother and he would almost cry laughing. Figured it was a boy thing, like body functions being funny. Oh yeah, reminds me of Bill...another great and wild cowboy & name...wild Bill...fits well doesn't it. ..but never Zeke. Knew Volney, Cortez, Marvin, even Rex, and Tom, but I 'swanee', I ain't never met a cowboy named Zeke. But if he's a cowboy, you know what? It's all good.
Enjoy your day.
Lois,
Don't know what happened. Blogger showed you posted twice, but I got three in my mail box. Anyway, I got your Zeke guy. Great read, as always.
Okay, before I read your comments, I have to say that after 2 hours of looking things up and STILL being unable to solve this puzzle, I really don't want to bother any longer. I have simply lost interest.
I'll be back later with more to say.
Wow, what a killer puzzle! I got about half of it done last night, and saved it to finish this morning when I was fresh. Well...I THOUGHT I'd saved it! I had to start all over this morning. It was a nice (faux) ego boost to just breeze through the upper half of the puzzle like a Monday though, since I'd already worked through them last night. The bottom half was back to the grindstone...
As far as the clues and fill, I felt about the same as everyone else. Some good new ones, some groaners, and some WTFs... I thought the Zeke phrase was a movie quote I didn't know of.
I never enjoyed Monty Python or the Stooges either.
PENNY ARCADE brings back some great amusement park memories.
Jayce, I'm sympathetic. That's why I usually skip the Saturday puzzles or at least turn on red-letter help.
I enjoyed the Monty Python half-hour TV shows more than their movies. They had a 100-yard dash for the deaf. The starter shot his pistol and nobody moved. I thought John Cleese in Fawlty Towers was brilliant! That show consistently cracked me up. Still would I think. I think I'll go look up some of Fawlty Towers on YouTube.
I found Anatomy of a Murder on TCM and am about half-way through it. Very enjoyable courtroom drama with Jimmy Stewart and Lee Remick.
Hi everybody. This was a DNF today. Crazy difficult. Personally I think it would be unsolvable without looking up a lot of the information. Even so, I still could not finish it. However, it is still fun to come here and read the writeup and the comments. Thank you, CC, for your views and reactions.
No need for me to go into detail, but TMC, ROS, BABCOCK, ATROPOS, EDESSA, ELIE, and EDOMITE are just some of the entries I never would have been able to figure out without going to Goog.
Although I think some clues and fills were weak and lame, I do think LSD, SAW, IHOP, RENEW, and SPOUSES, among others, were clever and fun.
I still don't quite see how "Carried out by" can be a clue for ON THE PART OF.
Yep, I pencilled in BOEING. Nope, wrong.
Best wishes to you all.
Hello C.C. et al,
C.C.-Great write-up, as usual.
I got most of this one done with a little help from my xword dictionary. Just could not fill in the NE corner until I came here for help.
Lemonade-Thanks for the "Big" reference. That helped me make sense of PENNYARCADE. Loved that movie!
I had _ILLIAM and thought the only thing that would fit would be a W until the perps filled in the G for me. I love The Three Stooges (grew up watching them with my brother), but have never watched Monty Python. My husband loves them and quotes them often. Perhaps I'll have to give it a chance.
HG-I love your attitude of "either quit or try to learn." I have always felt that way as well.
Tinbeni-Thanks for the warning about the OK sign! We used sign language with our daughter and were told that the sign for potty/bathroom is to make the letter T and shake your hand. We were warned that this only works in American Sign Language; in some other countries, it is considered "potty" language!
I hope you are all enjoying your weekend.
Good morning everybody! I got through the puzzle without toooo many problems. It's funny when words just come to you, like scree. I must have learned it in a past x-word. Has anyone ever used it in a sentence? "Our yard was once full of scree, until my husband ran the rototiller"? Hum...
My fav 50D - agree to issues. Garments lacking waistbands - I always think Muu-muu.
AND a big thank you to whoever suggested Sea=Aral; Mountains=Ural last week. Saved me some time!!
It's chic to reek, as we say in Gilroy! Have a garlicly weekend.
Hi, fellow solvers,
I can echo Jayce and Dennis on this one. I even resent the time I spent trying to find, from Mr. G, help with words like Edomite and Edessa, neither of which was hidden among some useless Wiki offerings. Jayce, you were wise to quit. I foolishly wasted my morning!
Do I sound bitter? Sorry, it'll pass!
I think I'd better give Monty Python a try since my daughter and grandson think it's great. I thought Brazil was the most godawful movie ever filmed!
Love you all anyway, dd
C.C., Monty Python is an acquired taste, kind of like coffee. To some, it tastes really bad at first, but all your friends are insistent, so you keep trying it.
You start by taking little sips of it and then after some time, you find that you have become addicted to it. Sometimes you have to watch it over again to see what you missed the first time through. However, it is one of those things that is better when watched with a bunch of other people that are in on the joke, in a party-like setting, kind of like the Police Academy movies, which to me aren't very funny when watching alone.
Little sips of MPATHG include the taunter who pronounces Knights as kaniggots (enunciating the silent "K" and "G", you see. I missed that the first few times.) Then the very same taunter appears later in the film in a totally different location. "Why do you think I have this outrageous accent?"
Repetition or reference to an earlier absurd thing suddenly makes it funny for some reason. The complete lengthy discourse on the airspeed of a swallow comes back later as something that backfires on the guardian of the bridge of eternity.
The Brave Sir Robin song is funny because, why would anyone write an upbeat song like that for such a coward. Parts of that recur in different spots when you least expect them.
That's not to say that I love absolutely everything that Monty Python ever did, there are times where I wish they would "just get on with it".
But then again, I still don't drink coffee, either... (See what I did there?)
Happy Saturday C.C. and all,
Same experiences- perps,wags.wtf
and letter by letter-Tough puzzle!
Ithought the placement of Babcock was truly sadistic- it was my Dogpile and killed the sw corner for me . Ihad 'todo' instead of 'tivo' until i got to C.C.'s blog.
I don't see a special connection,
if any, to pharmacies and ATMs.
It must be a regional thing.
Thanks C.C. for a good write-up.
The further explanations helped also.
No to Monty Python and 3 Stooges.
Going to shut my eyes for a power nap.
Bill G, John Cleese's "Fawlty Towers" was a wonderful series. I also loved "Black Adder" with Rowan Atkinson. It seems like there isn't much "in between" for Americans and British humor. We either love it or don't get it at all. Maybe it has something to do with having an ear for the accents. GAH has a tough time understanding English accents.
Dodo, LOL, one person's "dark and bizarre" is another's "godawful". :o)
Zeke is slang for "hayseed", "rube", etc.
erieruth- I'm sure there are some constructors that are geniuses, but I think it highly unlikely that there are many. No doubt most constructors are well-read, curious, and have a little info about a lot of stuff. Mainly, though, constructors work hard at making puzzles. None of it comes easy. There's a lot of mental elbow grease (research) that goes into creating a crossword.
I firmly believe that most people of average intelligence could learn how to make puzzles. Thinking that it takes a genius separates constructor from solver in a distinctly artificial way. I know damn well there's people in this blog's community that could write a crossword. I wish they would give it a serious shot.
This was a really hard puzzle. Too many things I'd never heard of, and some were so long that they blocked me from getting other answers. I read through the long list of comments and found the question about penny arcades, which I don't think anyone really defined. It is really similar to today's game rooms at a mall (I believe in many locations they are still called arcades), where you can put money in and play a variety of electronic games. In the old days at amusement parks like Coney Island or county fairs, they would have a bunch of games and maybe candy or souvenirs in one location and each cost a penny to play. Life was simple and sweet then,huh?
Afternoon all.
After reading here I don't feel so bad. It took me more than an hour to do the puzzle. I consulted the dictionary, Google and finally red letter, but I did finish.
I won't repeat all the stumbling blocks others have mentioned. EDOMITES was a given. Had CHRISTIE from first pass. Wanted thighmaster instead of STAIRMASTER for a long time. Had OPENEDAdoor for 58A.
I never watched Monty Python. I watched one Three Stooges movie. It was just plain dumb, IMO.
Our PBS station used to carry some of the British comedies. I liked "As Time Goes By" so much I got the DVDs. The rest were OK, I guess.
Time to go see what can be done about dinner. Sandwiches, I think.
A little video of the truck pull I watched Thursday night. Clip. (5:29)
Windhover's comment on Thursday night: windhover said... Argyle:
After you've watched a few hours of rednecks destroying expensive toys, anything else would be a letdown.
August 27, 2010 12:50 AM
I'm headed back down to see the pros pull tonight.
Much British humor requires the cultural indoctrination and knowledge that makes the references humorous. They have a tremendous knack of poking fun at themselves through exaggeration and Monty Python takes the concept to the extreme. I love most humor, and their sitcoms , from Are You Being Served To The Manor Born Good Neighbors to others already mentioned, as well as the variety shows like Python and Bennie Hill have provided me many hours of joy. The irreverent AB FAB being another great one.
Well a quiet day after a hectic one, take care all and laugh!
Al mentioned the Python movie's pronunciation of 'knight' - 'kaniggot'.
You know, I think the German 'knecht' meaning servant or laborer is a cognate word. The 'k' and the 'ch' are pronounced.
Argyle, you devil. I haven't been to the Washington Co. fair in 36 years, but it brings back memories.
Several of you mentioned enjoying Monty Python and others seemed interested in giving it a fresh try. Here is a link to their infamous dead parrot sketch from their TV show. Enjoy!
I did go to YouTube and rewatched some sketches from Fawlty Towers and I found myself laughing out loud again. Great stuff!
Of the British comedies, we used to love Are You Being Served. We still watch As Time Goes By, and have become addicted to Doc Martin. Love that guy and the colorful characters! We sorta kinda like Waiting For God, too. Stephanie Cole (who's also in Doc Martin) is a hoot.
Knecht and other words that start with kn are fun to play with. Wagner had a field day with them in his Ring operas. In fact he was very good with words, quite the poet as well as composer.
Best wishes.
There is a car was near where I live called Robo, which means "I rob" in Spanish.
Doreen
It's a car wash, not a car was. Sorry about that.
Doreen
Ah yes, good ol' Robo-wash.
I really miss those British sitcoms we used to get. A lot of them are on DVD but unfortunately they don't all have closed caption or subtitles (are those the same thing?_) My hearing not being what it used to be, I have a hard time with the accent these days. CA, maybe that's why you GAH has trouble. Ahearing aid helps! Good Neighbors had some subtitles and I think To the Manor Born. I was able to find Rising Damp(almost as good as Fawlty Towers) Butterflies,
and a few others but not subtitles.
The Herriot series has them, I think starting with the second or third season.
My grownup grandsons still want Fawlty Towers on almost every time we are together. It still brings big LOLs. Did any one else ever catch Only When I Laugh with Peter Bowles? There's another one with the same name so if you're looking, don't get the wrong one.
RE: Argyle and Windhover's comments about truck pulls; my first date with GAH was going to the truck pulls at the Ventura County Fair in 1980. Although I knew that the aim was to see which truck could pull the heaviest weight, I still didn't get it. I asked, "OK, but what's the point?" Finally GAH said it was a method for proving which truck owner/driver had the biggest genitalia (he used a more common term) without taking off his pants. Made sense to me, improved my enjoyment of the show, and was the beginning of a 30 year (so far so good) relationship.
Things British...have you heard that there is a "My Fair Lady" remake in the works for 2012? Carey Mulligan is set for Eliza and possibly Hugh Grant for Higgins. Neither can sing and I can't see Hugh Grant, who usually plays a charming mumbler, as an elocution teacher. I'd rather see Emily Blunt and Hugh Laurie, both of whom sing and speak very well.
Good night all.
g8momx2: You are absolutely right about tent dresses and the site C.C. is a strapless empire one.
Dodo: I have very strong hearing aids and must have closed captioned to understand. Closed captioned is not the same as subtitles. The latter will work if in English. Often I end up with both, which takes a bit of getting used to, as they're superimposed on each other.
Thank you C.C. for the write up. Was lost without it.
Cheers
A very 1960's tent dress pattern
One of my favorite movies is The Full Monty. I was about 15 minutes into it before I could reliably decode the Yorkshire accents. Great movie by the way.
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