O tempura
O morae
hee hee
(Latin Japanese humor)
O morae
hee hee
(Latin Japanese humor)
4
Very cute.
I don't find the translation of mora as "syllable" that much of a problem. I "hear" Osaka as four syllables anyway (O-o-sa-ka) in order to pronounce the 2-mora vowel correctly. If this were the biggest confusion when interpreting an Asian language, or any other aspect of Asian culture for that matter, we'd be in pretty good shape.
I just came from an ikebana lesson and spent an hour trying to understand three Japanese words.
I don't find the translation of mora as "syllable" that much of a problem. I "hear" Osaka as four syllables anyway (O-o-sa-ka) in order to pronounce the 2-mora vowel correctly. If this were the biggest confusion when interpreting an Asian language, or any other aspect of Asian culture for that matter, we'd be in pretty good shape.
I just came from an ikebana lesson and spent an hour trying to understand three Japanese words.
1
What has happened to the little tune that used to sound when you correctly completed the puzzle? I have dubbed it the "Happy Dance" and I miss the reward of hearing it play!
1
YES!! I thought my phone was broken!
OT: Bao Bao is on her way to China.
{sniff}
The panda plane was loaded up with bamboo and applies and yams and stuff this morning, then Bao Bao was put into the crate that she has been getting used to for the last little while, and she was put aboard. The flight is 16 hours, and she is accompanied by her keeper and her vet. She will be entered into the Chinese breeding program, and eventually, it is hoped, will have cubs of her own.
Here's wishing her a happy life, and successful motherhood.
{sniff}
The panda plane was loaded up with bamboo and applies and yams and stuff this morning, then Bao Bao was put into the crate that she has been getting used to for the last little while, and she was put aboard. The flight is 16 hours, and she is accompanied by her keeper and her vet. She will be entered into the Chinese breeding program, and eventually, it is hoped, will have cubs of her own.
Here's wishing her a happy life, and successful motherhood.
4
Knew AFROPICK and APPLEPIE immediately and so got the clue from those two alone. IOMOTH was big hang up and had trouble with OSCINE since the down clue could have been Atomic Pole rather than ATOMICPILE.
SEAEELS is an interesting one, I was sure I had something wrong with all those vowels in a row.
SEAEELS is an interesting one, I was sure I had something wrong with all those vowels in a row.
1
I had issues with the exact same clue and also knew Afro Pick and apple pie right off the bat.
Deb, good luck with the APs but I've found that there's a point of over worrying at which you may arrive that becomes counterproductive. It only took 3 kids, 3 PSATS, 6 SATs, 3 ACTs, countless APs, plus a double handful of specific placement tests to learn that. I wish I could have taken a "prepare but go enjoy nature and your friends a bit" approach. We're now at the GRE, MAT and Foreign Service Exam phase before another has We've learned to smell the roses.
Like you, I've never heard a pick called an AFROPICK. Unlike you (and RP, apparently), I am African American and currently sporting a teeny tiny 'fro that requires a pick. That's all I've heard it called, and I'm old enough to have gone through all those tests with my kids, lol.
Finally, yay! More AMYPOELHER? Yes, Please!
Like you, I've never heard a pick called an AFROPICK. Unlike you (and RP, apparently), I am African American and currently sporting a teeny tiny 'fro that requires a pick. That's all I've heard it called, and I'm old enough to have gone through all those tests with my kids, lol.
Finally, yay! More AMYPOELHER? Yes, Please!
3
Dammit!
*AMYPOEHLER
Classic Gerry move.
*AMYPOEHLER
Classic Gerry move.
1
I haven't heard the term AFRO PICK in a long, long time, but I am old enough to remember when it was in common use. And the AFROs that were PICKed were re-e-e-eally big!
3
This was a fun solve today, especially since I never watched Parks and Recreation, and, being follically challenged. an AFROPICK isn't exactly for me.
Never in my life heard of GORP, I use a Samsung instead of an IPHONE, and have never fished for SEAEELS. Call me counter-cultural.
ETCETC. :)
Never in my life heard of GORP, I use a Samsung instead of an IPHONE, and have never fished for SEAEELS. Call me counter-cultural.
ETCETC. :)
1
1) I would swear under oath I never heard of DOHA. Oh, wait... [interval while I go Google it]...nope, it's not the local currency, it's definitely the capital city. Huh. You learn something new every day. The trick is, not to forget something anew every day…
2) Doesn’t Nero Wolfe say PTUI a lot? Or something very like? Maybe it’s “pfui”?
It’s ages since I read those books...
3) Luckily I held off on entering AFRicomb. (Well, it would have FIT!)
Fun.
2) Doesn’t Nero Wolfe say PTUI a lot? Or something very like? Maybe it’s “pfui”?
It’s ages since I read those books...
3) Luckily I held off on entering AFRicomb. (Well, it would have FIT!)
Fun.
I think Nero said "pfui."
Long time for me too.
Long time for me too.
1
The one who said Ptui all the time was
SNOOPY!
SNOOPY!
Good old raisins and...
Add me to the list of WPers who should commit the spelling of AMY POEHLER to memory--and I watched 3 reruns of "Parks and Recreation" on my day off yesterday. I am ashamed.
As mentioned, some non-Tuesdayish fill like DOHA and OSCINE. But still, a quick solve. I'll always remember GORP from a mention on the 70s Bob Newhart show, and I've seen enough nature programs to know about the IOMOTH.
I never took an APTEST, but figure the term gives me carte blanche to post any song by the Alan Parsons Project. The retro-sounding "Don't Answer Me" was a Top 20 hit in 1984, and the comic-book-inspired animated video was all over MTV at the time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLvFbBR4XOg
As mentioned, some non-Tuesdayish fill like DOHA and OSCINE. But still, a quick solve. I'll always remember GORP from a mention on the 70s Bob Newhart show, and I've seen enough nature programs to know about the IOMOTH.
I never took an APTEST, but figure the term gives me carte blanche to post any song by the Alan Parsons Project. The retro-sounding "Don't Answer Me" was a Top 20 hit in 1984, and the comic-book-inspired animated video was all over MTV at the time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLvFbBR4XOg
1
I forgot to look for a theme again. When I got to the revealer I went back and looked, and there it was. Nice that it included both verticals and horizontals.
Finished with an error. I didn't know the Qatari capital. I did know that the person in "Parks and Recreation" was the same person who used to be on "SNL" as Hillary Clinton, but I don't watch either show. Finally, with just that one empty square in the whole puzzle, I entered an L. No MHP. {sigh}
A soft, easy Tuesday. Thanks.
Finished with an error. I didn't know the Qatari capital. I did know that the person in "Parks and Recreation" was the same person who used to be on "SNL" as Hillary Clinton, but I don't watch either show. Finally, with just that one empty square in the whole puzzle, I entered an L. No MHP. {sigh}
A soft, easy Tuesday. Thanks.
1
We're continuing to get rains of Biblical proportions here in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Massive slides are blocking roads and highways, downed trees have broken our water company's mains and power failures prevent us from pumping water to storage tanks. Pacific Gas and Electric's map of outages is very colorful. There are a lot of ocher dots (thousands of homes affected), and we're in one of the many, many yellow dots (hundreds of homes affected). That doesn't bode well. I'm amazed that I still have power. Or water.
Deb,
High omega-3 TUNA OIL is in the tuna, not the olive oil it's canned in. (Olive oil adds some omega-3 of its own, but 10 times as much omega-6 oil, the bad oil.) So the best source of omega-3 (highest ratio of -3 to -6) is water-packed albacore ("white-meat tuna").
By the way, fatty acids have an alpha end and an omega end. The "good" ones have a double bond at the third carbon atom from the tail (omega end), not the sixth like in many polyunsaturated fatty acids. The "-" in "omega-3" is a minus sign, not a hyphen or dash. That could be useful knowledge for a bar bet. In a very nerdy bar.
Deb,
High omega-3 TUNA OIL is in the tuna, not the olive oil it's canned in. (Olive oil adds some omega-3 of its own, but 10 times as much omega-6 oil, the bad oil.) So the best source of omega-3 (highest ratio of -3 to -6) is water-packed albacore ("white-meat tuna").
By the way, fatty acids have an alpha end and an omega end. The "good" ones have a double bond at the third carbon atom from the tail (omega end), not the sixth like in many polyunsaturated fatty acids. The "-" in "omega-3" is a minus sign, not a hyphen or dash. That could be useful knowledge for a bar bet. In a very nerdy bar.
4
As I've watched the TV news about the floods and slides, I've thought of you often, Martin--both as a Californian and as "water guy."
Best wishes for you and Elaine. Stay safe.
Best wishes for you and Elaine. Stay safe.
3
Thanks, DL.
Hope the outages are repaired soon. Son in S'vale said 8 hrs w/o power in town.
Oh, the puzzle. Didn't we just see AP TEST in a puzzle? What's with all the repetitions in quick succession?
Biggest problem: spelling funny AMY's name, once I gave up SCHUMER. Haven't seen the show, obviously...
Oh, the puzzle. Didn't we just see AP TEST in a puzzle? What's with all the repetitions in quick succession?
Biggest problem: spelling funny AMY's name, once I gave up SCHUMER. Haven't seen the show, obviously...
1
A quibbly question about the clue for 17A: why specify "familiarly"? Is there an unfamiliar name for the solid?
When I was a child I thought it was "hot ice"; after all, it smokes!
Good question, Dr W. I looked it up, and did find a name, unfamiliar to me, used for it (in the U.K.): carbon dioxide snow.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/dry-ice
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/dry-ice
I recall that too. The first time I ever saw it (1940's) was when my Dad took me to an ice cream supplier in the Bronx, where he picked up (I think) a gallon of it, which was carried home in a carton packed with the stuff. I was warned not to touch it with bare hands because it would cause burns. That night I had fun watching pieces of it cause smoky bubbles when submerged in a glass of water.
1
I guess I was not paying close attention. I only noticed there were a lot of p's in the puzzle so I took the theme answer as "a p test."
2
PTUI ? I learned a new word today.
Relatively easy if clunky puzzle today.
Relatively easy if clunky puzzle today.
1
Two of my cats are Leia and Obi-Wan, so those were my favorite clues.
2
Really easy Tuesday, though I did have to reveal the H in DOHA. Did not know how to spell POEHLER. Quick, non-challenging fill here, but I had a good time whizzing through it.
I also got delayed by the POEHLER/DOHA crossing.
A smooth puzzle of appropriate Tuesday difficulty. It is becoming my habit to complete the solve by going through the alphabet (or – as in this case – just the vowels) for a final square. Here it was for the crossing of GORP and IO MOTH.
A new addition to my vocabulary: OSCINE.
A mild cavil. The oil in a Starkist can is not TUNA OIL but sunflower oil, unless we assume that some of the “healthful fatty acids” are extracted into it from the tuna.
I suffered a recurrence of theme blindness and did not get the AP connection until I read Deb’s explanation
A new addition to my vocabulary: OSCINE.
A mild cavil. The oil in a Starkist can is not TUNA OIL but sunflower oil, unless we assume that some of the “healthful fatty acids” are extracted into it from the tuna.
I suffered a recurrence of theme blindness and did not get the AP connection until I read Deb’s explanation
1
I just assumed that TUNA OIL is the OIL that is in the TUNA (just as other fish oils are in other fish), and the TUNA is in the can, so the TUNA OIL is too, regardless of whether it is packed in water or sunflower oil.
1
Amital, apparently the actual oil used can vary. One list of ingredients says, “Our Chunk Light Tuna in Oil is packed in soybean oil for a mild flavor...”
I only looked it up because the phrase TUNA OIL surprised me: the cat walks away offended when offered tuna in oil, because the oil is vegetable oil. I guess soaking in tuna can make it TUNA OIL, though.
Deadline, I admire your precision: if the clue read "source of calcium in a tuna can" you could answer "tuna bones," though it ain't exactly A Thing.
I only looked it up because the phrase TUNA OIL surprised me: the cat walks away offended when offered tuna in oil, because the oil is vegetable oil. I guess soaking in tuna can make it TUNA OIL, though.
Deadline, I admire your precision: if the clue read "source of calcium in a tuna can" you could answer "tuna bones," though it ain't exactly A Thing.
Having objected a couple of days ago to the sexist assumption inherent in "axmen," I guess that consistency requires me to point out the similar TACIT assumption in TMEN.
1
AMEN.
1
Umm...I hesitate to ask, but do you also have an issue with the response to saying grace before a meal?
1
TWOMEN is a problematic word.
2
Glad to see the comments have appeared. When I first turned to the blog, there was but one. Today's offering had me thinking constantly "there's an AP for that". Given the constructor's name, perhaps he will come up with a TP theme.
2
Deb, always a delight to see a return of the [Upper] VOLTA.
My only regret is I can't dredge up the link ptuit.
My only regret is I can't dredge up the link ptuit.
2
If NYT XWP is going to schedule an AP TEST, could the proctors be on time so we could comment right after the test?
This is not the first time that commenters (h/t Johanna; waiting for Deadline) will point out that the XWP editor's personal experience skews his editorial judgment: while *some* freelance work is done ON SPEC, it is *more* typically done on assignment.
This is not the first time that commenters (h/t Johanna; waiting for Deadline) will point out that the XWP editor's personal experience skews his editorial judgment: while *some* freelance work is done ON SPEC, it is *more* typically done on assignment.
4
And I would venture that most musicians who freelance for a living have never heard the term "on spec."
3
Re freelancing and "ON SPEC," I knew what was wanted for the puzzle, but would say in life, ON SPEC is a beginner's mistake. I don't remember ever having done it as a writer except when applying for a job...and I learned soon enough not to do that! One editor at a well-known magazine for children wanted a list of story ideas from applicants as well as a sample article. Then he hired someone from within, grrrrrrr.
1
Hi Barry. Here I am.
Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure the only ON SPEC work I've ever done was constructing crossword puzzles--decades and decades ago. That was okay for an avocation, but I sure wouldn't want to have to earn a living writing ON SPEC. Contract please!
Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure the only ON SPEC work I've ever done was constructing crossword puzzles--decades and decades ago. That was okay for an avocation, but I sure wouldn't want to have to earn a living writing ON SPEC. Contract please!
1
2 DOHS for DOHA... had to look it up. I might have had it if I knew how to spell POEHLER with an H instead of 2 Ls.
DOHA. I am certain my score on the civil service exam, if taken today, would be in one of the lower twentiles.... sigh. Although I did well on the Civics AP test.... errr... in 1968
Given that a Tuna is a fish I entered fishOIL. No extra points for accuracy.
There was a group of us at work who were nicknamed the Binary Boys by some wag or wagette. We had polo shirts made with an IOMOTH where the Alligator would be on a LaCoste... few got the joke.
Some interesting fill for a Tuesday. Alas my random neuron firings, as noted above, failed to deliver the Gold Star thanks to the Qatar capital that shall not be named
Thank you Mr. Polin
DOHA. I am certain my score on the civil service exam, if taken today, would be in one of the lower twentiles.... sigh. Although I did well on the Civics AP test.... errr... in 1968
Given that a Tuna is a fish I entered fishOIL. No extra points for accuracy.
There was a group of us at work who were nicknamed the Binary Boys by some wag or wagette. We had polo shirts made with an IOMOTH where the Alligator would be on a LaCoste... few got the joke.
Some interesting fill for a Tuesday. Alas my random neuron firings, as noted above, failed to deliver the Gold Star thanks to the Qatar capital that shall not be named
Thank you Mr. Polin
1
Did not notice the theme at all until I came here, and was quite surprised to see all those AP answers!
1
(says Archaeo Prof...)
11
AP (as it were; h/t DC),
I was clueless about the theme until the very end when I read the clue for 69A. Did you not notice the theme even after reading the clue, or did you fill 69A from the downs without reading the clue?
I was clueless about the theme until the very end when I read the clue for 69A. Did you not notice the theme even after reading the clue, or did you fill 69A from the downs without reading the clue?
My first two theme answers in were AMYPOEHLER and ALPACINO making me think all the themers were going to be people. So when I got ART I immediately thought ART who? Nice that Timothy came up with such a diverse number of answers. Also nice that they intersect.
I did a lot of freelance writing at one point and none of it was ONSPEC.
I wonder who came up with the term ATOMICPILE? It's not pretty.
Very pleasant Tuesday. Left me thinking which is harder? An APTEST or the LSATS?
I did a lot of freelance writing at one point and none of it was ONSPEC.
I wonder who came up with the term ATOMICPILE? It's not pretty.
Very pleasant Tuesday. Left me thinking which is harder? An APTEST or the LSATS?
1
The term comes from the way it was put together; this definition is from an online google: "[The first] nuclear reactor [consisting] of alternating layers of uranium pellets and graphite bricks, designed to create a sustained fission reaction." So -- it's a pile of bricks and cylinders, literally. [The entries in brackets are my correction to the definition]. Its architect was Enrico Fermi. See my comments also for Sunday's xwp about "ax man."
If you have an ATOMICPILE you may use Preparation H (bomb).
7
I was tempted not to post on this one, but all batteries are piles - literally they are materials piled up. Atomic Pile is just another kind of battery.
I agree with all the previous commenters (both of them). Beyond that, I managed not to notice the 4 down theme answers so I thought that this was a little thin on theme material. I stand corrected (and it's hard to type while standing).
I ended at the crossing of GORP and IOMOTH, neither of which were familiar. Evidently GORP has appeared in at least 5 puzzles during my relatively brief time here, but it apparently didn't register (or I always got it from the crosses). Maybe it will take this time. Oh, and I did guess right.
I do a lot of looking at clue histories on Xword, and GORP is in a category that I think of as 'Shortz words' - entries that have appeared fairly frequently in Shortz-era puzzles (15 times for GORP) but never in a pre-Shortz puzzle. I'm not talking about neologisms like IPHONE, but rather words or phrases whose etymologies go back far enough that they could have been used in older puzzles but which never were.
PTUI and APOP are two other examples from today's puzzle. APOP is particularly notable - it's appeared in 72 Shortz puzzles but never in any older puzzle. That makes me suspect that some standards have changed.
I ended at the crossing of GORP and IOMOTH, neither of which were familiar. Evidently GORP has appeared in at least 5 puzzles during my relatively brief time here, but it apparently didn't register (or I always got it from the crosses). Maybe it will take this time. Oh, and I did guess right.
I do a lot of looking at clue histories on Xword, and GORP is in a category that I think of as 'Shortz words' - entries that have appeared fairly frequently in Shortz-era puzzles (15 times for GORP) but never in a pre-Shortz puzzle. I'm not talking about neologisms like IPHONE, but rather words or phrases whose etymologies go back far enough that they could have been used in older puzzles but which never were.
PTUI and APOP are two other examples from today's puzzle. APOP is particularly notable - it's appeared in 72 Shortz puzzles but never in any older puzzle. That makes me suspect that some standards have changed.
2
You need a higher desk, Rich.
1
OT follow-up on Liz B's post yesterday regarding President Tyler's grandsons:
In conversation I fairly frequently attempt to enlighten (though more likely 'bore') people about what I might term 'perspectives on history.' Start with this:
I am, relatively speaking, one of the younger commenters here, but when I was a child I almost certainly knew, or at least encountered, people who in turn (as children) knew people who had some memory of the American revolution.
The oldest living human was born in 1899. When she was born the end of the American revolution was as far in the past as 2017 was in the future.
I am quite sure that there are some regular posters on this board whose date of birth is closer to the Civil War than it is to today's date.
In 1960, which seems almost like yesterday to me, World War I was 42 years in the past. Today, the Vietnam war is 42 years in the past. That one is particularly hard for me to wrap my head around.
For whatever that's worth.
In conversation I fairly frequently attempt to enlighten (though more likely 'bore') people about what I might term 'perspectives on history.' Start with this:
I am, relatively speaking, one of the younger commenters here, but when I was a child I almost certainly knew, or at least encountered, people who in turn (as children) knew people who had some memory of the American revolution.
The oldest living human was born in 1899. When she was born the end of the American revolution was as far in the past as 2017 was in the future.
I am quite sure that there are some regular posters on this board whose date of birth is closer to the Civil War than it is to today's date.
In 1960, which seems almost like yesterday to me, World War I was 42 years in the past. Today, the Vietnam war is 42 years in the past. That one is particularly hard for me to wrap my head around.
For whatever that's worth.
7
Not recognizing GORP may be a service-connected disability, Rich. On the other hand, neither LRP nor LRPS have *ever* been in the puzzle.
30A ("Would-be lawyers' hurdle, briefly") is a bit off when answered as LSATS, the tests taken by would-be law students. (The State Bar exam separates would-be lawyers from lawyers; the LSAT separates college grads from law students).
Certainly, every future lawyer takes the LSAT...but the same is true for the SAT, PSAT, and perhaps even some AP TESTs.
Some tough words up top today. I didn't understand the AP TEST theme until Deb spelled it out for this would-be solver.
Certainly, every future lawyer takes the LSAT...but the same is true for the SAT, PSAT, and perhaps even some AP TESTs.
Some tough words up top today. I didn't understand the AP TEST theme until Deb spelled it out for this would-be solver.
3
There is more than one hurdle to hurdle when the event is hurdles. State Bar exams and LSATS are *both* hurdles for would-be lawyers. (Many high school students skip the SAT and take the ACT.)
1
Unlike AP TESTs, PSATs and even APGARs, presumably nobody BUT would-be lawyers takes LSATs. That seems to make it different.
I took five AP tests and then went to a college that didn't accept them. D'oh.
Clearly something has gone wrong with the comments.
Jeff said this seemed like a Monday theme with Wednesday entries. I was going to say the same thing. Lewis, the only commenter so far has pointed out a bunch of unTuesdayish answers. I did like so many theme answers as always, and that there were verticals as well. Nice variety in the choice of themers as well.
Jeff said this seemed like a Monday theme with Wednesday entries. I was going to say the same thing. Lewis, the only commenter so far has pointed out a bunch of unTuesdayish answers. I did like so many theme answers as always, and that there were verticals as well. Nice variety in the choice of themers as well.
2
When I finished the puzzle last night, there weren't any links to the comment section on the column. I think that may be why there weren't many comments for a while.
I had to clear my cache to get the page to show the links.
I had to clear my cache to get the page to show the links.
I did the puzzle, but no column. I gave up and went to bed, then was busy all day today. Oh well.
Hardest part was spelling AMY's last name. Lots of animal references: MOTH, OSCINE, SHEP, EELS, TUNA, KIT, and ARKS. In addition, there's a TEAR out. IOMOTH, OSCINE, and DOHA not typically Tuesdayish -- but welcome, given that they're well crossed. LESSEE, we had COY the other day, and KOI today.
Crossword puzzles can feel like tests. It feels good to ace them. They call up knowledge, yes, but the best ones make you use your brain instead of just bark out answers. And, thank goodness, people comment on them afterwards.
Crossword puzzles can feel like tests. It feels good to ace them. They call up knowledge, yes, but the best ones make you use your brain instead of just bark out answers. And, thank goodness, people comment on them afterwards.
4
Agree about Amy's last name, Lewis. It's like Phnom Penh -- you just keep throwing aitches at it until something sticks. Lesse, I also had to work through that LESSEE and -OR relationship.
lol about your animal list; you left out the KIT and [AR]RAYS, but worked in a ringer. I can't remember when the last little dogie rustled would B ARKS.
Thought the theme showed lots of APtitude, but wondered about TUNA_OIL: seems that's what you'd need if you're out of WD-40 and your TUNA RUSTS.
Time to get around PTUIT, MEN.
lol about your animal list; you left out the KIT and [AR]RAYS, but worked in a ringer. I can't remember when the last little dogie rustled would B ARKS.
Thought the theme showed lots of APtitude, but wondered about TUNA_OIL: seems that's what you'd need if you're out of WD-40 and your TUNA RUSTS.
Time to get around PTUIT, MEN.
2
Leapy, I had renter, then lessor finally LESSEE.
I've been looking for you to thank you for your reply to me on Feb 16, loved it.
I've been looking for you to thank you for your reply to me on Feb 16, loved it.
1
suejean, you know I'll never forget your manifest five husbands and your 7" television.
(chuffed)
(chuffed)
3
Time for a history lesson. More than 100 years ago, Western poets misunderstood Japanese poetry new to them. By tradition, Japanese haiku used 17 "sound units." Western poets thought those sound units were equivalent to syllables. They are not! 17 syllables in English is a longer poem than 17 sound units in Japanese.
Sadly, the 5-7-5 syllable count for haiku is one of the most-remembered incorrect lessons taught by English teachers, firmly entrenched in the minds even of adults who recall little else from high school.
A more accurate clue might have been "Short Japanese nature poem."