Ole is at a bull fight. Allez is said at a soccer game.
1
Thank you!
Before I cottoned to the theme, I saw 17D almost filled by crosses and what I saw was IRRESISTIBLEU_E. I thought it was going to be a rebus for URGE at the end. Took me a while to let go of that, only after I had several of the themers and finally saw the light.
Upon reflection I do think it's a bit off to name the puzzle with the actual letter E as the handle when more than half of the theme entries are phonetic variants of the E sound.
Upon reflection I do think it's a bit off to name the puzzle with the actual letter E as the handle when more than half of the theme entries are phonetic variants of the E sound.
1
It is possible that the _name_ of the fifth letter is what's referenced, though.
Taking the Twenty-second (if that were a thing) might clue for the sound "vee" for example:
Fifty Shades of Gravy...
Taking the Twenty-second (if that were a thing) might clue for the sound "vee" for example:
Fifty Shades of Gravy...
2
Martin, one of the best film debuts in Hollywood's history. Not a big fan of this puzzle. But it's its one saving grace is that there are no circles.
2
Late to WP today.
My email went nuts yesterday and started causing problems all over the place, posting its little error boxes on top of whatever else I was doing. Long, long conversations with my provider were of no help.
I managed to do the puzzle, but didn't have the energy to tackle reading the column, xwordinfo, and comments.
Planned on calling Geek Squad in the morning, but gave it one more shot. The problems with the email had multiplied, so I went further back and started re-entering things that had been working for years. It worked! (At least so far.) Amazing! What I did wasn't hard. Why couldn't the tech support people have suggested it?
Anyway, I enjoyed the puzzle (as much as possible while fighting against intrusive error messages). Favorites were HOT CROSS BUNNY and ATTILA THE HONEY. Least favorite IRRESISTIBLE UIE because of the many possible spellings of the second word. Sheesh, I hate that term! It should be hung.
So my Sunday is better now, but almost gone.
Thanks.
My email went nuts yesterday and started causing problems all over the place, posting its little error boxes on top of whatever else I was doing. Long, long conversations with my provider were of no help.
I managed to do the puzzle, but didn't have the energy to tackle reading the column, xwordinfo, and comments.
Planned on calling Geek Squad in the morning, but gave it one more shot. The problems with the email had multiplied, so I went further back and started re-entering things that had been working for years. It worked! (At least so far.) Amazing! What I did wasn't hard. Why couldn't the tech support people have suggested it?
Anyway, I enjoyed the puzzle (as much as possible while fighting against intrusive error messages). Favorites were HOT CROSS BUNNY and ATTILA THE HONEY. Least favorite IRRESISTIBLE UIE because of the many possible spellings of the second word. Sheesh, I hate that term! It should be hung.
So my Sunday is better now, but almost gone.
Thanks.
4
I started in the SE with a few gimmes (TEENA, LII, HITEM, THEWIRE) and got my first two themers back-to-back @114A and 101A. The rest went very smoothly as I worked my way north. My only write-over was LEK before LEU--I need to work on my eastern European currencies. Some of the punny theme answers were better than others. Never heard of NINON, and I refer to the previous decade as the AUGHTS anyway.
HOTCROSSBUNNY made me think of "Monty Python & The Holy Grail," naturally:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvs5pqf-DMA
The incomparable Stevie Wonder was all of 15 years old when he scored his second Top 10 hit in 1965, with "UPTIGHT (Everything's Alright)":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDbyOLzEyfk
HOTCROSSBUNNY made me think of "Monty Python & The Holy Grail," naturally:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvs5pqf-DMA
The incomparable Stevie Wonder was all of 15 years old when he scored his second Top 10 hit in 1965, with "UPTIGHT (Everything's Alright)":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDbyOLzEyfk
1
I can't believe I didn't of that Monty Python sketch.
But your clip ended before the Holy Hand Grenade ("and unto three shall be the counting").
But your clip ended before the Holy Hand Grenade ("and unto three shall be the counting").
2
"5 is right out."
3
Speaking of the Holy Hand Grenade, the reading from the Book Of Armaments is attributed to St. ATTILA:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOrgLj9lOwk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOrgLj9lOwk
2
MADE IT TO JEDDAH!! Best part of the trip so far is watching the seatback map and seeing in context the names of all those towns we keep seing with all those vowels: SANAA (in today!), DOHA, MECCA, NAJRAN, ABHA...
Finally got hotel internet to work. Then fell asleep from jet lag and woke up with everything after 50 or so entered as E! Took forever to erase and keep going. And so many of them turned out to be E anyway!!!
Going to crash for real soon. It's now 22:30 local time, so I think I stayed up late enough to be on normal time tomorrow.
All the best,
Bob
Finally got hotel internet to work. Then fell asleep from jet lag and woke up with everything after 50 or so entered as E! Took forever to erase and keep going. And so many of them turned out to be E anyway!!!
Going to crash for real soon. It's now 22:30 local time, so I think I stayed up late enough to be on normal time tomorrow.
All the best,
Bob
5
Very funny EEEE story. I love those maps, too. They're wonderful for the "Are we there yet?" types like me.
Good luck with the talk tomorrow.
Good luck with the talk tomorrow.
2
After TENNESSEE, MARQUEE, and GOATEE, the "fifth" letter theme seemed obvious. So while I enjoyed the rest of the puzzle, I was mildly disappointed not to see EE carried throughout.
2
I caught on with HOT CROSS BUNNY and that remained my favourite along with ATTILA THE HONEY. They were fun to work out once the pattern was established.
Perhaps Alan used my Collins Reference English Dictionary for POTHER: commotion; fuss.
BST starts in 2 weeks.
It's crocus time in Harrogate. Just google Harrogate crocus for some stunning photos.
Perhaps Alan used my Collins Reference English Dictionary for POTHER: commotion; fuss.
BST starts in 2 weeks.
It's crocus time in Harrogate. Just google Harrogate crocus for some stunning photos.
3
Ninon? Ninon. Ninon!
My wife has been developing fabrics and textiles for apparel and home furnishings for 32 years, and she never heard of NINON.
2
My theorbo case is lined with ninon.
jk lol hee hee
jk lol hee hee
2
I'm amazed that so many people have never heard of ninon. When I was young I thought ALL curtains were made of ninon. I also remember the word from old Xword puzzles. Can any of my fellow octogenarians out there back me up? (I also didn't know about the French pronunciation - and I did hear it spoken, American style, among the neighbors and aunts. in the Bronx.)
This greatly satisfied my love of puns! OFFTHEMARQUEE is my favorite today. Never heard of hegira!
Happy week!
Happy week!
In Minnesota they have the Mini-apple (really- they sell T shirts at the airport)
1
When you read all of the comments, BG, you'll see minni apple mentioned 16 hours ago. You should have been here yesterday for discussion of Marshall Street.
Oh, man! Took so much mental grinding before I could finish this by putting together that section with YAKOV, SCALE, TIDY SUM, and ONE ACTS. Of course before that I had to wrestle with the correct spelling of HEGIRA, a word I would never had heard of if not for Joni Mitchell and have never seen used elsewhere.
3
Joni Mitchell was my immediate association too, although she spelled it HEJIRA.
1
The curtain fabric? I thought I knew a lot of fabric types but that's new to me. Other than that clue, I enjoyed the puzzle. The "fifths" were funny.
The comment age indicator is apparently still on standard time, no?
And besides Daylight Savings Time has apparently NOT been repealed. Shhh....
And besides Daylight Savings Time has apparently NOT been repealed. Shhh....
Most Thursday-ish Sunday xwp I've seen in a long time, and certainly not the easiest, but doable. It's also one of the few I've done that makes me appreciate how redundant English words can really be.
My bete noire came up: the dreaded uie.
Great photograph, BTW! Wouldn't call it nestling -- more like a nosedive.
Re title of puz, was thinking hard stuff -- like single malt.
My bete noire came up: the dreaded uie.
Great photograph, BTW! Wouldn't call it nestling -- more like a nosedive.
Re title of puz, was thinking hard stuff -- like single malt.
2
Liked the puzzle and its cute clues/answers. But Taking the Fifth is a horrible name. "Stuff that gets taken doesn't always get taken away." Seriously? How about "Give me Five"?
1
Take, Merrimack Webster, def. 5:
"to bring or receive into a relation or connection"
"to bring or receive into a relation or connection"
The origin of "The Big Apple" is in dispute, but it almost certainly doesn't refer to actual apples.
The banning of DDT, Joni Mitchell and Rachel Carson notwithstanding, led to the loss of tens of millions of human lives from malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases. Are you happy now, birds and bees?
IRRESISTIBLE UIE? Ohm my god what a groaner. Right next to a conductor, too! It's no wander this clue is meeting resistance.
The banning of DDT, Joni Mitchell and Rachel Carson notwithstanding, led to the loss of tens of millions of human lives from malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases. Are you happy now, birds and bees?
IRRESISTIBLE UIE? Ohm my god what a groaner. Right next to a conductor, too! It's no wander this clue is meeting resistance.
2
Let us all now chant: OHM.
4
.... SWEET OHM ....
3
Hmmm... I think we need the birds and the bees, unless starvation is a better way to go.
3
Again, like with octopuses you can't use Latin pluralizations for Greek words like STERNUM. Also with my fellow nerds raising a pother about pothers.
Sternum is Latin. From the Greek sternon.
4
Martin is correct. As I mentioned in the Odeum/Odeon discussion, the only final consonants allowed in Greek are -n, -r, -s. Greek words don't end in -m, or at least they haven't since about 4,000 years ago.
Neuter noun nominative singular -um & plural -a is Latin
Neuter noun nominative singular -on & plural -a is Greek
L. odeum/odea; Gk. ode(i)on/ode(i)a
L. plectrum/plectra; Gk. plektron/plektra
(The plural forms therefore usually align; sterna is Latin and/or Greek.)
Neuter noun nominative singular -um & plural -a is Latin
Neuter noun nominative singular -on & plural -a is Greek
L. odeum/odea; Gk. ode(i)on/ode(i)a
L. plectrum/plectra; Gk. plektron/plektra
(The plural forms therefore usually align; sterna is Latin and/or Greek.)
2
I guessed MELA at 88A, which resulted in UEE, which somehow I didn't have a problem with. It's usually UEY, no? Pretty smooth sailing otherwise. Liked HESAID for "start of a marital spat?" Clever puzzle.
2
Shortz era: 20 UEY, 11 UIE, 0 UEE.
Who knewee?
Who knewee?
5
oui.
3
Okay.....about the 102D Moor:
One of our childhood books was _A Roundabout Turn,_ a British tale of a toad who decides to see the world. He comes upon a little fairground, and someone picks him up and puts him on the carousel. After he's thoroughly dizzy, he staggers back home. Asked if the world is round, he declares it is, but "Give me the HEATH; it's flat!" Not hilly. And it's certainly not wet, like a FEN. I try not to BROOD over this, but....
Martin?
I was a little bothered by POTHERS, but it had to be right, and I had DOLT before DODO.
MEDULLA Oblongata is the way I learned it. That could fit in a Sunday puzzle, could it not?
If someone is looking at Camrys, I doubt they're also scouting the more costly ALTIMAs.
Isn't the undesirable name spelt ADOLPH?
Do you suppose Rex will have another fit over NINON?
That was cute, even though finding TAMPA is The Big Guava was a bit of a let-down; it hardly compares with NYC.
Gracias, Senor Arbesfeld!
One of our childhood books was _A Roundabout Turn,_ a British tale of a toad who decides to see the world. He comes upon a little fairground, and someone picks him up and puts him on the carousel. After he's thoroughly dizzy, he staggers back home. Asked if the world is round, he declares it is, but "Give me the HEATH; it's flat!" Not hilly. And it's certainly not wet, like a FEN. I try not to BROOD over this, but....
Martin?
I was a little bothered by POTHERS, but it had to be right, and I had DOLT before DODO.
MEDULLA Oblongata is the way I learned it. That could fit in a Sunday puzzle, could it not?
If someone is looking at Camrys, I doubt they're also scouting the more costly ALTIMAs.
Isn't the undesirable name spelt ADOLPH?
Do you suppose Rex will have another fit over NINON?
That was cute, even though finding TAMPA is The Big Guava was a bit of a let-down; it hardly compares with NYC.
Gracias, Senor Arbesfeld!
3
Mixed feelings about this one. In terms of the solve, it was a good challenge and there were a number of nice 'aha' moments as answers dawned on me. I thought HOTCROSSBUNNY was really cute; it turns out that's the only themer that's been in a puzzle before. Had varied reactions to the others. There were a couple that I hesitated filling in even when I'd guessed the correct answer - notably ATTILATHEHONEY and IRRESISTIBLEUIE - thinking "no, that can't be right." But there were some other nice non-theme answers as well - TIDYSUM (making its debut) was a particular favorite.
In the end, I really struggled in the NW and mid-north sections. In retrospect I'm not sure why that was as hard as I made it.
I'll go with DDT as the inspiration for a song link today. This might be topical:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmdbYSgGmXE
..
In the end, I really struggled in the NW and mid-north sections. In retrospect I'm not sure why that was as hard as I made it.
I'll go with DDT as the inspiration for a song link today. This might be topical:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmdbYSgGmXE
..
2
I'm with Rich. I just couldn't seem to get in sync with this one and ended up too long on the NW and mid N sectors.
The perils of stubbornly sticking to mistaken hunches were hammered home more than usual on this not particularly satisfying puzzle. I think some puzzles just push me to make things harder than they are through sheer irritation.
A good thing to know.
The perils of stubbornly sticking to mistaken hunches were hammered home more than usual on this not particularly satisfying puzzle. I think some puzzles just push me to make things harder than they are through sheer irritation.
A good thing to know.
1
Could have made a themer with 12D (TREATY):
TRICK_OR_TREATY -- "Should we trust this agreement?"
TRICK_OR_TREATY -- "Should we trust this agreement?"
6
Agree with Rex Parker, this was a fail of a puzzle. "pother" really? What is happening to the quality of NYTs puzzles?
3
Don't make such a pother.
3
Rex regularly gets all aPOTHER. Isn't Tom Cruise's real name maPOTHER?
1
I didn't know the word "pother".
But I figured it out by knowing 89D.
Is it so bad that we learn words when completing a puzzle?
But I figured it out by knowing 89D.
Is it so bad that we learn words when completing a puzzle?
6
more funny puns. moved right along. liked hot cross bunny and nanny goatee! Not hard.
1
That took me a while. But it was fun.
I'm only part way there, but (16 down) The Piano did not win best picture that year. Is that an error or some kind of trick? If error, whose fault is it?
The clue now reads 1993 film that won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. The Piano, made in 1993, won those awards in 1994.
1
It's neither an error or a trick. The awards ceremony in 1994 honored movies made in 1993. The clue clearly refers to the year the movie was released, not the year that it was awarded its Oscars.
4
The clue reads: 1993 film that garnered Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress Oscars. So where does it say anything about winning Best Picture?
I thought this was going to be about the usual "1993 Oscars are awarded in 1994" type issue, but not even.
I thought this was going to be about the usual "1993 Oscars are awarded in 1994" type issue, but not even.
Fun puzzle, with great puns. ATTILLA THE HONEY was my first theme entry. I liked all 8, but my favorite was HOT CROSS BUNNY.
Thanks for the fun.
Thanks for the fun.
3
plenty of fun.
1
I am a professional constructor. I wield a baton. Except for a brief trip to Hogwarts at Universal Studios, I have never held a wand. I have certainly never waved a wand at an orchestra!
1
1. Constructor or conductor?
2. This is a crossword puzzle, not real life.
3. See definition 3:http://www.thefreedictionary.com/wand
2. This is a crossword puzzle, not real life.
3. See definition 3:http://www.thefreedictionary.com/wand
2
Conductor! Silly autocorrect...
1
Still, I agree with Erin. We never called our band director MAESTRO, and he never held a wand.
LOOK AT THAT MESSI was where I figure out the theme, but it was hard to see what some of the others were, and having that one didn't seem to help a whole lot. But it was pretty straightforward and it finished up in a normal time.
Ooh! Ooh! I'm going to link to an appropriate song! https://youtu.be/eFyr49TwuiI
Ooh! Ooh! I'm going to link to an appropriate song! https://youtu.be/eFyr49TwuiI
4
We had MESSI recently in an XWP, which is the only reason that one made any kind of sense to me.
It's also the first time I've actually remembered a new sportsperson from just one use. Yay me!
It's also the first time I've actually remembered a new sportsperson from just one use. Yay me!
3
Slight delay misdirecting myself to expect them all to end in EE after the first three did. Once I cleared up that messi, it was a Big Easy.
(Minni apple)
(Minni apple)
4
Same here.
1
It's not a 100% entertaining crossword unless there's one downright desperate fill. That would be "nod-".
1
I did think UGH when I had to put that one in. Good call.
Do you really live in Jackson, WY, and not Jackson Hole?
Do you really live in Jackson, WY, and not Jackson Hole?
It really took me a while figuring out the trick even though I had theme answers filled in. But eventually the light dawned. The themers were amusing, and I appreciated the variety of spellings.
88D hit me, as I wait to hear another set of results. I'm in the tiny minority of people who enjoy the thing. I've played the synthesizer part in the orchestra for John Adams' "Short Ride in a Fast Machine" (the piece is based on a ride in his friend's sports car), and all through my first test I kept thinking, "I've played this piece before!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LoUm_r7It8
88D hit me, as I wait to hear another set of results. I'm in the tiny minority of people who enjoy the thing. I've played the synthesizer part in the orchestra for John Adams' "Short Ride in a Fast Machine" (the piece is based on a ride in his friend's sports car), and all through my first test I kept thinking, "I've played this piece before!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LoUm_r7It8
2
I hope you still enjoy them after you've had ten, David (or, better, don't need to have that many to find out if you still do). I enjoyed your link; I find the sounds of the MRI closer to Alwin Nikolais' "choreosonics," although not as smooth as this example that I could find:
http://www.danceheritage.org/nikolais.html
http://www.danceheritage.org/nikolais.html
2
Very interesting link. Thanks, BA. The three I've had were each very different from one another, and varied throughout as well. It was mostly the opening of the cervical test that reminded me of playing the Adams. The Nikolais reminds me of the middle of the thoracic test.
I won't need another as long as there is something to see from this round. It's funny to hope there's something to see, but that's my better option just now.
I won't need another as long as there is something to see from this round. It's funny to hope there's something to see, but that's my better option just now.
1
After twenty or more brain MRIs the only thing that really bothers me is that my copy has increased significantly.
1
I have a blu tooth keyboard. How can I turn off the on screen key board?
Hit the keyboard symbol on the top of the control bar
1