Astonishingly, some people here like rebuses. I have no idea why, they seem sloppy to me, implying the puzzle designer had to force fit words instead of designing a clean and elegant puzzle. No matter, we don't need to fight thisrebus battle again. I just want to know, before I waste my time, that the puzzle contains rebuses. Something like, "Warning, this puzzle relieson rebuses. If you are prone to rising blood pressure and dizzy spells when faced with a rebus, consult a doctor before attempting to solve." Seriously, I want to know ahead of time that the puzzle uses rebuses, before I waste my time and get angry at the first cramming of letters. Much better, for me, to be able to skip rebus puzzles, and wait for another day, than to risk rebus IRE. Please warn us!
1
I hate rebuses. Do not make puzzles with rebuses. Ever. They are just terrible.
1
19A: am I right that "go to the other side" has only two OTs?
What am I missing?
What am I missing?
It's GOT to the other side.
I eventually figured it all out and used the opportunity to confirm again that the iOS app does not correctly identify rebus squares as incorrect when the square contains only the first letter of the rebus and the "check puzzle/word/square" feature is used. Where do we report confirmed, reproducible bugs?
3
Same with the Android app .... Bleach.
1
Loved it. Why don't I get many=aloof? What am I missing?
A L[OT] OF not aloof
1
I thought I had all my OT's!! This is an example of my check telling me all was correct when it wasn't.
1
What if you hit a sour note singing Ma vlast in Russian? The possibilities are endless.
3
Very nice puzzle that required overtime for me to finish, literally — the last few squares were hard to fill well after the theme entries were in place, POOH, SPY and YODEL the last to fall. The first tipoff to the theme was D_D_D_ for "Continuation indication" — but it is amazing that each theme entry contains _three_ OT's!
Was fooled by the famous feline, thinking it was some pet cat, and could not think of even one famous cat from TV or movies besides Morris. DId not know UP TOP. Was initially puzzled by PINO as the alternative to cabs since the wines are PINOT NOIR. Oh — it _is_ PINOTS. (But out of curiosity, what is the English plural of PINOT NOIR?) Had not heard of a Z-BAR.
Although I rarely notice when a puzzle has lots of little abbreviations and partial words, it's impossible not to notice when a puzzle has none of these, like this one. A very tight construction is a special pleasure.
And it continues to astonish that someone whose native language was not English can create such a superb puzzle.
Was fooled by the famous feline, thinking it was some pet cat, and could not think of even one famous cat from TV or movies besides Morris. DId not know UP TOP. Was initially puzzled by PINO as the alternative to cabs since the wines are PINOT NOIR. Oh — it _is_ PINOTS. (But out of curiosity, what is the English plural of PINOT NOIR?) Had not heard of a Z-BAR.
Although I rarely notice when a puzzle has lots of little abbreviations and partial words, it's impossible not to notice when a puzzle has none of these, like this one. A very tight construction is a special pleasure.
And it continues to astonish that someone whose native language was not English can create such a superb puzzle.
2
swiss air lines=yodel??
David g s - Air as in song. See earlier comments.
2
I interpreted it thusly: sound waves move via the air; if you chart them, they are lines that rise and fall. Clever clue.
Didn't really get started until NE, which led me down to the ED KOCH/O SAY area where I got the rebus with the final POTATO. Went back up to 19A and figured out the top, then smooth sailing through (most of) the rest.
OTTER POPS? Deb says that the singular has appeared in previous puzzles, but somehow I forgot. Or repressed the memory. Yuck.
Never saw "Lion King," but SIMBA was pretty obvious, NALA not so much. Luckily I'd heard of SMETANA. Also never saw any of the Indiana Jones flicks, but CAIRO was gettable with only a couple of letters. Likewise "Pulp Fiction"/HITMEN. And "GoodFellas"/Ray LIOTTA. I don't get to movies much.
Had a good session with the visiting P.T. this a.m., and I have an appointment this afternoon with my spine/pain management doc. My first time Going Outdoors since I broke myself. AGITA. Glad I have my lovely Jessica to comfort me when I get home.
Thanks to all for an enjoyable start to the day.
OTTER POPS? Deb says that the singular has appeared in previous puzzles, but somehow I forgot. Or repressed the memory. Yuck.
Never saw "Lion King," but SIMBA was pretty obvious, NALA not so much. Luckily I'd heard of SMETANA. Also never saw any of the Indiana Jones flicks, but CAIRO was gettable with only a couple of letters. Likewise "Pulp Fiction"/HITMEN. And "GoodFellas"/Ray LIOTTA. I don't get to movies much.
Had a good session with the visiting P.T. this a.m., and I have an appointment this afternoon with my spine/pain management doc. My first time Going Outdoors since I broke myself. AGITA. Glad I have my lovely Jessica to comfort me when I get home.
Thanks to all for an enjoyable start to the day.
4
Glad to hear you're on the mend, DL! Hang in ther....
Across lite accepted OTERPOPS so I wondered -- why everyone is posting about OTTERPOPS... as I have mentioned I am a few million ergs short of a WATT.
3
My only serious quibble (is there such a thing as a serious quibble?) is 7D. The clue is just too...whatever. The somewhat scatalogical "Drake's output" (Yodel) would have been more in keeping with Otterpops, IMO.
1
GOSH, this took forever to finish. When I finally had all the squares filled in, the 34 square was screaming to me "I THINK NOT!" After I checked the Czech music guy, two answers turned up wrong. The TOON feline, SIMBA's beau, was Wala on my grid and the Slovak maestro suffered a revision of his surname, Smetawa. Directing an inquisitive probe inward, I asked myself "how am I doing? I'll lick the square 34 wound, live with the resultant case of AGITA from those two errant responses and chalk up the pair of miscues to experience...OTTER POPS is a new term and brand new to these NYT puzzles. TITER, another newbie, also came with aid from crosses...I'm going to invoke licentia poetica and link a song inspired by 4d and 48d. Sporting an outrageous Pompadour, the refined and dignified David Johansen had me laughing when he stated on intro that "these heavy mental bands from L.A. don't have the market cornered on wearing their mother's clothes. HOT TO TROT? Then by all means, join the conga line and STRUT your stuff as Buster Poindexter and His Banshees of Blue sing their 1987 hit "Hot Hot Hot." SALSA DIP at your own peril; the dance move can wreak havoc on your sacroiliac.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhZba-P7R18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhZba-P7R18
4
Love rebuses, fun puzzle, but PINOS instead of PINOTS? That hung me up for several minutes. Just because the T isn't pronounced, doesn't mean it isn't written, IMHO.
2
Disregard my idiotic comment above, please.
1
Not at all, Nobi!! As a matter of fact, I thought it was great take on the subject, and got a good laugh out of it.
Applying the same operation to H[OT]T[OT]R[OT], we'd get (approximately) HOE TO ROW, a nice reversal of 'Row to hoe'.
So [dotdotdot] Thank you, NM!
Applying the same operation to H[OT]T[OT]R[OT], we'd get (approximately) HOE TO ROW, a nice reversal of 'Row to hoe'.
So [dotdotdot] Thank you, NM!
1
Did not like the doubling up of letters.
Not too hard but very very clever.
2
Michael, I love your puzzles. I agree with Deb that knowing that I should know the answers but they don't fit is most frustrating, but I never realized until she said it that this is a clue that rebuses are afoot! But once I figured it out (with one potato, two potato), it all just flowed together. Btw, Michael is an alum of the school I taught at in Baltimore (as is Ethan Cooper, another great puzzlemaker)!
1
Nadine: What did you teach at that unnamed school in Baltimore?
Thank you, Nadine!
I knew something was up when Ray LIOTTA didn't fit, but even with the reveal in place @54A, I was slow on the uptake. Once again, a change of venue (LIRR to subway) cleared the fog and most of the other themers flooded into the grid. Ingenious construction. My only hang-up for a moment was METZO--it is pronounced that way--but I was sure it was spelled MEZZO. I am relieved that SMETANA wasn't clued in reference to sour cream.
The peerless Gladys Knight and her Pips went all urban funk for her 1983 single "Save the OVERTIME (For Me)" which really didn't showcase her powerful voice. It failed to reach the top half of the Hot 100, but did hit #1 on the R&B chart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPmfbm4jt9c
The peerless Gladys Knight and her Pips went all urban funk for her 1983 single "Save the OVERTIME (For Me)" which really didn't showcase her powerful voice. It failed to reach the top half of the Hot 100, but did hit #1 on the R&B chart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPmfbm4jt9c
2
Completing this puzzle required a several look-ups and “check”s – even a “reveal” or two. OTOS (that I knew) and LIOTA (that I looked up) indicated a rebus, but I parsed it at first as O[TT]OS and LIO[TT]A, though [TT]ITER did not make sense. I had to reach the reveal at 54A before I got the point. Even then, with unknowns like H[OT]T[OT]TR[OT] and [OT]TERPOPS, and misdirected clues like those for for YODEL and ZEST, the solve cost me too much time.
TRIPLE OVERTIME will become even more uncommon in summer-league basketball. As soon as one team achieves a two-point advantage during the second overtime, it will cause the “sudden death” of the opposing team.
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/07/nba-summer-league-sudden-death-basketball
For several years FIFA had a similar rule in soccer: The team that scored a “golden goal” during the first – and only – overtime is granted the win on the spot. They wanted to avoid the traditional nerve wracking “penalty shoot-out”, which puts an unbearable onus on individual players, but have now gone back to it.
TRIPLE OVERTIME will become even more uncommon in summer-league basketball. As soon as one team achieves a two-point advantage during the second overtime, it will cause the “sudden death” of the opposing team.
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/07/nba-summer-league-sudden-death-basketball
For several years FIFA had a similar rule in soccer: The team that scored a “golden goal” during the first – and only – overtime is granted the win on the spot. They wanted to avoid the traditional nerve wracking “penalty shoot-out”, which puts an unbearable onus on individual players, but have now gone back to it.
1
It's funny how some hate a rebus. I'm like a kid in a candy shop every single time I get that first square with its squished letters. Then I go gleefully looking for the rest. So all I feel today is gratitude to Michael Shteyman for his most excellent rebus!
OTTERPOPS! All I can do now is think up silly sentences like "There OTTER be a law!" "You OTTER know!" DOTDOTDOT
OTTERPOPS! All I can do now is think up silly sentences like "There OTTER be a law!" "You OTTER know!" DOTDOTDOT
8
"You OTTER be in show business!"
"You OTTER be in pictures!"
SMETANA reminds me of an issue I had with yesterday's puzzle. I would more likely say "split the check" than "split the bill"--the latter is what roommates do when the rent is due. But I thought it would be pretty hard to find an entry which starts with NAVRAT and ends in ILOVA.
3
But the rebus, contra the opening paragraph here, is NOT a crossword convention. It was made one by Mr. Shortz, and a lot of us out here in radioland don't like it one bit. Rebuses are word games of a different order, and I feel cheated when they are imported into the crossword puzzles of a general-circulation newspaper.
3
Blue Stater, I get that you're not a fan of rebuses. But according to the information on xwordinfo.com, rebuses were not invented by Will Shortz. They have been used by all of the Times's crossword editors, beginning in 1954. Symbols (ampersands, moons, stars, squares, etc.) and numerals were most commonly used in place of combinations of random letters at first, but multi-letter rebuses not easily represented by symbols were well established as a common rebus style well before Shortz took over. The most common date for a rebus? April 1, of course.
https://www.xwordinfo.com/Rebus
https://www.xwordinfo.com/Rebus
3
I'm not keen on cryptic puzzles. My solution; I skip those, happy for thise who love them to enjoy the solve.
3
Since 1D was obviously "THINKING of you," 1A was THINK PAD.
2D didn't fool me, but I just couldn't convince myself that you could spell 2D PINOS.
I forget the exact order, but eventually I was squishing OTs and TOs into squares knowing that eventually it would all come clear and I would go back and fix things.
Which did happen -- including finally conceding it was indeed ENID at 16A. That left one square to get wrong, which I did handily. It was the intersection of two names I didn't know: I put SMETAzA and zALA. Z just seemed right for 14 a Czech!
Thanks for the fun workout, Mr. Shteyman...but please don't get so famous that *your* last name shows up as an answer in a Thursday puzzle!
2D didn't fool me, but I just couldn't convince myself that you could spell 2D PINOS.
I forget the exact order, but eventually I was squishing OTs and TOs into squares knowing that eventually it would all come clear and I would go back and fix things.
Which did happen -- including finally conceding it was indeed ENID at 16A. That left one square to get wrong, which I did handily. It was the intersection of two names I didn't know: I put SMETAzA and zALA. Z just seemed right for 14 a Czech!
Thanks for the fun workout, Mr. Shteyman...but please don't get so famous that *your* last name shows up as an answer in a Thursday puzzle!
4
SMETANA was the first person into the grid, followed by Ray Where-is-the-other-T and ONE PO-wait!.....so, that pretty much gave the thing away. Hardest part was NOT putting -TO- into a space instead of -OT- in a couple of spots.
EYE before SPY and ON GUARD before ON ALERT. Took a bit before I could remember NALA's mate SIMBA. Aren't we seeing rather a lot of LHASA these days? Not to mention ED KOCH.
OTTER POPS are unknown to me; thanks be for the crosses.
EYE before SPY and ON GUARD before ON ALERT. Took a bit before I could remember NALA's mate SIMBA. Aren't we seeing rather a lot of LHASA these days? Not to mention ED KOCH.
OTTER POPS are unknown to me; thanks be for the crosses.
2
"Not to mention ED KOCH."
Oh, for the good old days, when elected officials *asked* you how they were doing instead of telling you.
Oh, for the good old days, when elected officials *asked* you how they were doing instead of telling you.
5
Really clever puzzle and more of a challenge than most Thursdays. Especially liked the clues & answers for dot-dot-dot and hot to trot! Are there any other ways to solve the rebus with 9 or fewer letters??!!
1
It's Thursday, so I was ONALERT for a rebus, and this one does not disappoint. But I have absolutely never heard of OTTERPOPS before.
1
I had never heard of OTTERPOPS either, so I looked up the make and found other brands I'd never heard of and some that I did vaguely remember. See how many you recognize. John (from Chicago) gets first dibs.
http://jelsert.com/
http://jelsert.com/
2
Back home we called those "freeze pops."
I love a good Thursday rebus and today was no exception. I knew it was a rebus right away, but it took a few minutes to figure out the details. CUTE to have the TOON SIMBA in one corner and CUB diagonally opposite. I'm sad that Thursday is now a week away.
5
To briefly summarize my solve: I'm stupid.
To expand on that: I got to 51a. That's LIOTTA. I know that. I stared at it for a long moment and finally just typed in LIOTA, and forgot all about it. Next answer - 54a. I immediately think of DOUBLE or TRIPLE OVERTIME, glance at the downs and... RITA takes care of that. Intriguing. I wonder how that's going to work. OT never crosses my mind.
Shortly after that I'm looking at the SE corner, where TITER was beyond my meager knowledge and I'm looking at the various crossings of AMOCO, ESTS and RECT (probably) and I'm thinking... I've already failed this puzzle.
I had also immediately considered ONEPOTATO etc. at 37a and spent some time trying to figure out how to make that work and it still never dawned on me. Beyond that I can't even explain how I managed to never catch on, but I already had multiple failed checks by the time I just hit reveal on 48d.
And I'm a fan of rebuses. I keep looking back at various sections of the puzzle and I just keep shaking my head. How did I not see that?
To expand on that: I got to 51a. That's LIOTTA. I know that. I stared at it for a long moment and finally just typed in LIOTA, and forgot all about it. Next answer - 54a. I immediately think of DOUBLE or TRIPLE OVERTIME, glance at the downs and... RITA takes care of that. Intriguing. I wonder how that's going to work. OT never crosses my mind.
Shortly after that I'm looking at the SE corner, where TITER was beyond my meager knowledge and I'm looking at the various crossings of AMOCO, ESTS and RECT (probably) and I'm thinking... I've already failed this puzzle.
I had also immediately considered ONEPOTATO etc. at 37a and spent some time trying to figure out how to make that work and it still never dawned on me. Beyond that I can't even explain how I managed to never catch on, but I already had multiple failed checks by the time I just hit reveal on 48d.
And I'm a fan of rebuses. I keep looking back at various sections of the puzzle and I just keep shaking my head. How did I not see that?
3
Sometimes things just don't click, always frustrating though.
2
More and more often, I'm realizing that I'm perfectly capable of looking right at something and not seeing it. I was trying to proof a PowerPoint presentation this week and had trouble with a couple of slides, and kept insisting on changes--until the person who put them together explained patiently, multiple times (TRIPLE?) how they made perfect sense, and I was just not seeing exactly what they said. And then it was so obvious. D'oh. So don't feel bad about it! You're in excellent company!
2
The difference (as I hope you know, Liz B) is that the crossword puzzle is *supposed* to have misdirection, a PowerPoint Presentation is not. If the PPP wasn't clear to you the first time, that's *not* on you.
1
The father of Czech music was also the father of the Israeli national anthem. One movement, "Vitava" ("The Moldau"), of his tone poem, "Má vlast" ("My Homeland"), formed the basis of "Hatikvah" ("The Hope"),
5
"7D: Watch your word spacing: “Swiss air lines?” is not a clue for planes that fly to or from Switzerland. “Airlines” is one word, but we have two here, so the clue is hinting at something else. Today, the answer refers to Swiss lines that go out through the air, which are YODELS."
Looks like the answer is YODEL, singular.
Looks like the answer is YODEL, singular.
1
I don't think Deb explained the meaning of the clue correctly. I think "air" was supposed to be taken as meaning song, some of which include yodels.
1
Deb, my take on YODELS is not that they are going out through the air (either that which is around us and what we breathe, or the broadcast air), but through the air (a song).
5
Lewis, as Big Jule said in Guys & Dolls: either way.
3
Late addition to yesterday's thread on trans- and cis- :
Our geography- Transjordan and Cisjordan. That was actually my first association. I knew these terms even as a child.
Our geography- Transjordan and Cisjordan. That was actually my first association. I knew these terms even as a child.
6
Thanks, VIv. Right, of course, I did know that -Jordan use of cis- and trans- but could not think of it.
It will surprise no one that I got the theme with PINOTS, having learned that no one says Cabernet anymore or capitalizes it. I still can't enter a rebus the way I should be able to on "My popular tablet" without the puzzle disappearing with most of my entries ( luckily today there were only 4) so I hit reveal letter once I was sure I had the correct square. That made it much easier to read the theme entries properly.
Anyway, much easier than most Thursdays, but I'm definitely not complaining and found it lots of fun. I never get tired of rebuses.
Anyway, much easier than most Thursdays, but I'm definitely not complaining and found it lots of fun. I never get tired of rebuses.
7
No length restriction on my TRIPLE OVERTIME RegEx. There are only eleven in the xwordinfo.com datagase altogether and we got four today. This RegEx finds three or more OTs, one has six!
http://tinyurl.com/l5vbcs3
http://tinyurl.com/l5vbcs3
2
Of the other seven, two embed DOTDOTDOT with some number of DASHes, one is just a similar repetition - HOTHOTHOT, one never actually appeared in a puzzle - POTATOTUBERMOTH (huh?), and one is just kind of baffling (even after I looked at the puzzle) - FOOTNOTESTOBOOT.
That leaves us with a kind of cute construction - TONTOTOTOTOTOME with the clue: "One volume in the Encyclopedia of Movie Pets and Sidekicks?" Read the answer as 'TONTO TO TOTO TOME' (and that, by the way, was one really clever puzzle).
And finally one actual familiar phrase: TOOTTOOTTOOTSIE, which has appeared five times.
That leaves us with a kind of cute construction - TONTOTOTOTOTOME with the clue: "One volume in the Encyclopedia of Movie Pets and Sidekicks?" Read the answer as 'TONTO TO TOTO TOME' (and that, by the way, was one really clever puzzle).
And finally one actual familiar phrase: TOOTTOOTTOOTSIE, which has appeared five times.
2
It took me a while to parse Tonto-to-Toto Tome, An inspired clue/entry pair [dotdotdot]
Having the same 'Huh?', I turned to Wiki, so #TIL and You're Welcome:
"The potato tuber moth or tobacco splitworm, is a major pest on potatoes in New Zealand and South Africa. It has a worldwide distribution;
The larva is called potato tuberworm.
The potato tuberworm is becoming a pest in North Carolina. In tobacco, the larvae are leaf miners and can cause severe damage to leaves, making them weigh less."
... I figure it's a punishment for HB2
Having the same 'Huh?', I turned to Wiki, so #TIL and You're Welcome:
"The potato tuber moth or tobacco splitworm, is a major pest on potatoes in New Zealand and South Africa. It has a worldwide distribution;
The larva is called potato tuberworm.
The potato tuberworm is becoming a pest in North Carolina. In tobacco, the larvae are leaf miners and can cause severe damage to leaves, making them weigh less."
... I figure it's a punishment for HB2
3
Leapy.
Off topic, in response to your pun-question the other day:
I did attend a seder, but I cannot honestly answer your question, as phrased, in the affirmative. Thanks for asking.
Off topic, in response to your pun-question the other day:
I did attend a seder, but I cannot honestly answer your question, as phrased, in the affirmative. Thanks for asking.
My kids had OtterPops growing up. Too sweet for me. Can't risk losing my curmudgeon card.
I got the rebus from I THINK NOT and got ONE POTATO. . . after the revealer. I was sure of the counting rhyme, but unsure how to parse it until TRIPLE OVERTIME helped me out.I
Thanks for a fun puzzle.
I got the rebus from I THINK NOT and got ONE POTATO. . . after the revealer. I was sure of the counting rhyme, but unsure how to parse it until TRIPLE OVERTIME helped me out.I
Thanks for a fun puzzle.
3
David,
Late answer about steroisomerism posted on yesterday's thread.
Late answer about steroisomerism posted on yesterday's thread.
This is the first Thursday puzzle I've managed to solve, initially I had DOUBLE OVERTIME before I realised TRIPLE was going to fit with TAPE and PUMP IRON.
The placement of the OT rebuses was also fun, my favourite clue was alternatives to Cabs. Took me ages to figure that one out.
The placement of the OT rebuses was also fun, my favourite clue was alternatives to Cabs. Took me ages to figure that one out.
4
Leon, how great your first Thursday completion was such a toughie -- congrats!
1
Yay Leon!
I tried to put ZINS there first, before I got the theme.
I tried to put ZINS there first, before I got the theme.
I love rebus puzzles, but I much prefer ones that require a different letter grouping in each rebus square—in other words, the trickier the better. Today's puzzle fails in that regard, but I must say I'm impressed to see no less than 11 rebus squares. I'm even more impressed by 48D, which manages to cram three rebuses into a six-square entry. Not a very challenging puzzle, but pretty good fun.
Like a few others, I'd never heard of OTTER POPS. Also, notwithstanding the dictionaries, I've always heard AGITA used to mean emotional/gastronomical aggravation while "butterflies" means anticipatory nervousness—two very different feelings. For example, a musician may feel agita about the financial maneuverings of her manager and butterflies about performing before a head of state. After a note or two the butterflies are gone, but the agita remains.
Like a few others, I'd never heard of OTTER POPS. Also, notwithstanding the dictionaries, I've always heard AGITA used to mean emotional/gastronomical aggravation while "butterflies" means anticipatory nervousness—two very different feelings. For example, a musician may feel agita about the financial maneuverings of her manager and butterflies about performing before a head of state. After a note or two the butterflies are gone, but the agita remains.
2
Lucky you if they go away after a note or two – I've had them last for the entire concert!
maestro - but then there's the other, blissful possibility - the first time it happened, I was accompanying the Brahms Requiem at the organ. I distinctly remember turning the page to the seventh and final movement and thinking, "wait, we didn't do the second to sixth movements yet!" - being so "in the zone" that the concert doesn't even register in the mind...
1
I caught on to this one pretty early in the game, but then it just became bothersome and I lost interest. And I'm a fan of rebi. But it did have male parents of OTTERS, and we all love OTTERS.
2
To my mind, there's little to no overlap between AGITA and butterflies. I looked both up, and the apparent overlap is "anxiety," but AGITA is anxiety because you don't know how you're going to pay back the loan, and butterflies are anxiety because you're about to be in the school play.
4
I would give you a RECO for that observation, but it's not a word.
4
■ 64A: Not crazy about this entry, but RECT is the abbreviation for RECTangle, which is the shape of most doors.
I'm not crazy about it either, Deb. I would have preferred RECO, then 58D and 67A could have referenced each other.
Otherwise an enjoyable Thursday (yes, I'm in the pro-rebus camp), solved without going to overtime.
I'm not crazy about it either, Deb. I would have preferred RECO, then 58D and 67A could have referenced each other.
Otherwise an enjoyable Thursday (yes, I'm in the pro-rebus camp), solved without going to overtime.
2
RECO? That's not a word!
1
It's certainly in the language!
1
Steve L.
No reco for you! Come back, one year!
No reco for you! Come back, one year!
2
SPOILER ALERT
I had never heard of otterpops or zbar before, but the rest came pretty naturally. I caught the rebus element when it was clear that "I think not" had to be the answer. Loving opera helped me come up with mezzo at the end. Very clever and fun.
I had never heard of otterpops or zbar before, but the rest came pretty naturally. I caught the rebus element when it was clear that "I think not" had to be the answer. Loving opera helped me come up with mezzo at the end. Very clever and fun.
2
I enjoyed this little excursion. Michael has a nicely quirky brain.
Agita / butterflies recalls a funny episode where a teenager was just about to go on stage for his first ever show. He told me, "I have turtles in my stomach."
Mead recalls the year where I spent 6 months waiting for my handmade, homemade mead to mature until the tasting - and then it tasted exactly the same as a six-dollar bottle of sherry. Sigh.
Otros and The Other Side both echo a post I just made on yesterday's puzzle...
My theory of basketball remains: give both teams 90 points, let them play for twenty seconds, go out for beers. Boring game disguised as "excitement..." Of course, Otros mileage varies, etc.
Agita / butterflies recalls a funny episode where a teenager was just about to go on stage for his first ever show. He told me, "I have turtles in my stomach."
Mead recalls the year where I spent 6 months waiting for my handmade, homemade mead to mature until the tasting - and then it tasted exactly the same as a six-dollar bottle of sherry. Sigh.
Otros and The Other Side both echo a post I just made on yesterday's puzzle...
My theory of basketball remains: give both teams 90 points, let them play for twenty seconds, go out for beers. Boring game disguised as "excitement..." Of course, Otros mileage varies, etc.
2
Ooops I plum forgot the musical linkages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFpCALtVUcE
(of course)
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdtLuyWuPDs
- from the Father of Czech Music: Fred Sour-Cream! (Bedřich Smetana).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFpCALtVUcE
(of course)
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdtLuyWuPDs
- from the Father of Czech Music: Fred Sour-Cream! (Bedřich Smetana).
1
David, I think soccer and basketball are alike. In one they run back and forth, back and forth and hardly ever score; in the other it's back and forth, back and forth scoring all the time. Both equally boring IMO.
3
suejean - absolutely. My theory holds up, but instead of giving each team ninety points, set the score to nil-nil and save the two hours it us to get there.
2
Got my first real foothold in the ED KOCH/O SAY area, which hinted at ONE POTATO TWO POTATO but not how it was all going to fit in. A lot of careless partial entries before I really figured out the theme meant I had to go back and move some Os and Ts around to make things fit, both in the 3-OT phrases and the shorter ones.
We ate OTTER-POP-like things when I was a kid, but I'm sure they weren't called OTTER-POPs. No idea what they were called, though. I didn't know about SMETANA and sour cream.
This was lots of fun.
We ate OTTER-POP-like things when I was a kid, but I'm sure they weren't called OTTER-POPs. No idea what they were called, though. I didn't know about SMETANA and sour cream.
This was lots of fun.
7
Liz
Were they called Fla-Vor-Ice? I never heard of Otter-Pops either.
Were they called Fla-Vor-Ice? I never heard of Otter-Pops either.
3
POPsicles, popsicles, popsicles.
Viv is right--one word answers get flagged.
Viv is right--one word answers get flagged.
I Googled OTTERPOPS. They're not the same thing as popsicles. They're those plastic tubes of mostly melted stuff that children pour into and around their mouths. They're extremely messy, especially on crowded buses.
1