Heavens to Murgatroyd

I LOVED THIS PUZZLE!!! esp. after being so disappointed with thursday's, when as a pianist i'd been looking forward to it. (i found it way harder than a usual thursday, and not a satisfying solve at all - haven't checked the blog post for it yet to see what others thought).

this one had such great, fresh answers, as others have said! i got CREMA and DAN right away, after which PROFORMA popped out at me, and the rest of the NW just flowed from there. felt very with-it when i got TOTUP. (i have a soft spot in my heart for britishisms.)

i also got GOGOBOOTS and AFROPOP right away, which made me less annoyed by having such a hard baseball related clue as 29D (i'm a music lover and absolutely not a sports lover. indeed of all the sports i hate baseball i prob hate the most, ha!).

anyway; i could go on. satisfying from beginning to end. (well, almost. i found the NE fiddly like others, even after getting SMEARTACTIC and PIECHARTS. but the rest of it made up for that IMO.)

Very tough Friday needing lots of revisions to complete. Filling in DISASTER for 1D was one for the upper left. AFRICAN before AFROPOP, BETTY before BESSY before BETSY, MINOR before MISER, TEEN before USER, TWIG before SECT, PESTER before PLAGUE, and others.

A very long (well, over 35 minutes), enjoyable solve that had a very slow start with a few guesses scattered over the grid. Then at at certain point, there were suddenly enough letters to finish _most_ of the puzzle rather fast, with maybe 10 squares remaining, which took another long time to fill in, with the first A of GAS CAN being the last letter entered after I inexplicably imagined G.I. SCAN first.

The collection of entries to this puzzle is one of the motleyest I've seen!

I have a few questions/comments about the clues. "Business circles?" for PIE CHARTS is cute and eventually was solvable. But PIE CHARTS arise in so many other contexts than business that this seems like cluing AIR with "What athletes breathe." I don't know if TOTAL BASES is a standard baseball term, but it looks funny to my ear. And I do not want to see the word NAZI used metaphorically.

Summary: A very enjoyable tough solve, with a couple of asterisks for me.

@polymath (from Suzy M's thread)

Yes, _Geranium_ oil! which should not be confused with _Germanium_ oil. Mendeleev posited the existence of Germanium decades before it was actually found by a (German) scientist name of Clemens Winkler.

No relation to THE_FONZ

Omg this PLAGUEd me!! Hardest puzzle ever

What is with the iOS app's inability to keep streaks intact? I understand this is off topic, but it's a real annoyance.

Having read Coraline by Neil Gaiman, "beldam" was not a problem.

I actually read beldam correctly and my initial thought was that it might be part of a theme even though Friday's aren't supposed to have themes. I admit to looking it up to see if it was a word.

HUSTLE before HURTLE, different part of speech (thought rush was a verb). OTELLO before ATTILA (also Verdi).

Liked IAMB and IMBAD near IBN. Even after I typed in TE AMO my eyes kept seeing TEAM O. Who knew the EMUs would show up with their deep drumming call....ELK before EMU.

Some Physics and Chemistry to keep me interested: MESSIAH (famous Quantum Mechanics text book), ERG, OHMS, ACIDS and totalBASES.

I thought PRO FORMA for 'perfunctory' was a medium stretch.

Hand up here for reading "bedlam" instead of beldam. Consistently tough but always interesting puzzle, with enough long answers to keep me going.
Went to Parliament Square today, and was surprised to see Abraham Lincoln among the statues around the square.

Bit of a grumble on the clue for 13D: I would have appreciated a ", perhaps" at the end, since every time I've been stranded it's been because of engine trouble, in which case a GAS CAN is no boon at all.

Then again, it is Friday.

Also funny how, as a Brit, I usually find "British-style" answers the most difficult. I havn't heard TOT UP in years, although it is something my parents might say.

Deep relief that I wasn't the only solver that was thrown into a tizzy by the bedlam of the northeast ;-0

I read "beldam" as "bedlam" so that NE sat empty for a long while. It is an example of how our brains use shortcuts to help us keep our thoughts flowing and our energy usage efficient, I guess. Brain-"This is the word you are used to seeing. Move on." The irony of course being that I then spent several minutes trying to fit "din" into that space, and the net energy spent went negative. So much so I didn't even notice "who" for "whom", although my brain knew that "grammar Nazi" was the correct entry. It is the story of my life-getting some things right and having no idea why or how, and getting so many things wrong in absolute certainty of myself.

Oh, God. Deb, I just left a spoiler post on yesterday's Comments; I SWEAR I clicked on Murgatroyd, only to realize very belatedly (like, after I clicked Submit) that the wrong WordPlay post opened. Any way to fix that? So that people won't hate me?

Damon the Demon got me.
That's the long and the short of it. Plus, I got called a name. I more or less knew 'Beldam,' but 13D created Bedlam. I thought UTEs (even though UTAh is hardly known for Jazz, for heaven's sake,) and couldn't work out James-Jimmy-John (DEARs?) so I decided there was such a thing as a roving REScueCAR (giving up the HAG whom I had rightly identified. Sheesh.
I was up since 4 a.m. That's my excuse. And we had a garage sale starting at 6:45, plus the yard guys showed up at the same time, plus a weather front blew in (blamed on Canada.) It got a little exciting around here.
Another Old Gray Head on Damon's trophy wall.

Is anyone else receiving two notification emails when their comments post, one the regular way and one with an empty comment box?

This has been happening to me for several days, and I have reported it to the Feedback folks.

I'd rather be called a GRAMMAR GEEK than a GRAMMAR NAZI. The latter seems to imply intrusive authoritarianism, and would refer to the kind of person who corrects someone's grammar in social conversation. The former is just a nice overworked editor who quietly corrects the manuscript while trying to retain the author's voice.

So, now I've seen the "jump the shark" footage. That was supposed to increase watchership? And why is it soooo long.

I was perhaps looking for more than was there in ["Heavens to Murgatroyd!"]. Now I'm guessing it's a catchphrase from "The Simpsons" or something like that.

I like PIE CHARTS. They're easy to make with Excel and convey their message more clearly than bar charts, etc. Also, you can make them in pretty colors.

I (mis?)remember GO-GO BOOTS as the short ones that just went over the ankle. White usually. Wasn't my style, though, so I could be wrong.

Is the name of the toon actually HELLO KITTY--both words? I figured it was just KITTY, and maybe she(?) said HELLO a lot. I'll have to look up where the apostrophe goes in OHS.

Basically, I loved this puzzle. Lots of wonderful stuff like the above, plus SMEAR TACTIC, SPY STORY, PAPER CHASE, and great clues even for the shorties.

Thanks, all, for a great Friday.

Nothing PROFORMA about this Friday puzzle. Good challenge with lots of fresh fill. Jumped around the grid but my only mistake was crossing ABU with MANTLE before IBN/LINTEL. Add my name to those who misread "Beldam" for "Bedlam" at first. But TOTALBASES didn't fool me for a second.

Wondering what the non-print clue was for 4D. In the paper, we actually see the image of an EMU's footprint.

Anybody else immediately associate "Heavens to Murgatroyd!" with the cartoon character Snagglepuss?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Fwpj27hlP4

Miriam Makeba got to #12 in 1967 with the charming AFROPOP tune "Pata Pata," possibly the only US Top 20 hit mostly sung in Xhosa:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq5S5sH1Ikk

Thanks to Deb's continued harping to keep plugging away at Friday puzzles, I was determined to go for the gold today and, OMIGOSH, I made it! I am learning that on Friday, gimmes are not always right but wild guesses can be.

I started out confidently with DISASTER in 1 down, which kept the NW corner blank while the rest of the grid gradually filled in with guesses, such as AFRO, THE FONZ, HELLO KITTY, and BETSY. I finally decided to Google Savage Love and discovered that his name is DAN, not Ron. I erased DISASTER and kept pecking away at the crosses until I got the O above the D, and suddenly there was a blinding flash and "ACT OF GOD, you dummy" appeared before my LIDS.

It took me an hour, but this puzzle was well worth the time spent. Thank you Mr. Gulczynski.

Solving this puzzle required more than an ERG.

I blamed bad eyesight for confusing beldam and bedlam. No use tearing my hair out – that would make me bald.

I know the word "beldam" -- not that I've ever used it! -- but persisted in misreading it anyway. That and another word I once thought I knew well -- LINTEL -- added quite a bit to my solving time.

I kept wondering if I was confusing the "came in via the space above the door" word with lentils. It just didn't land right in my ear. So I just did a search and finally realized I was confusing LINTEL and "transom" -- "came in over the transom" being a publishing expression for not being sent by an agent. (I'm sure back in the day people did literally stand on tippy toes to shoot their MSs through the transom.)

[For interested parties, if any: "As nouns the difference between lintel and transom is that lintel is (architecture) a horizontal structural beam spanning an opening, such as between the uprights of a door or a window, and which supports the wall above while transom is a crosspiece over a door; a lintel." – from a site I just discovered called The Difference-Between at http://wikidiff.com/transom/lintel]

And OMIGOSH, it took friggin' forever for me to figure out _ _ _ GOSH. I actually thought of and rejected O MY GOSH without getting it!

Once finished, I appreciate this well-constructed puzzle; it presented a fair challenge, by which I mean it passes the post-completion test of the clues being fair once you know the answers!

brilliant and amusing mix of current and quaint plus imagination

Another Friday solved thanks to Deb. I was stuck with the baseball clue and THE FONZ. At first I had ENDS for 'Omegas represent them.' Also I had STEFANZ for the shark jumper but that killed the Omega word.

Boy, how long has it been since I've seen or heard "Heavens to Murgatroyd?" Same for LINTEL. I was thinking that Miriam Makeba might have been that African lady who planted so many trees but once I had POP there was only one place to go.

There were so many crunchy clues that were eventually solvable. Pure pleasure, Mr. Gulczynski!

All around GREAT puzzle. Wanted GRAMMAR 'queen' but it didn't fit. Apropos of that clue, check out one of the finalists in the New Yorker caption contest this week: http://contest.newyorker.com/CaptionContest.aspx?tab=vote

While I knew THEFONZ jumped the shark I'd never seen the clip of him doing it ... thanks, Deb!

GREATSCOTT! It's not often I can say a Friday puzzle was a pure pleasure from beginning to end. This one most definitely was. OMIGOSH you're good, Damon Gulczynski!

Motorist's boon:_ASCAN, what could that be?

Bedlam:HA_, what could that be?

Did not Little Lulu have a red bow? No, red beret.

Life's little questions asked and answered.

Favorite espresso beverage: 2 pulls with a twist of a lemon peel.

"Are you ready boots? Start walkin!"

Thank you Damon

Technically, a lintel is not part of a door frame, but rather a structural member or assembly that is placed over the head of the door frame to support any load above the opening.

Remove word from context of clue. Consider alternate meanings (note: may be MORE THAN ONE WORD in the clue). Re-interpret clue. I believe that's from week 2 of SSL (Shortz as a second language) classes, but I just can't seem to drum it into my head. I'm thinking specifically of 'Work with intelligence' where I caught on to 'intelligence' fairly quickly and then never thought about 'work,' but it's not the only example.

Several failed checks and considerable frustration before I was finally able to get going, but it eventually smoothed out and was a generally enjoyable solve with many lively entries and multiple nice 'aha' moments as things dawned on me.

Spent way too much time trying to remember the name of the character in 'Happy Days' and when I finally did it didn't fit. Took some crosses to finally recall the other nickname.

Whenever I review a late week puzzle, I always end up wondering why it was so hard for me and why I didn't think of this or that. I'm still just not quite catching on. Probably need to take that class again.

One of those strap-on-the-brain shut-out-the-world solves where you, in fits and starts, crack deliciously difficult cluing, until, by the end, you, weary and elated, acknowledge gratefully that the puzzle was fair and square with you, and that you beat it fair and square.

I winced when I read the third word in clue 53, then smiled when I finished reading it. It still took me a while to get the answer, not familiar with the term and am always a little uncomfortable with humorous Nazi phrases.

Loads of fun answers as Deb and others have noted, very few of which came easily so a nice workout. The SW corner was missing a lot of letters and I thought I might have to reveal, but put it aside for a while. As soon as I looked again I got PIPE and all the rest followed in seconds. BTW water is not always free in cafés in France and Italy especially, at least a few years ago; things may have changed.

My favourites were the 2 "Heavens to Murgatroyd" clues.

Thanks Damon.

I liked the puzzle but I had a few beefs, two of which happened to be about entries the constructor was particularly pleased about. First, you don't have to be a GRAMMAR NAZI to cringe at the 53A clue. The slightly snooty formality of its wording cries out for "whom," a reaction that I think most literate people would feel—even if they seldom use the word themselves. Second, he doesn't seem to recognize the difference between misdirecting (an admired constructor tactic) and misleading (an unfair and, happily, rare faux pas). The clue "A batter receives four for a grand slam" doesn't misdirect us; it misleads us in the sense that a batter receives four TOTAL BASES for *any* home run, regardless of how many runners, if any, are on base. To throw in a red herring like "grand slam" just isn't cricket, if one may use that term in talking about baseball.

I also thought HURTLE means so much more than "Rush," conveying as it does the strong connotation of forcefully barreling along. On the other hand, I liked 62A: Even after seeing ANNEE appear from the crosses, I had to disabuse myself of the idea that it was a special usage specifically meaning a year spent abroad and finally realize it's simply how the word year may be spelled abroad. Now that's a nice misdirection.

43D, essential OIL? I mean, I guess... My mother loved HELLO KITTY, even had a HELLO KITTY television. I continue her proud tradition and am currently wearing a HELLO KITTY Band-Aid. Did not fall into the "bedlam" trap but I needed the crosses, too... I did this one fast, for me, so I expect to hear it was on the easy side.

good puzzle. liked Hello Kitty and business circles for pie charts! Back in the USA after a week in Berlin. Lots of undone puzzles waiting for me!

I had been reading the 11A clue as "bedlam," not "beldam." Funny how the eye and brain work together to blend letters into something familiar. So I didn't understand HAG. But even if I'd read the clue right I still wouldn't have known what a beldam is. Got it with the crosses.

CREMA is foam on an espresso? I don't recall espressi having foam. Is that one of those words made up by Starbucks to sound continental?

Excellent puzzle, many thanks to DG.

“Unlikely donor” = MISER: the news media routinely report the death of one skinflint or another who leaves piles of money to charity. Post-mortem generosity appears to be the flip side of miserliness. Take for instance the case of William Miller, whose household furnishings were worth only $300 but who endowed the Miller Manual Labor School in Virginia. The school’s endowment of $850,000 was reported to represent only part of the benefactor’s gift to the school. An account of the gift was published in the New York Times on 25 July 1878, so this kind of story is as old as the hills. The CPI calculator at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website goes back only to 1913, but $850,000 in 1913 dollars is $21,062,566.33 in 2017. Since Miller died 35 years earlier, his gift in today’s dollars must have been well over $30 million in today’s dollars. More recently, John Ferguson, who lived in a travel trailer in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, left the local church $2 million when he died in January 2007. And on 8 March 2009, the Associated Press reported that Bruce Lindsay, who had saved money by taking all his meals for years at $1.25 apiece at the cafeteria of Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California, had died and left the school millions of dollars. The report quotes VU business professor Ed Westbrook, who had befriended Lindsay: “‘Frugal’ is not the right word for Bruce; he was real miserly.”