Theme: Peg Opts In - Four STOP anagrams coming together at the crossroads.
A three-part reveal across the bottom of the grid, then two horizontal themers and two vertical ones meeting in the middle.
62A. With 63- and 64-Across, meeting place suggested both literally and graphically by this puzzle's circled letters : FOUR and
63A. See 62-Across : WAY and
64A. See 62-Across : STOP. These don't exist in England. Here in Los Angeles we call 'em "All Way Stops", so that slowed me up a little. Here's one on my street:
36A. Vessels on carts : TEAPOTS. CSO to Nice Cuppa!
37A. Tennis lob strategy : TOPSPIN. Both Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf had fearsome topspin lobs. I wonder if they have "best lob" competitions at home - loser does the chores for a day.
5D. Popular reading in New York and Washington : THE POST. I think it's fair to say that one of these publications is not remotely like the other.
41D. Pandora alternative : SPOTIFY. I use the free version of Pandora - the ads aren't intrusive enough to make me want to pay for a subscription. I've just started using the YT Music app from YouTube - I like it so far.
Lawks-a-mercy, this one took me way longer than usual for a Thursday. I was staring down a whole lot of white space wondering where my next fill was coming from. Stubborn chipping away got me there in the end, but phew! Very nice concept from Peg with both wordplay and a visual element. Some really nice long non-theme fill, especially INCOGNITA.
Peg is a frequent contributor to the daily discussion here at the Corner under the moniker C6D6 Peg - C.C. posted an interview with her last year over on the sidebar.
Across:
1. Word with time or money : PLAY
5. Greek cross : TAU
8. Cameo shape : OVAL. Cameo brooch.
12. It may be straight : RAZOR. One of these. I've been tempted in the past to get one just for the retro feel of it, but considering I regularly stab myself with my kitchen knives it's definitely for the best that I've resisted.
14. Ostracize : SHUN
15. Spy follower? : WARE. Computer nastiness.
16. Expenditure : OUTGO. Hmmm. Outgoings, sure. Outgo? Not sure.
17. Home to Mykonos and Milos : AEGEAN SEA. We used to charter a sailboat and sail the Aegean on summer vacations. Beautiful islands, especially the smaller ones with little tourism.
19. Concocts : DREAMS UP
21. Broad panoramas : VISTAS
22. Anatomical pouch : SAC
23. Sanctioned : ALLOWED
25. __ lab : DNA
26. Condensed, for short: Abbr. : SYN. I'm starting to be able to spot the "synonym" cluing, finally! Condensed : Short.
27. Schooner part : MAST. Schooners have at least two masts, that's a lot of sail and rope-work, especially for a gaff-rigged example like this one. I certainly didn't sail one of these in the Aegean. I stuck to single mast, one mainsail and one jib/genny, Bermuda-rigged.
31. Woman undercover : INCOGNITA. Fun, I'd not come across this before in the "undercover" sense; I have seen it on old maps - "Terra Incognita"
35. __ String : SILLY
39. Made a bad call, say : ERRED
40. Park that opened in April 1965 : ASTRODOME. Houston. Nicknamed "The 8th Wonder of the World" when it opened. Disused at the current time.
42. Unkempt dos : MOPS
43. Christian denom. : BAP. tist.
44. Guatemala gold : ORO
45. Election check : RECOUNT
47. Simile center : AS A
50. Improvises : AD LIBS
54. Like the water in a Simon & Garfunkel song : TROUBLED. Simon and Garfunkel's "signature" song. Written by Paul Simon, sung solo by Art Garfunkel.Never gets old.
56. Laundry challenge : SOIL STAIN. This stuff gets great reviews.
58. New home subcontractor : TILER
59. De Tocqueville thought : IDÉE. He wrote a lot about American democracy in the 1800's.
"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money."
60. Lummoxes : OAFS
61. Online jotting : E-NOTE
Down:
1. Nudges : PRODS
2. Actress Dern : LAURA. Who? I didn't recognize the name, but looking her up I find she's been in a bunch of movies that I've seen.
3. Ancient Texcoco native : AZTEC
4. __ mat : YOGA
6. National Mustard Day mo. : AUG. Apparently the Soilove above is no good at getting mustard stains out, but then again I don't think anything can do that particular job.
7. Like some parallel bars : UNEVEN. I always thought they were called "asymmetrical bars" but I guess gymnastics coaches and commentators got lazy at some point. Here's the amazing Olga Korbut in the 1972 Olympic finals. The "Korbut Flip" (at 0:08 in the video) was viewed as one of the most dangerous moves in gymnastics. It probably still is - you miss the catch and it's 10 feet straight down to the mat.
8. Has : OWNS
9. Immense : VAST
10. Rest __ : AREA
11. Grazing sites : LEAS
13. Neptune or Mars : ROMAN GOD
14. "Better Call __" : SAUL. Crosses for me. An AMC TV series which is a spin-off from "Breaking Bad".
18. Pitch in : AID
20. Approach to a subject : SLANT
24. "Father Knows Best" actress Jane : WYATT. Thank you, crosses. I felt like I needed one of these today with all the crossing help I required:
25. Figures (out) : DOPES
27. Perform improperly : MISDO. Probably my least favorite entry today. Merriam-Webster has it as "obsolete". I have it as "crosswordese".
28. Iams competitor : ALPO
29. Svelte : SLIM
30. River to the North Sea : TYNE. Newcastle's river in the North-East of England. I was born on Tyneside in South Shields. The region's Geordie accent is renowned for being very difficult for non-Geordie folk to understand.
31. Agenda bullet : ITEM
32. 300-pound Wolfe : NERO. Crosses for me. I think I've seen the name before but definitely is not one at the forefront of my mind.
33. Trivial objection : CARP. We never do that here, of course.
34. Half-brother of Ishmael : ISAAC
35. GMC Terrain, for one : SPORT UTE. Short for "Sports Utility Vehicle", which is long for "SUV".
38. Maine college town : ORONO. Thank you, crosswords past.
43. Impart : BESTOW
45. NFL ball carriers : RB'S. Running Backs.
46. Footed vases : URNS
47. Deal out : ALLOT
48. Handle : SEE TO
49. Seller of TV time : AD REP. Tried AD MAN first. Was wrong.
50. "Yeah, right!" : AS IF!
51. Extinct bird : DODO
52. Stead : LIEU
53. Actor Robert of "The Sopranos" : ILER. Finally remembered this gentleman. Nailed it!
55. Recycling containers : BINS
57. TourBook-issuing org. : AAA. They also come in mobile and online versions now.
and .... I think that does it for me. Here's the grid.
Steve
A three-part reveal across the bottom of the grid, then two horizontal themers and two vertical ones meeting in the middle.
62A. With 63- and 64-Across, meeting place suggested both literally and graphically by this puzzle's circled letters : FOUR and
63A. See 62-Across : WAY and
64A. See 62-Across : STOP. These don't exist in England. Here in Los Angeles we call 'em "All Way Stops", so that slowed me up a little. Here's one on my street:
36A. Vessels on carts : TEAPOTS. CSO to Nice Cuppa!
37A. Tennis lob strategy : TOPSPIN. Both Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf had fearsome topspin lobs. I wonder if they have "best lob" competitions at home - loser does the chores for a day.
5D. Popular reading in New York and Washington : THE POST. I think it's fair to say that one of these publications is not remotely like the other.
41D. Pandora alternative : SPOTIFY. I use the free version of Pandora - the ads aren't intrusive enough to make me want to pay for a subscription. I've just started using the YT Music app from YouTube - I like it so far.
Lawks-a-mercy, this one took me way longer than usual for a Thursday. I was staring down a whole lot of white space wondering where my next fill was coming from. Stubborn chipping away got me there in the end, but phew! Very nice concept from Peg with both wordplay and a visual element. Some really nice long non-theme fill, especially INCOGNITA.
Peg is a frequent contributor to the daily discussion here at the Corner under the moniker C6D6 Peg - C.C. posted an interview with her last year over on the sidebar.
Across:
1. Word with time or money : PLAY
5. Greek cross : TAU
8. Cameo shape : OVAL. Cameo brooch.
12. It may be straight : RAZOR. One of these. I've been tempted in the past to get one just for the retro feel of it, but considering I regularly stab myself with my kitchen knives it's definitely for the best that I've resisted.
14. Ostracize : SHUN
15. Spy follower? : WARE. Computer nastiness.
16. Expenditure : OUTGO. Hmmm. Outgoings, sure. Outgo? Not sure.
17. Home to Mykonos and Milos : AEGEAN SEA. We used to charter a sailboat and sail the Aegean on summer vacations. Beautiful islands, especially the smaller ones with little tourism.
19. Concocts : DREAMS UP
21. Broad panoramas : VISTAS
22. Anatomical pouch : SAC
23. Sanctioned : ALLOWED
25. __ lab : DNA
26. Condensed, for short: Abbr. : SYN. I'm starting to be able to spot the "synonym" cluing, finally! Condensed : Short.
27. Schooner part : MAST. Schooners have at least two masts, that's a lot of sail and rope-work, especially for a gaff-rigged example like this one. I certainly didn't sail one of these in the Aegean. I stuck to single mast, one mainsail and one jib/genny, Bermuda-rigged.
31. Woman undercover : INCOGNITA. Fun, I'd not come across this before in the "undercover" sense; I have seen it on old maps - "Terra Incognita"
35. __ String : SILLY
39. Made a bad call, say : ERRED
40. Park that opened in April 1965 : ASTRODOME. Houston. Nicknamed "The 8th Wonder of the World" when it opened. Disused at the current time.
42. Unkempt dos : MOPS
43. Christian denom. : BAP. tist.
44. Guatemala gold : ORO
45. Election check : RECOUNT
47. Simile center : AS A
50. Improvises : AD LIBS
54. Like the water in a Simon & Garfunkel song : TROUBLED. Simon and Garfunkel's "signature" song. Written by Paul Simon, sung solo by Art Garfunkel.Never gets old.
56. Laundry challenge : SOIL STAIN. This stuff gets great reviews.
58. New home subcontractor : TILER
59. De Tocqueville thought : IDÉE. He wrote a lot about American democracy in the 1800's.
"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money."
60. Lummoxes : OAFS
61. Online jotting : E-NOTE
Down:
1. Nudges : PRODS
2. Actress Dern : LAURA. Who? I didn't recognize the name, but looking her up I find she's been in a bunch of movies that I've seen.
3. Ancient Texcoco native : AZTEC
4. __ mat : YOGA
6. National Mustard Day mo. : AUG. Apparently the Soilove above is no good at getting mustard stains out, but then again I don't think anything can do that particular job.
7. Like some parallel bars : UNEVEN. I always thought they were called "asymmetrical bars" but I guess gymnastics coaches and commentators got lazy at some point. Here's the amazing Olga Korbut in the 1972 Olympic finals. The "Korbut Flip" (at 0:08 in the video) was viewed as one of the most dangerous moves in gymnastics. It probably still is - you miss the catch and it's 10 feet straight down to the mat.
8. Has : OWNS
9. Immense : VAST
10. Rest __ : AREA
11. Grazing sites : LEAS
13. Neptune or Mars : ROMAN GOD
14. "Better Call __" : SAUL. Crosses for me. An AMC TV series which is a spin-off from "Breaking Bad".
18. Pitch in : AID
20. Approach to a subject : SLANT
24. "Father Knows Best" actress Jane : WYATT. Thank you, crosses. I felt like I needed one of these today with all the crossing help I required:
25. Figures (out) : DOPES
27. Perform improperly : MISDO. Probably my least favorite entry today. Merriam-Webster has it as "obsolete". I have it as "crosswordese".
28. Iams competitor : ALPO
29. Svelte : SLIM
30. River to the North Sea : TYNE. Newcastle's river in the North-East of England. I was born on Tyneside in South Shields. The region's Geordie accent is renowned for being very difficult for non-Geordie folk to understand.
31. Agenda bullet : ITEM
32. 300-pound Wolfe : NERO. Crosses for me. I think I've seen the name before but definitely is not one at the forefront of my mind.
33. Trivial objection : CARP. We never do that here, of course.
34. Half-brother of Ishmael : ISAAC
35. GMC Terrain, for one : SPORT UTE. Short for "Sports Utility Vehicle", which is long for "SUV".
38. Maine college town : ORONO. Thank you, crosswords past.
43. Impart : BESTOW
45. NFL ball carriers : RB'S. Running Backs.
46. Footed vases : URNS
47. Deal out : ALLOT
48. Handle : SEE TO
49. Seller of TV time : AD REP. Tried AD MAN first. Was wrong.
50. "Yeah, right!" : AS IF!
51. Extinct bird : DODO
52. Stead : LIEU
53. Actor Robert of "The Sopranos" : ILER. Finally remembered this gentleman. Nailed it!
55. Recycling containers : BINS
57. TourBook-issuing org. : AAA. They also come in mobile and online versions now.
and .... I think that does it for me. Here's the grid.
Steve
54 comments:
Greetings!
Thanks, Peg and Steve!
Not too difficult. No cheats. AUG and TYNE were perped.
Watched another episode of 500 Questions. Great fun.
Cheers!
Morning, all!
No hint of a theme for me, what with no circles, but that's OK. I blew through this one in near record time for a Thursday, hesitating only when I got down to BAP. Fortunately, I had a vague recollection of SPOTIFY, but it took awhile to come to me.
Does anybody actually call an SUV a UTE in the real world, or is it just a crossword thing? And does SOIL STAIN seem awfully redundant to anybody else, or is it just me? I mean, I know there can be other types of STAINs (Grass, Blood, etc.), but still...
{C-, C+.} Back to slumpsville, and overslept besides. :-(
When the road has a sign that's an octagon
A FOUR WAY STOP's a conclusion foregone.
Unless it's a TAU,
Or main road somehow,
Or three roads intersecting in a hexagon!
There was a fine siren in the AEGEAN SEA
Who wanted fresh VISTAS on land to see.
Just to assure us
She posed AS A tourist,
But she still drove men mad when she hit a high C!
How nice to see Peg in a solo effort so soon after her collaboration with C.C.
While the magical anagram STOP has been used before the reveal and the wonderful visual of the four anagrams meeting in the middle made this special for me.
WBS about the rest. I did not know about all-way stops, just 4 way here
Thanks Peg and Steve
Owen, you're being too hard on yourself. In fact I give you a B, A for today. I'm with Steve in my struggles with this CW. I just couldn't seem to get on the right wavelength. Still, great CW, terrific grid, nice cluing, overall fun even if I struggled. Thanx, Peg! And thanx, too, Steve for a terrific write-up.
Good morning!
Nicely done, Peg! My "ball carriers" were QBS, and that made the south slow to come together. I was certain that "river to the North Sea" would be YSER -- it always is. Well, almost always.
There's just a single FOUR WAY STOP in our little town and it's a residential intersection. Weird. Most of our stop signs are so faded that they're no longer red, and you can't read "Stop." The octagon shape is the only give-away.
OUTGO -- what happens to income.
Had ASTRO____. Tried WORLD, but it was too long. What could it be? D'oh! It still sits, empty and hulking, along the south loop. I think the county wishes it would just go away. Even empty, it costs several million$ per year.
Hi all.
Early tee time this AM so no real time to comment now, but great puzzle Peg and fantastic write up Steve ! Loved your theme title.
Steve, I parsed SYN as short for SYNopsis.
I may need to try that stain remover. Found that the sunscreen / sun spray I am using is staining the sleeves and collar of my while polo shirts a yellowish orange color. A A golfing buddy said it's a chemical avobenzone and that it's oxidizing hard water minerals in the wash. Lot's of online tips for removal. Not sure which to try. Some seem harsh.
OK, gotta run. See all y'all later n'at !
Good Job on the write-up Steve.
Peg: Thank You for a FUN Thursday puzzle. Enjoyed the FOUR-WAY-STOP theme.
Geez, what a slog ... only took about double-normal-Thursday-time.
Too many WAGs (Wild-Ass-Guesses) ... can't believe they were ALL correct.
At Villa Incognito I always like a Woman Undercover(s) INCOGNITA ... but I call her Kris.
Cheers!
Back to my routine of crossword puzzle and then off to work! Just spent a wonderful 2 weeks in Italy - but a not wonderful at all 20 hour stay in Charlotte, NC due to tropical storm Bonnie trying to get home.
Enjoyed the theme - with the circles it made the other 3 after the first one faster.
Thanks Steve and Peg!
Peg, great visuals. After filling in two sets of circles I realized we had anagrams of POST, which helped greatly with the other two and the reveal. I started with THE POST and wheeled around clockwise, leaving the NW until last. IMO this was about average difficulty for a Thur. Interesting expo, Steve.
Yes, indeed, the NY and Washington Posts are quite different in character. The NY one is not my style. I only glance at the lurid headlines in the news rack in stores.
I always say OUTGO instead of OUTGOING for expenditures. My income is greater than my outgo, fortunately.
It may be a transatlantic thing, but I have always heard UNEVEN bars, and never ASYMMETRICAL.
TTP, I questioned SYNONYM for SYN. I struck me as a little odd. IMO your SYNOPSIS works better.
We are accustomed to 4 Way Stops around here.
SOIL STAINS, to me, can be from potting soil, garden earth or mud.
Good Morning:
This was fun to solve and see that visual of the theme. It had the right balance of easy and not-so-easy fill for a Thursday. I thought of Tin at incognita, even though his reference ends with an O and whenever tea pops up, Abejo springs to mind and Nice Cuppa, as well.
Congrats, Peg, on your solo and thanks for the enjoyable offering and thanks, Steve, for your usual warm and witty write-up.
Lemony, I tried to find that show you mentioned about Doyle and Houdini on On Demand but it wasn't listed. I thought it would be something interesting to watch as we're now into the summer drought and doldrums vis a vis the broadcast TV channels schedules. I guess my reliance on Netflix will increase. Bridge of Spies is awaiting me in my mailbox.
It's sunny right now but rain is due later and into tomorrow. I think we're also facing some cooler, lower than normal temps, as well. That's fine with me as 90 + is way too hot, especially for the end of May.
Have a great day.
A wonderfully constructed theme, some unique fill and fun cluing all done by a regular contributor here at the home store. What else could we ask for!
Musings
-Dang! I couldn’t let go of ADAPTS for AD LIBS even though I know RTS don’t carry the ball.
-In Nebr. – First one to the 4-way stop has the right-of-way. In case of a tie, the one on the right has it.
-This is what 14 Across always brings to my mind
-Can the Cavaliers DREAM UP some way to stop Warrior 3-point shooters?
-A team on SANCTIONS (not allowed) may be not allowed to play in a tournament the NCAA SANCTIONS (allows)
-I’d be lying if I said I understood your boat lingo in your great write-up Steve!
-The ASTRODOME introduced the baseball world to artificial turf. Scroll down this list to see how few still have it.
-Many think highly of Nixon for not demanding a RECOUNT (especially in Cook County, Illinois) in 1960.
-At a concert in Lincoln last week, Paul Simon skipped many old hits because there is no other Art Garfunkel
-On TV today, father is more likely an OAF and not know best
-I’ll bet most know the movie where LAURA had her entire arm stuck in animal manure
Owen, here's a thought:
If you don't think it's an A, either rework it, or don't post it.
Irish, you do not stream Netflix?
Doyle and Houdini is on Fox and you can stream episodes from FOX NOW or Mondays at 9:00PM EDT
Anon at 8:53, here is a thought, if your comment is not an A do not post it.
Thanks for the link to the Gordie Accent. Wow, that IS tough!
No circles on the Mensa site and I couldn't open the LA Times site this morning, but I didn't need it apparently because I did solve it with Perp and WAGs. Nice one Peg and as usual Steve makes the expo interesting.
We have 4-Way and sometimes 3-Way stops here instead of All Way Stops. I always thought that Stop signs in California were more of a suggestion than a requirement. At least it seemed that way when I traveled there many times.
Steve: I could only get about 30% of the Geordie accent words. Interesting.
Have a great one and I hope nobody is in a flood zone today.
Congratulations, Pat Slay, on your solo achievement! Good job.
I loved the visual FOUR WAY STOP and recognized the scrambled letters which greatly helped in the solve especially the unknown TOPSPIN and the long forgotten Jane WYATT. SPOTIFY is something I've only heard of but never used.
Thank you, Steve, for parsing SPORTUTE as I was sure I had ERRED on that one.
TYNE surprised me as one of the other commonly seen European rivers was on the tip of my pencil but MAST stopped me. Call SAUL totally mystified me so thank you for that as well.
Here in AZ FOUR WAY STOPS are quite common and they really test one's patience and sense of courtesy to await one's turn. Many don't and cause crashes. Roundabouts are slowly being introduced.
The intense desert sunshine readily erases any kind of stain: just wash, hang out to dry facing the sun's rays and it's gone. Even chile and mustard can't escape it. My mother taught me that.
Thank you, Steve, for your fine detailed expo.
Have a lovely day, everyone!
What is So Rare As a Day in June by James Russell Lowell
And what is so rare as a day in June?
Then, if ever, come perfect days;
Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune,
And over it softly her warm ear lays;
Whether we look, or whether we listen,
We hear life murmur, or see it glisten;
Every clod feels a stir of might,
An instinct within it that reaches and towers,
And, groping blindly above it for light,
Climbs to a soul in grass and flowers;
The flush of life may well be seen,
Thrilling back over hills and valleys;
The cowslip startles in meadows green,
The buttercup catches the sun in its chalice,
And there's never a leaf nor a blade too mean
To be some happy creature's palace;
The little bird sits at his door in the sun,
Atilt like a blossom among the leaves,
And lets his illumined being o'errun
With the deluge of summer it receives;
His mate feels the eggs beneath her wings,
And the heart in her dumb breast flutters and sings;
He sings to the wide world, and she to her nest,
In the nice ear of Nature which song is the best?.........
Read entire poem at this link.
www.vanyamelda.com/poetry/what_%20is_so_rare_as_a_day_in_june.html
Anon@8:53 Ah, would that I should only write A's and B's! As I've said before, I don't think my judgement of them is particularly accurate, and ones I've graded C or even D still get approval from some people. But you don't see everything. I do a lot of F's too that never see the light, and most D's have been worked over to even get that far. I judge on story, phrasing, punchline, and lastly rhythm-&-rhyme. Sometimes one aspect is superior enough to rate posting even though the poem as a whole rates less than a B.
I've been enjoying Houdini & Doyle! I find it interesting how they always find the supernatural element of their investigation has a rational explanation, and yet there's still a coda to suggest the explanation isn't complete. Keeps both the skeptics and believers happy!
Speaking of 'troubled waters', we're having a bit in Houston.................but still could finish the puzzle...
It's an addiction, we know, you can't STOP it
But at least have the skill set to SPOT it
When it's not quite the TOPS
And belongs in the POTS
Use your best "judgment" - don't POST it!
(with thanks to Anon @ 8:53a)
Very nice puzzle, Peg. Really enjoyed the way it was presented. Did you by any miracle title it OPTS IN? Looking forward to your next one.
Even if I'm INCOGNITA CAN'T I GO IN?
Owen, you just keep on posting! And the rest of us will keep on smiling.
O.N.Cale: Very good! {A+.} Bonus points for the way you used the theme entries! Certainly better than anything I've done lately!
Mostly remember Bruce Dern's daughter Laura from the first Jurassic Park.
Nero Wolfe, from mystery novels by Rex Stout, was a detective who almost never left his NYC brownstone. Played by William Conrad in a 1981 TV series.
Earnings are income, spending is OUTGO. Seems OK to me.
Still running behind. Late again today.
I also liked FOUR WAY STOP. Well done, Peg. Thanks, Steve.
Have a good day everyone.
Hi Y'all! Clever theme with the meet-in-the middle STOPs, Peg.
Very interesting, Steve, that you were raised Tyneside & sailed in the Aegean. Great expo!
FOUR WAY STOPS are used in our neck of the woods.
I started on Mensa, lost it three times and switched to the LAT site when I learned we had circles. Glad I did since that was an outstanding part of the puzzle.
Took awhile to remember LAURA's name. I could see the face...
Didn't know: Better call SAUL (WAG), WYATT (tried WYman), or ILER.
Fermatprime: I'm enjoying 500 Questions too, although I got a late start and missed Ken Jennings' appearance.
Hi gang -
High marks for the construction today. Very clever rendering of a 4-way stop.
Barry - Here in Motown, UTE is very much in-the-language.
I don't get SYN for condensed, at any length. ?????
I have a few nits, but why CARP?
Made it tougher by having Jane WYMAN in Pop knows best. But she was a different actress and still the only ex-wife of a U. S. President.
Cool regards!
JzB
Is it really necessary to remind people that this is a fun blog,
and not a literary journal?
Really?
JzB
Thanks, all, for your kind comments. I originally submitted the puzzle as STOP-ALL-WAY, but since OPTS was missing, it couldn't be all-way. Rich suggested I change it to FOUR-WAY-STOP, and it made a lot more sense. I really appreciate the dedication and assistance Rich provides to all of us constructors to make us look so much better!
Steve, I also did not like "MISDO", but there were limitations due to the four middle entries. I guess all constructors have something they don't like in their puzzles. Thanks for the great write-up!
Thanks Peg and Steve. I enjoyed the theme visual.
OUTGO rather than Outgoing for me. Also UNEVEN bars seems very commonplace after the coverage of women's gymnastics on TV. Soil stain seemed off to me. Not in my speaking vocabulary.
I'm a big fan of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.
WEES about four-way stops. They're very common around here. They're not as efficient as roundabouts but they take up much less valuable real estate.
I enjoy listening to my various Pandora 'stations' while I'm puzzling over a puzzle. How is Spotify different? Better?
Did we just have MISDO recently? I seem to remember having found this quote from Shakespeare's' Edward III,
"The Poets write that great Achilles’ spear
Could heal the wound it made: the moral is,
What mighty men misdo, they can amend."
Although MISDO is archaic, it survives in MISDOING. I don't mind a bit of archaic now and then.
billcohoes and Bill G; Nero Wolfe and Archie will always be my favorites. The characterization and interplay was often brilliant. Robert Goldsborough has been the continuator who recently published three new Nero tales. TV has not been kind to Nero, as neither William Cannon nor Maury Chaykin in the A&E version understood Nero, nor portrayed his his large person dignity. Timothy Hutton however was fabulous as Archie on the A&E NERO WOLFE MYSTERY show from 2001-2002, as was Bill Smitrovich as Inspector Cramer.
Peg it is cool that you share your thoughts both as creating and commenting. A nice shout out to Rich Norris
We had FOUR WAY and THREE WAY stops but someone, bless 'em, decided ALL WAY was all that was needed. Great cost saver.
Neato, nifty, SPOT on puzzle! Beautiful. Just enough brain exercise and fun.
There's a British TV series called Inspector George Gently that is set in the North-East of England and contains many references to Newcastle and South Shields. I found it interesting to learn that actress Lisa McGrillis is the only cast member who is a native Geordie. Steve, can you speak it?
Best wishes to you all.
Peg. Elegant and not too difficult. Odd sort of meeting place, but don't STOP!
• Thanks, Steve and Irish Miss for the shout-out/thoughts. The "Tea Lady" (invariably a woman in those days) with the "Tea Cart" (and biscuits too usually) was a mainstay of British office life in the 60-70s. Do they exist now? Does tea-time exist any more?
• So, Steve, South Shields is equidistant from Newcastle and Sunderland, although on the Tyne not the Wear. So are you Toon Army or a Mackem? I assume the former, in which case my condolences on your recent relegation from the EPL.
"Uneven bars" or "uneven parallel bars" (the latter is properly descriptive) is North American usage. "Asymmetric bars" is British, according to my AppleDict. 2015. It also lists "DOPES OUT" as informal, dated.
I too was confused about SOIL STAIN. Soiled and Stained are close SYNS. But a "SOIL STAIN" would mean a stain caused by soil, which does not seem much of laundry problem. The SOILOVE product hyphenates them as "SOIL-STAIN", suggesting they are alternatives.
SCAM WARNING
Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Do not be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.
Here's how the scam works:
Two seriously good-looking 20-21 year-old girls come over to your car as you are packing your shopping into the trunk. They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T-shirts.
It is impossible not to look.
When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say 'No' and instead ask you for a ride to McDonalds.
You agree and they get into the back seat. On the way, they start undressing. Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts crawling all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.
I had my wallet stolen October 4th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, 24th & 29th. Also November 1st & 4th, Twice on the 8th, 16th, 23rd, 26th & 30th, three times last Monday and very likely again this upcoming weekend.
So, tell your friends to be careful.
P.S. Walmart has wallets on sale for 2.99 each~~I found cheaper ones for $1.99 at K-Mart and bought them out.
Lemony @ 9:17 - No, I don't have a Netflix streaming account, only DVD by mail. I would have to use my iPad Mini and I don't like staring at such a small screen for any length of time.
Great Thursday puzzle, Peg--and how exciting that you're our own blog friend Peg! And a double thanks for checking in with us to tell us a little more about the process! Also, many thanks for the always fun write-up, Steve.
I found INCOGNITA particularly clever. I was also thankful that I remembered "Bridge Over TROUBLED Waters" by Simon & Garfunkel.
Owen, I would give your second limerick an A this morning.
Yellowrocks, you were on a poetry roll this morning. Thanks for posting the June poem and giving us a MISDO Shakespeare source.
Have a great day, everybody!
An excellent learning pzl - for me!
Although I've been cracking Xwds for three years or more, this is the first time when I truly found the theme to be a major help. As Yellowrocks and Lucina noted before me, the theme letters actually came in handy. Once I was able to fill the last three Acrosses to get FOUR WAY STOP, while also reaching the juncture where I only had 37A and 41D to complete, it was a great advantage to know the remaining blanks needed only some variation of S, T, O, and P.
I wonder if I would ever have accepted SPOTIFY w/o having my choices narrowed like that. Or SPORT UTE when I had been searching for one word...
Thanks, Peg Slay - and Steve.
On another topic, it looks like a coupla colleagues are still missing the sense of the SYN cluing. Steve helped me to see it, but not everyone appears to get that "Condensed" is both a synonym for "short" and an abbreviated or condensed version of itself. (I do, however, admire TTP's re-reading of SYN as standing for SYNOPSIS.)
Thank you Ms. Peg Slay for a very nice puzzle. Rather difficult for me, but then it's a Thursday. Enjoyed it. Very punny and charming answers.
Thank you Steve for your always intersting comments. Like Argyle's blogs, I find your personal opinions always the most interesting and thought provoking parts of the commentary. I greatly missed your foodie references, but then you are limited, understandably, to the clues of the crossword puzzle. ( Drats !).
I gave up on the Youtube 'Goerdie' early on. But Olga Korbut was a real treat, and I never even watched the orignal 1972 games - which I remember were overshadowed by the terrorism that occurred when the Palestinian Black September kidnapped and them killed the Israeli atheletes. Most americans at that time, though very horrified, were relieved that the actions took place, 'over there'. Any more comments might be interpreted as politics.
Have a nice day, all.
I would like to add my two cents worth ( thats all I've got left, anyway -) to the two girl nudie scam.
I was robbed last month, on the 20th, the 22nd and the 24th. Why three times ? well ....
1. I can't resist C sizes.
2. I am a pushover for a 'feel over'.
3. At my age, any attention is welcome. However crude.
4. The windshield needed cleaning anyway.
5. The social security check was due to arrive on the first of the next month.
6. The two girls were so polite, unlike the jerks you run across everyday. They even called me a sugar daddy. Since I cannot use or afford or pay for a 'professional woman', I figured, that the loot was their fees for their attention. So, I got my moneys worth. Different stokes for different folks.
@Jayce - I can understand it, but we moved away from the area when I was 18 months old, so I never learned the dialect nor adopted the accent. I worked with a number of Geordies in the 80's and so got to learn some choice phrases.
@NiceCuppa - Mack'ems are from Sunderland, Tack'ems are from Newcastle (and the Newcastle United fans are the Toon Army). Sunderland was the region's shipbuilding center, when the build process was complete they would be sailed to the Newcastle shipyards for fitting out, hence "We mack'em, they tack'em".
@Yet another Anon regular - thanks for the plaudits, we all enjoy our blogging days! I'll cross my fingers for some Food! clues on Thursdays.
DNF, (North sea feeders have always come from Europe before???)
How I approached Peg's puzzle...
Cautionary tale...
This 3:31 video is an {F-}
It is stupid, dumb, offensive, & just plain ridiculous...
So why are you watching it?
(one note, @ 1:45,an interesting {if not scary} approach to a 4way stop...)
Have you ever tried to remove ground in soil, i.e. dirt or mud stains from baseball uniforms, especially red clay? Not easy. Mud or dirt stains is more common but soil stains makes sense.
TO: Bill G
RE: SCAM WARNING
There's a math problem in there somewhere, I just know it!
After planting some annuals after work decided to dive into what turned out to be one of the easiest but fun Thursday puzzles. Had to read above to figure out what a "sportute" was. So is it "ute" closet too now? Or as a cop might say in Brooklyn.."Put deez uteful offenders in jail"..
Bill G, great story!
Hi All:
I sped right though Peg's FOUR WAY but FIW. I loved the puzzle for the c/as and the visual. Thanks Peg! Thanks Steve. I'll second enjoying the personality sprinkled in your write-ups.
3d was 1st entry; flew through upper-Midwest and NE before returning to NW and thinking YOGA(?), and w/ TAU, er, Tao calmness, I finished off the NW which lead to answer after (almost) answer.
WOs: Apr seemed the start of grilling season, so why not mustard month? Bzzt. INCOGNITo and SPORTvan(?)
ESPs: All the proper nouns save NERO.
Fav ASTRO DOME. Brought back memory of my 1st time at the doomed-domed park watching 'Stros play Reds in the penultimate game before MinuteMaid.
FIW - SYN xing who? or WHATT. The abc-run stopped at H. SHorteN made since at the time. SILLY me.
AS IF I'd CARP about SOIL STAIN. I don't want to be SHUN'd.
Sonia - it's soggy in Sugar Land too (and raining/storming again)
OKL - Keep it up - writers gotta write and you're (mostly) safe here. {A,B}
CED - LOL 4way vid. I understood the redneck very much unlike Steve's Geordie "English."
Bill G. Thanks for the warning. I'll keep my eyes out for that scam!
This spyWARE alert is real. Actually, it's not malware, but TeamViewer. I don't use it, but we have it at the office. Apparently there is a security bug and some hackers have hijacked sessions and taken over folk's PCs. Unconfirmed reports of $3k of PayPal purchase, bank account pwd resets, etc. If you have it, turn it off until they fix it. My buddy's bummed - he uses it all the time.
Well that's enough time I've ALLOWED myself to PLAY. Back to work.
Cheers, -T
Oh, BillG, I am so sorry that you are being used and abused like that. A cure would be for your wife to accompany you everywhere -- and she will if she reads that. (AS IF I believed a word you said there.)
Here I be at the Walmart parking lot with a car and a dirty windshield and 2 McDonald Happy Meals in a Thermos insulated Bag, with two extra large grande diet sodas, with ice, and no kupla girls in sight. Are you sure, you saw them at the Walmart at 3rd and Prospect ? Sh******t, I just propositioned and proposed 2 girls to wash my windshield, and now I is sitting in the back of a cop cruiser, and my wallets with de copes. Drivers license and all and now he be axing me some rights of miranda. Miranda, my foot, dis be getting ugli. Dis be the last time I do dem crosswords agin. Dame, dame, damme.
Bill, you shoulda buy your wallets at Kwick-E-Mark er, Mart , where Apu Not-to-put-it-on has some indian used ones for sale. BTW, Mrs. Bill is getting worried that all dem wallet thefts been making your beehind look too fat.
Bill G:
That is a funny story! And as PK suggested, you should take your wife with you.
Re, Anon carping: "Every clod has feels a stir of might". Love Owen's limericks. Also thanks for the Nero Wolfe URL. My fav along with previously referencesd Len Deighton. The Great U.R.
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