Monday, April 23, 2007

Catching some ZZZzzz

I'm volunteering at the Day Center tomorrow -- the place in town where homeless people can get coffee, store some belongings, take a shower, do laundry, and otherwise stay out of the elements. Today we had a downpour that lasted over an hour. This is the desert, and it was probably more rain than we would normally get in a couple of months. Anyway, I need to be there at 7 tomorrow morning, so this will be a short post.

Excellent puzzle. Brendan Emmett Quigley never disappoints. Looking at all the ZZZzzz makes me a little sleepy.

17A: Pitcher of baseball's Gas House Gang (Dizzy Dean)
30A: Golf's 1984 U.S. Open winner (Fuzzy Zoeller)
44A: Patriach on an MTV reality show (Ozzy Osbourne)
60A: The Fresh Prince's partner DJ (Jazzy Jeff)

And that's not all. 20A: Old codger (geezer) is under Dizzy Dean, and 4D: Bronx cheer (razz) intersects both of them. Rounding it out is 3D: Moves like molasses (oozes).

Other Z words and intersections

34D: Knock the socks off (amaze)

35D: Take forcibly (seize)

43D: Baseball's David, nicknamed "Big Papi" (Ortiz)

62D: Microwave (zap)

8D: Exotic dancer Lola (Montez)

Fun fill

63A: How the confident solve (in pen). Love that one. We've had that discussion (maybe multiple times) on Rex Parker's blog.

57A: With "cum" and 32-Down, a diploma phrase (magna/laude)

Not sure if 30D: Keister (fanny) is fun fill, but it's the word my dad used when we were growing up. "Get off your keister and set the table."

I wonder if all the ZZZzzz are omens (37A: Signs to heed) that I should get to bed. I think I'll take a couple of Tylenol (26D: Popular reliever of aches) for the pain (41A: Ibuprofen target) in my shoulder that just gnaws (66A: Really bothers, with "at") at me -- and then do just that.

Good night. ZZZzzz...

5 comments:

DONALD said...

Always find this kind of letter play type of puzzle fun -- but you're right, all those Z's!

Linda G said...

Is Donald the only one out there?

I'm feeling rather unloved...

DONALD said...

Linda

Notice no one said anything today -- totally character-less comments at Rex and silly stuff at Orange. One of those days!

Howard B said...

Always did love those Zs in puzzles.

Haven't been commenting too many places myself as of late (not including quick silly blurbs). Longer working hours lately, and just enough time outside of that to do the puzzles, but not to really write much about them :(.

Rest assured, I'm sure there's plenty of readers, lurkers, and all shades in between.

Linda G said...

Thanks, Howard. I hate when I have to resort to whining. I don't do it often : )