Thursday, June 14, 2007

Friday, June 15 - Nancy Joline

I got a very late start tonight on the puzzle and actually dozed off in the middle of it. Nancy Joline gave us a fairly tough one, with six 10-letter words and/or phrases.

1A: Energy source (granola bar). I boldly entered wind power, a great wrong answer.

15A: Home of the National Automobile Museum (Reno, Nevada)

17A: First lady who was once a prominent radio actress (Evita Peron). Why in the world was I trying to think of a United States first lady? I saw the movie and listened to the soundtrack a hundred times!

61A: One who deals in futures (horoscoper). Not a great word on its own, but it works well in the grid, and the clue was a good one.

64A: Construction equipment (erector set). Don has such fond memories of his first (probably only) erector set. When he retires, I'm going to buy him another one. Don't tell.

66A: Angels (messengers). Okay, I guess that works.

There are also three vertical stacks in each corner of seven-letter answers. I'll pick a favorite from each corner.

3D: Brutes (animals) wins in the northwest.

14D: Gentleman of Verona (Signore) is the one I got, but I loved 13D: Drub (plaster). 12D: "Survivor" setting, 2004 (Vanuatu) was impossible for me. Never watched the show, and had to Google to confirm the answer that I got from the acrosses.

39D: Where drinks aren't on you (open bar)

44D: Tramp (traipse). I was thinking the other kind of tramp so entered trollop once I had the TR in place.

There were several other one-word clues like that, and I got trapped by a few.

25A: Swell (neato). Not the kind of swell I had in mind.

39A: Pops (old timer). I thought of pops, as in explodes.

54A: Spots (ads). Several other meanings for spots, but none that would fit in three squares.

65A: Break (rest). Oh, that kind of break. I could use one.

My favorite clue was 31A: X maker, at times (voter). My first thought was lover (X being kisses to O's hugs), then I was thinking about someone who couldn't write.

I'd better wrap this up. I need to make an appearance at the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast tomorrow morning. Every year they fund our organization through their generous grants, so all of our employees volunteer to do a two-hour shift at the breakfast. I was smart enough not to sign up for the 6:00 a.m. shift. Funny thing about getting older...I used to be a morning person, but I can barely drag myself out of bed before 7:30. And it's all I can do to stay awake past 10.

And here it is almost 11:00. Good night.

Linda G

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Angelos": in ancient Greek, the ordinary word for "messenger," as, for example, the typical bearer of dreadful news in a Greek tragedy (Messenger: "Alas! Jocasta has hanged herself!"), and inspiration for stock protests "Don't shoot the messenger!" and "I'm only the messenger!" In the (Greek) New Testament, the word is used to mean "messenger from God," thus "angel."

Liffey Thorpe

Linda G said...

Anonymous, thanks for the tip. I'll check it out, but I think the simplicity of this blog is important. That's why I don't usually put in the completed grid or pictures.

And thank you, Liffey Thorpe, for your comments on angels. I learn so much from commenters on this blog and others. There's a wealth of knowledge out there, and it's a great (and fun) way to share.

Anonymous said...

Hi Linda,

Trollop is the best wrong answer of the day, hands down! I floundered so miserably on this puzzle I don't even know which kind of tramp I was conjuring.

DONALD said...

Well, I'm sure I'm the only one (unless C zar is still working the puzzles) who entered ANTONIO for "Gentleman of Verona" -- that's the lead character's name in the Shakespeare play -- ha, ha, got me!

If you can stand any more about angels, there's a convention on Gothic!