I'm sure Manny Nosowsky doesn't hate me...he doesn't even know me! It's probably more likely that I just wasn't on his wavelength tonight. Every time I turned around, I was messing up another one. There are more erasures on this grid than I've ever had in the history of my puzzling solving.
It didn't help that I'm grumpy. Current madness (it's actually been an ongoing madness) is daughter related, and she called mid-puzzle...and just irritated the pure hell out of me.
I did manage to get the upper right quadrant of the puzzle, thanks in large part to 16A: Draft pick (pale ale) and its cross with 12D: Pantries (larders). That had me sitting pretty enough to guess my way through the rest of that section. Did get tripped up initially by 11D: Races (peoples), since I was thinking of foot races, boat races, car races, and the like.
Ordinarily I love multiple word answers, but when I can't get them, it's pretty frustrating...
And there was one right off the bat...1A: Claimed as one's own (had dibs). I thought it should be adopted. I had no clue about 2D: Former home of the N.F.L.'s Rams (Anaheim). For all I knew, it was Detroit, which fit quite nicely. I'm counting on reader/commenter Profphil to be as clueless about that as I was. He frequently admits that sports trivia isn't his strong suit.
23A: "Go jump in the lake!" (sit on it). I don't believe I've ever used either expression, so I couldn't really say that one means the same as the other.
25A: Begin, as an enterprise (enter on). Doesn't sound right...I need to process that one a bit.
41A: Running wild (on a tear). Okay, we've had that before. It tripped me up then, and it did it again tonight. Again, not an expression I use.
43A: "It's true!" (not a lie). Well, duh. Maybe that was too obvious, but I couldn't see it.
54A: Others (the rest). Actually, I like that one. I couldn't get it without crosses, but I like it.
55A: Expose and destroy (root out). That conjures up some wickedly delightful fantasies of mine.
And those are just the across multiple words. There were also at least seven in the downs:
4D: Spoils (dotes on). Since I thought it began with a P, I was at a loss to come up with a word, but I was thinking goes bad, or something along those lines.
5D: Immobile in winter (iced in). We've seen that enough times that it caused me to question adopted.
6D: Not wait for an invitation (barge in). Well, my mother taught me better manners...I'd never do that.
And continuing with 31D: "Again?!" (now what), 32D: With no time to lose (in a rush), 37D: Comes through successfully (makes it), and 44D: Links with (ties to).
After last week's fiasco with stepfather (clued...offensively, to some...as faux pa?), we have stepdad at 20A, but with a much better clue (Mike Brady of "The Brady Bunch," e.g.). Did Will take note of the comments made? Or is it just coincidence?
My favorite answer in the grid took me forever to see, even after the grid was finished. 39D: Guide feature? (silent u). Those kinds of clues just slay me, but when I get them, I love them.
34D: Scoundrel (stinker) was another answer I liked. I probably would have clued it differently, though. In my mind, stinker has an affectionate connotation, and I don't think kindly of scoundrels.
Here's the grid. I made it smaller so you can't see the mess I made of it.
I think I'll go sit with a glass of wine and forget about this puzzle...and hope that Sunday brings a fun one. Enjoy your Saturday.
Linda G
17 comments:
Except for "notalie" the whole SE was a total loss for me. And tattery (17A)? What the heck is that? Some of the answers were quite a stretch. Thanks for coming through and preventing me from knocking myself out.
36D Nonhero? awful. I was trying to squeeze narrator in there.
JD
Sunday is by BEQ.
While composing a querie about 'silent u' I finally got it! You're right - I love 'em when I finally slap my forehead but until then....! After a puzzle like this I always swear I'll quit. Until Monday at least! Bob D.
JD, Rex and Amy's blogs both indicate they breezed through this puzzle...but they're much better solvers than I am.
BEQ...and a good one. Maybe I'm just in a better mood ; )
Bob, that's frequently how I catch those...asking for someone to explain it when it hits me.
SIT ON IT.... isn't that what The Fonz used to say?
rock rabbit, yeah that's a fonzie-ism, but somehow I never thought of it as comparable to "go jump in the lake" in its meaning. More like "up yours" or "screw you". Nuances, nuances ...
I enjoyed the parts of this puzzle that I could finish, but I gave up in the SW. Just said, enough. I have to wonder if I'll ever get good enough to complete these late-week puzzles. I must be missing a synapse or something. I'm waiting for Orange's book and it'll be interesting to see if that rachets up my abilities a notch (not just ordering the book, but reading it, that is ;))
The whole southern part of the puzzle was a bear. Not being able to finish one late-week puzzle doesn't mean you won't finish others. I truly believe the wavelength thing...we just weren't on Manny's this time.
IMOO, multiple word entries like this, especially ones you can't Google, make for a much tougher puzzle.
I'm well into Amy's book. It's very good, and she does give insight into some construction quirks that I've found helpful.
Glad to see a serious cruciverbalist had so much trouble with it. Makes a newbie like myself feel much better. I only got the NE quad and a portion of the NW quad ... I had pilsner instead of pale ale, so that threw me. Doh!
Like your blog!
I had "get lost" for quite a while (and yes, I agree, SIT ON IT is a mite different than "go jump in a lake"! This was just one of many dead ends in today's puzzle, but at least I finished the puzzle, unlike yesterday's (which I put down in disgust)! Had to google THE EDGE (won't miss it next time) and TMEN. Also googled Carnegie Mellon athlete, which yielded the dead end answer "scottie dog" or "scotties". Huh? Must've been an article about some folks lobbying for a change to an animate mascot?
Yeah that was weird. My high school team name was SCOTS (gag) and the garments worn by cheerleaders were in TARTAN. Hardly something to be reckoned with, yet we took most major championships in those years.
don't u guys get the Sunday puzzle delivered on Sat AM? strugling a bit
b
i guess i should my spelling right
b
lindabudz, getting half of a Saturday puzzle is very good for a new solver. Don't be so hard on yourself. Glad you like the blog and hope you'll be back ; )
Wendy and Rock Rabbit, I agree with the two of you. Sit on it doesn't translate the same.
b, I'm working on the Sunday puzzle but won't blog until later this evening. I don't see a way to help you at this point, though, without spoiling things for a reader who hasn't yet seen Sunday's puzzle. When I get stuck, I just walk away from it for a half hour. Usually I come back and "read" the clues differently. Hope that helps ; )
Overall, I really liked the puzzle today. Had to "G" twice but that helped me get unstuck. I keep feeling that I'm getting better at the Sat puzzles -- thanks to blogs like this one!
I really liked "huskier" -- when I was little my aunt used to by my cousin "little huskies" -- anyway some kind of jeans for larger boys. Funny how I still remember that.
Loved "had dibs", "mosh" and "headset."
Ended up with "raglets" -- didn't know what to do with that one....wouldn't have gotten eaglets if life depended on it.
Hang in there Linda G. This time sounds stressful....Have a glass of wine or some herbal tea and turn off the phone : )!!!
Kitt (NYRN), you reminded me that my brother (now 54 and quite slender) wore huskies. Sizes for the bigger girls were called Pretty Plus. Thankfully, I didn't wear those.
And thanks for the advice. I just take one day at a time...and wine (or whine) as needed ; )
Linda, Kitt is not my real name but it is a nickname that many folks use for me -- so it feels authentic and I use it on blogs.
My name is a little distinctive and I prefer to protect my privacy.
Not getting after you just providing explanation~ :)
Can't wait for BEQ tomorrow.
I really enjoy your commentary Linda and I've said if before your down home "goodness".
See you tomorrow!
^&%^%$$#%$# dang!(*&^@! good god o'mighty,,,holy cow! cheese and rice! @%&()FUCK!
this puzzle frazzled me. are you serious? amy and rex breezed through it? well, i refuse to read their blogs if that's the case.
it's after 1 a.m. and just now finished it.
but i'm a stubborn old cuss and did finish it. %#&* i'm exhausted.
by the way. great puzzle. great write-up.
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