Today's Monday wasn't one of those "I can do this on autopilot" Mondays. Many of the clues required some thought. Was this a pangram? I think so. For a minute there I thought I might have to google, and I haven't done that for several months! But somehow I was able to avoid it.
The theme, such as it is, is "here's ... there's ... and where's" - I guess. Of course maybe it's something else and I'm just not seeing it. The answers in this category are:
(20A) HERE'S JOHNNY. Eminently preferable, imoo, to Here's Jay Leno. I stopped watching a long time ago. Something's just not right there. Too much (8D) FAWNing, for one thing.
(39A) THERE'S NO I IN TEAM. That's pretty clever, especially with those wily i's right next to each other.
(53A) WHERE'S WALDO. The first of the three that I got.
So the things I found noteworthy today for one reason or another were as follows:
(1A) DOUSE. Just like that word; doesn't feel overexposed as puzzles go. But ...
(6A) Hello again, ALF, you mangy alien. Seems like I just saw you yesterday (actually it was today for me). So I'm officially pronouncing him overexposed.
(17A) SIEVE. Like that word, but I don't relate it to flour. I strain things that were in water in one. Isn't a sifter a more appropriate utensil?
(5D) EYESHADE. I think my grandfather, who was an accountant, wore one of these. I'm not familiar with its use by poker players. Haven't fallen for that craze.
(22D) Nita NALDI. I hope this is right, because I've never heard of the woman.
(29D) CREME. There's something about this spelling that fascinates me for no good reason. Why was it necessary to come up with this variation on cream, I always wonder. I once knew a woman whose last name was Bibby-Creme. Very unfortunate.
(41D) NOT A WHIT. I usually say Not One Whit, but regardless, many people look at me strangely because it's apparently not that common a phrase. Love it. I wrote it in an email to a friend just the other day.
(46D) TOWNIE. Thought this and its clue were very original. For two of my four college years, I attended a small Ohio college with a student body of 1,000 amidst a townie population of another thousand. Waaaaaaay too small for my liking, so I escaped to The Ohio State University, where the concept of townie had absolutely no meaning.
(49D) VENAL. I realize I didn't actually know the meaning of this word before now. Had heard the term venal sin but never determined what kind of sin that was or if I'd ever committed it. Updated Monday 7:17 EST - as Dave Barry used to say, "alert reader" jd informs me that venal is not the same thing as venial, the latter of which is the sin qualifier. Obviously my woefully inadequate schooling in sins, coming from a heathen home, is on full display ;)
(55D) REEL. Another vivid word. I like to think of people reeling, not necessarily drunkenly.
My scan of the puzzle is below. Maybe by next week I'll have learned a few other bells and whistles. Have a good Monday, everyone!
7 comments:
Wendy: your "maiden voyage" was smooth sailing. Great job!! And thanks so much for taking a stab at this blogging stuff. You're a natural. (Don't tell Linda I said that ) just kidding.
There was so much about this puzzle to like I wonder how you picked your topics.
Take good care~
PS Always listen to Howard B. I know I would. : )
Linda G here...
Congratulations on a successful maiden voyage, Wendy.
It's been fun to sit back and read the guest blogs. Every single one of you has something different to contribute. Maybe we could make this blog into a timeshare...
Life in the islands is so laid back. I've adjusted quite well to checking the blog (and my email) every other day...and I've completely ignored my cell phone.
Keep up the good work, guest bloggers. See you in a couple of days.
Wendy: Your post is beautifully laid out.
I'm with you on "Not one whit."
17A I agree, "sifter" would be preferable. The answer made me think of the expression, "He/she has a mind like a sieve."
22A NYT puzzles have clued Nita for years. That's the only way I know her.
49D I think you mean venial sins. Do people still commit venial sins?
55D This puzzle did not have me reeling.
Great job, Wendy.
You say venial, I say venal - let's call the whole thing off ;) Yes, jd is correct, they are two different words. Thank you so much for pointing that out; I hate being blissfully ignorant when it comes to the English language. Now if I could just figure out how to use them both in a sentence ...
Thanks for your comments kitt, jd and ... oh yes, Linda! Get back to that lanai, vacationer! We've got it under control. After just one post, I can see why it becomes an addiction. Very fun. A timeshare concept is so very Hawaiian. But it could work.
Great job, Wendy! (And so much more interesting than my semi-inebriated rambling :) ).
Linda, thanks for checking in! To second Wendy, go out and enjoy that vacation! I'd run screaming from any computer, with the possible exception of an ATM, if I were out there...
kitt - Might not be a good idea, especially when my advice is something like, "We can leave the popcorn in the microwave another minute, it'll just pop the rest of the unpopped kernels...". That was last week's gem. It took the rest of the night to air out the burnt smell from the kitchen.
Anyway, great job all, it's been fun.
Howard: laughing out loud about the popcorn situation.
Love it!
Does make me reconsider, though. Do you know if I can heat up the chinese food in those foil-like containers.
Thanks again, Wendy. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Linda G. put on some sunscreen and turn off the computer! Seriously, LG you are showing remarkable constraint -- tell Don I said that : )
Post a Comment