Patrick Berry's puzzles are always on the tough side for me, so a 15-letter gimme at 15A: He conducted the premiere performances of "Pagliacci" and "La bohème" (Arturo Toscanini) was a nice Valentine's Day gift. Thanks, Patrick.Don sent a quartet (complete with red vests and red bow-ties) to the office today, carrying red roses for all of us. They sang four songs (I wish I could remember all four) in perfect harmony...it was a treat for everyone who was there. One of our coworkers made beautiful knitted scarves for all of us...red for me. It was just a nice day all around.
And then there was this puzzle...with more gimmes:
21A: Star of "Gigi" and "Lili" (Caron).
25A: Maker of Coolpix cameras (Nikon).
27A: __ Couple (yearbook voting category) (Cutest). Awwwww.
28A: "Field of Dreams" actress Amy (Madigan).
31A: 1979 #1 hit for Robert John (Sad Eyes). I still love that song...you can hear it here. [Update: That shouldn't be read to mean that I condone cheating on your significant other...I just like the song.]
2D: Photographer/children's author Alda (Arlene). Alan's wife, for those of you who don't know that.
13D: Awaiting burial (in repose).
25D: Some Degas paintings (nudes). This has always been one of my favorites.41D: Rwandan people (Tutsi).
Alas, those didn't provide enough of a toe-hold, so I called upon my friend Dogpile to get a couple of answers, including:
7D: Stage actress who wrote "Respect for Acting" (Uta Hagen). I think I should have known that.
26D: 1939 film taglined "Garbo laughs" (Ninotchka).
That gave me enough that I was able to just work through the rest of the puzzle, including some great multiword answers:
1A: Didn't take advantage of (passed up).
17A: Bands of holy men (clerical collars).
24A: Strand at the airport, maybe (fog in).
45A: Sometime soon (in the near future).
47A: One with a guitar and shades, stereotypically (rock and roll star).
12D: One that gets depressed during recitals (piano key). That one took forever to see...couldn't figure out what would end with OKEY.
Favorite clues and/or answers:
9A: Muscleheaded (stupid). Boy, did I feel stupid when I had most of that and couldn't see the answer.
26A: Stray animals don't have them (names)...not homes.
32A: More of the same (clones).
1D: Game featuring Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde (PacMan).
3D: Jelly seen on buffet tables (Sterno)...never thought of it as a jelly.
8D: Pilot light? (Polaris).
16D: Boxy Toyota product (Scion).
27D: First African-born Literature Nobelist (Camus).
28D: "Is There Life Out There" singer (McEntire).
29D: Titular mouse in a classic Daniel Keyes novel (Algernon). I could cry thinking about it, so I won't.
33D: Number to the left of a decimal point, maybe (dollars). Took way too long to figure that one out.
Can someone explain why 30D: 1600 to 1800, on a boat is dogwatch? Never mind...I'll bet it has something to do with military time. Maybe someone can confirm that, though. [Update: Thanks, Wendy, for clarification of that. It should have been up there with the multiword answers.]
That's it for this one. Here's the grid...
...and I'll see you tomorrow.
Linda G
12 comments:
Beautiful puzzle. But, ENHALO? Not in my dictionary!
Loved the FOG IN, FAGEN, UTA HAGEN co-mingling. Nice! Say it out loud with me!
I also did not know that STERNO was a jelly.
I had ROCK AND ROLL Hero instead of STAR for awhile. Not sure why. Also Oiled instead of LUBED.
I do not refer to a big hit, btw, as a SOCKEROO. But that's just me ;)
Re DOG WATCH - it refers to telling time nautically, to wit:
Middle Watch (0000 - 0400)
Morning Watch (0400 - 0800)
Forenoon Watch (0800 - 1200)
Afternoon Watch (1200 - 1600)
First Dog Watch (1600 - 1800)
Second Dog Watch (1800 - 2000)
First Watch (2000 - 2400)
Off to the mines.
Here is a link to a slightly different explination of DOG WATCH
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_watch
Today's puzzle while hard was a better constructed puzzle than yesterdays...at least in my opinion
Clues I did not like...44 A...PUNTS in my opinion does not mean give up responsiblity...other than in football terms I take it to mean trying something else.
36 A..MUD=yeilding ground...I don't get it and 33 D should be plural to coinside with the answer
Linda I am glad that you had such a wonderful Valentines Day...Don is one heck of a guy!!!
MUD is yielding, in that your feet sink into it.
I think 33D is ok. A number to the left of the decimal point represents dollars; a number to the right represents cents.
The only verbal definitions for PUNTS refer to football or boating. When you punt in football, you're turning over the ball to the other team. It's definitely a reach.
SOCKEROO is rather silly, also.
Overall, I found this to be rather easy, for a Friday.
Vladimir...thanks for the explination of MUD never though of it that way...however I respectfully disagree regarding DOLLARS, I still feel the clue should be pluralized
Bob,
1. totally disagree with you on dollars.
2. Punting in football is giving up resonsibility for the ball but also in business when you can't come up with a solution the old saw is "Let's punt" which means throw the problem up into the air and see who can catch it and come up with a solution.
Linda,
It's been a while but I hope your minestrone soup came out okay. We ended up with chili (pretty good chili) but no bacon.
Thanks for the info on DOG WATCH. I learn something new every day.
The clue for DOLLARS worked for me, but I see what you're saying, Bob. I wonder if it was intentionally deceptive for a late week puzzle.
Wendy and Vladimir, I have never used the word SOCKEROO in my lifetime ; )
Rick, the minestrone was tasty. Tomorrow is split pea soup with ham.
P.S. Wendy, you made me laugh over and over with the FOG IN, FAGEN, UTA HAGEN comment!
Then I've done my job for today ;)
Sterno is a distant - and more socially acceptable - relative of napalm...
From darkest Syndication-Land:
I objected to the conductor of the premiere-- Puccini conducted the premiere of 'La Boheme,' and of course that is what I tried to place in the puzzle-- needless to say, it clashed. Even when I went to Google, I got Puccini! I think that was kind of unfair.
I agree about "enhalo"-- you'd get thrown out on a Scrabble challenge for that one, I'll bed-- and also the use of "punt." The other objection-- I just don't enjoy puzzles that rely so much on names of guitarists, actors, etc., though I think characters and authors are a different matter. Most well-rounded people have read certain books, but may not be up on every pop music group around. Takes the fun out of it for me.
Elaine in Arkansas
Elaine, it's always nice to hear from you in Syndication Land. Maybe some day you'll join us in the future...which is really the present ; )
I've struggled with many of the more obscure names over the last few years, but on occasion I remember one for another puzzle. There have been a few times, though, when a puzzle was just SO not fun that I quit...or as Donald (NYT Crossword in Gothic) said his late wife used to do...declare the puzzle finished.
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