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Relative difficulty: Medium
THEME: FIVE-O (9A: Cops, in slang ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme) — Five theme answers each begin with a homophone of "O"
Word of the Day: STOA (46A: Site of Zeno's teaching) —
Stoa (plural, stoae or stoæ) in Ancient Greek architecture; covered walkways or porticos, commonly for public usage. Early stoae were open at the entrance with columns lining the side of the building, creating a safe, enveloping,protective atmosphere and were usually of Doric order. Later examples consisted of mainly two stories, with a roof supporting the inner colonnades where shops or sometimes offices were located and followed Ionic architecture. These buildings were open to the public; merchants could sell their goods, artists could display their artwork, and religious gatherings could take place. Stoae usually surrounded the marketplaces of large cities. // Zeno began teaching in the colonnade in the Agora of Athens known as the Stoa Poikile in 301 BC. His disciples were initially called Zenonians, but eventually they came to be known as Stoics, a name previously applied to poets who congregated in the Stoa Poikile. (wikipedia)
• • •
I really liked this puzzle, and found it very easy. A very clever theme with interesting theme answers and some non-theme fill that really sparkles — e.g. FAR-FLUNG (9D: Widespread) and BUDDY LIST (70A: Computer setup to facilitate instant messaging). My wife's experience with the puzzle, however, was less joyful, and less successful, and seeing her grid opened my eyes to a host of issues (not failings, necessarily; just issues)
that I would never have noticed otherwise. Let's start with FAR-FLUNG. Unlike me, wife hit 32A: Informal British term of address before she ever saw the clue for FAR-FLUNG, and so she spelled her answer GOV. Then, since she, like most people, could not tell you off hand the key of Gershwin's apparently lone concerto (IN F), she made sense of 9D: Widespread the only way she could: by entering FAR ALONG. If I squint and cock my head a little, FAR ALONG makes sense as an answer to the clue. IN A certain makes sense as something a concerto might be. And GOV makes sense — that's how GOVernor is spelled, after all. So she fell into a weird trap I didn't know existed. She also had somehow never heard of either LIEV Schreiber (of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine") or HI-HO crackers (29D: Bygone cracker brand) and couldn't make any sense of AHS (28A: Physical reactions?). Explaining the logic of AHS to her was not terribly successful. I was met with disbelief and mild defensiveness. Wife had also never heard of a BUDDY LIST, though she managed to get it correctly.My only problems, on the other hand, were writing in IRISH for WELSH (53D: Like the name "Bryn Mawr") and not being able to decide initially between STELE / EROS and STELA / AMOR at 56D: Inscribed pillar / 73A: Lover boy? I've never seen STOA *and* STELE in the same grid before. I hope I never do again. I can only take only so much serious, old school, ancient Greek , "ST"-starting crosswordese in one day. But, as I said, overall, I really liked it.
Theme answers:
- 17A: Up-to-date (AU COURANT)
- 23A: Brut or Paco Rabannae (EAU DE COLOGNE)
- 41A: Browning opening line preceding "Now that April's there" ("OH, TO BE IN ENGLAND")
- 52A: Be indebted to the I.R.S. (OWE BACK TAXES)
- 65A: Willa Cather novel ("O PIONEERS!")
Wife had also never heard of FIVE-O as slang for the police (she grew up in New Zealand, so maybe that's part of it). I wouldn't know FIVE-O if it weren't for the fact that the phrase comes up in rap sometimes. And then there's "Hawaii Five-O," of course, though I had no idea growing up that the "FIVE-O" parts was code for the cops. I'm not sure what I thought it meant. "Ba-ba-ba-baa-baaaaaaa-baaaaaaa..." I had a (vinyl) album of "TV's Greatest Hits" growing up (back when TV themes were awesome — listen to the theme from "Sanford and Son" some time; pure Quincy Jones gold). Anyway, this was certainly on there:Bullets:
44A: 1900 Puccini premiere ("TOSCA") — the puzzle's favorite opera, after "AIDA." Never seen it, but no sweat.- 6D: Civil rights advocate ___ B. Wells (IDA) — crosswordese. Learned her from crosswords. Thankfully, she came when called today. Sometimes my crosswordese just doesn't show up. E.g. "O yeah, I know this, it's ... that word ... ULAN? ... ANYA? ... ANSA? ..." (my thought process every time the clue calls for OLAN)
- 24D: Beekeeper of filmdom (ULEE) — my wife was so put off the puzzle that she was taking swiped at just about anything in reach: "Filmdom???" Sigh. Yes, I know, no one says that, but it's standard crossword cluing language.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]
I fell into the same trap as Sandy with FARALONG. I think as a result that the two offending crosses bring unfairness into the puzzle as you correctly state. Being a senior citizen, I never heard the term Five-O as a slang for police, always assuming the number in the TV show title referred to the state's admission to the union. Never too old to learn.
ReplyDeleteFIVEO was/is shouted by smurfs to warn of undercover or police patrols approaching on a dealers turf. Smurfs are kids under the age of 14 used to monitor the streets and/or delivery the goods as they are unlikely to see any jail time and can be back to work hours after being picked up. They are also expendable. It may be cold comfort to know they generally have no idea what FIVEO refers to.
ReplyDeleteULEE'S gold is a great movie we should send Sandy a copy.
Hey, I live in Bryn Mawr so WELSH was a gimmie. Given the left leaning sentiments of my neighbors there are more than a few STELES inscribed with peace slogans in da hood.
Ms. Gorski's puzzles are like an old friend for tea. You know what you going to get and look forward to it.
*** (3 Stars)
err, deliver the goods
ReplyDeleteEasy but fun puzzle.
ReplyDeleteIs there any other homonym of "O" that would have avoided the duplication of "O" in the reveal at 9 A and 65 A, OPIONEERS?
(Since the puz is from Liz Gorski, I'm inclined to think the answer is "no!".
MIS O, ECON O, ORS O, EC O, HIH O
ReplyDeletePut me in the same trap as Sandy. And you know what, Ms. Gorski? I still say I solved the puzzle. Gershwin can bite my gherkin! Mr. Liev, too, for that matter.
ReplyDeleteThat venting aside, it's hard for me not to love a puzzle that has shout-outs to both New MEXico (43D) and Jerry Jeff Walker, who penned Mr. Bojangles (64D). That would make a fine duet with Bonnie RAITT, is my guess.
Thank God for 60s TV is all I can say about the theme-revealing 9A, because the only slang for cops I ever heard was heat, fuzz, John Law and pigs. During my misspent youth, I never heard any of my friends whisper, "Beer down, here comes the Five-0." If I had known the term, and if anyone had said it, we'd have all known to look for an approaching Torino (these days it's usually a Crown Vic).
And now, I should get to work.
Trining! (the process of learning a new job in ENGLAND) -- jesser
I, too, learned today that FIVEO means cops. Loved all the O theme answers.
ReplyDeleteI thought this puzzle should have been switched with yesterday's as far as easiness goes. But then, I wrote in FARALONG. It's funny because I thought a better clue for this answer would have been "Very pregnant." I hate to whine but INA and GOV seem totally logical even though they are wrong.
The only other thing I didn't like was ECO/ECONO.
OHTOBEINENGLAND "Now that April's there" is a great line and very timely. As is OWEBACKTAXES this time of year.
ALOHA with (Hawaii) FIVEO if fun as it NYET with NADIA.
Another great effort from Elizabeth c. Gorski!
Ohhh, that Peabody Wayback Machine took me all the way to Monday.
ReplyDeleteDidn't catch the 'theme' until the last one.
ALOHA & FIVE-O was cute.
BaBaWaWa the laughing moment.
See Ya ...
The STELE/ETHOS cross tripped me up. I'm too new to have all the Greek crosswordese down, yet.
ReplyDeleteSmooth Tuesday puzzle, as expected from Liz Gorski, although I did the same thing Sandy did: Gov and Far along. Also didn't know about the 5-O for police.
ReplyDeleteOur old friend Eero Saarinen has a double exhibition at Yale, New Haven, in the gallery of the Architecture School and the Yale Art Gallery. I'm sure Ulrich already knows about it, it's in his back yard.
More rain..... We're floating away in Connecticut.
Oh boy, did I like this one. Outside-the-box fill, learned a few new words(that I probably won't remember)-- a great way to start the day.
ReplyDelete@Tinbeni- nice catch on the Hawaii mini-theme
@RP- you should find a DVD of Tosca at your local library. Great music, and then you can write that you've seen it.
A nice Tuesday, but coulda been more fun if the theme had been BACON (my first guess to 9a)
ReplyDeleteAs best I recall, [FIVE O] was just the department number for the state police, but that was pretty long ago, and I could easily be mistaken. I saw some episodes of 'Hawaii Five-O' and the main thing I remember was that Iolani Palace had been turned into offices and the beautiful grounds paved over for parking.
ReplyDeleteThey don't make HIHOs any longer? Someone had to be the last to know.
This was an interesting puzzle, especially since I couldn't just slap the words in, but often had to switch to the crosses for confirmation before writing in the words.
@dk
Across from one of the colleges is a Chinese food joint with the sign, 'We Delivery.' Always good for a chuckle.
picaff-- coffee with spice?
"She also had somehow never heard of either LIEV Schreiber (of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine") or HI-HO crackers"
ReplyDeleteDon't feel deprived, Sandy, somehow I never heard of him either ... tho my Grandmother was fond of HiHo crackers.
..../Glitch
Talk about lively. Great Monday/Tuesday combo.
ReplyDeleteI know the Gershwin Piano Concerto like the back of my hand and it's always refered to as Concerto in F, so no problem there. That didn't stop me from plunking down GOV instead of GUV though. Saw my error when I got FAR FLUNG and it all worked out in the end. Lovely puzzle. Thanks Ms. Gorski.
ReplyDelete@dk, interesting stuff about the street kids
ReplyDelete17 Os in a puzzle about Os is nO mean feat.
Seems appropriate for a Tuesday puzzle.
Very enjoyable, fresh puzzle!
ReplyDeleteI really liked this puzzle, and found it very easy. A very clever theme with interesting theme answers and some non-theme fill that really sparkles.
ReplyDeleteI always did want to plagiarize, and now I have. Apologies to Rex.
We are in violent agreement.
10-4
Found the puzzle easy except I never heard of five-o
ReplyDeleteHand up for gov and far along.
Where are the Oreos on this puzzle?
ReplyDeleteI, of course, am very pleased with the shout-out for my hometown. For all who are new to this blog and interested, here's a write-up explaining why it's the crossword capital of Germany--icing on a delicious puzzle cake.
ReplyDelete@mac: An old arch. friend of mine is visiting in two weeks, and the Saarinen exhibit will be our first stop.
@dk - sounds like a scene (whole first season) out of The Wire. Can't recall how they referred to police, don't think it was five 0 although it could easily have been.
ReplyDeleteCool puzzle. Did the Sandy two-step in the NE also, word for word. It was the last area to be sewed up, in fact.
Puzzle seemed kind of eclectic, making it fun to solve.
Same solve time as yesterday, so an easy Tuesday, but finished with one error. I see now that HO-HOs are a snack food (“tubular”?), but not of the cracker persuasion. And LOEV SCHREIBER, LIEV SCHREOBER, whatever. Hmmm…a know-it-or-don’t name crossing a consumer product from the early ‘50s (and, I believe, long discontinued)?
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the theme. Would have enjoyed it more along the way were NE not the last spot I finished. FIVE-O as in-general-use slang for cops, huh? Sure, why not. “Book ‘em, Lizzo!”
Me too for GUV, though the corrective FAR FLUNG came easily for me—so harm, no foul, eh? In fairness, everything else was a well-clued and smoothly filled romp. Always fun.
@Bob Kerfuffle, is it a mitigating factory that, of the two “O”s, one was a letter and the other a number?
50 = also Hawaii 50th state in reference to Hawaii 5-O
ReplyDeleteA fine Tuesday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI left g_v open until I had more crosses so avoided that little trap.
Lots of fun words here.
Thanks for the street-wise info @dk.
My biggest trap was not knowing my
-ine from my -ide which gave me a
Bundy List! Married with Children has it's own app?
Loved seeing Oh to be in England
where I will be in six weeks.
great puzzle...two in a row.
ReplyDeleteah memories-buddy holley and 5-0
thanks elizabeth and rex.
let it out
and let it frolic
keep in
and get the _______________
Same errors as everyone else.
ReplyDeleteMy rain gauge is up to 4 inches. Not good weather for hatching chicks! My broody hen is not happy.
@hazel, my reference is from "back in the day," as a forensic psychologist working with the LA County gang task force.
ReplyDeleteA mildly humous aspect was the belief (by my elders at the time) that gang members respected/feared Steve and Danny (as in bookem dano). We posed the respect question to one of the leaders of Northside Pasa and his response was WTF followed by a brief commentary on the level of intellect demonstrated by the task force.
My chef son informs me that serving staff is referred to as smurfs and also that Garagmel (sp?) created Smurfette
@lit.doc - Very good point, thank you! I retract my suggestion of duplication, and I see that it would only have applied if one of the clues/answers had been something along the lines of "Losing team's record: O FOR TWENTY."
ReplyDeleteI too fell into the same trap as Sandy and had far along. Interestingly I had guv in the grid, but then decided that perhaps it had to be gov and I'd incorrectly assumed the phonetic spelling was correct all these years.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of hihos either. Seems to me that those of us from the antipodes were at a distinct disadvantage this morning (I'm a displaced Aussie and I understand Sandy is a Kiwi).
Neat conceit. I wonder, though:
ReplyDeleteWhat tells O apart from Oh?
(I wouldn't have known of 65A:OΠ1ERS but for its recent appearance in a Sunday grid.)
And yes, I too always thought 5-0 was for the 50th state, and "somehow" confused Ho-Hos with 29D:HIHOs (and of course never heard of that Lie the Fifth guy at 33A).
I did, however, see (and accompany a few rehearsals for) 44A:TOSCA only a few weeks ago: it was this year's Lowell House Opera at Harvard.
Rex kvexes: "I can only take only so much serious, old school, ancient Greek , "ST"-starting crosswordese in one day." Not even STYX?
I hope nobody tried to put in PRIME for 68D...
What are "baevers" (besides my captcha)?
NDE
Hawaii -- it's a play on the 50th state and slang for cops.
ReplyDelete@NDE, dyslexic, semiaquatic, broad-tailed rodents
ReplyDeleteHIHO, I liked Liz's puzzle A LOT, with homophonic play and an inadvertent wink to yesterday's Hair theme in the HEIR.
ReplyDeleteI didn't find the echo of ECONO and ECO out of bounds, as the latter refers to ecological and not economical. The IDA and IDE at top and bottom are amusing too, ODDly close but similarly unrelated.
The trick of changing an -ie to -y before adding the gerund form as in VYING had me musing after finishing, as "tying" one on works fine but "pying" a bed probably doesn't? (Any distraction to put off attention to finishing TAXES.)
@Two Ponies -- Bon voyage when you're off TO BE IN ENGLAND! I adore British mysteries, loved the Helen Mirren TV series where she played a top-ranking cop and her subordinates called her GUV!
∑;)
Fun, easy, quick Tuesday. I had GUV, and my wife was looking over my shoulder insisting on FAR ALONG. She's smarter than I am, so I unquestioningly stuck it in and moved on. It was corrected soon enough, but chalk up another PuzzleWife falling into that trap.
ReplyDeleteThe Sanford and Son theme is my favorite theme song in all of television history. People think I'm weird for saying that, until I pull it up online and play it for them. Great tune.
generally easy (I'm from England, so got guv right), but as a former squash player I disagree with 'sets' as 'squash match units.' Tennis is played in sets, of course, but a squash match is generally best of 5 games. The games are referred to as, um, "games."
ReplyDeleteVerification word: berodent. An old and foul-tasting brand of toothpaste.
I found an FAQ on Hawaii (http://www.mjq.net/fiveo/fiveofaq.htm) that appears to be pretty well researched. "Why was it called Five-O, anyway? Hawaii was the fiftieth state in the union. (The original title was "The Man," but producer Leonard Freeman changed his mind.)" I'm thinking that the slang '5 0' for cops comes from the show.
ReplyDelete@foodie (who lives at the intersection of 'science' and 'cares about plurals') -- What's up with NIH anyway? It stands for 'National Institutes of Health,' thats instituteS with an 's', which I think is very cool. Yet, they (it) do (does) not have the courage of their (its) convictions, and they (it) appear (appears) to regard themselves (itself) as singular on their (its) website.
INF hit my sweet spot. So glad Gershwin played the piano rather than third base.
Didn't know HI-HOs were no longer available so checked Wiki and found that they were discontinued after Sunshine Cracker Co. was merged with Keebler in 1996. (There were other mergers/acquisitions involved.) To answer your question @MexGirl, Sunshine Biscuits made the Hydrox cookie, which, as you know, was virtually the same as the Oreo... the Hydrox was discontinued in 1999,(sniff), but returned in 2008, (yah). So Oreo is hidden in the 2nd degree.
ReplyDeleteIs nothing sacred?
Wasn't too sure about FIVE-O so Wikied it, "Hawaii Five-O centers on a fictional state police force (named in honor of Hawaii's status as the 50th State)" Then tried the Urban Dictionary:
"The po po, the fuzz, the cops. From the TV show Hawaii Five-0. As in 'cheese it, Five-0'"
Hmmm... "po po"? Must be some Hawaiian pigeon english.
These are my WOTDs.
Very enjoyable puzzle. Had 3 write-overs, GoV, of course, and AUCurRANT. (Never took French but should have known better. Must have gotten confused with "current".)
@Rube: Or, as we say at NIH, your WsOTD.
ReplyDeleteBetween @rube, with the "cheese it, 5 0," and @dk with the smurf, I have added to my vocabulary today. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what I'll be saying next time I get caught in a speed trap - and the citation is inevitable, "cheese it, 5 0, you smurf."
Chances are, where I live, he'll have no idea what i'm talking about, but that's going to be fun to say. Funner than the time I crumpled up the ticket and threw it in the back seat in front of po po (64 in a 55 - please!).
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLoved it...
ReplyDeletebut I had a mistake that no one has yet mentioned...
O EAU, I wrote INE for chemical suffix so I had BUNDYLIST...
I guess I have to stop im'ing serial killers.
Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 7/30/2009 post for an explanation of my method):
ReplyDeleteAll solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)
Tue 9:10, 8:53, 1.03, 63%, Medium-Challenging
Top 100 solvers
Tue 4:49, 4:32, 1.06, 74%, Medium-Challenging
I'm in today's INa/FARaLoNG/GoV camp. When my solution wasn't accepted, I pretty much knew the problem was with FARaLoNG. I stared at the dang thing for about two minutes before I figured it out. As a result, my solve time went from a barely respectable (for me) 7 minutes to my fourth worst Tuesday in the 43 weeks I've recorded.
Chin Ho and Kono found this a little challenging for a Tuesday. Who constructed this--Wo Fat?
ReplyDeleteRemember, Five-O is NOT the Hawaii State Police.
"Hawaii Five-O [is] a fictional state police force led by former U.S. naval officer Steve McGarrett, who was appointed by the Governor Paul Jameson."
SO there....
And ULEE is now crosswordese, this generation's ALDA.
Get used to it.
Be there. Aloha.
@Andrea - Actually, Two Ponies noted the same error at 11:01, but didn't put such a deadly spin on it!
ReplyDelete(Please note, no connection exists between this post and the real Two Ponies. Peace and love to all.)
I'm not sure that anyone has said this yet, so I apologize if it's a repeat: "five-o" as slang for cops is based on the show. So when we were watching the show growing up, none of us had any idea it was code for the cops because it wasn't yet. The title was just a made up name (as mentioned, based on the 50th statehood) for a non-existent state police force.
ReplyDeleteYou mean I was wrong when I swooped down on those scum bags and yelled:
ReplyDelete"Florida 27!"
Nice burn, NIH!
ReplyDelete@hazel
ReplyDeleteTicket for 64 in a 55 zone --- I feel your pain.
I've long championed changing those "Speed LIMIT 55" signs to "Speed SUGGESTION 55", to more accurately reflect common knowledge.
But those 5-0 smurfs are so damn literal (much like many of posters here) especially when they are protecting the revenue stream.
[See also Speed TRAP]
..../Glitch ;)
PS: My GPS reflects my speed much more accurately than my car's speedometer. Since adopting a "Speed suggestion +9 mph" standard have not had a "roadside chat" with anyone carrying a citation book, much less a loaded weapon.
.../g
Just got nailed for 93/65. No traffic school for 25+ over. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteHand me an oar, I'm in the far along boat too. Other than that, a great little puzzle. We're off to a fun start this week.
ReplyDeleteO! Andrea and Two Ponies, I had Bundy List also. I actually once knew a little organic chemistry--I put in ENE first (because the puzzle seems to like that), then the "I" went in when O Pioneers fell, and I saw Bundy List and figured it was some obscure computer thing I didn't know about. Didn't get past Ted and Al and Peg on my list tho.
ReplyDeleteSMURFING is also a well-known term in the money-laundering trade: SMURFING is the act of using runners to perform multiple financial transactions to avoid the currency reporting requirements.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know many things in this puzzle, but got all from crosses.
ReplyDeleteCalling a policeman a 5-0 in NY doesn't start a siren, but since it's fictional, a FIVE0 did not arrest my cousin Rick a few years ago for guarding marijuana in Hawaii.
@Elaine beat me to it but...
Uneeda Biscuit (in a tin with a kid in a Nor'easter) is gone, but I had no idea Hi-Ho was, too. Kellog's owns Keebler owns Sunshine. Hydrox (like an Oreo) is also gone, but not Cheez-It.
Never heard of BUDDYLIST or SETS (sports) (@Dave L disagrees) but they make sense. You could tell me anything about sports and I'd believe you. Also, LIEV.
@DK - Smurfs - what my jailbirds called Shorties.
@Noam - O is rather a poetic use.
Let me join in the general assent for both the theme and the wonderful VOCAB. Too numerous to list, and it's already been said. I love that DATA ("Facts and figures") was clued as a plural.
ReplyDeleteFor once the obscure actor (LIEV) was someone I've actually seen and enjoyed (pre-Wolverine), the partial is from a song I know by heart (Mr. Bojangles), and the sitcom neighbor (RHODA) is a character I've actually heard of.
Also a good day for both write-up and comments (@Parshutr and @fikink both had me LOL, in the bygone language of IMs). And nice to hear from Crockett and Tubbs.
In Jersey City, I had actual 'smurfs' or 'hoppers' doing their thing in the alley behind my apartment (it was separated from the yard by a cyclone fence). Only on Saturdays, for some reason. They were children, just goofing around with each other and waiting for cars to pull up, at which point they would run down the alley, do something involving paper bags, and run back. They completely ignored us, the local residents, since we were neither customers nor Five-O.
I would like to thank my secretary for stepping up at 4:01.
ReplyDeleteI was a bit shocked that Andrea had missed my post. She's usually so thorough.
@ hazel, I'm so impressed that you tossed that ticket!
This would be a great puzzle to show to elementary school children just getting the hang of all the different spellings of the long o sound. Wish I had it last week when filling in at second grade.
ReplyDeleteAs people have noted the unit on the tv show was called Five-0 for the 50th state.
ReplyDeleteThe slang reference for the cops is from black slang, which like diss, back in the day, etc. crosses over to quasi-mainstream.
The recent tv series, The Shield (highly recommended DVD fare) used Five-0 and po-po and other ghetto slang.
Just now getting to the puzzle. 2 gimmes: my ELI ex-husband was LIEV's classmate. Bit of name (and husband) dropping...
ReplyDelete@Two Ponies
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, LUV (which is what I had before GUV...by the way GUV is good in Scrabble, GOV is not) but I'm sort of out of sorts.
(Is that redundant?)
Having been called RHODA in my childhood, (being a quasi=NY Jew transplanted to Mpls) did not stop me from first trying to come up with Cloris Leachman's name
(Phyllis) as I think I thought Rhoda was Mary's roommate.
@Rube
The fact that ROHODA's sister was played by Julie Kavner who now voices Marge, does that count as a Simpson reference?
@Ruth
My BUnDY mishap is bec I thought it was BUNDLE something...I feel I had heard of bundled software or something, so I didn't go back and check.
I'm wondering how many millions of puzzles I "completed" before this blog, never knowing I had a one-letter error.
@Fergus
Not really a missed opportunity...
My guess is that you would have been hard-pressed to explain to 2nd graders what AU COURANT was, O Pioneers (when do we use O, other than in O Canada?) even EAU DE COLOGNE.
Loved the theme, am all for everything being a teaching moment, but I'd like to think we're way above 2nd grade comprehension!
LIEV Schreiber wrote the screenplay and directed a very fine and quirky memory piece of a movie called "Everything is Illuminated" based on a novel by Jonathon Safran Foer, who, coincidentally enough, is a friend of our very own Dan Feyer and is about a Ukranian young man along with his blind grandfather who give tours to American Jews in search of their roots in the old country. The young man speaks the English language in a delightful, fractured kind of way where words always seem to be trying to escape their sentences, is in love with American popular culture (unlike many folks among us here) and is accompanied by a dog named Sammy Davis Junior Junior. Highly recommend this movie.
ReplyDeleteI taught at a Westchester County private school for many years and am familiar with the term Five-O for police as these upper middle class kids copied the black slang of the day - an example of the bad driving out the good in language.
I really liked this puzzle for bringing together two separate but unrelated bits of memory.
@andrea oh michaels, you're a) talking 3 degrees here, b) sucking up to Rex, c) way beyond me in your "pink" knowledge.
ReplyDeleteSee you all tomorrow.
@Andrea
ReplyDeleteRhoda lived upstairs from Mary in Phyllis' Victorian house. How can you forget the important facts?
@Edith, thanks for the movie recommendation.
ReplyDelete@EdithB - I just bumped one of my (dear) husband's movies down a notch in my Netflix Queue!! Thks for the rec.
ReplyDeleteWith 16A -- the word Aryan is a seriously tainted word, and, as is well know, it has been abused and misused for various purposes including propaganda and also out of ignorance or disregard for its etymology. It seems to me that it's a word that needs to be treated with caution. The "indo-European" clue is based on a hoary old error that may be well-worn but is still egregious. Couldn't this linguistic pothole be avoided with a clue that doesn't perpetuate a careless error?
ReplyDeleteTo agree with one comment...
ReplyDeleteAs far as the TV show is concerned, the 5-0 (actually five zero) represents the number 50 as in our 50th state.
BTW, "Hawaii Five-0" was a fictional STATE police department...no such police department exists in real life. Many people don't know this. Travel brochures always mention there is NO state police.
Gosh, I loved that show! Yes, I'm that old! LOL!
I vaguely remember hearing the term "Five O" as being slang for cops in general but it didn't help me get the answer (it just filled in).
Well I find this puzzle so much more interesting and fun now that I've read all the comments. I too had never heard of Five-O as a slang term for cop but I did love the TV show! So I struggled with that one. But hey I did get Liev -- he's a great actor by the way. Go rent some of his movies! :-)
ReplyDelete