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Relative difficulty: Medium
THEME: BOSTON (43A: Theme of this puzzle) [scintillating clue!]
- 17A: Expensive neighborhood in 43-Across (BEACON HILL)
- 11D: 43-Across patriot who went on a "midnight ride" (PAUL REVERE)
- 34A: Nickname for 43-Across (THE HUB)
- 29D: Popular food in 43-Across (BAKED BEANS)
- 61A: 43-Across stadium (FENWAY PARK)
Word of the Day: HEEL TAP (25D: Shoe lift) —
noun /ˈhēlˌtap/
heeltaps, plural
- One of the layers of leather or other material of which a shoe heel is made
- An amount of liquor left at the bottom of a glass after drinking
• • •
RE: the definition of "HEELTAP"—What is this mythical "amount of liquor left at the bottom of a glass after drinking"? Who is leaving liquor at the bottom of their glass after drinking, and what is wrong with them?
This puzzle was too straightforward for my tastes. Bunch of stuff related to (a boringly clued) BOSTON. Then the gratuitous and mildly irrelevant circled-letter MA. It's not like getting an "M" or an "A" into those places would've been tough. Grid is professional-grade—Ian (newly married, btw—congratulations) knows what he's doing. But just ho-hum for me. Never ever heard of HEELTAP. Neither had wife. Real outlier in this puzzle. But a fine word to know, I suppose.
My favorite part of solving this (which I did on paper, as I now have a strict "no electronics" sabbath from Sat. night to Sun. night, i.e. between blog posts) was seeing PAUL RE- in the grid at 11D and deciding I would no-look it—thus, casually and confidently, I wrote in what I was sure to be the one true answer: PAUL REISER. Felled by hubris! It's kind of fun on a Monday, when the stakes are ankle-high at best.
Off to contribute to my on-line reading group's discussion of "Moby-Dick" (22D: Fictional captain who said "Thou damned whale!" => AHAB). See you tomorrow.
I don't like the JIBS/JADE crossing. FIBS/FADE would be more Monday-ish to me.
ReplyDeleteI feel Monday crosswords should emphasize familiarity over exotic letters.
Three times in nine days for AGHAST. I'm "shocked", "horrified", and "rendered speechless". You might say "consternated" - even "terror-struck". I'm "totally shaken" by this. Even, dare I say, "appalled". "Awfully awed", so to speak.
ReplyDeleteDB
Easy-medium for me. Very nice Mon. Only erasure: SweaTS for SHORTS. And only two things gleaned from crosswords: DEKE and IBEX.
ReplyDeleteI guess my expectations are lower than Rex's on Mon. I'm just looking for smooth and easy enough for my granddaughter to do with a bit of help from google. This one is just fine.
And, speaking of apostrophes, I just did a puzzle in a Peter Gordon book where the theme involved putting them in appropriate squares.
Fine puzzle Ian!
EXCUSE ME MAAM, ABET JIBS HORSE ET AL READS the BOSTON TRIB. SKAT OSSIE, HEELTAP and TAR the BAKED BEANS! Well, AHAB a THEORY,.....if BOFFO and MIKE HOBNOB with the FOXY GALS and URN BAIL MONEY, WEE won't REVERE PAUL.
ReplyDeleteOLE Livengood...!
"Mad About U...K" starring Paul Revere. AMIRITE??!?!
ReplyDeleteEasy. I was closing in on, but barely missed, a sub-4 minute Monday. Just no challenge, even by Monday standards. The early reports at the NYT site seem to bear this out.
ReplyDeleteGot about half the puzzle straight across, went to the NW, did enough downs to reveal BEACON HILL, and that tipped off all the theme answers. I know Boston reasonably well, but I don't think that mattered. No Bostonian subtleties here. No FRAPPES, no BIG DIG, THE PRU didn't make an appearance......
Thanks, Mr. Livengood.
Interestingly enough, THE T -- what they call the local train system in Boston -- has never appeared as an answer in the Times puzzle. It's so short I might have expected it to show up at least once. I guess they figure that the New York-based readership will be much more apt to know ACELA and IRT and LIRR....as well as CTA and ELS for we Chicago folks.
ReplyDeleteFound this one easy despite getting mixed up with MYNAH before MACAU before MACAW, and SEE before GET. I wasn't crazy about the theme itself but the fill is very well done.
@Sarah:
I'm going out on a limb here, but I seem to recall you made a similar comment last month involving JIBS. That entry in June was at 1-Across, today's is at 1-Down. I don't think of it as crosswordese. Any reason in particular why you don't like it?
I've learned from doing these puzzles that the NYT will never hesitate to use a high Scrabble-point letter when they can easily replace a lower one like at the top-right corner.
Had this puppy done before my second sip of my 5:00 P.M. wine. Jon "the newbie" came in as a very close second. Thought he'd balk at 51D, but he nailed it, BOFFO. Got a little excited when I saw Ian Livengood as the constructor, I love his puzzles, this one was a little too Monday easy. That's a good thing for our beginning puzzle nuts.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ian!
Where is our @Sparky, I miss her and her adorable avatar.
Baseball is not played in an arena. It is played in a park. At least it could have been clued "Ballfield"...
ReplyDelete"The Hub" seems a grandiose nickname for Boston, assuming I've never come across it in my life.
ReplyDelete*assuming = considering
ReplyDeleteOkay, but a bit meh.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDelete"In a novel he wrote in 1858, Cambridge-born author and philosopher Oliver Wendell Holmes described the Massachusetts State House as the “Hub of the Solar System.” As society in Boston developed, the nickname developed into an even greater brand – “The Hub of the Universe.” The term of reference, shortened to “The Hub,” is seldom used today in daily conversation."
http://www.boston.com/travel/boston/boston_nicknames/
Never heard of Bean Town being called THEHUB when I lived there. I do remember the lack of street signs other than the ones that said One Way.
ReplyDeleteWrote my honors english paper on Iconoclasm and 18th century American Lit. AHAB as you may imagine figured prominently.
I could not write fast enough for this one… or I should say type as the paper version has yet to arrive. Yet an oddly pleasant outing.
🌟🌟🌟 (3 Stars) Nice one Ian.
Pretty good Monday, I'd say. As @Rex said, theme was pretty straightforward to be great for *me*, but not bad for the general Monday audience. And the fill was darn good.
ReplyDelete@Karl: you may need to be looser with your dictionary definitions. Also, "ballfield" would have made the clue much easier - maybe too easy in the editor's opinion.
Easy Monday. Great fill. Straightforward theme. Wonder if this was created after the bombing in April? Maybe it would have been more meaningful if it was held to run next Patriot's Day.
ReplyDeleteNever heard THE HUB. Thanks for the explanation Anon 6:28.
I liked ACT NOW next to PAUL REVERE. Reflects the sense of urgency associated with his ride. Have you seen the cell phone commercial with Paul Revere - not sure which company, but funny.
The Jr High schooler in me loved BLOW and REAR next to BAKED BEANS.
I had a genuine LOL at the circled M and A (wait a minute -- could it be?)
ReplyDeleteSo now I have three questions - For Those Who Know: What is or was the lowest number of circled/shaded squares used in a NYT crossword before today's two?
For the Imaginative Ones: Could there be a credible use of a single circle in a puzzle, or has it already been done?
And finally: Is Ian Livengood our own M&A?
I thought it was easy, smooth and dull. Little moments like JADE/JIBS providing the only succor. I liked HALER, as I view it as a usage more common across the pond. Also, AHAB has a nice whiff of Nantucket. Perfectly fine Monday for me.
ReplyDeleteFastest Monday ever, at 6:25 (I know that's pretty slow for many here, but hey, I'll own it).
ReplyDeleteAnd yet there were some unfamiliar terms along the way like THE HUB, HALER, SKAT, BOFFO...HEEL TAP sounds like a tap dance step, but I think that's HEEL Toe. But obviously the crosses took care of everything.
Loved HOB NOB and ACT NOW. I also love a scrabbly feel on an easy day.
@Rob C. I also wondered if this had been written post- marathon and was meant as a tribute of sorts.
How can I complain about seeing my city featured in this nice easy puzzle? Plenty of fun, and as for 1A surely JADE is more of a gimme, with that clue, than fADE would have been.
ReplyDeleteOnly--
There're no beans in Boston;
Plenty of fish
Chinese food if that's your wish
Steaks and chops are a beautiful fare
But - just couldn't find any Boston beans there.
-Peggy Lee
My only problem was that I'd always thought St. Paul wrote Acts - I had to look it up after I finished to accept that it was right.
@Karl, FENWAY PARK is clued in the paper as a stadium, not an arena - is it different in the online version?
Fun to see St. Luke and St. Anlee on the same line in a usually boring Monday.
ReplyDeleteLoved the opening mix of JADE/JIBS/IBEX.
ReplyDeleteAdding to that corner "Well, EXCUSEME" brought back funny memories of Steve Martin.
The patriots FREED us from paying more taxes so we would have more MONEY and not go into DEBT.
PAULREVERE rode a HORSE.
And Nathan HALE(R), while not from BOSTON was definitely a revolutionary hero.
This was more straightforward than Ian's usual fare but solid and a perfect Monday level puzzle. Thanks, Ian! (And congratulations on your new marriage!)
Don't know about anyone else, but my doctor has me SAY AH _during_ a throat exam, not before.
ReplyDeleteWhen JADE, MACAW, APED, IBEX and CAGE seemed to be signaling the beginning of a tribute to pre-Shortz editor Eugene Maleska, I cringed, until BEACONHILL reared its head and provided another reason to cringe as a Boston tribute puzzle seemed in the offing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a strange conglomeration of entries for a city featuring itself loudly and proudly as “Boston Strong” after the bout of terrorism that ravaged the Boston Marathon.
BAKEDBEANS?
Brahmins will be AGHAST that anyone would think that such an entry is in any way representative of their beloved “city upon a hill”, as proclaimed by John Winthrop in a 1630 sermon that launched the idea that this new country was destined to be something special, with the whole world watching.
So, no, BAKEDBEANS don’t cut it (well, they do but, well, you know); sorry, time to move on.
Quickly now, we must note that Ian left a perfectly good theme entry in a doctor’s examining room when SAYAH might have been cleverly clued as “Speak like a native of 43 across”.
And, admittedly, THEHUB was nice as far as it went, bearing in mind though that the correct phrase is “Boston, The Hub of the Universe”.
Actually, this was a fun puzzle and, in truth, we of the Bay State say thank you to Ian and Will for saluting our beloved “Beantown”, with equal thanks for not including any snickering references to “Taxachusetts”.
Having lived in the Boston area for 9+ years now, I loved the theme!
ReplyDeleteHEELTAP and HALER were new to me. Very, very fast solve for me.
FYI-- I'm not sure that BAKED BEANS are consumed more in Boston than elsewhere in the US.
Boston ex-pat here. THEHUB to me was a gimme. Often heard it growing up there, almost as much as The Pru.
ReplyDelete@jackj: Boston BAKEDBEANS are def. a thing. I can't stand 'em and my Boston roots are always questioned when I express my distaste. They sell souvenir crocks to tourists and then there's the Beanpot Tourney in college hockey. Why do you s'pose they call it Beantown?
I also "balked" at the Stadium clue (online) for FENWAYPARK. I thought I'd have to come up with whatever Boston Garden is called now or Foxboro.
An easy, enjoyable puzzle for this Masshole…
Fun easy Monday. Never heard of Horse as a basket ball game...thought it would be WOD.
ReplyDeleteMy two favorite TV programs are Big band theory and CSI
Ever had a baked bean sandwich??? My husband's favorite.
A puzzle that not only recognizes my home town of Boston and my beloved Red Sox who play at Fenway (GO Sox!) but also throws in my adopted home state of Delaware. Be still my heart! So here we are in Boston
ReplyDeleteHome of the baked bean and
cod
Where the Cabots speak only
to Lodges
And the Lodges speak only to
God
@Glimmerglass - I am pretty sure that you can get a ST. ANLEE statue at ComicCon.
ReplyDelete@chefbea - HORSE is a game where you try to make the same shot as your opponent just did. If you miss, you get a letter. When you have spelt HORSE you've lost.
Isn't there a Boston Baked Beans candy?
Addendum: to me, SHORTS is a theme answer. In elementary school a friend of mine was so excited that they were getting SHORTS that day at school, envisioning fancy gym uniforms. In reality it was innoculation day. Think BOSTON accent…
ReplyDeleteWhy, yes there is.
ReplyDeleteAnother Boston ex-pat here, and oh, dear...
ReplyDeleteHad BEACON HILL popped in right quick, which had me plop down BOSTON right after, and then of course had to see what the circles were and eeesh...the M and A just seemed so pathetic hanging out there.
If English is your first language I don't understand labeling J and "exotic letter". Weird.
I saw an IBEX in the wild once while visiting En Gedi....so beautiful.
BEQ (I think) once did a puzzle in which the theme answers were based on Bostonian pronunciation. Loved that one.
ReplyDeletePuzzle + comments...I SAY AHhh. Lovely start to the morning. Especially liked the combinations HOB NOB and ONE TWOS, the IBEX and MACAW (not MynAh), AHAB with his JIBS and PAUL REVERE with his HORSE. On the dark side: the cluster of PYROS + EXPERTS + FUELS.
ReplyDelete@Sandy K - On the PB puzzle: wow, tough! I have two gaps in the outer ring, one pie-slice segment filled in from edge to center and a couple more almost, and then lots and lots of white. Will keep at it. How about you?
Extremely easy. I always like to see Ibex in the morning.
ReplyDelete____
Ever had a baked bean sandwich??? My husband's favorite.
Please file a flight plan when he eats it next.
Those who are unaware of The Hub as a Boston nickname have not looked at the Bruins logo. Always thought it fun that the hub of the universe should be referenced on the Bruins jerseys.
ReplyDeleteLiked the theme THO hand up for expecting a TRIBute- would've liked to see BOSTON strong. Other hand up for liking JADE/JIBS!
ReplyDeleteBEACON HILL reminds me of "The Way We Were" where Katie and Hubble HOBNOBbed...
@Carola- Missing 5 and 7 in outer ring. Have lots of words eg OPHELIA, GOLIATH, but can't figure out how to place them. Feels like an 8 to me!
HUB may be unfamiliar in 2013, but when I lived in Cambridge in the 1940s, it was standard to say we were going to the HUB if we ever took the subway in that direction.
ReplyDeletePerfect to be writing in "Fenway Park" at the moment when, right there at Fenway, the Sox were crushing the Bronx team in extra innings! A tribute to Boston was so apt! Very fast for me, under 5 minutes - normal Monday time is between 6 and 7. But I really enjoyed it.
ReplyDelete,A nice clean Monday theme construct with all the theme words relevant and in perfect symmetry. A model for would-be constructors. A great relief after Saturdays total DNF. Thanks Mr. Livengood!(,,,??
ReplyDeleteSo easy it could be a first puzzle for a beginner. I couldn't find much to smile about. And META is apparently the hot word now. Uninspired.
ReplyDeleteA little double e theme going on, with five entries.
ReplyDeleteJust right for Monday. No guile, no great knowledge required, pretty good chance of completion. Well done, Ian.
Correction to my earlier comment: I meant the top-LEFT corner.
ReplyDelete@Bob Kerfuffle:
I believe the record for fewest circled squares in a puzzle is zero. But I think that's been done many times.
In all seriousness, the March 4, 2004 puzzle had one circle in it. So did the one on March 18, 2010, but that was that to direct solvers to draw a picture by starting with the circled square and connecting it to the rebus squares in order.
@Sandy K - Had a breakthrough and "finished" (quotes because I didn't know how to spell Ring 8!). Let me know if you'd like a hint.
ReplyDelete@Carola- I need more than a hint!
ReplyDeleteMine's a mess. I know, Ring 8- has 2 spellings...but I can't even get to Ring 2! You are brilliant!
What is 5 and 7? And give me *something* from Ring 2 to get me started. Is it clockwise or counter? : [
@Sandy K - *SPOILER alert for PB's WSJ puzzle* 5 = council (my morning breakthrough); 7 = mess kit. Ring 2 goes counterclockwise. The first letter of the Victorian chapeaux goes in the middle space at the top of the ring, right under the left line of the #1 space in Ring 1. I had to abandon the outer rings for a while and work from the center out. Even though I had the wrong spelling in Ring 8, enough was right to let me build out a ways and that helped. "Brilliant," not hardly...more like dogged! Did a fair amount of "now what words can you make out of.....?" Good luck and happy chipping away!
ReplyDeleteNice easy Monday puzzle except did not know APED or DEKES and could not see TURK so I had to stare at that section a bit.
ReplyDeleteHas Mr. Kerfuffle unmasked Mr. Livengood?
ReplyDeleteBy placing two of the 10-letter themers Down and two Across, none of the four have to share letters with crossing non-themers. This really opens the grid up for maximum freedom in choosing the fill entries, and is why we see so many complimentary comments about its quality.
Probably not Monday-friendly, but another HORSE game occurs in poker. It's actually a series of five games and is used to determine the best all-around poker player.
I was reading about the 1906 Frisco earthquake and came across a possible new definition, again not Monday-friendly, for OLE.
The maximum amount of movement along the fault was originally thought to have occurred near Olema. The name derives from "ole", the Miwok Indian word for "coyote".
I am immeasurably proud of myself when I finish below 5:00 on a Monday. So, finishing this at 3:46 shattered all records. I'll thank five years of Boston life for that!
ReplyDeleteMidday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation of my method and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak to my method):
ReplyDeleteAll solvers (this week's median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)
Mon 5:20, 6:09, 0.87, 3%, Easy
Top 100 solvers
Mon 3:22, 3:46, 0.90, 5%, Easy
Easy but fun, just what you expect from a quality Monday!
ReplyDelete`
Hey does anyone know where Acme is???
ReplyDeleteAccording to her Facebook page, Acme is in Las Vegas at a scrabble tournament.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteHello every one my Name is marcy. I will love to thank Dr peter at ayokospellcaster@gmail. and share my testimony to all the people in the forum cos i never thought i will have my girlfriend back and she means so much to me..The girl i want to get marry to left me 4 weeks to our wedding for another man.., When i called her she never picked my calls, She deleted me on her facebook and she changed her facebook status from married to Single...when i went to her to her place of work she told her boss she never want to see me..I lost my job as a result of this cos i cant get myself anymore,my life was upside down and everything did not go smooth with my life...I tried all i could do to have her back to all did not work out until i met a Man when i Travel to Africa to execute some business have been developing some years back..I told him my problem and all have passed through in getting her back and how i lost my job...he told me he gonna help me...i don`t believe that in the first place.but he swore he will help me out and he told me the reason why my girlfriend left me and also told me some hidden secrets.i was amazed when i heard that from him..he said he will cast a spell for me and i will see the results in the next couple of days..then i travel back to US the following day and i called him when i got home and he said he`s busy casting those spells and he has bought all the materials needed for the spells,he said am gonna see positive results in the next 2 days that is Thursday...My girlfriend called me at exactly 12:35pm on Thursday and apologies for all she had done ..she said, she never knew what she`s doing and her sudden behavior was not intentional and she promised not to do that again.it was like am dreaming when i heard that from her and when we ended the call,i called the man and told him my wife called and he said i haven`t seen anything yet... he said i will also get my job back in 3 days time..and when its Sunday,they called me at my place of work that i should resume working on Monday and they gonna compensate me for the time limit have spent at home without working..My life is back into shape,i have my girlfriend back and we are happily married now with kids and i have my job back too.This man is really powerful..if we have up to 20 people like him in the world,the world would have been a better place..he has also helped many of my friends to solve many problems and they are all happy now..Am posting this to the forum for anybody that is interested in meeting the man for help.you can mail him to ayokospellcaster@gmail. I cant give out his number cos he told me he don`t want to be disturbed by many people across the world..he said his email is okay and he` will replied to any emails asap..hope he helped u out too..good luck: ayokospellcaster@gmail.com .ONCE AGAIN HIS EMAIL ADDRESS IS: (ayokospellcaster@gmail.com) you are the best spell caster that can help solve any problem i will always give thanks to you.
Only 4 U's. So, no, this can't be an M&A creation.
ReplyDeleteThis week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak I've made to my method. In a nutshell, the higher the ratio, the higher this week's median solve time is relative to the average for the corresponding day of the week.
ReplyDeleteAll solvers (this week's median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)
Mon 5:21, 6:09, 0.87, 3%, Easy (6th lowest ratio of 188 Mondays)
Top 100 solvers
Mon 3:18, 3:46, 0.88, 3%, Easy (5th lowest ratio of 188 Mondays)
THE MIGHTY SPELL CASTER THAT HELPED ME SOLVED MY CRITICAL PROBLEM.
ReplyDeleteI dont know how to really thank Dr Raypower for what he did for me. My Name is Precious from South Korea, i was dating this man who i loved very much for over six years now without any problem in our relationship. so at a point he changed so suddenly after returning from the office and started behaving so strangely. it even got to the extent that he told me it was over and i should never call him again. This was a person that loved me with everything that he had. When i told my friend jenny what happened, she introduced me to a great spell caster called DR RAYPOWER. At first sight this man told me all my problems that it was his secretary that used a charm on him. Dr Raypower told me not to worry that he will help me solve the problem. The following day, i was in the house in a sober mood when i first received a message from my boyfriend that he was very sorry and before i dropped the phone, he called me again to say he is on his way home and that he was truly sorry for everything. To my greatest surprise, one week later he engaged me and we got married. All Thanks to Dr raypower. You can email him at raypowersolutionhome@gmail.com for any problem that you have. once again his email address is raypowersolutionhome@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteMy name is forstar and i want to testify of the good work done by a faithful priest grace, a spell caster. in my life i never thought there is such thing as spiritual intercession. my problem started nine months back when the father of my kids started putting up some strange behavior, i never knew he was having an affair outside our matrimonial home. it dawn on me on that faithful day 21th of April 9st 4:23pm when he came to the house to pick his things that was when i knew that situation has gotten out of hand and he then told me he was quitting the marriage which i have built for over five years, i was confused and dumbfounded i called on family and friends but to no avail. two months after i started having problem with my kids welfare rent-age and all of it, i really went through hell. until a day i was browsing on the internet and i happen to meet a spell caster i never believed on this but i needed my man back so i gave the spell caster my problem at first i never trusted him so i was just doing it but you know a problem shared is half solved after a week my husband called me telling me that he his coming back home and that was all. now we are living happily and i still do contact him on this email: Gracerelationshipspell@gmail.com
canada
[They're ba-a-ack] Wellp, nothin' to do but scroll down.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it is difficult to take the jolt from endweek "challenging"s to Monday gimme-grids. As I move along in experience, I seem to identify more and more closely with @I skip M-W. It's as if they were bending over double to make sure you GET it. Hard to believe OFL put a "medium" on this. Personally, my only slightest hesitation was HEELTAP. I know the HEEL is the partial shot left over in the BOTTLE, which in many places earns the customer a freebie, but HEELTAP is a new one on me. At first, seeing the lone circles at either side, I thought there'd be some reference to the famous signal ("one if by land," etc.). But it was just the state.
Straightforward theme, pretty dense and so well constructed, but now I have to go make some coffee to wake up my brain. It hasn't done a lick of work yet this morning.
@jberg I also thought Acts was written by StPaul, but perhaps that's because it's about him, not by him. paul to LUKE was my only write-over.
ReplyDelete@spacecraft - scroll, scroll, scroll
This puzzle proves you can learn something even on a Monday. Did not know THEHUB. But I loved my visit to BOSTON, fun town. Learned to appreciate Sam Adams on tap. FENWAYPARK was an experience not to be missed.
Thanks Ian, for the memories and the puzzle!
After my total wash-out on Saturday, this puzzle was a snap, and good for the morale. Only hesitation was surprise that first letter is a J, but put it in and solved top to bottom with a smile!
ReplyDelete@Carola and @Sandy: I'm impressed with your WSJ puzzle efforts. I have never even been able to understand the directions well enough to get started!! Well, I do do the acrostic, tho it takes more time than I'd like to admit.
Love BOSTON, MA. IMO one of the most fun and interesting cities anywhere.
ReplyDeleteLearned from OFL that a HEELTAP was the booze left over in a glass. Back when I was bartending (fake ID) my way through college we called the leftovers "corners" and poured them into a corners bucket that the morning cleanup guy took home with him. Sorry to share that.
By Jove, I think it would be BOFFO if we could HOBNOB. Jolly good!
Anybody know anybody who has ever actually seriously used those words in the last few decades?
On the other hand, the META/MOUSEPAD crossing is somewhat current.
Belated congratulations to today's constructor on his wedding.
capcha: aagrati. A reluctant "thank you" somewhere in the Mediterranean?
@DMG The Open is ON, and I will hibernate, as much as my schedule will allow, for the next 2 weeks.
ReplyDelete@Ginger: I looked at the schedule and blanched- wish they could stretch it out over a longer, less intense period. As it is I took a minute from the delayed game to see what what was going on here. Did you see the article where a lot of the newer players are afraid Roger will quit before they have a chance to play him?
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad 21a couldn't have been Bill 'Spaceman' LEE who pitched for the Red Sox from 1969 - 1978. (He subsequently went to Montreal, so maybe @Waxy will add more detail.) He was known for his wacky behavior and quotes, such as "I think about the cosmic snowball theory. A few million years from now the sun will burn out and lose its gravitational pull. The earth will turn into a giant snowball and be hurled through space. When that happens it won't matter if I get this guy out." Being from New England definitely made this puzzle a relative snap.
ReplyDelete@Karl - Fenway wasn't clued "arena" but rather "stadium" which absolutely is a fair description of a baseball park - like "Dodger Stadium."
ReplyDeleteI have a question, though: shouldn't the St. Luke clue give an indication that St. is abbreviated?