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Novelist Ahern / TUE 3-17-20 / Singer with 1994 hit you gotta be / Period during which throne is vacant / Nickname for Angel Stadium with the / Dispute between wikipedia page updaters
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Constructor: Ross Trudeau
Relative difficulty: Easy (untimed, but the only resistance in the puzzle was a single proper name) (untimed, clipboard solve)
Theme answers:
- PRIDE AND JOY (20A: Child, to doting parents)
- FEAR AND LOATHING (25A: Classic Hunter S. Thompson novel, familiarly)
- SHOCK AND AWE (41A: Strategy during the 2003 invasion of Iraq)
- EDIT WAR (just kidding, not actually a themer, just sitting in what looks like a themer location...)
Cecelia Ahern (born 30 September 1981) is a bestselling Irish novelist known for her works like PS, I Love You, Where Rainbows End and If You Could See Me Now. Born in Dublin, Ahern is now published in nearly fifty countries, and has sold over 25 million copies of her novels worldwide. Two of her books have been adapted as major motion films.She and her books have won numerous awards, including the Irish Book Award for Popular Fiction for The Year I Met You.She has published several novels and contributed a number of short stories to various anthologies. Ahern also created and produced the ABC comedy Samantha Who? starring Christina Applegate. (wikipedia)
• • •
[Oh yeah, I remember this. I definitely walked out of this.]
The fill was the fill. It was. Not sure I'd ever throw ERNIE and ARNIE together (so close!) if I didn't absolutely have to. JUDO THROWS is interesting (10D: Takedowns at dojos). And INTERREGNUM is very much my thing (see above). but the rest of it is just there. It's fine. If you want to commit a piece of crosswordese to memory today, make it DES'REE (dez-ray). For someone who had only one really memorable song over a quarter century ago, she has managed to Stick Around. Lots of common letters in somewhat unusual combinations makes her occasionally valuable to constructors. She's like a beefed up EERO Saarinen. Like if EERO and ESME had a baby: DES'REE. You gotta be ... on the lookout for her, from time to time.
No idea who CECELIA Ahern is. Weird how someone can sell that many books and still not appear on my radar at all. Never heard of her books, or the movies made out of her books, but I *have* heard of the TV show "Samantha Who?" which I watched religiously when it came out, and which CECELIA Ahern apparently created (!?). Christina Applegate! Jean Smart! Melissa McCarthy! It was fun. I think it's streaming on Hulu. You should watch it. I mean, what else are you gonna do?
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
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88 comments:
I agree that the reveal, as seen through the eyes of a solver, would suggest some kind of anagramming or trick. But it does work. The feelings aren’t synonyms of each other, so you could argue that they’re MIXED.
“Atta” before ITSA.
I knew it was “toe” the line, and not “tow” the line, but I always check to make sure before I use it. I guess I have as much of a FEAR as I do a LOATHING of the ever-ready-to-pounce grammar meanies.
TITTLE is one of those words that show up on the nifty lists of things you never knew had a word. That little dent above your lip? Philtrum. The tragus is that button-like piece of cartilage at the front of the barista’s ear, the barista who’s slipping that cardboard zarf around your coffee cup so you don’t burn your hand.
Had no idea that AHISTORICAL was a word. When I use A in front of HISTORICAL, as in
It was a historical display of epic, arrogant bumbling.
I always use an because that /h/ sound disappears in my speech, rendering the first sound of historical a vowel. I’ve sat here whispering AHISTORICAL over and over, and it still feels weird.
That clue for PARDON. Hmm. Guess you could argue that the toehead in chief pardons all kinds of turkeys.
What else you going to do? Apparently go out and buy a shit ton of guns “just in case the worst happens.” Toilet paper and guns: Making America Great Again.
Meanwhile, some awful rappers are doing this. When “cannabis evangelists” are the sane ones I get a little worried.
Sorry, I should never look at the headlines before doing the puzzle. Anywho, Thank DIOS there was no “mixing” going on. I hate anagrams. It is an odd set of MIXED FEELINGS, though. The second FEELING is really just an intensifier of the first. When I think of MIXED FEELINGS I think more along the lines of a love/hate relationship, FEELINGS at odds with each other. Not more of the same only stronger. Anyway, The theme set is fine by me. I might complain that PRIDE AND JOY is a little trite, but seeing new parents’ posts on Facebook reminds me that there really isn’t a much more apt description of what those parents are displaying.
Had no idea about DES,REE, but listened to the song and yep, I know it. ERNIE, ARNIE, and OTTO vaping while reading the OED is a rather AHISTORICAL thing running through the middle of the puzzle. Overall, a better than average Tuesday.
Super fast and easy for me. I even knew the name of the Rabbit movie because someone just recommended it to me. I'll skip it. I like Mr Trudeau's puzzles and this was a fine example of why. Fun words, accessible without being dull and use of words in newish ways. I did have a WEE NIT with REGAL and REGNUM but that's just I sore.
"Fear and Loathing" as a phrase predates Thompson so I don't get the need for the clue as written. Schiller, Southey and Hazlitt used it in the 19th century. Is it a biblical phrase? (I only read my catechism as an INFANT so am lacking in fundamental crossword knowledge of biblical references.)
I've thought of the above expression often lately as I descend into a mindset of very Mixed Feelings over this current global catastrophe. Being AHISTORICAL at a time like this can be counter-productive. Or as the UBER NERD Mr. Spock might say "most illogical."
I loved the freshness given to the puzzle by four seldom or never-seen answers (two are NYT debuts, two appeared just once before, and for one of those, it was about 70 years ago): ICEMELT, JUDO THROWS, INTERREGNUM, and AHISTORIC. I was also a fan of the seven double-E's as well as Beer City in the north central, where PABST neighbors with REGAL (an old beer), or if you prefer, its reverse LAGER. Thank you for all of this, Ross!
Thank goodness for the fun and spark that crosswords bring during this surreal period, this lacuna between what-was and who-knows-what-will-be, countering the darkness with some light, or, to go along with today's theme, keeping it UP AND DOWN, rather than just the latter. Thank you for continuing to pour these puzzles out, crossword editors and NYT!
SPASMED just barely qualifies as an actual word. Has anyone here ever seen or used it?
Stay well, fellow xworders. Don't get flued.
Very fast here this morning. Once I realized that each themer was a conjunctive pair, it flowed smoothly. Stay safe!
@z yikes!
I feel like there's a link between Hunter S Thompson and Ross Trudeau- I think it's his uncle.
Always enjoy a Rossword. Voting, then work. Wondering when our governor will shut us down. He's very busy taking care of small businesses these days. Maybe he's not a multi-tasker. Stay upbeat everyone.
Thank you @LMS! My mother and grandmother (the grammar meanies of my youth) taught me to value words, especially wonderful words for things not often mentioned, not from FEAR AND LOATHING but simply because the need so seldom arises. Enter the crossword! Realm of my Gran. I almost shouted with glee when typing in TITTLE. Definitely said a thank you to the “grammar meanies.”
@Joaquin - Sure. I play this sport where playing 7 games in a weekend is a thing. Do that much over-working of your muscles and the past tense of “cramp” and “spasm” come up not infrequently at team dinner conversations. Consensus is that pickle juice > gatorade for replacing electrolytes.
@Giovanni - Right!?! @Lewis is right to call this a “surreal period.” I’m reminded of Clifford Simak’s City.
Perfect description, @Quasi, “accessible without being dull.”
Are JUDOTHROWS used in Sumo or are those two completely separate disciplines?
Shame FEARANDTREMBLING wold require a wider grid.
Norman OK got its first case confirmed yesterday. In a sense, I am relieved only because perhaps people will truly take precautions to heart. Surreal is the word for sure.
This puzzle made me smile, as have the comments. Such a wide variety of words with clever yet Tuesday-esque clues. INTERREGNUM is one of my very favorite words and alas, one that so seldom fits the occasion literally. I’m a fan of Mr. Trudeau, and he did not disappoint. Had a bit of trouble getting up steam which I appreciate in an early week puzzle. Off to find out what the day brings.
Be careful and be well, one and all.
@LMS: How are your students bearing up?
Oh, I don't know. I think I wanted a bit more of JOY. The PRIDE FEAR LOATHING SHOCK AWE FEELINGS seem to penetrate the AER these days. Then we get into an EDIT WAR. At times I want to go out to PASTURE.
Would've (loved) seeing JOJO clued as Moyes. I'm not really into Romance Novels but I loved/cried at her "Me Before You."
DESREE? Made me TITTLE.
CECILLIA, you're breaking my heart. Loved it when he came back to bed and someone took his place.
Speaking of ARNIE....Have you seen the late governator's cute little thing on Facebook with him washing his hands with his pony Whiskey and his little donkey Lulu? It's cute.
Speaking of JETE....where is Leapy when we need a laugh?
We live in a community of many seniors who live alone. Lots of activities and a safe and serene environment make it ideal for many in the 70 plus range. All activities have been shut down. Everyone told to stay home. Everyone scared out of their wits. Maybe I'm the neighbor idiot, but I'm running food errands for many around me. Yes, toilet paper is still scarce. I haven't had the need to buy any guns yet (Thanks @Z) but I get mad at hoarders and I really get mad when you can't find coffee.
It will still get worse before it gets better. I refuse to run scared. Been there too many times.....
The only substantial disagreement with Rex is about the movie F&L, maybe not a great movie, but many memorable scenes and a fine portrayal of Hunter.
@Lewis nice catch on the beer stuff. But ICEMELT unimpressive due to cluing as a commercial product.
Mirror symmetry.
Far easier and faster than yesterday for me. YET still a bit o' fun.
"I wouldn't recommend guns and drugs to anyone, but they've always worked for me."
"If it wasn't for suicide I'd feel trapped."
And that bit about what happens to a reporter who misses the campaign bus.
We lost Hunter but we lucky ones still have JohnX.
ARNIE PLAYS ON PASTURE for TITTLE.
ps
I understand why a duck, but why a TITTLE?
Hmph… I was sure Rex would give this one a major pan because the paired emotions were not opposites—certainly not pairs that would indicate Ambivalence. Fill was passable. Finished in about average Monday time.
A few more thoughts about this hard time: Keep in mind that the rampant prophesies of Gloom and Doom are still only prophesies. Prediction is hard, especially about the future, as someone (Yogi Berra?) once said. The actual number of virus deaths to date in the US remains less than 100, a miniscule tally in comparison to the population, and even to the number of deaths from other causes. Even Italy’s total of more than 2000 fatalities from the virus is small compared to the approximately 50,000 deaths per month there from all usual causes. Numbers will surely grow, but so far the daily accumulation of new cases and fatalities here is showing only a modest rate of increase. It remains possible that a seasonal retreat may occur, or even is occurring now.
So by all means, be careful, but DON’T PANIC! And don't forget to do at least a bit of self-medication in honor of St. Patrick...
Thought yesterday and today were really well done early week puzzles. Wanted not to like this puzzle so I could have written in keeping with the theme that it was just a mere Jot AND TITTLE but that would be unfair.
Always like M. Trudeau's work and today is no exception. Merci bien.
Zipped through this, although hand up for being unfamiliar with either CECILIA or DESREE. Agree that the latter is important as future crossword fill.
Dunno, but thought the movie version of F&L made HST into a clown. Much prefer the book.
WHELPS made me think of the great Bob and Ray. It's something they used as a pejorative when sufficiently annoyed, in character of course.
And PASTURE made me think of Robert Frost's fine poem and evoked simpler and more innocent times. They seem a little far away right now.
Elbow bumps from NH. Hang in there.
ICE MELT is not a brand name.
Can someone please tell all constructors and editors that "alee" does NOT mean "Sheltered at Sea". Alee simply means "downwind" A boat sailing downwind in a hurricane is by no means sheltered. When sailors say they are protected from the wind, they say "In the lee"; and you have to be in the lee of something. If you are on the downwind side of an island, you are "in the lee of the island", the island is what is providing shelter.
To recap:
Downwind = alee
Sheltered = in the lee
To elaborate on Z's and Webwinger's comments. The phrase "mixed feelings" always means feelings that are at odds with one another. So in that sense the theme fails. Just putting two things together and calling it mixed is pretty weak.
The puzzle brought THIS TO MIND
DES'REE is joining SADE on the list of artists I only know from crossword puzles
Anyone else having trouble printing the puzzle today? I can access the site but get an error message at the print screen. The local libraries are all closed as of today until the end of the month. If I can’t get my Crossword I may have to resort to something drastic like cleaning house.
@Loren: I emailed you a book recommendation but if you didn’t see it, the name of it is “Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes” by Kathleen West. It’s about a high school English Lit teacher written by a high school teacher.
The spate of misplaced puzzles continues with today’s Monday on Tuesday offering. Rex nailed it without a rant, OLE OLE!
Found this much easier than yesterday's for some reason.
Agree with others who question the true meaning of "mixed feelings" and am squarely in the "opposite" column.
Also use "an" with historical for same reason as @LMS. It just sounds/feels righter.
And like @Z definitely did not know DES'REE by name, but did recognize the song. Am curious about what sport plays 7 games in a weekend.
Water polo? Badminton? Bocce Ball? Shuffleboard? All of which are harder than they are rumored to be.
Almost forgot!
@Z -- surely you realize the importance of having a gun these days. How else are you going to emerge victorious in the tug-of-war over bottled water and/or toilet paper at Sam's Club?
I liked this one, just fine for a Tuesday, nothing seemed forced to me. Enjoyed being reminded of Hunter S. Thompson, who I haven't given any thought to for years. I think the movie was a let-down mainly because the book was so good, and either the director or Johnny Depp never coulg get a handle on Thompsons' world-view, unique as it was.
Wow, a Bob and Ray reference. God, I loved those guys ! Wally Ballou reporting. Im going to try and find the Roger Ebert interview with them where they stayed in character thru the whole thing. I read it in a bookstore and was laughing so hard I think people were worried about my sanity.
Everyone stay safe. The DR is telling everyone visiting from the EUropean zone to go home. They are allowing only passenger-empty planes to land and have given a 5 day window for everyone to hop on the plane from their country and exit the island. I have no idea how this is going to work.
SPASMED? ugh
LETINON
PLAYSON
ATLEAST
EDITWAR
YOURERIGHT
Yes, mixed fillfeelings
Can "ambivalence" be the theme for "pride and joy", "fear and loathing" and "shock and awe"?
Only if you take all theme answers into cosideration as a threesome whole.
That's maybe what Mr. Trudeau had in mind because otherwise the puzzle is somewhat naye-historic-all.
@DK 09:06, thanks for the explanation.
Let's hope lockdowns and care-fews (sorry, bad pun) are not on their way, what's happenning in Europe right now is beyond anyone's imagination.
Usually not a big fan of Ross Trudeau's puzzles, but I liked this one. Solid (if unspectacular) theme, 13 non-themers of 7+ letters, and not too much junk. Particularly cool that the four long downs each cross three themers.
I side-eyed one entry: BIGA. I grew up 10 minutes from there and have been to more Angel games than I can possibly remember. Many people still call the place the BIGA, and the object itself, a massive A with a halo around the top (formerly the scoreboard in left field), now sits in the parking lot serving as the marquee for the stadium. Nonetheless, it's bad fill.
Clue for ARNIE clanked for me as well. No doubting it's veracity, but I feel like he was either referred to as "Arnold Palmer" or as "ARNIE" but never as "ARNIE Palmer".
But those are small (k)nits -- mostly I feel "gratitude and admiration" for this puzzle.
Was hoping that 20A would spur @Rex to give us this. Cannot believe he's been gone almost 30 years.
Hey All !
MIXED FEELINGS here about this puz. Nice for what it is, and for a TuesPuz, but kinda blah at the same time. Had that 11-11-13-15 themer conundrum, so Ross went with the left/right symmetry. Nice. Ended up with a bunch of threes Down, however. 15 of the little rascals in the Downs, 6 in the Acrosses, 21 total, which isn't ridiculously high, but high enough (for me) to notice. Not that that's a bad thing.
Caught in the same spot Rex was, whole puz done, stuck on one name, DESREE. Crossed by EDDA was just mean. Threw in the D and R, crossed my fingers, and... Happy Music!
J fest in NE. AHISTORICAL a new one. Can you just add A to any word to get its opposite? "I just got my teeth whitened, they are now AYELLOW." Didn't notice the ARNIE/ERNIE letter runs, but that doesn't bother me. Not ideal, but a NIT not worth picking.
Having aTtA for ITSA messed me up for a bit. Managed to get PASTURE, but when ended up with LPS at the end of 53D, thought I'd have to tear out that whole section and start over. Thankfully just left it in, and it all worked out.
Two F's (both in themers)
WEE FEE
RooMonster
DarrinV
I'd maintain that the two FEELINGS in each MIXED pair are too similar to really be considered MIXED. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE would be a lot more mixed than PRIDE AND JOY. FEAR AND FAVOR would be a a lot more mixed than FEAR AND LOATHING. Ideally, you want one positive feeling and one negative feeling in each theme answer.
But other than that, I thought the puzzle provided more resistance than most Thursdays and I enjoyed it.
A few thoughts:
* DESREE seems to be missing a syllable in her (his?) name.
* SHOCK AND AWE was not a "strategy". It was rather an obscene euphemism for bombing an innocent civilian population -- a population that had committed the great crime of not being us -- into oblivion. I don't mind that this theme answer is in the puzzle, but, boy, should it ever have been clued differently. Don't you think?
Too easy to get coronavirus out of my head. I’m vulnerable (age) and house bound. I need a week of Saturday puzzles to turn my brain in a different direction. Maybe I’ll try and construct one. I’ve tried before but I’m not good at it. Still, it’ll keep me distracted. Maybe a virus theme?
What a nice little puzzle today! I liked it, and it was a welcome diversion. I don’t have time to write much as I’m doing a brisk business in black-market counterfeit hand-sanitizer these days, but here’s some thoughts:
I’m not much of a fan of SHOCK AND AWE; it just doesn’t sing. I think we should just go back to BLITZKRIEG. It rolls off the tongue much better.
TITTLE. That’s a great word. “Every jot and tittle.” Perfection.
Same with INTERREGNUM, because it sounds important. “Let’s go with my plan in the interregnum” is an expression that gets results.
Has anyone ever tried an ECIG? Me neither, but when I see kids using them I tell them to man-up and smoke a Camel Unfiltered and then maybe I’ll think you’re cool.
In Chinese the word crisis is the same as opportunity.
Ross Trudeau is Gary Trudeau and Jane Pauley's son.
@Nancy. I like your comment about SHOCKANDAWE.
Easy-medium. It would have been easy except for INTERREGNUM, a total WOE. Liked the puzzle but it might be a tad tough for newer solvers.
Continuing binge recommendations:
“Treme” is an HBO series from the folks who created “The Wire”. It’s available on HBO GO and I assume on the new HBO streaming platform. It’s set in post-Katrina New Orleans and follows a diverse set of characters as they deal with with hurricane’s aftermath, including but not limited to a professional trombone player, a college professor (played by John Goodman), a chef, a DJ... The music is terrific.
Shock and Awe and Homeland Security and Bush landing on the aircraft carrier with his pilot outfit on. "Mission Accomplished". Gotta love those neo-cons. Who would have thought we would end up with a guy who makes Bush look like
FDR ?
@webwinger:
white folks' diseases pretty much wiped out the disease-naive native populations of the western hemisphere. epidemiologists have been studying contagion spread for over a hundred years. they ain't no Miracle in April. this virus is called novel just because there is no base of herd immunity in the population. see also: exponential growth.
@Anonymous 11:15AM
I know, right? As a Native American I completely agree with you. Let's keep ALL the immigrants out, they just carry diseases and ruin everything for the natives.
Getting a bit tired of EMO. Been seeing it for years but feels like it’s creeping into crosswords on an almost daily basis. The only acceptable clue for this should be “Comedian Philips”
@CDilly, thanks for the kind remark. Re "grammar meanies," I used to have a blog and some fellow sent me an excruciatingly detailed email outlining every error I made in grammar, spelling and usage. He must have spent far more time compiling it than I did writing my various postings. I thanked him but reminded him that it was just a personal journal, not a school essay. I will admit that he made me a much more careful writer.
@Donald Koscheka and others who have made this contention - At least one dictionary disagrees with you.
@Roo - Besides sometimes creating the opposite, AHISTORICAL, amoral, asymmetric, the “a” prefix can occasionally mean “toward” or “in” as in ALEE, astern, or a la mode. Then there’s the “ab” version like abaft, absurd, and abecru.
@Frantic Sloth - Ultimate. The clip is last year’s Men’s Club Final. I’ve played league with some of the guys on Chicago Machine as well as being teammates with the dads of a couple of others. Tournament format is often 4 2-hour games on Saturday and 3 on Sunday. Yes, I still travel to tournaments, but nobody puts us on ESPN.
Regarding the revealer clue, there’s a sneaking “or a hint” in there making it defensible. Still odd, though.
ALITO, ARNIE, ERNIE and JOJO
Went dancing with
CECELIA, OTTO, NED, and NERO.
YA TITTLE was there with BEAU
And so were ELSA and JEN, you know.
They MIXED PABST and REGAL and RYE
‘Til they all SPASMED like wind blown OXEYE
And then, alas, they did die.
I was hoping @Joe D would post this (hi @GILL I).
GOOD & PROPER TuesPuz with the semi-rare E-W puzgrid symmetry.
Admirable fillins included: INTERREGNUM. TITTLE. TOLDYA. WHELPS.
Slightly EYESORE-ish: AHISTORICAL. ECIG. ITSA.
Unknown folks: DESREE. CECELIA. EDITWAR.
staff weeject pick: TAE. Better clue: {Eat up??}. That trick works, as long as it's a Down answer.
fave clue: {Dot over an "i" or "j"} = TITTLE. Learned somethin cool, there. Tittle yer i's and cross yer t's. Now, we just need a tittle-grade word for the crossin part of the t. Or … does maybe tittle work for t's, also? Then, the sayin could be shortened down to "Tittle yer stuff".
Thanx, Mr. Trudeau. Absolutely no FEAR&LOATHING, here for this puppy. [Hey -- is there an ECO in here?]
Masked & Anonymo3Us
**gruntz**
Under Monday time so this was easy for a Tuesday. DESREE and CECELIA were the unknowns that really stood out. The latter is just a common name so very little trouble there. The singer's nickname was a little stickier. It's crossed with the double Rs of INTERREGNUM which caused doubt but there's really no other choice there but an R.
INTERREGNUM is one of those words I have running around in my head that I like but am not quite sure of its distinction over words like interruption, intermission or plain old gap. I'll have to remember that regal/ regnum connection. Mostly INTERREGNUM has stuck with me because it sounds like an unmentionable body part.
My Webster's describes a TITTLE as "a point or small sign used as a diacritical mark in writing or printing." Most people would call the dot over an "i" or a "j" simply a dot.
I haven't done yesterday's puzzle. Some have said it was more difficult than today's so it may be worth the time.
#lms, thanks for the three obscure words you listed. I love me some obscure words. Keep them coming. As a single word 27D has to be pronounced with a long A sound but as a phrase I'd definitely go with "an". Wether it's right or wrong I'm not sure but it certainly sounds right to me.
Am I the only one who saw how perfectly MIXED emotIonS fit the space for the revealer?
@JC66 (12:17) -- Nice link. I have that album but had sort of forgotten the song.
But I was sure that what @Joe D would post -- and what you just posted in his place -- would instead be THIS!
@jae -- I second your recommendation for TREME. The music is too good to miss.
So OFL has the period of the English Revolution, 17th century, as a "brief doomed period." For some, this would be like saying the French Revolution was a "brief doomed period" as well. Such statements are more testimonies that many like Rex who are hyper-PC are fundamentally reactionary.
Anon. i.e. Poggius
@Nancy
When I was a young teenager, Bob Seeger appeared at the YMHA where I hung out. After seeing him perform, I got into folk music and took up the guitar. Alas, my musical skills are on a par with your memory.
I first saw the word INTERREGNUM in a series of fantasy books by Steven Brust, his Taltos series, but it's been a while so I didn't remember the spelling. INTERegnNUM let me have MIXED emotions (hi @Writovers 12:38) for a while but the INFANT and KNITS saved the day.
We have a bonus REGAL at the top.
When out with friends last weekend (that won't be happening again any time soon), several people recommended "JOJO Rabbit" so perhaps that's what I'll be trying to watch next.
Nice puzzle, Ross Trudeau, thanks.
@JC66 (1:06) -- You mean Pete Seeger, right?
It sounds like it's not just your musical skills that are on a par with my memory, but perhaps your memory, too?? :)
Great Puzzle. All Trudeau puzzles are.
So our Trudeau is unrelated to Canada's Trudeaux. His ancestors did sneak across the border, it seems. But the border was pretty much a fiction for those who lived in northern New York and Vermont.
I only realized today that our irrepressible @John X is channeling his inner Hunter S Thompson. His Fear and Loathing pieces were really what put Rolling Stone on the literary map. I remember the SHOCK AND AWE I felt when I first read them (I bought every single issue from Day One and subscribed for several years).
Always love to see @Loren around here. Don't be a stranger!
I have no problem with any of the answers, but I do question 27 and 31 down for a Tuesday puzzle. Tuesdays are supposed to be pretty easy and those two answers look like they belong in Wed or Th puzzles. I liked them, though.
The puzzle was so good that I thought today was Wednesday until I came here. Tuesday puzzles have always reminded me of 3rd-semester German (which I taught for decades; bear with me): after the excitement of a new beginning and the gratification easy achievement (Monday puzzle/ first-year German), things get harder without any corresponding intellectual pay-off. Deadly. I loved this Tuesday exception to the rule.
It didn't bother me that the FEELINGS weren't opposites, even though that's the sense in real life. In the puzzle world, I thought it was fine that the theme lines combined two FEELINGS, changing the meaning of the reveal in the process.
@TJS 11:14 - I had similar thoughts.
Re Arnie:
I don't recall any references to "Arnie Palmer," but it was definitely "Arnie's army."
@Nancy
Of course I meant Pete Seeger...my first mistake this year. ;-)
Although I like Bob Seger too.
Thanks very much @Donald Koscheka. I am not a sailor; pretty much a landlubber who loves to sit and admire the sea. So I learned something new.
@Nancy, 12:50: I know you put up the link because *RYE whiskey* is in the puzzle, but it turns out that the song is an antidote to all our woes right now. It's so incredibly HAPPY! It may be the first thing that's made me feel happy in days!
Nothing to ADd NAUSEUM about an easy Tuesday, but I do want to thank @JAE for the TV recommendations. “Catastrophe” is funny in a “Fleabag” kind of way. Have yet to check out “Good Omens” but I’m sure we will get to it.
“Treme” is near and dear to my heart as a serious New Orleanophile. I knew some of the people and many of the places. My fave was the scene where my old friend Coco Robicheaux (RIP) sacrificed a chicken live on-air on WWOZ. Lots and lots of great music. I’m a blues DJ and was familiar with most of it, but I was blown away by a song that Wendell Pierce played on a jukebox: Tommy Tate’s “I’m Just a Little Overcome.”
Never "an" before "historical" - the "h" is aspirate, just meaning you pronounce it, same as when you say "hat" or "Herbert."
♪ Them good ole boys
We're drinkin' whiskey and rye ♪
or
♪ Them good ole boys
We're drinkin' whiskey in Rye ♪
Which do you think he is singing?
(Rye is a town near New Rochelle, NY, where Don McLean grew up.)
Also, this.
And this.
Hi again, y’all! More than ever this virtual group feels like a comforting refuge from the cruel world, despite the occasional sniping and snapping.
Yay to Bob and Ray (saw their B’way show The Two and Only in college; a digital rip from the cassette tape of that performance still resides on my phone) and Pete Seeger (one of the greatest performers of the 1960s, and of course many decades before and after)—How welcome it was to be reminded of both!
@Anonymous 11:15: Part of my point @8:34 was that we do not appear to be seeing exponential growth at this time in this country. I’ve been frequently checking updated versions of this NYT summary of COVID19 stats in the US and this for the rest of the world. They seem to show a considerably less aggressive time course here than elsewhere, and suggest that a hump has been passed in other countries, including Iran and Italy, less than a month after the start of major outbreaks. Whether owing to successful containment efforts or seasonal change, real reason to be hopeful.
And thanks to all for the continung stream of recommendations for streaming...
@CDilly52 - You might want to verify what you “learned” before you repeat it. And always take assertions without citations with a healthy grain of salt. I linked to an explicit definition, but others say the same, just not as explicitly.
@anon-Poggius - About a decade of a form of republicanism followed by the return of a monarchy - Seems like “brief doomed period” fits pretty well to both. It took France 150 years and over $2 billion dollars of US aid before the promise of the revolution was fulfilled for good (hopefully).
@Linda R - It’s English, so I would advise to never say never. Personally, I think the need to avoid confusion is reason enough to use “an” instead of “a,” but M-W argues to base which we use on how each of us pronounces that “h.”
@webwinger - Uh... we aren’t testing enough so our confirmed cases are artificially low and confirmed cases is always a trailing indicator, so we’re probably not over the hump. Between the huge lines over the weekend at customs and people out partying over this past weekend don’t be surprised by a sudden bump next weekend. And as I was typing this my iPad alerted me that 4 more NBA players are confirmed. That makes 7 players out of 450. If the general population is infected at the same rate that would mean there are over 5 million infected people wondering around the US right now. The NBA isn’t a random sample, so grain of salt, but we aren’t past the danger zone, yet. What is galling is that ramped up testing manufacturer and distribution in January would have given us a better grip on what is actually going on at the moment.
Still on Captiva Island, arguing about whether to try to stay here longer or to get back to Boston while we still can. Anyway, we took a boat to Cabbage Key for lunch (claimed by some to be the inspiration for the Buffett song "Cheeseburger in Paradise,") and just got back -- so probably it's too late for anyone to see this.
Still, I have to dissent from the enthusiasm for JUDY THROWS. That's like saying a quarterback completes "football passes," or a left fielder catches "baseball flies." They're just throws.
@Wiseman856am
Yep it's a product not a brand. Packaging made a fool of me.
I knew my friend @jae would come up with something good to watch. I'm not yet couch potatoing since I've been doing grocery runs for my elderly neighbors, but I did start watching Treme on HBO when I came home. Folks....watch it if you can.
I knew our friend @Joe Dip would do the honors of whiskey and rye and @JC66....you made me laugh - and that's good.
By the way, I have a bottle of some Punjabi Club someone gave me...It's a Rye Whisky 86 proof. Any ideas on what cocktail I should make? Maybe it will ward of any diseases?
@Z 4:18 - You're right about never saying never. Saying "an" before "historic" is just a pet peeve of mine. I can understand people saying "an istoric" (that is, with the "h" not pronounced), but some people do both - they say "an" and they pronounce the "h" and that just sounds awful to me, like someone is trying to be hypercorrect and is actually wrong. M-W says you can say "a" or "an" depending on how you pronounce "historic" - but doesn't it also seem to say you can simply use either "a" or "an" before "historic"? If I'm reading that right in M-W, I wonder what M-W is really saying.
To Z at 4:18 p.m. I always appreciate your comments. The problem is that a monarchy interrupted by a decade or so of republicanism is more complicated that a "brief doomed period." The problem is that entire revolutions can take place while the veneer of institutions does not seem to change much. I've found very interesting Christopher Hill's *Reformation to Industrial Revolution: The Making of Modern English Society, 1530-1780* [1967]. (This has to be a different Christopher Hill than the person of that name who occasionally appears as a talking head on TV.) I don't keep up with this literature (it's not my area of expertise) and perhaps Hill has been viciously attacked. He does show, I think convincingly, that England in the 17th century went from a society ruled by privilege to one ruled by property. This was a revolution, and the Cromwellian revolution was its manifestation. This may not appeal to many today, since this revolution (1) was led by Anglo-Saxons, and (2) led by people of property. But it did go a long way in getting rid of the old order. I celebrate this, just as I celebrate the French revolution, even as I realize another revolution needs to take place.
I viscerally reacted to OFL's complaints about the "brief doomed period" of the English revolution in the 17th century, just as I imagined a French aristocrat, ca. 1825, lamenting the "brief doomed period" of the French Revolution.
Anon. i.e. Poggius
In Hartford, Hereford, and Hampshire
Hurricanes hardly happen
I liked this one a lot. Sort of Monday easy, but with Desree and Cecelia (your breakin' my heart) to keep me humble.
@John X 10:45 - I smoked Tarytons for a while and complained to my surveying boss about people bumming cigarettes. He advised me to smoke the unfiltered Camels (or Humps as we called them). Never had another bumming request. I did enjoy them. I had PX privileges then and could buy a carton for $1.00. I used to say if I live to 80, I'll start smoking them again, but having second thoughts at 75. Some folks ask me why I smoked when I tell that story. It's because smoking wasn't bad for you in the 60's. Four out if five doctors who smoke, smoke Camels. Or so the radio ad advised.
@Z 4:18: Shortage of testing could clearly be a major confounding factor, and an artifactual spike is likely when this situation is at last rectified. However, I’ve seen nothing to suggest there is significant frequency of misdiagnosis when death occurs: I have the impression that the CDC has been able to handle confirmation in the worst cases, and it should be possible to rule in or out other causes of acute respiratory failure with a fairly high degree of confidence even without specific testing for coronavirus. The US fatality number has been creeping up very gradually. In most states the mortality rate is around 1% of total confirmed infections, no higher than other countries with better testing records, suggesting that either we don’t really have a lot of undiagnosed cases, or severity here (outside of WA) is less than elsewhere. Either way, it’s good news.
Thanks @GILL I
Forgot this one. Last call on St. Paddy's Day.
WEE TOLDYA
IT’S AHISTORICAL fact about JEN,
and YOU’RERIGHT, there’s no MIXEDFEELINGS when
she takes PRIDE A little
with her REGAL TITTLE;
IT’S no SHOCK she’s ATLEAST A TEN.
--- ARNIE “BIG’A’” ALITO
WEE TOLDYA
IT’S AHISTORICAL fact about JEN,
and YOU’RERIGHT, there’s no MIXEDFEELINGS when
she takes PRIDE A little
with her REGAL TITTLE;
IT’S no SHOCK she’s ATLEAST A TEN.
--- ARNIE “BIG’A’” ALITO
It’s no joke! OLE and LENA are both here today.
Wintertime Humor
OLE and LENA lived in Minneapolis where it had been snowing for three days in a row.
OLE: Ack! LENA, I yust don’t know vat to do!
LENA: Vat’s da matter, OLE?
OLE: Two dace ago, da snow emeryency folks on da radio said to park da car on da eefen side of da street so da plows could get true.
LENA: Yah, OLE. Dat’s right.
OLE: Yesterday, day said to park da car on da odd side of da street.
LENA: Yah OLE. Dat’s vat day said.
OLE: Vell, it’s still snowing today and I yust don’t know vat to do!
LENA: OLE, vie don’t you yust park ‘er in da garage?
All due respect to JEN, but CECELIA Ahern earns a yeah baby today.
Thought the puz pretty decent compared to many Tuesdays.
I have, wait for it, MIXEDFEELINGS about this one. We're in the middle of SHOCK--at how profoundly a tiny microscopic speck has forever changed human life across the entire planet, AND AWE--that there can be a single person with an IQ over 80 who still supports DT.
I am too upset at his stupid antics to comment at any length today. JOJO Starbuck is DOD. Stay safe. Par.
I like the theme and execution well enough, though each themer itself is not clearly one of ambivalence, PRIDE AND JOY most obviously. Still, overall, there is a definitely a MIX of FEELINGS here.
SHOCK AND AWE has the bad and boastful ring of celebratory warfare.
Liked ARNIE and ERNIE, OXEYE and EYESORE, and the unknowns (to me) CECELIA and DESREE.
Two long downs are bonuses: AHISTORICAL and INTERREGNUM.
@rondo - maybe Sven hadn't finished "shuffling de driveway".
I'm with @Spacey on the general "MIXED FEELINGS" of "anger and ennui" caused by Trump and his daily ridiculous ramblings and defensiveness (weakness), and by this freaking Covid 19. Also, I'm confused about the incoherent statement by your mayor about The Strip in Vegas and its closing.
I thought the puzzle was a good one, and maybe the MIXED FEELINGS weren't so "different" within the themers, but they were MIXED enough for me. The fill was just fine. Loved ARNIE, love ERNIE, and liked many of the answers. So, a good one.
@rainy - Yah, I'fe done plenty uff drifevay shufflin'. Takes time.
My FEELINGS are no longer MIXED about being stuck at home. AaaaaaaaaH
Repeat as needed.
Diana, Lady In Waiting for Crosswords, the only break in a bleak day!
Little rough for a Tuesday.
Guessed at the cross for Aer / Des'ree (I recognize the song but don't think I knew her name before).
That whole lower-left corner, though. Never heard of an ecofreak--but it had to be that or ego. Wanted ICE__LT to be ICESALT. Never heard of Cecelia and wasn't sure if D_OS / CECEL_A should be an E or an I.
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