Monday Puzzle #30 or "Exhibit A - I Ain't That Quick"

Well, I watched Dr. Zhivago last night. ALL of it. And, it was good. I particularly enjoyed the first 5 hours – the historic context, the costumes, the scenery. The last 27 hours turned a bit into a late ‘60’s/70’s love movie (aka The Way We Were or The Goodbye Girl). I don’t know – maybe it was the mustache or the sweaters…but, overall, very enjoyable.

The film had some great crossword project references – Alec Guinness (he was an answer in a recent puzzle), Geraldine Chaplin (Puzzle #22 – daughter of Oona Chaplin – said she based her performance on her mother), AND, my favorite, during the intermission they threw up a screen that said, “Entr’acte.” (reference puzzle #28).

Puzzle #30 was fine. Had one of those “duh” moments with 44 down, “Grapevine contents.” I did not get off of the literal definition of the word “grapevine.” GOSSIP, the answer, makes a lot of sense. I ended up with gossup and figured it was some sort of sap or something used in the processing of wine…? I don’t know.

That also meant that I got 64 across wrong. The clue was, “Look ___ (study).” I had unto, but the correct answer is INTO.

I had a few clues I could not answer:

15 across, “’Potpourri’ for a thousand, _____.” ALEX. Huh? Gotta look that up. Oh, it’s a reference to Jeopardy.

7 down, “Outfielder Moises.” ALOU. Looked him up. Baseball player.

9 down, “Most damning evidence, maybe.” EXHIBITA. Omg. Ok, I just looked up “exhibita” in MW and Googled it. Why do I need to go through those steps to finally realize it is Exhibit A? Sigh.

Answers I got but don’t really know:

16 across,”Mother of Apollo and Artemis.” LETO.

2 down, “With 60-Across, Thornton Wilder play” and 60 across, “See 2-Down.” OUR TOWN. I’ve added the film version to my Netflix queue.

31 across, “English cathedral site.” ELY. You can learn all about The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely here.

66 across, “Les ____-Unis.” ETATS. Oh, I think that’s French for The United States.

And, that’s it. I have 20 more Monday puzzles to complete. I certainly need the practice.

Monday Puzzle #29 or "Just Add Cushioning"

Saw a funny craigslist ad today. A guy was selling 55 gallon barrel dog houses for $5.00 each. It said, “Just add bedding.” Yeah – and something to keep your dog from rolling away. (Also, I’m curious about how sharp those edges and corners are.) I love entrepreneurs…it’s what keeps America, well, America.

Puzzle #29 had two tried and true clues and answers:

56 down, “Bygone U.S. gasoline. ESSO. And, one I haven’t memorized yet, 60 across, “Japanese sashes.” OBIS.

The other clues I was unable to solve were:

55 down, “Theater award.” OBIE. These are the Off-Broadway Theater Awards. So, what the Tony Awards are for Broadway.

8 down, “1-to-12, gradewise.” ELHI. I get it – elementary high school. But, I don’t like the clue or the answer.

15 across, “Disney’s ‘____ and the Detectives’.” EMIL. I haven’t heard of it or seen it. And, Netflix doesn’t have it. It is based on a 1929 German novel and came out in 1964. Since I can’t find it, I really want to see it.

I had one error, which affected two answers:

32 across, “Wading bird” and 34 down, “Helicopter feature.” I had egmet and motor. The correct answers are EGRET and ROTOR. I know egret. But, I had that M in there and was thinking, “huh, never heard of an egmet before.”

And that’s it, really. Everything else I knew – one vaguely and after the other clues gave me the answer. It was 26 down, “1930’s vice president John ____ Garner.” NANCE. As soon as Nance was in there, it rang a bell. But, I couldn’t have answered it without the other clues. You can read some interesting facts about Cactus Jack here.

Even though I had an error and I didn’t complete the puzzle, I do feel like I did better on this one than some more recent puzzles (that’s right #27 and 28 – I’m talking about you.)

Monday Puzzle #28 and "Also My Review of Rebel Without A Cause"

I watched Rebel Without a Cause last night and I think it has got to be one of the weirdest movies I’ve ever seen. As I was watching it, I was thinking, “This is a terrible movie! Why is this movie so well known, loved, and respected?” And yet, today, I can’t stop thinking about it and how strange it was. James Dean was, I admit, fascinating. He reminded me a lot of Brad Pitt. Sam Mineo played an interesting character – and he reminded me of Ralph Macchio. (Are we just regurgitating film stars?) Oh, and by the way, the homosexual innuendos were not that innuendoish.

The movie was weird from the very beginning (although I did like the opening with James Dean and the monkey). But in the police station – the weird questioning by the cops. The cops acting as counselors. The policeman taking Dean into the other room.

And, the questioning of Sam Mineo! “Why’d you shoot those puppies?” “Where’d you get the gun?” And he’s at school the next day?

Natalie Wood – and her father? How weird was that? And, Wood’s face is like putty – during the scene where she’s being questioned by the police, I felt like I could reach out and move her features around.

Overall, the movie was painfully slow paced and the dialogue was so awkward. And, everything happened in one day? Wood’s boyfriend just died in a horrible accident and now she’s in love with Dean? Her boyfriend – whom she seemed to like (and, it looked as if she was going to jump off the cliff after him) - was just killed! What happened to a mourning period?

Oh, and totally weird – Dean’s parents’ smile at the end? What was up with that?

AND, that guy walking into the planetarium as the credits are rolling. Isn’t that a crime scene? Didn’t a boy just get shot by police on those steps? And he’s just walking past the police cars, up the walk, up the steps…time to go to work.

The whole movie was so effing weird!

Puzzle #28 was better than #27. I was happy to see the tried and true clues/answers “Canadian gas brand,” ESSO, “Island of Napoleon’s exile,” ELBA, and “Sea eagle,” ERNE. TRICE showed up again as an answer – the clue was “Instant.” I learned this in Puzzle #14.

There were a few clues I just couldn’t figure out. They were:

43 across, “Opposite of ja,” NEIN.

47 across, “Mythical being with horns.” SATYR. WikiP tells me that they are almost identical to fauns – half goat and half man. WikiP says, “In mythology (satyrs) are often associated with sex drive and vase-painters often portrayed them with perpetual erections.” Those vase painters.

26 down, “North Carolina’s ____ University.” ELON.

27 down, “Swings around.” SLUES. MW tells me that slue is a variant of slough. And, a variant of slew. Slew, as a transitive verb, means “1. to turn (as a telescope or a ship’s spar) about a fixed point that is usually the axis, 2. To cause to skid.” As an intransitive verb, it means “1. To turn, twist, or swing about, 2. Skid.”

37 down, “Inter ____.” ALIA. Apparently inter alia means “among other things.”

41 down, “Theater intermission.” ENTRACTE. WikiP tells me that “entr’acte is French for ‘between the acts.’”

Errors:

51 across, “Gives the gas,” REVS UP. I had revs it.
53 down, “Ignored, as a bridge suit.” UNBID. I had inbid.
54 down, “Hurdles for H.S. juniors.” PSATS. I had TSATS.

Answers I got, but don’t really know are:

1 across, “British rule in India.” RAJ. WikiP says “British Raj primarily refers to the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947.”

49 across, “Playing card dot.” PIP. There’s Gladys Knight and the Pips. There’s PIP Printing. The third entry for pip in MW says, “one of the dots used on dice and dominoes to indicate numerical value.”

9 down, “____ Sea, which is really a lake.” ARAL. It’s that huge lake in Kazakhstan that is shrinking and you can see old ships just sitting on the ground.

34 down, “Comin’ ____ the Rye.” THRO. Comin’ Thro the Rye is a Scottish poem/song written by Robert Burns.

I don’t know, I feel like #28 had some pretty obscure clues and answers.

Monday Puzzle #27 or "Feels Like the Very First Time"

I’m just going to get right into the puzzle because #27 SUCKED. MW tells me that “sucked” means “to be objectionable or inadequate.” So, to clarify, I sucked at puzzle #27. The puzzle itself, I’m sure, is very lovely – especially to those who obtain and retain knowledge normally.

So, let’s get into it. These are the clues and answers I was not able to complete:

31 across, “Pharmacy weights.” DRAMS. MW tells me dram means “1a. see weight table, b. fluid dram, 2a. a small portion of something to drink, b. a small amount.” It also provides the etymology of the word – from Greek “drachme, literally, handful, from drassesthai to grasp.” I’m going to need to look this up a little more because I’m not seeing any reference to pharmacy weights. Well, just Googling pharmacy and dram shows that the term is clearly related to the field. I did find that 8 drams equals one ounce.

37 across, “Exactly right.” DEAD ON. I thought it might be spot on, but that wasn’t making sense for the other clues/answers. I didn’t get those other clues/answers either.

40 across, “Long-billed marsh bird.” SNIPE. So, I thought it might be that, but isn’t a Snipe that thing really hilarious hazers send you out hunting for as a joke? Well, that’s confusing. It IS what hilarious hazers send you out hunting for as a joke. However, it is actually a real bird. So, who’s the joke on? Huh? Huh? huh.

45 across, “Pitts of Hollywood.” ZASU. ZaSu was a film actress and started in silent films. Interesting fact from WikiP: “Mae Questel caricatured Pitt’s voice for the character Olive Oyl for the…animated cartoon version of the comic strip Popeye.”

49 across, “1972 Olympic swimming sensation.” MARK SPITZ. I should remember that since they talked about him so much during the last Olympics when…whatzhisname…shit. Dammit, now I have to look it up…wait! Michael Phelps? Yes! Phew…see, the stuff is in there (i.e. the brain) somewhere.

51 across, “1960’s civil rights org.” SNCC. That is the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

22 down, “George Eliot’s ‘Adam ___’.” BEDE. WikiP tells me that Adam Bede is the first novel written by Mary Ann Evans, who used the pen name George Eliot.” It was published in 1859. I am adding it to my reading list.

30 down, “Henry’s fair lady.” ELIZA. I know that…it just didn’t come to the surface today.

32 down, “Slow symphonic movement.” ADAGIO. I thought that’s what it was, but I was feeling so unsure of myself because I didn’t know so many of the answers…I wrote it in and then erased it.

33 down, “Sacred songs.” MOTETS. MW tells me a motet is “a polyphonic choral composition on a sacred text usually without instrumental accompaniment.” Sounds just plain glorious.

37 down, “Kneehole site.” DESK. What is a kneehole? Well, MW tells me it is “an open space (as under a desk) for the knees.” That makes so much sense. It does make me wonder, however, if we actually need a word for that. We probably do…in the manufacturing plant they are having big conversations about how big the kneehole should be. There's some designer getting a big kneehole innovation award. They are recalling desks with kneeholes that are too small and are, as a result, causing injury.

46 down, “Grp. with F-16’s.” USAF. Again, figured that was it – had the a and the f. Put the US in, but erased it because I thought 49 across might be Mario Pitz (instead of Mark Spitz). Whatever.

52 down, “Musical endings.” CODAS. Same thing – had odas. Was pretty sure it was codas, but not sure enough.

Those were just the answers I didn’t complete. The answers I got, but don’t really know are:

38 across, “Humorist Bennett who co-founded Random House.” CERF.

48 across, “Johanna ____, author of ‘Heidi’.” SPYRI.

7 down, “’____ la Douce,’ 1963 film.” IRMA. I’ve added it to the Netflix queue.

Wow, I feel like a crossword virgin. Filling in those boxes for the very first time. I was beat. Incomplete. Ok, that’s as far as I can take the “Like a Virgin” lyrics.

Monday Puzzle #26 or "Oh Baby Give Me One More Chance"

Whoa. Long day. Michael Jackson died yesterday. Totally weird. I bought an electronic-techno cd in 1991 or 1992 and the first song was called, “Michael Jackson is in Heaven Now” and I can’t get that song out of my head.

Went to a dinner party and totally blew my diet/nutritional program. Wine, port, coffee, chocolate. And had a great time.

I spent 5 and a half hours in the Honda service customer lounge. 5 ½ hours. At one point, I could hear the music in the service area – it was Jackson Five or Michael Jackson “I Want You Back.” Tonight at the dinner party, one of the guys played the piano and started to play that song. Serendipity moment.

Puzzle #26 was hard – maybe because I had a totally hectic day and felt rushed. I had four errors affecting 6 answers – 15 across, “Samoa’s capital” is APIA, not Apie. And, 9 down, “Plaster backing” is LATH, not leth. 63 across, “Cries of surprise,” is OHOS, not ohss. I knew that wasn’t going to be right, but didn’t know what to put so just threw in that first s. 56 down, “Six-stringed instrument,” is VIOL, not a VISP. 54 down, “Plenty, to a poet,” is ENOW, not enon. And, 66 across, “Corduroy feature is WALE, not nape. MW learns me that wale is “a streak or ridge made on the skin especially by the stroke of a whip.” Definition 3a is “one of a series of even ribs in a fabric.”

Learned the spelling of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Thought it was cemetery.

Other things I learned:

33 across, “Old draft letters.” SSS. I think that stands for Selective Service System.

58 across, “Wrinkled citrus fruits.” UGLIS. According to www.thefruitpages.com, an ugli is “a specific kind of tangelo, easier to peel. A crossing between a tangerine, a grapefruit, and an orange. Looks really ugli and sometimes has brown spots. Can be peeled manually.

65 across, “Georgia and Lithuania, once: Abbr.” SSRS. SQL Server Reporting Services. Social Skills Rating System. Ok, found it. Soviet Socialist Republics.

24 down, “Miss ____ Regrets.” OTIS. It is a song by Cole Porter.

35 down, “Skater Midori.” ITO. Japanese figure skater. WikiP tells me that “in 1988 she became the first woman to land a triple/triple jump combination and a triple axel in competition.”

Tried and true clue: 30 across, “Wide shoe width.” EEE

Don’t know how much I’m going to retain from today’s puzzle. Just kinda going through the motions today.

Puzzle #25 or "The Producers Does Not Take the Cake"

Watched “The Producers” last night and it was alright. There were some great moments and some good lines. Will Ferrell was fantastic. The guy who played Hitler was brilliant (Gary Beach). But, overall, I wouldn’t recommend it. I’m sure it’s great as a live musical in the theater. I did not know that there is also a 1968 film with Gene Wilder. I absolutely have to see that one…in the queue.

Puzzle #25 – completed with an error. The error was in 69 across, “Horses of a certain color” (ROANS) and 51 down, “Mideast’s Gulf of ____” (AQABA). I had that last a as a u, so rouns and Aqabu. You can see a map of the Gulf of Aqaba here. It's that other one on the other side of the Sinai Penninsula from the Gulf of Suez.

Clues I was happy to see were:

1 across, “Frank ___, leader of the Mothers of Invention.” ZAPPA of course. And, it was puzzle #19 that taught me that this was Zappa’s band.

61 across, “Be a lulu.” TAKE THE CAKE. It was puzzle #16 that taught me that lulu means “one that is remarkable or wonderful.”

Answers I got but don’t really know are:

6 across, “High Ottoman official.” PASHA. WikiP tells me it is the equivalent of the British title “Lord.”

16 across, “Lode deposit.” ORE. I got that I was ore, but I haven’t heard the word lode before. MW says lode means, 1. Waterway 2. An ore deposit 3. Something that resembles a lode; and abundant store.

41 down, “Actor Mineo.” SAL. WikiP tells me that he was in Rebel Without a Cause…omg, another classic that I have not seen. Queued. Sal Mineo was murdered when he was 37. You can read more here.

47 down, “Polish Nobelist Walesa.” LECH. He was President of Poland from 1990 – 1995. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 – looks like for his work in organizing trade unions in Poland. He was arrested in 1981 and was in prison for 11 months.

57 down, “Trick-taking game with 32 cards.” SKAT. I have not heard of skat, but apparently it is huge in Germany and Silesia.

That’s it. Off to watch more of my husband’s Netflix picks so I can get some of mine in the rotation

Wait! I just realized that I'm halfway through the Mondays! Yay!

Monday Puzzle #24 or "Eine Kleine The Producers"

We completed a disc of The Riches last night, so that is all safely packed up and on its way back to Netflix. So, Dr. Zhivago, my epic, should arrive soon.

Puzzle #24 had an embarrassing mistake. Just moving too fast – that’s my only excuse. 5 across, “Computer/phone line link.” MODEM. I had motem. With a t? Believe me, I know how to spell modem. That meant I got 7 down wrong, “Mafia chiefs.” DONS. I had TONS. Whatever.

Other than that, I completed the puzzle. Clues and answers I got, but don’t really know are:
32 across, “’Every good boy does fine’ and others.” MNEMONIC DEVICES. I don’t know what a mnemonic device is. Oh, it’s a memory or learning device. Never Eat Soggy Waffles (i.e. North, South, East, West). But, what does “every good boy does fine” stand for? Oh, it’s E G B D F – the notes on the scale. In Seattle, we use “Jesus Christ made Seattle under protest” to remember the downtown streets: Jefferson, James, Cherry, Columbia, Marion, Madison, Spring, Seneca, University, Union, Pike, Pine. Of course, you have to remember that there are two for each letter. And, what order they go in…

66 across, “1978 Jazz musical.” EUBIE. Huh? I have never heard of that – not even a little ring of a bell. It won a Tony award and Gregory Hines was in it.

68 across, “Ehrich ___, Houdini’s real name.” WEISS. Did not know that.

11 down, “Rotgut, e.g.” BOOZE. I’ve heard of the term rotgut, but mainly as a term attributed to my coffee. Urban Dictionary provides an entertaining definition:

“Not just cheap, but terrible liquor designed mostly to get you wasted and not much else. The term originated in the old west when many alcoholic beverages were designed purely to be easily afforded by anyone and their dog and to get the drinker hammered, often times, these cheap alcohols would make the drinker sick (due to the extremely low-quality of the ingredients). These days, the term just means something that's not much better in taste than rubbing alcohol and good for nothing more than getting you piss drunk when you're on a budget. The single easiest way to detect rotgut is just by looking at the bottle. If it's in a plastic bottle, chances are good it tastes like piss mixed with gasoline. More often than not, anyone who claims to like rotgut is a poser teenager who thinks getting drunk makes them Billy Badass. Furthermore, a discerning drinker may consider anything below a certain standard of flavour as rotgut. If you can afford the "good" stuff, why the hell would you drink the bad stuff?"

Looooove it!

22 down, “Singer Makeba.” MIRIAM. According to WikiP, she was an African singer and civil rights activist. She died in November of 2008.

36 down, “’___ kleine Nachtmusik’.” EINE. I knew it was something, something, Night Music. But, that doesn’t help me get eine.

42 down, “Rembrandt van ___.” RYN. Apparently, Rembrandt had a last name.

This one I knew, but I’ve never seen it. It was 9 down, “Brooks of ‘The Producers.’” MEL, of course (my favorite movie ever and in the entire world is Young Frankenstein – saw the pre-Broadway run of the musical at the Paramount in Seattle – front row seats). The Producers is now on my Netflix list. Ooh, I can watch it online - might do that tonight.

Tried and true clues were:

“Diva’s solo,” ARIA
“Slender woodwinds,” OBOES
“Native New Zealanders,” MAORIS (I think I protest the plural version of this, but am too tired to Google it.)