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TUESDAY, Aug. 26, 2008 - Nancy Salomon (Angler's accessory / Most trusted knight of King Arthur / Natural alarms)
Monday, August 25, 2008
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
THEME: "Rose" - "Rose" is the clue for each of the three theme answers
A solid Tuesday offering from an old pro. I've had my issues with Tuesday puzzles in the past, and I've had my quibbles ("PFUI") with earlier Salomon puzzles, but this one seems just fine. The only trouble I had was in the middle of the puzzle, where CHARLIE became clear early on, but since CHARLIE "Rose" is such a prominent interviewer, I figured the clue was referencing him and the rest of the answer would be, I don't know, "... OF PBS" or something (that won't fit, but you get the idea).
Theme answers:
- 20A: Rose (American Beauty)
- 36A: Rose (Charlie Hustle) - this is Pete Rose, for all of the baseball-impaired out there; if he hadn't gambled on baseball, he'd be in the Hall of Fame. Has more hits than anyone in the history of baseball (4,256).
- 57A: Rose (took to one's feet) - the "TOOK" part of this did not want to come at all...
This may be the first puzzle I've ever done where I actually remembered the right letters involved in 30D: D-Day carriers: Abbr. (LSTs). I have been to Hamilton, BERMUDA, but because I have more recently been to Hamilton, Ontario, I could not get "Ontario" out of my head as the answer for 22D: Its capital is Hamilton. Doesn't help that it fits. One clue I initially balked at, but for no good reason, was 38D: What 1938's "The War of the Worlds" set off (hysteria). I suppose that is the word for it. But I realize now what my objection was: subconsciously, I wanted the clue to be [Smash hit 1987 album by 50-Down].
I would like you all to offer up your respect and admiration for my contribution to this puzzle: I got Will to change "locale" to "site" in 58D: Common arthritis site (knee). Yes, I am truly making my mark. Developing a signature style if you will. Oh it's subtle, but it's there.
More and more:
- 1A: Smidgens (dabs) - even now, I want to write TADS, just as I did the first, and second time I solved this
- 15A: The New Yorker cartoonist Peter (Arno) - had ARNE. That's somebody, right? A composer?
- 24A: Angler's accessory (creel) - I love this word, for no good reason.
- 25A: Lionel Richie's "You _____" ("Are") - I LOVE this clue for ARE. Of all the possible clues ... rich. RICHIE RICH. Soak it up.
- 27A: Nebraska native (Oto) - reflexively wrote in "UTE"
- 41A: Co. in a 2001 merger with Time Warner (AOL) - as clues for AOL go, I sort of like this one. There is no clue that can rescue AOLER, though, I'm afraid.
- 6D: Some spears (broccoli) - I enjoy this vegetable regularly, and yet ... nothing. I had most of the crosses before I had any idea what I was dealing with.
- 8D: One begins "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" (sonnet) - just finished my syllabus for Brit Lit I, and this is on it.
- 9D: Symptom of hypothermia (blue lips) - OK, reason 456 why I do not yet have the eye needed to be a good xword editor: I didn't blink at this clue when it was in its far more gruesome incarnation, [Symptom of asphyxiation]. Somehow, "hypothermia" passes the breakfast test and "asphyxiation" ... really doesn't. Perhaps because in this jaded, "I've - heard - about - too - much - bad - @#!$#" world, my brain can't help but insert "auto-erotic" before "asphyxiation." And yet two weeks ago, I clearly didn't think this was a problem.
- 45D: They're relayed in relays (batons) - or, you know, not. Twice.
- 37D: Natural alarms (roosters) - another clue that made me go "???" And I was born in the year of the Rooster.
- 56D: "I want in" or "I want out" indicators, maybe (meows) - OK, the original clue for this makes me laugh (and yet, again, I didn't object) - [Signals meaning "I want in" or "I want out," e.g.]; even though the answer is MEOWS, I'm still imagining cats motioning with their paws or using semaphore or something.
Back to School (sadly, not the kind starring Rodney Dangerfield)
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
PS Happy Birthday, Will Shortz (who will be on "The Colbert Report" tonight, if I read his most recent message correctly)
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81 comments:
Another fine early week puzzle. The CHARLIE answer also had me guessing. My only problems were OTO (until BROCCELI didn't look right) and misspelling TALLYHO (that cure for dyslexia can't come soon enough).
Isn't ARNE an English composer that shows up with some frequency?
I did this in ink with only one mistake (SASH for SILL) that got immediately corrected. So, it was a fine Tuesday puzzle by my reckoning.
Peter Arno reminded me of the time when the New Yorker cartoons used to be funny (well, the majority of them).
And continuing with this negativity: As a rule, I believe that anything that is edible can be turned into something that actually tastes good. It may take no effort (a good, ripe peach), or very little (lobster), or a bit (beets). Even twice in my life, I had spinach that tasted good (both times in Italy, I think). As with every rule, there is an exception, and for me, it's broccoli--I've never, ever tasted any broccoli, raw or cooked, that didn't taste awful.
Haven't I seen ARNE clued as German? Or maybe he's English and just composed something about the Fatherland or the Rhineland or something along those lines.
I'm glad I never saw SASES, which I got from all the crosses and which looks very very wrong. What on earth is it?
Also, lots of abbreviations today, no? I just wish the clue for REO referenced the Speedwagon. The band, not the car.
This is the first time I'm commenting at this hour - it's a good thing, because I'm going to NY tomorrow morning. Didn't have a lot of problems with it, and had some nice memories of Lionel Richie's songs during the LA Olympics when we were living in Boise, ID, watching this tiny little tv on our terrace overlooking the valley and the Owahoo Mountains in the distance.
This knee thing made me cringe, my husband may have to have a major operation one of these days. Loved the meows, of course....
It's time to go to bed. May be able to come up with more comment when I have the paper (dead tree?) in front of me.
All this time I thought it was the constructor or the editor who determined whether a puzzle was good or bad. Now we have learned the truth; it is the test-solver.
Locale would have ruined this puzzle; site is brilliant.
Do I mention Pete Rose was once an Expo? Yeah, I did. i think I had mentionned my K comment from yesterday before as well. I need new material.
Decent, unassuming Tuesday puzzle, with a brilliant clue for KNEE.
My difficulties with the puzzle started with one. First of all, CRIME FIGHTERS doesn't fit in 1D. And VERY SMALL THINGS doesn't fit in 1A. Then I got to 10D and I really wanted it to be LAYLA, which was a hit in the right year but not by the right band. And it doesn't seem to fit anyway. At 6D, with the BR in place, how the hell is this not BRITNEYS? Seriously. And Rex, I feel ya, brother, on the BLUE LIPS / asphyxiation / autoerotic thing. Michael Hutchence R.I.P.
I was able to identify the theme very quickly. For those of you who may have missed it, the theme is military abbreviations: MPs, LSTs, and NCO. And then PuzzleGirl explained to me that typically theme answers are longer than 3-4 letters and they aren't usually all in the same part of the puzzle.
Now I'm gonna go eat a sandwich.
@mw Self Addressed Stamped Envelope= SASE, plural SASES
Fun Tuesday, had no idea who Charlie Hustle was. Thought perhaps Charlie Rose had that unlikely nickname or middle name. Should of known it was sports again as I was clueless.
Profphil
I'm with Ulrich on BROCCOLI. And I'm no beet fan, but I tried (halfheartedly) to interest my kid in these sweet potato and beet chips. He wouldn't bite. But they're unsalted! Maybe I'll try them myself. What dip would be good?
A few weeks ago, Emily Cureton had an autoerotic asphyxiation crossword drawing (TURN ONTO crossing CHOKING UP).
Thanks Profphil.
As long as we're on the topic I too cannot stand BROCCOLI! I think it has something to do with the genetics of taste buds?
A good Tuesday puzzle that was harder than normal for me but very doable. Didn't get two of the three clues since and since I never watch any baseball I had no idea who this CHARLIE HUSTLE person was. I figured it was a dance of some sort.
SASES was an answer last week so I got it this week. Although who abbreviates manuscript with MSS? I also didn't know the military abbreviations because, well, I don't too lazy to bother to memorize various ranks. Heck I tend to avoid memorizing proper names because it's just to easy to look them up. I prefer puzzles with as little proper-name usage as possible.
Did enjoy HYSTERIA though!
Nice that there was three very different meanings on ROSE.
Just had one of these type rejected bec we (Myles Callum and I) had four of something and Will deemed two to be too close in meaning...
but I see now, all we have to do is leave one off altogether!
;)
No one else stumbled on
29A Sang like a bird?
I had TWEETED then once I realized it was BLUELIPS not BLUELEGS (?!?)
I had TWITTER and finally TRILLED, but it gave me something to think about all the ways birds sing starting with T and double letters and all.
Also had TOOKTOTHESKIES which I think is more elegant and natural to say than TOOKTOONESFEET...
I don't even get that, shouldn't it be STOOD UP?
Maybe TOOKTOTHESKIES is more SOARED than ROSE? Seriously, tho, TOOKTOONESFEET?
Hmmm, the more I look at it, the more I don't like it, yet nary a peep from Rex.
OTOH, I also liked that those three long ones on top were all super interesting B words/phrases:
BADMOUTH, BROCCOLI (One C? two l's?) and BLUELIPS...very cool.
For "Unmovable ones" instead of STOICS, I briefly had STONES
(and you know how painful that can be).
@Rex
Year of the Rooster, eh? (DK/Crosscan insert rude joke here, that doesn't even have to involve asphyxiation)
ASPHYXIATION that would be a great word to get into a puzzle! Kevin?
Year of the Pig,
andrea
I'm with omnie in thinking Charlie Hustle was a dance of some sort. Or maybe Charlie Hustle Rose from PBS?
I only know Pete Rose as the gambler who is locked out of the Hall of Fame for his unfortunate addiction, while every other sick addict in sports is forgiven. Gambling on sports is refrehensible.
Is a husband who doesn't do puzzles an NPH?
Finally the real Magi! (Thanks profphil for the info the other day.)
Our golden retriever will do anything for broccoli, maybe even semaphore with his paws.
:-)
Googling "took to one's feet" yields 2 hits, those of Rex and Orange tonight. "Take to one's feet" yields 10 hits, 9 of which are translations from Latvian, Icelandic, Welsh, or Russian. In what universe is this phrase in the language?
Biff Rose
Its late and I'm a tad bored so I thought I'd answer my own questions.
ARNE is a British composer best known for Rule Britannia.
The genetic info on BROCCOLI is here.
@Biff rose
Took to one's feet IS a phrase,
like you stood up to applaud, so I guess that is rose, after all.
I just like TAKETOTHESKIES a "dab" better!
Last night in Denver the crowd took to their feet when Teddy Kennedy walked on stage.
Absolutely an in the language phrase as far as I'm concerned.
YOTR here...Year of the Rat. Why did they pick such unwanted beasts? I liked the puzzle more than BROCCOLI (Orange, my childhood motto: That which we call a vegetable would smell as bad by any other name). Although, Chefbea knows a few ways to make it acceptable Ulrich. Listen to her.
I don't fish and so, what is that C to in front of REEL?
Mac I am on my way to NYC this morning. See you there.
This puzzle was a SITE for sore eyes. My old friend OPINE is in the house, posseed up with SATE, NCO, TNOTE and DABS.
Rex, It is fun to know that you add to the puzzles in any way.
I am taking my Ski Patrol refresher course in a few weeks so I am writing down BLUELIPS. A far easier symptom to spot than those pesky medical ones.
Andrea, why on earth would you think I would post a rude joke.
I echo the comments of others, however I sailed through this one error free in record time.
@ACM: Before I got TRILLED I had TATTLED .. as in a jail bird. And while others have stated that TOOKTOONESFEET is legit, I wrote in ROSETOONESFEET which by using ROSE was totally ridiculous. I have never heard of CHARLIEHUSTLE but got it easily with downs. When I first looked at the clue I wanted to put in PETETHEGAMBLER but it didn't fit.
I liked this puzzle OK. Not great, not terrible, like Marcus said: Enjoyable.
@phillysolver: from one rat to another
@Rex
Kudos. Can a contract be far behind? I can just see your students today, following you around, trying to hang on to a piece of your clothing.
@phillysolver, a CREEL is a basket used by fishermen to hold their catches.
I enjoyed the puzzle. CHARLIE HUSTLE is a gimme for sports fans--based on the early comments, it clearly is not otherwise.
My quibble is with the cluing for 51A. EVERYONE in the barracks is an NCO, not just the Drill Sergeant. An NCO is a non-commissioned officer, which covers all enlisted personnel (as opposed to those that have been "commissioned" as officers).
i found this tough. i fell into the same charlie rose trap as rex, even though i know full well what pete rose's nickname is. i also had no idea about AMERICANBEAUTY. i mean, that's a movie, with lots of roses. good movie, too--my second-favorite ever. but the answer wasn't long enough for SYMBOLICPROPINAMERICANBEAUTY. and like, i'm not totally convinced that TOOKTOONESFEET is "in the language" enough to be a crossword answer, but for some reason it's okay for this kind of theme to have answers which in any other puzzle would only be acceptable as clues. but other than those three, i nailed all the theme answers. have i mentioned that i don't like themes like this?
this puzzle had nice fill, though. BADMOUTH, BLUELIPS, HYSTERIA, ETCETERA (in its full glory), and TALLYHO were especially nice.
@hudsonhawk
not quite on 51A, an NCO has been given [special] authority and is usually a sargent, per source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-commissioned_officer
thus it's not *everyone else* as you imply.
.../Glitch
No real problems with this one. Wasn't sure about CREEL until I saw BROCCOLI as the asnwer for 6D.
As soon as I saw the for 36A was CHARLIEHUSTLE, I wanted to vomit. To me, Pete Rose will always be scum.
Didn't know Hamilton was the capital of BERMUDA until I spent a few days there the first week of the month.
I loved seeing DEF Leppard and HYSTERIA nearby. I still have this on vinyl.
Love love love seeing CHARLIE HUSTLE in the puzzle. Great crossword answer and one of my favorite sports nicknames of all time. In "Moneyball," Michael Lewis refers to Kevin Youkilis as The Greek God of Walks, which is also awesome. But I'm not sure it's widespread enough to qualify for the list.
With my cat yowling in my ear (she didn't care for the breakfast offering), the one letter I had wrong was the W in MEOWS because of hurriedly entering "tore" for [abraded]...
Next time, less hasty HUSTLE on my part and she waits.
∑;)
Ok Andrea (@acme)
Research by a Washington State University linguist found that people who tell bad jokes often endure an astonishing outpouring of hostility from the listeners.
Let us test this out. In honor of the Year of the Rooster and Rex's erotic musings, a little BADMOUTH for breakfast.
>>>> Lame joke section <<<<<<<<<
A farmer has 500 hens but no rooster so he goes to his neighbor and asks him if he could buy a rooster for $100. The neighbor says, “You can have this rooster. His name’s Roy. He’ll get all your hens pregnant. He’s a real stud.”
So the farmer takes Roy home and says, “It’s your first day so take it slow, okay?” The farmer puts Roy in the hen house and then hears all the hens crying and yelling. Roy nailed every one of those hens and then nailed four ducks and a goose at a pond.
The next morning the farmer finds Roy in the farm yard, lying dead with his legs sticking in the air and buzzards circling overhead.
The farmer cries, “Roy, why did you have to die?” Roy says, “Quiet you old fool! They’re about to land!”
Waiting for a return phonecall, so I did the puzzle again, on paper this time (I know, get a life). Again, like last night and last week, I never saw the clue to SASE.
We may have to consult with Chef Bea, but I thought it was asparagus spears and broccoli and cauliflower florets. You can do lots of things to make broccoli more palatable, starting with olive oil, garlic and hot peppers, then a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
The "busboy" answer reminded me of my husband's stint as one when a teenager. Taking away an oyster plate filled with melting ice and shells, he spilled most of it in a woman's decollete....
Mac the Snake
I always start by glancing over the clues (I'm a pen & paper sort) and hysteria was my first entry.
Our bleed-over of the day...
Oneal. Today Jermaine (whoever he is) after Tatum and Ryan yesterday.
Charlie Freak had but one thing to call his own. Speaking of 'one', has one mentioned before how much one dislikes its artificial use as a pronoun in theme phrases? Why yes, yes one has. Don't say one didn't warn you.
And the word TEC should not (and to one's knowledge does not) exist.
Bah, whatever. One still liked the puzzle. And broccoli, too; cauliflower's the yucky one,
sg
Mac,
A broccoli floret is just the flower part and a bit of the stem. The stem itself is referred to as a "spear."
I'm not sure how I feel about it, but while it's true "took to one's feet" is rare on google, "the crowd took to its feet" gets a lot of hits.
I had 1 letter wrong but couldn't for the life of me figure out which one it was ... even looking at the answer I still couldn't find it for several minutes. Then it turned out I had SYD instead of CYD.
Music: American Beauty is also the title of the Grateful Dead's best-known album. Go Kinks!
Hysteria makes me think of one of my favorite greeting cards: http://www.ponderingpool.com/p_pool/newcards/card32.html.
Year of the Tiger,
Mary in NE
Jerry Seinfeld: Hold it, Newman, you wouldn't eat broccoli if it was deep fried in chocolate sauce.
Newman: I love broccoli, its good for you.
Jerry Seinfeld: Really? Then maybe you'd like to have a piece?
[Jerry opens container. Newman takes a piece]
Newman: Gladly.
[Newman spits it out]
Newman: Vile weed!
Rose earned his record for career hits lonnnnnng before his gambling problem as a manager, so I think he deserves in as a player, out as a manager. But I have no problem with denying the Hit King his place in the HOF---as long as you kick Ty Cobb and a lot of worse creeps out, too.
Evil Doug
About five miles from Pete Rose Way
Fairly normal Tuesday for me.
I had a bit of trouble in the NE, since I wrote in PALElips instead of BLUElips, and that took a bit of sorting out.
I had never heard of the "Charlie Hustle" but got it from the crosses.
@mac: From one snake to another: Of course you can make it taste better with garlic, olive oil and parmesan. But with that treatment, you can make everything palatable, inluding sawdust (I haven't tried this, though). My point is that as long as you do not clobber the original flavor of said abomination on earth, it will taste like oxidized copper, or like I what imagine oxidized copper will taste like.
Broccoli is delicious. Some of you have mutated taste genes. That's your problem. Quit blaming broccoli.
I have a friend who can tell if you've so much as waved a green pepper over any meal. Also, she is terrified of snakes, so much so that once when she attended a play that she knew would have a snake in it, she had to check with producers to make sure a real snake would not be used.
rp
Enjoyed this one, and yes, spent a little more time looking at the aesthetics. I, too, fell for the Charlie of PBS fame.
Yes, lots of "taking to one's feet" at the convention last evening and a sonnet's rhyme scheme is the only one that ever stuck with me.
Rex, "site" is both medically and artistically more accurate. I applaud your contribution.
Today's loopers for me were: ROOSTER (of course, though last year there was a pheasant around here named Carl who made the wake-up calls) and CREEL, because we used one as a mailbox on an old canoe shed.
@ulrich - broccoli really can be delicious when stir-fried. What is the German word for the bread that was said to have sawdust in it? Also, many of the New Yorker cartoons address Luke Russert's generation, kinda like memes, and are very funny.
I thought this was gonna be trouble after AMERICAN BEAUTY fell because I expected names of rose hybrids, which I know nothing about. Lots of funky names for roses out there. Even after it looked like the start of 36A was CHARLIE, I still assumed it would be a flower.
@dk: funny funny funny!!!
My favorite Shakespeare sonnet is #130:
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun,
Coral is far more red, than her lips red,
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun:
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head:
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks,
And in some perfumes is there more delight,
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know,
That music hath a far more pleasing sound:
I grant I never saw a goddess go,
My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.
And yet by heaven I think my love as rare,
As any she belied with false compare.
Say it in the style of Andrew Dice Clay and it causes HYSTERIA (in me, at least). I love the reference to bad breath!
While I have tricks for spelling "Cincinnati" and "Caribbean," I have no such trick for BROCCOLI, and it stumps me every time.
Speaking of which, I think I'll go to my favorite Chinese restaurant today for some beef and broccoli. It is fantastic.
Thanks for explaining CHARLIEHUSTLE, Rex et al.
the puzzle was a good match for a Tuesday, although I disliked all the abbreviations and didn't know from Charlie Hustle. Rex, explanations for the sports challenged are always appreciated.
Speaking of Charlie Rose, I attended a taping of his show on architecture and then met him at an ensuing dinner and found him both impressive and genuine.
It's interesting how tastes that we dislike trigger such a strong response. Both the detection of bitter taste and the associated emotional response have important evolutionary value (see url by Jae). The system is wired such that it's very hard to talk someone out of it. In the wild, it could mean the difference between life or death. Is there a fate worse that death by broccoli?
BTW, I think the same or a related receptor variant causes some people to taste bitterness in dry wines.
PS. Evil Doug, do you send these comments while flying? Do you fly solo?
Being a huge Met fan growing up, Pete Rose was never my favorite person, but someone mentioned Ty Cobb as a well-known HOF member who should be drummed out for being a racist, among other major personality flaws. Ironic that it was Cobb's career hits record Pete broke before his gambling (and lying about it), wiped out his impossible-to-ignore stats.
Probably a good portion of all HOF members in every sport include nasty individuals you would not want your daughter associating with. Great debates ensue when this subject is brought up. Are all (or most), athletes just naturally self-centered and obnoxious to have gotten to the top of their sport, or do they reflect the broad range of society as a whole.
Sorry to get philosophical and long-winded, but here's a bit of trivia - Pete's nickname was given to him very early in his pro career, for something he never stopped doing (maybe the only good thing i can manage to say about him).
Every time he walked, he would sprint down to first base, on the theory that if ball four was a wild pitch he might have a chance to make it all the way to second.
The veterans on the team considered it a bush league display of enthusiasm, and that's where the derogatory nickname came from.
RT
@jeff in Chicago
Perhaps a mnemonic could be the 2 CC's of broCColi are the florets and the lone L is the stem?
(What is your mnemonic for CINCINNATI? I want to write a book of mnemonics for 8th graders called "How to remember shit")
3 and out
Andrea CarlaHustle
MW:
SASE = self-addressed stamped envelope
Speaking of hustle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFz2WkVAk38
@acme
blog posts from late july or early this month included a mnemonic for Cincy - first 1 N, then 2 N's, then 1 T - abbrev as 1-2-1.
RT
there's a big difference between what pete rose did and what ty cobb did. cobb was a racist and a jerk. pete rose bet on baseball (and on the reds) while he was managing the reds. it's tough to keep a guy out of the hall of fame just for being a jerk; but for threatening the integrity of the sport, yeah, i can see that. there's a reason they post the "no gambling" rule in every single clubhouse. gambling ruined baseball in the 1910s, culminating in the several members of the white sox actually throwing the 1919 world series. sport ceases to be compelling if the athletes are not trying to win.
@anonymous: yes, that was my post. 1-2-1 is my memory aid for Cincinnati.
@acme: love your idea for broccoli. let's see if i remember it next time the word shows up.
Good puzzle today, a little tricky in places.
Missteps: warbled for TRILLED, stones for STOICS
Looks like BTU is becoming pantheonic.
Not thrilled about the clue for 52A. How about "Miserable iPhone service provider" instead? But I OPINE; I shouldn't BADMOUTH them, I should be NICER. (Because I do love my iPhone.)
With the discussion of AMERICAN BEAUTY and BROCCOLI, I can't believe that not one person has mentioned this. Oops, it was asparagus. Oh well, still worth watching!
I can still Garrett Morris on Weekend Update saying, "Charlie Hustle- you bet!" (Sadly, I can't find the clip on youtube.) I have seen Mr. Rose several times at a sports memorabilia store in Vegas shilling for autographs. He looks kind of pathetic sitting there waiting for adulation.
@ sethg- GREAT Steely Dan reference!
@foodie: My flying days are over. 30 years between USAF and Delta were enough. After 9/11 not much fun in what had been a wonderful career. Retired early in 2004 when the airline threatened to go bankrupt and take my pension with it. I'm an adjunct (ie, part-time, underpaid, but truly happy) college instructor now.
@anonymous/RT@12:48: The nickname may have been "derogatory" at first; but when Rose demonstrated that his youthful enthusiasm was not an act but the indefatigable reflection of his joy for the game, he became appreciated and even admired. Watch somebody today fail to run out a grounder, or majestically pause at home to grandstand at his towering fly only to see it fall short of a home run, and every true fan longs for a player who respects the game the way (pre-gambling) Rose did.
Hard to forgive the baseball betting---no one to blame but himself---but I always found this interesting: He never bet against his own team, he never threw a game. Even in his fateful mistakes he was hustling to win....
Doug
Grounded, OH
@docjohn The funniest thing about that scene for me was Sinatra (Harry Connick?) in the background. Reminded me of Jack Jones singing," Wives Should Always Be Lovers, Too!" My childhood TOAT! (don't remember seeing seen that one for a while)
Very easy puzzle even though I had no idea who charlie Hustle was til I learned from you guys.
@docjohn - great clip - I never saw the movie but of course knew american beauty as I worked in florist shop years ago.
@acme great way to remember the spelling of the vegetable of the day. which is great stir fried with other veggies (not beets) use a red pepper for color.
And speaking of broccoli - that cute baby on the right who is now 7 months had some the other day and loved it. Mashed with a little chicken broth yummm.
@DK great joke
Chef bea the Rabbit
btw I have a great recipe for the aforementioned rabbit
By request (one'll do almost anything acme tells one to do): another trip photo.
Hey, did someone say "deep fried in chocolate sauce"?
The Third Annual Minnesota State Fair Photo Scavenger Hunt will take place this Friday...email one, er me, email me if you want in or the list so you can participate from home.
Points for spotting Kinks or REO t-shirts!
sg
@evil doug
You are right about how Pete saw the nickname - he liked being called Charlie Hustle, and the way he played certainly fit the name, but i wonder if Ray Fosse would agree.
As to his being banned for life, if memory serves, it has only been in the last year or so that Rose even admitted to betting on baseball, despite being shown absolute proof, when he realized that 'banned for life' didn't mean he would just have to wait a few more years to make the HOF. He flat out lied about his gambling involvement in personal interviews with the Commissioner of baseball during the initial investigation, and refused to say he bet on baseball, literally for years. He seemed to have the attitude about gambling that most people brought low seem to possess - that being the best at something gives them carte blanche to say the rules no longer apply to them.
Pete never bet on his on team to lose, but gamblers are great at using any inside information to their advantage, so what do you think they did anytime they saw Pete NOT betting on the Reds to win? That's why the rules are there about gambling in the first place - because it's a slippery slope right back the Black Sox scandal. Some of those guys were banned for not ratting out the others on the team, because they knew about the setup, even though they took no money themselves.
RT
Yes, green peppers. Pretty much the only vegetable I consider unfit for consumption. They have a distinct fill dirt aftertaste that probably results from their being unripe. Also possibly because they were invented by dirty gnomes.
The worst venue for green peppers in on a pizza. I don't know if you've seen this, but they cut them into long strips which are then strewn across the surface of the pie. Once the baking is done, these tough, stringy, desiccated, dirt-tasting objects of my scorn just sit there looking up at me with that one forgotten seed eye as if to say,
"What? I am a leftover streamer from the world's crappiest parade float after its been left in a rain storm and then torn apart by some dogs. Why not have a bite of me, and be transported to another time, when hippies frolicked in borrowed skirts and hygiene was a mere glimmer in civilization's eye?"
I don't know what the quibble was with PFUI in an earlier Salomon puzzle, but it's a ridiculous thing to quibble about. PFUI gets 1,610,000 Google hits, but that's not even the point. The point is that Nero Wolfe said "Pfui" and he's the greatest private detective after Sherlock Holmes, so it's a dumb quibble, especially from someone who calls himself REX, as in Stout. Pfui!
Growing up in Cincinnati during the 60's, Pete Rose was my childhood hero. To this day, a little voice in my heart still says, "Say it ain't so."
Terrific Tuesday puzzle, especially the cluing. I think we have Rex to thank for that.
Dear everyone - if you want to see everything I can't stand in a commenter (arrogance, ignorance, non-timeliness, etc.), please check out anonymous (of course) 3:33. I would refute the comment point by point, but I don't feel like getting in my time machine and returning to early 2007.
That is all.
rp
@dk: you're a riot.
@evil doug: just curious, what does an aviator(who can PLAY AN ACE)teach?
@rex: thanks for the heads up regarding Will on the Colbert show ... a must see.
just found this sooo funny
http://www.nofactzone.net/?p=5372
@joho:
Public Speaking. All those steely-eyed aviator PA's paying off!
I had a bunch of comm courses in my grad degree, and I did some comm work for the pilot union. But mostly the school is always scrambling to find enough qualified adjuncts to fill 60-odd sections every term, and I was a warm body who could plug a couple holes.
I couldn't PLAY AN ACE---you gotta have five kills for that. I flew transports, hoping not to let any bad guys become aces at my expense....
Doug
When I was still fresh off the boat, the man who later became my husband told me about the Black Sox scandal. He had to explain everything, including why the term Sox was used. But what I remember most from that day, decades ago, is the sadness he seemed to feel in recounting it. His feelings drove home to me the deep love this country has for baseball. I had another insight into it when we saw "Field of Dreams"
So, it's remarkable to me that Pete Rose, who was not only fully immersed in the sport but was one of its icons, did what he did. It seems to be way more than standard risk taking on the part of the powerful--really hard to fathom.
@evil doug: very interesting, thanks!
@chefbea1: that was hilarious! It reminded me of a co-worker some years back ... he had previously taught some kind of English course ... anyway, I was having trouble with the NYT puzzle and asked for his advice. He took the puzzle from me and proceeded to fill in all the blanks with no regard to the clues! I kid you not, it was the video I just saw with Colbert and Stewart ... but they were kidding and he was not! I had forgotten about that until now: thanks!
This is my 3rd and I'm out.
What's the big deal about betting on baseball? Everyone knows the ACPT top 10 always bet on the A finals.
Foodie, my friend Kristin would be greener than broccoli with envy that you've dined with Charlie Rose. She loves his sexy mind.
We supertasters cannot abide broccoli no matter how much garlic or cheese you drown it in. Have I ever told you that I don't even like vanilla ice cream any more? It's too bitter. Didn't used to be, but in recent years? Cannot abide it. Or peppers—amen to Green Mantis re: the "dirty gnomes" aspect. I've always said as much.
P.S. That thing about crossword betting? It's a joke.
For baseball fans, Charlie Hustle is a gimme. For the rest of you, you must realize that you must have a breadth of knowledge that reaches into areas you're not interested in. I have absolutely no interest in opera (as I said yesterday, I think) or ballet, but they don't usually trip me up too much. If you're new at puzzles, it'll come to you with practice. And you have to read (yes, Mr. Rosenberg, that was your name, wasn't it?)--so start reading the sports section today!
Very fair Tues.-level puzzle.
Very good point, Steve I. Walking away from the puzzle without learning why you didn't know the answer (Read Rex, google after giving up, email somebody, whatever you must do) is like using a thesaurus for a dictionary, one of my all time PETPEEVES!
I thought that the cluing for this puzzle was exceptionally good --I have no idea how the credit should be divided among Will Shortz, Nancy Salamon, and perhaps Rex.
Charlie Hustle is a gimme for baseball fans; evidently hard for others.
I don't find anonymous 3:33's comment objectionable at all...
Never heard of Charlie Hustle, but of course, have heard of Pete Rose and his gambling. I never heard of a broccoli "spear," only stalks, heads, flowers, branches, so I had to get the crosses to get that word. Didn't like "took" to one's feet. Liked your change to hypothermia. Love the movie "Back to School." (I thought I was the only one!) Thanks for the mnemonics. To this day I have to sing Mississippi and encyclopedia to spell them correctly (not mnemonics, but similar).
I officially take .006% of the credit for this puzzle (i.e. be serious - all credit should go to constructor and Will)
rp
I see how a manager betting on his sport could compromise the integrity of the game but it hardly seems worse than steroids, crooked referees, iffy subjective judging at the Olympic Games etc.
There is just too much money in sports for everything to be honest.
What if Rex was payed for his commentary? Would we trust him, his weird rating system and preferences for some themes over others? His "arbitrary" dislike of certain normal words?
Take to your feet Rex, but never go "on the take".
(just kidding)
Speaking of mnemonics, med school was all about mnemonics.
Here's one that I made up about the essential amino acids (hope you get a chuckle out of it):
Help!
I
Let
Lucy
Make
Plans
(now we have)
Three
Truckloads of
Vitameatavegamin!
That stands for: histamine, Isoleucine, lysine, leucine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, valine
(Just in case you should EVER need to know this information.)
In seventh grade Texas History, Coach J.D. Burke (who coached my dad and probably my grandfather too and who took his Texas History very seriously) made us memorize the twelve largest Texas cities and the 254 Texas counties (that may have been for extra credit.) I don't remember the mnemonic for the counties or if I had one, but for the cities (which have probably changed in order since 1980), I used this one:
Horses (Houston)
Don't (Dallas)
Say (San Antonio)
Fame (Fort Worth)
Ends (El Paso)
At (Austin)
College. (Corpus Christi)
Love- (Lubbock)
A- (Abilene or Amarillo, can't remember)
Boy (Beaumont)
Wade (Wichita Falls)
W. (Waco)
Love-a-Boy was pronounced like a funny way to say Loverboy.
Coach Burke had a paddle, which he used often on my butt and others', named Sam Houston. After he spanked you he made you sign your name on Sam Houston.
Evil Doug, I have a question. Every time I'm on a flight that has one of those things that show you the map alternating with screens showing altitude and speed I always watch the screen as we're landing to see how fast the plane is going when it touches the ground, but the screen is never showing the speed when the plane lands. I've asked every flight attendant that question--"How fast is the plane going when the tires touch the ground?--but they just tell me to raise my tray table and then, after I do that, to put my pants back on. So tell me, how fast is the plane going when the wheels touch the ground? Pretty fast, I bet.
@omnie: The traditional abbreviation for manuscript is "ms." The traditional abbreviation for manuscripts is "mss."
Wade
a 747 hits the ground around 150kts(knots) or about 175 mph. engine reverse takes it to 80 kts then brakes can be applied. you can calculate the force of hitting a 100 lb white tail doe and realize it is in atomic proportions. rest easy.
/miguel
Finally got to this, after a day of many labors, when I realize that some quick solvers have already finished tomorrows' puzzle.
This Tuesday puzzle was fun; and relaxing to solve. Just glancing back at my nice little respite from other concerns made things even NICER.
Green Mantis, you're not against roasted red peppers on pizza are you?
Wade, your instruction wasn't too harsh was it?
Chicago Jeff, that was the same sonnet that hooked me, too.
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I enjoyed reading all the comments today. We're all amateur critics aren't we?
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Meme si il n'y aura rien politique qu'on va discouter, je suis en trien d'entendre madame Hillary.
@fergus: moi, aussi, a entendu Mme Clinton,dans un taxi a New York. Elle etait merveilleuse.
Want to know what I had for lunch? A crispy slice of pizza with BROCCOLI!
They do that don't they at some of those Ray's? The limp red peppers, piled high with more industrial mozzarella was always my favorite when at 25 I lived across from Jefferson Market.
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