PUZZLERIA! SLICES: OVER 8!/20 SERVED
Schpuzzle Of The Week:
Exploring the deserts of Europe
A word in a name on the European map sounds like a letter of the alphabet.
Replace the word with the letter it sounds like.
Rearrange the first four letters of this result to spell a word describing deserts, and rearrange the final five letters to spell things found in deserts.
What is this name on the map?
Cryptic Crossword Appetizer:
Madmen and Scotsmen, lions and tabbies, heroes and fools
Greetings, cryptic crossword aficionados. Patrick J. Berry (screen name, “cranberry”) has presented us with his fifteenth 15-by-15 grid of mystifying fun.
Here are the links to Patrick’s fourteen previous cryptic crosswords on Puzzleria!
ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE
SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN ELEVEN
TWELVE THIRTEEN FOURTEEN
If you are unfamiliar with cryptic crossword puzzles, here are a few basic cryptic crossword puzzle instructions:
Regarding the Across and Down clues and their format...
The number in parentheses at the end of each clue tells how many letters are in the answer.
Multiple numbers in parentheses indicate how letters are distributed in multiple-word answers.
For example, (6) simply indicates a six-letter answer like “jalopy,” (5,3) indicates a five-and-three-letter answer like “cargo van,” and (5-5) indicates a five-and-five-letter hyphenated answer like “Rolls-Royce.”
(For further insight about how to decipher these numbered cryptic clues, see Patrick’s “Cryptic Crossword Tutorial” in this link to his November 17, 2017 cryptic crossword.
The Tutorial appears below the grid that contains the answers in that edition of Puzzleria!)
ACROSS
1. Defying the odds, real comic legend-turned-easygoing daytime talk show host(5,9)
9. Called “soft” and “old”(5)
10. Strike back with good figure of speech in dangerous situation(9)
11. Ambassador’s failure during bad year(8)
12. Not just broadcast, “fun” broadcast!(6)
14. Eats, happy to dig into seconds(4)
15. Not hard covering Black Sabbath classic without heavy metal band?(4,6)
18. Poem seen as poorly written magic words?(4,6)
19. Go right inside, showing determination(4)
21. Fool with story about dog(6)
23. Perfection in cryptic: I mislead!(8)
25. Gang finds tabby in Disney remake(9)
26. Beef with a Scotsman?(5)
27. Author’s great war novel has a twist ending, framed by humor(8,6)
DOWN
1. Say lines so funny with a straight face(14)
2. Appealing sort of bonus(9)
3. Madman providing insult, one that’s barely there?(6)
4. Jimmy supporting record company(10)
5. Extremely excited guy, highly strung(4)
6. Foreigner, one going to college in England, gets point(8)
7. Drink up to hide personal problem? It can make you sick!(5)
8. Comment from Her Majesty, awfully mad–tore us a new one, going off!(2,3,3,6)
13. Drive a man insane with some tweeted comment?(10)
16. Courage of alien raised to accept “being human”?(7-2)
17. Hoping to keep one in a vault?(8)
20. Empty container put inside larger container(6)
22. Present-day hero with some pleasant advice(5)
24. Lion’s first appearance in den(4)
Piano Bar Slice:
Put some bread in my jar!
Name another word for the “bread” a patron may put into a piano bar jar and a word patrons use to address the piano player, according to certain song lyrics.
Rearrange the letters in these words to name where a patron might get the bread and what he might use to get it.
Riffing Off Shortz Slices:
Department of Wealth, Medication and Housewares
Will Shortz’s May 17th NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle reads:
Name a Cabinet department – as in “Department of ___.” Rearrange the letters of what goes in the blank to get the brand name of a product you might find at a drugstore or supermarket.
What is it?
Puzzleria!s Riffing Off Shortz Slices read:
ENTREE #1
Name a Cabinet department – as in “Department of ___.”
Rearrange the letters of what goes in the blank to get a two-word tool that can be found in the interior of your car – most likely in the trunk.
What is it?
ENTREE #2
Name a Cabinet department – as in “Department of ___.”
Rearrange the letters of what goes in the blank to get the two-word brand name of a product you can find, for example, at Target stores or at Wayfair.com. It is a product you can either walk upon or hang on a wall.
What is it?
Hint: The first word in the brand name was a noblewoman in ancient Rome.
ENTREE #3
Name a two-word Cabinet department – as in “Department of ___ ____.”
Rearrange the letters of what goes in the two blanks to get a possible three-word stage name of Don Rickles.
What is it?
ENTREE #4
Name a now-defunct two-word Cabinet department – as in “Department of ___ ____.”
Rearrange the 14 letters of what goes in the two blanks to get three words: a kind of expedition associated with a certain continent, a nation in that continent, and the first word in the phrase “___ the beaten path,” which describes the location of such expeditions. What are these three words?
ENTREE #5
Cab and Nettie Robinson are ornithophiles. They have a pond in their spacious backyard where birds of a feather – of the family Anatidae – are free to flock together. The pond is surrounded by birdbaths where other birds are free to perform splashy ablutions.
On one merry morning in March (with the temperature at 39 degrees Fahrenheit), Nettie and Cab install a trough on the periphery of the pond where their wading and paddling birds could help themselves to birdseed (see illustration).
Give a two-word name for the birdseed trough. Rearrange the letters in those two words to form the words that fill the following blanks: “Department of ___” and “Department of _______,” which are the former and current names of a U.S. cabinet department.
Now change an F in the two-word name for the birdseed trough to a T. Rearrange the result to form an adjective and noun that describe the contents, on that particular March morning, of the pond and birdbaths.
What U.S. cabinet department is is this? What is the birdseed trough also called? What two words describe the contents of the pond and birdbaths on that 39-degree morning in March?
Triple Crown Dessert:
Sun in a run for the roses
Why would “Sun” be a good name for a throroughbred Triple Crown contender?
Hint: The answer involves punning.
Every Friday at Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! we publish a new menu of fresh word puzzles, number puzzles, logic puzzles, puzzles of all varieties and flavors. We cater to cravers of scrumptious puzzles!
Our master chef, Grecian gourmet puzzle-creator Lego Lambda, blends and bakes up mysterious (and sometimes questionable) toppings and spices (such as alphabet soup, Mobius bacon strips, diced snake eyes, cubed radishes, “hominym” grits, anagraham crackers, rhyme thyme and sage sprinklings.)
Please post your comments below. Feel free also to post clever and subtle hints that do not give the puzzle answers away. Please wait until after 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesdays to post your answers and explain your hints about the puzzles. We serve up at least one fresh puzzle every Friday.
We invite you to make it a habit to “Meet at Joe’s!” If you enjoy our weekly puzzle party, please tell your friends about Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! Thank you.
Schpuzzle Of The Week:
Exploring the deserts of Europe
A word in a name on the European map sounds like a letter of the alphabet.
Replace the word with the letter it sounds like. Rearrange the first four letters of this result to spell a word describing deserts, and rearrange the final five letters to spell things found in deserts.
What is this name on the map?
Appetizer Menu
Cryptic Crossword Appetizer:
Madmen and Scotsmen, lions and tabbies, heroes and fools
Greetings, cryptic crossword aficionados. Patrick J. Berry (screen name, “cranberry”) has presented us with his fifteenth 15-by-15 grid of mystifying fun.
Here are the links to Patrick’s fourteen previous cryptic crosswords on Puzzleria!
ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE
SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN ELEVEN
TWELVE THIRTEEN FOURTEEN
If you are unfamiliar with cryptic crossword puzzles, here are a few basic cryptic crossword puzzle instructions:
Regarding the Across and Down clues and their format...The number in parentheses at the end of each clue tells how many letters are in the answer.
Multiple numbers in parentheses indicate how letters are distributed in multiple-word answers.For example, (6) simply indicates a six-letter answer like “jalopy,” (5,3) indicates a five-and-three-letter answer like “cargo van,” and (5-5) indicates a five-and-five-letter hyphenated answer like “Rolls-Royce.”
(For further insight about how to decipher these numbered cryptic clues, see Patrick’s “Cryptic Crossword Tutorial” in this link to his November 17, 2017 cryptic crossword. The Tutorial appears below the grid that contains the answers in that edition of Puzzleria!)
ACROSS
1. Defying the odds, real comic legend-turned-easygoing daytime talk show host(5,9)
9. Called “soft” and “old”(5)10. Strike back with good figure of speech in dangerous situation(9)
11. Ambassador’s failure during bad year(8)
12. Not just broadcast, “fun” broadcast!(6)14. Eats, happy to dig into seconds(4)
15. Not hard covering Black Sabbath classic without heavy metal band?(4,6)
18. Poem seen as poorly written magic words?(4,6)19. Go right inside, showing determination(4)
21. Fool with story about dog(6)
23. Perfection in cryptic: I mislead!(8)
25. Gang finds tabby in Disney remake(9)26. Beef with a Scotsman?(5)
27. Author’s great war novel has a twist ending, framed by humor(8,6)
DOWN
1. Say lines so funny with a straight face(14)
2. Appealing sort of bonus(9)
3. Madman providing insult, one that’s barely there?(6)
4. Jimmy supporting record company(10)5. Extremely excited guy, highly strung(4)
6. Foreigner, one going to college in England, gets point(8)
7. Drink up to hide personal problem? It can make you sick!(5)
8. Comment from Her Majesty, awfully mad–tore us a new one, going off!(2,3,3,6)
13. Drive a man insane with some tweeted comment?(10)16. Courage of alien raised to accept “being human”?(7-2)
17. Hoping to keep one in a vault?(8)
20. Empty container put inside larger container(6)
22. Present-day hero with some pleasant advice(5)24. Lion’s first appearance in den(4)
MENU
Piano Bar Slice:
Put some bread in my jar!
Name another word for the “bread” a patron may put into a piano bar jar and a word patrons use to address the piano player, according to certain song lyrics.
Rearrange the letters in these words to name where a patron might get the bread and what he might use to get it.
Riffing Off Shortz Slices:
Department of Wealth, Medication and Housewares
Will Shortz’s May 17th NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle reads:
Name a Cabinet department – as in “Department of ___.” Rearrange the letters of what goes in the blank to get the brand name of a product you might find at a drugstore or supermarket.
What is it?
Puzzleria!s Riffing Off Shortz Slices read:
ENTREE #1
Name a Cabinet department – as in “Department of ___.” Rearrange the letters of what goes in the blank to get a two-word tool that can be found in the interior of your car – most likely in the trunk.
What is it?
ENTREE #2Name a Cabinet department – as in “Department of ___.”
Rearrange the letters of what goes in the blank to get the two-word brand name of a product you can find, for example, at Target stores or at Wayfair.com. It is a product you can either walk upon or hang on a wall.
What is it?
Hint: The first word in the brand name was a noblewoman in ancient Rome.
ENTREE #3
Name a two-word Cabinet department – as in “Department of ___ ____.” Rearrange the letters of what goes in the two blanks to get a possible three-word stage name of Don Rickles.
What is it?
ENTREE #4
Name a now-defunct two-word Cabinet department – as in “Department of ___ ____.”
Rearrange the 14 letters of what goes in the two blanks to get three words: a kind of expedition associated with a certain continent, a nation in that continent, and the first word in the phrase “___ the beaten path,” which describes the location of such expeditions. What are these three words?ENTREE #5
Cab and Nettie Robinson are ornithophiles. They have a pond in their spacious backyard where birds of a feather – of the family Anatidae – are free to flock together. The pond is surrounded by birdbaths where other birds are free to perform splashy ablutions.
On one merry morning in March (with the temperature at 39 degrees Fahrenheit), Nettie and Cab install a trough on the periphery of the pond where their wading and paddling birds could help themselves to birdseed (see illustration).Give a two-word name for the birdseed trough. Rearrange the letters in those two words to form the words that fill the following blanks: “Department of ___” and “Department of _______,” which are the former and current names of a U.S. cabinet department.
Now change an F in the two-word name for the birdseed trough to a T. Rearrange the result to form an adjective and noun that describe the contents, on that particular March morning, of the pond and birdbaths.
What U.S. cabinet department is is this? What is the birdseed trough also called? What two words describe the contents of the pond and birdbaths on that 39-degree morning in March?
Dessert Menu
Triple Crown Dessert:
Sun in a run for the roses
Why would “Sun” be a good name for a throroughbred Triple Crown contender?
Hint: The answer involves punning.
Every Friday at Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! we publish a new menu of fresh word puzzles, number puzzles, logic puzzles, puzzles of all varieties and flavors. We cater to cravers of scrumptious puzzles!
Our master chef, Grecian gourmet puzzle-creator Lego Lambda, blends and bakes up mysterious (and sometimes questionable) toppings and spices (such as alphabet soup, Mobius bacon strips, diced snake eyes, cubed radishes, “hominym” grits, anagraham crackers, rhyme thyme and sage sprinklings.)
Please post your comments below. Feel free also to post clever and subtle hints that do not give the puzzle answers away. Please wait until after 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesdays to post your answers and explain your hints about the puzzles. We serve up at least one fresh puzzle every Friday.
We invite you to make it a habit to “Meet at Joe’s!” If you enjoy our weekly puzzle party, please tell your friends about Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! Thank you.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePaul deleted, does that make me first? That's a first.
ReplyDeleteHad to laugh just a little at Cranberry's 1A. Not the easiest cryptic, but can be done.
Yes, ecoarchitect... shades of "chain mail!"
DeleteLegoWhoHadASimilarWithOneOfPatrick'sCluesAFewMonthsAgo
I don't do pjb's Cryptics, but even *I* know who his 1A is supposed to be (I think!) And thus why eco is chuckling.
DeleteGot Cryptic 1A with the hint. Don't get all its rationale yet.
ReplyDeleteGot Schpuzzle and Entrée #1 immediately. For Entrée #5, got the trough quickly. But I get the contents of the pond & baths only if I change an F to a T. Also, it helps to know some physical chemistry.
Thanks, geofan You are correct about the "change an F to a T" necessity. I'm not sure how I spaced that out during my puzzle-making process! I'll go back and tinker with the wording, thanks to you.
DeleteSo... thank you!
LegoWhoIsImpressehThatgeofanSolvedTheSchpuzzleSoQuickly
39 °F immediately clued me in (though I had to convert it to °C first to check). Spending time at the BIPM helped.
DeleteIf you are so inclined, geofan, could you share a bit about your association with the BIPM?
Delete(Cursory "DuckDuckGoogling" reveals that you were involved in a"CCQM-K34 Final Report: Assay of potassium hydrogen phthalate," which is, of course, Greek to me!)
Sounds to me, though, as if you were involved in some pretty significant work.
Lego(OrJosephThaLatestInALongLineOfNonChemistsToBeBewilderedByChemistry!
ca. 1998-2016, I was on the electrochemical analysis working group (EAWG) representing the USA (for NIST) at the BIPM. The EAWG conducted "key comparisons" (KC) to determine the state of the art for a specified measurement. For CCQM-K34 it was assay ("purity") of potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP), a standard for acid-base titrations. Most of the KCs were for pH measurements. By international agreement, the KC results determine how well the specified measurement (generally at the highest level) of a given country is recognized internationally. So if you were hospitalized in Russia and then transferred to the USA for later treatment, would the USA hospital accept the Russian test results (or vice versa)? Usually I also did the corresponding lab analyses at NIST (i.e. the USA "entry"). If NIST was the coordinating lab, I also prepared the samples and sent them out to all the participants ("this little bottle goes to Russia, this little bottle to Brazil, this little bottle to Germany", etc.) Of course, much work went into verifying that bottle-to-bottle differences were negligible, that (for liquids) no leakage occurred in transit, etc, etc. Plus I wrote the Final Report. Most times another national metrology institute coordinated, then I only made the NIST measurement (several weeks' work in itself) and then wrote the NIST official submission report. Lots of work, particularly for the coordinating lab!
DeleteTrivial (actual!) physical example: across the street from NIST (i.e. in the USA) there is a shopping center. There is a manhole there. The outer ring was made in Brazil. The circular manhole cover was made in India. If the USA-specified size, the Brazilian ring, and the Indian cover were not each measured correctly, nothing would fit.
Likewise, the Schpuzzle was pretty easy (thank goodness), as was Entree #1. BUt I've also gotten Entrees #; SORT OF #3 (but suspect I need to rethink the 3-word stage name, because I don't like it at all); #4; and then I'd run into the same trouble as geo, with the 'f' vs 't' for #5...although I'm still wasn't sure of that second 'term' (not being a chemist). It simply can't be anything else, however.
DeleteIt's the DESSERT this week that leaves me unable to know what even to try, and I could NOT solve the Piano Slice to save my life, even though I THOUGHT I knew what the song was.
Somehow the #2 disappeared from my Entrees sentence.
DeleteNow I just do puzzles. They can be more difficult, especially if they deal with obscure comics or rock groups, cars, etc., where I know little and require endless research to solve.
DeleteTwo postdocs who worked with me have taken over the above duties (plus others, notably preparing the NIST standard reference materials (SRMs) that are supported by the above KCs and are sold to industry, academia worldwide to support their products and measurements (e.g. LabCorp or Quest (or others') clinical lab measurements that you may have done for your doctor).
VT et al, I now have all 5 Entrées and working on the Piano Slice. Lots of interesting licit (and not) ways out there to get $$$. As VT, no hint on the Dessert.
ReplyDeleteMy apologies if my above blog bored or disturbed anyone - not intended. Henceforth will restrict comments to items of puzzlographic relevance.
geofan,
DeleteNo apologies are necessary. It was I who asked you to tell us more about your work with the BIPM. True, much of what you wrote was over my head, but I still found your post fascinating. And I loved your "manhole" analogy at the end.
And, reading between your lines, I gathered that your research likely has contributed to saving and extending countless lives.
I just hope there is such a thing as "medical karma."
LegoWhoBelievesThatgeofan'sCommentsAreIndeedRelevantInasmuch AsTheyImpartInterestingInformation(WhichIsAlwaysConduciveToPuzzleSolvingAndPuzzleCreation)
As for the Dessert, you will likely groan when you either solve it or hear the answer.
DeleteThe link in the puzzle provides a clue.
LegoHorseOfTheBaskervilles
Hi everybody from Ft. Walton Beach, FL! We will try to social distance while we're here, don't worry. Even I'm a little surprised we're still doing this at a time like this. Mostly hot tubs and the lazy river, that's all we'll do. Listening to Ask Me Another right now, solved my other cryptics except for a clue about Angela Merkel by Paul. I might have just got that one, now that I think about it. Enjoy the puzzles and stay safe everybody!
ReplyDeleteThe only punny (but serious) solution to the Dessert that strikes me is a theological one. And the groaning that was done is most vividly recorded in Matt 27:50 and Mark 15:37. Even for a non-believer, I would not consider it to be in any way funny. And many consider it a Good name.
ReplyDeleteThe "pun" in my intended answer does not, for example, involve "Sun" and "Son"... although lineage in thoroughbred racing is considered quite important, as I understand it.
DeleteLegoWhoNowProvidesAVisualSpiritualImageThatMayServeAsAvisualHintForTheDessert
Well, that finishes the Dessert for me....sun vs son was the ONLY 'pun' idea I had been able to come up with, i.e. SUN being the SON of Seattle Slew or Affirmed or whoever....back to the drawing board, not that I have the slightest idea of what to try.
DeleteJust thought of a non-religious answer. A pun, but not an especially groanworthy one.
DeleteEntertainment Alert!
ReplyDeleteOur friend Mathew Huffman will be appearing (as Feste the Jester) in an online production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, this evening on the Majestic Theatre (in Corvallis, Oregon) Facebook site. The live stream begins at 7:30 PM Pacific time. If you can't watch the performance live, the full video will be available afterwords on the Majestic Theatre's Facebook page and Youtube channel.
They call these productions "Majesticpiece Theatre."
Because of the Corona Virus, cast members perform via online video hook-ups from their homes.
Mathew is an amazingly talented young man who has contributed literally hundreds of wonderful puzzles to Puzzleria! (including "Mathew Huffman's Conundrum Set"). But his skills as a thespian are equally amazing. Miss this performance at your own peril!
I just happened, almost by accident, to catch Mathew in a similar performance of "A midsummer Night's Dream" a month or so ago. He stole the show IMHO!
Mathew is also a genuinely nice guy. In November of 2016, when I missed posting a week of Puzzleria! puzzles because my external hard drive died, he worked tirelessly and selflessly with me to try to retrieve the contents of the drive.
Here is the Facebook link to the Majestic Theatre facebook page.
LegoAwaitingTheAppearanceOfOurThespian'sFeste
Here is some great news:
ReplyDeleteI just got done listening to Will Shortz's "The Puzzzle" segment on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday program.
Can you guess whose puzzle Will is using this week. It's our friend Patrick J. Berry's (cranberry's) puzzle. That's whose!
It is a fitting coincidence that we at Puzzleria! are also featuring (for the fifteenth time) one of Patrick's excellent Cryptic Crossword Puzzles in our current edition.
Patrick's latest NPR puzzle (he has had at least two others on NPR that I am aware of) has very clever wordplay and is very enjoyable.
Congratulations, Patrick!
For the record, Patrick's latest NPR puzzle reads:
Think of a well-known European city in seven letters. If you remove the third letter, you’ll get a two-word phrase describing what you must do to win a race. If instead you remove the fourth letter, you’ll get a two-word phrase describing what you can’t do to win a race. What's the city?
Of course, you will be seeing Riff-Offs of Patrick's puzzle on this coming Friday's edition of Puzzleria!
LegoWhoIsVeryHappyForPatrick
Monday Hints:
ReplyDeleteSchpuzzle:
The name on the European map is definitely not a stereotypical desert (at least not the type you see in the "plated" image above the Schpuzzle.
Patrick J. Berry's Cryptic Crossword:
Hints available upon request.
Piano Bar Slice:
Both "where a patron might get the bread and what he might use to get it" are acronyms. One is pronouceable, like DARE: Drug Abuse Resistance Education. The other you have to spell out, like ABS: Anti-lock Braking System.
Riffing Off Shortz Slices:
ENTREE #1
The department appears in the puzzle text.
ENTREE #2
Folks who head this Cabinet department often hail from the Midwest.
ENTREE #3
It is one of the relatively new Cabinet departments.
Mr. Rickles was not exaclty Mr. Sunshine.
ENTREE #4
The second word of the Cabinet department, minus one letter that appears twice, can be rerranged to spell the expedition. The final five letters in each of the two words in the Cabinet departments are synonyms, respectively, of "rule" and of "bazaar/expo."
ENTREE #5
What is that feathered creature chowing down at the trough? The contents of the pond and birdbaths is a common liquid that is heavy, man... molecules tightly packed!
Dessert Menu
Triple Crown Dessert:
I wonder if Mr. Liotta or Mr. Kroc own throroughbreds?
LegoBelmontPreaknessChurchillDowns
Ok, I believe I might 'get' the Dessert now. Still not 100% sure....
DeleteA thousand apologies for not commenting these past few days. On the one hand, we were having fun, but on the other hand, something came up. The first night I took a Xanax at bedtime, but didn't get to sleep right away, so I got up to go to the bathroom and took another. Next day, I'm rather groggy and fall in my bedroom, and ever since everyone thinks my speech is slurred and I'm speaking slower than usual, and I'm grouchy and like a zombie walking around. We've ruled out a stroke(Thank God!), and we think it may have been the extra Xanax. I also haven't had everything I need to check my blood sugar in months, so that may definitely be a factor. Rest assured, I'm fine for the most part. My left foot also shakes nervously a little sometimes, but I'm in good spirits. Needless to say, I've not worked on the puzzles. I barely glanced over them Friday night. Again, I apologize. Thanks to Legolambda for mentioning I got a puzzle used on NPR this week, BTW. It's been the highlight of my weekend. Will look over the puzzles later today. I promise.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are feeling better, cranberry. Take care of yourself! We truly value you here at Puzzleria!
DeleteLegoWithPrayersForTheGoodHealthOfAllWhoVisitThisBlog
The "bread in the jar" puzzle is still too tricky, but I think I understand the Dessert. Got everything else.
ReplyDeleteWe all know what song lyrics are germane to this puzzle. It's the song that rhymes "Davy" with "Navy" and mentions Paul, the "real estate novelist."
ReplyDeleteThe other word for the “bread” a patron may put into a piano bar jar is not in the lyrics, but it is a 3-letter synonym of said "bread put in the jar."
The word patrons use to address the piano player is in the lyrics, and it also contains three letters.
LegoSaysAnAnagramOfTheBreadPutIntoTheJarIsAWordInAPoeTitle
I had already had the two correct words (well, I wasn't SURE about the synonym one), and just now have finally solved the Piano puzzle. Joy!
DeleteI have the right words, but can't get the acronyms. I need a hint for them.
DeleteBefore the hints, I had several alternate answers which I will disclose tomorrow.
Deletecranberry, could I get a hint for 12A in the Cryptic. Have almost all of the others.
"...where a patron might get the bread and what he might use to get it."
DeleteThink Drive-thru...
Where:
"_________ For the People"
"___ ___ About It"
"Ghost in the _______"
What:
"________ Property"
"Let's see your ______________..."
"______ One"
LegoWhoEnvisionsADream"BattleOfTheBands":SpinalTapVsTheRutles!
If I gave you a hint, geofan, it might be _______ to the others.
DeleteGot your last hint, Lego, BTW.
Deletegeofan,
Deletecranberry's 12A hint is likely sufficient for your purposes...
and I do not want to step on cranberry's toes...
and I know you are not a huge "pop" music aficionado...
but...
I have always loved this beautiful slice of 1967 heaven.
LegoAssociated
ADRIATIC SEA > ADRIATIC C > ARID, CACTI
ReplyDeleteTIP, MAN > ATM, PIN
INTERIOR > TIRE IRON
AGRICULTURE > LUCRETIA RUG
HOMELAND SECURITY > ??????
FOREIGN AFFAIRS > SAFARI, NIGER, OFF
SUN / RAY??????
Here's my breakdown of ELLEN DEGENERES: The even letters of rEaL + comic LEGEND (=LEN DEG) + SERENE turned backward
I didn't need the hint to get UNFAIR
I'm not sure about GRIT
OPEN SESAME is just a straightforward anagram
I really like IDEALISM
I assume the beefy Scotsman is ANGUS
Never heard of a LAGNIAPPE before
EDEMA?????????
WE ARE NOT AMUSED [GOING=ON, and ONE with ON taken OFF is just E]
DERRING-DO
My deleted comment was a giveaway of ARID/CACTI due to my misreading DESERT as DESSERT.
Schpuzzle: ADRIATIC SEA => ARID ATIC C => DRY CACTI
ReplyDeleteCryptic crossword
1A: ELLEN DEGENERES
9A: PAGED
10A: TIGHTROPE
11A: EMISSARY
12A: UNFAIR [post-hint]
14A: SUPS (or SIPS)
15A: IRON MAIDEN
18A: OPEN SESAME
19A: GRIT
21A: LASSIE
23A: IDEALISM
25A: SYNDICATE (liked this clue!)
26A: ANGUS
27A: MARGARET ATWOOD
1D: EXPRESSIONLESS
2D: LAGNIAPPE (a new word for me)
3D: NUDIST
4D: ENTERPRISE
5D: EDGY
6D: ESTONIAN (“foreigner” was too general. “Baltic” or “Reveler” might have been better [Reval = old (German) name for Tallinn])
7D: EBOLA
8D: WE ARE NOT AMUSED
13D: ANIMADVERT (a new word for me)
16D: DERRING-DO
17D: ASPIRING
20D: VACANT (great clue!)
22D: SANTA (liked the clue)
24D: LAIR
Piano Bar Slice: “MAN”, BUCKS => BANK, SCUM; “MAN”, CASH => CAN, SHAM; “MAN”, MOOLA => LOAN, AMMO. Have yet to find a “licit” source for the dough.
[post-Mon-hint] PIN, ATM => TIP MAN (but not specifically so mentioned in the Billy Joel song “Piano Man”)
Entrées
#1: INTERIOR => TIRE IRON
#2: AGRICULTURE – RUG AICLTURE => LUCRETIA RUG
#3: HOMELAND SECURITY => MR ACTED HEINOUSLY or MISTER ACHY NODULE
#4: FOREIGN AFFAIRS => OFF, SAFARI, NIGER
#5: WAR, DEFENSE => SWAN FEEDER, (change F to T) DENSE WATER (maximum density at 4 °C or 39 °F).
Dessert: [pre-hints]: Last groan of Christ, the SON (pun from sun) see Matt 27:50, Mark 15:37. Christ the Son is a member of the Trinity, hence Triple Crown. A very serious answer that does fit the puzzle. Also it fits the 3-crosses hint (see below).
[post-3-crosses hint]: Because if SUN won the Triple Crown, he would have a SUN SET. This sounds good.
[post-Mon-hint]: Mr Liotta and Mr Kroc are RAYS. So it must be SUN RAYS or RAY'S SUN (???) Doesn't make sense.
SCHPUZZLE: ADRIATIC SEA => ADRIATIC C => ARID & CACTI
ReplyDelete1A of Cryptic: ELLEN DEGENERES
PIANO BAR SLICE: TIP & MAN [I had these two words before the hint] => ATM & PIN
ENTREES:
1. INTERIOR => TIRE IRON
2. AGRICULTURE => LUCRETIA RUG
3. HOMELAND SECURITY => HEADLINER OM SCUTY
4. FOREIGN AFFAIRS => SAFARI & NIGER & OFF [the beaten path]
5. WAR & DEFENSE => SWAN FEEDER & DENSE WATER
DESSERT: SUN = RAY'S (RACE) HORSE?
Could it be SUNRISE said with an (inaccurate) Australian accent??
DeleteHA HA
DeleteTrue story: in 2016 I was in Australia on the Indian Pacific (train) and was talking with a co-traveller I had met. I had lowered the hinged sink in the sleeper compartment. She said it was a "bison." I said, "Do you mean a "basin"? She said, "No, not a bison, a basin." To me, same phoneme; to her, two different sounds.
DeleteThat's really funny, geo....
DeleteI think Lego's pun is that the sun is the strongest "ray source" (racehorse homonym). Strongest is my adjective, he may have had another in mind.
ReplyDeleteThat was my intended answer exactly, eco: RAY SOURCE or RAY(S) SOURCE ("RAYS" with or without possessive apostrophes).
DeleteBut (shades of "Senefed" and "Tate's") there were very fine alternative answers galore!
LegoWhoWondersIfJerrySeinfeldTakesSenefed
It finally popped into my head as I was brushing my teeth around midnight Wednesday. As with all groaners, I think I'm glad it didn't come faster.
DeleteI had finished Cranberry's crossword last Saturday, no clues needed, but I still don't understand the logic behind 22D SANTA? Sometimes I'm dense. Also, I never quite got how the IDE fits in with the clue, though obviously it fits in IRON MA(ide)N. Can someone fill in the empty space between my ears?
ReplyDeleteI thought the clue for 12A was brilliant, but I'm a sucker for clues that use 2 different meanings for the same word, in this case broadcast. And the implied double meaning of just. Similarly, the clue for 17D was terrific, deceiving us into thinking of vault as container, not spring.
Only critique, there was only one "e" in the anagram that created WE ARE NOT AMUSED. I could surmise that the second e comes from Queen Elizabeth, but that's a stretch.
Present-day hero with some pleaSANT Advice(5)
DeletePresent-day = Christmas
MADTOREUSANEWONE - ON > WE ARE NOT AMUSED
DeleteA machine that is running, or "going" is ON, and that "ON" is taken "off", i.e., removed.
Thanks Geo, usually clues with hidden words are the easiest (anagrams 2nd easiest), don't know how I missed that.
DeleteAnd thanks Paul for the clarification on the off, or how to off the on. A bit devious in the clue, methinks.
Any thoughts how to put the ide in the Man?
Finally, one small critique of the Entrees: technically it's The Department of The Interior, though people often shorten it. As for me, I'm proudly pro noun!
ReplyDeleteENTREE #1 (Revised Version)
DeleteName a Cabinet department – as in “Department of ___ ________.”
Rearrange the letters of what goes in the two blanks to get:
a. an exterior part of a car,
b. an interior part of a car, and
c. kind of rods on the underside of a car that are part of the steering mechanism.
What is this department?
LegoWhoVowsInTheFutureToBeMoreRespectfulOfTheThe
Good link to The The, though THIS may be more apropos? First album of theirs I bought so long ago.
DeleteGreat link, eco. Yes, quite timely sadly.
DeleteLegoWhoLikesHisMusicToBeInfectiousButNotHisViruses
IDE is HIDE without the H(for hard). HIDE means "covering" here.
ReplyDeleteSchpuzzle
ADRIATIC SEA(C), ARID, CACTI
For cryptic details, see Lego's answers.
Menu
TIP, MAN, PIN, ATM
Entrees
1. INTERIOR, TIRE IRON
2. AGRICULTURE, LUCRETIA RUG
3. HOMELAND SECURITY, "THE SURLY COMEDIAN"
4. FOREIGN AFFAIRS, SAFARI, NIGER, OFF
5. WAR, DEFENSE, SWAN FEEDER, DENSE WATER
Dessert
It's a RAYSHORSE?
Not totally sure about that last one.-pjb
Okay on the IDE, but a little strained.
DeleteI think I have the correct reasoning behind the Ray's Horse, will it be Affirmed by Lego, the Secretariat of this blog? He must Justify his existence!
This week's official answers for the record, part 1:
ReplyDeleteSchpuzzle Of The Week:
Exploring the deserts of Europe
A word in a name on the European map sounds like a letter of the alphabet. Replace the word with the letter. Rearrange the first four letters of this result to spell a word describing deserts, and rearrange the final five letters to spell things found in deserts. What is this name on the map?
Answer:
Adriatic Sea; (arid, cacti) (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cactus)
Appetizer Menu
Cryptic Crossword Appetizer
Madmen and Scotsmen, lions and tabbies, heros and fools
The grid with the answers filled-in appears above this week's comments section.)
ANSWERS:
ACROSS
1. Defying the odds, real comic legend-turned-easygoing daytime talk show host(5,9)
REAL-RA+LEGEND anagram+SERENE reversed
9. Called "soft" and "old"(5)
P(piano)+AGED
10. Strike back with good figure of speech in dangerous situation(9)
(HIT reversed containing G)+TROPE
11. Ambassador's failure during bad year(8)
MISS inside YEAR anagram
12. Not just broadcast, "fun" broadcast!(6)
FUN anagram+AIR
14. Eats, happy to dig into seconds(4)
UP inside SS("second"s)
15. Not hard covering Black Sabbath classic without heavy metal band?(4,6)
IRON MAN containing HIDE-H
18. Poem seen as poorly written magic words?(4,6)
POEMSEENAS anagram
19. Go right inside, showing determination(4)
R inside GIT(Southern way to say "scram")
21. Fool with story about dog(6)
LIE containing ASS
23. Perfection in cryptic: I mislead!(8)
IMISLEAD anagram
25. Gang finds tabby in Disney remake(9)
CAT inside DISNEY anagram
26. Beef with a Scotsman?(5)
double definition
27. Author's great war novel has a twist ending, framed by humor(8,6)
MOOD containing GREATWAR anagram containing A T(twisT)
DOWN
1. Say lines so funny with a straight face(14)
EXPRESS+LINESSO anagram
2. Appealing sort of bonus(9)
APPEALING anagram
3. Madman providing insult, one that's barely there?(6)
NUT containing DIS
4. Jimmy supporting record company(10)
PRISE under ENTER(record as a verb)
5. Extremely excited guy, highly strung(4)
E(xcite)DG(u)Y
6. Foreigner, one going to college in England, gets point(8)
ETONIAN containing S(South on a compass)
7. Drink up to hide personal problem? It can make you sick!(5)
ALE reversed containing BO(body odor)
8. Comment from Her Majesty, awfully mad---tore us a new one, going off!(2,3,3,6)
MADTOREUSANEWONE anagram-ON
13. Drive a man insane with some tweeted comment?(10)
DRIVEAMAN anagram+T
16. Courage of alien raised to accept "being human"?(7-2)
ODD reversed containing ERRING
17. Hoping to keep one in a vault?(8)
I(one)inside A SPRING
20. Empty container put inside larger container(6)
CAN inside VAT
22. Present-day hero with some pleasant advice(5)
hidden inside pleaSANTAdvice
24. Lion's first appearance in den(4)
L+AIR
Lego...
This week's official answers for the record, part 2:
ReplyDeleteMENU
Piano Bar Slice:
Put some bread in my jar
Name another word for the "bread" a patron may put into a piano bar jar and a word patrons use to address the piano player, according to certain song lyrics. Rearrange the letters in these words to name where a patron might get the bread and what he might use to get it.
Answer:
ATM, PIN; (tip, Man)
In Billy Joel's "Piano Man" piano bar patrons put "bread," or a tip, into his jar, and ask, "Man, what are you doing here?")
Riffing Off Shortz Slices:
Department of Wealth, Medication and Housewares
ENTREE #1
Name a Cabinet department – as in “Department of ___.” Rearrange the letters of what goes in the blank to get a two-word tool that can be found in the interior of your car – most likely in the trunk. What is it?
Answer:
Tire iron; (Department of Interior)
ENTREE #2
Name a Cabinet department – as in “Department of ___.” Rearrange the letters of what goes in the blank to get the two-word brand name of a product you can find at Target stores – a product you can either walk upon or hang on a wall. What is it?
Hint: The first word in the brand name was a noblewoman in ancient Rome.
Answer:
Lucretia rug; (Department of Agriculture)
ENTREE #3
Name a two-word Cabinet department – as in “Department of ___ ____.” Rearrange the letters of what goes in the two blanks to get a possible three-word stage name of Don Rickles. What is it?
Answer:
"The Surly Comedian"; (Department of Homeland Security)
ENTREE #4
Name a now-defunct two-word Cabinet department – as in “Department of ___ ____.” Rearrange the 14 letters of what goes in the two blanks to get three words: a kind of expedition associated with a certain continent, a nation in that continent, and the first word in the phrase “___ the beaten path,” which descibes the location of such expeditions. What are these three words?
Answer:
Safari, Niger, Off; (Department of Foreign Affairs)
ENTREE #5
Cab and Nettie Robinson are ornithophiles. They have a pond in their spacious backyard where birds of a feather – the family Anatidae – are free to flock together. The pond is surrounded by birdbaths where other birds are free to perform splashy ablutions.
On one merry morning in March (with the temperature at 39 degrees Fahrenheit), Nettie and Cab install a trough near the edge of the pond where their wading and paddling birds helped themselves to birdseed (see illustration).
Give a two-word name for the birdseed trough. Also, describe the contents, on that morning, of the pond and birdbaths, in an adjective and noun.
Rearrange the letters in either of these pairs of words to form the words that fill the following blanks: “Department of ___” and “Department of _______,” which are the former and current names of a U.S. cabinet department.
What deparment is is this? What is the birdseed trough also called? What two-words describe the contents of the pond and birdbaths on the 39-degree morning in May?
Answer:
Department of Defense (formerly the Department of War);
Swan feeder;
Dense water (water is in its densest state at 39 degrees Fahrenheit)
Dessert Menu
Triple Crown Dessert:
Sun in a run for the roses
Why would “Sun” be a good name for a throroughbred Triple Crown contender?
Hint: The answer involves punning.
Answer:
The "Sun" is a source of rays (rays' source, which sounds like racehorse).
Lego!
With all due respect, still prefer my three alternates, and feel that the Aussie SUNRAYS alternate is more groanworthy. Both the others fit the 3-crosses hint as well.
DeleteI agree, geofan.
DeleteThe SUN/SON/TRINITY/TRIPLE CROWN concatenation is especially very interlockingly satisfying.
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