container, double definition, homophone, reversal, etc.
Three from LAT:
Sound created by a virgin (4)
Frozen food and ale found in backwards eras (4,3)
During the hoopla, I'd detected a pattern (5)
Two from ST:
Some lack of balance seems, at the beginning, as if they were neglectful (5)
A saint for sailors has sensitive effigies (5)
 LAT |  Seattle Times 8/25/14 NYT |
Thank you for your forbearance during my absence. I'm not sure if I'm entirely back up to speed yet, but at least for today I'm here.
If you are only reading the main entries on this blog, you're only reading part of it! The comments are often more interesting and informative than the main entries, so check them out even if you don't plan to add one yourself! Please post comments, guesses, questions, partial answers, rationales, alternative clues, or anything even marginally related.
Glad you are feeling better. First to clear up loose ends from Saturday:
ReplyDeleteLAT3: Love takes a ton for an ounce (3)
Your comment: I can make several words from this, OAT, ATO, TOZ, but none match anything in either puzzle.
My response Had I said “Sweetheart takes a ton….” You would have got it immediately.
Love = JO + ton = T => JOT = ounce (as in “not a jot/ounce of proof”), a bit of a stretch, perhaps, but the contrast with ton was irresistible
ST1: Strengthen or weaken (6)
Your comment: The first definition was easy, the other for moderation was a little bit harder to parse as weaken.
My response : Weaken is given in my U.S. Thesaurus, along with moderate, reduce, mitigate, etc.. A bit of a stretch I agree, but its use here as an antonym to strengthen (steel, etc.) was irresistible.
ST3: Supposedly in the capacity of returning terrorist organization (5)
Your comment: Get the direct and first half. The terrorist org I don't see unless you mean the Islamic State.
My response Er, yes, I did mean the Islamic State.
Supposedly = QUASI. QUA = in the capacity of; returning terrorist organization = SI.
Sound created by a virgin (4)
ReplyDeleteEventually OK. Splendid risqué clue; well made, sir! My first guess was “a virgin” = ANEW = “Sound”, but the definition was slightly off. Then I realized it was a homophone. I suppose some of them must be virgins.
Frozen food and ale found in backwards eras (4,3)
OK. I was vaguely familiar with the answer. Seemed improbable, but a simple straight insertion reversal.
During the hoopla, I'd detected a pattern (5)
OK. “Hidden clue” shouts out immediately. Off to the Highlands, then, laddie, still part of the U.K.
ST1 Some lack of balance seems, at the beginning, as if they were neglectful (5)
From 18th Century Ireland, meaning “sludge, ooze”. I suppose with all of the other attributes, neglectful follows. OK for starters.
ST2 A saint for sailors has sensitive effigies (5)
OK. Interesting that 1D is STAB, which would be a Saint for Sailors in a Brit crossword, where AB = Able (bodied) Seaman. Wrong letter count and nothing to do with effigies, though.
PABST would a "soft saint for sailors", but again, effigies?
But the accepted patron saint of sailors is in the grid; but where are the effigies? Muppets? Fires? Electrical phenomena? Guess I’ll have to plump for the fireman.
Just 3 today:
ReplyDeleteLAT4: Belarus Officers (Red Army Command) climb the Locust Tree (5)
ST3: American man not into snapper (9).
ST4: Followed Hal’s path to the golden eighth edition? (7)
NC
LAT4: Belarus Officers (Red Army Command) climb the Locust Tree (5)
ReplyDeleteLocust trees are where it comes from? I didn't know that before!¨ Just checked it out, and finally finally found "Locust tree: ...Not commonly, the carob tree, Ceratonia siliqua, whose pods are called locust beans... the term "locust" was applied to the pods of the carob tree, that somehow resemble the insect." Still, a nice reverse/acrostic, except since Belarus Officers isn't a common or obvious candidate for initialism, it should have had an indicator..
ST3: American man not into snapper (9).
Into probably should have been 2 words, and needed anagram indicator, but otherwise a nice subtraction/anagram.
ST4: Followed Hal’s path to the golden eighth edition? (7)
Hal 9000 circled Saturn, OR+BIT+EDition. Took a while, since it was in the LAT grid, not ST. At least, charades don't need indicators.