Monthly Archives: July 2021

NYT Spelling Bee 7-31-21 final

Leave a reply
Advertisements

Calah and I went on a seven-mile walk today and had a picnic. It’s nice to go on long walks with her. Our first date included a long walk, and our walks on Independence Day added up to 20 miles. But now my legs are dead.

Yesterday I missed ALLAY, APPLY, GLOPPY, GOONY, LAGGY, LOLLYGAG, LOONY, NYLON, ONLY, PLAY, PYLON, and YANG.

Meatier Misses

LALLYGAG: informal Spend time aimlessly; idle. It’s LOLLYGAG with a different spelling.
ONLAY: An item of cloth, paper, etc., fixed on the surface of something, especially for decorative effect; a thin piece of leather, etc., mounted on the cover of a book for ornamentation.
PANOPLY: A complete or impressive collection of things.

Today’s summary

Letters: EABCLOP
Final score: 41 words for 176 points.
Genius minimum: 176 points
First word: PLACEBO.
Pangram: PLACEBO.

NYT Crossword Puzzle 7-31-21 Complete (contains spoilers)

Leave a reply
Advertisements

I pulled out 49A Operation that yields the remainder from dividing two numbers, in math lingo: MOD because it’s not just math lingo but programming lingo. An early, early thing they teach in Python is modulo (mod), and the symbol for it, %. So 7 % 2 (seven mod two) is 1 because its 3 remainder 1, and all we care about is the remainder.

There was no theme for this puzzle.

20A Specs for a modiste: DRESSSIZES. A fashionable milliner or dressmaker.
32A “Wow, that’s wild!”: WHATATRIP.
47A Most times: ORDINARILY.

Finished this one in 34:23.

DayThis WkBestAverage4-Wk AvgStreak
Monday7:013:499:288:2067
Tuesday7:515:2213:4012:3810
Wednesday29:357:3817:3617:198
Thursday31:1012:1229:1927:308
Friday30:4216:2334:4630:468
Saturday34:2327:4334:0833:238
Sunday15:1156:4742:247

Quick update on my Indochino suits and DHL

1 Reply
Advertisements

I had been tracking the progress of a couple suits I got from Indochino. It’s important that they arrive before the wedding, and if alterations are needed, it’s best I have them in my possession a week ago.

The suits shipped from China on Thursday last week. I watched as DHL tracking was slow to update no matter how many times I refreshed.

On July 27, I got my first update: The package arrived in the Cincinnati Hub and cleared customs.

But there it stayed.

Yesterday (by the time this posts), I saw another update: Shipment on hold.

I don’t want my shipment to be on hold. I want my suits! Calah wants me to have my suits!

So I took the advice of many redditors who had responded to other people who have had this issue, and I called DHL.

The number, appropriately, is 800-CALL-DHL.

I was given the option to have them call me back, but I found it suspicious that they didn’t tell me first how long I’d have to wait on hold.

I opted to wait.

Then I got the ringing tone and was connected to a person immediately. That was a relief.

The explanation I got was that the package was waiting for a connecting flight to Los Angeles, but all was still right because it wasn’t lost.

I shared that I had been hoping to get my suits today in case alterations were necessary, and the customer service person told me that while they don’t work on the weekend, she would tell them to get my suit to me on Monday.

I got a notification from DHL that the estimated delivery will be Monday!!!!

I’ll update you on what actually happens.

NYT Spelling Bee 7-30-21 final

Leave a reply
Advertisements

The weekend is upon us! In two weekends, Calah and I will be getting married. Woohoo! Still a ton to do before then, but August 15 isn’t waiting for anyone.

Yesterday I missed IMMUNIZING, MIMING, MINGLING, MINIM, MINIMIZING, MINIMUM, NUZZLING, and ZING.

Meatier Misses

ILIUM: The large broad bone forming the upper part of each half of the pelvis.


LIMN/LIMNING: literary Depict or describe in painting or words.

ETYMOLOGY!!!!!

limn (v.)

early 15c., “to illuminate” (manuscripts), altered from Middle English luminen, “to illuminate manuscripts” (late 14c.), from Old French luminer “light up, illuminate,” from Latin luminare “illuminate, burnish,” from lumen (genitive luminis) “radiant energy, light,” related to lucere “to shine,” from PIE *leuk-smen-, suffixed form of root *leuk- “light, brightness.” Figurative sense of “portray, depict” first recorded 1590s. Related: Limned; limner.

Today’s summary

Letters: IGLMNUZ
Final score: 32 words for 168 points.
Genius minimum: 168 points.
First word: AGONY.
Pangram: POLYGONAL.

NYT Crossword Puzzle 7-30-21 Complete (contains spoilers)

Leave a reply
Advertisements

I pulled out 64A Nothing to write home about: SOSO because it’s a bad answer for this puzzle. 28D “That seems likely”: IIMAGINESO means that SO and SO don’t just appear twice as answers but intersect. So? Well, SOSOSO. But it gets worse! 16D So: ERGO. These aren’t theme answers. They’re sloppy. How sloppy? SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSO sloppy.

There were long answers, but there was no theme. That’s SO Friday. Thanks, Will Shortz!

1A Peak climbed in the 2018 Oscar-winning documentary “Free Solo”: ELCAPITAN.
14A Catholic university outside Philadelphia: VILLANOVA. Now I know where Nova is!
17A Cheating sort: ADULTERER.
20A Cozy seating for outdoor reading: PORCHSWING.
31A Last straw on “Family Feud”: THIRDSTRIKE.
42A Southern cocktail made with crème de menthe, crème de cacao and cream: GRASSHOPPER. Also someone who buys French fats?
52A Result of multiple paper cuts?: FINALDRAFT. What must this puzzle have been before?
60A Translation of some loud yawns: INEEDANAP.
63A Not last: COMEANDGO.
65A “Wait, just listen”: HEARMEOUT.
9D Unit for several detectives on “The Wire”: NARCOTICS. I had tried MAJORCRIMES. Didn’t fit. HOMICIDE? Too short. VICE? PROPERTY? MARINEUNIT? EVIDENCE?
12D It’s found around a crime scene: POLICETAPE. I had EVIDENCE? CLUES? FINGERPRINTS?
33D Response to unfair criticism: THATSRICH. Initially I had put THATS(T/R)ASH because I thought it might be one of those puzzles. Nope! Just a SOSOSOSOSO one.

Finished this one in 30:42.

DayThis WkBestAverage4-Wk AvgStreak
Monday7:013:499:288:2067
Tuesday7:515:2213:4012:3810
Wednesday29:357:3817:3617:198
Thursday31:1012:1229:1927:308
Friday30:4216:2334:4630:468
Saturday27:4334:0633:367
Sunday15:1156:4742:247

NYT Spelling Bee 7-29-21 final

Leave a reply
Advertisements

I ordered some suits from Indochino for the wedding that’s coming up in a couple weeks (omg!), and they’re still not here. Well, really, it’s only one suit that’s for the wedding. The other suit is just another suit. They’re supposed to fit right out of the box because there’s the measuring aspect in advance of the orders, but they offer free alterations to get the fit just perfect. I don’t know how mine will turn out, and they have shipped from the Indochino factory in China. Now, instead of being flown out from China directly to LA–which would make sense for a Los Angeles delivery–they shipped the suits with DHL to a hub in Cincinnati, Ohio. I imagine that the reason for that is bulk rate over the Pacific and then it’s just domestic logistics after that. It’s pretty smart, but the suits shipped out Thursday of last week and ostensibly cleared customs. But that last update was on Tuesday.

This shipment is handled by: DHL Express
Tracking Code: (yeah, right!)

Further Detail
Shipment has been given a release by Customs.

Next Step
Unless there is an adhoc exam or a stop by another regulatory authority the shipment will proceed to delivery

But that was July, 27 2021 (sic) 20:28 Local time | Service Area CINCINNATI HUB, OH – USA. I’m awaiting an update.

Yesterday I missed ADDITION, ANON, DINO, DITTO, INITIATION, IOTA, and OATH.

Meatier Misses

DHOTI: A garment worn by male Hindus, consisting of a piece of material tied around the waist and extending to cover most of the legs.


HOODOO: A religion practiced in parts of the Caribbean and the southern US and characterized by sorcery and spirit possession; voodoo.

Today’s summary

Letters: IGLMNUZ
Final score: 26 words for 182 points.
Genius minimum: 179 points.
First word: GINNING.
Pangram: MUZZLING and UNMUZZLING.

NYT Crossword Puzzle 7-29-21 Complete (contains spoilers)

Leave a reply
Advertisements

I pulled out 1D Stumbling syllables: UHS because I had UMS there the whole game. I couldn’t figure out what I’d done wrong. Then I tried the H, and that was that. Now I know that the 13A Native Rwandan: HUTU. Clearly I have much to learn.

If I didn’t write this blog, I wouldn’t have understood the theme.

19A Land___: DISPOSALAREA.
22A ___more and more: PRESIDENTS.
40A I___, for one: NEWSCASTER.

48A Test format … or a hint to understanding three of this puzzle’s clues: FILLINTHEBLANK. Now, I’d filled this in with MULTIPLECHOICE. It was wrong. It never was multiple choice.

So why fill in the blank?

19A LandFILL: DISPOSAL AREA.
22A FILLmore and more: PRESIDENTS. Millard Fillmore. Not on the list of baby names when that time comes.
40A IFILL, for one: NEWSCASTER because Gwen Ifill.

Finished this one in 31:10.

DayThis WkBestAverage4-Wk AvgStreak
Monday7:013:499:288:2067
Tuesday7:515:2213:4012:3810
Wednesday29:357:3817:3617:198
Thursday31:1012:1229:2227:308
Friday16:2334:5629:227
Saturday27:4334:0633:367
Sunday15:1156:4742:247

NYT Spelling Bee 7-28-21 final

Leave a reply
Advertisements

The weather here has been absurd. It was record highs and then heavy downpour, and now we’re back to 80 with 60% relative humidity. Tonight that humidity is topped off with cold gusts. Deny climate change all you want, but this isn’t what I grew up with.

Yesterday I missed CHICHI, ETHIC, HECTIC, ITCH, ITCHED, and WHEW.

Meatier Misses

HIED: Went quickly.
WHIT: A very small part or amount.
WHEE:

Today’s summary

Letters: OAHINOT
Final score: 24 words for 113 points.
Genius minimum: 106 points.
First word: DONATION.
Pangram: NATIONHOOD.
Tweet:

NYT Crossword Puzzle 7-28-21 Complete (contains spoilers)

Leave a reply
Advertisements

I pulled out 14A Cookie that has been deemed kosher since 1997: OREO because I remember when this happened. I’d grown up eating Hydrox, the cookie that Oreo copied and that helped nationally recognized kosher symbols rise to prominence. But even after they’d stopped using lard or whatever was making it not kosher in their ingredients, I didn’t eat oreos for months, lest the ones in front of me were from the old pre-kosher run. Now I keep oreos in the freezer because they’re way better frozen. Also freezing the cookies fixes the staleness that seems to plague some sleeves in the Costco boxes.

This puzzle’s theme made a splash.

17A Porky’s significant other: PETUNIAPIG -> PE[T]UN[I][A][P]IG -> TNIAP | PAINT.
11D Somewhat: UPTOAPOINT -> U[P]TO[A]PO[I][N][T] -> PAINT.
29D Where you might find love away from home?: TENNISCAMP -> [T]E[N]N[I]SC[A]M[P] -> TNIAP | PAINT.
61A _ station, Central London railway terminal: PADDINGTON -> [P][A]DD[I][N]G[T]ON -> PAINT.

53A With 21-Across, artist known to 39-Across pigments back and forth onto canvases: JACKSON POLLOCK.

39A Make art like 53-/21-Across (as suggested by this puzzle’s circled letters?): DRIBBLE.

Finished this one in 29:35.

DayThis WkBestAverage4-Wk AvgStreak
Monday7:013:499:288:2067
Tuesday7:515:2213:4012:3810
Wednesday29:357:3817:3617:198
Thursday12:1229:1928:057
Friday16:2334:5629:227
Saturday27:4334:0633:367
Sunday15:1156:4742:247

NYT Spelling Bee 7-27-21 final

Leave a reply
Advertisements

I learned a thing about how to get the smell out of a nonstick saucepan! Last night Calah made a reduction sauce for chicken and used oregano as an ingredient. The saucepan then smelled like oregano. All I had to do was fill the saucepan with water and top it off with some white vinegar, bring it to a boil, dump it out. No more oregano odor! You are welcome.

Yesterday I missed the pangram, CLICKABLE, ACAI (like always), KICKBACK, LIBELEE, LIKEABLE, and LILAC.

Meatier Misses

BAILEE: A person or party to whom goods are delivered for a purpose, such as custody or repair, without transfer of ownership. I’d expected it to be someone who is bailed out of jail.
ILIAC: Relating to the ilium or the nearby regions of the lower body.

LABILE: technical Liable to change; easily altered.

labile (adj.)

mid-15c., “prone to lapse,” from Latin labilis, from labi “to slip” (see lapse (n.)). Hence, in chemistry, “prone to undergo displacement” (c. 1600).

Today’s summary

Letters: HCDEITW
Final score: 33 words for 151 points.
Genius minimum: 125 points.
First word: HITCHED (18 days away!)
Pangram: TWITCHED.