"The Party Starts at 10" - December 31, 2020

[SewYoung]

Well I certainly feel silly to not have solved this one. As my screenname suggests, I was the first baby born in NYC in 1968, at the stroke of midnight as everyone else was ringing in the new year.

All the best for 2021!

-Paul

Welcome Paul. I am kicking myself for not getting this one. I was the third baby (and first girl) born in Birmingham, AL in 1959. Two boys came before I did at other hospitals. I did get my picture in the paper, though. I imagine there were a few more born that day in NYC than in B'ham.

[SewYoung]

OK, so now I am curious about this “other” possible answer. I submitted the right one, but spent all weekend trying to suss out what the alternate one is that so many said exists.

Please share, fellow Muggles.

As I posted in #175, I mistakenly submitted the phrase (RING IN THE NEW YEAR), based on getting those first four words. Short-term memory or a Mickey Finn from Isaac, not sure which.

I then confused more than a few by saying last year there could have been two answers-- I was thinking RING IN THE NEW DECADE. Sorry if your ox was gored.

Good for you for recognizing that the decade starts in 2021 rather than in 2020.

[MaineMarge]

Here is the full text of Tennyson’s poem “In Memoriam”. Some of the sentiments seem to apply to the present day.

Thanks Jacksull for posting this full text for us.

At the end of her breakdown of this meta on

https://crosswordfiend.com/2021/01/03/w ... ore-120882

Laura has a video of the poem set to music. She describes it as stunningly beautiful-
I fully concur.

[C=64]

I stared at RIN GIN THE NEW for a lot longer than I should have trying to figure out what gin had to do with the new year.

See my COcktail MIXer COMIX:

[DrTom]

I was up at our cabin near Howes Cave, NY taking a break from digging a trench to help out a friend of mine who is a mime. Even though I am originally a coal cracker from Pennsylvania I was watching the San Francisco game and about to indulge myself with one of the darling tangerines we had purchased at the Hannaford market. Then I saw this great cocktail recipe and thought, "Now that is the way to enjoy citrus!". So, I tried to make it and was sure I had all the ingredients. I started juicing and did the lemons and the limes but when it came to my favorite citrus I found my darling clementine was lost and gone forever; dreadful sorry lemon-lime.

ASIDE: OK, I know there will be groans all over the place, but I actually think this was one of my better ones....I am ready to suffer the slings and arrows!

[Tom Shea]

I was up at our cabin near Howes Cave, NY taking a break from digging a trench to help out a friend of mine who is a mime. Even though I am originally a coal cracker from Pennsylvania I was watching the San Francisco game and about to indulge myself with one of the darling tangerines we had purchased at the Hannaford market. Then I saw this great cocktail recipe and thought, "Now that is the way to enjoy citrus!". So, I tried to make it and was sure I had all the ingredients. I started juicing and did the lemons and the limes but when it came to my favorite citrus I found my darling clementine was lost and gone forever; dreadful sorry lemon-lime.

ASIDE: OK, I know there will be groans all over the place, but I actually think this was one of my better ones....I am ready to suffer the slings and arrows!

I think I speak for the crowd in saying I'm glad I only had to read that, and not get the full effect of the barbershop quartet version.

Now, about that bump on your head. How long have you had it? I mean, the time to travel from FLA to NY is NOT January. Sometime during torrential downpour/hurricane season seems more appropriate.

Finally, I hope Al Sisti forgives you for not buying him a Guinness or two since you were so close to his stomping ground.

[MikeMillerwsj]

Happy new year to all! We start 2021 with a blowout contest report: 2733 entries (close to a record, muggles? with an asterisk since we had another day this week). About 80% correct, above our usual level of around 75%. We had a very large showing for a plausible alternative answer: 315 votes for BRING IN THE NEW. As it happens, our randomly selected entry was RING IN THE NEW, so we did not have to officially adjudicate whether we'd accept "BRING." 66 across (“Three.. two...___...” last words of the year, often) specifically cued solvers to pick the last three letters of each 10-letter entry, so that mitigates against BRING. But 2020 was a rough year and we like to think we'd err on the side of generosity.... FOR AULD LANG SYNE showed up with 25 vores, plus a bunch of one-offs.

Congrats to the first winner of the year, Marylee Murphy of Kildeer, Ill.!

[Al Sisti]

I was up at our cabin near Howes Cave, NY taking a break from digging a trench to help out a friend of mine who is a mime. Even though I am originally a coal cracker from Pennsylvania I was watching the San Francisco game and about to indulge myself with one of the darling tangerines we had purchased at the Hannaford market. Then I saw this great cocktail recipe and thought, "Now that is the way to enjoy citrus!". So, I tried to make it and was sure I had all the ingredients. I started juicing and did the lemons and the limes but when it came to my favorite citrus I found my darling clementine was lost and gone forever; dreadful sorry lemon-lime.

ASIDE: OK, I know there will be groans all over the place, but I actually think this was one of my better ones....I am ready to suffer the slings and arrows!

I think I speak for the crowd in saying I'm glad I only had to read that, and not get the full effect of the barbershop quartet version.

Now, about that bump on your head. How long have you had it? I mean, the time to travel from FLA to NY is NOT January. Sometime during torrential downpour/hurricane season seems more appropriate.

Finally, I hope Al Sisti forgives you for not buying him a Guinness or two since you were so close to his stomping ground.

Right??

[tim1217]

Congrats to the first winner of the year, Marylee Murphy of Kildeer, Ill.!

This is awesome...MARYLEE is my ex! She's a big meta fan, but not a Muggle. She called first thing yesterday when she got the news. She said that when she saw the email from Mike Miller she spit-sprayed her coffee all over the kitchen table! Special note to KAYW, LADYBIRD and any other Chicago-area Muggles I am unaware of...the elusive mug is making its way closer to you!

Here's a pic of Marylee with her new trophy!

[Bob cruise director]

Happy new year to all! We start 2021 with a blowout contest report: 2733 entries (close to a record, muggles? with an asterisk since we had another day this week). About 80% correct, above our usual level of around 75%. We had a very large showing for a plausible alternative answer: 315 votes for BRING IN THE NEW. As it happens, our randomly selected entry was RING IN THE NEW, so we did not have to officially adjudicate whether we'd accept "BRING." 66 across (“Three.. two...___...” last words of the year, often) specifically cued solvers to pick the last three letters of each 10-letter entry, so that mitigates against BRING. But 2020 was a rough year and we like to think we'd err on the side of generosity.... FOR AULD LANG SYNE showed up with 25 vores, plus a bunch of one-offs.

Congrats to the first winner of the year, Marylee Murphy of Kildeer, Ill.!

Close but no cigar good enough for second place - the record is 2844 Feb 1, 2019 with Just Say The Word by Matt with the answer Japan

The number correct is in fourth place.

[MikeMillerwsj]

Love that! (sorry about the kitchen table)

[KscX]

She said that when she saw the email from Mike Miller she spit-sprayed her coffee all over the kitchen table!

Is the meta meta knowing how to find the mug-winner email in my mess of emails? This seems to be a clue- do we desperately search for Crossword Contest, Mike Miller, or ?

Kidding- but I do text my other meta friends and ask them if they won the mug. They are new to it, and in this unjust world I’m sure they will win on a first or second try.

[HunterX]

I was up at our cabin near Howes Cave, NY taking a break from digging a trench to help out a friend of mine who is a mime. Even though I am originally a coal cracker from Pennsylvania I was watching the San Francisco game and about to indulge myself with one of the darling tangerines we had purchased at the Hannaford market. Then I saw this great cocktail recipe and thought, "Now that is the way to enjoy citrus!". So, I tried to make it and was sure I had all the ingredients. I started juicing and did the lemons and the limes but when it came to my favorite citrus I found my darling clementine was lost and gone forever; dreadful sorry lemon-lime.

ASIDE: OK, I know there will be groans all over the place, but I actually think this was one of my better ones....I am ready to suffer the slings and arrows!

I think I speak for the crowd in saying I'm glad I only had to read that, and not get the full effect of the barbershop quartet version.

Now, about that bump on your head. How long have you had it? I mean, the time to travel from FLA to NY is NOT January. Sometime during torrential downpour/hurricane season seems more appropriate.

Finally, I hope Al Sisti forgives you for not buying him a Guinness or two since you were so close to his stomping ground.

New Muggle Challenge: Come up with a subject Dr. Tom CAN'T make a shaggy dog story with a pun-chline.

Or, since that is probably impossible, winner is the one where the time delay between post and pun is more than anyone else's.

[tim1217]

I do text my other meta friends and ask them if they won the mug. They are new to it, and in this unjust world I’m sure they will win on a first or second try.

That's funny. In the past, Marylee always lamented not winning when she had the correct solution and the number of entries/% correct was low...i.e., when the odds were more in her favor. So it's crazy that she ends up winning on a week when the odds were 180 degrees in the other direction.

[Bob cruise director]

Note that the constructor of Wednesday's WSJ crossword is one of our own

[Tom Shea]

I was up at our cabin near Howes Cave, NY taking a break from digging a trench to help out a friend of mine who is a mime. Even though I am originally a coal cracker from Pennsylvania I was watching the San Francisco game and about to indulge myself with one of the darling tangerines we had purchased at the Hannaford market. Then I saw this great cocktail recipe and thought, "Now that is the way to enjoy citrus!". So, I tried to make it and was sure I had all the ingredients. I started juicing and did the lemons and the limes but when it came to my favorite citrus I found my darling clementine was lost and gone forever; dreadful sorry lemon-lime.

ASIDE: OK, I know there will be groans all over the place, but I actually think this was one of my better ones....I am ready to suffer the slings and arrows!

I think I speak for the crowd in saying I'm glad I only had to read that, and not get the full effect of the barbershop quartet version.

Now, about that bump on your head. How long have you had it? I mean, the time to travel from FLA to NY is NOT January. Sometime during torrential downpour/hurricane season seems more appropriate.

Finally, I hope Al Sisti forgives you for not buying him a Guinness or two since you were so close to his stomping ground.

New Muggle Challenge: Come up with a subject Dr. Tom CAN'T make a shaggy dog story with a pun-chline.

Or, since that is probably impossible, winner is the one where the time delay between post and pun is more than anyone else's.

I'll sit this one out and just observe.

As Clint Eastwood said: "A man has got to know his limitations"

The more obscure you think the topic is, the easier it is for those evil punsters. I went to a science and engineering school, where everything is (supposedly) serious. It was fertile territory.

[DrTom]

I was up at our cabin near Howes Cave, NY taking a break from digging a trench to help out a friend of mine who is a mime. Even though I am originally a coal cracker from Pennsylvania I was watching the San Francisco game and about to indulge myself with one of the darling tangerines we had purchased at the Hannaford market. Then I saw this great cocktail recipe and thought, "Now that is the way to enjoy citrus!". So, I tried to make it and was sure I had all the ingredients. I started juicing and did the lemons and the limes but when it came to my favorite citrus I found my darling clementine was lost and gone forever; dreadful sorry lemon-lime.

ASIDE: OK, I know there will be groans all over the place, but I actually think this was one of my better ones....I am ready to suffer the slings and arrows!

I think I speak for the crowd in saying I'm glad I only had to read that, and not get the full effect of the barbershop quartet version.

Now, about that bump on your head. How long have you had it? I mean, the time to travel from FLA to NY is NOT January. Sometime during torrential downpour/hurricane season seems more appropriate.

Finally, I hope Al Sisti forgives you for not buying him a Guinness or two since you were so close to his stomping ground.

New Muggle Challenge: Come up with a subject Dr. Tom CAN'T make a shaggy dog story with a pun-chline.

Or, since that is probably impossible, winner is the one where the time delay between post and pun is more than anyone else's.

Well...I might have taken poetic license with locations but since I wanted to be: In a cabin, by a cavern excavating for a mime as this ex-miner and now 49er sought a darling clementine, I chose NY (I went to Howe's Caverns a MILLION years ago) and figured it was the closest I could get. However, IF I am ever actually there you can be sure that I will visit the Oracle of Utica and enjoy some alcoholic indulgence.

So, the gauntlet has been thrown. I'm pretty sure I can make a pun about most anything, whether they will be acceptable for posting is of course another question, we are at best PG rated.

[otlaolap]

Note that the constructor of Wednesday's WSJ crossword is one of our own

In this group of Muggles, then, is she a peerlesspeer?

[DrTom]

I think I speak for the crowd in saying I'm glad I only had to read that, and not get the full effect of the barbershop quartet version.

Now, about that bump on your head. How long have you had it? I mean, the time to travel from FLA to NY is NOT January. Sometime during torrential downpour/hurricane season seems more appropriate.

Finally, I hope Al Sisti forgives you for not buying him a Guinness or two since you were so close to his stomping ground.

New Muggle Challenge: Come up with a subject Dr. Tom CAN'T make a shaggy dog story with a pun-chline.

Or, since that is probably impossible, winner is the one where the time delay between post and pun is more than anyone else's.

I'll sit this one out and just observe.

As Clint Eastwood said: "A man has got to know his limitations"

The more obscure you think the topic is, the easier it is for those evil punsters. I went to a science and engineering school, where everything is (supposedly) serious. It was fertile territory.

HA, you want to see irreverence spend some time with health care people. We usually have a dark and somewhat adult sense of humor to help alleviate the angst that accompanies the less desirable parts of the job.

Oh, and fertile territory, that is of course the OB/GYB floor. No matter how big you originally build it there is always womb to grow.
Plus, and even though I won't give away the answer, if anyone ever asks you what kind of cars Gynecologists drive, here's a hint - they are Swedish.

[DrTom]

By the way - the barbershop quartet version was quite nice, full of dulcet ones and deep emotion. I'm not sure I like the tenor of this conversation, I was actually soprano myself until people were making bass comments, so I quit and just said ALTO!