Friday, July 2, 2021

Friday, July 2, 2021, Brooke Husic and Adam Nicolle

I need some help today - why is ORB clued as "Scepter topper?" I thought it was "scepter and orb" - two separate things. Does the orb fit onto the scepter? Is something other than the British monarchy being discussed here? Is it a gaming thing? 


OK, let's talk about something else. Howzabout I rank the six (!) grid-spanners:

1. GOOGLETRANSLATE (Cut-and-paste tool for language learners). Odd clue. I'd guess that less than half of its users are true language learners. But maybe I'm wrong. Even with its shortcomings, though, I have to give this first place. It's not perfect, but it can help a lot, and the real-time, live-camera translation (i.e. point your camera at a menu in a foreign language and see English words) is pretty amazing.

2. NOISECANCELLING (Like some headphones). Love the old-school double-l spelling (when will "spelling" be spelled "speling?") and I absolutely love the product. Plane rides to countries where I need to use the live-camera GOOGLETRANSLATE are made much more pleasant by use of these. Plus, I've used them more than ever during the past year for work Zoom meetings. I'm kind of hoping that when we go back to real conference rooms, I can still wear them, but then it will be to cancel out all the talking, not hear it better. :)

The rest are all fine. ALONGTIMECOMING and REALLYSOMETHING are comfortingly idiomatic. And at a local restaurant we frequently order an appetizer "the way they used to do it," which is, I guess, something like a SECRETMENUITEM. And ACTIVELIFESTYLE, sure. That's fine. Stop nagging me!

I FWOEd today on the cross of "One-named rapper with the 2019 video "Can't Explain It" and "Daughter of Styx." I guessed NIlE for the latter, thinking of rivers, but when I didn't get the "Congratulations" screen I knew the square, and had to literally run the alphabet to finish. Oh well.

Someday I want to go to the ISLEOFSKYE. It just sounds so lovely, doesn't it?

- Horace


  1. The ORB sorta screws into the scepter, I guess, Horace. The top of it. At least that's what it looks like from th3e pictures I've seen.

    LOL, I never thought of wearing NOISE CANCELLING headphones at a live meeting! I have, however, longed for a sort of undetectable mute button, though. :-)

    This puzzle would've been ideal if not for that crummy CHIKA/NIKE crossing (I also FWOE)...especially with NIKE clued without reference to the shoe. I defiantly kept my CHINA/NINE answer in. And, as a member of the HAFDTNYTCPFCA triumvirate, I humbly appeal to you to let my answer stand with no penalty. Thank you!

    Loved all the long answers...and yes, the ISLE OF SKYE sounds beautiful.

  2. Ha - based on my vague recognition of NIKE as a goddess, I negotiated the CHIKA/NIKE problem square unscathed :) Fun challenge today... I think some ORBs screw in to their sceptres; others clip in and certain types are friction-fit. Oh and some sorcerers glue them in, just to be sure. (I'm amusing myself, if noone else, here..)

    9:14 today. I celebrated by going out and getting my hair cut - first time I've been able to since November. Feels so great!!

  3. I almost FWOE'd at the same place, Horace, thinking that CHIKA couldn't be correct. But I went ahead and put it in anyway, and I was correct. I would like to go anywhere, but the ISLEOFSKYE would be lovely. 6:28.

    1. ISLEOFSKYE certainly wouldn't be as scorching as your solve time, Colum!!

  4. Like Colum and Philbo, I entered a "K" at the CHIKA/NIKE cross because I knew NIKE, not CHIKA. I tried dopey where PLUTO belongs, but changed it with the first cross. I have never used NOISECANCELLING headphones, and probably won't. Noises don't bother me too much. I would like to use GOOGLETRANSLATE for foreign menus, though. The menus would have been especially troubling in Japan had it not been for the fact that all menu descriptions were generally paired with a nice photograph. The ISLEOFSKYE sounds damp. 16:38 for me.