Digging Your Scene

Good morning! It's Thursday and just one more day of work until I'm off for seven days.

Bruce Venzke is the constructor of today's puzzle, called "Can You Dig It? All the theme clues begin with "Do you ______?"

17A: UNDERSTAND
30A: SEE MY POINT
47A: FOLLOW THIS
63A: GET THE GIST

I would've loved to have seen "GET MY DRIFT" instead.

I thought some of the filler was more interesting today:

The name game:

15A: Former Chicago mayor (DALEY). This leadership spanned two generations, father Richard J. and son Richard M.
20A: "Semper Fidelis" composer (SOUSA). Always loved playing his marches in band.
12D: Gymnast Korbut (OLGA). Can you believe the "mother of gymnastics" is almost 60? She literally changed the way we view the sport today. Before 1972 (and my 10th birthday), I didn't even know what gymnastics was.
38A: Voice actor in Up (ASNER), as s in Ed. Who can forget the very first scene between Lou Grant and Mary Richards?

9D: New South Wales capital (SYDNEY). Also a popular girls' name.
70A: Jazz pianist Marsalis (ELLIS). He is the father of Branford and Wynton.

Food, glorious food (Spanish style):

10D: Spanish pastries (CHURROS). Very popular at the Roosevelt Avenue stop in Queens.
22D: Cantina appetizers (TAPAS)

Alphabet Soup:

1D: Computer brains (CPUs)
39A: Extra NBA periods (OTS)
45A: Labor Dept. agency (OSHA)
5D: Tooth pro's deg. (DDS)
57D: End of some lists (ET AL)
60D: Novel ID (ISBN)

Ed Norton (Art Carney) as
Pierre Francois de la Brioche

Meh:

53A: Settle snugly (ENSCONCE)
48D: Accomplish underhandedly (WANGLE)

We are back with Francois de la Rouchefoucauld for today's cryptoquote. Not to be confused with Pierre Francois de la Broiche, the founder of the Paris sewer system.


We would rather speak ill of ourselves than not to talk of ourselves at all.

This is just another way of saying that we live in a narcissistic society. I remember not being able to find much on de la Rouchefoucauld the last time we had a quote by him.

Today's JUMBLE is dedicated to that oh so boring sport, golf. In honor of this week's tournament, we have a picture of a golfer with his caddie. The caption reads, "To win the green jacket in Augusta, a golfer needs to play _____.

Word list:

SHULS = SLUSH
BAMUL = ALBUM
RATBYE = BETRAY
FITARD = ADRIFT

Scrambled solution: LUSLMERYAFT
Solution: MASTERFULLY

I have not commented yet regarding the sad and sudden death of Peaches Geldof. It's so heartbreaking when a child predeceases a parent. My theory is she died of a heart condition caused by her extreme dieting. She once said she had a heart of a 90 year old. My condolences go out to her father, Bob, her sisters Fifi, Pixie, and Tiger Lily, her husband, and her two toddler sons. RIP.

Stephen Colbert was picked to take over the Late Show on CBS. Congrats!

Till tomorrow. . . .

Signing off,

The Puzzlechick