google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday August 20, 2008 Stanley B. Whitten

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Aug 20, 2008

Wednesday August 20, 2008 Stanley B. Whitten

Theme: Initial Reactions

20A: F. __: SCOTT FITZGERALD

35A: E.G. ___: MARSHALL

40A: D. H. __: LAWRENCE

53A: T. __: JEFFERSON PARKER

I've never heard of E. G. MARSHALL or T. JEFFERSON PARKER before. I found 35A to be an odd choice since all the other 3 theme entries are all authors.

I thought of T. S. Eliot, A. A. Milne, e. e, cummings, J. D. Salinger, J. R. R. Tolkien & J.K. Rowling earlier, all famous literary names. Of course, we also have O. J. Simpson, J. Edgar Hoover & the crossword stalwart L. Ron Hubbard as non-writer names with intriguing initials. What other interesting names can you think of?

Anyway, I like this puzzle. I like most of the puzzles with 15-letter run-through theme answers. I am very easy to please.

I did not know the meanings of HIC (24A: __ jacet ) and RIGOR (3D: __ mortis). After consulting the dictionary, I don't think I like how these two were clued. Too dark and harsh for my morning. I would prefer a drunk bar-sound choice for HIC and a boot camp experience for RIGOR.

Quite a few obscure words to me today. I took several wild guesses.

Across:

5A: The great unwashed: PLEBS. "The great unwashed" is a new phrase to me. I had no idea that "unwashed" also means the "common folk". I suppose ancient Greeks call ancient Roman PLEBS as "Hoi polloi"?

15A: Isuzu model: RODEO. Not familiar with this model. A risky guess, cowboy style.

17A: Herb of wisdom?: SAGE. "Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, SAGE, rosemary and thyme. Remember me to one who lives there, she was once a true love of mine...". Do you know why they chose those 4 herbs instead of chives/basil?

18A: Circular gasket: O-RING

26A: French stewlike dish: POT-AU-FEU. Hmm, I am not going to link a POT-AU-FEU picture. Dennis hates it. He hates ASPIC too.

39A: Chills and fever: AGUE. This is Paul's Word of the Day today. He selected it because "Mosquito transmission of malaria discoverned on this day in 1897."

43A: Pleasantly diverted: AMUSED. Are you OK with "diverted"?

46A: Of a benefactor PATRONAL. New adjective to me.

63A: Anklebone: TALUS. The plural is TALI.

Down:

1D: Chase group: POSSE. Why? Does the "Chase" here refer to Chevy Chase?

2D: Bananalike plant: ABACA. No idea. This is a ABACA plant. It does not look like a banana to me.

5D: Benefits: PROFITS

6D: Roman body armor: LORICA. Absolutely no idea. See this LORICA.

8D: Automobile pioneer: BENZ. OLDS did not fit.

9D: Wetter and mushier: SOGGIER. I recklessly sank into MUGGIER.

10D: Dweeb: TWIRP. New word to me.

27D: Brown pigment: UMBER. I only knew AMBER. Dictionary says it's called raw UMBER when used in its natural state, and burnt UMBER when used after heating.

30D: Pivot: SLUE. "Who else would the ultimate cowboy fall in love with than the ultimate cowgirl? That's SLUE-foot Sue all right...". I've never heard of that folklore, have you?

42D: Tell the tale: NARRATE

43D: Metrical foot: ANAPEST. Foreign to me also. I might have seen someone mentioned this term in a comment somewhere before, but I could not recall clearly. Can you give me an ANAPEST example?

44D: Supernatural force: MANA. No idea. A variation of MANNA?

47D: Comes clean: OWNS UP

50D: Cut corners: SKIMP

51D: Gilpin and others: PERIS. Gilpin Again? Too lazy to do more research for a different clue? PERI is also "one of a large group of beautiful, fairylike beings of Persian mythology, represented as descended from fallen angels and excluded from paradise until their penance is accomplished."

53D: Protrudes: JUTS

57D: Like a dipstick: OILY. I kind of like this clue. Very slick!

58D: Perlman of "Cheers": RHEA. I really like her earrings.

C.C.

87 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm at the airport right now waiting for my wife's flight to arrive soi I'll try to make this quick.

It seems to me that a lot of the words were Latin in origin, although I can't be sure about all of them: PLEBS, HIC, LORICA, RIGOR, RADIUS, SLUE, AGUE, TALUS, ANAPEST and MANA. I was able to figure out plebs because I weas familiar with the word plebiscite=referendom but I couldn't get the C in hic and lorica. Radius and rigor I knew but slue and ague were guesses: ague just sounded right.

"How are you today, Bob?"
"I've got ague."
"Oh. That's too bad."

I similarly guessed riught with mana and WAN but I drew a blank on anapest so I couldn't get ANISE or talus either. I got all of the names except T. JEFFERSON PARKER: I had CARTER instead (so I had skimp wrong too). I thought of E. E. Cummings for 35 across: it turns oput E. G. Cummings is the name of a funeral home!

The term POT AU FEU (pot on the fire) reminded me of 火鍋(fire pot). I don't know if 火鍋 is popular in Mainland China but in Taiwan it's a popular soup that people put together using ingredients that they choose themselves, buffet style. Pot au feu is clued as a stew, not a soup, so it wouldn't be the same thing. Is it like a "hot pot" in Britain? Does anybody know?

Martin

Katherine said...

Good morning CC and gang.
I missed quite a few today. I didn't get 5A, 15A, 18A, 5D, 6D, 9D, 43D. 46A, Patronal was new to me.
I never heard of T. Jefferson Parker either.
CC, your comment about the herbs was funny.
A posse was a group of men the sheriff would round up to go chase the "bad guys" back in the day.
I also wanted Amber for 27 D.
I never heard of Slue Foot Sue either.
Have a good day everyone.......

Dick said...

Good morning Cc and DFs. I did not know 24A HIC and 26A which gave me some problems in that area. Then finally 5D profits jumped out at me and that resolved the unknowns there. I had paused for 43A and aura for 44D. This caused great difficulty in that area. I am not sure about Mana as a word. Guess I will check later with the dictionary.

Hope all you Floridians are OK this morning. Looks like another great day in the Burg so it looks like another day on the links.

Have a great day.

KittyB said...

Good morning, C.C. and all.

This puzzle went fairly fast, but I was hung up on JEFFERSON PARKER for a bit. The rest came from the fills, although I guessed on ANAPEST.

I've never heard of PATRONAL OR ABACA.

In herbal lore, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme all have meanings. Parsley counters bitterness, sage offers strength, rosemary is for loving remembrance and thyme is for courage. At one time they might have been put together as a love potion. I grow all of these plants, and more, in my herb garden. For the most part, I'm a culinary herbalist: oregano, mints, chives, garlic chives, winter savory, marjoram, basil and lemon balm. I've grown garlic and corriander and chamomile, lemon verbena and lemon scented geraniums, but basil, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme are my favorites.

I hope you all have a great day!

Katherine said...

Kitty, that was interesting about the herbs.....

Chris in LA said...

Good morning CC etal,
Back from a short visit to family in "Lost Wages" (Vegas) - I'm no good at gambling so stayed out of the casinos, but it's really hot out there - glad to be back in the humidity of "The Deep".
Had trouble in pretty much the same places as everyone else (patronal, Jefferson Parker, etc.)
CC - re: 43A "pleasantly diverted" = "amused" - I'm OK with that as pleasant diversion = amusement and divert pleasantly = amuse.
Re: 27D - burnt umber was my favorite color in the 64 count crayola crayon box when I was a kid.
Re: 44D "Mana" - Wicki references is as a basic tenet in polynesian religions relative to the force or quality residing in people, animals or things - could be the basis for Star Wars "use the Force, Luke" maybe?
Hope all have a great day today!

KittyB said...

RE: Mana vs. manna

'Manna' usually refers to food, although it can mean: "any sudden or unexpected help, advantage, or aid to success." (Dictionary.com Unabridged, second definition of four)

'mana' is defined as: "a generalized, supernatural force or power, which may be concentrated in objects or persons." (Dictionary.com Unabridged)


One speaks to the gifts or advantage, the other to the supernatural force.

'mana' is from the mid 1800s, Polynesian, and 'manna' goes back to before 900, from the Greek 'manna."

Different cultures, similar ideas, or perhaps one culture messing about with another.

Here ends the best guess for the day.

KittyB said...

Katherine, I used to moderate an herb group on-line, and learned a lot of the history of herbs. It's astonishing what's available on the Web. My interest in herbs is limited to their culinary uses, but there's a HUGE group of people who are searching for herbal help on health problems. As I see it, there is a danger to self-medicating with home grown herbs. The soil, rain, and distilling process you use all have an effect on the strength of the end product. But, it's worth knowing their properties so that you can discuss their uses with a specialist or holistic healer.

Anonymous said...

Umber. Does that word bring back happy memories of coloring books and carefree days! Then we had crayons called raw umber, burnt sienna, cornflower blue, sepia brown. I can still remember the wonderful smell of a new box of "colors".
"In Remembrance of Things Past"

Sandra

Dr. Dad said...

Good morning DF's and C.C.

The posse chased the outlaws/cattle rustlers in the Old West.

I always spelled 10D as twerp, not twirp.

Peri Gilpin is back as is alee, rale, pier (just saw them not too long ago). A few othe X/W staples in here - pars, obit, isle, spa, emit, edit, apse, wan, etc.

I like Pot au feu. I don't think it is anywhere close to the "hot pot" dinner that I had in Anshan, China. That was a "hot pot" where they just kept putting in various vegetables, sliced/shaved meats, noodles, mushrooms, seafood, and other things in to the boiling water and served them to you as they were cooked.

Mana (new to me as well - had to look it up) is the concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The concept is common to many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian. It is not a variation of manna, the food eaten by the Israelites in the desert with Moses.

The earrings are the only thing that looks good in that picture of Rhea.

Today is St. Stephen's Day in Hungary. It is also Radio Day in the U.S. Alas, the only other thing I found is that it is Get Ready for Kindergarten Month.
Isaac Hayes would have been 66 today had he not passed away recently. Alan Reed was born on this day in 1907. He was the original voice of Fred Flinstone.

Have a great Wednesday.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Today's puzzle was... brutal. Can't think of a better word for it than that, sorry. The theme was OK (like many, I've never heard of T. JEFFERSON PARKER, although I did know who E. G. MARSHALL was). Much of the fill, however, was just ridiculous.

I knew I was in for a struggle when I ran into PLEBS, ANAPEST, MANA, UMBER and PATRONAL (all words that I vaguely knew but had to struggle mightily to retrieve from the dark recesses of my brain). But then I hit the words that were completely unknown to me:

LORICA
POTAUFEU
ABACA
TALUS

I was able to get TALUS and ABACA from the perps, but the crossing of LORICA with PATAFEU utterly defeated me. I'm not up on my French, so I just couldn't guess whether it should be PORTAFEU, PORTOFEU, PORETEFEU, PORTIFEU or even PORTUFEU. Similarly, 6D could have been LORICE, LORICO, LORICU or LORICI. I dunno, maybe both words are legitimate long-time crosswordese. Or maybe PORTAFEU is a famous food dish that I should know all about, like jambalaya or goulash.

Feh.

Anyway, to answer on of C. C.'s many questions, an ANAPEST is a word or phrase with three syllables, where the first two are unstressed and the last is stressed. An example would be "unabridged". It's a term used to analyze poems.

Oh -- and I've never seen the word spelled TWIRP before. I've only ever seen it spelled "twerp," and my dictionary backs that up. TWIRP is listed as a variant spelling and it should have been clued as such.

Bill said...

I expected 53a to be BOONEPICKINS since he's been in the news a lot lately but ALAS, I was in error.
The rest was OK.
Didn't really like 5d both clue and answer ending in FITS but I'm not a constructor, so what do I know..
CYA all, Busy day today

Anonymous said...

I'm dark skinned so I was quite familiar with burnt umber and raw umber when we had to paint self-portraits in art class. Also with burnt and raw sienna too....

Rigor mortis is a word I hear quite too often, usually from CSI law and order those kinda shows. We learned about it in my pathophys clas. you can usually tell when or how long it has been since someone died by the presence of rigor mortis. There is also Algor mortis and livor mortis.

Also if you look at the top of a banana plant and the top of the abaca plant they do look alike.

Abaca plant: http://fida.da.gov.ph/Abaca1.jpg
Banana plant: http://www.philippineherbalmedicine.org/banana_plant.jpg

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Martin,
Yes, 火鍋 is very popular in Mainland China. Mark should be able to answer your "hot pot" question later this afternoon.

KittyB,
Interesting love potion idea. Have you ever tried the mint & orange & rose water tisane tea?

Chris,
Did you bring your clubs with you to Vegas? Any luck? Or too hot to shoot?

Dr. Dad,
Ha, this reminds of the HUNGARY( Kingdom founded by St. Stephen) 2 weeks ago.

Bill,
I did not even pay attention to the ending of 5D clue & answers. What a bad FITS!

Sandra,
Have you read "Remembrance of Things Past"?

Barry,
Thank you for ANAPEST. POT-AU- FEU, literally "Pot on the Fire". AU = à + le.

Esone,
Welcome. I guess I misread the clue. I was thinking of the "Banana-shaped plant" rather than "Banana plant"

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Clear Ayes,
What is a "martinee movie"?

Buckeye,
"Chuck Roast, Chester Drawers, Phil A. Dendron, Rhoda Dendron ". Those are not real names, are they? What's the story here?

Xchefwalt,
What is "yewouch" at your yesterday's 7:52pm comment? Why did use Idaho instead of yukon gold? Don't you find Extra Virgin to be strong for potatoes? Your "intermezzo" course sounds very appealing to me, lyrically & visually. Looks like you've got plenty of trainings in behind-the-scene COURSE management. Still, why FLOUR?

ALucidDreamUndreamt said...

hey just created an account, I've been reading this blog for a few months now. i posted earlier as esone

Dr. Dad said...

Now I know why I felt uncomfortable yesterday at 4:00 p.m. Cokato goosed me! BTW, cokato - thanks for visiting.

xchefwalt - how much heavy cream in that potato dish?

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

A Lucid Dream,
Hmmm, "I am yours", why is this song so special?

Dr. Dad, Barry, Embiens et al,
Below are some of Xwords clues & answers I found difficult to understand:

England, to the US: ABS
Trace: SOUP CAN
The heck with it: NERT
Horse halter: IDIOT
Flat cleaner: CHAR
Flying class: AVE

Can you explain to me why?

lois said...

Good morning CC & DF's: Good puzzle for the most part. I agree w/you CC on the cluing for HIC - drunk bar sound is much better and much more familiar...to me anyway. Almost had Carla's dish on the menu at Cheers Sun, but opted for Clam Chowdah instead. Loved the link to Slue-foot Sue and Pecos Bill. All of those tall tales were used as inspirations to creative writing in the 4th grade. Talk about a memory trip! Still laugh at one kid's story. He was a genius in my book. I've seen something like Lorica before...difficult to get in and out of and around though. C'mon! It was Halloween. Gonna meet up w/my posse now. Loved the links best of all, CC. Thank you.

Enjoy this gorgeous day and last day of freedom for teachers in this neck of the woods.

Dr. Dad said...

aluciddreamundreamt - what a name!!! Welcome!

Barry G. said...

Below are some of Xwords clues & answers I found difficult to understand:

England, to the US: ABS
Trace: SOUP CAN
The heck with it: NERT
Horse halter: IDIOT
Flat cleaner: CHAR
Flying class: AVE


Hmmmm... I'm guessing you're referring to clues you've seen in other puzzles. I think the problem with some of them is that you've got some typos.

The answer to "trace" is most likely soupçon, which is French word meaning a small amount or a trace.

"The heck with it" would probably be NERTS and not NERT. NERTS is an slang exclamation meaning "darn it!"

A "Flat cleaner" could be a CHAR lady ("flat" is what the English call an apartment, and a charlady is an English cleaning woman).

"Flying class" could be asking for the zoological classification of birds, which could be AVE, I suppose.

No clue about the other two, sorry.

And in other news, does anybody else feel that "circular gasket" and O-RING are both redundant terms? Can a gasket be anything other than circular? Don't all rings look like the letter O?

MH said...

I had a hard time and ended up having to Google for JEFFERSON PARKER and LORICA. Which means I didn't know HIC, ANAPEST, and MANA as well. There is a restaurant in Menlo Park (CA) called Le Pot au Feu which is where I took my wife on our first date so that was an easy one for me. Have a good day all.

Dennis said...

morning, gang - a bit late this morning; I'm starting to stretch the bike rides out in preparation for the next big one in October.

I had the same problems as most, with LORICA, MANA and POT AU FEU (rhymes with EWWWW).

sandra, you hit it on the head with the colors and smells in a new 64-count box of Crayons. They don't smell like that anymore.

Gaskets come in all shapes and sizes, the head gasket on an engine being one example.

aluciddreamundreamt (GREAT name), welcome to our eclectic group.

Make it a memorable hump day.

DoesItinInk said...

This was definitely a challenging puzzle. I managed to fill in everything correctly except ANAPEST. In a desperate attempt to fill in this word, I wrote “AN A BEAT”…as I have often seen metric notation using As and Bs with the A being the stressed syllable! I think. Well, as I said, I was desperate.

Drdad: I too always spell the word TWERP. I changed the “e” to “i” only to complete ISLE.

PLEBS was the lower class of Roman citizenry, in contrast to patricians. But “the great unwashed” ? Were they hygiene challenged?

The ABACA plant is similar to the banana plant, not fruit. It is harvested for the fibrous quality of the leaves and stems which are harvested to make “Manila hemp”.

cc:
(1) from yesterday…yes, “weathering” means “enduring” in “I hope all the Floridians are weathering Fay.”
(2) Flat = British term for apartment; Char = British term for cleaning person. Hence Flat Cleaner.

Melissa bee: Some of your postings have been very clever and intriguing, enough that I read your profile. I was interested to see that you like author Anne LaBastille. I first read her book Woodswoman in 1983 and Beyond Bear Lake ten years later. Her life-style was infinitely enviable then and perhaps more so now. I checked her on Amazon.com and found she as written many books since those two. I have placed a number of them on my Wish List. Thanks!

JOJO said...

Good Morning C.C. and all. This was very enjoyable to me. A little bit of everything. Plumbing, cars, food,anatomy, latin, and easy words that somehow elude me. The great unwashed made me think masses, hoi polloi, or my former inlaws. Plebs gave me a smile, more on the latin sub-theme.
E.G. Marshall was a gimme because he starred in "The Defenders" and it was a favorite show in the early sixtys. That led to F. Scott Fitzgerald because the theme became obvious. Jefferson Parker is a mystery to me.
43 D Anapest, I have seen it before , just can't remember it. Have a great day!

kazie said...

I must have been lucky today--only missed the C in HIC and the PA of PARKER albeit with a few guesses.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning Everyone, This was a pretty tough one. It's a good thing I got the NE corner fairly easily, although I do agree with Drdad and Barry that TWIRPS is not a familiar spelling

That corner helped me with (F) SCOTT FITZGERALD. BTW, "Zelda" is an excellent biography of Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda. It was written by Nancy Milford.

I certainly hope (T) JEFFERSON PARKER makes a lot of money from other sources, because he obviously doesn't have any fans here.

ABACA, LORICA, ANAPEST were all problems too.

Back in the late 1940's, there was a Disney movie, "Melody Time" with a segment about Pecos Bill and his girl friend SLUE Foot Sue. It combined live acting with Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers and an animated story about Bill and Sue.

I originally had COQ AU VIN Coq Au Vin but quickly realized it didn't fit and eventually came up with POT AU FEU. I've never eaten pot au feu, but I love coq au vin.

Kittyb, very interesting rundown on the herbs. I grow a few, but not as many as you do. In California cilantro is mandatory for salsas. I'm a huge basil fan...just about everything tastes better with basil. I can't forget mint either. I've learned how to make a pretty decent mojito and that can't be done without frest mint.

This may be an interesting culinary discussion today, what with French stews and herbs.

Jojo, funny comment about your ex-inlaws :o)

c.c. Yesterday was a "matinee", which is a daytime theatrical performance; in this case a movie. It has the same French root word as "matins"

Laurin said...

Not a bad puzzle...a few oddities for me though... I have seen (and read) "plebes" before, but never "plebs". Also, I am used to seeing "twerp" spelled with an "e" and not an "i". Is this just me?

Laurin said...

Not a bad puzzle, but a few oddities... I have seen (and read) "plebes" many times before, but never "plebs". Also, I'm used to seeing "twerp" spelled with an "e", and the "i" in this puzzle was puzzle-ing (groan!). Is this just me, or were others feeling the same?

Crockett1947 said...

Good morning everyone! New words today were PLEBS, JEFFERSON PARKER, TALUS, ABACA, LORICA, MANA. The north central part was the last to fill. The crossing of LORICA and PLEBS had me going for a while. Had to Google 53A to see who he was even after getting the name through the perps.

C.C., nice theme. T. Bone Pickens came to mind, and H. Ross Perot. I would prefer "entertained" for 43A. In the old Wild West, when a criminal skipped town, the sheriff would deputize the local citizens into a posse to apprehend the scoundrel, and a chase usually ensued (according to Hollywood). According to Wiki, the ABACA is a species of banana. I think we've had HIC jacet in the puzzle at one point.

@martin -- I think we can count on exchefwalt for a pot au feu education today.

@kittyb -- Thank you for the herb information.

@barry -- The head gasket on your car is probably not circular, unless you have a Wankel (and they might not even have one, LOL).

carol said...

Morning C.C. and everybody! There were several stumpers: I agree about the spelling of twerp/twirp, I have always seen it with an "i". Also the meaning seemed wrong to me, I think of a younger sibling/or child not a dweeb. I thought a dweeb was a "geek" of "nerd".
Did not know: 24A,26A,46A,53A,30D,43D.

Sandra & Dennis: I know what you mean about the crayons, they are not the same as they were years ago. They do not "color" the same either, not as brilliant or rich.
Probably use less dye to save $, but charge us more!

aluciddreamundreamt: welcome to our crazy group, hope you stay!

Crocket: Is a head gasket on a wankel like a "raincoat"??? ;)

Dennis said...

carol, I was waiting to see which of the sirens would pick up on "head gasket on a wankel" first.

JD said...

First time comment. An earlier cluewas about freshmen at the naval academy. The answer was plebes. Watching Jepordy last week, In Latin "patricians were the upper class people, the Plebians were the lower class. Love this blog, I use exclusively for the I help I need sometimes. I've doing the Tribunes' for 45 years.
JD

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Dennis,
What is the "next big one in October"?

Lois,
I linked the SLUE-foot-Sue with you in my mind. Glad to hear you liked my HIC idea.

Doesitinink,
Thank you for getting back to me on "weathering". I am still not very happy with the "Bananalike plant" clue.

Barry,
Yes, those clues/answers were from non-TMS puzzle sources. I think you were right about my soupçon & nerts typos.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Jojo,
"The great unwashed made me think... my former inlaws." Why?

Clear Ayes,
Were you a teacher/instructor of some sort before your retired?

Crockett1947,
I want your "Entertained" clue for 43A. Not familiar with T. Bone Pickens. But H. Ross Perot is a great, unexpected theme fill.

J.D. @ 11:53am,
Welcome. I just want you to know that we have already had a J.D. here in the blog. You might want to add a letter or change your name to distinguish yourself.

Dennis said...

T. Bone Pickens.....didn't he open a steak house?

Anonymous said...

Hi ya'll,

Again, I started off like it was going to be an easy one. Why do they always get harder (sorry Lois) in the bottom half?

Got the first three "theme people" and half of "Jefferson Parker". Just did'nt know the Parker part. Hic, potaufeu, mana and talus also gave me a bad time.

Gaskets come in all shapes and sizes, but the ends do meet at some point---thus completing a "circle".

KittyB, to answer yesterday's question; I work at the information desk in the front part of the hospital. We help visitors locate their loved ones, make wheelchairs available, deliver flowers and also carry charts and documents from one department to another.
Very satisfying to know that you have helped "make someone's day"

Vaya con Dios

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Dennis,
OK, tell me what's swirling in your mind with that T-Bone name?

Jimbo,
I am just so happy to hear from you regularly now.

Dennis said...

c.c., I was referring to the next big bike ride for us - this one'll be three or four days, 150 miles. Or until I fall down.

Dennis said...

c.c., it was just a lame joke. You mistyped T. Boone Pickens as T. Bone.

jimbo, head gaskets are quite rectangular.

KittyB said...

C.C., while I grow tons of things that could be used in teas and tisanes, I'm a tea purist. I don't like most flavored teas. I prefer the typical black teas that we were exposed to long ago: oolong, pekoe, Darjeeling, and the blends such as Earl Gray and English Breakfast. When I was a child my mother had a tea that was VERY smokey....lapsang suchong, or something that sounded like that. It was one of the few that she brewed as a blend, because it was too strong to sip alone.

Clear Ayes, I brushed against the spearmint yesterday as I watered, and the air was filled with the scent. Basil is like that, too. Walking through the gardens makes me hungry!

To add to the confusion on TWIRP...
in the 60's that stood for: The Woman Is Requested To Pay. That was at a time whe boys were still expected to foot the entire bill for a date, and this was a turn around evening, when the girls did the inviting, and then paid for the dinner and dance.

I agree with you all (y'all) that the spelling of the answer seems odd.

And, how sad that crayons don't have the scent that we remember from our childhood.

Dr. Dad said...

Saying that "gasket ends do meet at some point thus completing a 'circle'" would be the same as calling a square, rectangle, trapezoid, rhombus, parallelogram, octagon, etc., "a circle" which they clearly are not.

Anonymous said...

Dennis, Yes I know. I was just pointing out that the ends do come together. I do not know of any straight line gaskets. Do You?

KittyB said...

jimbo, do you work every day?

While my mother was in the hospital in June, I realized that one man was at the information desk every day. He had the same chair and was there all day long. I saw him give endless help, and he was always pleasant and gentle with those of us coming to see our loved ones. I'm sure people appreciate that you are there to help them.

My sister is volunteering at her local hospital. Her job is to take people from their rooms to the loading area, via wheelchair. She is still working, so I'll have to find out where she's managed to squeeze in the time to help.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Dennis,
Holy smoke! I did pick(ens) the wrong Bone.

KittyB,
The tisane tea I mentioned earlier is a very very special love tea.

KittyB said...

C.C., I'm not familiar with the love tisane. I'll have to surf to see what I can find about it. Have you tried it?? *G*

Dennis said...

c.c., you gotta be careful picking your bones.

jimbo, I'm lost, I guess - don't the ends of everything come together? Sirens, don't even think about it.

carol said...

Dennis, I love it when the ends come together, and you could blow a gasket too!

Anonymous said...

KittyB, I work every Monday and two or three Tuesdays per month. I am fairly new, but have a little more than 700 hours in so far. It seems that I have the same duties as the person you mentioned, or very close to.

steve said...

Goodmorning CC and gang,
Wow what apuzzle I only got about 90% without cheeting. What crappy clue for PLEBS. I had no idea what ABACA was but got it with the perps. Your picture of it looks like a bannana plant. Never heard of HIC jacet, and I agree there musst be a better clue. EG Marshall and DH Lawrence were gimmes, but I had never heard of Jefferson Parker, had to look it up.
CC I agree with you on 43A I don't like the diverted part. I didn't know patronal was a word, but if Stanley B. say so I guess it is.

Can anyone tell me what a metrical foot is? I've only seen it in crosswords. 59 A was a gimme I only have 20 years with that bunch.

looks like another nice day here on the left coast, but it's going to start heating up I'm told. Hope everyone has a great hump day

steve said...

kittyb

Thanks for the herbal lore.

Dick said...

Carol, good one with the "raincoat" LOL.

Crockett1947 said...

I thought that Wankel comment was good bait -- way to rise to the occasion, carol.

Welcome jd. 45 years? You must know as much as dennis, who claimes to be older that liquid.

@dennis, actually, I erred on the T. Bone spelling and C.C. just picked it up. Mea culpa.

All -- I remember "anapest" from HS English, but I can't give you an example.

JOJO said...

Well C.C. its not very charitable of me but its a naughty pleasure to remember the former in-laws as the great unwashed. Just picture the crowd from "dog patch", but without the cute wardrobe. Seriously the expression "the unwashed masses" reminds me of anti-communist propaganda, but I just can't pin it down to a book or anything I can quote.

Dr. Dad said...

Steve @ 1:00 p.m. - Noun 1. metrical foot - (prosody) a group of 2 or 3 syllables forming the basic unit of poetic rhythm

Bill said...

Just found this. Check it out.

The Unwashed Masses

Buckeye said...

Good afternoon c.c and friends. I had the same problems as y'all with 5(a), 26(a), 46(a), 53(a), 6(d) and 43, 44 (d). Got all thru the perps but had to look up Lorica. That solved "hic" and "pot au feu. I figured out "hic" because, with "hoc", it is a common Latin x/w word. "Hoc" means "this" I think, but not sure of "hic". Will have to Google it. I love being a late contributor because, by the time I log in, most of my questions are already answered by our "early riser" brainchildren.

Looking forward to Saturday. There's a free concert by Kenny Loggins in Blue Ash, Ohio. Love Loggins. "I'm All Right" from "Cadddyshack" and the song I always listened to when I need to "fire myself up". "This Is It!"

c.c.; All my friend's names, of course, were made up. There are thousands of them. Like "Under The Grandstand" by Seymore Butts, and "The Yellow River" by I.P. Freely. I hope I don't start another "limerick" discussion with these names.

kittb; Get "Stan Kenton's West Side Story" and listen to the brass on "Maria." As an old trumpeter, I love this cut.

xchefwalt: 49 states? Florida owns Ohio? OUCH!!! It wasn't an accident I referred to y'all as Floridaites. (As in sodomites). I'll get even with you. I'm going to fix those great potato dishes you gave us and say that I INVENTED THEM. So take that!!!!

Dennis; "head gasket on a wankel?" You are one sick puppy. I love it. You, Dennis (T-Bone Picken's Steak House) and Lois have a special place in hell. (See ya there.)

To all the Sirens, I dedicate my new c/w song to you. "I'll Marry You Tomorrow, But Let's Honeymoon Tonight". That's to recognize the "honeymoon" clue from the other day.

I must be off.

Buckeye said...

Hello, again.

HIC = "This" as and adjective and "He She or It" as a pronoun.

Just opened my Mystery Book Club monthly selections and guess what? There were two offerings "The Fallen" and "Storm Runners" by T. Jefferson Parker. WHODATHUNKIT?

IMBO

Dennis said...

buckeye, I have a Kenny Loggins song that gets me jacked up as well - "Danger Zone". Really gets the blood flowing.

Also, Hic Jacet means 'here lies', doesn't it?

I must be off to hell.

Anonymous said...

Mark - Buenos Aires

Yes Hot Pot is a popular stew eg Lancashire hot pot made up of undefined meat and potatoes - just throw in what you´ve got handy.

Is plebs Greek - I remember the messenger came to the king or Emperor saying "The plebs are revolting" - He answered "Yes they have no soap!"

The Aussie Olympic boss smarting that we have more golds than his country down under said "not bad for a nation with few swimming pools and not very much soap". I love this friendly rivalry from people with a common culture.

Twirp is English spelling.

Patronal is fairly common, as is patronage. Wasnt Marlon Brando, The Godfather, - a patriarch, ie giver of favours, ie patronal?

Keep safe everybody.

Anonymous said...

Just a quick note: I found this website about 3 weeks ago and it has been fun and a great help with the bits I get stuck on. I live in the San Francisco Bay area and our paper doesn't attach the titles to the puzzles, which makes it a bit more difficult on some days.

A really great "initial" author, instead of non-author E. G. Marshall would have been British author P. G. Wodehouse, who wrote the very funny Jeeves and Wooster series.

I think your grasp of English is amazing as it is a difficult language with such random rules, at best.

Keep up the great work and know you are appreciated.

KW...puzzled in CA

Argyle said...

Straight line gasket - oil pan gaskets usually come in two pieces because the centerline of the pan takes a seal, often both front and back.

embien said...

10:03 today HIC, PLEBS, and LORICA made my life miserable today.

POT AU FEU == yummm!!!

@c.c. and @martin: the Chinese characters (this time in "fire pot") just show up as little white boxes in my Internet Explorer. Do I need to get Firefox or is there a plugin to display the Chinese correctly?

Busy, busy today. Gotta run so no time to get blogorific.

xchefwalt said...

Good day c.c., DF’s and all!!

I could only breeze through the puzzle fast this morning, what with storm issues and an extra day of work to catch up on; I could only trudge through a 5AM. I goy about 75% on two run throughs, I also got stuck on Mr. Parker. Pot-au-feu was a staple on my menus (as was Coq au vin and cassoulet). Beef stew is an appropriate description, although classically, some of the juice is removed and served with croutons as an appetizer.

I liked the clue for 17a, and was pleased to see ANISE in the puzzle. Fennel is one of my favorite vegetables to use (both raw and cooked) for its unique flavor and great texture.

@drdad- I wish I could give you a specific amount, but I can’t. Most of my cooking is by eye, taste or I make it up as I go. The best I can do is this: there should be enough cream to “pool” the potatoes, but not “swim”. I hope this helps.

@buckeye- please be my guest and take credit for the potatoes (my whole career is based on that), and please don’t take offence at my joke, it was all in good fun. Here is a make-up one for you:

Q: How many batteries does it take to beat Michigan?
A: One AA.

Am I forgiven?

@c.c.- I prefer Idaho’s to shred, slice and bake, Yukon’s to mash. It’s in the water content of the potato, Idaho’s are dryer.
I like the taste of extra virgin olive oil, so that flavor would blend for me and melt in my mouth. There are others who find it too strong (they generally don’t like different things in their mouths) and that’s fine.

“FLOUR” was a subliminal message. Here’s another one: why didn’t the puzzle constructor continue with a theme of “F____?”

CLUE: Academy Award winner for “Amadeus”?

Do you know the answer??

lois said...

Again, I started off like it was going to be an easy one. Why do they always get harder (sorry Lois) in the bottom half?

Jimbo: no need to apologize. Allow me to answer your question: It's always better when they get harder in the bottom half, IMHO. That's what makes it so fun. In the beginning you get all warm and happy, confident and excited, then as you work a little longer, BAM! 'with a bang comes the hard ending' and you've been screwed! Sometimes that's not a bad thing. It was hard, but it was fun, different, interesting, etc.
It's just all in how you look at it. Sometimes that alone can be satisfying. If not, then hope that the next day will be a trip to Hawaii and we can all get lei'd again. Just my take on it. I enjoy it all...in hell...w/ or w/o head gaskets on the wankels there.

Crockett, Carol & Dennis: Hilarious! LMAO

Argyle said...

Hic Jacet - L., "here lies," commonly the first words of L. epitaphs.

carol said...

Geez xchefwalt, now you got me thinkin' about potatoes and cream up to their little crotches (not wanting to make them swim in it)and then Jimbo has to chime in with things being harder on the bottom half, well grease the rails cause I'm on my way to hell for sure!

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

KittyB,
Yes, and it's indeed sweetening, psychologically perhaps.

Embien,
I have NJ star installed in my computer as I need to write Chinese often.

Xchefwalt,
I think I do, though I always thought FLOWERS are for women. You eagled this par-5 question by the way.

Buckeye said...

xchef; Of course, all in fun. Thought your joke was great. Lookin' forward to fixin' your 'taters. I guess that means I'm fixin' to fix your 'taters. This English language thing is vastly confusing.

IMBO

Razz said...

C. C. - Only a guess on two of your x/w clues...
England, to the US: ABS
Possibly Across (the) Briny Sea
The heck with it: NERT
My guess would be NUTS! (sorry Lois) as in I'd have to be nuts (loco)to continue with this project.

Anyway you're still the best. Thanks for keeping this great site going.

Anonymous said...

C.C. I'm just back from work and of course I checked in with your site --I hate to miss any of the comments.

Quite a few years ago I did read excerpts from "Remembrance..." for my university French classes. Now all these years later is when I could probably relate much more richly to the wonderful accounts of his memories--sparked by seemingly insignificant moments---as with the mention of "umber" in today's puzzle.
Now I'm craving a "madeleine".
A demain,
Sandra

Dennis said...

I craved a Madeleine once, but she had no time for me.

carol said...

Dennis, you should have showed her your "umber"!

Dennis said...

Too much time in the sun......it was burnt.

carol said...

Dennis, hey Cajun is tasty!

Razz said...

Hey Dennis - Is that what is known as a burnt offering?

lois said...

Razz: LOL with Fireballs!

g8rmomx2 said...

Hi to all:

Same problems as everyone else, never heard of Jefferson Parker, but got it from the fills. Guessed on the "P" as I had "B" originally. Couldn't remember Hic Jacet although it has been in puzzles before, maybe now that I know the meaning I will remember it. Never heard of Mana. Agreed with Twerp being with an "e" not an "i".

XChefwalt: Thanks for the joke, sorry Buckeye, had to laugh! Potato dishes sound wonderful, and that is how I cook just by taste and feel for the dish. Does that make sense? Today was worse weather than Tuesday I think, how about you? BTW, did you every get that email I sent you?

Kittyb: Sounds like your family could have joined my family for some jazz sessions. I love herbs. Wish I knew more how to grow them as I have no green thumb and kill almost everything I touch.

Have a great evening!

Clear Ayes said...

"Amadeus" was an Academy Award winning movie starring Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham, who won the award from Best Supporting Actor. Is that OK, Dennis?

I just got back from from a ladies day at another matinee. This time it was one of our local theater groups production of "South Pacific". The story of love and prejudice during World War II is quite dated, but the music is just too wonderful to pass up. I never tire of Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Golf Addicted Husband was busy with his own special pastime today (No, not that one!). It is always a pleasant evening when he come home having broken 90. Today's was 89 and he is offering to get me a glass of wine. Think I'll take him up on it.

Buckeye and Dennis, nice to know there are some Kenny Loggins fans out there. G.A.H. and I have tickets to see him in concert in November.

C.C. No, I've never been a teacher. As a matter of fact I had gone back to college in my early 30's with the intention of getting a degree in Library Science. A divorce jumped out at me and bingo, I was a single mom. I had to make a living and the U.S. Postal Service (I worked in the maintenance department) paid me enough to support myself and daughter. I could have gone back to school in my 50's, but by then I had found lots of other ways to learn and enjoy.

Dennis said...

clear ayes, I don't understand the "is that ok, dennis?"

melissa bee said...

@doesitinink: thank you for the kind words. anne labastille is my hero, along with eustace conway and tom brown jr. (well and my mom), not many people know of her. thanks in return for doris lessing, have never read anything by her.

Clear Ayes said...

Dennis, Ooops, sorry. I meant xchefwalt. He was the one who asked about the "F" who was the Academy Award winner for Amadeus. Must have been the glass of wine from my husband that addled my brain.

MeilssaBee, I recommend "Shikasta" by Doris Lessing. She is on the short list of eleven women who have won the Nobel Prize for literature. One of my favorite authors, Sigrid Undset was another winner in 1928. She wrote mainly about medieval Norway.

Anonymous said...

dennis, wasn't it you who asked if we knew what/who Amadeus was? Maybe cleareyes was telling what she thought about it and was wondering if she "got it".

Besides Mozart--what is your answer for What is Amadeus.

You, Carol & Razzberry had me laughing with your bantering about umber etc.

Sandra

Crockett1947 said...

@buckeye -- How about Maynard Ferguson's "Message From Newport"? Man, that cat could wail!

P.D. James is another initialized writer.

Mr. Corcoran said...

mmm earl gray in the morning and daddy starbucks in the aft...thank goodness for caffeine...back in calif now and so i may not to get to comment very often with the numbers limit...anapests are often used in poetry and even dance...da da daaaah (like shakespeare's "over hill, over dale, through bush, through briar" just lengthen the pronunciation of thru to the-rew)...isn't mana the term of choice in wizards and warlocks games (card and video)?
rigor mortis yes, never hearda livor mortis??? Ca veut dire?

Lola said...

@buckeye
Don't you find these little cosmic syncs to be a little more than coincidence? When your Mystery Book Club presented you with an author that no one had previously heard of, it had to set off alarms in the part of your brain that says, "That's not right." Personally, I find that if you do the puzzle later in the day, it's a lot easier. My thought is that the cosmic mind helps us find the answers. Feed Back?

Danielle said...

Wow, what a great discussion yesterday (I didn't have a chance to read until today).

Tough puzzle, I had to resort to Mr G several times - same difficulties as many have already mentioned.

I did know Slue Foot Sue - I grew up in Arizona, so Pecos Bill and his lady friend were well known in "those parts."

I'm quite familiar with the phrase "the great unwashed" (thanks Bill, for the terrific link) but of course I tried to cram HOI POLOI in there and it didn't fit; I caught onto PLEBS once I got a few crosses.

Some fun words in this one - I liked RADIUS and especially WAN (so descriptive).

Final comment, I must protest Dr Dad's remark about Rhea Perlman's photo - I think she looks terrific. It's so rare that a Hollywood star has the courage to look like a real person - her face isn't stretched into an emotionless mask, her hair isn't dyed some freakish color. She looks like what she is - a fine, funny actress.