google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, August 20, 2012 Melanie Miller

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Aug 20, 2012

Monday, August 20, 2012 Melanie Miller

Theme: H-H-H-H - What the "H"s in 4-H stand for. Celebrating its hundredth year.


16A. *Place to prop a pillow : HEADBOARD

29A. *Vital central section of a country : HEARTLAND

36A. Youth organization whose focus areas begin the answers to starred clues : FOUR-H CLUB

47A. *Effortless way to win : HANDS DOWN

61A. *Recuperative resort : HEALTH SPA

Argyle(former 4-H member) here. It appears to be a debut for Melanie Miller here on the Corner. The shortness of the themes, nine letters, meant the fill had to be on the long side to keep the word count in check. Also note the three letter fill on the sides. An interesting Monday.

I pledge...

My head to clearer thinking,
My heart to greater loyalty,
My hands to larger service,
My health to better living
for my club, my community,
my country and my world.

About the Pledge. Link.

Across:

1. No. on a utility bill : ACCT. (account)

5. Show of affection : KISS

9. Dust and grime : DIRT

13. Old woman's home, in a nursery rhyme : SHOE. Poem Where was Child Protective Services?

14. Capital NNW of Copenhagen : OSLO

15. TV's Uncle Miltie : BERLE

18. Win by __ : A NOSE

19. St. Francis's home : ASSISI

20. Emulate Georgia O'Keeffe : PAINT. Before she went west, "Lake George".


21. Well-suited : APT

22. Luck of the draw : CHANCE

25. French girlfriend : AMIE

27. Deadlocked : TIED

31. Sawbones : MEDICO

34. Joint-bending ballet move : PLIÉ. Bending of the knees outward by a ballet dancer with the back held straight.

35. Actor Beatty : NED

39. Leave open-mouthed : AWE

42. Oklahoma tribe : OTOE. They were Nebraska natives on Friday.

43. Spread here and there : STREWN

50. Length x width, for a rectangle : AREA

51. Wheel holder : AXLE

52. "... nothing to fear but fear __" : ITSELF. FDR's First Inaugural Address.

55. Unspecified high degree : NTH

56. Bundled, as hay : BALED. A 4Her would know something about that.

58. Pretenses : GUISES

60. Chutzpah : NERVE

64. Raring to go : EAGER

65. Part of ISBN: Abbr. : INTL. (International Standard Book Number)

66. Resting on : ATOP

67. Small bills : ONEs

68. Barely passing grades : DEEs

69. Spoil, with "on" : DOTE

Down:

1. Bat wood : ASH

2. Any product at a dollar store : CHEAPIE

3. Rolled with the engine off : COASTED. A cheapie saving on gas?

4. "Bill & __ Bogus Journey" : TED'S. 1991 sequel to their Excellent Adventure.

5. __ ball: rubber toy fad of the '80s : KOOSH

6. Old Testament prophet : ISAIAH

7. Camera type, for short : SLR. (single-lens reflex)

8. Roll-your-own grass : SOD. A 4H project?

9. "It wasn't me," e.g. : DENIAL. Now isn't this convenient, right after 8-Down.

10. Armored superhero : IRONMAN

11. "Goosebumps" series author : R. L. STINE. "Goosebumps".

12. Casual shirt : TEE

15. Sheep's bleat : [BAA!]. Bring it on!


17. Ballpoint brand : BIC

20. Hazards : PERILS

21. 24-hr. cash source : ATM

23. Brothers of nieces : NEPHEWS

24. Differential or integral math subj. : CALC. (calculus)

26. Onetime Leno announcer Hall : EDD

28. "What's the __?": "Seems the same to me" : DIF. Shortened "difference".

30. German: Abbr. : TEUT. (Teutonic)

32. Lovey-dovey murmurs : COOs

33. Surpassed in performance : OUTDID

37. Ginger or ginseng : ROOT

38. Lingerie top : BRA

39. "I get it!" : "A-HA!"

40. Yellow-podded veggie : WAX BEAN

41. Make bigger : ENLARGE

44. Che's given name : ERNESTO

45. Slippery area to mop up : WET SPOT

46. "Let's not" : "NAH"

48. Probes, with "into" : DELVES

49. Prove false : NEGATE

53. Calm spells : LULLS

54. Strong and healthy : FIT

57. Suffix with auction : EER

59. Herring known for its roe : SHAD

60. Recent: Pref. : NEO

61. Stayed out of sight : HID

62. WSW opposite : ENE

63. Mimic : APE


Argyle

68 comments:

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Piece of cake today. I like how the unifier is placed squarely in the middle.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Well, all of my wisdom must have left with teeth last month. I found this puzzle to be a challenge. I got the theme, but some of the clues evaded me for the longest time. Interesting that 4-H and oreos are both celebrating 100 years of existence.

I was amused by seeing TED / NED and EDD in the same puzzle.

I was thinking that Roll-Your-Own Grass would be more "weed" related.

After realizing that a Doctor was not the answer to Sawbones, I tried Medics instead of MEDICO.

QOD: Unexpected intrusions of beauty. That is what life is. ~ Saul Bellow

Anonymous said...

Good morning Argyle et al,
This was a perfect middle-of-the-night can't fall back to sleep puzzle. My biggest problems were with spelling, like plié. Not much kick to this one.. Kind of like sod.

Loved the mountain sheep link, Argyle.

Happy Monday for those of you who have kids going back to school today. On our court the second batch of kids have grown up and are all off to college this week. I guess the 3rd batch will be watching all the grandchildren grow up.

Love your quote Hahtoolah.

JD

Spitzboov said...

Good morning Argyle and all.

Hands up from a former 4-H'er. Made the theme a piece of cake. Rest of the puzzle was easy, too, but fun to do with interesting fill. Did not know R L STINE or KOOSH but the perps sufficed. Never have liked yellow WAX BEANS. COASTED reminded me that in our 1935 Plymouth, that my Dad would sometimes step on the clutch going downhill, and we were "going by air".
Good job and thanks, MM.

Had a great reunion with my shipmates in CT. Highlights after the renewal of old friendships included a day trip to see the USS Nautilus at Groton, and a fine group dinner at the Coast Guard academy in New London. They are in sight of each other across the Thames estuary.

Have a great day.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Melanie Miller, for a swell Monday puzzle. Thank you, as well, Argyle, for the write-up. I also enjoyed the Big Horn clip.

Got started easily in the NW. Worked across and confidently wrote in SOOT for 9A. Had to fix that after a while with DIRT. I should have checked more than one crossword.

HEADBOARD and HEARTLAND came easily before I had the theme. FOUR H CLUB appeared. I was not a member of that excellent organization, probably because I did not live in a rural area. I grew up in the megalopolis of Erie, PA.

Never heard of a KOOSH ball. Perps fixed that.

ERNESTO came easily. I remember the CHE revolutionary well. Castros buddy, and cousin I think.

Did not know R L STINE. However, I did get it.

Off to the MEDICO to get my stitches out.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

Yellowrocks said...

ANON @6:41, this also was my middle of the night, can't fall back to sleep puzzle with not much kick. It used up very little time, so then i did the Sunday NYT puzzle.

I liked the shout out to 4-H and the ram who took his name seriously. Thanks, Argyle.

I am a former 4-H member. HEAD and HEART tipped me off to the theme right away.

At 4-H we made gathered skirts from 50 lb. or 100 lb. feed sacks. You opened up the side seam and the bottom seam and you had a large piece of printed cotton fabric. I continued to sew in my younger days, even making a little black silk dress.

I also remember taking outdoor cookery where I constructed a campfire toaster from fresh stems from bushes.

My nephew's kids love Koosh balls. They still play with them.

My students enjoyed the R.L. Stine Goosebumps books.

Montana said...

Good morning, early risers. I also did this puzzle last night. I didn’t sail through it, but finished fairly quickly.
I had _OOSH, ISAIAH, SLR and _OD. I couldn’t remember the K and was not thinking ‘green’ grass, so it took me awhile to figure out KISS.

I thought it was a good thing when ‘town’ kids I taught were able to join 4H as well as the country kids.

I was standing on a path in the mountains south of Glacier Park looking down at a salt lick, when a bighorn sheep bumped my arm as it was hurrying down the mountain. I fell sideways, more surprised than hurt.

I spent a day touring Assisi—very interesting place.

Expecting temperatures in the high 90s again today.

Montana

Mari said...

Happy New Week everybody,

4H, Oreos, Girl Scouts and Julia Child...1912 was a busy year!

Hands up for doctor vs. MEDICO.

I bet you could find CHEAPIE KOOSH balls at the dollar store.

I was just reading The Book of ISAIAH. Some good stuff there.

Have a wonderful week.

TTP said...


Thank you Melanie Miller and thank you Argyle.

Sister was a 4-H'er. Hand up for not knowing RLSTINE, but didn't need to know. The crosses filled it a-z. Hand up for MEDICS in lieu of MEDICO. And Hand Up for never having heard of a KOOSH ball.

I feel pretty confident that I'm the only one that made these two mistakes:
1) On first pass, at 30D, never saw the colon and thought of many German abbreviations.
2) On first pass, at 52A, typed in WEHAVE and moved on. Although I know that FDR said it, to this day, still associate that quote with one of the boys in Lord of the Flies.

Argyle, is that the real poem for the nursery rhyme ? Seriously. I have to go look that up now. That Bighorn apparently doesn't like imports. He probably would have left the SUV alone if it had been a Dodge RAM.

Sfingi said...

4-H theme was very familiar subject for me in dairy country, Upstate NY.

Never heard of KOOSHball, but have seen them.

DIF -when does an abbrev. become a word that one needs not call an abbrev.?

@Spitzboov - WAXBEANS much improved by being in a bean salad mix.

Tinbeni said...

Melanie Miller: Thank you for a FUN Monday offering. Just right with a little bite.

I'm talking to you KOOSH ball and R.L.STINE. I never heard of the "Goosebumps" series. It happens. I don't have kids.

MEDICO !!! Are we in a M*A*S*H episode ???

OTOE -v- OTO ... what is the correct spelling?

Thank you for the kind words last week.

A 'toast' to all at Sunset.

desper-otto said...

This one was a quickie! There was a 4H club at my high school, but I wasn't a member. As a result, I didn't get the theme until Argyle 'splained it.

I spent my share of time in the hay fields wrestling those 70-lb bales onto the wagon. I certainly couldn't do that today.

I can never remember if it's ASSISI or ASISSI. I always have to wait for the perps to decide.

And exactly where is Healths, PA anyway? :)

kazie said...

Nice easy Monday. gotta run, but enjoyable ans the one clue I didn't even see until I was here was for WAXBEAN. It perped unnoticed. KOOSH was an unknown, which I hadn't noticed in the 80s.

Yellowrocks said...

I found that DIF or DIFF can be slang, so no period is needed. It is pronounced with one syllable as it is written in ,"What's the DIF?"
Used as an abbreviation, DIFF. with a period, it is pronounced "difference," just as Dr. is pronounced "Doctor."

Anony-Mouse said...

Thank you Melanie Miller for a very pleasant and easy puzzle. I've heard of 4-H before - but not too many clubs nowadays - the economy is a-changing. I did see one, last month, at a country fair in Williams county in Nashville. Thank you Argyle for your lovely, lovely blog and the ram who's doing his share to stop the imports. I also noticed the accompanying ad for seven 2010 Camrys for sale .... (cheap, with slight ram dents on the rear bumpers ....).

As for the old woman, if you want to get technical - where was the husband / boyfriend / sperm-donor in all this, and why didn't they garnish his wages ?? ... and whipped them all soundly and put them to bed .... and despite or because of all that, they all grew up to be honest, decent, tax-paying citizens ... and never had to appear in juvenile court ....


ALT QOD:- I like fruit baskets because a fruit basket enables you to mail somebody fruit without appearing insane. ~ Demetri Martin.


Have a good week, you all.

Spitzboov said...

Sfingi said: WAXBEANS much improved by being in a bean salad mix.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Anony-Mouse said...

I had a slight difficulty with 'sawbones' .... for some reason, I kept thinking it was a slang word for either a $ 5.00 bill or something to do with sleeping, snoozing or snoring. None of the docs in my family would ever recognize this slang, and certainly be as surprised as I was. One of my nieces, who is a low back pain specialist is mean enough to carry a stopwatch, which she starts at the beginning of each patient visit, to let them know that her HMO expects her to 'move on' to the next case in 12 and a half minutes ...

Personally, I would rather suffer the pain, than put up with her.

TTP said...


Wow ! That nursery rhyme actually does say that. I'm with you Argyle. Where was Child Protect. Svcs ? How did that old woman get in that position anyway ?

D-O, I think Healths, PA is past Blue Ball and Jugtown. After Intercourse and then Climax, which are miles past Virginville, you'll see the sign for Paradise. Take a right. Pretty sure it's just a short drive. PA Funny Names

Anony-Mouse said...

Will all you wax bean pessimists please stop it ! A dear friend, just gave me 2 pounds of fresh wax beans and I was just conceptualizing a germ of an idea for a delectable recipe I could use them for ....

Hahtoolah said...

Anony-mouse: you were thinking of Sawbuck, which is slang for a $10 bill.

Anonymous said...

How do you know you're in bed with a feminist ?

She consents .... but makes you sleep on the wet spot.

Blue Iris said...

Nice Monday puzzle. Thanks Argyle for write-up and ram link. My parents had reel to reel movies of bear cubs and donkeys being fed bread slices through car window. Not too concerned about safety I guess.

Don't ever remember using term MEDICO.

Old woman in the SHOE...My husband took Childrens Lit college course when we were expecting our first child. Most fables, poems ;etal, would be considered too violent or gruesome now days. R.L.STINE is "childs play" in comparison. LOL

Googled HANDS DOWN origin- During 19th century, when a jockey found himself way ahead in the race he would relax his grip on the reins and drop his hands as he approached the finish line.

Irish Miss said...

Good morning all:

Thanks, MM, for an easy, peasey start to the week, and thanks to Argyle for a fine expo. Never heard of Koosh ball but everything else was pretty straight forward.

Wax beans are one of my favorite vegetables, especially if they are home grown. Now, Spitz, if you want to talk about a sow's ear, how about turnips? Yuck!

Happy Monday to all.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Very well constructed puzzle today. Recognized the 4H theme, though I'm a city boy (if Toledo counts as a city.)

Fell into all the traps others mentioned. Got ERNESTO totally from perps, and never saw the clue.

Happy Monday, everyone/

Cheers!
JzB

Anonymous said...

Plie, koosh, medico I guess are awesome monday words. I never heard of wax bean, oto last week this week otoe (like tsar and czar) . Is dif an abriviation? Oh im sorry I use it everyday. This was not fun for a monday. It gave me goosebumps. I guess il delve into the books a nth (another abbrv?) more for next mondays puzzle. Fridays I guess are the only consistant puzzles week after week. Bring it on.

Lucina said...

Greetings, all. Argyle, what was your project in 4H? I have a friend whose granddaughter raised pygmy goats.

A very APT puzzle to start the week, thank you, Melanie Miller. It was a quick sashay and finished before I even started drinking my coffee.

I plan to check on it, but I don't believe ERNESTO (Che) and Fidel were related. Che was simply an idealist who migrated to Cuba in hopes of solving the problems of poverty and ignorance. At least that's according to the Motorcycle Diaries.

desper-otto:
Very funny! HEALTHS, PA, LOL!

Have a super Monday, everyone!

Lucina said...

Oops. That should be "immigrated to Cuba."

Argyle said...

Before it was bowdlerized, the poem ended, "She whipp'd all their bums, and sent them to bed."

I had calves as my 4H projects. I got to show them at the fair (going on this week, link). A week off from farm work and then back to school. Ahh, those were the days.

Lemonade714 said...

Happy monday all:

Lucina, I think migrate is also acceptable.

Too late for any new comments so I will just post a list of clever NY Times clues I read at Amy's website.

Tell-tale weapon? CROSSBOW (David J. Kahn, 6/6/99)

Standard pick-up line? GET IN (Elizabeth Gorski, 10/10/04)

English passage? ACT OF PARLIAMENT (Patrick Berry, 10/22/04)

Jazz scores – BASKETS (Peter Abide, 11/27/05)

Ones seeking steady work? ACROBATS (Byron Walden, 12/24/05)

Any intelligence at all – OUNCE OF SENSE (Manny Nosowski, 6/9/06)

They may be pulled – ALL-NIGHTERS (Victor Fleming and Bruce Venzke, 1/28/07)

Punch with a kick – SANGRIA (Tony Orbach and Patrick Blindauer, 6/29/08)

Certain sex scandal, in slang – BIMBO ERUPTION (Paula Gamache, 3/27/09)

Russian famously played by an Egyptian – DR ZHIVAGO (Doug Peterson 12/4/10)

Wheelie supporter – BACK TIRE (Joe Krozel, 9/30/11)

Growing concern for a surgeon, informally? BOOB JOB (10/1/11, David Quarfoot)

Where to see the writing on the wall? FACEBOOK PROFILE (Caleb Madison, 10/14/11)

Like winter in Siberia – COLD AS HELL (Gareth Bain, 1/25/12)

They may be pint-sized with big heads – ALES (Victor Fleming and Sam Ezersky, 7/28/12)

Anonymous said...

Only got 6 right,beat my alltime record:D

Chickie said...

HOla Everyone, This was an easy puzzle for me today. Four-H was a big part of my girls' growing up years. I've spent many a county fair in the sheep barn and the rabbit building. That's what mom's are for, right?

I had one glitch (same as Hatoolah)with Medics instead of Medico. That was quickly resolved with the entry of Out did. I didn't find anything else much of a challenge, except I didn't know Che's real name. That also appeared magically with the perps.

JD, I think you were not able to get back to sleep because Truman is going to Kindergarten today and you were excited! LOL!

Spitzboov, your reunion sounded great. It is always wonderful to connect with old friends. Did you see where the USS Constitution sailed out of Boston Harbor yesterday? What a sight that must have been.

Abejo, we live in the city, but the girls have had raised sheep, rabbits, and guide dogs. Too bad you couldn't have joined a club because city kids took photography, public speaking, and all manner of non-animal related activities.

Have a great day, everyone. Apples are calling once again. The tree is loaded this year.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Fun puzzle with some tricky answers! Great commentary, Argyle. Thanks!

Think that ram was seeing his reflection in that shiny vehicle? He was certainly persistent.

The theme was a given to me as an old 4-H leader mom. Anytime I wanted to teach a life-skill, it became a 4-H project.

Since every 4-H kid had to do a presentation at a meeting at least once a year, my very shy little girl marched up and played the piano and received a huge round of applause. Nobody thought she would go through with it. She's still shy in her 40's but she hasn't been crippled by it since.

The only 4-H projects that I would have preferred not to have were raising pigs three years. However, the pig personalities were funny and a good learning experience for us all. I found myself holding a pig by his tail through a hole in the shed so the kid could ear tag it. A truly humbling experience for a former city girl. Nasty stuff below that tail. What a mom does for her kid's success!

PK said...

Chickie, I wish I could chat and peel apples with you and make a yummy cinnamon laced homemade pie! Apples ripened on the tree have the most delicious smell and taste!

Yellowrocks said...

Koosh balls are still alive and well after 26 years. Hasbro is expanding its product line to include launchers and other Koosh toys.

Koosh balls are an addictive stress reliever for adults. They encourage squishing and squeezing. I like to toss one six to eight inches from hand to hand. They also are great for hand therapy exercises.

Chickie, I am glad you mentioned 4-H in the cities and their suburbs. As you said, 4-H sponsors many nonfarm activities, including leadership opportunities.

In my day, the entire club agreed to work on the same type of project at the same time, for instance cooking, or sewing, whatever. I hear that each member can work on anything they choose at any time, these days. It must make the mentoring more difficult.

TTP said...


I believe it was the Indiana St Fair that recently either sent the kids with pigs and hogs home, or told them not to come. Swine Flu concerns.

Off subject, but a very interesting web site. There's a pull down toward the top right to select countries. CIA World Fact Book Might be one to bookmark for future reference.

Husker Gary said...

4H is big around here and is very good for kids here in the HEARTLAND. Only complaint my wife had was about the incredible dresses sewn by some moms that were entered as having been done by the daughters.

Musings
-KISS Keep It Simple Stupid (Occam’s Razor)
-I stepped into what I thought was DIRT this morning in an old creek bed to retrieve a ball. Oops, rancid smelling mud up to my calf.
-No one won BY A NOSE here, these girls literally finished two abreast
-I best remember NED in Deliverance and the original Superman
-Grandparents are familiar with the word STREWN after a 4 day visit
-The BALES are more often big and round rather than rectangular
-Our fescue SOD is holding up much better than blue grass all around us
-Kids never had a pencil that I asked them to have but had BIC’s running out their ears
-NAH is not a favorite answer of mine. I much prefer “no thank you”.
-No one else had POT for roll-your-own grass?
-Unexpected beauty is all around if you just look. A dozen turkey chicks wandered by on the 3rd hole today.

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. Zoomed quickly through this Monday-easy puzzle today. Did not know R.L. Stine, and wanted foose instead of KOOSH. Perps to the rescue. After HEADboard and HEARTland, the 4-H theme fell into place quickly. Spelling AXLE as AXEL slowed me down a bit. Almost laughed coffee out through my nostrils at WET SPOT.

Didn't care for MEDICO, probably because I've only heard and used the term MEDIC and its plural MEDICS. Ever hear a soldier call out "Medico!"? I know, it's a crossword puzzle.

Cool explanation on the phrase "hands down."

A shout out for Ginger ROOT.

I think "Roll-your-own grass" was intended to make you think weed.

Best wishes to you all.

Bill G. said...

Here’s a diversion from the 60s. These quotations were named after a series of books where the hero, Tom Swift, often was quoted adverbially. (Is that a real word?) He would be quoted saying things such as, “Look over there,” Tom said excitedly. Or, “I guess we were too late,” Tom said disappointedly. A silly craze in the 60s developed from making fun of this style of writing. Here are some quotations where you have to supply the clever and whimsically appropriate adverb. The first letter of the desired response is given.

1) "I'll need a sharper pencil to solve this puzzle," Tom said p . (pointedly)
2) “Your gift is ready,” Tom said p .
3) “Who put Tobasco sauce on my eggs?” Tom asked h .
4) “I’m breaking out in hives!” Tom cried r .
5) “Get to the back of the boat,” Tom ordered s .
6) “Do you want heads or tails?” Tom asked f .
7) “We can’t wait until Dad gets out of the hospital,” Tom declared i .
8) “I just ate six cans of pineapple,” Tom complained d .
9) “I-guess-I’ll-fix-my-car,” Tom said m .
10) “You can lead the before-dinner prayer,” Tom said g .
11) Elliott likes clever and confusing British puzzles,” Tom remarked c .
(I invented this last one myself in 1962.)
12) “Oops, I dropped my toothpaste on the floor,” Tom said c .

Argyle said...

#12 What? That is a real word!

Jayce said...

2. presently
3. heatedly
4. rashly
5. sternly
6. flip(pant)ly
7. inhospitably
8. diuretically
9. mechanically
10. gracefully
11. cheerily
12. ?

Marge said...

Hi all,
This was an interesting puzzle Melanie, not too easy, not too hard. Thank you. Also thanks to Argyle for the nice write-up.

Local Theater Guild performed Annie" over the weekend, local talent is amazing,especially the kids. FDR was there several times and did a good job singing.

I met Georgia O'Keeffe when I lived in New Mexico. An interesting person.

I first had guiles for 58A but wondered what kind of fish LHAD was LOL!

Thanks TTP for the site for WORLD FACT BOOK link. I know it will be very interesting.

Have a good evening all!
Marge

Husker Gary said...

12. crestfallenly

Marge said...

PS:I was going to say, I never belonged to 4H but was familiar with it. I had a friend who lived on a small farm but was not allowed to join 4H because the farm was on the edge of town and she lived just inside of the city limits. Thank goodness thats changed!

Marge

Jayce said...

Husker Gary, of course! Well played!

Qli said...

I really enjoyed this puzzle and commentary, having been a 4-H club member for several years.

Ours was a more domestic club. We did a lot of sewing projects. Once I did entomology, because a cute boy in another club was doing that. Bad idea; I really hate bugs. Did learn a lot though. Ran for secretary one year, and was elected president.

Hand up for MEDICs, and for thinking of weed right away.

Got the new air conditioner in just in time for another warm spell here on the prairie, thank goodness. I will come home to a nice cool house after class tonight!

Avg Joe said...

That does make sense Gary. I sure didn't like Crestly or Colgately. :-)

Jayce, I my guess for #8 was Dolely. And BTW, to answer your question from a while back: Austin.

Hahtoolah said...

I just heart that Phyllis Diller died. She was 95.

Lucina said...

R.I.P. Phyllis Diller, 95. I loved her humor.

TTP said...

A colleague forwarded this about a year ago. I found it a challenge and didn't score as high as I assumed I would. Thought that that you all might enjoy.

GREAT GEOGRAPHY LESSON
It is amazing how often we speak of these countries and don't really know where they are.
Drag the country's name onto the map. Once you finish the puzzle, you will be far more educated about this very intense section of our world.
You think you know the countries? Just wait.......

Map Game

Bill G. said...

I think there are alternative (not necessarily better) answers for several of them. What about 7, 8 and 11?
Gary, very excellent on 12!

That map game sure exposes my poor understanding of the geography of that part of the world.

Jayce said...

Well, I liked my answer for 8.

Bill G. said...

Well, I did too. Very creative. What about 'dolefully'?

TTP said...

7 - Hurriedly
8 - Dolely (smile)
11 - Cluelessly

Lemonade714 said...

11. was clearly cryptically.

8. perhaps dolefully

7. impatiently

Lemonade714 said...

well i was working and just got to see these, and I am sure since it was british, it was crytpic

Lemonade714 said...

Are Pineapples diuretics?

Lucina said...

TTP:
Thank you for the map game. The ones that gave me the most trouble were the -stans. it took several tries to complete.

Spitzboov said...

Irish Miss @ 1024 - Agree on the turnips, although there is a slurry involving turnips and red beets which tastes pretty good.

Chickie @ 1225 - I did not see it live, but there is a great picture on today's WSJ front page showing sailors furling the sails.

Argyle @ 1117 - re: link. I grew up 6 miles S of today's fair site. In the 50's it was on Rt 40 just north of Greenwich and had no real permanent buildings; just tents and temporary structures as I recall. Still lots of fun, though. Marti should have taken a side trip from Saratoga to see it :-)

Avg Joe said...

I'll chime in on turnips. I'm certainly not an advocate, but also not strongly opposed. However, I'd recommend that if you ever have a chance to try a genuine Cornish Pasty, don't pass it up. They're delicious, and turnips are one of the key ingredients. Unfortunately, they're also very hard to locate.

TTP said...

I need to get my vision checked. How in the world did I see an H in Bill's number 7 ? That, after not seeing the colon earlier.

Lemonade, I acquiesce, cryptically fits far better than cluelessly.

YR, sorry about the the "as high as" versus "as well as". Believe me, it had nothing to do with that 8D misdirection.

Lucina, I too had trouble with the -stans, as well as the western countries of Africa.

Wasn't that challenging ? For all we know, we know far less.

Yellowrocks said...

While hiking in England and Scotland we would stop in at the bakery every morning to buy a crisp baked pasty to take along for lunch. We would not wrap it tightly to preserve its crunchiness. The pasties were absolutely mouth watering, to die for.

I've had a strong hankering for them ever since. The pasties here in NJ, even those made by Scots and
called original, are soft and doughy. Yucch!! What a big disappointment.

We also had tatties and neeps in Scotland, boiled potatoes and boiled turnips mashed separately. They were good, although I never prepare turnips at home.

Has anyone ever had Scottish haggis with tatties and neeps? It is a cleaned sheep's stomach stuffed with chopped heart, liver, and other sheep organs mixed with oats, and served with potatoes and turnips on the side. The Scots dared us to try it, but I thought it was fine. Of course, I have experienced the PA Dutch hog maw, pig's stomach stuffed with sausage and potatoes. It is far better than it sounds. Most butchers no longer carry it.

Irish Miss said...

I need Aleve after I read Bill G.'s math problems and now I need Alka Seltzer after reading YR's food experiences. See what you started, Spitz, picking on the poor wax bean? LOL.

Avg Joe said...

I've never had a chance to try haggis, YR. But I would if it came up. And it sounds like it would be delicious.

I have a policy regarding "exotic" foods: Try anything that's not known to be poisonous at least once if the opportunity presents itself...then decide. I've got no qualms about rejecting something if I've tried it, but don't believe you should simply dismiss anything out of hand.

To date, the only thing I'll never eat again, no matter how hungry, is brains. No thank you! I'll starve. The other variety meats are not a diet I'd prefer to adhere to daily, but they are, shall we say, interesting.

This sort of piggy backs on a conversation from late night last week. I've always wondered who was the first person to try an artichoke and say: "Wow! That's great." That took some pioneering qualities, but I'm glad they did it.

Bill G. said...

Avg Joe, I completely agree about exotic foods. Though I'm a Scot, I've never had the opportunity to try Haggis. I certainly would try it though and I'm guessing I would like it. My parents used to eat brains. As a kid, I was turned off by the name and the appearance. Nowadays, I would be willing to try them if prepared by somebody who knew what he/she was doing. I have had sweetbreads and liked them OK. I've had Mexican tripe soup (Medudo) and liked it OK in small quantities. I very much like scrapple and eggs for breakfast.

Lucina said...

TTP@6:49
It's true, we do know so much and yet so little. But the world changes, too. Look at Russia, for example; it broke up and reassembled itself before I had a chance to teach about it and so I know virtually nothing about those various countries. The same with Africa. I wasn't aware that there are two Moroccos.

BillG:
My late mother loved brains and she would eat them at any opportunity. I tried them once but wasn't impressed. Now, tongue is a different matter. it's delicious especially cooked with green chile.

Marge said...

Just read some posts from later today. We had Haggis when we were in Scottland. It was served wth mashed potatos.I liked it.

Princess Diana died just before we were over there. One week after her funeral were were in Westminster Abby. Still lots of flowers around.
Marge

PK said...

When we raised our own beef, we got heart and tongue. I pressure cooked them, ground them up and mixed them with pickle relish and mayonaise for sandwiches. My kids loved the stuff so when they finally learned what it was, they didn't turn up their noses.

When I was a 4-H leader, we had 45 kids in the club each having 1 to 5 or six projects. As leader I would call around and find an adult who would be project leader for each thing. Sometimes the parent taught their own kids. My mother got roped in to teach crochet to three little girls. Usually, the adult enjoyed it as much as the kids. I taught bugs, home improvement, sewing, cooking etc. at different times. Gardening and food preservation and various animal projects were popular. We also had community service projects and junior leadership projects. Very busy bunch! Loved the kids! Some of the parents....!

PK said...

I did the map game and had trouble getting the right position for the name and arrow to be accepted. Frustrating to know the right place and get a nasty X. Finally, realized the point of the arrow had to be the determiner and began to get somewhere.