google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, August 7, 2012 C.C. Burnikel

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Aug 7, 2012

Tuesday, August 7, 2012 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Fortitude - Four different ways to spell 2. (From C.C.: Rich said: "I will publish this puzzle on a Tue. Hardly anyone will notice, but at least you and I will know. :-)"

20A. Powerful boxing combo : ONE-TWO PUNCH

36A. Caesar's last question : "ET TU, BRUTE?"

43A. "Could be worse" : "NOT TOO BAD"

56A. Not pie-in-the-sky : DOWN TO EARTH

Argyle here, reeling from the one-two punch of Marti and C.C. Let's just á go-go to the puzzle.

Across:

1. Little chocolate wrapped in foil : KISS

5. Squishy lump : GLOB

9. Cicada predators : WASPS. Very clear and precise site.

14. Woody's boy : ARLO. He's done well for himself. Arlo will not develop Huntington's disease because he did not inherit the gene from his father.

15. Iranian currency : RIAL

16. Full-price payer at the movies : ADULT

17. Santa's runway : ROOF

18. Org. concerned with working conditions : OSHA. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

19. Fluid transition : SEGUE

23. "I __ Rock" : AM A. This video is of the two boys and one guitar in a coffee house setting. Clip(2:58)

24. Schwarzenegger, formerly: Abbr. : GOV. (Governator)

25. Provided food for, as a wedding : CATERED

27. "60 Minutes" network : CBS. clecho 46A. 60 minutes : HOUR

30. Spiders' handiwork : WEBS. I thought it was Al Gore.

33. Makes faces at the camera : MUGS

34. Cookies mixed in some ice cream : OREOS. On Mars now.

40. "Norma Rae" director Martin : RITT. He also directed "Hud"(1963), with Paul Newman and "The Sound and the Fury"(1959) with Yul Brynner.

41. They mean nothing : ZEROs

42. "Zounds!" : "EGAD!"

45. Big name in arcade games : ATARI

47. High-tech hand-held gadgets : PDA's. (personal digital assistant)

49. Chinese calendar animal : RAT. This year, in fact. (Correction: 2012 is Year of the Dragon.)

50. Toscanini, e.g. : MAESTRO. (conductor)(born in the "Year of the Hare")

53. Your, of yore : THY

55. Sinus specialist: Abbr. : ENT. (ear, nose, and throat)(today)

62. Galore, in disco lingo : À GO-GO. Introduced in France.

64. Fat in the pantry : LARD. Probably safer to keep it in the freezer. Any first hand stories?

65. Folk tales : LORE

66. __ closet : LINEN

67. Oklahoma city : ENID. "Purple Martin Capital of Oklahoma"

68. Eagle Scout, typically : TEEN

69. Boss's terse note : "SEE ME". Might raise your blood pressure.

70. Lights-out tune : TAPS. Hope it's not what the boss' note was about.

71. Calls upon : ASKS

Down:

1. Corn syrup brand : KARO. Use to be in everyone's cupboard.


2. Multivitamin mineral : IRON

3. Wild plum : SLOE

4. One of two in Georgia? : SOFT G. Did she get you with this one? (From C.C.: This is Rich's clue.)

5. Fixed routine : GROOVE. Good to be in the groove, bad to be in a rut.

6. Talk like Daffy : LISP

7. Pearl Harbor locale : OAHU

8. Voice master Mel : BLANC

9. Laundry room fixture : WASHTUB. Multiple uses.

10. Citrusy refresher : ADE

11. Archies hit with the lyric, "You are my candy girl" : SUGAR, SUGAR. You won't get me to link it.

12. Large feather : PLUME

13. Suffix with farm or home : STEAD

21. Makes jaws drop : WOWS

22. "The Plague" author : CAMUS. Novel by Albert Camus, published in 1947

26. "Snowy" wader : EGRET


27. Toe woe : CORN

28. Gusto : BRIO. From Italian, of Celtic origin!

29. Establish a particular mood : SET THE TONE

31. Telly network, with "the" : BEEB. An informal name for BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)

32. Bra part : STRAP. Dennis comment?

35. Four Holy Roman emperors : OTTOs

37. Sondheim's Sweeney : TODD. "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is a 1979 musical thriller with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and libretto by Hugh Wheeler.

38. Fictional plantation : TARA. (Gone with the Wind)

39. Prepare for publication : EDIT

41. Hero with a trademark "Z" : ZORRO. This bold renegade, Carves a "Z" with his blade.

44. Bested : OUT DONE

45. Tennis great Arthur : ASHE

48. Butting heads : AT ODDS

50. Three squares : MEALS

51. Actress Dickinson : ANGIE. Sergeant Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson on the 1970's TV crime series, Police Woman.

52. Baby hooter : OWLET

54. 1945 "Big Three" conference city : YALTA. A city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.

57. Mama's mama : NANA

58. "Dancing With the Stars" blunder : TRIP

59. Deer with three-pointed antlers : ROEs. A Eurasian species of deer, roe deer, called ROE for short, changing the adjective to a noun and adding an S for plural. We pluralize the same way; white-tailed deer can be referred to as whitetails.

60. Tough journey : TREK

61. Lady birds : HENS

63. Ruby, for one : GEM


Argyle

79 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Another solo effort from our fearless leader -- how nice! Very smooth effort today. Well, except for the fact that I'm not sure you'd actually be able to find a wash tub in a laundry room anymore, but maybe that's just a regional thing...

RITT wasn't exactly at the tip of my metaphorical tongue, but the perps took care of him nicely. And I learned that WASPS prey on cicadas. So, all in all, NOT TOO BAD. Actually, it was much better than that!

Anonymous said...

Fun breezy puzzle. A good way to start my TUEsday. One quibble from a grammar stickler: "stead" is a word in its own right, so it is part of compound words, not a suffix.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and friends. I caught the theme after filling the last theme clue. Clever.

My only error was to think that a Squishy Lump was a Glob instead of a Blob.

I smiled at the Paying Full Price at the Movie clue. We recently went to a movie with an older couple. As the clerk was making the transaction, the other couple asked for the Senior price. The clerk said she gave us all the Senior rate. I don’t know whether to be happy or insulted! At least I didn't pay the ADULT price!

My favorite clue was They Mean Nothing = ZEROS.

I also liked the Lady Birds = HENS.

I am not keen on clues like the Two SOFT Gs in Georgia, although I wasn't stymied this time.

Speaking of GOVernors, today is Edwin Edwards' 85th birthday. He is the former governor of Louisiana and was released from prison within the past year.

In honor of Garrison Keillor's 70th birthday, here is today's QOD: Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a purpose. ~ Garrison Keillor

Anonymous said...

XVII here.

Thank you CC. Thank you Marti for yesterday. Argyle, for both days. In today's offerings, I enjoyed Simon and Garfunkel, and am glad you didn't post the link to Sugar Sugar. I might have accidentally clicked it. That song was on the radio incessantly.

Faih Hill - This 1A

On a personal note, I enjoy working from home, but there is no separation. Work beckons. The phone's ringing. All have a great day.

Anonymous said...

Took me TOO long to get GOV and One of TWO in Georgia?! Smooth going other than that. Nicely done CC!

CrossEyedDave said...

The 1st picture has now been rec'd from Curiosity on Mars...

Unknown said...

Great Job, C.C.! I am still hanging in there one day hoping to "get" the theme. Usually, I am just happy to be able to give my brain a workout.

Finally, we got some rain last night. Better late than never. Maybe I'll even have a few more tomatoes!

BLTS, anyone?

Mari said...

Speed run Tuesday for me. Now I'm back DOWN TO EARTH.

Good puzzle. I liked 4D: One of two in Georgia? SOFT G. Also liked Lady Birda.

I've never heard The BBC called The BEEB, but then again I don't watch it much.

SUGAR SUGAR, LARD and BLOB ... are you trying to tell me something?

kazie said...

Argyle,
Nice job, but you haven't been watching the Olympics: this is the year of the DRAGON--not the RAT. I also know this since my son, born in the year of the dragon turns 36 this year, hence another dragon.

CC,
What can we say? You just keep showing the rest of us up for the GLOBS we are! Congrats on another masterpiece!

Like anon @ 7:37, I took too long to get GOV--had GOP at first and thought when did he change parties? Also didn't know either RITT or ROES, but they perped in nicely.

Anonymous said...

We have had washtubs in all our laundry rooms, Barry--probably IS regional, because in the Midwest we have more space than in the East. Nice and deep, so a good place to wash our dog. Loved the puzzle, CC, but now I have Sugar, Sugar running through my head even without a link.

Mari said...

Garrison Keillor @ 6:03 am is quite incorrect. My cats greet me at the door every evening with a purr and a meow. They provide much needed comfort after a hard day at work. (And when not too lazy they might catch an occassional bug too.)

Anonymous said...

got 17:03 in todays google doodle. beat that!

Barry G. said...

Hah! Got a 14.8... ^_^

Qli said...

Great puzzle, C.C. Rich's Tue. comment was the icing on the theme cake!

Thanks for not including a link to SUGAR SUGAR,
Argyle. (but the earworm got stuck in my head anyway...)

My Mom's best pie crusts used LARD, until she got "healthy' and discovered margarine. I remember getting off the school bus one day to find my parents, grandmother and a few neighbors processing freshly butchered hogs in our kitchen. Fat was being rendered in a huge copper vat on the stove, which provided LARD, as well as the cracklings we ate with salt. Yum! We only raised pigs for one year, so that scene was never repeated. Thank goodness, cuz I don't need to see blood sausage being made ever again. Cranking the sausage stuffer was fun, though.

I was born in the year of the RAT, according to the placemat in our Chinese restaurant.

Mari@7:55
Those first TWO words made me want to bake, but BLOB put an end to that idea.

HeartRx said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

What a fun puzzle, and your title was brilliant, Argyle! Thanks for the link to S&G. I haven't heard that song for a while, and it just reminded me of how beautiful harmonizing groups sound.

I already had the SOF** when I checked the clue for 20A, so SOFT G didn't get me this time! There were a couple other harder clues that I had to wait for perp help on, like RITT, CAMUS and GROOVE (I wanted "In a rut"), but in the end I got it done faster than I did yesterdays (HaHa!!)

Then I spent another few minutes looking over the puzzle. This homophone / heterograph theme was done perfectly, IMO. All four theme entries are in the lingo, and have some nice sparkle. I especially liked NOT TOO BAD (I almost put "NOT TOO shabby", but it wouldn't fit!) Great job, C.C.!!

Sfingi said...

I wondered what Burnikel would come up with for "Zounds" - since it meant, "His wounds," or "God's wounds." Egad passes the test. In Montreal, French speakers still use religious words to swear, rather than sexual, I suspect because they brought the language over during the days when religious swearing was most shocking.

@Qli - nice memory. Rather than cracklings, my mother diced the fatback and then fried with salt.

Speaking of washtubs, "Who threw the overalls in Mrs. Murphy's chowder?" Turns out it had dual used. My mother used hers, an enameled one, to make grape jelly.

Husker Gary said...

Too, to, two, tu cute! C.C.’s command of not only our language but slang and subtle shades of meaning is beyond amazing. How do you do it young lady? Reading, TV, movies, talking to Boomer? It WOWS us.

Musings
-Is ONE TWO PUNCH of Hard G and C.C. now a thing of the past? (Loved SOFT G semi homage)
-KISS not MINT, GLOB not BLOB,
-I thought of Woody’s boy, Andy, from Toy Story first
-A friend of mine paid to get into the movies as a child until she was 30
-OMG, how young are Paul and Art in that video?
-Schwarzenegger formerly? Faithful
-PDA’s used to be the cock of the tech walk and now everything is rolled into smart phones
-Where did we see Bob Cobb prefer being called MAESTRO?
-MIL makes the world’s best apple pies with LARD
-No good info followed SEE ME!
-VFW member told me it is hard to find bugle players to play TAPS at funerals these days
-Chiropractor wants me to take IRON over and above multi vitamin to help with bad back
-Kripke, the bully, on Big Bang has a LISP and Sheldon’s “Mama’s mama” was his mee maw.
-People on OAHU told me about “rock fever” there. You can’t drive very far in any direction without coming to the ocean.
-Volcanic PLUMEs can portend disaster
-Debate has raged that a dying FDR sold out at YALTA

Anonymous said...

Good puzzle.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone. Thanks for the comments, Argyle.

C. C. started out with a KISS sweetened with KARO. We also had SUGAR SUGAR. Nice breezy cluing today as others have pointed out; fun to work on. Really liked the clues for ROOF, HENS, and MEALS. TREK is an English borrowing from Afrikaans. Great 4-letter word.

Glad many of you like the 'Top Pictures' link yesterday.

Enjoy the day.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a great Tuesday puzzle. Thank you, Argyle for a great review. I really liked the Cicada Killer link. Very informative.

Got all the North right off the bat. RIAL came easily. I still have thousands of them.

Had MR U for 24A for a while. Eventually GOV became the answer.

69A, SEE ME, jumped off the page. I had a boss once, only for a year luckily, that continually sent notes saying SEE ME. He never signed then. We all knew who it was. Anyhow, that's ancient history.

Did not know RITT, but perps fixed that.

Never heard of the BEEB either.

Did not catch the theme until I read the review. Did not really look for it.

Got through the puzzle easily. it was fun.

An hour and a half after I finished yesterday, I had 18 stitches in my right hand. Pulled a dead branch from a tree using a rope and it came down and hit me. I thought I was clear, but that's what I get for thinking. I had been to the top of an extension ladder working on it, but I thought that was not too safe. so, I came down to earth and that's when I got hurt. Oh well, live and learn.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

Abejo said...

By the way, Griggsville, IL, has a large purple martin population as well. They like mosquitos.

Abejo

HeartRx said...

Abejo! 16 stitches!?!? See what happens when you come DOWN TO EARTH???

desper-otto said...

Fun Two, Tu, Too, To, Tuesday offering, CC. Nicely done.

I realized while reading Argyle's write-up that I had totally missed all of the Downs after 45d -- my first across pass had filled in everything else. Unusual, for me.

For once the G's in Georgia didn't fool me. It took me awhile to remember Sugar Sugar -- unfortunately, I did. (What duo started their recording career as Tom and Jerry?)

Gotta go clean up/fire up my gas-powered generator. I've got a prospective buyer coming by a little later today. It's just excess baggage since I've got a natural gas-powered whole-house unit. Stormy weather in the Gulf brings out the buyers.

desper-otto said...

I thought the BEEB was Justin.

Mari, my cats are just the opposite. They expect me to provide much needed comfort after a hard day of catnapping. (One is currently basking in the glow of my desk lamp.) And if I'm not too lazy, maybe I'll find a bug or lizard for them to torture.

Wow, "Mrs. Murphy's Chowder" -- now that is an old, old, oldie. "It's an Irish trick that's true, I can lick the Mick who threw the over-alls in Mrs. Murphy's chowder." In recent versions "Irish" and "Mick" have been replaced to make the song more politically correct.

CED -- great Mars photo.

Sfingi said...

Went to Google to try out that race. Now I'll be doing that all day!

Another bit of nostalgia that boiled up in my aged brain - my grandmothers, one from Baltimore and the other of New England parentage, arguing over what's best on corn fritters - maple syrup or Karo.

CrossEyedDave said...

Blob B/4 Glob, never heard of Beeb, or Roes, but i got it done. Loved the i am a rock video!

We call that thing in the mud room a "slop sink!"

Piece of trivia: i was hiking Harriman/Bear Mtn when i came across the ruins of an old estate called "ORAK". I tried to find out more about it, & discovered it was "Karo" spelled backwards. The mansion was built in 1923 by George Briggs Buchanan, a vice president of the Corn Products Refining Company. Not only did it have a large dining room shaped like a ship, the wood floor was built on some kind of teeter-totter that enabled the entire dining room floor to simulate the motion of a ship at sea!

Irish Miss said...

Good morning:

Nice, clean, clever Tuesday offering. Well done, CC, and ditto for your expo, Argyle. Liked the clues for roof, hens, and soft G.

Another sunny, pleasant summer day in the Northeast.

Abejo, I hope your pain is minimal and that you heal quickly. Ouch to stitches!

Have a great Tuesday.

GarlicGal said...

Good morning solvers.

Our newspaper was thrown in the sprinklers today (so sad), so I had to do the puzzle online. Since the timer was running I decided to go for speed. 8 min/6 sec. Ok, so big deal - LOL!

"Schwarzenegger formerly? Faithful" - being from CA I loved that comment a lot, Husker Gary.

Abejo, I hope those stitches don't interfere with any of the musical instruments you play.

BillG from a few weeks ago re: garlic aroma in Gilroy. The "smell" is really only around from about Aug. thru Sept. when the local processing plant is running. Sometimes it's strong, sometimes faint. I guess we do get used to it!

That's it for now. I certainly won't say "adieu", but how about "Hasta La Pasta"?

Anonymous said...

Good morning (barely) everyone.

Loved this puzzle. Thanks C.C. And thanks for the write up Argyle.

I am disappointed that you, C.C., did not purposely put in SOFT G. I thought it was a clever call out to your companion constructor Hard G. Which made it very clever. Do you think Rich was thinking of it?

Even though I consider it done, it is really a DNF because I made 51D ANnIE and 62A AnONO, both of which made sense in that I knew neither of them.
Too bad I didn't see that I needed both a hard and soft G.

Cheers

Anonymous said...

PS Correction: AnOGO.

And sorry to hear about your hand Abejo.

Misty said...

I love C.C. puzzles whether from the "Dynamic Duo" or the "Dynamic Solo"--so thanks for this fun romp, C.C. It's 2 true that I never got the theme, although I did wonder why there was no reveal. And thanks for lots of useful explanations, Argyle.

My only question/nit concerns that OREO cookie. Sure, they're mixed with cream, but with "ice cream"? What's that all about?

Finally, I'd never heard of BEEB for BBC but anything that will save me two syllables every time I utter it, is great!

Have a great 2-s-day, everybody!

Anonymous said...

Too great, C.C.! I even got the theme! Thanks! Argyle, enjoyed the comments and links.

Put in MINTS first and ended up with 4D as Tufts, thinking that University was in Georgia which left me with 24a Schwartzenegger as S. O. & confidently filled in a B. Wait a minute! Then erased and did it right.

I was trying to teach my young son numbers and days of the week on the calendar when he was small. He was pretty good with numbers but not the days, so I was surprised on the 22nd when he told me it was Tuesday. I praised him. He said, "Well, it gots two twos so it must be Tuesday."

For cicada killer I wanted cairn terrier. My daughter's dog got very ill and wouldn't eat. Coughing a lot. The vet pulled out a wad of cicada wings stuck in her throat.

Abejo, beware vengeful branches! Hope your pain is NOT TOO BAD!

PK said...

Oops, forgot my identifier above.

Unknown said...

I was able to finish this quickly. Had to correct the GLOB BLOB thing. Got BEEB and RITT on perps.
Liked SOFTG.

My cats not only greet me, but 'help' me sew. One guards the house at night by sitting in the window keeping guard.

I have always liked the smell of garlic and onions. This morning the wind was blowing the right way and I could smell the onions from the Amy's Kitchen plant. It's at least 10 miles away.

Lucina said...

Hello, Argyle and fellow Peeps. Thanks for the Paul Simon link and I love SUGAR, SUGAR, TOO.

TOO cute today. While waiting for the computer to fire up I sussed the theme. Congratulations yet again, C.C. for another solo effort.

As for LARD, the best southwest Mexican food (no, it's not just Tex Mex) is made with it, especially tamales. I always keep a box of it handy for frying tortillas. It's the only way! That is what adds the flavor.

Fast but fun today; thank you, C.C.

I hope your 2sday is TOO good TO be forgotten, everyone!

Anonymous said...

Farm "stead"??? never heard of a farmstead.

JD said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al,

C.C., Rich was probably right; TUESday went over my head. Again you wowed us, and Argyle's write up was great.. really enjoyed the egret clip.
The perps easily took care of Yalta, BEEB, Ritt, Enid and Camus. Also didn't know about wasps. Have many different bees in the garden, but least fav. is the wasp because they sometimes build nests where I step.

Karo, we used to put it over powdered sugar on French toast as kids, sometimes molasses.I never passed that one on to my girls- yuk.Still keep it around to mix with OJ to baste Cornish game hens.

Didn't everyone have to have a wash tub next to their wringer washer? Not a fixture in today's homes.

"makes faces"...Truman is an expert whenever he gets his picture taken ; sometimes that is better than the "cheesy" smile.

2poodles said...

I feel like a real solver today! I worked and worked on this puzzle, putting it down to do something else and then picking it up again, and finally realized I had solved the whole thing without a single trip to Google!!! This may be the first Tuesday puzzle I've been able to solve on my own!

Tinbeni said...

Argyle: Wonderful write-up & links.

C.C. Thank you for a FUN Tue offering. (Marti, I enjoyed your Monday puzzle, also).
The SOFT-G brought on a smile since you construct SOOOOOO many puzzles with Don (Hard) G.

Only write-over:
For 58-D, "Dancing With the Stars" blunder, I had SLIP before TRIP.
My first thought about this "Blunder" is why are these shows are ever made???
OK, they're "Not-My-Cup-of-Tea" ... I just never watch them.

Also needed all the "perps" to get RIPP & ROES. (I love the "perps"!)

Olympic Question-of-the-Day ???
Now that they have completed the Table-Tennis competition ... WHEN are they going to use these apparatus for their real purpose?
YUP ... I mean "BEER-PONG" !!!
(I'm betting on the USA to sweep these Medals).

A 'toast' to all at Sunset.

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

Sallie,
SOFT G is my fill. The clue is Rich's, as are many clever clues in the past. He's a master wordsmith.

Qli,
Better late than never. There's no chocolate-dipped chicken or anything in Chinese cooking. Chocolate is comparatively new in China.

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. Nice puzzle today, which I enjoyed solving. Was almost, but not quite, able to solve the whole thing from the acrosses alone, so SOFTG simply emerged. Most of the down clues I didn't read until later. I like to go back and read the clues even though I don't need them to solve the puzzle because they are often amusing. I even learn new facts from reading the clues, such as the name of the group that sang Sugar Sugar and the author of The Plague.

I would not characterize switching from lard (natural fat) to margarine (man-made hydrogenated trans fat) as "going healthy."

Much to my mother's annoyance, I hated Karo syrup and wanted real maple syrup, which she claimed was too expensive. Is/was Karo a high fructose corn syrup? If so, I'm glad I stayed away from it.

Best wishes to you all.

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

XVI TP'er,
The Sunday picture is not YANCY's girlfriend. It's Jane Birkin. Very observant of you to notice her wicker handbag, which later inspired Hermès' Birkin bag. Look at the long waiting list under Demand.

Bill G,
Three girlfriends in 4 months? Or 3 months?

Spitzboov said...

Anon @ 1148

Farmstead first known use - 1807 - a farm with its buildings

Homestead first know use -before 1100 AD - the home and adjoining land occupied by a family

Roadstead first known use - 1556 - a place less enclosed than a harbor where ships may ride at anchor. Such as Hampton Roads, VA, and Scapa Flow, Scotland.

Anonymous said...

LARD is the secret ingredient in my Dad's chocolate chip cookies. Apparently also in Hubig's pies. Wonder if it helped fuel the fire when the factory burned down?

OREOs in ice cream makes Cookies N Cream! Yum

GOV Edwards may be 85, but he just announced he and his (30-something) wife are trying for a baby. Hope that's not on their reality show.

Knew BEEB thenks to my obsession with Top Gear. Got Cicada-killing WASPS thanks to an episode of Billy the Exterminator. See, you can learn stuff from bad TV.

And the WASHTUB is for washing the dog.

Qli said...

@Jayce, Isn't it sad that we were told in those days that margarine was better for you than butter or lard? That's why I had "healthier" in parentheses. There was also shortening, another hydrogenated fat, which replaced lard in lots of baking.

Ron Worden said...

Good afternoon to all , fun puzzle C.C. Nice and smooth for a Tues. Thanks Argyle for your writeup. Really liked the theme and cluing. Have a great day to all.RJW

Misty said...

Terrific, 2poodles 12:00! I've also learned that if I get stuck on a puzzle and do something else for a little while (in my case, Sudoku) and then come back, I can often get moving again! So, congratulations!

Jayce said...

Qli, yes, I figured that's why you wrote "healthier" in parentheses. And shortening, ah yes, good ol' Crisco. The food industry tries to convince us that such-and-such is good for us when in fact it's not; it is good for *them* and their bottom line. Canola oil, for example, is touted as wholesome when in fact it is made from rapeseed. Even wild animals won't eat the rapeseed plant because they know it is poisonous and will kill them. I think you can see I have no respect for big agriculture and food industries that breed ever more virulent strains of drug-resistant bacteria. LW and I joke about cheeseburgers actually being "plastic burgers." I'll swear the stuff they put on fast-food burgers is not cheese. I think all of us eat a lot more plastic than we realize, much of it leached out from the plastic containers.

Bill G. said...

Yes C.C., three girlfriends at the moment; Sophia, Scarlett and Jessica. But these not just passing fads. I will let you know the latest news once I get their e-mails. Dunno why I haven't heard back from any of them. Maybe my e-mail server is having problems again...?

Here a cute puzzle from my newspaper column, from maybe 20 years ago. Let’s make math relevant and try a real-life problem about two students and the local high school's football team.

Humphrey has gotten big! When Humphrey, who weighs 199 pounds, joined the football team, the average weight of the team increased from 177 to 178 pounds. Then Humphrey’s sister joined the team too, and the average weight increased again from 178 to 179 pounds. How much does Humphrey’s sister weigh?

OK, so I was just kidding about this problem’s relevancy to real life. Don’t you just love (or hate) problems like this? They’re of no practical use except to exercise your brain. I think the world can be divided into two groups. The first group reads the above problem and says, “That’s dumb. Who cares?” The second group says, “OK, this looks like fun. Let x equal the cube root of the reciprocal of the hypotenuse, then . . . ” I hope you’re in the second group.

CrossEyedDave said...

When we were looking at houses in Naples Fla., we entered one 1/2 finished house thru the garage & into the mud room. Built into the "floor" was a stainless steel sink! I asked the realtor, what the heck is that? & she said, Oh that's the dog bath!

(what, the *@*&^% slop sink isn't good enough!)

Spitzboov said...

CED - Now, now, careful what you say about Naples. TWO of our esteemed bloggers, Sallie and Grumpy dwell there. I'm sure the Neapolitans have found the stainless 'sunken tub' very practical.

Bill G. Sister weighs 201#. She must be a real pummel (as I defined in a post a few days ago).

Lucina said...

I'm appealing to those of you who live in Minnesota. We are planning our October trip there and would like to know what impressive sights you recommend. Well, just TREES and WATER will impress us but besides that. Any ideas? Your suggestions will be appreciated. TIA.

CrossEyedDave said...

Sorry to be a pest (look out Naples) but i just discovered a new Geocache near me, called "into the abyss."

Most geocaches direct to to scenic wonders, beautiful area's, & unknown treasures, but there is a Geocaching "dark side."

I hope the above link works, because you are supposed to sign up to see it, but if you scroll down, in the log there are 13 pictures (to date) of this really scary Geocache that you must see...

Bill G. said...

CED, that one looks tough. Is it in a sewer pipe or something similar?

GG, we have often gone through Gilroy about that time of year. I thought we were smelling the garlic crop but I guess it was the processing plant.

desper-otto said...

BillG, I agree with Spitz. Humphrey's sister weighs in at a hefty 201#, and the original team plus the hefty Humphrey's make a total of 23 players.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Another gem from our prolific personality!

Hmmm - BLOB/GLOB.

Somehow, I remember KAYRO with a [why?] in it. I don't know Y.

Gary - "Formerly faithful" assumes a time when he was. Possible - but likely?

As it turns out, 32D (of all things) can be a fashion accessory.

"Fluid transition" had me thinking of automatic transmissions, not music.

Love the clue for ZEROS!

Cheers!
JzB

Marge said...

Hi all,
Marti, I enjoyed yesterdays puzzle but didn't finish until evening as I had too many things to do. I never even took time to read the blog.

Husker- I agree with you about C.C. She has so much knowledge on every subject. This was a fun puzzle C.C.

Misty,Ice Cream with Oreo cookies are quite well known in our area. Sometimes it is vanilla and also in mint. Very delicious!

Qli-I had the same experience with lard and cracklings when I
was young. It was the depression and in the winter we moved to my grandparent's home and they did custom butchering, they did 8 or nine pigs a day.Every day after school we went to the shop as that was where all the adults were. They had a hugh iron vat which had a fire under it to cook the lard. After everything was done for the day my grandmother would throw a couple cups of pop corn into the vat and it was delicious!

It took me several tries to get the puzzle done but I finally made it.

Have a good evening.
Marge

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone, Great puzzle today C.C. and I actually "got" the theme on my own. The unknowns-Rial, Ritt, Camus and Beeb all came easily with the perps.

My favorite clue was Lady birds--Hens. I wanted to put in beetles or bugs, because the name for Lady bugs around here is Ladybird Beetles.

Those Soft G (or hard vowel) clues are not as intimidating as they once were. That is what comes with doing a lot of crosswords.

As for the Google race--I knocked down ALL of the hurdles. If I try it again, I'll be at it the rest of the day and I've too much to do today. LOL!

Abejo--Ouch! Take care of that hand, you need it!

My grandmother made soap in her big blck wash tub which was hung over a fire in her backyard. They lived on a Homestead which I find should have been called a Farmstead. However, it was "Homesteaded" by my Great grandparents.

Hahtoolah said...

CrossEyedDave - a friend of mine recently build a big house that has a specific dog room and in one corner is a dog bath complete with a shower. I had never seen such a thing before.

Abejo - take case of your hand.

CrossEyedDave said...

Re: CED @ 3:09 & Bill G. @ 3:20

With the Cache Owners OK, i updated the link with my photo's of ground zero (cache location) & the entrance 2/10th miles away!

I tried the Google race, 1st attempt = 40.3

2nd attempt = 20.1

3rd attempt, i hit the wrong button & exited the internet...

4th attempt, i think i got carpal tunnel...

Hahtoolah said...

Here's a cool photo of the Tower Bridge, the Olympic Rings and the moon.

Blue Iris said...

Lucinda, My daughter got her undergraduate degree from Bethel University in St. Paul ,MN. She loved it there and hopes to return. We took a bus tour of the twin cities. Really enjoyed it. The capital building is really beautiful. Of course, there is always the Mall of America and MN has no tax on clothing. My daughter recommended Walker Art Museum and Minnesota Institute of Art. Duluth is about 1 hour NE and on the Great Lakes. It did snow a smattering while we visited one October.

Misty said...

Marge, I'll have to see if I can try that Ice Cream and Oreo dessert sometime. Does it have a name?

Bill G. said...

It seems to me that the divers' approach has changed recently. I think they all take an extra jump on the board before the dive. Yes? Or am I imagining it?

Hahtoolah, that's a GREAT photo of the Olympic rings and the moon!

Here's another not-so-great Olympic moment. Olympic screwup.

Here are Bonnie and Jordan on a couple of little road trips over the summer. Bonnie/Jordan.

Anonymous said...

Sfingi: Both your GM~S are wrong, the best thing on corn bread (fritters) is sorgham syrup!

Blue Iris said...

C.C. , very nice Tues. GEM.
Argyle, enjoyed yest. and today's write up. I didn't have time to comment yesterday because we had a very nice young student sleeping off jet lag and eating Kansas BBQ with us. He has grandparents in China, but grew up in Japan. He attends KSU at Salina with my son and we were worried he wasn't going to make it back this school year. Since he returned to China to visit his grandparents over the summer, the US government had to review VISA.

Liked CORN directly below KARO and MEALS directly below CORN. Never used LARD, KARO, or a WASHTUB. Never owned a PDA or had a PLUME in my hat.

I don't have any grandchildren and can't decide if I'd want to be called NANA.

Spitzboov said...

HG @ 0851: Seinfeld.

2poodles & Misty. I do that too on tough ones. Find something else to do, 2 more cups of coffee, a couple lucky WAGs, the fog clears and voilà!

Lucina said...

BlueIris@6:44
Thank you. I have been pondering about Duluth as it sounds quite interesting and I would like to see Lake Superior. The Mall of America is, of course, at the top of everyone's list. We shall spend three days in that area.

I love being called NANA as do all my sisters.

Argyle said...

What?! No comment about 24-Across?

Manac said...

Evening all,
Late to the party today, been a long
day.This was a speed run for me today
Finished it faster than yesterday's.
Guess I was on C.C's wavelength today.
Didn't even bat an eye when I entered
softg. Been fooled by that clue/answer
just once too often. Enjoyable all around.
CED. You really got me with that
mars pic, I let my guard down and expected something real from NASA.
Once I finally stopped laughing I was
kicking myself because I knew it was
from you.

Spitzboov said...

I was blown away when I surfed into this site depicting a recent graduation ceremony at the German naval academy at the head of the Flensburg Fjord. As the band marches in they play Anchors Aweigh 'Anker gelichtet'. The rest of the clip, though, is quite German. Nice ceremony.

JD said...

GG-love that smell of garlic in the early mornings when it is foggy.

Bill,sweet pictures of Bonnie and Jordan. Was that Mission Santa Barbara? I have pristine slides of all the missions that my grandfather took in the 40's.There is one slide of the last piece of unpaved road of El Camino Real.

Hahtoolah, awesome picture.

Bill G. said...

JD, they had headed for San Diego and Legoland. So as far as I know, that was Mission San Diego. They are a photogenic pair, aren't they? Jordan used to take photos with a silly or forced smile. I think he's got the idea now.

He's still learning to ride a bike well. I'm going to check him out in a school parking lot near here and then maybe he and Grandpa can go for their first bike ride along the bike path next to the Pacific. If he doesn't run over anybody, it should be fun.

Manac said...

Oh, and Marti,
You are without a doubt a class act.
I appreciate your comments and look
forward to your next puzzle.

Bea said...

CED, I just about spit out my tea when I opened your pic from Mars. Very funny.
Lucina, go to exploreminnesota.com for lots of travel info. You can sign up for regular e-mail updates on Minnesota events, birding/fishing reports, fall color, etc. The St Croix River valley is worth a visit, Stillwater and other river cities close by Mnpls. Personally I say skip that big mall, and take advantage of what is usually nice fall weather in Minnesota. Have a wonderful time!

Lucina said...

Thank you Bea. So far what I have read sounds wonderful especially at the beginning of October.

Bill G. said...

We just felt a smallish earthquake, about 4.4 maybe 14 miles east of here. It wasn't big enough to cause any concern but once it starts, you don't know how big it's going to get.

Anonymous said...

TAPS (70D) is NOT played at "lights out." Taps is played at dusk, or at a funeral. Traditionally, it was played as a signal for the local bars to shut their "taps" and send the troops back to the barracks. The bugle call for "lights out" is called Tattoo, which comes much later in the evening. As a Texas Aggie, who spent four years in the Cadet Corps, I am very familiar with both of these bugle calls. Tattoo came at 10:30 PM. If an underclassman wanted to study late, and keep his lights on, he had to have a "Late Lights Pass" posted on his door, which he could obtain from his company's Academic Sergeant.

Argyle said...

Anon, you better get busy explaining to all the experts on the Internet that they are wrong.