google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday, Mar 23rd, 2013 Joe DiPietro

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Mar 23, 2013

Saturday, Mar 23rd, 2013 Joe DiPietro

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,X,Z)

Blocks: 32

  Well I feel better about my Saturday solving for the first time in a few weeks.  I got through this one with a handful of W.A.G.s and a little crossword ingenuity.  The last puzzle I had from Mr. DiPietro was Aug 2012, and my grid was accidentally blacked out in two squares.  I thought we had 'orphaned' letters in that one.  I think this one is OK~!  9/5 triples on the across, and 8/6 triples on the downs.  Some French, and some long fill:

11D. Counter order : HOLD THE MAYO - Did anyone else think of this clip?

23D. Inclined to believe : OF THE NOTION - I had a hard time parsing this one; AFTER NOTION? AFOREMENTIONED?  oh, duh

33A. High-scoring ball games : SLUG-FESTS - C.C., do you prefer a high scoring baseball game?  I like a good 6-3 hockey game myself - not good for goalie averages, and I'm not particularly fond of high scoring games when I play (From C.C.: High-scoring for me also. Great hitting is always more exciting than great pitching.)

37A. Like most light bulbs : SCREWED IN - one would be, too, "in" the MOTEL ROOM, when you're IN THE MOOD....where's lois?

 Um, ONward~!

 ACROSS:

1. Brought to ruin : SABOTAGED

10. "Appointment in Samarra" novelist : O'HARA - Wiki

15. "Is this being broadcast?" : "ARE WE LIVE?" - "Is this thing on?"

16. Baking apples : ROMES

17. Succeeded, in a way : MADE MONEY - by this definition, I have not succeeded, yet

18. Hands it to the performer? : CLAPS

19. Award estab. by King George V : OBE - Order of the British Empire

20. Jeu de mots : PUN - Frawnch

21. Water wheel component : PADDLE

 

22. Subterranean storage units, perhaps : SILOS - I tried CAVES first

24. "It's __ turn" : YOUR

27. Toot : TEAR - hmmm....humor, or alcoholic benders?

28. "Keep dreaming" : "AS IF~!"

29. Kin of -ian : ITE - I read this as KIND first; kind of -ian? Like Flemming?

30. Quest : HUNT

31. Sports figures : STATS - I had STARS, and it was 80% right

35. Trysting place : HOTEL ROOM - my Motel Room gave my 23D. "notion" fits

40. Brewer Frederick : PABST

44. Ending with tele- : THON - teleTHON

45. Slammer : PEN

46. Car registration datum : YEAR

47. Dallas quarterback after Bledsoe : ROMO - D-otto, are you a Cowboys fan, or a Titans (nee Oilers) fan?

48. Spitting nails, so to speak : IRED

50. "__ chance!" : BONNE - I had TAKE A---, at first; this made no sense to me; Frawnch phrase, here

51. Stumped : ORATED - Not the kind of stumped I usually get on a Saturday

53. Scent word : EAU - like De Toilette, a weak Frawnch perfume; "aromatic water"

55. Org. with many schedules : IRS

56. "Born Yesterday" playwright : KANIN - the Wiki

57. Contests with no ultimate winner, hopefully : ARMS RACES - Like "War Games", one learns 'futility' in a race where world wide casualties result in what is essentially a Pyrrhic victory

60. Spitzer who succeeded Pataki as New York governor : ELIOT - Tsk, tsk, got caught in the HOTEL ROOM, didn't he? 

61. Mac-based multimedia player : QUICKTIME - Meh, I am PC

62. __ list : DEAN'S

63. Up for it : IN THE MOOD - "I'm in the mood for love, simply because we've got one~!" - what movie, HUH?

DOWN:
1. Filled Asian appetizers : SAMOSAS

 

2. Foreign Service Officer to the Middle East, say : ARABIST

3. Fictional Amelia who turns 50 in 2013 : BEDELIA - heard OF her; the Wiki

4. Be light : OWE - yeah, I'm short this week; can I get you next Saturday?

5. Fills in : TEMPS

6. Bonds manager after Baker : ALOU - Felipe Alou (crossword staple) who managed Barry Bonds of the SF Giants; more baseball - I was thinking who ran  the division of government bonds at first

7. Weasley with a crush on Harry Potter : GINNY - Ron's little sister, who was  attacked by 'he who must not be named" in Chamber of Secrets; I will not spoil what happens to her in the last book....I like red-heads~! 

8. Big night : EVE

9. Actress Susan : DEY

10. Seal threat : ORCA - ain't Bin Laden....

12. Play about rival composers : AMADEUS

13. Tuck into a new bed : REPLANT - AH~!  THAT kind of bed~!

14. Sets forth : ASSERTS

21. Topping whose name means "please" : PREGO

25. Engine hose : OIL LINE - had to go "shopping" to figure this one out

26. Reversal of policy : U-TURN

32. Promulgate : SOW

33. Haggadah-reading ritual : SEDER - Timely clue/answer - What's your plans, Lemonade?

34. Metrosexual : FOP - a man devoted to or vain about his appearance; I believe there was some discussion about male manicures not too long ago....

36. Hardly enthusiastic : TEPID 

37. Buttered up : STROKED

38. Luther's "A Mighty Fortress," e.g. : CHORALE - I'll skip the musical link for this interesting bit

39. Cluj is its second-most populous city : ROMANIA - Cluj-Napoca, actually - map

41. Del Toro of "Che" : BENICIO - I liked him in "The Usual Suspects" - IMDb

42. Riviera city with an annual music festival : SAN REMO

43. Plaited : TRESSED

49. Step down : DEMIT - new word for me - straight up, it means to resign

50. "Designing Women" actress : BURKE - Delta

52. Strep throat-treating docs : ENTS - again this week - no elves this time

54. Moe who founded Folkways Records : ASCH - again this week

57. EPA measure of concern to asthma sufferers : AQI - Air Quality Index

58. Head up : RUN

59. Source of rectangular lettuce? : ATM - we're always looking for a new way to clue this standard; lettuce being slang for money

Splynter

56 comments:

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

This one beat me up and took my lunch money. Chalk up a DNF. Too many proper nouns of the type I didn't happen to know.

Once I made a few trips to Goog, of course, it was easy enough to finish.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Well, the good news is that I managed to finish this one unassisted, which is no longer the sure thing it used to be around here for me.

The bad news is that I don't really feel good about finishing it, since I relied heavily on perps and random guesses to get through. KANIN? I ran through every letter of the alphabet before deciding on that initial K, and then only because STROKED was the only thing that made any sense for "buttered".

OHARA? ROME? GINNY? ROMANIA? OF THE NOTION? ASCH? PUN? All either completely unknown or completely hidden by the obscurity of their clues (Cluj? Jeu de mots?)

So, in the end, head bloodied and slightly bowed, but successful nonetheless.

BTW, I'm not an expert on Italian, but I'm pretty sure that PREGO means "you are welcome" and not "please." Per favore is standard for "please" as far as I am aware, but maybe it's an alternate way of saying it.

Q: How many ___ does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: Depends on how big the light bulb is and how many can fit inside it.

[ndriesb]

Anonymous said...

Enjoy your chat as much as the puzzle.

Anonymous said...

"Prego" also means "please."

desper-otto said...

To quote Lucina, "Yowza!" Tough, tough, tough.

I proudly entered ATTACHE and DEY in the great northwest, and the rest of that area remained blank until I took ATTACHE out.

I had the same thought as you, Splynter, with IN THE MOOD, HOTEL ROOM, and SCREWED IN. QUICKTIME reminded me of Olongapo in the Philippines -- "Hey, sailor boy, wanna go quick time?"

And to answer your question, Splynter, I'm not much of a sports fan, though I do enjoy March Madness. I made it to Texas in the late '70's on a corporate transfer as a manufacturer's rep. I wasn't aware, but the head of sales for my client was an ex-Oiler. He asked if I liked football, and I asked him if there was a local team. Yes, we got along swimmingly. A few years later he confessed that I was OK, but I still reminded him of his first wife's divorce attorney.

Splynter, your Red Heads kicked up a warning from McAfee -- wouldn't let me get there.

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

D-Otto,
I removed Splynter's Red heads link. I opened OK earlier this morning, but I don't want to risk another Google shut-down. Sorry, Splynter. Too much headache for us last time.

HeartRx said...

Good morning Splynter, C.C. et al.

As usual, my Saturday hero saves the day with a fun write up, because I definitely did not have fun doing this one. I love Saturdays that have common words, clued in a devious way. This one had too many obscure names, clued straight-forwardly. Meh, doesn’t add to the thrill of finishing.

I won’t go into the gory details, but plenty of erasures and WAGs to get this one done. Have a nice day, everyone!

Sfingi said...

Argh!

Anonymous said...

Double Argh.

Splynter said...

Hi again~!

I hear that, C.C.~! It gave me fits all night trying to find a link that didn't kick up an error when saving - they got the lock on Harry Potter images, and all associated with the franchise, I guess - I didn't even pick an HP picture....

Oh well....

Splynter

Anonymous said...

I waltzed through most of this solidly in large quadrants, NE, SW, NW, only to get my comeuppance in the SE. I had BRAIDED, but the PA--- required PABST. Finally I got TRESSED. I couldn't bring Delta BURKE up out of the depths or I would have completed it without help. No duh. I had ARMY GAMES and didn't question it, so I needed help. BURKE was the key to ARMS RACES, BONNE, EAU, ASCH and BENICIO.
So disappointing after a great start.
I liked the movie AMADEUS.
ELIOT was so talented. Too bad he couldn't keep his pants on.
Clever clues were stumped/ORATED and tucks into a new bed,/REPLANTS.
OF THE NOTION reminded me that my PA Dutch grandmother used to say,"He's NOTIONed that way," instead of that's the way he thinks.
Thanks for the support last night, Misty and Downton Abbey. This a very trying time for me.

Anonymous said...

This is the first time I posted in FireFox. (8:29)They don't seem to have my screen name.
Yellowrocks

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Tinbeni's Thumper clip sums up my feelings about this puzzle. 'Nuff said.

Thanks, Splynter, for your fine expo.

We have a cold and windy March day; Spring has definitely not sprung!

Happy Saturday.

Dudley said...

Splynter - I opened the Redheads link earlier (on an Apple) without any ill effects. Let me just say that Ginny Weasly is definitely all growed up. Yum!

Move over, Hermione. :-)

desper-otto said...

Hmmmm, there was an anonymous post by Yellowrocks earlier today. Now it's gone?

Tinbeni said...

What Marti Said. Not a FUN solving experience.

ELIOT, HOTEL ROOM, SCREWED-IN, QUICKTIME ... a mini-theme?

Thumper's review (:11)

PK A Belated Happy Birthday!

Cheers!!!

CrossEyedDave said...

Hmm, well, not being like Thumper, all I can say is between yesterdays puzzle & todays, I learned that Ear, Nose, & Throat Specialists are trained by Elves...

CED Public Service Announcement!

This is what happens to your brain if you don't do crosswords! (note: it also works with spray paint, but I would not try it in the house!) Jeez! I hate to think what I'd be doing if it were not for crosswords...

Bill G! (I think) something for your bike rides!

Argyle said...

desper-otto said@10:09 AM
Hmmmm, there was an anonymous post by Yellowrocks earlier today. Now it's gone?

Now it's back. It was in the spam filter.

Diane said...

I had my usual Saturday troubles--when you start out confidently with "wontons" it goes downhill quickly! No spring yet in Michigan....biting cold and gray.

TTP said...

Fail, fail, fail. Could not get the NW 1A, 19A, and 20A, with unknowns at 1,3 and 7D, where I felt AS IF I was up that creek without a PADDLE.

This was a SLUG FEST, and I was knocked out.

Intersection of 50A and 50D was a Wayland, but the B was fairly obvious with the -URKE.

Consecutive unknowns DE-IT and A_CH and couldn't suss ARMS RACES.

ARABIST was a wag based on perps, and red letter assist showed it to be true.

Too many unknown names for my blood. Perps helped on a few. Did nail ALOU, PABST, and ROMO on first pass.

I understand REPLANT, but in the industry, the word is transplant. None the less, liked the clue and the answer.

Thank you Splynter for the great write up. Enjoyed your links. Read about ELIOT, and then about Ashley Rae Maika DiPietro (born Ashley Youmans; April 30, 1985)[2] better known by the stage name Ashley Alexandra Dupré.

Thank you Joe DiPetro. A very challenging puzzle to say the least. Too tough for me.

Montana said...

I almost hate to say that I enjoyed this puzzle after reading previous comments. But, I start Saturday puzzles with red letter help on, knowing it will be a DNF. I was surprised by how many answers I got with only one or two letters perped in. I felt like I had done very well when the puzzle was completed. I didn’t need to run the whole alphabet very many times. Fun solve.

I did the puzzle last night then checked the blog for late night posts. Splynter already had the Saturday expo done. I was on my iPad and didn’t have any trouble opening the ‘red head’ link. I thought she is quite attractive. However, I also understand that we don’t want the blog to be ‘closed down’ again, either.

We are supposed to have warmer days next week in Montana. Yay! I am ready for spring!

Montana

JJM said...

This whole week has taken me a bit longer to finish than usual. Today was no exception.

Blue Iris said...

I did okay until southwest corner. After spending too much time there, noticed it had been over an hour before I got "Tada."

I always HOLD THE MAYO. I don't miss it on a hamburger or sub sandwich.

I had to stare at stumped = ORATED. Don't hear it called a stump speech too often anymore.

My husband's university theme song was " A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." Youtube has many versions but somehow I think when it is sung by a men's choir it is more powerful.

Succeeded in a way =MADE MONEY. I married a poor Irishmen. He has succeeded in being my best friend and a loving father. * And I don't have to worry about some young girl wanting him for his money!!!

Happy belated Birthday PK! Sounds like you might celebrate with your children a few more days.

Hahtoolah I didn't get a chance to ask you about swimming in the Sea of Galilee. Is it a salt water lake since it is called a sea? Just wondering.

Wow...11:30. I'm early today!

AnnieB8491 said...

Good Morning all - This one was way over my head. First pass thru had less than 10 fill-ins. Started googling, but that didn't help much. A big DNF for me today - but it's a Saturday so I'd be surprised if it was any different. Thanks Joe and Splynter for your work.

Have a great weekend everyone!

phodyo

PK said...

Oh, to be that light bulb...in that HOTEL ROOM...IN THE MOOD! Forget QUICK TIME. I'm OF A NOTION to be STROKED with at least one REPLANT, but no PADDLE-ing.

PK said...

Hi Y'all, Not my favorite puzzle, but kept my mind engaged for a long time. I kept looking in vain for a theme. I had to red-letter to get started in places.

I was sure Maugham was the answer for 10A, but it wouldn't fit. Thank you, Splynter, for explaining.

NO chance of getting 50A BONNE without perps.

With all the other DF stuff, at 6D I was thinking James Bond. "Pussy" (Galore) fit, but was wrong.

No idea on metrosexual. Didn't sound good.

The answer for plaited TRESSED me out, DEMIT! (Sounds like cussing to me.)

Thanks for the pizza recipes, etc. yesterday. Years ago when I was making pizza for my family, they wanted hamburger & pepperoni. I'd cook the meat with chili pepper, oregano and onions. Most of the pizza got cheese & tomato except for my section which got only the meat & mushrooms. Just before I ate, I'd dollop on sour cream which kept me from missing the cheese/tomato so much.

CrossEyedDave said...

Lois! PK is taking over! (at least I think it's PK...)

PK, Pls turn Blue! So we know it's you!

Question, I thought it might be funny to look up Jeu de mots in Google Images, but when I saw this I got really confused. (as with all French.) To me it looks like SpongeBob escaping Bikini Bottom... Can anyone explain to me why the French would consider this funny?

Misty said...

Well, I gave it a shot and was surprised I even got a toehold in the middle and SW. Then a bit more filled in because I knew AMADEUS. But eventually I had to cheat--good thing, because I never would have finished otherwise.

Had BRAIDED for TRESSED at first. Had POMES for those dumb apples which gave me OPCA for the seal threat, which made no sense at all. (My dumb, that one).

But lots of fun memories were evoked by this puzzle all the same. I used to love "Designing Women," and could picture the whole crew without remembering any of their names.

And a kazillion years ago, when my son was small, I was driving up along the coast of France, wondering where we'd spend the night. Decided it was time to stop when we got to SAN REMO, which I'd never heard of. Turned out to be a totally lovely place. No music festival, but a wonderful art sale along the waterside promenade. Ended up buying a watercolor. So, thanks for the memories, Joe. And you too, for a great expo, Splynter.

Yellowrocks, keep us posted on your son. We care.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

PK said...

CED: Both posts are me. I have my DF moments. Can't go blue.

YR, glad you are progressing with plans for your son. Even if you are still alive, there may come a time when you can't care for him and/or yourself. You are so wise to take some action now and not leave it for your other son and DIL. They will bless you too. Good luck, dear lady.

61Rampy said...

All the bad things WEES. First pass had exactly TWO words. Chipped away, and got much of the fill on my own. But then I was STUMPED, and had to turn to the internet and look up most of the NW and SW. Not going to be on the DEANS list for this one! Maybe I just wasnt IN THE MOOD.

CED: Loved the ant kill clip!

ethoan

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. Well, I knew pretty early on that I was going to have to do a lot of googling to solve this puzzle, so I made no attempt to try to solve it without looking things up. There were quite a few entries I never would have been able to figure out without searching the internet. That fact took away most of the pleasure I could/would otherwise have gotten from solving. It's like I didn't solve it; I was merely a web searcher.

French, French, and more French :( Maybe I'll subscribe to a French newspaper and get to solve puzzles in English. C'mon, BONNE CHANCE is 100% pure Feench, no English at all. (Yes, I know, one could argue that "chance" is an English word, but I argue it is not that word that is in the French phrase; it is merely spelled the same, like "coupe.")

Best wishes to you all.

LaLaLinda said...

Hi Everyone ~~

Marti said it for me: " I love Saturdays that have common words, clued in a devious way." As has been said, this one had many obscure names - good if you know them but frustrating if you don't, i.e. ASCH and KANIN. Others I was able to get only with perps.

~ There was a lot I liked, though - IN THE MOOD, OF THE NOTION, and HOLD THE MAYO. I first was thinking of the 'Counter order' as ending in 'Malt' but 'chocolate' didn't fit before it.

~ It took a long time to come up with BONNE chance - I kept thinking of things like - No chance, fat chance, etc.

~ Learning moment: DEMIT - never, ever heard the word! Maybe I'll remember it ...

~ Overall, I enjoyed this challenging Saturday with help from Splynter's wonderful explanations.

From last night:

~ GarlicGal - thanks for the update on Dodo - glad to hear that she's doing well. Hope she'll be rejoining us soon.

~ Yellowrocks ~ I admire your courage as you guide your son through life's journey, both now and for his future ~ heartwarming.

Chickie said...

HOla Everyone, I haven't done today's puzzle. Saturday's are usually a Big DNF for me so I sit and try to do them bit by bit.

But I wanted to wish a belated BD to Pk. I hope you had a lovely day.

Also, Lucina, I just read where you'll be coming to the bay area this summer. Yay! I hope we can get this road trip coordinated to include everyone in our Coven. It would be awesome.

Thanks, Garlic Gal for posting Dodo's post to you. I never received that e-mail, and got it with a reply from Carol! Oh well, I did get it in the end.

Thank you Spitz for the link to all the tildas and accents.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Bill G. said...

I don't like Saturday puzzles but I did better on this one than usual. Dunno why but I started out filling in SABOTAGED AND SAMOSAS right off the back. That gave me a head start. With some red-letter help I got 'er done. I didn't care for ARABIST, DEMIT, TRESSED and BONNE.

CED, the guy with the spray cans and fire in your video link seems to be at the shallow end of the gene pool. Yes? The cell phone charger is neat but I have the cheapest possible cell phone in my car that I use about twice a year. Even if I had an iPhone, I wouldn't be using it on a bike ride though I've passed some people who do.

Jordan spent the night. We have played chess and Monopoly so far.

I agree that Ginnie Weasley is cute but I'm a bigger fan of Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). Hermione.

[pooperdroop]

Lucina said...

Hello, fellow suffering solvers! Splynter, your blog was much more fun than the puzzle.

Yowza!! Obscurity, thy name is a Saturday puzzle by Joe DiPietro!

My first pass yielded maybe five or six fill so the best option is like Jayce, to search for the names and get that started. I did know BENICIO del Toro and Mr. Spitzer, ELIOT, thanks to the news reports and Amelia BEDELIA is a favorite of fourth graders although it took a glacial time period to surface.

The same with Delta BURKE. I could see her face and hear her voice and eventually she emerged. My sixteen year old granddaughter knew QUICKTIME as soon as I asked her and that was my final fill.

The center, YOUR, OIL LINE, SLUGFEST, TEPID, PEN and IRED were the first to fall. After that it was guess and wag in between making breakfast for the three year old.

PK:
LOL! Too funny!

YR:
I,too, admire your foresight in dealing with your son. I can't imagine what it must be like but your care and concern is touching.

Have a great Saturday, everyone!

PK said...

YR, I have a dear little Downs friend. When her mother died, she went to live with an aunt with whom she was close. In her grief she had such tantrums that her aunt was afraid she would hurt herself and finally resorted to an assisted living home with others like her.

The aunt felt awful. My little friend was happy as a lark being with the other "kids" (she was past 40). And she started acting very maturely for the first time in her life, helping others who were more handicapped, etc. Her mother had been wonderful with her, but as long as she was a daughter, she acted like someone's child. Her aunt & I were amazed.

We will pray that your son also can make a healthy and happy adjustment.

Robert Beal said...

A bit heavy on obscure (entertainment -- well, it is the LA Times) names and place (San Remo, really?)and that French-Canadian patched-together interjection "bonne chance"(c'mon).

"Demit" was the only one I appreciated learning.

Yellowrocks said...

PK, Misty, Lucina, thank you so much. My son and I have tried many plans over the years that have not worked as well as they should have. At present his medication mix is very satisfactory. This time might be the charm. As PK said about her friend, my son is acting more grown up and alert today.

I retired from tutoring four years ago. Yesterday the mother of my most loyal family called and very indirectly fished for help with her son's a major sophomore year term paper. I didn't bite. It takes so much effort. The students come to tutoring with little done on their papers and hope to be spoon fed. I refuse, offer suggestions and encouragement and leave. That takes guts and slows down the process, but I feel it is necessary.After the notes are taken we work by email. I send suggestions and corrections. The student sends me the next version, and on and on. If the student doesn't send me anything new, I encourage and advise him, but I don't work on the paper. It requires a lot of dedication and emailing on my part at unexpected times to meet the deadline, but the work is authentically the student's. I once enjoyed it, but don't need that level of care and intensity any longer. I guess I’m slowing down. But I was flattered to be asked.

Dennis said...

PK, welcome to the DF side! Not sure I get the 'stroking with a replant', though...

Bill G. said...

I'm catching up on the earlier parts of Downton Abbey that I never saw before on Hulu. I'm up to Season 2, Episode 4 when Matthew and William, thought missing or killed in action, show up at a little show for the injured troops. Very emotional and I loved it when everybody joined in singing "If You Were the Only Girl in the World." I don't think that could happen similarly today with the modern popular music. But it sure made my eyes water. Great stuff!

Does it seem a little odd, the pronunciation of Ma-má and Pa-Pá with the accent on the second syllable? Maybe it's perfectly appropriate for the upper-class families.

Bill G. said...

OK, so it wasn't my imagination. I was rudely awakened last night about 1:00 AM by a smallish earthquake. However, it was located less than a mile from here so it felt pretty strong. That's heck of a way to be awakened. Just a quick boom that rattled the windows. Oh well...

Jayce said...

Bill G, I think that Ma-má and Pa-pá with the accent on the second syllable stuff is, or was, all upper class affectation. It supposedly sounds French-like.

Lucina said...

That is the pronunciation of Mama and Papa in Spanish so it might be a continental influence.

Ree said...

We did well today , never heard of demit either & fell for the stars/ stats trap at first . I am a huge Harry Potter fan , Ginny was the first filll! Learning so mich & enjoying the blog ! Enjoy the weekend , more snow potentially for Monday here, hope not !!!

Jayce said...

Exactly, Lucina. That is the close to the pronunciation of Mama and Papa in French, too, so definitely a continental influence. The English use to love affecting continental styles, in food, speaking, and clothing.

Bill G. said...

Thanks for the input on Ma-má and Pa-pá. It makes sense but sounds very hoity-toity to my ears. I guess that's what they intended.

I just came across a great little movie on HBO, "The Rocketeer." Siskel and Ebert gave it Two Thumbs Up. I've seen it before and really enjoyed it, partly due to the radiant young Jennifer Connelly. So I'm watching it again.

The Rocketeer is a 1991 American period superhero adventure film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and based on the character of the same name created by comic book writer/artist Dave Stevens. Directed by Joe Johnston, the film stars Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, Paul Sorvino and Tiny Ron Taylor. Set in 1938 Los Angeles, California, The Rocketeer tells the story of stunt pilot Cliff Secord who discovers a jet pack that enables him to fly. His heroic deeds attract the attention of Howard Hughes and the FBI, as well as sadistic Nazi operatives.

Spitzboov said...

Good evening everyone.

It was late in the day when I got around to finishing the solve. I thought it was a good puzzle but very tough. Ended up invoking red letter help in the SE for the K which then gave me BURKE/QUICKTIME. Then got ARMS RACES but still scratched my head over DEMIT. Also looked up KANIN in my NYT cw dictionary.

Well, as Grant said to Sherman at Shiloh after the first day's battle losses: "We'll lick 'em tomorrow."

Bill G. said...

YR, I know what you mean about tutoring. I enjoy math tutoring but if I was asked to help a student write a term paper, I'd pass in a heartbeat.

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU’RE A TEACHER? By Jeff Foxworthy

1. You get a secret thrill out of laminating things.

2. You walk into a store and hear the words, “It’s Ms./Mr. _________ and know you have been spotted.

3. You’ve trained yourself to go to the bathroom at two distinct times of the day, lunch and planning period.

4. You start saving other people’s trash, because most likely, you can use that toilet paper tube or plastic butter tub for something in the classroom.

5. You want to slap the next person who says, “Must be nice to work 7 to 3 and have summers off”.

6. You feel the urge to talk to strange children and correct their behavior when you are out in public.

7. You ask your friends to use their words and explain if the left hand turn he made was a “good choice” or “bad choice.”

8. You find true beauty in a can full of perfectly sharpened pencils.

9. You understand, instantaneously, why a child behaves in a certain way after meeting his/her parents.

Bill G. said...

A really, really good little Love story.

Blue Iris said...

Bill G,

My friend has a sister that is a kindergarten teacher. When she wanted to get a bridal shower started she said, " Now are all eyes on me?' and snapped her fingers.

Nurses have a bad habit of calling everyone "honey" and "sweetie." I mistakenly called the curriculum coordinator "honey' one day. It turned heads in the office.

Yellowrocks said...

I've just returned from the local Little Theater. My friend and I saw BOING, BOING. Hilarious. A man in Paris has three fiancées, all stewardesses with different schedules, all of whom come home to his apartment at different times. Of course, their schedules unexpectedly change and they all show up the same day. Tony Curtis made a movie of this play.

Biil G. I like Foxworthy. I enjoyed his teacher list which you posted.

I learned DEMIT at a very young age. My dad was statistician for his professional group. He listed members as Active, Retired, Deceased, and Demitted. Always curious about words, I asked him what DEMITTED meant. Several weeks ago someone here mentioned reading dictionary pages and encyclopedia articles randomly just for fun. That resonated with me. I've done that since I was a kid. Now I do the same online.

On my Kindle today I read, "The hilt of the sword was ABLAZE with gems." Almost any A-word to which posters object can be found in novels.

Yellowrocks said...

Blue Iris @ 9:57, cute story about the kindergarten teacher. When I taught kindergarten I led a middle school youth group at church. When the preteens asked me what time we would have snacks I said,"When the big hand is on the nine." Did I get razzed!

Anonymous said...

c.c., why do some people continuously break the post limit rule with no repercussions?

Lucina said...

BillG:
Believe me I can relate to the teacher list! And I loved the love story video.

I am reading a new book by Barbara Kingsolver, Flight Behavior, and so far I have encountered "aglow" and "aflame." I'm sure there will be more. When read in their context they make perfect sense and maintain the cadence of the prose.

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

If you're unaware of how many comments you've made, just click on Collapse Comments at the top of the Comments section.

Please don't over-post.

TTP said...

This commercial gets to me every time:

First Day of School

Am supposed to be doing the taxes, but thought I would catch up on last night's activities first.

Yellowrocks, am guilty as charged, (although it's not readily apparent).