google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, June 24, 2013 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

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Jun 24, 2013

Monday, June 24, 2013 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: Inclement Weather - The stars of any weather report are the bad things that may occur. Our starred entries begin with those types of storms that bring warnings.

20. *Vice president's official entrance march : HAIL, COLUMBIA. LINK(0:47)

28. *Anxiety-reducing meeting opener : ICE BREAKER

34. *Hoffman's 1988 title savant : RAIN MAN. It was on TV last night.

38. *Stir-fry veggie : SNOW PEA. Yum! Picture

42. *Endurance-building full-speed run : WIND SPRINT. Start them while they're young. LINK (0:28)

53. Weather advisory, and hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues : STORM WARNING

Argyle here. A few hard-for-Monday entries but not unduly so. Maybe a spot or two where the perp needed a perp but in the end, all doable. Substantial white space in the NW and SE.

Across:

1. Where the Stars and Stripes flies, familiarly : US OF A

6. Approximate fig. : EST.

9. Stops on the way home? : BASES. "Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all - a moment in the sun" (J.C. Fogerty)

14. Fragrant evergreens : PINES

15. "I'm underwhelmed" : "MEH"

16. "You __ right!" : ARE SO...said the boy wonder.

17. Sharply inclined : STEEP

18. Put on a pedestal : IDEALIZED

22. Trying experience : ORDEAL

23. Corn core : COB

24. Church-owned Dallas sch. : SMU. (Southern Methodist University)

27. Bygone Russian despot : TSAR

32. Gabor and Peron : EVAs

33. Irritating sorts : TWITS

40. "Ready __, here ..." : OR NOT

41. Leave speechless : STUN

45. Zap with a weapon : TASE

49. '60s militant campus org. : SDS. (Students for a Democratic Society)

50. Sleep phase initials : REM. (rapid eye movement)

51. Elevated : RAISED

56. Entrance whose top half opens separately : DUTCH DOOR. Double Dutch door.


59. Stop : CEASE

60. Not warranted : UNDUE

61. Man-mission link : ON A

62. Champing at the bit : EAGER

63. Thingy : GISMO

64. Chef's meas. : TSP. Teaspoon

65. Smeltery refuse : DROSS. The waste matter when refining ore.

Down:

1. End result : UPSHOT. 1531, from up + shot (n.); originally, the final shot in an archery match, hence the figurative sense of "result, issue, conclusion" (1604).

2. Indian stringed instruments : SITARs

3. New York lake near Syracuse : ONEIDA. I have an aunt who lives on the north shore, in Cleveland, NY.


4. Information-eliciting negotiation tactic : FEELER

5. Furry friends' protection org. : ASPCA. I'd hope it wasn't just the furry animals that get protection. (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

6. Jannings of classic cinema : EMIL. In 1929 he won the first Best Actor Oscar.

7. Beguiles : SEDUCES

8. Cosa Nostra : THE MOB

9. Indonesian island : BALI

10. Operatic showstopper : ARIA

11. "__ who?" : SEZ

12. WNW's opposite : ESE

13. Landscaper's purchase : SOD

19. Shortened wd. : ABBR. (abbreviation)

21. Three-time A.L. batting champ Tony : OLIVA. He is here so often, we're on a first name basis.

24. Hop, __ and jump : SKIP. Track event.

25. Parcel (out) : METE

26. Constellation bear : URSA. Major and Minor or also known as the Big and Little Dippers.

29. Recycle bin item : CAN

30. Thames school : ETON

31. "How cute!" : "AWW!". As Spitzboov said on Saturday...All the bear news from Canada.(7:42)

32. CPR pros : EMTs

34. Handles the oars : ROWS

35. Extremely dry : ARID

36. Roadside retreats : INNs

37. Agree wordlessly : NOD

38. RR stop : STN. Rail station.


39. __Sweet: aspartame : NUTRA. In the blue packets.

41. Beautyrest mattress maker : SIMMONS. That was interesting about the Sleep Number beds the other day.

43. Cattle poker : PROD. Cattle poker - "I'll see your two Herefords and raise you a Holstein."

44. Get established in a new planter : REROOT

45. Musical liability : TIN EAR

46. Italian cheese : ASIAGO

47. Has an inkling : SENSES

48. Lawn neateners : EDGERS


52. Followed a curved path : ARCED. Edging gets a little trickier if it's curved.

53. Mr. Clean target : SCUM. But not riff-raff.

54. "The Cosby Show" son : THEO

55. Rolled sandwich : WRAP. When did sandwich wraps become popular and are they really a sandwich?

56. Used a trowel : DUG

57. Prefix with lateral : UNI

58. QB scores : TDs. (Touchdowns)


Argyle


Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy 25th wedding anniversary to Dennis and his lovely wife Linda. Click here to see some fun pictures from their wedding and reception.

2)  Happy Birthday to Barbara B, Melissa's beautiful mother, who was very active on the blog a few years ago. 

Left to right: Melissa's daughter, Barbara B & Melissa

56 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Definitely a bit on the crunchy side this morning. Did not know HAIL COLUMBIA or WIND SPRINT and had to wait for the perps to get them. Up in the NW, USOFA didn't come to me immediately, nor did FEELER. Fortunately, I knew ONEIDA. Also, I initially had SPOT instead of SCUM down at 53D, which slowed me down a bit.

When I saw OLIVA in the grid at 21D, I definitely double-checked the constructor to make sure it wasn't C.C... ^_^

[otstpyr]

Hahtoolah said...

Good morning, Argyle and friends. No puzzle about Stormy Weather would be complete without a rendition from Lena Horne.

I found this puzzle to be a bit of a challenge. I don't generally say US OF A, so was thinking of some sort of pole for flying the Flag. It took the perps to give me the answer.

I got the theme after filling in ICE BREAKER and RAIN MAN. Like Barry G, however, HAIL COLUMBIA did not come easily.

I learned of Tony OLIVIA from C.C.'s photos.

Enjoy New Orleans, Abejo. Be prepared for the heat, however, it will be in the 90F and VERY humid.

QOD: Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret. ~ Ambrose Bierce (June 24, 1842 ~ c. 1914)

[andyron]

Sfingi said...

I don't usually say US of A, So I was thinking of some sort of red white and blue SOFA.

Started IDoLIZED before I realized it was IDEALIZED.

Once and for all, is it STa or STN?

We have every type of weather here in ONEIDA County, Upstate, NY, except sand storms and tsunamis.
Sometime I'd like too see:
A. County in Upstate NY. -ONEIDA
D. A city in that county - UTICA

Cute quick puzzle.

thehondohurricane said...

Good day all,

Count me in as one who had several slow downs today. Is it me or have Monday puzzles been leaning a little more towards the difficulty side lately?

Anyways, Barry & Hahtoolah covered most of my issues.
I never realized the Veep had is own welcoming march.

Favorite was 9A, Stops on the way home/BASES. My initial thought was some type of emporium that served adult beverages.

I mis read the clue for 56. Thought it was towel and i Confidently entered Dry. Rndue & Yismo suggested I may have erred! then I saw Trowel and DUG completed today;s little journey.

[allynss]

River Doc said...

Happy Monday everybody!

Just a few false starts in this one – BALKS for BASES, TCU for SMU, and STA for STN....

RAINMAN was today’s Rosetta Stone – shades of Sunday’s movie marquee….

Seattle (city of fragrant PINES on STEEP hills) was the last to fall. Unlike Seattle, Doha is quite ARID with little or no RAIN but plenty of WIND blown dust and grit….

Don’t think I’ve ever seen USofA in a puzzle before, but I liked the variant….

Finally, and just because I CAN, here’s one of my (several dozen) favorite Monty Python skits, the hard-fought competition for the title of Upper Class TWIT of the Year…. (think they all went to ETON…?)

JD said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. And all,
Thought I nailed it until I saw that it was dross, not drods, just a tense error. Had a very rocky start filling in Placid instead of Oneida. had to depend on perps in the top half more than usual for a Monday. Read trowel as towel, so had to change dry to dug. Yismo did not look right. certainly NOT a meh today.

Fav. Clue: stope on the way home.

Happy 25th Dennis and Linda! Sounds like you had a great weekend. Great pictures.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Bruce and Gail, for an excellent puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the swell review.

This puzzle was pretty easy. Flew through it.

My last entry was US OF A. I was looking for some kind of Post Office reference.

HAIL COLUMBIA came easily with a couple letters.

Got THEO once I had the THE.

Theme was good.

Could not remember the mattress brand. Perps helped. SIMMONS

Everything else was simple.

Hahtoolah. We are working where there is not electric and no Air conditioning, so I assume I will be sweating a little. Lots of water.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

(weeksb)

HeartRx said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

I didn't see a lot of answers until I read the blog today. Very fun speed run from Bruce and Gail today. US OF A wasn't a problem, but did need a couple perps to fill. Thanks for the write-up, Argyle. Cute video of Eisley doing WIND SPRINTS!

Happy Anniversary, Dennis - nice pics! And like 25 years ago, you celebrated an "Anniversary Weekend." Sweet.

Happy birthday to Melissa's mom, too!! Hope your day is special.

desper-otto said...

It's Monday! Let the stress begin!

I enjoyed this puzzle, and agree that it was tougher than normal for a Monday. I immediately thought of US OF A, but 1D required one more letter, so I didn't put it in. D'oh!

Is that funny little garden shovel a trowel? I think of a trowel as a mortar-spreading tool, not a digger.

Enjoyed the cow poker, Argyle.

When I think of ONEIDA, I think of a county in the north Wisconsin lake country near Rhinelander. We used to vacation there on Pelican Lake.

Middletown Bomber said...

This is my first Monday off in a while so I actually had time to do the puzzle not a speed run by any means. Like Barry need the downs to get a lot of the answers. Knew the VPOTUS had his own entry song because they mentioned it during commentary on one of the inaugurations, but just forgot what it was. Of course my knowing the VEEP and his family was no help (DE, where I grew up) is a very small state.) on 56A had no-idea that was called a Dutch door. Great write up by Argyle as per usual, as well as a great puzzle by the team of Bruce and Gail. CC nice photos of Melissa's family. Enjoy your Monday not sure of the next time I will be able to do this again.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Tougher than usual for a Monday
-Joey’s ICE BREAKERS where he is also putting out FEELERS
-WIND SPRINTS ended all our basketball practices. Ugh!
-PINE wilt is killing thousands of beautiful trees here
-Get to the point – “Waddaya got when you shuck it down to the COB?”
-4 yr old Elise was not good at hide and go seek. She always starting giggling when I said “Ready or not…”
-A song dedicated to Gismos by Peter, Paul and Tom
-Our SOD is hybrid fescue which needs much less water and doesn’t get a lot of the bluegrass maladies
-It ain’t ARID around here this year. I’m sitting here because yet another rain event is on top of my golf club
-The Trowel I used for 8 summers
-Hahtoolah, I’ve invoked your QOD in my older age and it is so correct! Once you’ve crossed the verbal Rubicon, it’s hard to get back!
-Happy Anniversary Dennis and Happy Birthday Barbara!

grams said...

NW corner was a BEAR for me! For 4 D I confidently put survey -- didn't no 20A, even whe I had Columbia. O well.
Nice pics. Happyanniversary and birthdays. Great write up, Arygle. Loved the Ambrose Bierce QOD. Good motto to live by!



Tai yearning

Mari said...

Good morning everybody!

Like Barry, I thought this puzzle was created by CC at first.

I did pretty well, except I used STA instead of STN.

For 25D: Parcel (out) I tried SENT, which lead me to a head scratcher. It made 33A: Irritating Sorts: TWINS (instead of TWITS). Now why would Bruce and Gail think TWINS were irritating? Oh! I get it. TWITS!

I didn't know the VEEP got a song either. I don't get YouTube at work, so I'll give it a listen at home tonight.

I had a nice restful weekend. The weather in Chicago was better than originally forecasted. Have a great week!

Mari said...

Nice shorts Dennis ;)

Anonymous said...

I didn't get to Sunday's puzzle until late last night-- I breezed through the comments and I didn't see anyone comment on ADA - answer : asst.

I think of ADA as American Dental Association or American Diabetic Association which would be assn. or American disabilities act - which would be amer. as act is not an abbreviation and is 3 not four letters. Can anyone give an explanation for the answer?

Argyle said...

ADA - assistant district attorney

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone. Thanks for your intro, Argyle, and mentioning the bear facts, AWW and URSA.

Happy anniversary, Dennis; hope you have a great celebration.

Nice pictures of Melissa's family. Thanks for sharing.

A tentative start today, but then it settled down and went smoothly. Cool theme with unifier. Liked seeing vowel rich ONEIDA Lake, about 20 mi. west of chez Spitzboov. Favorite fills were GISMO and DROSS. No searches were needed.

Have a great day.

Montana said...

Good Monday morning, everybody!

I was so glad to read that others didn't find this puzzle a walk in a park. I really struggled, but did complete it unaided.

Happy anniversary, Dennis. Nice picture of Melissa's family.

Montana

PK said...

Hi Y'all! That NW corner was a bear to get going. I thought of USO canteen abbreviation. Didn't think of ONEIDA or FEELER (Dennis' Job Description) or HAIL COLUMBIA until the end.

Failed to even look for a theme until Argyle told me. Duh! However, the puzzle blew out some of the mental cobwebs. Thanks, Bruce & Gale!

Argyle, cattle poker, too funny! Thanks.

I had a "trauma" before the ORDEAL, "slags"/DROSS.

I once thought ASIAGO was Asian, not Italian.

Happy 25th Anniversary, Dennis & Linda! How come Linda still looks only 25 years old?

DOHA DOC: When you said, "Seattle was the last to fall," you got me. I went back and looked for Seattle in the puzzle--thought I'd missed a clue somewhere. Double DUH Day! Fog in the brain.

Thought the "Stops on the way home" clue was cute--when I finally caught on.

Now to grocery shop before it gets so hot my food is cooked on the way home. Along with me.

CrossEyedDave said...

Well, I got it done, but not without a lot of inkblots.

I don't know why I thought Oneida was Ithaca. Csar/Tsar, 25d parcel out was alot before mete. 7d entices b/4 seduces. 13d landscapers purchase, I had "lot" b/4 sod, & did not want to give it up because I really wanted pick up a (9a) "bagel" on my way home. & of course, mowers b/4 edgers.

Whew!

Happy Anniversary Dennis & Linda!

LaLaLinda said...

Hi All ~~

Not a 'fast-as-usual' Monday but very enjoyable ~ Thanks, Bruce & Gail. Nice write-up, Argyle. Interesting info on UPSHOT.

Like others, I had a few missteps but it all came together easily.

~ Write-overs: Sta/STN and Gizmo/GISMO. I don't recall ever seeing the latter with an S.

~ I, too, thought of C.C. as I filled in OLIVA.

~ RAINMAN is one of my favorite movies. Dustin Hoffman was superb!

~ Happy Anniversary, Dennis & Linda. Thanks for sharing the pics of your wedding and the current one ~ beautiful!

Temps are expected to be in the 90s all week, with high humidity. Indoor/AC weather ~ sorry, Abejo!

LaLaLinda said...

Well, I just finished today's NYT's puzzle and one clue/answer was: Gadget/GISMO. In my earlier post I said I hadn't ever seen the word with an S - always thought 'Gizmo.' And now - twice in one day - GISMO. Sheesh! :-)

desper-otto said...

LaLaLinda, every website I've checked lists both spellings: GISMO/GIZMO.

Betcha didn't know that on this date in 1949 the first TV western, Hopalong Cassidy went on the air. William Boyd had spent his life savings buying up the 60-odd films he'd made. The network cut the films down to TV length, and a series was born. Extra credit question: What was the name of Hopalong Cassidy's horse that was also the name of an old TV Series? No Googling...

River Doc said...

Was it.... Gismo?

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone, At first glance, I thought maybe I had skipped Monday and gone directly to Wednesday. However, once I got a toe hold in the middle section of the puzzle and discovered the theme, things began to come together.

The NW corner was the last to fall. Upshot wasn't what I was looking for, and Hail Columbia was an unknown. Hail to the Chief is all I knew, and didn't realize that the VP had a "Hail" song as well.

I thought the clue for bases was very clever. Stops on the way home was errands, bars, where ever one would stop on the way home from work. Duh.

We have very unusual June rain today, so this puzzle was made for us out here on the left coast.

Dennis, I thought the pictures of your wedding and anniversary were wonderful. Congratulations on your 25th.

Have a great day everyone.

Vidwan827 said...

Thank you Bruce and Gail for a nice, and ultimately doable puzzle.

Thank you Argyle for a wonderful commentary. I thought of you when I filled in 'Oneida'. I used to live nearby, once, and I have a couple of porcelain dishes of that brand.

On the other hand, I kept thinking that Asiago was a Greek cheese, and a trowel is used for laying out cement between the bricks... not for digging. So 'Dug' not 'Lay' (out - ).

I personally prefer 'Sugar snap' Peas to Snow Peas, in my Chinese cooking. Argyle, your cattle poker joke was really funny.

Hah, you QOD reminded me of the movie, we saw, last night - Silver Linings Playbook. It is a disturbing movie, about a man, who has a short temper, and is frequently 'out of control', ..... and I kept asking my wife, if I .... ever acted like that ?? She kept assuring me that I never did, and we went on to watch the rest of the movie ....

Very nice pictures, both Dennis, and Melissa, of some very nice people, and a very HB to Melissa's mom, and best wishes to you, Dennis and Linda.

Have a nice day, you all.

Lemonade714 said...

MEH has made it to the big time; as always a Bruce and Gail fun puzzle and Argyle nailing the write up; loved the timely Mr. Ed picture as well as the Lego train station. Like SOD and NOD and I started thinking COD and BOD and ODD and ROD and then my head hurt. No religion.

HBDTY dear Barbara, who was a regular back when I started; the picture of the three generations is great, but we are ready for a brand new one. Like to keep up to date.

Happy Anniversary Dennis; 25 years is an achievement and I hope you kept the shorts because it is warm here now and may actually get hot one day.

Bill G. said...

I too thought this was a little harder than the usual Monday. I agree about trowel not being a shovel.

Happy anniversary Dennis! Happy birthday Melissa's Mom!

Doha Doc, I loved the Monty Python link.

I'm pretty sure Hoppy's faithful steed was Topper, an all-white beauty.

Argyle said...

I agree on Topper. Now what was the name of the dog on the show, Topper?

desper-otto said...

Topper is correct. Congrats BillG and Argyle. So far as the dog in Topper is concerned, I remember that he was an invisible saint bernard (is that supposed to be capitalized?) who liked liquor, but I can't remember his name. That show was my first exposure to Leo G. Carroll. Hotch on Criminal Minds reminds me of Leo G.

Pookie said...

Hi all.
WEES about the write-overs
Nice pictures, Dennis and Linda.
You are a good-looking couple!!
Happy Birthday to Barbara,
♪ ♪ ♪
and man-y more!

Nice puzzle, Gail and Bruce.
Argyle, funny stuff today, cow poker and loved the Mr. Ed at the Dutch door.
Thanks, I forgot about Asst. D.A.
We had that before, but I didn't remember.

Did I miss something?
Why is Abejo in New Orleans in a bunk, with no electricity and no AC?
His blog says he lives in Illinois.
Abejo, or anyone who knows, why are you there?
OK, retired teachers, which is correct, the clue for 1A or
"Where the stars and stripes FLY"?

CrossEyedDave said...

Just testing, I enlarged this pic. Pls let me know if you can read the writing on the bottom. (it should be full page.)

This is not storm related, but I think the teachers on the Blog will love it...

BBQs do not like storm warnings.

Look out Dennis,,,, here I come!

CrossEyedDave said...

Oh nuts! I forgot to add a link.

Hopalong Cassidy

I didn't Google it,,, I YouTube'd it!

(So far I have only watched 3 minutes, but I am hooked. I linked it here to remind me to watch the rest of it later...)

Spitzboov said...

pas de chat - Merriam Webster characterizes Stars and Stripes as noun plural but singular in construction.
The clue had Stars and Stripes capitalized so I took it to mean the Flag or Old Glory, both singulat. I think the grammar in the clue is correct.

Yellowrocks said...

This puzzle was not full of gimmees, but all the perps were right there when needed, so an easy one.
But, oy vey! It was all fell apart from there. I forgot to click EDIT when I was in Preview mode and lost my post this AM.
This afternoon I decided to move some pictures that were in MY DOCUMENTS. I created a Miscellaneous folder in PICTURES and gathered them there. I checked from time to time and everything was honky-dorey. When I finished I clicked on the folder to view it and it disappeared. I must have clicked on something wrong. They are not in recycle. Just gone!
Happy anniversary Dennis and Elaine. Lovely pix.

Irish Miss said...

Hi Everyone:

Late to the dance due to appointments, errands, and a very late lunch which was much needed by a very empty tummy!

I wholeheartedly agree that this was a tad crunchier than usual, but quite doable without any outside help. Thanks, Bruce and Gail, for keeping us on our toes, and thanks, Argyle, for putting a smile on our faces. Cattle poker, indeed. And thanks, Doha Doc @ 12:24 for making me laugh out loud!

Happy Anniversary to Dennis and Linda; thanks for saring the lovely pictures. Happy Birthday to Barbara.

It's very hot (90's) and humid and severe t-storms are predicted.

Enjoy the rest of the day.

Pookie said...

CED, it's not full page, but I can read it.
All those snow pix reminded me of this:

PORTLAND ICE STORM

Irish Miss said...

Sorry, sharing.

desper-otto said...

CED, I get a warning when I try to view "I enlarged this pic." The bottom line on my screen is, "Whoa! Are you sure you want to go there?"

YR, I suspect your pictures are fine, but that you inadvertently moved the folder you'd created. Now it's probably a sub-folder of another nearby folder. Do a search for one of your picture titles, and I think you'll find them all.

Arod said...

If I ever get to own a bar it will be named 3rd base.

Bte, thanks Argyle for my earworm for the day...."Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand-new pair of shoes...."

desper-otto said...

Arod, great name for a bar. I'll bet lots of people will be trying to get to third base.

Pas de Chat@2:14 -- Abejo seems to do a lot of volunteering. He's always on the go. It's my understanding that he's in N.O. volunteering for a week on a house remodel project. Not exactly "Habitat for Humanity", but probably something similar. There are still lots and lots of damaged homes from Hurricane Katrina.

Five and out...

Yellowrocks said...

Thanks, D/O. I found them in MY SCANS, next to MISCELLANEOUS. You are a life saver.
When I was new at computer I didn't make folders and have many single docs. I started making folders with my new material but just copied the old from computer to computer. Today I am deleting many no longer used docs and gathering others into folders. I was afraid to go on until I understood what happened to my pix.

Dennis said...

Good afternoon, gang - thanks for the anniversary thoughts, and CED, thanks for the cake, but haven't I seen that cake before?

Yellowrocks, Linda's going to be really pissed when she finds out about Elaine. Linda, by the way, had to catch a 9am flight this morning, so I'll be eating CED's cake by myself. Which I can do.

Happy 25th Anniversary, Dennis & Linda! How come Linda still looks only 25 years old?

PK, it's called the "by comparison" effect. I can make anybody look young. (And my wife is now your friend for life.)

Lemonade, good point about the shorts. I've also learned not to park the car with the top down during the day. I've got a nice metal burn on my left forearm from a piece of trim in the door panel that heated to the approximate temperature of the sun. Also tough to drive without touching the steering wheel or the shift knob.

Happy Birthday Barbara B. -- you need to come back and see us.

Hope it's been a good Monday for everyone.

Pookie said...

Thank you Spitboov and D-otto.
That clears it up for me.
YR I hope you find your pictures.
Arod, didn't know the song you mentioned,but here it is. How many of your favorite baseball players can you spot in this video?

CENTERFIELD

And watch this unbelievable outcome to a

LINE DRIVE TO CENTERFIELD

Yellowrocks said...

According to the Free Online Dictionary, Stars and Stripes, meaning the American flag, can be either singular or plural.
"Stars and Stripes
n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb)
The flag of the United States." When referring to the magazine, Stars and Stripes is always singular.
As for yesterday's discusssion of Japanese plurals: For more than one they use counters for most items, much in the way we use cupfuls. Not three flours, but three cupfuls of flour. Not two papers, but two pieces of paper. But, almost every noun has a counter. If the number is unknown the counter is used with a question word, literally how many pieces. This is very complicated for foreigners. Jayce and CC, does this ring a bell?
Yellowrocks (for the new posters that's HUGS in square dance language.)

PK said...

Dennis, I'm not sure about comparisons. I just figured you took such good care of Linda, happiness made her look young. It does keep women from looking older, you know.

We've had two days of stormy-acting weather with wind, dark clouds & thunder but no real rain so far. My new grass needs watering, but the wind gives only minimal chances of putting moisture in the needed places.

Bill G. said...

CED, I could read it (barely) and thought it was very funny.

Pas, I enjoy thinking about English and trying to use it properly but I am a retired math/science teacher. As such, I agree with the way the clue is written. The Stars and Stripes is a nickname for our singular flag. Even so, I don't think it's an either/or thing. I think a valid argument can be made either way. I didn't think about it until you mentioned it.

I love Centerfield by John Fogerty! He is my ideal for a rock and roller.

What a helpless feeling it must have been to be in that car in the ice storm. I assume that was Portland, Maine and not Oregon.

Argyle said...

No, it was Oregon.

CanadianEh! said...

Good day to all. I haven't had a chance to post here lately but had a quieter day today. I thought I was just rusty and taking longer than usual for a Monday but I see that others found it "crunchy" too. But I persevered and got it done. Liked the weather theme. Favorite was "stops on the way home". DH and I must get to a Blue Jays game soon; they are doing so well- 10 straight wins!

CrazyCat said...

Hi there. I am trying to back into Google to post.

CrazyCat said...

That was not that difficult.

fermatprime said...

HI, all!

Fun puzzle, Gail and Bruce; super expo, Argyle!

A bit crunchier that the usual Monday, but no problems.

Tooth anchoring bridge in lower jar has crapped out completely. Pain really bad. Will be a very expensive ride from here. (One has to be able to see straight to work crosswords!) WEES about VP.

Happy Anniversary Dennis! Swell pix! You do look young!

Cheers!

Abejo said...

pas de chat:

I am with our church group from Illinois down in New Orleans helping rebuild after Katrina. We sleep in bunks. Men in one set of rooms and women in others. We have 175 people here this week from all over the country. Sponsored by the Lutheran Church. We have lights and AC in the church we are staying in. No electric, or AC on the job sites. I did drywalling today. When we got off work it was 100 degrees. I have drank more water today than I have in the last six months.

Right now watching the Blackhawks against the Bruins. Score is 1 up. Whole bunch from Massachusetts here this week.

Abejo

(rocsona)

Abejo said...

Go Hawks!

Abejo

Bill G. said...

I learned a new word today. It is sui generis. Now if I can only find a good opportunity to use it correctly.

I came across an old movie on TCM; To Be or Not To Be (1942) with Jack Benny and Carol Lombard. It seems to be thinking of itself as a comedy which is a little hard to swallow with Hitler already making a brief appearance. I'm guessing its limited appeal for me might be as a piece of cinema history.

Yellowrocks said...

Dennis, my apologies to you and Linda.