google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, April 21, 2008 Edgar Fontaine

Gary's Blog Map

Apr 21, 2008

Monday, April 21, 2008 Edgar Fontaine

Theme: KENTUCKY DERBY

20A: Kentucky Derby to some: RUN FOR THE ROSES

33A: 2007 Kentucky Derby winner: STREET SENSE

40A: 33A's rider: CALVIN BOREL

49A: Kentucky Derby track: CHURCHILL DOWNS

A bit extra: 45D: Headlong assault: ONRUSH. Triple Crown winner, ASSAULT, had a shock and awe performance in Kentucky Derby 1946. (update later: Please notice how 37A: OAT anchors the whole puzzle, very impressive construction!)

But why jump the gun like Barbaro at Preakness 2006? Kentucky Derby (May 3, 2008 Saturday) is still 10 days away, isn't it? I know this won't fit in the themeless Saturday pattern, but why not publish it on May 2 Friday?

Great theme entries though. Needs some "mint julep" for an intoxicating finish.

Well, you know I love ASPIC, so with the sexy "S" filled in for 33A, my choices for the horses were limited to SMARTY JONES, SEATTLE SLEW, or STREET SENSE (I don't have much knowledge on other S horses). So, the horse revealed its name to me without much spurs. I think I picked up "Any Given Saturday" last year, and got really pissed off at Todd Pletcher when none of his five horses fired!

It took a bit effort to string together the jockey's name (CALVIN BOREL). Mike Smith and Edgar Prado were the only ones that popped into my brain this morning.

I did flirt with Mr. Google a bit (3 visits). Nothing hot and heavy.

ACROSS:

1A: Deeply engrossed: RAPT

5A: Primitive calculators: ABACI(算盤). The singular form is abacus. Had to use it in my elementary arithmetics class. Insufferable headache!

15A: Punctuation mark: COLON

16A: Bahrain ruler: EMIR. It's AMEER in yesterday's puzzle, clued as "Muslim VIP, var." So, we've got EMIR, EMEER, AMEER, next one on deck will be AMIR.

18A: Perch: ROOST

23A: Chicago Team: CUBS. Thought of BULL(S) first. Had a glance at 6D, and then filled in CUBS. The letter C was essential for me to ferret out 4D: Digging machine (TRENCHER).

25A: Respiratory disorder: ASTHMA

28A: Manacle: HANDCUFF. I did not know the meaning of "Manacle". But it's gettable.

35A: Dent starter?: TRI. Trident.

36A: Poker holding: PAIR

37A: Morsel for dobbin: OAT. Put ORT initially, did not know that "dobbin" is a horse. Great clue for a Derby themed puzzle.

38A: Sense: FEEL. Dislike the clue due to STREET SENSE.

39A: O. T. book: ISA (ISAIAH). 2 religious books today.

44A: Chemical compound: CHLORIDE. A subtle nice touch on the Derby too.

46A: Imitation gold alloy: OROIDE. Stranger to me. Could also be spelled as OREIDE. It's "alloy containing copper, tin, etc., used to imitate gold". OK, so "oro" means gold, "ide" is rooted in "eide" meaning "resembling".

47A: Hide-hair link: NOR. Unknown to me. I've never heard of this phrase before. It means "Nothing whatsoever". Here is the origin.

48A: Miners entrance: ADIT. It looks like this.

56A: Corker: LULU. Did not know the meaning of "corker".

57A: Related to the mother's side: ENATE. AGNATE is related on the father's side. COGNATE is related by birth. NATE is the pp of NASCI, Latin for to be born. Oh I guess that's how INATE got its root too. Very interesting, it reminds of "Naître".

61A: Pursuing: AFTER

62A: Pull (for): ROOT

63A: Humdrum: BLAH

64A: Active sorts: DOERS

DOWN:

1D: Dreamed letter: R.E.M. Ennui! Try something new to excite me.

2D: Declare: AVER. Have to ask one more time, what's the exact difference between AVER and AVOW?

4D: Digging machine: TRENCHER. Would've not got this one with C from CUBS (23A). Here is a track trencher.

5D: Circus performer: ACROBAT

6D: Crude dudes: BOORS

8D: Bobby's blackjack: COSH. Who is Bobby? (Pls visit the Comments section for explanation)

9D: "ER" extras: INTERNS

10D: Brave: HEROIC. Oh what a diving catch by Carlos Gomez yesterday! And Justin Morneau's clutch performance! "Wild thing, you make my heart sing!"

11D: Book after Joel: AMOS

12D: Sexologist Shere: HITE. Wow, she is still alive. Doubt if anyone here has ever read her book. Mary Roach's "Bonk" looks very interesting though.

13D: Greek god of war: ARES. MARS for the Romans.

21D: Seethe with anger: FUME

25D: Meat stock jelly: ASPIC. Wow, identical grid spot on April 10th puzzle!

26D: Hidden store: STASH

27D: Courtroom event: TRIAL

28D: Throw with effort: HEAVE

30D: Wombs: UTERI. Singular form is Uterus.

31D: Emancipated: FREED

32D: French girl: FILLE. Or French daughter. Fils et Fille (son and daughter).

34D: Auctioneer's last word: SOLD!

38D: Soccer skill: FOOTWORK. Is this a common soccer term?

40D: Gator's cousin: CROC

41D: Mindless individual: AIRHEAD

42D: Non-verbal consenters: NODDERS. Whoa, that's a stretch, isn't it? To me, nodders are bobblehead, like this Johan Santana one.

43D: Panache: BRIO. Hi, welcome back.

45D: Headlong assault: ONRUSH. I don't get this one. Why?

48D: Change: ALTER. Awful intersection between ALTER and AFTER.

49D: Simple weapon: CLUB. I really really like Sergio Garcia's "Hit the Club" commercial. Bet Dennis was hitting the wrong clues in South Beach.

50D: Throw: HURL. Why not "Toss" for the clue? Why did you foist two "Throw"s on us? (see 28D)?

52D: Scuttlebutt: INFO. Did not know the meaning of "scuttlebutt". Very inferable though.

53D: After time: LATE. I hate this clue. After what time?

54D: Lunch time: NOON. Time and time again!

55D: Oxford or brogue: SHOE. I like this clue.

59D: Sault __ Marie: STE. One in Michigan and one in Ontario.

C.C.

49 comments:

  1. Definitely due for amir. Everything else has been here for the ruler. Didn't like the intersection of after and alter. Good old aspic is still hanging around. Had a bit of trouble with Borel and brio but they fell into place when I remembered oroide for imitation gold. The only two I looked up after they were filled in were brio and Shere "Hite" whom I didn't know. Isn't onrush like a charge? Though there may be weapons involved in an onrush, I didn't think it was a weapon in and of itself.
    Only a 13 minute puzzle this morning

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry, I commented on "onrush" as a weapon because of your clue in the answers, C.C. (headlong weapon). The clue in the puzzle was "headlong assault" which is what an onrush is.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good morning drdad,
    I've blogged about BRIO & HITE before. So, they did not pose any threat to me this time.

    RE: ONRUSH
    I am very baffled by the "weapon" in the clue.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh drdad, I mixed things up after reading your comment.

    ReplyDelete
  5. How about 42D: NODDERS? Is it a legit answer?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good morning CC and the rest of "us". I liked this one today because I got most of it! haha I did not get the B or L in Borel because I never heard of him before. I never knew anyone who ACTUALLY used an abacaus! I never heard of oroide before either. I hope I can remember that one. I agree with the words "aver, and avow". I am never sure which ones till I get the other clues. That is a good question about cosh, WHO is Bobby and WHAT is a "cosh"????? That was funny CC, your comment about the picture of your "man" who makes your heart sing. I wish I could figure out how to get the picture on here of the one who makes my heart sing. That would be Keith Urban! LOL
    Have a good day everyone.........

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good day today. Didn't ace it but only needed the "B" for Borel and Brio. Could not remember panache!
    C.C. My take on 50d: toss (To me) is to thorw something lightweight.
    But to heave something usually requires more effort as the item in question is heavier.

    8d: A Bobby is a British policeperson and the cosh is the same as a sap.....something to bop your head if you don't listen to reason!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good morning CC and drdad, et al, This was a pretty easy one for me too. Was glad to see CC's aspic back in the lineup. I agree, CC. Why not save this theme for closer to Derby day. I don't mind. I love horses and racing, but it does seem premature. Guess they're just trying to get us "het up" .

    As far as "onrush", drdad, it is a charge and not a weapon as far as I know...like onslaught.

    Any bets on when "amir" will show up?

    Have a good one. We're having "liquid sunshine"...all day.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good morning. Not much of a problem today except that I did not know Calvin Borel nor brio. This made it difficult to complete the puzzle entirely. I also had inrush for 45D for awhile and I had a very difficult remembering and chemical compound with that strange spelling. Finally I changed it to on rush when I figured out the chemical. Did not know Shere Hite but it worked in from the other clues. Also, I was able to immediately get aspic and remembered the ugly picture cc posted. All in all it was a good one.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Bill, thanks for the explanation on Boobby's blackjack. I never thought about the English police.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Katherine,
    Keith Urban is HOT. It's very easy to upload his picture for your profile. Go to "Edit User Profile" on dashboard, then Insert the photograph!

    Bill,
    OK, toss is light, can you think of something else since I do not like "Throw"?

    Thanks for the Bobby/Cosh explanation. Very helpful.

    Lois,
    drdad and I had a bit of confusion over ONRUSH. We mixed 45D and 49D together.

    Dick,
    This is the 3rd time HITE made an appearance since I started blogging.

    ReplyDelete
  12. How about "Get rid of" or "dispose of weighty item"?
    I don't think I'd ever make a good constructor!

    ReplyDelete
  13. CC, yes he is HOT! I am going to try it when I have more time.
    Bill, thanks for the explanation of Bobby and cosh. I heard of Bobby, but not cosh.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Good morning CC and all others!

    Not a bad one today. I definitely agree that we are due for amir. And I so wanted "elan" for 43D. Took me a while to remember brio. 28D and 50D . . . he couldn't have come up with something better than "throw with effort" and "throw" as clues? Had no idea for 12D, but at least I had perpendicular friends to help me out.

    Hope all had a nice weekend! And have a great Monday.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Here's the origin of Bobby


    The term bobby (after Robert Peel, who created the London police force) is reportedly fading in Britain.

    ReplyDelete
  16. A little more about "cosh". It's a blackjack. A tightly sewn sack with heavy "Probably lead) BB's and a leather thong for a handle to swing it.

    Hey. no comments about thong!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Close to an Ace.... I did get Brio... ate in a Restaurant by that name this weekend... took a guess that was the answer... but somehow I ended up with Calvin Borei... nuts... should have been an Ace.
    I am off to arthroscopic surgery on my knee this morning... hopefully I will be able to blog tomorrow AM...

    ReplyDelete
  18. Bill,
    I thought you "HURLED" something heavy at something else or at someone else. "Get rid of" and "dispose of" seem to have a slightly different overtone, no?

    mkat,
    I am glad you are well now. Remember last time you also wanted ELAN for Panache (March 6, BRIO)?

    Superfrey,
    Hmm, 65A. Hope everything goes smoothly. Talk to you tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow, CC. No, I don't remember that. But, perhaps I'll have to find a way to commit "brio" to memory. :o) Well, at least I'm consistent, right?

    Glad to be back! I took a little hiatus from my computer on Friday and I try to never use it on the weekend. Friday was such a beautiful day here in Philly I chose to spend it with the dog instead of @ the office.

    superfrey: good luck w/your knee surgery.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Toss it out, Heave it out, throw it out......whatever.. you're rid of it
    Ya think??
    As I said, I don't always solve well so I know for a fact that I couldn't construct. Now, DESTRUCT, that's a different story. I'm really good at that!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Just googled "cosh" and found that a columnist named Colby "Cosh" did an article on chessmaster "Bobby" Fischer. No kidding!

    ReplyDelete
  22. superfrey I had that surgery two years ago and it is not too bad. They gave me crutches to use and I felt so good the day of the surgery, that I carried the crutches home under my arm. The next day the "good stuff" they gave me to ward off the pain wore off and I was very sorry that I over extended the day before. If they give you crutches use them for a few days as it really helps to keep the weight off of the knee.

    ReplyDelete
  23. cc thanks for the comment on Hite but I just don't remember it from before. Maybe it was before I found your blog. Anyway It is now saved in the memory bank until the next time it shows up.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hey Bill,
    Destruct? Not Deconstruct? I think you are pretty good at latter.

    drdad,
    I just read the article you mentioned (the Jan 18 one), very interesting! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  25. New ones for me:

    COSH
    "The COSH is an honoured part of shipboard lore.... carried aboard by the Boatswain and
    his Mates and ashore by press-gangs and sailors, it was a preferred method of defense to the knife... no less deadly in skilled hands, but also
    useful in quieting-up a boisterous shipmate or maintaining order when required. Some were made of cordage with a lead-filled "Star Knot" at the
    end (favoured by the press-gangs) and usually one tap with that would have you "seeing stars"... that's where the expression originated! Others
    were of harder materials or whale-bone/baleen."

    BLACKJACK

    OROIDE

    CALVIN BOREL

    on STREET SENSE

    Finished in about 13 minutes today with no help.

    Happy Monday everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Good morning. Got caught today with the intersection of BOREL, BRIO and OROIDE. If I could have come up with one of them, I would have gotten the rest. As it is, I'm annoyed I didn't think of BRIO. Oh, well.

    Other than that one spot, the puzzle was smooth sailing.

    ReplyDelete
  27. drdad et al,
    I think I like how OAT (Morsel for dobbin) anchors the whole puzzle! Very nice! Kudos to this constructor!

    ReplyDelete
  28. NODDERS non-verbal consenters

    At an auction, a bidder can nod their head to consent to the auctioneers bid, so I guess they could be considered NODDERS.
    Nodding or just raising a finger are subtle gestures to the auctioneer so that other bidders won't know who is raising the bid.
    Auctions are fun. Have you seen what the Boston jersey found in NY stadium is going for on eBay?

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous @8:01am,
    Thanks for the NODDERS explanation.

    Ortiz Jersey is almost up to $70K, it's on my watch list. Hey, free shipping!!!

    ReplyDelete
  30. APERCU was in the NYT puzzle today clued as "A hasty glance". Linda, a NYT blogger, had not heard of it either and Rex's(another NYT blogger) comment was "that killed people when it turned up in a Friday. Monday? Monday? Wow. OK."

    ReplyDelete
  31. This one wasn't easy but I did manage to get through it without aid. Words that had to be inferred from surrounding words: Calvin Borel, fille, oroide (I guessed on the final e of each of these words), or cosh. All in all a satisfying puzzle and I agree heartily with CC regarding the theme - very nice but a little early. Aver & avow seem to be used interchangeably in puzzles and I always have to look at one of the intersecting words to determine which it is. At least you always have the first two letters ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  32. C.C. be a "nodder" and go for it.
    The thought of a dirty old jersey does so much for me!!!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Oroide got me. I've seen it spelled, "oreide" before, but "feetwork didn't look right (lol). But, Calvin's last name could have been, "Berel." (Nah). Anyone remember "Scotch and Soda" by the Kingston Trio? Just put up the song today. Our community golf club,(www.blackdiamondranch.com)is the friendliest place on earth! We often have "Nostalgia Night." (see www.youtube.com/jmcgiv) for a few "fun" videos. Comments? Keep in mind it's only (very amateur) members playing for members. See the Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis skit too.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Good morning everyone. How about "Intuit" as the 38A clue? 38D is a term also used in figure skating, usually a required element in the short programs. 45D is clued as a headlong "assault" in my paper, not "weapon." On 53D, I see LATE as after any set time, i.e. the time for a concert to start or the time for a meeting to start -- just late. Put in COMMA for 15A, but had to quickly revise.

    ReplyDelete
  35. HURL, HEAVE, THROW
    This could be a great clue for an eleven letter word.
    Today was an easy one. As long as ASPIC keeps recurring I hope they try a different clue. How bout, "A DANDY IN _____. huh??

    ReplyDelete
  36. RE 16A. As an aside, the ruler of Bahrain has been a king since February 2002 when the then emir of Bahrain Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifah gave himself the title of king.

    BC

    ReplyDelete
  37. Only 70K? What's the item number in case my horse comes in?

    ReplyDelete
  38. NYTanonimo,
    That's for picture and the origin of COSH. As always, your comments are much appreciated! Thanks.

    As for APERCU, I used it several times in my blog (Jan 29, 30, 31) to replace RECAP after I learned this word on the Jan 26 puzzle. So, it was a gimme for me when it reappeared last Saturday.

    Bill,
    If it were Justin Morneau jersey, I might swoon in at the last minute. Ortiz? NO, he is Twins' reject!

    Crockett1947,
    I like your INTUIT clue. I screwed up 45D.

    Jim,
    A Dandy in _ is perfect! How did you get the idea? Saw the movie before?

    Wish that stupidly arrogant editor were reading this blog so you guys do not need to meet with 'Meat stock jelly" next time!

    BC,
    Great to see you again.

    So Bahrain kind of resembles Saudi Arabia then? King & lots of emirs.

    Lib,
    What is 70K? Paris Hilton or what? I am confused by your comment.

    ReplyDelete
  39. c.c.
    no I didn't see the movie, but I googled A D in A and IMDB convinced me that I should so I gotta go now and hit NETFLIX so I can get in 4 or 4 days. TTFN

    Your blog is refusing my password again so I had to go annoymous. This happens quite often. My first posting today and the last 3 were OK after I started from scratch. I put in the same data and it accepted it for a couple of days and then quit. ? ? ?

    ReplyDelete
  40. let's see hos long this sign up lasts.

    ReplyDelete
  41. OK Gang, MKATESQ, CC, Dick, thanks for the kind words on the knee surgery... I am back already and doing well....:-) Must be the Hydrocholone :):):) I better get off... be back in the AM thanks again

    ReplyDelete
  42. CC, no country on earth can top the 3000 to 4000 royal princes (Emirs) of Saudi Arabia.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Great blog. Wanted to point out that the french girl answer (fille) is very close to the term for a young female horse (filly), which is a nice play on words.

    Matt

    ReplyDelete
  44. Jim,
    There were some discussions last Friday when Superfrey pointed out his sign-up problem. Maybe you can glean a few ideas there.

    der katze,
    Not even United Arab Emirates?

    Matt,
    Good point!

    ReplyDelete
  45. Struggled with this one more than I'd like to admit for a Monday. Onrush took me a while. My biggest problem was my not being a horse racing fan, however. I could get 'Churchill Downs' but little else.

    Never heard of an 'adit', either.

    ReplyDelete
  46. hello to anyone who's left...obviously this is the end of a long blogging day--but my tardiness is due to this being the west coast and having to enjoy my evening repast first (delicious aspic, by the way, --NOT!) On a more serious note, I had planned to complain about "onrush" but googled this example of the word used con brio: "from the bow she stared at the mesmerising onrush of the sea where it split and foamed" So any problem with the clue was certainly my own mental lapse.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Thomas,
    I like that beautiful line. I am going to use it someday.

    ReplyDelete

For custom-made birthday, anniversary or special occasion puzzles from C.C., please email crosswordc@gmail.com

Her book "Sip & Solve Easy Mini Crosswords" is available on Amazon.

Please click on Comments Section Abbrs for some blog-specific terms.

Please limit your posts to 5 per day and cap each post length at about 20 lines in Preview mode.

No politics, no religion and no personal attacks.