google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday, April 24, 2008 Robert H. Wolfe

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Apr 24, 2008

Thursday, April 24, 2008 Robert H. Wolfe

Theme: INSULT

18A: Start of an insult: LET'S PLAY

20A: Part 2 of an insult: HORSE I'LL PRETEND

35A: Part 3 of insult: TO BE THE FRONT END

54A: Part 4 of insult: AND YOU CAN JUST BE

60A: End of an insult: YOURSELF

Wow, can I say this to Jeff Immelt? Can I tell him that I've had enough of his Kool-Aid and he can go to hell with his Bear Stearns meltdown-I-could-NOT-close-asset-deals excuse? GE sucks!

Oh I am so delirious with my 3rd career home run today, though I had no idea that DELIRIA is the name of the "Interactive urban fantasy game".

I had a very impulsive start, filling in ASLOPE and ASHORE rather recklessly. I was stunned that they turned out to be right fills. The whole northwest corner yielded to me so quickly that I started to think I had entered the Tiger Zone.

I proceeded very boldly to the other areas, and really astonished myself by conquering the whole field without much resistance. I had no idea what is SEPT, or who are BOYD or TASSO, but I was able to piece the names together either by the across or the down clues.

No need to flirt with Mr. Google.

ACROSS:

1A: Topped (off): CAPPED

10A: Belgrade native: SERB

14A: Slanted: ASLOPE. Aslant. Atilt. What else?

17A: Inclined troughs: CHUTES. Here is a picture.

24A: Interactive urban fantasy game: DELIRIA. Have never heard of it. But the answer is easily gettable.

32A: Italian epic poet: TASSO. Unknown to me. The only Italian poet I know is Dante and his "Divine Comedy". Tasso wrote the epic "Jerusalem Delivered"(1581), an account of the capture of the city during the First Crusade, according to the dictionary.

34A: Uniform: EVEN. The crossing of EVE and EVEN bugs me.

41A: NFL kicker Jason: ELAM. Vaguely remembered seeing his name before. Wow, his uniform is #1. Cool! Is he good?

42A: Fancy headdress: TIARA

47A: Pecan candy: PRALINE. I've never had this candy before.

51A: Coniferous tree: SPRUCE

61A: Peter or Annette: O'TOOLE. Know Peter, not Annette.

62A: Morales of "La Bamba": ESAI. He is always Tony Rodriguez to me.

64A:"Maverick" star: GARNER (James). Total stranger to me. I strung his name together by down clues. To make Ben Affleck happy, please clue the beautiful Jennifer GARNER next time!

65A: Ward of "The Fugitive": SELA

66A: 1960s radical grp: S.D.S. (Students for a Democratic Society). I tend to confuse this SDS with S.L.A. (Symbionese Liberation Army). Aren't they both from 1960s?

67A: Change direction sharply: SHEERS. Had no idea that SHEER can be a verb.

DOWNS:

1D: Hidden away: CACHED

2D: Off the boat: ASHORE

3D: More than one: PLURAL

6D: Bandleader Arnaz: DESI. "I Love Lucy", who doesn't?

7D: Type of lily: CALLA. Beautiful, isn't it?

8D: Proficient one: ADEPTS

9D: Lengths in France: MÈTRES

10D: Family clans: SEPTS. My dictionary says it's a variation of SECT (probably by confusion with Latin word Septum, meaning paddock, enclosure). It refers to a clan in Ancient Ireland and Scotland. I have no idea. I only know SEPT is French for 7.

11D: Perry's creator: ERLE (Stanley Gardner)

12D: Horse color: ROAN

13D: "Ben Hur" co-star: BOYD (Stephen). No idea. Only knew Charlton Heston was in the movie.

19D: Inoculants: SERA. Singular form is "Serum".

25D: Thing: ITEM

30D: Sebaceous cyst: WEN. Did not know the meaning of "sebaceous". But cyst is sufficient for me to ferret out the answer. OK, "Sebaceous" means fatty, greasy. The root word is "sebum", fatty secretion of sebaceous glands, like tallow I suppose. Then "aceous" is a suffix meaning "resembling, made of", oh, like curvaceous?

34D: List ender: ET. AL. Hey, he is back!

38D: Mature: RIPEN

39D: Dinghy mover: OAR. I want to be in this dinghy.

40D: Blue Eagle org.: NRA (National Recovery Administration). NRA is also the powerful National Rifle Association.

44D: Mil. mail drops: APOS (Army & Air Force Post Office). OK, what's the mail drop for the Marines and Navy Force then? (Update from Dennis: It's Fleet Post Office).

46D: Geometry master: EUCLID. I know his Chinese name from my middle school geometry class. No idea how to spell it in English. But it's easily pieced together from across clues. EUCLID is the "Greek mathematician who applied the deductive principles of logic to geometry, thereby deriving statements from clearly defined axioms."

45D: Vinegar holders: CRUETS

48D: Chant: INTONE

49D: More aristocratic: NOBLER

50D: Muslim leaders: var: EMEERS. When are you going to unleash AMIR?

51D: Assad's land: SYRIA. The Assad family has been in power since 1970. There are no "EMIRS" in Syria, right?

52D: Bistros: CAFÉS

54D: Mariner's assents: AYES

57D: Trots: JOGS. I like the appearance of "J" in the puzzle. Its scrabbliness (Is it a word?) adds weight to the grid and zests up the puzzle.

58D: Bryce Canyon state: UTAH

59D: Achy: SORE. What the heck has happened to you? Achy every day, hit too many "clubs"?

C.C.

63 comments:

  1. Good morning, C.C. and gang - got through this one ok, with help from the perpendicular cousins. Kept trying to force 'sects', never knew 'septs' were family clans. Didn't know 'sheer' was also a verb.
    C.C., Marines and Navy use FPO, 'Fleet Post Office'. And yes, the SDS and SLA were both 60's radical groups.
    Make it an outstanding day today.

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  2. Oh, also, C.C. - Jason Elam is tied for the longest field goal (63 yds.), and has Super Bowls and Pro Bowls under his belt. One of the better kickers.

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  3. WOW! WOW! WOW! 100% today. I've got a feeling that today is going to be a very good day.
    Everything just seemed to fall together so well that I couldn't believe it.
    Who mentioned emeers the other day? Well, there it was!
    SEPTS didn't make sense to me but after I finished and looked it up, saw it horizontally I recalled seeing it before and then it made sense. Never heard of DELIRIA but I guess urban living can be somewhat delirious at times and since there is a game for almost any scenario you can imagine, why not??
    Y'all have a fine day. Sunny and warm here so I guess spring is really here!!!

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  4. Morning Dennis,
    That's a new picture, can not see you clearly though.

    I've added the Fleet PO in the blog entry. Thank you.

    Bill,
    I wonder who has heard of SEPT before, probably not many. Even Dennis did not know it.

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  5. Dennis,
    What does "Count your blessings" mean here?

    Also, 47: Pecan candy: PRALINE. Is it a solid clue? How about Almond PRALINE then?

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  6. C.C., it means it's a good thing that you can't see me clearly.
    Pecan pralines are a staple in the south.

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  7. I remember where I saw the word SEOT. A long time ago I read a book ( Yes, I do read something besides mystery stories) that had to do with old clans and the word was used frequently throughout.
    And pralines are a wonderful thing. Very sweet!

    Now if I can just remember why I sat down here!!

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  8. OK, SEPT The O and P are too close together!!

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  9. Good morning gang! I had some problems with this one, but did ok. I just don't have a lot of time to spend on the puzzle in the morning. I also did not know that DELIRIA was a game. I never heard of SEPTS as a clan. I did know Stephen Boyd, he was great in that movie. Never heard of ANNETTE O'toole. CC, you need to be a little older to remember James Garner in Maverick. I used to watch it all the time.....good show for it's time.
    The Calla lily is beautiful, thanks for the link. Real nice picture for 30 D CC. Makes me want to get back to the gym...LOL
    Dennis, that was a funny comment, got a good chuckle out that.
    Have a good day every one.

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  10. Pecans are in praline in the U.S. Almonds in Europe. Jason Elam - tied with Tom Dempsey. I knew sept and Deliria (more than I knew Dora). Stephen Boyd was also in the 1966 sci-fi thriller "Fantastic Voyage." Sheer as an intransitive verb is to swerve, as a transitive verb it is to cause to swerve. Annette O'Toole played Lana Lang (Clark Kent's high school sweetheart) in Superman III and Nick Nolte's girlfriend in "48 Hours."
    Only place I got hung up for a moment was 10A. Had Slav instead of Serb because Belgrade (capital of Serbia was also the capital of the old Yugoslavia.
    12 minutes today with no googling. Going to be a good day.
    Happy Thursday C.C, Dennis, Bill, ET.AL!!!

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  11. Forgot one. James Garner - The Rockford Files.

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  12. Denis & Bill & Drdad,
    Re: PRALINE

    I still think the clue should be "Nut Candy".

    Bill,
    Your picture: Which one is you?

    Katherine,
    Yes, indeed! I am not fond of Beyoncé's songs though.

    Drdad,
    Thank you for all the answers. I hope I can digest and remember them next time.

    You mean, nothing else to celebrate today?

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  13. I wondered about that so I found two.
    Happy "Take Your Sons And Daughters to Work Day." and
    Happy "Pigs In A Blanket Day."

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  14. I struggled with the top right today.... I had Sects instead of Septs and Canna instead of Calla for the lily.... this goofed up that section for me.... otherwise it was fairly easy. I also thought it was supposed to be 16A "Switcharoo" instead of eroo. Not my day I guess.... tomorrow...maybe or is it the Hammer coming :-)

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  15. It's Pigs in a Blanket Day??? Damn, there goes my afternoon...

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  16. C.C., Far right with what my granddaughter used to call "Papa's big guitar"

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  17. Never heard of DELIRIA, TASSO, SEPTS or WEN. Also had trouble getting ELAM and WARD. Finished without googling but not with a time to brag about. Carpe diem!

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  18. Hello everyone. Easy one today but did have to rework the upper right corner a bit. Had sects for 10D which made it difficult to get the start of the insult. Getting 11 and 13 down resolved the issues there. CC I never knew a WEN could look so good. Wow! I also associate SLA and SDS with the radicals of the 60's. Took about 12 minutes to complete with no help. I cant believe the great weather we have been having here in the berg. It seems like more nice days in a month than we normally have all summer.

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  19. Superfry haw is the knee coming along?

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  20. Good morning all.

    First, I apologize for whatever glitch was occuring yesterday that my post kept reposting. Grrr.

    Today was not a bad one. Septs and sheers threw me off a little bit. I wanted sects for family clans and I, too, didn't know that sheer is also a verb.

    Unfortunately, though, the smooth sailing of the solving is not an indicator for my day already. :o(

    Have a great day!

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  21. Dick ....I am making very slow progress on the knee.... lots of swelling... water on the knee.... I am trying to get an appt today to drain it... other than that it feels ok. Thanks for asking.

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  22. superfrey,

    Sorry to hear that your knee is giving you trouble. Hope you're able to get an appointment today to get it taken care of.

    Take it easy and no jumping out of bed anymore! ;o)

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  23. superfrye not to discourage you but it will take longer than you would like for this type of operation to quit hurting. I thought it would be gone overnight but instead it took several months. The good thing is that it will get better and better.

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  24. Just seeing if the picture attaches. If it does, it is me dressed up in my Penguin outfit. I jump into the ocean in Rhode Island on New Year's day to benefit Special Olympics. Pretty ugly picture, I know.

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  25. CC just wanted to congratulate you on the amount of work you input to this blog. Must be a labor of love. Thanks for you efforts.

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  26. Touché, Dick. I concur. C.C. does a great job.

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  27. That's a horse of a different roan. Giddy-up!
    Parts of it made us squeal - who'd of thunk it was rat instead of pig!

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  28. No problems at all. It started a little rocky but when I just kept plugging along and finished in about 15 minutes unaided. Didn't like even/eve, also 31D (end) crossing with front-end from the insult. I liked cached since I'm a geocacher. If you don't know about geocaching, it's worth a look. It's basically outdoor puzzle solving which involves searching for something using GPS coordinates and clues.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Oops that geocaching link doesn't work. It's www.geocaching.com. Too bad we can't edit our comments.

    Another try:Geocaching. I previewed and this one works.

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  30. the link to geocache didn't work for me...sounds very interesting since I'm an orienteering freak...glad to see c.c. didn't find a wen to picture (they can be unsightly)...sept??? c'est impossible!...pralines (at least in Sweden) are what many people call chocolate creams in the US (no nuts even necessary)...SDS (and Chicago 7 and Weather Underground) were 60s, SLA (and SF and Patty Hearst) were 70s. Cheerio!

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  31. mh, just so you know, you can preview your comments before posting.

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  32. Good morning CC, et al,
    Ditto to everything said already. I loved this puzzle, both design and content. Laughed at the insult and the 36D clue "fossil"...cute.

    Thank you for the links, CC. The lilly is so pretty. Well, and so is Beyonce. Dennis might be in big trouble now though, what with that sexy picture and being "pigs in a blanket day". He might go hog wild, really smoke something, and drive around topless! Holy Funtimes!

    Enjoy this beautiful day!

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  33. Thomas - I reposted the link right after your comment. You definitely should give it a try. You'll need a hand-held GPS receiver which you can get new for about $100.

    Dennis - I've always wondered what that preview button was all about ;-)bb Seriously I rarely put anything in html so never needed to preview. I'll make sure to do so in the future - thanks for the tip.

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  34. Lois, thanks for the comment about the sexy picture. Oh wait -- you meant Beyonce.
    And I'm all for EVERYONE driving around topless...

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  35. Dick you pig (in a blanket)! LOL.

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  36. Gee drdad I wondered what I did to piss you off LOL. Looks like a nice blanket Dennis wraps himself in when he goes driving.

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  37. Well, actually, dennis, your picture is pretty sexy. Love that front end! Oh, yeah, you're not too bad yourself....great "gams", from what I can see. You too, drdad.

    drdad, do you swim in that penguin suit or maybe you go topless!

    I go topless too, every chance I get. It's a "sept" trait!

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  38. Good morning everyone. Loved the clue for 29A! C.C., way togo!! I had to Google to fill in the TASSO, ELAM, DELIRIA section. I think you're correct -- no EMEERS in SYRIA. C.C., try Pralines and Cream ice cream -- yummy!

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  39. The suit is for the Penguin Ball (a gala dinner and dance affair). Swimming is definitely topless.

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  40. Thanks, Lois - brand new as of yesterday. The car, that is.
    Do you have any family pictures??

    ReplyDelete
  41. Save the commentary -- i.e..the nasty, inappropriate comments on GE -- for another forum. Let's just stick to the puzzles.

    Never posted before -- appreciate the work here and enjoy the notes on the 'answers' and 'clues'.

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  42. CC, I didn't understand why you said you didn't like Beyonce`s songs, but now I know what you meant. I didn't realize that was a picture of her! LOL How funny. And I totally disagree with "anonymous'" comment at the bottom. I think we are all having fun here. I love everyone's comments.

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  43. Anonymous @11:20 - one of the perks of having your own blog, and all that that entails, is the ability to put forth an occasional personal opinion. We may or may not agree with the opinion, but she certainly has the option to say whatever she wants here.
    You certainly have options as well...

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  44. Well good - I agree with you too, lol.

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  45. Anonymous @ 11:20am,

    I've never stuck to the puzzles, and I don't think I will.

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  46. good for you--i plan to chill with some delicious pralines and listen to destiny's child (yeah, that is the sweet beyonce) and lang lang.

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  47. And I of course agree with you also Katherine, dennis, and cc. You make me laugh so hard! Good times! And such learning...in all seriousness! CC you do such a great job w/the links and everything. thank you!

    dennis, as for family pictures? You can see them on the post office walls any day. I'll see if I can find the most current ones.

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  48. Sounds like we are all in agreement.

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  49. Mkat,
    Is the dog on your mkatesqe profile picture Tenshi also?

    Superfrey,
    I am so sorry to hear your knee trouble. I think Dick is right. It might take longer than you'd like to. Thank you for coming here every day.

    Dick,
    Thank you for the kind words. I've learned so much from you guys and I've been entertained tremendously. It's all worth the effort! It's fun.

    Drdad,
    I had to google to find out what is "Pigs in a Blanket". Have never heard of it. Looks like a hotdog in a croissant!

    The penguin picture,is that Mumble in Happy Feet?

    Nytanonimo,
    I think WEN, ELAM, SELA all appeared in TMS puzzle in the past 2 months.

    Bill,
    I thought you were the guy second from the right. You sounded so.

    Thomas,
    Are you Swedish? Or French? I am totally confused.

    Dennis, Katherine and Lois,
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  50. C.C. - that's a pig in a blanket. They are not bad, either. No it's not Mumble. Mumble is a lot cuter as I'm sure everyone will agree.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Oh crockett1947,
    I like 29A too. But didn't we see it before? That's why I skipped it in the entry.

    Re: EMEERS. Thanks. I don't suppose Lebanon/Egypt has EMEERS, right? One of our fellow solvers spent sometime in Saudi Arabia and middle East before. He might jump in later.

    Finally I beat you! :-)

    Drdad,
    I am at sea, what's the difference between "a pig in the blanket" and "pigs in a blanket"? Is there something I am missing?

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  52. Ahem - I am somewhat of a pigs-in-a-blanket expert, having once consumed 9 in a sitting on a stupid, stupid challenge. The homemade ones are made with crescent rolls, cheese & bacon, and of course the hot dog. They're very good -- at least the first 4 are...

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  53. Dennis,
    I still don't get it. One if single, one is plural, what's the difference?

    I hate when I am missing the fun.

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  54. C.C., if I understand your question, there is no difference - a pig in a blanket is a pig in a blanket.
    Don't think I've ever made that statement before...

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  55. There are pigs in a blanket and then there is a pig in a blanket. I think there is a difference.

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  56. So then the question becomes, how many pigs can you fit in a blanket? Not sure I want to know the answer.

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  57. Oh my gawd Dennis! (re 5:03 comment) I grew up on a farm and I am proud to say I don't know how many pigs fit into a blanket! ISome part of me wants to know though, sheesh! I suppose I will have to get out the slide rule and try to figure it out. Will keep you posted! L M A O !


    C.C. thanks for the piks today and you do a wonderful job.

    Thank you every one for the laughs today! I needed it

    The Whoo

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  58. 61A: Peter or Annette: O'TOOLE. Know Peter, not Annette.

    I always think of Bening when I see Annette.

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  59. Dennis great answer at 5:03. I guess this becomes a very philosophical question that probably has a very deep rooted answer.

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  60. Several hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls or croissants are "pigs in a blanket." One hot dog wrapped in a crescent roll is "a pig in a blanket."
    Just plural versus singular, that's all. Didn't know I would cause such philosophical confusion.

    Never try wrapping a live pig in a blanket to keep them warm. They start kicking and squealing.

    ReplyDelete

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