google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday June 21, 2008 Tom Pruce

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Jun 21, 2008

Saturday June 21, 2008 Tom Pruce

Themeless

I am not fond of this puzzle at all. I simply dislike the overuse of affixes (S, ER, ED, etc) in the grid. And the appearances of OLD both as the clue and the answer just irk me to bones, look:

22A: Study of old age: GERONTOLOGY. Geronto- is the root word, Greek origin (gérōn: old man). "Study of the elderly" would be fine.

41D: Over the hill: OLD

After getting PENSIONERS (18A: Retired employees), GERONTOLOGY and MUNRO, I started to think of Sarah Polley's "Away From Her". It's a very gripping TALE (57A: Narrative Story) about an OLD couple dealing with Alzheimer's disease. The loving ACTS (1D: Exploits) of sacrifice by the husband are very poignant and touching.

The film is based on "The Bear Came over the Mountain", a short story written by Alice MUNRO (7D: Saki's real name"), who is considered "the finest living short story writer" according to Wikipedia. Julie Christie was just brilliant in the movie. The Oscar should have gone to her instead of that French actress Marion Cotillard, who did not even make effort to sing in "La Vie en Rose". (Update later: Please don't misunderstand me regarding the Saki clue (H. H. MUNRO). Many times I am just playing with the answers.)

Ready? Uno, due, TRE (24D: Trevi fountain coin count), Allons-y!

ACROSS:

5A: Round after the quarters: SEMIS (Semifinals)

10A: Stirling man: SCOT. "O, my love is like a red, red rose, that's newly sprung in June...". Love this poem from "Scotland's favorite son".

15A: Main artery: TRUNK ROUTE. New to me.

17A: Legendary bowman: TELL (William). The legendary archer.

18A: Retired employees: PENSIONERS. And 25A: Firestarter: IGNITER. And 44A: Runaway lovers: ELOPERS.

19A: Psalms interjection: SELAH

21A: Circular buildings: ROTUNDAS

27A: "The Raven" monogram: EAP (Edgar Allan Poe). It's mine too, my middle name is ARON.

30A: Actress Fabray: NANETTE. Completely unknown to me. Is she a gimme to you?

33A: Maliciously derogatory: SNIDE

34A: Jiffy: TRICE. Here are some Jiffy Muffins for you.

40A: Got in shape: TONED UP

45A: Caribbeans: WEST INDIANS

47A: Consisting of various kinds: ASSORTED

52A: Aptitude: CLEVERNESS

55A: Brood of pheasants: NIDE. I've never heard of this word before.

56A: Passed on genetically: HEREDITARY

58A: Tree of life location: EDEN. "Did perpetual happiness in the Garden of EDEN maybe get so boring that eating the apple was justified?"

59A: State in northeast India: ASSAM. Ah, the tea state. Wikipedia says it's equivalent to the size of AUSTRIA (38D: Vienna's country) and the area is also known for its silk. Dispur is its capital.

DOWN:

2D: Betty MacDonald bestseller: THE EGG AND I. I've never heard of the author or the book/movie. I like the answer though, with "THE" and "AND".

3D: Generation of today: MILLENNIAL

4D: On the payroll: SALARIED

9D: T-bars: SKI TOWS. I am not familiar with this term.

10D: Jazzman Rollins: SONNY. Dimly remember his name due to MPR's Jazz Image. I don't think I would have got his name without the crossing clues though.

12D: Other: Sp. OTRA And another Spanish word: 53D: Mexican Mme: SRA

13D: Trueheart of "Dick Tracy": TESS. No idea. I took a SWAG. I do like Julia Roberts' TESS in "Ocean's Eleven".

16D: Double-deck solitaire: ROUGE ET NOIR. Not familiar with this game at all. Pure WAG. Look at this Christian Lacroix ROUGE ET NOIR commerical.

20D: Easily infuriated: HOT TEMPERED

27D: Offering proof: EVIDENTIAL

28D: In a hateful manner: ACCURSEDLY. New word to me.

35D: Does a second watercolor: REPAINTS

46D: Fruit of the mind: IDEAS. The "Fruit" here is the plural form, I presume? I like this Emerson line: "Gibraltar may be strong, but IDEAS are impregnable, and bestow on the hero the invincibility".

54D: Pathetic starter?: SYM. Sympathetic. I rather like this "Phony Starter?". SYM/Syn" mean "with", Greek origin.

Alright, the last one, 60A: Stone and the Stallone: SLYS. Here is the "Hot Fun in the Summer Time" from "SLY and the Family Stone". I love those beautiful sceneries in the clip. Happy first day of summer, everyone!

C.C.

58 comments:

Dick said...

Good morning Cc and all. Not too hard today but did have some problems in the middle west area. Damn if I could remember LaShan from the other day.

Have a great week end and I will see you on Sunday afternoon.

Jeanne said...

Morning all, Not too bad for a Saturday puzzle. I did it online so my visiting brother could do the paper version. I thought old, pensioners, gerontology was appropriate for many of us on this blog. Nanette Fabray was a gimme. She was on many T.V. shows during our youth. Rouge Et Noir was totally foreign to me. Have a great day. We are planning some pool time w/margaritas.

Katherine said...

Good morning gang. I got MOST of this one. I missed a few. I didn't know sake's name, and didn't have time to Google some of the ones I wanted to. Nanette Fabray was a gimme for me.
I heard of the Egg and I, but never read the book or saw the movie.
CC, I think life would never be boring in a perfect world. I think God would have plenty of wonderful things for us to do and to learn about.
I have to get ready for work, and the rain.
We are going to see Chick Corea (sp?) tonight, do you know who that is CC?

Katherine said...

Should have capitalized Sake's name. Oops.

Katherine said...

Boy, I must really be tired today. I meant to say it is supposed to rain here all day. I better stop now while I am ahead......

Anonymous said...

Saki is Hector Hugo Munro (the Scot) NOT Alice (the Canadian).

Aron is Elvis's middle name, too.

I liked the movie Tess - Glenne Headly with Warren Beatty in 1990. She is a Mensa member.

flyingears said...

Not a hard one... Trunk route??? What in the heck is TP thinking of? Never heard that term in medicine either... LaShan WHO??? Can't think of him either. Filled the space guessing...

Too busy on Sundays for a looonnnggg puzzle (really laziness).

See you on Monday.

flyingears

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

Katherine,
I've never heard of C.C. you are going to see tonight. With the Drummer G? Have fun!

James,
Yes, I know it's H. H. Munro. It's been clued in TMS puzzle several times before. Sometimes I am just playing with words. If you click on the link I put for EAP (27A), you will know I am referring to Elvis.

FYI, I don't have a middle name myself. Chinese people do not have middle names.

Anonymous said...

Good morning cc etal.

Struggled mightily today - got 14a on the downs, but the only chia I know is the "chia pet" hocked on TV at Christmas time. Selah was unknown, mispelled gerontology, wanted otro for otra, no clue about rouge et noir, and completely agree on 28d - is accursedly even a legit word or was it made up to fit the grid? Had to google "the egg and I" - don't know author or story. Overall a somewhat frustrating morning.

Hope everyone has a happy Saturday!

Argyle said...

Hello c.c. and all others, new and old, that may visit today.

on line clue for 10A (not 18A) was "Man from Aberdeen"

15A is referring main roads around and through cities, think arterials, belt ways.

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

James,
Are you the Anonymous @8:42am on last Saturday's comments section? Here is his/her comment: "The roe in the canape are fish eggs, not small deer."

See, I know ROE deer, but I am in the mood for some ROE topped canapé last Saturday morning. That's why I linked that delicious photo. Very often my mind works freely (but not too wildly), I always, always hew to the answer.

Dr. Dad said...

Happy Saturday.

Kind of struggled today. Never heard of the Double Solitaire and in all my days in Nebraska I never heard them called a flock of pheasants called a nide. And I used to hunt them!!
C.C. - neat catch on EAP (Edgar and Elvis).
Nanette Fabray was a gimme but I would have liked "No, No _________" (the musical comedy).
I don't know if "Fruit" is plural. It makes sense that both an idea or ideas can be fruit of the mind.
chris in la - yes, accursedly is a word.

The first day of summer! Also, it's "Go Skateboarding Day" and "Baby Boomers Recognition Day." I don't qualify for either as I am not a skateboarding baby boomer.

Have a good one.

Dr. Dad said...

I never heard them called a flock of pheasants called a nide. And I used to hunt them!!

Meant to say I never heard a flock of pheasants called a nide. Still remains though. What the hell is NIDE????!!!!!

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

Argyle,
Why our editor keeps tinkering with the online clues is beyond me!

Dr.Dad,
Thanks for the "No, No,___". I did not know this musical comedy before.

RE: NIDE. I also found
"A bouquet of pheasants
A covey of pheasants
A nye of pheasants"

Are you familiar with any of the above?

Anonymous said...

Read LeShan when my kids were growing up - always thought it was "ena." Make jiffy corn bread batter - don't bake use waffle iron for some grat "corn waffles." Great game just new to me Bananagram. Has anybody played it?

Barry G. said...

Morning, folks!

Supposed to be a beautiful day here in the Northeast. And you know what that means -- barbecue!!! I'm still learning how to use my new full-sized charcoal grill, and today I think I'll try doing steak and asparagus.

Today's puzzle was very slow in revealing itself to me, but I did manage to eventually finish it on my own after a lot of false starts. I really wanted EVIDENCING for 27D instead of EVIDENTIAL, for example, as well as HAIRTRIGGER instead of HOTTEMPERED for 20D. And I really wanted GERIATRICS for 22A, but it just didn't have enough letters...

I also wasn't crazy about SKITOWS (ski tows) for 9D, had no idea who NANETTE Fabray was, and have never heard nor seen NIDE before.

Ah well. It all worked out in the end, but, as I said, it was a sloooow puzzle for me. Of course, I was also trying to do it first thing in the morning before my daily caffeine infusion, so that may have had something to do with it...

lois said...

Good morning CC & DF's: Agree with Chrisinla completely..frustrating and w/drdad. Nide? Is that really a word that hunters use? Can you hear 'em? Is that a dressed nide over there? No-don't think so..must be a nude nide then. Is this Eden? And rouge et noir? I know rouge and peignoir... now we are in Eden! We're in deep sheep again with ewe showing up and wow..west indians too!!! All are welcome!!! The pow wow was last night, but the big party is really tonight! Watch the weather! There'll be some earth shakin' goin' on!

Enjoy this gorgeous day!

dsk said...

why is "does a second watercolor" repaints?
doesn't that
sound more like a do-over--not a second work.

dsk

Dr. Dad said...

C.C. - I saw all of them when googling nide. The only one I am familiar with is covey and that was what a flock of quail was called. Never heard it used for pheasants.

Anonymous said...

kitty said...

I'm new to the group, from the Chicago area. I've been doing the crossword on-line, which is a bit of cheating on my part, having help when I type in a wrong answer or spell incorrectly. I've been away from crosswords for ages, but I've resumed now that I've found them on the Web.

I'm of a generation that would have known either "No, No ___" or "______ Fabray."

Pardon the joke, but "nide" comes after eight when you have a "code in your nose." I know...baaaddd. I have never heard of a nide of phesants, but I'm familiar with the term "covey." I thought that term was applied to quail, though.

Spotty rain, today, family visits, and a little time in the garden for me. Happy Summer to you all.

Anonymous said...

Kitty:
Welcome - "nide" follwing eight when you have a cold made me smile and remember my days up north. Hope you enjoy & happy 1st day of summer in the windy city!

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

Anonymous @8:20am,
It was you who mentioned this Bananagram last Friday, right?

Barry,
What's the difference between GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY? Grill some pineapple too.

Lois,
I was waiting for EWE to Loisize NIDE & somehow connect it with SNIDE. No, it's not EDEN, it's AUSTRIA, but I think it's a nude nide.

DSK (Sandra),
Good to see you here. Excellent observation on REPAINTS! How about "Apply a new coating"?

Kitty,
Welcome aboard! Hope to hear from you often from now on.

Dr. Dad said...

Kitty - Greetings! You will find that C.C. does absolutely the best with this site. Some of the rest of us are pretty warped and dysfunctional (DF)as you will see if you keep visiting. We envision a music group of us called "C.C. and the Dysfunctionals." You will see many of us greet the site by saying "Good morning, C.C. and fellow DF's." Our comments are all in good fun and make for a great laugh at times.

dsk said...

OK. What's a bananagram? And how do you play? I'm game.

dsk said...

I've played "stinky pinky". That's a word game. i.e.clue mollusk convent, and the answer is oyster cloister. hope bananagram is not akin to mammogram.

Argyle said...

Here's something I swiped from Yahoo Answers. Most were made up words from a Victorian parlor game.

Oh my, I couldn't resist.....

Birds in general A flock of birds, a dissimulation of birds, a volery of birds
Bitterns A siege of bitterns, a sedge of bitterns
Chickens A peep of chickens
Choughs A chattering of choughs
Coots A cover of coots, a raft of coots
Cormorants A flight of cormorants
Cranes A sedge of cranes
Crows A congress of crows, a murder of crows
Curlews A herd of curlews
Doves A dule of doves, a flight of doves, a dole of doves, a cote of coves, a piteousness of doves
Ducks A paddling of ducks, a raft of ducks, a team of ducks, a dopping of ducks
Dunlin A fling of dunlin
Eagles A convocation of eagles
Eggs A clutch of eggs
Falcons A cast of falcons
Finches A charm of finches, a trembling of finches
Flamingos A flamboyance of flamingos
Geese A gaggle of geese, a skein of geese
Goldfinches A charm of goldfinches
Goshawks A flight of goshawks
Grouse A brace of grouse, a covey of grouse
Guillemots A bazaar of guillemots
Gulls A colony of gulls
Hawks A cast of hawks, a kettle of hawks, a cast of hawks
Hens (chickens) A brood of hens
Herons A siege of herons
Hummingbirds A charm of hummingbirds, a troubling of hummingbirds, a hover of hummingbirds
Jays A band of jays, party of jays
Kingfishers A concentration of kingfishers
Lapwings A deceit of lapwings
Larks An exaltation of larks
Loons A raft of loons
Magpies A tiding of magpies
Mallards A sord of mallards, a flush of mallards, a puddling of mallards
Nightingales A watch of nightingales
Owls A parliament of owls, a wisdom of owls
Parrots A company of parrots
Partridges A covey of partridges
Peacocks An ostentation of peacocks, a muster of peacocks
Penguins A colony of penguins, huddles of penguins, a pride of penguins
Pheasants A bouquet of pheasants, a covey of pheasants, a nye of pheasants, a nide of pheasants, a nest of pheasants
Quail A bevy of quail, a covey of quail
Pelicans A squadron of pelicans
Plovers A congregation of plovers, a wing of plovers, a leash of plovers
Ravens A conspiracy of ravens, an unkindness of ravens, a constable of ravens
Rooks A building of rooks, a parliament of rooks
Snipe A walk of snipe, a wisp of snipe
Sparrows A host of sparrows, a quarrel of sparrows
Starlings A murmuration of starlings
Storks A mustering of storks
Swallows A flight of swallows
Swans A ballet of swans, a bevy of swans, a herd of swans, a whiteness of swans
Teal A spring of teal
Turtledoves A pitying of turtledoves
Turkeys A rafter of turkeys, a muster of turkeys
Waterfowl A plump of waterfowl
Woodcock A fall of Woodcock
Woodpeckers A descent of woodpeckers

Argyle said...

Ski tows started as just a long rope stretched in a loop from the top of a hill and powered by a Model T. You would jack up the back of the car, take the tire off the rim and double wrap the rope around it. With a suitable return wheel at the other end, you'd start the car and then grab the rope to be towed up the hill. You wanted to make sure your mittens weren't froze to the rope when you got to the end!

Barry G. said...

Barry,
What's the difference between GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY?


They're spelled differently, I think.... ^_^

Grill some pineapple too.

Really? I had no idea you could do that. Do you grill the whole pineapple at once or individual slices?

flyingears said...

CC,

Geriatrics is the medical term to a specialty treating the elderly (those over 60 are elderly???) . Gerontology is the science that studies the elderly.

melissa bee said...

good morning c.c. and all,

i like the longer saturday puzzles, but do prefer a theme. got all but a few letters today. rouge et noir stumped me, as did nide. the egg and i was a gimme, read the book AND saw the movie. love claudette colbert. also knew nanette.

@c.c.: i always enjoy your wordplay with things like roe and munro, makes the puzzles fun. speaking of which, it was fun seeing 43a, made me think of the documentary. i love your 58a quote, who is that from?

did you know 60a wrote a crossword puzzle song?

@katherine: chick corea, i'm envious!

@lois: party on garth!

@kitty: welcome.

rumi's take on 52a: 'sell your cleverness, and purchase bewilderment.'

in the 100's again today. off to work to target some 47d's ... see y'all monday.

Anonymous said...

My Scrabble dictionary says that a nide is a nest. Learning a new word is Ok by me. e.

Mr. Corcoran said...

nice to see rotundas and snide and millenial---thought for sure that we had stendahl's famous novel on our hands at first before checking clews--that would have been exciting...i like these collective nouns: brace, bevy (no not talking babes here), cackle and filth (poor things)...

Anonymous said...

From Richard,

If you want the skinny on animal group names, go here: http://www.hintsandthings.co.uk/kennel/collectives.htm

As for the actress being in MENSA, I always wondered about those guys. If they are so smart, don't they know what mensa means in Spanish?

Mr. Corcoran said...

whoops my brain is throwing swedish interference: i meant stendhal bien sur

carol said...

Happy first day of Summer to C.C. and all the D.F's!
I really struggled with the NW corner today.. Got ATM'S (1A) and ACTS (1D) right away, but it didn't help...I saw the movie The Egg & I but didn't know the author of the book.
Agree with others on "nide".

C.C. what about 50A...I did not see it in your answers or comments..it does not make sense to me. "Time-honored practices"="rices" ??
Hope you can explain, thanks.

Lois, has the fun in "3D" started yet? Have fun on the horses today - you might give a whole new meaning to "being in the stirrups" :)

Kitty, welcome to our crazy group..don't take offense to our (sometimes) naughty comments, they are all in fun, and we could not have that much fun without C.C. and all her great work here.

Mr. Corcoran said...

Carol: change the c to a t

Anonymous said...

mark - Buenos Aires.

No other comments to thatalready mentioned but ....

It should be happy first day of winter!!!

carol said...

Thomas, thanks!! Guess I can't spell :) (27D)

Katherine said...

Mellissa bee, I wish you could join us. I'll let you know how it is.

KittyB said...

Testing, testing....I figured if I was going to visit frequently I'd better get an identity.

I love the terms for groups of birds. I've known about an "exultation" of larks, a "gaggle" of geese, a "convocation" of eagles,
and a "bevy" of quail all my life, but a "bazaar" of guillemots is just bizarre! *G*

I love a "murmuration" of starlings, a "congregation" of plovers and a "parliament" of rooks.

I had never heard of "Saki" until I returned to puzzles, and I've seen that clue easily five times in the past month.

Thank you c.c. and all, for the welcome. I'm sure I'll fit right in this df family. *S*

NYTAnonimo said...

Googled for the EGGANDI to complete the NW. Knew ROUGEETNOIR as it was in another recent puzzle. Beautiful day here-hope you're having one too.

Terri said...

I thought "trunk route" was not a good answer for main artery. To me, a main artery is at least a "truck route" or a thoroughfare, but not a trunk of anything. Oh well. I did get quite a few, Fabray I remember from my long ago youth, I knew skitow, but did not like trunk, so kept erasing it. Never heard of the double deck solitare game, and no idea on who Sonny Rollins is/was. I agree that "old" is not so kind a theme! Enjoy your weekend.

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

Dsk,
Dennis might know how to play Bananagram. Hope he will chime in later.

Argyle,
A nest of pheasants"? Unknown to me. Thanks for the list & the SKI TOWS explanation. Are you getting the Sunday TMS puzzle as well?

Barry,
You slice & cube the pineapple, then grill.

Flyingears,
OK, so there is a difference between studying and treating. Good to know. Thank you.

Melissa,
Happy to hear that you enjoy my whimsy wordplay. The quote is from Chuck Palahniuk. I was hoping someone would ask. You are a very observant girl.

Thomas,
You are talking about Stendhal's ROUGE ET NOIR?

Richard,
Thank you for the education on MENSA. I was too stupid to know that.

KittyB,
I think Carol and Lois would agree with me that you passed the test.

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

NYTanonimo,
Thanks for the link. Now I know Thomas was indeed talking about ROUGE ET NOIR novel.

Yldgirl,
Interesting to see MILLENNIAL crossing GERONTOLOGY, isn't it?

lois said...

Argyle: thank you for all those terms. Fascinating! I'm w/the Jays! And the woodpeckers and woodcocks? Oh yeah! They're all going to have a 'descent' and 'fall' tonight! Oh, 'would' that you could!!! 'Come on down' if you can!

Carol: I'm waiting for the 3D's. Maybe that's why Dennis hasn't chimed in yet. Wonder what you would call a trio of wild and crazy guys. I know, I know! A 'triot'!!! or 'tri-nitro-hotwick' or if they're with me, simply an orgy. Loved your stirrups comment. Funny stuff! I'll see what new I can discover! I'll keep you posted!



This is the calm before the storm.

Right now is the calm before the storm.

melissa bee said...

@yldgirl et. al., i was thinking trunk as in torso .. main cardio vascular artery .. as in aorta.

melissa bee said...

@c.c.: thanks for the reference .. he is an interesting guy, isn't he? i've not read anything by him.

@dennis: howbout it, do you bananagram?

lois said...

Melissa bee: Dennis may be into bananagrams, but I'd bet he's more into 'hol'ograms'. We might consider those too, actually. Afterall, they are 3D.

embien said...

I used to raise pheasants, but we never used the term NIDE. My giant dictionary says it's a British term, so go figure? I got it from the crosses.

SNIDE and NIDE in the same puzzle--gotta love it.

SELAH also only fell due to crosses. I've never heard the term and still don't understand it, but I guess The Bible is full of strangish words (to our modern ears).

carol said...

Lois and Melissa bee,
Bananagram??? as in "that's no banana , that's my _____!" We can only hope, right?

carol said...

p.s. Maybe they are just happy to see us!

Terri said...

CC and Mellissa Bee,

The crossing of GERONTOLOGY with MILLENNIAL is almost cruel! Especially since millennial is coming down on gerontology, like kicking a dog while it is already down. Humph...I hate aging is really what this is all about you know.

Melissa Bee, I just didn't get the trunk part. In CA trunks can mean an entirely different part of the body :)

melissa bee said...

@yldgirl: i'm in CA too, and i got your junk, er .. trunk, right here.

Dick said...

Barry asparagus on the grill is great if you put butter and garlic on it and then throw it on the grill. I like mine a bit charred but my wife likes it not so well done.

Dick said...

Melissa, Carol and Lois we are always happy to see you!

Anonymous said...

一些补充:传统上,中国古人孩子起名除姓名外常有字、号等,后演变为以“姓+族辈+名”为主的家族式起名方式。辈分,作为族谱上的约定俗成,有史以来不可轻改,其除了规定家族纵向的血缘关系外,还寓意名望、寄托理想。如《红楼梦》贾家按名的偏旁部首定辈,多数家族则在姓和名中间加第三个字为辈分,如孔姓有“祥”“令”辈分、张姓有“作”“学”辈分

melissa bee said...

@dick: aw .. smooch.

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

Anonymous @9:24pm,
Is that you, You Bin?