google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday July 23, 2008 Edgar Pontaine

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Jul 23, 2008

Wednesday July 23, 2008 Edgar Pontaine

Theme: The Simpsons (1A: Hint at this puzzle's theme: D'OH)

3D: Jethro Burns partner: HOMER HAYNES

9D: Mrs. Clint Black: LISA HARTMAN

21D: First Super Bowl MVP: BART STARR

23D: "Gosford Park" co-star: MAGGIE SMITH

26D: "The Moon is Always Female" poet: MARGE PIERCY

Had some struggle with this puzzle, esp with Senator INOUYE's name (27D: First Japanese-American congressman). Maybe he needs to divorce his new wife, or has some other scandal so the spelling of vowel-rich, odd-looking name can be indelibly stamped on my mind.

This grid just does not fit my eyes. I've never seen one with all the theme answers contained exclusively in the DOWN clues. Wanted so badly to turn it 90 degree. I wonder why the constructor chose this style. Just to make it unique?

This is only the 2nd Edgar Fontaine puzzle I've blogged, so I can't really tell his style. Some of the cluing feel very Tom Pruce-like, esp 52A & 58A. I am so happy that we finally hit a cycle with today's AMIRS. Now we know fully how to call those Abu Dhabi bigwigs: EMIR, EMEER, AMIR and AMEER. Bring them on!

Across:

4A: The Racer's Edge: STP. The clue should have a quotation mark.

7A: Step on the scale?: SOL. I like the clue.

13A: Mesabi Range output: IRON ORE

15A: Chicago Newspaper: TRIBUNE. The 5th largest newspaper in the US in terms of circulation according to this list. TRIBUNE Media Service (TMS), which syndicates our Daily Crossword & LA Times Daily Crossword, has nothing to do with the Chicago Tribune Newspaper, though both owned by the TRIBUNE Company.

19A: Hammered on a slant: TOED. I can never remember this oblique meaning of TOE.

20A: Like straws: TUBULAR

25A: Surround: HEM IN

29A: German exclamation: ACH. "D'OH" dubbed as "Nein" in German. I suppose it's a slang for "kein", not sure.

31A: Moslem VIPs: AMIRS. I like clue. Variant in clue, variant in answer.

33A: Stewart of "Swing Shift": ALANA. Wow, what a desperate clue! Look at this cast in credits order, her name is so far down. I had no idea who she was until this morning. A gimme for Rod Stewart and Rachel Hunter I am sure.

35A: Navy mascot: GOAT. Bill the GOAT. Does GOAT really need those hard horns?

36A: Timber fungus: DRY ROT. New to me.

38A: Firing: GUNSHOT

41A: Mama, for one: AUNTIE. Look at these cute Uncle Henry and AUTIE Em dolls (Madame Alexander). Or do you still prefer your McDonald's Woody & Buzz toys?

45A: Rhone tributary: ISERE. I just learned earlier that ISERE was also the name of the French ship which sent us the Statue of Liberty.

48A: Ponselle and Parks: ROSAS. Know Parks, not Ponselle.

50A: ID card letters, at times: NMI. Do you all have middle names?

52A: Iniquitous: IMMORAL. Identical clue on July 5th "Unfaithful" puzzle.

55A: Saab model: AERO. I like how it intersects OLDS (57D: Carmaker Ransoom).

58A: The devil: OLD NICK

61A: Principal: CENTRAL

63A: Peter or Paul, but not Mary: APOSTLE. Good clue.

64A: Indigestion relief: ANTACID

Down:

2D: Treat with milk: OREO. Nabisco really has a very formidable presence in China.

5D: Transport-loss allowance: TRET

6D: Lima man: PERUVIAN. Have not seen YMA Sumac for a long time. She is probably the most famous PERUVIAN in this crossword world.

8D: Hershiser of baseball: OREL. Cy Young winner 1988. Who is your all time favorite pitcher?

14D: Computer network terminal: NODE. New to me.

28D: Talk non-stop: NATTER

29D: Social event: AFFAIR. Is AFFAIR really a social event?

30D: "CSI: Miami" star: CARUSO (David). I like his role (detective John Kelly) in "NYPD Blue"

32D: Pouty look: MOUE. Would not have got this word without the across references.

36D: Carries out: DOES. DOES are also female goats, aren't they? Would be great if DOES intersects GOAT.

39D: Of a rising star: HELIACAL. HELI(0) is a prefix for sun, how is it related to star?

C.C.

165 comments:

  1. Good morning, C.C. and fellow DFs - got through this one with one visit to google, but there were some clues I didn't like even a little:

    Works out = trains? I work out a lot, but I'm not 'training' for anything.

    Agreement = yes?? Huh?

    Firing = gunshot? I suppose you could make that stretch, but it's weak.

    My google was for the author of "The Moon is Always Female", had all but one letter, and I still don't know what 'NMI' means for 50A.

    And shouldn't 'amirs' have a (var)?

    Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how'd you like the play?

    Anyway, hope everybody has an outstanding hump day. To our quartet of sirens, it's National Hot Dog Day - I'm sure you'll figure out how to celebrate it...

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  2. Dennis,
    Moslem is already a variant for Muslim, so there is no need to add an "Var" in the clue. NMI is "No Middle Initial". "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how'd you like the play?". What does it mean?

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  3. c.c., couple things:

    The sun is a star, so 39D is ok.

    You can throw an 'affair', which can be anything from a small get-together to a large party.

    Thanks for the great Rachel Hunter pic.

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  4. Good morning everyone.
    I had a hard time with this one today. I never heard of toed for hammered on a slant or node for computer network terminal.
    My grandson liked the Woody and Buzz toys. Even my granddaughters were not real big on dolls.
    Dennis, I would also like to know wht you meant about Mrs. Lincoln???
    Have a great day everyone.

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  5. Good morning, c.c. and all.

    As usual, dennis was right there with the answers. I thought I'd get to respond to his NMI comment, but you beat me to it.

    C.C. - I loved your comment about "AMIRS,"

    ISRE, TRET were new words for me. This puzzle started out really rocky, and finally began to fall into place when I had enough of the crosses to figure out the theme names.

    I'm ashamed to admit (having a Navy family) that I didn't know about Bill the Goat. I thought the mascot would be a seal.

    Busy day today, with showers to start (inside and out). I hope you all have a good one!

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  6. Good morning! I'm going to try really hard today to be good.

    Had to google a bit on this one. Finally saw the Simpsons as the theme so it became easier.

    Dennis is correct that some of the clues were a bit lame.

    I kept wondering what word/verb meant to treat something with milk. Duh!! Think of a noun, idiot!
    I'm not saying anything about a goat needing horns. A female goat is called a doe.
    C.C. keeps mentioning Woody.
    This Wikipedia article has "the heliacal rising of a star" as the first words. Remember, the sun is a star.
    My wife has NMI and it has that abbreviation on her driver's license.

    Dennis already pointed out that it's National Hot Dog Day! Arggghh! I can't stay good any longer. Another "long" thing to get Carol, Lois, and Melissa going!!! They are good with pickle (another long thing) relish but not carrots (another long thing). Afterwards, watermelon tastes great, especially if you have to go into the woods to get a piece. But watch out for the mosquitoes - it's Mosquito Day. If you don't like watermelon, try ice cream - it's National Vanilla Ice Cream Day. That is good because finally it is also "Hot Enough For Ya? Day"

    Have a great Wednesday!!!!

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  7. C.C. and group, Good morning! The best clue: APOSTLE and I agree with you. Never seen this clue before and really makes you think UNLESS one has some letters down already...

    It was not easy, but I was able to finish it without help, but guessing...

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  8. Morning, all!

    Loved the theme, hated the execution. Way too many totally obscure names (HOMER HAYNES, MARGE PIERCE, INOUYE, ALANA, etc.) and some otherwise poor cluing as other have mentioned.

    I almost managed to finish the puzzle unassisted until I hit the MARGEPIERCY/NMI intersection. It wasn't until I came here that I realized that NMI stood for "No Middle Initial." I guessed that it might be MARGE POERCY and NMO, and this time I guessed wrong.

    Aside from the proper names and NMI mentioned above, the only other word I did not know was HELIACAL. Odd, odd looking word!

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  9. Morning all,

    I never checked in yesterday and I was wowed this a.m. with the number of comments left on Tues. Is that a record C.C.?

    Dennis gave a list of things he didn't like in the puzzle so the Mrs. Lincoln comment was a bit of satire. Guess I shouldn't answer for Dennis, though.

    I think our group of DF's would make an "affair" a very enjoyable social function. Pillows, wieners, and Woody toys all included.

    Have a fun day, all.

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  10. btw - Welcome to all the new visitors that have shown up the last couple of days: sallie, xchefwalt, robin, embien, clear ayes, richie boy, boku. This is a great site filled with educational things, dysfunctional things, humor, and camaraderie. Our little "family" is growing at an incredible pace.

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  11. What can we "fight" with today? Yesterday it was pillows.

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  12. Not a fan of the Simpsons or big on names so this was not an enjoyable puzzle.

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  13. KittyB,
    I know GOAT only because it appeared on a TMS puzzle earlier.

    Dr.Dad,
    Seriously, GOAT does not need horns, right? Your comments have shown to me that you really did not try HARD to be good. And that is a good thing (to borrow the line from Dick again). More fight? How about OREO??

    Barry,
    I just learned that this theme has been tried before in a NY Times puzzle, 2 of the theme answers (21D & 23D) are identical. No wonder there is a 90-degree shift in grid.

    Jeanne,
    Yes, it's a record. We are indeed a wordy bunch.

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  14. Goats do have pretty hard heads so the horns might not be necessary. But a goat without horns is like a day without sunshine.

    Oreo cookies and ice cream fight! Here's a fling at you! SPLAT!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This puzzle felt strange to me, but then I’m such a beginner that doesn’t mean much. I couldn’t even begin to tease out the theme. Haven’t watched TV for five years, and so I still don’t get it.

    Agree with Dennis on gunshot and nmi. No middle initial you say? Huh.

    Dennis, I like your comment about Lincoln. Perfect.

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  16. Other NMI's:

    NMI No Middle Initial
    NMI N-Methylimidazole
    NMI NASA Management Instruction
    NMI National Maglev Initiative
    NMI National Maritime Institute
    NMI National Measurement Institute (Australia)
    NMI National Meteorology Institute
    NMI National Military Intelligence
    NMI National Monuments and Icons
    NMI Natural Marketing Institute
    NMi Nautical Mile
    NMI Need More Info
    NMI Network Management Interface
    NMI Neuro-Muscular Incapacitation
    NMI Neuromagnetic Imaging
    NMI No Message Included (used in subject of message to indicate nothing is in the body of the message)
    NMI Non Metallic Inclusions (steel industry)
    NMI Non-Major Item
    NMI Non-Maskable Interrupt
    NMI Normalized Moment of Inertia
    NMI Normalized Mutual Information
    NMI Northern Mariana Islands
    NMI Norwest Mortgage Incorporated
    NMI NSF (National Science Foundation) Middleware Initiative
    NMI Nuclear Medicine Institute (University of Findlay; Findlay, OH)
    NMI Number of Methods Inherited
    NMI Number of Module Instances
    NMI Native Method Interface
    NMI New Message Indication
    NMI New Model Introduction

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  17. Dr. Dad,

    Thank you! That puts things in perspective. I looked up a lot of things in google that didn't help at all.

    Try DOH and you get Dept of Health.

    grumble grumble

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  18. C.C., Katherine, sorry I didn't respond sooner -- I was "training". Actually, I have to work out early, before my old body realizes what I'm doing.

    The Lincoln reference is a frequently-used piece of sarcasm. Think of someone asking Mary Lincoln how she liked the play, other than the fact that her husband was just killed next to her.

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  19. I've never heard of the Devil being called Old Nick and I didn't understand SOL for step on a scale. Managed to finish the puzzle with a litte help from google and C.C. Dennis, Hot dog day mmmmmmm better yet, I'm gonna lick the vanilla ice cream right off the cone!!

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  20. Melissa B,
    I thought you would come back yesterday refreshed and ready for some intense pillow fights after more sleep. But you were so quiet. Please don't be! Don't deprive me of my daily dessert.

    Dr. Dad,
    I like the "Need More Information"one. Regarding the Australian institute, what are they measuring?

    Dennis,
    I had a quick glance at "The Moon is Always Female". Did not grok it.

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  21. hi all. Agree with Dennis regarding the disliked clues. I think Amir and Emir are interchangeable but having a var. would have been ok. I didn't get the theme at all not being a simpsons fan. I struggled with all of the names and even after looking some of them up I saw no common theme. The whole thing seemed like a stretch but maybe it would appeal to simpsons fans.

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  22. Good morning CC & DF's: Kind of HARD today, but Leaping Lepers, I'm going to need an Antacid after this one. You may ask "Watsa Mata You?" D'oh, we're eye-ing a Woody fungus today...a little STP (Sexually Transmitted Problem) and it's the dreaded Dry Rot. Ach!
    That's what happens when special 'raincoats' are up for resale. I toed y'all any number of times "that's immoral and not ever a good idea!" But Woody had to listen to Old Nick and now he's got a problem more tubular than Rosas. Well, come pay tribute to the FAA (Foreplay Anon. Ass.) 'cause the DR isere and he'll give you a vat of rot gut, some pills, and a picture of Alana too. Just leave the goat alone...and the sheep too for that mata.

    drdad: Ice cream fight? I scream, you scream....Not that kind? Ok, then a scoop of Pistachio Nut hurled at you...that would be green 'nuts' to your blue ball...Gotta go.

    Great day for flying. Enjoy your day. May not be back for a while.

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  23. C.C. - I don't know what they are measuring. I just thought I'd put in other definitions for NMI based on barb b's comment.

    cokato - doh, re, mi, fah, sol, la, ti doh.

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  24. But, I googled it and the National Measurement Institute (Australia) is like the National Bureau of Standards (U.S.). They establish the infrastructure in physical, chemical, biological and legal measurements.

    Just one more bit of useless info provided by yours truly.

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  25. CC: I believe my Chinese is limited to "tsao" with a lift of the tone. I learned it from a Chinese friend as good morning. He was Mandarin.
    Heliacal is a sun related word concerning the rising and setting in particular.
    Dan Inouye was one of the Japanese 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated fighting unit in WW II. They fought in Italy. I didn't know of his scandal, but in Hawaii, he could do no wrong when I was there in the 60s.
    Some of the names in the puzzle were googlers to me.
    I don't get the DOH for 1A, but the Oregonian doesn't tell us the theme.
    To "toe" in a nail perhaps comes from driving a nail to join 2 x 4 lumber when one is horizontal and the other vertical as in house construction. Since the lower 2 x 4 is near your toes, the term toe nail emerged. However, nails are toed in at several locations.
    Best, Ken

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  26. Ken - C.C. figures out the theme for the Mon. thru Sat. puzzles and does it quite accurately. None of the newspapers publish a daily theme except for the Sunday puzzle.

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  27. btw - for all of the new visitors, click on C.C.'s link for "Which Newspaper." If your state is there and does not have the newspaper listed, let her know by leaving a comment.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Lois,
    Pls don't forget the 3D's while you are creating the Mile High turbulence. Oklahoma, are you ready?
    Travel safely!!

    Dr. Dad,
    Nothing you've provided is useless. If my site meter is correct, TMS puzzle is carried out in every state.

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  29. "Do you all have middle names?" C.C., the reason we have middle names is so that a child will know when he/she is serious trouble.

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  30. der katze, that's perfect - and so true. The only time I ever heard my middle name uttered by my parents was immediately following some 'boys will be boys' incident.

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  31. Der katze,
    Really? But "Is our children learning"?

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  32. Thanks, Drdad for pointing out the links to the online puzzle. We live in a "geographical anomoly"...30 miles from anywhere and sometimes don't get our newspaper until closer to PM than AM. Now I'll be able to get to the puzzle much earlier in the day.

    Other than that, I am thankful for my misspent retirement years. I have learned to love the Simpsons. I've never seen an episode that didn't get at least one out-loud guffaw from me. So once "Homer" appeared the other names came pretty easily.

    Familiarity with older classic movies also came in handy for "Auntie", as in "Auntie Mame". Rosalind Russell was the best. I was also delighted to see "Maggie Smith". I really should add "The Prime of Miss Jean Brody" to my Favorite Movies list.

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  33. Tough puzzle for me, even though I knew several of the people - I loved Lisa Hartman in Tabitha (back in the 70s, now that's dating myself!), and Marge Piercy is my favorite poet - she writes some sexy stuff - if you don't like the moon one, try this:

    http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/marge_piercy/poems/19236

    I have NMI so that was fun to see.

    Kittyb - I had the same thought - seems like the Navy's mascot SHOULD be the seal!

    And I still don't understand SOL for the scale clue.

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  34. good morning c.c. and all,

    had to take a few swags to finish this one. never heard of moue or heliacal. to talk non-stop is natter? new to me. i have never seen the simpsons, so i guess it speaks to marketing that i knew all their first names. knew daniel inouye, but had to ferret out the spelling from the acrosses.

    i liked seeing rot just above gut, heliacal next to starr, and immoral just above old nick.

    woody and buzz are back today, hm. woody. buzz. appropriately dysfunctional mascots for this group.

    @lois: i thought you might mention orel crossing tubular .. perhaps you are too busy packing.

    @cokato and danielle: we saw 'sol' in last saturday's (7/19) puzzle, which is the only reason i got it right away. here is wikipedia's entry for solfège.

    @c.c.: i checked in at 8:18 last night (10:18 ca time) but could barely see through all the feathers.

    yesterday a pillow fight, today a food fight. what's next, mud wrestling?

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  35. Good morning everyone.

    Who are these people in this puzzle? OK, I knew BART STARR and Ransom OLDS, but had not a clue for 22A, 33A, 3D, 9D, 23D, 26D and 30D. HELIACAL was also a new word. I liked the clues for 2D, 7A and 63A. Should 31A have a "var."?

    Dennis, NMI is "No Middle Initial." I see that you agree with me on AMIR.

    Kittyb, where is ISRE?

    Drdad, your NMI list was a bit of overkill! With all the acronyms flying around it's a wonder we can communicate at times!

    Cokato, SOL is the fifth note in a musical scale. Do, re, mi, fa, SOL, la, ti, do. We had it in a puzzle this past week.

    Once again lois is a scream. She cracks me up!!

    Ken, C.C. divines the theme, and she is fantastic at it. The puzzles don't come with titles.

    My brothers and I all use our middle names in everyday usage. Call us by our first name and we may not respond because we don't recognize it.

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  36. Dr. Dad,

    Have a little ice cream -

    Thwap! off the end of the spoon1

    Hope you like chocolate.

    ReplyDelete
  37. The Marge Piercy poem link didn't come out in my previous post:

    http://famouspoetsandpoems.com
    /poets/marge_piercy
    /poems/19236

    Can anyone explain how to imbed the link into text like so many of you do? At my blog (also on blogger) there is a link icon, but I don't see that here.

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  38. Kittyb, I think I found it -- just a typo on ISERE, right? Sorry for being so dense.

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  39. Danielle, you need to code the link in HTML. There are instructions to be found in the sidebar on the first page of the blog under "Read These First."

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  40. Crockett1947,
    But the clue for AMIRS (31A: Moslem) a variant of Muslim. Isn't it self evident that the answer should be a variant of EMIRS too?

    Danielle,
    Unfortunately the easy link icon does not work at the Comments section, here is the information you need to create a link.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Alana Stewart does seem an obscure clue. Previously I had seen the clue for that name as folk singer, Davis:

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=5MSYLiwMXZU

    My daughter's name is Alana (for her grandmothers, Ann and Natalie).

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  42. melissa bee - One of Spiro Agnew's famous quotes was when he chided the "nattering nabobs of negativism". At the time, I had to look up both nattering and nabobs.

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  43. Danielle,

    thanks for the Marge Piercy link. I like this line from 'Unsuitable"

    I was quicksand
    I was trouble in the afternoon. I was
    the alley cat you don't bring home.

    Reminds me of someone....

    No anyone here, though, and certainly not me.

    No.

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  44. Maggie Smith (Gosford Park co-star) also plays Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies.

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  45. danielle - as I pointed out in an earlier comment, think of a musical scale: doh re mi fah sol la ti doh.

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  46. Happy Hump Day C.C. and all the rest of you!
    What a mess this morning!
    2D I took it too literally, and thought it meant aid...that's good, shove an oreo in someone who's sick!!
    17A Is remoter a word?
    22A ? what the heck is RER
    50A had no idea until C.C. enlightened me. My middle initial is L.
    Having never watched the Simpsons, I could not get their names so all in all, this was not one of my favorite puzzles.

    Drdad, glad you decided to join us today - and not be "good", we like it when you're naughty:)

    Clear Ayes, I agree about Rosalind Russell as the very best Auntie Mame..one of my all time favorite movies!

    35A...Nothing like a horny ol' goat!

    Lois, have a fun trip.. "Old Nick" might seduce you into an "immoral" act so be alert. Those in flight "affairs" can cause turbulance..just ask Dennis.

    Carl, I'm sure that Debauchee will appreciate Nat'l Vanilla Ice Cream Day...with that tongue, how can he miss??? whew.

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  47. good to see some less familiar words today...spiro was one lover of alliteration--i remember his nattering nabobs of negativism...old nick and st nic--so close yet so far away...french moue always reminds me of boue--there's an old rhyme connecting the two (pout and mud)--hopefully that's a completely innocuous remark.

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  48. I'm tired of Uranus and the Big Blue Ball. I've changed to the Horsehead Nebula.

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  49. Carol - your turn. Have some oreos and ice cream! Smack, splash!!

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  50. crockett, I thought for a moment I was going to have to surf to find an answer for you. I'm relieved it was just a typo on my part. See what I mean about the darned typos?? I even used spell check, but "ISRE" was buried in a series of words that were not in the spell check dictionary, so I didn't catch my error.

    You're much sharper than I am early in the morning, methinks. *S*

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  51. drdad: Right back at cha'- a big glob of banana-nut..splot! ohh, banana - nuts -has a certain feel to it!

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  52. carol, 22A is REM. And what's wrong with an oreo when you're sick? Works for me.

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  53. @dennis: nattering nabobs ... thx, i'll never forget now.

    @carol: 22a is REM (michael stipe is the lead singer), which makes 23d maggie smith.

    @barb b: oh no, not you (as she flings chocolate ice cream at drdad).

    oh, and also barb b ...

    congratulations on your masters!

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  54. barb b -- masters??? what the hell are you doing with us dolts?

    My congratulations as well - a wonderful achievement.

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  55. barb b - congratulations!

    Dennis, she joined the Ph.D., aka Dr. Dad.

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  56. drdad, I've been a member of Mensa for 40+ years, but I'm still a dolt.

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  57. dr.dad, my sweet.....it's DO, re, mi, etc. (No "H." That must have rubbed off from the clue in today's puzzle.)

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  58. Now, now, gents. Let's not digress into comparing educational or intellectual chops. It's much more fun to have a pillow or ice cream fight. Slurrrp!! Here's a nice big glop of Rocky Road for both of you.

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  59. anon @9:50 - wasn't meant as a comparison of intellect with my good friend drdad (who has me well outgunned in that area), but rather a statement of my continuing doltdom. Sorry you missed the point.

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  60. Thanks everyone. I may be the only person to achieve a master's without knowing it.

    I HAVE been working for it, but thought I had one more class, so I canceled the ceremonial plans.

    Now the school says I have the masters and the last class is for a special certificate.

    Finding that out did not make me happy, prompting Melissa Bee to label me Miss Cranky Pants and remind me what is really important. That and the pillow fight lifted my spirits considerably.

    Dennis --- Hiii Yiiihhh---spling! Strawberry to you.

    From Miss Cranky Pants

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  61. When I think of "pouty" I think of Scarlett Johansson or other actresses, like in this photo:

    http://blogs.tampabay.com/juice/images/2007/08/08/tbdsuvari080907.jpg

    but when I think of "moue" I think of the oft-used literary expression "moue of disapproval" which conjures something quite different.

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  62. Melissa bee, thanks - I had Reggie for 23D instead of Maggie...I don't know the Simpson "people".

    Dennis: You are right, an oreo would be good, even if you are sick..I stand corrected.

    barb b, Many Congrats!! Hope you will still stay with us.

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  63. Dennis, glad to see somebody else admitting to being a dolt. My doltishness leans toward Barb B's forgetful style (congratulations, Barb B.). If it didn't happen less than a month ago, I've moved on. Maybe all that Simpson watching has (dry)rotted my mind ??

    Actually The Simpsons may have sharpened a few brain cells. A show that was named by Time magazine as the (20th)Century's Best TV Series must have something going for it.

    Before you go rushing out to rent a DVD, here's a caveat. After 19 (or is it 20) years, there are some dud episodes, or even seasons. But all in all, it is one of the most socially and politically savvy satires out there.

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  64. Dennis - as kittyb pointed out from my mistake on the solfege (or whatever), I am a "dohlt" also. LOL

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  65. From Baskin Robbins flavors of the month, here's a "doh-ble" dip of Jamoca Oreo for kittyb. Sploosh!!

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  66. @miss cranky pants: good call on the scoop of strawberry for dennis. he likes pink.

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  67. morning C.C. & fellow DFs

    Wow! I feel like I need to put on my Mae West before I jump in today. I have NEVER watched the Simpsons so I'm clueless!

    @cokato - I'm surprised you know Satan and didn't know his nick name.

    @drdad - I tried yesterday but the darkside is too strong. Being good isn't all it's cracked up to be. Besides, when I'm bad I'm very, very good.

    Debauche has problems with Ice Cream - big tongue leads to brain freeze. Loves Oreos though... fun to lick the white gooey stuff in the middle.

    Female goats are nannies... Transversly though, not all nannies are goats.... hmmm. Does are deers, or rabbits, or who knows how many other things.

    I knew heliacal but only because I spend a lot of time on my back looking at the sky. It's actually the first visible rising of a star following it being hidden by the brightness of the sun's lighting. The term also applies to the last setting before it is obscured from visibility by the sun's lighting.

    Ah... faire la moue. It's that look ya' just wanna smack. Dislike it but knew it.

    I don't watch TV much and only rarely do movies... what is Gosford Park? And I wish David Caruso would get a neck brace to straighten up his neck... the pose is grossly overworked and used too much by the other players in the skit. The South Beach angle of the show works for me though.

    I have to sign on to the doltiness also but I blame it on Mad Cow!

    Do I seeeeem cranky? Somebody hit me with a pillow... or give me an Oreo. I need some luuuuv! It's another cold day in "O". Debauchee's tongue is only half its normal size. drdad & dennis... be nice.

    ciao

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  68. @danielle: it worked! and you're right, that's so pouty i have an urge to smack her.

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  69. C.C., I'll yield on the AMIR/EMIR. I just didn't recognize that Muslim is a variant of Moslem. I thought they were different constructs. Does that mean that Judiasm is a variant of Jewish?

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  70. carl, just a couple points of correction:

    female goats are called nannies or does.

    drdad and I are friends - as I explained above.

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  71. Carl - Ditto on what Dennis said. We are friends and fellow dolts/dohlts.

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  72. Hello Cc and DFs. Another struggle for me needing several Googles to complete. I did not get the Simpson connection until the very end.

    Like Dennis and drdad there were several very weak clues in todays puzzle.

    Cc I finally got your 12:31 question from yesterday and yes they are all good things as well as the "long thing" from drdad dissertation today.

    Cc you wanted to know our favorite baseball pitcher. I think mine is/was Harvey Haddox who on May 6, 1959 pitched 13 perfect innings and then lost the perfect game and the ball game due to an error.

    Drdad you 8:19 post made my head hurt and that is no a good thing.

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  73. @dennis

    I've never heard of them called does but I yield to your superior doeltiness.

    No... I meant toward ME & my crankiness.

    @danielle
    I can see the moue in your pouty actress but she looks more "doe eyed". Has those warm, soft, brown eyes... Oh no... the darkside has me again...

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  74. carl - I didn't know it either. After the puzzle, I googled 'female goat', and there it was.

    dick, I'll always remember Harvey "The Kitten" Haddix for exactly the same thing.

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  75. Carl, I didn't say I knew Satan but he knows me...but now that I think back I should have gotten the clue having dated a Nick once.

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  76. Hi- my name is Walter and I'm a dolt....
    a chours of "Hi Walt" emerges from the caffine stained smoke-

    @dennis from last night- sorry I didn't reply sooner, it's been one of THOSE days! I am in Estero, on the west (best)coast of Florida in between Naples and Ft. Myers, spring training home of the Twins and Red Sox.

    Funky puzzle- got the simpsons theme, but needed help with some last names.

    And now to paraphrase Monty Python:
    "I fling cherry vanilla in your general direction..."

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  77. BTW- I do know who Maggie Smith is. Her role as David Niven's wife in "Murder by Death" is pricless! In it, she utters the immortal line:
    "WHERE'S MY DICKIE?!?!
    I mean, where's my husband??"

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  78. Carl, and by the way here is a triple scoop of marshmallow creme flung in your general direction.

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  79. RE: doltishness and moues. Many years ago I came across the phrase "self-deprecating moue" in a novel. I wish I could remember which one. I was in a Word-A-Day improvement period and looked up "moue". The first definition was "grimace". OK, so far so good. Unfortunately I had misread the original phrase and in my soon-to-be dryrotted brain, it became "self-depreciating moue". So to me it meant a grimace that gradually lessened. Don't ask why that made sense, I was young AND doltish.

    Luckily I never used my altered phrase in conversation and it wasn't until I was much older that I realized my mistake. In the context of self-deprecating, moue is still closer to a little embarrassed grimace than a pout.

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  80. Hello c.c. and dfs. I'm a nubie who has been reading this blog for months. I'm closing in on 65 (Sept) and live in S.W. Ohio (Middletown),male, divorced two daughters and 2 G.D.'s. I HATE these puzzles with all the Proper Nouns. Don't do much tv (sports), movies, nor poetry. Didn't know 22a, 33a, 48a (but figured out Rosa Parks), 3d, 23d,26d, but got Caruso, Mata, Inouye (Watergate days) and could care less about Clint Black's sex life. Would like to take Fontaine and drown him in my backyard fontaine. So I have to agree with Dennis. "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln...."

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  81. @cokato: are you a broker? I sell for Sysco here in Fla and love my brokers!

    Aja is the best album that no-one talks about...

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  82. Carl, what a coincidence, I spend a lot of time on my back looking at the sky too.

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  83. xchefwalt, No, I am a buyer for the Burger King chain at Reinhart here in MN. I love most of my brokers too.

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  84. @drdad & dennis

    Ok! I got suckered in and Googled the URBAN Dictionary dolt listing and was dolty(?) enough to go on a sidebar to doink... which I thought should have been boink... so now I'm really messed up. I need a cup of coffee!

    @cokato

    I love it soft and creamy.... and three..... oooooh!

    So you like Whoppers better than Big Macs?

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  85. Carl, yes and I like it my way.

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  86. buckeye, welcome to our ever-growing group - hope you find it as enjoyable as we all do.

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  87. @cokato

    Nothing like lying back looking at the sky after having a whopper... I'm told.

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  88. Carl, it is very good for your digestion, so to speak.

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  89. Welcome, buckeye. The dark side has claimed many of us so - may the force be with you. But be warned. We find the dark side is much more fun.

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  90. cokato - Which is good for digestion? Having a whopper or lying on your back?

    That must be why I can't see the sky. I've been lying on my stomach.

    The well of sin is getting deeper.

    Here's a big scoop of neopolitan. Everyone duck!!

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  91. Drdad, lying on your back while having a whopper. Just so I have it my way. Yum three of my favorite flavors!

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  92. What does c.c. think? Maybe Carl, Cokato and Drdad should get a room today. A little titillation...oohh, tee hee, I said "tit".... is amusing, but the unending innuendo and double entendres are getting in the way of the crossword comments.

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  93. @buckeye Oops! 'Forgot my manners... welcome! I wuz bizzzzy!

    @drdad 'Ya gotta try it on your back... it's a much more penetrating experience.

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  94. Don’t forget about “licking the creamy white middle” for dessert!
    Ya gotta have dessert……

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  95. @Miss Cranky Pants...a WHACK! with a pillow, to bring you up to speed, and in celebration of our new master! Way to go!

    @carl...YEAAAA! One other person who doesn't care for David Caruso!

    @Walter...too bad about the tough day. (humming "Tomorrow" from "Annie")

    (Shivers) DR.DAD!!! (hooking a finger in the back of your collar and dumping a double scoop of RHASPBHERRY down yer spine!)

    Clear Ayes....that would be "doHltish" (grins)

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  96. @anonymous 2:26

    I always have the highest respect for those who stand in the shadows and throw rocks.

    C.Cs email address is listed on the original post page. But, in case you can't find it...
    its: zhouqinb@hotmail.com


    BTW... if have a "clue" to share...

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  97. Muslim and Moslem are two transliterations of the same word, referring to the practitioners of the religion Islam. Judaism and Jewish are not variations of the same word. "Judaism" is a religion (like Islam) and people are "Jewish" if they practice that religon (like Muslims/Moslems practice Islam).

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  98. Anon: if you read the entire entries here today you will see that this morning my comments were indeed about the puzzle. Calm down we're just having a little fun.

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  99. C.C.??!??!?! CLEANUP IN AISLE 3!! Somebody's soiled themselves in disgust...

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  100. @anonymous 2:26: this is c.c.'s blog. she needs no help managing it.

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  101. No time today since I missed the "I" in NMI. I guess that's well-known in some circles. I believe that Oregon driver's licenses just have the field blank if there's no middle initial. (Hazy memory from when I tended bar over 40 years ago and had to check IDs.) Ugh!

    PIERCY HAYNES ALANA? How about we have a puzzle filled with obscure names? Man, I hate that kind of puzzle. INOUYE OREL were gimmes for me, but any puzzle filled with this many names is not my cup of tea.

    While I'm ranting, REMOTER in my dictionary is "at a distance" and not in the "secluded" sense of remote. I was frankly surprised to discover that it was a word at all, but the dictionary rules...

    If you don't do the NY Sun puzzles, you may have missed the spoonerism one last week (there was some discussion of spoonerisms in our blog). If you have AcrosLite (free) you can do it from this link: http://www2.nysun.com/crosswords/puzzle_dir/archive_dir/nys080718.puz. Enjoy!

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  102. Sorry if I offended anyone, I'll try to move from dark to grey.

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  103. Now that I've had the chance to make a silly comment, I'd like to make one along a more serious vein.

    It as finally occurred to me that EVERY post we make to this blog goes to C.C.'s personal mail box.

    I'm not suggesting that we give up our banter, but I wonder if there is anything we can do to spare her some of the non-crossword chat.

    I haven't asked C.C. if she minds being spammed. I hope that one of you who is much more computer literate than I might be able to suggest a solution that would allow us to "keep in touch" without driving C.C. around the bend.

    Any thoughts?

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  104. cokato, don't change a thing - if C.C. has a problem, we'll do whatever's necessary, but we sure as hell shouldn't respond to someone who doesn't have the guts to identify themselves, and hides their baby ass behind the cloak of anonymity.
    Wow, didnt' THAT feel good!

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  105. kittyb, I've asked C.C. just that. Waiting for an answer.

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  106. Kittyb

    You still have a pillow? Thought they were all busted.

    Well, I guess they are now. Ptoooie!

    Have a little cherry vanilla. Biiiiing! cherry. Good stuff.

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  107. I feel so SOILED!!!! like I just got caught smokin' behind the woodshed! Oh, good grief! Yet another double entendre... or wait... was it actually an unending innuendo??? I didn't realize 41A was in the house. I think we're just being
    10A but if you want to 37A, I'll try to not get 19A.

    'nuff clues??? Besides, this is hump day....

    @cokato - don't change a thing. A breath of fresh air is much better for the head... no double entendre or unending innuendo intended.

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  108. Wow Dennis, you are my knight in shining armor. Can you see my long hair flowing out the balcony window?

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  109. Bahrb....I saved a pillow just to be able to help you celebrate. (wiping cherry vanilla off my shirt)

    Dennis, I should have started with C.C. Thanks for contacting her for us.

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  110. cokato, yes, i can see it. Can you see my....uh, never mind.

    kittyb, my pleasure.

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  111. drdad what is good for digestion is laying on your back and getting a whopper and I think cokato knows this.

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  112. @kittyb & all

    This is more of a "downer" than quaaludes! We could always set up a dysfunctional email family but it wouldn't be half as much fun and would inevitably die due to the lack of a common theme C.C. provides us every day... ie words. And, if anyone thinks I'm over-the-top.... T**** S***. And so far, with one exception, it's been a pleasure to have met up with you all. You have a cumulative (and individual) IQ that amazes me. But, it's C.C.'s site and her wish will be my command. C.C. I thank you and I think I can freely say the darkside thanks you!

    I gotta' go now. Debauchee needs his tongue waxed.

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  113. What the hell happened? Everybody's biting their tongue because some coward voiced their displeasure over our fun?? Until C.C. says otherwise, I say we all get naked and make it a REAL ice cream fight!
    Anybody else up (oops) for it?

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  114. @dennis: okay but can we still do the tongue-biting thing?

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  115. @dennis: um .. you're .. uh .. preparing a cannon?

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  116. melissa, tongue-biting can only enhance the 'fight'.

    Re. the cannon -- yes; you have a favorite flavor?

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  117. I am new to this blog. Have been enjoying it for a month or so. I found it after looking up a horse that came in second place. The bantering is great. Wed.& Thur. are my golf days,so I don't get to the c/w until the afternoon. I loved the theme today.

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  118. @dennis: anything organic.

    @bunches: welcome.

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  119. bunches, welcome. Come back often - we all learn something new here every day. Some of it's even educating...

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  120. My two cents (oil speculators have just driven that up to .50):

    I stand with y’all. This wonderful blog, and like the tv or radio, is a choice to partake in and can be TURNED OFF if offended. It burns me up when a singular person (in this case a pencil-necked geek hiding behind an invisibility cloak) or small group try to decided what is best for the majority (who find nothing wrong) based on their own idea of what this should be. The thing I love about this blog is not only do I learn from the members about the “words of the day”, but the fun and entertaining tangent the conversation goes in based on those words.

    Here’s an idea Anom- if you don’t like c.c.’s sandbox, go make one of your own so you can mindlessly discuss the differences between “amir” and “emir” all day long.

    @cokato- don’t change a thing. As fellow LIer Billy Joel said, we “love you just the way you are….

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  121. Well, MG, I go away for a few hours and all H*** breaks loose, Ol'Nick must be in the house!

    Dennis, thank you for your comments to annon at 2:26!! Hooray for you!

    anon at 2:26, We like it our way!!

    Buckeye, welcome - glad to have you with us, you are a brave man and sound a little dysfunctional yourself, GOOD!

    Danielle, thanks for that link-I think she looks more like "Miss Smug Fact" Ewe!

    Let's all do like Dennis said, get naked and play in the ice cream...maybe at Carl's place since he seems to have a large yard and then there is Debauchee and his tongue! :) what drinks should we mix to go with all this???

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  122. xchefwalt, you have said it as well as it can be stated; amen, and thank you.

    carol, the obvious ones are Sex on the Beach, TongueTwisters, Screwdrivers, Sloe Screws - and there's a ton more, but that'd get us started.

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  123. And carl's place sounds like a winner, except -- all the guys would be standing around with their drinks, and all the women would be having the fight....over debauchee.

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  124. Melissa bee, Dennis must be "up" for the naked ice cream fight-he has his cannon ready and....
    Dennis, coffee flavor is always good, I can provide the cream and sugar.

    I agree with the rest of you, C.C. knows what she's doing and we will always respect that. She knows we are just having fun.

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  125. Dennis, yes!!! After all those great drinks were consumed, we sure would be on our backs but doubt we'd be able to see past our ---'s. I'll bet you boys could make us forget Debauchee's tongue!!!

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  126. Goodness, this blog gets interestinger and interestinger. I know, one of those dreaded "er" endings.

    Bunches, How did looking up a horse that came in second place get you to this site?

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  127. Lol, was just picturing us all on our backs - it'd look like a yard full of hills and flagpoles...

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  128. Ok! I've had my moue!!!!(notice - crossword word for pout) I "hacked" up a furball & feel much better now!

    BUT!!!!! People who stand fully clothed behind the bushes at a nude beach have three choices... take your clothes off and come in, go on down to the next beach, or exercise clothing optional and keep quiet. I know I don't care whether you're clothed or not. Some people look better clothed. But don't pass judgements on me because I look good nude and covered with oreos and ice cream.

    I think I may have a little bit of a furball left.

    'Nuff said.

    Had to shave Debauchee's tongue. Waited too long. So there will be a little bit of "five o'clock shadow" for a couple of days.

    btw guys - Debauchee has two sides.

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  129. OMG Carl now you tell us more details about Debauchee. Are there more dark secrets??

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  130. Got a new lap top and I could not post from it as I had some problem with logging in.

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  131. Dick, looks like it's working now. Joining the party?

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  132. Clear Ayes
    I googled for the answer and one of the links was this site. I have seen it other times when looking up answers.

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  133. Anonymous @ 2:26pm,
    As far as I know, the only time we let double entendres get ahead of the crossword discussion is yesterday's ERINYES question posted by Katie @ 7:16pm. And I did reply to her earlier this morning. If you are a pure cruciverbalist, I am afraid this is NOT the edenic garden that you are looking for. Knowledge and fun are equally sought after and prized here.

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  134. Ok then...St.Nick/Old Nick - Santa/Satan throws in a gallon of black raspberry for everyone.

    OW! Who threw the Italian Ice?

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  135. Like Cokato I have never heard of Old Nick as the devil. Where does it come from?

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  136. Dennis et al,
    Just want to say a special "Thank you" for the daily education and entertainment. It's been a very rewarding blogging experience.

    Bunches,
    Old Nick & Devil.

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  137. C.C. Sorry to have added so much angst to your inbox but Im adding cruciverbalist to my list of "favorite" words. Hadn't heard it previously but love the simplicity for a 14 letter crossword clue.

    Thanks for the morel support. And, may the darkside remain with you!

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  138. I thought my well-thumbed copy of Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary might have a reference to Old Nick, but I came up empty.
    Couldn't find anything in The Free Dictionary, except for this cross reference for Old Scratch.

    "Old Scratch, like Old Nick, is a nickname for the devil. In the last century it was widely used in the eastern United States, especially in New England, as is evident from the Devil's name for himself in the Stephen Vincent Benét short story "The Devil and Daniel Webster." Now the term has been regionalized to the South. Old Scratch is attested in the Oxford English Dictionary from the 18th century onward in Great Britain as a colloquialism: "He'd have pitched me to Old Scratch" (Anthony Trollope, 1858). The source of the name is probably the Old Norse word skratte, meaning "a wizard, goblin, monster, or devil."

    Maybe someone else will have better luck with finding Old Nick's origins.

    btw - The Devil and Daniel Webster is another wonderful old classic movie. Walter Huston starred as Old Scratch. He's the same actor who played the crazy old prospector in The Treasure of Sierra Madre. Recommend both highly.

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  139. Hi gang! What's going on? Just popped in to say AHHHHHHHH YUUUUKKKKKKKKKKKKK Hey! who the heck threw the ice cream? what theeeeeeeeeeeeee hm raspberry not bad?
    Hey! ice cream down my back?!!!? what kind of a place did I stop in to?
    I going home get my scoop and some strawberry swirrl Just wait !
    Be back soon!

    the whoo

    and I just took a shower mmphh mmphh

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  140. Re: NMI? And why would that be? Because there is NMN?

    Air Safety group? FAA certainly plays a part. I guess the FAA is responsible before an accident while NTSB comes in afterwords.

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  141. Anonymous @6:27, you nailed it - the FAA establishes the safety guidelines/rules, and the NTSB comes into play when something goes wrong. If you're a pilot, you never wanna hear from the NTSB.

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  142. Danielle, thanks for the explanation. Makes total sense to me now. Hello buckeye -- Go Bucks! Bunches, welcome to you as well.

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  143. Anonymous @ 6:27. That's right -- NMN gives you NMI.

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  144. C.C. Excellent come back to anon, Bravo!!

    Dennis, LOL,LOL good one: "hills and flagpoles"...I'm still snickering. (Not "mouing")

    Clear Ayes, I wondered the same thing about the horse,I don't think bunches got the "double entendre" on "look up" or am I overthinking this???

    Carl, do we want to know about Debauchee's "other side"..shudder!

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  145. Carol, "I don't think bunches got the "double entendre" on "look up" or am I overthinking this???"

    Maybe bunches just decided not "to go there". There's another D.E.! Looks like today is just one of those days. We may be past the full moon for July, but I think it is still affecting everyone.

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  146. @all

    Leftover from last night. I just learned that Hoggers (KEN's poem) refers to an actual group of Harley Davidson motorcyclists called Harley Owners Group... or H.O.G. 'Knew the bikes were called Hogs but didn't know about the group. Coincidence but a group of 500... give or take a couple... came through here on a "poker run".

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  147. Whoooo

    What a delicious, shivery indulgence, right?

    Like this blog.

    C.C. I think you can see how much we enjoy you and your blog - enough to restrain ourselves rather than cause you the smallest discomfort. You d' boss.

    The rest of you (except anonymous self appointed, self righteous word police) I'm stnding here dressed only in feathers and ice cream, and utterly happy. I love you guys.

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  148. Carl, thanks for the explanation on HOGS, I always wondered why the motorcycles were referred to as "Harley Hogs". They sure make a great sound...very distinctive, sorta low and growly...kinda like some guys I used to know. In truth, I have never been on a Harley but then I have never met him either :)oh,oh the dark has me again.

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  149. Barb b, my thinking exactly...what a hoot of a time we have here, huh?

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  150. Clear Ayes
    All I can say is DOH

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  151. @barb b: you look cute like that.

    @c.c.: you are a class act. brava la prima.

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  152. I'm back....
    Dennis, I did see your um...looked like your lance.

    Carl, were you really caught smoking behind the woodshed and if so, what?

    Dick, I didn't say I was getting a whopper on my back but having one. Big difference. You know it takes two hands to handle a whopper.

    Carol, I too am naked and covered in ice cream and feathers. Great visual. Really great.

    xchefwalt: I think I will go drink a big black cow and get out of here tonight as I need to go buy some more whoppers and big fish. You know what I mean.

    Well, I couldn't stay on the "grey" side (not that I really could) but didn't want to offend the creator C.C. on this great blog being she too, is a fellow MN.

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  153. Holy Crapola! Just popped in finally to see what's up and it's not only the number of posts but the heat as well! Loved the retorts and CC, brava to you, and thank you for this fantastic blog. Don't get me started on self-righteous, sanctimonious sufferers of anal glaucoma. Some people just don't know how to have fun...but the good thing is that they're not among us for long.

    I may still have feathers and by now melted ice cream in my pants, but I really want to come and see those flagpoles...maybe not in that order... so where's the field? I'm also dying to know what debauchee is hiding. I'd bet he's already put his best tongue forward. It's what's up front that counts...usually.

    Welcome to ALL the newbies!

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  154. Ah me, I wonder what tomorrow will bring? (Besides another one of those dratted "quip" puzzles!!

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  155. G'nite y'all. Speaking nautically, maybe tomorrow's c/w will "knock the chop off the waves".

    Re: Harleys -

    Easy Rider


    'nuff said

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  156. @all

    I forgot to mention to watch for the Paul Bunyan statue in the video... still standing on Interstate Avenue in N. Portland.

    g'nite

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