google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday August 26, 2008 Alan P. Olschwang

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Aug 26, 2008

Tuesday August 26, 2008 Alan P. Olschwang

Theme: VICTORY (40A: Sign found in 18A, 24A, 50A and 61A)

19A: "Guitar Town" singer: STEVE EARLE

24A: Carry out: GIVE EFFECT TO

50A: Certain lineman: DEFENSIVE END

61A: Renewable power source: WAVE ENERGY

This puzzle brought to my mind Churchill's VICTORY quote: "Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival."

It's an OK puzzle, not very exciting but much better than a lazy Quip. I liked the position of VICTORY in the grid. Lots of 4-letter words. I suppose it's mainly due to the length of the theme answers.

Other **VEE** words I've got are: VEEP, LEVEE, VEER, HUMVEE, the French word ELEVEE and the song "I Only Have Eyes for You". What other words can you think of?

Across:

5A: Woven net: MESH. Mariah Carey looks gorgeous in this MESH tank top.

16A: Nora's pooch: ASTA. From "The Thin Man".

22A: Colorful mount: ROAN. We need to have a discussion today about what exactly colors a ROAN horse exhibits.

28A: MacDonald's refrain: EIEIO. Inaccurate. It should be "Old MacDonald" refrain.

33A: Dweeb: NERD. Remember TWIRP/TWERP the other day?

35A: Wear away: FRAY. What's the difference between "Become raveled" and "Become unraveled"?

43A: Astronomer Tycho: BRAHE. I got his name from down fills. Yipes, look at his mustache.

59A: "Painting" painter: MIRO. I don't like this clue at all. "Painting" is not that well-known. This is his "Dog Barking at the Moon".

60A: Follow logically: ENSUE. Hmm, looks like our editor lacked the courage to clue ENSUE as "Come next" again. Martin sure had fun last time. Here is Beatles' "Come Together", for you.

70A: Mountain lake: TARN. I can never remember this word. WP says TARN is "derived from Old Norse word tjörn, meaning pond". This is TARN Hows in England.

Down:

1D: Scrawny one: SCRAG. Know SCRAGGY. Have heard of SCRAG.

2D: Maiden in Koranic paradise: HOURI. Their "virginity is renewable at pleasure", what a dream! It's so hard for me to picture HOURI & PERI (Persian fallen angels) as the same level as other beautiful creatures like Venus, Aphrodite, Apollo & Adonis.

3D: Bogey: ONE OVER PAR. I wonder why Humphrey Bogart was called "Bogey/Bogie". Did he play lots of golf?

4D: Famous meteor shower member: PERSEID. New to me. Have barely heard of constellation Perseus. PERSEID is defined as " one of a shower of meteors that appears to originate in the vicinity of the constellation Perseus during the second week of August."

7D: Cubic meter: STERE. I only learned this morning that STERE is from Greek "stereós" meaning solid.

8D: Total confusion: HAVOC

9D: Distinct personality: IDENTITY. Are they really synonymous? I thought of INDIVIDUALITY for "Distinct personality".

12D: Place for cargo: HOLD. CARGO was clued as "Hold contents" yesterday.

25D: Stereotypical poodle: FIFI. How come it's never clued as the annual FiFi Award?

30D: Magical command: OPEN SESAME

33D: Mount of Moses: NEBO. This is where Moses died I suppose. And 2 more Biblical mounts: SINAI ("Ten Commandments") & ARARAT (Noah's Ark).

40D: Impassioned: VEHEMENT

46D: Lettering aid: STENCIL

49D: "___ Got You Under My Skin": I'VE. Not a familiar song to me. I just heard it and I liked it. Beautiful song. Frank Sinatra had such an colorful life, so involved in American politics, JFK & Reagan adm. in particular.

51D: Half a tenner: FIN. Or "Half a sawbuck".

53D: Water wheel: NORIA. Unknown to me. It's "a device consisting of a series of buckets on a wheel, used in Spain and the Orient for raising water". See this picture.

54D: Techno-rock artist Gary: NUMAN. Pieced his name together from the across fills. Katherine, do you know this Gary?

63D: Long-snouted fish: GAR. Huge GAR. Is it edible?

64D: Over there, briefly: YON. I don't understand this Robert Burns' "O Were My Love YON Lilac Fair. But it looks beautiful, with "purple blossom" and "red rose". What does "I'd feast on beauty a' the night" mean?

C.C.

105 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, c.c. and gang - not a lot to talk about with this one; got through it uninterrupted by trips to the G-spot.

c.c., thanks for the "Come Together" link -- definitely words to live by, especially on Women's Equality Day.

Hope it's an outstanding day for everyone.

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

Dennis,
What G-spot? Where? I presume it's not related to Larry Page?

melissa bee said...

good morning c.c. and all,

a few unknowns today: brahe, noria, houri, perseid, miro, gar, numan. smiled to see came (again) under ensue. not to mention arose, erect and hold .. all rather victorious.

Dennis said...

No, just a new name for Mr. G.

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

Melissa,
What's so special about HOLD?

melissa bee said...

@c.c.: i guess it depends on what you're holding.

Der Katze said...

Good Morning CC,Dennis and all. Another kind of bogey:
777Triple bogey
When multiple wheels of an aircraft are placed on the same gear unit, they are attached together on a structural device called a bogey.

Dennis said...

c.c., you're right - forgot who Larry Page is.

lois said...

Good morning CC & DF's: Certainly not as fun as yesterday. Had trouble w/names Nebo, Brahe, Miro (altho' we've had this before...thank you for the links, CC...they're all wonderful...love the poem). Laughed at the crossing of 'identity' and I-da-ho'. That plus 'arose', 'erect', 'hold'
'victory' 'came' 'fray' 'eat'and
'irons' gave a whole new meaning to 'defensive end'. Sign me up!

Enjoy this happy day.
'Ciao'

KittyB said...

Good morning, C.C. and all.

I managed to finish this puzzle thanks to the fills. I didn't know STERE, NEBO, STEVE EARLE, NORIA or NUMAN. I've never heard anyone say GIVE EFFECT TO, and that held me up for a while.

I assume that Bogart was called Bogie as an affectionate shortening of his name. Finding a nickname in 'Humphrey Bogart' isn't easy. He probably didn't want to be called HUMP....although the Sirens would have enjoyed it.

And SCRAG....I've never heard anyone called a scrag.

We talked about ROAN sometime in the past couple of months. I thought it meant a deep reddish bronze, but that's a secondary definition. It's used to describe a sorrel, chestnut or bay horse sprinkled with white or gray.

Sun's up. Time to get crackin'!
Have a good Tuesday, all.

Katherine said...

Good morning everyone. I also did not know the same ones Melissab did not know, but got most of the rest of the puzzle.
Thanks for the links CC.
Have a great day everyone.....

Dick said...

Good morning Cc etal. Very doable puzzle today. Had to get help from the perps to get "Houri", "Miro" and "Brahe". The remainder was pretty smooth sailing.

I saw lots of suggestive words for the sirens in today's puzzle and I am sure they will not pass up the opportunity to expand on them. I can't wait!

Another great day here inn the Burg so it is off to the first tee. I will check in later for my afternoon laughs. Have a great day everyone.

Dick said...

Dennis does G-spot really refer to Mr. G???

Bill said...

Did fairly well today. Some unknowns: HOURI, NEBO, NORIA, NUMAN,BRAHE; and some I just plain did not remember till they revealed them selves with adjacent fills: STERE, PERSIED, TARN.
1d clue: SCrawny..SCrag? And, what is WAVE ENERGY? Never heard of it, I don't think.
CYA Later....

Dennis said...

dick, yes. (Lois' favorite line)

I just thought referring to Google visits as 'trips to the g-spot' was somehow appropriate for this group.

Dr. Dad said...

Good morning C.C. & DF's.
Not too bad this morning. Perps got the ones I didn't know.
I see Dennis is going to get the sirens going this morning talking about G-spots. Melissa bee then expounds on that with her keen observations of other words in the puzzle.
Yes, I remember it was twirp for dweeb the other day. Nerd is a better answer.
Yesterday C.C. said Holy Cow when looking up boner. Today she looks at Brahe's moustache and says "Yipes!"
Another good meteor shower is the Leonids. The Perseids were active from July 17 to August 24, 2008. On August 13th, the observed ZHRmax was 116. The Leonids were visible in April, 2008.
Gar flesh is edible, and sometimes available in markets, but unlike the sturgeon that they resemble, their eggs (roe) are poisonous.

Today is Women's Equality Day (aka Susan B. Anthony Day) and National Dog Day (the animal, not the sausage).

Have a great Tuesday!

Barry G. said...

Morning, folks!

Fairly straightforward puzzle for me today. My only unknowns were STEVE EARL, NUMAN and NORIA. The latter would have caused me some serious grief, except that I was able to dredge MIRO out from the deep, dark crevices.

My only misstep was putting COULD instead of FORCE for 26D, but that got resolved soon enough via the perps.

Oh -- and I used to be an avid astronomy buff years ago, so I knew all about Tycho Brahe and the Perseid meteor showers.

And C. C. -- I've never actually heard anybody say "become raveled" before, but ravel and unraveled are, in fact, synonyms. Go figure. Sort of like how iterated and reiterate both mean "say again". English is a weird and wacky language, that's for sure!

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

Katherine,
What's your answer to my 54D question?

Dr. Dad,
BRAHE's mustache reminds me of Crockett's Mustache _ _ _ _ (Astronaut Sally), so YIPES.

Bill,
Good point on SCRAG clue. Give me your clue then.

Barry,
"Ravel and unraveled", "iterated and reiterate", why did you use different tense?

Anonymous said...

c.c., Very dull puzzle today, so thank you for the clips. Will someone please tell me the words to the Beatles "Come Together"? Yes, I'm the older generation. My daughter was one of the screamers when the Beatles arrived in the States.

Barry G. said...

Barry,
"Ravel and unraveled", "iterated and reiterate", why did you use different tense?


Because my morning infusion of caffeine hadn't fully kicked in yet.

Dr. Dad said...

southern belle:

Come Together Lyrics
Scroll down on the site to see the lyrics.

Argyle said...

Good Morning, c.c. and all others that this way come.

But then again, if my Love were yon red rose
that grows upon the castle wall
and I, myself, a drop of dew
that fell into her petals
O there, speechless
I would feast on her beauty all night
stuck to her silk-soft folds to rest
until driven away by the sun.

Anyone else care to try an interpetation?

Dr. Dad said...

Argyle - I, for one, would like to be the drop of dew falling onto a bonnie breast.

Anonymous said...

drdad:
Thanks for the website lyrics. Now I need an interpreter! Still doesn't make sense.....or is it supposed to make sense?

flyingears said...

Got stuck with 25D as "FIDO". "DRAY" or "VOCTORY"; those made-up words made no sense at all....

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

Thomas, Barry, Clear Ayes,
What is Daddy Starbucks? What's the difference between "featherage" & "plumage"? And "D'oh" & "D'uh"?

Doesitinink,
Dictionary shows that SECRETE only has one pronunciation.

Ken,
"Aha, those helicopters kept me awake all night." I don't get this joke.

Der katze,
Hope some constructors will pick up your new BOGEY clue.

Dons-mind,
Does "Tuffy" mean "tough"?

Anonymous said...

Nebo did not make sense to me. So I found that it's on top of or next to Mt. Pisgah from which Moses sighted the Promised Land. I kept thinking Sinai or Zion, which obviously wouldn't do. (Dictionary)

My mother, a knitter, commented often that it was strange that ravel and unravel mean the same. Got some interesting word info from ClearAyes yesterday.
I just changed my password, and am still not accepted. Sigh.

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

Cokato,
What's so special about "Akin"?

Mariposa,
Welcome!

JVJ24601,
Please come back! Don't be offended by my response to your email attachment last Thursday. I have to be very careful about emails since I receive a lot a lot every day.

Xchefwalt,
I liked your "State of Mind" take on "In the Weeds" and "Dogs smell fear". But what is an "Extern student"?

Argyle,
Nice "Bubbling Over". Great "The Privileged" clue. And your "a drop of dew
that fell into her petals" melted my heart!

Lois,
Can you give me your DF understanding of the Burns' poem?

MH said...

I couldn't get SCRAG or HOURI and hence couldn't figure out the first word of GIVE EFFECT TO. Also didn't know either NEBO or BRAHE. Otherwise it was an OK puzzle. For a Tuesday.

DoesItinInk said...

cc: "Dictionary shows that SECRETE only has one pronunciation."

The Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary has two entries for the word "secrete", both transitive verbs. The first entry is for the definition of "to give off" and shows the pronunciation with the stress on the second syllable. The second entry is for the definition of "to hide" and shows two pronunciations, the first with the second syllable accented and the alternate with the first syllable accented. So both are acceptable. However I prefer to use the second pronunciation when used in the sense "to hide" to avoid confusion on the part of the listener.

Jeannie said...

C.C. there is an old saying here in MN as you head up north. You have to get to "Aikin" before you get to "Remer". If you have never been up that way, it is worth the trip. Especially in the fall when the leaves are turning.

DoesItinInk said...

When I initially could not get any answers in the upper left corner, I though today’s puzzle would be a real toughie. And though it did throw me a few curves, I managed to fill in everything without help, missing only the final N in TARN. DarN, I should have known that! But I too was lacking adequate caffeine in my system.

I was pleased to mange to pull HOURI out of the recesses of my mind…how do we remember such esoteric things but cannot recall what we did last night? I too was unfamiliar with the phrases GIVE EFFECT TO and WAVE ENERGY and had never heard of Tyco BRAHE. I knew MIRO but do not particularly like his paintings.

What does “AST” stand for?

Barry G. said...

Thomas, Barry, Clear Ayes,
What is Daddy Starbucks? What's the difference between "featherage" & "plumage"? And "D'oh" & "D'uh"?


I'm not sure about "Daddy Starbucks," except that maybe it's a humorous name of the coffee shop making reference to the old "Daddy Warbucks" character from the "Little Orphan Annie" comic/Broadway musical.

I've never heard the word "featherage" before.

As for "D'oh" & "D'uh"...

There is no such word as "D'uh". "Duh" (no apostrophe) is an exclamation used to indicate that somebody else is an idiot. "D'oh" is an exclamation (popularized by Homer Simpson) to indicate that you yourself are an idiot.

Barry G. said...

AST = Atlantic Standard Time. I had to think about that one as well.

Dr. Dad said...

cokato -a Remer would certainly have me Aikin.

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

Barry,
D'oh, "I am an idiot"! I had no idea that "Duh" means "someone else is an idiot". You are so good at explaining things.

Thomas,
You MUST answer my questions on Daddy Starbucks & the difference between "featherage" & "plumage".

Dr. Dad,
Why? I still don't get the Akin/Aikin & Reamer/Remer connection.

Jeannie said...

Where is clearayes when you need her. I will try to channel her...

you have to get to achin'(Aikin) before you get to ream 'er (Remer).

You have to pass through Aikin before you get to Remer.

mariposa said...

Good morning every one. Thanks for the warm welcomes. I had the same trouble as every one else this morning but finally managed to get it all together.


Southern belle
I don't get to see the Gulf Fritillary around here, I just like the colors in the picture.

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

Lois,
Why does SPRIG "sometimes fits into this 'righteous' category"? What does "'sobs' with their 'cargo'when 'at rest' mean? What were you trying to say with "cargo"?

Carol,
"Dennis, puts a whole new meaning on "going to the can" doesn't it?" What does it mean?

Cokato,
Thanks. I was dull in understanding the Achin'/Akin connection.

Dennis said...

c.c., 'duh' is also commonly used in a self-deprecating manner, not necessarily aloud.

DoesItinInk said...

cc: "Going to the can" means going to the toilet in the vernacular.

carol said...

Hi C.C. and everyone!

C.C. Doesitinink answered your "going to the can" question for me.

Argyle, beautiful interpretation!

Dennis, I would have thought you would be more than happy visiting the g-spot as many times as you could!!

The NW corner had me confused for quite awhile because I have never heard of a "scrag" or the expression: give effect to.
Did not know who Steve Earle was/is,or 33D and 43A.

(who is Larry Page?)

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

Dennis & Doesitinink,
Thank you for Duh, SECRETE and Can.

Melissa & Barb B & Argyle,
Who is the guy in "I Want to Be Seduced"?

Carol,
Larry Page & Sergey Brin founded Dennis' G-spot.

Unknown said...

Gary Numan sang a song called "Cars". Decent techno early 80's one hit wonder song

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

Dennis,
No DF comment on Argyle' "a drop of DEW"? In Chinese culture, PEONY opens when DEW falls.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, It looks like I just dodged a bullet with the Akin and Reamer reference. Good girl, Cokato, you explained it very well.

Today's puzzle had a few little hitches, but nothing that wasn't solved by the surrounds. I noticed we had FRAY, which is another multiple meaning heteronym.

I wasn't fond of GIVE EFFECT TO. It certainly isn't a phrase I would use to mean, "Carry out".

About ROAN; we did discuss it a few weeks ago. Definition is "Horses with the classic or true roan pattern may be any base color which is intermingled with unpigmented white hairs on the body." Here's a blue roan Blue Roan. I hadn't thought about it before but there are ROAN dogs too Australian Cattle Dog. Happy Dog Day!

Very nice interpretation, Argyle. I hope Bobbie Burns got lucky after writing such a romantic poem.

Kittyb, I googled "Horse Hockey" last night. How right you were. Colonel Potter of TV's M*A*S*H said it often.

Dennis said...

c.c., nope - can't improve on perfection.

Argyle said...

Gerard Butler is a Scottish actor perhaps best known for his portrayal of King Leonidas in the film, 300, The Phantom in the 2004 film version of The Phantom of the Opera.

I wonder if he can recite Burns.

steve said...

Good morning CC and all.

I only got about 90% of this puzzle and I never figured out he theme (VEE)even though I did manage some of the theme clues.

trouble with HOURI, PERSEID, GIVE EFFECT TO, NEBO, BRAHE, ALT, MIRO AND NONIA.

Another clue for bogey; Unidentified target in the air-to-air (dog fight) arena

DoesItinInk said...

Clear Ayes: The coloration of the Australian Cattle dog you showed is generally referred to as "Blue Merle". Australian Shepherds also have two common merle coat colorations: Blue Merle (black base) and Red Merle (reddish-brown base). My Australian Shepherd, who had to be put down in the Spring, was a tri-color.

Mr. Ed said...

G'morning C.C. & all

I had a little trouble with this one but overall, it was workable with some thought process. I still don't get the ties of 18A, 24A,
50A and 61A to 40A's victory. Oh! With Steve's post @11:07, my "duh" light just came on. Thank you! I never would have gotten it.

Steve Earle is a guitarist with an album(CD) titled "Guitar Town". I only know that because Sugarland's new CD has a track named "Steve Earle" so I had to look it up earlier. Apparently he's also a song writer and guitarist but I'm not familiar with his work. I thought 38A was a week clue. Never heard of a scrawny person
(1D) referred to as a scrag. I know of a couple of other derogatory definitions for the word but I'm not sure they're still politically correct to use.
So, the plus side is that with
46A, we now know what an elitist is. But I do go on... and on...


67A to ya!

Dennis said...

carol, any visit to the G-spot is a productive one, right?

Argyle said...

Another bogey
English slang for booger. A quote from Ron Weasley, "Eww! Troll bogies"

Ken said...

Good morning, C.C., et al. I missed a few on this one, but came here for help. 24A still doesn't make any sense to me. 59A a mystery too. The rest worked themselves out. As for the color "roan", 22A, such a horse will have white hairs distributed through a base coat, often changing with the season. http://www.mustangs4us.com/Horse%20Colors/roan.htm has pix of several.

xchefwalt said...

Good day c.c., DF’s and all.

I must be honest, this puzzle did not thrill me. I thought the theme was weak (maybe ‘v’ for victory would have been better) and the theme clues were not much better (see 24a and 61a). I did manage to fight through it, it gave me a black eye, but I knocked out its teeth and broke its jaw, so I win.

“Come Together” is a great Beatles song from my favorite (and I think best) album “Abby Road”. It is a nonsense song that came from a failed political campaign (Tim Leary ran for Governor of California, I think). Here is my favorite song off that album, for you.

Beatles Song

@c.c.- when I was a chef, I would often have culinary students (from colleges like CIA, Johnson & Wales, Paul Smith’s, etc.) come work for me to earn credits toward graduation. They were ‘extern’ students because they got paid (an ‘intern’ does not). This was my favorite part of my job, passing my knowledge and experience on to other professionals. One of my few life regrets is not having attended college; had I done so, I might very well be a culinary arts teacher now instead of a salesman.

@dennis- did you really chicken out on g-spot? Is it really you out there or is it your good twin brother posting for you?

Ken said...

C.C. The person who asked "Does the crew sleep on board?" wasn't thinking very well. (The crew does sleep on board!) The answer "The crew is taken off by helicopters" was meant to tease or "Pull her leg." (Do you know the expression "Pull one's leg?" Hence the paasenger's complaint that the helicopters kept him or her awake all night was stupidly wrong. I can't imagine the cost of taking 550 people off a cruise ship every night.

JD said...

Good morning C.C. and all
Was gone for awhile and although I could get my morning coffee, it wasn't the same without my puzzle, and your dialogue. Today is the first day of school and it feels so strange not to be there.

As with many of you, that NW corner had me stymied.All I had was 1 over par, not familiar with scrag, houri,perseid. Loved the clue for EIEIO.Mt Nebo was not in my vocab, nor stere or tarn.Being a bit rusty I misspelled ere (eer) and so acorn and tenet were my last 2 entries.There was a program on the other night about the inventor of the waterwheel (noria) and how the gears worked to keep it from going backwards.
People do eat gars, but they are bottom feeders and not a top choice.My husband says it would be like choosing to eat a possum. YUK!

Dennis said...

walt - can't imagine ever chickening out on a g-spot opportunity; what'd I miss?

Anonymous said...

Uff da (spelled correctly this time), had the same unknowns as most of you all. CC, thanks for bringing Gerard Butler back today. Wonder if he knows where the G-spot is? Uff da again!

JD said...

C.C.: I forgot to tell you how much I enjoy all of your links, esp the Beatles song today.

KittyB: Is that a new quilt?? It is SPECTACULAR! WOW!

64D The first thing that came to mind with that clue was the Romeo and Juliet piece that we all had to memorize in school:
"But soft, What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon who is already sick and pale with grief."

Clear Ayes said...

Hmmm, SNOB, today was “Elitist” and on Monday “privileged few” was ELITE. I guess it is all in the way you look at it.

One of the (many) things I love about this site is that it gets me interested about topics I hadn't thought of before. I Googled "Come Together" and came up with this Come Together, a rather long winded (Long and Winding Road?) analysis of the lyrics for anyone who has the time and inclination.

National Dog Day Charley Here's a photo of our gentleman Schipperke, Charley. He was a rescue dog, sent to us from Florida by my sister and brother-in-law about 7 years ago. A day without a dog is a day without sunshine.

Anonymous said...

mark - buenos Aires

First the important stuff - my recipe for sweet and sour sauce has corn starch, is this the same as cornflour? Thanks for helping me translate cups of butter into weights last week.

In UK we have scrag end of beef or lamb ie the fatty bits.

what is "the raven"

and Im confused of Miro - is he a man, I thought of Joan Miro in Barcelona but maybe I´m completely off course - perhaps the right answer to the clue for the wrong reasons.

melissa bee said...

can't help myself when good music is involved. steve earle is a legend. his latest album 'washington square serenade' is great. city of immigrants is fantastic, so is 'sparkle and shine,' and also a good cover of 'way down in the hole.'

DoesItinInk said...

Mark - bueno aires: It is Joan Miro, who is a male. In English Joan is a female name. Perhaps it is different in Spain?

Even in the United States names can be misleading. I work with a man named Stacey, a name I associate with a female.

Mr. Ed said...

Sorry... to waste a number but this relates to

Steve Earle

After hearing this last month I just had to find out more about him. Anyway, it's cute and relevant... in a way.

melissa bee said...

oh and hey .. also from that same album, washington square serenade (which is all about new york) is a song called 'down here below,' in which he references 'pale male.' pale male is a red tailed hawk who made his home in central park. there's a great documentary about it shown now and then on pbs.

Jeannie said...

melissabee, down here below, pale male....I'm glad you went into further explanation...

Barb B said...

I fell in love with Gerard Butler when I saw him in P.S. I Love You last Christmas.

Total chick flick. Very Romantic.

He also co-starred With Jodie Foster in Nim's Island.

Leon Redbone has been a fave since the 80's

Clear Ayes said...

Coincidentally, G.A.H. and I were talking this morning about names that aren't gender specific. He was reading the newspaper sports section and mentioned boxer Joan Guzman's rather unusual name. I said John Wayne's real name was Marion Morrison. There are lots more, particularly nowadays with names such as Parker, Shane, Leslie and Hunter...on and on.

Our grandson's name is Lindsey (daughter was a big Fleetwood Mac fan). I think the feminine version is usually Lindsay. Our Lindsey decided, at about 10 years old, that he preferred to be called by his middle name. I still call him "Lindsey" when I want to get his attention.

How do we know if celebrity baby names are gender specific? There's Apple, Pilot Inspektor, Dusty Rainn and Moxie Crimefighter. (Yes, they are real names.) Bob Geldof left no doubt when he and his wife named their 3 daughters, Fifi-Trixiebelle, Peaches and Pixie.

Melissabee, the Pale Male documentary was terrific!

Buckeye....where have you been. We miss you!

Wednesday is trash day around here, so I'd better GIVE EFFECT TO the garbage.

melissa bee said...

@barb b: THAT's gerard butler??? ohhhhhhhh! i saw that movie with YOU and am still recovering from it!!

@cokato: welcome .. it's a very moving story. the pbs documentary is based on a book 'red tails in love, by marie winn. i was already smitten by the story when i heard earle's song ... lovely.

Jeannie said...

I'll have to catch the documentary or at least read the book. Just listened to the tune. Pretty.

carol said...

Cokato: Good catch on the pale male, my thoughts too.

Barb: Leon Redbone is one of my favs too.

Clear Ayes: don't forget Zappa's kids: Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan and last but not least, Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen. What a loving father!!!

Barb B said...

We may have discovered a new Christmas ritual.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the other Irish singer in the movie isn't hard to look at, either.

Barb B said...

Carol -

A family here in Veneta named their kids Avion, Zafa, and Gravity. There is another sister, but she has a perfectly common name, so I can't remember it. They are stunning teens - in appearance and behavior. Lov'em

Kittyb - is the quilt a New York Beauty? Way beyond my skills. Can't get the hand of paper piecing.

Dr. Dad said...

Mark Buenos Aires - The Raven is a poem by Edgar Allen Poe (EAP).

Jeannie said...

There was a judge in New Zealand that made a child a ward of the state to legally change her name from "Talula does the hula from Hawaii". Others that were allowed to remain the same were "Midnight Chardonnay" and "Number 16 bus shelter". Perhaps the couple consumed the chardonnay at midnight and conceived in the Number 16 bus shelter?

Dennis said...

barb b, I'll second or third that on Leon Redbone; always loved "Melancholy Baby".

Also, I hope Gravity isn't female; that could fall under self-fulfilling prophecy in later years.

Dennis said...

clear ayes, your statement about dogs is on the money. We lost our second Akita some time ago, and I miss having a dog terribly. That particular breed can be a handful, so we've had several 'discussions' about the merits of getting another one. Soon, I hope.
And doesitinink, I can empathize -- I've suffered the loss of friends that didn't devastate me as much as putting our dog down.

Jeannie said...

You know Dennis, gravity works on all sexes, and what I am picturin' sure isn't pretty. Not too morel.

Dennis said...

lol, cokato, point well taken. Touche.

KittyB said...

C. C., that's Gerard Butler in the "I Want to be Seduced" video at You Tube. Leon Redbone was the singer. Thanks for a GREAT LINK! To the DFs...isn't it amazing what he can do just with STILL SHOTS! I think I need to see him in motion. *G*

Sallie...it's just a thought, but have you considered that you may be making an error on using caps, or no capitals when you type your identity or password?

Thanks, Clear Ayes, for doing the fingerwork. I thought that was what Col. Potter said when irritated.

jd, I've missed something. Have you just retired from teaching? You said, "Today is the first day of school and it feels so strange not to be there."

Mark, B.A. "The Raven," is a poem by Edgar Allen Poe. Is that what you were asking about?

Clear Ayes...Frances and Francis. My Dad's name was Lynn, and his first grandchild, a girl, was named for him.

Barb B, Yes, it's a variation on New York Beauty. It's an unfinished wallhanging that's only 2' x 3' I hope to add some beading, layer it, and quilt it this winter. I love the color play, with the gray values and the range of yellow to red spokes. Thanks for asking!

Dennis said...

kittyb, I'm curious - how long does something like that take?

Buckeye said...

Hiddy Ho, c.c. and fellow d.fs. I ditto melissabee's (49d) problems with this x/w. Finally got all thru the perps in my usual speedy time of 45 minutes. N.W. corner gave me fits initially (1, 2, and 4d), but finally had a "doh" moment and moved on. I knew Miro, which helped with Vehement. (I'm not a Miro fan. Too cartoonish).

Kittyb, great new quilt.

Yesterday ya'all talked about burgoo and the horse Burgoo King. After his passing, they used him to start a fast food chain named after him. You probably have a Burgoo King in your town - the home of the "Whopner".

clear ayes; What a blessing you are. I love your explanations. You are brilliant. As for canasta; I learned to play it at an early age. Played two and three handed and partner canasta with four players. Took up bridge in college and have rarely played canasta since. I still love it but cannot find enough people who know the game. So, to you I say, "Hope you get all four red treys and all four black treys when the pot is frozen." You and I are probably the only two people on this blog that know what the hell I'm babbling about.

I was a little late posting today. I had to take care of some personal business after reading the Burnes' poem. Took things well in hand. Thanks, argyle.

I must be off.

Buckeye said...

The "Raven" by E. A. Poe.

"Once upon a midnight dreary, as I pondered weak and weary; what to my wondering eyes should appear? A little ol' sleigh and eight tiny ravens. When will you return, you ebony boor? Quoteth the raven, 'Nevermore'".

I think that's how it goes.

IMBO

steve said...

doseitinink,

I feel for your loss. I too lost my companion, clancy,about four years ago. He was the best dog I'd ever had, and when I was home he was never more than ten feet from me. Even when I went on the roof to clean gutters etc. he'd stay next to the bottom of the ladder.

after several months I realized I was talking to myself alot, and then realized I had always been talking to the dog, so I decided it was time to get another. Tucker, the Brettany Spaniel in the picture has totaly taken over where Clancy left off. He is also the best pointing dog I have ever known.
I wish you the best

KittyB said...

dennis, I can't give you a good answer. This particular piece was a study in color, and was paper pieced. I actually sewed the fabric to paper templates, and later had to tear the paper off. I don't often paper piece, so this took me longer than usual, but the difficulty of making the points come out correctly was what led me to choose the technique.

The red and tan quilt that I used for my icon was pieced in less than three weeks, and machine quilted by others. That quilt was done in a couple of months.

I had a friend who started a quilt each New Years Day, and it took her 9 months to piece or appliqué the top, and hand quilt it. She frequently said that it was similar to giving birth. *S*

Each quilt is unique, and piecing a simple old pattern with just a handful of fabrics will go faster than a quilt with a more complex design and more fabric choices. I guess the best answer I can give is that it takes what it takes.

Barb B....I understand how you feel about paper piecing. There's nothing more frustrating than getting something sewn in place and then finding that you don't have enough fabric to cover the seams.

Hey, Buckeye, thanks! I played canasta in college when I was supposed to be studying for finals, but I've never found a group to join. I was thinking I'd like to get back to it, until I read your post! lol I'm glad to hear that you've taken things in hand, and have them all straightened out. Remember....YOU have to explain what you've written.... (eight tiny ravens! Snort!)

KittyB said...

I have a dog story, too. When we were building our house, my sister rescued a dog from a litter that had been abandoned, and said, "YOU NEED A DOG!" We hadn't even finished the house...were living in apartments...but she said she would keep the dog for us.

We brought him home, all the way from central Indiana, and my mother named him "D-fer" (D fer dog). He was half German shepherd, half beagle....the oddest mix. I've always wondered about...nevermind.

At any rate, I thought I was the cat person in the house, and my husband the dog person, but Defer grew on me. We shared the walking duties, but Dear Husband did a bit more of it than I did.

At 13, Defer had a stroke. He was still with us, but needed lots of loving, and once every two hours during the day, we would go for a "quickie." That dog snuck into my heart, and left a hole when he passed away that is still there.

We've talked about getting another dog, but Dear Husband says that I would have to do the lion's share of the dog walking. It would be good for me, and the dog and I would bond, but I have more pressing issues at the moment. We'll see. It's tough to think about replacing a pet you've loved. I commiserate with those of you who've loved and lost.

xchefwalt said...

@dennis 11:38- sorry, my bad. I just thought that c.c.’ question at 5:56 was an underhanded beach ball to knock out of the park. I don’t know who Larry Page is, and in further reading, the subject was covered very nicely. Mea culpa.

BTW- speaking of Page- did anyone catch Jimmy Page Sunday? I hope I look that good when I hit my 60’s. The lip syncing was horrible. But “Whole Lotta Love” is a classic, even when sung by an unknown (at least to me).

embien said...

10:02 today I didn't know NORIA or NEBO, but otherwise everything was OK.

STEVE EARLE and Gary NUMAN were gimme's for me. I well remember "Cars" (an MTV staple back when they used to play actual music videos).

@buckeye: My wife and I play canasta from time to time (not too many play it nowadays). I still remember my parents hosting canasta parties back in the fifties (it was all the rage back then).

We mainly play Mexican Train now when we get together with friends--highly addicting game.

melissa bee said...

my mom taught me to play canasta, but i haven't played it in years.

@clear ayes: you have a rescue dog? very cool. i was lucky enough to be a subject in some SAR training with search dogs .. i absolutely fell in love with those dogs.

after that i decided it would be good to train a dog to find my car keys and remote control. my cat seems uninterested.

carol said...

Yes Dennis, even men are subject to gravity! Sometime in the future you might have to be careful when putting on high top boots..:) Kinda goes with that old song: "Do your ears hang low, do they wobble to and fro" You get the idea:)

Buckeye and Barb b: I guess I am a bit dense today, why are 8 tiny ravens causing a "snort" from you Barb?

Clear Ayes said...

Kittyb, Your story about Defer was very touching. National Dog Day is a good time to reminisce about our canine friends. Thanks to Drdad for letting us know about it.

Steve, Tucker is obviously right where he (and you) needs to be.

It's funny that as G.A.H. and I have aged, our dogs have become progressively smaller. When I met him, he had a large Malamute mix. Later, we downsized to Dalmatians. We foolishly thought they wouldn't shed very much. Shedding didn't matter, because we fell in love with the breed and wound up with 2 of them and eventually showing the male. We stopped AKC dogs after the Dals, and now only go with shelter dogs. With Charley, we are on our second Schipperke. Who knows if the future will bring a Chihuahua or two?

Melissabee, sorry, I left off the "d" from rescue(d). Charley fell off a boat in Florida and was found exhausted, paddling around the marina. After dealing with his less than caring former owners, he was shipped to us for safekeeping.

Buckeye, thank you for the nice comments. I'm hardly brilliant, but I do enjoy learning new things, making new friends AND writing and talking about them. Liked your version of The Raven better than E.A.P.'s. His was just so darn gloomy!

I'm not surprised to see so many Canasta players here. I think a lot of us are just the age to have learned the game from our parents or grandparents.

Buckeye said...

Carol; My poem was a juxtaposition (sp) of two poems. The first is from "The Raven" by Poe and the second part from "The Night Before Christmas". That part is really written "a little ol' sleigh and eight tiny reindeer." I put in "Ravens" to keep in tune with the Poe poem. Sheer folly and stupidity, qualities of which I am famous world wide.

IMBO

carol said...

Buckeye, thanks for that explanation..I got the 2 poems part but the ravens "flew over my head"..I thought I had missed out on a "D.F." moment, you know how I am!

KittyB said...

carol....I was the snorter. *G* I was thinking about Buckeye having to explain the poem. There wasn't anything Siren-oriented to the comment, or the poem...it was more dysfunctional, but he explained it beautifully.

Razz said...

CC - Another bogey: Unknown aircraft usually considered hostile.

Barb B said...

Dennis,
Yes, Gravity is a boy. Now that it has been pointed out to us how gravity affects everyone, I guess it's not that important. Zafa and Avion, for the record, are girls. Or young women. I just checked, and the other sister's name is Mesa. Not so common after all.

I like everything Redbone did, but I think the Prairie Lulaby is very sweet.

The only thing better than a dog is two dogs. I have doodles. One multi gen labradoodle from Australia, and one golden doodle from a pet shop; which makes her definitely a rescue(d) dog.I haven't trained them to do anything other than be good companions, and they are very good at that.

Buckeye said...

Everybody was showing baby pics a while back, so here's mine. My sister was 12 years my senior so I was NOT planned. This photo was taken 3 weeks after they removed the coat hanger from my ear.

IMBO

JD said...

kittyb: Yes, I just retired in June; loved every day of those 43 years.My 1st grandson was born last August, so I knew it was time to retire.

I also had a 13 yr old dog,Jackson, who had a stroke last June.He was a sweet Golden Ret. Having to have him put to sleep was one of the hardest things we ever had to do.

Hey guys, I also learned to play Canasta in the 50's with my family.Guess Poker parties are more of the in thing today.Back then when one of us was not playing, we were ironing. Come to think of it, I never saw my dad iron.

Dennis said...

Pumpkin time; have a great night, everyone.

Crockett1947 said...

Hello all. 98 comments already (7:47 p.m. blog time). This should be interesting reading.

New words today were STEVE EARLE, BRAHE, MIRO, NORIA, NUMAN, but they were all obtainable through the perps.

@buckeye Maybe canasta is an Ohio based game. I know exactly what you're talking about. Played it as a kid for many summers. I like you Raven version better that EAP's.

OK, 101 now (8:19 blog time). Everyone have a nice night.

g8rmomx2 said...

Hi to all,

Guess I am "100" today! Never heard of Steve Earle, but got it from the fills. "Give effect to" through me for a loop and so did "Fifi" for a while, I had mini. Googled "might", it was a "duh" moment and so finally got Carry Out.

I got my dog from a "puppy farm" which was supposed to be a Shitzu, but then grew pony legs. We now think it is half jack russell. She is 9 years old and she thinks she is a puppy. She either has to be playing or curled up next to you. We also have had dogs that we had to put to sleep in the past and it is a horrible thing to go through! Doesitinink: So sorry for your loss

Kittyb: Beautiful quilt

Anonymous said...

Clear Eyes: I love the pic of your Schipperke. I had one for 11 years before I had to have her put down.I cried more over that than I did when my first husband died! My Schip's name was Fledermaus: I thought she looked like a bat, I am an opera enthusiast, and my brother brought her to me on Halloween. Wonderful dog. Have you watched "Greatest American Dog"? I missed when a Schip was on, but he lasted only a week. I'm not surprised because I never was able to train Fledermaus to do anything

lois said...

CC: At the risk of breaking the 100 rule, I'll answer your questions of today on today's blog. I hope that is ok with you.

Sprig is a small limb. cargo is the man's 'package'. A man who is righteous is well endowed but 'at rest', it's not so apparent.

I think Argyle's interpretation of Burns' poem was beautiful. Talk like that to me in Hawaii will get him lei'd in a heartbeat.

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

Lois,
No rule was broken. Your answers were crossword related.