google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday August 13, 2008 Robert H. Wolfe

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Aug 13, 2008

Wednesday August 13, 2008 Robert H. Wolfe

Theme: Horsing Around? Neigh!

17A: City horse-to-be?: MARE (MAYOR) ELECT

62A: Equestrian leather work?: REIN (RAIN) MAKER

11D: Stable stall? MANE (MAIN) OFFICE

28D: Horse's blinder?: BRIDLE (BRIDAL) VEIL

This would have been a perfect Derby Day puzzle.

I was so enthralled by those homophonic puns, very interesting to solve. I wanted to merge 38A & 40A and somehow created **SADDLE**. I like puzzles with a run-through theme answer.

This constructor is very good at wordplay, and I think he loves animals, which are often found roaming around in his puzzles. I wonder when he is going to clue WOLF.

I am not fond of putting too many *SS words in one grid: ASS (44D: Pompous fool); USELESS (21A: Serving no purpose); HISS (47A: Spy Alger); ROSS (13D: Flag fabricator); SASS (31D: Lip). HARASS (47D: Really bother).

Quite A FEW (37A: Not many) new words/names to me, but they were all conquerable by the crossing fills.

Across:

5A: Firefighter's sprayer: HOSE. I like this outdoor sink with HOSE reel. It does not look too sturdy though.

9A: Truman's birthplace: LAMAR (MO)

16A: Balbo or Calvino: ITALO. I am tired of this clue. Why not clue it as "From Rome, prefix" to please all those ITALOphiles?

19A: Canonical hour: NONES. Here is a wonderful list Ken found last week:

Vigils: Night prayer
Matins: Sunrise prayer (note the spelling)
Lauds: Also at sunrise
Prime: first hour (6:00 am)
Terce: third hour (9:00 am)
Sext: 6th hour (12:00 noon)
None: 9th hour (3:00 pm )
Vespers: Sunset
Compline: (just before bed)

20A: Printing guide: STENCIL

25A: Ring above the collar?: HALO. Such a heavenly clue! I like it.

26A: Some roof ends: GABLES. What purpose do GABLES serve? Or are they just decorative features?

35A: Gold: AURUM. I only know its symbol is AU. Had no idea of its complete spelling. AG is for silver.

38A: Destroyer escort: FRIGATE. Foreign to me. I got it from the down fills.

40A: Sporting dog: SPANIEL. Spot looked so confused.

43A: Arab garments: ABAS. Yawner. Have some courage to rebel. "ABAS le roi"!

45A: Empirical philosopher: LOCKE (John). Know him only because of his "tabula rasa" idea, which was originally pioneered by Aristotle.

53A: Contrary: ADVERSE

64A: Filaments: HAIRS. Are you happy with this clue?

66: In __ veritas: VINO. So true, "There is truth in wine".

67A: "___ Shrugged": ATLAS. I've never read the book, probably as difficult as Sylvia Plath's "Ariel". I don't think I can understand.

69A: Novelist Shusaku: ENDO. Unknown to me. He wrote "The Samurai". Interesting way to clue ENDO, which is also the prefix for "Inner". See EXO (63D: Outer: pref). But I suppose the direct oppsite of ENDO is "ECTO".

Down:

1D: Money for mendicants: ALMS. "mendicant" is a new word to me.

2D: Perfectly: TO A T

5D: Greek sun god: HELIOS. Sol for the Romans.

6D: Nancy of "Access Hollywood": O'DELL. What's that red dot on her dress?

8D: Caesar's penultimate words: ET TU. BRUTE just appeared yesterday.

9D: Narrow and elongated: LINEAR

18D: Itchy skin woe: ECZEMA. I can never remember the spelling of this word.

26D: Faux pas: GAFFE. Isn't GAFFE a big "faux pas"?

27D: Of the ear: AURAL. Or OTIC.

29D: Racing sled: LUGE

39D: Follows: TAILS. Have to show you again this PREHENSIBLE TAIL Argyle found last week.

41D: Call to arms: ALARUM. Unknown to me also. It's the archaic spelling of ALARM. The clue should have "once" to indicate its old-fashionedness.

48D: Gordon ___, aka Sting: SUMNER. New to me again. I only knew Sting as Sting.

52D: Goldoni of "Shadows": LEILA. I've never seen "Shadows". Have never heard of her name either. (Addendum: The answer is wrong, should be LELIA)

C.C.

107 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and gang - C.C., I agree, interesting puzzle with a good theme.

Thought of the sirens with "firefighter's sprayer". Never heard of Endo Shusaku, or Nancy O'Dell. "Alarum" should have "once" as part of the clue. C.C., no idea what that red dot is on O'Dell's dress; it'd require closer inspection.

Have a great hump day.

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

Dennis,
So you would have got SUMNER (48D) without the perps? I want a MANESQUEEZE.

Dennis said...

C.C., yes, I'd heard his name some time ago, and it stuck for some reason. Consider yourself squoze.

Anonymous said...

CRAP. DAMN. HELL. RATS. S***. F***.

These were all words that came to mind when I read the clue "Dang!" for 54 down. The solution was DRAT.

I had to google PEEN, LAMAR, NONES (Latin, from nonus), ECZEMA, ABAS, LOCKE, HISS, ALARUM, AGHA and TETRA. I was not happy. For ASS (!!) I had OAF which meant for a while I had F??? for 51 across. It seems I was faced with the prospect of writing a bad word in either case.

The word HALO comes from the Greek word HELIOS (as does "helium"). In early Christian paintings, Christ was drawn with a sun behind his head. In later Christian paintings, it had been forgotten that the halo was representing the light from the sun so you'll see halos behind multiple figures in the same painting. In pagan art, a halo would appear around the head of any given sun-god, such as the Roman gods Mithras and Sol or the Greek gods Appolo and Helios.

I wrote WIRES originally for HAIRS but SUMNER was a gimme for me.

Martin

Katherine said...

Good morning gang!
I had trouble with 35A. I never heard of aurum for gold. 41D, call to arms, 45A, Locke, 67A, Atlas, and 69A.
I didn't know filament would be hair.
I don't know what that red dot is on Nancy Odells dress????
That was an interesting list that Ken gave, I must have missed that one.
I am not sure what purpose gables serve, but they sure do look nice.

Melissa bee, thanks for missing me.
Have a good day everyone......

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

Martin,
You must have been solving TMS puzzles for only a short period of time. I've noticed that some of the answers you've had trouble with are all TMS stalwarts. So, what's the "Second-hand ride" you were thinking yesterday morning?

Dennis,
"Consider yourself squoze". What does it mean? What is "squoze"?

Dennis said...

c.c., just slang for 'squeezed'.

What happened to the blog hit counter?

Barry G. said...

Morning, folks!

Another relatively easy puzzle with no major roadblocks. It helped that I was familiar with AURUM and knew that Sting's real name was Gordon SUMNER. My one minor setback was when I pit SIT instead of SIC for 7D. As I wrote it, I remember thinking, "Well, you could tell Cujo to SIT, but I doubt he'd actually listen to you." SIC works much better.

I thought the cluing for 69A was unnecessarily obtuse, personally. The rest of the puzzle was pretty straightforward, so why use a completely obscure author to clue a fairly common word? Especially when you already have EXO clues as "Outer: pref." and could play off that. Ah well, I got it easily via the perps, so it didn't really matter.

I also wasn't crazy about "Narrow and elongated" as a clue for LINEAR. I think of linear as meaning simply "in a straight line" and not necessarily long and thin.

On the other hand, I had no problem with "filaments" as a clue for HAIRS. I think of them as basically synonymous.

Have a great one!

KittyB said...

Good morning, C.C. and all.

I had trouble with the same words as the rest of the group. I've never heard of Endo Shusaku, or Nancy O'Dell, so I had to get those through the fills. I don't know if I'd ever heard Sting's given name, and I didn't know Truman was born in Lamar.

I had trouble with eczema, too, C.C., until I figured out ZOLA...and it fell in place.

The rest was fairly easy.

I think we need a puzzle on CATS!!

Have a great day!

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

Dennis,
Site Meter brought down the blog while you were sick on August 2. I had to uninstall it. And I decided not to reinstall when the glitch was fixed. FYI, We passed the 500,000 mark on August 5.

Barry,
I suspect the ENDO & VINO clues are not the constructor's originals. I think there is a wholesale change on the lower right corner.

KittyB,
Didn't we just have CATS yesterday?

Dennis said...

c.c., congratulations on half a million hits! Yet another milestone on this great monster you've created. You should be very proud, and I know we're all extremely happy for you.

Katherine said...

Congrats CC.....I bet you never thought this blog would be such a success.........

Anonymous said...

C.C.,

"Second hand ride"? I think Lois had me pegged yesterday: with my wife in the Philippines until next week I'm riding alone.

Martin

Ken said...

Good morning, C.C. et al. Even after it filled in, I had to look a second time at 2D to get it. duh. I'd forgotten Lamar, but 11, 12 and 13D reminded me. I've barely heard of Sting, so that was a google for me. I wanted 56A to be imitate, but the "strive" in the clue made me think twice. Googling Goldoni +Shadows repeatedly spells her name as Lelia. One source, Amazon, cites Leila. A lot of reporters don't double-check and apparently neither did Mr. Wolfe. He is obviously not related to Nero.
Good day to all.

Dr. Dad said...

Good morning.
Is that a red dot or a purposely made hole in the dress so that you see a bit of skin?
Chemists are familiar with Aurum for Gold.
Trouble in some spots but perps came through with help.

Today is International Left-Handers Day, National Filet Mignon Day, Annie Oakley's Birthday (born in 1860), Alfred Hitchcock' Birthday (Vertigo, The Birds), Fidel Castro's Birthday, and Don Ho's Birthday.

Have a great Wednesday.

Ken said...

C.C. Thanks for listing the daily prayers again. It was neat to see one in a puzzle so quickly.
Ellis Peters (pen name for Edith Pargeter, writer of English gothics) wrote about 15 mysteries set in a 12th century abbey in Shropshire, England. The daily prayers of the brothers were very evident. Some of the stories played on PBS "Mystery Theater." The detective, Brother Cadfael, was played by Derek Jacobi, the magnificent actor who also played "I, Claudius" on Masterpiece Theater many years back.

Ken said...

Drdad, don't forget Hitchcock's "Rear Window", "To Catch a Thief", and "North by Northwest", all very entertaining and less scary. I once made the mistake of seeing his "Psycho" alone which cured me of scary movies forever.
I never thought "birds" and "Vertigo" were as well made as the earlier three I mentioned.

Anonymous said...

39-D "Prehensile tail" is the proper spelling. Thanks

JOJO said...

A few thoughts, 19a nones:going to Catholic school 12 years and taking Latin 4 years finally comes in handy. 35a alarum also.
67a Ayn Rand, is she still popular college reading? 8d how about "veni, vidi, vici"?
One of my favorite shows is Lost, and John Locke is a central character, others in the cast are named after philosophers also. Hume, Burke, Auston. Anyone else?

Anonymous said...

They made a mistake. It is Lelia Goldoni, not Leila.

g8rmomx2 said...

Good Morning all,

I had Summer for Gordon's last name for some reason, but changed it when Reinmaker became clear to me.
Anonymous: Apparently Leila is also correct, and Lelila as other aliases. You can google it and either name comes up.

Barry, I also thought of hairs as synonymous with filiments!

Did not know alarum, but got it from the perps as well as frigate and aurum. I only knew AU for Gold as c.c. said.

What is that red dot? Anyone figure that out?

Have a great day!

Dennis said...

No idea what that dot is, but if it's a laser dot, it's a kill shot.

KittyB said...

C.C., there WAS a clue for CATS yesterday, but it wasn't the theme of the puzzle. I suppose Wolfe will get to wolves before he takes on cats, but there's a wealth of words to use: Burmese, Cheshire, Tabby, Siamese, Manx. I wonder if there is a cat breed with a Q in the name? He could go for a pangram!

He can even use my cat's name: Edward Scissorhands.

I was sleepy yesterday, so I wondered if I had done the X/W on autopilot.

Today, I wanted to put GOOF, where GAFFE fit. Obviously, I figured it out when I was short a letter. And, like Barry, I started with SIT where SIC fit.

dr.dad, I love the new pic!

C.C., congratulations on passing 500,000 hits! Way to go, girl!

Ken, we enjoyed the Brother Cadfael stories so much that I bought tapes of part of the series. This was before DVD debuted.

Interesting question, jojo, about Ayn Rand. I read them just after college, and have been thinking about re-reading "Atlas Shrugged."
I wonder if kids are still reading them.

IMBO reminds me of the Marx Brothers, and "I must be going.."

And so I shall.

Anonymous said...

C.C.,

PEEN, LAMAR, NONES, ECZEMA, ABAS, LOCKE, HISS, ALARUM, AGHA and TETRA are all common fills for TMS? I don't know: I haven't been doing TMS puzzles that long but the last time I had a long weekend I grabbed a bunch of old newspapers and did about 10 of them one after the other (with a lot of help from google). Eczema is the only one I've seen before. I still had to google it because I had no idea how to spell it.

Ken,

I also had IMITATE for EMULATE at first. I also thought of AGAINST, OPPOSED and OFFENSE for 53 across before settling on ADVERSE. Oh and I wrote SURF for "ride thermals" before I realised it was SOAR.

Martin

Anonymous said...

Dennis,

Thanks for letting me know where to look for the red dot. I'm red-green colourblind and it was getting on my nerves not being able to see any red dot on her. I just took another look and noticed a bright spot on her left breast. I assume that's it. :)

Martin

Ken said...

@JoJo: I always did wonder when my Catholic education would come in handy. Who'da thunk of crosswords? I envy you your Latin training. I noodle around with it, but nothing formal. Reading " Caesars Gallic Wars" in Latin is on my bucket list.

@Kittyb: One of the recorded books companies(Chivers?) has Ellis Peters' stories. The reader sounds a great deal like Derek Jacobi. They are always worth a relistening when I' on the road.

I've a local independent video store that carries them.
@Martin: As I felt imitate was to copy exactly, I was happy to get 57D to talk myself out of imitate.
Googling "Sting" gave me the fill in.

Clear Ayes said...

Too bad none of the clues rhymed with "Yuck". Maybe it was because I worked on it last night after the late Olympic session on TV. This one was not an easy one for me. I have never heard of ENDO,
ODELL, or LEILA (or even Lelia). LEMAR and AURUM were also only filled with help from surrounding words. I had heard Sting's real name before, but couldn't quite remember it. I do love Sting's music. AURUM reminds me of my favorite Sting song. Fields of Gold

Kittyb, Another Captain Spaulding fan? There wasn't a funnier man than Groucho Marx. When together with his brothers, their movies were hysterical mayhem.

Ken, I agree about Derek Jacobi. I'm not an expert (not even close), but any interest I have in Roman history began with the fascinating "I Claudius" series on PBS.

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

KittyB,
Well, we will have to wait for Mr. Wolf(e) to feel FELINE then. I really like the words you suggested. Do you like Sylvia Plath's poems? "I must be going" is a dangerous phrase here. Remember, "going" can be "coming" in Japanese.

Razz said...

CC & DFs - Fairly straight forward. Stumpers easily solved from perps.

Great work on this site CC. Thank you 500,000 times for all you do!

Here is a 500,000 volt display in honor of your accomplishment CC

xchefwalt said...

Good day c.c., DF’s and all! This was a much harder puzzle for me today than it should have been, I really had to fight to get it all as I could not “see” the theme at all. Sting’s name was a gimmie, and I didn’t like 34d (little hooter- man did I want to go on a tangent about that).

Thanks to drdad, who did a great job of featuring my current hometown of Estero, Florida. Check out his blog to see my slice of paradise! Check this out to see the Collier AND Lee counties championship high school ice hockey team: Ft Myers Hockey

Have some fun today everyone. I have some ideas about that red dot- but some things are better left to the imagination.

carol said...

Good Morning C.C.and all, I really struggled with this one! I could not get the theme words with the exception of 28D and even with that, I just stared at the rest...coffee did not help either. I guess the play on words went over my hear.
Did not know:
Aurum, Aural,Odell,Sumner, Alarum. Could cause a gal to use bad words!!

I see 60A "eroo" is back.
I don't understand 63D Exo.
I thought "ecto" meant outer.

JD said...

Good morning C.C. and all
Congrats on the popularity of your blog and for attracting such a loyal sane? group .

Martin, I had trouble with most of the words you listed, altho I did recall tetra.I started this addiction in late June; most other newbies seem to be much farther along in their xwd/computer skills.

When I finish I look up words like lave to see if it was really correct.Saw that it can also be a noun meaning what is left over or remainder.

When I googled Balbo, I came up with Abel, and disregarding the "or" I added an s.Asoll sounded so much better than atoll.I like having to look up a few names because they usually help me

Do not understand to A T for perfectly

I also used sit, and had mare elete.

Poor Nancy..if she only knew that everyone is staring at her little hooter

Dennis said...

razz, great video!

xchefwalt said...

A side not on Ayn Rand- #1 son had to read “Atlas Shrugged” in his Jr. year of HS, and hated it. I love her work and performed in her play “The Night of January 16th”. Also, side one of Rush’s album “2112” is based on her philosophical outlook.

Sylvia Plath is the greatest poet of the 20th century. Her haunting, dark verse will move you to no end. I highly suggest her book of poems "Ariel" and her novel "The Bell Jar".

Danielle said...

Loved this puzzle, loved the theme. Lots of great words: STENCIL, SANEST, EMULATE, ADVERSE, USELESS. Not too many 3 letter answers and none that felt forced or cheap. Fun!

"In VINO veritas" is such a terrific phrase - communicates a
great truth very succinctly.

I think Ayn Rand still has a solid following. She got a lot of attention recently because Alan Greenspan considers himself a "disciple" of hers and talked about her in his memior, The Age of Turbulence published last fall.

Here's Greta Garbo - so gorgeous!

My father had a springer spaniel named Cindy Lou as a young adult (before I was born). He used to tell us stories about that dog - I believe he thought she was smarter than any of us kids!

Have a great day!

Anonymous said...

Happy Left Handers Day to all of us who write with that correct hand. I wonder how many of us cruciverbalists are lefties? Our brains do work in mysterious ways. Had the same problems with those obscure names that forced a Google.
Could the red dot have something to do with a camera lens or reflection?

lois said...

Good afternoon CC & DF's: Loved the horse references, but had 'a few' problems...misreading and spelling being two of them. I agree w/Dennis on 'alarum' needing 'once'. Never heard that before. Avoided a complete 'hose' job as the perps filled my holes and satisfied me completely.

Jojo: maybe Dennis will remind us of his take on veni, vidi, vici. Still makes me laugh.

CC: congrat's on the huge success. You are remarkable!

Enjoy this cooler day...overcast w/liquid sunshine on the way. Gotta hurry to the beach.

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

Razzberry,
Wow, so that's what "High Voltage" is about?

Xchefwalt,
Are you the guy on the right with jeans? Plath & Hockey & Classic music & X-chef, you might be the "Irrational exuberance" Alan Greenspan secretly craved. He loves Ayn Rand.

JD,
Fit TO A T(ee)! who is Nancy?

Lois,
I've got some questions for you at yesterday's comments section.

Clear Ayes said...

JD: "Do not understand to A T for perfectly"

That one had me scratching my head too. I googled "TOAT" and the definition was "handle of a joiner's plane". That would be an ultimate obscure clue! Finally the light bulb flashed on rather dimly. Sometimes the phrase is "To A Tee", as in "That outfit suits you to a tee".

Happy Annie Oakley birthday. A big hit song from the musical "Annie Get Your Gun" was "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better". Lois? Carol?....anything?

Busy at home day; have lots of chores. Golf Addicted Husband is off doing what he does best. On second thought...what he does second best.

Congratulations, c.c. Have fun today.

Crockett1947 said...

Good morning everyone! New names to me today were ODELL, SUMNER, LEILA, and ENDO. I had to change 7D and 47D, but I finally got everything straight.

C.C., love your theme. Thanks for the comment on my new pic. Thanks also to you Carol. Looks like LEILA could also be LELIA.

Barry, once again we did the same thing, this time on 7D. But I didn't know SUMNER.

Bea, I also wondered if the red dot was a lens flare. There appear to be a couple of other unexplainable color variations on that pic.

C.C., congrats on hitting the half million mark. You Rock!

Anonymous said...

mark - Buenos Aires

Is Loge right for thatre section? Nobody has commented and I dont understand it.

Brother Cadfael stories are based in Shrewsbury where I onced lived - great stories. There is now a Brother Cadfael trail for history and literary buffs.

I dont know who Cujo is so assumed it was a dog and also had sit.

And Ross? who is he?

We use the term gable ends quite often. I thought they were the end of the raised part of a roof.

Another great to be alive day here.

regards to all.

Dr. Dad said...

Anonymous at 12:04 p.m. - Loge is a separate, forward section of a theater mezzanine or balcony.
Ross isn't a he, it's a shee - Betsy Ross, who designed and/or made the first U.S. flag with a circle of 13 stars and 13 red and white stripes (7 Red, 6 white).

Dennis said...

mark, loge is correct - it refers to the balcony or mezzanine section of a theater.

Cujo was a movie dog that enjoyed eating people. Can't wait to see the follow-ups on here to that one...

Dr. Dad said...

Regarding food comments from yesterday. C.C. - the misunderstanding of foodie is correct but I don't think of myself as a foodie. But it sounds like the "supper sirens" might consider themselves as foodies, especially when sliding down the bannisters. Hope they never get splinters from a rough spot on the bannister.

Dr. Dad said...

BTW - I didn't see that anonymous was mark in buenos aires.

lois said...

Jojo: Ayn Rand is still read today and is on the English prescribed reading list for the International Baccalaureate Program at my high school. It is not required, but it is an option.

Clear Ayes: I love competition in any way, shape or form. I also love 'shooting' in a variety of ways as well.

Dr. Dad said...

I like to shoot, too.

lois said...

drdad: you're on! Bring your gun cocked & locked and come w/me! Best 2 out of 3? Unless you have another weapon in mind ..hmmmm, bring your weapon of choice fully loaded and come w/me just the same.

Dennis: Cujo was my favorite pet...only thing was he had an insatiable appetite. Almost ate me out of my house and home.

Dr. Dad said...

Lois, it's only a small derringer. Maybe we can "duel" as we slide down a bannister.

Jeannie said...

Back to work after four days of sailing and eating my way through the corn festival. They crown the queen tonight.

Thought the puzzle wasn't too bad only had to google a couple obscure names. Like the horse theme, I caught on right away and that always makes it easier.

Carol, very creative way to serve dinner! I'll have to try that some time.

Anyone been watching Phelps swim his way through the Olympics? He could pick my lane any day!

lois said...

drdad: Nothing wrong w/derringers and sliding down something is exactly what I had in mind. How good of a shot are you? Maybe I should be askin' how good is your eyesight? Just wonderin' if I have to reveal more of the target for you (I want to play fair) or we can just duel at close range. Nothing wrong w/that either. It's easier to get something straight between us that way.

Danielle said...

Here's some interesting info on gables from wikipedia:

Gable ends of more recent buildings are often treated in the same way as the Classic pediment form. But unlike Classical structures, which operate through trabeation, the gable ends of many buildings are actually bearing-wall structures. Thus, the detailing tends to be ambiguous, misleading, and to some architects "deceitful". See: John Ruskin and The Seven Lamps of Architecture.

Gable roofs are also just about the worst type of roof to have in hurricane regions, as not only do gable roofs easily peel off in hurricane winds, but according to one Hurricane Survival Guide book, a gable end "catches wind like a sail."

Dr. Dad said...

Recently had to get glasses but my eyesight is still pretty good. I will be able to see or find the target. And I can reload pretty quickly.

xchefwalt said...

@c.c.- you are correct, that’s me on the right (same as the icon picture). I am the classic Gemini, a lover of most things and a master of none.

@lois- #1 son is in the IB program here in Florida, # 2 is pre IB and going into 7th grade, # 3 is 3rd grade gifted. I am having them all tested as they are all way too smart to be mine.

“Cujo” started as a book by Stephen King; not one of his better efforts

Welcome back cokato!

JOJO said...

Ken, I believe it begins, "Gaul is divided in three parts;". Very ambitious bucket list. The only thing on my list so far is: eat snails.!

carol said...

Was Cujo a COCKer Spaniel?

Jeannie said...

Carol, no. Cujo was a St. BerNARD

lois said...

drdad: Let the Games Begin!!!! 10 paces (and I plan on putting you through each one of them). Glad you're a speedloader. That'll make it more fun. You name the time and place. I'll help oil your firing pin, if you need it.

Dr. Dad said...

Ready! Aim! Fire!!!!!!!!!!!

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

Danielle @ 12:56pm,
RE: GABLES. Very interesting read. Thank you. Sometimes I get very lazy and do not want to google things I don't know. I like reading information culled by others. I read "Maestro" several years ago and was very intrigued by Aya Rand's influence over Greenspan. Mark Cuban is another Aya Rand adorer. Obviously "The Fountainhead" had a profound impact on his life. Have you read "The Age of Turbulence" or any of Aya Rand's work?

Dr. Dad said...

Lois, I should tell you - I'm not into shotguns. Too much of a spray pattern. I prefer shooting in a straight line.

Clear Ayes said...

Stopping by at lunch break. It looks like a duel between Lois and Drdad. Watch out or someone might get "plugged". Here's a little something to add "Ready, Aim, FIRE" to the flame Pistol Packin' Mama

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

Ken,
What is a "bucket list?" Are you seriously about reading "Caesars Gallic Wars" in Latin?

Lois,
So what's the real meaning of "saw his ante and raised him" in your dictionary?

Jojo,
Those characters in "Lost" sound so philosophical, is there a special reason for that? I'm not familiar with this TV series.

Dr. Dad said...

C.C. The movie The Bucket List stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman and does a good job describing a bucket list and how to go about doing one.

Dr. Dad said...

Somehow, I just can't see Lois seeing his ante and raising him as having anything to do with poker.

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

Buckeye,
I've been thinking of this word "tastefulness" in the past two days. Just wondering if you could enlighten me on where to find the exact periphery tiptoe line. In which Shakespeare play?

Dr. Dad,
Thanks for the "Bucket List".

Buckeye said...

Hi, c.c. fellow dfs.
Same thing with "sit" and "sic".

Didn't know Leila or Endo but finally got them. Drug Lamar from the recesses of my mind and misread Ride Thermals as Ride Terminals and put Stop. The end of a ride is the final stop. Finally got that corrected.

c.c., Italo was a first for me. I guess I don't get out enough. Still don't get it.

Tried all the Sirens for "Little Hooter" but none fit.

Knew "Sumner" because I love Sting.
"In the empire of the senses, You're the queen of all you survey, All the cities, all the nations, Everything that falls your way; There is a DEEPER world than this, That you don't understand. There is a DEEPER world than this, tugging at your hand. Lister to me, girl."
(Love In The Seventh Wave.)

Maybe the red spot on O'dell's dress is the fabric bleeding from "nipple stress" from too many breast augmentations.

Thanks Ken for Nones.

Martin mentioned Mithra. Interesting history He was the son of the Sun, and in the catacombs at Rome there is a picture of the infant Mithra seated in the lap of his virgin mother, while before him, on their knees, were Persian Magi adoring him and offering gifts. He was born Dec.25th., was called "the good shepherd," "the way, the truth and the light," "redeemer'" "savior'" and Messiah." He had twelve followers. He died and three days later was resurrected. The Mithra religion had a Eucharist or "Lord's Supper." This religion was around 600 B.C.

I thought vici meant "I had a smoke."

crockett1947, you called Lois a supper Siren. Is that a typo or a Freudian slip. Interesting cuisine you choose there, Bubba.

I must be off.

lois said...

drdad: I agree shotguns are messy. I much prefer the straight shooters myself. I specialize in the rapid fire double action ergonomic handguns. You are a straight shooter but you grazed me, superficial wound. Does that count? Not a bulls eye though. We need a "Do Over!" I'll pour a little alcohol on it and the rest of the bottle in me and I'll be good to go. Just need a few minutes here.

drdad & CC: "Saw his ante and raised him" is all about
"Poke'er". An 'ante' is the first showing (ante up!) then that offering is either 'called' (accepted/honored) or raised (increase the offering which then has to be either honored or raised by the partner)...I much prefer to 'raise' my partners, since that's when the fun really starts. From then on it's 'off-er' and 'hon-or' all night long. I just love that game!

Ken said...

C.C., to expand a bit on "Bucket List", it is a list of things to do before I kick the bucket(die). the phrase is now popular due to the Nicholson/Freeman movie. Nicholson is very rich and Freeman is not, but he constructs his "bucket list." Both have termainal cancer, but they set about doing the things on their lists. It is a fine movie.

JoJo: "Omnia Gallia est divisa in tres partes:" All of Gual is divided into three parts. Pretty easy to see how a smattering of Latin is dangerous. We see in this simple sentence the following roots: omni(all) e.g omnipotent, Gallia(good old Charles DeGaulle), divisa(we've hardly changed the spelling to divided), In(hasn't changed a bit), tres(still the same in Spanish, but recognizable in English and partes(parts)
Simple, huh?

C.C. Yes on Caesar's Gallic Wars. My copy has the english translation right underneath, so it isn't a constant trip to the dictionary. It doesn't compare to formal study in grammar and composition, but it's lots of fun mentally.

Buckeye said...

c.c., I meant to congratulate you on your 500,000 hits. Awesome blog. I know I couldn't stay away. (Probably much to some's chagrin).

I remember hearing and memorizing "I hath time not to tiptoe upon the periphery of hate." I may have mistakenly credited Shakespeare for the quote since I can't name the sayings author, and have committed some Shakespeare to memory. "O! What a rogue and peasant slave am I:"

Do not call it an error, please. I NEVER fail, misquote or make mistakes. I just find successful ways to do or say things incorectly.

IMBO

Buckeye said...

Like spelling incorectly incorrectly.

Anonymous said...

@ C.C., your question about tastefulness caught my attention. There is something mysterious about you.

embien said...

12:25 today with a very clever theme that remained elusive to me until the very end. I'm a sucker for those outrageous puns.

c.c.: Your picture for GABLE is actually what is known as a dormer, I believe, though the term "gable" is often applied to this construction, as well. A true GABLE is at the end of the roofline, whereas the dormer is set into the slope of a roof. Here is a discussion of the common types of gable roofs: http://www.roofhelper.com/gable_roof.htm?source=gable&gclid=CLCSvprJi5UCFQJtFQodwzO6qg

Nancy O'DELL was a gimme for me because she was a host on Nashville Star a few years back (one of my favorite programs). In addition to her TV stuff, she is well-known in charitable circles. Nancy O'Dell

I had a nice story in my mind about Gordon SUMNER at the Dragonara Hotel in Leeds, U.K. and how I hung out with his band in the lobby bar. Then I realized it wasn't SUMNER/Sting, but Phil Collins' band Genesis (Mike Rutherford is the only one I know for sure) that I ran into. D'oh (At least I got to name-drop, LOL.)

The constructor can clue his name as "Detective Nero" or anything similar in a future puzzle. (WOLFE)

Dennis said...

Was this group given drugs in the last couple hours and I missed it?

DoesItinInk said...

I only recently discovered this site and would like to join in. I completed today's puzzle quickly, groaning at the answer "Mare Elect". Once I got "Bridle Veil", the puzzle theme was obvious, and I filled in "Rein Maker" quickly without needing any cross words.

I had never heard the term "nones" but was familiar with "compline". There is a wonderful CD that I heard about on NPR by Stile Antico called "Music for Compline" that I recommend. It is very calming.

I have never heard of novelist Endo Shusaku. His books on Amazon generally have 4 1/2 or 5 stars, so perhaps I will try one of them sometimes. Ayn Rand, of course, I have heard of, but I have never read any of her works.

I love everyone's comments and look forward to "checking" my answers to the puzzle every day.

KittyB said...

Ken: Gallia Est Omnis Divisa in Partes Tres (All Gaul Is Divided into Three Parts).

Both my husband and I had Latin in high school, and I am thankful everyday that I did. I wish I had paid more attention in class. I doubt I could read a Latin text without dusting off those skills first.

I think I've seen the Cadfael series on tape. My library has a huge selection of books on tape and on disk, and I check out two or three things every month. I listen as I garden, or quilt, or sometimes when I'm doing deadly dull bookkeeping. I have listened to three of the Diana Gabaldon books from the Voyager series. The unabridged version runs to 30-some disks a book!

Danielle, I agree that it was great to see "In Vino Veritas" in the puzzle. That was a gimme!

Crockett, nice picture, great beard!

Clear Ayes, my husband is totally addicted to the Marx Brothers. When we were first married, we would stay home each New Years Eve, waiting for the Marx Brothers marathon to start. I swear he has them all memorized. I think he has almost all of the movies on DVD.

I can recall watching Groucho on 'You Bet Your Life' when I was a kid. A female contestant was describing her employers. She worked in the home of a couple with children, and she said she cared for one adult, an adultress, and two kids. Groucho paused, and we all hung there, waiting to see if he could edit what was on his mind so that it could be aired.

C.C.!!! (laughing) You've been lured to the dark side!

For C.C. and several of you, I hang my head in shame. I am not much of a poetry reader. I have been exposed to it, and read what was required in school, but I haven't sought it out on my own. I haven't read any of Sylvia Plath's poetry, but I think I read "The Bell Jar."

"Quoth the raven, 'Nevermore.' "

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."

"Fog creeps in on little cat feet."

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood..."

I'm open to suggestion.

Dennis said...

"There once was a girl from Nantucket" ??

JD said...

who is Nancy?
@C.C.
Nancy O'dell from "Access Hollywood" Hasn't everyone been examining the red spot on her dress?

xchefwalt said...

@dennis- drugs?? DRUGS?! I have Nooooooooooo idea what yer talkin’ ‘bout, man! DAVE’S NOT HERE!!

@kittyb- start slow- “There once was a man from Nantucket….”

Crockett1947 said...

@kittyb, thank you for the beard compliment. Come Christmas time I'll post my "Santa look." I went 13 months without shaving and cutting the hair, and was a fairly awesome Santa. You are one brave person to ask this group to give suggestions. Katy bar the door!

Buckeye said...

Dennis, I think it's a MAN from Nantucket.

clearayes; Thank you for your kindness in the past. Groucho was a stitch. On his "You Bet Your Life'" t.v. show he had a lady who had 11 children. She looked at Groucho and said, "I love my husband." He responded, "I love my cigar, but I take it out once in a while."

Remember? "Mississippi ask Missouri - What did Delaware? Idaho. Alaska." "I always hunt elephants in Alabama.
there the "Tuscaloosa."

lois said...

Dennis: Make me LOL !!

Kittyb: There once was a man named Nick...

Chef:I found Dave, man, he's HERE!

(knocking on the door)
"Hey! It's me, Dave! I got the stuff!!!"

Anonymous said...

mark - Buenos Aires

Thanks to those that explained my misunderstandings.

Embien - I like your choice of musician but how come you were in Leeds - the manure hole of the north, with beautiful cities like York and Lincoln nearby?

Dennis said...

walt, all the versions are funny - man, girl, sheep, etc.

uh....forget I said sheep, ok?

lois said...

Dennis: Ewe are soooo bad!!!

Buckeye said...

Please, don't get me started on limricks. (sp.)

Have a niece who taught at York. She loved it, but as a Princeton grad and after teaching at U. Penn she felt confined by the size of York. She's and authority on James Joyce.

Clear Ayes said...

doesitinink: Do you really? I'm totally impressed. It looks like you picked a wild and wooley (sheep??) day to jump into the mix. Truly, never a dull minute. Welcome!

xchefwalt said...

@lois- I'm so happy someone got that...

@doesit- welcome to the jungle! We got fun and games......

carol said...

There once was a fellow from Kent...
(don't know if I should finish THAT limerick)

Dennis...Yewe are bahhhhhhd

Ain't no drugs on me!

Clear Ayes said...

KittyB: Poe, E.B.Browning, Carl Sandburg, Robert Frost... You've got nothing to be embarrassed about. You are obviously a very selective and discerning poetry reader. You've started with one Browning; one of my favorites is Robert Browning. "Grow old along with me. The best is yet to be." How could you not love that?

Razz said...

For XCHEF & LOIS & Carol-I don't believe you...Easy Rider - Don't Bogart that Joint My Friend

carol said...

doesitinink....really? I would think that would leave stains, but what do I know. We are crazy around here too, and we do "it" lots of ways and places too. In tents, on the beach, on lawns, in the mud..

Dennis said...

clear ayes, I've always loved that Browning line - one of his very best.

lois, what the hell have you done to drdad??

Ken said...

Kittyb: My phrasing of "Omnia Gallia..." was my typo. "Omnis Gallia est etc. " is the phrasing in Caesar's Gallic Wars. As the declension for "Omnis" isn't changed by the postion in the sentence, I assume the translation is no different.
However, in English "All Gual is divided into three parts" and Gual is all divided into three parts" carries a slight difference in nuance to me. It shifts the focus somewhat from ALL of Gual to ALL divided. In the first sense the focus is on Gaul and in the second, it is on the division. What do you think? I'm not widely experienced in Latin(rather LINEAR).

lois said...

drdad: I'm loaded now and ready for round 2. I've got my straight shootin', rapid fire, double action, ergonomic, hand gun cocked, locked and ready to match your straight shootin' double barrel darringer any time you're ready. Now, I was wonderin'... are you shootin' silver bullets? My flesh wound got a little swollen almost immediately. Just checkin'. Ready whenever you are, unless you need help with
maintenance...oiling the firing pin or cleaning your barrel. I'm magnanimous that way. But then, you have to remember that I'll take you down, all the way, and I will Bogart that joint (thanks Razz). Just say 'when'!

Dennis: Maybe something 'came up'or maybe he went to get a bigger gun. I'm sure, like the Terminator, he'll 'be back'!

Are we still counting comments? If so, drdad and I may have to call a truce. I'll slide my white ...uh...T shirt ...up a pole (taking volunteers now) and will remain 'on' and in the firing position ready to 'go' at any moment.

xchefwalt said...

This is dedicated to all you closet (and not so closet) burnouts…

Dave's Not Here

Clear Ayes said...

What a way to celebrate c.c.'s 1/2 million! Not only were the daily puzzle clues discussed, but we also covered Christian painting, Latin lessons, Ayn Rand, Groucho Marx, Sting music, Mithra, architecture, limericks, drugs, poetry, a duel at 10 paces and that was just some of it.

melissa bee said...

good evening c.c. and all,

if i hurry i can get this in just under the 100 mark. loved seeing the sting reference, i'd include him in my list of favorite poets. his 'fragile' is stunning, and his autobiography 'broken music' is a good read.

@c.c. congratulations on half a million ...

@dennis: nantucket .. again with yesterday's 'rhymes suck' theme ...

@katherine: you're welcome.

@martin: riding solo has it's charms.

@drdad: taz shares a feature with carl's debauchee.

@clear ayes: have you heard eva cassidy's cover of fields of gold?

Crockett1947 said...

#100 -- THAT'S ALL, FOLKS!

embien said...

I only do xwords in ink (or online). I hate using a pencil.

@mark: "Embien - I like your choice of musician but how come you were in Leeds - the manure hole of the north, with beautiful cities like York and Lincoln nearby?"

Been to all those towns. York is especially interesting. We were in Leeds because my wife's friend was there with her husband who was a resident at the local hospital. Sadly, we subsequently lost touch with her. Heard she went back to India, but I dunno for sure.

I think this was back in the days of "Live at Leeds" concerts, which I believe were Woodstock-like events in an open-air arena nearby.

Wife and I happened to be staying at the Dragonara Hotel (only decent one in Leeds) and I went down to the lobby bar for a beer. Guess who is there? Mike Rutherford (of Genesis and Mike & the Mechanics fame) along with some of the other Genesis bandmates. I recognized him and bought him a beer. It was pretty cool. Phil Collins was not in evidence, though.

Stupid British opening hours shut us down at like 10PM or so.

Here's a ticket stub from a guy who was at the concert: http://members.tripod.com/~ncoomber/genesis_tickets/gt26_leeds87.jpg June 28, 1987.

(Proving that you can find anything on the Internet.)

Argyle said...

I'm sorry but I thought today's theme clues sucked. Maybe it's your turn to explain them to me, c.c..

17A: City horse-to-be?: MARE (MAYOR) ELECT

62A: Equestrian leather work?: REIN (RAIN) MAKER

11D: Stable stall? MANE (MAIN) OFFICE

28D: Horse's blinder?: BRIDLE (BRIDAL) VEIL

17A A mare is a city horse?

62A Other than reins are made of leather, I don't get it. Is work suppose to mean maker?

11D ??

28D The closest of the bunch, if it had a wedding reference.

lois said...

Argyle: You're right about rein maker and 'maker'referring to leather 'work'. Would 'worker' make it better for you? It would make more sense to me. I also had a problem w/28D: Horse's blinder?: BRIDLE (BRIDAL) VEIL since a veil is not a blinder per se in our country. It is transparent not vision impairing like a Burka (sp?), for instance. Those things are seriously restricting. Maybe traditionally veils are supposed to be vision impairing, (blinding), but they aren't. Anyhow, I missed that connection but still love all the horse references. I wondered how you can have a 'horse-to-be'...you either are or are not a horse unless you are in utero....which is zygote, embryo, fetus, or perhaps a foal or colt...nope. This was a lot of freedom for the constructor and more than a huge reach for us. It was a freakin' leap off a cliff! But I liked it anyway b/c it is horses and by association, cowboys. I also like to get my fingernails ripped off one by one too.

embien said...

@argyle:
The theme clues are homonyms (sounds the same as the punned word), so MARE sounds like MAYOR. The clue is intended to make you think of MAYOR ELECT (city official to be), but clued as "horse" (MARE).

Same with the other theme entries.

Argyle said...

stable stall?

Anonymous said...

Nancy of "Access Hollywood": O'DELL. What's that red dot on her dress?

Maybe she had red rhinestones on her brassiere and when the flash bulb went off when the picture was taken it reflected?

Danielle said...

Hi c.c., I just looked at the rest of Wednesday's comments today (Friday), so I just saw your question about Ayn Rand. I read her very short novel, Anthem, when I was quite young, and while I liked it, it wasn't until years later that I understood the full implications of her philosophy. I'm not much of a fan of the idea that in order to be considered "rational" people should be as selfish as possible. Plus she had some odd ideas about gender roles that aren't my cup of tea - for example, she didn't think women should be in leadership positions and she seemed to think that women prefer being sexually dominated by men (of course some do, but many [most?] do not).

I'm also not especially fascinated by Greenspan. Paul Krugman is my favorite economist. I read his book Peddling Prosperity in an Public Policy class in grad school and I've been a fan ever since.

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

Danielle,
Thank you for getting back to me. I read Paul Krugman's column occasionally.