google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday September 29, 2008 Norma Steinberg

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Sep 29, 2008

Monday September 29, 2008 Norma Steinberg

Theme: Bang a Gong

20A: Verisimilitude: RING OF TRUTH

39A: Trolley sound: CLANG CLANG CLANG

53A: Yuletide song: JINGLE BELLS

I am not sure I got the theme right. RING is singular, but BELLS is plural. What purpose does CLANG CLANG CLANG serve here? The echoing sounds when you RING BELLS? I really have difficulty understanding this constructor's thinking process. (Addendum: My bad. JINGLE, not BELLS, is part of the theme).

Somehow this puzzle brought back memories of Paul Newman. Too bad our editor missed the opportunity to pay tribue to him:

14A: Macho guy: HE-MAN. Didn't Paul Newman always present a tough, rugged HE-MAN persona?

25A: Energetic drive: HUSTLE: How about "Emulate Paul Newman's Fast Eddie"?

32D:Round of applause: HAND: Who doesn't like his "Cool ___ Luke"?

The clue for FED (21D: G-man) should be changed to a simple "Nourished" to avoid the duplication of MAN & man. I would have clued CAESAR (48A: Funny Sid) as "Veni, vidi, vici" speaker" to pair up with ET TU (8D: Ides of March rebuke).

Across:

1A: Cowboy leggings: CHAPS. Can Christina Aguilera really ride a horse wearing this CHAPS?

10A: Persian poet Khayyam: OMAR. "A jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and Thou..." That's all I need in paradise too. So simple, so beautiful.

19A: Jackknife or swan: DIVE. Jackknife DIVE is a new term to me.

23A: Girlie: SIS. What the heck is this? Isn't "Girlie" an offensive term to describe an effeminate man?

24A: 26th letter: ZEE. "Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

27A: Lacking vitality: PALLID

44A: Flexible joint: HINGE

45A: Upstanding: ERECT. This pink ERECT anthurium is so pretty.

62A: Composer Porter: COLE. Lovely clip.

Down:

2D: Dodge Ram engine: HEMI. New to me. I only knew HEMI as a prefix for sphere.

5D: Nodding off: SNOOZING. And SOOTHING (9D: Comforting). I think any grid should have a maximum of 2 *ING's.

28D: Actress Nazimova: ALLA. How boring! Is this the only way to clue ALLA? How about this?

40D: Office job category: CLERICAL

46D: British rule in India: RAJ. And CASTE (48D: Societal station).

47D: Jack Horner's dessert: PIE. I wonder what kind of pie he is eating.

56D: "So Big" author Ferber: EDNA. Have you read the book? What is it about? What is "So Big"?

C.C.

70 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, c.c. and fellow DFs, DFettes - not a very enjoyable puzzle for me this morning, just filling in spaces. No 'thinkers'. The only good part was the DFette fodder: erect, eat up, he-man, moist, even chaps. And then c.c. gives them a nice long anthurium. Should be a fun Monday. Hope it's a great one for everybody.

Dick said...

Good morning CC etal. Today's puzzle was the easiest one I have done in a long time. It was easily under 5 minutes to complete all fills without any help.

For the sirens today we have HEMAN, DIVE, ERECT and SIN. I guess this should get them going today.

Today will be the last nice day this week with rain coming in tonight. This means a trip to the links today.

Hope you all have a great day.

Dennis said...

dick, where did you find sin? And would you like to share it?

Dick said...

CC back in the day there was a very popular song that had a chorus that went "Clang Clang Clang went the sound of the Trolley" or some rendition similar to this.

Dick said...

@ Dennis, Sorry I misread my own writing for 23A SIS. Maybe I wanted it to be something it wasn't.

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

Dennis,
But how do you explain the theme today? Why SIS is clued as "Girlie" (23A)? I don't understand it. I think Dick meant SIS, not SIN.

Mark,
Adriana?

Dennis said...

dick, nothing wrong with wishful thinking, right?


c.c., I agree, 'sis' for 'girlie' was weak.

Martin said...

First Tribune puzzle I've done in minutes (as opposed to hours). Dennis, I know you didn't enjoy this one but keep in mind that some people need to be able to finish one once in a while. I imagine this is one most people could do without resorting to google. The only words I didn't know were HEMI (in the context of engines) and ALLA but I got them from the perps. I didn't know PALLID either but it was easy enough to figure out. Was anybody else aPALLed by how easy this was?

I wonder if the editor would have allowed ERECT to be clued as "aroused".

I was trying to guess what C.C.'s theme title would be. I was thinking either HAPPY CHIMES or GONG FISHING.

Martin

Dick said...

Cc great pics today! One of Adriana and one of Christina Aguilera. I don't know about the sirens but my day got off to a good start.

Bill said...

RING, CLANG, and JINGLE.
Sounds of the season? Sleighbells RING; Salvation Army people CLANG their bells; and of course JINGLE Bells.
Half a cup today. I can't believe it was that easy!
CC, For You: The Trolley Song

Dennis said...

martin, that's why I was only speaking for myself, of course.

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

Martin,
What is GONG FISHING? My theme title RESOUNDING is a play on RE SOUNDING.

Bill,
According to your explanation, BELLS should not appear as part of the theme answer for 53D, don't you think so?

Martin said...

I think "Girlie" and "Sis" are pet names for female friends.

"Hey, Girlie!"
"Hey, Sis! How's it going?"

That's the best I can do. :)

Martin

Dick said...

Bill, thanks for "The Trolley Song". That is the one I was thinking of but could not remember the name of the song.

Martin said...

"Gong fishing" is a play on "gone fishing" and "gong" which is either a noun refering to an instrument that makes a "gong" sound, the sound itself or the act of hitting the gong. I also thought "fishing" is a good way to describe how to fill in cws: you keep trying different possible fills until they fit. Hence "fishing". :)

Martin

Dr. Dad said...

Good morning.
Breezed through this one without a problem.
Ides of March rebuke (8D) and Funny Sid (48A).
C.C. - I think of jingle as a sound a bell makes also so the answer is singular like the other two. And trolleys ring there bell more than once so you have three clangs. Themes? For Whom The Bell Tolls? Bang a Gong? Martin's "Gong Fishing" isn't bad.
I don't know if Christina can ride a horse wearing those chaps but I bet she rides something.
That erect anthurium even has little nibs to further entice the sirens.
Since Jack pulled out a plum when he stuck in his thumb it must be a plum pie but I've never had one.
C.C. -I liked your finding of the Paul Newman related items in the puzzle.

Today is Confucius Day. It is also Telly Monster's birthday (this Sesame Street character debuted on this day in 1979).

Have a great Monday!

Bill said...

I was just thinking that all the clues and answers made sense since winter IS coming and we might just as well be ready.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells
Jingle all the way.
Oh, what fun it is to to see
The heating bills to pay!!!

Sorry, couldn't resist!

Barry G. said...

Morning, folks!

Wow, 17 comments already this morning?

Easy puzzle for me as well, with my only unknown being ALLA. I agree that "girlie" is an odd clue for SIS. Whatever happened to "Fam. member"? I also thought that "Emotionally strained" was a bit odd for TAUT, since I've never heard TAUT used in that context. Tense, yes. But not TAUT.

Oh -- and it's a good thing I use a pencil with an eraser, since I initially (and confidently) put SILVER BELLS instead of JINGLE BELLS for 53A. Oops...

Bill said...

How about "Sound The Bell" ?

Dr. Dad said...

C.C. - from yesterday. Kazie answered about Harry Chapin's song "Cats in the Cradle." I remember posting the comment but can't remember for which puzzle but whichever one it was, something in it made me think of Harry and that song.

Clearayes - Jack the Giant Pumpkin is sure getting big.

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

Dr. Dad,
I decided your "Bang a Gong" is the best. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" would be great if BELLS is not part of the theme answer. Now I think I hate CLANG CLANG CLANG, so inconsistent with the other 2 clues.

Barry,
I also felt TAUT was odd, but then the online dictionary says otherwise.

Argyle,
I've not read your Sunday comments yet. But please come up with a better CLANG* theme entry.

Barb B said...

Good morning!

The online site still has Saturday’s puzzle, so I couldn’t work on it, but I want to check in.

C.C.,
I really enjoyed your comments, particularly the link to Arnold for girly – laughed out loud at that, and naturally I love the anthurium. And it was nice that you found Paul Newman in so many places. Your clues are always best.

KittyB said...

Good morning, C.C. and all.

The Chicago Tribune has undergone a change again. The half-sheet covering the front page proudly proclaimed the new, improved edition. I wonder if that had anything to do with the fact that the puzzle wasn't available on-line.

This was an incredibly easy puzzle. I started my morning by filling in parts of the Sunday puzzle. I finally found the time to finish all but the NE corner. Today's puzzle is much easier than Sunday's crossword.

C.C., the Girlie/SIS issue doesn't bother me. It's a very old-fashioned manner of speaking, but acceptable as a clue. You're right that it is considered demeaning these days.

I didn't care for the clue "clammy" for MOIST, and while I know it's standard practice, I don't care for 'mellowed' for AGED.
The rest was pretty straight forward.

C.C., my mother is sitting with me this morning, having coffee and reading the newspaper. She really enjoyed the link to Cole Porter. Thanks!

dick...that weather is just west of me, so no golf for me today! *G*

Have a great day, liquid sunshine or not!

pattispa said...

Good morning all,
Where did I go wrong? I can't get today's puzzle to come up. only Saturday's. Please tell me the right link!

KittyB said...

From yesterday's blog...

C.C. thanks for the "Bolero." we're enjoying it this morning. I wish I had the definitive answer for you concerning the music behind the space pictures. "Synthetic" music has come such a long way that it's very difficult to tell sometimes that you are not listening to a live performer.

Thanks for the help on "Flower by Big Ben." It totally escaped me.

Doesitinink, a happy belated birthday to you!

KittyB said...

pattispa, I think you have the right link. Today's puzzle is not coming up on-line. Perhaps one of the other papers has a link you can use.

DoesItinInk said...

cc: The answer "CLANG CLANG CLANG" refers to this song from Meet Me in St. Louis.

This puzzle was a breeze. My only misstep was to initially fill in "class" instead of CASTE for 48D.

Ben HUR was a movie starring Charleston Heston that I saw when I was very young. My parents both loved movies, so I got to see a lot of them when I was little. Movies generally were very family-friendly at that time, though my mother was quick to take me to the bathroom whenever anything appeared on the screen that she though objectional, a belly-dancing scene for example. My love of film comes from all the movies I saw early in my life, though my tastes have changed over the years to include foreign and art films.

Anonymous said...

The age of the puzzle-solver often shows in what they don`t know...as in that wonderful old musical number "Clang, clang,clang went the trolley"

kazie said...

Happy Monday all of you!

How about GONG SHOW for the theme? If the puzzle wasn't like that, at least the comments today might head in that direction!

I also started with class for caste. But it certainly was easy today. Nice for me, since I can now move on to my much procrastinated jobs around the house.

I think sis and girlie could be used in the same way--a somewhat derogatory way of trying to attract attention from a female, as in "Hey, sis!" or "hey girlie!"

DoesItinInk said...

Clear Ayes (from Sunday): You are correct. The movie was House of Games, not House of Cards. Sometimes I in a rush and am not accurate in what I type. I need to be more careful in the future. Thank you for the correction.

Ken said...

Good morning, C.C. and all.
This puzzle's so easy
As it has been said
I'm off with the dog
And then back to bed.

My son and I had 550 attendees to our cribbage tournament this past weekend, paying out nearly $80,000 in prize money, of which I won a modest portion. The days were long but we had lots of help and loads of fun.

It is a beautiful day in Oregon and a great day for all, I hope.

Crockett1947 said...

Good morning, everyone. No problems with this one exce[t where I put answers in the incorrect slots. I wanted FORD for 18A -- clever decoy clue.

Isn't Jack Horner's pie a plum pie?

@bill Thanks for the Judy Garland clip. I wonder if the gloves were supposed to be that blue or if that was the results of some bad colorization.

@ken Saw a blurb in The O about your tournament. Glad it was a success. What's with the predicted high of 91 today? This is the end of September.

Anonymous said...

I must respectfully disagree with Martin on the evolution of language. Grammar helps illuminate hues of meaning, and we lose much if we are sloppy or inattentive. I was glad to see he used 'different from' rather than 'different than'. I also dislike the loss of meaning in words as we use them. We frequently see nauseous when nauseated is what is meant. And the idea of a healthy green bean instead of a healthful green bean is silly. I also cringe when I read or hear, "It is her." Try it with "Her is at the door." (End of rant.)

Dr.G said...

Clang, clang, clang went the trrolley; ding, ding went the bell; zing, zing zing went my heart strings....Judy Garland still lives.

Today's puzzle another cake (walk)

kazie said...

Sallie, I see you are even more of a perfectionist than I am. After I used "I think it was her" in my comment yesterday, I realized it should have been "she", but reasoned "her" was the more commonly used pronoun in that situation. However, I would never say "between you and I", as I hear so often. I guess it depends on your tolerance level. Answering the phone, I always feel awkward saying "this is she", instead of "It's me". Germans say "Ich bin's" (I am it). the French say "C'est moi" (it's me), using their correct stress form of the pronoun--which may be what influences us in English. Maybe I should say "I am she" but that sounds even worse. This is why English gets confusing to foreigners.
I also prefer "different from". The incorrect usage we were discouraged from using in aussie schools was "different to". I've only ever heard "different than" in America.
We could discuss this all day, but it still wouldn't change too many habits. It's harder to unlearn things once they're learned.

Argyle said...

pattispa, I haven't gotten the online to work either.

C.C. the line from Siver Bells, "Hark, hear the bells".

The Bells by Edgar Allen Poe.

Razz said...

Oh, CC… Love your zinger at our author this morning! You of course are correct…this is a “normal” Steinberg. So little thinking, so little imagination. I don’t want a killer everyday, but to never set your chosen implement of crosswording down on the table to ponder…

Clever, clever, clever (to mimic our author) title usage. Made my day ;~D

Razz

Argyle said...

Sorry, I went back and read the comments again and see the point of not having bell in the theme. So what we want is what you can do with bells; ring, clang or jingle.

JIMBO said...

Larnin to speak English jes aint fun no more. come to think of it, it never wuz.

Argyle said...

Here we go; obsure but correct:

idiophonic sounds

click here for the definition.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, I am puzzleless this morning. Our newspaper isn't delivered until close to 10 AM and, as you already know, the online version is stuck on Saturday's crossword. I certainly hope it is only a temporary glitch. At least I do get a newspaper sometime during the day. Some of you depend completely on the internet to get your puzzle fix.

I am going to make this post very short because if I linger I'll peek at C.C.'s solution comments and all of your responses.

Here's a funny little poem to get Monday morning going while I'm waiting for the bark of the neighbor's dog to let me know the paper has been delivered.

An Attempt At Unrhymed Verse

People tell you all the time,
Poems do not have to rhyme.
It's often better if they don't
And I'm determined this one won't.

Oh dear.

Never mind, I'll start again.
Busy, busy with my pen...cil.
I can do it if I try--
Easy, peasy, pudding and gherkins.

Writing verse is so much fun,
Cheering as the summer weather,
Makes you feel alert and bright,
'Specially when you get it more or
less the way you want it.

-- Wendy Cope

Argyle said...

might want to drop the "s" off "sounds"

Anonymous said...

Clang clang clang?

Title: Judy Garland - The Trolley

Artist: Judy Garland Lyrics

Clang ,clang, clang went the trolley
Ding, ding, ding went the bell
Zing, zing, zing went my heartstrings as we started for Huntington Dell.
Chug, chug, chug went the motor
Bump, bump, bump went the brake
Thump, thump, thump went my heartstrings as we glided for Huntington Lake.
The day was bright, the air was sweet
The smell of honeysuckle charmed me off my feet
I tried to sing, but couldn抰 squeak
In fact I felt so good I couldn抰 even speak
Buzz, buzz, buzz went the buzzer
Time to all disembark,
Time to fall went my heartstrings as we got off at Huntington Park
As we got off at Huntington Park.

With my high-starched collar, and my high-topped shoes
And my hair piled high upon my head
I went to lose a jolly hour on the Trolley and lost my heart instead.
With his light brown derby and his bright green tie
He was quite the handsomest of men
I started to yen, so I counted to ten the I counted to ten again
Clang, clang, clang went the trolley
Ding, ding, ding went the bell
Zing, zing, zing went my heartstrings
From the moment I saw him I fell
Chug, chug, chug went the motor
Bump, bump, bump went the brake
Thump, thump, thump went my heartstrings
When he smiled I could feel the car shake
He tipped his hat, and took a seat
He said he hoped he hadn抰 stepped upon my feet
He asked my name, I held my breath
I couldn抰 speak because he scared me half to death
Chug, chug, chug went the motor
Plop, plop, plop went the wheels
Stop, stop, stop went my heartstrings
As he started to go then I started to know how it feels
When the universe reels

The day was bright, the air was sweet
The smell of honeysuckle charmed you off you抮e feet
You tried to sing, but couldn抰 squeaks
In fact, you loved him so you couldn抰 even speak

Buzz, buzz, buzz went the buzzer
Plop, plop, plop went the wheels
Stop, stop, stop went my heartstrings
As he started to leave I took hold of his sleeve with my hand
And as if it were planned he stay on with me
And it was grand just to stand with his hand holding mine
To the end of the line

melissa bee said...

good morning c.c. and all,

such a breeze today, appropriate way to ease into the week. c.c. i loved your paul newman clues, very nice.

yes, i'd guess christina could ride exceptionally well in those chaps .. hm, wonder where she got 'em.

always like musical references so smiled to see composer porter clue. william mcbrien's biography of porter is quite good. i still haven't seen 'de-lovely.'

as much as i've seen edna ferber in crosswords, i have never read anything by her. i didn't know she won a pulitzer.

@kittyb: i am wondering why you disliked clammy/moist and mellowed/aged?

Anonymous said...

Mark - Buenos Aries

Girlie in Uk would be "sissie". "Sis" would be opposite "bro".

c.c.
First man = Adam
To hoard literature =
Ad-lit-am
all about = reverse the letters

ma-til-da = woman

Try:
"young dogs kept at home, secured to bedroom wall?" (3-3 letters)

Clue - perhaps Dick and Dennis had them

A grey day here

regards to all

Anonymous said...

Easy one today. Biscotti barely dipped in the coffee and I was done. Now I know how Dennis feels every day!
CC: Love your Paul Newman clues. Perhaps we’ll see a tribute puzzle in the near future.
And Martin: Uffda! Sounds like English-language anarchy! You’re right about how the English language continues to evolve, making it both exciting & daunting for both native & non-native speakers. It’s also a very precise language, with rules, especially for writing, and, as Sallie said, we lose meaning if we are sloppy or inattentive. “Eats, Shoots & Leaves” (mentioned in this blog before) contains many examples of how meanings are misunderstood when the grammar and punctuation rules are not followed. I don’t really care how someone talks at home, or writes in a casual way (as on a blog), but if they apply for a job, or write a business letter, their grasp of proper English can mean the difference between getting hired or not, of job success or not.
As for pronunciations and meanings, that’s what dictionaries are for. According to Webster, “off of” (which got me ranting in the first place) is nonstandard, meaning it is “unacceptable to a broad group of educated English speakers & writers.” Ain’t is also considered nonstandard, and I can’t keep track of how many times I hear that word every day. Will it always be so, or will it become standard in the future? Perhaps. But it isn’t now, and when used, makes the speaker or writer appear uneducated or simply lazy.
Sallie: Thanks for your cringe-inducing example. Here’s another one I hear way too often: “Me and him are goin’ to the movies.”
Must stop or I will be forced to smack somebody on the head with a really big dictionary.

Ken said...

@Sallie & Kazie: You might enjoy William Safire's "On Language" if you're not familiar with it. It is in part a collection of letters that dissect his grammar.
Also, James J Kilpatrick, a 60 Minutes member for many years, wrote "The Writer's Art." It discusses the English language very well. I'm sure they are library staples. Ken

kazie said...

bea, The people you refer to (to whom you refer) who refuse to use correct English were always called "aintcha wasyas" at home in Oz, echoing their frequent use of "ain't" and "was ya".

Lola said...

I guess we are all in the same boat this morning, like the rest of the crew, this puzzle flew by me before I could finish my coffee. I always avoid looking at the author's name until I've completed the c/w. This one had Norma Steinberg's in-your-face cluing stamped all over it. Oh well, nice not to have to strain the brain first thing Monday morning.

Crocket: Don't jinx our weather. After the slow start we had this summer, I would be happy with 90's into mid November. Day dreams are free!

Have a magical Monday. TTFN

KittyB said...

Melissa bee, I tend to think of 'clammy' as being cold and wet....damp and chilly, not just MOIST. Perhaps it's the degree of wetness, combined with chill. MOIST doesn't convey the discomfort associated with 'clammy."

As for mellowed and aged, I hope to Gawd that I'm mellowing as I age, but the two are not necessarily synonymous. The same is true of 'maturing' and 'aging.' I think I would have liked 'ripening' as in cheese. Probably this is just my personal bias.

I have a copy of 'de Lovely,' and I was very disturbed at how dark a tale it is. It puts his behavior in perspective in relationship to his wife. I was aware that 'Night and Day' with Cary Grant, was a total fabrication, but I wasn't prepared for how grim the reality was. The music is lovely....the story isn't.

Clear ayes, I love "An Attempt at Unrhymed Verse!" It's fun to see a funny poem that isn't a limerick.

embien said...

No time today. Since the online link is still to Saturday's puzzle, as others have noted. Only unknown was ALLA (never heard of ALLA Nazimova), but gotten from the crosses.

c.c.: I enjoyed your Paul Newman clues, but I suspect that it wouldn't have been possible to have a tribute puzzle so soon after his death, for production reasons if nothing else. Still, it was quite clever of you to see those!

lois said...

Good afternoon Cc & DF's: Holy Hot Wick Anthurium!!!! What an exciting and erect morel FLOWER! No 'moist' dew, but that can be fixed. I'll just 'lend' a 'hand' or I could just pluck that floral he-man! Maybe Santa baby will leave some in my stocking. Nah, I'll probably get coal, which may not be a bad thing, depending on how you spell it. I'll take
'cole' in my stocking any day. Thanks for the links, CC.

Enjoy your evening.

carol said...

Happy Monday afternoon C.C. and fellow solvers, DF's,and ettes: So easy today, I thought I was someone else!
45A gave me a "start", looks more like a "french tickler" than a flower! And yes, I know I will have to explain that :)

Glad I was not the only one who put "Silver Bells" in 53A, I soon realized it was wrong.

Very warm here today, weird weather in the NW this year..but I'll take it as Lola says, even into November. I think we are in for a change on Thurs though, as rain is in the forecast.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Evening All, I finally got my newspaper and finished what was a very easy puzzle.

For all the "On Liners", I was really annoyed that the online puzzle was stuck in Saturday's twilight zone, so I wrote to one of the deputy editors at the Chicago Tribune. I asked if the glitch was a temporary problem or if, heaven forfend, the online puzzle was history.

I received a nice email from the Trib's Lila Lohr, who very politely explained about the "new look" and assured me there were no plans to drop the online daily puzzle. (Basically she told me to relax and not to get my panties in a bunch.) Phew! What a relief...I hate when that happens.

Jimbo, What a guy. Your post brought home the point that we don't want to get so involved in using perfect English that we get nervous and miss the fun of the blog.

Martin, Your son is a beautiful little boy!

Ken, Congrats on the cribbage wins.

Crockett1947 said...

@clear ayes Yes, it's so uncomfortable when that happens, isn't it?

bellensav said...

Fun puzzle for the stop lights this morning.

C.C. thanks for the online. Found it!

Crockett1947 said...

@doesitinik Please send me an e-mail.

Ken said...

I thought I'd pass along the video link the Oregonian did on our cribbage tournament. Cribbage interview
There is a right arrowhead in the middle of the screen. Do not use that one; it will take you to the next story. Down in the lower left hand corner there is a smaller blue arrowhead to start the video. Hope you enjoy.

Clear Ayes said...

Ken, Very good video. You did a terrific job. I had no idea that cribbage was that old.

Crockett, I also had no idea that you would have experienced the discomfort of bunched panties.

Live and learn.

kazie said...

Ken, Great job on your video!
I have a crib board my dad and some buddies made out of part of a crashed Italian plane wing, while they were in the desert during WWII. They were in the Australian 8th army, (or maybe it was the 9th--he was in both at different times), and worked in the mechanics shop. Must have been a slow month. I've never had it appraised, but I wonder if it would be worth anything. They made three of them, and they got one each.

Crockett1947 said...

@clear ayes My comment was more in a general vein. I didn't say that I had experienced that particular discomfort, LOL!

@ken Nice cribbage video. My father-in-law plays and tries to teach me, but he's too impatient with me and sometimes changes the rules, IMHO.

carol said...

Ken: nice to see you and the great cribbage clip. Sounds like you had fun and made a bit of money in the process! :)

Anonymous said...

Greetings C.C. and all -

C.C. I didn’t particularly like the “girlie” clue either.

Very pretty pink ERECT anthurium indeed. I always thought it was antherium, but then I googled it and both were listed. Are both correct?

If I remember my nursery rhyme correctly – it is:

Little Jack Horner sat in a corner,
Eating his Christmas pie.
He stuck in his thumb,
Pulled out a plum and said,
“What a good boy am I?”

I thought the puzzle was one of the easiest in some time.

Back to anthurium – according to a google entry “anthurium” is derived from two Greek words meaning “tail flower.” That’s not what the pictures look like to me. Right ladies?

Gotta go for now – may be back later.

Have a great day and keep on puzzling!

Night Owl
(Hoot!)

Jeannie said...

clearayes, I don't get a paper every day and use the on line link. I just checked it again now and the correct puzzle is there. Finished it in record time as it sounds like everyone else did. Lois is right, lots of fun fodder for us sirens to go to sleep to tonight. Pleasant dreams for me. BTW, I think men with their shorts in a bunch would be much more uncomfortable than ours. They do have more junk in the front than we do afterall. Don't you agree ladies? As Elaine on Seinfeld so eloquently said it, "I don't know how you guys walk around with that thing". (But I for one, am glad that you do):)

Jeannie said...

kittyb, I am with you. I think of moist as being warm and gooey. Like a good warm brownie fresh out of the oven. Not clammy in the least which reminds me of being chilly and cold. Hold on fellas. (not literally) Okay, if it helps.

Ken said...

@Clear Ayes, Kazie, Carol and Crockett: Thank you for your kind comments; the video was fun to do.
Kazie, at the American Cribbage Congress website, www.cribbage.org, there is is link called Collector's Corner. You might check it out and contact Bette Bemis. I do not know her, but do know that there is a colony of crib board collectors in the US. The provenance of your dad's board would undoubtedly be of value to a collector as well as the unusual material. I wouldn't venture a guess as I'm not an "Antiques Roadshow" staffer(chuckle) but you'll find more info. The link to Collector's Corner is at the lower left of the www.cribbage.org site. Good luck. Ken

Anonymous said...

Greetings C.C. and all –

Some of my comments are posted so late at night that they might not be read by everyone. The main one I am referring to was posted September 29, 2008. Hope you don’t mind but I will repeat it here:

Night Owl said...
Greetings C.C. and all -

Martin - believe it or not I have seen we're and were used for one another. I know I'm not the best at grammar but when I see or hear some of the most obvious words (some of the ones in your comments and comments of others) it's just like a shrieking piece of chalk on a blackboard to me. I just cringe. However, that is my problem. I think we have come so fast into "new" technology that a lot of words get misused. That is not the only thing that causes bad word usage. Some people are just lazy or ignorant of the proper word to use. This is a very fast paced world we live in now compared to when I was in school. And some people just don't take the time to look up a word for proper spelling or usage and think "Oh, they'll know what I mean."

The most confusing words for me are "affect" and "effect." Does anyone have a simple explanation or example of when these two words should be used??

I cringed a couple of days ago when I caught an error in one of the messages I posted. I misspelled doesn't. And I previewed it before I hit "Publish Your Comment." How sad is that???

BTW - I realize that most of us use some words that have evolved from using the computer and quick messaging like:

"kinda"
"sorta"
"gotta", etc. just to mention a few. I use them too when I'm in the mood.

I'll get off my soapbox now and try to do better with my proofing.

Have a great one and keep on puzzling!

Night Owl
(Hoot!)
September 29, 2008 1:03 AM


Sallie – Thank you for your comments (September 29, 2008 9:41 AM) regarding grammar and the use and misuse of words.

Also, thanks to: C.C., Bea, Martin, Lois, Kazie, and Clear Ayes. Hope I haven’t left anyone out. You all make good points. There is a time for using correct English and a time for using casual jargon.

I just thought of another one that really makes me cringe. (Usually in books.) An example: Someone will make a speech or a toast, and the crowd wishing to agree will say “Here, here!” when what they really mean to say is “Hear, hear!”

Well, I’d better call it a night.

Have a great day and keep on puzzling!

Night Owl (Hoot!)

Anonymous said...

Greetings C.C. and all -

Sorry, I forget something!

Jimbo - I know you were just funnin' us. (Your 9-29-08 10:36 AM comment.)

TTFN

Night Owl
(Hoot!)

Anonymous said...

C.C. Please forgive me for this but I just noticed the top of the comments reads, "Monday September 29, 2008 Normal Steinberg" instead of Norma. Sorry, I just couldn't pass that up.

I can hear you now - Just wait until I catch an error in one of her comments!

Night Owl (Hoot!)

Crockett1947 said...

Good night, night owl. I enjoy your posts.