google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday September 27, 2008 Willy A. Wiseman

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Sep 27, 2008

Saturday September 27, 2008 Willy A. Wiseman

Theme: None

Total blocks: 32

Definitely not an easy puzzle for me. Somehow I just could not focus on solving it. My mind was somewhere else.

Quite a few unfamiliar clues/anwers. Great to see ARI clued as "Jackie's second husband" (48A) rather than the factually wrong "Jackie's ex". I still do not understand the clue for NOMINATIONS (20A: Proposed candidates). Shouldn't the answer be NOMINEES?

I wonder if our editor is also clueless about Governor Sarah PALIN (66A: Michael of Monty Python). What a missed opportunity! With the current financial crisis, you would think he would choose "Fannie & Ginnie" rather than "West and Jemison" (61A).

I am so tired seeing ESA clued as "NASA's partner in space" (59D). Why not "Spanish pronoun" for a change?

I've never heard of BRIN (32D: Sci-fi writer David). Is he more famous than Sergey BRIN, the founder of Google?

Across:

1A: Jessica Parker or Vaughan: SARAH. Do you think SARAH Jessica Parker is UNE (50A: Nice one?) jolie-laide?

15A: ____ Spumante: ASTI. The sparkling white wine.

17A: Noted violin maker: AMATI. He is the teacher of STRAD. Joshua Bell used a $3.5 million STRAD in this famous Metro morning rush hour incognito performance. Over 1,000 people hurried by him, and he collected a total of $32.

18A: Furry-muzzled dog: SCHNAUZER. Here is a snow white miniture SCHNAUZER. Not a familiar breed to me. I am not a dog (or cat) person.

23A: Vin of movies: DIESEL. I wonder why he picked up Vin Diesel as his name.

27A: Danced to victory: CAKEWALKED. I did not know that CAKEWALK can be a verb too.

31A: Big band leader: LES BROWN. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says he wrote "Sentimental Journey", which brought Doris Day to fame.

35A: Bring back to life: REANIMATE. I didn't like this answer.

38A: Melodies: MUSIC. I penned in SONGS first. I rather like Huge Grant and Drew Barrymore's "MUSIC and Lyrics".

41A: Be tipped off: FOREKNOW. What a strange word!

45A: Style of Gaudi: ART NOUVEAU. I've never heard of Gaudi before. He designed Casa Mila. Some of René Lalique's ART NOUVEAU piece can fetch thousands of dollars.

49A: Uris novel, with "The": HAJ

58A: Efficiency expert: TIMESAVER

62A: Vaccines: SERA

64A: Latin handle: ANSA. I am really tired of this clue too.

Down:

1D: Cause of public outrage: SCANDAL

2D: Ornate wardrobe: ARMOIRE

5D: "Die Lorelei" poet: HEINE (Heinrich). Unknown to me also. Kazie probably knows this poet. She mentioned about Lorelei and its seamen-luring sirens in a comment some time ago.

7D: Spore sacs: ASCI. Singular is ascus. Big stumper for me.

11D: Lively Polish dance: MAZURKA. Another unknown to me. See this clip.

19D: Actor Armand: ASSANTE. I googled his name. His mug looks very familiar. I must have seen him in some movies.

28D: Arista: AWN. I forgot the meaning of "Arista".

30D: Symbol of Wales: LEEK. Good to know. This LEEK potato soup looks so white. Too much potato, Xchefwalt?

33D: Makes up for: RECOUPS

36D: Extinct bird: MOA. DODO if it's a 4-letter blank.

37D: Orangjestad's island: ARUBA

38A: Gandhi's title: MAHATMA. Sage. Ha, I always thought MAHATAMA was Gandhi's given name.

39D: Person of a third sex: URANIAN. What???

40D: "____ Infirmary Blues": ST. JAMES. Is this the song? I've never heard of it before.

44D: Groom or Churchill: WINSTON. Had no idea who WINSTON Groom is. He wrote "Forrest Gump".

47D: Old World monkey: VERVET. Another unknown. What happened to his tail?

C.C.

75 comments:

  1. Good morning (evening for me)!

    Tough for me but I only had to google a few words. I had RESURRECT instead of REANIMATE and SHREW instead of CRONE. I resorted to using a thesaurus. I had to google to get AMATI, ASTI, LES BROWN, ARUBA, ST JAMES and VERVET. Then I got the perps which helped me get the perps and so on and so on... I got URANIAN from the perps.

    C.C., you are right that "proposed candidates" doesn't make sense as a clue for NOMINATIONS. How about "candidate prposals" as a better clue?

    I see I misspelled SCHNAUZER. I should have used google to check the spelling. Ended up getting MAZURKA misspelled too in the process.

    Martin

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  2. Martin,
    Your "Candidate proposals" sounds better. The original clue "Proposed candidates" seems to be asking for either NOMINEES or NOMINATED.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good morning Cc, DFs and DFettes. I went racing through the top half of this puzzle only to hit a wall in the lower half. I needed help with 45A as I originally read the clue as Style of Gandhi and not Gaudi. I guess this came about because I already had inserted Mahatma in for 36D. Anyway this was a problem but was solved with a trip, to Mr. G.

    Other words I did not know in that area were UNE and VERVET.

    Other than the above a good puzzle with enough tough clues to challenge me but for the most part doable.

    I will be late tomorrow so in the meantime I wish you all a great week end.

    @Dennis has your Nor easterner passed yet or is Lois still there?

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  4. OUCH!! This one makes up for the past five easy ones. Like dick, I blazed through the upper half only to be slowed to a crawl at the mid point. The southwest corner was particularly difficult for me, and I was disgusted to find that MUSIC was the answer to 38A. I was looking for something more difficult, I guess.

    I have an early morning appointment. I'll be back later. I hope you all have a good day!

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  5. Morning, all!

    This was another puzzle that started out deceptively easy but then turned into a bit of a slog toward the end. I did finish it unassisted, but once again I had to guess at the last letter (the crossing of HAJ and STJAMES) which always leaves a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth.

    In addition to HAJ and STJAMES, other unknowns for me today were ASCI, URANIAN and VERVET. I've heard of ART NOUVEAU, but not Gaudi, so that answer took awhile to get.

    What saved my bacon today was the fact that I remembered ANSA (finally), am a big fan of author David BRIN, and knew what a MAZURKA was.

    Oh -- and I loved the clue for REANIMATE. There's a classic sci-fi horror movie from the 80s called "Re-Animator" which is about a med student who develops a serum to bring the dead back to life (well, more or less).

    Have a great one, y'all! ^_^

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  6. c.c., you are right--I knew Heine, in fact I'd mentioned him in the comment you referred to. I also knew mazurka, having danced one during my years in ballet classes. But like several others of you, I sailed through only until reaching the SW corner. Had tunes instead of music--the clue was plural after all, didn't know St James or Maes, and, while familiar with Gaudi, I didn't know his style was called art nouveau.

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  7. good morning, c.c. and gang -- some strange words in this one, huh? I agree that 'nominations' was weak, don't think anyone has ever said 'foreknow', and never heard of a freakin' 'uranian'.

    dick, yes, lois is still here and blowing like a banshee.

    have an outstanding weekend.

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  8. Good Morning, (even though my computer is giving me fits.)

    Speaking of fits, C.C., I am no good at those cryptic crosswords; even with the answer in front of me, I don't understand the clue.

    Anyhow...yes, that is the right "St. James Infirmary" but I have never heard it with that beat before.

    I have been having trouble getting the online puzzle lately, meaning it doesn't download. It's wierd because I can get yesterday's but when I try to get today's, nothing happens.

    So who knows anything about 39D?

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  9. Barry,
    Good to hear your view on REANIMATE/RE ANIMATOR. I had thought it was a desperately made-up word.

    Dennis,
    I have the same question Argyle has, why "Person of a third sex" for URANIAN?

    Argyle,
    Have you updated your internet connection yet?

    Clear Ayes,
    Nice "Fog" poem yesterday. I vaguely remember someone posted it before. Probably Sallyjane. Have not heard from her for a long time.

    ReplyDelete
  10. CC--about the monkey's tail--looks like the photographer cut some off---leaving the monkey to say, "It won't be long now!".

    (Sorry, I had to. My dear Dad used to say that all the time. )

    Dennis-didn't get to read your response to my "init" question till this morning. Thanks, I just couldn't imagine what that answer meant and by the way, Have a Happy Day after your Birthday Day. Hope all the swelling has gone down--lots of people were spanking you good!

    Sandra

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  11. c.c., no idea - wiki says it's a "nineteenth-century term that refers to a person of a third sex....someone with a female psyche in a male body". I'll leave it at that.

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  12. sandra, thanks -- but I hate when the swelling goes down...

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  13. Anonymous @ 3:04pm Friday,
    No, that "Asian beauty" is not me. I am a cracked pot, damaged.

    Jen,
    A late welcome!

    The whoo,
    Thank you for 3.2 license. Your "ex-wife freezing apple seed" comment yesterday made me laugh. So who is your favorite Twin?

    Buckeye,
    I read every comment, no matter how late/early they are posted. And there are hundreds of other fellow solvers who come to the Comments section one day later. There are also many in Asia who solve the same puzzle on a 3-month lag. I did not respond to your reply because I fully understood what you said. Thank you. Very nice "She shed a tear, my heart wept" line, I was very touched.

    Kit & Night Owl,
    I am glad you liked the "Quiet raptor" link.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Just saw that Paul Newman died of cancer at 83. What a tremendous loss for all of us; one of the best ever.

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  15. Dennis--sure you hate when the swelling goes down but remember--"you can't have your cake and Edith too"

    (It must be the "nip" in the air this morning)

    Sandra

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  16. HI! Just wanted to let you know that I check this site frequently in order to "help" my Mom finish her crossword puzzle. We live far away from each other and I don't get the newspaper, so this really helps when we get stumped (much harder to "do" the crossword when it is being read to you over the phone!). This has become our little ritual since my Dad passed away last October. I enjoy your comments and marvel at your dedication/ determination to complete these puzzles each day. Thanks for helping us out! Mary

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  17. Hi c.c. and all,

    I had to resort to googling today! Did not know Assante, Asci,forgot what Arista was, and Art Nouveau (Had A--Nouveau, but didn't know Art). Only got Uranian, St James and Mazurka from the perps. I had tunes instead of music and still don't like that answer for melodies! Definitely didn't "cakewalk" through this one.

    Have a wonderful day everyone!

    GO GATORS!

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  18. Good morning CC & DF's: The wild West got me in trouble, and I can't even blame the cowboys this time. Thought it was cute how 'Sarah Palin' got worked into the puzzle with 'nominations'. Persian rugs made me laugh. They still leave burn marks, just with a different accent. Never heard of 39D. Does it stop with the 3rd kind?

    Dennis: 'ICU' outside naked. Yeah, I'm blowin' hard in your area. Hope you enjoy.

    Argyle: great picture, handsome man!

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  19. "I'd find the fellow who lost it, and, if he was poor, I'd return it." --Yogi Berra. When asked what he would do if he found a million dollars.

    Tough One today... my identity name should be "erase_it_with_white_out"!!!

    52D "OFF OF" is not a correct grammar, but used frequently. I just don't like it...

    Never heard Uranian as a third sex...

    Agree with you. NOMINEE is a better choice in 20A.

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  20. URAMIAN - -I thought - - fershure - that someone would some up with the reason for 39D being what it is. No luck and Webster's Third Biggie didn't have anything either. I don't think that Will Shortz would have allowed this one an anything he signs off on.'
    I would be interested in knowing if anyone has a clue on 39D.j

    ReplyDelete
  21. Mary K,
    Thank you for the nice words.

    Lois,
    Very astute observation on SARAH PALIN & NOMINATIONS. I start to think this puzzle has a coded message. It's so constructed with a purpose.

    Flyingears,
    The grammar for UNCAP is perfectly fine.

    ReplyDelete
  22. This puzzle started out very easy, then became fore difficult in the lower, left corner. One Google resulted in four red squares and a completed puzzle for me.

    I was unfamiliar with ST JAMES Infirmary Blues. Here is Cab Calloway singing it. And AWN for “arista” was strictly a guess. I tried to arrive at an answer from the word “aristos” meaning aristocrats. Obviously the words are not related. The excellent novelist John Fowles also wrote a book of philosophical musings entitled The Aristos on Truth, Reality and Beauty. His “translation” for aristos was “the best”.

    There is a great deal of Gaudi’s architecture to be seen in Barcelona including the Church of Sagrada Familia. In film you can see several of Gaudi’s works including the Guell Park in the movie Vicky Christina Barcelona. Interiors and roof scenes of his Casa Mila can also be seen in Antonio’s existentialist film The Stranger starring a young Jack Nicholson and lovely Maria Schneider. I always wondered if the term “gaudy” had its roots in Gaudi’s name.

    I noticed that the puzzle creator attempted to be politically neutral in the cluing for 66A. LOL.

    cc: Careful! The French word “laide” means UGLY! I do not think that is what you mean in referring to Sarah Jessica Parker as une jolie laide (one lovely ugly). Or did you?

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  23. Doesitink,
    Yes, that's exactly what I meant. I think she is a classical "jolie laide".

    ReplyDelete
  24. I go to your site everyday..but always have trouble leaving a comment..
    My Gene loves apple pie too,c.c. and never heard of that word for bacon..I wish he would go on but he lets me do it for therapy.. and wants to know what you all say.. Hi Dennis, the marine.. love to all ,nana

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  25. good morning c.c. and all,

    interesting puzzle today. i liked the artful fills of music, art nouveau, les brown, mazurka, reanimate, mahatma and even persian rugs. st. james infirmary is a traditional song covered by many artists. my two favorite interpretations are arlo guthrie's on his 'live in sydney,' and van morrison's from 'what's wrong with this picture.' noticed first and last across fills sarah palin .. clever.

    third sex? is that something like relaid??

    @dennis: i'm sad too with the news of paul newman's passing .. he made the world a little more colorful.

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  26. dennis and melissa bee, I'm devastated at the loss of Paul Newman--I have always admired him so much. I remember when I was in the 9th grade, I knew a kid who looked so much like him I had a crush on him just because of that. But what an icon he was--married all those years to Joanne Woodward, despite their hollywood careers that caused so many others to topple in private life.
    Thanks for this news, sad though it is.
    Locally, we lost an icon today too. An art teacher who only retired a year ago at 73, after 54 years as a teacher. He will be mourned by many too, having taught three generations here.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Nana,
    Hey, nice to hear from you again. Now I don't feel bad about not knowing RASHER any more. I am curious, do you like the marine because of or despite of his dysfunctional thinking?

    Melissa,
    You are funny. But I was indeed thinking of "Installed again, as tiles" earlier when I got URANIAN.

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  28. hey nana, great to hear from you again; I hope you're well.

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  29. Good morning, everyone.

    @Night Owl, IMBO is buckeye's "sign-off." It means I Must Be Off. He says it applies to both his physical and mental condition!

    Lots of new things to me today. First, I had PRIMARY for 12D, but that made SCHNAUZER weird, as well as RIN, CAKEWALKED and NEARS. I back-solved from CAKEWALKED and got it OK. Other new things: HAJ, ANA, ASCI, ASSANTE, BRIN, MOA (too many extinct birds in crossword land), ARUBA (had no idea where Oranjestad was -- got it from perps), URANINAN (what, a THIRD sex??!!), ST JAMES, and VERVET. Amazing that I got this one solved, LOL. The SW corner was the last to fall.

    NOMINATIONS are made to a slate of candidates. In our two-party system, the winners of this preliminary round become the NOMINEES. And the winner there is the ELECTEE until installed, then he is the OFFICE HOLDER. Why does everything have to be so complicated?

    C.C., I don't understand your question on the VERVET's tail. How did you know I'd ask you about cheddar cheese on apple pie?

    @martin Better cluing idea for 20A.

    Have a great day everyone!

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  30. Crockett,
    I think I made a mistake. There really should not be any furry hair under that fly on its tail, right? You told me to try cheddar cheese on apple pie long time ago.

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  31. C.C.
    Although you commented that your mind was elsewhere this morning, you did an exceptional job with the puzzle today. I especially liked the Times link, the Lalique, and the Gaudi. I’ve seen those apartments, and climbed the stairway inside the Sagrada Familia, so it was a special treat to see them today. I’m not what you would call a world traveler by any means, so I treasure my memories all the more.

    Dennis
    Happy un-birthday.

    So sorry to say farewell, Paul Newman. We will miss you.

    ReplyDelete
  32. To add to Crocket1947's comment about nominations: One nominates someone for something. Then when others nominate additional candidates, those are the nominations. Perfectly rational use of the term. (I serve as parliamentarian for my church at our annual meetings, and have learned about many things in so doing.)

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  33. SW corner! Bad for both Nancy and I! And I had a problem with REANIMATE. Thought it shoulb be REJUVENATE! I guess you can figure how that DIDN"T work out.
    Art Nouveau? One of the RICHE group.
    And if you really want the skinny on URANIAL do a "G" search and you might find out more than you want. NO, I never heard it called that either!!!

    ReplyDelete
  34. @C.C. I forgot that I suggested the cheddar cheese/apple pie combination. What a memory you have! There is no fur under the fly on the monkey's tail because that is actually his rump. Gotta have some way to go, and if the tail's in the way, it wouldn't work well.

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  35. URANIAL no,no,no
    The word is Uranian.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Good Morning All, I ran into trouble with FOREKNOW. I wanted "Forewarn". That messed up the SE corner for a while.

    I had no idea about "a third sex", but I got MAHATMA and the rest of the SW horizontals filled easily. Post puzzle, I G'd URANIAN and was surprised when Wikipedia had a rather long article on the subject. Here's the link if you want to read more about URANIAN.

    SCHNAUZER - G.A.H. and I spent a lot of time at dog shows a decade or so ago, so purebred dogs are pretty easy to get.

    C.C. There might be other SARAH PALIN clues in the puzzle. As a Governor, she is called
    MAAM, For many people she REANIMATEd the campaign. Too close for either nominee to CAKEWALK to the White House.

    Doesitinink, Thanks for Sagrada Familia. I visited during a Eurail trip with my youngest sister in 1978. It is so impressive, but I understand that it is still under construction and won't be completed until 2026.

    I tried to find an early photo of Armand ASSANTE from his part in 1980's "Private Benjamin", but all photos feature Goldy Hawn.

    My daughter had a big crush on Assante after seeing that movie. His portrayal of a handsome and totally selfish French physician was very convincing. (Daughter loved the handsome, French, chateau owning, physician part, so she forgave the selfishness.) It's a funny movie with a very satisfying ending.

    One of my first movie crushes was on Paul Newman in "Somebody Up There Likes Me" (1956). He played boxer Rocky Graziano and costarred with Pier Angeli. He was so gorgeous publicity still.

    I loved his quote about faithfulness in marriage, ""I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?"

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  37. OMG, how about this word - Zwitter.

    intersexual, human beings who
    cannot be classified as either male or female.

    also, a song? by the German industrial metal band Rammstein. (It's on YouTube!) sample lyric:
    "I can send myself roses every day."

    Oh, the things I can learn on this blog. LMAO

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  38. New photo for my postings...flowers for my birthday from a friend working on her PhD in Dublin sent to me from a florist in Ecuador! What a small world we live in.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Good morning C.C. and all, the same thing happened to me in the lower regions of the puzzle. We were due for a toughie and this was it for me! I did manage to get everything except for :
    Uranian(?),St James, Art Nouveau and Vervet.

    Very sad to hear of Paul Newman's passing. He was one of the great ones! Not too many actors are so generous with their money, time and talent as he was. He had great character and truly enjoyed giving to others.

    Maryk, welcome, hope you stay with us.
    Tell your husband to join too, we will try to play nice.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Dennis....
    I , too , am saddened by Paul Neuman's passing. He has been a favorite of mine for many years. And those pale blue eyes!!!

    The other day someone mentioned the song "You Were on my Mind". My all time favorite version was sung by Ian and Sylvia, the Canadian couple who sang in the late 60's and early 70's. I wonder whatever happened to them? Does anyone know?

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  41. C.C.,
    OFF OF IS NOT perfectly okay. It's taught in ENGLISH GRAMMAR THAT THOSE TWO PREPOSITIONS SHOULD NOT BE USED TOGETHER. But, I'm game IF you can give a site where it is discussed as such.

    (Sorry for the caps) I wasn't looking.)

    ReplyDelete
  42. Pattispa, Ian and Sylvia were a favorite duo for me too. You brought back some good memories. Here they are with Judy Collins in 1986 singing their composition Someday Soon. According to Wikipedia, they divorced and are still singing.

    Poem for defeated crossword puzzlers. OK it isn't about crosswords, but those of us who have been defeated by a puzzle will know the feeling.

    Success Is Counted Sweetest

    Success is counted sweetest
    By those who ne'er succeed.
    To comprehend a nectar
    Requires sorest need.

    Not one of all the purple Host
    Who took the Flag to-day
    Can tell the definition,
    So clear, of Victory,

    As he, defeated, dying,
    On whose forbidden ear
    The distant strains of triumph
    Break, agonized and clear.

    -- Emily Dickinson

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  43. Hi guys.

    i want to chime in about 'Uranian'. I aprreciate the link to the Wikipedia article Clear Ayes. I did not find that when I checked with Wikipedia earlier because I searched for Urania. However I did find out something by Googling. Apparently, Urania is an aspect of Aphrodite. If you want to read what I read, click here. The information about Aphrodite Urania makes me think that the assertion in the Wikipedia article about the term Uranian being derived from the German word 'urning' is incorrect.

    Ciao.

    p.s. I am also sad to hear about Paul Newman's passing :(

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  44. Here is an interesting site. I hope I can get it on after help from 4 people and about 4 hours of trying!

    Outer Space

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  45. Sallie, Yippee!! You did it. Impressive video.

    G.A.H. and I are off to see brother-in-law's giant pumpkin. Oh, yes, sister and nephews will be there also. Be back on Sunday evening.

    Have a good weekend, all.

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  46. So sorry to hear about Paul Newman. One of my favorite of his "Cool Hand Luke".

    Where do you get the online puzzle?

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  47. No time today. Solved at the restaurant for benefit of my xword-loving Saturday waitress.

    No unknowns, I just sailed through this one. URANIAN was a gimme since it had so recently appeared in another puzzle. I thought it was the NY Times, but Jim H's comment indicates otherwise, so maybe it was the NY Sun? Oh wait, it was the NY Times, but not clued in the sense given here. The clue was Uranians, e.g., the answer was ETS but the discussion pointed to the alternate definition.
    http://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2008/08/thursday-aug-14-2008-damon-j-gulczynski.html

    @c.c.: Music & Lyrics is a favorite movie of mine. I love Drew Barrymore (especially in Wedding Singer), and I thought Hugh Grant was amazing in Notting Hill. The image of Hugh Grant shaking his booty when singing the "Pop" song still makes me smile. (Can be seen toward the end of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0A7dtdc-nU this clip.)

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  48. Meant to say that St. James Infirmary was a gimme also. Brought back memories of my college folk-singing days (well, I never really did that much singing--mainly playing the guitar).

    This song was a staple of the folk scene back in the sixties as well as "House of the Rising Sun"--before Eric Burdon & The Animals did it (am I dating myself?) The classic version was done by Josh White, my guitar idol back in the day. http://the78rpmblog.blogspot.com/2005/12/josh-white-house-of-rising-sun.html

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  49. Doesitinink,
    Very pretty flowers. Is your birthday today? Happy Birthday!

    Sallie,
    Wonderful link! But Flyinggears is wrong about 52D UNCAP clue, isn't he? "Flip the lid off of" is fine to me.

    Kazie,
    I'd like to know your view on UNCAP too.

    Promisemethis,
    Interesting link! Thanks.

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  50. Jim h @ 10:04am,
    Are you the van Gogh Jim H?

    Embien,
    Thanks for the links. I've not visited Rex's blog for a few months.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Greetings C.C. and all -

    Crockett1947 - Thanks for the IMBO explanation.

    I have the same feeling at times (off mentally and physically) so I can identify ...

    The sad news about Paul Newman was the first thing I saw when I logged on to the web. I'm sure he will be missed by millions of people. This news saddens me.

    The puzzle was a BEAR for me today - same areas as everyone else.

    TTFN

    Night Owl

    ReplyDelete
  52. I am saving all of you today in a folder,under my inbox, don't even know how I did it.. I want him to see he is not alone.. we too loved Paul Neuman..I loved his blue eyes , we all did.. my gene ,me too, loved "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid".. I pray you all stay safe and have a grat week-end..it is going better for me..NOTRE DAME just scored..he loves the IRISH.. I have to go cheer .. love, nana

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  53. c.c., I think "off of" is probably more vernacular than correct English. It sounds like normal American usage to me, but I'd never say that. Uncap even sounds a little odd to me, but then I'm pretty pedantic when it comes to language usage. I'd probably say take the lid off, or open the bottle.

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  54. BTW, Sallie, I loved the outer space link!

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  55. Uranian was absolutely new & strange, but new & strange are what's fun about crosswords. Schnauzer was a gimme; our first dog was a terrific salt & pepper. It was fun seeing the white one.

    Flyinggears: Thanks for SHOUTING about "off of." It is absolutely incorrect. I speak as a former Business English teacher, copy editor, assistant editor & newspaper writer. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest (not off of). I'm not shouting at you, CC, but I hear this mistake way too often. And don't get me started on how often I see "its" and "it's" misued.

    clearayes: Thanks for the link to Ian & Sylvia, which led to Gordon Lightfoot, my favorite Canadian singer/songwriter. He's touring again after some serious health issues. That concert with Gordon, the Tysons, Emmylou, Judy Collins, etc., would have been a great one.

    Paul Newman will be missed. They don't make movie stars with that kind of class anymore. Wasn't he still racing?

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  56. Argyle,
    How did you find this word Zwitter?

    Barb B,
    Do you own any Lalique piece?

    Kazie,
    Any idea on what the background music is for Sallie's Blue Beauty link?

    Bea,
    Thanks for off of. I was wrong all these years.

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  57. Kittyb,
    What are the musical instruments used in Sallie's link? I am very intrigued.

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  58. Pattispa and Clear ayes, you both have conjured up great memories of my most loved groups and artists:
    Ian & Sylvia
    Judy Collins
    Joan Baez
    Bob Dylan
    Peter,Paul & Mary
    to name a few...great songs, great times. I didn't make it to Woodstock but was there in spirit!

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  59. CC

    thanks for the Les Brown clip with Doris Day. I have always felt I was born a generation too late.

    Nana,
    I feel sorrow for your loss. I hope and pray your life will get back on track.

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  60. c.c., I don't know what the music is, but it sounds vaguely Celtic, or something off one of those CDs that are supposed to calm you down. Sorry, but I'm not very musically knowledgeable.

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  61. Steve, I've had no loss, 2 years ago they drilled in my head but I am alive, they call me a miracle... wonderful nuero-surgeon,saved my life.. Gene is my husband of 53 tears and my caretaker.. I am blessed.. have 8children,20 grandchildren and one great grandchild.. and all their mates.. and I am really happy NOTRE DAME IS winning the football game.. my husband was in education 42 years and coached football, and loves doing the crossword everydaynow but Sunday..the answers are in...can't figure him out.. as I go to C.C. site every day and cheat..love you all...one day I will look at all your profiles.. I have C.C. AND my marine, now will you Steve.. bless you, nana ox

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  62. HI c.c. and everyone
    c.c.
    y v w and fav twin? Well, #55 Mike Redmond! Have you ever watched the determination on his face when he is at bat?
    Also re. your Doris Day. I am trying to remember the name of a famous director, that when asked to comment on Doris Day's rising fame, was quoted thus, "Doris Day? I knew her before she was a virgin" Evidently' a swipe at her squeaky clean image she portayed in her movies.

    Has anyone taken a crack at yeserdays N Y T ? Good Lord! 6 fifteen letter fills !

    Night owl: ttfn? taa taa for now?

    Mellisa B: T Y for the chat last nite. I was pleasently surprised.

    Cokato: I cannot answer your question the way you ask it.
    The correct question is "why did God give men only nipples"
    The answer? Because,if they had the full package, they would never go to work. They would just stay home and play with them all day!

    With that, I might as well just head for the woodshed. Do I have to wait till monday, or, will the appropiate punshment be administered on the weekend?

    WHOO

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  63. Boy it sure is dark in hereeeeeeeeee!

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  64. (laughing at the Whoo....)
    Or at your comment! lol I suspect that you'll be punished tonight, AND tomorrow!

    Nana, you must feel very blessed to have more time with your family. Your husband is smart to put you to work on the puzzle. *S*

    dennis....a very merry unbirthday to you. Sorry I missed it yesterday. We could have tried for the Marilyn Monroe version of "Happy Birthday."

    C.C. as for the music behind Sallie's pictures from space, I think the instrument playing the melody might have been an alto flute, or it could have been a version of the Pan pipes. The tone production sounds more like an instrument with keys, to me, rather than a collection of pitched pipes. As for the bass line, I'm torn between synthesizer and string bass. I think Bill is more qualified to answer this than I am. The upper sounds had a bagpipe sound to them that made me think synthesizer, and the drums could have been any type of mid-range pitched drum, like a tom tom. I'm sorry I can't be more specific. I tried to find a reference to the music without luck. If someone can give me that link, perhaps I can give you more information.

    Good night, everyone.

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  65. Greetings C.C. and all -

    WHOO - TTFN - you got it. Or variation Ta Ta For Now.

    When I had my BBS up and running there were quite a few of the younger set that logged on. Some of their sign offs were:

    C Ya
    L8r
    TTFN
    TT4N
    BFN

    Can't remember any more right now. Guess I'm having one of those senior moments.

    On the BBS I had several categories that they could post to and about. Also had games. And a general category that they could post to (to everyone or to a certain person). Had one couple meet and ultimately married. We had several BBS parties so that we could meet each other and put faces with the names. It was a hoot! A couple of the BBS Sysops would get together to have the parties. But those are days gone by.

    Guess I've rambled on enough for now.

    Have a good 'un and keep on puzzling!

    TTFN

    Night Owl (Hoot!)

    P.S. On the BBS we also had one to one personal posts - similar to today's e-mail.

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  66. Bea, Flyinggears,

    Is using two prepositions in a row something that is wrong in of itself? ;)

    Martin

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  67. I'm glad today is a Sunday otherwise I would be OUT OF here and OFF TO work. ;)

    Martin

    P.S.: I'm mean ;)

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  68. My Zwitter Trip:
    First stop; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranian
    The taxonomy of Uranismus
    The seventh entry under the taxonomy
    Zwitter: Intersexual
    that took me to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex
    then I googled zwitter and got
    http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/archive/index.php/o-t--t-45555--.html
    which seems to be about a VW beetle produced '52 - '53 and called zwitter because it was made with parts from different models.
    from there I went One Look http://www.onelook.com/ and on to http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Zwitter, back to One Look and on to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwitter, which was about the German band that recorded a song called Zwitter.
    By then, I'd had enougth and went and listened to Cab Calloway's St. James Infirmary.

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  69. Argyle, I really did mean URANIAN!
    Honest! I jest dunt tipe or spel tu gud, sumtymes!!!

    Sallie, Way to go. Great link!!!

    As for the music, I believe it's all synthesized. But I could be wrong.

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  70. Hang on, Bill, your word may be in a puzzle next week. I found this.

    A Modest proposal:

    Since they are naming classes of planets now, why not rename what are now called "gas giants" to "Jovials" after Jupiter the largest Jovial in this solar system? Mid size gas planets could be named after the first one discovered, "Uranials" after Uranus the first Uranial ever discovered.

    ReplyDelete
  71. I found 41A fairly simple. FORE means at the front and KNOW means to have knowledge, so if I know something ahead of when it happens, I have been "tipped off" about it.
    Calef.

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  72. Sallie - great outer space show.

    C.C.

    I wish I had a Lalique piece. I have a small Lladro, and that's the extent of my fine collectables.

    I don't know the music from Blue Beauty, but it's very much like Vangelis.

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  73. I want to go out and buy a newspaper so I can do the next crossword but the wind and rain is intense. My wife says it's a typhoon coming. What? Another one? If this keeps up then Al Gore's next documentary will be entitled "I Told You So, Didn't I?"

    I think we need to lighten up when it comes to declaring certain expressions in English as "wrong". If an expression is "used frequently" then we don't need a website to tell us that it is correct English because that's how people actually speak. Grammar books aren't supposed to tell us how to speak: they're supposed to reflect how people speak and if the grammar books don't reflect how people speak then it is the grammar books that are wrong. I'm sorry but that's the way it is: if we used grammar books today that were written in Shakespeare's time then "standard" English wouldn't even come close to sounding like colloquial English.

    The situation is even more urgent if we take pronunciation into account: a hundred years ago there was no way to record people speaking so it was much harder to trace how pronunciation changed over time. Nowadays we know that if we use pronunciation texts from a few decades ago then we are teaching students to speak in a way that nobody actually speaks anymore, except perhaps in old movies!

    Languages evolve and the changes obviously can happen within a person's lifetime: one day you may be teaching English and telling everybody how they are supposed to speak and then, all of a sudden, it seems everybody is speaking in a manner different from the way you were taught and now you're the one who is "wrong". It is this mechanism that appears to account for all the variety of languages, dialects and accents we see today.

    Martin

    ReplyDelete

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