google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday December 12, 2008 Robert H. Wolfe

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Dec 12, 2008

Friday December 12, 2008 Robert H. Wolfe

Theme: Sound Alike

17A: Golf?: PLAY A ROUND (AROUND)

55A: Take a dive?: THROW A BOUT (ABOUT)

11D: Compete in a steeplechase?: JUMP A BOARD (ABOARD)

28D: Race on earth?: RUN A GROUND (AGROUND)

I was not aware of the boxing term "dive". But "PLAY A ROUND" came to me immediately so I got the theme very early on. It certainly helped me fill in several blanks. I found today's down fills much easier to obtain than the across ones.

Two major problems in this puzzle:

1) DIVE (24A: Swoop) is an answer, so "dive" should not be part of the clue for 55A.

2) POUT (51D: Look sullen) and POUTY (33A: Peevish) in the same puzzle? They are of the same root for goodness sake.

I do like the clues for GOOSE (6D: Nene, for one) and GUEVARA (41D: Che from Argentina). Lovely to see "Nene" and "Che" as clues rather than the fills. I had the mistaken idea that Che was from Cuba.

Across:

1A: Walker in water: WADER. Nice clue. All alliterations.

14A: Napoleon, for a time: EXILE. Another nice clue. Try "Dalai Lama" next time. He has been an exile for a long time.

15A: SSS classification: ONE A. Here is a detailed list. Have you ever seen a Purple Heart medal in person?

16A: King novel, "__ Key": DUMA. Got the book title from down fills. I've never read any Stephen King book.

21A: Bonny girl: LASS. "Bonny" is rooted in BON (57D: __ mot (witticism)).

22A: Swooped: DIPPED. Are they are really interchangeable?

25A: __ Gorda, FL: PUNTA. New city to me. What is it famous for? The name is "Fat Point" in Spanish.

26A: Low, foglike clouds: STRATI. Singular form is STRATUS.

34A: Small traveler in space: METEOROID

36A: Japanese ethnic group: AINU. The aboriginal Japanese. AINU is literally "human" in their language.

37A: Hindu garment: var.: SAREE. SARI is more common. Same with RANEE, which is a variant of RANI.

41A: Prickly, Scottish shrub: GORSE. I totally forgot about this bush. Dictionary says it's a genus of Ulex. Kind of reminds me of IBEX (Mountain goat) and IlEX (Holm oak). A bunch of weird looking words.

45A: Rope on the range: RIATA. Sometimes it's REATA. What's the difference between RIATA and LARIAT?

47A: Whence Zeno: ELEA. Zeno of ELEA.

50A: B.C. or P.E.I.: PROV. We have provinces (22) in China. Xi'An is the capital city of Shaanxi Province.

58A: Potent beginning: OMNI. Also "Present beginning".

61A: Art movement: DADA. OK, here is Dadaist Duchamp's "Mona Lisa". Here is the explanation on the DF meaning of L.H.O.O.Q..

Down:

3D: Naturalist Fossey: DIAN. Got her name from across fills. Is DIAN a nickname of DIANA?

9D: Pharisee rival: SADDUCEE. Completely unknown to me. Dictionary defines SADDUCEE as "a member of a Palestinian sect, consisting mainly of priests and aristocrats, that flourished from the 1st century b.c. to the 1st century a.d. and differed from the Pharisees chiefly in its literal interpretation of the Bible, rejection of oral laws and traditions, and denial of an afterlife and the coming of the Messiah."

10D: Make work: ADAPT. Are you comfortable with this clue?

29D: Job extras: PERKS. What amazing PERKS Google offers to its employees!

44D: Exhale forcefully: BLOW. Also the title of a Johnny Depp movie.

52D: Inning sixths: OUTS. Baseball term. "Three up, three down". Why "sixth" instead of "six"?

53D: Very small: ITSY. This reminds me of a good clue for SANTA ("He has a small staff").

C.C.

78 comments:

Anonymous said...

18:04 today I didn't have too much trouble it was like the words just came to me.

I would like to also say good morning

CC and Jeannie and all others.

Martin said...

I'll be the first one to say aLOUD
That this puzzle did make me POUT
I was hoping for a SLAMDUNK
But in the end it was more of a ROUT
I wanted to finish it PRONTO
but, alas, it took me AROUND
18 minutes or so there ABOUT
I knew what I was getting INTO
and I still have my feet on the GROUND
(so to speak) so I'm down... but not OUT.

Seriously though, this was fairly easy: only four unknowns (DIAN, DUMA, GORSE, PUNTA and LOPE) so it was only a matter of time. I liked the rhymes (obviously) and (besides the theme fills) there were the sports related fills DIVE, SLAMDUNKS, RBIS, OUTS and ROUTS. I also liked GOOSE and GORSE and the fact that AMIE crossed with AMIN. Nice.

Martin

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

Democrat,
Good morning to you too!

Martin,
Which one is correct: This is not an inspired puzzle or this is not an inspiring puzzle?

Clear Ayes,
Thanks for the interpretation "laughter-silvered wings".

Barry,
You do have an odd sense of humor. I loved the Teflon-like nothing sticks comment you made several days ago. Does your son speak Chinese at home?

Anonymous said...

A list of military awads

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/arotc/Cadet%20Corner/ArmyAwards/ARMY%20Medals%20and%20Awards.htm

Martin said...

Martin,
Which one is correct: This is not an inspired puzzle or this is not an inspiring puzzle?


This may not have been an inspired puzzle but it did inspire me to wax poetic and it may be inspiring others (DFs) as we speak. SADDUCEE sounds like SEDUCEE after all.

Martin

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

Anon @5:43am,
Thanks for the link. Have you seen a Purple Heart medal in person?

Martin,
So, what is on earth the difference between "an inspired puzzle" and "an inspiring puzzle"?

Crockett,
The quip is from a United Features syndication puzzle Argyle solves regularly. The title of the quip now bothers me mightily.

J.D.,
Re: Woody. Were you talking about "Toy Story" Woody?

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

Pattispa,
I agree with Kazie/JD. You meant teaspoons when you wrote down the measurements of the nutmeg and cinnamon in your Brown Betty recipes, right?

Lois,
Re: HEWER comment. You are just incredible!

Mark - Buenos Aires,
I had absolutely zero education on music, which was still banned in China when I grew up. I did watch and liked "The Sound of Music".

Argyle,
Thank for the further explanation on E.T. I did not know "what... for" can mean "why". So I was confused about the "Because..." answer. No "D'oh" reaction for the 8 notes, I really did not know that.

Martin said...

Martin,
So, what is on earth the difference between "an inspired puzzle" and "an inspiring puzzle"?


You said it before, didn't you? It's like an exciting movie that gets you excited or a boring movie that leaves you bored: an inspiring puzzle will leave you inspired and the puzzle itself is inspired if the constructor was inspired when he made it.

Martin

Martin said...

I did not know "what... for" can mean "why".

Vraiment? Pourquoi pas?

Heh. "Pourquoi" is "For what". Formally in English we could say "For what reason does this have to be done?" (Presumably so it can be done badly if yesterday's quip is any indication.)

Martin

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

Martin,
Well, I always thought of "Pourquoi" as "why" rather than "for what", though literally you are right.

After the 2007 NY Marathon, Tom Cruise said he found his wife (Katie Holmes)'s achievement "inspired". He should have said "inspiring", shouldn't he?

Dennis said...

Good morning, c.c. and gang - had a soaked paper this morning; just got around to the online one.

My comments would basically echo previous ones -- no major issues, got perp help where needed. Good DFette material in this one.

Speaking of DFettes, Lois, absolutely brilliant comment last night; just perfect.

Today is "National Ding-a-Ling Day", so be sure to play with yours.

Oh, it's also "Set Your Own Blog Counter # Day"; came too late for some.

Have an outstanding day; disgustingly rainy/windy here in the Philly area.

Barry G. said...

Morning, folks!

Pretty straightforward puzzle for me today -- certainly easier than the last two days!

There weren't any unknowns for me today (except perhaps for STRATI, which was easy enough to deduce after a few letters), but it took most of the perps to help me remember how to actually spell SADDUCEE. I remember it from my Bible study days, but that was a loooong time ago. Also, I got PROV from the perps and couldn't figure out what it actually meant for awhile, since I initially didn't realize what B.C. and P.E.I. stood for. Other than that, though, smooth sailing for me.

I used to be a big fan of Steven King, but haven't read anything by him in recent years. Still, I keep an eye out for new stuff he's written, just in case the subject matter appeals to me, so I was familiar with "DUMA Key."

Oh -- and I just knew that C. C. would have thing or two to say about POUT and POUTY in the same puzzle! I got POUT first and couldn't believe that 33A was actually going to be POUTY, but it was!

As for my son, he currently only speaks a few words that I have taught him (hence his horrible American accent), but now that my in-laws have moved in with us (don't ask) I hope he'll pick up a lot more.

Have a good one!

NYTAnonimo said...

Took me awhile to complete because I refused to believe they would put POUT and POUTY in the same puzzle. Also didn't understand the PROV until I came here-duh! Otherwise, it fell fairly fast. Hope you all have a good weekend!

Bill said...

Good Morning from snowy CNY. (again)
I can't say that this was easy, but I did finish without help. Except for SAREE. I wanted it to be SARES because I misread the clue as plural and did not know SADDUCEE.
POUTY!? I agree. Can't possibly be. Not with POUT in the same grid.
I had MOODY for a while but then nothing else would work.
And, I'm sorry, but I've always taken issue with RBIS! It should be R'sBI. RUNS BATTED IN, not RUN BATTED INS. But, that's just me. Some sports terms defy all English language logic! Like NLER and ALER! I didn'tr like them when I first saw them and still don't but they seem to fill xwords nicely so "GET OVER IT, Bill!"
CY'all later

kazie said...

G'morning to all!
Easy puzzle today. Only unknowns for me were PUNTA, MSG, DUMA, and SADDUCEE, but got everything from fills unassisted.

Martin,
Nice catch on pourquoi!

Barry G,
I believe the best method of raising a truly bilingual child is to always use your own mother tongue when speaking to the child. So if you use English, and your wife uses Chinese, the child gets to know both with the right accent. At first they mix them up within each sentence, but in the end they sort it out by themselves, and when they start school, they may seem a little behind some kids, but they adapt (make it work) and catch up fast--probably passing the others very quickly.
I know this is what my son and his German wife intend to do when they start a family.

c.c., and others,
I agree wholeheartedly on POUT/POUTY. I spent too much time searching for a synonym to work there.

STRATI is plural for stratus. Latin -us makes plural with -i; -a goes to -ae; -um to -a, (DATUM/DATA or MEDIUM/MEDIA). So why don't we say musea, or mausolea? Though Webster gives that as an alternative. Hence the confusion of English--or one of many.

DoesItinInk said...

This was a pleasant puzzle all-in-all. There were a few areas where some thought was required and some clever cluing, but there was nothing that was a stumbling block to a successful conclusion.

CC, I too have never read a Stephen King book, so DUMA Key had to come from the crosses. And, no, I did not like the 10D clue “make work” for ADAPT. I did however like the clue “B.C. or P.E.I.”, especially since Prince Edward Islands is not a well-known Canadian province to USers. I also liked “NYC arena” as the clue for MSG and “nene” for GOOSE. And finally, finally I remembered whence Zeno came! I also knew SADDUCEE, though I had to tip-toe through the spelling. Being able to easily fill that in may be the one benefit to having had a parochial-school elementary education.

pattispa said...

c.c./Kazie/JD

Sorry for my typo. The amounts for the cinnamon and nutmeg are 3/4 tsp. each. Why didn't I catch that!!!

Anonymous said...

Mark - Buenos Aires

Prickly bush from Scotland, well, the thistle is the national plant. Is gorse originating from Scotland, I thought it common to many areas. Are there any botanists here?

My father used to make gorse flower wine, I cant think of anything else its useful for.

JIMBO said...

C.C. Re: The "Ner" question. "How could Ner be both grandfather and uncle to King Saul?

After many hours of study and reading everything I could find pertaining to this subject, I can not offer a concrete answer. I can only tell you why I believe 1Sam. 14:50-51 is a true statement.

The author of the first 24 chapters of 1Sam. has been credited to Samuel himself.
Since Samuel was an eye witness and very much involved with Saul and his geneology, I believe he had a vivid recollection of the events of that time.

The authorship of 1Ch. has been credited to Ezra(a scribe) and at least two other persons. A scribe's job was to transcribe and keep written records. Since they were not eye witnesses and Chronicles was written many years later, I believe they were more prone to err somewhat in names and numbers.

Now you ask: Why did the HOLY SPIRIT allow this to happen? My answer: It happened many times in the "Old Testament" and perhaps the HOLY SPIRIT says "No big deal--It does not alter the big picture".

I welcome anyone else's opinion. What say you Calef?

JIMBO said...

BTW I did finish this puzzle without help, but had to do a lot of guessing. Turned out to be good guesses.
I, also, had a hard time believing pout and pouty to be in the same grid.
The down clues are almost always easier for me and helps me with the horizonals.

g8rmomx2 said...

Hi c.c. and all,

No problems today except I never heard of the King novel. I put in "adapt" but I agree with c.c. did not like that clue at all. Everything else was easily gotten through the perps.

c.c.: Punta Gorda is just a little south of Port Charlotte, maybe 15 minutes or less. In 2004Hurricane Charley hit Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte and came right up the Peace River. My mother-in-law who is now deceased lived on the Peace River and had major damage from the Hurricane.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Anonymous said...

Jimbo.
Concerning the Ner question I am willing to accept what your research has produced. I did not go into the matter with the attention you have put into it. I simply accepted the possibility that Saul's grandfather had a son named after himself in addtion to Saul's father.
Calef.

Barb B said...

The puzzle was just about perfect for me; some challenges, but nothing overwhelming. I enjoyed having to work a little. I have the same objection as everyone else to POUT and POUTY. And then there was OUTS and throwaBOUT to make things interesting.

I knew SADDUCEES; expected Jimbo to supply the traditional groaner pun for remembering, but since he didn’t, I will.

There were two major Jewish sects in the New Testament times; the Pharisees believed in life after death, but the other sect didn’t, so they were SADD U SEE.

Told you it was a groaner.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, I goofed up this morning when I got to 58A, misread it as "Portent beginning" and filled in OMEN. That worked just fine for 48D PLOD and 49D ROMA, but messed up 28D and 46D. It took a few rereadings to realize that I needed another cup of coffee and to clean my glasses.

Other than that, it was a nice puzzle except for the already mentioned POUT(Y). Anything I didn't know came from the perps. I even spelled SADDUCEE correctly.

C.C. RIATA - I got this from The Look of the Old West "The first reatas (the word lariat is just a corruption of la reata) were braided rawhide with from four to eight strands." So RIATA and lariat are two words meaning the same thing. Are there some Spanish speakers out there who can add to this?

Pattispa, LOL Thanks for the recipe correction. I had printed it, but hadn't really looked at the amounts.

National Ding-a-ling Day??? Who the heck comes up with these things?

JD said...

C.C.
"Re: Woody. Were you talking about "Toy Story" Woody?"

hmmm, no , and not the surf board station wagon either...more like an erect penus

Good morning to you too

Martin, such a clever poem!

Clear Ayes said...

JD must have known that National Ding-a-ling Day was just around the corner!

This might be of interest to ding-a-lings everywhere. It is DADA artist Marcel Duchamp's interpretation of a Nude Descending A Staircase, No. 2.

Poet X. J. Kennedy thought enough of the painting to write a pretty DF poem about it. It's not what you see, but what you want to see. I love the phrase "One-woman waterfall".

Nude Descending a Staircase

Toe upon toe, a snowing flesh,
A gold of lemon, root and rind,
She sifts in sunlight down the stairs
With nothing on. Nor on her mind.

We spy beneath the banister
A constant thresh of thigh on thigh.
Her lips imprint the swinging air
That parts to let her parts go by.

One-woman waterfall, she wears
Her slow descent like a long cape
And pausing, on the final stair
Collects her motions into shape.

- X. J. Kennedy

JD said...

I enjoyed today's c/w although I had to go to G for Guevara, Ravi, and Sadducee, all interesting subjects.The hardest part for me was the strati/spasm section which took me a bit longer.

Punta Gorda is known as the City of Hibiscus, and they have a huge festival each year in which they name a newly developed flower( I only knew rose growers did that); one was called "Eye of the Storm" The town was founded in 1885, then called Trabue, and in 1887 the name was changed when it was incorporated as a muniipality.In 1891 they built an ice plant to be able to ship out fish on the newly built railroad. Today it has 18,000 people, and is considered a hot spot for dining. Bob says it's known for its sponges.. maybe so, he grew up in Naples. Xchefwalt, where are you?

I really do know how to spell penis.

carol said...

Good Morning C.C. and everyone,
In between fighting with my Christmas tree lights and answering the phone, I managed to get most of the puzzle. Same problems everyone else had so won't go into them. I did enjoy it though, made me think and that's good.

Dennis(6:25) very astute

Lois, Last night's comment was right on DeMark!

steve said...

CC;
This puzzle for me was very easy. It took a while to get the theme but once I did, it went fast.

Yes I have met/know a purple heart receipent. He was a USAF Air Liasion Officer stationed with the 24th (I think) Ranger batallion at Fort Lewis WA. In 1983 he parachuted into the island of Grnada to run of the dreaded Cubans who had envaded earlier. He was enjured while setting on a stone wall directing naval aircraft bombing suspected Cuban strongholds. During this time he was hit in the flac vest by a piece of shrapnel from one of the Navy bombs just hard enough to pierce his chest. This was considered a combat wound and he was awarded the Purple Heart. If it had been me, I would of declined the award considering he got his wound by bombing himself. However, at that time the US was still smarting from Vietnam and I think they wanted/needed hero's. I still think it was a cheep way to get medal for heroism!

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

Dennis,
What's your take on Steve's 1:09pm comment? I thought the guy deserves his Purple heart.

Bill,
Interesting take on R'sBI. I've never thought that way.

Kazie,
Re: Musea. Is it because "museum" of Greek origin?

Ink,
"Que., e.g. " would be an even better for PROV, don't you think so?

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

Gatormom,
Thanks for PUNTA Gorda.

J.D.
Re: Woody. Now you need to explain to me why the crossing of HEWER and GNAW reminds you of Woody. I don't get it.

Jimbo,
So your conclusion is that NER is only the uncle to SAUL, right? Thanks for taking time doing the search.

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

Clear Ayes,
"She sifts in sunlight down the stairs/With nothing on. Nor on her mind." What does "Nor on her mind" mean? Is she absent-minded?

Barb B,
Re: SADD U SEE. What a great way to remember this word. Thanks. I like Martin's seducee too.

Steve,
Nice to see you again. Thanks for answering my Purple Heart question. Is your dog named Lola?

JIMBO said...

C.C.

Right-------But Calef's point is well taken also.

Dennis said...

C.C., you're entirely too devious. Yes, I agree with Steve that, had it been me, I would've turned it down for something that minor. The fact remains, however, that he did merit it, and he was in a combat area.
Steve, just an FYI - the Purple Heart is not for heroism, it's for being wounded (or killed) in action. I've always considered it a 'wrong place, wrong time' medal.

J.D., can't wait to see your answer to C.C.

kazie said...

c.c.,
I checked and found museum. the word looks like a latinized version of the Greek word "mouseion".

Crockett1947 said...

@bill & c.c. RBI is Runs Batted In. There is no apostrophe S. Runs is plural, not possessive.

Razz said...

J. D.

Good Luck...

Your post made me think of this character Woody Woodpecker
but has nothing to do with your forthcoming explanation. hehe...LOL…ROFLOL…

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

Dennis,
I totally disagree with you. There is no "wrong place, wrong time" Purple Heart medal.

Jimbo,
Am I right? Every solider deserves his medal, regardless of what war he is in, doesn't he?

Calef,
Do you think Dennis' yesterday's "So many, many lines..." comment is a takeoff on "So many women, so little time"?

Clear Ayes,
I wonder if Calef and I are the only ones who were at a loss of what Dennis implied at his 3:23pm comment yesterday. Did you get what he said?

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

Kazie,
Thanks for the link. I am curious, which language is older, Latin or Greek?

Crockett,
I think Bill means that the plural form of the abbreviated RBIS should be RSBI (RunS Batted In). Apostrophe is not an issue here.

Razzberry,
Hi!

Dennis said...

C.C., we'll agree to disagree....again. And I didn't say it wasn't 'deserved', given that the criterion is being wounded in action. 'Deserved' and 'wrong place, wrong time' are mutually exclusive.

And I think the problem with the RBI issue is when someone says, "how many RBIs does he have?"; technically, it should be "how many RBI does he have?", but I've never heard anyone say it that way.

Razz said...

Hi C.C. and all the DFs

J. D. just has my mind astir with his Gnawing Hewer so maybe this is what he had in mind. Hey Lois, talk about a WOODY!

More ROFLOL…

Crockett1947 said...

@c.c. I guess I fixated on the fact that you and bill both used 's when discussing the issue.

@dennis I think you hit that one out of the park, my friend.

And now for something totally different -- Why do we refer to a pair of slack, a pair of underwear (M or F, no difference), a pair of glasses, a pair of binoculars, etc. In each case there is a single item that is pluralized by adding "a pair of." C'mon you English majors out there, educate us please!

carol said...

JD, I'll just bet you are chewing on your answer...

Razz, great picture! I know beavers enjoy woody's, takes one to gnaw one!

Clear Ayes said...

Crockett, "Runs Batted In" makes sense. Then 43A RBIS "Runs Batted InS" is an (common) ungrammatical usage.

Interesting too, about "a pair of". I sure don't have an answer. I've worn a sock, which is half of a pair of socks. But I've never worn a slack. I'm absolutely sure I've never worn a pair of bra.

C.C. What does "Nor on her mind" mean? Golly, my guess, and it is just a guess, that any woman who is wandering around in the nude is pretty relaxed and probably doesn't have a lot bothering her at the moment. I know that when I am naked I'm not usually thinking about the price of gasoline or about balancing my checkbook. I think Duchamp's Nude is just living in the moment and enjoying the freedom of being without the encumbrance of clothing. That's what I'd be doing. How about you?

RE: I'm not going to second guess Dennis@3:23 yesterday. He already said at 5:13 that there are so many words that you can turn into an "-er" DF meaning. Take just about any verb that could possibly, or obviously, have an erotic/sexual connotation, add an -er and Voila, you are a performer of that word.

Personally, when the subject of "congress" having a sexual meaning was discussed, I was surprised that nobody said, "If you have congress, does that make you a congressman(or woman)?"

Crockett1947 said...

@clear eyes When I made the underwear reference, I was thinking about briefs, boxers, panties, etc. I think panties can be expressed in the singular as panty, but I don't know that boxer and brief would convey the correct meaning in the singular. Interesting that my spell check doesn't like "panty." I do see that wiki uses "panty" as an adjective, though. The whole concept of "a pair of bra" is rather frightening!

Who gets to award the "congressional medal of honor," then? (Totally tongue-in-cheek, I don't want to disparage the REAL MOH)

Razz said...

Crockett…

From “THE STRAIGHT DOPE”. Don’t know if it helps but…

Here are some other nice pairs Raquel Gina Sophia oh and so many more!

embien said...

9:02 today. Have never seen or heard of DUMA or SADDUCEE, and the POUT/POUTY issue has already been discussed. Otherwise, an OK, if uninspiring, puzzle. (Haven't we seen this theme before?)

@c.c.: 26A: Low, foglike clouds: STRATI. Singular form is STRATUM.

c.c: It's actually STRATUS not STRATUM as the singular when talking about clouds. You can see some pictures of STRATUS clouds here: stratus clouds

STRATUM is the term used for the geologic layers of earth/stone, etc. in the ground, I believe.

@bill: This discussion comes up frequently when things like RBI are pluralized. The name of the statistic is RBI, so the plural is RBIs. Now, that name (RBI) may stand for something else (in this case Runs Batted In), but that is of no consequence when pluralizing the term. (Thanks to crockett for clarifying what RBI stands for.)

And for all you dingaling lovers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MLBfwblps8

Razz said...

Carol,

Pun intended? ;~p

LSHMRH

kazie said...

Jumping in on the plural discussion. Strictly speaking, when pluralizing any acronym, I suppose argument could be made for an apostrophe--not for possession, but for the omission of the rest of the word. But I don't like it either and prefer to just capitalize the acronym but not the plural "s".

On the pant issue, I think it is an anomaly of English. Both French and German have a singular word for pants: eine Hose (G)or un pantalon (F) = a pair of pants; but eine Brille (G), and des lunettes (F) = a pair of glasses. So French is inconsistent too. Lunettes literally would mean "little moons".

JIMBO said...

C.C.

I totally agree. I.personally, was not awarded a medal, But my unit in WW11 was cited for exceptional service in maintaining "essentially perfect communications".
I am very proud that I was a part of that unit.

pattispa said...

Crockett, there is a pair of glasses, indicating two lenses, but then there is monocle with one lense. Similarly there is a pair of binoculars (singular) and several binoculars (plural).

I have been told that English is one of the most difficult languages to learn, (if not born to it) due to its many irregularities,slang phrases and wierd pronunciations.
i.e. through, though, tough, thought. Not to mention irregular verbs. I only came to realize this after studying other languages.

melissa bee said...

good afternoon c.c. and all,

nothing new to add about the puzzle, same snags - all sorted out in the end.

i have never seen a purple heart medal in person. not in the same realm, but i have seen an oscar statuette.

i've heard the saducee = sad you see groaner all my life, usually hand in hand with pharisee = not fair you see. a silly way to distinguish the sects in bible class - but it stuck.

@jimbo & calef: along the same lines, the ner question got me curious so i poked around and found a few different explanations .. most point to scribal error or two ners, but all agree that ner was saul's uncle.

JD@12:13 - lol.

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

Dennis,
Why should the question be "How many RBI does he have?" Why not plural form?

Razzberry,
That's one heck of a gnawing HEWER.

Carol,
Great comment @ 3:39pm.

Clear Ayes,
Very interesting congressman remark. What am I thinking when I am naked? Hmmm, hard question.

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

Crockett,
"Congressional Medal of Honor", very DF.

Embien,
Thanks for the Stratus Clouds. The break-down of an "adverb" into "a" + "noun" theme is new to me.

Kazie,
Is Latin older than Greek?

Melissa,
Good to see you.

Crockett1947 said...

@razzberry Thanks. That gives a bit more background.

Holy hotwick! Try this other My Ding-a-Ling link! what a riot!!

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

Buckeye,
I deleted your post because you crossed the line.

dougl said...

Interesting movie on Che Guevarra's history is "Motorcycle Diaries."

I agree with most that this was was in the sweet spot -- not very hard but a few slow spots to make it interesting. Maybe not inspiring (or inspired -- not sure of the differences there) but enjoyable.

Buckeye said...

c.c., The fear of death will do that sometimes.

IMBO

Dennis said...

buckeye, I never have a problem with language, mine's right up there with yours, but I have to admit, my friend, I'm surprised at the lack of respect you showed C.C. I don't think she deserved that.

Just my opinion.

carol said...

Razz, I swear on my pair of bra!

Buckeye said...

Dennis. You are so right. I was in a bad space and should have kept my mouth shut. c.c., My sincerest apology. I was off base and extremely rude. Thank you, Dennis for pointing it out.

With great regrets, IMBO

Clear Ayes said...

I just heard on the news that Hugh Jackman is going to be the host of the Academy Awards. I am inspired to watch the show. Oh heck, I would anyway. I usually have seen all the movies and have my favorites. Hugh Jackman is just the icing on the cake.

Carol, LOL Crockett must be shaking in his boots that the term "a pair of bra" will catch on!

Didn't see Buckeye's post, so can't comment. Hey brother, don't wait to post until until you are in a bad space. You do have friends here.

Crockett1947 said...

@c.c. Since RunS Batted In is already plural asking "How many RBIs does he have?" translates to Runs Batted InS. RBIs is so rooted in baseball culture that it will probably never be changed.

JD said...

C.C., my logic may not be logical to you...
gnaw intercoursed with hewer at the W...w, to me,was wood. Seems logical to me! Voila! a woody was born! That was a great picture, Razzberry!

Anonymous said...

Well, I thought the theme was basketball: PLAY, JUMP, THROW, RUN

Dan (forgot my password)

Buckeye said...

My misbegotten post is in the Woodshed.

IMBO

Dennis said...

Fitting.

Anonymous said...

C.C. and Clear Eyes,
I never did really figure out what Dennis meant when he wrote of "many lines" in my post. I received his message that he was not criticizing me and accepted that, but what he meant is not clear. I have the impression that he is using the word "lines" to refer to something that is more modern than my vocabulary.
Calef.

lois said...

Good evening/night, CC et al, What a hoot of a puzzle! 'Bout' had a 'spasm' doing this one! Holy
'dipped' hotwick! Didn't take a 'goose' to make me 'jump aboard'. Like so often, what started out like a meteoroid ended like Halley's comet (and we all know what a fine tail that thing has)!What wasn't taken care of pronto by the slamdunks was given a 'hand'. It's all good.

Razz: What an 'upstanding' and fine woody that happy, furry beaver is having. Does make a girl envious.

Crockett: LMAO at that Ding-a-ling educational clip. You're right. What a riot! Thank you for that.

JD: Thanks for the laughs. Your DFness is wonderful and your logic is absolutely spot on!

Dennis, CC, Carol: about last night.. Thank you...however, DeFlection is a skill, but you have raised it to an art form. I bow at YOUR feet. Plus you make me gut level laugh.

Enjoy your night.

kazie said...

c.c.,
As far as I can tell, Greek is older--from about 1100BC versus only the first century BC for Latin.

I've been missing all the fun here tonight. While watching a movie, one of my candles dripped off the edge of the table onto the carpet, so now I have to tackle it in daylight tomorrow.

Clear Ayes said...

Lois, Always funny!

Kazie, It sounds like you took Lois' "Holy Hotwick" to the next level. Good luck with the wax in the carpet.

Caleb, my vocabulary isn't very modern either, but I truly think "lines" just means "lines".

Argyle said...

Re: Pair of bra

A guest essay in Newsweek, Dec. 8, called, Confessions of a Fat Runner, mentions that women who are more than stick figures will sometimes wear two bras for added control. It is known as "double bagging".

Jeannie said...

Democrat in a red state, thank you for the rousing good morning. I was still thawing out as it was -3 this morning when I headed out to work. Had a rough day at the office. I am hosting a big party tomorrow at my house and for some reason I can't find my way to sleep.

Buckeye, this is for you...a big hug, and a smooch. I think you need it, and I needed to give it to you. Physical contact I am told is medicinal. SO TAKE YOUR MEDICINE!

Martin said...

Martin,
Nice catch on pourquoi!


Merci!

I'll be busy tonight so I won't be talking about today's puzzle. 22 miuntes 20 seconds for me(online).

Anonymous said...

Here ya go Crockett 1947

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MLBfwblps8

Here's Chuck Berry!



Yes Ms. CC,

I have seen a purple Heart I have 2. One of them is a Purple Heart with Oak Leaf cluster.

Anonymous said...

Jeannie,

Here's hoping you have dreams about a vacation in Hawaii. Hope you enjoy your Saturday and get some much needed rest. See ya Monday!

Martin said...

And now for something totally different -- Why do we refer to a pair of slack, a pair of underwear (M or F, no difference), a pair of glasses, a pair of binoculars, etc. In each case there is a single item that is pluralized by adding "a pair of." C'mon you English majors out there, educate us please!

We say "pair of slacks" (with an s) or pants or jeans or shorts or trousers. Don't forget scissors. But I've never heard "pair of underwear". I think you mean "pair of underpants". In every case, the word after "pair of" is plural as the s indicates. Only one single item? You've never heard of a pantleg? How about a monocle? And a tooth that cuts is called an "incisor".

Martin

Anonymous said...

21:52 (13 Dec 2008) I struggled from 41 Across to end on the left and right sides of the puzzle after such a fast start from the beginning.

My birthday is in 6 days on Friday! Yea me!