google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday January 19, 2009 Josiah Breward

Gary's Blog Map

Jan 19, 2009

Monday January 19, 2009 Josiah Breward

Theme: Meal Time

20A: Residence inn: BED AND BREAKFAST

40A: British bread-and-cheese meal: PLOUGHMAN'S LUNCH

55A: Sweet following eating: AFTER DINNER MINT

I have never heard of PLOUGHMAN'S LUNCH before. Ploughman probably will not eat those bitter endives in the middle. What is the stuff on that front white cup? Looks deliciously chunky.

Not a well-thought theme. If BREAKFAST and LUNCH are located at the end of the phrase, so should be DINNER. You know, like CHRISTMAS DINNER, 15 letters, perfect. What other *DINNER ending phrases can you think of? BUSINESS DINNER is one letter short.

Easy sailing this morning. Very doable puzzle. I got SEE (23A: Match a raise) from down clues, but I don't understand the cluing. How so?

Across:

1A: Calgary team: FLAMES. Here is a hockey puck with FLAMES logo. That's a very hot name. We have Wild in Minnesota. Edmonton Oilers is also based in Alberta.

10A: Novelist Oz: AMOS. "A Tale of Love and Darkness" sounds intriguing.

14A: City on the Rio Grande: LAREDO. Is this city somehow related to "The Streets of LAREDO"? The title of the sad baseball movie "Bang the Drum Slowly" comes from that song.

18A: USN big shot: ADM. What's the equivalent Marines/Army/Air Force big shot? GEN?

24A: Singer Moffo: ANNA. The answer revealed itself after I filled in the down clues. Have never heard of this opera singer.

25A: CCCII tripled: CMVI. Roman 906.

29A: Grp. of D.C. advisors: NSC (National Security Council). Here is a list of those who attend the NSC meeting. General James Jones will coordinate those meetings for Obama.

31A: Chicago singer Peter: CETERA. No idea. I do love Chicago's "Hard to Say I'm Sorry/Get Away". "Chicago" here refers to the band name.

37A: Bay window: ORIEL

44A: "Les Preludes" composer: LISZT. Here is a clip.

45A: Old-time roofing material: SLATE. "Old-time"? Does it mean that SLATE is not used as roofing material any more?

64A: Harem area: ODA. Turkish for "room". Derived from odalik, meaning "a chamber girl" or "a concubine", according to Wikipedia.

67A: Eskimo knife: ULU. Have never heard of ULU knife.

68A: Potential looter: RIOTER

69A: Medieval slave: ESNE. Sometimes is SERF. I don't know how those two are different from each other.

Down:

4D: Physical opening?: META. Metaphysical. Will Rogers probably would want this clue to be "I have never MET A man I didn't like". Our editor dislikes partial fills though.

9D: Love affairs: ROMANCES. They are not the same, are they? To me, "Love affair" implies a sexual and illicit relationship.

10D: Former PLA leader: ARAFAT. Hard to associate ARAFAT with Nobel Peace prize winner.

21D: Simple brooms: BESOMS. New brooms to me. Very twiggy.

27D: "Twelfth Night" role: VIOLA. I guessed. Have never read "Twelfth Night".

30D: Patsy Cline classic: CRAZY. Here is the song. Can't find Willie Nelson's CRAZY on YouTube. It's pretty good too.

33D: Belly muscles: RECTI. Singular is rectus. Another new word to me. I am convinced that I don't know my own body.

41D: Worked freelance: HIRED OUT

42D: End of a spat?: ULA. Spatula. Also "End of a form" (Formula).

47D: "__ Fideles": ADESTE. Semper is also 6-letter.

49D: Rugged range: SIERRA. "Rugged ridge" would be ARETE.

52D: Move sideways: SIDLE. There is no difference in my pronunciation of SIDLE and SADDLE.

55D: Winglike structures: ALAE. The adjective is ALAR, though often clued as "Banned spray".

59D: Synthesizer maker: MOOG. I have never heard of Bob MOOG or MOOG Synthesizer.

62D: British wheel: TYRE. British TYRE hits kerb.

C.C.

58 comments:

  1. Good morning, C.C. and gang - boy, just a crushing Eagles loss yesterday, both from a personal and a business standpoint. As a fan for over half a century, I really wanted a Super Bowl win finally. As a business owner, the next two weeks (at a minimum) would've been off the charts; as it is now, it'll be like someone turned off a light switch. Dick, I wish you guys luck in the Super Bowl; Pittsburgh's on their way to another ring, and deservedly so.

    As to the puzzle, no major issues, thanks to the perps. I'd never heard of 'Ploughman's Lunch', didn't know Peter Cetera or 'Viola', and there were a couple I barely remembered, such as 'ulu' and 'recti' (the two front vertical muscles of the belly).

    In addition to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, today is National Popcorn Day. Never a bad day for popcorn.

    Today's Words of Wisdom: "Sixty years ago, I knew everything; now I know nothing. Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." -- Will Durant

    Have an outstanding day, especially if you've got the day off.

    Off to the gym to take out my frustrations...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dennis,
    Boy, you were soul crushed! Sorry about Eagles' loss.

    Chris,
    So you've never heard of "Napoleonic attitude" before? I asked you this question yesterday because I don't have a clear understanding of this phrase.

    Argyle,
    I failed to see the "now" in your "I do now" nightshade question response. So I was surprised that you knew that. The United Features puzzle theme clues are fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wolfmom,
    How come you are so familiar with British English? Do you travel there often?

    Democrat,
    Thanks for H & K MP5.

    Clear Ayes,
    "...And there I saw a white swan make/Another white swan in the lake/And, breast to breast, both motionless...". What does "make" refer to here? Thanks for the two Man O' War links.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JD,
    I stopped drinking carrot juice when I found out that it turned my face into a weird orange color. What's the name/author of your slang dictionary?

    Kazie,
    Thanks for Schichtkäse. I got "In the rigging" ALOFT concept too. So, what is "Napoleonic attitude"? A typical French shrug-of-the-shoulder attitude or what?

    Sallie,
    RE: St. Paul Pioneer Press Bulletin Board. Is it online?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hayraker,
    See TMS Newspaper List.

    Dick,
    Did you get my email on the missing answers for Barry's puzzle? As for LETHE, maybe you need to find a "River of Remembrance".

    Melissa,
    Thanks for the "Birthday Card". I did feel the answer strained when I wrote down "Record".

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lois,
    Thank you so much for driving that far and writing down your meeting with Barry Silk for us. To butcher a line from "Kung Fu Panda", there is no price for your sweet awesomeness.

    Barry G et al,
    PIZZA BOX is clued as "Specialty container". Why?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good morning CC and all. Wow what a day of football. Dennis I was really wanting to see an all PA super bowl but that is not to be.

    As to the puzzle it was a speed race except for the center. I got slowed down there and did not knowLiszt and had to Google it.

    CC I think 31A should be CETERA and not LETERA.

    So much for now as there is more snow to plow this am and then to the gym.

    ReplyDelete
  8. CC yes I did get your answers. Thank you and I did send thanks in an email, hope you received it. For some reason my "River of Remembrance" seems to flow slower each year.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I wanted to include in my first post that 8D is romances giving the C in 31A in lieu of L.

    ReplyDelete
  10. CC:

    Napoleonic Complex refers to smaller organisms acting aggressively toward larger organisms as a result of a self-percieved inferiority. Typically refers to smaller men vs. bigger men, but is also applicable on a wider scale (IMHO) sometimes - see North Korea's announcement over the weekend that they have weaponized about 60 pounds of plutonium (enough to make 4-6 nuclear bombs).

    Hope all have a great MLK Day!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good morning, all.

    We're having an early morning here as family gets ready to leave for home after a weekend visit. I had the pleasure of working on Sunday's puzzle with my youngest sis, each of us with our own copy, filling in answers and laughing as we went. I'll have to go read the comments from yesterday.

    I've heard of a "Ploughman's Lunch," but didn't have a clear picture of it in mind. Thanks for the link. I had "Plou...." and was able to get the answer from that.

    ULU and LETERA were the last two clues to fall for me.

    C.C., I loved the link to Anna Moffo. What an actress she was, and what a gorgeous gown! It's been a long time since I was anywhere where the women wore gloves that long. *S*

    Great quote from Will Durant, Dennis.

    C.C., if Clear Ayes won't mind, and without seeing the rest of the poem, I think the poet is talking about the reflection the swan makes on the water.

    I want to find Lois's comments on her visit to hear Barry Silk speak. How cool is it that she made the trip, and shared the experience!

    Gotta go. Exercise and then a trip to the nursing home. Mother had another seizure and needs more care now than we can give at home.

    Have a good day, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Good Morning All

    Argyle, I failed to see the "now" in your "I do now" nightshade question response.

    "I do now" is because you had just told me.

    Do you know that PETUNIAS belong to the nightshade family?
    No, I didn't but "I do now".
    My feeble attempt at humor.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Morning, all!

    I wouldn't exactly call today's puzzle easy sailing, personally, although I was able to eventually finish it unassisted.

    Two nasty intersections caused me some consternation. First was the crossing of NSC and BESOM. I didn't know NSC at all, but had a vague memory of seeing BESOM in a puzzle before, and so I was able to make a correct guess.

    Second was the crossing of CETERA and RECTI. I think I may have heard of Pete CETERA before, but he's certainly not a name that springs readily to mind. And RECTI? Isn't that the plural for right-handed pages? No, that would be RECTOS. All I could think of was abdominals, which had a few too many letters. I almost went with PECTI, but CETEPA just seemed too bizarre. In the end, I once guessed guessed correctly.

    The only other unknowns for me today were ANNA and ULU, so that's not too bad. At least they didn't intersect...

    Oh -- and while I've seen SSR many times before in crossword puzzles, it's usually clued with regard to specific former soviet states. I sincerely doubt that any map anywhere has ever actually had SSR as an abbreviation on it. USSR, certainly. But SSR? I dunno...

    Barry G et al,
    PIZZA BOX is clued as "Specialty container". Why?


    Most pizzarias offer one or more "specialty" pizzas that are fancier than their standard pizzas. Like a buffalo chicken or a meat lovers pizza, for example.

    ReplyDelete
  14. C.C., 'see' in poker terms means 'match': "I'll see your raise and raise you back", for instance.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dennis.... my condolences on the Eagles... They just did not show up early enough in the game. Looks like a Steeler Super Bowl Win. Dick... bet the ranch on the Steelers :):):):)
    CC. "SEE" refers to a poker play. When someone raises and you "SEE" their bet it means you are matching their raise.
    This puzzle was OK.... of course misspelling LITZT as LITST caused my to miss an easy one.. CRAZY... and drove me crazy too.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Dennis... minor correction... seeing a bet is not raising it again... it is equaling the raise only

    ReplyDelete
  17. Superfrey, didn't mean to imply that it did - I was just trying to use 'see' in an example. The "raise you back" was just embellishment.

    And you're right about the Steelers - they're absolutely punishing their opponents right now. They look unbeatable; they've opened as a touchdown favorite already.

    ReplyDelete
  18. 1 Across Calgary team Flames

    My favourite hockey team. here is jpeg of my favourite goalie.

    #34 Miikka Kiprusoff

    http://stanleycupplayoffs2008.com/Assets/Photos/Kiprusoff.jpg

    Miikka Kiprusoff was a goalie for the now defunct AHL team the KY Thoroughblades (1996-2001) I saw his last game as a T-Blade before he was called up. He was a back up goalie for Evegeni Nabokov another fmr T-Blade who plays for the San Jose Sharks. When goalie Steve Shields was traded to Anaheim for Teemu Salani.

    Ploughmans Lunch

    In the United Kingdom, ploughman's lunch is a cold snack or meal, comprising at a minimum a thick piece of cheese (usually Cheddar, Stilton, or other local cheese), relish (often Branston Pickle, sometimes piccalilli and/or pickled onions), crusty bap or chunk of bread, and butter.

    It is often accompanied by a green salad; other common additions are half an apple, celery, pâté, crisps, diced hard boiled egg or beetroot.

    It is a common menu item in English pubs, often shortened when ordering to 'a ploughman's.'

    The familiarity of the ploughman's lunch has led catering companies to describe a sandwich containing Cheddar, pickle and salad as a 'ploughman's sandwich.'

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ploughman's_lunch

    According to wikipedia there is also a movie called ploughmans lunch.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ploughman's_Lunch

    ReplyDelete
  19. @ Superfry & Dennis,

    I'm not a big poker player, but it's my understanding that "see-ing" a bet implies a forthcoming raise whereas simply matching a raise would be a "call". Of course I respectfully defer to those more expert than me...

    I prefer the Steelers, but am concerned that the secondary took a beating yesterday & the Cardinals have quite a few weapons to take advantage. Plus you gotta admire an "old guy" like Warner. Should be a good game no matter the outcome.

    ReplyDelete
  20. When I think of the phrase english english I think of Cockney Rhyming slang.

    http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/


    try this scene from Austin Powers Gold member

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgPH0tYXJrA

    ReplyDelete
  21. @ Chris in LA and Dennis... yes... I think you are right.... I am wrong. "Seeing" implies a raise otherwise it would be just a call.... By now I have CC confused for sure :):):)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Chris, regarding 'seeing', that's on the money.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I had trouble in the middle too--was thinking plough hand's lunch, not thinking about the missing "h", so had a mess on the perps, despite knowing Liszt.

    I'd forgotten the word for BESOM brooms, but I saw them used in Germany when I was there it 1970, by guest workers sweeping the gutters. Nowadays machines are used. Reminded me of my mother's favorite complaint when she couldn't get her coarse curly hair to go where she wanted: "It's like a birch broom in a fit!"

    I remember when MOOG synthesizer music hit the soundwaves in the 60's. There was one very popular one called, I think, "Switched on Classics", but I can't find any clips online.

    I also remember Anna Moffo and I have a pair of gloves like that I wore to formals in the 60's.

    ULU knives are used for scaling and fileting salmon too. they have a factory in Anchorage which sells cheap ones to tourists, but the good ones are expensive.

    c.c.,
    The only quote I know of for Napoleon is "An army marches on its stomach". Too bad he forgot that when he led them to Moscow. But other than that, I agree with Chris in LA--little men who take big strides so they feel bigger, small men who drive huge yank tanks, people with inferiority complexes who throw their non-existent weight around too much. Small-time bureaucrats who treat the public like dirt, because there's no one beneath them in the bureaucracy.

    Well, I think I'll head down the apples and pears and sit at the betty grable and play with my chocolate frog. (See Cockney rhyme schemes!)

    ReplyDelete
  24. c.c.,
    I forgot, the green stuff in the front of the ploughman's lunch is the pickles--a kind of relish that Democrat referred to as piccalilli.

    ReplyDelete
  25. C.C.
    The term Love Affair simply indicates two people are in love with each other, it does not indicate how far they go with sexual activity or whether it is illicit.
    Calef.

    ReplyDelete
  26. C.C.: Yes, St.Paul Pioneer Press Bulletin Board is on line:
    www.twincities.com/bulletinboard

    I find it very entertaining, and read it every night.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Good Morning All, I was nervous when I started today's puzzle. 1A, 7A and 10A were all blanks. I switched to the Down clues and everything started to fall into place. It also made it easier to get the theme answers.

    I agree with Barry G. that SSR is not something I'd seen on a map.

    C.C. No DF meaning to yesterday's poem. (Smile) It is a children's book of poems. Thanks to KittyB. Yes, "make" refers to the mirror-like reflection of the swan on the quiet lake.

    Just a guess, but specialty container could also mean that a pizza box is constructed with such proportions that it can't be used for any other purpose.

    Off to town...gotta get that buttermilk for quark.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Poker is an interesting hobby of mine, so I feel obliged to jump in on this subject:

    To "See" a raise or bet is an informal term used in casual games. It most likely gained popularity in the 40's-60's as a dramatic plot device in a western movie scene at a saloon's poker table.

    In any real casino poker room, (or any legitimate back alley game for that matter), the term "See" is not used by anyone but the most rank beginners (who are soon corrected on that account). The problem with it, as stated above, is that it is somehow tied to an impeding raise by the player who said it. The really good players would be able to take advantage of this delay tactic before making a raise to see their opponents reactions. In poker room parlance, putting in a raise after just "seeing" the previous action, would be a "string bet", which is strictly prohibited.

    At a casino poker table, the only legitimate terms for stating your action are: Fold, Call and Raise.

    Good MLK day to everyone,

    A.R.E.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Opps,

    I should have also included the term "Check" in allowable action terms.

    A.R.E.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Having a dear friend who grew up in England has broadened my culinary tastes considerably. For instance, on a cold morning, hot pork and beans on toast is wonderfully filling and "staying with you until lunch"-ing. Then, after a full roast beef meal on Sunday, put everything left over in a skillet with a very small amount of oil, stir fry and you have "bubble and squeak" for Monday`s dinner.
    An English "trifle" is an elegant dessert. Layer plain cake with puddings, whipped cream and fruit in a footed, clear-glass bowl and let "sit" for at least two hours. (can also add nuts.) The Americanized version is called "punch-bowl cake."

    ReplyDelete
  31. I liked this one a lot, even though I couldn’t solve it alone; or maybe because I couldn’t. Couldn’t get BESOMS, RECTI, OR ULU. Needless to say, I couldn’t guess the crosses, either. I grokked BED AND BREAKFAST and AFTER DINNER MINT right away, but wasn’t familiar with PLOUGHMANS LUNCH.

    I liked the clues and unexpected word combos, like FLUB and METAphysical. spatULA, and SEA AIR. I’m still new at this, and discovering things that are probably old hat to most of you.

    Barry answered the PIZZA BOX question. I’d like to add that the boxes are specialty items too. No other businesses use boxes like that.

    Kazie, I think the MOOG music from the 60’s was Switched on BACH. I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  32. In Poker

    Someone raises the bet. You say I'll see you raise or just I'll see you.

    RN

    ReplyDelete
  33. 45A: Old-time roofing material: SLATE. "Old-time"? Does it mean that SLATE is not used as roofing material any more?

    No but the industry did fall on hard times for a while but some local quarries have reopened around here. Some of the earliest known slate roofing can be found on Roman forts in Wales and on Welsh castles from the 14th century. Green, Gray and Purple slate comes from New York and Vermont (Slate Valley). Red slate can only be found in the New York part of the valley.(I live near by.) The quarries are still going strong.

    ReplyDelete
  34. C.C. All the things that bothered me about this puzzle, you covered, which means I must be getting better. Had PLOUGHMAN'S Lunch right off, which gave me BED AND BREAKFAST, but I had trouble with AFTER DINNER MINT for awhile because, like you, I wanted dinner at the end.
    Had heard of Peter CETERA, but had never seen his name spelled out. Had some odd words like ULU and ODA and was proud of the fact that I got the Roman numeral thing w/o peeking.

    To answer your question, yes, I have a number of friends in England and Scotland and have spent time driving around the UK. Just an add-in on the Ploughman's Lunch...It has been fancied up as in your photo for the gastro pubs and restaurants. It was basically a meal that, as Democrat described, could be held in one hand, and kept well without refrigeration. Cheddar or orther semi hard cheese is more common, except in Wales where the traditional cheese is Caerphilly, a luscious, fuzzy-rinded cow's milk cheese, that miners, with their dirty hands, could hold and eat w/o getting the cheese dirty. There are some differences when ordering food in the UK as to what you think you are getting and what you get. Example...Cheese and pickle sandwich is sliced cheese and the Branson Pickle relish between two slices of bread. When you order a sandwich and they ask if you want "salad" that means they will add lettuce, tomato and salad cream(mayo)...always an adventure.

    Linda...clarification...Bubble and Sqeak is traditionally beef, potatoes and cabbage, which provides the squeak the oil is the bubble. They also tend to use a lot more oil than we do. A "Fry up" is more for morning or 4:30 tea time...sausages, potatoes, sometimes tomatoes and eggs. Actually quite yummy...especially the fried bread. The beans on toast are also more often for the pre-dinner 4:30 tea time, sometimes for lunch.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Good morning C.C. and all,

    Most everything fell into place in today's c/w, although I filled in oda and ulu with your help.Thanks for the NSC list; it's nice to be in the know.I'm so looking forward to tomorrow's coverage of the inauguration. Maybe we can extend Popcorn Day.

    What's the name/author of your slang dictionary?
    Robert L. Chapman,Ph.D. and Barbara Kipfer, a 1995 edition

    ReplyDelete
  36. This was a puzzle that required some attention but was imminently workable. The few unknowns (ODA, ULU and CETEPA) were all achievable from the crosses. In the end though it left me wanting something more.

    @cc: The MOOG synthesizer was used by the Beatles in songs such as “Here Comes the Sun”.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Barb B,
    Thanks. I remember now: Switched on Bach was the name. I still can't find a clip for it. Too bad, I loved it too.

    We used to have bubble and squeak, or what passed for it, sometimes too. My mother always added and egg to the mixture to hold it together better.

    ReplyDelete
  38. wolfmom:
    Just relating what my native-born, UK friend tells me...

    ReplyDelete
  39. Linda, it wasn't a criticism, just a clarification for general information. The food in the UK is also very regional, the sausages and how much filler they have, for example, can change radically depending on where you are.

    Actually, the food over the pond has improved hugely over the years and there is a big Slow Food movement and the use of locally grown and regional specialties being served everywhere. Prince Charles is actually a big supporter of getting people back on farms and of the artisan cheese movement being fostered and encouraged by people like Randolph Hodgson of Neal's Yard Dairy.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Argyle...definitely yummy and these are terrific people. If you ever go to London, visit the Neal's Yard Dairy at Borough Market, right by the tube station. If you go on Fri-Sun you can not only buy some of the best cheese anywhere, but experience a really fabulous "Farmer's Market". There has been a market in this area essentially since the Middle Ages as the South Bank of the Thames was the staging are for produce and other goods to brought into London. Randolph was partly responsible for resurecting this current market and he works with cheesemakers all over the UK(including Ireland) to bring back many old recipes and to encouraged small batch hand-made cheesemaking.

    OK, I'll get down off my soap box now.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Oops! Sorry C.C., I left off the title: Dictionary of American Slang

    I don't use it as often as my thesaurus and other dictionaries.

    Kitty B, it sounds like a lot of fun doing the puzzle with your sister.So much better than yelling across the room, "What's the name of Calgary's team?' Actually I knew that one as the Sharks were defeated by the Flames last week, sob.
    Democrat, Kiprusoff was a great goalie for the Sharks, but can't complain too much now. :-)

    Lots of interesting people in today's puzzle: Al Gore, Patsy Cline, Andy Rooney, Arafat, Edna Ferber....
    Clear Ayes asked about Bette Midler, "The Divine Miss M." She puts on a great show.At 63 she can sing and dance as well as she did 20 yrs ago. She's tells old corny jokes, but she's a hoot.The 21 dancers that accompany her are gorgeous. "The Jersey Boys" was another great show. Who knows how they found another voice like Frankie Valli.Great music!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Good evening CC et al,
    Here is a pic of Barry Silk, altho' I think he's a lot better looking in person. My picture with him is so bad it would make a train turn down a dirt road. I'll just blame the camera I was forced to resort to that day. It was well worth the trip tho'. Learned a lot. Thank you for the kind words, CC. Very glad to do it.

    Now about the puzzle today: Got stuck with 'besoms' & 'ulu'. 33D confused me. If belly 'muscles' are 'recti' and my Latin is correct, then does that mean that one muscle would be 'rectum'? What's wrong w/THAT picture? With a good belly laugh, one could really laugh his butt off. And then was really glad to see Willie Nelson's Crazy..one of my all time fav Cline songs intersecting Liszt (one of my fav composers) and the Moog synthesizer (Switched on Bach - Barb B mentioned this too...great stuff). Laughed at all the DF perps w/ bed and breakfast- sounds like a hot time being 'united' in Eden to me, esp w/Peter Cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Good puzzle. Enjoyed it.

    Enjoy your night.

    ReplyDelete
  43. WE HAVE 28D, PLURAL CLUE, SINGULAR ANSWER. WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?

    ReplyDelete
  44. Luxor, I, O, and U are letters.

    ReplyDelete
  45. @Luxor.. IOU is three letters and three is pleural.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Hi C.C. I thumbed through the comments today and saw you have a lot of poker players and football enthusiasts, but didn't see any military folks pitch in for your question about the big wheel ranks. I am an old Naval Aviator so knew and saluted every officer rank on my Carrier. I'll see if I can still remember them.

    Army/AF/Marines Navy

    0-1 2nd Lt Ensign
    0-2 1st Lt LT. Jr. Grade
    0-3 Captain LT
    0-4 Major Lt. Cdr
    0-5 Lt. Col Commander
    0-6 Colonel Captain
    0-7 Brig. Gen Rear Adm (L)
    0-8 Major Gen Rear Adm (U)
    0-9 Lt. Gen Vice Adm
    0-10 General Admiral
    0-11 Gen of the Fleet Admiral
    Army

    "Anchors Aweigh My Love . . ."
    Not the exact words but good enough for me. I hope you had a wonderful MLK day.

    The Hayraker

    ReplyDelete
  47. I see my carefully constructed rank matrix got squashed together in the translation from here to the comments column. If anyone really wants to know, with a careful study of the list they might come clear.

    Hayraker

    ReplyDelete
  48. I forgot earlier to question the clue/answer for 62D--TYRE is the British equivalent of TIRE, not WHEEL.

    Lois,
    The singular of RECTI would be RECTUS--masculine, -UM ending is neuter and gets -A as a plural ending.

    ReplyDelete
  49. HI C.C. and everyone

    @ A.R,E Excellent answer on the string bet!
    To the room: the old "I'll see your bet and raise you" is only used in cowboy movies. You can only make one of 4 choices, as
    A R E said, those being, fold, check, call, or raise.
    Living the good life here in Minn. Above freezing all week!
    WHOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!
    Whoo!

    ReplyDelete
  50. Kazie: thank you for the rectus help. I was freakin' out with all the topsy turvy possibilities of comin' and goin'. That's a relief. I'll sleep better tonight.

    We're expecting our first
    "winter storm" tonight - 1 to 3" of snow. I'm hoping! I'm doin' the snow dance and wearing my snowflake pin. It's most likely not going to happen, but...

    Dennis: That was a great quote. I'm going to go make some popcorn now and stand watch for the first snowflake.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Whooo said: To the room: the old "I'll see your bet and raise you" is only used in cowboy movies.

    Whoo, just call me Tex. In the local friendly poker games I've played in for about 4 decades, in various parts of the country, that's a very common phrase. You're right that it's not used in any remotely professional game, such as the ones I play in at the casinos, but it's still a very common phrase in social games.

    ReplyDelete
  52. kazie, thank you for that clarification...I was having the same issues as Lois with that clue.

    Lois...Thank you very much for the Barry Silk photo...terrific(really). Thank you also for sharing your experiences. It must be fun to put a face to the name. Good luck on your snow.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Lois,
    First snow of the season? Wow! We already have had almost 50 inches, which is more than at this time last year, and that season broke all the recoerds!

    Good luck with it, but I hope it won't ruin the inauguration, since you are close to DC, aren't you?

    As to that rectal question, I wondered what they had in common too, and looked it up. The RECT- prefix means straight (as in erect, I guess) and rectus is a straight muscle (rectus musculus), while rectum refers to the straight end of the colon (rectum intestinum). So the difference is in the gender of the nouns used with them.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Well, it's Tuesday and I just stopped by to see the comments for Monday. Won't add much. I won't be getting here until late in the day. I will check on Dennis and the Day Is, and see how Carol, C.C., Lois, and Jeannie are doing. It's going to be alot different not getting here earlier but that's the way the cookie crumbled last Friday.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Hi, I'm a retired teacher and finally have time to do crossword puzzles. I found this site awhile back and some of your comments give me a chuckle. I guess you are about 25 or I'm really an antique. Here are a couple chuckles from recent puzzles: When a woman looks at a sleeping child a frequent comment is "what an angel". An ulu knife - I guess you have never been to a Pampered Chef party. You can probably pick one up at Target. It is small,curved blade with a short ball type handle held in the palm and rocked back and forth. The Moog synthesizer really dates me and you - Bach!

    ReplyDelete
  56. Hi Gloria,
    Nice to hear from. I am 38. Unfortunately my age does not reflect my intelligence. Growing up in a totally difficult culture can be a big handicap in solving American crossword.

    ReplyDelete

For custom-made birthday, anniversary or special occasion puzzles from C.C., please email crosswordc@gmail.com

Her book "Sip & Solve Easy Mini Crosswords" is available on Amazon.

Please click on Comments Section Abbrs for some blog-specific terms.

Please limit your posts to 5 per day and cap each post length at about 20 lines in Preview mode.

No politics, no religion and no personal attacks.