google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday March 28, 2009 Robert H. Wolfe

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Mar 28, 2009

Saturday March 28, 2009 Robert H. Wolfe

Theme: None (No?)

Total words: 74

Total blocks: 36

I am confused. I thought LA Times Saturday is always a themeless. But maximum word count for a themeless is 72. Today we have 74 words. Besides, all the three long entries have "No" in theme, maybe it's a themed puzzle, after all?

17A: "No need to get so excited": KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON

37A: "No way": DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH

59A: "No idea": I HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE

(Note: My bad, I made a mistake. There are only 72 words.)

Another struggle, but not as hard as I dreaded last night. I got more than half of the grid filled. Erased a few and then googled a few. Good enough for me. I'll call it a success and move on.

I am just so enamored with Rich Norris' "It .... clues", like yesterday's "It can pick up a plane" for RADAR and the other day's "It's twirled in a rodeo" for RIATA. I like the visual images the clues evoke.

Today it's a plain fact-based "It replaced the Slovak koruna on 1/1/2009" for EURO (8D). Nice trivia, isn't it? PromiseMe' research yesterday shows that Finland is the only Nordic country that has switched to EURO.

By the way, Rich Norris confirmed to me yesterday that there is no rebus puzzle in LA Times.

Across:

1A: According to design: AS PLANNED. Got it immediately.

10A: Attended: WAS AT. Struggled with this simple fill.

15A: Prolong: STRING OUT. Unknown to me. Only knew the phrase "string along". I wanted STRETCH something.

16A: Prefix with glyph: HIERO. Hieroglyph. I knew the word, but could not spell it properly. HIERO is a prefix meaning "Sacred' or "priestly". Here are some Egyptian hieroglyphs. Sun is easy to recognize, so are the last two birds. I won't be able to tell house, mountain, god or reed though.

19A: Triage sites, briefly: ERS

20A: River of Tuscany: ARNO. "River of Florence/Pisa/Italy", whatever, the answer is always ARNO.

21A: Short-tailed weasel: ERMINE. Turn around, buddy, I want to see if your tail is short.

22A: Geometric fig.: RECT. Rectangle. RECT/RECTI is a prefix for "right"/"straight". Remember last time RECTI was clued as "Belly muscles" in our old puzzle? The singular is rectus, meaning "straight muscle of ab, thigh, etc". Rectus is Latin for "straight". Dictionary says RECTO, the right-hand page is rooted in rectus too. So is rectum (plural is recta).

24A: Kiara's mother in "The Lion King": NALA. I wrote down ELSA, the "Born Free" lioness first.

25A: Letters on seconds: IRR. Why? What are "seconds"?

27A: "__ out?": IN OR. And NEED I (28D: "__ say more?"). Have to get used to the new cluing style.

29A: "Medium" network: NBC. Unknown to me. I hope they have high ratings. GE owns NBC. And I want my GE stocks to go back to where I first bought them. Stupid GE Capital. Bleeder.

32A: Breakthroughs in therapy, say: EYE OPENERS. I got the answer immediately. Did not quite understand the rationale though.

35A: Language teaching site: LAB. Oh. I've never been to a language LAB. Science LAB yes.

40A: "The Lord of the Rings" monster: ORC. Williams always clued it as "Tolkien baddie".

41A: Visibly embarrassed: RED AS A BEET. I misremebered the phrase as RED AS BEETS.

42A: Thin swimmer: EEL. It does not look thin to me. I really love unagi sushi rolls.

44A: Speaker in Cooperstown: TRIS. HOFer. I don't have any of his baseball cards. But I have this stamp. Just learned this morning that his nickname is Spoke. Very interesting. Reminds me of that repetitive actor name Rip Torn.

45A: Bit of treasure: GEM. "Bit" here means small?

46A: Fireworks reaction: OOHS. Lots of fireworks/accidents during Chinese Spring Festival eve.

48A: What a nyctophobe fears: DARK. Gimme. Learned I had mild nyctophobia when I linked this list long time ago. Nact/nacti/nacto is prefix for "night". I feel safe when the closet light is on in the evening.

51A: Gelatin candy: JUJUBE. Have never had the JUJUBE candy. To me, JUJUBE is just Chinese date. Not as sweet as the Middle East palm dates though.

54A: Composer Khachaturian: ARAM. No idea. Soviet-Armenian composer. Wikipedia says his works were very influenced by Armenia folk music. This coin looks like in mint condition. ARAM is quite close to ABRAM, often clued as "President Garfield's middle name".

62A: Crescent shapes: LUNES. Mine was MOONS.

63A: Floating point: WATER LINE. Unknown to me. What is "Floating point"?

65A: Hematite producers: IRON MINES. I did not know the meaning of "hematite", the principal ore of iron. Hemat/hemato is a prefix for "blood". I don't know how is it related to ore.

Down:

3D: Foreknowledge: PRESCIENCE. Reminds me of Frigg, wife of Odin. She is prophetic but she never tells others what she knows. Cassandra does tell others what she knows, but no one believes her.

5D: Novelist Seton: ANYA. Pure guess. Wikipedia says she wrote a book called "Foxfire" which was later made into a film. I wonder where Firefox the browser got its name then.

6D: "The Killing Fields" Oscar winner Haing S. __: NGOR. Foreign to me. He won Oscar Best Supporting Actor for his role in "The Killing Fields". He was born in Cambodia and his father was of Chinese descent. See how ridiculous Chinese languages are. His surname (吴) would be spelled NG in Cantonese and Wu in Mandarin. The most absurd to me is Chiang Kai-Shek. He is always Jiang Jie-Shi to us who grew up in Mainland China. Maddeningly different spellings. Mao Tse-Tung & Mao Ze-Dong is not that confusing though.

7D: Lions or tigers or bears: NOUN. Great clue.

9D: Rehab symptoms: DTS (Delirium Tremens)

10D: Eddy: WHIRL

11D: Pilot: AIRMAN. I wanted AVIATOR, but there is not enough space.

12D: "Contact" acronym: SETI (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence). Big stumper. I've never heard of the movie "Contact".

18D: Limo leaders, at times: HEARSES

24D: Peggy Lee and Marilyn Monroe, at birth: NORMAS. Only knew Marilyn's original name is NORMA Jean (For you, Democrat). Peggy Lee was born NORMA Deloris Egstrom.

26D: Dashboard letters: RPM

27D: Comic book artists: INKER. Funny Crossword INKER.

30D: Atlantic game fish: BLUE MARLIN. I've never seen a BLUE MARLIN. Why BLUE? The hue on his belly?

31D: Zoo enclosure: CAGE. Of course. But my first reaction is LOGY, as in zoology.

32D: Shogun's capital: EDO. Japanese kanjin for Shogun (将軍) is exactly the same as Chinese character for "general". Many times I understand Japanese words due to this similarity. But I don't know how to pronounce.

34D: Like much pottery: EARTHEN. These Terra Cotta Warriors are EARTHEN too.

36D: Food preservative letters: BHT (Butylated HydroxyToluene). No idea. Dictionary says it's used to "retard rancidity in foods, pharmaceuticals, and other products containing fat or oil". I checked my cooking oil, luckily there is no BHT. It sounds as toxic as Obama/Geithner's "Toxic Assets" or whatever the new name is. AIG/AIU, you can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig.

43D: Slatted window opening: LOUVER. British spell this word as LOUVRE. Like Mona Lisa's Louvre.

49D: Meet with the old gang: REUNE. Is this a real word? I've never seen it before.

51D: Leave abruptly, as a lover: JILT. Reminds me of Julia Roberts' "Runaway Bride".

53D: Doe to be identified: JANE

55D: __- Rooter: ROTO. Often clued as "Old newspaper section" in our TMS puzzle. I never really understand what section ROTO is.

56D: Fordham's hoops conf.: A-TEN. Stumper. Have heard of Atlantic 10 conference. Don't know its abbreviation. Not familar with Fordham either. Here is a list of notable alumni. See Vince Lombardi, Alan Alda, and Denzel Washington?

57D: School closing?: MARM. Learned schoolmarm from doing crossword.

60D: Prefix with light: TWI. Oh, twilight. Is there a prefix actually meaning "light"?

61D: One-third of CDLIII: CLI. 1/3 of 453=151.

Full Answer Grid.

C.C.

96 comments:

  1. Good Morning, CC,

    I am having trouble getting the puzzle to load, from the LA Times site, but it loaded OK from the Chicago Tribune site. Anybody else having this problem?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Morning all,
    Okay, I'm confused. I found this puzzle to be easier than Friday's. Could get the long clues very easily compared to yesterday's. Generally still not sure of the new puzzles. Too easy early in the week--prefer a similar difficulty the entire week.

    CC, irr does stand for irregular and items may be marked that way for missing stitches, buttons, etc. We were once considered the Outlet Capital of the World (Reading, PA) and you had to be careful of those IRR. Jujubes were a popular movie candy, although I preferred chocolate covered raisins.

    Rune was a complete unknown to me and didn't like marm for school closing? Have a good day all.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Argyle,
    Last time you had exactly the opposite problem, right? You were able to get the Chicago Tribune's puzzle.

    Jeanne,
    Thanks for IRR. What does "seconds" mean in the clue? I thought the MARM clue as cute.

    Oldster,
    Hey! Forgot to say "Welcome" to you yesterday. Hope you will stay with us.

    Doreen,
    Who are the other four "Sleazy Presidents" besides Coolidge & IKE? And why?

    ReplyDelete
  4. cc. seconds are those that are irregular. Something wrong with the garment. Maybe I just don't like the word marm.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jeanne,
    Thanks again. You've also got NY Times puzzle on your paper, right?

    Wolfmom,
    Your comment "To each his own Yak..." made me laugh! You should give Firefox a try.

    Ink,
    Thanks for the link. Now I see your point. I think I will stick to the English long I pronunciations of CHI, PI, PSI, XI instead of the Greek long E. I am easily confused.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dennis,
    Re: YAK. Fool me once, shame on you!

    Lemonade,
    Are you newly in love?

    Melissa,
    I like YAK as a mascot.

    Crockett,
    Great "Who's on first?"!

    TJ,
    Read Ink's 10:28am post yesterday. For ewe, it's dri, female YAK.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good Morning C.C. & all!
    Can you believe I'm this early?

    25A: So.. seconds are irregulars, as in missed stitches and such.

    29A: Medium is a NBC drama starring Patricia Arquette as a mother of three who works for the Phoenix DA as a psychic.

    32A: Breakdown in therapy: "got this immediately"... Is this an insight to our illustrious leader??

    51A: Jujube... another word for filling puller..

    63A: Floating point, the difference between drowning or staying alive.

    6D: Your Chinese interps always amaze me!

    24D: An awesome link to an awesome woman!

    36D: BHT.. stumped me too.

    51D: Been jilted, it sucks.

    57D: School marm, gettable but lame

    So, no WoW, no FF"S, you'll just have to wait for Dennis, just bald comments on today's puzzle.

    TJ in Osseo

    ReplyDelete
  8. CC, I don't get the NYT puzzle. Our second puzzle is NEA published by United Features Syndicate. Don't know if it is published online but I rarely do it. I try to do the NYT puzzle which is archived on the Seattle Times site. They are beyond my abilities by the end of the week.

    ReplyDelete
  9. C.C.,
    That still doesn't give the answer for the male's mascot! What if we don't want a female YAK? Or an ewe? Any better suggestions, anybody?

    TJ in a Quandry in Osseo

    ReplyDelete
  10. The Firefox project has undergone several name changes. Originally titled Phoenix, it was renamed because of trademark issues with Phoenix Technologies. The replacement name, Firebird, provoked an intense response from the Firebird free database software project. In response, the Mozilla Foundation stated that the browser should always bear the name Mozilla Firebird to avoid confusion with the database software. Continuing pressure from the database server's development community forced another change; on February 9, 2004, Mozilla Firebird became Mozilla Firefox, often referred to as simply Firefox. Mozilla prefers Firefox to be abbreviated as Fx or fx, though it is often abbreviated as FF.

    THE MONKEYS DEAD THE SHOWS OVER SUE YA!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You have to remember all the old sayings. I wrote "John" for DoeI forgot "Jane" as it is seldom used.

    Saturday's puzzle is always challenging. Is using google cheating a little?

    Gladys

    ReplyDelete
  12. Good morning, C.C. and gang - Ok, I'm confused. This is Saturday, right? I didn't even have to google, much less turn the puzzle into a giant ink blot. I know, I know, be careful what you wish for. I really like the LAT puzzles though, with all the fresh cluing and multi-word answers.

    I actually remembered Khachaturian's first name this time. Never knew Peggy Lee's real first name, but everyone knows Marilyn's. Most clever clue for me was 'Shogun's capital'.

    C.C., roto, as I remember, is short for rotogravure, and it involves printing pictures, etc. I'm not sure about why it was a separate section, but I'm sure an explanation is available online. Also, great line about AIG.

    Today is Something On a Stick Day. Make of it what you will.

    Today's Words of Wisdom: "We ourselves feel like what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." Mother Teresa

    And more Fun Facts(?):

    - Ozzy Osbourne has two smiley face tattoos etched on his kneecaps so he can talk to them when he's feeling lonely.

    - Steve Martin once worked at Disneyland selling maps and guidebooks.

    - Toto the dog was paid $125 per week while filming The Wizard of Oz.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Good Morning, C.C. etal,

    My, what a surprise! This was much easier than I expected. I used swirl for whirl, which gave me problems in that corner; had to Google Ngor, but otherwise, it was smooth sailing.

    Waterline is that horizontal line on a ships hull where the water reaches it maximum height This varies according to how heavily the ship is loaded. Usually the color of the hull paint changes at the waterline.

    The back of a blue marlin is blue; the belly is silver. Its colors are most vivid when it is chasing prey.

    Seconds means merchandise marked down in price because it is defective; i.e., irregular.

    I am very happy with LAT. We have been through a full cycle and came through with only a few scrapes. The Sunday xword is easier. The only problem I had with it last week is that the numbers are hard to read.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Morning, all - I really like the clues in the LAT...even if sometimes they require more than a passing glance; such as 'Doe to be identified'.

    49D: 'Meet with the old gang' is REUNE? Did I miss something here?

    @Argyle, no problem loading. I put "LA Times crossword puzzle" in Google and then bookmarked it. This way I don't have to use the brain before the puzzle prints out.

    ReplyDelete
  15. @Dennis, 'Roto' this time is Roto-Rooter. This is the company you call if you have a septic system that gets clogged up.

    ReplyDelete
  16. As of yet...Firefox is not as bombarded as Explorer with spam and other "goodies"...this from a techie son-in-law.

    I was pleasantly surprised at how many fills I got...right off!(even "hiero"..."keepyourshirton"..."wasat"...
    "needi"..."inor"..."eel"...) but I know enough not get cocky! Had "fore" for "yore" and could not figure out what "efeopeners" were!
    Kinda sorta glad I don`t get the Sunday grid!

    CC: Are you close to the flooding?

    ReplyDelete
  17. In the 1930s–1960s, newspapers published relatively few photographs and instead many newspapers published separate rotogravure sections in their Sunday editions. These sections were devoted to photographs and identifying captions, not news stories. From Wikipedia.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Seems I remember that someone from yesterday or Thursday was having a drug test. Hope the drugs checked out OK.
    When I first looked this puzzle over, I thought that , like many a disgraced politician, I was suddenly going to discover a desire to 'spend more time with my family' , at least on Saturday morning. But I started anyway, and it gradually came together, with no G'ing and only a couple of guesses (Aram & Aten) at 54A & 56D.
    These puzzles must be easier, or I couldn't get through them, but the clueing is so much more tricky and interesting. I cast my vote in advance for the new editor. In Kentucky we refer to it as voting "early and often". It's a tradition, and part of the reason we rank 49th in many things, like education.
    And CC, you can call the blog anything you like. I'll be here.
    Windhover

    ReplyDelete
  19. I found this puzzle do-able, but not as easy as others did. I was a bit concerned at first, because I went through nine clues before I got anything. But slowly but surely it filled in. Once I made a bit a progress on the downs, the long answers fell into place, which really helped.

    Never heard of REUNE. Doesn't sound like a real word that anyone actual uses. Had PETRA for HIERO, AAHS for OOHS, and GUMMIS for JUJUBE. The last one got fixed when I put in JOHN for Doe to be IDed (which, of course, I had to change to JANE). Googled TRIS and ARAM. Wanted OHMY for 'Lions or tigers or bears' - great clue.

    HEMA blood/iron - blood carries iron required by the body. And rusting iron and dried blood are the same color. Maybe that is the connection.

    All in all, this week was encouraging. Hope it wasn't an 'ease in' for the TMS refugees or something less trying for Spring Break.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Good morning!
    Well I only had to google the composer, and got the rest with help on ORC from my son who is here for two days, and a few guesses and accidental fills. It took a while but was very satisfying, since I love it when it relies on word knowledge rather than trivia.

    c.c.,
    Irregular things are "seconds" because they are second class, rather than first class. Maybe also because you need to take a second look before buying!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Argyle - Thanks for rotogravure info. After all these years, I now understand the meaning of the Easter Parade lyric:
    "On the Avenue, Fifth Avenue,
    The photographers will snap us
    And you`ll find that you`re in the rotogravure."

    ReplyDelete
  22. Good morning, everyone!

    Had to g-spot the NE corner, but was able to get the vast majority on my own. I actually finished the bottom half of the puzzle first. I was so sure that 16A was PETRO, and that made that NE difficult to get. Had JOHN instead of JANE but kept her open as an option for 53D. Wanted LOPE for TROT, and because of that struggled mightily over IRR. STRINGOUT, WASAT, AIRMAN and WHIRL took some serious thought. Like others, I like this puzzle a lot.

    @jeanne I think we Oregonians will get your United Features puzzle next week. Then we get to vote. Today's Newsday is a hammer for me.

    @argyle The puzzle loads OK for me from the LAT site.

    REUNE seems to be a made up word for this crossword. Anyone find it in a dictionary?

    Have a great Saturday.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I was hoping the "Medium" network clue would yield ESP as an answer rather than NBC. I was less discouraged about these new puzzles than I have been. I'm hoping it's just going to take time to understand the clue -trains of thought. I had trouble when I started the old TMS puzzle but got pretty good by the end.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Got a cuppa joe in my "earthen"ware mug, "was at" my table,opened the paper, decided to give this puzzle a "whirl" and thought "I haven't got a clue" when I saw the NE corner - it was all "hiero"glyphics to me. Turned "red as a beet" but decided to "keep my shirt on" grab a couple of "jujubes" and several "eye openers" later things went "as planned". Not much "irr"egular - turned out to be a real "gem".

    Have really enjoyed the puzzles this week - some interesting and clever clues, made me think and best of all, none of those quotes that make me want to scream.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Morning all. This was easier for me than the previous couple of days, although I suspect that's because I had time to stick with it. My first pass through the clues only produced 8 or 10 answers, but in the end, I only googled the composer and Fordham's conference.

    My favorite clues were for noun and marm. One of my first ski trips out west was at Keystone in Colorado - while my friends were all out on the expert runs, I did the Schoolmarm run over and over and over. It gives me great delight to be able to skip that run now!

    Speaking of snow, we're expecting 3 to 8 inches today... Ugh. At least that means we don't need to worry about doing any yardwork this weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Crockett: Norris triumphs! "Reune" is in on-line "Lookwayup" dictionary..

    ReplyDelete
  27. CC: Theme: What about "Smart Aleck" (cheeky, sassy) retorts?

    ReplyDelete
  28. Morning all...I AM surprised that I actually mostly got everything.It would have gone better if I hadn't started out with TOPGUN for 11D and like Elissa, I read Lions AND Tigers AND Bears...OHMY...Dang! Once I sorted things out it wasn't so bad. I knew that 53D had to be either JOHN or JANE, but waited to see what other letters worked. Came here for KEEPYOURSHIRTON and then, for some reason, the caffeine kicked in and I was able to finish unaided

    I am really enjoying the challenge of these very clever clues.

    C.C. Toxic Assets are now Legacy Assets. And I just learned last night that the reason they changed "the wars" to Overseas Contigency Operation is that it actually has to do with how the money is appropriated...the Bush dudes went to Congress every 3 months to ask for more money, like it was a big surprise that the wars were still going on and they hadn't planned for the cost. The Contingency terminology basically allows for the cost to be included as as part of the new budget as it was never included before...

    Off to take of my mom today...see y'all much later.

    Lemonade...Mucho appologies for taking your #100 spot...was entirely unplanned...will leave it for you from here on in.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I found this:
    The 1961 Webster's Third New International Dictionary accepts reune without demur and offers an example of its usage--"two dinners will be held for each class...reuning this summer"--from the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine..

    But the fact is, most dictionaries do NOT list the word, "reune".

    Maybe the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has the word but I don't intend to pay over $200 per year to find out.

    ReplyDelete
  30. This Saturday puzzle was easier than usual.
    I kept wanting to think of PILOT as a verb instead of a noun.
    And that "tigers, lions, and bears" clue kept me stumped for a long time.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Ooops again...Take CARE of my mom...

    Funny seconds story...My parent's once bought an absolutely beautiful wool Pendleton shirt for my dad at the Pendleton outlet in (I think) Oregon...they thought they had found an unblemished shirt, except when they got it home they discovered that the left top(and only) pocket had been sewn on at about stomach level...so I had to be one the one to remove the pocket and resew it in the correct place, matching up the plaid... :o)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Morning C.C. and all,

    I guess I am missing something but I just do not understand the answer for 57D (MARM) in relation to 'school closing'. I thought a 'school marm' was a teacher. If it is one word and the 'closing' part refers to marm as being the last syllable then it IS weak.

    I had more trouble than the above with the rest of the puzzle, but one I got the NO fills, it was better.

    I did not know 12D (SETI), 49D (REUNE_and what is BHT (36D)?

    Elissa, (9:45) LOL...me too! I have heard those lyrics since I was a kid (when dirt was a new thing), and never knew what ROTOGRAVURE meant - or how to spell it! Thanks!

    Crockett, now I am looking forward to the Newsday puzzle...I'll let you know how I did (or didn't)

    I also wanted PETRO for 16A..I "rolled" some Petroglyphs from the cliffs overhanging the Columbia River just before they activated the John Day dam. It was actually on railroad property, but they let the public in for a few weeks so the petroglyphs could be 'copied'. I used a muslin fabric and oil paints and a hard rubber roller. Stretching and taping the muslin to the side of the cliff, I could roll the oil paint over the carving and the image would come out on the muslin. I still have one somewhere.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Orange, who co-runs the "L.A. Crossword Confidential" blog says that Rich Norris told her that he has eased up on the difficulty level on the harder days on behalf of all the new folks from The Tribune. But it is only temporary. Once he feels everyone is acclimated he will return to normal harder difficulty levels.The hammer is yet to fall folks!!!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Good morning all:

    I thought this was a well clued puzzle, and I did get it done faster than yesterday's, with just a couple of words that I had not heard of, but filled by perps.

    I have never seen REUNE used in anything I have read, with REUNITE the word I see, but there were not enough letters, so....

    When I started law school, STEVE MARTIN was the house comedian at the Beef and Bottle in Gainesville, He was very funny them, playing his banjo, and telling silly stories. Oddly, Gainesville was the home to lots of talent, including TOM PETTY (then playing as a band called MUDCRUTCH), LYNARD SKYNARD, BLACKFOOT, MINNIE RIPERTON, who had a 5 1/2 octave range.

    C.C. the only new love in my life, is the fun I have at this blog, though now that my sons are both off in college, I am socializing more than I have in years. What did I say that prompted the question?

    When you see "inspected by" little notes with new shirts or the like, this reflects the factory experience of having an actual human look at what is created by a machine, and decided which are ready for sale, and which are not. The rejects are still disposed of, by selling them as 'seconds' or 'irregulars' usually through retailers who specialize in cut-rate merchandise. In Florida we have T J MAXX, MARSHALL's and ROSS. I grew up in a textile factory town that lost all of its jobs when everything was shipped to Mexico, China and Korea. I did have the 'joy' of working in a rubber factory, making electrical parts, in between college and law school, working 16 hours a day to make enough to go. It was an awful place to work, the machines were run 24 hours a day, the heat was oppressive, the smell awful and the work schedule, two fifteen minute breaks during an 8 hour shift, was miserable.

    It has taken me two hours to write this comment, Saturdays are great.

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  35. irr is short for irregular

    In a shop, not first quality merchandise, hence "seconds".

    rncut

    ReplyDelete
  36. Good Morning All, I am going to have to get used to all the multiple word answers. There were more than a dozen multiples today. I expect it for the long fills, but I am still taken aback by answers like WAS AT and IN OR.

    I had to start with the Down clues after I was stopped cold by "According to design" and "Prolong". I put in TEAM for 7D and I didn't realize my mistake until I went back and filled in AS PLANNED and STRING OUT

    The only words I didn't know were BHT, A TEN and REUNE. The perps also helped there.

    I really liked "Limo leaders at times" for HEARSES and "School closing?" for MARM.

    JUJUBEs were my favorite movie candy because they lasted so long. A while back, I think Dennis furnished us with a site where we can purchase JUJUBEs on line. My sister buys them for me, as a treat, at an old-time candy store near her home.

    RE: ROTOgravure and Easter Parade. My mother bought a new hat every spring. She didn't walk down "5th Avenue", but my father always sang Easter Parade to her at the reveal. (He was a hammy guy.) I have a couple of sunhats, visors and a cowboy hat. I don't own a real "feathers, flowers and ribbon" hat.

    Fred, Thanks for the information about the difficulty level. :o) I guess we former TMS solvers are the L'il Abners of crossword puzzles, who have to be brought up to speed in the big city.

    ReplyDelete
  37. FRED
    ---Orange, .....says that Rich Norris .....has eased up on the difficulty ........


    HAH!! I knew it!! I've never enjoyed the LA Times until now (too difficult.)

    Thanks, Mr Norris, for easing us in. I like the new cluing style enough to keep trying when things get tough. Trying being the operative word.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Fred, thanks for the info. I'm a bit disappointed that Rich Norris didn't give C.C. the same information, especially if the change was made to accommodate us.

    ReplyDelete
  39. TJ,
    Re: EYE OPENERS. Many times I got the answers without knowing the rationale behind the cluing. You don't want the exotic dri? What the heck do you want? Jeannie in a bottle?

    The Monkeys...
    Thanks for Firefox.

    Gladys,
    Yeah, I think googling is cheating. But it's a wonderful way to learn new stuff. Besides, you found us here by googling, didn't you?

    Frank,
    "The color of the hull paint changes at the waterline". Is it because of the lower part of ship is submerged in water most of the time?

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  40. Another successful puzzle for me! I had to use whiteout when I wrote the answer for 61D in the space for 60D and then again when I confidently wrote in JOHN instead of JANE for 53D “Doe to be identified”. I slowed down in the lower, right corner where REN and REUNE were unknowns, though REUNE was close enough to “reunion” to be an intelligent guess.

    The Killing Fields was a 1984 movie about the Cambodian genocide based on the experiences of Dith Pran, the Cambodian assistant of NYT correspondent Sydney Schanberg. The actor Haing Ngor, who portrayed Dith Pran in the movie, had been a doctor in Cambodia. He also was a survivor of the “killing fields” who tragically was killed in Los Angels by three gang members who first stole his gold Rolex, then shot him when he refused to also give up the gold locket containing a photo of his dead wife.

    I found this list of phobias.

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  41. Dennis,
    Re: "Something On a Stick Day". Hmmm, Popsicle, Razzberry! I am not double checking, I think FF #1 is a lie. I'd prefer not to know Rich Norris has been easing up. Now I feel bad about myself. I've already been struggling.

    Linda,
    I live in Brooklyn Park, MN. Far from the flooding area. Gorgeous day here.

    Argyle & Elissa,
    Re: Rotogravure. Photographs? Now I understand why Japanese call those girls Gravue Models.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Windhover,
    I think bird will be a great mascot for our blog too. What bird do you like the best?

    Elissa,
    HEMA blood/iron connection. OH MY, thanks.

    MarthaMartha,
    Funny, I thought of ESP too for "Medium" network". I am glad you like the new puzzles.

    SandbridgeKaren,
    Great comment @10:07am!

    Andrea1263,
    What is a "schoolmarm run?"

    ReplyDelete
  43. Fred,
    Thanks. I thought I suddenly became very clever this morning because I filled in lots of blanks. Previously I could not touch LA Times Saturday.

    Lemonade:
    I don't know. Just feel a certain "recently fall in love" giddiness and happiness bubbling in your comments lately, ever since Melissa' worshiping day GENIS.

    Carol,
    OK, so you think "School closing?" for MARM is weak, how about "Carol ending?" for INE then?

    ReplyDelete
  44. "I guess we former TMS solvers are the L'il Abners of crossword puzzles, who have to be brought up to speed in the big city."

    Memo to Mr. Norris: Don`t mess with ClearAyes!

    ReplyDelete
  45. C.C. I guess if the clue had said 'school ending' it would have made more sense to me. (like you just did with my name). I did not understand the word 'closing' in that context.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Clear Ayes,
    Love your L'il Abners analogy.

    Linda,
    It's a themeless today. But I will use your "Smart Aleck Retort" next time if there is such a NO theme.

    Wolfmom,
    Re: Overseas Contingency Operation. Really? Not a crossword constructors' conspiracy? They probably are dying for an abbreviation OCO to bail them out of hard corners.

    Ink,
    Thanks for the additional information on NGOR. Very helpful for me to remember him.

    ReplyDelete
  47. After today's Newsday puzzle in the Oregonian, I'm soooo glad that the blog will be using the LA Times xword. If you want to check out a real stumper, Google Newsday crossword March 28. If any Ducks or Beavers have a comment I'd be very interested in your take.

    The end of the week LA Times puzzles were challenging, but doable. I can't wait for next week's offerings.

    Que tengan buen fin de semana

    ReplyDelete
  48. good afternoon, c.c. etal

    After struggling for an hour. today i wised up and went online to solve the rest of the puzzle and it is so much easier, really . it took 32 min.
    Especially when i came to 43D Louver, i was spelling it Louvre .

    c.c. An eye-opener was your translation for DTS, thanks.
    Oh, and your "lipstick on a pig" liner, lol. well put !

    I always thought it was School ma-am and Schoolmarm a hillbilly way of talking.

    Argyle & Elissa, thanks for Rotogravure, now i know how to spell it too.

    And Fred@11:13 Yeah, i was afraid of that, still i prefer Mr. Norris puzzles to the previous ones, especially knowing that when the tough gets going I can always go online.

    Now for some real excercise, it's a beautiful day out there.

    C.C. I almost forget, i was relieved to hear you are nowhere near the flooded area.

    ReplyDelete
  49. c.c. I just noticed you were asking for suggestions for bird mascots. How about Magpies, since we all like to collect shiny bits of trivia?

    ReplyDelete
  50. Good Afternoon C.C. and Co.,

    That ERMINE is adorable. :)

    Today's puzzle went much better for me than yesterday's. I didn't do it terribly fast, but @20:33 it was at least a fairly reasonable time.

    C.C.,
    The rationale for EYE OPENERS would be a breakthrough on the part of a mental health patient, not the doctor. When a patient, as a result of their therapy, suddenly is able to see the flaw in their behavior pattern, it can be called an 'eye opener'.

    That eel does not look thin to me either. A nice local Thai restaurant that offers sushi has launched a lunch card promotion - Eat lunch there four times and the fifth is on them. Your unagi pictures look so delicious that I think I will take that restaurant up on its offer.

    Probably the most frequently performed Katchaturian composition is the very fast Sabre Dance. Although originally from a ballet, the piece has survived into the modern day concert repertoire.

    Thanks for the link to the cartoon crossword inker.

    I think 'Lions or tigers or bears' is a great clue also. It was probably my favorite one today.

    I got ANYA, A-TEN and TRIS from the perps. I can never seem to remember Mr. Speaker's name and I would clue ATEN as 'Monotheistic Egyptian's god'.

    'To REUNE' made sense to me.

    I would be surprised if Haing S. NGOR's murder was not, in fact, politically motivated.

    Reading yesterday's 'pronunciation of PSI' discussion, I distinctly recalled a Greek tour guide pronouncing 'Delphi' - Delphee. She also pronounced Zeus - Zayoos.

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  51. TJ, 32A was 'Breakthrough'.
    "What if we don't want a female YAK? Or an ewe? Any better suggestions, anybody?"
    I would think all you straight guys would like a Playboy Bunny.

    Elissa, Did you see much dried blood while with the JAG Corps.?

    SandbridgeKaren, Nice wordplay :)

    Linda, I am not so sure that I agree with C.C.. i think your theme works. I would like to hear from Mr. Norris or Mr. Wolfe on the matter.

    Crockett, "Jane (Doe) ... kept her open as an option." Should we be worried about you?
    I don't know which is more frightening, that or Wolfmom's "... (par)take of my mom today." That one sounds disturbingly Hannibal Lecterish. Freudian slip there, WM?

    Thanks for the warning, Fred.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Lola - I'm with you on the Newsday puzzle for today! The earlier ones this week were easy, but THIS! I finally looked up the answers, and they did not make any sense to me for the most part. So glad we have LAT :)

    Crockett, please ignore my e-mail, I tossed the above puzzle out.

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  53. CC -

    Schoolmarm is one of the green beginner ski runs at the Keystone ski resort in Summit County, CO. It's the longest run on the mountain at 3.5 miles.

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  54. C.C. Dennis is on the up and up today with today's FF's. Ozzy Osbourne has many tattoos, happy-faced knees among them.

    You asked Windhover which bird he liked best. The common kestrel, which is also known as windhover is probably a pretty safe bet.

    The Windhover

    I caught this morning morning's minion, king-
    dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
    Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
    High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
    In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
    As a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
    Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
    Stirred for a bird, - the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!

    Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
    Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion
    Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!

    No wonder of it: sheer plod makes plough down sillion
    Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,
    Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion.

    - Gerard Manley Hopkins

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  55. Afternoon, all!

    I printed this one out this morning and brought it with me to do while my son played at the local park. As others have mentioned, it was surprisingly easy for a Saturday puzzle (or how I imagined a Saturday puzzle would be). The clues were a little tricky in spots, but not bad. And the only total unknown was NGOR. In fact, my only trouble spot was the crossing of NGOR with ARNO. I was about 90% sure about ARNO (I knew it was an Italian river but didn't know whether it went through Tuscany in particular), and I hesitated a bit because NGO_ really could have ended with anything.

    To put this puzzle in perspective, today's NYT puzzle also had EDO as an answer. Unlike this puzzle (which clued it as a semi-obscure reference to the former Japanese capital we've seen in puzzles many times before), the NYT puzzle clued it as "Nigerian native or language." Now that's a hard clue! Similarly, the puzzle that's now in the Boston Globe had such gems as MARC clued as "Post-pressing wine residue," ARCA clued as "Medieval chest for valuables" and AEDES clued as "Culex's cousin" (all three complete WTF moments). All of which is to say that, so far, I am not overly impressed/intimidated by the LA Times puzzle. But I'll give it time...

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  56. Hate to use up my last post of the day but...
    Ellisa if I remember my biology correctly...the red blood cells are the iron carriers...to little iron=anemia and "orangy blood.". Iron is what makes blood dark red...Slice hematite stones and you see dark red "veins" or streaks. A possible connection.

    Lola A 1:50: Just don`t calls us "Dodo"s for a lot of reasons!

    CC: So glad you`re not flooded.
    Do you visit Canada often?

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  57. C.C.
    I don't remember all the sleazy presidents, but one was Roosevelt (of course), and one was Adams. That surprised me. None were more current than Ike. I wonder how many more than 6 there really were.

    As for "eye opener": it could be clued as an epiphany also.

    Dennis:
    Steve Martin's first job was at Knox Berry Farm. He played the banjo at the Bird Cage Theatre. The plays were old melodramas with villains with black mustaches and young ladies tied to the railroad tracks. Really fun. Steve Martin was the warm-up act.
    I used to take my kids there, so it had to be over 40 years ago or thereabouts.

    Gladys:
    I once had a boyfriend who accused me of cheating while working crossword puzzles when I used the dictionary. He viewed puzzles as contests. I saw them as a learning experience. Needless to say, the romance didn't last.

    Another word for jujubes is . . . feet sticking to the theater floor.
    My husband bought them for the kids because they took a long time to eat, and it kept them from asking for more halfway through the show. In those days, there were two feature films, a cartoon, and a newsreel which could require more than one trip to the snack bar.

    School marm brings to mind the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Then they wanted to go to Bolivia, they asked Etta Place to go with them. Her reply pretty much summed up how I felt about my job at the time: "I'm 26 years old, single, and a school teacher. That's about as low as you can get. Sure, I'll go."

    Love this blog. I read it every day after finishing the puzzle. You all are my teachers. Thanks.

    Doreen

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  58. My apologies for not proofreading. It's "When they wanted to go . . .", not "Then they wanted to go . . . .

    Doreen

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  59. @c.c. I think we had that cartoon crossword inker clip sometime last year, didn't we?

    @carol Too late to ignore the email. I also gave up on this one!

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  60. C.C. @12:37

    Actually, the paint used below the waterline is not paint but an anti-fouling compound to repel barnacles and other critters. This has to be re-applied fairly often; otherwise the drag on the ship begins to slow it down.

    On large ships, this has to be done in dry dock. Smaller ships and boats can be hauled out and placed on chocks while it is done.

    In Corpus Christi, many tankers come in full and leave empty. (We have several refineries here.) An empty tanker may ride twenty or thirty feet higher than a full one. Thus the artificial water line will be that far above the water.

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  61. Carol and Lola and Crockett,
    I agree on the Newsday puzzle, couldn't even get a foothold. With only a fourth of the puzzle filled in I finally had to print out the answers. They still didn't make sense or were so obscure. And I went to it becuase I had a terrible time with the LAT today.Maybe I should just pass on the weekends. Sigh

    Enough of my whining.
    CC. I loved the crossword inker. Somebody went to a lot of work.

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  62. Lola,
    I would love a 3 or 4 letter crossword friendly bird name.

    PromiseMe,
    Thanks for EYE OPENERS & Sabre Dance clip, which sounds awfully familiar. I like your clue for ATEN.

    Argyle,
    How to pronounce REUNE?

    Barry,
    Wow, EDO, MARC, ARCA & AEDES, all so obscure.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Crockett,
    Yes, I linked that Crossword Inker last year. I am glad you still remember it.

    Clear Ayes,
    Did you link that poem before? Awesome!

    Linda,
    Good iron explanation. I've never been to Canada. I have a Chinese visa, so it's quite troublesome for me to travel to Canada or Mexico.

    Doreen,
    Re: Roosevelt (of course). TR or FDR? Why did you say "of course"?

    Andrea,
    Do you ski often?

    Frank,
    Fascinating information on WATER LINE. Wouldn't those anti-fouling compounds permeate to the seafood we eat?

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  64. C.C.,

    No. These compounds are not soluble, and the sea life that might consume some of it are not the things we eat, unless you like barnacles.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Speaking of sticky situations, as a child JUJUBE was my nickname, as my mother used to give me a handful before bedtime. I supposedly would not eat them, just content to hold them in my pudgy little fingers.

    C.C. as far as my giddy light hearted approach, I am glad I found this blog; have not googled an answer in about two or three weeks, and have been very entertained by the group. We really have a very diverse group, despite the pigeon holing Linda did. That is the MOREL of that story.

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  66. PMT: "Elissa, Did you see much dried blood while with the JAG Corps.?"
    Other than the occasional fist fight, and the even less occasional rape, the vast majority of the crimes I dealt with in the Navy were against military order - unauthorized absence, missing ships movement, disrespect, insubordination, disobeying orders and drugs. We had someone sabotage a ship, so it wouldn't be able to leave a liberty port. The only bloody crime was a murder, which was really an assisted suicide. One sailor was despondent because the prostitute he married took up prostitution again when she got to the US. He and his buddy went to Tijuana to drown their troubles and the buddy was talked into helping the cuckolded sailor shoot himself in the head and then left his body in the truck and walked back across the border. When the case came in for prosecution, I saw pictures taken of the body a week later. It made me glad I went to law school instead of medical school. During the trial we met the wife and understood the motive for suicide, as did the jury, who found the friend not guilty of murder.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Good Afternoon,

    I had no trouble getting the puzzle from the LA Times site to load, now. It worked at three AM and now at five PM. What happened in the middle??? Maybe I should talk to my ISP.

    Does anyone know what a schoolteacher horse is? (no googling)

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  68. CC:
    As ClearAyes suggests, I would prefer the kestrel or some relative (of the bird, not of mine). As the poem suggests, we all "soar" when we complete a tough puzzle.

    ClearAyes: Who you callin' common? Meet me on the corner and we'll settle this.
    Windhover

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  69. Yeah!!! I love it when I am no. 69! It's all in the timing.

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  70. c.c. A Kite would be a nice choice. Two vowels and a "k" make it an interesting xword fill. He is described as a graceful, medium-sized, hawk-like bird. While capeable of swift flight and effortless soaring, they do not dive (stoop), as do other hawks, but sweep downward feet first to seize their prey before swooping (kiting) upward. I enjoy the mental image of a bird that gets the job done without stooping. Just a thought.

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  71. Our bird? The Colonial black cuckoo: Ani

    And I found this:
    Catesby's Birds of Colonial America By Mark Catesby

    Mark Catesby (3 April 1683 - December 1749) was an English naturalist. Between 1731 and 1743 Catesby published his Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, the first published account of the flora and fauna of North America. It included 220 plates of birds, reptiles and amphibians, fish, insects, and mammals.

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  72. Argyle: Ani is a good Xword name, but the animal is described as a bird with weak flight, a thick bill, and heavy tail. I don't know about you, but I don't want to draw any additional attention to my tail. Things that make you go Hmmmmm!

    ReplyDelete
  73. C.C. @ 12:37,
    Maybe Jeannie AND a bottle! Or Barbara Eden's Jeanie works, too.

    Plimsoll Line
    Def: mark showing depth limit: a mark on the side of a merchant ship indicating the limit to which it can legally be submerged when loaded.

    PromiseMe @1:56,
    Thanks for the link! (insert growl here)

    C.C.,
    "would love a 3 or 4 letter crossword friendly bird name"
    How about a Loon? They're black and white, like a crossword, dive in to get their answers (food), and as the post sometimes shows, can be a bit loony, too! Plus it is the MN state bird... Just a suggestion.

    TJ in Osseo

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  74. C.C. OCO is for real. And it was definitely FDR who fooled around TR had 6 children and they were, apparently quite a handful...so between running the country and shooting lots of animals I don't think he had much time for extra-curricular activities.

    PMT...No...really...It wasn't Freudian at all.

    CA...beautiful poem!

    Windhover...I vote early for the Uncommon Kestral...

    Lemonade...if we get that far today, #100 is yours! :o)

    Well, the results are in...it looks like Internet Explore 8 beat out the Norton 360 for supremecy...I don't get those stupid "security/lapsed certificate, do you want to proceed" windows any more and the new toolbar is kind of cool.

    I think that it is very telling that Mr. Norris is aware of all his new puzzlers and is making it possible for us to learn a bit of his style before hammering us...I have actually found quite a number of his puzzles in my 1001 NYT Puzzle Omnibus...the thing is so huge that I am just tearing out a page at a time(there are 2 puzzles on each page, front and back)...as much as I can handle at one time. It is interesting that I think I am starting to be able to tell the difference in which part of the week they are from...

    Its almost wine time on the West Coast...cheers.

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  75. I actually thought that going to this "gem" today would put me on my "knees" as I thought I wouldn't have a clue. Don't make me laugh as it was easy. If I had to have made a bet to keep my shirt on...I would have won as was not planned. I OOOHHHED.

    Jeannie in a bottle? Maybe in her bottle...of Bacardi.

    As far as the anti-foul paint for the hull of a vessel. Most times sailboats are bouyed and in the water for the entire season. The paint helps to keep algae from building up on it. I was just looking at the lonely Windrose out beside the house today thinking it was about time to sandblast the bottom and re-paint. The paint isn't cheap by the way...about $90 a gallon.

    Something on a stick day? Or something that resembles a stick?
    Just hoping...

    Oh, did I mention I was number 69?? Karma?

    ReplyDelete
  76. Hi C.C.
    It was a very easy puzzle for Saturday.

    Re: JuJuBe Candy?

    I found some pictures of it at:

    JuJube

    I didn't know what it was either but my wife did...

    ;-)

    --Warren

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  77. I like TJ's idea for the loon. What other bird has a crossword grid on its back?

    loon picture

    This loon was found in a small lake, Chant Lake, off a portage of Burntside Lake near Ely, MN in August 2006.
    Loon video

    And when they dive, they come up some distance from where they went under; I can relate to that.

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  78. Just got back after almost a full day in Madison. Snow started right before we hit the road, but fortunately it didn't build, kept melting on the road. Only problem was ice on the wipers.

    I took a while to read all the comments from during our absence--double when I left.

    Thomas,
    I was also going to mention the Plimsoll line--that's what I remember being told it was as a kid.

    And just so you all know, my Concise OED doesn't list reune either.

    My hematite beads look a bit like black pearls--and were much cheaper. They are rumored to have curative powers too.

    I hope next week doesn't get too hard on us--that would spoil the fun.

    I also think the loon is a good choice--after all, a lot of people would think we're all loony for spending so much time on XWs.

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  79. Just got back from shopping and thought I'd take a quick look in.

    Warren, Jujubes were good, but I preferred Jujyfruits.

    Lemonade, good save.

    Winhover, "meet me on the corner" - most clever.

    Thomas, Argyle, I'm with you guys - I've always liked loons, for any number of reasons. Even the birds.
    Speaking of, have we heard from Lois as to her favorite bird?

    Gotta go shower, change, then out with friends to play again. You all have a great night.

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  80. Although I agree with the loon as a good match for us, this is my favorite bird from our AK trip last year: King Eider.

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  81. Good evening CC + Yaks and Loons...
    Very late posting today so I won't rehash all that has already been noted.

    Dennis - found this on a stick in honor of today... Dunham is one of my favorite comedians. Jose Jalapeno

    Things that make you go Hmmmmmm!?!?

    +What do you call male ballerinas?

    +What is another word for "thesaurus"?

    Truisms to Live By...

    +Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.

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  82. good evening c.c. and all,

    another satisfying puzzle today. challenging but not impossible.

    @argyle: love the loon pic and video, absolutely my favorite sound in the whole world. well, from a bird. crossword grid on it's back .. perfect.

    yaks and loons ... very fitting.

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  83. @dennis @8:13 I think lois' favorite bird would be one in the bush, or maybe one in the hand!

    ReplyDelete
  84. Here is my true Loon story. I lived on Christmas Lake, which was near Lake Minnetonka, west of Minneapolis. The lake is small but has a 90' hole in it and is spring fed and really clear. It is COLD most of the summer below 10' deep. I was renting a cottage at the time with no air conditioning. Well, believe it or not it gets hot and steamy in MN come mid-July. I had to cool off as no breeze was coming through my screens. So about 4-5pm, to cool off I took my inflatable raft out on the lake. The lake was as smooth as silk. Loons are really skittish and I got within two feet of one with her baby on her back. Awesome sight to see. We gazed at each other for about a half an hour. I was very still, had a black swimsuit on and she didn't even flinch. I wish I had a camera!! It was a very touching brush with nature at it's best. People ask me all the time why I choose to live in this God forbidden state, and that is one of the reasons why. I'll never forget it.

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  85. Argyle,
    Out on the river here we have Anhingas and the occasional Red-Breasted Cormorant. Their diving behavior is similar to that of the Loons. Another bird we have around here (amongst the very many in this bird lovers paradise called Florida) is the Swallow-Tailed Kite. They can get up to about 2' in body length and they can have a wingspan of up to 50". So, I am not sure that the Swallow-Tailed is the 'Kite' to which Lola referred.
    While I would have to vote for TJ's choice of the Loon (excellent picture, Argyle) for mascot, my favorite birds are, of course, Dexter and Ami.

    P.S. I still have not picked up that Absinthe. I will, though. ;)

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  86. Rotogravure was a separate section of the paper because it was printed on higher-quality paper, using better inks, etc. Newsprint would not give good results.

    This is TheJVN but I can't recall my password. Had something to do with words.

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  87. Crockett, we all know one in the hand is worth two in the bush, which sounds painful. I am too tired, went and watched another band, the drummer's six year old son was there, also playing drums- amazing, when I get a video I will post; and we are not making 100, so it is all good, especially Jeanne and her Karma.

    Thanks Dennis, it was the male ballerina in me.

    Once I got bigger, I liked Jujyfruits
    better also. They were cool because they were shaped like the fruits. They also stuck to the teeth. I only see them now in movie theaters, once in a while. I ended up a Junior Mint and Peanut M&M fan, though never felt safe with the Mints after the Seinfeld episode where Kramer drops one.

    My only complaint for the day is a tiny one; I do not like balancing a one word answer PRESCIENCE, with a two word answer, BLUE MARLIN. I think that is part of the challenge of constructing, to balance.

    Oh and on a basketball note, my college alma mater, University of Connecticut is in the final four (GO HUSKIES) along with Villanova, another Big East school, with Louisville playing to join them tomorrow night, all of which was a long introduction to saying what a bad answer A TEN, was as an abbreviation for the Atlantic Ten. You might as well clue B EAST, as basketball powerhouse conference. UConn has won two basketball National titles, as has my law school alma mater, University of Florida, which won back to back, in 2006 and 2007.

    A day off tomorrow, but maybe I will do the puzzle after all, night all.

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  88. Hang in there Lemonade...I think we can squeeze some more juice out of this bunch. My goal of 69 is just pure luck....fantasy. You've got the bigg'un to cover. (RE: comment the othernight) Climb on board girl and ride this out!!!

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  89. this isn't the star tribune paper cheatline anymore...what the hell happened? If you are going to be called the Star Trib Crossword Croner at least post about the crossword in the damn paper you promote!!

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  90. 22:54 today. I slogged through it after a dinner out (with wine) and several hours delay before I could get online.

    SWIRL instead of WHIRL made things tough in the New England section, but I eventually figured it out (a lot of the 22 minutes was spent in that area, since I had PETRO glyph also).

    Today's Newsday puzzle in The Oregonian was impossible for me--I made a quick pass through it and only got a few words and I'm too tired to go back to it now. NY Times Saturday (syndicated) was easier than Newsday, I was surprised to see.

    ReplyDelete
  91. starPT says: Loved the puzzle. My principal when I taught told my class, one time, the teacher dismisses the class, not the bell. So we have Marm. Love this stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  92. 5D: Novelist Seton: ANYA. Pure guess. Wikipedia says she wrote a book called "Foxfire" which was later made into a film. I wonder where Firefox the browser got its name then.

    Origin of the name Firefox


    The project which became Firefox started as an experimental branch of the Mozilla Suite called m/b (or mozilla/browser). When sufficiently developed, binaries for public testing appeared in September 2002 under the name Phoenix.

    The Phoenix name was retained until April 14, 2003 when it was changed (after a short stint as Phoenix Browser) due to trademark issues with the BIOS manufacturer, Phoenix Technologies (who produce a BIOS-based browser called Phoenix FirstWare Connect). The new name, Firebird, was met with mixed reactions, particularly as the Firebird database server already carried the name. In late April, following an apparent name change to Firebird browser for a few hours, the Mozilla Foundation issued an official statement which stated that the browser should be referred to as Mozilla Firebird (as opposed to just Firebird). Continuing pressure from the Firebird community forced another change, and on February 9, 2004 the project was renamed Mozilla Firefox (or Firefox for short).

    The name, "Firefox", was chosen for its similarity to "Firebird", but also for its uniqueness in the computing industry.

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  93. I don't get the "noun" clue (lions/tigers/bears). Would someone kindly explain?

    ReplyDelete
  94. All the anons,
    Thanks for the comments and links.

    Lee,
    I replied to you earlier in today's Comments section (Monday, March 30). Lions, tigers and bears are all NOUNS. Very clever wordplay. The constructor/editor wants to mislead you into penning OH MY.

    ReplyDelete

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