google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday March 5, 2009 Ed Voile

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Mar 5, 2009

Thursday March 5, 2009 Ed Voile

Theme: Right on the Money

20A: Start of a quip: MONEY DOES GROW ON

37A: Part 2 of quip: TREES

50A: End of quip: IT IS MADE OF PAPER

During Chinese Spring Festival, native Cantonese always buy a big orange tree, which symbolizes abundant happiness. Some like to hang red money envelopes on the branches, similar to western Christmas tree decoration.

It's fun to spend Chinese New Year in Canton, esp for singles, as it's a custom for married couples to give red envelop to singles, regardless of their age. The amount of money inside varies. Often 8, 88, or 888. Besides Mainland China, Taiwan and Japan, 8 is also considered a lucky number in many Southeast Asian countries. But my lucky number is 3. What's yours?

This puzzle yielded too easily. Kind of bland. No clue struck me as sparkling. Two of the obscure answers (GAVOT & TALA) were all obtainable from crosses. I am not capable of solving NY Times style Friday/Saturday puzzles. But I like grid that offers some resistance. A hard-won battle is more enjoyable.

Our fellow solver Crockett1947 has created a Star Tribune Crossword Corner Google map. Please email him at Crockett1947@comcast.net if you want your name marked in that map.

Across:

1A: Org. of Toms and Tiger: PGA. Here is a picture of David Toms and Tiger Woods chatting during 2006 Ryder Cup. David Toms won 2001 PGA Championship, his only major. He won with his brain, so disciplined in his course management. Handsome too, though not as milliadonis -intensive as Adam Scott.

4A: Weapons of mass destruction: H-BOMB. Thought of A-BOMB first. I don't really know the difference between the two. Both produce mushroom clouds, right?

14A: Rower's requirement: OAR. "Oar holder' is THOLE. Here is Mark in Buenos Aires's comment yesterday: "Re Thole - Is this derived from "the hole". "where shall I put my oar - "put it in th´ ´ole, stupid."

15A: Stan's slapstick partner: OLLIE. I presume OLLIE is a nickname of Oliver?

25A: John __ Passos: DOS. Not familiar with this novelist. Got it from down fills. He wrote The U.S.A. Trilogy, which has made several appearances in our puzzle before.

35A: Gibbon, e.g.: APE. I guessed. Did not know "Gibbon" is a kind of small ape. Does it have 10 fingers as we do?

42A: Diana Ross's group: SUPREMES. Need with "The" in the clue.

45A: Psychic power: ESP. Like the power Oda Mae Brown has in "Ghost"?

56A: Italian poet: DANTE. The "Divine Comedy" sounds quite fascinating to me.

58A: Public square: PLAZA. I often wonder why we have Tiananmen Square rather than Tiananmen PLAZA. Maybe we were just imitating Soviet Union in those earlier days. They have Red Square.

Down:

2D: French peasant dance: GAVOT. Or GAVOTTE. I obtained this GAVOT dance from crossing fills. Last time GAVOTTE was clued as "Old French dance".

6D: Potpourris: OLIOS. I thought OLIO itself is a mix of various things. It has plural form also?

8D: Porgy's girlfriend: BESS. Is the grammar purposely mangled in the song "BESS, You Is My Woman Now"?

10D: Oater bar: SALOON. I just learned honky-tonk a few days ago.

22D: "__ People Play": GAMES. Easy guess. Have never heard of this song.

28D: Judd Hirsch sitcom: TAXI

30D: Escritoire: DESK. It's the only answer that makes sense. I did not know the meaning of "Escritoire". Looks like "Antique Roadshow" stuff. Can you tell Leigh Keno from Leslie Keno? I can't.

40D: Rub over: BESMEAR. Is "Rub over" an idiom? Somehow I wanted ERASE.

43D: Change dimensions: RESIZES. I like this clue. Better than "Estimate again".

46D: Summer or Shalala: DONNA. Know Clinton's DONNA Shalala. Not familiar with singer DONNA Summer. She has very fine LINEAMENTS. What are her signature songs?

47D: Disney World attraction: EPCOT. I only learned this morning that EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.

49D: Move as a throng: TROOP. Any Eagle Scout there?

51D: Samoan currency: TALA. The answer revealed itself. Here is a two TALA bank note. Samoa capital is APIA. Pago Pago is the capital of American Samoa, which has American DOLLAR as their currency of course.

C.C.

117 comments:

  1. Good morning, C.C. and gang - wow, this was one of the easiest I think I've seen here. The only slight pause was in the SW, where I needed the perps for 'Samoan currency'. Wasn't real thrilled with 'lifter' for 'loading device' or 'besmear' for 'rub over', but overall the clues/answers were awfully straightforward. Wouldn't a Silk puzzle be refreshing?

    Today is Multiple Personality Day.

    No it isn't.

    Yes, it is.

    Today's Words of Wisdom: "I get up before anyone else in my household, not because sleep has deserted me in my advancing years, but because an intense eagerness to live draws me from my bed." -- Writer Maurice Goudeket

    And today's Fun Fact: Istanbul, Turkey, is the only city in the world located on two continents.

    Mr. Fun Facts will be retiring Fun Facts today because Mr. Fun Facts has no more Fun Facts. Mr. Fun Facts will have something new tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dennis,
    To me, Turkey is a country of multiple personalities. It should be not granted EU membership! Elissa mentioned "squid" for Navy nickname on Tuesday. And I know "jarhead" for Marines. What are nicknames for Army and Air Force service men? Thanks for the help yesterday. You are such a MOREL guy. Yes? No?

    Prider,
    So solider refers to Army person only? You have a great son. We are all grateful for the sacrifice he and your family have made.

    Ink:
    Re: Horse Chow. Are those rolled oats eaten raw?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good morning CC and all,...not much to comment about on this puzzle. Completed the fills as fast as I could write. Only unknowns were 51D Samoan currency and 2D French peasant dance and they were doable by the perps.

    Hope you all have a great Thursday.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Col G, Bob Pride & Mark in BA,
    Thanks for THOLE/oarlock/rowlock. I like "The Hole", Mark.

    NYTanonimo,
    Very informative citizenship link. Thanks.

    Embien,
    Any unfaithful incident in your life?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ah I'm a little surprised but happy to see that these crosswords are syndicated....I get them daily in the AMNY....always figured wayne robert williams was a fellow new yorker but i guess he's affiliated mainly with your chicago paper!
    I was stuck on the "of the chest" (throracic) and stumbled upon your website...

    Cheers, Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hazel (Useless Organ),
    "Carpe noctem" sounds quite wild and thrilling. I wonder why Dennis and Chris in LA only like Carpe Diem.

    Dutch, Old Lady from Dubuque, Bookluvr2, Ray K & Sarah,
    Welcome! I look forward to hearing more from you.

    KittyB,
    Have not heard from you for a long time. How are you doing? How is your Mom?

    ReplyDelete
  7. C.C., the only slang or nickname terms I know for Air Force are 'airedales' or 'zoomies'; I really don't know of any clean ones for Army. We're all brothers-in-arms, though.

    Just what is your definition of a 'morel' guy?

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  8. Wolfmom,
    I've mentioned this before. TMS crossword construction fee remains the same. In my opinion, it's not really the lack of money, but the lack of professionalism from a who-cares-what-you solvers-think editor that prevents us from getting excellent puzzles. LA Times filed bankruptcy too. Yet Rich Norris (the editor) keeps producing quality puzzles.

    David in Oregon et al,
    Thanks for the answers yesterday.

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  9. C.C., you're right about Williams - I sent him an email two weeks ago, and it remains unread.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dennis,
    Hard, tough, unsentimental, unforgiving & ERECT, not easy to blow away by strong wind! How do you know your email is unread?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good morning:

    What an odd week, each day has taken less time than the day before. I never recall that happening.

    Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were among the comedy pioneers who movies fun in their ealy days. They also were the prototypes for Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton and a million later imitators.

    Donna Summer was the queen of Disco, with "love to love you baby" the first song to introduce the sounds of pleasure as song lyrics. She has had a long and impressive career, with many many hits (titles of which I do not recall) and isnpired my favorite by Patti LaBelle and the Bluebells, :Lady Marmalade" with the great line, "Voulex vous couchez avec moi, ce soir?

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  12. Good evening from India,
    Todays CW folded up like a stack of cards I dont think I have done an easier one.
    Crockett
    Thanks for including me in the map
    Ciao

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  13. I should know better than to type before my second cup of coffee

    Voulez Vous

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  14. C.C., Williams has an AOL account, as do I. When you send mail from one AOLer to another, you can check the status of that mail.

    Not sure if I should be flattered or insulted with the 'morel' thing.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Lemonade,
    I like Pink/Christina Aguilera's "Lady Marmalade".

    Dennis,
    Well, since today it's Multiple Personality Day, you can feel flattered and insulted in the same time then.

    Col G,
    Today's puzzle is the easiest TMS Thursday I've ever solved. Does Cryptic have a more-difficult-as-the-week-go pattern or does it have a fixed level of difficulty?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for broadening my horizons, I was not familiar with that video; back when I started practicing law, my partners started a music hall in Gainesville, and Patti LaBelle and her group performed; in person it was an amazing show.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Morning, all!

    Not much to say about this one. As C. C. said, it was pretty straightforward and a bit on the boring side. The answers were fine, but the clues could probably have been spiced up a bit.

    The only real unknown for me today was TALA, but the quip was so easy to figure out that it was simple to get via the perps. I knew GAVOT, but I've only ever seen it spelled as "gavotte" before (and that's the only way it's spelled in my little desk reference dictionary).

    Other than that, the only other weirdness was seeing BESMEAR clued as "rub over." It makes sense, once I parse what the clue actually means, but it wasn't immediately apparent when solving the puzzle. If I rub butter all over something, I am smearing it with butter, and BESMEAR is just an alternate form of smear.

    Oh -- and I agree with Dennis that it was a bit odd to see LIFTER clued as a "loading device" instead of, say, an automobile engine part.

    ReplyDelete
  18. C.C. "Any Eagle Scouts out there?" Yup. And still proud of that.

    @Dennis: you could start an interesting collection of military 'nicknames'. For instance - I was once a Naval Aviator and many times heard myself referred to as a "wing nut".


    Hayrake

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  19. CC:

    I'm more of a morning person - am usually in bed by 8pm, which doesn't typically allow for a whole lot of "noctem" to get "carpe'd". Hope you have a great day & congrats again on getting some of the "lurkers" to come forward as the last few days, IMHO, have been reinvigorating, to say the least. Always nice to get to know new folks.

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  20. Dennis: You definitely should be flattered. Here in Ky. (and elsewhere) the morel mushroom is a somewhat rare and much-prized delicacy which has a bulbous head sort of like a .... well, you know.....
    Happy to see the DF side of CC is alive and well after the strain of the last few days.
    Easy puzzle. I may be scarce the next few days. Lambing season has begun.
    Windhover

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  21. CC
    Cryptic generally has a fixed level of difficulty depending on the newspaper, however the level of difficulty depends on the quirks of the setter, some of them are difficult some easy and some downright irritating when they do not follow the set indicators and invent on their own

    ReplyDelete
  22. Over the course of any given day, I'll do this puzzle, the cryptogram, jumble, sudoku, and the NYT xword; my observation is that only our sudoku and NYT puzzles get progressively tougher as the week goes on.

    ReplyDelete
  23. If anyone is interested in cryptic crosswords see the presentation at the link below, it has been made by one of the guys staying in the bay area and has started a community on Orkut wherein we solve the crossword of a local paper here in India, the same one of which I too have a blog Cryptic Crosswords

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  24. Good morning everyone - Thursday used to be a good cw day with Alan Olschwang and his quips. Corny, but fun. I know some didn't care for his puzzles.....but at least you would have to put the pen down occasionally. Today, the pen only moved back and forth....no stop signs!

    I was too late yesterday to post about 'dap' but have seen it used before as "skip stones".

    @crockett - thanks for the map!

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  25. Hi all, Late start on my morning entertainment today. That four letter word called work got in the way. Good thing the puzzle was easy. I blew right through it which doesn't happen often.

    The besmear clue was weird and I only got the Samoan currency due to fills.

    Promisemethis,
    Thanks for the setting me right on the coastlines. How could I forgot about the peninsula.

    We've got another excellent day brewing on the "Downeast Coast" of Maine.

    Have a good one!

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  26. SB:

    There are usually many clue choices for the short words like DAP, for example, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dap_greeting.

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  27. I think this is the first puzzle where I was able to just keep writing the answers without pause. Certainly an easy on then :):):)

    DENNIS: Most of the military nicknames I heard were not complimentary... Marines were "Jarheads"... Infantry were "Grunts"... Not nice at all since they do the heavy lifting. I can remember during the Vietnam Conlict when people got under 100 days to go they were called "Two Digit Midgets" and when you got under 10 days... You were so short you "could not see over your boot tops" Talk about flashbacks !!!

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  28. Dennis,

    I am like you in that I try to do all the puzzles in the paper sometime during the day (however, often don't accomplish that with my many daily activities). The NYT always gets harder as the week goes on, as does the sudoku, but I often find that the TMS will get easier - until Saturday when they tend to have the long word clues.

    As with everyone else, this one was super-simp. I too didn't know TALA nor was I familiar with an "escritoire" but got these with the perps. I wouldn't have come up with GAVOT for the French Peasant dance but for the perps, but it always reminds me of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" - You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte. The good news is now I have more time to get my other things done as the crossword didn't take so long.

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  29. One cup of coffee, and I didn't finish that. This was short work. Knowing how quickly I finished, I figure Dennis waved his pen over the paper and, PRESTO, it was done!!!
    So, not much to say.
    CY'All Later

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  30. good morning -Me, myself and I all agree with all of you EASY BREEZY ! Question please... What is PERPS?
    Me and my evil twin have been debating on this as we read the comments and I think both of us are stumped ?? sorry for the dumb question. Kristen Vanc WA

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  31. Newly created Second Lieutenants in the Army, who were awarded their rank and gold bar after just three months of Officers Candidate School training stateside and then sent off to war to lead the enlisted men into battle were refered to as "90 Day Wonders"
    by the soldiers being led into battle. Their life expectancy was short.
    Old Sage in Virginia Beach

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  32. Good morning CC et al., 'Holy Cow' what an easy puzzle! Agree w/Dennis on the SW corner and like Barry, only knew Gavot spelled Gavotte - from playing Bach's dances from the Baroque period.

    Dennis: Loved the WoW. It's 'our' MO and philosophy of life as well...our = Me, Myself and I. Personally, I think you should be very flattered by CC's comment. In Mae West's words, A good man is hard to find, and a hard man is good to find. You are good and hard and we're lucky to find such a morel man as yourself. Thank you for all you do for all of us. You're awesome.

    CC: Love your DFness and the description of Dennis' morel character. I think you're (g)spot on!

    Heading out to Las Vegas now. Gonna do some gamblin' and some Chopin. Have a Liszt of people to play and games to meet (or 'vice' versa). 'We' will be Bach in a few days, and probably very Baroque.

    Enjoy your day.

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  33. Lemonade, I never made the connection between the style of Laurel and Hardy and that of Kramden and Norton; thanks.

    Karen, I'm curious - which one's the mother and which one's the daughter?

    Frey, I was one of those 'grunts' and you're right - we got so short we "could sleep in a matchbox". I still have my short-timer's calendar, written on a c-rations flap.

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  34. Kristen, 'perps' is short for 'perpendiculars', or the answers that cross (perpendicularly) the answer you're trying to figure out.

    "Evil twin"??

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  35. Was in a hurry to get the puzzle done today as I wanted to get to the pool before they closed. Was one letter off-had LINTER instead of LIFTER and just could not see it for the life of me.

    Thought today's quip was so apropos considering the state of the global economy and how it got there. Also thought it pretty ironic to find this article (From Financial A-bomb to Financial H-bomb Posted by Harry Stotle on September 30, 2008) while researching the answer to your question about the difference between an H(Hydrogen) Bomb and an A(Atomic Bomb) C.C..

    Here is what I did find about the difference between the two bombs:

    Atom bombs work by the principle of atomic fission (splitting the atomic nucleus), while hydrogen bombs work by atomic fusion (combining atomic nucei). The hydrogen bomb is hundreds or thousands of times more powerful than the atom bomb. The hydrogen bomb uses an atom bomb as a trigger.

    Answer

    The term "atomic bomb" is a general term that can be applied to any nuclear weapon. What kind of weapons are there and where does the hydrogen bomb fit in? Glad you asked.

    There are fission devices (the "regular" atomic bomb), fission-fusion devices (the hydrogen bomb) and fission-fusion-fission devices (the U-bomb).

    The Hydrogen Bomb is over 1000 times stronger then the Atom Bomb. The H-Bomb actually leaves behind no radiation and the activation energy is tremendous! The A-Bomb leaves behind massive after effect, and requires a significant less amount of energy to occur. The H-Bomb running on Nuclear Fusion when activated uses so much energy that it can reach million of degrees in split seconds. The nuclear clean up is nothing on these bombs with no after effect the immediate effect however can kill believe it or not millions instantly anyone with a 400 mile radius of the bomb with high probability could be killed. This bomb has still not been perfected.

    From Wiki Answers here.

    Enjoyed The Games People Play link. Check out the lyrics here. Felt some of these lines

    "Turn your back on humanity
    And you don't give a damn"

    also fit in with the financial mess!

    Why would you say BESMEAR instead of SMEAR?

    Hope everyone has a good Thursday.

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  36. good morning - I thought I sent this comment already and was waiting for an answer when I realised it never was sent??? must have been my evil twin at work ....she does those dumb things in MY life that I get blamed for ALL the time ..anyways...WE were wondering about the word PREPS being used in alot of your comments. What does it mean ?? Sorry for the dumb question. My son has just signed up to join the Airforce Reserves as a parajumper. Is there a name for him ? besides Good luck Honey, Mommy loves you.

    Kristen Vanc WA

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  37. As a relative CW newbie, it's a rare puzzle for me where I don't need to google, so I'm excited I finished without any help!!

    The Donna clue was easiest for me. Shalala was the chancellor here at UW, and Summer was the first concert I ever went to back in the late 70's. I remember she had LOTS of costume changes in that show. I still have the album somewhere down in the basement. Maybe I'll pull it out today!

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  38. Easy puzzle, less than ten minutes. Normally it's a 3 cupper.
    I still have my short timers calendar also. It's a helmet with a pair of jungle boots under it. At one time I was so short that if I sat on the floor, my legs would hang over. I was so short, I needed a ladder to climb up on a dime.
    Army nick names-- from WW1,"dough boys", WW2, dog faces or dogs,from the "Nam", ground pounders (non -airborn infantry.)

    The Chicago Trib. has today also as National Grammar Day. I thought it were yesterday. (i copied that)
    And finally, no news on the little one, it looks to be a great day here, sunny and just shy of 50 degrees, four miles in shorts,(if I remember how to put them on,) you all have a great day too!!.
    Jim

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  39. I'm also relatively new at cw, and even I was able to complete this one without looking up anything (or even thinking very hard). I also knew "gavot" only from Carley Simon's "No Secrets" album. The album jacket pictured young Carley braless in a thin blue sweater - no secrets indeed!

    Tom Clancy's "Sum of All Fears" is a real page turner, and includes a lot of factual information about A-bombs and H-bombs. It's my favorite Clancy title.

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  40. Lemonade,
    Nice to see your French, but "couchez" needs to be coucher--dependent infinitive. It being grammar day and all.

    Kristen,
    Dennis did answer your perp question so you did send it earlier. It's hard to find earlier comments without a recognizable avatar.

    Now to the puzzle. I got through a couple of sudokus first this morning, figuring the puzzle was so easy, nobody would have much to say. Wrong! 37 comments when I started reading, 2 more since, and probably more before I finish here.

    PLAZA is the same as Italian PIAZZA German PLATZ and French PLACE. In English a PLACE is often a short street rather than a square though. In Sydney, Martin Place was changed to Martin Plaza after they made it a pedestrian mall.

    I too didn't know TALA, but of course it fell in easily. I suspect it's related to the word DOLLAR, like the old German word TALER that dollar is derived from.

    Money words are interesting. e.g. Italian DENARO for money, sounds like the DINAR, used in several countries in the Middle East, North Africa and in the former Yugoslavia, and in Oz when we had pounds shillings and pence, the slang term for a sixpence (roughly 5 cents today) was DEENER (spelling is a guess).

    A former colleague who was a numismatist always said the history of the world could be written as a study of its money.

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  41. There were no stoppers here. Like others got a few fills with perps. I'm sure BESMEAR is a real word, but probably hasn't been in common use in a hundred years.

    My lucky number is 9.

    I'm going to visit Istanbul for the first time in June on a cruise. Being in two continents - that should be my Multiple Personality Day.

    Army guys are "grunts". My husband always called Airmen "Bus Drivers" because of their uniforms and the fact that they deliver most service members to overseas assignments. Helo pilots were "rotor heads".

    Frey and papajim: On my last day of duty in Subic Bay I was so short all anyone could see was my hat sitting on my shoes on my chair. The welcome aboard package for a stint on Diego Garcia included a short-timer calendar. (For those unfamiliar with it, DG is an SMALL atoll in the middle of the nowhere in the Indian Ocean, and tours were for one LONG year.)

    CC: The lyrics in "Porgy and Bess" reflect the speech patterns of the setting, in a black community in the south in the early 20th century.

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  42. Kazie, as a life-long philatelist (easy there, DFettes), I would've said the same about stamps teaching history.

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  43. There Dennis, is the perfect subject of your next book!

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  44. I hate to admit the puzzle wasn't as easy for me today as it seemed to be for everyone else. Too much else on my mind, or my alter-ego must have been in control.

    Congrats, Dennis, on your anniversary--and for enlightening me as to why my dog goes around with that silly grin.

    Besmear made me think of a smear campaign, more like a kind of slander. And, of course, blurring the lines in a painting. (As an artist, I'm always Baroque--no Monet.)

    And Karen Q., I was glad to see that lyric for You're so Vain. I always thought it was something about his cravat. (Duh.)

    My dad was a swabby, my older brother a jarhead, and my younger brother a G.I. (grunt?). I was a Navy Brat.

    Have a great day!

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  45. Kazie, Ooops sorry about that ...I shall manifest myself soon. Let me think, I wonder if I could be that girl in the thin blue sweater.

    Dennis thanks for making me smarter and my evil twin says to @Argyle and Crock "PERP" not "PERV"
    Have fun :)

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  46. SeaSheSheila: We're a Navy/Marine Corps my family and when my niece joined the Army, we wondered how she could have gone so wrong.

    How do you include a hyperlink in a post?

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  47. Nice jacket! Thanks much Argyle!!

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  48. mark - Buenos Aires

    As said, not much of a challenge, perhaps a little cryptic is in order:

    "I snore, being older" (6 letters)

    My son also did a tour in Iraq, mainly convoy duty from Basra to Baghdad. He´s a weekend soldier with a Welsh regiment and treated it like a boy scout expedition. I salute those parents that can cope with their children being in the firing zones, for me, I wonder what it is all about. It is too easy for the PM to send immature (in my son´s case) children to war in a place far away, without any idea who, why, and what they are fighting for.

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  49. what time do you guys DO the crossword?? tomorrow i am getting up at 3:00 a.m. [mst] to see if c.c., dennis, dave have already been there. poll question possibility: what is your favorite time of day to work the crossword? do you use ink or lead? i use ink - only because it is easier to see - *Ü*

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  50. @elissa There are instructions on the right side menu bar on how to link. Click on HTML Links.

    @shron I like your smiley!

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  51. mark, senior?

    shron, around 6am.

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  52. Sharon- Around 4 am PST and my mother taught me well, always in pen.

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  53. Dennis,

    You are so funny:) Mom is on the end, daughter is in the middle, but I bet I didn't have to tell you that. She wears the hat as she is the one who golfs. Had a great day yesterday as she was in town for a third job interview and got to spend time with her - in this market we are happy if she gets even one call. We had lunch and fun, and she is off to sunny Florida this weekend for a tournament. I get to go to the hot town of Waco in a few weeks to watch her. Who cares where it is as long as it is warm. I am on the course all day watching as they play 36 holes.

    Hope everyone has a good day. It is warming up in the frigid midwest. Looking forward to some snow melt.

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  54. Dennis:
    I believe when I was very little, before we owned a TV, I watched an episode of the "Honeymooners" at my uncle's house in which Ralph and Ed dressed up as Laurel and Hardy. It was looking at the caricatures of both teams, that I made the connection.

    Kazie:
    I am terribly embarrassed, being 1/2 French, and I spelled everything wrong (Voulex couchez...arrgh) but this does not do any spell check, and we are all spoiled by that, I imagine.

    Elissa:
    Bus driver, hmm, we are in my circle, back to Ralph Kramden....

    C-man: where is this mythical "right-side menu" to which you refer? I do not get any of my hyperlinks to show.

    I do the puzzle 5:30 to 6:30 Eastern time, and sometimes wait for C.C. to start the days posts, and I do them in ink because you do not have to sharpen a pen, and I see the answers better. It also reminds me to think before I write, so I look at a few perps before I put some answers down.

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  55. Good Morning All, Yes, it is still morning on the left coast. It took quite a while to read through all the comments so far. It might have been JD who mentioned that by the time we chime in, just about everything to do with the puzzle has already been said. So, I'll just go along with Dennis, Dick, Barry G. and the others who commented while I was still sleeping.

    When I saw BESMEAR, I thought of my current art class. We are learning about pastels this semester and, as all of you real artists out there will know, it is so very easy to BESMEAR, smear, rub over and rub out if you aren't very careful.

    I'm an internet solver. Our newspaper doesn't arrive until 10 AM here, so the on-line version works for me. I do the Master Skill Level, and if I have problems, I'll check the Regular Skill Level for my mistakes. I check the Regular Skill Level quite often. :o)

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  56. Good morning C.C. and all, it is 9:21 in Portland,Or as I write this. I do the puzzle anywhere from 7:30 - 9:00am depending on when I wake up and get the coffee beans ground.
    Very easy one today and enjoyable too. I even liked the quip.

    Dennis at 5:32a LOL (on your comment on Mult.Personality Day)

    Philatelist - hmmmm, sounds like something to lick!

    Lois-LOL, cute comments on the composers...you be sure to compose yourself in and on the way to LV, but that may be too much to ask. Are you flying with the 'Mile High' club, or 'Sky High Airlines'? I'll alert the media.

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  57. Hi C.C.
    Extra easy puzzle today, under 10 minutes with no g-spotting.

    Joe South may have written that song but I remember it from the Alan Parsons
    project version.

    Try listing to this URL and if you remember it too?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYPQMPO_oY0&feature=related

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  58. Carol.. I think what's in my hands are my knees, or I don't get your drift, but then again I'm sometimes not too swift on the uptake.

    ..Promise me this.. yes my car has a heads up display (hud). It is kinda cool.

    wolfmom... I'm a big fan of copper cookware. A pain to clean compared to other material, but it so damn nice!!
    jtbenda..patience

    "Do not be desirous of having things done quickly. Do not look at small advantages. Desire to have things done quickly prevents them from their being done thoroughly. Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished."
    Confucius

    Have a nice day!!

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  59. With 1D POEMS and 56A DANTE, it just wouldn't be right not to include at least a little of his poetry.

    Dante Alighieri was a late 13th and early 14th century poet. He is most famous for The Divine Comedy, but he also wrote La Vita Nuova, which was a combination of autobiographical prose and courtly poetry extolling his life-long love of the beautiful and unattainable Beatrice, whom he first met when he was only nine years old. He wasn't married to Beatrice, so it is easy to see how he maintained his unrealistic view of her. She would have had a heck of a time living up to his expectations if he had actually known her "up close and personal". BTW, he never wrote a single poem to his wife Gemma. This is one of his Beatrice sonnets.

    Love says of her, “How can a mortal thing
    be so adorned with beauty, and so pure?”
    Gazing on her again, he now can swear
    God wanted to create a wonder new.
    Nearly perlaceous in her coloring,
    as moderate as other women share:
    she is the best Nature on earth can bare,
    a paragon and proof of beauty true.
    Out of her eyes, howe’er she looks at you,
    such love-enkindled spirits soon depart,
    the eyes they pierce and go straight to the heart
    of any man that comes within her view.
    Painted upon her face Love shines so bright,
    no one can fixedly sustain its light.

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  60. Papajim, thanks for the picture explanation. I could not figure out your position - now I see. Sorry for the confusion but for a moment I thought your car was VERY large or you were quite short. No offense!

    Clear Ayes and others, I admire you for solving the puzzles on line. I tried it once and managed but it felt 'odd'. I much prefer pen and paper and always have my 'DryLine' by Liquid Paper at the ready.

    Dennis, did Mr.Fun Facts in fact become someone else today? It will be interesting to see who shows up tomorrow. Mr.Morel, Mr. Mushroom, Mr. Windwalker can't wait ;)

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  61. Sallie, my apologies, I missed your question yesterday.

    As well as I've been able to ascertain, Alaska does have more coastline than Hawaii.

    Karen Q, I wasn't trying to be funny; I really couldn't tell. My compliments.

    PapaJim, I remember when Pontiac first came out with the HUD, I think '97; a really cool feature. Anything that lets you spend less time looking down is a good thing.

    And Lois, just remember, '7 come 11' is only a gambling expression...

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  62. Good morning all,

    I was amazed that everything just flowed so easily. Usually I agonize over the quip.Gavot, tala were perpable. Had a chuckle over hoy cow.. thought of Lois.I was trying to think of some feline grp for 1A, until I saw P-A.For oater bar I was trying to name all of those breafast/snack bars on the market. This is what takes time, just plain thinking.

    I don't like the word besmear. I think besmirch sounds so much better if your are going to ruin someone's character.

    Lois, don't lose your shirt! LOL!

    shron, love that clever smiley face

    NYT, very informative info on A/H bombs.Most of us are of that age where we huddled under our desks for those scarey drills.

    Dennis, as a fellow philatelist, I agree.I also learned about the flora and fauna of different places.Yesterday's wow from Della Reese was great advice, and I liked papajim's add ons.

    Dennis,I've collected tons of geography trivia, so I could continue where you left off, and am excited to see what is next on your agenda.

    Disney World in Orlando, FL covers 46 sq mi, making it twice the size of the island of Manhattan. NY.

    I do the puzzle anywhere from 7 to 8:30. Retirement is hard.

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  63. JD,
    LOL--I agree about retirement. I start the puzzle at about 7am. Trouble is, as soon as I sit at the computer to check the blog, I seem to keep thinking of a dozen other things I need to do at the computer--email, facebook comments that come in, something I want to research, meeting details/reminders for next week, etc., and before I know it, here we are after noon already, and I need to stop for lunch. No wonder the floors need doing and the dog still needs walking!

    ReplyDelete
  64. Shron,

    I'm an early riser so I'm usually at the puzzle between 5:30 and 6:00 AM. (At work so don't let my boss know!) Always in pencil because my handwriting is as bad as my spelling.

    NYT, thanks for the explanation on the differences between the A and H Bombs. Very interesting.

    Not particularly thrilled about setting the clocks ahead this weekend. I won't be losing any sleep, I just have to get out of bed when I wake up!!

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  65. JD, by all means, please continue the geography trivia. Mine was pretty lame anyway, if not occasionally suspect.

    Kazie said: No wonder the floors need doing and the dog still needs walking!

    Kaz, I hope the former isn't because of the latter.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Greetings all!

    I knew there would be much talk about the lack of challenge in todays puzzle. I knew this because I was able to complete it with no help at all. I usually have to google or come here for a little help. Escritoire clue was a guess, but a correct one.

    C.C. I remember Donna Summer songs from the 70's. Her songs were often played at the disco's (telling my age!) The two I remember best are "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls" I would add a link if I knew how. You might have heard them played on an 'oldies' station.

    Favorite number......2

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  67. Xword, no comment. It must be getting near to spring, tried to snow yesterday in southwestern Oregon (Medford). My short time calendar in AF was a Playboy centerfold, cut into pieces and taped together as the days got shorter. Short-timers said FIGMO, when asked how log they had. F**k It I Got My Orders. My lucky number is 6, first, middle and last name all have 6 letters. My favorite bumper sticker is "Just because you can steer, doesn't mean you can drive". Good day all.

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

    C.C., Yes, like an A-bomb, a hydrogen bomb also produces a mushroom cloud. Here is a link to the Wikipedia page about the Castle Romeo test at Bikini Atoll.

    Growing up in a small city with a large AirForce base, I always heard AirForce personnel being referred to as 'jetters'.
    While I was at the Naval Nuclear Training Center in Orlando, those of us who completed the 'A-School' got promoted to E-4 quicker than any other enlisted people in the Navy and, thus, were referred to as 'Push-Button Petty Officers'.
    @kristen, "Good luck Honey, Mommy loves you." Don't let your son's new AirForce buddies hear you talk to him like that. When my better-half was stationed in London, while in the Marines, his mother visited and called him 'Dickey'(his name is Richard). Some of his fellow Marines overheard. He was, thereafter, known to them as 'Corporal Dickey'.

    I had never heard of David Toms and, like others, I got TALA from the fills.

    My lucky number will be ... whichever one wins me the 'Powerball' :)

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  69. Promisemethis... I promise you this... I won't do that to him. Being very familiar with the way guys work at work...they will find your weakness and then use it against you. My ex husband is a firefighter and OMG you were in trouble if you let any vulnerable spot show up. I will be on my best behavior around the boys if I am ever let on the base. Thanks for the tip.
    Castle Romeo is so pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  70. My oh my...70 posts by the time I got through reading!!! This is just so cool. Being on the West coast and not being a very early riser unless I absolutely have to(I'm a night owl), everyone else has pretty much covered things.

    It was a very easy puzzle and I really wanted BURNISH instead of BESMEAR. Other than that, it solved itself.

    C.C. I wasn't being entirely serious...well, kind of, sort of, and that is really interesting info. I assumed(wrongly) that many of the names were just made up names by the editor and that he was either designing a lot of the puzzles himself(in which case he needs a class in puzzle cluing) or "lifting" them from an unnamed source. I was also wondering about the $$ they get from syndicating the puzzle page and why it can't be used for better puzzles. I used to complain about the difficulty of the Alan P. Olschwang puzzles...little did I know how much I would miss his talent and that of the other designers. I am becoming fearful of complaining because it might get even worse.

    Papajim...there is a really great product on the market called BARKEEPER'S FRIEND( in with the cleansers in a gold and blue can) that will safely polish any kind of metal...especially soft metals without scratching. It takes just moments to clean up a really messy or darkened pan. It brings back the joy of copper ownership.

    My lucky # is 13 and Friday the
    13th is always my most lucky day...

    Dennis...I am, most obviously, not in line with your quote today, except for the fact that once I am actually up...I eagerly embrace each day, and always take in all the amazing things around me...just not early, unless I am up all night.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Dennis,
    No, it's all the hair she sheds daily. I do take her out when she needs to go.

    Valerie,
    Thanks for the reminder--I was going to comment on escritoire before and forgot. It's related to the French écrire = to write. As noted another day, the é- prefix in French often becomes es- in English. However, the French écritoire can also be an inkwell.

    Do any of you remember inkwells in school desks? I do, even used one for a while when we first started using "pen and ink". They were convinced it was an essential skill that ballpoints couldn't replace.

    Makes you think, doesn't it? Especially after NYT's U-Tube link the other day. The best skill to teach these days is problem solving and independent thinking, but schools don't do this.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Did anyone notice that today's quote is wrong. Money, at least U.S.A. currency, is not printed on wood pulp but rather cotton.

    ReplyDelete
  73. @Kazie....Thank you so much! Most helpful lesson.

    Crockett1947,

    I can't email you from your link to be added to the map. Something about my settings. My Thursday personality can't seem to solve this problem. Can you provide your email address again?

    Thanks
    Valerie

    ReplyDelete
  74. WM and papajim: I recently bought a piece of copper jewelry which came with a cleaning suggestion - use ketchup. I was skeptical, but it really works well and quickly and you always have it on hand. Amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Elissa...ketchup and also a combination of lemon juice and salt are both good at cleaning copper...but trust me here...I have A LOT of copper and use it all the time and Barkeeper's Friend is far easier, neater and more cost effective to use on a regular basis. Most of my copper is stainless interior, 2.5 mil with cast iron handles that I bought in France and it is extemely heavy to be smearing ketchup on.

    Cook's tip for the day: A bit of lemon juice rubbed in a copper bowl before whisking your egg whites will keep them stiff longer...and Dennis, stay away from the lemons.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Did I miss it, or did nobody link anything for Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy? They were such talented comedians. Not only were they wonderfully funny, they could also dance Way Out West (Ollie was amazingly light on his feet for a big guy.) and sing The Trail of the Lonesome Pine. G.A.H. is a big fan and has quite a collection of DVD's and VHS tapes of "the boys".

    BTW, ("I'll take Really Trivial Movie Facts for $2,000, Alex.") the yodeling cowboy in the Way Out West clip is Chill Wills. Chill (his real name) was a well-known character actor later in life and was the voice of Francis The Talking Mule in five 1950's movies.

    ReplyDelete
  77. JD, Lois will probably happily lose her shirt and other items of clothing...she is probably playing strip poker as we speak!LOL.

    Weather 321, I laughed about your favorite bumper sticker, there were 4 or 5 drivers like that on our bike ride this morning...they can't drive their cars, but CAN drive us crazy! I do not know how these people get a license. Maybe they don't have one. Joe almost got hit (again)and yes, the idiot was on a cell phone. I could go on and on but will end the rant here.

    Elissa, I'll bet it's the acid in the Ketchup that does the trick. Where is DrDad when we need him? Any other chemists out there? I heard lemon juice works well too and if you don't have the actual fruit, RealLemon works.
    I don't have copper but my Mom always had the Revere Ware with the copper bottoms.

    ReplyDelete
  78. 7:17 today. I had a wrong letter in the quote (had MONEY WOES instead of DOES) and it took me forever to find it. The puzzle wasn't nearly that hard, just my bumbling took so long...

    @c.c.: Embien,
    Any unfaithful incident in your life?


    I'll have to plead the fifth amendment on this. I have no problem speaking for myself, but it's possible there are others involved and I wouldn't presume to speak for them (if it were the case, not saying that it was).

    And thanks for the Lady Marmalade video, c.c.. Those ladies obviously have multiple talents (on Multiple Personality Day). Pink is an amazing artist.

    ReplyDelete
  79. @valerie: Can you provide your email address again?

    If you click on crockett's name at the beginning of any of his blog posts, you'll go to his profile page. On that page is contact information (email address).

    ReplyDelete
  80. @valerie Crockett1947@comcast.net

    @lemonade421 When the blog is first accessed for the day, there is a green almost square box that points people to the online puzzle. Under that there is a large vertically elongated rectangle that has a section of ads, About Me, Contact Me, Letters to the Editor, Interviews, Olio. In the Olio section, there is a link "HTML Links," and that's where the information about linking within your comment can be found. Thanks for the assist, embien, but I think she was experiencing problems with that link.

    ReplyDelete
  81. One more link. I don't think anyone can keep their toes from tapping when they hear DONNA Summer sing Last Dance. Just about everyone under 30 years old and some of us more immature over-30's put on our boogie shoes and mini-skirts, (OK guys, you had Angels Flight polyester flared pants) and got down with the Queen of Disco in the late 70's and early 80's. Donna's still around, still beautiful and still singing.

    ReplyDelete
  82. Clear Ayes, boy, did you hit a nerve - I loved disco, and wore so much polyester at the time that if I'd gotten near a flame, I'd have been a puddle of plastic. Polyester shirts, polyester bell-bottom pants, and the colors -- the colors would blind a person on the moon. Had a special pair of blue and creme-colored shoes for the big nights. I could have easily blended in with the extras on Saturday Night Fever...

    ReplyDelete
  83. Oh, and favorite song? Disco Inferno, by a mile.

    ReplyDelete
  84. Anon. @ 2:09 PM. Our currency notes are composed of 75 percent cotton and 25 percent linen-here's the link. And linen is made from flax. So, no trees involved!

    ReplyDelete
  85. Crockett thanks for the tip on the Frank Longo puzzle. I have done it a few times and I am not too good at it yet. But it is good to stretch.
    Sallie and PromiseMeThis, I must not have read carefully enough and didn't know that the Florida information was for salt not fresh water. I was surprised the first time I saw that question answered and had to go look at Michigan. It is all that coast line of the UP that makes it longest. I love all the bits of information that we exchange here.
    And I am a woman, although I have to tell you everyone thinks by looking at my name I am not.Thankfully, when they see me they realize that I am of the female persuasion. Mom named me after my grandpa, Toby, and because she wanted it to seem a little femine my full name is Tobin (with a long O, not like Robin.)
    I will have to try to navigate the process of adding a picture, that will help.

    Wow, the sun just popped out from the rain. I am going to try to get my walk done.
    Toby

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  86. SLOPPY WORK AGAIN!! IT'S GROW, NOT GROWN.

    ReplyDelete
  87. SLOPPY WORK AGAIN!!! IT IS GROW NOT GROWN.

    ReplyDelete
  88. This was an over-the-top simple puzzle. HOLY COW was a favorite phrase used by the Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray.

    @cc…Yes, the rolled oats in the Horse Chow are to be eaten uncooked.

    @jd…why do you say that retirement is hard?

    ReplyDelete
  89. A final comment about my daughter's tattoo. When I talked to her today, she told me she had drawn/designed the dove.

    ReplyDelete
  90. On weekdays, I do the puzzle over breakfast. The work cafeteria opens at 7:00, so I'm usually finished (with breakfast and the puzzle) by 7:30 and ready to post.

    Oh -- and I do the puzzle the only proper way. In pencil! ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  91. Dennis, don't forget the pooka shells.

    ReplyDelete
  92. @embien, I always thought Dennis was the master of double talk, but your 3:42 rivals even the best effort by Dennis. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  93. Rich, the thin gold chain was the neck adornment of choice for me back then; some guys went with their horoscope signs with enormous medallions. Good to see you, by the way.

    Dick, Embien blew me into the weeds with that effort. Embien, my compliments.

    ReplyDelete
  94. Doesitinink, that was a joke!We were asked when we did our puzzles.I have no set time except on the days when I babysit my grandson, or when I teach. On those days, I get up at 6 and do a little here 'n there.

    Clear ayes, I loved the Laurel/Hardy clips! I had forgotten how much they made me smile.

    ReplyDelete
  95. good evening. c.c. and all,
    yes it was an easy one, quip and all
    c.c. For a minute i thought you favorite exclamation was there, Holy Moly ! alas, it was Holy çow. lol

    Doesitinink, re: Horse chow. rolled oates are not easy to find, today i checked Publix (local supermkt), my italian supermarket. nada, tomorrow i will go to the WholeFoods s/mkt

    Wolfmom & PapaJim if you ever run out of BarKeeper' s Friend , vinegar & salt will do the job and give your copper that brand new look again

    NYTAnon, you blew my mind with the A/H Bomb info
    Crockett, we have two Lemonade now ? One is 714 the other is 421 ?
    However, i' ll be looking at that HTML link and try to learn how to link, i also tried to drag my picture into my profile but it did not work .
    I/ ll get it one of these days.

    ReplyDelete
  96. I usually do my puzzle first thing with breakfast. I do it in pen, though sometimes it doesn't look very nice when I am done, but I can see it better than pencil. I realy like the old eraser mate pens, but they don't make them any more and the ones you find are old stock and drying up. There is a gel pen out there, but if you erase they besmear!
    I can appreciate your difficulty of getting the picture attached to the comments. Some of us are still challenged by the workings of the blog system. It took me a long time to accomplish it today.
    So if it worked you will see me. :0)
    Toby

    ReplyDelete
  97. I usually do my puzzle first thing with breakfast. I do it in pen, though sometimes it doesn't look very nice when I am done, but I can see it better than pencil. I realy like the old eraser mate pens, but they don't make them any more and the ones you find are old stock and drying up. There is a gel pen out there, but if you erase they besmear!
    I can appreciate your difficulty of getting the picture attached to the comments. Some of us are still challenged by the workings of the blog system. It took me a long time to accomplish it today.
    So if it worked you will see me. :0)
    Toby

    ReplyDelete
  98. Tobylee, nice to see you - use DryLine by Liquid Paper for correcting your ink errors. Works great and is not at all messy.

    Embien, good job at 3:42, are you sure you are not a political figure?

    Dennis, glad you're 'stayin'alive ;) keep it up!!!

    ReplyDelete
  99. Yeah...Welcome in person Tobylee!

    Marie...I am seriously challenged with the computer, but I found that if you have a picture uploaded into a folder on your desktop, that you can browse the folders, click on your photo and click open(if you are going through the profile set-up through the Google blogger). I still haven't fiqured out the HTML attachment, but mostly because I am too lazy right now to read through it...
    ClearAyes, Crockett and Argyll have "talked" me through a few things...so they are terrific resources. Good luck. It will be fun to "SEE" you.

    I am still not confident enough and so, like BarryG, I use a mechanical pencil with a really big eraser.

    ReplyDelete
  100. Warren @ 11:29,

    The Joe South song and the Alan Parson's Project song, share the same name but are not the same song by far.

    Joe South was around with Bobby Goldsboro and was on his show.

    Alan Parsons was a recording engineer that worked with the Beatles and worked Dark Side of The Moon for Pink Floyd. He later did work with session musicians an label his work Alan Parson's Project. Has been quite sussessful.

    Joe South penned songs mostly for other country and folk artists. He kept Games People Play for himself.

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  101. @maria...I use Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats that come in the round box, the type that we used to make drums with at Girl Scout camp.

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  102. For me, the due North block got me. I had "A-bomb" instead of "H-bomb" for awhile, and "brinks" for "cutting edges" instead of "blades."

    See you tomorrow!

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  103. CC,

    This the original Lady Marmalade by Labelle.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZejEpoNiy0w

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Marmalade

    "Lady Marmalade" is a 1974 song made famous by the girl group Labelle. Produced by Allen Toussaint, "Lady Marmalade" became a number-one hit the next year. An early disco hit, the song is most famous for its sexually suggestive chorus of "voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?"

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  104. You can do the puzzle in pencil? How do you do that and still read it? And what is this erasing you talk about? Ink or online is the only way. (Well, sometimes there are writeovers, but you take the good with the bad.)

    As for my 3:42 comment, I could name names, but then you'd have to kill me (or they would).

    If there were any such persons, of course, not saying that there are....

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  105. Lemonade,

    Donna Summer had hits: on the radio, bad girls, last dance, hot stuff.

    My fav was bad girls.

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  106. Dennis I have Dave Letterman's fun facts book. Would you mind if I took over doing fun facts?

    ALL GRAVY NO GRIEF

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  107. @maria The e-mail I got said Lemonade 741.

    ReplyDelete
  108. Nate, I had boards for cutting edges. Brinks was much more clever.

    Sigh, the Sharks just lost their fourth game in a row. It was a sad night at the tank.

    ReplyDelete
  109. Does it think did you see Artie Lange on Dave Letterman?

    He was talking about Harry Caray. and how he would see a girl he liked and would use the cough button (muted the mic) he'd say take a look at that broad. Bonds at the bat the count is 2-1

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  110. @Anonymous...no I did not see Artie Lange on the Letterman show (I watch virtually no television). Cute story though. And I learned the new term "cough button". Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  111. I earned my Commission and gold bars as Second Lieutenant in USAR (United States Army Reserve) as opposed to RA (Regular Army) after 4 years of ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) at North Carolina State University. My serial number started with USAR.
    Olive drab is a color, the old ugly grayish green color of the "fatigue" (work or fighting)uniforms of the period. I think the
    term may have also applied to the color of all the tanks, trucks, and other army vehicles of that period.
    Old Sage in Virginia Beach

    ReplyDelete
  112. Hi, C.C.,

    Got tired of lurking and got me a Google account. This is a trial run to see if it works.

    Enjoyed today's puzzle while sitting in the doctor's office waiting for my wife. Had trouble with only two or three clues, but thought it mostly easy.

    Frank

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  113. Frank,
    It worked! But you misplaced on Thursday's blog comments and I am afraid nobody else will read it. I've copied and pasted it to Friday's. Hope to see you there.

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  114. Thanks, C.C. I will try to get my days straight in the future.

    Frank

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  115. Good Afternoon!!! crosswordcorner.blogspot.com is one of the most outstanding innovative websites of its kind. I take advantage of reading it every day. Keep it that way.

    ReplyDelete

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