google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday April 1, 2009 Pancho Harrison

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Apr 1, 2009

Wednesday April 1, 2009 Pancho Harrison

Theme: April Fools' Day

20A: 2003 Katie Holmes film: PIECES OF APRIL

37A: 1965 film based on a Katherine Anne Porter novel: SHIP OF FOOLS

55A: 1962 WWII film: THE LONGEST DAY

Once again, none of the theme answers was gimme to me. But this puzzle felt much easier than yesterday's, probably because there are only 3 theme answers compared to yesterday's 5. I am curious to see how many theme answers will be in Pancho Harrison's next puzzle. His last "Numeral Prefix" has 3 entries also.

This culture handicap is so hard for me to overcome. I was surprised and intrigued that THE KINGMEN puzzle yesterday brought back sweet memories to so many of you. "Louie, Louie" really meant nothing to me.

WALL is the answer for 61A: Outfield border. And then "Wall St. deals" for 30D LBOS (Leveraged Buyouts). I don't know. Maybe you can think of a better way to clue LBOS. I can't think of anything. I could not even get the answer. All that popped into my mind is M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions).

Favorite clue: Pisa dough? for EURO (6D). So clever. Very well-kneaded. Now I can smell EURO from my oven.

"Barrel of A Pencil", the alias name of a fellow LA Times crossword solver, constructed a 21*21 puzzle and he would love to hear feedback from us. I've published a special post and hope you can give him your thought on his grid.

Across:

1A: Impetuous fervor: ELAN. I am used to the old "Distinctive flair" clue. Had no idea that ELAN has an "Impetuous" color.

9A: Not on the up and up: SHADY. Like The Talented Mr. Madoff. I still can't believe he was once the Nasdaq chairman.

15A: Dark purple: PUCE. I don't understand this one. What are PUCE stamps?

16A: "Flip This House" airer: A AND E. Big stumper. I wanted MSNBC. Hard for me to interpret A & E into A AND E. Have never heard of "Flip This House".

17A: Some dadaist art: ARPS (Jean/Hans). Dada founder. Hans is German for Jean, correct?

19A: Hardly sensitive: CRASS. Reminds me of Francis Heaney's CRASSWORD crossword.

23A: Leftovers covering: SARAN. "It's a wrap" in yesterday's clue. Do you know why Dow Chemical named this product SARAN? Google shows that SARAN is also girl's name, meaning "joy".

24A: "Bus Stop" playwright: INGE (William). He has become a gimme. Won Pulitzer for "Picnic".

25A: Robin Hood's wood: YEW. No idea. Only knew the Sherwood Forest. Google search shows that Robin Hood used a bow of YEW to win Maid Marion and they wed under a YEW tree.

31A: Carole start: ADESTE. "ADESTE Fideles". I would not have got the answer without the down fills. I know "Carol ending?" is INE.

42A: "The Girl From Ipanema" singer Gilberto: ASTRUD. Here is the clip. Someone mentioned on the blog last time that Sade has a certain ASTRUD Gilberto style.

43A: Composer Andrew Lloyd __: WEBBER. His brother is Julian Lloyd WEBBER the cellist.

45A: Clytemmestra's son: ORESTES. Alas, I forgot, the guy "The Three Furies" are chasing. He was clued as "Electra's brother" in our old puzzle 3 weeks ago. His father is Agamemnon. Interesting information from Wikipedia: "According to the myth, Zeus appeared to Leda in the form of a swan, raping and impregnating her. Leda produced four offspring from two eggs: Castor and Pullux from one egg, and Helen and Clytemnestra from the other." But then it continues: "Castor and Clytemnestra were fathered by Tyndareus whereas Pollux and Helen were fathered by Zeus". Sounds very conflicting, doesn't it?

50A: Prefix with skeleton: EXO. Opposite endoskeleton.

54A: Gear parts: TEETH. Of course, I fell to the trap and put S at the end of the blanks first.

62A: 5-point K, e.g.: TILE. Scrabble TILE. I like this clue.

65A: San __ Obispo, CA: LUIS. Sometimes it's clued as "Baseball Hall of Famer Aparicio". Can you believe he is still alive? Pulled an certified Aparicio autograph out of a Topps Heritage set once. Oh by the way, I heard that Topps is going to produce a set of "world's biggest hoaxes, hoodwinks and bamboozles" trading cards. Ponzi & Madoff are among those bad guys. Maybe Ken Lay too.

67A: First name in country: REBA. Not a fan of REBA McEntire or any country music. The tunes all sound so similar and repetitive.

Down:

2D: Dogie catcher: LARIAT. La reata. The REATA/RIATA.

4D: Pocono 500 group: NASCAR

8D: Sable or Impala: SEDAN. Good clue.

9D: Like some cows: SACRED. Does it refer to the exclamation "Holy cow!" or the Indian sacred cow?

10D: Spydom name: HARI (Mata). Bond does not fit.

11D: In-depth examination: ANALYSIS. Plural is analyses. It's embarrassing, but I often have difficulty spelling analysis & analyze. Actually I can't spell the word embarrassing itself. Thank God for the automatic spelling check.

12D: Oral surgeon's deg.: DDS (Doctor of Dental Science/Surgery). Barry Silk clued DDS as"License to drill?" in his Philly Tribute puzzle. I miss Barry puzzle, don't you?

21D: Listless feeling: ENNUI. And TEDIUM (47D: Monotony).

22D: Links org. sponsoring the FedEx Cup: PGA TOUR. Gimme for me. Stanford Finanical for LPGA. They'd better go back to ADT, given Allen Stanford's huge trouble. This guy should be put into Topps Ponzi card set too.

27D: Jazz guitarist Montgomery: WES. No idea. I know nothing about Jazz. He does not look like a musician. Now, Is WES a nickname for Lesley or Wesley?

34D: Young salamander: EFT. I learned this morning there are three stages in a newt's life: aquatic larva, terrestrial juvenile (EFT), and then adult. So technically, EFT does not live under water.

37D: Enemy agent's strategy: SABOTAGE. During Chinese Cultural Revolution, many people had to stop communications with their overseas relatives for fear of being accused of SABOTAGE crime.

39D: "Golden Boy" dramatist: ODETS (Clifford). Know his name, which was clued as "Waiting for Lefty" playwright on our March 15, 2009 puzzle. I have never heard of "Golden Boy" though.

46D: Agree out of court: SETTLE. This reminds me of "nolo contendere", a phrase I never really understand. Is it a "guilty" or "not guilty" plea?

48D: And others, in bibliographies: ET ALII (masculine plural). ET ALIA is neuter plural. ET ALIAE is feminine plural.

52D: Quasimodo's hangout: TOWER. Easy guess. Clear Ayes mentioned his unrequited love for some girl last time. I don't know where they hang out. Huge once said "Intelligence is the wife, imagination is the mistress, memory is the servant." So, who is more important to you, wife or mistress?

58D: Designer Schiaparelli: ELSA. OK, time to know this "Italian artist who made clothes" (said Coco Chanel). She brought fashion to the masses, the first person to introduce off-the-rack designer wear. Her works were heavily influenced by surrealist like Salvador Dali and her style was easy to copy. Her client includes Mae West, Katherine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich. Some article says that ELSA means "noble" in German, and it's derived from German name Elisabeth. Is it true, Kazie?

59D: Talk about sin, e.g.: Abbr.: SER. Love the clue. Reminds me of Celine Dion's "Let's Talk about Love".

Answer Grid.

C.C.

80 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and our merry gang of miscreants (and fellow bloggers staring down the virus) - a most enjoyable puzzle for me today, with some clever cluing.

I looked at 'AandE' for the longest time before I finally got it. I thought 'Sable or Impala' was a great clue and it took me a while to figure out why 'tile' was a '5-point K'. 'Orestes' came from the perps, but as soon as I had 'Ores...', it was obvious what it was. I'm sure the DFettes enjoyed 'to the hilt'. And last but not least, a great theme.

Today is obviously April Fool's Day. It's also International Tatting Day, a word we see periodically in the puzzles. Anyone wanna trade tit for a tat?

Also, I was going to suggest we all share our best April Fool's tricks, either ones you've done, or ones you've had played on you, but I think now we should wait until tomorrow, when everybody's back. I suspect there's going to be a lot of regulars missing today because of the virus threat. Thoughts?

Today's Words of Wisdom: "I want to die young at an advanced age." -- Journalist Max Lerner

Dick said...

Good morning CC and all,...a difficult puzzle for me today. Too many unknowns today, for example:
"Flip This House" airer,"The Girl from Ipanema" singer and Clytemnestra's son. Some of the unknowns came from the fills but the cross of Orestes and
Odets was the killer.

For some reason I did not like this puzzle. Maybe it was because there were a large number of unknowns which frustrated me a bit. However, I thought there was some creative cluing which I liked. The theme was very creative and finally revealed itself after I got the first two.

Hope you all have a great Wednesday

Lemonade714 said...

Good morning:

You are probably right about many not going online because of the virus, but I am too stupid, and like my morning puzzle.

NOLO CONTENDRE literally means "I will not contest." It signifies that the accused does not admit the charge, but will not dispute it either, and will accept the punishment. It is a legal fiction that avoids trial.

LBO's, could be "corporate takeovers," we have had this answer a few times recently.

SACRED COWS refer to any thought or organization that is beyond criticism, gleened from the literal ones.

Seems eerily quiet, as they said on HILL STREET BLUES, "Be careful out there."

Martin said...

I wanted FALSE for SHADY and END for YES. WES and ORESTES were unknowns and PGA TOUR just didn't come to me. I agree with C.C.: A & E is literally "A Et E" even if it is pronounced "A'N'E". In any case, I've never heard of "Flip This House". I got DDS, ETE, ELL, UPBEAT, FOOLS and LIES but otherwise the upper right corner was pretty much blank a few minutes ago.

I thought the puzzle was okay. Dennis, I see that EWE liked it a lot whereas, Dick, I see that YEW didn't like it at all. :)

Today is April Fools Day and Sunday is Tomb Sweeping Day here in Taiwan.

Martin

Argyle said...

Good Morning, All

Thats not A et E. It is A ampersand E. The & just looks like et.

lois said...

Good morning CC et al., Cute, cute, cute. Clever cluing. Enjoy the change so much. Was really calm until Sex (41D) showed up (ain't that the truth!)and then Holy Hotwick! the flood gates opened up! What's always my answer? 'Yes!' What is fun to wear for a while? 'lace'. Then comes
'Up beat, tower, glob, hub'- as in center of activity or even hubby?, and ending with "to the hilt" and with 'Rhett' no less -many a woman's dream. What a way to start the day! I'm pumped...esp to go 'tit for tat'. I've got one covered already.

Enjoy your day.

Bill said...

CC, BOND does FIT in 10d. It just doesn't work with the rest. I know, 'cause I put it in there and had no spaces left over.
This was better than yesterday. I got about 3/4's of that one and gave up.
Took me about an hour on this one and finally filled it all. LBOS still seems made up to me and, till I got here I had no clue what AANDE was. I just didn't seem to be able to take it apart and make sense of it. Saw it written out as "A and E" and thought, DIMWIT!!!
Had COWBOY for 2d till I filled some of the cross clues and it became clear that it wasn't going to work.
All in all, a very doable x word (for me, anyway).
CY'All Later

Virus??? I ain't skeered of no steenking virus!! n27365876079034712gdfjvmnz,.,.
056823616450-Heeeeelp me,i'm falling and there is no crane to get me up!!!!!

Dennis said...

Bill, LBO really is a common term in the market world. I'm only a dabbler, but I've heard it used a lot.

Dick, any warm weather coming our way? I need to see the frigging sun for a change.

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

Dennis,
What's your answer to my 52D question? As for my April Fools' Day story, I was already fooled by Linda yesterday.

Dick,
The same question applies to you (52D). Maybe you need a good "servant", ODETS appeared in our puzzle not long ago.

Linda,
I am glad it's only a joke and you are staying with us. I always enjoy your lively posts.

Lemonade,
Re: NOLO CONTENDRE. But still it's a guilty plea, isn't it? I don't know much about economics, so I am not sure whether your "Corporate takeovers" clue is accurate. Maybe someone else will confirm it later. Why Mitch Rider link last night?

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

Argyle,
So, if it is A ampersand E, the A AND E clue is wrong? As for yesterday's MTA (42D: Boston transit inits.), are you sure it stands for Metropolitan Transit Authority, not Massachusetts Transportation/Transit Authority?

Martin,
Thank YEW for reminding me of Tomb Sweeping Day. Is it holiday in Taiwan?

Bill,
How are COWBOY dolls used in "magical rites"?

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

Al (Formerly Anon @ 11),
Sorry I forgot to respond to you yesterday. Yes, your "nice rack" comment about Razzberry's picture link is definitely a double entendre.

Crockett,
Re: Razzberry's Baiter Status. Absolutely. He sure knows suspense and drama.

TJ,
Are you of Irish root?

Argyle said...

Re: NOLO CONTENDRE

It can mean. "I'm innocent but I can't afford to fight it."

Re: The ampersand character stands for "and". What's that type of crossword where they can use a symbol? Cryptic?

One more time MTA

Bill said...

CC, 2d in TODAYS x word. A cowboy ropes "dogies" with a LARIET.
You must have a "regressive" virus that is making you look back to yesterday.
Sorry if I confused by mentioning my poor performance on 3/31.
Dennis, I know we've had LBOS before but it seems a forced acronym and, for me, never having done ANYthing in the market, it sounds weird.
It seems that, in today's English language, we have to dub every series of words with initials. I guess we're in such a hurry that we can't take time to use whole sentences. In a few years our grandkids will look back and wonder how we communicated by using all the LONG words. And with punctuation, no less!
u c wot i mn?
Bill

Argyle said...

from Wikipedia:
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) was formed in 1964 to finance and operate most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston area. It replaced the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), immortalized by the Kingston Trio in the popular folk-protest lament "M.T.A.".

So something to indicate "former" shoud have been in the clue.

windhover said...

CC, Dennis, and all,
I liked this one, but for all my complaining about WRW's repetitive cluing, I would not have been able to complete a couple of years ago. Stock xword words like élan, arid, Esau,Enos,spas,euro,ennui,inane,etc. Give me a head start
My bet for the Dfettes (I see Lois has already proved me wrong) would have been 9, 18, 19, 25 across and 11 and 59 down. We'll see about the others.
iPhone, being an Apple, is used to being wormy. The only thing I'm worried about is finding half a worm.
Dennis: I don't know what the thread was, if any. Jeannie just said , "like Dennis, I do it on line" and my imagination went to 19A & 9A.
Windhover, suggestively

Mainiac said...

Good Morning All,

Once I got the theme I had some wrestling matches with, ADESTE, ORESTES, ODETS, and TILE. LBOS didn't come right away and I stared forever at AANDE. Not a whole lot of fun for me this AM but I trudged through it.

CC, Thanks for the interview with this constructor. Interesting how he started. I'm still struggling getting in sync with this puzzle so any information is helpful.

Work calls.......

Have a good one!

T. Frank said...

Good Morning, all,

I read some references yesterday about a virus, but had no other info. When I booted up this morning, the first thing I saw on my screen was a purported notice from Microsoft inviting me to download some arcane notice with which I was unfamiliar. Can you enlighten me about the virus threat? (I canceled the Microsoft offer until I could get more info.)

I had no trouble today; got aande from the perps but had no idea what it meant 'til I got here. It seems a little unfair.

C.C., another Wall St. deal is an IPO, initial public offering.

I did not know etal had so many variations; thanks, C.C.

April Fool prank: When I was about ten, and hated baths, I got home from school one afternoon and found a note from my dad telling me to take a bath (we had no showers)and get all dressed up for a date with a photographer. I obeyed, grumbling all the while about not being able to play outside, and was furious after being let in on the joke.

May all your surprises today be good ones!

Razz said...

CC – Yaks & Loons…

Lots of talk about this tostada yesterday. Found the web site and copied the recipe for you. Now you know all the ingredients and can stop scratching you heads going “What is that in the picture?” Here is the link Hass

Aji Amarillo Avocado Tostada

Recipe Courtesy of the Hass Avocado Board (found this on their Web Site)

Ingredients
• 1/2 lb. skinless, boneless Pacific halibut, cut in 1/4-inch dice
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 1/2 tsp. Aji Amarillo paste
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 Aji Amarillo chile, stem and seeds removed, minced
• 1 red Jalapeño chile, stem and seeds removed, finely diced
• 1 (1/2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced or grated
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 4 firm, ripe Hass avocados, peeled, seeded and cut in 1/2-inch dice
• 1/2 small jicama, peeled and julienned into one-inch strips
• 6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, fried until crisp
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 head green cabbage, thinly shredded, for serving
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, combine halibut and 1/2 cup of lime juice. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes, then drain, discarding the liquid.
2. In another large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup of lime juice, Aji Amarillo paste and olive oil.
3. Stir in onion, chiles, ginger and cilantro; season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Add Hass avocado, jicama, and halibut; stir gently to combine.
5. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
6. Chill thoroughly then serve on a thin bed of shredded cabbage atop the crispy corn tortillas.
Serving Suggestions:
Recipe Variation: Serve in a chilled martini glass, garnished with tortilla chips.


Now then let me think – Wife, Mistress, Servant? Guess I’ll have to go with wife; she definitely has the intelligence, she stirs my imagination, and she reminds me daily, lest if forget!

April Fool’s Joke – I hope that this “conficker virus” is just that and nothing more. It would be a shame in today’s economy to cause even more pain and anxiety.

Now for the xw – I liked today’s puzzle. It definitely made me think. Grabbed the thesaurus a couple of times (words weren’t there but got my mind going the right direction). How about Stock Mkt. deals? Instead of Wall St.?

Dennis – with all the Loons (FKA – Dfettes), I have a feeling that Tit for Tat day could be fun, but I’m pretty sure that the Yaks are out gunned in this one. Not that we won’t put up a brave front. No wait I’d rather the Loons show their front and then maybe make a flanking move to the rear. Ooh let the war begin! The suspense of how this may turn out is killing me…oh the agony of suspense…


Things that make you go Hmmm?!?!

+ If an orange is orange, why isn't a lime called a green or a lemon called a yellow?

+ If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why's it still #2? (In honor of BOAP)

Truisms to Live By...

The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread.



Hope all of your AFD gags are successful and that the ones pulled on you are met with a smile and grin in the end.

CC - Thanks for the interview and link to BOAP's xw ;~p

Fred said...

C. C. said...
Argyle,
So, if it is A ampersand E, the A AND E clue is wrong?

There is nothing wrong with the answer or clue. It is just tricky (as it was meant to be). Ampersand is a symbol for "and". A&E stands for the "Arts and Entertainment" channel.

Elissa said...

I started in 'Master' mode and thought I was doing okay. After two passes through A and Ds I switched to 'Regular' and saw the error of my ways. I had IPOS for LBOS. I agree 'corporate takeover' clue would have been better. Had LES for WES until I got YEW. Had MODEL for SEDAN, MSNBC for AANDE and had to go to the g-spot for ODETS. Resisted SARAN since we just saw it yesterday. I keep telling myself - it's a learning experience.

My duh moment was 5 point K/TILE, especially since the second biggest time suck on the computer for me is Scrabble.

Couple of wife/mistress thoughts -
1. What is the difference between a hooker, a mistress and a wife? The hooker says "faster, faster", the mistress says "slower, slower", the wife says "oh, the ceiling needs painting."
2. We have no children, but at the request of a friend, my husband, the Ham Radio Operator, helped out with Jamboree on the Air, where boy scouts talk to other scouts around the country and the world on the radio. After all our local groups of scouts came through our house and talked on the radio, we were still hearing from scouts elsewhere. My dear husband kept talking and answering questions about where he was, what his favorite sport and team was, etc. When one scout asked if he had a girlfriend, he said "yes, but don't tell my wife." That's when I took him off the air.

Al said...

Pieces of April
Interesting trivia.

Ship of Fools
From Pieces of Zen.

The Longest Day
Warning for the squeamish: The third vid contains some graphic scenes from Saving Private Ryan

Puce Stamps: Walt Kelly, creator of Pogo, which was a comic strip satire of people and what they do, brought out the concept of trading stamps with no value, not so different than "real" trading stamps with very little value, which you got with grocery purchases a long time ago. You needed to collect and paste about a million of them into collection books to send away for a cigarette lighter or other such "premiums" from a catalog. Puce was just an odd color to enhance the satire, different than S&H green stamps, which are the ones I remember my parents collecting.

Anonymous said...

Hi C.C.

It was A good challenge today for me, I had the top right corner as 9D:SABRED I thought something like South American bred? and 19A:BRASS which could also fit.

RE: Puce stamps? Apparently Walt Kelly (the creator of the cartoon Pogo) created these stamps during the 60's?

I found a reference to it here,a link to a time.com article.

;-)

--Warren

mariposa said...

Good morning C.C. and all. Had a few missteps on this one. I wanted piecesofeight instead of piecesofapril, It took me a long time to realize that no matter how hard I tried HGTV was not going to fit for aande.
I am really enjoying the new clueing, it challenges me to think out side my box.
Have a great day all.

DJ Girl said...

Does the newspaper print a theme on the puzzle CC? Ours doesn't. I notice you put one on your postimg each morning. I notice a lot of teachers on this blog. I used to teach too but got back into radio to be able to spend more time with my kids (1 & 3). You all are an interesting bunch! I enjoy reading this site for the puzzle info and the fun people. I've been busy house hunting and packing because they are taking our home to build a highway but I read the blog each morning at work. I hadn't heard of Flip This House either. We don't have A and E. Some of the new puzzle clues remind me of Jeopardy questions.

SandbridgeKaren said...

After two super easies for me monday & tuesday, this puzzle sent me goggling for Astrud and A&E and then I had the "doh" mement and things fell into place. Clever cluing although I couldn't figure out why 5-point K meant Scrabble - I got tile from the perps but thanks to Dennis for explaining it was Scrabble related. That one went right over my head. Liked the cross of ennui and upbeat, also wanted Bond for spydom name even though I knew from the theme it was wrong. Sable or Impala quite clever at misleading. All in all a good brain exercise today - still have to learn more about Harrison's style. Really enjoyed the interview - it's neat to learn more about these puzzle constructors and how they think.

Dennis - any responses on your trading tit for tat? (other than Lois).

Cabrini - great game last nite; nice to see the boys beat up on N.D. One more to go!!!!

Al said...

Tit for Tat:

The original phrase was Tip for Tap, a very old expression that evolved into tit for tat in the mid-16th century, probably due to aliteration. Tip meant a hit, a shove. Tap was a retaliatory hit. The meaning is a punishment meted out to pay back an offense, measured to be equal and proportionate.

On this blog though, I suspect there is a different, perhaps not so hidden, meaning involved. I have heard both words used as slang for a certain portion of female anatomy, so, in this sense, perhaps it means more like an even trade, with certain people being more interested in it than others. And, depending on your tastes, perhaps punishment is still involved...

melissa bee said...

good morning c.c. and all,

love a timely theme, this was clever. never figured out AANDE until i got here - i've gotten tripped up a few times with fills like that.

my favorite ship of fools.

i'll save my april fool's story for tomorrow.

@lois: i expected YEW to get excited about robin hood's wood.

@dennis: maybe, what exactly is a tat?

Lemonade714 said...

LBO, Leveraged Buyout, is a corporate takeover strategy where the acquiring entity does not use its own money to buy a company, but borrows the money and pays it back from the cash flow of the newly acquired entity; hence the "leverage." The acquiring entity has little or no cash at risk. I worked for Shearson American Express when they were still in the brokerage business, and started a discount brokerage company. Elissa, thans for the vote of confidence.

Argyle is correct, it was Metropolitan replaced by Massachusetts Bay.

A and E, is how it said, and it is a stupid reality show about fixing up and selling homss that made more sense when housing was booming.


NOLO is not an admission of guilt, so it is not the same thing, even if the result is the same. For example, if you are stopped for running a red light, even though you know you did not run the light, but the policeman swears you did, if you go to trial you will lose because as a nation we believe police even though they exaggerate and lie like the rest of us. So to save time and avoid the pints on your license, you plead NOLO, the judge withholds adjudication, you get no points on your license.

I was assigning the nickname "C.C. Riders", an extended pun on C.C. writers, to those of us who are devotees of this blog. A famous lyric in a song made famous by many including Mitch Ryder, starts out C, C, C rider (see, see, see rider).

Stan Getz on the saxaphone and Astrud Gilberto, nice memory.

Does anybody else think HOMONYM (YEW,EWE,YOU) sounds like a bad word?

Elissa said...

HOMONYM always sounded punny to me.

Lemonade714 said...

Here is my TAT for you; first from psychology in college, we had Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), not that I have any idea what Apperception could be. Next, we have the abbreviation now popular for Tatoo (How many Tat's you got, baby?) (okay, perhaps that was unfair associating tatoos with bad grammar). In fact there are 50 acronyms: TAT. Finally, there is making lace, Tatting.

So, now it is your turn....

melissa bee said...

hm, in that case, it doesn't seem like a very equitable exchange.

three, but they're not normally visible.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning Few, It does look like the "Many" are keeping their own counsel until the threat of Conficker or other viruses and worms is yesterday's memory.

I have Norton 360 installed and figure if a virus gets by that, firewalls and Microsoft Defender, then there is no help for anyone and I deserve to be zapped. AND coming online on April 1st gives me a sense of living dangerously...the adrenaline is pulsing...OOH.

As a book and movie fan, the theme didn't present any problems. I did have trouble with ARPS, LBOS and, like Bill, I had COWBOY for 2D to begin with.

I'm ashamed that I stared at AANDE for a while after it was filled. A&E used to be one of the better channels with lots of arts and entertainment (DUH!) It has become very ordinary and we don't watch it much anymore.

Warren, good descriptive link for The Pogo Puce Stamp Catalog which was a parody of the 1960's and 70's craze for saving stamp programs like S&H Green Stamps and Blue Chip Stamps.

JD said...

Good morning CC and all who dare,

Have to say that this cw was not as much fun as yesterday's, but I really like the fresh clues: sacred cows,meadow mom, and dogie catcher.I came to the blog for the n in A & E, the p in arps & ampere, and the w in yew & wes. My WAG today was putting race for tile.

CC, I enjoyed the interview. It's always interesting to know the people behind the puzzle, book, etc.Also enjoyed the info on salamanders. Never heard of eft. I'd be lost without those perps.I have decided not to use G, and just keep circling!

Argyle, loved the MTA. When I taught little ones, I used that song for a listening lesson (known as a sponge activity or fill- in) and they had to answer questions about the song. That was back when people could understand the words, and many told a little story. I always felt sorry for that guy.

Today is also April Fish Day in Poissons d'Avril, France.Children tape cotouts in the shape of a fish on the backs of unsuspecting friends.Ha, Ha, kind of like the "Kick me" signs we thought were so funny.. or other messages.

Today my cat is 16, which means he is 80.He's feeling a little down.

weather321 said...

Mea Culpa. I just checked with the local school district. Total compensation pay for a starting teacher is $58,350, not the $62,000 that I quoted yesterday from the newspaper.

Crockett1947 said...

@weather321 I'd still like to know what district that is! What does "total compensation pay" include?

carol said...

Hi C.C., Loons and all-
I noticed Dennis has no picture on his first comment. I thought at first it was an April fool's joke.

The only person I knew who could tat was my grandma. In her day (born in 1877) a girl had to know tatting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, embroidery and weaving. Phew!! She also was adept with a shotgun and brought down many a pheasant. All that while raising (rearing) 7 children, tending a huge garden and chicken coop, baking bread, putting up all manner of veggies and fruits. Phew again! It's a wonder she and grandpa had time to create 7 children.

Great puzzle today, I like the different cluing and I got most all of it. I missed 48D since I never did know all those abbr for literature. I did not know 62A, 42 and 43A either.

I have never watched any of the 'theme' films. Are they any good?

kazie said...

Weather,
Is that including benefits or are they included? Here ours are on top of the pay scales I quoted yesterday, and the health insurance alone at the family level runs about $20K now, but they have to pay 10% of it themselves.

I am a bit late this morning (oops, it's pm already!). I was out most of the morning and had been a little afraid to have the computer on, until I read in the paper that Conflicker would have already been downloaded and it was today that they were going to try and use it to link all the infected computers. So I thought WTF, I'll just run a full scan with my Spyware Dr. while I'm gone to see if it's there. It turned up a Trojan downloading device of some sort--so whether that was it or not, I don't know, but it's gone now.

Sooo...to the XW: I did it all in the paper and had trouble (because I wasn't googling before leaving) with ASTRUD, ODETS, INGE and APRIL. That screwed up SACRED, because I had BLASE at first, and then BRASH instead of CRASS. I drew a blank on SER, because I mis-remembered RHETT as BRETT (a particularly obnoxious former student), and although I had TILE from perps, I had no idea what the connection was before coming here.

c.c.,
I was not aware of the "noble" meaning for Elsa, but it's quite possible that it's short for Elisabeth (Germans spell it with "s"). Hans is actually a shortened form of Johann, the German equivalent of John or the French Jean.

Jeannie said...

My lunch was cut short today...I'll explain that shortly. I was sailing right through the top half enjoying the flow and clever cluing. Then I hit the wall and was moving like a snail. I didn't have any trouble with the A and E clue as I used to watch that show when I was trying to come up with some re-decorating ideas for my house.

C.C. re: how would you clue LBOS? How about where the forearm and the upper arm meet. Get it? Elbow!

Windhover, I must have made a typo regarding "I like Dennis do it on line". I think I meant to say I UNLIKE Dennis do it on line.

The best April Fools joke was just played on me today by our corporate Q/A gal. As you know we are in the Lenten season, and this being a Wednesday she thought it would be funny to tell us Burger King was recalling the fish patty, and we had to start calling all the stores immediately to tell them to stop serving them. This e-mail came out about 11:30am....right smack dab in the middle of their lunch service. I had no sooner printed off a list of the stores with their phone numbers when the APRIL FOOLS e-mail came back. Funny huh?

Dennis, I am with Melissabee, I might trade a tit...if only I knew ahead of time what a tat entailed.

Windhover...sacred? crass? Don't get it. Explain please.

Al, welcome into the world of DF. Enjoy your stay.

Dennis said...

C.C., your question wouldn't apply to me.

Al, that 'Saving Private Ryan' clip is one of the most accurate portrayals of combat that I've ever seen.

DJ Girl, eminent domain? I've always wondered - do they compensate you adequately?

SandbridgeKaren, no, no offers yet, but I've got a possibility; see below.

Melissa, Jeannie, what would you like 'tat' to be?

cabrini said...

Good Afternoon all.
Did the puzzle earlier but this is the first time I had to check in and read comments.
C.C. Could not figure this theme out even though it was quite obvious. Also, I never play Scrabble so "Tile" did not make much sense to me. Watch all the versions of "Flip This House" (different real estate agents have different shows) but stared at AANDE a longggg time. Overall enjoyed this puzzle more than yesterdays. Printed out the 21*21 and will work on it. Thank you for that and for the interview.

SandbridgeKaren- yes, PSU looked great last night. My son was at the game and is also planning to go to Thursday nights' final.

Elissa - my degree from Penn State was a PHT (putting husband through). We were married at the insane age of 19 and he had 2+ years left to go. It's been 34 years so we are doing something right. My son is an alumni from PSU with a degree in Journalism/Communications. He did play by play for the Altoona Curve (AA team for the Pittsburg Pirates) then went in a totally different direction and is now a pharmacy student at Temple (same type of PSU-Temple connection).

I am trying very hard to be vigilant about my use of ' in my comments. Please have patience with me, it has been a long time since I was in a grammar class.

Very dreary here in Northeastern PA. Hope everyone is having a wonderful day.

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

Crockett,
I started to wonder what's wrong with my Pancho interview. Thanks for getting the comments started.

Argyle, Sweet Santa,
Rebus puzzle.

Bill,
Yes indeed, was fooled by Linda yesterday, then felt victim to the "regressive" virus earlier this morning. Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the foolish foolable fool of them all?

Frank,
IPO will probably pop into my mind next time. So happy to see you on the blog regularly now.

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

Fred,
Thanks for clearing up the & confusion.

Al,
Great, great links. I liked the second one, Robert Plant's "Ship of Fools" the most. Thanks for Puce Stamps also. Now you need to create a blue identity to yourself.

Warren,
Nice Times link. I actually enjoyed more the letter on "quiet diplomacy".

Mariposa,
Great to see you again.

DJ Girl,
No, there is no theme title in any puzzle except Sunday's. What kind of stuff do you announce on radio?

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

Lemonade,
Ah, now I see where your leverages are. Very clear explanations on LBO, nolo contendere. Why does HOMONYM sound bad? Razzberry linked "C. C. Rider" last summer.

Clear Ayes,
Still remember your views on "C. C. Rider"?

JD,
Is your cat sick?

Carol,
Can you write down the FILLS rather than Across or Down numbers on your comments? It's easier for those who do not have completed grids with them to understand your unknowns or your favorite clues.

windhover said...

Jeannie:
I think the clues I referenced were 'crass and shady'. And your clarification now makes it seem clear as .............mud?

Carol - maybe she was just to tired to get away. But our grandparents mostly worked harder than we do, and maybe enjoyed it more. I work pretty hard, but I look around my farm at the stone walls along the creek bed and the hand dug wells and marvel that they had the time and the energy. No TV, for sure, but neither do I. Could we ever get back to that? Would we want to? Sometimes.
Windhover, pensively.

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

Razzberry,
Warren linked the same recipe yesterday. Now I think the small cubes are pieces of red onion. You are so MORAL picking up your wife. "Stock Mkt. deals" sounds good, and it has abbreviation hint. Lemonade's "Corporate takeovers" needs "briefly" or "for short" for the clue.

Elissa,
Did your husband really have a girlfriend at that time? What's so special about your new shirt?

Kazie,
I often see Old High German when I check the roots on certain words, is it the equivalent of Elizabethan/Shakespearean English? Or what?

Jeannie,
It's not legit, but clever thinking on LBOS.

kazie said...

c.c.,
Yes, the old high German was an earlier version of modern formal German. Some spellings were different, and of course word usage has developed as have all languages. I'm not sure when it was officially changed, but I think Martin Luther's Bible translation probably was the first formal recognition of the written language, so it would have been after that time.

Clear Ayes said...

JD, Cutouts of fish? Those French are a caution! I prefer the 2009 list from the Museum of Hoaxes. Congratulations Kazie, it looks like the Australians are among the zaniest of all.

Dennis, I know I'll be sorry, but as Tweety would say, "I tawt I taw a puddy tat."

C.C. If I had an opinion on C.C. Rider more than a few weeks ago, my brain has washed it away. In addition to keeping a crossword vocabulary, I should keep notes about some of the blog subjects.

I couldn't find a good poem (there are lots of bad ones) about April Fool's Day. But I thought this one about Lewis Carroll's preference was a good one for "Mistress or Wife", although it isn't in the metaphorical sense of Hugo's quote.

My Fancy
 
I painted her a gushing thing,
With years about a score;
I little thought to find they were
A least a dozen more;
My fancy gave her eyes of blue,
A curly auburn head:
I came to find the blue a green,
The auburn turned to red.

She boxed my ears this morning,
They tingled very much;
I own that I could wish her
A somewhat lighter touch;
And if you ask me how
Her charms might be improved,
I would not have them added to,
But just a few removed!

She has the bear's ethereal grace,
The bland hyena's laugh,
The footstep of the elephant,
The neck of a giraffe;
I love her still, believe me,
Though my heart its passion hides;
"She's all my fancy painted her,"
But oh! how much besides!

Lewis Carroll

Elissa said...

C.C.@2:07 "Did your husband really have a girlfriend at that time?" My husband did not have a girlfriend, he was just trying to be funny. Fortunately it seemed to go right over the heads of the 12 year olds, but I was afraid he was heading down a bad path.
"What's so special about your new shirt?" I'll let the DFers explain 'Bee Healthy, Eat Your Honey'.

Cabrini: I left PSU in 1973, so from my calculation you followed close behind me. My degree was in Art Education - classic lead in to Law School(?). Good luck to your son in Pharmacy school at Temple. My mother got her BS in Pharmacy from Temple in 1948. Small world.

Dennis said...

Elissa, I suspect C.C. was talking about the shirt in your picture; handmade?

Elissa said...

Dennis and C.C.- another DUH moment. It isn't a shirt. It is one of my hand-painted silk scarves.

Jeannie said...

Dennis my tat requirement would be a man with 4" thumbs and a 26ft. Catalina sailboat.

WM said...

Hi gang! Said I wouldn't be here but I still have to check on the worm...

Terrific puzzle...when I first looked at it I said "no way am I going to be able to do this"...but, somehow knowing that I had no reference points I finished it with the L for TI_E being the very last letter.
Just FYI:
The deal with Conficker, best as I can tell is...It gets into the Microsoft programs through a "hole" that had a patch available back in October. If you haven't patched your system, it can enter then create it's own patch. It also disables your ability to contact the programs/website of your security software...Symantec, MacAfee, F-Security...so running a virus scan won't detect or remove it.
The way you can check to see if you have it is to try and go to the MSN website or the websites of your security software. If you get a window saying that the site is not available, you most likely are infected. It apparently doesn't affect your ability to use the internet.

You can download a sort of seek and remove program but it can't contain the name conficker or it won't work...a friend with an uninfected computer can email you the program and you have to put it on your desktop and then rename the file if it has conficker as the title...

Anyway, sorry for the long post, but this thing IS "treatable"...
It hasn't gone away and supposedly the 3-12 million computers that are infected were sending out for updates to move forward and spread, at this point they aren't detecting anything like that in progress...OH...and don't load any programs that are emailed to you or open attachments from someone you don't know...SOP

I just find this incredibly fascinating and wish I understood even a fraction of it!

carol said...

C.C. sorry - 62A (TILE),42a (ASTRUD) and 43A (WEBBER)

Windhover at 2:06..."could we ever get back to that and would we want to?" I don't think it would be possible to get back to that amount of work to get through your day, we are not fit enough anymore and I really don't think very many would want to. People in that era did not know any different so they were not that unhappy - in 100 years we will probably be viewed as having to work too hard for our existence too.

Auntie Naomi said...

Good Afternoon C.C. and Co.,

C.C.,
Thanks for the interview and puzzle.

I was planning to ask you if you were familiar with Topps cards when I saw this.

the puzzle took 14:19 today. That's not bad for me.

ASTRUD and WES were gimmes for me. I have seen Sade live and I never drew a comparison to Astrud Gilberto. Although Sade was alright, I really enjoyed her opening act.
According to Wikipedia, WES Montgomery's actual name was John Leslie Montgomery. Therefore, WES is a nickname. Had Mr. Montgomery's named been Wesley, I would not consider WES a nickname, merely a shortened version of his name. Name's like Sluggo, Rocko, Gordo or Turd Blossom are nicknames. Names Like Beth (short for Elizabeth) or John (when shortened from Jonathon) are not nicknames.

I like Bougereau's work.

I agree with ClearAyes assessment of A AND E. That station used to actually be about Arts and Entertainment, but it has gone to pot.

My favorite clue is '5-point K'. Very tricky.

I am glad Mr. Harrison did not clue 65A as 'Baseball Hall of Famer Aparicio'.

I do miss Mr. Silk's puzzles.

How could one ever imagine anything if one had no knowledge of anything? Surely, they are equally important.

For those who have not done so, it is a very good idea to update your antivirus software's virus definitions and run a full system scan. Also, I would recommend that you download and install the free program Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, update it and run a full scan with it. Afterwards, you should download, install and run the Microsoft® Windows® Malicious Software Removal Tool.


Ciao

windhover said...

CC:
I just reread your morning comments, and you have asked an excellent question in 52D. My answer is that a person who possessed any one (or maybe even two) without the other(s) would be a very unbalanced individual and probably dysfunctional (though not in the happy sense the word is used here).
Good question. Sorry I missed it before.
Oops, almost forgot. No sorries.
Windhover, carefully.

Auntie Naomi said...

It looks like those idiots took down the TinyURL link to the Microsoft® Windows® Malicious Software Removal Tool.
Try this link instead.

WM said...

C.C. Re: 52D, I think the three are intertwined and would not want any with the others...

Mariposa...what a beautiful avatar!

Carol: I think that we can still have a lot of the skills that our grandparents possessed, it is just that we don't have to use them nowadays, except by choice. I have learned over the years to knit, crochet, needlepoint, sew, do stichery, put up fruits(I don't like canned veggies...), grow a garden and many other things that come in handy at various times. I would worry when people begin to abandon these skills as no longer important.
It is like keeping certain craft and building skills alive. I think when we lose them, we lose a part of our past. I may not use those skills on a daily basis, but I am glad to have them when I choose to use them...our daughters also learned many of these things and have added a few of their own. Self-sufficiency is a good thing(as Martha says)

carol said...

Wolfmom, I agree with you completely! We should know all those skills. I can every summer but like you, don't do the veggies. Just pears, apricots and tomatoes. My point was that they HAD to do these things and a great many more just to exist. I admire their stamina but they probably didn't think too much of what they did as being a lot. Looking back I sometimes wonder how I did all I did and still held down a full time job and it was nothing compared to their day.

Linda said...

CC: (et al :) Didn`t the silliness after the "resignation" give me away?

Got through the puzzle alone...because I had to, today. Quite simple, which makes me dread tomorrow!
Heard on the news that you could go to www.microsoft.com and if you get through, you`re probably not "infected"...if you can`t get through...better have your pc de-bugged because hackers can get all your info. through the "hole."

I have a firewall and anti virus software...just can`t be too careful now a days.

Most effective April Fool`s joke I ever pulled was on a co-worker. I typed an official looking letter telling her she was being audited by the IRS and signed it "Ima Bloodsucker." She still thought it was real, checked out of school and was on her way to her husband`s place of business when I finally caught up with her. I NEVER pulled that one again! (and yes...she and I are great friends to this day!)

Cyathura said...

I get the feeling that recent puzzles are coming from a younger group; less of the old standard clues and more "one-offs" from the norm. 62A 5-pt K had me clueless; after the vertical fills it was a forehead-flattener.

windhover said...

Jeannie: Hope the worm doesn't get your 69. That would be somewhat ironic, don't you think?
Windhover

Jeannie said...

Windhover, I am hovering like the Harrier Jump Jet. Speaking of which, I saw one at the Osh-Kosh, WI air show. Which is a huge airshow. Also saw some of the most impressive stunt flying I can't even describe. AND the stealth flyer flew over.

The worm is an intregal part of my 69 so it won't take it.

Lemonade714 said...

4 inch thumbs, fair trades, now I know why I am flying solo.

Since I was not around last summer, I was not aware of the prior references to CC Rider, sorry.

quiet day, maybe it is time for all to rest.

windhover said...

Jeannie:
I don't normally post when I don't have anything to say, and I hope CC will take this for the fun it's meant to be, but after all, I do owe you. So here's one more, and you're on your own now, except for the worm.
Oh, and it strikes me that the guy with 4" thumbs doesn't need a boat. He, like the hitchhiker licking his eyebrows, can always get a ride.
Windhover, searching the net for a thumb-stretcher.

JD said...

Is my cat sick?

I'm not sure. He did not eat well while we were gone,and has lost weight. We're pampering him as much as possible.

stunning scarf Elissa!

Was there an avatar discussion while I was gone?

I'm not a Katie Holmes fan, although I did watch Dawson's Creek with my girls way back.Katie did not get enough recognition for her part in Pieces of April. It was a small movie (no real stars) and a little strange. She had moved away from her straightlaced family to NY, and invited them to have Thanksgiving at her place. All kinds of things go wrong while she is preparing the meal. In the meantime, we are listening to her family talk about her during their trip to NY.

Yes, I mistyped cutouts.Sigh

Hope all your firewalls are doing their jobs!

Auntie Naomi said...

Jeannie,
Did you see the link to your song request last night. You never mentioned it, so I don't know. If not, here is Come Sail Away again.

Auntie Naomi said...

This one is also good for sailing.

Jeannie said...

Promise me I did. However it was my naughty over post night so you might not have read my "thank you". This is my fourth post and waiting for my winning number. Saving that for last. West coasters????

Jeannie said...

Yeah...beat the worm...No April Fools joke folks...I am lucky number 69!! Day is now complete

Auntie Naomi said...

.....


If there's one thing in my life that's missing
It's the time that I spend alone
Sailing on the clear and bright blue waters



.....

Martin said...

Thank YEW for reminding me of Tomb Sweeping Day. Is it holiday in Taiwan?

I'm pretty sure it is a national holiday here but this year it falls on a Sunday so most people won't be getting a long weekend this year. I think everybody gets a day off if it falls on a weekday: the university where I work usually has us take off three days, which is a bit much, but this year they're giving us Thursday and Friday off so we can still have a long weekend. Government offices and banks will remain open for the next two days, however, so I've been told.

I took my family to a local park recently and I've got a new picture with me and my two sons.

Martin

Linda said...

Speaking of cats, ill or otherwise...My Dad used to say, "It`s so crowded in here you can`t cuss a cat without getting hair in your mouth!"

Elissa: Gorgeous scarf! I wear hats and scarfs whether they are "in" or not and luckily, scarves are, right now.

Martin: Wonderful pic of you and your sons.

Thomas said...

Hello C.C.
I'm English. It was explained to me that the phrase refers to the Union Jack flag that the Brit's fly, and at times was not considered very complimentary.

TJ in Osseo

Anonymous said...

I used to live in Boston

Massachusetts
Transit
Authority

now its called



MBTA Massachusetts
Bay
Tranist
Authority

THE MONKEYS DEAD THE SHOW OVER SUE YA!

Anonymous said...

Elissa,

were you a SEAL? I noticed on the cover of your book you have a NAVY SEAL trident. I gather from the book that that your rank was CMDR and you served in the JAG corp.

ALL GRAVY NO GRIEF

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

ALL GRAVY NO GRIEF,
I've copied and pasted your comments to today (Thursday's section). Elissa won't come back on an old blog entry. Nobody does, except me. So please always post your comments on the newest blog Comments section, OK?

Crockett1947 said...

Oh, sometimes others come back and check the last day's post ....

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

Crockett,
Probably only you! Since there are 2 blog entries on the first page of the blog, I find others do not normally turn over one more page and see an older post.

Argyle said...

Now I keep a one week archive and check back before over-writing with this week's. And I'm still looking for that "Dare I eat a peach" discussion.

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

Argyle,
I am convinced. There is no peach discussion. I searched several times myself.