google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday May 11, 2009 Lila Cherry

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May 11, 2009

Monday May 11, 2009 Lila Cherry

Theme: Shades of RED (59D: The starts of this puzzle's three longest answers are shades of it)

20A: Lust, gluttony, greed, etc.: CARDINAL SINS

34A: Alabama team nickname: CRIMSON TIDE

51A: Ice cream flavor honoring a Grateful Dead icon: CHERRY GARCIA

(Note from C.C.: Today's post is blogged by Argyle. And today's puzzle is just another work from our editor Rich Norris. Lila Cherry is his alias name, anagram of "Really Rich". And he worked CHERRY into the grid. I love how PSI (3D: Trident-shaped Greek letter) parallels PITCHFORK (4DD: Tool in haystack). Greek god of the sea Poseidon is often portrayed as carrying a trident/PITCHFORK-shaped spear.)

Back to Argyle.

I am disappointed that our constructor, Lila CHERRY, didn't include a ROSE for MOMMA but she probably didn't know it would run the day after Mother's Day so I'll blame the editor. ;~)

The Grateful Dead icon was Jerry GARCIA, one of its original founders. The founders of Ben and Jerry's ice cream were a good fit with the philosophy of the Grateful Dead.

There seemed to be tres many French connections today.

Across:

10A: Rum-soaked cake: BABA. These are small cakes made from yeast dough containing raisins or currants. They are baked in cylindrical molds and then soaked with sugar syrup usually flavored with rum. In French, the word baba means "falling over or dizzy." (Any truth to that?) BABA au Rhum.

15A: Ark builder: NOAH. No, not Moses, you Densa's.

16A: like a happy dog's tail: AWAG. Another word used mostly in crosswords.

18A: About, in legal memos: IN RE. In re, Latin for "in the matter [of]".

19A: Lee seen in freezers: SARA. SARA Lee has been seen in my freezer, but not for long.

23A: "Charlotte's Web" author: E. B. WHITE. Elwyn Brooks White, 1899-1985. Because of the movie, I had no idea he was that old.

27A: Toy (with): TRIFLE.

28A: Brush fire operation, briefly: EVAC. Unfortunately, a common term in CA.

30A: Fed. stipend: SSI. Supplemental Security Income.

31A: Roughly: OR SO.

32A: Show proof of: EVINCE. And the proof you show is the evidence.

46A: The Virginian" actor Joel: McCREA. The Virginian was the only name his character had.

48A: You might have to pay one to get cash: ATM FEE

54A: Matador's opponent: TORO

56A: Singing group: CHOIR. and 10D: Lowest 56-Across members: BASSI. A plural of basso.

60A: "Sign me up": I'M IN.

61A: "Editorially speaking," in e-mail: IMHO. In My Humble Opinion. Really? I thought most editors would be just IMO.

63A: Boston NBAer, briefly: CELT. Boston Celtics.

Down:

1D: "Bill Nye the Science Guy" airer: PBS. Public Broadcasting Service

3D: Trident-shaped Greek letter: PSI. and

4D: Tool in a haystack: PITCHFORK. This and then this.

7D: Author Morrison: TONI. TONI Morrison wrote Beloved.

9D: Bird served "under glass": PHEASANT. (From C.C., I guessed. Not familiar with this dish - PHEASANT under glass.)

12D: Noble's partner: BARNES. BARNES & Noble. The book seller.

13D: Tennis great Andre: AGASSI. and 53D: Tennis star for whom a stadium is named: ASHE. Who would have won if Andre had played Arthur?

21D: 66, e.g.: Abbr.: RTE. The Stones version.

22D: Soap star Susan: LUCCI. She looked OK to me in a bikini. with Emmy

23D: DDE's WWII command: ETO. European Theater of Operations.

28D: Draw forth: EVOKE. The evidence evoked a plea of the fifth ammendment from the suspect.

29D: Rouge And blanc, on la carte: VINS. Curious mixture of French and English, eh?

32D: Opal suffix: ESCE. Opalesce. Verb. The adjective is opalescent.

33D: Johnny Carson's sidekick: ED MC'MAHON. Heeeere's Johnny!

36D: House that sucks you dry, so to speak: MONEY PIT. The movie. Anybody have personal tales to tell?

37D: Bronte heroine: EYRE. From "Jane EYRE". EMMA is another 4-letter possible answer.

41D: Chapeau: HAT. More French. The plural for chapeau is chapeaux.

42D: Stratagem: TACTIC.

43D: Where telecommuters work: AT HOME.

44D: "Bam!" chef: EMERIL. Lagasse.

46D: Karaoke singer's need, for short: MIC. Microphone. A lot of karaoke singers need more than a MIC.

50D: Heated crime?: ARSON. Cool clue.

57D: Old California fort: ORD. location.

58A: Suffix with chlor_: IDE.

Answer grid.

Argyle

58 comments:

  1. Good morning, C.C. and gang - an enjoyable puzzle today; easy but interesting. I usually don't care too much for the ones you can just blow through, but this one had lots of fresh clues at least.

    I thought the brush fire clue was timely (albeit sad), given what's happening in Santa Barbara. Took me a minute to realize 'Noble's partner' wasn't looking for royalty. I liked seeing 'money pit' - a very funny movie w/Tom Hanks that really hit home with any homeowner. Favorite clue was 'Rouge and blanc, on la carte'.

    Jazzbumpa, I'll keep your son in my thoughts.

    Off to the gym.

    Today is Twilight Zone Day, and Eat What You Want Day. I'll be good.

    Today's Words of Wisdom: "I learned that one can never go back, that one should not ever try to go back - that the essence of life is to go forward. Life really is a One Way Street. -- Writer Agatha Christie

    Couple Fun Facts:

    - The average American dog will cost its owner $20,000 in its lifetime.

    - Crickets hear through their knees.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dennis,
    Have you had PHEASANT under glass? Very easy to get trapped into certain memories in the past. The crickets don't have ears?

    Argyle,
    Great write-up. My favorite Santa gift so far. Loved the "American Gothic" link.

    Crockett,
    Sweet baseball memories. Thanks for chamber music ensemble information.

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  3. Clear Ayes,
    All right, that HANDS/"possession" makes some sense now.

    WM,
    Thanks for the interesting Planets list and the hues/TINT/shade differences.

    Warren,
    Yeah, your definition of "IN THE LOOP" is what I am familiar with, not "trusted". Nobody seemed to come up with a convincing explanation yesterday.

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  4. Kazie,
    I agree with your HEIN for "huh?", though QUOI is acceptable to me too.

    Windhover,
    Why was 1956 season so special to you? Did you attend lots of game that year?

    Copper,
    Your link does not work. But the constructor is right, it's the 1999 Oscar that Elia Kazan received the Honorary Award. Welcome to our blog.

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  5. Argyle et al,
    Theme answers:
    FEATURE FILM
    FINAL NOTICE
    FORM LETTERS
    FUMBLED BALL

    Theme title: Giant Warning.

    Why? I don't get the connection. I only notice that all the above theme entries start with letter F.

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  6. Happy Monday:

    Really liked heated crime, ARSON, and it looks like BARNES & NOBLE may be the only bookseller left standing. I am doing my best to keep them in business.

    I guess ED MCMAHON has survived his financial crisis.

    Summer is here in South Florida, don't forget those deodarants. Take care.

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  7. Giant warning - Jack and the Beanstalk

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  8. Why does Rich Norris have so many different pseudonyms?

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  9. Good Morning All,

    Cruised through most of this one but got snagged in the NE and SE corners for a bit. BABA was new and I was thinking royally for the clue Noble. In the SW I had INE instead of IDE. Chlorine is on my mind. We're changing the way we disinfect our drinking water from chlorine to chloramines next week.

    Kept plodding, erased and filled it in without going on line.

    Ten o'clock is more like lunch time than coffee time!

    Have a great day!

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  10. I didn't have time to do the puzzle today: I thought I'd be able to do it on the way home (on the bus) but I got stuck: I wanted ILLNESS or DISEASE for AILMENT, BULL for TORO, INE for IDE, DIX for ORD and NIXED for ENDED. I also thought 66 was just a number and tried NUM and NBR before realising that nothing fit. Other unknowns were BASS I and SUITES. I was able to guess the clue from 59D but I wasn't able to get any of the theme fills.

    So where is Fort DIX then?

    Martin

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  11. Morning all,
    Easy puzzle to start a busy week. I started Sunday’s puzzle online and gave up after awhile--did not find it enjoyable at all. Too many unknowns for me. Ended up doing the Newsday Sunday puzzle and that one was a little too easy. I feel like Goldilocks who can’t find the right blend of porridge (or puzzle).

    Hope all the mothers had a wonderful Mother’s Day. Thank goodness for Webcams because that’s how I saw both sons and grandson. Not the ideal but thank goodness for technology. Love it.

    No money pit stories, thank goodness, just the usual for a 30+ yr. old house--new roof, furnace, and some windows. I have never been a Toni Morrison fan, never had pheasant under glass only roasted pheasant and didn’t like it. @Lemonade, wish we had some of that warm weather--wore my winter coat this a.m. to go out for the paper. Have a great day all.

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  12. Good morning C.C. and all,...another interesting puzzle today. First I must congratulate Argyle for a very nice blog today.

    Today's c/w was not a walk through, but was gettable with a few erasures. I liked the heated arson clue/answer, it was my favorite.

    Martin, Fort Dix is in New Jersey.

    Doreen, as promised I have included below our recipe for "Tiramisu." I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

    Tiramisu
    INGREDIENTS
    • 6 egg yolks
    • 3/4 cup white sugar
    • 2/3 cup milk
    • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
    • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 pound mascarpone cheese
    • 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature
    • 2 tablespoons rum
    • 2 (3 ounce) packages ladyfinger cookies
    • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

    DIRECTIONS
    1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well blended. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil gently for 1 minute, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Cover tightly and chill in refrigerator 1 hour.
    2. In a medium bowl, beat cream with vanilla until stiff peaks form. Whisk mascarpone into yolk mixture until smooth.
    3. In a small bowl, combine coffee and rum. Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise and drizzle with coffee mixture.
    4. Arrange half of soaked ladyfingers in bottom of a 7x11 inch dish. Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers, then half of whipped cream over that. Repeat layers and sprinkle with cocoa. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, until set.


    Hope you all have a great Monday.

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  13. C.C. here is a site explaining what "Pheasant Under Glass" is all about.

    http://www.ochef.com/579.htm

    ReplyDelete
  14. Good Morning, all.

    Great job, Argyle!

    We're back to the easier puzzles. Those clues I might not have gotten were already solved and I filled in the across answers, with the exception of SARA and OR SO.

    I know that OR SO can be used for roughly, but I couldn't see the space to make sense of it.

    Like Jeanne, we have the similar money pit situation. We've replaced a lot of appliances, windows, and the roof. Next up are the furnaces, an air conditioner, all the plumbing fixtures and some of the carpets. I'd like to re-gravel the drive, too. Oddly, I don't think of this as being anything out of the norm for a home that's been lived in. It's the unspoken side of being a homeowner.

    Exercise and the gardens call. Have a great Monday!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Argyle:
    Nice job blogging the puzzle today. I bought all the E. B. White books for my children, then read them myself when I was about 40. Wonderful books. Mr. White was also known as the coauthor of a writing style book, Strunk & White. I note that he was born in 1895. All my grandparents except one (1900) were born in the 1800's. There are very few people left in that category.
    Having been to a karaoke bar a few times lately, I would have guessed "ale" on 46D.

    Crockett1947:
    Guess my memory isn't as good as I thought. I checked and on third in 1956 was Alex Grammas. Frank Thomas didn't come along until 1959, and according to the website I found, Dick Groat was never a Red, although he was NCAA basketball player of the year in 1952 (at Duke). I still have my Frank Thomas model glove, cost $20 in 1957 (1000 pop bottles @.02 each). I sent it to the Globe Doctor in Oakland, Ca in 1987 and had it rebuilt. Gets used mostly at family reunions these days, where I play with the teens while the other old farts drink beer and snooze. I do both, after dark.
    My other mistake was Newcombe. The Reds ( in a day when MLB was still mostly lily white, had the black pitcher Brooks Lawrence.
    Where are you from? I grew up near Maysville, Ky on the river and took the C&O train to Union Station right across the street from Crosley.

    CC:
    I was only 10 during the 1956 season, and only attended a few games. But radio was not just for music or right wingnuts back in that day, and believe it or not TV was in its infancy. We listened to nearly every game, and during the World Series, some teachers would "let" you bring your transistor radio to school. I listened to all seven games in 1955, when Johnny Podres and the Dodgers, who also had PeeWee Reese from Louisville, Ky at shortstop, beat the hated Yankees, and I also heard Don Larson's perfect game in 1956, when the Yanks got back on top.
    I remember 1956 mostly because it was the Reds' best team until the Big Red Machine in the 70's and because I was an innocent young boy from May's Lick, Ky (population 350, then and now) for whom baseball was Mount Olympus. I discovered the twin peaks about 1960, and it's been downhill ever since.
    Finally, Dennis:
    Yes, the "old lefthander" wasn't always old. As Buckeye knows, Nuxhall, from nearby Hamilton, Ohio, played in his first major league game at the age of 15 because many players were off to WW2.
    Waaaay to long a post. Sorry CC. But thanks, as always.
    Were you an innocent young girl once? Or are you still? You seem so inscrutable sometimes, but then call yourself "the child left behind". I know that's a backdoor reference to the Bush (hang 'em high, WM) education policy, but I sense more.

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  16. C.C., Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum. And no, I've never had pheasant under glass. Had Goose in a bottle, though.

    Lemonade, it's still paradise. Can't wait to call it home.

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  17. Good morning everyone,

    Argyle, great job on the post. This one was very doable with no errors. It is nice to have a quick xword fix on Mondays and Tuesdays sometimes. That way I don't spend too much time doing them. The clues that would have snagged me could all be gotten easily from the perps.

    I know I have had the rum cake clue many times, but I never remember the name for some reason. Funny to have Susan Lucci again in such a short period of time. I was proud of myself for actually remembering EB WHITE right off the bat, but had no idea who MCCREA was. Yes, I had heard the name but the show aired too long ago for me to have known him. I know I am getting better at the puzzles as I put IM IN down immediately.

    Jeanne, web cams are pretty great aren't they? I remember years ago when we thought something like that was really futuristic. I wonder what we will have 20 years from now that we never would have imagined today. I think we have come such a long way that nothing seems unimaginable.

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  18. WM, in reference to your comment Sunday at 10:30p.m., thanks for your take on how HUE, SHADE and TINT are misused. I've had a little bit of color instruction in quilting classes, and knew the distinction, but when I looked for the definitions, the page I found said that a Tint was a Hue with white added. I suppose that was why the crossword constructor felt the words were interchangeable, but I don't see it that way.

    We have an ad for a toilet paper product that is described as being "quilted." The first time they showed this little cartoon ad, the women sitting at the quilting frame were using knitting needles. The product got so much mail from quilters that they actually redesigned the ad!

    Jazzbumpa, we'll keep your son in our thoughts and prayers as well.

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  19. WM,
    Yes, thanks for the color definitions--I hadn't really known the differences.

    c.c.,
    "FE,FI,FO,FUM, I smell the blood of an Englishman!" is the full quote from Jack and the Beanstalk.

    The XW today was nice and easy after the weekend ones. I wanted EMMA at first for EYRE, and fixed it quickly, but am still confused about ALICHE in the SE corner. Otherwise no problems, despite some unknowns that were guessable.

    I've never had a money pit, but the 70+ year old house my son and d-i-l bought is a bit of a one. They have all these projects they were happily taking on to fix it up, until Friday, when he was told there's a possibility his company has offered him the chance to return to Germany. Now they have lost their motivation to keep at it. They just finished painting the garage, and were about to start knocking out some interior walls to enlarge the bathroom when they got this news. Now it's all on hold until they know if the move is worth it.

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  20. Kazie, the perp was McCrea, so "aliche" is really "cliche".

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  21. Just great. My paper decided to start using a different puzzle now, too. And I can't even figure out which one it is. Not Newsday, Universal, USA Today, Washington Post, NY Times. I need to complain, but I'm trying to get my facts straight. Who else distributes a syndicated puzzle?

    ReplyDelete
  22. @argyle Nice write up. Loved your Densa comment.

    @C.C. The giant in Jack and The Beanstalk (probably unknown to you in China) says several times: "Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman" as he is searching for Jack in his cloud domain.

    @windhover I grew up in Sharonville, a railroad hub 13 miles north of Cincinnati. We could get to games a few times a year, but hardly missed a game on the radio. Waite Hoyt was such a joy to hear. The rain delays were sometimes better than the games as he would reminisce about when he was a player. I have a aunt from Maysville. Love your twin peaks comment. The Reds on the radio were something. I remember a Cincinnati Symphony "In the Schools" concert at my high school in 1964 when there was a World Series game on, and a lot of the musicians had bud earphones listening to the game while playing the 1812 Overture for us!

    @kq We can't even imagine, I'm sure!

    Have a great Monday, everyone. Will be spotty in posting for a week. We're off to Ohio for my nephew's wedding and don't know when and where we'll have web access.

    @kazie That's CLICHE. See you did the Jack quoye as well.

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  23. Fee! Fie! Foe! Fum!
    I smell the blood of an Englishman!
    Be he live, or be he dead,
    I will grind his bones to make my bread!
    But not in the Wonderful World of Disney!

    ReplyDelete
  24. "Anonymous said...
    Why does Rich Norris have so many different pseudonyms?"

    Each pseudonym represents a different difficulty level. You'll see Lila Cherry on a Monday or Tuesday puzzle, but never on a Thursday or Friday puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Argyle,
    Thanks. I guess I was thinking Macrea. Never can spell those Mc/Mac names! I meant to say earlier too, your blog job was very well done!

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  26. Crockett1947:
    Waite Hoyt was a member of the 1927 Yankees, and so probably saw all 60 of Ruth's homers. I think he had a Hudepohl (or a Burgher or a Wiedemann) during every inning. By the ninth his tongue was a liitle thick.

    Aunt's name in Maysville? We may be cousins. I have a daughter and grandchildren near Loveland, down 275 from S'ville.
    Small world.
    Windhover#2

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  27. Morning, all - and it is a beautiful day in Florida...but we need rain...none since April 13th.

    Argyle, thanks for pinch-hitting for C.C. .... and you're doing great.

    Al: I get two newspapers, both puzzles are the same, United Feature Syndicate. 1A was central points, 4 letters,'foci'. Does this help?

    BTW, Sunday's LAT was not a puzzle designed to elate a mother!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thanks to all for the thoughts and kind words. My step-son is a career officer and has a behind the front job, so he is probably not in harm's way. But nobody is really safe in that part of the world.

    Kazie - I'm basically a euromutt, and there is some dash of English in there, but that's not an influence. It's just that sometimes, "mum"'s the word.

    10A made me think of Baba Yaga
    , a witch in Slavic mythology who lives in a hut that stands on chicken's legs.

    Not much in the puzzle to make me see red today.

    Gotta run. Emily is here.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Argyle: Great job. And I agree that IMHO for '"Editorially speaking," in e-mail' is not the best clue. Isn't "humble editor" an oxymoron?

    I breezed through this puzzle in under 10 minutes - very fast for me, since I was also eating my cereal and sipping my coffee. Only had to change 'wags' to 'awag' when I did the downs.

    I never saw "Bill Nye, the Science Guy", but he was my husband's favorite and probably the first step on my husband's path to being an engineer.

    BTW, I finished the Saturday puzzle without any assistance in less than an hour on the plane to visit my in-laws for mothers' day (which is why I didn't come to blog).

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  30. Argyle: Excellent job!

    CC et al: My favorite puzzle day! I can do both (LAT and NYT) with little or no help...quite satisfying.

    windover and crockett; My E-mail isn`t "sending" for some reason. Posts noted and appreciated.

    Had lovely gifts and flowers and meals from children...but my favorite gift was brought in under a three-year-old grand daughter`s arm (like a book or a purse), proudly. It was her "personal" gift of a 3x5 inch Hershey bar (she knows I love chocolate) with her own "mark" ; one corner chewed just a little bit :)
    Got such a life lesson from that: If you know it`s your weakness and/or it`s wrong to do or partake...stay away from it!

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  31. Posted in a rush this morning before reading the blog; Argyle, you did an outstanding job as always. Enjoyable reading.

    Windhover, "Schoolboy" Hoyt was the Yankees' winningest pitcher in the '20s. His baseball cards are always tough to find.

    Linda, I'm happy to say that's one 'life lesson' I've never ascribed to. We all have our own definitions of 'fun'.

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  32. Nice and breezy, liked even the inadvertent repetition of the author's name in the third theme entry.

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  33. I am back from one cold weekend on the lake. I did manage to bring some walleye home so the cold hands were worth it! Water temp was only 44 degrees and the air temperature never hit 60. I hope everyone had a nice Mothers day. My little guy caught his first walleye. You should have seen the look on his face. It was priceless.

    The puzzle was easy for me. I was actually anticipating a more “vamped” up Monday puzzle. My favorite clue today was “heated crime” – arson. The pitchfork brought back a memory of impaling my foot on one while digging potatoes.

    My sweet tooth reared it’s ugly head with Cherry Garcia, Sara Lee, and Baba. Cherry Garcia is my all time favorite ice cream. How about you? Since it is Eat what I want day I might have to make a visit to Cub and treat myself. Dennis said I could.

    Dennis would your goose in a bottle be Grey Goose?

    Kazie, at first I misread “blog job” LOL.

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  34. Good morning everyone!
    We were out of town to listen to my son sing - greatest Mother's Day gift ever - so I finished Sunday's puzzle today with much struggle. Today's puzzle was easy and fun.
    Did anyone notice that Sunday's had 'tic tac' and today's had 'tactic'
    That one made me giggle.

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  35. @windhover Maxine Ethel NICKEL EICKENHORST (not sure of her msiden name)

    @southernbelle Have you found an on-line outlet for your puzzles. That's what we get in The Oregonian now, but I can't locate an on-line version.

    @jazzbumpa Pictures At An Exhibition: The Hut of Baba Yaga. What a frenetic performance by Kissin! I'm familiar with both the piano and orchestrated versions, but that's the first time I've actually seen it played on the piano. Wow!

    @linda LOL on the nibbled gift!

    @brendaneverettquigley Inadvertent?! Hah!

    @tarrajo Glad you had a successful trip. Store that first catch memory carefully. Ouch! on the potato foot. My favorite ice cream is Extreme Moose Tracks, followed closely by Pecan Praline (when Fresh Peach is available, all bets are off, though).

    @joyce No, didn't notice. Nice connection!

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  36. Good morning CC et al., Zipped thru this one and enjoyed it. Ditto to what Dennis said. Never had Baba, but I'm very familiar rum. It's nothing to 'trifle' with - same w/gin. The 'ailment'
    those two cause is enough to make one see 'red' just from looking through bloodshot eyes, and that's no 'myth'.

    As for the poor cricket that hears through its knees. What an awful problem! If it gets excited and its 'knee's start 'knock'in', can it hear anybody coming?

    I'm so glad I'm not a cricket. One more thing to be thankful for.

    Dennis: 'goose in a bottle'.. very funny! Been goosed under the influence of a bottle, and had a "peasant" under a window (glass) once, but have never even seen let alone ever had pheasant under glass. Another item for my bucket list...maybe, but not if I have to shoot the bird...altho' I like to shoot skeet, I'd rather stroke the bird to death.

    Argyle: nice job!

    Dick: thank you for the recipe also.

    Jazzbumpa, your son will stay in my thoughts and prayers.

    Enjoy your day.

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  37. Dennis would your goose in a bottle be Grey Goose?Yes maam, it would.

    Kazie, at first I misread “blog job” LOL.Jeez, I've got so many lines for that one, I'm tongue-tied.

    Lois, I'm sure the bird would die a happy death.

    Did anyone else notice Toni Morrison appeared in today's NYT puzzle as well?

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  38. @Dennis, tongue tied is certainly a good line for that.

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  39. Thanks to Jazzbumpa, I've had a very pleasant hour or so researching Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition." My first contact with this piece was when my high school concert band played the portion of the suite that contained "The Hut on Hen's Legs" (Hut of the Baba Yaga), and "The Great Gate of Kiev."

    I was very surprised to discover that this had originally been composed as a suite in ten movements for piano, in 1874. I'm used to the color orchestration brings to these pieces. The suite has been orchestrated and revised many, many times, but the version that is most commonly performed is the one by Maurice Ravel in 1922.

    It's an incredibly popular piece still. I found versions of it at YouTube performed by a plethora of pianists, a sax ensemble, a drum corps, Animusic, Mekong Delta (which I suppose is hard rock....I didn't stay to listen), and the "Mad Maestro," an animated version.

    Of all I listened to, this performance by the Philharmonic Orchestra on the BBC, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, comes the closest to the music I remember from my youth. The entire suite is available on YouTube, in four parts.

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  40. Dennis and Tarrajo,
    Tongue tied, or would you be tongue-tired? Sorry--couldn't resist...

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  41. Dennis, I am with you on the goose in a bottle.

    Joyce, I noticed the tactic/tictac also.

    Impressive, all of you that got that FE, FI, FO, FUm stuff.

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  42. Dennis: My NYT was no. 0406...no Toni Morrison. Who knew? I knew crickets "sing" with their knees but hear?

    Crokett: For choc/van at it`s most superb, it`s Klondike Bars!

    Glad it`s "eat what you want" day...my "gormand" son gave me two rib eyes, guacamole fixings and flowers. (I don`t want to eat the flowers!) I`ll top it off with a few squares of the big Hershey and hit the diet again tomorrow!

    The prettiest pheasant under glass presentations are those done with full plumage.

    Dick: Thanks for the recipe...will try to "fit it in" today also. After all, I`ve already blown it today, big time!

    Maniac: "Ten o'clock is more like lunch time than coffee time" Sounds like you`re a retiree!

    Kazie: To add to the tint/shade discussion, pink would be a tint (white added) and magenta would be a shade (black added.)

    tarrajo: I`m a "fisher-person" (we`re nothing if not PC on this blog) too. I "do" fresh-water lakes and rivers with a rod and reel and a trolling motor. My Dad did cast-netting for mullet ( a brine-water fish which is vegetarian and has to be snagged or "netted") as I grew up. My sister and I "scalloped" in the brine shallows. Good memories and good eating, especially the smoked mullet.

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  43. Good Morning All, It's nice to get back to a Monday-easy after the last couple of days. I really enjoy the LAT system of puzzles that increase in difficult as the days pass. We know what to expect and can allot an appropriate amount of time depending on the day of the week. (Friday??..is 17 hours enough??)

    Today was smooth sailing. I only had a few empty squares to go back to and fill in with perp help. I always enjoy seeing Joel MC CREA. My mother was a big fan and named my younger sister after him. She said she just liked the name and Sis wound up with Joell.

    Windhover, my Kelly will be 47 years old on Sept. 6th. YIKES!! How did that happen?

    Dennis, I'm wondering about the lifetime cost of the "average" dog, since too many dogs are neglected and shelters are overrun. Those dogs would have to be included in "average" too. High-end show dogs would have to be included too, but they are a drop in the bucket compared to the 2 million that are euthanized in shelters. A dog's lifespan is between 10 to 12 years, although larger dogs can live less and smaller breeds tend to live longer. GAH and I have had only one dog that became our "Mercedes" cost-wise, because of medical problems, but that isn't average or even common.
    I think your figure would be closer to well cared for, smaller city dogs that might require extensive grooming and kenneling. Has anyone else had a $20,000 dog?

    Great blogging, Argyle.

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  44. I once heard a young guy ask an older guy, after a long day in the tobacco field, "Aren't you tired?". His reply:"Son, I don't know what a tired man feels like".

    So, let me get this straight. Tongues get tired?
    Windhover#3

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  45. Morning all...fun puzzle, no hang-ups except I had basiC and had to change the C to an S. I like the theme and I thought it was interesting that there were two "Mc" names worked into the grid.

    I didn't like the "Frenglish" 29D...I mean, really, couldn't one just say Rouge et Blanc dans la carte? Kazie...is that close to correct...like I said yesterday, I have eensy bits of French and I could have figured it out.

    Liked the ARSON clue, except that living in CA...not funny in the reality. The Santa Barbara fire was supposedly started by someone clearing brush...now THAT'S ironic.

    KittyB...loved the TP story...funny the things people get rilled up about. I'll have to ask my quilting friend what she thought about it.

    Jazzbumpa...great link link and a wonderful piece of music...I especially like the Great Gate at Kiev movement.

    Moneypit...nope...just all that regular stuff. I am very lucky to have an extremely talented husband in the remodeling area. We have, over the years, torn out(down to the studs) and completely redone a bathroom and kitchen and between the two of us have pulled up old floors and laid gorgeous tile, and sanded and refinished hardwood floors...tile work is my specialty. Our talented daughter does faux work for us. Still have one remaining bedroom and bathroom to gut, but as we get older, it is all about working up the enthusiasm.

    WH...Hang 'em high. Isn't everyone in Kentucky related...or is that West Virginia? (tongue-in-cheek)

    Argyle...Awesome job! Loved the American Gothic link!

    Sorry for the really long post.Finished my latte...so off to paint.

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  46. @windhover Only the cunning ones. The others get tied, I think.

    @wm That would be WV. My ADKINS family out of Wayne County WV is an interesting study, to say the least.

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  47. WM,
    Rouge et Blanc dans la carte I would maybe change only the dans to sur. But for only a teensy bit of French, you do great!

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  48. 6:14 today. Nice theme, and loved seeing the author's name hidden in there (even if the "author" is an anagram).

    Along with the shades of red, we had a WHITE in the grid, making things even more colorful.

    I also liked seeing HORDE crossing ORD. Bam!

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  49. Windhover,
    Who wasn't innocent once? I still am. What are the twin peaks you discovered? Knockers again? Read a Marge Schott bio once. Strange lady.

    Al,
    Might be TMS Daily Communter or United Feature syndication.

    Crockett & Southern Bell,
    I remember I linked this United Feature puzzles website once. Just can't figure out which one is yours.

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  50. C.C........innocent?? Puhleeze. Those days are long gone. You're fully vested in the DF club.

    Anybody know what town BarbB and Melissa B are meeting in? I wanna start watching the local papers there.

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  51. Linda, I'm a long ways from retirement. Last time Social Security told me I could get full benefits when I reach the age of 71. My guess is there won't be anything left so I'm planning on working till I'm dead.

    If not, why not!!?

    Have a good night!

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  52. The only actor I remember playing the Virginian was James Drury on the television series. Doug McClure played Trampas.

    I had breast of pheasant under glass. The purpose of the glass was to hold in the liqueur (I think cognac or something) aroma/flavor. And I also had Goose in a bottle. Mine was Grey.

    It took Susan Lucci 19 nominations to finally win an Emmy.

    The crossword was really easy. Needed some perps to get, e.g., McCrea.

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  53. Dick,
    Thank you for the Tiramisu recipe.
    I'll try it this weekend.
    Doreen

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  54. Hi C.C. and gang! Easy puzzle, cute theme.. and I am glad, as Sat and Sun were a miserable time for me.

    I liked the money pit thingy...our house is 83 years old and believe me, we have done a lot to it. The worst expense was when we had to replace a sewer pipe segment...that was costly enough, but in getting the old pipe piece out, they had to tear down our front porch and tear up our front lawn! Sooooo, with the pipe, porch, new lawn with sprinkling system and landscaping plus trees, plants etc. it was about $13,000...let's hear a bit 'cha-ching'!!!

    Aryle - very nice job on the puzzle!

    Tarajo (10:31) LOL, good catch on 'blog job':)

    Lois: LOL, funny as usual, esp the poor cricket.

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  55. maniac: The standard joke about retirees is "breakfast at 6:00 AM, lunch at 10:00 AM and dinner(supper) at 4:30 PM" is why I asked.

    Crockett; Are you the guy on the left (with the white beard) in those "Subway" commercials singing "$5.00 footlongs" with a quartet?

    Dennis: I didn`t say staying away from temptation was fun...just prudent. (But can we have "eat what you want" day again tomorrow?)

    About the money pit thingy: We have a carpenter, electrician and plumber on speed dial!

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  56. Good evening all,

    Argyle, great job!! It's nice to be back. Today's puzzle was one of the easiest yet, although I erased a lot, but only had one lonely blank space, the B in bassi/baba. Didn't know either.Kazie, I had trouble with cliche too, as I misspelled Mccrea like you did.

    Fort Ord now has a Cal. State University at Monterey Bay on part of the base; actually, only a small section is being used for National Guard units as the base was closed in 1994.Much of it is a nature preserve and is protecting a rare butterfly, Smith's Blue Butterfly.
    Susan Lucci is not a great actress ( nor is she Phyllis Diller's daughter) but she has been on All My Children FOREVER. I started watching it in 1971 when my daughter was born.I think Erica has been married to 14 guys since then. Susan, on the other hand, is still married to her German husband.Yes, I still tape that silly show, but if and when I watch, I can see it all in 15 minutes.. not too much changes.The show finally let Tad keep his gray hair.

    Fred, thanks for the pseudonym explanation. That makes sense.

    Dick, sounds like a yummy recipe. Does it take long to put together?

    Dennis, the cost of owning a dog is NOT a fun fact, but it is a fact that all our kids should realize before they get one.

    Favorite ice cream? Coffee Heathbar Crunch by Ben and Jerry.

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  57. @linda No, that's not me. Haven't seen the commercials, and I think I would remember doing them, LOL!

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  58. Kazie @ 1:33 pm...Of course *slaps forehead* SUR as in Sur La Table...on, not in the carte...Thank you...this is why I mostly limit myself to ordering food when in France.

    Everyday is eat what I want day...its just that what I want is usually healthy and fresh...with the occasional small piece of really dark chocolate. Favorite ice cream is really Gelato...really dark chocolate or coffee...Yum.

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