google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday May 16, 2009 Michael Wiesenberg

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May 16, 2009

Saturday May 16, 2009 Michael Wiesenberg

Theme: None

Total blocks: 32

Total words: 66

The four corners of this grid looks so balanced. Each with stacked 4*7 entries. And the whole puzzle has only five 3-letter fills. Neat. Once again, I found the long answers in Down entries to be very interesting.

Where did you get your foothold today? Do you always start with 1-Across? I solved the lower right corner first. ORDONEZ (40D: 2007 A.L. batting champ Magglio) was a gimme. He is a very interesting character, being a staunch supporter of Hugo Chávez. His baseball cards are not worth anything though, unless they are authenticated autographs.

There is an international flavor to this puzzle: ROMANIA (34D: Nadia Comaneci's homeland), SPAIN (50A: View from Gibraltar) & MONTE CARLO (48A: Riviera attraction). Then we have ISRAELI, SUEZ, NEIN, TE AMO and TETE. Colorful fills.

Across:

1A: Journalist Kupcinet et al.: IRVS. Stumped immediately. He was a long-time columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and his nickname was "Kup". The lady on his left is Lauren Bacall.

5A: Take by force: WREST

10A: Fix: BIND. Can you give me an example on how they are interchangeable?

14A: Word repeated before "Born is the king of Israel": NOEL. The only Christmas song I can remember by heart is "Silent Night". Taught by an American who was immediately fired for teaching us this "religious song".

15A: Games immortal: HOYLE. His first name stumped many last time when it's clued as "Card game authority" (EDMOND HOYLE).

16A: Lou's "La Bamba" co-star: ESAI (Morales). Learned this fact from doing Xword. I liked ESAI Morales in "NYPD Blue". He was so cool, at least, before he reconnected with his ex.

17A: Certain something: AURA. Well, this "Certainly something" sure did not come to me immediately. Lovely clue.

18A: Clinch the deal: ICE IT

19A: Love and war, to some: ARTS. Love is an art? To whom? Do these Chinese characters for "The Art of War" look complicated to you?

20A: Like some dads: STAY-AT-HOME. Nice fill. Nice clue too.

22A: PGA Champions Tour standout Jay: HAAS. "Standout" indeed. Jay HAAS has had such an incredible Champions Tour (formerly Sr. PGA) winning record. Hale Irwin used to be the dominant figure (Thanks, Jerome).

23A: Blackjack holdings: NINETEENS. No idea. Are they good or bad holdings?

24A: Shakespeare contemporary George: PEELE. Completely unknown to me.

25A: Maryland Air Force base: ANDREWS. Just found out ANDREWS Air Force Base was named for General Frank M. Andrews, former Commanding General of United States Forces in the ETO (European Theater of Operations) during WWII, according to Wikipedia.

26A: Slanted, in a way: ITALIC

28A: Nutritional regimen since the 1970s: ATKINS DIET. Not for me. Meat is just a side dish in Asian diet.

31A: Ich liebe dich: German:: __: Spanish: TE AMO. In Chinese, it's Wo Ai Ni.

32A: Prince classic: PURPLE RAIN. Being from from Minnesota, Prince's every move is followed closely by the local media.

37A: Houston MLBer: 'STRO

41A: One might keep you from going out: SNORER. I got the answer. Don't understand the rationale.

42A: Ring in a crib: TEETHER

44A: Like mercenaries: ARMED

45A: California's Highway 1, for one: COAST ROAD. Easy guess.

47A: Farm lands: LEAS

49A: Staffs: MANS. Verb.

51A: Frau's refusal: NEIN. How to you say "I don't love you" in German?

52A: Prefix meaning "peculiar": IDIO. As in idiosyncrasy.

53A: They may be sheepish: GRINS. I was thinking of EWES.

54A: Fog: DAZE

55A: Printer's primary color: CYAN. Oh, I am definitely a dummy. I thought it's black.

56A: Noncom nickname: SARGE. Isn't it strange that the shortened form of sergeant is SARGE instead of the more reasonable SERGE? This gives me an excuse to link SERGE Gainsbourg's "Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus".

57A: Canal site: SUEZ. Hard to believe it's already opened in 1869.

Down:

1D: Quickly: In A SNAP. Still have trouble with multiple words.

2D: Ordinary: ROUTINE

3D: Open porch: VERANDA

4D: TV's Buffy and Faith, e.g.: SLAYERS

5D: Kayaking challenge: WHITEWATER. Upstream, looks impossible to me.

6D: Kodak's home: ROCHESTER. I did not know Kodak is headquartered in ROCHESTER, NY. Wikipedia says Xerox was also founded in ROCHESTER in 1906.

8D: Loses, in a way, with "down": SLIMS

9D: Dijon dome?: TETE. Had no idea that "dome" is a slang for head.

10A: Lead: BE AHEAD. Need to get used to this BE something verb phrase as well.

11D: Begin, e.g.: ISRAELI. Begin shared Nobel Peace with Anwar Sadat in 1978.

12D: Wood of Hollywood: NATALIE. I like the cute girl in "Miracle on 34th Street".

13D: Analyze: DISSECT

24D: Liq. measures: PTS (Pints)

26D: By some measure: IN ONE SENSE. I thought it's IN A SENSE.

29D: Kipling python: KAA. The answer emerged after I filled in the Acrosses. Why did he name the snake KAA?

30D: Doing, so to speak: IMITATING. I am lost here. Why?

32D: Like much worship music: PSALMIC. First time I encountered this adjective.

33D: Not prepared: UNREADY. Do you use this word in your daily conversation often? I always say "I am not ready".

35D: Persevere: PRESS ON

37D: Leaves high and dry: STRANDS

38D: "Civil Disobedience": THOREAU. Has anyone read THOREAU's "Civil Disobedience"? What is it about?

39D: Come to understand: REALIZE

43D: Handy abbr.: ETC. Good clue.

45D: Dried coconut meat: COPRA. I tend to confuse this word with the snake cobra.

46D: Station sign: ON AIR

48D: In-box contents: Abbr.: MSGS (Messages). Thought of LTRS first. My "dome" does not work well.

Answer grid.

C.C.

83 comments:

KittyB said...

Good morning, C.C. Well, we've been waiting for one that would blow us away, and this one certainly tried. I needed red letter help for two squares, but i managed to finish the rest by working it a letter at at time.

I started with the across clues and had just six words filled in when I started on the downs. I'm going to take a page from Embien and start doing the downs first. I seem to have better luck with them.

IRV was easy for me because he was a fixture on the Chicago social scene for many years.

I don't care for the 'Fix:' BIND pairing. I can't think of an example for you.

Is ICE IT a common phrase for the rest of you? This isn't part of my vocabulary, but I see it a lot here.

HAAS came from the fills.

I know very little about blackjack other than 21 wins, and the likelyhood of pulling an ace or a two is nil, so you'd stand pat (not take any further cards) if you had cards that totaled 19.

I have no idea who PEELE is.

I've come to expect 'Slanted' to mean ITALIC here. In the Chicago puzzles it was likely to be 'atilt.'

I'm astonished that I got PURPLE RAIN. I thought to myself that I knew nothing about Prince other than he had changed his name to a symbol that couldn't be pronounced. Then, I got enough of the fills to realize I knew the song title.

I don't like the clue for SNORER, and LEAS bring to mind 'meadows,' not tilled farm land.

CYAN came once I had a few of the perps.

I thought 'Begin, e.g." was the cleverest clue.

For the longest time, I tried to cram 'Thomas Paine' into the space intended for THOREAU.....DUH! No C.C., I obviously haven't read it.

Today begins the 2009 Boat Widowhood season. My husband left at 4:30 to take his sailboat to be lifted into Lake Michigan. Ah....the things I'll get to do! *G*

I hope you are all high and dry and have a great weekend.

Argyle said...

Good Morning,

I started with 5&6Down, white water and Rochester, then it was off to the races. At the end, I got into a bind, a fix, a jam, a tight spot...right in the middle.

My German failed me and my memory failed me(but was close). I had Kha for the the snake's name instead of Kaa because I remembered it was a syllibent sound to it.

As to snorer, I assumed it meant that if something was going to be a boring affair, one might not attend.

windhover said...

CC et al:
It seems we are drawing late night trolls on a regular basis. Last night's was most likely the same one who CC told recently, "Your comment is not welcome."

I am posting this morning to issue a blanket apology for my troll response yesterday. This blanket does not cover said troll, as I consider that one as well as others who post anonymously to have no standing whatsoever, and to constitute one of the lower forms of Internet life.
But my comment was, in the first place, unnecessary, and in the second, possibly offensive to some of you. Please accept my apology, and I will try to show mor restraint in future situations.
I do appreciate a great deal Dennis' (and others) comments afterward, but my apology stands, if you will accept it.
WM: very, very high.

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and gang - a very enjoyable puzzle, especially for a Saturday. I agree with KittyB, not easy, but satisfying to finish.

My foothold came early. 'Irvs' was a gimme, which gave me 'routine' and 'veranda', then 'Andrews', and I went from there.

'Fix' can mean to 'make fast' to something, so I can see how bind fits.

'Begin' threw me initially, as I was looking for 'onset' or something similar; great clue.

C.C., 'The Art of War' was and is an extremely helpful book for me, both in actual warfare and in the political machinations of the corporate world. And yes, love is indeed an art, and making love a fine art.

I agree that 'unready' is seldom used.

Hope it's an outstanding weekend for everyone.

Photofoot said...

If your mate (or bed partner) is a snorer you can't go to sleep ... go out!I tend to lurk and read all the great messages. Thanks to all of you who make NOT solving a puzzle easier to take.

Dennis said...

Windhover, my friend, certainly no apology necessary or warranted. Don't change a thing.

Stuart, thanks for joining us; it's a great group. Hope you'll contribute often.

Jano said...

Good morning CC and all,
The ART OF LOVE is a book title as well, not just a casual phrase. It is a very long poem written by Ovid, that old Roman, and its Latin title is "Ars Amatoria."
So that's why the clue said "Love and war, to some."
The Art of Love (Ovid) and The Art of War (Sun Tzu).
Two books with like titles.

Linda said...

CC: Up early waiting on grandchild...that . may be the key...plodded through and had trouble only with the upper right corner because I had to Google 3 names. Favorite (clever) clues for me were, "One might keep you from going out", "They may be sheepish"' and "Begin, e.g.".
Catching up with you, Jimbo!

When we were first married, I would have husband`s coin collection divied out when he came home and he taught me 7 card draw and blackjack ("nineteen" came easy..."bust" came even easier when I was learning)

Windover: When you have strong feelings about an issue... it`s hard to keep them in, at times. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt!

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

KittyB,
I think we had a similar "Begin..." style clue before. Lana is an adorable butterfly.

Windhover,
I vaguely remember we had a title for you in terms of anonymous post control. What is it again? As Dennis said earlier, don't change. Just be who you are. I like originals.

Dennis,
Re: Love & ART. What kind of art? Realism, impressionism, or simply abstract? How about loving then?

Lemonade714 said...

Morning:

Another Saturday, where it looks like I will never finish and then pieces fall in place and it is done.

Begin not meaning onset was very clever, ETC was nicely clued, and asking us to translate German into Spanish was fun. My son went to school with IRV'S son JERRY KUPCINET, nice family.

C.C. have you not heard the phrase CHROME DOME meaning a bald person?

I also liked the misdirection of PRINTER'primary color, as most do not know the CMYK scheme of color printers. When I was younger , they always called it CYAN BLUE.

I did not like UNREADY, no one says that, and TEETHER may be accurate, but they are always called teething rings. PSALMIC is also not a word anyone uses, and I do not think it describes the music.

Thanks for unlocking BIND, it now makes sense.

For example, when Frank Caliendo performs, the audience asks him to DO MADDEN, or DO PACINO, DO GEORGE BUSH, so do = imitate.

Beautiful day here, and my son and nephew are off to meet the grandpuppy and then to a beer festival. Enjoy all.

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

Argyle,
OK, now I see you fix & BIND.

Stuart,
Welcome!

Jano,
Thanks for "ART of Love". Unknown to me before.

Linda,
Good wrong answer yesterday: Kim Chee. We often just call it Kimchi though. One word.

Al said...

Kazie will correct me no doubt, but I think it would simply be a negation: Ich leibe die nicht

Along with the oddness of sarge, why do the English pronounce leutenant as leFtenant? English really is hard...

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

Lemonade,
No, I've never heard of CHROME DOME. Thanks for IMITATING. I'll pick Rachel Alexandra today, not just for Clear Ayes. You need to crack Al's cryptic @ 11:28am yesterday.

Elissa,
I had imagined BOSCH's painting to be huge.

Kazie,
See here, YDS is the length of the hole.

JD,
Great COM post yesterday.

Al et al,
Thanks for AREA & "Subject matter", "Royal flush" & LOO explanations yesterday.

T. Frank said...

Greetings, all:

Good, hard puzzle for me. I had trouble with the SW corner, mainly because I know little or nothing about pop music written after about 1970! Leas did not seem to fit a farm, could not remember idio, or Romania; wanted persist for press on; never heard of a color cyan, etc.

Lots of good clues: for grins, snorer, te amo.

Our annual Beach to Bay Marathon is reaching the finish line as I write this. It is a relay race with six legs, starting on Padre Island and finishing on the Bayfront downtown. I think we had almost 2,000 teams from all over the South and West participate.

Good weekend to all.

Anonymous said...

Yay Me!!

I finished a Saturday puzzle with just a little help. I had to google dried coconut meat, and I didn't have Ordonez until I checked in here.

It was definitely a hunt and peck method of solving. I especially enjoyed figuring out Israeli on my own. I had mend for fix for the longest time until I got Begin, e.g. The snorer answer didn't mean anything to me but the letters fit.

Now I'm off to do the more mundane puzzle carried in the Oregonian. I'll check in later to see how everyone else liked this one.

This is Lola. Somehow I've lost my blue name again. Hmph!

Vern said...

I felt really "smart" as I easily filled in the northwest & upper center boxes. This was going to be my day! Then I used "mend" for "bind," "hired" & "nomad" for mercenary and "ocean road" for "coast road." Now I have a headache so I think I'll go for a long bike ride. Congratulations to all of you who whizzed through this puzzle.

danabw said...

First time poster, long time reader...
I started crosswords 2 years ago when I was out of work, and I've been hooked ever since!

And now, I am hooked on this blog! I enjoy your banter, camaraderie and never ending wit.

Thank you CC & gang for not only helping me to learn, but in showing me how rewarding cyber-friendships can be!

It is refreshing to see how you stick up for and encourage one another.

In response to all the negative posters yesterday, I enjoy reading others opinions. It is how we, as evolved people, learn to "see" the other side of our own opinions. And that, hopefully, leads to tolerance.

Keep up the good work!

Scott A. said...

Hi everyone on the CC comment board!

I just found this really well-written blog today.

The Saturday themeless is always my favorite LA Times puzzle. Rich Norris is a really great editor. This is a fine grid. A 66-worder is really hard to construct! Plus there's sort of a mini-theme with WHITE WATER and PURPLE RAIN.

Off-topic, I have to admit that I sneaked a peak at what everyone thought of my Saturday themeless of April 18. Some good comments, some not so great. The important thing to me is that people tried it and felt like discussing words and puzzles. It's funny how a little word like JIG generates interesting commentary. It's also worth noting that the clues that most amused people were mostly the editor's, not mine alas.

Anyway, thanks for supporting Rich's editorial efforts and your hard-working army of constructors!

boomermomma said...

Good morning- I know I am one of many that found your site by accident and have enjoyed it so much but never written before! I come here each day to read the comments on the puzzle and see how others are "stumped" or not..so thanks for the occassional help.
I am a life long crossword solver but no match for the creative bloggers on your site. I will sit and read and enjoy! Joan in Illinois

kazie said...

Good morning all!
Well, I certainly didn't whizz through this one. I did start strongly in the North, except for HOYLE (I always think it's Doyle, funny though, I did get white water after looking and giving up on 15A) and ICE IT. Couldn't think of ATKINS--I've never thought name brand diets were worth anything.

But below those the only things I had correct were te amo, nein, sarge and Suez. I had LTRS for MSGS, so couldn't see SPAIN, which should have been obvious, likewise MONTE CARLO, though you've got to be a billionaire to be attracted to it, at least to live or gamble there. Also having DESERTS for STRANDS didn't help.

Al,
Close but no cigar: Ich liebe dich nicht. Remember: the German -ie- sound rhymes with -eee, -ei- rhymes with eye.

c.c.,
Thanks for yds., but what do you mean by the length of the hole? Is that the distance from the previous hole or the tee off area? And why is the ball marked with yds? I thought they would all go the same distance depending on who whacks them.

I agree about psalmic, I'd thought of organic, but couldn't figure a way to justify the double-entendre.

I'm still wildly jealous of all the cute grandkid photos. And to make matters worse, my son, the married one, has just been given an opportunity to return to Germany for his firm. It's a difficult decision because they'd have to sell the house they've been working so hard on for about a year now, and move all their stuff back again. But if they go, it means I'd be too far away from their kids once they do start a family.

Welcome Dana, Boomermomma, and Scott A. Good to see your slant on our efforts.

Al said...

@Kazie, thanks for the clarification. It's been a long time since I took German in High School.

C.C., I looked up the name of Kaa here. It's apparently supposed to be based on the sound that would be made with a wide-open mouth exhalation as when a snake attacks. Anyone familiar with Hogwarts might think of the parsel tongue snake language from the movie adaptations. Interesting to note that Kaa was one of Mowgli's mentors in the book, but was a villian in the Disney film.

Here is a brief synopsis of Civil Disobedience: Government rarely proves itself useful and it derives its power from the majority because they are the strongest group, not because they hold the most legitimate viewpoint. People's first obligation is to do what they believe is right and not to follow the law dictated by the majority. When a government is unjust, people should refuse to follow the law and distance themselves from the government in general.

Scott A. said...

@ Kazie

There is a sign at the tee that tells you the distance from the tee to the green on that particular hole. It looks something like:

#18
Par 4
385 yds.

KittyB said...

Argyle, thanks for your take on SNORER. That makes sense to me.

Ah, Windover, you don't need to apologize for having an opinion. Try to ignore the trolls, if you can.

Jano, thanks for the insight on Ovid and Sun Tzu. I hadn't made the connection, and it nicely explains that clue.

C.C., I haven't made that picture of Lana my wallpaper, but I do have it on my desktop. She was adorable, and SO TINY! We celebrate her fifth birthday tomorrow, so if I get to the puzzle, it will be late in the day.

Lemonade, thanks for the link to the CMYK info; it's something I was not familiar with. <-----preposition.... (sigh)

Lola, my sister! 'Hunt and peck' is the perfect description for how I filled in the blanks today. We must be related. I loved the 'yay, me' moment. I hope you find your way back to 'blue' status soon.

Vern, it will come. Dana, welcome to the group. I like your attitude on posting.

boomermomma, what part of Illinois? Don't lurk...come out and join us. The more the merrier.

kazie said...

Thanks Scott,
c.c.'s link makes a bit more sense now too. I guess I confused the clue, thinking something was printed on the ball. I see now it says "golf tee sign".

boomermomma said...

KittyB- Far western burbs- Geneva.

Ok ok, I won't lurk but I am new here and and tad intimidated by the brains on this site.
I am a deer in the headlights with the "patterns" and cross fills and lingo of crossword puzzlers....
I just love to challenge my mind and move on for the day. Call me shallow LOL

Love cc's comments and witty comments.

New grandchild watch.....anyday now!

Joan

melissa bee said...

good morning c.c. and all,

solved clockwise this morning, mostly smooth sailing but had to work for PEELE, PSALMIC, and ORDONEZ. i am beginning to enjoy the saturday themeless, which i rarely did with the old puzzles.

@stuart: that SNORER explanation makes perfect sense, thanks.

@windhover: please don't censor your comments.

@barb b: travel safely.

in love, realism is the least artful, i think. you could paint a picture of flowers exactly as they appear, but you may as well take a photograph. a little distortion could actually display their essence in a deeper way. that's the art of love. singing in the voice of marigolds. or, for dennis, tulips.

Lola said...

@Kazie, Thanks for the cyber- handshake. I don't have much to add at this time, I'm just happy to have recovered my blue name.

The Oregonian's puzzle was as uninspired as I had thought it would be. Oh well...

TTFN

Lola said...

Ooops! My last misssive should have gone to Kitty B. Sorry!

T. Frank said...

Greetings, all:

Good, hard puzzle for me. I had trouble with the SW corner, mainly because I know little or nothing about pop music written after about 1970! Leas did not seem to fit a farm, could not remember idio, or Romania; wanted persist for press on; never heard of a color cyan, etc.

Lots of good clues: for grins, snorer, te amo.

Our annual Beach to Bay Marathon is reaching the finish line as I write this. It is a relay race with six legs, starting on Padre Island and finishing on the Bayfront downtown. I think we had almost 2,000 teams from all over the South and West participate.

Good weekend to all.

Al said...

I didn't see any attempts at answering the cryptics yesterday, so:

Demand is and isn't wrong! (6)
insist (to demand) an anagram of (is + isnt)

Very big bearing in tank (4)
vast (very big)
a tank is a vat, and insert the letter of a directional bearing: north, South, east, west.

Today:
Frost feels work is easy(10)
The game's up! got beat (4)

One of those clues was for a down word, and for the other, I like to use this web tool. If you do visit that site, be sure to click on the Hall of Fame link at the top. Some of those are pretty funny.

Ted said...

Predicament:" In a fix" OR "In a bind".

JD said...

Good morning CC and all,

Quickly and persevere had me chuckling as I slowly filled in all that I could muster. Quickly: started out as readily, then in haste. Didn't like clues for snorer and teether, but understand the logic. I would have used sawyer of logs or unpopular bedmate, but maybe those are clues for a Monday.


My girls were both fans of Prince, so after thinking of Cinderella, LOL, it came to me. Scott, thanks for pointing out that theme.

Like some dads was my fav. clue.

CC, compost..LOL! I'm sure it was.

Welcome Dana (great attitude!) and Boomermom!

Melissa Bee, that was so poetic!

Ice it, a new one to add to my lengthy list.

It's warming up BIG TIME in our area. Tomorrow is our Bay to Breakers marathon in SF and it will be warmer than usual there. This year is the 1st time they've outlawed running in the nude.We'll see...or maybe not.

SandbridgeKaren said...

Enjoyed this puzzle - got about half done, had to leave for a civic league meeting, came back, g-spotted Ordonez (sorry CC - so not a 'gimme' for me) and the rest fell into place.

I started with 'Purple Rain" and worked from there. I understand the explanations on the Fix/Bind but I am not loving that clue nor 'Snorer'. Referring to 'going out' for sleep instead of going out for dinner is a stretch for me. Otherwise fun Saturday puzzle - not as tough as I thought when I first looked at it. I agree with CC that if you get the first clue things seem to go well but if it's a blank, then I feel as if I'm slogging thru.

Dennis - no fun facts today?

CC - on the blackjack holdings of 19's, staying is the only move but it's not a great hand if the dealer has a 10 or face card up. You always stay but don't always win the hand. We did bring back a little of the Bellagio's money playing blackjack this past week but ran into a dealer with a really hot hand while waiting to leave for the airport and she took some of our winnings back.

Question for all you Houston fans - do you really use the word 'STRO' for your team? It must be a local thing as I don't get it. But have seen it in xwords before so it wasn't hard.

I sing in my church choir and am fairly knowledgeable about church music and have never heard the word 'psalmic' applied to any of our music. Made that corner a tad challenging for me.

Windhover - lovely apology but not needed. We all have to remember not to feed the trolls and reply to anons. But agree that last post last nite was way out of line.

carol said...

Well Happy Saturday to all of you!

C.C. re 19A...I had to chuckle. ALL Chinese characters look complicated to me! I think they are beautiful and would love to have a child's 'beginner' book to learn how to read them.

31A...help, I need an explanation of this clue.

Windhover - don't apologize, you are great!

19A I had 'FAIR' at first; thinking 'all is fair in love and war'.

14A had me singing so many Christmas carols in my head, I almost put up decorations! I did finally hit upon the correct answer. What fun!

I got the whole NW corner and then hit the wall. I even got 28A (ATKINS DIET) because it was such a fad back then. Not a good diet - actually can be dangerous to the kidney's (too much protein).

Welcome Stuart, Bommermama and Dana..we sure hope you won't just lurk.
We are a friendly bunch, a little goofy at times too.

I hope we do not see another post like the one this morning at 2:03am - that was shameful!

kazie said...

Stuart and Melissa Bee,
The snorer clue could also be related to the expression: "out like a light", i.e. falling asleep quickly. If you are in bed with a snorer, that would stop you going "out like a light".

Al,
I was thinking of an anagram for is isnt yesterday, but gave up too soon. that website really gave the first one to me today though: effortless.

Lola,
I was glad to get an undeserved cyber shake anyway!

kazie said...

Carol,
"Ich liebe dich" is in German as "---" is in Spanish. Hence "te amo" (I love you).

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, I got a little bit of a comeuppance this morning after being so confident about Thursday's and Friday's puzzle.

I can save a lot of writing by saying, "Yes, to everything KittyB said at 6:17, except that I did know who PEELE was." I guess we both got Civil Disobedience mixed up with Common Sense.

I agree about UNREADY, unless you happen to be this early king of England, Ethelred the Unready.

Al beat me to it with an explanation of the name KAA. I just wanted to use the word "onomatopoeia", which is "the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it". I once got a big crush on a guy who used that word in a conversation. (Weird..the things that turn you on!)

I agree with Kazie with "out (like a light)" for SNORER.

Also agree with Carol re: 2:03, shameful and beneath comtempt.

Anonymous said...

Windhover:
I'm sorry you consider me a troll. I come to this blog every day and, anonymous is the only way I know how to add an occasional comment.

My comment today would be to completely ignore people who talk like this--$@%#!. Just go on about business as if the entry didn't exist. There's nothing more torturous than being ignored.

Doreen

Lemonade714 said...

Al:

The anagram tool is awesome, but does take most of the challenge out of it; it makes the thought process effortless. I enjoy doing them, but this makes it really easy if you can identify which are anagrams, which are puns and which are run ons.

Clear Ayes said...

Doreen, No...no...no. I am positive that Windhover was referring ONLY to Anons who don't sign their names. Posters such as yourself, Dot and others always sign their posts and are definitely counted as valuable members of this blogging community.

Lemonade714, I guess we can say, "Call me Omooer". Not so easy to pronounce as "Ishmael". I hope you remember more of the book than I do.

Jerome said...

C.C.- Al's definition of civil disobedience is concise and well-put. A simple yet profound case of civil disobedience (or disobedience to the 'state') would be when Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back of the bus when by law an African-American was mandated to do so.

I'm sure it was only a typo, but the golfer is Hale Irwin, not Irvin.

Nice puzzle today. You've got to love PURPLE RAIN in a crossword.

Al said...

@CA, I wanted to use "onomatopoeia" too, but after a few attempts, I realized I couldn't spell it... What a crossword answer that would make, 67% vowels.

@Lemonade, I agree that it takes some fun away for the experienced solvers, but I would have an impossible time without it. It does make the Daily Jumble puzzle merely a fill in the blank exercize, though.

KittyB said...

Awwww boomermomma! We're NEIGHBORS!! We can be shallow together. I usually have to have C.C. point out the themes for me. When that grandbaby comes, you'll have to put his/her picture up as your avatar. I hope it's soon, and a breeze for the mother.

Kazie, you'll just have to build up those frequent flier miles so you can see your future grandbaby. My oldest sister's kids were living in Perth, Australia, Papua-New Guinea, and London while the kids were growing up. I'm sure she never expected to travel to what we consider exotic parts of the world, but off she went. (er....Papua was the exotic locale! lol)

Lola, I'm happy to share that cyber shake with kazie.

Melissa bee, how did your visit with BarbB go? It was too short, I bet.

Ted, thanks for your take on "in a fix," or "in a bind."

Doreen, I suspect that Windhover didn't intend his comment to include you. I've always enjoyed your comments. There are several people on this blog who have helped others to join the "Blue Band." Would you like us to help you, too?

SBKaren, thanks for the extra info on blackjack.

Clear Ayes, I'm delighted when I find that you and I have had the same response to a puzzle. Your grandbaby is adorable, and I love the hat!

Oberhasli said...

Gee Whiz - I sat there this morning going through the whole puzzle once with only two or three lines filled in and very shaky with those. I finally got the lower portion but the upper stuff had me boggled. I kept trying to put "seize" in for take by force. That whole upper left corner 1 - 27 had me in a fix. I googled a bit today, but just didn't have the urge to keep staring at the empty spaces. Finally came to C.C. magic puzzle answers to see where I made a mess of things.:-(

Oh well, at least Monday I can start fresh with an easy one (I hope).

Rainy and cold here today, I am going to make some chevre and then start on a lasagna for dinner. Happy weekend to you all.

maria said...

Dear c.c.
i have often wondered about the spelling of Sarge and sergeant, very peculiar, however you need no
excuse to link, Je t'aime . . . Moi non plus !

I hadn' t heard it in a loong time, that is an Ars Amatoria, don' t you think ?
And i' m sure Ovid would have loved it !

Ahem, back to reality . . Kazie, why, close but no cigar, i thought the "ich liebe dich nicht " was correct for " i don't love you" , or, i am missing something.

Windhover, like Dennis said , no need to apologize, you are a fine gentleman.

Dana , nice post !

Melissa , how poetic, didn't know you had it in you.

Ok, it' s beautiful out there , i better go do something , even if it's just Imitating . Ha, ha.

Ciao, for now

WM said...

Hi everyone...Pretty much what KittyB said...Put in WHITEWATER as first answer which gave me WREST(which I thought doubtful). Then I just stumbled around all over the place.

Came here to see if what I had was correct and picked put 1 or 2 more clues to jumpstart my brain. Again...an enjoyable puzzle and it wasn't the answers that were tough, but the clues...

Welcome to all the new posters...please stay and join in with this quirky group. Boomermama please keep us updated on the future grandchild.

Doreen...what CA and KittyB said...WH likes to take a chunk out of those who are NASTY and ANON...bat dung. You and Dot and others are family.

Al...thank you for the Civil Disobedience synopsis...


WH...like Buckeye, we love you just the way you are and if I could link I would link to a photo of a Knight in shining armor upon a swift and deadly steed with a pen as a sword...higher and higher.

luxor said...

C.C.
The terms:
'in a fix' and 'in a bind' mean the same thing. Kinda'like 'between a rock and a hard place'

kazie said...

Maria,
Ich liebe dich nicht is correct. I was responding to Al's attempt (Ich leibe die nicht) at 8:52am, and giving him the correction he'd invited.

Doreen and Dot,
I concur with others who have already spoken up. The really anons are those who don't sign a name and we can't distinguish them from the trolls. You are both definitely part of this group.

That's five for me today, though I hadn't planned to get done so early.

Anonymous said...

Methinks thou dost makeup words to fit thy needs: psalmic?

And what's with handy abbr.?

SandbridgeKaren said...

KittyB - love the 'blue band' idea - my college team!!!

Doreen - please consider fully joining instead of posting anonymously and having to sign your name - it's a lot more fun!!!!! And you can include cool pix of whatever you'd like.

To all who post such cute children and grandchildren pix - Thanks! I'm envious, as my kids are grown and I'll never have grandchildren. Do have a super godson, though.

Anonymous said...

Anyone remember the song from the 40's that goes like this: Dear Dorothy Dix i'm in such a fix...? She was a love-lorn columnist of the day.

carol said...

Dot and Doreen (and any others who post as anon but DO sign their names, I will join the others in saying your comments are always interesting and fun to read. Our annoyance is with the UNSIGNED trolls who make disgusting comments.

Oberhasli..you mentioned fixing lasagna. I fixed that a few nights ago, and it turned out rather bland. Do you have a recipe you can share? We do not use fennel but that would not account for the way this tasted.

Linda, hope your grandchild arrives soon and in perfect health!

Clear Ayes, WM and KittyB, you all have such cuties for grandchildren. Love their pictures. Could put my pics up too, but they are not babies any longer. Still cute to my though!

WM said...

Carol...dig out out a baby pic...grown or not. Baby pics are always fun.

CA...always like that they named a King Ethlred the the Unready...what a way to go dowm through history. Think I will skip reading Omoo as Moby Dick was never a favorite and I hated the Old Man and the Sea...I know, different author...but old guys and big fish.

#2

luxor said...

Carol,
Try using a little oregao in your lasagna.

Warren said...

Hi C.C. & ...

My wife & I did the puzzle today with limited g-help. We had to look things like the baseball guy but the puzzle seemed to a little easier than last Saturday's? Either that or we're adjusting to the LAT style.

Here's a link to the noel
Christmas song.

Linda said...

@ Carol: I have five grandchildren ages 16, 12, 10( the only boy), 7 and 3... no more on the way :(

What I meant was...Daddy had to go to work at 6 AM and he comes and gets in bed with Grandpa for another 2-3 hours. That means I`m up 2-3 hours earlier than normal. With the extra time,I`m not as pressured to "finish" the puzzle so that my day can start. More time on "hard puzzle" days really helps.

He likes to do "man work"...so today, we built the 10x16 frame for a raised garden and put very wet fill dirt in it. (GM and GP are exhausted!) Will plant tomatoes, cukes, squash and bell peppers with marigolds around the edge.
Thank you for the thoughtful wishes "anywho."

carol said...

Luxor, I did that too. I have made very tasty lasagnas in the past using my own spaghetti sauce recipe for the meat sauce portion,(this included my home canned tomatoes) and it turned out great. I don't know why I got a wild hair to try another recipe but I looked one up in my cookbook and it sure did not deliver.
It had all the basic ingredients: ground beef, ground pork sausage, onion, garlic,tomato sauce and paste, dried basil,oregano. For filling:
1 beaten egg, riotta cheese (I used cottage cheese),grated Parmesan, shredded Mozzarella cheese.
sigh

JIMBO said...

Linda,

Where did you get the idea for "catch up"?
You went around me so fast I thought I had stalled out.
My Wednesday puzzle gave me confidence for a time, but then the week-end happened.
Boomermomma, welcome to "My world". Maybe we can learn together.
I use a pencil to fill in as much an I am able, then come here to finish off the blanks in ink. Today, about 30% is black.
All your comments are "learning tools" and very entertaining. Don't think any apologies are needed, except for some unidentified anons.
Love all of you!!
Vaya con Dios

melissa bee said...

@kazie & clearayes: when stuart wrote If your mate (or bed partner) is a snorer you can't go to sleep ... go out!, i thought he was pointing out that 'go out' meant 'sleep.'

@kittyb: it was lovely, thank you, and definitely too short.

@scotta: great to see the constructors comment, hope you stay around.

@jd: thanks.

@maria: once in a blue moon.

@carol: 'te amo' is spanish for 'i love you.'

welcome to all the newcomers.

expecting high 90's today .. i'll be inside in front of the a/c vent.

kazie said...

I'm sneaking in another one.

Melissa Bee,
I wasn't quite certain, so I added my 2 cents worth to be sure about "out".

Carol,
I'm very generous with the oregano and basil, as well as a half cup or so of red wine and let it cook down in the sauce. A few black olives don't hurt either.

Clear Ayes said...

WM, How about this image St. George by Raphael? No pen in hand, but he is slaying a slithering, spitting (alliterative onomatopoeia in action), anonymous dragon. The steed is white and the armor is shining, so Winhover, Buckeye, Dennis and all the other knights and ladies, climb aboard. The view is fine!

I liked Moby Dick, that's why I went on to Typee, Omoo and Mardi. I didn't like The Old Man And The Sea. Hemingway was often a little too testossedironical (ie. taking macho stuff much too seriously) for me. Isn't that the correct Fred definition, Buckeye?

Luxor, I know a lot of old songs and I have heard of Dorothy Dix, but that song is one I've never heard of.

Melissa bee, I think our lovely California spring weather is going to be turning into a very hot summer in the very near future. The thermometer on our patio reads 98 degrees. We're cranking up the A/C too.

LOL, I thought Stuart meant that if you are trying to sleep with a SNORER, get up, get dressed, "go out", head down to the neighborhood pub and have a beer. Sounds like a pretty good solution to me.

Kazie, Words to live by...When in doubt, add a 1/2 cup of red wine!Thanks to all for the nice comments about Rachael. If your kids, or grandkids are grown up, post their photos anyway. Who doesn't love a baby photo? They are all adorable!

embien said...

23:02 today.A good day to solve starting with the down clues (which is the way I seem to be doing the puzzles lately). VERANDA, SLAYERS, WHITE WATER, ROCHESTER (I actually spent some time at training at Kodak in my last job), and TETE on the downs. WREST, HOYLE, NINETEENS, ANDREWS, PEAS on the acrosses. Boom! The northwest and north central were nearly done before I was seated comfortably in my chair.

Things slowed considerably from that point on, however. MEND instead of BIND, GAME instead of ARTS, TENGO instead of TE AMO (I know neither German nor Spanish). Oy vey! (I don't know Yiddish, either.) COASTAL RD instead of COAST ROAD (somehow I had it in my mind that the clue was an abbreviation because of the '1') didn't help matters.

Scott A: Your April 18 puzzle was a favorite of mine. I especially remember the clue for QADDAFI (Libyan leader whose name has more than 30 spellings). Even when you know the answer you can't fill in the entry (it might be spelled any old way)!

c.c.: All those Chinese ideograms look complicated to my Western eye.

WM said...

CA...a most perfect image...although, I always had a misplaced allegiance and always felt badly for the dragon...I also totally agree on Hemingway...I think the only book I ever read was For Whom the Bell Tolls...I had a preference for Steinbeck in High School and college and pretty much read everything.

Carol...another suggestion for punching up the flavor is to add any dry herbs while you are sauteeing the meat...or with the onions...it intensifies the flavor much more than tossing them into the liquid...also a pinch of red pepper flakes, a trick I learned from my French/Italian friend...although you have to be careful...that, and CA's glass of red wine, but toss that in before you add the tomatoes and let it reduce. I also leave the lid off the sauce pot so that it can reduce a bit which also intensifies flavors. Sounds like the recipe did indeed have a good selection of ingredients...Hmmmmm?

There is also an awesome little book called "Lasagne-the art of layered cooking" by Dwayne Ridgeway...some seriously good stuff including a grilled veggie Lasagne that is a standout...Drat, now I'm hungry...Would love some of Oberhasli's goat cheese(and rain...if you would care to send it backwards to Calif.?)Roasting today.

windhover said...

First things first: to Doreen,
Others have explained but I owe it to you to do so personally. I in no way was referring to you or any of the others who choose to post as anonymous and sign at the end, Dot and several others do so. And you probably have guessed that my name is not Windhover, anyway. I like it a lot better than Larry, though. Your posts have revealed you to be a woman of style and grace. I don't know where you are from, but if you were a Southern woman, I'm sure "gracious" would be a word used to describe you, because it is one of our highest compliments.

CC:
The title, while self-bestowed, was Assistant Director, Troll Relations. It pays almost as well as farming, but the work load has been crushing lately. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Dennis and all who expressed support:

There's a country song titled "I love this Bar". I may have to write some new lyrics to one titled, "I Love this Blog". You guys are the best. But I'm going to try and exercise a little more restraint. They don't make it easy wearing those "kick me" signs on their back and lobbing those softballs, though.

Speaking of bars, the Irish and I are heading out tonight (after we milk the cow and the goat) to do a little "research".
WolfMom: ever higher
Hello to all the B's

boomermomma said...

KittyB- we are neighbors? That's great!Where?
Will post the grandbabe's pic when he gets here..
Can barely move from gardening and mulching but hey the yard is gorgeous if I say so myself!
Off to another grandson's birthday at Red Robin and will collapse tonight.
Resting up for Sunday's puzzle which always gives me trouble- a large pot of coffee is needed to work it
I'll catch you all later and Thank You for the warm welcome-cc you are terrific/Joan

Jazzbumpa said...

Lots to like in today's puzzle. Lot's to dislike as well, alas. Most of both have already been mentioned, so I won't flog the deceased equines.

11D was a brilliant misdirection.
Hat's off to Mr. Weisenberg. He pwned me.

OTOH:
I didn't notice any mention of 10D: BE AHEAD. Is an answer like this even legitimate? I don't recall ever seeing a form of the verb "be" with a modifier as an X-word answer. It strikes me as being wrong on several levels. Is there a rule book for X-word constructors?

Would we accept "be overwieght" for "obese," or "be nasty" for snark?

I slogged my was through the rest of the puzzle, but found the NE corner to be intractable. The highly questionable 10D, X-ed with 3 obscure proper names was more than my little pea brain could handle.

Having "inspect" for 13D didn't help, and I'll take the rap on that one.

Cheers!

Elissa said...

I bounced all around this puzzle and finally solved it with some red letter help. I continue to be amazed by how I can remember obscure things and miss the most obvious stuff.

C.C. I have to apologize. Clearly the dementia has reached into the back reaches of my mind. I went back to my art history book to get the size of the "Garden of Earthly Delight" and found that it is in The Prado Museum in Madrid and the center panel of the triptych is 8 feet by 6 feet (which is huge). I know I saw a Bosch painting at The Cloisters, a museum of medieval art in Fort Tryone Park in Upper Manhattan, which was about 2 feet by 3 feet with lots of little nude figures engaging in bizarre and highly sexual looking activities, but it was 40 years ago and I have no clue which one it was.

On the other hand I often really enjoy the delusions created in my memory. When we tell stories about our childhood it appears my sister (who is 18 months younger than I) and I grew up in parallel universes, because the things that she remembers and those in my memory for the same event are vastly different.

Oh, well. Time to engage in current day fantasy. We're off to go see the new "Star Trek" movie.

KittyB said...

Boomermomma, we're south of Fermi Lab. I've been working on my gardens, too, and was glad for the rain so I could give what passes for muscles a break. The herb garden is 3/4s of the way done, but I have a lot left to do at the front of the house.

Red wine in the sauce! Yeah!

"I like to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food."

WM said...

Just thought I stick up a new granddaughter photo...new Hello Kitty sunglasses...it just doesn't get any cooler than this.

Off to have dinner with same.

KittyB...what you said about cooking with wine! LOL

Linda said...

Hey guys! There is Scripture for todays`s Preakness! It`s Jeremiah 31:22b KJV! Would I lie to you?

See ya`ll Monday.

Babies and baby grandkids are adorable, all of you.

Anonymous said...

C.C.,

Looks like you picked a winner. The girl won the PREAKNESS.

Anonymous said...

WM,

Geat new pic.

Jeanne said...

Good evening everyone,
So glad this week is over. Last Saturday, 2 small children died in a fire about 1/2 mi. from our house. I helped with contributions, food, etc. and then Wednesday my nephew's wife died; so off to New York for the funeral and sad goodbyes. The best part of the week was that I got to spend several days with my grandson. After coming here tonight, I am finally smiling seeing all the adorable baby faces. I can' tell you how much better I feel. It's such a sense of rejuvenation seeing those smiling faces. Thank you all for posting them.

Clear Ayes said...

I had a $2 bet on Rachel Alexandra with GAH. He was betting on "The Bird". It sure was an exciting race and he almost caught her. Both of us were on the edge of seats....Flexsteel recliners, that is.
I must say, he paid off gracefully. Now, on to the Belmont. I hope they both run there too.

Jeanne, So sorry to hear about your nephew's wife.

It was nice to hear that you and others are banding together to help your neighbors deal with their terrible loss. It may not seem like much, but it can be a real comfort.

WM, you're right. VERY cool.....and it looks like she knows it too. :o)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for all the kind remarks excusing my anonymity. Someday, I may get adventuresome & ask for help walking me through the process to be a blue blogger.

I have a sweatshirt which says, "My grandkids are as cute as buttons." But I don't dare wear it around any of the grandkids because the youngest is 20 (It really should say GREAT grandkids.) I had a couple of nights this week when I did not sleep well. Youngest grandson drove home to Wisconsin from college in Calif., alone. The funny thing is, I dreamed that night that he and his two brothers were much younger & I was watching them play hide-and-seek. Was I subconscious-ly longing for those more care free days?
Dot

Anonymous said...

Post #2

Several of you mentioned your gardening. We are having fun with a new project - Square Foot Gardening. My husband built a box 4' X 4' on legs with a grid dividing it in to one foot squares. Each square will contain a different variety of vegetable. We've started seeds in paper cups (now decorating the dining room) & hope they will survive being transplanted to the 'big' garden. Time will tell how much we produce. Dot

JIMBO said...

Dot,
Quite possibly---
I frequently dream about my deceased wife, but never as she was in later life. Always in our younger days.

Argyle said...

Gee, I wonder if Rudyard Kipling was influenced by Boston pronunciations. Looking at his Author's Note, words like Kaa are to be pronounced Kar, similar to the way Bostonians change tuba to tuber.

JD said...

Dot, your gardening project sound like fun. We used to have a huge veggie garden until the trees on the other side of the fence gave us too much shade.

TFrank, Cyan is one of those colors of our ink cartridges for our computer. Before that, I had never heard of it since it's not in my Crayola box.

Kitty B, LOL! Boat Widowhood Season

Jeanne, so sorry about your loss. Can't imagine losing a young member of our family. Spending time with that darling grandson must have filled some of the emptiness in your heart.

Lemonade714 said...

Yes, our little filly beat all the big boys, but my guess is she will not run the Belmont, it is too soon and too long a race. As you saw, at a mile and 1/2 she would have lost. I did have the trifecta, which was nice, $200.00 for a 2.00 bet, but I boxed it so it cost me more than 2.00. I was impressed with Mine That Bird's stretch run. Maybe next year, they can run the Preakness on mother's day...

carol said...

WM and Kazie - thanks so much for the help in the lasagna recipe quest..red wine sound good..1/2 cup in the meat sauce, 1 cup in me --Yes!!! I always put my onions in with the meat along with the garlic. From now on I will use my own spaghetti sauce in the recipe - it was always good.

Jeanne - I am so sorry for your loss! It is so tragic when young life is lost.

JD - Your grandson is soooo cute!

WM said...

Carol...always welcome.

JD...Truman is a cutie pie...but you already knew that.

Jeanne...so sorry about your loss...It was good that you had your darling grandson to help balance the hurt...I'm glad that we all decided to post cute baby faces...they do have a way of making the dark clouds disappear.

Dot...you will have to keep us updated on the garden project...that is very intriguing. We just expanded our raised beds and now have about 3 x the space...I just have to finish filling it up.

CA...yep...she definitely is a charmer. I just adore your photo and keep thinking you should try it as a pastel...that hat just makes the whole thing special.

I think that is #5...and I am so glad the filly raced safely...

g8rmomx2 said...

c.c. and all:

Thanks again to all for the congrats and those I missed; i.e., JD. The weekend was wonderful, great meals, wonderful ceremony, and lots of laughs. It is hard to believe that these years are finally over and my daughter is now a full-fledged MD. I am sooooooo proud of her accomplishments and her wonderful future. Thanks again to all of you!