google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday May 24, 2009 Kevin Donovan

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May 24, 2009

Sunday May 24, 2009 Kevin Donovan

Theme: Keep an Eye Out

24A: Betting a buck on Vegas?: STAKING ONE'S CLA(I)M

47A: Wheat farm operator?: BRA(I)N SURGEON

67A: Very old races?: ANCIENT RU(I)NS

83A: Notes from Charlie?: CHA(I)N LETTERS

106A: Think nostalgically about one's long-haired days?: REMEMBER THE MA(I)NE

3D: Hollywood exodus?: FLIGHT OF STA(I)RS

57D: Kudos after a great meal?: HAIL TO THE CH(I)EF

The theme title reminds me of "It's Not the Same Without You" puzzle Elissa mentioned two days ago. All of the letter U's were removed from the puzzle. There are still 4 I's left in the above theme answers.

I like REMEMBER THE MANE the best, as I often do think nostalgically about my long-haired days. Took me some time to figure out that Charlie in "Notes from Charlie" refers to Charlie Chan. Ah me!

Still a challenging puzzle for me. Got fooled by several tricky clues. But I had fun filling, erasing and filling again. Kevin Donovan is another regular contributor to Stan Newman's Newsday puzzle.

Across:

1A: Winchester, e.g.: RIFLE. Stumped immediately. Have never heard of Winchester RIFLES.

12A: Cultural Revolution leader: MAO. Cultural Revolution lasted 10 years (1966-1976).

18A: One with a big weight on his shoulders: ATLAS. The Titan with heavens on his shoulders.

19A: Angola neighbor: NAMIBIA. Here is the map. Angola is to its north. Strange capital name, Windhoek. Dictionary shows that W is pronounced as V.

21A: Dada Daddy?: ARP (Jean/Hans). Nice clue.

22A: Polished off: ATE

23A: Makes less dense: THINS

27A: Caught off base: TAGGED. Baseball.

29A: Form 1040 calc.: AGI (Adjusted Gross Income). I know nothing about income tax. My husband only asks me to sign those papers.

30A: Libreville is its capital: GABON. Easy guess.

31A: Puppy's protest: YELP. Alliteration.

32A: Its a pain: ACHE. So simple.

33A: Dwell constantly (on): OBSESS

37A: Fortitude: GRIT

43A: Paquin and Pavlova: ANNAS. Alliteration again.

44A: Hole in the wall: OUTLET

50A: Easygoing sorts: SOFTIES

52A: Brewer's need: YEAST. Baker's need too.

54A: Put on the rolls: LISTED

55A: Friend needing feeding: PET. No PET in our house.

56A: In the know: HIP

60A: Change: ALTER

64A: Occurred (to): CAME

66A: Makeup artist?: LIAR. Nailed it immediately.

73A: Hawk's weapon: TALON

74A: Peel's title: MRS. Emma Peel.

75A: Site of Floresta da Tijuca, one of the world's largest urban forests: RIO. Floresta da Tijuca is new to me.

76A: "2001" computer: HAL

77A: Tell: TATTLE

78A: Egyptian port: SUEZ. Near the south end of SUEZ Canal.

79A: Runaway bus film: SPEED. Starring Sandra Bullock & Keanu Reeves.

82A: Lunch and study hall: PERIODS. What is study hall PERIOD?

86A: Tight undergarment: CORSET. She has a perfect body!

87A: Patient record: CHART. And RECORD (72A: "Made to be broken" thing).

88A: Needle: HYPO. We just had NEEDLE clued as "Hypo" several days ago.

90A: Store door nos.: HRS. Thought of Dennis and his hobby stores.

93A: Thing intentionally dropped: HINT

94A: Lode load: ORE. Neat clue.

96A: Nearly boils: SCALDS

98A: Beetle's warning: BEEP. The car.

99A: Ga. Tech grad.: ENGR

100A: Sets limits on, with "in": REINS

103A: John __ Lennon: ONO. I like this new ONO clue.

104A: Cochise was one: APACHE. I forgot who Cochise was. Do know Geronimo though.

110A: Lacking color: ASHEN

113A: More modest: HUMBLER

114A: Traction aid: TREAD

115A: Oscar winner Kingsley: BEN. He won Oscar for "Gandhi". Great movie.

117A: Struggle: TUSSLE

118A: Dagger handles: HAFTS

Down:

1D: Caning material: RATTAN. Thought of Bangkok immediately. So hot there.

2D: Cornell University site: ITHACA

4D: "Cape Fear" actress: LANGE (Jessica). No idea. This poster looks scary.

5D: Latin being: ESSE

6D: Banana pair: ENS. Two N's in Banana.

7D: Information to process: DATA SET. Only knew DATA.

8D: Photographs, e.g.: IMAGES

9D: South Pacific idols: TIKIS. Are TIKIS all made of wood?

10D: Shikoku sash: OBI. Another alliteration.

11D: Criminal group: RING

14D: Covert __: spy doings: OPS. Got it from Across fills. I am used to the "Photo OPS" clue.

15D: Amalfi Coast city: SALERNO. See this map. It's foreign to me.

16D: Like 15-Down: ITALIAN

17D: Entices: TEMPTS

20D: Turkish title: AGA

26D: Trumpeter youngster: CYGNET. Someone mentioned trumpeter swan on the blog months ago.

28D: Dressed to kill, with "up": DOLLED

34D: Tournament exemptions: BYES. Tennis?

35D: 1986 #1 song by Starship: SARA. Stumped, though the tunes sounds very familiar.

41D: Used to be: WAS

45D: Unqualified: UTTER. Can you give me an example of how they are interchangeable?

46D: Theater section: TIER. Penned in LOGE first.

47D: Improved: BETTER. I was trying to think of another verb.

48D: Start of a damsel's distressed demand: UNHAND. UNHAND me? Nice alliteration.

49D: 5/7/1945 German surrender site: REIMS. Here is the map. It's in NE France.

50D: Race with gates: SLALOM. I was thinking of horse racing.

51D: Less sincere: OILIER

52D: Mysterious Asian giant: YETI

55D: Weight training targets, briefly: PECS

58D: "Dover Beach" poet: ARNOLD (Matthew). Unknown to me. I've never heard of the poem either.

59D: Public ones can be embarrassing: SCENES

61D: Real bore: SNOOZE. Why?

62D: St. Paul- to -Sault St. Marie dir.: ENE. Got it from Across fills.

63D: Implants firmly: ETCHES. Wanted EMBEDS.

64D: Temple feature?: CURL. I was trapped. Did not think of Shirley Temple.

67D: The Little Mermaid: ARIEL

68D: Line on a map: ROAD

69D: "Sonatine Bureaucratique" composer: SATIE (Erik). Obtained the answer from Across fills again.

71D: Main force: BRUNT

73D: Sea dogs: TARS. Both are slang for sailors.

77D: Saintly mother: TERESA. Mother TERESA.

78D: Onetime friend of Camus: SARTRE. A rare gimme for me. They were indeed friend once.

79D: Place with many grunts: STY. Pigs. I was thinking of soldiers.

80D: Energy: PEP

82D: Atlantic, to Brits: POND. The POND.

83D: Lantern type: CHINESE. Have you seen Gong Li's "Rise the Red Lantern"? A very influential Chinese movie in the 1990s. Gong Li is my favorite actress.

84D: Word-guessing game: HANGMAN. No idea. Does not sound like a good game title.

85D: "... all snug in __ beds": THEIR. From "The Night Before Christmas".

86D: Potter of "M*A*S*H" for one: COLONEL. Not familiar with this character.

87D: Winged child: CHERUB

89D: Channels you can't surf: CANALS. Excellent clue.

91D: Warm up, in a way: REHEAT

92D: Lays out: SPENDS. New meaning of "lay out" to me.

94D: Go around in circles?: ORBIT. Great clue.

95D: Gets out of the water, with "in": REELS. Fish.

97D: Tangle removers: COMB. Hair tangle.

98D: City of southeastern Iraq: BASRA

101D: Extreme degree: NTH

102D: Put a lid on: SHUT. Reminded me of the "Shh!" puzzle earlier this month.

105D: It may be beaten: PATH. Filled in immediately.

107D: It precedes juin: MAI. French for May.

108D: Outback runner: EMU

Answer grid.

C.C.

38 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

For the most part, this was pretty easy for me today. I "finished" in just over 15 minutes, but it took me another minute to find my one mistake (I had ITHICA instead of ITHACA). The theme was obvious to figure out, and that let me get many of the theme answers early on without needing to rely on the perps.

A few unknowns today, including AGI, ARNOLD and, well, that might be it. I've heard of SALERNO and GABON before, although the clues didn't help me at all today.

I wasn't thrilled with ETCHES clued as "Implants firmly" for the reason stated by C. C. Nothing is "implanted" when you etch something, unless you're talking about metaphorically (an idea etched into your brain, for example). I, too, wanted EMBED.

As for UTTER, that threw me for a loop even after I got it. It wasn't until I got here and saw C. C.'s question that the light finally dawned. "Unqualified" in this sense doesn't mean incapable. It means a statement without any qualifiers and is synonymous with "absolute." So, for example, when you say something is UTTER nonsense, you mean it is absolute (or unqualified) nonsense.

Does that make sense?

Argyle said...

Hi C.C. and Barry, (and anybody else that posts before I get done typing),

Dictionary.com agrees that utter is unqualified.

My hang-up and last fill, was 64D: Temple feature?. My first thought was a religious structure: bell or gong, maybe. After filling in _URL, I thought, "Aha! Brow, and brows have furls."

My brow was furled when I didn't get the Tada. Then I realized CAME work for the perp: 64A: Occurred (to). CURL? D'oh! Shirley Temple!

Dick said...

Good morning C.C. and all,...a really great puzzle for me today. The difficulty level was there, but the puzzle was very doable with a little effort. Not a speed race for me but was able to complete before breakfast.

Like Barry G I had Ithica in lieu of Ithaca which gave me "Tigged" for 27A. This little snag resolved itself quickly when I read the clue for 27A.

There were so many clues that I really liked and they are almost too many to mention. Barry and Argyle have listed some of them above.

A beautiful day shaping up here so I will be outside most of the day.

Great hockey game last night. Go Pens!!

Hope you all have a great Sunday.

Jeanne said...

Morning all,
Thank you Barry for a great explanation of utter. Stared at that one for a long time--but all the letters fit, so I stayed with it. Really like the theme which helped with the fills. Had trouble with 47A because I wanted gran rather than bran. Had to work the down clues to come up with bran surgeon. All in all not a bad Sunday puzzle; I think it was easier than most Sundays.

I haven’t read the blogs for Thurs., Fri, or Sat. Had to do the crosswords online since we were in New Jersey again taking care of a ill grandbaby--double ear infection--ouch! Thank goodness he is on the mend. I enjoyed the Thurs. and Fri. puzzle but Saturday’s puzzle was a no go. Actually gave up on it. I know all of you are Barry Silk fans, but I won’t be joining his fan club anytime soon. Just cannot get the flow of his clues. I usually don’t look at the name of the constructor so I don’t get a preconceived notion of the puzzle. Just knew I didn’t like Saturday’s puzzle.

By the way, Dennis, are all NJ drivers insane? We stay with my son near Clifton-often drive over to Jersey City to visit my nephew and then the drive home either on Garden State Parkway or NJ turnpike. No matter where we go, we go anticipating being cut off or something equally annoying. Aggressive is a mild adjective for Jersey drivers. Do you get used to it or do you live in a tamer area?

Have a good day all, and an enjoyable holiday weekend.

KittyB said...

Good morning, all!

This was an enjoyable puzzle. As Dick said, it was very doable with a little effort.

I got side tracked on 50D 'Races with gates.' I couldn't get horse racing out of my head, so I needed help with SLALOM, but the rest of the puzzle was fairly easy.

Luckily, RIEMS came from the fills, because I couldn't remember where the Germans had surrendered. Most of GABON came from the perps.

I filled in BRANSURGEON easily, but the penny just dropped on the clue as I looked over the puzzle. DOH! 'Operator?'

It took me a little while to get away from the idea of food, to get PATH for 'It may be beaten.' I think it's time to get breakfast underway!

Jeanne, I hope your grandson feels better soon. It's hard to have a baby in pain, but I'm sure that you soothe him with your presence.

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!

Barry G. said...

Oh, yeah -- RIEMS was the other unknown for me today. I knew there was one more but just couldn't find it in the grid. When I do puzzles on paper I usually circle the clues that cause me grief so I can refer to them later, but it's hard to do that when solving online...

kazie said...

Good morning all!
Well, I certainly wasn't anywhere near as fast as Barry G. today, but got through it with only minor red help online. I feel that doing it online slows me down because I can't type without looking at the keys, and then have to keep refocusing to see the clues and move on. But we don't get LAT Sunday in our paper, so I'm stuck with it. It also means I don't see all the clues becaus if I'm concentrating on A's, I don't bother to look at the D's once they're done.

That said, I liked the theme and got it the first time one of them came out. All in all a fairly easy Sunday.

c.c.,
Small tikis in New Zealand are often made of "greenstone", a local jade I think I linked here once before. But lots of pendants for tourists are just green plastic.

windhover said...

CC:
Although I have most likely seen fewer movies over the last 20 years than anyone on here, I did the Red Lantern film. That was quite some time ago, so I don't remember a great deal about it. Also, ( and I hope I have his name right) about ten years ago I saw the epic Japanese war film by Tokagawa. It had a very graphic, huge battlefield scene where both horses and men were shown writhing in the throes of agony and death, in slow motion. Some people in the theater booed. It seems to me that Oriental films in particular and " foreign" films in general rely to a much greater extent on symbolism. I have an opinion (bet you'd never suspect that) about what that says about American film audiences and American culture in general, but will for once exercise some restraint and discretion.

A funny story for the holiday:

The other day I took an electric fence energizer to be repaired at a small shop. When I wrote a check for the repair, the gentleman's first name was ( I swear) Anon, pronounced with the accent on the first letter and as in "tomato". He was a very nice guy, so I didn't say what I was thinking, which was, "yeah, you jerk, I've been reading your posts on the Crossword Corner."

Argyle said...

Ahh...windhover, is that tomato or tomato?

Theme music: "I Only Have Eyes for You" by the Flamingos.(Ignore the Bichon; he's lip-syncing.)

Shirley Temple pic because she is so darn cute.

Lemonade714 said...

Shirley Temple was the cutest of them all, and grew up to be an ambassador for this country. She also was not universally admired, DALI for one, felt her movies were exploitive of the child. DALI would also I am sure see JonBenet Ramsey as the logical, sad extension of the Shirley Temple movies.

The puzzle had some fun clues, I was surprised having just mentioned Charlie CHAN in reference to "number one son" that he appeared so soon in a clue.

Busy, rainy day, enjoy all.

Al said...

Well, I just don't see how the speed solvers can get down to the 2 minute range. I finished on paper first in (mumble) minutes, and then went online just to see how long it would take to type it in. It still took me 4:18.

Took me the longet time to get started in the left middle block until the light dawned on makeup artist being liar. Clever clue.

Study hall is a period in the sense of the order of class shifts in a day. I had first period algebra, then ran to make it to second period English two floors up, then third period Chemistry, and fourth period study hall, etc.

Byes can be in just about any tournament where there are an uneven number of entries. Basketball, bowling, etc. Someone has to sit out one of the matches because they have no opponent.

A lecture where you fall asleep due to boredom is a real snooze. Second period English, for example.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, Aren't the themes wonderfully easy to see....when they are printed out right at the beginning?

The top third of the puzzle was not a problem. I came to a screeching halt with UTTER. Merriam-Webster defines it as "carried to the utmost point or highest degree". Synonyms are "absolute" and "total", as in UTTER darkness or UTTER strangers. I've used UTTERly (adverb), as in "That's utterly wonderful?. If NTH weren't already an answer for 101D, it would have been a good clue for UTTER, instead of "Unqualified".

Just to show how old I am, I originally had GIRDLE for 86A. I don't know any woman who wears a girdle anymore...thank goodness!!

Windhover, If we are thinking of the same movie, it was Raise The Red Lantern, which was about the restricted and unhappy lives of the wives of a wealthy Chinese man in the 1920's. Usually GAH doesn't like subtitled movies, but that one got to him right off the bat. So if you stay away from foreign language movies, this one has GAH's thumbs up seal of approval.

Clear Ayes said...

As Emily Litella, the character created by Gilda Radnor on SNL, used to say, "Oh, that's very different. Never mind." I just went back and reread Barry's explanation of UTTER. My only excuse is that I hadn't had my second cup of coffee yet. So we are all agreed that unqualified means absolute...such a tricky clue!

Here's a little bit of wonderful Gilda as Emily Litella. She never failed to make me laugh.

WM said...

Good Morning! Foggy and cool...just lovely. Another painting day.

I am so glad that we can print these puzzles as we get the week old NYT Sunday one...which I will tackle later. I would rather have it in hard copy so I can bounce around easier. I am definitely a hands on person.

Enjoyed this puzzle quite a bit and got the theme with 24A. None of the answers was actually difficult or unknown, so I must be remembering things better from past puzzles. I loved HAIL TO THE CHEF! Just slow and steady progress and much easier than Saturday's.

C.C. We live about 20 min drive away from the Winchester Mystery House and so grew up with the legend of Mrs. Winchester, wife of the rifle maker. She was told by a psychic that as long as she kept building on her house that she wouldn't die...of course it didn't work, but the house is a maze of rooms with stairways that go nowhere and windows that look out on nothing. It is quite fun to go through it on Halloween night when they hand you a flashlight and you go through in the dark...very disorienting if you don't keep up.

Finished a painting yesterday and going to start a new one...feeling much more relaxed.

Jeanne...hope your little cutie pie is much better ASAP...ear infections are difficult for them to say the least.

BarryG...we miss you. So good that you can pop in once in while because I think I used to channel your posts...LOL. I miss that I could just say..."what BarryG said".

WH...Admire your "restraint" or should that be restrant? I also think that a lot Foreign made comedies are so much funnier...the Brits and the French do terrific ones.

Happy 3-day weekend...

Clear Ayes said...

It is Memorial Day Weekend. We'll have big auto races, barbeques, and first day at the beach. I'll be going to sing with our chorus and a big potluck dinner afterward.

Let's not forget to take a moment and think about the reason for the holiday.

This poem was written by Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, on May 13, 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres, Belgium, in WW1. He had witnessed the death of 22 year old Lieutenant Alexis Helmer the day before. Almost 100 years have passed, but the emotions that come from losing a young promising life never change.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

embien said...

21:53 today. Done in two sittings (before and after breakfast--a nice crab and shrimp louis salad), which probably accounts for a lot of the time.

Oh my, I did struggle with UTTER and CURL. Writing in RAFFIA instead of RATTAN (caning material) and GYM instead of STY (place with many grunts) didn't help, either. Other than those missteps (and not being able to dredge up REIMS from the depths of my memory, despite knowing the answer full-well), the puzzle was a hoot. I LOLed at HAIL TO THE CHEF (thinking of Xchefwalt) and REMEMBER THE MANE (thinking of my own past when I was a long-haired hippie--days and hair that are long gone, I'm afraid, though remembered with some nostalgia.)

WM said...

CA...as always, thank you for the poem...I actually knew that one. It is good to remember although, sadly, it is often on a daily basis...but a remembrance of things past is always good. My grandfather fought in Europe in WWI(he was born here but grew up in Germany...then came back here, then went over there), My Dad was in the Marines on Guam in WWII, My uncle was a fighter pilot in the Korean, then Vietnam war...I keep wondering if we, as a country, will ever stop doing this.

Embien...I put in GYM first too LOL, now I feel better. I thought it was the obvious, and more clever answer. When I stop trying to out think myself I might do better.

Anonymous said...

Greetings everyone. ClearAyes, I so appreciate your poem recognizing what this "holiday" is supposed to be about. This morning our minister's first sentence was, "Monday is Memorial Day, another of our movable feasts established on Monday for the convenience of retailers and vacationers." So true! So I hope tomorrow at three we all stop to remember all the soldiers who have died in all our wars since the War for Independence.
End of mini-sermon.
I did, after all, attempt today's puzzle, and did pretty well. It wasn't as difficult as I feared. Didn't get any of the midwest. But the rest was mostly doable.
Have a good Memorial Day – Decoration Day.

JD said...

Good afternoon to all,

This was a fun one for me today. When I figured out BRAN SURGEON, I had to stop, laugh, and say "Yea for me!"I filled in all, but beep and tread, which kept me from answering 2 of the easiest: reheat and spends.It took me way too long to figure out tattle. DOH! "In the know" also had me guessing. I had ESP, then VIP. Neat is not far out to me.I only had to G 3X's: didn't know what tribe Cochise represented, hadn't heard of Camus, or the poem "Dover Beach."

Rifle was a gimme for those of us who live in/near San Jose. We are familiar with Sarah Winchester's very odd 180 room Victorian mansion .She was the crazy wife of William, who was the son of Oliver, the maker of the Henry Rifle, "the rifle that won the west."

Atlas reminded me of the novel Atlas Shrugged which I enjoyed in college when I wasn't an avid reader.

Back later... weeding and planting today

KittyB said...

JD, I had planned to plant and weed this afternoon, but things were shifted around a bit. It will have to wait until very early tomorrow morning. I loved 'Atlas Shrugged." It's about time to make time to re-read it.

Clear Ayes, thanks for the poem. As always, it touched my heart strings.

Sallie I second your pastor's words! I hate that we teach the kids that it's all about getting more and more time off, rather than celebrating the memory of of those who have given their lives in the name of freedom.

WM, I almost have my quilt studio set up. I'd like to start a new quilt, but I have a dozen unfinished projects I'd beter attend to. I envy you getting to paint!

kazie, I no longer worry about how long it takes me to do the crosswords. I know I will never be as quick as Dennis and Barry G. Like Al, just the typing of the words takes me longer, let alone trying to figure out the answers!

Argyle, you wild man! I want to see the version where the Bichon has a back up group doing the "Shoo-bops!" *G*

My new avatar is my niece who will graduate from high school next Saturday. I need to find a picture of her with her hair loose. She has the most amazing mane of naturally curly hair you've ever seen.

SandbridgeKaren said...

Doable puzzle but it took time - I had to do it in a couple of sittings due to obligations. Didn't immediately grasp the theme but when I did things made more sense and it went faster. For some reason I went right to Curl for Temple feature and I agree with BarryG et al on the ETCHES answer.

Jeanne - I also hope your grandbaby gets better soon - it's so hard to see those wee ones in such pain. And I firmly believe a qualification to live in New Jersey is the ability to drive insanely or else they send you to PA.

Windhover - LOL at the anon story - how funny!!!

ClearAyes - I really appreciated rehearing that poem. My church is comprised of a lot of military folks and we do a prelude of all the service hymns and invite veterans and active duty personnel to stand as their hymn is being sung. Brings tears to my eyes. Living in an area with tons of military bases has us always appreciating those who serve and those who gave their all.

CC - am amazed by no comments on the corset link - guess the guys are still drooling.

melissa bee said...

happy memorial weekend c.c. and all,

so quiet here, looks like everyone's out enjoying the fantastic weather. puzzle was enjoyable, most of my comments have already been made. i was fooled by the 'beetle's warning' clue, missed the car thing until i saw c.c.'s writeup.

c.c. if you're asking what is study hall, it is a period used for quiet study or homework - usually an elective.

have taken the winchester mystery house tour several times, drive by it almost every day. sarah winchester believed that the spirits of all the people killed by winchester rifles were seeking revenge on her - the oddities in the house were to fool the spirits.

i met a descendant of cochise's, grandson or something, who was 100 years old at the time. my dad used to be a pilot for the now-defunct cochise airlines.

off to enjoy the rest of the day ..

Jeanne said...

Just heard from my son and the baby is fever free in the first time in a week. Thanks for all the well wishes.

Study halls brought back some bad memories for me having taught in a large inner city high school. How about a study hall with 300-400 students, two teachers, and if you are lucky one teacher's aide. Setting up seating charts, taking attendance, and signing out students to library, lav or other classrooms was a major undertaking. Then keeping the remaining students quiet and on task was always a joy. Sometimes I miss the teaching part but never proctoring a study hall.

@SKaren, LOL at PA drivers. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. We are in the process of opening the pool, one of my least favorite chores but love the end result. Looking forward to those margaritas by the pool.

kazie said...

As a teacher, my observation of study halls was a time the kids worked hard at getting out of doing any study or homework, preferring to use it for socializing.

CA,
Thanks for "In Flanders Fields". Aussies were involved in the Boer and Crimean wars, I had uncles who fought in WWI, my father, father-in-law and other uncles in WWII, friends in Vietnam, a friend of my kids in Iraq. War still makes no sense to me, and never will. But for us to stop, everyone else needs to as well. Until the whole world is educated to this end, wars will never end.

Anonymous said...

C.C.,

Sorry, but her bust is too big
and her hips are too narrow(the corset link).

WM said...

Luxor...picky, picky, picky...LOL

Anonymous said...

A few things new to me: spends for lays out; hafts for dagger handles; oilier for less sincere and ono for John__Lennon. Is Yoko Ono chinese?

And, C.C. - I think Gong Li has a perfect body. She certainly looks pretty good to me.

Anonymous said...

WM, LOL
If she were here.........

JD said...

Clear Ayes, thanks for posting the poem, one of my favorites.

Melissa Bee, I enjoyed seeing the link to the Winchester Mys. House; it's such a strange place.It's one of those places you never visit until someone comes to visit.

Barry, such a greta explanation of utter. Now it makes sense.

CC, never thought of Shirley Temple either.

Jeanne, so glad the ear infections are gone. I don't think the doctors put tubes in problem ears like they did when our kids were babies.My youngest had them inserted twice.All of us probably had our tonsils out.

Jazzbumpa said...

As requested, a comment on the corset link.

She has a perfect looking body because she's . . . uh -- wearing a corset!?!

Cheers and happy holiday, everyone.

Clear Ayes said...

I guess I should have had my second cup of coffee before I posted aanything. Besides Barry G. UTTER explanation, I also missed C.C.'s link to Raise The Red Lantern.

But that was then, and now it is time for a glass of wine. How the day did fly! Our concert went very well. We don't regroup until the end of August. I will miss it.

Jeanne, so glad to hear that your grandson is finally on the mend.

Have a nice evening everyone.

kazie said...

Luxor,
Yoko Ono is Japanese. John took the name ONO in April 1969, after their marriage in March of that year.

Jeanne,
Great news about your grandson, I hope he continues to improve.

windhover said...

To all:
I also enjoyed Atlas Shrugged in college; when I reread it 25 years later as a full-grown man, I realized what total bullshit it was and is. It's worth pointing out that one of Ayn Rand's acolytes (when he too, was a young man, was none other than the architect of our present economic crisis, Alan Greenspan. The philosophy that spawned both of them, Positivism, has been pretty thoroughly discredited by the events of the past 29+ years. But the book and its theories continue to appeal to immature minds and neocons. (Excuse the redundancy).

To C.C.:
Since no one is likely to see this tonight, would it be possible to move it to Monday's posts? You may censor that word if you choose.

WM said...

It is interesting how we each have a different story about the Winchester Mystery House...and all of it is true. Even though it is hokey...its actually very interesting and we got behind because we were looking at moulding details with our flashlights...very scary trying to find everyone again! Still...we never saw any ghosts!

KittyB...so glad you are stting up a studio space for your quilts...trust me, it really helps to have a specific space to work...helps keep you focused.

CA...hope you had a good turnout on this lovely afternoon for your final concert...now you can work on a pastel of your lovely granddaughter.

WM said...

Gosh Darn WH...why do you insist on typing when I am...Terrific post and insight...was never a fan of Ayn Rand...hope the post gets moved...but remember, us left coasters are still alive and kickin' when you are tucked up nighty night...so we continue to gather information...

I think this is #4 so if I post again again it better be worthwhile.

Al said...

I'm gonna go with "Ball Calls" for the Monday theme name. Or maybe "Umpire's Choice" or even "Opposites Attract" because of the order in which the clues appear. Can't think of a way to combine all those into just one pithy phrase.

I think someone has been watching the Avengers too much lately...

I don't know how else you would abbreviate turnpikes (are they always toll roads?), but TPKS just appears really odd to me. Didn't need any G-help, but other unknowns needing the perps where LUCE, PATOIS, ISI, SABU, TSA, BOZ, ESPYS. I've never heard of a raccoon being called a CAT, and I always have to wait for fills to decide between HOAR vs. RIME, and SIGHT vs. SCOPE.

Nothing really tricky or amusing, but I kind of liked it because all the unknowns were doable via fills, and so I learned a few things. Now all I need to do is to remember them next time...

Anonymous said...

45(D) as in an utter disgrace, unqualified.

Anonymous said...

The word game Hangman - a family standard in BC and ONtario for several generations - easy to play, minimum supplies ( scrap of paper & pen/cil) and words can be chosen for any age or level of ability! DebbieOne