google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday May 28, 2009 Tom Heilman

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May 28, 2009

Thursday May 28, 2009 Tom Heilman

Theme: HYPOCRITE (62A: Insincere type suggested by the starts of the answers to starred clues)

17A: *Hack's output: POTBOILER

21A: *Canceling: CALLING OFF

26A: *Idealized family: THE JONESES

48A: *Pitched percussion instrument: KETTLE DRUM

56A: *Sorcery: BLACK MAGIC

In Chinese, we have an idiom similar to POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK: Crow laughing at the pig for being black.

I always thought THE JONESES simply means your neighbor, not necessarily an "idealized family". I got the defining entry HYPOCRITE first, then worked my way up, thinking the starts of the starred theme clues might synonyms to HYPOCRITE. Quite an inventive theme approach.

Besides KETTLE DRUM, there are several other music/musician/musical instrument related fills:

1A: Item of concern in a sound check: AMP

1D: "Spanish Flea" trumpeter: ALPERT (Herb). The guy in the middle?

15D: Schubert's "The __ King": ERL. Completely unknown to me. Here is a short plot summary.

18D: Instruments for Earl Scruggs: BANJOS

I don't think question mark is needed for NITRO (19A: TNT component?). The ? made me think of DRAMA, you know, TNT's "We know drama".

Across:

4A: Height: Pref.: ACRO. As in acrophobia. It appeared in our puzzle before, but I forgot. Wanted ALTI or ELEV, which are actually "Height: Abbr.".

8A: Part of a diploma accolade: MAGNA. MAGNA cum laude.

13A: John, to Ringo: LOO. John is slang for bathroom. Can't fool me.

20A: Film feline: ELSA. From "Born Free".

23A: Umbrella alternative: RAIN HAT

25A: Summer blowers: FANS

29A: Baseball feature: SEAMS. See this official Major League Rawlings baseball, with the commissioner's signature. That's Bud Selig.

33A: Hammer, for one: TOOL. Thought of Tom DeLay, "The Hammer".

36A: Analyze in English class: PARSE

39A: Groan inducer: PUN

40A: Where alpaca roam: ANDES. Which one is alpaca? I don't know how it looks differently from a llama.

42A: Org. concerned with climate change: EPA

43A: "Dang": DARN. Don't like the clue.

45A: U.S. document issuer: GPO (Government Printing Office). I was stumped.

53A: Enthusiastic okay, in Seville: SI SI. Shi Shi in Chinese.

55A: The first requirement: RULE ONE. Not RULE NUMBER ONE?

60A: Arguing: AT IT. Stop Arguing/Bickering! Clue me.

61A: "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding" author: LOCKE (John). Easy guess. Have never heard of this essay.

64A: Sprain site: ANKLE. Ouch!

66A: Fascist leader?: NEO. Neo-fascist. Nice clue.

Down:

2D: Dough: MOOLAH. I used to confuse this word with mullah.

3D: "Happy Days" friend of Richie and Ralph: POTSIE. No idea. Thought of Fonzie, the guy who jumped the shark. Which one is POTSIE?

4D: __ Z: A TO

5D: Mexican-American: CHICANO. This is a new word to me.

6D: Empathize: RELATE

7D: Sports commentator Hershiser: OREL. Often clued as "Pitcher Hershiser".

8D: Heavenly fare: MANNA

9D: Associates (with): ALIGNS

10D: Deteriorate: GO TO SEED. New phrase to me.

11D: Ball used for dorm hoops: NERF

12D: Beginning: AS OF. I nailed almost all the multiple word answers today.

22D: "Granting that ...": IF SO. Can you give me an example on how these two are interchangeable?

27D: Slow the growth of: STUNT

28D: Very long interval: EON

30D: Live and breathe: ARE. Need your help again. I don't understand this cluing. The grammar is confusing.

31D: Woolf's "__ Dalloway": MRS. I learned this book from "The Hours".

34D: Collar extension: LAPEL

38D: Searches thoroughly: RANSACKS

39D: Season opener?: PRE. Preseason. A home-run clue. Nice!

41D: Loving refusal: NO DEAR. I like YES DEAR.

44D: Actor Tamiroff: AKIM. Hebrew for "God will establish". I can never remember his name.

45D: Important energy source for the brain: GLUCOSE. Thought of Fructose first. I figured my brain loves quick sugar from fruits.

47D: Amuse: TICKLE

49D: Shooter's aid: TRIPOD. And SKEET (54D: Shooter's sport). Nice pair.

51D: Merges: UNITES

52D: Earth threat in some sci-fi films: METEOR

56D: Tell: BLAB

59D: Pita sandwich: GYRO. Here is a GYRO sandwich with some ROTINI (50D: Spiral pasta) salad. What's your favorite pasta?

63D: These, in Troyes: CES. French for "these". I don't know where exactly Troyes is. It's picked just for alliteration purpose I suppose.

Answer grid.

C.C.

104 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and gang - certainly not a cakewalk today; slid all the way to the NE before I could get any traction. 'Magna' and 'manna finally got me started, then I was able to make headway with perp help. Had no idea of the theme until the very end; great theme, though. I enjoyed seeing 'at it' again, after our discussion the other day. Only real unknown was 'Locke', but the perps there were easy. And I thought 'John, to Ringo' was as clever a clue as I've seen; totally misleading. A most enjoyable puzzle.

Today is Amnesty International Day.

Today's Words of Wisdom: "The dominant thought of youth is the bigness of the world, of age its smallness."

More Fun Facts:

- The state of California raises the most turkeys in the United States.

- The largest pumpkin pie ever made weighed 2,020 pounds and was baked in Ohio in 2005.

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

Dennis,
I also like PRE ("Season opener?") and NEO (Fascist leader?"). Both new clues to me. Can you paraphrase the WW for me? Esp "of age its smallness".

Martin,
It's called zongzi. In northern China, we eat the sweet ones with dates inside. Cantonese like savored ones. Happy Dragon Boat Festival!

KQ,
Thanks for EENY and its racist connotation. Great news for both your son and daughter.

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

Treefrog,
Lovely cats.

Chickie,
As WM and Carol said, we love new voices/opinions. Welcome!

Lois,
Nice to see you back vertically. Missed your comments.

Doug P,
Thanks for the seed word information.

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

WM, JD and Warren,
I asked Rich Norris yesterday about the "New and Improved" change, below is his response:

"New and improved" is a misstatement. What Tribune has been telling customers, according to Mary Elson (the MD of TMS), is that "the puzzle is being fine-tuned slightly to respond to reader/editor comments. It's the same puzzle but with some enhancements to maximize reader appeal." In actuality, all this means is that I've agreed to ease up just a little bit on Thursday and Friday puzzles. The rest will stay the same. I agreed to this in a phone meeting with Mary a few weeks ago. We have about a five-week lead time, though, so the effects won't be noticeable--to the extent that they're noticeable at all--until mid-June."

Dennis said...

C.C., simply that the older you get, the smaller the world seems.

Off to breakfast with some 20+ other former Marines. Pity the restaurant...

Lemonade714 said...

Good morning:

The week goes quickly when it starts on Tuesday. The theme was really clever, an innovative way to present an old saw. Sadly, once again, I was finished by the time I saw the theme; I must remember to work from the bottom up, which I meant to do after Doug's comment yesterday.

"Keeping up with the Joneses" is another old saying, and where the clue came from. The idea is we all want to be the neighbors, who have the new car, the new pool etc.

This puzzle actually was quicker for me than Tuesday or Wednesday as my first thoughts were just all right for a change. I also did the downs first and that gave me so many letters, it seemed easier.

Lemonade714 said...

Oops, hit the send button too soon. I was going to comment that the ALPACA is the smaller one, as Llamas are used as pack animals. Anyway, with the Vicuna and the Camel, these are interesting animals.

The ERLKING is a really sad story, why do we think such thoughts?

My oldest son recently bought a BANJO and my youngest a GUITJO, and they watched Deliverance so I guess I know what I will be listening to. Actually, they listen to The Avett Brothers .

Bill said...

Yep, it's Thurasday!! But, DANG (DARN) it, this wasn't as bad as I thought it would be when I first looked at it. A little longer and a little more moving around the grid till they all flowed together. Didn't know AKIM and LOCKE, but they fell, so, I guess it's a great day.
Except for the liquid sunshine. Shouldn't complain. We need rain very badly. My son drew his well dry the other day while watering flowers. Fortunately it recovers very quickly, so, no harm done.
CY'all Later

Dick said...

Good morning C.C. and all,..strange puzzle, for me, today. The entire western half was made up of quick fills while I could not get started on the eastern half. I slipped and slid all over the east before I could get a toe hold. I finally got "Magna" and "Manna" which allowed that corner to fill. The last area to fall was the SE and for some reason "hypocrite" was the last solve.

I really liked some of the cluing such as "John to Ringo" and "live and breathe."

Hope you all have a great Thursday.

Go Pens!!

lois said...

Good morning CC et al., What a great puzzle! I'm elated that I got it done at all, on a Friday and alone and in 20 mins. Loved seeing 'banjos' and Earl Scruggs here. Reminds me of Steve Martin playing with ...I mean
'accompanying'... him. That's some fine pickin' and grinnin'.
Still don't get 17A Hack's output and pot boiler. Fav clue was 13A John to Ringo, Loo. Perps took care of that so didn't have to
'get it'. Laughed when I did though. Cute. Also laughed at 'rain hat' recalling our conversation about protective coverings for 'tool's some time ago. That's one area where keeping up with 'the joneses' might be better called a 'bone' of contention. They'd be 'calling off' that contest if I lived there. Keeping that score- "a-tit" for a-tat- takes on a whole new meaning. I'd put 'moolah' on the
'orel' aspect of that contest though - got tongue lashings
'honed' down to a fine science.

Enjoy your day.

tfrank said...

Good Morning All,

Nice challenge today. I found myself working from South to North and from West to East. I could not get a grip on acro and got sucked in by loo (again). BTW, C.C., your link for potsie is defective; once there, you can't get out! Best clue for me was idealized family.

I feel reassured by Rich Norris's comments about the puzzle. I would not want it much harder than today's and certainly, not much easier. I think the present balance between early and late week puzzles is about right.

Good news from South Texas. We have had three days of rain in the last ten days, totaling 1.5 inches, which is as much as we have had all year. The meteorologists are saying the El Nina condition may be easing.

C.C., I think the 30d clue is a quote from the Bible, which says somewhere that we live and breathe and have our being from the almighty God. In other words, we are because He is.

luxor said...

Lemonade,
Like your pic. Six beautiful people. The girl 3rd from the left resembles my daughter. Was it your wedding? Very nice indeed.

Argyle said...

Lois, feeling better? A hack, in this instance, is a writer that churns out cheap novels just for the money and pot boilers is a name for those books.


C.C. Clue me Azure breast?

SandbridgeKaren said...

Started out great - NW corner filled fine and then sagged in the middle. Worked all around - realized the theme and it fell into place. For 10D wanted it to start with Got instead of Go to - doh moment. Enjoyed Loo and some clever new cluing. Interesting after the discussion of 'At It' the other day, here it shows up again - similar to the Peel stuff we had running several days in a row. Quite liked this puzzle.

Okay Dennis - what did they do with that pumpkin pie?

Lois - you sound like your old self; missed your wit & humor.

KQ said...

Good day all,

Really liked this puzzle and wasn't too hard for a Thursday to figure out. For some reason I had PARASOL vs. RAINHAT and that goofed up that corner. Once I fixed that it was pretty smooth sailing. My favorite clue was LOO. Like you CC, didn't like DARN. I had DRAT at first, but that wasn't working.

CC - Potsie is the one on the far right, blue sweater. He was Ritchie's best friend, and kind of a screw up.

Good puzzle today. Must be one my way. Lots to do outside of the home.

Barb B said...

This was actually easier for me than yesterday’s puzzle. I wanted Al Hirt for Albert, don’t know why I thought of him first. CC, thinks for the clip. That was really fun. I wonder what happened just after the film stops.

What a clever theme. It may be my favorite of all time. As usual, I didn’t see it til the end.

I’ve missed posting this week. My ‘low maintenance perennial garden’ is requiring quite a bit of maintenance. The rain just won’t get on my schedule. It rains when I’m home, and stops when I’m at work. Sigh.

kazie said...

Hi all!

My first traction today was in the NE, then down to the bottom. I had the whole thing done except for aLPERt, aCRO (wanted alto), RELATE, PoTboILer, RaInhAT, and ChIcAno before giving up. Ringo's John fooled me completely. I got the theme, but missed the pot part. Potboiler is not in my vocab, but I have heard of it before. Googling wasn't helping, so I came here.

The Erlkönig poem was written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany's favorite Renaissance man. The link shows both the original German and an English translation. The poem is very moving, literally--you can feel the horses hoofbeats as you read it in the rhythm. The Erlking tries to lure the child all the way, and finally wins him over into death. Schubert later adapted it to music.

lois said...

Argyle: thank you. I never heard hack and pot boiler used that way before. Learn something new all the time here. I am feeling better, thank you, but realize that being vertical isn't all it's cracked up to be, so will be home tomorrow, if possible. Also some of your avatar would be quite helpful too, I think.

Dennis: did the restaurant have to call in reinforcements? I would've loved to have been a fly on that wall. Hope you had a good time.

SBKaren: Thank you. Did you, by chance, go to the Strawberry Festival?

Sam Warda said...

30D- Live and breathe is to exist(are)

Anonymous said...

C.C.
granting that - if so.
Granting that you probably looked it up in the dictionary, if so what did you find?
Calef

treefrog said...

Shock-I actually did well on today's puzzle. I got the theme right off. Would have gotten GLUCOSE and LAPEL much quicker if I hadn's spelled KETTLE with 3 t's. OOPS! Loved the John and Ringo clue. Totally missed ACRO.

Buckeye-your post yesterday gave me my chuckle this morning. Thanks.

Carol,WM,KittyB-Cats. Ya gotta love them. We haven't had an outside cat since 1990. The cats are trying to climb in the printer. I don't know what it is about that thing. Must be the noise. You should see her when I FAX. She can never figure out why no paper is coming out. Usually ends up sitting on top of the machine. To top it off, Violet is a packer. She will pick up anything and haul it around. I picked up 4 skeins of yarn this morning.

MelissaBee-No more Sambo's. We had one here and it disappeared in the late 70's. There was so much controversy over the name, changes were made, and then I think most of them just disappeared.

Enjoy all the posts. Even if I can't track all of what's going on. I have a Serger group today. Gotta' go get my stuff loaded up.

Have a great day all.

papajim said...

Good morning fellow puzzlers,posers, and pundits!! Been away for awhile, I fell running 2 months ago, hurt my ribs and foot. Ribs got okay but the foot still hurt.So feeling some family pressure I went to the doctor last Monday. I broke the joint that's midway in the outside part of the arch. Shattered is more like it. So, bye-bye summer,including golf,swimming,running, Corvette,whatta gonna do?.
SO- I real liked this puzzle, but I wanted Al Hirt for some dumb reason. Never saw the theme til I got here. I don't get the Sunday version you get, but those puzzles are good too.
See ya!!
Jim

Anonymous said...

What a clever theme! I caught on right away once I got “pot” and “calling.” My mom used to use that phrase all the time. I also liked seeing Herb Alpert in the puzzle. I got that answer right away having listened to Spanish Flea numerous times. My favorite clue like everyone else’s was “John to Ringo” – loo. I got it by the perps though. I kept thinking it was some nickname for John Lennon.

Thanks Argyle for the pot boiler/hack information. Learn something new every day here.

My favorite pasta is linguine w/clam sauce.

Dennis, I am picturing you 20+ Marines sipping mimosas, which is the case I am sure.

Linda said...

Morning all:
Had "fonzie" too and "dobros" for 18d...really caused problems until I came here...wanted "aliens' (should have known that was too simple) and that messed with the SE corner ...Until I came here, from now on known as UICH :) Got ankle, gyro, magna, aloes, nitro, stunt, peg, skeet, pun, eon, lone, peg, and of course ono. The rest I didn`t get UICH...not much time to ponder today..

Lois: I add my good wishes for you to remain well.

Jeannie; Glad to know you are still with us if only as an observer.

Argyle; Himmel! As always, it took you to get it (tigers) straight. Thanks.

At the risk of opening a can of worms, the Freon scare, the ozone layer scare, the rain forrest scare, all being legitimate concerns, I still see them as a probable plot to take away some of our national sovereignty. A one-world everything is the direction in which we are headed. There are laws before the world court, right now, to take away even more parental and individual rights. I don`t know that there is anything we can do about all this...except to pray, enjoy the time we have and to be ready, because it is all coming. The more power the Federal Government acquires...even though it seems so necessary..the easier it will be for the centralized government to give away what makes America great...individual liberties. I hope I`m wrong...but I`m afraid I`m right

"To be forewarned is to be forearmed."

kazie said...

I forgot to mention that although I used to love Herb Alpert's music, for some reason this morning I couldn't get out of my head that it was Chuck Mangioni and I wasn't even able to come up with his name until now.

carol said...

Hi and good morning all,
A very easy one for me - amazed me too!
I didn't have to look anything up, are we sure this is Thursday??

I started in the SE corner (this seems to work better for me but have no idea why). After getting GYRO, it was easy to get HYPOCRITE and it just flowed along after that.

I did want to put FONZIE in for 3D and thought of LATINO for 5D. I had NITRE in for 15A but all these things straightened themselves out.

Dennis, great WOW today. Enjoy your breakfast and I doubt the restaurant will have any food left for lunch!!

Lemonade, what is a GUITJO?

Had to laugh to see AT IT again! That, along with TICKLE, TOOL,UNITES and AROSE will get Lois going again :)

Lois, sounds like you are back to 'normal'- but it is Thursday, not Friday. I know how you love Friday's but you'll have to wait a little longer LOL.
I didn't understand POT BOILER either so thank you Argyle for the explanation!

Tarrajo - somehow I have trouble picturing Dennis with a Mimosa! A shot of good scotch yes, but since it is a breakfast, I doubt that too.

Linda said...

After thought: both NYT and LAT had "gyro" today.

Dennis said...

Lemonade, we have a couple alpaca farms near us; they're neat-looking animals, but damn, do they stink.

Dick, Pens in 5.

Lois, I can tell by your post that you're on the mend, even if you do have the day wrong. I had the same reaction to 'rain hat'. And I suspect you'd have been more than a fly on the wall.

Argyle, got me on the breast link. You'd think I'd learn...

SandbridgeKaren, I have no idea, but I wish I'd been in the area.

MelissaBee, treefrog, we had Sambos as well. I think they screwed themselves into the ground eventually trying to be PC.

Papajim, how long out of commission?

tarrajo, it was just orange juice until one of our number whipped out a flask of Mr. Goose. I'll no doubt have a pretty good headache in about an hour or so. I think we left just before we were asked to.
Of course, we were careful not to offend each other. BTW, Luxor, we even toasted you. I sincerely hope you're feeling better today.

Carol, we went to this restaurant because we were told they served large breakfasts. I tried the silver dollar pancakes today and my plate was a mound of 26 of them. I made it about halfway.

maria said...

vvv

Bill said...

Carol...
guitjo

KQ said...

Carol - I think Terrajo was being sarcastic about mimosas. Just a guess.

carol said...

Treefrog and Melissa bee, I remember the Little Black Sambo restaurants too. There was one on the coast (maybe Newport) anyway the changed the name to Lil' Sambo's and things were fine for a while but soon after that, they went out of business. I have a friend who is 17 years younger than I am and she recoils at the word Sambo...she says it is racist. I really never thought of it like that at all. I loved the story when I was a kid, and to me that is all it was, a fun story.

Papajim, you actually walked around with a broken (smashed) bone in your foot for 2 months????! Wow, I broke a small bone on the outside of my foot about 10 years ago, and I can still remember how it hurt. I was in a walking cast for 7 weeks. What is your 'sentence'? I know you will feel better now that is has been attended to.

Dennis, I thought the picture of the Alpaca's was so cute. Why do they stink? Is it their coats or breath? Geez, I do hope you weren't THAT close LOL. Do they spit like camels?

Dennis said...

KQ, we were gonna go with the mimosas, but we couldn't find any little umbrellas.

Carol, I think it's their coat that stinks; I didn't want to get close enough to find out the source. And yes, I think some of the females spit.

JIMBO said...

Hi C.C. and all,

Almost made another one.
Missed 10d (Go to seed). Got the top half but could not figure the lower part intersecting 29a (Seam). Was looking for something pertaining to the game--not the ball. Potsie (3d) was an unknown and still don't understand "Loo" 13A.

For a change, I got the theme fairly early and the rest finally materialized after much brain searching.

There was a "Sambos" in our town back in the 70's.
It was across the street from my place of business.
I had coffee there every morning with my friends.
It was replaced with a Pizza parlor and I've never seen one since.

Luxor,

Nice to see your recent comment.

Vaya con Dios

Anonymous said...

@Dennis, let me see if I got this straight. You got goosed and only made it halfway through that mound?

KittyB said...

Good morning, all.

I finished the puzzle, hunt and peck style. LOO was one of those Doh! moments. I tried to fit 'summa' into the slot for MAGNA
ACRO is not part of my vocabulary, and 'Fascist leader' was a good clue for NEO. I enjoyed today's puzzle.

Early tomorrow morning I will be taking my mother on a three-day road trip so that she can see her youngest granddaughter graduate from high school. There won't be a chance to do the puzzles for the rest of the week, so I'll catch up with you all on Monday.

Have a great weekend.

KQ said...

Jimbo - John to Ringo - LOO. A John is slang for toilet. Ringo is British. A slang term for toilet in Britain is LOO. There you have it.

Dennis said...

tarrajo, sometimes halfway's enough.

Jerome said...

Dennis- As a Californian I can assure you that you are correct about this state having a lot of turkeys. Unfortunately, most of them fatten up on the public dole in Sacramento.

Clever puzzle today. Nice work Tom. I believe that the HYPOCRITE CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK must be POTsie. No groaning, please.

GO TO SEED, NERF, CHICANO, NO DEAR, RULE ONE, BLAB, RANSACKS, TICKLE and MOOLAH... all good stuff.

Jazzbumpa said...

Der ErlKoenig is a poem by Goethe, that I remember the beginning of from German class, lo these many years ago. Didn't realize Schubert had set it to music.

Wer reitet so spaet durch nacht und Wind?
Es is der Fater mit seinem Kind.

The child is fevered, and hallucinates about the elf-King tempting him, and dies before the father can get him home. Pretty grim stuff.

On a brighter note, 60A is getting to be an old friend. Tempting, but I'm not going to touch it.
On the other hand, here is a cleavage update. But it is not for the faint-hearted. You have been warned.

Delay wasn't just a Hammer, he was a 33A.

For a change, I caught on the the theme early, and having those answers in place helped a lot.

I liks potsie crossing potboiler (the preparation of 50d?) and gyro/hypo. I recently learned on the food network that gyro meat is a dense lamb meatloaf with no non-meat fillers that is cooked on a spit. Hence "gyro" meaning "rotate."

I'm going to dissent on the "leader/opener" clues. I like cute and clever, but not cutsey and too-clever-by-half, and that is how these strike me. Also, its a way of sneaking in a word fragment, which really isn't quite fair.

19A should not have a question mark. TNT is trinitrotoluene, so when you 36A the word, you will find "NITRO" as a component part.

Ransack is improperly clued. While, "searches thoroughly" is part of one of the definitions, the operative part is "usually leaving behind a state of disarray." Careless.

One of my conceits: I 36A the puzzles this way because I love them, and want to help make them better.

No, wait - the conceit is that anyone gives a hoot. Oh, well . . .

In contrast, though, I did the blah commuter puzzle today. 32A! I am not one of its 25A. The only bright spot was having "tyrant" and "despot" as symmetrically placed answers. Otherwise, I have 41D feelings for it.

Cheers!

WM said...

Well, bummer...Jerome beat me to the CA turkey joke.

Actually printed and did the puzzle last night. Got it all done and got ALPERT right off, used to listen to his records all the time. If someone wants to take the time to look, there was a record cover with his lucious French wife Claudine Longet covered in whipped cream, which I think was the title of the album.

All in all a great puzzle with no real hang-ups, and yes, I also like the LOO answer...clever. what I didn't quite get filled itself in with perps.

C.C. Thank you so much for contacting Rich Norris...I feel much better, but I also doubt it will stop the complainers so we will just have to send positive feedback to the paper.

Have a friend from AZ stopping in today for lunch and a visit so will probably be absent for the rest of the day.

Lois...cheers

Papajim...so sorry you will miss summer fun...just take care.

Jimbo...you're doin' great!

New avatar of the kitties. Treefrog...one of my daughter's cats sleeps on top of the computer monitor and the other daughter's cat loves to lay accross her laptop...and at about 16lbs that's a lot of lap!

Cheers and a good day to all.

Jazzbumpa said...

Kazie -

I see now that you scooped me on the ErlKoenig -- by several hours, and with a link, too.

Pens fans - This is going to be a long, tough series. Wings showed they can win against a young, talented, hungry team with a red-hot goalie,* even with two big stars out of the line-up. Last night might have been the best hockey game EVAH. Winning goal in O/T by Darren Helm, who's name you probably don't recognize -- yet.

Pens superstars vs Wings depth and teamwork. If Lidstrom and Datsyuk are back and 100%, Wings in six. If not, all bets are off.

Cheers!
_____________________
* Huet's flat-on-his-face leg-kick save in the closing seconds of regulation was the best of his 44(!) highlight reel stuff - hope you've had a chance to see it.

WM said...

Jazz...please don't take this as a criticism, but could you please use the WORD and not the clue #'s. I think a lot of your cleverness is going to waste because I often don't have the puzzle handy when reading the posts...sorry, I'm just lazy...do like Lois or JD does and trade out words for numbers...very much appreciated.

kazie said...

Jazzbumpa,
See my link @ 8:57am. It pays to read the previous posts, or at least check the blue links!

Dennis,
I meant to ask after the weekend, how were the whole wheat pancakes if you made them?

Jimbo,
It was nice, the way you reached out to Luxor.

Papajim,
Good luck with the breakage. My ankle, broken 4 years ago, still swells and predicts weather, but otherwise no problems. It's worth taking the time to rest up and let it heal.

kazie said...

Jazzbumpa,
Oops! I should have checked again before finishing my post. Thanks for updating.

Jazzbumpa said...

WM -
Doing that has received mixed reviews. I do try (sometimes) to practice a little restraint. But, I am human, and therefore imperfect . . .

Kazie -
Back at ya' ;-)

Cheers!

Jazzbumpa said...

WM -

Little Claudine Longet
Sat eating her curds and whey.
Along came a Spider,
So she shot him.

WM said...

This is #3....

Jazz...C.C. said our first post could be any length and after that we should be brief and to the point, which aren't always...but, use your first post for that. Like I said...I'm just too lazy to look it all up, so maybe it's just me...thanks.

Now I need to go start prepping stuff for lunch...good day to you all.

embien said...

12:57 today. Nice, fun, theme and an enjoyable puzzle.

I must have been channeling @papajim because I, too, put in AL HIRT instead of ALPERT at first.

guitjo: The banjo has different tuning and number of strings than a guitar, so it is very hard for guitarists to play it. People (like Keith Urban) who want a "country" sound but only play guitar, play a guitjo instead. You can watch him play one in this video (note the neck is like a guitar, not a banjo): Love Somebody Like You@jazzbumpa: It's too hard to read your posts when you just put in the numbers instead of the words. I think c.c. mentioned this previously, as well. (Not being a policeman, I just want to read what you're saying.)

WM said...

#4

I, unfortunately am also too lazy to learn how to link...so...if you go to Google and type in Herb Alpert "Whipped Cream" you will get the album cover

Jazz...not quite the link I was thinking of...

Dennis said...

Ok, I have birth dates from the following: Dick, JimmyS, Elissa, WM, Doreen, Crockett, Kazie, TJ, Jeannie, Vern, Mainiac, BarryG, Dr.G, Tarrajo, SandbridgeKaren, C.C., Linda, ClearAyes, Lemonade, Bill, Valerie, Carol, PMT, Jimbo, Windhover, Maria, Tarmstro and Kristen. Anyone else want to add theirs?

embien said...

Didn't mean to pile on @jazzbumpa. Several others posted as I was composing mine. My apologies.

Oh, and here is Whipped Cream. Mouth-watering...

JD said...

Good morning CC and all,

The theme was so clever today; of course I didn't get it. Argyle, thanks for the explanation on pot boilers/hack. I was thinking boiler makers.

Forgot about manna. It would have helped me with nitro and magna, and then "go to seed" would have been complete. It's always just a little bit I don't get.

Loved loo too. :)

Loved Herb Alpert. Favorite was This Guy's in Love with You.Always thought it was soooo sexy.

There is ONE Sambo's restaurant left in Santa Barbara, CA. It was the 1st one built in 1957. This web site also has the story book to read.

http://www.sambosrestaurant.com/

Dennis, would have loved to have herd all the toasting/roasting going on.

JD said...

WM, wasn't Claudine Longet married to Andy Williams when she shot Spider? Was she married before that?

JD said...

CC, I forgot to tell you that your tit made me laugh, and laugh again I am. This is Warbler Wave Week , a celebration of the return of migrating thrushes, tanagers, orioles, warblers ( and maybe tits) to Deer Isle, Maine.

Also, we forgot to celebrate Golden Gate Bridge Day yesterday. It would have been a good day to walk across as the weather up there is cool. We are in the 8o's, and only an hour away.

JIMBO said...

KQ,

Thanks for the LOO explanation. I guess I haven't learned to Keep thinking "outside the box".

Dennis said...

JD, Claudine Longet was divorced from Andy Williams when she shot her then-boyfriend, Spider Sabich. I remember it very well, 'cause he was a ski hero of mine back then; I loved his style.

SandbridgeKaren said...

Dennis - ?sometimes halfways enough? - depending on size and length I guess. I pretty much go for all the way.

Lois - have never done the Strawberry Festival. No booze in the daq's.

Papajim - so sorry to hear of your running catastrophe - bummer way to start the summer. Just got over a stress fracture from running which is about 10% of what you did - I feel some of your pain.

Anonymous said...

C.C.,

The 'Happy Days, cast: from the left, in front : Fonzie, Ralph, Potsie. rear: Richie.
A very good tv show. Clean and wholesome. Richie(Ron Howard)played 'Opie" on the Andy Griffith show, aka Mayberry RFD, prior to Happy Days. He was a little boy then. Now he's an acclaimed movie director

Grammatically, live breathe and are can all be used as verbs.

Anonymous said...

C.C.,

The 'Happy Days, cast: from the left, in front : Fonzie, Ralph, Potsie. rear: Richie.
A very good tv show. Clean and wholesome. Richie(Ron Howard)played 'Opie" on the Andy Griffith show, aka Mayberry RFD, prior to Happy Days. He was a little boy then. Now he's an acclaimed movie director

Grammatically, live breathe and are can all be used as verbs.

luxor said...

the post at 2:59 was from me. I don't know why it said anonymous

luxor said...

I remember when Longet shot the skier. It was all over the news. Andy was by her side all the time to comfort her because he still liked her. I don't think the reason ever came out. No one believed it was an accident.

Anonymous said...

@Dennis, I am surprised your appetite is so easily satisfied.

melissa bee said...

afternoon, c.c. and all,

bought the san jose merc today since i had an unexpected break at work. as has been discussed the merc carries a different puzzle now. it was very easy .. not so much fun.

did the la times online, actually did it a couple minutes faster than yesterday. caught the theme after filling in POT and CALLING. clever. spanish flea brought back memories, it was heard alot in my parents' home.

@papajim: good to see you back. you're horizontal just as lois is going vertical.

@lois: might be worth a relapse.

@dennis: what was the occasion?

JD said...

Dennis, I see that Claudine was divorced from A. Williams in 75, but recorded for H.Alpert from 66-70. She killed Sabich in 76, and only got 30 days. Then in 1985 she married her defense attorney, Ron Austin(who was married).They live in Aspen.It could be a soap opera!

BTW, my b'day is Jan 14.

KQ said...

Embien - I am guessing that is shaving cream. I doubt that you could use whipping cream as it would not look that good for a long enough time to do the shoot. It would start to melt, and I am certain she would be reallllllllly cold. Awesome picture though.

I am too much of a realist aren't I. But you can always dream that it is whipping cream. I am sure that is what my husband would be doing.

Dennis said...

NOOOooooo.......whipped cream!! It's whipped cream!!

Mustang Mel, no special occasion - our unofficial 'leader' just emailed all the formers he knew in the area; something we try to do once every 6 months or so. Just great camaraderie, regardless of age.

tarrajo, I think we were on separate wavelengths there.

Luxor, I agree. I always hated the fact that Longet got off so lightly - the whole world knew it was no accident.

g8rmomx2 said...

Hi c.c. and all: Another fun puzzle! Pretty much what Dennis said. I had Al Hirt in originally instead of Alpert (Herb), but Elsa would have been Ilsa so finally changed it.

Sorry I didn't get to respond to those who replied to me yesterday, busy day all day.

Sallie: She will be doing her Residency in Columbus, OH in Pediatrics as will her boyfriend. Pittsburg actually was their 1st choice, but they got their 2nd choice instead.

KQ: Yes, teenagers can really be a pain sometimes. But, once they are grown and out of the house you can't wait til they visit. Go figure!

Dennis: I agree that the visits will be more special. We will be seeing her at either Christmas or New Years, they get one or the other.

Buckeye: How sweet of you to offer your home. They have a 2 BR, so shouldn't be a problem.

Lois: So sorry you have been ill, get better soon!

papajim said...

Sallie, thank you for the E-card, that was so nice. You made my day and many more days ahead. I'm really touched.
To all the rest with condolences and questions, thank you very much.I'll be on the "injured reserve list" for 12 weeks. And, yes, I walked on this foot, turned the garden over, ran a couple of miles before I said "more rest , you dummy", I even wrestled with my daughters 110lbs. American Bull dog. I feel like I let the family down because I'm supposed to take care of my new grandson, but I know I can't provide the level of care a 3 month old needs. AND he is a GOOD baby. we're Americans, we'll figure it out !!
Thanks to all of you, See ya tomorrow.
Jim

KQ said...

Dennis,

Is there a reason why you are asking for everyone's birthday? That seemed out of the blue, but I wasn't paying close attention to all the posts

Anonymous said...

Good Afternoon All-
Did the puzzle on-line fairly quickly but had a few red letters before I finished.

In the high Andes around Cuzco, Peru, Alpaca wool yardage and beautiful wool sweaters are for sale. Probably for sale in other parts of Peru, also. The fabric and yarn are SO soft. I love knitting with Alpaca wool, but it is expensive here. FYI it doesn't smell when turned into wool for knitting.

Late start for me today as I'm getting my outdoor area cleaned and ready for a graduation party for my daughter this Sat.
Chickie

Southern Belle said...

Hello all - Papajim: Even without your name on the comment post, we would know you are a man."Nah, dear, I'm sure it will be ok. Probably just a sprain." "I'll just wait a couple more days..." "I'll try ice and heat tomorrow if it is not better." Best of luck this summer, and I am sorry for your misfortune.Dennis: October 3 is my birthday.Any other Libras out there to weigh in?

Argyle said...

Alpacas and llamas are cousins, but they aren't exactly alike.

on the left: Alpacas - Weigh 150 lbs., have soft, luxurious fleece, are very gentle and timid, can learn tricks, need protection.

on the right: Llamas - Weigh 400 lbs.,have coarse fleece, are very brave, can carry heavy packs, serve as herd guards.


Re: ACRO: it is from the Greek word for high; think of ACRObat. (Guys, this is a visual aid.)

Dennis said...

KQ, yeah, I volunteered to collect b-days so we could acknowledge them on the blog. Not interested in years, just month/day if you'd like to be included.

Souther Belle, got yours; thanks. I'm Libra also. Means I'm well-balanced, right?

KQ said...

Dennis, Good for you. Thanks for doing this. January 15.

Dennis said...

Got it; thanks. Anyone else? Bueller? Bueller?

lois said...

You mean it's not Fri? 'Darn'! Well, it just shows to go ya that I am on the mend but am in need of some horizontalingusity. Not a fan of verticality obviously.

Thank you for the words of encouragement CC, Linda, WM. Cheers! I'm lookin' for whipped cream as we speak.

Dennis: you're right - being a fly on the wall w/all those hot men is not my M.O. - more like "hello men, set 'em up!" I'm glad you got goosed and at least had your fill of the mound.

Tarrajo: 11:54 LMAO cute!

Carol: you do make me laugh. We have a 'tense' situation: A-rose by any other name is still a-rose and I would have taken it any way it 'came'.

Kittyb: I finished the puzzle, hunt and peck style .
Me too!!! I'm always a hunt 'n pecker!

papajim: speedy recovery...just remember to keep it up.

Melissab: LOL see above - I'm all about a relapse!

Medication time!

lois said...

Dennis: forgot I'm Feb 18

luxor said...

C.C.,

Okay.

luxor said...

Melissa Bee,
I had a massage therapist come to my house and give me a massage once a week for two years. Do you mske house calls? Strictly business now.

melissa bee said...

@luxor: yes and yes. why did you stop?

luxor said...

She went to England. I really miss the massages.

Lemonade714 said...

Hi:

LUXOR, thank you for the comment on my children; it is Shannon, who is with my youngest, Devin; the Lizzie and my oldest Aaron (they will be married on June 20) next is my nephew James and Caitlin. The wedding was my nephew Michael's wedding to an Israeli girl named Michal (confusing, but it made for an easy theme, M&M's). My wedding days are likely past.

Did you all find it ironic we have back to back Sergio Mendes who became a star touring with Herb Alpert on the record label Alpert started with Jerry Moss (A & M). Back when I was doing music law, they were a really class act. The girl was not Claudine Longet, but her vocal of Paul Mauriat's L'Amour Est Bleu (love is blue) is a fond college memory. Come on guys, none of us know the whole story, so be gentle with her memory. (Yes, I used to also do criminal defense, and believe life is more complicated than you can imagine). It was some whipped cream though.

Thank you Dennis for the birthday stuff, it gives us another degree of identity.

Tarrajo, I believe sarcastic is your middle name, and Dennis baiting your game.

Speaking of blondes, Jeannie, it is also nice to know you are still out there watching so we don't hurt ourselves.

I thought my GUITJO comment might make for interesting conversation, thanks everyone for your help.

Poor Potsie, Anson Williams ended up behind the camera, quickly forgotten after Happy Days was over.

Crockett1947 said...

@luxor I just started into a massage regime, and I can tell it will be so helpful to me. I've only had a couple of sessions, and I'm still awfully sore after them, but the fluidity of my shoulders and extension of range of movement of my neck is really noticeable. Now I need to get into a regular routine so I can really reap the benefits of that work.

windhover said...

Re:
Tarrajo @ 11:41
Dennis @ 11:54
SBK @ 2:52

Tarrajo,
Since you are fairly new here, you probably are not aware of Dennis' 4" thumbs, nor of the significance of that measurement. You must get someone ( else) to fill you in. (Pun noticed only after the fact).

Jazzbumpah @ 12:23:
No one said you could have only one conceit. Thinking (hoping) anyone (or everyone) cares is the one we all
share, but you are welcome to as many others as you want (or need).

MelissaBee:
Got your motor runnin'? Head out on the highway.

KQ said...

Maybe Anson Williams wants to be behind the camera. Being in front of it isn't all it is cracked up to be sometimes. I wouldn't want to have my life bared to the public on a daily basis. Ron Howard did the same albeit on a larger scale I am sure.

JD said...

Argyle,..acrophobia

That poster must have been for the movie in Italy because it was just known as Trapeze here. The premiere was held at the theater down the street from me on Wilshire Blvd. A trapeze and bleachers were set up in the parking lot so of course my sisters and I went and watched.It was on the news so we thought we had been on TV.

boomermomma said...

Hi CC and gang
Ok- just getting to today's puzzle and I am tired but happy! Ihave been out of town for good reasons.
New baby boy grandson, 8lbs 6oz and I was at my daughters helping out! Lots of cooking, laundry and baby rocking! Heaven!
Haven't done the puzzle since Saturday- tried to online but was distracted and not as much fun as paper and pen in hand.
Stumped with Height clue- acro then chicano messed me up
Most of puzzle went fine but I knew I was impatient and braindead when I tried to make latinno work!What word is that?
I knew better - thanks for the help
Joan

carol said...

WM - what sweet little kittens - matched grays! Can you tell them apart? What did you name them?

Windhover (7:07) You did have to bring up the 4" thumbs! Loved the 'pun'. Can't wait to see what explanations this brings - LOL

Boomermomma (8:06) Congrats on your new grandson! What a wonderful reason to be absent from here!

Crockett1947 said...

@boomermama 8 lb 6 oz? OUCH! Cute that your post was at 8:06, LOL!

Jazzbumpa said...

Windhover -

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll work on becoming more concieted ;-)

Cheers!

Crockett1947 said...

@jazzbumpa "except after c"

WM said...

#5

Boomermama major congratulations!!! Your first grandchild? My two girls were 8 lb 15 oz and 8 lb 11oz...figured I would quit while I was ahead! And Crockett...big OUCH! LOL

Carol...my husband named them Jack and Jill...some things I just don't mess with. Jack has bigger eyes and longer ears and Jill's face is sweeter...they are a hoot and a joy to watch and hold...lots of purring. My friend from AZ bought them a toy which they loved. For being feral 5 days ago they are socializing quickly...

Argyle...thanks on the Llama,/alpaca link...their wool is lovely but I didn't realize there was such a size difference.

Dang...I could have sworn that was Claudine Longet on that record cover...getting my ancient gossip all mixed up. Totally forgot the Andy Williams connection.

Southern Belle...you nailed it exactly...trying to get my husband to see a Dr. for ANYTHING is literally like pulling teeth...which may actually be easier...it is definitely a guy thing...

Having kittens in the house for the first time in over 16 years is an amazing and incredibly enjoyable experience...we are are having wonderful fun.

Jazz...I think you may have a hard uphill slog on that conceited thing (or sounding like "a" as in neighbor or weigh)Crockett...LOL

This is my limit, so see y'all tomorrow.

Dennis said...

Just watched the Scripps Spelling Bee. These were kids. I am beyond stupid.

Anonymous said...

@Carol, Lemonade, Windhover...and lastly @Dennis I think you definitely slipped today...I must keep you on your toes or something... I will give you a gimmee as you did imbibe early this morning on the mimosas or..um(goose.)
Touche'?" Lois says that those are "hard" earned.

Anonymous said...

Holy Cow...four inch thumbs? I just out of curiousity measured mine. They are 2 and 3/4 inches and I have long fingers for a gal. Not understanding the thread here peeps. Can you enlighten me Windhover...Dennis?

Lemonade714 said...

Thumb other time Tarrajo...it is late and I would not want to open that topic at bedtime. As far as slipping, hmmmm

boomermomma said...

WM and Crockett- told you I was tired -I never saw that I posted at 8:06. You guys are so clever.
4th grandson WM...oldest is 13.
Dennis- watched the Scripps Spellin Bee to and not only do I feel dumb but my entire family must be dumb. Man those kids are smart. At I knew some small clues based least the Greek, French and Latin roots from Latin in hs and crosswords.

Lola said...

Hi all,

I did the puzzle early this morning, but didn't have a chance to read the posts or respond until now. Today was graduation for our preschool class. We've unleashed the next group of kindergartners into the general population. I still can't believe they pay me to do this. It is so satisfying to watch the growth of these young minds.

Boomermomma: Congrats on the new member of your family. Enjoy! I'm still waiting for my turn.

Dennis: I'm a Leo. August first.

I didn't see the theme until I came here, so that didn't help me a bit. That being said, I found the puzzle easy to complete with no major stumbling blocks. I hope they don't change the puzzle too much, as I think I've groked the mindset. It's late so I'll close with a nod to Jimbo. Vaya con Dios

Anonymous said...

Tarrajo, you are no different than the girl C.C. banned. Tasteless comments.

Lemonade714 said...

I wonder who the anonymous troublemaker is in our midst. Why are some comments castigated and the DF from Dennis Lois, Carol, C.C. or me, generate no negativity? Why does this person say someone was banned? Is there a way to trace email addresses?

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

Lemonade,
I've never banned anyone from my blog. Anonymous posts are not traceable.

Anonymous said...

Believe it or not Claudine's name is like the victim's name Clodine Humphrey of the second deadliest shooting in American History and her husband, Ron Austin, is the same name as the girl's name Austin Cloyd is the victim of the deadlist shooting in the history of North America.

Anonymous said...

Bob Williams' (Andy's brother) former sister-in-law shot accidently, while Sidney N. Williams lost his son, Bob Williams.