google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday June 11, 2009 James Sajdak

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Jun 11, 2009

Thursday June 11, 2009 James Sajdak

Theme: HIT (39A: Smite, and hint to this puzzle's theme)

17A: Overnight millionaire, perhaps: POWERBALL WINNER

25A: One-time East Asia barrier: BAMBOO CURTAIN

47A: Pacific swimmer: SOCKEYE SALMON

62A: Unintended upshot: BOOMERANG EFFECT

OK, I struck out. How are POWER and BOOM synonymous with HIT? BAM, SOCK, slam, slug, smack, thrash, whack, wallop, yes. I got the unifying HIT (perfect position in the grid) very early, unfortunately it did not help much with my solving.

(Note: I was wrong earlier about POWER, it's POW. All the theme answers are comic book "HIT" sounds.)

Strange, despite growing up in China, I really have never heard of this term BAMBOO CURTAIN, the East Asia version of Iron Curtain. I don't think I have had SOCKEYE SALMON before. Not sure. Might have had it for sushi or sashimi. Is the result of "Hoist by one's own petard" the same as BOOMERANG EFFECT? I got POWERBALL WINNER immediately.

Favorite clue today is LOGO (34D: Target's target). My first image is William Ackman, the guy Target was targeting for their Board of Directors fight. I like the unintended tie between HIT and Target.

Across:

1A: Caroline du Nord, e.g.: ETAT. French for state. North Carolina.

5A: Seasonal roller: EGG. Nice clue.

8A: Veronica's pursuer, in comics: REGGIE. Stumped. Vaguely remember Archie proposed to Veronica news story a couple of weeks ago.

14A: __ Tzu: SHIH. SHIH Tzu is literally "lion" in Chinese. The full term SHI Tsu Kou means "lion dog".

15A: "Who, me?": MOI

16A: For one: APIECE

20A: Loud speaker: ORATOR. Who is the most famous American ORATOR? Reagan?

21A: Pond youngster: TADPOLES. Baby frogs or toads.

24A: "A likely story!": HAH

31A: River of Devon: EXE. Oh, now I know why Exeter is so named. It's on the River EXE and is located in the Devon County. I always have mental block on this damned river.

32A: Training site?: Abbr.: STN. Stumped. Wanted GYM. Train is verb here, meaning "travel by train".

33A: Historical records: ANNALS

36A: Burka wearer's deity: ALLAH. OK, here are three girls in burkas, which cover the whole body from head to toe. Slightly different than the black abaya, which does not cover the face. Niqab is the face veil, covering only the face. This headscarf is called hajab, face & eyes are exposed. I hope I can remember what I just wrote.

41A: Boorish type: YAHOO

42A: Sting Rays, briefly: 'VETTES. No idea. I know nothing about muscle car or any car. I did get GTOS (61D: Classic Pontiacs) though.

44A: Calendar col.: THU. "Col."= "column". Thursday is named after the Norse god THOR.

51A: Farm youngster: KID. Also known as Rich Norris's "Little butt-er?"

52A: Peak between Pelion and Olympus: OSSA. Easy guess. I don't know the exact locations of those three peaks.

53A: Complimentary review: ACCOLADE

58A: One sitting in your lap: TOY DOG. I was thinking of babies.

64A: "Get Shorty" novelist Leonard: ELMORE. Unknown to me. Have never heard of "Get Shorty".

66A: Dos cubed: OCHO. Spanish for eight. OTTO in Italian.

67A: Filled pastry of Asia: SAMOSA. Oh, the Indian turnover, similar to Chinese spring rolls I suppose. I've never had SAMOSA. Not a fan of Indian food.

68A: Fashion monogram: YSL. He was born in Oran, Algeria.

69A: "The Joy of Painting" host Bob: ROSS. Nope. Total stranger to me.

Down:

1D: Former Bruin all-star, familiarly: ESPO. Phil Esposito. Hall-of-Famer. He stumped me again. I could only think of Bobby Orr.

2D: Red-bearded god: THOR. Easy guess. I only associate hammer with the THOR the god of thunder, not his red beard. Another Norse reference today is EDDA (48D: Scandinavian epic).

3D: Sony subsidiary: AIWA. I had no idea that AIWA was acquired by Sony in 2002.

4D: It's generous to pick it up: THE TAB

5D: Early life forms: EMBRYOS

6D: __ long way: last: GO A. I like this answer better than GOA, which was often clued as "Tibetan gazelle" in our old puzzle.

7D: Like some fine art frames: GILT

8D: Numbers to crunch: RAW DATA

9D: January 6th Christian celebration: EPIPHANY. Ha ha, I cheated. Looked at our calendar first. How do you celebrate EPIPHANY?

10D: Pop singer Vannelli: GINO. His name escaped me, again.

11D: Grant, for one: Abbr.: GENL. I wrote down PREZ. Often see general abbreviated as GEN instead of GENL.

12D Frozen treat brand: ICEE

13D: Plural suffix with mountain: EERS. Mountaineers. Or auctioneers.

18D: Tiller opening: ROTO. First encounter with rototiller. I actually thought of the abortion doctor George Tiller, who was just killed ten days ago. I am really a random thinker.

19D: Costar with Bolger and Haley: LAHR (Bert). The Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz".

23D: Pituitary hormone: ACTH (AdrenoCorticoTropic Hormone). Both the clue and the answer are nonsenses to me.

25D: Theodore, to Wally: BEAV. Had trouble with this answer. Couldn't find a way to fill in brother.

26D: Bike feature: AXLE

28D: Togetherness: UNITY. Wrote down UNION first.

29D: Pig-poke link: IN A. Pig IN A poke.

30D: Book after Micah: NAHUM. And before Habakkuk. I looked it up in my list of Bible books.

35D: Herr's heir, maybe: SOHN. German for "son". Obtained the answer from Across fills.

38D: Comic's banes: HECKLERS

40D: Prefix with logical: THEO. Theological. Mine was IDEO.

43D: Resort with moguls: SKI AREA. Moguls are bumps on a ski slope. Nice clue.

45D: Company co-founded by J.P. Morgan: U.S. STEEL

50D: Wait to attack: LAY FOR. New phrase to me.

53D: Lincoln and others: ABES

54D: Soft drink choice: COLA. The left is how Coca COLA is written in Chinese. It means "delicious happiness", perhaps the best translation of any American brand.

55D: ICC part: Abbr.: COMM. I presume ICC here refers to the "Interstate Commerce Commission".

59D: Art __: DECO. ERTE is often clued as "Art DECO artist".

60D: Big name in publishing: OCHS. The current publisher of "The New York Times" is Arthur OCHS Sulzberger, Jr, great-grandson of Adolph OCHS.

Thanks for the interesting left/right hand discussions yesterday. Fun to read.

Answer grid.

C.C.

90 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and gang - needed lots of perp help with this one, as I had quite a few unknowns. Among them were 'Get Shorty novelist', 'Joy of Painting host', 'Book after Micah' and 'Pituitary hormone'. No g-spot visits, but certainly not a quickie. Still not sure how all the theme answers tie together.

It was good seeing someone other than Bobby Orr as a Bruin great. Phil Esposito was an all-star forward for them for many years. Had no trouble with the 'beav'. Always nice to say that. I liked seeing my two favorite cars from my youth in the same puzzle: GTOs and Corvettes. Favorite was 'Target's target' - a great clue. Good 'thinker' puzzle today.

Today is 'Hug Holiday' - a day that "encourages people to give hugs to those who need them."

Today's Words of Wisdom: "Why endeavor to straighten the road of life? The faster we travel, the less there is to see." -- Actress Helen Hayes

The daily dose of Fun Facts:

- Minnesota has 99 lakes named Mud Lake.

- Baby elephants can drink more than 20 gallons of milk in a day.

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

Dennis,
I supposed Rich Norris' ease-up for Thursday/Friday has ended. The clues today are certainly a leap from those of yesterday. Most fills are obtainable though. I've heard a few Mud Lakes. 20 gallons of milk sounds like a lot for a baby elephant. I wonder how many gallons of water he drinks per day. Nice to see the old car picture back.

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

Windhover,
Is your wife of Irish root? What are those WoW statistics?

Martin,
Come on, you will find time for one or two comments every day. You make time for stuff/people you care. I am going to forget you quickly if you don't.

Jazzbumpa,
Re: NAT/BRA. Nice corset lady "figment of imagination".

Martin said...

Martin,
Come on, you will find time for one or two comments every day. You make time for stuff/people you care. I am going to forget you quickly if you don't
.

Oh I could find time to comment but i don't know if I'll have time to actually do the puzzles.

True story: my oldest son Michael was here for a year and even went to school here so, of course, I had to give him a Chinese name so I picked 麥可樂 (Mai Kele). I didn't want him to be just 麥可 because we never call him Mike.

Anyway, sometimes we would go to 麥當勞 (McDonalds) and he would drink 可口可樂 (Coca Cola) and I would say "Look: 麥 可樂. That's you name!" and he would say "No!" He really didn't want to be called by a Chinese name: he decided he'd rather go back to the Philippines and go to school there. I don't know if I'll have the same problem with Ian (一安) if we have him go to school here.

Martin

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

Martin,
Comment away, just like the "Confused Thinker" Windhover does. 麥可樂 sounds so childish, no wonder Michael does not like it. 一安 is OK. What would be a great Chinese name for Dennis? I am not fond of the transliteration 丹尼斯. It just does not look/sound like him.

windhover said...

CC:
Yes, her surname is as Irish as can be, and her family comes from a hamlet in the Carolina du Nord mountains where many of the early settlers were Scot-Irish. They have lived on the same land for over two hundred years. If we ever "get done" farming, we may move there. It's very remote, beautiful, and quiet.

Reagan may have been the "Great Communicator", (like most modern presidents, he read speeches written by others) but I think most students of American History would say the great American orator was either Lincoln or William Jennings Bryan.

Argyle said...

A Slamin' Thor's day to all,

Unifying theme: from Gotham City's answer to Thor, Batman POW BOOM

__ long way: last. gave me trouble because I was think position in line for last.

Al said...

Today's puzzle was challenging to finish and there were a couple of clever clues, but after I was done, it left me feeling mostly flat. It seemed like none of the answers were all that interesting, like we've had the last couple of days...

On Epiphany, we come to the sudden realization that our Christmas tree is very dry and needs to be put out for the city shredder pickup (which gets composted or used for garden mulch).

In case no one answered yet, a 'Vette is short for Corvette, the dream car of many males, including, apparently, Brits. Most of us have to settle for something less expensive and more practical, however.

kazie said...

I gave up on the NW corner of this one. Never thought of BAMBOO CURTAIN either--had mountain at the end of it. Got the bottom part except for having to G'spot ELMORE. "Get Shorty" is a funny, though violent movie. Also have no clue about comic strip characters. Do they really think people who can do these puzzles bother reading that tripe?

Dennis,
Waddaya mean good seeing someone other than Bobby Orr? He's the only hockey player I know, and that's only from here!

c.c.,
I think STN 32A refers to different exercise machines at a gym. As in moving from one station to another. Didn't get that either. I couldn't decipher what hormone they wanted for 23D.

Like Al, I do feel flat too today. Didn't learn anything I want to remember.

Dick said...

Good morning C.C. and all,...I am a bit late this am because I had so much trouble solving the damn puzzle. I have gone form the highs of pleasure(yesterday's puzzle) to the depths of despair (today's puzzle). Well not quite that radical, but what a change from one day to the next.

The first time through I was in the lower half of the puzzle before I got my first fill and the fills went down hill from there. I need some time to think on this one and then needed perp help and a trip or two to the G-spot.

The clue for "Vettes" came quickly as, back in the day, I had several of those cars. A very striking thing occurred a few years when I purchased a new 2004 Corvette. It had been exactly forty years since I had owned a Vette. When I went to pay for the car I found the taxes on the 04 were more than I paid for the 1964 Vette. Rather rude awakening.

The theme answers helped a lot as they eventually all came to mind and this gave me lots of letters to work with.

Looks like rain here today so it will be indoor chores to occupy me.

Hope you all have a great Thursday.

Go Pens !!

Andrea said...

Morning all,

Way too much googling this morning... I did figure out the theme clues, which helped me get Hit after *it emerged from the fills. Pow, Bam, Sock, Boom - I can see all the Batman cartoon bubbles. Vettes and GTOs were easy, as I've spent lots of time at car shows with my dad, a huge antique/vintage car buff.

Had to use the german dictionary to come up with Sohn. I knew Frau and Tochter as potential heirs, but couldn't remember Sohn...

Off to hug my daughter.

Enjoy the day.

Andrea

SandbridgeKaren said...

Definitely not a 'walk in the park' but not quite as bad as I first thought when I opened the paper. Got stuck on SE corner - too many o's hanging around there. My favorite clue was 'sting ray's, briefly' (couldn't get away from the sea life rays and my squeeze drives a Vet - bad g.f.) and 'Target's target' - very clever. Not loving the 'boorish type' or 'pituitary hormone' clues. Nice to see Espo but pretty obscure if you aren't a dyed in the wool hockey fan. Still don't get 'Etat' - that's not sinking in my brain. Most definitely a challenge compared to yesterday but it is Thursday - not a puzzle to Hug, tho. Needed a couple of Epiphany's to finish.

I got the pow, bam, boom, sock but it's not a great theme - puzzle seemed forced and not fitting together well.

tfrank said...

Good morning, all:

A back breaker today. I wound up solving from the bottom up, with the NW being my last fills, needing G. help for shih, thor and aiwa. Somehow, I was able to solve all of the theme answers by filling in enough of the perps to make educated guesses.

Enjoyed the Espo clue; it brought back old memories from my years in Boston when Bobby and Espo were in their prime. My neighbor and good friend had season's tickets to the Bruins home games, and I was a frequent guest. The two of them were like magic; a real thrill to watch.

Favorite clue today was for picking up the tab. I never thought of an orator as being loud, so I tried yeller or belter to no avail. I also failed the acth and stn crossing as training site was too clever for me; I wanted gym. Re orator, I vote for Bryan. I think Lincoln was more noted for his content than for his delivery.

My plan of the day includes an AA meeting and a trip to the pacemaker clinic for a checkup.

May God's blessings shower you today.

Al said...

@SBKaren, Etat is the French word for "State". The clue was the name of a state, given in french (Nord = North), so the answer was supposed to be a french word. Other times, this is clued as Coup d'Etat which means a rebellion and subsequent overthrow of the government(state).

Al said...

Bob Ross is one of my favorite PBS personalities. He was just so calm and soothing to watch and listen to (anyone remember Hoot, the owl?), and it was, at least to me, amazing how he could paint an entire picture in less than half an hour with the oddest techniques and tools. A big house brush, pallette knives for scraping, and just "beating the tar out of it" after cleaning a brush.

Karen said...

Thus puzzle was a bummer. Vettes was the first word i filled in that I was sure of. I feel the same as Dick in his 7:53 post.

I DO NOT get the connection between "Seasonal roller" & "Egg". If some one could enlighten me I would appreciate it. It may cause a DUH moment but at least i'll get it.:)

I didn't post yesterday that I, like most others, do the puzzle in my local news paper. It is usually here when I get up so I do it while i'm having my coffee & a cigarette. Yes, i'm one of those terrible people that smoke.

Dennis said...

Jeannie, from last night, the 55% refers to my remaining brain cells. My test came out 55-45 left.

Windhover, my vote's for Bryan - the very definition of a great orator.

Kazie, I disagree with your definition of comic strips as 'tripe'. Whether it's Doonesbury with its not-so-subtle political jabs, or Pearls Before Swine with its cynicism of human nature, there's several strips that can exercise the mind at least as much as, say, a Wednesday xword. Maybe I'm just simple-minded, but I've had a lot of laugh-out-loud moments with those two and a few others.

Dick, thanks for all the rain - it'll hopefully stop by the weekend.

Al, was Bob Ross the guy that sounded like he was on Quaaludes and talked about the 'happy trees'? That guy was amazing with what he could do.

Karen, think Easter eggs.

Argyle said...

Egg rolling on the White House lawn at Easter.

Karen said...

Thanks Dennis & Argyle. I never would have thought of that but it makes sense now. :)

Al said...

@Argyle, this is the white house egg rolling I remember.

@Dennis, yes, that's Bob in a nutshell.

Four posts already, for a not so interesting puzzle. I must be bored...

KittyB said...

Good Morning, all.

This c/w slapped me up the side of my head......(sigh). This was definitely not a good way to start a day.

I had the same problems as those who posted before me. I filled in perhaps five words on my first visit of the across clues and just kept battering away. This was another of those "hunt and peck" puzzles, adding a letter here and there until I had everything but the E in ETAT and the first S in ROSS (and their crosses) completed. I needed to visit here for the answers.

EXE, ACTH, ICEE, GINO, & AIWA were all unknowns that came from the fills. I wasn't terribly fond of SKI AREA as an answer.

How would you all rate JFK as an orator? He certainly had some good speech writers. "Ask not..."

I'll have to settle on giving the cat a hug. He needs it, and there's no one home right now.

Happy Thursday. One and a wakeup to the weekend!

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, If I had been doing this on paper, I would have had a lot of erasures. I worked the Master level online and knew I had mistakes, even after I had made some corrections. I did like the theme and "D'oh-ed" after filling in HIT.

I didn't know ESPO and wasn't sure of the spelling of SHIH TZU. AIWA, EXE, ACTN, NAHUM, OCHS and ROSS were other unknowns.

Quite a few religious references today, EPIPHANY, NAHUM, ALLAH, THEOlogical and even THOR, if you are Norse-minded. I liked that UNITY was placed right next to THEOlogical. Maybe a "Why can't we all just get along?" secondary theme.

I'm with Dennis about comic strips. There are some really sharp ones out there. He mentioned two of them.

Rachel said...

It's not "Power" that relates to hit; it's POW! :)

Anonymous said...

FYI. The Corvette Sting Ray was the “it” car of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. It was a real beauty. Of course, the average person couldn’t afford it or afford to insure it. But when a red one went down the street, all heads turned and all boys dreamed.

Joseph

Warren said...

Hi C.C. & gang, me and my wife managed to finish only 2/3 of the puzzle before she left for work and I finished (in red) online.

Re: 32A: Training site?

My wife came up with Train(ing) site or a Train Station for the STN answer. Pretty clever clue eh?

Anonymous said...

Treefrog said....
(Did my own, google won't let me sign in.)

POWERBALL WINNER was a DUH for me. I got it, but should have sooner.
I probably did about 3/4 of the puzzle before I was stumped. Not bad for a THU. Don't like salmon, no matter the type.

I got ACTH quickly, but was off the track for comic's banes. Don't know where my brain was.

POW BAM etc., good old Batman!

I'm not picky,I read all our comics. I tear out Pickles, or as we refer to Opal and Earl, the old farts. It cracks my hubby up. Strangely, it's a favorite of my grandsons ages 9 and 6.

Off to the Dr today to get my knee checked out. Maybe he'll have a remedy for the headache I've had since yesterday. Right above my right eye. This weather is killing me!!

kazie said...

I guess I've just never taken the time to become familiar with all the comics, and not knowing which are worth reading, never knew which to select, much less which ones might have characters with names like Veronica. I looked but didn't see Doonesbury in today's paper. Sorry to have derided an icon.

carol said...

Good morning C.C. and all:
This one knocked me on my prat! I just stared at 1A (Caroline du Nord),thought it referred to a woman's title.
Al, thanks for explaining it.

I really had so many unknowns today they aren't worth listing.

What is 30D? NAHUM...I'm not a bible reader but I have never heard of this book.

Kazie, the Archie clue refers to comic books as opposed to comic strips in the newspapers. Some of the strips as previously mentioned are quite clever. My favorite is also "Pickles".

boomermomma said...

HI CC and Everyone
Back from a business trip and so happy to have a cup of java and morning crossword puzzle. I smiled seeing one of my clients US Steel in the puzzle.
Anyway, with not effort Ifilled this one out- as soon as I got the powerball winner. Bamboo curtain fell into place and sockeye salmon.
Interesting how we all have different kinds of trivia in our heads-I really like seeing what stumps some folks and where I get challenged, many times it is quite different.
oh well have a terrific day- sick of the cool 60s here in Chicago.
Joan

Anonymous said...

On celebrating "Epiphany" which we called three king's day where I grew up. No presents for Christmas, but for Epiphany, I would gather grass and put it in my shoes, leave them at the door, and the camels of the three kings would eat the grass. The kings would then leave presents for me.
Mary Anne

lois said...

Good morning CC et al., 'Ugh' describes this puzzle for me except for NE corner. I did know Ross-enjoyed him a lot and deal w/brain stuff so knew ACTH from studying the pituitary also known as the Master Gland. It influences our behavior greatly, however, we still have free will and make our own choices which makes
this puzzle's subtheme so appropriate for this time of year.

I'm giving'accolade'(s) and saying good bye to some good senior egg(s)/well- developed embryos'/happy tadpoles, and memorable kid(s) today-'yahoo'! praise Allah!, but not to all unfortunately. For some the 'boomerang effect' is a reality since some won't be "walkin'" and will be coming back to us based on the 'raw data'. They can't blame 'moi'but may anyway and be'lay(ing) for' me after they see their grades. Some of these yahoos will be in the school annals for 'ocho' years straight and should have a hall named for them. Some are great 'orators', others are annoying 'hecklers' but 'as of' next 'Thu', all will be 'in a' different 'etat'...the 'etat' of Caroline du Nord perhaps or more likely the 'etat' of confusion awaiting an 'epiphany', but all away from me just the same.

Somebody will pick up 'the tab'and drive for me tonight as I toast to all the little shih's who 'melt'ed my 'icee' U.S. Steel heart over the past year.

Enjoy this gorgeous, glorious day!

Al said...

Mary Anne @11:22, If the camels went around and ate the grass, didn't they leave "presents", too?


5 and out...

Anonymous said...

Al, these were very refined camels apparently since there were never any unwanted presents.

Mary Anne

bubba said...

if you people think comics are tripe, stand back and take a look at this site. what losers you all be.

Karen said...

Thanks a lot for your kind words "Bubba".

Andrea said...

For those interested, you can order souvenir Easter Egg Roll eggs from the National Park Foundation website. I know the 2009 eggs are sold out, and I can't find the link anymore, but there is some info here. I ordered one for my daughter and one for my niece this year. It includes a little insert with an interesting historical overview of the egg rolls. Nice little keepsake regardless of your political affiliation, I think; although, my sister-in-law was much more excited when it showed up than my brother... :) Not sure if every administration has offered them; this is the first time I've ever looked into it.

WM said...

Morning all...Ended up starting at the bottom and working up...I pretty much matched CA's "I didn't know" words. The theme answers weren't too difficult with a few perp letters. Have read some Elmore Leonard, so that was a gimme. STN was easy...took a bit for seasonal roller. I would have to agree that I didn't have any real "AHA" moments. I definitely seem to do better working it at night. I have my coffee/latte while reading the blog now.

AL@ 9:14 am...Hysterical.

I vote for William Jennings Bryan as our most famous orator.

We had friends who celebrated the same way as Mary Anne and our daughters tried to convince us to go with the extra celebration. Epiphany is also known as Twelfth Night...

It will be interesting to see if the LATimes puzzles return to the Mercury News next week...and how many people will go back to complaining.

Anonymous said...

I was drowning in a sea of red today. I did manage to figure out most of the theme answers but finally gave up and came here to see if I was the only one who struggled. My favorite clues today were “string rays briefly” – ‘vettes and “Theodore to Wally” – beav. I got “pig in a poke” as I have heard of it before. Can someone tell me where that saying came from and what it means?

I have actually watched Bob Ross in the Joy of painting and I concur with Dennis. I always thought he was stoned on something.

Re: a baby elephant can drink up to 20gallons of milk each day….no wonder their mothers eat close to 500lbs of food every day. Oh, and they poop about 30lbs of waste. I guess you want to watch your step in the jungle.

Dennis said...

bubba, excellent command of the language.

tarrajo, I just read an article on the origins of some of the more common idioms, so I know this one.

It was evidently a fairly common 'confidence game' in the late Middle Ages to sell someone what was supposedly a suckling pig in a bag (poke), but what was in reality a cat. Evidently cats were plentiful back then, and not exactly the first choice for meat. Why the buyers wouldn't look in the bag, I don't know.

kazie said...

Bubba,
Since you seem to have selective reading abilities, and have ignored all but my first comment, let me point out that I was the only one thinking comics were tripe, and was quickly informed by others that I was mistaken.

If you can't accept that we all have different opinions based on different upbringing and backgrounds, then please go back to merely lurking. However, thanks for identifying yourself with a name--better than anonymous.

Jerome said...

I enjoy any well crafted puzzle but my favorites have a 'fun-ness' flavor. What's not to like about POW, BAM, SOCK, and BOOM. Throw in VETTES, HAH, YAHOO,UGH, BEAV, THOR and HECKLERS and a good time can be had by all. The theme is Maddenesque!

Dennis- It's my understanding that most teenage boys drink about 20 gallons of milk a day too.

25% of the English language has Norse roots. A very common one is 'cake'. A lesser known one is 'Bubba'. It translates as 'ass'.

3 of Four said...

Wow – a famous comedian visiting CC's blog. Doesn’t happen often enough.
Thanks for stopping by Bubba. You an Jeff have quite a fun comedy skit. Almost as good as some the papers run every day.

Here is a clip of Bubba at work…Bubba & Jeff on Stage

Karen said...

I really hope "Bubba" is reading these posts. He really ticked me off with his comment. Always hated the nick name "Bubba" anyway.

Karen said...

Wonder why the HTML code for underlining doesn't work here??

Crockett1947 said...

Good afternoon, everyone!

Did this one online, and found I missed the paper & pen work. However, the grid would have been a total mess because I was way out in left field on many of the upper answers. The bottom half seemed to fall into place much easier for me today. No g-spots, but there were a number of red letter helps today.

On Epiphany the parish where my wife works has an annual get-together and the priest grills his famous sausages. There is an exchange of inexpensive white elephant style "gifts", and there is great suspense to see who gets the ultimate gift -- a stuffed turkey that has been the target gift for the past four or five years.

@tfrank Hope all goes well at your various appointments!

@karen Please stop ASAP! My mom smoked like a chimney for way too many years and finally quit cold turkey on one April 1. She still died of ling cancer, though. Stepping gingerly down from the soap box.

@lois Classic, just classic.

IMBO

SandbridgeKaren said...

Al - thanks for the info on Etat; now it makes sense. As you can tell, French is not my strong point. That's one I won't miss again.

Lois - LOL! Your wordplay always keeps me laughing.

If there ever was a better car at picking up babes than a red 'Vette' convertible - I don't know what it was. All that raw power has an effect on us gals.

Prefer anonymous to Bubba - easier to ignore.

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

Bubba,
What Jerome said. You've reached the Mt. OSSA of rudeness.

Kazie,
I am with Warren's wife, STN refers to train station. Don't feel bad. I happen to be a "loser" too. So what?

Mary Anne,
Thanks for EPIPHANY. And a warm welcome!

Lois @11:30am,
Holy hot wick! The best post ever! Sheer brilliance!

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

Argyle,
Why Batman in particular? Those POW & BAM refer to all the comic book HIT sounds, correct?

Doreen,
Thanks for ibid and op. cit. yesterday.

Windhover,
I've never heard of William Jennings Bryan. I have the same question as KittyB. Isn't JFK one of the best ORATORS also? He wrote most of his speeches at least.

Clear Ayes,
Finally got time to try your links: 56% left brain and 44% right. And I only saw Buckeye's Darlin' dancing clockwise. Had fun. Lots of Xie Xie.

Buckeye said...

Guday c.c. and fellow puzzleographerworkerouters. (See Fred).

First, I would like to thank all of you who welcomed me back, expressed positive comments about my posts and showed concern about my health. It is so gratifying and humbling to know I have made so many friends here; and a special thanks to c.c. for the vehicle which has allowed us all to become such good and caring comrades.

This was harder than last Thursday's puzzle but managed, after many stutter steps, to "get'er done" (That's for Bubba).

1.a (Caroline du Nord) was a tough start until I remembered my trip to Monaco and a cute little restaurant I "et at" that Princess Caroline owned.

I thought "Acth" (23d -Pituitary hormone) was the goddess of fertility on the island of Lesbos. (It's a sound one would make while trying to remove an unwanted object from the tip of your tongue).

Did not like 11d. "Genl"
for "Grant, for one". Always thought General was abbr. Gen.

Love Elmore Leonard and Bob Ross was a 'gimme". Love his big brushes, knives and attitude. "I think we'll put a happy little cabin next to this big happy tree so everybody will have a place to get in out of this snow and get warm". He did complete paintings in 1/2 hr., just after he finished off 2 ounces of "top quality" weed.

My younger daughter sends me Sockeye Salmon and King Salmon every xmas. It's packaged, but cooked, so it can be served warmed up or as an appetizer right out of the bag. Great stuff!

Owned an Aiwa tape recorder, so that, too was easy.

More later.

I must be off!

SandbridgeKaren said...

Al - thanks for the info on Etat; now it makes sense. As you can tell, French is not my strong point. That's one I won't miss again.

Lois - LOL! Your wordplay always keeps me laughing.

If there ever was a better car at picking up babes than a red 'Vette' convertible - I don't know what it was. All that raw power has an effect on us gals.

Prefer anonymous to Bubba - easier to ignore.

Buckeye said...

Crap! Two more things. Speaking of Orators, I once went to the House of Representatives and heard the "Great Triumvirate" speak; Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun and Daniel Webster. Now them thar guys could TALK!!

DARLIN'S GONE! She either went back into my monitor screen or Emersom Biggins' got her hid out someplace. I checked and I think she's gone back to dancin' on the screen. I'll miss DANCIN' DARLIN'.

IMBO

IRISH JIM said...

Good afternoon c c and all

Can someone please explain 25D
Beav. This thick Mick still does not get it.

T Frank. Lived in Beantown from 69 to 72 and have great memories of the Bruins of that era. Can name all the lines from those days. Of course my memories are from ch 38 unlike some other lucky ones !!!!

Lurker in chief

Jimmy S Carolina

embien said...

15:13 today. I got stumped by ACTH (of which I've never heard) and STN (which seemed either waaay clever or waaay obscure) crossing. I had no trouble with any of the theme entries, though, and had a delicious grilled SOCKEYE SALMON dinner last night.

NAHUM? SHIH? I've never met you before.

And, folks, please remember to not feed the trolls. They are only seeking attention and will soon go away if ignored.

SandbridgeKaren said...

IRISH JIM - on the sitcom "Leave it to Beaver" Wally was the older brother and Theodore (aka the Beaver) was the younger. Wally called his brother "Beav".

embien said...

57% left-brained, 43% right. Right-handed, left-eyed. This is no surprise to me since I spent over 40 years in various aspects of the computer business.

The test, however, seemed geared more toward students, rather than those of us who are retired.

IRISH JIM said...

SandbridgeKaren.
Thank you kindly. Do believe that was before I arrived here (1969).

Jimmy S Carolina.

tfrank said...

Irish Jim-

That same friend also had season's tickets for the Patriots right on the 50 yard line about twenty rows up. Needles to say, I kept plenty of his favorite scotch around.

maria said...

Goodday c.c. and gang
I am right handed , my brain, 45/55 left/right
and the girl was twirling back and forth, amazing.
I guess i'm ok, if i can still do the puzzle.
Ca - my home-made poem for you
Roses are red
Violets are blue
You always find fun things
for us to doo !

Buckeye, always a pleasure to read your post .
glad to see you.

Lois, you little vixen you, you came thru for
us yet again !

Jerome, loved your translation, LMAO.

3 of Four - you are one classy guy,
loved the clip.

Oh, and Bubba, thanks for all the levity you activated. But If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all.

imbo

Clear Ayes said...

It has been a while since I have posted anything from Shakespeare. This poetical monologue comes from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act II, Scene II. It is spoken by Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

BTW, it is a little known fact that Hamlet was known, among his family and very few friends as "Bubba".

I have of late--but wherefore I know not--
lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises;
and indeed it goes so heavily
with my disposition that this goodly frame,
the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory,
this most excellent canopy, the air, look you,
this brave o'erhanging firmament,
this majestical roof fretted with golden fire,
why, it appears no other thing to
me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours.
What piece of work is a man!
how noble in reason!
how infinite in faculty!
in form and moving
how express and admirable!
in action how like an angel!
in apprehension how like a god!
the beauty of the world!
the paragon of animals!
And yet, to me,
what is this quintessence of dust?
man delights not me:
no, nor woman neither

jazzbumpa said...

Last day of school (or near enough) for a bunch of my grandchildren today. Two of them graduated from primary and are on to middle school. They are in different school districts, so MS starts at a different grade. One is going into 6th grade, the other into 7th.

Took them and their siblings out to lunch today, along with the parents. Picked up THE TAB, which was a lot more $$$$ than I expected, (gasp) but I also got a lot of hugs.

Ever in the minority, I guess, I, along with Jerome, liked today's puzzle. Must be in an odd mood, or maybe just too tired, as the French didn't bother me. A bit on the tough side. I was struggling until I had an EPIPHANY with 9D. after that it came to MOI, APIECE at a time.

We're with treefrog on the headache - an epidemic here: me the LW, my son and one of his boys. After lunch, did the puzzle, took two aspirins and then a 2 1/2 hour nap. Rainy and gloomy all day.

While it's true that POW, etc. are common to comics, Batman is what most from my generation will relate to (right, embien?) -probably because of the old TV show from the 60's.

The public TV STN in T-town still runs Joy of Painting - extracted from the ANNALS, probably. My mom loves that show.

A second to what embien said: don't feed the troll. He's just some YAHOO.

Cheers!

Jazzbumpa said...

CA -

Hamlet was clinically depressed, and gave an excellent description of the symptoms.

Cheers!

IRISH JIM said...

T Frank.
Please do not tell me your friend had Red Sox tkts also.
A girl in the office got Bruins tkts one time. I asked who they wre playing, she answered "the Yankees". I could have killed her.
Still root for the Boston teams.

Jimmy S Carolina.

treefrog said...

Yay Jerome!!!
3 of four-I really like Jeff. Walter is my favorite character. think I've seen him at our Walmart!

WM said...

CA...loved the Hamlet...love Shakespeare, as always, and lovely and appropriate, in a Shakespearean kind of way.

Jazz...Very interesting observation. I don't think I had ever put that meaning to his words. My favorite Hamlet is the Kenneth Brannagh one. Has anyone ever seen the movie Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead?...quite interesting.

Used to love all the Adam West Batman shows with the POW,BAM, KAPOWS...Avengers did some take-offs on them...very funny.

I doubt that the troll is still hanging around. Although having half of a piece Bubble gum visit us was fun! Makes for smaller bubbleheads. LOL Where is WH when we need him...jollies for his day.

Anonymous said...

@Dennis thank your for the "pig in a poke" explanation. I was holding my breath on that one.

Little guyjo is pissed at me because I won't let him play soccer tonight. We're still going to go watch though, which might even make him madder. What do you think?

Buckeye said...

Tarrajo; As re; your little ankle-bitter, give him your Minn. cry.

GOPHER IT!!

IMBO

Whooinhell2000 said...

Evening C.C. Evening everyone

Just getting back into crosswording again, after a very hectic colledge turnover. We rekey alot of dorms and rental houses when new students move in.

Nice puzzle, but, I have a couple questions:

1: How many of the guys had to google "pop singer Vannelli"?

2: How many googlers actually clicked on Gino Vannelli and not Vanna White's Playboy photos? :)

Have fun Whoo

Clear Ayes said...

Tarrajo, Good luck with little guyjo at the soccer game. Buckeye says "Gopher It", (and it is always difficult to resist Buckeye persuasive ways). But it has only been a few days since L.G.J.'s smackdown and you don't want a slip and a fall to pop any of those stitches.

Buckeye, So sorry to hear about Darlin' taking a powder. Maybe she wasn't as intelligent as she looked. Try serenading her with Bonnie Raitt's version of Darlin'. Bonnie does have a convincing way with a song.

Hi Whoo, Nice to see you.

carol said...

Lois, once again you blow us all away with your 'word-smithing'! Great job!
The "little psycho's" don't deserve you, but I do admire your restraint in dealing with them. It is not a good summer if you are in custody! LOL

Tarrajo, when you fall off a horse, you have to get back on..let the little guy 'get back into it'. I know it's scary, but he has the right attitude, he want to play. He'll be better off for it, really!! :)

carol said...

Geez, Clear Ayes, now we really have confused Tarrajo. I think we are both right. How that for a 'cop-out'???

Whoo, nice to hear from you again. Stick around.

Buckeye, my condolences on losing 'Darlin'. She wasn't good enough for you anyway what with all that position switching - first left, then right...well, on second thought....

Anonymous said...

Carol, Buckeye, listen the the wise Clearayes. He can play when the stitches come out. All it would take is one well placed kick of a ball into the old "kisser" to reopen what is healing nicely. He gets to have the stitches out next Monday, and will be ready to play on Thursday. Really, I am just following Dr's orders, not being over protective....well, maybe just a little bit. Comeon...it was 22 stitches inside and out and still kinda turns my stomach when I have to clean it and rebandage.

carol said...

Tarrajo, you are right, of course, and you and your Dr. do know best!! I forgot that not enough time had gone by for him to be healed up enough to risk another injury. That was a serious ouch!

Jazzbumpa said...

Tarrajo -

From my grandfatherly perspective, you made the right decision. Sounds like he's healing well, and is a spunky kid. Good for both of you!

To those who felt a bit let down by the puzzle today, let me offer a few gems from the commuter puzzle. (No of letters in of parentheses.)

1A Taxi (3)
8A Yuletide song (5)
14A Prayer closing (4)
16A Nabisco cookie (4)
24A Give in (5)

I filled in a few, then tossed it away. This is about as much fun as reading patent applications.

Cheers!

Hayrake said...

KittyB @ 9:34 A

It's interesting that those immortal words "Ask not what your country can do . . " were not uttered first by JFK though he is usually given the credit. The first was a Lebanese Philosopher named Kahlil Gibran in his essay "The New Frontier" (sound familiar?) 36 years before Kennedy's innaugration speech.

C.C. Re: Ladies wear in Saudi Arabia. Add to the list an unpopular dress called the "abaya" which has a high collar, long sleeves and shoetop length worn by all women, including non Muslim American women and including my wife for our 3 years we lived there. Needless to say it's too hot there for such garb, but Islamic law is the law of the land there and it is strictly enforced.

bubba said...

more words of wisdom from the intelligentia at this site.

bubba said...

intelligencia

Dennis said...

Ok guys, this is called 'desperate for attention' -- our friend no longer exists.

Clear Ayes said...

Tarrajo, I still remembered that "squinchy" feeling I had in my stomach when you first described Little guyjo's injury. It is good to get back to life-as-usual as soon as possible, but coping with disappointment is something all kids must deal with. He'll be all the more excited next week when he gets to play again.

And Yes, Carol, Buckeye, Jazzbumpa and everyone else, we are all right! We all want the best for tarrajo and her son.

Lois, meant to tell you earlier, a standing "O" for your 11:30 post.

Looking forward to a Friday puzzle headbanger!

Anonymous said...

Well, I finally finished. Good puzzle though. I thought shih tzu is a japanese dog breed.
I only ever 'heard right back at ya' playing poker when getting raised.
Being of Arab descent, I liked the Burka reference.
The 'leave it to beaver' reference brought back memories.
I never heard of the bible book Nahum. Must be 40 books in the whole bible.
The cleverest clue - Targets target.

SandbridgeKaren said...

IRISH JIM - guess I really dated myself with that answer; I was VERY young when the Beav was around!! Probably not born yet.

Please tell me the gal in your office was a blonde.

What Dennis said.

Dennis said...

Lois, your best ever; just brilliant.

Speaking of brilliant, Buckeye, you need to stop in more often.

Hayrake, interesting info on the 'Ask not....' speech; I never knew that. Good stuff.

tarrajo, my normal reaction is to let boys be boys, but I think everybody's right with the advice to cool it while the stitches are in. The downside risk outweighs any upside.

WM said...

Jazz...we're getting that awful Commuter Puzzle in the San Jose Mercury...to quote WH and those guys in Monty Python's Holy Grail...Run away, run away...

Tarrajo...having had plenty of stitches for various things over my life...stick with the "until the stitches come out"...re-stitching a damaged area isn't the best policy...besides he'll have a really nifty scar to show off! You're doing a great job and a little bit of over protective, if even just in your heart, is a good thing. Just fall back on that Doctor's orders thing...

What SBKaren and Dennis said...

windhover said...

Dennis@8:08:
Is that "no longer exists" in the metaphysical sense or the "I have taken care of this problem" sense? In light of our respective good behavior pledges last week, I propose that it is OK to talk about this problem, we should not talk to it.

ClearAyes:
My experience is limited, but I have found the standing 'O' to be elusive. As they say in the operators' manuals, your results may vary.

Dennis said...

Windhover, metaphysical. I'm not at the level of intelligencia, uh, intelligenshia, uh, smarts, to talk directly to it.

And the standing 'O' is awesome.

KittyB said...

Hayrake, thanks for the information on "Ask not what your country can do for you..." I read Gibran at school, but apparently not enough Gibran, as I was unaware that Kennedy had borrowed the quote.

or·a·tor n.
1. One who delivers an oration.
2. An eloquent and skilled public speaker.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

Apparently, writing your own material is not a prerequisite of an orator. I agree that Abe Lincoln had great things to say, but not the delivery to be considered a great orator (I'll be run out of the Land of Lincoln tonight for that!). That leaves me with Daniel Webster, William Jennings Bryan and John Kennedy for my short list. I assume that the first two wrote all their own material. I have no idea if JFK wrote any of his speeches.

Lois, I have to concur. Today's comments were masterful! May you enjoy the standing "O!" (Check in with Dennis if you need any advice...)

Buckeye, you were pretty damn good, too! I hope the tests went well, and that the results were good. No doubt someone better than Darlin is waiting in the wings for you.

tarrajo, that squeezy test you were talking about earlier in the week...? I had mine done on Tuesday, and I can confirm that there have been some changes to the squeezer that make the test a little less unpleasant. The good news is that in your lifetime, they will probably shift over to doing the exam by MRI.

Jazz...the confusion over which foot to start on comes from the idea of taking a step in place on the yard line, and then stepping off with your right foot. BUT...each time you hit a yard line, you hit it with your left foot, so it's tied to the strongest beat in the music. (See Wed, about 7:15 or so for Jazzbumpa's comment)

Sleep well and fast. Tomorrow will be here shortly.

kazie said...

Luxor,
I just counted--39 OT and 27 NT books in the Bible, 66 total.

Lois and Buckeye,
hilarious as usual--see, much more creative tha I could ever be with my left brain dominance!

If they do an MRI for something specific like that, do they go over the whole body? I assume having metal in a joint would prevent that being possible.

Karen,
Definitely give up the smoking. My parents both smoked most of their lives and died at 64 and 67, one heart attack, the other cancer. I often wonder how much their second-hand smoke growing up affected my long-term chances.

Tfrank,
All the best on all those tests!

Tarrajo,
Best to err on the side of caution in this case for sure!

Clear Ayes said...

Dear Trouble (aka Windhover and Dennis), The second I hit the "Publish" button, I knew I was asking for trouble. I was hoping nobody would notice. I should be so lucky.

For C.C.'s benefit - What I meant by a "standing "O" was a "standing ovation". Windhover and Dennis were thinking of a more sexually gymnastic "standing orgasm". (Don't pretend you weren't guys! Now you won't have to explain it to C.C. in the morning.)

Lois, Either way, you have been complimented.

5 and out.

JD said...

Hugs all around for everyone

4 Dennis, who has only 55% of his brain cells left, but has way more intelligenshittia than most, and WOWs us each day

4 Al & Kazie who feel flat
and
4 Dick & Karen who are in the depths of despair

4 Carol, who was knocked on her prat

4 Buckeye, who is just damn funny. He gets an extra hug for his missin' darli'

4 Lois, who is priceless and I hope your students know what a treasure they had this year

4 Treefrog, who had an ouchy knee, a headache, but loves "Pickles"

4 Tfrank who needed G help for 3 words, sigh

4 KittyB, because your cat probably didn't return the hug.

4 Crockett's beautiful cat

4 WM, who didn't have any AHA moments today

4 Maria, for writing such a thoughtful poem

4 CA, for opening our eyes to the music of poetry

4 Jazzbumpa, for being such a thoughtful grandpa

4 Tarrajo, for being a caring overprotective mom

4 CC, a big hug with some caviar for all the time you spend with us. Cleverest comment yet at 3:05, "Mt. Ossa of rudeness"

Crockett1947 said...

@jd Thank you, sweetie!

WM said...

JD...it is so good to have you back...missed ya!