google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday June 2, 2009 Joy C. Frank

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Jun 2, 2009

Tuesday June 2, 2009 Joy C. Frank

Theme: Triples

17A: Horse racing coup, literally: CROWN CROWN CROWN

23A: Baseball rarity, literally: PLAY PLAY PLAY

46A: Rhythm for waltzing, literally: TIME TIME TIME

54A: Text layout specification, literally: SPACE SPACE SPACE

Is there a jockey who won the Triple Crown by riding three different horses in the same year? Looks like Calvin Borel is going back to Mine That Bird since Rachel Alexandra won't run the Belmont Stakes.

Triple play is indeed rare. Twins is the only team in MLB history to turn two triple plays in one game (they still lost to Red Sox 1-0). Wikipedia says triple time is common in formal dance styles like waltz, minuet and the mazurka. What is triple-space? I've never heard of the term.

BOGEY BOGEY BOGEY would be a great theme answer too. Nothing is more frustrating than a triple bogey on a par 3. What other triples can you think of?

Across:

5A: Pub diversion: DARTS

14A: Spots in high school?: ACNE. ACNE has no plural form?

15A: Group cultural values: ETHOS

16A: Funny Bombeck: ERMA. I tend to confuse her with IRMA Rombauer, "The Joy of Cooking" author.

21A: Moo goo __ pan: GAI. Moo goo = mushroom. GAI = chicken. Pan = slices. I bet this plate contains over 800 calories.

22A: Draw a bead on: AIM AT

28A: Strait of Dover port: CALAIS. The French port nearest England.

30A: Prefix with -syncratic: IDIO. Literally "peculiar". Somehow I wrote down IDEO first. It's a prefix for "thought", ideological for example.

38A: Book in a hotel: BIBLE

39A: Apple MP3 player: IPOD. And another Apple products MACS (1D: Computer choices).

40A: Lad's love: LASS. And MOLL (43A: Hood's gal). Nice pair.

49A: Aptly named Renault: LE CAR. Not familiar with this car. Apt name indeed.

62A: Reader of Seventeen: TEEN. Not fond of this clue.

63A: Coasters with runners: SLEDS. Got the answer. Did not know runner can mean "either of the long, bladelike strips of metal or wood on which a sled or sleigh slides".

64A: Ref's fight-ending decisions: TKOS. Boxing.

Down:

3D: Drift removers: SNOWPLOWS

5D: Turns to compost: DECAYS. In the end, everything DECAYS, including culture.

6D: Just free of the bottom, as an anchor: ATRIP

7D: Letter after pi: RHO. Before sigma. The former South Korea president who killed himself over bribery scandal is surnamed ROH (Roh Moo-hyun).

12D: Big name in multilevel marketing: AMWAY. They have big factories in China. So does Avon.

18D: Mystery writer Marsh: NGAIO. How do you pronounce her name? What a weird spelling.

19D: Guitarist's gadget: CAPO

25D: It might be applied while puckering: LIP BALM. I really don't understand the fascination with Angelina Jolie's lips.

26D: German violinist Busch: ADOLF. Easy guess. Just learned that ADOLF means "noble, majestic wolf", a compound word of "adal" (noble) and wolf.

27D: Cry of surprise: YIPE. Oh, I always say "Oh, my goodness".

28D: Prof.'s employer: COLL. Crossing the college town ORONO (31A: University of Maine town).

32D: Garlicky mayo: AIOLI. Provençal words: Ai, garlic. Oli, oil. Looks creamy.

33D: Mouthed sidelines greeting: HI MOM

34D: Brandy distilled from cider: APPLEJACK. Have never had this stuff.

35D: Place for cargo: HOLD

38D: Sponge up: BLOT. Only knew the "stain" meaning of BLOT.

42D: Litmus reddeners: ACIDS. Does blue have a verb form also?

44D: Rides of knights: STEEDS. How do you clue NAGS then? "Rides of whom?"

45D: Home often made of canvas nowadays: TEPEE. Literally, "to dwell" in Lakota language.

46D: Sympathetic words: I CARE. Hmm, "empathy", Sonia Sotomayor.

47D: City SE of Atlanta: MACON. Nicknamed "Heart of Georgia" because it lies near the geographic center of Georgia, according to Wikipedia.

48D: 11th century Spanish hero: EL CID. Literally "the lord".

52D: Canyon rebound: ECHO. It fits in today's theme pretty well.

57D: Civil War nickname: ABE. Wonder how ABE would deal with the Burris case. Oh, well, at least, Illinois has 2 senators. We only have 1. The recount goes on!

59D: Soft touch: PAT. Nice one.

Answer grid.

C.C.

86 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and gang - an ok puzzle this morning, but I personally didn't like the theme. Once the first one became apparent, the other three were no-brainers, and it really made the rest of the puzzle much easier than even would be normal for a Tuesday. I did think 'spots in high school' and 'pull off the road' were clever clues.

Today is National Bubba Day and National Rocky Road Day.

Today's Words of Wisdom: "Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you've got to start young." -- Actor Fred Astaire

More Fun Facts:

- A law in Oblong, Illinois, makes it a crime to make love while fishing or hunting on your wedding day.

- Eighty-five percent of men who die of heart attacks during intercourse are found to have been cheating on their wives.

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

Dennis,
The theme did not excite me either. The constructor probably had more fun working out 4 Triple words with the right amount of letters.

Clear Ayes,
Nope. I've seen too many informative posts from you to know what kind of person you are. Always gracious & caring.

Bill,
Excellent post. You should voice your opinion often.

Mainiac,
A whole week of fishing? I'd be so bored.

Mainiac said...

Good Morning All,

Worked through this one rather quickly. As usual the theme didn't jump out at me right away. I also liked the Coll and Orono crossing. My Alma mater. Go Blue!

Oblong? No wonder they have a silly law.

One day and a wake up!
(Am I doing this right?)

Have a great day.

Hahtoolah said...

I love it when answers are Orono. My home town and alma mater, too, Mainiac, although I now live in the deep south. Also, I just happened to be in Macon, Georgia for the first time this weekend, so I got a kick out of having both Orono and Macon in the same puzzle.

Actually, I liked this theme, but once I got the first triple clue, the rest just fell into place.

Dennis said...

Mainiac, you're doing it right if you're leaving Thursday.

C.C., you really say 'my goodness' when you're surprised? Very quaint. Mine's more like, 'WTF?'

KittyB said...

Good morning, all.

This was a quickie, and uninspiring as puzzles go.

In terms of the theme, I tend to think of the meter for a waltz as " 3/4 " or "Three-quarter" time, rather than TRIPLE time.

Dennis, you leave me pondering why the good folk of Oblong NEEDED a law like that. *G*

I hope you all have a good Tuesday. Chicago has more rain on the way.

Dick said...

Good morning C.C. and all,...a rather easy puzzle once the theme was discovered. Having said that, it seems to me that the Monday and Tuesday puzzle was harder than normal this week. If it hadn't been for the easy theme I think I would have struggle a bit with this one.

I also liked the clues for tow and spots. I did not know "aioli", but got it from the perps and "atrip" I remembered from past discussions here.

Hope you all have a great Tuesday.

I hope the Pens have better success tonight. Anyway you look at it it is a tough road now.

lois said...

Good morning CC et al., Another fun and easy puzzle, esp. with the repeats. The only other 'triple' I know is Triple Sec ...no surprise. Isn't there a triple axle in figure skating?

Nat'l Bubba day? That's what I call my brother...he's Uncle Bubba to the kids and to them he hung the moon. I'd prefer he help w/the moon-shine, but he doesn't indulge.
Can't have everything.

As for the 85% of men who died while cheating on their wives, I wonder how many of them had heart attacks b/c they were discovered and not b/c of the activity. No way of knowing, I guess. They're not telling.

Only in Oblong, IL? I think it'd be a crime to be hunting and fishing on your wedding day anywhere! esp since the catch has already been made and he's already been reeled in. What's the point?
Moreover, what's the bait? Now, that's a real 'Bubba' story!

Enjoy your day.

Martin said...

A tough puzzle for Tuesday, I think: "Drift removers" made me think of driftwood, not snow, so I had SLOW BOATS for SNOWPLOWS. That gave me ACLE, CABAIS and LETD. It wasn't until I got the theme that everything came together. I still couldn't get the intersections of NGAIO and ORONO or AIOLI and MOLL without googling though.

I really don't understand the fascination with Angelina Jolie's lips.

That reminds me: I misspelt genitals yesterday. My bad.

Martin

Mainiac said...

Oops!

A wake up. Even better!

Thanks

tfrank said...

Good morning, C.C. & gang,

I feel like I worked only half a puzzle this morning, because the theme answers (easy) took up so much space. Where do I go to get a refund? NYT?

As a former naval person, I was unfamiliar with atrip. One of my jobs in the Navy was to be in charge of the anchor detail when getting underway from an anchored position. When the order came down from the bridge to "hoist anchor" my job was first, to report "anchor's aweigh" when the anchor had broken ground from the bottom. This indicated the ship was free to move where ever the wind and/or current would take it.

The second job was to make sure the anchor was not entangled with any debris from the bottom, such as an old cable. The report would be, "the anchor is clear". This meant the conn officer on the bridge could then order the engines to begin propelling the ship. To do so before the anchor was seen to be clear could be very dangerous to ship and crew.

While the anchor was being hoisted, a seaman would be hosing the cable and anchor down to remove the bottom mud.

I guess that is enough naval nostalgia for today.

C.C., how about nags for peons?

Hope you all have a blue bird day!

SandbridgeKaren said...

Doing this puzzle left me with one of those 'kissing your sister' feelings - got the job done but wasn't a lot of fun getting there. Really easy puzzle if one gets the theme quickly. Lois - I would have liked the triple axle answer better but much harder to fit in a puzzle. Nice clue for acne - it must be hard to find some new way to clue that.

Martin - any particular reason you brought up Angelina's lips?

Maniac - your vaka sounds great to me. Not big on fishing but the peace & quiet, water, bloodies and general 'leave the world behind' feeling sound terrific - have a great time.

My opinion on the 85% of men dying of heart attacks while cheating on their wives is they probably died happy men - lots of tasteless jokes float around on that subject. I know some guys who think that could be a perfect way to go. Not so much fun for the woman involved, though.

Dick - good luck with the Pens but I think the Wings have Crosby's number. They still have a chance to turn it around but it's gonna be tough.

Jeanne said...

Morning all,
Have to agree, didn't like the theme which made the puzzle a little boring. I try to do the NYT archived puzzles and the LAT puzzles have made me better at doing them. Or it could be vice versa. Friday, Saturday and Sunday NYT puzzles are still extremely difficult for me.

Dennis, the Oblong, IL law should make hunting and fishing on your wedding day a crime! Can't see that marriage lasting long.

Another cool, drizzly day in Eastern PA. I want some heat!! Enjoy your day.

3 of Four said...

Big Trouble, literally - Threat
Really Dizzy, literally - Flip

kazie said...

Easy easy easy!
I agree that the theme was lame. It made the rest of the puzzle a dream with those perps. However, I did have ORONA, not knowing NGAIO and just guessing.

Kitty B,
I agree on the waltz time--I was looking for a way to fit 3/4 in too.

I just realized this morning that in my comment on CORN at 10:00pm last night, I had maize instead of maïs for the French version of it.

But if you missed my funny story in that post about being at the UW Union yesterday, have a look. Crockett liked it.

KQ said...

Except for the center of the grid where I had no idea what AIOLI was, and I had IDEO rather than IDIO this was quite the easy puzzle.

CC - triple spacing would be something you would do to type a draft of a paper, leaving lots of room for editing notes. Generally, one would just double space it though. My kids hate when I put lots of those notes in their drafts.

I could relate to YIPE after looking at my son's grade today in English. He is in some PERIL and he continues to hear Mom and Dad's ECHO as to how we need to hear the words I CARE about his grades!!! Hmmm. Good thing the school year is almost over, except that he has no more time to rebound.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Dennis said...

Mainiac, have a great time - enjoy the camaraderie.

tfrank, that's really interesting that 'atrip' is not a Navy term; I learned it in civilian boating, and just assumed it came from the Navy. What'd you do when it was snagged?

SandbridgeKaren, C.C. had mentioned she didn't understand the fascination with Angelina's lips, and Martin just did his thing with it. And you're right about the Wings having Crosby's number - I thought the Pens would win this one, but the Wings have been playing very smart hockey.

Jeanne, where are you in PA? I'm right across the bridge from Philly and it's already pushing 80 and sunny.

3 of Four, triple threat's an excellent one; could clue it as 'great ballplayer'.

KQ, I was always curious what triple spacing was for; I remember the '3' setting on typewriters and wondering if anyone ever used it.

Jeanne said...

Dennis, what are you serving for lunch? I can be there shortly. Oh, forget it, I hate driving in Jersey! We are about 60 miles north and west of Philly and our temps are 61, cloudy and a little rain. There are some patches of blue sky to the far west so there is hope.

Al said...

C.C. Sure, acne has a plural form: Zits!

Blue Litmus would indicate that the liquid has a "basic" pH, like with lye (sodium hydroxide).

And I'm not going to touch the lip question with a ten-foot pole...

tfrank said...

Dennis,

Interesting question. Most Navy ships have two anchors. If the port one was fouled, I would drop the starboard one to fix the ship's position, hoist the fouled one as far as possible, then try to free it with acetylene torches if the fouling material is metal. If non-metallic, try to cut it free.

It might require launching a small boat with an engineering crew.

Fortunately, I never experienced that problem.

Vern said...

A happy rainy Tuesday in Elmhurst.
Activities on a wedding day brought to mind a honeymoon couple years ago at a resort in Hayward, WI. They were there for a week and went Muskie fishing. (One can go an entire season without catching a Muskie). They went out the first day, caught a Muskie and we didn't see them for the rest of the week.

On the puzzle, I was sure "Apply named Renault" was "Lemon" as I once was enticed to buy a Renault Alliance because it was deemed "Car of the Year." However, the engine overheated if I sat for more than one redlight; and later I discovered "Car of the Year" was an accomplishment paid for by the car company. (sorry for the long post)

Linda said...

Morning all..finished LAT when triple answers became apparent... still working on NYT.

May be the last day I can post this week...more relatives coming this weekend...lots to do...I have the habit of not doing a great deal of housework unless someone`s coming...too many other things to do/places to go. (I do my own house and yard work for the exercise.) Will definitely make them Kazie`s griddle cakes!

Wanted "mores" for "ethos", "yike' for 'yipe", didn`t know "Ngaio" Mis-spelled "mere" as "meer" (imagine that!) which held up "Lecar".

A story about others and my crossword habit. I was working on one while waiting for my GP doctor`s routine appt. Couldn`t remember an eye part...when I finally made it to the exam room I asked him and he actually sat there working on it, with a waiting room full of patients, until he finally came up with "retina!" Cost me an extra co-payment...but we got it solved!

Anonymous said...

I agree with everyone else that once you got the theme, it became a pretty easy fill. A couple of clues I got from perps I need clarification on though. Why are “group cultural values” ethos and what is a capo “guitar gadget?” Being from MN I was also dismayed to see sled and snowplows on the second day of June. I got my first “Hi Mom” mouthed from the sidelines last week at a soccer game. It was so cute.

The only other triple I can come up with is Tora! Tora! Tora! Beat you Clearayes!

Isn’t it ironic that a city called “Oblong” would come up with such a law? Did I read that right whilefishing or hunting on their wedding day? Talk about multi tasking. The pictures running through my head….

Andrea said...

Morning all -

I liked today's theme because I actually figured it out for a change! I tend to skip the theme clues on my first pass thru the puzzle, assuming that I'm not going to get them. So I had quite a bit of the puzzle filled in before one of the themes clicked in. After that, it was a bit easy, but still satisfying to actually finish a puzzle without any G help. I didn't have the O on Olono/Ngaio; other than that, got it all. I liked the intersection of Apple(jack) and ipod.

Dennis - you might like this link to Amy Poehler's WTF acceptance speech from the MTV Movie Awards. (MTV has a category for Best WTF Moment.) Word of warning - LOTS of bleeps, so listen at your own risk. (Hopefully this doesn't offend...)
Amy Poehler MTV acceptanceKazie - I enjoyed your Terrace story. You are the resident expert on so many topics here - I love that the guy picked you out of what I'm assuming was a pretty full crowd! BTW, what is your favorite Babcock ice cream flavor? I like mint chocolate chip. I wonder if they know it's Rocky Road Day.

Enjoy the day!

Andrea

Al said...

@terrajo; I just posted this on the other LAT blog, but I'll repeat it here:
A capo is basically a clamp to effectively shorten the strings on a guitar to raise the pitch to match a singer's vocal range.

You can then play the song the same way you became used to instead of transposing into a different key.

When you accompany someone (including yourself) you want to make the music more interesting. If you have to play a barre chord and it falls exactly where the singer is singing then either the voice or the music gets drowned out depending on whichever is louder. With a capo, you can still play "open" chords, which are typically lower in pitch and are more suited to accompaniment.

Playing in a different position also allows you to give the music a distinctive sound, as in the intro to the Eagles' Hotel California.

Warren said...

Hi C.C. & gang, my wife caught on to the triple theme very quickly. That made the puzzle easier than usual?
We finished it in less than 10 minutes before she left.

I found a wiki page on how to pronounce Ngaio
Ngaio (pronounced /ˈnaɪoʊ/)

treefrog said...

Morning All!
Just caught up on most of yesterday's posts. Couple of comments on that.

Tarrajo, KQ, and anyone else-will send you all the rain you want. Have to take the thunderstorms and humidity too.

Food fights-many years ago went to a meeting at a Jr High cafeteria. Was very surprised to see at least 60 forks sticking out of the ceiling. That was before they started using plastic. Only in Jr High.

KittyB-my kids actually send up the number of balloons for her age. This year is was 13. Gonna get expensive soon! DIL also lights a candle for a few hours.

Dennis-I've been trying to break the WTF habit. Would hate to be the one to teach that to the grandkids.

TFRANK-my youngest son was in the Navy. 97-03. He was on a Boomer Sub.You know the line "Join the Navy, see the world." See the ocean. Foreign countries don't allow Boomers into their ports. His Navy experience did get him a great job. The college money helped him earn a 4 yr degree and a Masters.

ERMA BOMBECK-Loved her stuff. Been thinking about rereading her books if I can find them. My mom and I used to cut out her columns and send them back and forth.

NGAIO- WTH? (See I cleaned it up)

My system is to do 3 letter words first. Lollowed by anything with a blank or proper noun. Then I randomly pick a corner and start filling in. Unless the theme just jumps right out, I leave it for last.
Yeah, I know, it's weird.But then, so am I:}

SandbridgeKaren said...

Jeanne - sorry to hear of your dreary day. Coming up that way this weekend - hope the weather improves. My dad lives in Pottstown - near you????

kazie said...

Andrea,
Yes, it was a pretty full crowd. Kind of funny too, because the G.P.s don't speak any English, so we were using German when he asked. I had orange chocolate chip and peach delight (not sure of the actual names) yesterday. But I like mint ch.ch. too.

We were lucky with the weather yesterday, but so far today is very cool (60) and cloudy here.

Crockett1947 said...

Good morning, everyone!

Ladies, that would be AXEL AXEL AXEL. The other AXLE is found on cars and such.

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION But that's way too long!

Have a great Tuesday!

Bill said...

Morning!!!
SNOWPLOWS was a given for me, since that's what I did for 20 years. And you wonder why I dislike winter!!!
Only answer I didn't know was AIOLI but it was there when the rest filled. I questioned it for a moment and decided that if the rest was right so must be that one. The theme was almost too simplistic. Once I got one, it was write, write, write........
Yeah, a little lame, huh?
CY'all Later

Anonymous said...

Kazie, your comments are most enjoyable. I am a fan.

Anna

Andee said...

I'm not nautical but could atrip be read as at rip? Would that make sense?

Jeanne said...

@Al, thanks for the terrific explanation of capo and I love the Eagles. Play a CD of their hits alot when I'm driving.
@SKaren, weather is improving-a little sun and around 70. Yes, we are very close to Pottstown; in fact we owned a pizza shop there for several years. Stop by our house for a visit.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, Once CROWN CROWN CROWN was in place, it was easy, with help from perps, to fill in some of the other repeated theme letters. All in all, it went fast even though I didn't know ATRIP or CAPO.

Thanks for the explanations, tfrank and Al.

My favorite clue was "gag response" for HA HA. I also like the cross HI MOM.

I suspect that some small town councils propose, and sometimes pass, weird laws for their own amusement and just to see if anybody will pick up on it. Any notoriety is better than no notoriety at all.

Yippee! Thanks for the heads-up, Dennis. We happen to have some Rocky Road ice cream in the freezer. It is my favorite, so I don't buy it very often. But since today is THE day, I'll indulge myself with two scoops.

Kazie@10:00PM last night. What a good story. To Kazie's mystery man, if you are out there....welcome.

C.C. Thanks again.

"Rides for last place jockey" - NAGS.

Re: Triple BOGEY on a par 3..it doesn't happen too often, but when it does, GAH comes home grumbling, "That's it! I quit!". Yet, two days later, he is back at it. His handicap stays right around 17, and at 68 years old, he is content with that.

Tarrajo, Rats! You're right. TORA was the only triple I came up with.

Lois, I really liked your triple AXEL idea.

Linda, ;o) No wonder you don't want anyone to know where you live. Waiting room patients can get pretty testy after a half hour or so.

My usual expression of surprise is "Ho-ly Cow!" (I hope none of our Hindu readers are offended. I don't mean it as a slight.) I save "WTF?" for total abject frustration, usually, but not always, uttered under my breath. GAH, on the other hand, can be a very creative "F"-bomber. Fortunately, he is very careful around my women friends and the grandkids.

Jazzbumpa said...

C.C. - My fascination is with green eyes and strawberries.

Al - Brilliant!

Tigers had a triple play turned on them a few weeks ago.

AMWAY is derived from "American Way." Hence all the factories in China?!?

I like the concept of the theme, in the abstract, but as many pointed out, it just gave too much away.

I passed through NORMS and MORES before settling on ETHOS.

Tarrajo - Ethos is "The character or fundamental values of a person, people, culture, or movement." That first "Hi MOM" must have been a sweet moment.

The seventeen to TEEN pairing is an almost unbelievable blunder. Was Rich Norris asleep?

Several interesting words, though: ATRIP, NGIAO, AIOLI, CAPO. The other thing a CAPO accomplishes by changing the pitch is to to make keys accessible that would otherwise be horrendous on guitar - anything with lots of flats.

In case it isn't completely clear, a waltz has three beats to a measure, almost always with a strong beat on 1. You can easily count ONE-two-three with the music. (Especially about 1 minute into the link, after the harp cadenza.) Marches are in two, and most pop/jazz/everything else songs are in four.

Cheers!

Jazzbumpa said...

Take Five is in 5/4. Phrased as 3+2.

Paul Desmond had a unique sound.

Cheers!

kazie said...

I like to think that polka is like a quick and more energetic waltz. If you add a hop between the steps, it's just the way many Germans look when waltzing.

Anna,
Thanks for the vote of confidence! Good boost to my ego today.

Martin,
Glad you picked up on your misspelling--I looked at it yesterday without time to think, but realized it looked strange.

Vern,
I think I mentioned here a long time ago the thing about the Renault's Le Car being a joke, in that "un car" in French is used to mean a bus, like a tourist coach. So using it for such a small vehicle was definitely a tongue in cheek play on the English word car.

Mainiac,
Do enjoy that trip, whenever you are going! I too would be bored and probably eaten alive by mosquitoes. But my younger son would like nothing better.

Jazzbumpa,
I missed something I think, but my eyes are green.

tfrank said...

To those of you who felt short-changed today because of the easy theme, you might want to try the NYT.
It has a very fun theme, with most clues being similes, such as "__as a fiddle" or "__as pin".

Hope you have access to it.

Linda said...

CA: I`m in "witless" protection...is why I`m careful about my location.

My Dr. and I are best buds since the first time I visited him and told him, "Sorry you have to see my best side on the first visit!" At a social function, a friend whom I had not seen in a while was seated by him and his wife, and asked me,"How are you?" I answered, "Here`s my Dr. Let`s ask him how I am." He went through the whole spiel of BP, tris, diglis. etc. without cracking one smile!

Anonymous said...

Bill, your beating a dead horse.
Dennis, what is rocky road day. And did i see an inference to a vulgarity there.
tfrank, very enlightning. Always wondered just what 'anchors aweigh' actually meant.
Sandkaren, remember nelson rockerfeller died in the saddle.
Anyone, how can an author delete a comment.
Jeannie, sounds like you're near Allentown, PA

tfrank said...

Anon@12:27

After your post has been published, a small image of a trashcan will appear at the bottom of it. Just click on it and select delete.

Anonymous said...

Good afternoon all. I agree with most of the comments, except I did know Ngaio Marsh – her books are excellent – and aioli. The theme clues were so easy that I doubted them, which made the solving take longer than it should.
It's interesting that both Mac and Ipod are in the same puzzle. Yea.

Cheers.

JD said...

Good morning CC and all,

Today's c/w wasn't as fun as usual, so I G'd a few things after the perps filled them in, for fun. I found a do-able recipe for unfamiliar Moo goo gai pan (without many calories).Could not fill in the a for capo/aimat.
Al, thanks for information.

Linda, very fun read today!

Another triple:
Triple Talaq If a man pronounced three divorces at once by stating to the wife: “I divorce you three times” or by saying: “I divorce you”, three times, then three divorces will be effected and the divorce will be irrevocable. The woman will be free to re-marry another man after the termination of her Iddah. She can not return to her former husband’s marriage unless she is divorced once again from her second husband(Wikiped.)

Yipes!

Barb B said...

HaHa, very clever. Easier than yesterday for me, so it was fun, especially the triple word play. Some of you were probably bored, but for a newbie like me, it was a chance to feel like and expert. What did you think Sally?

Noticed LEWD LASS in the west center, and BIBLE LOAF next to it. Also ACHE over TKOS. I know, I’m reaching.

My favorite triple word phrase is JUDY, JUDY, JUDY, by Cary Grant, as only he could say it. Yum. Somehow Barbara said three times doesn’t quite ring of romance. Sigh.

Anonymous said...

Al. thank you for the capo explanation. Having never picked up a guitar I had no clue. Also Al, why no comment on Angelina’s pouty lips?

Knew I’d get your goat Clearayes!

JD, talaq sounds really confusing. Is that a practice still being done somewhere? It sounds Islamic. I wonder how long an iddah is.

Can anyone tell me how to insert that sign you would see over the letter “n” in the work nina? You know, that doohickey thing.

kazie said...

Tarrajo,
It's in the Olios next to the main blog under symbol codes. I posted a different (simpler) set of ALT codes a while back and was sure I'd saved them somewhere, but now I can't find where. here's the link c.c. has in Olios.

WM said...

Almost not morning anymore...had to take the kitties for their first official check-up and have some painting delivery/pickup errands to do in a bit...

Basically a very easy puzzle once I got the triple CROWN, but even though I had DARTS...I had a total brain drain momentarily on all the down fills so left it and couldn't fit Calvados in for AppleJack...which I just think of as hard cider not apple brandy.

Knew CAPO as I used to play guitar in my hippy days and usually always get food references. Everything else has pretty much been covered.

Kazie, thanks for correcting the French spelling for Mais...which is used sort of genericially for any kind of flour...when I was in the restaurant in Brittany...they kept giving me recipes with mais...which I thought was corn and it didn't make sense. Also loved the story. I seem to have the same problem with people just coming up and asking directions, etc...I've even had that happen when I am traveling and THAT gets weird, especially in France or Scotland...except a few times I was actually able to give accurate info. LOL

Dennis...the closest I have is Dark Chocolate Gelato so I will pretend it has nuts and marshmallows.

I save WTF for primarily dealing with mom issues i.e. when my plans or day goes down the tubes when there is a semi-problem that requires me dropping everything to run over and solve...but I leave off the WT part and sound the the opening scene of 4 Weddings and a Funeral...think Hugh Grant.Other than that I am just a mild-mannered reporter... ;o)

Good day to you all.

Crockett1947 said...

@kazie&tarrajo Those codes that are linked don't work as HTML, and the numbers in parentheses don't give you the desired result. You need to make the code four digits long, ie. 0241 and not 241. Alt+0241=ñ Alt+241=±. Devilish, eh?

Crockett1947 said...

Try This for the Windows - Alt Key Numeric Codes.

Jazzbumpa said...

Kazie -

I was commenting on the link in CC's post. Mmmmmmmmm. Strawberries!

JD said...

Tarrajo, I went back to read more as it sounds confusing to me too. The Arabic word for divorce is talaaq,and it'd the most detested thing by Allah.Evidentally, the use of the talaaq has reached alarming proportions. Islam says ONLY the husband can divorce his wife, not the wife because women are too unstable.LOL By repeating "talaaq" to his wife 3X, it means they are divorced.

JD said...

2 different sources, 2 different spellings

Argyle said...

Can we have three letter theme answers?...like triple A or triple X.

At a high school near you: track and field event - JUMP JUMP JUMP (triple jump, also known as the hop, skip, and jump)

Al said...

@Terrajo (1:30 PM), words fail me on that subject, but not apparently this guy...

Dennis said...

Andrea, yes, I happened to be watching the MTV Movie Awards, and saw Amy Poehler's speech; very funny.

Jeanne, I spoke too soon - heavy thunderstorms rolling in now.

Andee, no, it's actually 'atrip' - means 'just clear of the bottom'.

Clear Ayes, I think tomorrow might be Rocky Road day too.

tfrank, thanks for the recommendation -- the NYT puzzle was a lot of fun.

anon@12:27, I missed the 'inference to a vulgarity' - what was it?

tarrajo, you really need to stop using technical terms like 'that doohickey thing'.

Anonymous said...

@Al, I knew you wouldn’t let us down. That wasn’t so hard was it?

@Dennis re: doohickey. It must not have been that technical as several people tried to help me and they knew what I was talking about. Admit it, it’s just a fun word to say isn’t it?

maria said...

Terra, did u get niña yet ?

with the mac. all i do is click on alt then type n

KQ said...

Tarrajo - the doohickey is a tilde, which is also a kind of cool word. And someday you will need to know this because it is used occasionally in the xword puzzles, and then you will be happy you found out.

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

Dennis,
I've never said WTF or the F word. My husband taught me "Damned it", that's all.

Jazzbumpa,
I did not know Amway stands for American Way.

Anon @12:27pm,
You have to register with Google and be blue to delete your post.

Crockett,
I've added your Alt Key Numeric Codes to the Olios. Thanks.

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

Kazie,
Great ARON story. Like Anna, I am a fan too. I am confused after reading WM's post. Does maïs refer to corn or other grain as well?

Al,
Re: Red & Reddner. I was wondering if there is a similar word for blue. You know, like bluener or something.

Frank,
Since STEED is clued as "Rides for the knights", so I was looking for a similar "Rides for the ..." style clue for NAGS (the worn-out horses). I like Clear Aye's "Rides for last place jockey". What is a "blue bird day"?

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

KQ,
Thanks for triple-spacing. Do you collect Twins' bobbleheads?

Tarrajo & Barb B,
Good effort. But triple Tara & triple Judy themselves are not stand-alone phrases like triple play or triple crown. So neither fits the theme pattern.

Lois, 3 of Four & JD,
Great triple candidates. Thanks.

Argyle,
Triple A and Triple X will be great bonus fills, not theme answers though. I am curious, how would you clue XXX? Triple Jump is nice.

kazie said...

c.c.,
Thanks again. I think WM was referring to what we call corn. The various forms of the word maize are used for that in other languages, and the forms of the word corn seem to mean grains in general.

Does anyone have the ALT codes I posted saved somewhere? It was few months ago.

Tarrajo & Crockett,
The ALT codes I use in windows and on here are different and they always work. I posted them here before and now I can't find where I saved them on my computer. The tilde is ALT 164: ñ.

Jazzbumpa said...

C.C -

for XXX:
Van Diesel movie
Very Sexy
Way of rating a movie
Porn warning

Also - doesn't XXX appear on bags of flour?

How about - Nags: rides of knaves?

I always want "Steed" clued relative to Mrs. Peel.

Here's some background on AmWay. Dick DeVos ran for Gov. of Mich. Thank God he lost!

He is related by marriage to Eric Prince (I think EP married his daughter) heir to the Prince family fortune - they sold their family auto supplier business to Magna for $Billions. EP used his $$$$ to found Blackwater, now Xe. These people are terrifying!

WM said...

Kazie and C.C. ...My bad...I was in a hurry this morning and my brain was on low function...the word I actually wanted was FARINE...for flour...D'OH...you are correct that maïs is corn or grain...had to go pull a French cookbook that a friend wrote to double check...teaches me to look it up before I type it off the top of my head. Sorry for any confusion.

#2

Al said...

C.C. Probably you are looking for bluer. Scroll down to the verb use definition, to make or become blue.

That has potential for becoming a tricky clue...

tfrank said...

c.c.-

A sunny day with beautiful, deep blue skies.

KittyB said...

It's such a pleasure to read your blog, C.C. I've learned a lot today.

tfrank, thanks for the information on weighing anchors.

SBKaren, like "kissing your sister," was a great description of your response to the c/w today. Does it for me, too.

Vern, is it safe to assume that you are in Illinois? (I have CRS, in case you've told me already.) It was rainy here as I read your comment, then sunny, and now rainy again. Does that sound like your day?

Linda, I clean the same way. Easter and Thanksgiving dinners for my extended family are good reasons for extensive housework. Otherwise...crosswords are more fun. Loved your "Witless protection" comment.

Al, thanks for the explanation of "capo." Clear and concise, as always.

treefrog, thanks for the ideas, and for today's giggle. I was thinking about what it was like to transport 13 red helium-filled balloons! I love how you choose to fill the puzzle. I need to follow your lead and try different approaches.

I occasionally use the F word, when I am under extreme duress, but I rarely say WTF. It just didn't get lodged in my vocabulary. The first semester I went to school, I couldn't say a sentence without cussing. When it was time to go home for Thanksgiving, I had to practice speaking without swearing. My father said that an educated person could cuss someone out with out ever using a curse word, and it's much more fun to listen to an inventive put down. I have to prune the shouted words "THAT'S STUPID" from my comments. My grandchildren are not allowed to use those words, and I keep forgetting, to gasps all around.

Crockett, thanks for the link to the Windows Alternate key numeric codes.

Lois...I was traveling this weekend, but I wanted you to know that I caught your comment on Thursday night: Kittyb: I finished the puzzle, hunt and peck style .
Me too!!! I'm always a hunt 'n pecker! I hope you're feeling better.

carol said...

Hi all, back from relaxing weekend away.
I seemed to have missed the 'Rocky Road' that was traveled down a few days ago here and I am glad.

The triple theme was easy, but I liked it, as it was a change from the usual question mark at the end of clues that leave me dangling, wondering what silly punny(a word?) thing they want.

Re the triple words, how about 'root, root, root..(for the home team, etc).

Tarrajo: I love the word doohicky...use it a lot!! Also 'thingy' and 'whatjamacallit'.

I had a brain f..t on 18D (NGAIO). I knew the name from my cousin giving me one of his novels, but could not bring it to the surface. Same with 32D (AIOLI). I know we had that in a puzzle quite a while back but it would not fall in place.

Pouty lips are/were such a fad, they caused many a female actress to undergo augmentation and some of the results are horrible! Has anyone seen a picture of Nancy Sinatra lately? Poor woman, she looks as if she could take the place of some of those suction animals they stick on car windows.

Hey Mr. Fun Facts - enjoyed the selection for today...interesting how the facts seem to both involve intercourse. Neither one sounds like a recipe for a happy marriage! I guess it is a 'Rocky Road' for some.

carol said...

Linda, I am in agreement with your housekeeping methods. There is nothing more motivating than inviting people over. Also had to laugh at your Dr appt crossword experience. Sounds like a great Dr.

Kitty B, I know what you mean about the word "stupid". I said that at a birthday party for our grandniece and was told that 'we don't use the word stupid'. I can see their side of it, but I also know these kids have to cope in the real world someday, so when they are isolated from all 'bad influences' how are they going to do it? We should not bubble wrap them - as it is, I think a lot of them are going to have serious problems in about 15 years. Explanation is better than avoidance.

Clear Ayes said...

Dennis, I thank you for the information. My hips might not be so appreciative.

I'd like to be as motivated as Linda, KittyB and Carol, but....if the event is family oriented, such as holidays, the cleaning comes after everyone has left. Nobody cares and there is no point in having to clean up twice! If we are having friends over for dinner, we do a vacuum and dust beforehand...along with a check for clean hand towels and a extra roll of toilet paper in the bathrooms. That's about it.

Al@3:25 Ho-ly Cow! I am surprised. That was one interesting blog post about lips. I can now understand why men are attracted to full red lips.

Tarrajo, et al, Here's a link for Alt Key Codes.

I just got a phone call from my daughter. She has been hanging out at the local animal shelter again. We now have an eight pound female Maltese named Sugar added to their mix of two other dogs, two cats, one rabbit, one turtle and three kids. (See why I don't clean before they come to visit?)

Anonymous said...

Pottstown? I lived there in 1963-64.On Sunrise Lane.

Anonymous said...

Carol, I use those words alot....doohickey, whatchmacallit, and thingy. They usually are describing something else though...I just can't put my finger on it. Kazie says I should though.

JD said...

add "thingamajig" to that list, and sometimes just "whatever' when I can't come up with the word, which is annoying.

Bob vacumes every Monday, and I'm supposed to follow up dusting, but I don't see a big difference, so save that for company. I keep baby toys picked up,dishes and anything that collects cat hair washed. I like that cleaning is not a major concern in my life.

Was going to suggest chewing a piece of Hubba Bubba gum today, but I have no idea if Wrigleys even makes it anymore.

KQ said...

CC - No bobblehead collection here. Would like them though. We do have a ShoeBob bobblehead. Bob Fisher is the shoe repairman in Wayzata that sleeps out in the cold to raise money for the homeless. We got that when we did a sleepout on a cold (only 17 degree) December evening.

Jazzbumpa - How about Three Kisses XXX?

Has anyone noticed the inordinately large amount of posts deleted by author today? Do you suppose everyone is trying it out?

Dennis said...

KittyB, I had the same problem with language. One of my first meals back home after coming back from overseas, I pulled the classic "pass the f'in butter". I didn't get the butter.

Carol, loved the comparison of Nancy Sinatra to a suction-cup animal. She really screwed herself up.

tarrajo, did you figure out how to use the doohickey?

JD, Hubba Bubba's still around, but I don't think Wrigley produces it any longer.

KQ, it does seem like a lot of deletions today.

Anonymous said...

Clear Ayes, Sugar is a perfect name for a Maltese, as they have such sweet personalities. We had one, Buttons, for 14 yrs. He was the perfect dog, sweet and feisty in one package. Miss him every day.
I usually say out loud WT and the F part in my head, unless it's really bad. There's something rather satisfying about the F-bomd. It applies to so many situations.
Back to the Rocky Road.
Liz

Jazzbumpa said...

KQ -

You sealed it.

Anonymous said...

@Dennis, evidentally I have figured out how to use the doohickey, just haven't tried it awhile. My son's Dad knew it though...just doesn't realize a child costs money....BITTER, party of ONE. Can't find the SOB. Pity for him as his son is turning out to be a stand up young man. Yeah, I know he's eight. Am I being too hard on him? These things run through your head if you are a single young Mom.

Clear Ayes said...

Ooops, Sorry Crockett, More redundancy..I missed your link to the "Alt Keys" @ 2:33.

Tarrajo, Ah yes, it is all coming back to me! My ex didn't disappear, but he just couldn't quite seem to understand that food, shelter and clothes cost money. Our daughter has often said that GAH has been more of a father to her than her real dad ever was. She and the ex don't have much of a relationship nowadays. She's a very nice lady, so it is his loss. Your son will be fine. Just hang in there with the good parenting and try not to let the long-gone father get to you. You called it exactly right. It is a pity for non-Dad. He's the one who will miss out. On the bright side, it does get better. Although my daughter was 17 before I met Mr. Good-guy, it did happen and life has been pretty darn good for the past 29 years. Hopefully, you won't have to wait so long to meet your Mr. Good-guy.

Anonymous said...

@Clearayes, thank you darln' as I head off to sleep and conquer the next day. As C.C. has said to you many of times, you are "a breath of fresh air," and you give this single Mom hope and strength .

Crockett1947 said...

@jeannie So good to see you here.

@ALL The link I posted at 2:33 p.m. is essentially the link that clear ayes posted at 7:57 and is want I found back in September because kazie went out and found it.

Anonymous said...

Okay, folks here's what I have learned , it is okay to be upset , you just need to mellow out .

TarraJo. After all this time and practice I still can't figure out the doohickey. Go figure.

T.S. said...

This harkens back to when we used typewriters I guess. Very tight spacing between line is single-spaced, double-spaced is wider... And I've never triple-spaced anything!

HomerDPoe said...

Hi. Do you know what happened to the Sunday Los Angeles Times Magazine Puzzle ? It says "The Magazine crossword puzzle is on hiatus.
The Times apologizes for any inconvenience."
Is that puzzle maybe available at another site?

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

HomerDPoe,
No, the puzzle is on hiatus. It's no not available online anywhere.