google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday September 23, 2009 Bruce Venzke and Stella Daily

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Sep 23, 2009

Wednesday September 23, 2009 Bruce Venzke and Stella Daily

Theme: In Fine Fettle - Phrases/name that start with a word indicating good health.

17A. Hydration from underground: WELL WATER. We used well water until I was about 10. Public well. Quite a way from our house. Tough on winter days.

29A. Thunder on a radio show, e.g.: SOUND EFFECT. Music recordings are never referred to as sound effects.

45A. In a rage: FIT TO BE TIED. Extremely angry.

61A. House majority leader of the early 1970s: HALE BOGGS. Unknown figure to me. Wikipedia says he was one of the seven members of the Warren Commission and he dissented from the single bullet theory. It also says he disappeared in 1972 while flying over a remote section in Alaska.

Also a bit of baseball undertone:

66A. Baseball Hall of Famer Speaker: TRIS. Inducted in 1937, same year as Cy Young. The first class (1936) includes Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb & Honus Wagner.

69A. Not tagged in time: SAFE. Twins won again! So did the Tigers though. We are still 2 1/2 games behind.

18D. "__ on first?": WHO'S. The classic Abbott and Costello sketch.

Very straightforward puzzle. Quite a few simple multiple-word answers.

Across:

5. Get ready for surgery: PREP

9. Beethoven's "Für ____": ELISE. Her true identity remains a mystery.

15. Victoria or Geneva: LAKE. Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake. LPGA holds its annual Evian Masters on the shore of Lake Geneva. It's played one week before British Open.

20. Horseshoer's workshop: SMITHY

21. "All set!": I'M READY

23. Excuse designed to elicit sniffles: SOB STORY. Asians tend to bottle up their personal woes.

26. Busy pro in Apr.: CPA. His days are numbered!

37. Bird on a dollar: EAGLE. I'd like to be a bird in my next life, chasing autumn all over the world.

40. Undiversified, as a farm: ONE CROP. Waiting for Windhover to comment.

42. Old French money: FRANC. Or ECU/SOU for three letter answers.

44. Head of France?: TETE. Tête-à-tête (tet-ah-tet) = head to head.

49. "The Waste Land" poet's monogram: TSE. Ah, our old days' of "Half a fly"! I bet Wayne R Williams still uses the same clue in his current self-syndicated puzzles.

50. Made a mess of: LOUSED UP

52. Mouth the lyrics: LIP SYNC

56. White Rabbit's cry: I'M LATE. Easy guess. Have never read "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".

64. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" author: STOWE

Down:

1. Dog's dogs?: PAWS. Dogs is slang for feet. Got me. I wanted PUPS.

2. Utah city: OREM. See this map. So glad that I was not the only one who was perplexed by SLC (Salt Lake City) abbreviation yesterday.

5. Hedonistic fellows: PLAYBOYS. Hugh Hefner even owns a crypt next to Marilyn Monroe.

6. Maze scurrier: RAT

9. Payment from a contestant: ENTRY FEE

11. It sells a lot of build-it-yourself furniture: IKEA. I wonder why IKEA has not gone public, neither has Cargill.

22. Desert Storm ration, for short: MRE (Meal Ready to Eat)

24. Mutton fat: SUET. Beef fat too. LARD is pork fat.

25. Explosive compound: TNT

26. Grain husks separated in threshing: CHAFF. Used to confuse CHAFF with CHAFE.

27. Lab dish inventor: PETRI

28. G sharp's equivalent: A-FLAT. Oh, by the way, why does major key sound happy and minor key sound sad?

30. It's not fiction: FACT. Could be stranger than fiction.

31. "Snowy" wader: EGRET

33. Conical residence: TEPEE. And TENT (35D: Shelter for roughing it).

39. Altar attendants: ACOLYTES. Love fresh fill.

40. Aunt Bee's grandnephew: OPIE. I bet we can find Ron Howard reference in a puzzle on any given day.

43. Tie settlers, for short. OTS (Overtimes)

47. Game often played with a 24-card deck: EUCHRE. Got the answer from Across fills. Wikipedia says EUCHRE, invented around 1860, is responsible for introducing the Jack (Joker) into modern packs.

51. Novelists' creations: PLOTS

55. Attached with thread: SEWN

57. Taj Mahal city: AGRA. "Slumdog Millionaire" was shot in AGRA and Mumbai.

58. "Woohoo, the weekend!": TGIF

59. Being, to Caesar: ESSE. Sum is a first person singular of ESSE, as in "Cogito, Ergo Sum".

62. "La Cage __ Folles": AUX. Ah, one of Lemonade's favorite plays. I like the remake "The Birdcage" starring Robin Williams.

63. Wahine's gift: LEI. What kind of flowers are they wearing?

Answer grid.

A special "Thank you" to Al for the technical help lately.

C.C.

PS: Nice sausage links yesterday, esp Jazzbumpa's "since" and "yikes!". Some exotic ingredients from Kazie. Fun to read. Missed Lois's playful word weaving essay.

82 comments:

  1. Good morning, C.C. and gang - a fun puzzle, albeit pretty easy, especially for a Wednesday. Got the theme after the third theme entry, which helped immensely when I got to 'Hale Boggs' (and I don't know how or why I remembered that name).

    Definitely a Windhover-flavored puzzle with 'chaff', 'plow' and 'one crop'. Favorite clues were 'Not tagged in time' and 'Dog's dogs'.

    C.C., I agree, Birdcage was a funny, funny movie; Nathan Lane was brilliant.

    Today is Checkers Day and Dog in Politics Day. (Does anyone remember the dog 'Checkers' that was 'in politics'?)

    Today's Words of Wisdom: "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so." -- Douglas Adams

    And a couple wise pieces of advice:

    - Don't think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm. -- Malayan proverb

    - Don't speak unless you can improve on the silence. -- Spanish proverb

    ReplyDelete
  2. Morning, All! A good puzzle today; not too hard, not too easy. I never got the theme, though. Even after reading CC’s title, I was still confused.

    Some of the perps made the most amusing clues. I loved Dog’s Dogs: PAWS (1D) and Sentence Ender: PERIOD (8D).

    HALE BOGGS (61D) was a congressman from Louisiana. He disappeared in a plane crash in Alaska in 1972 and was officially declared dead in 1973. His daughter is journalist Cokie Roberts.

    September 23 Birthdays:

    1959 ~ Jason Alexander, aka George from Seinfeld.

    1949 ~ Bruce Springsteen, The Boss. He’s called The Boss because he was the one who handed out paychecks from gigs to his fellow bandmates.

    1930 ~ Ray Charles (d. 2004)

    1926 ~ John Coltrane (d. 1967), Saxophonist. I bet Jazzbumpa knows all about him.

    1920 ~ Mickey Rooney. Did you know his birth name is Joseph Yule, Jr.?

    1899 ~ Louise Nevelson (d. 1988), American sculptor. She was a very tiny woman. She was the commencement speaker at my husband’s graduation from Brandeis in the mid-1980s.

    1938 ~ Victoria Woodhull (d. 1927), American suffragist. She was 40 years ahead of Mrs. Pankhurst, whose birthday was yesterday.

    480 BCE ~ Euripides, Greek playwright. Really? How do historians know that this was his birthday? Euripides these pants, I mend them.

    QOD: Fear is the foundation of most governments. ~ John Adams.

    ReplyDelete
  3. @ Dennis
    Checkers was Nixon's dog. There's a silly-funny film called "Dick" with Kirsten Dunst that details the Watergate era - it's a great Saturday evening giggle.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Chris, very good; not many people remember that.

    Off to the gym.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hahtool,
    I just added an explanatory line to the theme title. Is it clearer now?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks, CC. You do a great job with explanations and commentary.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good morning CC et al, Easy puzzle and like Dennis, I was thinking about Windhover with some of the terms...one crop, well water, chaff, plow. But to be 'franc', it didn't stop there. Oh yeah, he left a very impressive and 'sound effect' on me, don't ya know. I'm not the 'neediest' one in 'town' but 'I'm fit to be tied' up with the 'playboys'in KY all right and I'm ready! Would take getting 'lei'ed to a new level. No 'prep' necessary, and no 'sob story' pending. 'Is let' that one slip away. Actually, he's lucky he made a 'safe' 'exit' out of 'town'. Not my usual
    'trend' but 'bon' times none the less.

    Enjoy your day.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dennis,
    Checkers plays a vital role in the film.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ooh. SMITHY. OREM was an unknown to me and I kept thinking that horseshoes would be made in a STABLE. I was also surprised that Uncle Tom's Cabin wasn't written by TWAIN as I thought Uncle Tom was a character from one of Mark Twain's novels.

    Martin

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  10. Hi all:

    Thanks for the COKIE ROBERTS tidbit H., I never knew. Also, the original La Cage Aux Folles in French is worth a netflix night. Love the old Marx brothers' EURIPIDES reference, since I come from a family of tailors, it was big in my childhood. Met Ray Charles when he came to Gainesville to play a concert, and he was a true gentleman. Most LEI are made with flowers like orchids, but since their are so many kinds of orchids, it is hard to say which the Obama were wearing. Wishing you all ka lokomaika'I today.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good morning CC and All,

    Only hang up for me was Hale Boggs which slowed me down in the SE corner but the perps filled it in. I liked the cluing as already discussed but I was looking for a higher difficulty on a Wednesday.

    Happy B-Day to the Boss.

    Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Well, another day, another one done.
    As with yesterday, I still didn't know any cities in Utah (except SLC, now) so OREM was filled by the crosses. Strange we had TRIS today since it was referenced the other day as a regular fill. Got the theme after I was finished. Had to look at it a minute, but it came.
    Did NOT like 54d! Any reference to that word at this time of the year sends chills down my spine!!
    For the newcomers, you need to know that I'm not much in love with snow, so you may see nasty comments about it as the season goes on.
    Gotta go
    CY'all Later

    ReplyDelete
  13. 5 Down: Hedonistic fellows: PLAYBOYS. Hugh Hefner even owns a crypt next to Marilyn Monroe.

    In August I heard about this......

    A Beverly Hills widow is auctioning off the crypt above iconic actress Marilyn Monroe's resting place, offering to evict her dead husband's remains for the highest Ebay bidder.

    Marilyn Monroe

    ReplyDelete
  14. I wish I had $5 million dollars! My final resting place could be above Marilyn Monroe.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Good Morning All -

    A fun puzzle today. Only real problems were Hale Boggs, and Utah city Orem. Even with O_em and a_ea for geo product, I couldn't get the R... apparently didn't run thru enough of the alphabet in my head. Complete d'oh moment when I got it here.

    Favorite clues: Dog's dogs and Tie settlers. D'ohs on both of them when they finally revealed themselves.

    LOVED the sausage sentences yesterday - very fun. I was doing a TV interview yesterday and then had a committee meeting for the Free to Breathe 5k this weekend, so wasn't keeping up with the blog. Just read them this morning. PJB - I want to go to one of your budget meetings. They sound much more fun than the ones I've been to!

    Time to pack a school lunch and get everyone out the door.

    Enjoy the day!

    Andrea

    ReplyDelete
  16. We're sorry, but we were unable to complete your request.
    When reporting this error to Blogger Support or on the Blogger Help Group, please:

    Describe what you were doing when you got this error.
    Provide the following error code and additional information.

    Anyone know why you can't post from this page? I went to my blog page and signed and was able to post as Red State Democrat.

    ReplyDelete
  17. RSD,
    I just had to sign in, whereas usually it does it automatically for me.

    Yes, sausage game was a lot of fun last night. I just kept coming and checking every so oftern to see where we were.

    Today was a good Wednesday, except that after I filled the grid, I didn't bother checking for perp messups. Once here I discovered that BLOTS should be CLOTS, and it wasn't SOUND OF FEBT (I had changed this from FEET when ELOTS made no sense. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

    Loved dogs' dogs best.

    Liked both proverbs today too.

    ReplyDelete
  18. RSD:
    I think I know what your problem was when you
    got the " Describe what you were doing when
    you got this error" message.
    You were fantasizing about spending eternity on top of Marilyn Monroe, and that's just wrong, hence the "error" message. Every guy knows she should be on top. :-)

    CC & Dennis,
    the common word for "onecrop" would be "monoculture".
    No monoculture here at Windhover. We have sheep, goats, cattle, horses, chickens, and 6 dogs. One cat.

    Lois:
    it's all good, darlin'. When are you gracing the Bluegrass state again? We don't have any cowboys here, but there are a few horsemen. And with the crime rate skyrocketing because of the lousy economy, quite a few of them have been hung lately. Actually, they always were.

    ReplyDelete
  19. oops! I meant often

    Also forgot HEFT, like hefty,--probably comes from German: heftig = harsh, violent, intense, lashing (as with rain), hence "heavy". The German noun Heft has some unrelated meanings: notebook, handle, hilt, issue (number of a magazine etc.) and the verb "heften" has to do with connecting things: to tack, pin, stitch, baste, staple.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Kazie,
    Your heftig reminds me of zaftig, which is not of German origin, to my surprise. Congratulations on the new editorship.

    Windhover,
    Oh, that's the reason for the "error message". Unknown to me.

    Argyle,
    I had fun reading the Sausage Link posts. Can we do it again? I think everyone should write a sausage link sentence instead of a word. Let me start:

    "Dennis said "Darling...""

    ReplyDelete
  21. Dennis has never said 'darling' in his life. However, "Darling, grab both heels"

    ReplyDelete
  22. Starting this early with sausages, will be bad for C.C.'s digestion--so much time left in the day.

    C.C.,
    Zaftig probably is from the German "saftig", just with the "s" changed for pronunciation in English to sound like the initial "s" is in German. It means juicy in German.

    ReplyDelete
  23. "Leave my ex-husbands out of this", she said.

    ReplyDelete
  24. CC, don't know the rules...is a phrase ok? like this:

    Dennis said, "Darling, grab both heels ...without bending your knees and ..."

    Windhover: LOL KY is famous for its horsemen and its mules, each for the similar ways they are hung. Whenever I get even near KY, you'll be the first to know. When that happens, skyrocketing will take on a whole new dimension and the crime rate will pale in comparison.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Windhover & Lois,
    Rule #1: The starting letter of your sentence has to be the same as the ending letter of the prior poster's.

    Rule #2. Your whole sentence has to be a sausage link, ie, the starting letter of your second word has to be the same of the ending letter of the first word, and the starting letter of the third word has to be the same as the ending of the second word, etc, etc.

    Both of you were disqualified, try again.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Stop protesting, get the extension now.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Kazie,
    Thank you for the juicy zaftig.

    Link continued:

    What? The extension? Never!

    ReplyDelete
  28. This sure expects some explanation

    ReplyDelete
  29. Good morning CC and all,

    I just read last night's sausage sentences- very funny!

    Today's puzzle was easier for me than Mon or Tues.Had never heard of Euchre, but as soon as I completed Hale Boggs, it fell into place . I laughed at 48D, and wondered if anyone else related this to our recent puzzles.Acolyte is a great word. Bob has horror stories of his time as an altar boy; he was a wicked child.

    Fav clues were: "not tagged in time" and "head of France?"

    The more expensive leis are made with orchids, but I prefer plumerias because they smell heavenly, and are easy to make.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Darn, had to hit the g-spot for Fure Elise otherwise I was home free. I thought this was an enjoyable puzzle and caught onto the theme early today which always helps me. Perp help included Tris, tse (would have gotten it if it was the fly clue), agra.. I can honestly say I have never said “loused up” and loved the clue dogs dogs – paws. It is a saying my KY mother would say, “my dogs hurt”.

    Jeannie enjoys sexy young guys.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Mainiac,
    I guess I did not fully understand Windhover's "extension". I was picturing hair extension. Let me try again:

    "What the extension?"

    Windhover,
    Define "extension" for me.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Relax! X-rating great times soon; now wish,honey.

    ReplyDelete
  33. The full link:

    Dennis said "Darling..."

    "...grab both heels"

    "Stop protesting, get the extension now."

    "What the extension?"

    ReplyDelete
  34. oh,...
    Leis smell like ethereal liqueur.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Good Morning All, I'm still working on my first cup of coffee, so a sausage sentence will have to wait for a while. ISP is a little slow this morning, or maybe it is I (how about that grammar?), so I don't know whether to pick up on which of WH's entries, or Maniac's entry. Or by the time I'm finished here, there may be more. Too confusing for one cup of coffee.

    I liked today's puzzle. I don't remember seeing LOUSED UP as a fill before. The cross of EUCHRE and HALE BOGGS was the toughest for me to get. I had to do a little perp dancing to get those filled in.

    I might have forgotten TRIS Speaker if Argyle hadn't mentioned him yesterday.

    ReplyDelete
  36. oops,
    extensions ..not leis...Lois?

    ReplyDelete
  37. Hi C.C. & gang, another easy Wednesday, we finished it without pause in under 10 minutes.

    Yesterday's sausage game almost had me in tears it was so funny! But it looks like the blog police didn't understand it?

    ReplyDelete
  38. CC

    M-W Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition

    extension - 7b - a section or ... segment forming an additional length.
    Windhover addendum: a device often required by drivers of Porsches and Ferraris.
    Hope this helps. Back to the sausage (so to speak).
    BTW, is the post limit temporarily suspended ?

    ReplyDelete
  39. Now wish honey...yesterday you understood.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Hi gang -

    Jazzbumpa always says something goofy, yet thoughtful, lest those effected develop problems.

    Easy puzzle today, with lots of fun fills. Forgot to look for the theme, though?!? How can that happen?

    Dennis - Great advice today.

    Hatool - Actually it's: "Euripides, Eumenides!"

    I know a little about Coltrane, but not a lot. His song GIANT STEPS
    is very difficult for improvisation.

    C.C. - Here is my best guess: The perception of sadness in music is a combination physiological response and cultural conditioning. It is caused by a combination of minor key, and slow tempo. But how the brain translates the ear's reception of minor key aral stimulation into a particular mood is a mystery to me.

    I've been reading Julie and Julia -that book is a hoot. The LW and I are going to see the movie this afternoon.

    Hmmm. Alger Hiss yesterday, Checkers today. Will the Nixon sausage continue tomorrow?

    Cheers!
    JzB the eats sausage excellent trombonist

    ReplyDelete
  41. Dennis said "Darling..."
    "...grab both heels"
    "Stop protesting, get the extension now."
    "What the extension?"
    Now wish honey...
    yesterday you understood.

    "Don't think kookie elevate exercise excites; so ordinary!"

    ReplyDelete
  42. Yow! Windhover really yawning, got to occasionally yield, daytime especially.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Yow! Windhover really yawning, got to occasionally yield, daytime especially.
    Yield to opposition?

    ReplyDelete
  44. Dennis said "Darling..."
    "...grab both heels"
    "Stop protesting, get the extension now."
    "What the extension?"
    Now wish honey...
    yesterday you understood.

    Don't talk knees, silly.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Now wish honey...
    yesterday you understood.

    Don't talk knees, silly.
    You've enjoyed ddoing gynmnastics since...

    ReplyDelete
  46. Looks like two, or maybe three sausage sentence threads going on.

    - Now wish honey...
    - yesterday you understood.
    - Don't think kookie elevate exercise excites; so ordinary!
    - Yow! Windhover really yawning, got to occasionally yield, daytime especially.
    - Yield to opposition?

    OR

    - Now wish honey...
    - yesterday you understood.
    - Don't talk knees, silly.
    - You've enjoyed doing gynmnastics since...

    Which one of these? I'm confused. Ah well, I'm going to brunch with a couple of women friends, so I'll just check out for a while and see what shows up later.

    C.C. Windhover asked earlier, is there a suspension on posting limits for sausage sentences?

    ReplyDelete
  47. Evidently, nobody knows why minor key music sounds sad - and it doesn't always, actually.

    Speaking of unknowns - euchre is pretty much unknown outside of Michigan, Ohio, Indian, Illinois, an Wisconsin. What about Minn?

    Gotta run. Cheers!
    JzB the movie attending trombonist

    ReplyDelete
  48. Windhover the post before that was mine also I could not post as RSD so I went anon and it took it As for your post it was funny! :-)

    If you are really looking for a challenge, Try the USA Today Puzzle

    USA TODAY

    I again had to go to my blog page and sign in then refresh this one so I can post! WTF!

    ReplyDelete
  49. Jeannie enjoys sexy young guys, swimming gleefully yelling, "Go, oh hot tamale."

    ReplyDelete
  50. CC:

    I've been an avid follower of your crossword blog for a few months now. It really allows me a break from reality.

    With that being said, I recently upgraded my Blackberry from a Curve to a Tour, and I can no longer see your entry on a given day. I can only read the other users comments. This has frustrated me to no end. Have you heard of this being a problem for anyone else?

    I usually do the puzzle during my lunch time, and I'm usually not near an actual computer...hence why I use my blackberry to check out your blog once I'm finished.

    Please let me know if you have any advice.

    Make it count,

    Jeff

    ReplyDelete
  51. jazzbumpa- Does "Euripides, Eumenides!" refer to Eugenes?

    ReplyDelete
  52. Euchre is one of my all-time favorite games. At one point, some friends and I talked about creating a coffee table book with photos of us playing euchre around the world.

    I can't find my favorite photo at the moment, but we once played euchre on the Hurtigruten going through the Trollfjord in Norway. Forunately we managed to look up from the cards occasionally to see the spectacular scenery.

    Loving the sausage sentences! Dennis at 9:10 cracked me up, and it's only gotten better from there.

    ReplyDelete
  53. @anon "Jeff"
    I access the blog via a Nokia smartphone with a Symbian browser, used to use a Treo 700, and haven't had access problems (log in problems, occasionally).
    Questions/thoughts:
    * are you able to access other blogs hosted on blogspot.com?
    *if you access this blog via bookmark, try pointing the browser directly to the start page, instead or come in by search engine and once here, click on the blog title to make sure the start page is refreshed.and current.
    *on the "comment" page, there is an underlined link that says "show original post" which, when clicked, shows C.C.'s blog and the reader comments. If Java script is disabled, that link doesn't appear on my browser.
    I'm no computer/browser whiz, but I hope this helps...

    ReplyDelete
  54. Hello all you sausage happy friends!
    Are we doing sentences now instead of single words??? I am confused too.

    Easy puzzle today. Needed no help because the perps came to the rescue.
    Never heard of EUCHRE. How long has it been around?

    I think we have had MRE before but I forgot and could not dredge it out of my brain. Good thing I had all the answers around it.

    The Birdcage is one of my favorite movies. Love Robin Williams and agree with Dennis that Nathan Lane did a fabulous job.

    JD: I'm with you on the Plumerias! I haven't been to Hawaii in 32 years but I can still recall that wonderful scent.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Jeff,
    My only Internet access, period, is via an Iphone. The only trouble I have is an occasional "Sorry, we could not process your request. Please try again". I then reenter my password and it works. I would echo PJB, who knowledge is way beyond mine ( the average fifth grader is more computer savvy than I am), that your point of entry could be the problem. I doubt this will help, but there are several very adept people on here. I'm sure help is on the way. BTW, welcome to the fray.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Jeannie enjoys sexy young guys, swimming gleefully yelling, "Go, oh hot tamale."

    Each hot tamale ends so often nonedible.

    ReplyDelete
  57. C.C.-Another fine blog today! Enjoyed seeing the Abbott and Costello sketch again. Thank you.

    RSD-I also do the USA Today xword, and agree that today's was more of a challenge than usual. Being given the theme really helped.

    Andrea1263-Thanks for the link to Hurtigurten. Breathtakingly beautiful!

    Enjoy the day!

    ReplyDelete
  58. Smooth sailing today. Only stumbled on EUCHRE (new to me), and Hale Boggs, who was leader when I was in high school and not paying attention.

    If we could put our sausages on hold for a second, I've got a bit of trivial information to bore you with.

    Today marks the 6-month anniversary of switching to the LA Times crosswords. In that period Rich Norris has presented us with 159 puzzles (only counting Monday's through Saturday's) submitted by 67 different "constructors". Five of those constructors were actually Rich himself. Most often used by far is Dan Naddor with 22 puzzles. Next most popular are David W. Cromer, Don Gagliardo, and Donna S. Levin with 7 apiece. Doug Peterson and Jack McInturff are close behind with 6. Thirty-six constructors have been used only once.

    OK, now go back to linking your sausages.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Hello all,

    Jill said to thank everyone for their kind words.

    Linda, add "Doesn't suffer fools gladly" and you have actually described her.

    All of this talk about sausage has me hungry for German Sausage mit fried potatoes,onions and bacon.

    I'm off to the store.

    eddyB

    ReplyDelete
  60. I think we better cool it for a while with our sausage posts; I fear we're wreaking havoc on c.c.'s inbox.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Hi everyone. I couldn't help but notice the fun you folks are having with your Sausage Link sentences. Especially the "spicy" links. Anyway, I thought you'd like knowing Rich N. recently approved a puzzle of mine that will remind you very much of your SL game. File this message under "coming attractions" (and I'm sure that phrase will get play, too, right?)

    ReplyDelete
  62. Dan, that's outstanding! Should be a lot of fun.

    Thanks for the heads-up.

    ReplyDelete
  63. *are you able to access other blogs hosted on blogspot.com? YES

    *if you access this blog via bookmark, try pointing the browser directly to the start page, instead or come in by search engine and once here, click on the blog title to make sure the start page is refreshed.and current. TRIED THIS, DID NOT WORK.

    *on the "comment" page, there is an underlined link that says "show original post" which, when clicked, shows C.C.'s blog and the reader comments. If Java script is disabled, that link doesn't appear on my browser. TRIED THIS, DID NOT WORK

    Jeff

    ReplyDelete
  64. EddyB,
    Don't forget the Rotkohl with that meal! Your Jill must have more patience than I do--I couldn't stand the fools in my building any more after 26 years.

    C.C.,
    Thanks for the congrats earlier. I guess they'll decide for sure after I get the next issue done. I'm actually wondering if I should "louse" it up to avoid this long-term commitment, but I fear that is not in my nature.

    ReplyDelete
  65. 7:04 today. No problems except my hamhanded typing. Never saw the theme, but can't say I really looked today (in a bit of a hurry).

    Was fun to see ACOLYTES in the puzzle. I think I may have seen the word in the NYT puzzle before, but I'm not certain.

    The embien manse uses well water, which means we have no water when the electricity goes out, which happens a few times each winter.

    Putting on my curmudgeon hat: you guys have fun making sausages, but don't expect embien to join in. Bah humbug! I will happily join eddyB in a bratwurst (with spicy German mustard, of course), however.

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  66. Good quick puzzle today. Didn't time it because I was interrupted twice.

    Mostly pretty easy, except for "euchre." I am not a big card player, so those clues somethings need help. I knew the pol's name was "Boggs," but could not remember the first name. When it did come to me, "euchre" fell into place and I remembered it, too. The only other problem was that I really wanted "pups," which left me with "pellwater" and "urea." One of those "ah ha" moments when "dog's dogs" became feet instead of offspring.

    Books and authors are my strong suit, so "Stowe" was a given.

    Hope everyone else is having pleasant fall temperatures. It was 47º when I got up at five o'clock and is only 71º now.

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  67. None of this would have happened if it had been sausage patties.

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  68. About minor keys sounding sad, I think that what @Jazzb stated was about the most economical way to say it; anything else is bound to get really wordy and complicated. So here goes, anyway ;-)

    For myself, I think it's mostly tempo that evokes happiness and sadness. Lyrics help though. Major and minor aren't really happy or sad by themselves. Look at most Country music for example, mostly all major chords (a few 7ths here and there, but that’s not minor), yet it can be the most Lonesome and Blue thing you could ever listen to. Christmas music leaves you feeling melancholy as well. No minor chords there.

    If you play minor music in a quicker tempo, it isn’t sad anymore, it’s a celebration. Or it can be threatening, or even dark and angry. Very emotionally evocative, but not for the feeling of sadness.

    I’ll quit with this potentially confusing thought. Every key has seven natural chords in it. Every major key has a relative minor key. The set of seven chords are exactly the same between them. For example, the key of “C” has a relative minor of “A”. It only matters which chord you start with in the chord progression whether the music sounds minor or major to your ear. There isn’t any other difference, so you might see that the perception of happiness or sadness is only in the way the music has been composed and the tempo and expression with which it is performed.

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  69. @Jeff, sorry that I couldn't help. Perhaps someone more savvy can offer better suggestions.

    @All, some fun fill today, no? Expressions such as Lip sync, Sob story, Fit to be tied and Loused up all were sure not top of mind on my first pass through the grid, but they gave me some AHAs once they fell into place in their colloquial goodness! Euchre and Ikea were slow to come, as was Orem, Utah, where instead of having a "tepee" "tete-a-tete" you can have "hut amore"--- okay, I will leave the anagrams to Jerome from now on!

    @Andrea: Where I work, writing a budget is essentially the same as plotting any work of fiction, so the sausage game helps get those creative juices a-flowing! Now you know why I am so vague when discussing work :-).

    C.C., you're right about IKEA. They are under pressure to be "greener" so they're really stressing their environmental contributions on line, in stores and catalogs. They're accused of promoting a "throw away culture"...I do wish they would lose the unpronounceable Swedish names for each product, however.

    Dan Naddor, thanks for stopping by.

    Later....

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  70. The brunch bunch was a lot of fun today.

    PJB "Where I work, writing a budget is essentially the same as plotting any work of fiction".... Gee I didn't know the California State Controller had an office in Illinois.

    Crocodiles aren't the only dangerous critters in calm water....

    The Jungle Husband

    Dearest Evelyn, I often think of you
    Out with the guns in the jungle stew
    Yesterday I hittapotamus
    I put the measurements down for you but they got lost in the fuss
    It's not a good thing to drink out here
    You know, I've practically given it up dear.
    Tomorrow I am going alone a long way
    Into the jungle. It is all grey
    But green on top
    Only sometimes when a tree has fallen
    The sun comes down plop, it is quite appalling.
    You never want to go in a jungle pool
    In the hot sun, it would be the act of a fool
    Because it's always full of anacondas, Evelyn, not looking ill-fed
    I'll say. So no more now, from your loving husband Wilfred.

    - Stevie Smith

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  71. Another good puzzle. Didn't need the theme to complete, but liked it in the end anyway.

    Hahtool, thanks for the info on Hale Boggs (who by the way I didn't know from Adam)and Cokie Roberts. She is one of my favorites.

    All my kids were ACOLYTES in our Catholic church. My daughter, who was generally really obedient, was serving at a funeral mass one school day. It was a younger man, full church and a very long service. At one point she started twirling the rope that tied on her robe. One woman called the priest afterword to complain about my daughter's "being disrespectful". The priest apparently told the woman that she had larger things to complain about than a typical 12 year old that got bored from a long funeral service. Several weeks later, he told the congregation about the incident in a homily (not naming my daughter, but of course we all knew who he was talking about). We still laugh about that to this day.

    Jazz, I have played Euchre in Minnesota, with someone from Iowa. Don't know exactly what that means. In Milwaukee, Sheepshead is a card game that I think was very local. My family played it all the time.

    Lots of fun with the sausage links. I am going to refrain from participating, but like to read. I was wondering why there were so many posts already when I got on this afternoon.

    Looking forward to Dan Naddor's puzzle coming up. I hope we will all recognize it!

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  72. Hello All--A fun quick to fill puzzle today. My only downfall was Euchre crossed with Hale Boggs. I didn't remember Boggs' first name so I guessed and put in Dale. That guess was what really loused me up!

    I loved the "Snowy" wader and Dog's dogs? clues.

    While trying to make an entry on the Sausage Links sentences yesterday, someone would beat me to the next beginning letter word before I could get my word posted, so I finally gave up. It was fun to read those who did manage to post before someone else beat them to the next word. It isn't easy doing a whole sentence on your own!

    Dennis the pieces of advice were very true today. So I'll not roil the waters and let the silence speak for itself.

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  73. Hello everybody. I heard the USA Today crossword mentioned. I usually do it and am about half-way through it now. I don't understand the theme yet. Minor Defects>>Smoke and mirrors>>Midair refueling?? Usually I tumble to the theme right away but not today.

    We have some plumeria growing around here and some along the Strand next to the Pacific where I go bike riding. Sure smells good.

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  74. Bill G, the theme will become apparent when you get to the end.

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  75. @RSD: If you are really looking for a challenge, Try the USA Today Puzzle

    Well, I did it, but I truly hate that applet they use (I think same as the LA Times website--I always use AcrossLite). Took 12:41, a lot of the time spent fighting the applet's cursor movement. I liked the theme and the four 15's were fun.

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  76. Hello again,

    kazie, I did think about the red cabbage. I got the leeks and
    grannie smiths to start making it.
    I'll save it for when I make the raw potato pancakes.

    embiem, Sorry no german mustard.
    I used it all up. Spicy brown will have to do untill I can order more on line.

    For tonight, I'll be making a cucomber and red onion salad in sour cream as a side.

    have a nice evening all.

    eddyB.

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  77. EddieB-Belated congrats to your wife for being selected Teacher of the Year! Quite an honor!
    You mentioned the fires around Los Angeles. There have been many new fires in the last couple of days, and the so-called "Station Fire", which started nearly a month ago, has now burned 250 sq.miles (160,000 acres). Expected to be contained by tomorrow night. And they tell us the fire season is just beginning, and Santa Ana wind season is coming.

    JimmyB-Thanks for the trivia about the puzzles since the new format began. Interesting!

    Dan Naddor-Looking forward to your upcoming puzzle. Thanks for the heads up!

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  78. Ah yes. I couldn't see it coming though.

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  79. dennis,
    do you mean the subject of the famous 'checkers speech'?

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  80. I finally found time today to complete the puzzle and it was fun and doable with the perps. It was also fun to read some of your sausage links.
    Here is mine:
    Bradyjoe enjoys sports sometimes soccer, racing, golf, football.

    He is doing well in school and football as the go-to running back as he can run and catch. I am proud of him.

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  81. Tarrajo, it was good hearing from you. I'm glad to hear that BradyJoe is enjoying football and that he is getting in playing time. My grandson was red shirted in soccer last year, but this year has had some playing time at the University. It really boosts their egos.

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