google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday November 20, 2009 Michael Blake

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Nov 20, 2009

Friday November 20, 2009 Michael Blake

Theme: ADDLE (65A. Confuse - or what to do to four common phrases to form this puzzle's theme answers) - Letters LE are added to the starts of four common phrases, hence ADD LE.

17A. Maximum tolerance for a stand-up comic's jokes?: (LE)NO LIMIT. Jay Leno.

26A. "All Trotsky, all the time" channel?: (LE)ON TELEVISION. Leon Trotsky.

47A. When dogs can't run loose?: (LE)ASH WEDNESDAY

63A. Nuts about Danish toys?: (LE)GO CRAZY. Did not know Lego is based in Denmark.

This puzzle reminds me of Merle Baker's "slangy turndown" IXNAY puzzle, where IX is nixed from familiar phrase. Or Gareth Bain's NIXON one, where letters ON are nixed in every theme answer.

Very clever interpretation of ADDLE, isn't it? It makes adding/deleting a letter puzzle so much fun.

I actually got ADDLE earlier on, but I could not parse it properly to gain any advantage in filling in the themes. Patchy Bozone Layer (The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating) on several spots. Had to peek at the cheat sheet.

Across:

1. Symbol of gentleness: LAMB. Jesus is the lamb of God.

5. Torahs' homes: ARKS

14. Fridge problem: ODOR. Fresh pineapple pieces always make our fridge smell good.

15. R-rating reason, perhaps: GORE

16. Longship sailors: NORSE. A longship is a medieval ship used in northern Europe esp. by the Norse. Unknown to me.

19. AT&T Park player: GIANT. San Francisco Giants.

20. Start of a memorable 1961 admonition: ASK NOT. JFK line: "Ask not what your country can do for you..."

21. Force: STRENGTH. A bunch of consonants.

23. Gripe: CRAB

25. Slippery swimmer: EEL. Embien just mentioned unagi (freshwater eel) and anago (saltwater eel) yesterday. I like former. Also love NORI (44A. Edible seaweed used for sushi).

36. It's often left in the copier: Abbr.: ORIG (original)

38. Wolf (down): SNARF. Wrote down SCARF first. Dictionary says SNARF is a blend of snack and scarf.

41. Mountain ride: BIKE. I've never rode a bike along a mountain.

42. Marine threats: ORCAS

46. Clear: NET. Tricky clue for me.

51. Estuary: RIA. Are they really the same?

52. Senior golfer Aoki: ISAO. Crazy vowel combination. Senior golf indeed. I've never seen him play in Senior PGA (Champions Tour) in person.

53. Lover's sweet talk?: NOTHINGS. Sweet nothings. Lovely clue.

58. Precipitated: CAUSED. Wanted RAINED.

62. Cuban boy in 2000 news: ELIAN (González)

66. Plus-size supermodel: EMME. Somehow I thought it's EMMA. Just learned that her original given name is Melissa too. She's about perfect size, no?

67. To be, in Brest: ETRE. Alliteration again. Nothing to beat last time's "Brest milk" clue for LAIT. Awesome. Brest is a seaport in France.

68. Hull damagers: REEFS

69. Signs of nervousness: TICS

70. Interpret, as tea leaves: READ. Would be a difficult clue without the additional "as tea leaves".

Down:

1. 1970 hit by the Kinks: LOLA. Not familiar with the song.

3. Religious ascetic: MONK. And REV (22D. Relig. title).

4. You can count on a lot of bucks from one: BRONCO. Bronco habitually bucks. Clever clue.

5. Stirs up trouble: AGITATES

6. CD follower?: ROM. CD-ROM.

8. Den piece: SETTEE. Again, "piece" brought to mind furniture immediately.

9. Saintly: ANGELIC

10. Knock off: DO IN. Both slang for "to kill".

11. Big bore: DRAG. DRIP too.

13. Clockmaker Thomas: SETH. Finally I remembered his name.

18. Doone in Exmoor: LORNA. "Lorna Doone" is set at the wilds of Exmoor, new trivia to me. A 1869 novel by Richard Blackmore.

24. Capital northwest of Rome: BERN. The clue would be valid for EURO too, right? EURO is definitely used in northwest of Rome.

26. He played Ugarte in "Casablanca": LORRE (Peter)

27. "All My Children" vixen: ERICA. Played by Susan Lucci.

29. Sad sound: SOB

30. Skater Slutskaya: IRINA. Always wanted IRENA.

31. Best way to sing: ON KEY. Oh, I am often off-key then.

32. Veto from Lenin: NYET. Russian for "no". Opposite of "Da".

33. Mislead: FOOL

37. Great time, slangily: GAS

40. Sistine Chapel features: FRESCOES. Thought the plural is just frescos.

43. Sacred sites: SHRINES

48. Come out on top: WIN

49. Aerie newborn: EAGLET. Does an owlet live in aerie too?

50. More morose: DOURER. Anyone else wanted SADDER?

53. Adjacent: NEAR

54. Quaint retail adjective: OLDE

55. Sand castle's undoing: TIDE

56. Even share, perhaps: HALF. Was thinking of stock even/odd shares.

57. Huge hauler: SEMI

60. Biblical reformer: EZRA. What did he try to reform? Ezra is a Hebrew name meaning "help".

61. Like blue hair: DYED

64. Tracker maker: GMC. One-time GMC sport ute.

Answer grid.

C.C.

55 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and gang - another very enjoyable puzzle today, although I had several missteps. Foremost among them was 'snarf'. Really? Snarf? I was locked into 'scarf' (down) and couldn't for the life of me figure out what country 'Berc' was capital of. Also thought 'dourer' was a bit of a stretch; yes, it's a word, but it's difficult to even pronounce, and I've certainly never heard it used in conversation.

I did catch the theme after the second theme entry, but still thought 'add le' (65A) was absolutely ingenious.

C.C., as to your question, I don't think owls live in 'aeries' - they're typically in treetops.

Today is Absurdity Day and Beautiful Day. Don't ask me - I just pass them on.

Today's Words of Wisdom: "If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun!" -- Katharine Hepburn

More from the Washington Post contest:

- Rectitude: The formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.

- Pokemon: A Rastafarian proctologist.

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

Dennis,
I don't quite get the "Pokemon: A Rastafarian proctologist" definition. Got the poke part, what's the connection between Rastafarian & mon?

Al et al,
Thanks for the Dr. DRE name explanation yesterday.

Martin said...

Wow. Dennis was actually stumped by a puzzle? I googled "European capital" to get BERN and then had to google SNARF to confirm that it actually was a word. (I wanted SCARF too.) I also needed to google to get LOLA, DORNA, SETH and GIANT and wanted iceBERGS for REEFS, STEREO for SETTEE, COPY for DO IN, AIN'T for ISN'T, TEMPLES for SHRINES and SADDER for DOURER.

Martin

Dennis said...

C.C., if you've ever heard them talk, they pronounce 'man' as 'mon', such as 'ya mon'.

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

Martin,
You've got to be living in the US for GIANT to be a gimme.

Dennis,
Oh, mon, I did not know that. The only Rastafarian whose voice I've heard is Bob Marley. And his woman in "No Woman, No Cry" is not "womon".

Jeannie,
Why does Dennis' adoring "recipe lady" make you want to take a shawl all the time?

Dick said...

Good morning C. C. and all, a fun puzzle for me today. I got the LE part of the theme early on after several false starts on my part. I still think “scarf” is the correct word and not “snarf”, although I knew “Ber(n)” so I left the answer as it was. Other missteps “porn” for “gore” (15A), “aint” for “isn’t” (12D) and “Brinks” for “bronco” (4D).

One other area that slowed me down a bit was the endless possibilities for 50D i.e. blue, dour, glum, grum and sour now of which could be inserted until Wednesday filled for 47A.

All in all a nice puzzle difficult , but doable.

Hope you all have a great Friday.

tfrank said...

Good morning, C.C. and all,

This was a tough sled for me today. I needed a lot of perp and red letter help today, but managed to finish in 37 minutes online. I finally grokked the theme with leashwednesday.

I had the most trouble with the Northern quarter for some reason. Today was a good day to start at the bottom and work up.

Have a great weekend.

Dr. Dad said...

Well, it's Friday and I made it through this clever little puzzle in no time. Not going to say much other than -
Have a great Friday!

Argyle said...

Good Mornin', Mon.

Check out all the capitals NW of Rome. Almost in a straight line: Bern, Paris, London(Um, progressive number of letters, too.) Also Dublin, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Luxembourg. Could I include Reykjavik, Iceland, or is it not considered part of Europe?

Dennis-Pokemon: A Rastafarian proctologist: Gives a whole new meaning to, "We be jammin', mon".

Argyle said...

A good time to link Lola?

Hahtoolah said...

Morning, CC and Friends.

Argyle, you beat me to the Lola link. I wondered what took so long. I listened to that a lot back in high school.

This was a fun, challenging puzzle. I fell into the same traps as already noted. I just "knew" that to wolf down something was SCARF. I felt cheated by SNARF. Of course, Scarf made it nearly impossible to figure out the European capital NW of Rome.

I got ADDLE (ADD LE) before the theme answers came to me. My first theme response was LEGO CRAZY.

Favorite clues today were Left in Copier: ORIG and Lover's sweet talk: NOTHINGS

QOD: Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life. ~ Immanuel Kant

Argyle said...

Snarf: It made a little more sense when I looked it up and it said it was a combination of "snacks" and "scarf" = SNARF.

Mainiac said...

Good Morning All,

Tough ride for me this morning. The theme answers didn't fill in. 65A printed as Confuseor not Confuse which weally confused me. That's my story and I sticking to it. I've never heard of Snarf and wouldn't let go of Scarf until red letters were used.

Basketball season is upon us now. I am so happy someone else is coaching. I've just endured the worst coaching experience this past football season due to a few parents, not the kids. My oldest made the Middle School team. He doesn't have much skill but works hard. My youngest is on the travel team which starts their season tomorrow. Thankfully its a home game so I'll be able to finish stacking my firewood.

T-shirt weather here today! We've had a really good stretch lately. Finishing up the paving projects today. Just in time! They shut down the plants tonight.

Argyle, LMAO! How about a little Marley. Interesting snippet of an interview in the middle.

Have a great day!

Lemonade714 said...

Good morning:

I did not even see the clue, or answer SNARF , as BERN was as the down fill was much faster today, but the word was popular when I was in college; not yesterday.

It was not easy, and it took my brain a while for LAMB to pop in, but I enjoyed the puzzle. Sweet Tart, thanks for the words, and I understand the trip from bad girl to the rocking chair recipe lady can be tough.

Does anyone else remember the old tv show the Persuaders starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore, where Raymond Coote was there helper? Am I hallucinating?

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Definitely a bit of a challenge today. There weren't any actual unknowns, but I think I was my own worst enemy. I put CARP for CRAB, SCARF for SNARF, RAINED for CAUSED, IRENA for IRINA and ISAI for ISAO. Most of those were resolved quickly, but the last two kept me from getting the "Tada!" at the end.

When I went back to check my answers, I found myself wondering what kind of "Mountain ride" was a BEKE and what the #@%^! DIURER meant. It was easy enough to change BEKE to BIKE, but DOURER didn't really look much better than DIURER to me. As Dennis mentioned, it may be a real word but that doesn't mean I have to like it... And, yeah, you'd think I'd finally remember Aoki ISAO by now, but sometimes my brain is a little bit like Teflon (i.e., nothing sticks).

As for the theme, I loved it! I didn't actually get it until the end of the puzzle. I got ADDLE early on, but thought it meant the theme answers were scrambled and that didn't help me one whit.

kazie said...

Despite getting ADDLE early on, I didn't get the theme until I googled the television clue, thinking it was the name of some show I hadn't heard of. By then enough people had googled it that it came up with one of the other theme clues, so I got it and changed my ON ASH WEDNESDAY to LEON, and realized that LEGO CRAZY wasn't being crazy for Legos, but GO CRAZY with the LE added. But all that was when I had practically everything else in.

I had trouble remembering the word BRONCO, though I pictured what was needed, and BERN was a gimme after I realized it would be another European capital city, and not a provincial capital somewhere in Italy. Googled LOLA before LAMB came to me. Otherwise, all guesses for the several other unknowns.

I LOL'd at pokemon!

melissa bee said...

happy friday c.c. and all,

despite a couple of missteps, i finished several minutes faster than yesterday. very clever theme, which i realized with LEASH WEDNESDAY. ADDLE was just brilliant, and a fun surprise in the southwest. especially liked CORNY and NOTHINGS.

pokemon, haha! great tune hey baby, from bob's son stephen.

looking forward to some holiday themage next week, and especially barb b's visit ☺ ☺ ☺

Spitzboov said...

A bit ponderous but doable with a little patience. Clever theme. ADDLE was my last fill. Laughed out loud. It was so apt.

Loved clues for ASKNOT, BRONCO, and NOTHINGS.

Did not know EMME; got it from fills. Thought DOURER stank. Very awkward.

Good launch into the weekend. Enjoy it.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, My "D'oh!" moment of the day was with ADDLE. I never did come up with ADD LE on my own. I even "got" the LE beginning of the theme phrases and 65A still didn't register. I was wandering around in my own Bozone Layer.

Of course, SNARF...I've never used it and don't know anybody who has.

I didn't know that the GIANTs stadium was AT&T Park....do now.

LOLA was a great 70's song. This is Candy Darling who reportedly inspired the song. Candy was also THE "Candy" in Lou Reed's "Walk On The Wild Side".

LORNA Doone was another book I read when I was quite young. Carver Doone is one of the most evil and scary villains ever. Next to Mallomars (mmmm..coookie), Lorna Doone cookies with milk are my favorite store-bought cookie. Anybody else have a favorite?

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Good puzzle, but I had all kinds of trouble. Read 65A literally as ADD LE, since I had most of the theme ans. Coming here to see ADDLE was a D'OH moment.

Brilliant theme and execution. Wow!

I will never remember ISAO, never had NORI nor heard of EMME, choked on SNARF, and don't think much of precipitated for CAUSED. (Yes, I had rained.) With all those perps missing, FRESCOES eluded me.

ADES should be banned from puzzles forever.

AS bad as DOURER is, I saw REEMIT in a puzzle recently. Stick an RE at the beginning or end of almost anything . . .

For a change, LOLA DYED.
ISN'T OLDE SETH NEAR?
Don't let the TIDE DRAG you out to sea.
I'd say NYET to that OLDE FOOL LEON.
To HALF DO IN someone, make him drive 700 miles in rain and fog.
Was LORRE ON KEY?
ASK NOT what CAUSED the bell to toll . . .

That's all folks.

CHEERS!
JzB the ADDLEd trombonist

kazie said...

I didn't think DOURER was any worse than all the other "more" "-er" adjectives we get. I don't have trouble pronouncing it either. I think it's an American thing like "mirror", because of the heavier "r's" the last syllable gets swallowed, whereas if you're English or an aussie, the last "r" is muted and the vowel before it sounds clearer.

MH said...

Nitpick: the Tracker was a GEO. Yes, General Motors made it but "GMC" is a brand name that GM uses for their truck line. He could have coupled "57D: Huge hauler" with "64D: Maker of 57D" since GMC makes some huge haulers.

Crockett1947 said...

Good morning, all.

Thanks for the write-up, C.C.

Gripe=crab? Don't think I've ever seen/heard that one before.

Wanted SCARF for SNARF, so that combo was the last to fall for me. It's nice to see that I have some company in this!

Didn't know that LORRE played that character in Casablanca, but who else could it be?

@bees Have a great time on Thanksgiving.

Happy Friday to everyone!!

Clear Ayes said...

I was going to save this poem for two weeks after Thanksgiving. But after seeing 14A "Fridge problem" for ODOR, maybe it is a cautionary tale best seen today.

Deep in Our Refrigerator

Deep in our refrigerator,
there's a special place
for food that's been around awhile . . .
we keep it, just in case.

“It's probably too old to eat,”
my mother likes to say.
“But I don't think it's old enough
for me to throw away.”

It stays there for a month or more
to ripen in the cold,
and soon we notice fuzzy clumps
of multicolored mold.

The clumps are larger every day,
we notice this as well,
but mostly what we notice
is a certain special smell.

When finally it all becomes
a nasty mass of slime,
my mother takes it out,
and says, “Apparently, it's time.”

She dumps it in the garbage can,
though not without regret,
then fills the space with other food
that's not so ancient yet.

- Jack Prelutsky

Dick said...

Liked your poem today CA, very appropriate for the season.

Warren said...

Hi C.C. & gang, I think my wife and I finished 2/3 of today's puzzle before she left for work. I got the ADDLE clue quickly but didn't parse it into 'ADD' 'LE' until I came here even though I did add LE to the beginnings anyway?
I had SCARF for SNARF also.
The Lola song was a blast from the past.

My favorite clue was 4D: You can count on a lot of bucks from one: BRONCO

For C.C., more than you want to know about Ezra
"Ezra (Hebrew: עֶזְרָא, Modern ʿEzra Tiberian ʿEzrâ) was a Jewish priestly scribe who led about 5,000 Israelite exiles living in Babylon to their home city of Jerusalem in 459 BCE. Ezra reconstituted the dispersed Jewish community on the basis of the Torah..."

Barry G. said...

I should have mentioned, btw, that I am familiar with SNARF (despite initially putting in SCARF like everybody else). I've even used it on occasion. The difference between SNARF and SCARF is that you SCARF down food, whereas you simply SNARF something when you're hungry. Or, at least, that's how I've always used it...

Severo said...

Fri Nov20
GEO not GMC was the maker of Trackers and sold by Chevrolet

Dennis said...

Under the umbrella of General Motors Corporation.

g8rmomx2 said...

Hi c.c. and all:

Well, as others said I too had scarf instead of snarf; Brinks instead of Bronco; sadder instead of dourer and Ain't instead of isn't. I did see the error of my ways and managed to change all to the right words. I didn't get the theme until Leash (Ash) Wednesday. Fun puzzle today!

Loved the song Lola, a blast from the past.

c.c.: yes I think she is a perfect size and very beautiful as well.

Clear Ayes: Great poem!

Have a wonderful Friday everyone!

DCannon said...

I would give it a '6' for degree of difficulty. Fell for the same things as everybody else - scarf and rained. Never heard of snarf.

Had to have help with Lola. Bern didn't come right away since I had scarf. It didn't help that I was thinking of Rome, GA. Also, wanted Twenty for 4D (lots of bucks.) Didn't get bronco until the very last entry, after I finally got Lola and lamb. NW was hardest.

Got addle on the first pass, but didn't even try to get the theme today. I should have known what it was after I got (le)Ash Wednesday.

Dennis, pokemon is LOL funny. Also liked rectitude.

Kazie, one of my fingernails-on-blackboard triggers is the pronounciation of "mirror" as "mere" instead of "mirr-or." One of the decorators on HGTV does that.

Two of my favorite books from H.S. are Lorna Doone and Ethan Frome. Had to read both for literature class and have read both several times since.

39º this morning; expected high in mid-60s today.

Anonymous said...

Re: "rectitude, pokemon etc"

I once asked a proctologist why anyone would choose that specialty. Evidently he`d been asked that question before, because his ready answer was, "Because it gives me the chance to look up old friends."

A Rose by any other name.

Dennis said...

When we had our boat, it was in a slip in a marina right next to a Navy proctologist's slip. He had a big brown-hulled sailboat named 'Ben Dover'.
I guess you'd better have a sense of humor if that's your profession.

Now I'm wondering if he was a Rear Admiral...

carol said...

This was a crossword from hell,
the clues weren't ringing a bell.
Is there a hole in my head?
Is my brain dead?
It feels like I've lost my last cell!



Dennis - loved the WOW...so true.

I heard it is also Clean the Cat Hair Out of Your Vacuum Day. Go figure on that one.

CA - LOL..loved the poem. Made me want to take a second look in the old frig.

I also wanted SCARF.

Did anyone else finish 39D by singing 'the San Francisco treat'??

MR ED said...

Dennis, do you ever sleep?

Jerome said...

I'm pretty sure this is going to be the last of the ADD LE puzzles. I spent a little time today trying to come up with other theme entries. I think Michael has nabbed all the good ones. I do like LEWD 40, but that's completely useless. Nice job, Michael. A fun solve.

SNARF is a great fill word.
STRENGTH. Brave word to use in a grid. 8 letters, 1 vowel. Highly unusual.

"All Trotsky, all the time" channel? for LEON TELEVISION is now one of my all-time favorite clue/answer combos. Superbly zany.

The grid is crawlin' with critters.
LAMB, CRAB, EEL, ORCAS, BRONCO, and EAGLET.

Hahtoolah said...

You guys are too funny with your proto jokes. I needed a good laugh after having an emergency root canal this morning. Especially after having had a cap put on that same tooth a week or so ago.

Dennis said...

Mr. Ed, every night.

lois said...

Good afternoon CC et al., Cute and clever theme. of course, I didn't get it soon enough to help me. Loved seeing Lola. thanks for the link, Argyle. Same pitfalls as everyone else, but enjoyed it all.

'Kris' made me think of Kris Kringle and am wonderin' if my plethera of 'angelic' behavior is or 'isn't' getting me on his good list...at least 'semi'. I heard a 'monk' recently shout "OMG" and was relieved that it wasn't this 'olde' fool''s m'onkey'ing around and 'doin's that 'caused' it. That's b/c I have 'rev'ersed my plan of action as Cmas 'near's. Now, I ask for permission and 'ask not' 'for' forgiveness. I'm sure it's temporary. Like 'gas', this too shall pass. Any bets on how long it'll take? 'Nyet'? 'I-sa-o' about 1 more day. I have a hot date tomorrow night. Looks like the old an'tics' will 'win' out. There's always next year, right Santa Baby?

Thanks to those who've asked about Katie. She's pretty much back to her bubbly, happy self. She and the dog SOCO (So. Comfort) went for a walk this afternoon for the first time. We'll find out soon if there was any permanent damage done to her liver. I doubt it, but we'll see.

Jimbo: what a fun birthday and such a sweet thing for your family to do. I'm impressed that they could keep the party a secret. I also want to wish you many more happy birthdays...altho' belated.

CA: loved that poem! Very cute and so apropos!

Dennis: LOL Maybe you've heard about the proctologist and the psychiatrist going into business together. The business name possiblities were: Nuts & Butts, Rears & Queers, Odds & Ends. I would think that a good sense of humor would be a must.

Anon 12:27: very funny!

Frenchie said...

C.C.,
Le felt awkward early on. It was, however, worth it when addle popped up! Jack McInturff, your puzzles are skydives! I'll jump with you anyday!

Chickie said...

Hello All--I fell into the same Scarf-snarf trap as I just knew that Scarf HAD to be correct. I also had to look up the spelling of Irina and Elian.

I had the Le at the beginning of all the theme answers, but didn't see the real theme until I put in Addle at the end of the puzzle. Very clever theme. One other bad error was putting in Yogi for Monk, so that NW corner just didn't fall into place at all!
That made Lenolimit legalimit. Made absolutely no sense at all! Double Doh!

CA, Great poem for the leftovers we will all have come Friday and beyond. I'm cleaning out my fridge this evening. We're having mustgoes for dinner tonight. Everything must go!

LOL at all the Proctologist jokes. We all need a good laugh once in a while.
Have a great weekend everyone.

HonoluluBlue said...

"She walked up to me and she asked me to dance, I asked her her name, and in a drop-down voice she said "Lola...L-O-L-A, Lola." Other than Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars", The Kinks song was the best song about transvestites in the Classic Rock era!

Bill said...

Slow, Slow and Slow!!! But I did it. Except for ISN'T, wanted AIN'T.
And of course SNARF!! That's what a dog does when you reach for his food. Snarls while he scarfs!!!
CY'All Later

JD said...

Good afternoon CC and all,...a rainy one today. Yay!

Enjoyed the c/w & encountered the same problems as everyone else. By the time I got to 47A, I knew to put an le; otherwise, theme was no help. I reverted to using G for a few unknowns.

AMC is moving to the west coast after being in NY for 40 yrs. Will Erica move? Heard many are leaving the show and a few will return.

CA, AT&T Park was Monster,& before that it was Pac Bell, but most still call it Candlestick, and some of us remember going to Kezar Stadium. The Shark Tank may be on that same road to name changes.

Loved your poem today.Which reminds me, Jeannie, is that $8 vanilla bean a must in the corn dish?? It looks delish!

Dennis, :) at 12:52.

Hahtool, ouch.. I feel for you.

JD said...

I forgot to add this little tid bit I found about odor. It makes me wonder.

Warren said...

I couldn't resist here's the Rice Aroni ad.

Annette said...

Carol: Isn't every day 'Clean the cat hair out of the vacuum' day???

Pretty much the same troubles as everyone else. I've heard of snarf, but scarf was my first choice. I had to 'solve a word' for DOURER to fill in a strategic letter for a couple words, which gave me enough help to finish them off.

Jeannie: It sounds like you're in a funk... Hopefully, all these proctology jokes will 'prod' you out of it. ;-)

It's been a long, hectic day (week actually!) for me. Time to go wind down. Maybe with a glass of my new favorite wine...!

Good night all!

MR ED said...

Dennis, I just wondered. you post here before sunrise most of the time and you are a wealth of knowledge. I didn't think you had time for sleep.
God bless you.

MR ED said...

Lois,
That's a funny one and very clever.

Liz said...

Figured out the theme answers without knowing the theme till I came here. Thanks CC and everyone. To answer Clear Eyes, my favorite store-bought cookie: Hydrox (while most favor Oreos), must be something totally unhealthy in them for me to like them. My grandmother didn't bake so she always had those windmill-shaped cookies with pecans/almonds. Loved them, don't even know if they make them anymore. A Canadian company makes maple-leaf shaped maple-flavored cookies that are awesome. Can't buy this stuff cause I'd sit and eat them in one pop. Sigh.
Liz

PJB-Chicago said...

Good evening, all.
Very interesting and fun puzzle for a Friday, with a sub-par performance from me until I walked two miles away and two miles back (AKA lunch) and cleared my head. Second time through, I saw my errors (same gaffes others made, so I was in good company), fixed a few letters and hummed my own TADA.

Theme answers and clues were refreshing. Non-theme clues for TIDE and ORIG were spot on. Blue hair isn't just DYED, it's cool, too!

i wonder if "Balloon boy" will ever turn up in a puzzle like ELIAN did today.

A word similar to SNARF used by 20 and early 30-somethings is "crunk" which means "crazy drunk." Those young folks don't whisper quaint, sweet NOTHINGS, but they text or Skype. Somehow that's more popular than face to face goofy chatting.
I sent out actual snail mail invitations not long ago re: a small gathering and wondered if some people knew that was instead of an e-vite. Those are pretty handy, though, I have to admit!

JD said...

Warren, many of those pictures for that Rice-a-Roni ad look like they were taken during that Bay to Breakers Race where everyone dresses up. I heard that last year they banned the nudies.

PJB-Chicago said...

Forgot to answer CA's question: my favorite cookie: chocolate covered graham crackers. Least fave (yep, I know, no one asked!) is anything that combines chocolate and mint! A bakery a block away makes very good crispy mocha cookies, so I walk on the OTHER side of the street so I won't be too tempted! Dark chocolate covered pretzels are another weakness.... talk about the urge to SNARF!

Still no word on the job I'd interviewed for. Getting antsy! Another couple agencies further away have open spots that may work out, otherwise. [fingers crossed]

See y'all tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

6. Plus-size supermodel: EMME

She's hot and yes I would marry her! But alas I think I read that she is already married. So I'm out of luck yet again! :-(

BISCUITS & GRAVY

MamaRuth1950 said...

Enjoyed hearing Lola by the Kinks for the first time in years. Got all the theme answers and ADDLE but didn't see ADD LE until I came here. Like others, I had trouble seeing DOURER as the answer and put in AINT and wanted some type of precipitation for 58A but CAUSED filled in. Had no clue on GMC. Have always liked the word STRENGTH with all those consonants.