google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday November 19, 2009 Jack McInturff

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Nov 19, 2009

Thursday November 19, 2009 Jack McInturff

Theme: Fools Rush In - Common phrases that end with a synonym of "fool".

20A. Weightlifting event: CLEAN AND JERK

30A. Golf course pest: CANADIAN GOOSE

39A. Spinning toy manipulated with sticks: CHINESE YO-YO

49A. Honest info: STRAIGHT DOPE

So many synonyms for fool: idiot, blockhead, imbecile, jackass, nitwit, etc. I like dummy. Use it almost every day.

I read Jack McInturff's original theme proposal after I was done with the puzzle, and was so glad PROJECT CREEP did not make the cut. A complete unknown phrase to me.

Used Wite-out several times today: AIRPORT instead of ISRAELI for 23A. Ben-Gurion, e.g., and OCEAN instead of BRINY for 28A. Sea. Did you also fall for the traps or was I but a fool?

Across:

1. Choir member: TENOR

6. Quite: SUCH. Mine was MUCH.

15. Faulkner's "As __ Dying": I LAY

16. Pearl Harbor site: OAHU. Honolulu is on southeast coast of Oahu.

18. Common nickname for a doter: NANA. I sure miss mine.

19. 66 and others: Abbr.: RTES. Route 66.

26. "It's __ business": NO ONE'S

27. Kind of biological network: NEURAL. Neural network.

32. Corp. money manager: CFO. Now we know the constructor was a CFO before.

35. Fighting: AT IT. Hey, it's back! TER next.

37. Hang onto: HOLD

43. River in Lyons: SAONE (Sohn). See this map. It rises in northeast France and flows to the Rhone River at Lyons.

44. Belfast's province: ULSTER. The long, loose ulster overcoat is named after this county.

45. Early Ford success: MODEL A. And EDSEL (48D. Ill-fated Ford). How is Model A different from Model T, Dennis?

48. Actors, often: EMOTERS.

52. Road sign silhouette: DEER. Deer ticks cause Lyme disease.

53. Debt indicators: IOUS. Wrote down LOSS first. Dennis's Bozone Layer (The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating) definitely fogged my brain.

54. Ticked off: IRKED

59. Dresden's river: ELBE (EL-buh). The North Sea feeder.

60. Landlocked African country: NIGER. Ah, Bush's infamous "Sixteen Word" uranium country.

61. A handful of: SOME

62. Navy commando: SEAL. Our ex-governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura was a Navy Seal.

63. Gothic house feature: GABLE. The triangular section at the end of a pitched roof.

Down:

1. La Brea goo: TAR. Brea is just Spanish for "tar".

2. Seventh Greek letter: ETA

3. Christmas quaff: NOG. Hmm, nutmeg.

4. 200 milligrams, to a jeweler: ONE CARAT. Crockett just mentioned last time that carat indicates weight, karat purity.

5. Original primer used to paint the Golden Gate Bridge: RED LEAD. Unknown to me.

6. Source of the Law: SINAI. Does the Law here refer to the Ten Commandments God gave Moses?

7. __ Bator, Mongolia: ULAN. Iterally "red" in Mongolian.

8. Where Jesus turned water to wine: CANA. No idea. Illiterate on Bible.

9. Cape Cod site of a JFK museum: HYANNIS. Hyannis Port. The Kennedy Compound is there.

10. How some jump?: FOR JOY. Got the answer from crosses. Nice clue.

11. Corroded: EATEN

12. Sex researcher Hite: SHERE

13. Mammoth features: TUSKS. Usually, but not always in pairs.

21. Contemporary of Dizzy and Billie: ELLA

22. Finished: DONE. Or OVER.

23. Early Peruvians: INCAS

24. Senate posts: SEATS. Was thinking of the tweet posts from some of the senators.

25. Confrontation: RUN-IN

28. Carried: BORNE. Did not come to me immediately.

29. Classroom drilling: ROTE

31. Come out ahead: GAIN

32. British actor Robert, the original Colonel Pickering in "My Fair Lady": COOTE. Stranger to me. Is Coote pronounced the same as coot?

33. Candidate's handout: FLYER. Or flier.

37. Common crowd reaction in monster films: HYSTERIA. No monster film for me.

39. Colombian city: CALI. The Colombian drug cartel city.

40. Some heroes: HOAGIES. Hero sandwich.

41. Sport for 300-pounders: SUMO

42. Like lovers skipping church?: ELOPING. Valid clue without the question mark too.

43. Pharmaceutical giant that developed Celebrex: SEARLE. Pfizer wouldn't fit. I've never heard of Searle before.

45. Windows predecessor: MS-DOS

46. Alamogordo's county: OTERO. In New Mexico county. Spanish for "height". Again, I strung the answer together from Across.

47. Nightmare, e.g.: DREAM

50. Putter's target: HOLE. Golf.

51. Very big wind: TUBA. Wind instrument. Good clue too.

55. Soviet spy org.: KGB. The East German secret police is STASI.

56. Snakelike fish: EEL. Yep, snakelike. Delicious!

57. Hip-hop Dr.: DRE. I wonder why he named himself "Dr. Dre". Such a Xword friendly name.

Answer grid.

C.C.

54 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and gang - I had fun with this puzzle; not so easy that it was a blow-through, and a theme that I thought was gonna be 'descriptions of certain late-night anons'.

I thought 'hoagies' was a great answer for 'some heroes', but I wonder if they're known as hoagies outside of this area in the NE. For some reason, I always thought it was just a Philly term. Also liked 'very big wind'/'tuba'. Unknowns for me were Robert Coote and Otero county. With the exception of our old friend 'at it', probably as many fresh clues as I've seen in one puzzle in a while; very enjoyable.

C.C., I initially fell for the same two traps you did with 23A and 28A, and also put 'irate' initially for 'ticked off'. And to answer your question, the Model T, which was an open tourer, came first and is generally considered the first 'affordable' production car (1908). The Model A was a sedan, and started production in '27.

Today is Great American Smokeout Day, and....Have a Bad Day Day. How nice.

Today's Words of Wisdom: "Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got." -- Janis Joplin

And from the Washington Post, where readers were asked to supply alternative definitions for common words:

- Flabbergasted: Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.

- Willy-nilly: Impotent.

Dr. Dad said...

Good morning. I didn't fall for the traps that C.C. did but I had some X-outs and had to redo at one point.

Hoagies is used in Nebraska (where I come from) but subs is more popular.

I had Model T for awhile but then got hoagies.

Overall, a pretty enjoyable puzzle. A reference to Charlie Brown (the ultimate blockhead fool that we all know and love) would have been a nice twist.

Have a great Thursday. I like the "Have a Bad Day Day", Dennis.

Bill said...

Well! This was easier than yesterdays. (I thought) Liked the TUBA clue. SAONE threw me for a while. I really wanted RHONE but that didn't last long. 66 AND OTHERS had HWYS for a while 'cause I KNEW the obvious was TOO obvious. Oh, well, I guess I shouldn't think so hard this early in the AM.
Sad chore this AM. Animal hospital with SIL. Their dog was struck by a car last evening and they're going to have her cremated, so Dad was asked to go along for moral support.
CY'all Later

Hahtoolah said...

Morning, CC and Friends: This was a fun puzzle, but quite a challenge for me. I didn't see the theme until after I finally filled in STRAIGHT DOPE. Only then did I see the connection between JERK, GOOSE, YOYO, and DOPE.

Because of the wording of the clue, I knew to put in MODEL A instead of Model T. I was sure, however, that Pfizer was the manufacturer of Celebrix. That made it hard to finish that southwest corner.

My first thought for Source of the Law was Torah. I smiled, however, when I realized it was SINAI, which then intersected ISRAELI and was beside CANA.

My favorite clues were: a Very Big Wind: TUBA and Like Lovers Skipping Church: ELOPING. Clearly, those lovers were not at CANA.

QOD: The four most dangerous words in investment are, "It's different this time." ~ Sir John Templeton

Mainiac said...

Morning CC and All,

Lots of erasing but I plowed my way through. I couldn't get my mind to sync up with the cluing. Put it down for awhile and when I got a chance come back to it the coffee kicked in. I did get the theme answers but thought it would be more of a loser type phrase. Favorites were Hogies and Tuba also. A Hogie is also known as a gut bomb locally and I played tuba for awhile in HS.

Bill, Sorry for SIL's loss. We're investing in one of those radio warning/shock fences because our two pups are bolting for the road now. I've trained and trained on a leash and they still don't get it so they are staying tied up for now.

Have a Bad Day??? Hope not!

Barry G. said...

Real ball breaker for me today, folks! Not so much the tricky cluing (although "Big Wind" had me thinking for awhile). But SAONE, SEARLE, COOTE, READ LEAD, CLEAN AND JERK and CHINESE YOYO were all new to me. Thank heavens I live in Massachusetts and know HYANNIS...

Al said...

I had trouble finishing this today, the biblical answers SINAI and CANA were unknowns to me so I had to go looking. Also OTERI, and I wasn't sure about SEARLE crossing SAONE. I have watched My Fair Lady a few times now, but did not know COOTE's name, either.

Apologies if you already knew this, or if I'm stepping on any toes here, but I found this historically interesting:

The Covenant Code, or alternatively Book of the Covenant, is the name given by academics to a text appearing in the Torah at Exodus 21:2 - 23:33. Biblically, the text is the second of the law codes given to Moses, by Yahweh, at Mount Sinai. This legal text provides a small, but substantive, proportion of the mitzvot within the Torah, and hence is a source of Jewish Law.

Dr. Dre's real first name is Andre.

kazie said...

Hi all,
I had no idea about CLEAN and jerk, or red Lead, tried an H and R before sttling on L. Theme only came after I got the others, though wasn't familiar with any except STRAIGHT DOPE.

I also missed SAONE, thought it was RHONE, then didn't notice my CHLI for CALI.

But I did have HOAGIE in before tackling MODEL A, so no problems there. The rest fell in fairly well, though I argued with myself over SUCH. I still don't see it as equivalent to QUITE.

I really liked TUBA, and had the same thoughts as I imagine Barry G alluded to there.

I was surprised to see Gothic "house", as I am more familiar with Gothic churches, and thought of SPIRE at first. The idea then was that all churches should reach as close to heaven as they could get, and that's why so many have those tall spires, with hundreds of steps if you want to go up for the view.

I guess smokeout day would be a bad day if you were a smoker trying to quit.

Anonymous said...

HYSTERIA
Enjoy some Def Leppard

DEF LEPPARD

In honor of my favourite Air America Radio host Lionel.

THE MONKEY'S DEAD THE SHOWS OVER SUE YA!

IRISH JIM said...

Good morning CC and all.

Mr Mcinturff still doing and constructing crosswords at 79 yrs old. Good for you. I hope to be mentally as agile as you are if I am spared that long.

Will also remember next time about the biblical references. Did not get Sinai Or Model A and Hoagie.

Had clean and lift first for 20A.
Once owned G D Searle stock, Canada Goose and Ulster were also gimmies.

Favourites 42D Eloped and Tuba.

Good luck to anyone trying to quit
smoking. It is not easy.

Jimmy S. Carolina.

Jeannie said...

This one kicked my prat. When I had to hit the g-spot for two answers in a row, it takes all the fun out of it for me. G-spots included Saone, Ulster, Searle, Otero. I finally just threw in the towel and read C.C.’s write up. There were some cute clues such as the tuba, elopers, and jumping for joy.

Dennis, impotent, willy nilly somehow cracks me up, but probably not someone or someone’s partner that has to deal with that issue.

melissa bee said...

good morning c.c. and all,

bit of a challenge today, struggled a bit in the middle. i've only seen/heard canadIAN goose, didn't know SAONE, COOTE, or OTERO, and had to scratch around for BORNE. TUBA was fun. biblical words were gimmes. good way to kick start the brain today.

i miss my nana too, thanksgiving is not the same without her.

a belated happy bday jimbo, sounds like a wonderful celebration.

lois, how's your daughter doing?

drdad, good to see you this week.

i think i'll pass on the bad day, and have a delightful one instead.

MH said...

The Model T was in production from 1908-1926. The car changed a lot during that time but continued to be a "Model T". In 1927 Ford introduced the Model A with a larger engine and a conventional 3-speed transmission. It was larger as well. The Model A continued through 1931 although there was a substantial body change in 1930. Following 1931 Ford dropped the "Model" designation and just went by the model year until the fifties when they started having multiple models and needed to names to differentiate them. My avatar happens to be a 1930 Model A roadster that has been highly modified.

Warren said...

Hi C.C. and gang,

OTERO? that one threw me for a loop. I didn't know that's a NM county.

My wife and I finished 90% or so before she left for work. I filled in everything online in red finished it that way.

I knew it was either Model A or T and the perp decided it.
I was proud that I remembered how to spell ULSTER.

A very impressive puzzle for Mr. McInturff at age 79! This shows that it pays to stay active (both mentally and physically)as you get older.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, I had several stumpers today.

I missed COOTE, although he looked familar in C.C.'s link. All I could think of was Wilfred Hyde-White, who played Pickering in the movie.

OTERO was a "Huh?" fill for me. I guess as a Californian, a stopper from New Mexico made up for knowing the Golden Gate's RED LEAD.

SEARLE and BRINY were also answers that had to completed via the perps.

The sandwiches weren't called HOAGIES or heroes where I grew up. They are usually "subs", or when I was a teenager, they were "grinders".

Thank goodness, I quit smoking a long time ago. I understand they cost $5 a pack now. That is incentive enough to try and quit. Best of luck to anyone who is giving it an try.

Spitzboov said...

Another fun but challenging puzzle. Lots of clever clues. Many geography related clues - counted at least 13. Had Rhone for Lyons' river but when I saw that CALI had to be the perp, changed it to SAONE.

Source of the Law kept me from finishing the top at first but when SINAI worked, gained new respect for the clue. Initially thought of Torah or codes.

Was thinking of 5 letter names of seas until BRINY became obvious.

melissa bee said...

dennis, i'm interested in the droid as well. due for a new phone but i'm pretty addicted to my crackberry, so it'll be a hard sell but it looks promising.

Clear Ayes said...

Here's Cirque du Soleil's take on CHINESE YO-YO. The girls may have been young, but it doesn't look like a "toy" when presented by them.

Bill G. said...

Hi everybody. I thought I was getting better at crosswords during Rich's easing-up period but I guess I wasn't. After my first pass through this one, I switched on the red letters and finished up with a little red support. I had thought of HOLD for "Hang onto" but the clue seemed too similar to the answer. I am destined to have trouble with a clue like "Very big wind" for TUBA because I think of the wind section of an orchestra as being separate and different from the brass section. Still, I enjoyed the challenge and the interview.

Constructing crosswords is keeping Jack sharp and tutoring students about how to solve algebra problems and do geometry proofs seems to help me (and them too).

I would sure enjoy some rain but it's another pretty day here. Anybody want to join me for a little bike ride on the bike path next to the Pacific?

~ Bill

Hahtoolah said...

Spitzboov: I had trouble with BRINY as well. I tried Ocean, but that only confused me with filling in the perps.

I miss my Nana, too. I was the oldest grandchild so got to spend a lot of alone time with her. She died in 2002 at age 96. She was still living alone in the house my mom grew up in.

carol said...

Good morning all -

Not an easy one today, I had to go to the middle of it to get any answer I was really sure about. Had to laugh at 35A
AT IT - will we ever be rid of that one?

Got a kick out of 10D (FOR JOY).

I put SEINE in for 43A and 40D had me thinking of actual heroes (brave people).
The sandwich is called a SUB way out here in the West. We have lots of SUB-WAY Shops and they really make a great tasting (even healthy) sandwich.
Much better for you than a burger and fries.

Having read so many books by Irish authors, ULSTER was a gimme.

All in all I really like this..some head scratching is good. Hope I am as sharp as Mr. McInturff when I am 79!

Dennis - LOL at Willy-Nilly!

Bill - give your SIL a big hug for me. She is having a worse than bad day.

Al said...

For very big wind, at first I wanted Gale, but then I thought of Fart, after which Tuba became obvious...

Warren said...

I put in GALE instead of TUBA also, my wife got the TUBA answer.

Here's more about Dr. Dre
"Soon afterwards he adopted the moniker Dr. Dre, a mix of previous alias Dr. J and his first name, referring to himself as the "Master of Mixology"..."

DCannon said...

Enjoyable puzzle today, in spite of head scratchers. I had to g-spot the river at 43A and checked Chinese Yoyo and Coote (coot or cootie? Maybe Cootay?) South central was hardest. I struggled a long time over hoagies because I had Model T instead of model A. Wanted gust for big wind, but already had the 'T' from the perp.

I knew Sinai, Cana, and, for some unknown reason, I penciled in clean and jerk on first pass - didn't even know I knew that. Must have been in my subconscious mind. I did fall into the 'ocean' trap.

I was a three-pack-a-day smoker for 17 years. One day in October, 1979, I got out of bed and told my husband I wasn't going to smoke anymore, and I didn't. I chewed gum for a couple of weeks and that was it. Never wanted another cigarette, even though I was around it at home and at work (before smoking ban.) Husband quit two years later. He ♫hummed♫ for a couple of weeks and he was over it.

If someone asked me if I'd rather quit smoking or go on a diet, I'd say quit smoking. I can live the rest of my life without cigarettes, but I have to eat some food, which keeps my appetite alive and food on my mind.
Pleasant weather today - mid-70s this afternoon.
Have a good 'un, y'all!

kazie said...

C.C. and DCannon,
Coote and coot sound the same. In Oz there's a very prestigious jewelry chain called Angus and Coote, where we bought our engagement and wedding rings in 1972.

JD said...

Good morning CC and all,

Had a very hard time completing the SW acre!Both directions had me baffled for a bit. Last fill-otero.
I also penned in ocean, much and math for rote.

Hahtool thought Torah; I thought Bible. Thanks Al for info, esp. the 5 tips to lose stomach fat!

Dennis, loved the mensa defs. today.

Favorite was "jump for joy." We have a large group of kids in our area who belong to that group and it amazes me what they can do with a jump rope, even the little ones.It was started by one of our teachers years ago whose name was.....JOY.

"Gothic house feature" threw me until I had some of the letters. Gables are really Victorian, but if I remember correctly,neo-gothic is Victorian.We have many V. homes in our area. A bunch of us lived in one while attending college..so many nooks, crannies,rich woodwork, high ceilings, and access to the roof, which was flat in one area...great for sunbathing.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of the great American smoke out. I saw a movie with David Spade and Jeremy Piven called PCU. Port Chester University. It is an updated version of Animal House. One of the things they did was hand out cigarettes during the great American smoke out. They also tossed raw red meat on a group of vegan protesters. If you like comedies this one is hilarious!

PCU

BISCUITS & GRAVY

Vern said...

Hi: Google may have let me in again.
A 911 call aired recently was received from a woman who asked if the deer crossing sign could be moved as too many deer were killed crossing there.

I, too, had "much" for "such" and just assumed that "minai" was simply a word I hadn't heard. Some heroes also had me struggling til I suddenly realized the reference was to sandwiches.

Jeannie said...

I make this side dish every Thanksgiving and thought I would share it with you.

Corn Chive Pudding
two 10-ounce package frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 cups milk
4 large eggs
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped, reserving pod for another use
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
a pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter a 1 1/2-quart quiche dish or pie plate.
In a food processor pulse half of corn until chopped coarse. In a bowl stir together chopped corn and remaining corn kernels and sprinkle with sugar and salt, stirring until combined well.
In another bowl whisk together milk, eggs, vanilla seeds, butter, flour and chives and stir into corn until combined well. Pour pudding into quiche dish or pie plate and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake pudding in middle of oven until center is just set, about 45 minutes. Garnish pudding with chives.

Dennis, even you should like this one as it has the only vegetable in it that you like.

Vern said...

Now you can't get rid of me. I just came back from working out--2 1/2 miles on the Precor & 8 miles on the bike. Tomorrow I go to Northwestern Medical School & participate in a heart study I initially was part of in the late sixties Lots of free tests but they warned me that there was a physical fitness test involved. (1) Sit in a chair with arms across waist & stand up 5 times; and (2) Follow a 70 foot path for 6 minutes and see how far I can go. We were told we could stop if we got tired. That should be real tough for this 77 year old who participate in indoor triatlons!

Anonymous said...

Melissa,

Have you seen the new blackberry Storm? It is a slider but the black berry is like the Iphone instead of a keyboard it has a qwerty keyboard on the LCD display.

BISCUITS & GRAVY

Anonymous said...

Jeannie my dear,

I was wondering if you had a recipe for chili? I have made it for years but I can't seem to remember all the ingredients. Besides the obvious.

RSD

Anonymous said...

FYI, Dre's full name is Andre Young, Dre being short for "Andre." And now you know. :)

Clear Ayes said...

JD, Please give us a short travelogue description of where your new avatar photo was taken.

I'm with DCannon about smoking or dieting. Once you do without tobacco for a couple of weeks, the desire to smoke disappears. But if you have a tendency to gain weight (I'm raising my hand here) you are in for a lifetime of "watching it", with every bite. All too frequently I close my eyes so I can't watch it....either coming or going!

Dennis, Good advice, too bad Janis didn't heed her own WOW.

JD said...

CA, we stayed at a private reserve inside of Kruger Nat. Park(size of Mass.)About 30 elephants were strolling thru the grassy compound when we arrived, but this picture was taken on our first evening trek out into the bush in an open Land Rover.None of the animals were bothered by our vehicle and we were VERY close to them.Because the rainy season is just beginning, the grasses were short enough for our tracker to spot the animals.At the end of each evening trek we had cocktails under the stars.

carol said...

CA (2:49) It's funny that you wrote just what I was thinking about Janis Joplin. Too bad she died so young and why.

I quit smoking in 1983. It was actually one of the hardest things I have ever done (seriously). Joe had quit 7 years before me but he didn't have any trouble.
I was addicted emotionally as well as physically so I struggled for several years. I did quit cold turkey...just tossed the 1/2 full(empty) pack in the fireplace and never lit another one.
Best thing I ever did though.

I do agree that those people who have trouble with weight control have a battle that is on-going, they DO have to eat to live. The trick is to know you do not have to LIVE to eat. Portion control and the right food choices are the only way, plus some exercise you find fun to do so you will stay with it over the long haul.
Goofy fad diets never work over time and can injure your health. (think Adkins).

Jerome said...

Nice puzzle, Jack. Anyone who puts JERK, GOOSE, YOYO, and DOPE in a grid is having a lot of fun!

Dennis- Since my middle name is Day, really, Bad Day Day gives me one more excuse on top of a thousand to have a beer... or more.

There is a bit of a Biblical sub-theme today, isn't there. SINAI, CANA, and ISRAELI. We can add ATONE to that as well. And yes, 58 across, ORAL. As in Mr. Roberts. We also have CHRISTMAS in a clue. As well as CHOIR, JESUS, and CHURCH.

Where's Waldo- For those who don't like proper names in puzzles I've got bad news. Lurking in today's grid is- ADA, ANN, ANA, ART, ARA, AL, ALI, BO, CAL, CARA, DEE, DON, DEL, ED, EARLE, ELI, HO, JOY, MO, NAN, RAE, RAL, RA, RED, TERI, and last but not least, YANNI and YOYO.

Anonymous said...

In France, it is aid that the Saone marries when the two come together.
Doreen

Anonymous said...

Let me try again. In France it is said that the Saone marries the Rhone where the two come together.
Can't type with these long fingernails and a new supersensitive keyboard.
Doreen

embien said...

8:30 today. Biblical references and I don't usually get along, but today seemed to fall together OK.

There is a winery not too far away called Cana's Feast, so I filled that in (I already had the A's from CLEAN AND JERK and I LAY). So, even though I wasn't familiar with the reference as clued, it was a near gimme for me. SINAI, not so much.

I thought of c.c. when I filled in crossworld's favorite fish (EEL) as I know that is one of her favorite sushi dishes (I'm not sure if she prefers unagi or anago). I don't care for it, personally.

Al said...

@dennis and melissa, re: your Droid question, whenever I want to buy something I always check out the reviews on Amazon first...

WM said...

Just a check in to say hi...loved the puzzle and got dizzy spinning around it to pull each letter out. Wanted MODEL T, changed it to A, didn't know COOTE but it filled itself in and SAONE was a gimme as I took a wine cruise up the Saone and then down the Rhone to Arles and the Camargue. It started in Lyons where a friend was working in a lovely little restaurant that my mom and I planned to visit at the end of the trip. By the time we finished we had six more wonderful friends from the Bay Area who joined us in this teeny little restaurant where the father and daughter cooked in this eensy little kitchen and my friend Lior was the pastry chef...Still friends with those 6 great people. Lyons is also generally considered the gateway to Southern France.

Still not painting, but after a great talk with someone I am, at least, not feeling as guilty as I was. Once we get through Thanksgiving I may be able to get back to it.

Husband is just about back to normal in most respects and feeling ever so much better.

carol said...

WM - So good to see your comment and know things are looking up. Don't let guilt do its nasties on you. Enjoy the holidays, rest and be with your hubby and family and friends. We, here, are all on your side!

Clear Ayes said...

WM, Hey Buddie (feminine version), I'm glad to see you checking in. Also glad that your husband is doing well. Just take care of both of you.

Jeannie said...

WM, good to see you too. Still looking for my daisies.

RSD-I'll give a recipe for chili tomorrow. Or not.

I think most of these peeps get weary of the recipes as they are not xword related.

Lois, I hope your "baby" is on the mend.

Gotta find my shawl now...

It was so much easier being a DF'ETTE.

One last shot "at it" Lemonade your latest avatar is "HOT"!

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

We're home again, after an arduous 700 mile trek, most of it in rain, and quite a bit in fog. The LW woke up this morning with flu-like symptoms, and went right to bed when we got here.

Our plan was to spend the night in T-town, and take care of a few things there tomorrow, but we scuttled that and just bull-dogged it on home tonight.

Haven't looked at the puzzle. Maybe I'll take a crack a it tomorrow.

Cheers!
JzB the 700 mile trombonist

WM said...

Jeannie...even if I don't post I check in to see your recipes...Giada doesn't have anything on you!!!

Jeannie said...

WM, Thank you. Some day I may be discovered. Daisies might inspire me. Going to run naked through the yard and cover up with blankets when I get in.


Okay, not really, but that is what I "feel" like doing. Annette?

Chickie said...

Hello All--Had a very early morning to get ready to work at the Thrift shop. My chance to do the puzzle didn't come until after dinner. I had the same problems as most everyone else, though I did finish the puzzle with only two Googles.

I loved the Like lovers skipping church? and Very big wind. Both very clever twists. I think we are all thinking out of the box more and more, at least I am.

Since Cali was our home for two years, that was a given. There aren't many other cities in Colombia that are four letters long.

WM, I'm so glad to see your post today. I was getting worried. The holidays are for enjoying yourself and your family, and not worrying about what else you are not doing.

JD, I enjoyed your safari picture. Thanks for giving us a glimpse of your trip.

Good night all.

PJB-Chicago said...

Howdy all!
Where did the day go?
Nice, unfussy puzzle with the two unknowns being COOTE and OTERO. I had a rough patch in the SW, too, but i got all the theme answers without guessing the actual theme. Dictionary pointed out that my own definitions of GOOSE and JERK are too limited, because I hadn't been able to link the four words in a way that make sense to my bozone brain.

Ever notice that the childhood easy-reader Bible story books leave out the CANA story? I bet if Jesus had turned wine into water, the story might be included! Likewise, the leper miracle isn't included in the coloring books, with good reason. I one used up a whole red crayon drawing Moses parting the Sea. Oops.

WM, glad to see you back and to hear that your husband is on the mend. Love hearing about your trip(s)/time in France.

Jeannie: we made your pea/sausage soup (with the substitution of potatoes and squash--Sorry!) and it got 4 thumbs up. Delicious! Will have leftovers this weekend. The sausage had a nice bit of pepper and a little garlic in it, which went great with the rest. Thanks.

PJB-Chicago said...

Two last minute comments for night owls or early a.m. readers.
1. Tagline for "neural network" should be: "Don't leave home without it"!
2. Haven't been able to switch it yet, but I will soon replace the "scary eye" avatar with something nicer.

MamaRuth1950 said...

Hello from the land of cheese steaks and hoagies. I believe that grinders are hot subs.

Some more definition comments: those golf course nuisances are CANADA geese, not CANADIAN. This one is a question: is an EEL a fish?

I had trouble with some of the same things as others: SAONE, OTERA, ISRAELI (wanted airport at first) and Model A.

Anonymous said...

MamaRuth1950, yes, eel is fish.

Annette said...

Well Jeannie, I don't have much of a yard to run in, but it is nicely secluded and has a pool perfect for skinny dipping...!

And even though I don't cook much, I still love seeing your recipes and printing them off so they'll be handy for the rare times I am inspired to cook!

Going for an MRI this morning...would much rather be doing almost anything else. Maybe the idea of running naked through the yard, then snuggling up in my nice soft blankets will provide me good imagery to stay calm and still in those close quarters!