google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday November 18, 2009 Dan Naddor

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Nov 18, 2009

Wednesday November 18, 2009 Dan Naddor

Theme: BAR (65A. Happy hour site, and word that can follow each last name in the answers to starred clues) - Famous people whose last name can precede the word BAR.

18. *"Seven Year Ache" country singer: ROSANNE CASH. Cash bar. Rosanne Cash is Johnny Cash's daughter. I was not familiar with the song.

20. *"All I Wanna Do" singer: SHERYL CROW. Crowbar. I love "All I Wanna Do". Is this the seed entry, Dan?

32. *Longtime "American Bandstand" host: DICK CLARK. Clark bar. Brand of candy bar.

45. *Notable member of The Second City improv group: JOHN CANDY. Candy bar. I was ignorant on The Second City. Did recognize John Candy's mug when I googled.

59. *French writer who befriended Chopin: GEORGE SAND. Sandbar. "Befriended" is an understatement. They were lovers, though they might not be sexually involved due to Chopin's health.

63. *"The Mark of Zorro" star (1940): TYRONE POWER. PowerBar. I've only seen Antonio Banderas's "The Mask of Zorro".

It's been some time since we last saw Dan's stacked theme style (the first two and the last two theme answers have a 6-letter overlap). Such a tightly focused & colorful BAR unifying theme. Very nice. Heavy themage too, total 63 theme squares.

Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 16. Once again, two of the Down ones, ie, ACRYLIC and CODE RED, intersect three theme entries.

I've been thinking lately how crossword solving can be a very personal experience. Certain answers resonate with some people and bring back sweet memories. I was just musing on George Sand's "I love strongly, exclusively and steadfastly" yesterday morning, and was so pleasantly surprised to see her name in the grid. What were your touch points today?

Across:

1. Popular: HOT. And COOL (5D. Not nerdy).

4. Takes steps: ACTS

8. Does some garden maintenance: WATERS. And ADAM (26D. Eden gardener).

15. Masked critter: COON. Raccoon.

16. "Ditto": I DO TOO

17. Ecol. or agric.: SCI

22. 1963 role for Liz: CLEO. "Cleopatra". Shortened name in clue, shortened name in answer.

24. Nissan sedan: ALTIMA. More luxurious than Nissan Sentra but less so than Nissan Maxima, according to Wikipedia. All of them have 6 letters.

26. Mimosa family tree: ACACIA. The gum-yielding tree. I was unaware of its biological classification.

29. Part of TNT: NITRO

36. Lover of Christine, in "The Phantom of the Opera": RAOUL. I could only remember ERIK the Phantom.

38. Gardner of "Mogambo": AVA. And UTA (41A. Hagen of Broadway). Still remember "Yma Dream" sketch from Anne Bancroft? Both Ava Gardner and Uta Hagen were mentioned. And Ida Lupino, Oona Chaplin and many other Xword friendly names.

39. Parkinsonism drug: L-DOPA. I forgot again.

42. Bette's "Divine" nickname: MISS M. The "The Divine Miss M". Bette Midler.

48. "The Merry Widow" composer: LEHAR (Franz ).

50. Time-share units: CONDOS. Thought of Annette and her ordeal in the past 4 years.

51. Rolled oats cereal: MUESLI. Not fond of the taste.

55. Banned pesticide: DDT. Banned in 1972.

56. Voice above tenor: ALTO

66. World's largest river by volume: AMAZON. Nile is the longest.

67. King, to a subject: SIRE

68. Greater N.Y.C. campus: L.I.U. (Long Island University). I got the answer from down fill.

69. Not naked: DECENT

70. City west of Tulsa: ENID. Both Oklahoma cities.

Down:

1. "Bonanza" brother: HOSS. I can never remember those brothers name.

3. Hears arguments in court: TRIES A CASE.

4. Painter's medium: ACRYLIC. And CODE RED (46D. Official emergency status). Both connect three of the theme answers.

6. Puccini opera: TOSCA. Puccini answer is always Tosca.

7. Warning from a doghouse: SNARL

8. Best type of situation: WIN-WIN

9. Fruit drink suffix: ADE

10. Bach work: TOCCATA. New word to me. From Italian "toccare" (touch). Dictionary defines it as "a composition in the style of an improvisation, for the piano, organ, or other keyboard instrument, intended to exhibit the player's technique".

11. Catchall abbr.: ET AL. And others.

13. Fashionable London area: SOHO

19. "Just kidding!": NOT

21. Gibraltar landmark: ROCK

25. Fallen space station: MIR. Fell in 2001. Russian for "peace".

27. __ union: same-sex relationship status: CIVIL

30. King Arthur's meeting spot: ROUND TABLE. Camelot! Camelot! Summer lingers through SEP (52D: Labor Day mo.).

31. Finish ahead of: OUTDO

33. Noun modifier: Abbr.: ADJ

34. Friend of Pooh: ROO. From "Winnie-the-Pooh". Kanga's kid.

35. Canadian rd. sign letters: KPH (Kilometers Per Hour). I felt goosey, did not know Canada uses metric system.

37. Fires, with "off": LAYS

40. Very old: Abbr.: ANC (Ancient). Have never seen this abbreviation before.

43. Chat idly: Var.: SHMOOZE. Only knew schmooze.

44. Half a Kenyan rebel: MAU. Mau Mau. Learned from doing Xword.

49. University officer: REGENT

54. Author Shaw: IRWIN. Mindlessly penned in ARTIE the Clarinetist Shaw.

56. Just barely: A TAD

57. __ tick: disease carrier: LYME. Wanted DEER. Lyme disease & deer tick.

58. Gillette's __ II: TRAC. Fell for ATRA, anyone?

60. Spice Girl Halliwell: GERI. Ginger spice.

61. Wood fastener: NAIL

62. Bongo or conga: DRUM

64. Nantes negative: NON. Alliteration again. Nantes is French city on the Loire River. Edict of Nantes.

Answer grid.

C.C.

72 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and gang - an excellent Wednesday puzzle, which is to be expected from Dan. I, of course, had no clue as to theme until the very end.

This one had a ton of fresh clues, which I really appreciated. I particularly liked 'schmooze' and 'win-win'. Needed perp help for 'Toccata' and Roseanne Cash, but other than that, I was able to go top to bottom fairly quickly and smoothly. Really liked this one although, like C.C., I'd never heard a deer tick called a lyme tick.

C.C., touch points for me were the Bonanza and American Bandstand references - both took me back to my teens, parked in front of the TV. I think I mentioned it before, but we actually got on A.B. once, and were both amazed at how tiny it was.

Clear Ayes, Jeannie, thanks again for the recipes - will definitely try both. And Jeannie, the meatloaf was by far the best I've ever had.

Today is Occult Day.

Today's Words of Wisdom: "A man can sleep around, no questions asked, but if a woman makes nineteen or twenty mistakes, she's a tramp." -- Joan Rivers

More from the Mensa Invitational:

- Bozone layer: The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating.

- Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

Mainiac said...

Good Morning CC and All,

This one took some work. The SW sent me online do to unknowns like Lehar, Muesli, and Tyrone Power. Someone make me feel foolish and explain what a Regent is please? I was also stuck in a DF moment with 69A. Kept reading it got naked and came up with many interesting fills. A wonderful hump day puzzle!

Being a fan of team sports this was my Hot touch point!

Have a great day!

Anonymous said...

CC,

This is a country song from Roseanne Cash called 7 year ache.

Roseanne Cash

Anonymous said...

PJB-Chicago said yesterday: Otherwise, it's like a "dry" town = NO BARS.

Weird, huh?

Anonymous said...

Mainiac,

A regent, from the Latin regens "reigning", is a person selected to act as head of state (ruling or not) because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Thus, the common use is for an acting deputy governor.

I hope this helps......

BISCUITS & GRAVY

Hahtoolah said...

Morning CC and Friends. I liked this puzzle, but with all the names I'm sure we can anticipate some complaints.

While CC found a connection between ADAM and WATERS, I was amused by the connection between Not Naked (DECENT) and ADAM.

I immediately got LYME because my mother was bitten by a tick several years ago. It took several months before she was diagnosed and, as a result, suffered severe nerve damage in her leg. She has forced herself to learn to walk again and only rarely uses a cane.

The Divine Miss M was known for her campy productions. She got her start in the gay baths in New York. Some of her music is really fun.

QOD: I had a monumental idea this morning, but I didn't like it. ~ Samuel Goldwyn

Anonymous said...

Biscuits,

I have found the definition for Regent that applies to a university.

REGENT

Does anyone enjoy reading dumb headlines?

My favourite is:

Dog who bit two people ordered to leave town.

Fred

Al said...

Monty Python's Camelot. It's a silly place, but not as silly when it is done in animated Lego blocks.

Lemonade714 said...

Fun puzzle; do you all consider it cheating to do the southwest corner first? It is one way to speed the puzzle along, though the theme answers were straight forward today and I did not do it, I have in the past.

For Kazie, the Local Area Network in Australia is the LAN down under.

For the single people, remember condoms should be used on every conceivable occasion.

Reading while sunbathing leaves you well red.

Happy day

Hahtoolah said...

Lemonde: Love the new avatar as well as your witty puns. Glad to see you back. Are you all settled in now?

Lemonade714 said...

Thanks H.

No, I am not settled, but I am trying to make believe I am back to normal. The pic is from a hotel in St. Augustine where the wedding was held.

Jeanne said...

Morning all,
Even though the puzzle was filled with names, I knew most of them so solving wasn’t too difficult. I made it more difficult because I initially misspelled muesli and had Artie instead of Irwin Shaw. Once I got that straightened out, the rest fell into place. How many hours did I spend watching American Bandstand? Way too many. But we would turn on our TV’s as soon as we got home from school, invite friends over and have a blast. Made me think of my childhood friends and wonder where they are and what their lives were like.

@Dennis, loved bozone layer. There are days I feel that I am surrounded by a bozone layer; especially when I walk up stairs and wonder what I went up to get. @CC, your musings, “ I was just musing on George Sand's "I love strongly, exclusively and steadfastly" are much deeper than mine. We were painting a room the other day and my husband always whistles when he works. I just thought how much I enjoyed hearing that and would miss it terribly. Maybe that is somewhat the same as your musing.

Have a great day. We are enjoying some good weather in eastern PA and will have to get out and clean up some more leaves. That is my least favorite outside chore.

Argyle said...

Hey, a great puzzle and the comments are on their way to being a classic. Some great links so far!

I put TRIAL JUDGE for 3D: Hears arguments in court but I didn't get a conviction. I still like it better than TRIES A CASE.

No touch point for me today.

Mogambo: A short review.

kazie said...

Fun puzzle with an easily gettable theme. Great mensaisms again and good quotes and puns. You all help to make this enjoyable.

I had to google RAOUL, as I'm unfamiliar with the Phantom show characters and am only now recognizing the expression LAYS off as associated with fires. D'oh.
Also tried for the longest time to fit LOL in for NOT, but couldn't come up with another Nissan model that fit the other perps. Not being a CM fan, I also couldn't remember at first it was Rosanne and not Rosalee Cash. I actually did know all the other names today, except ENID, which was an easy guess, and LIU which got perped.

I have never heard a tick called a LYME tick. I'm with C.C. on this: Lyme's disease and deer tick.

Lemonade,
Thanks for LAN down under.

if I had any hot point today it was seeing ACACIA again. Always reminds me of the wattle at home.

Andrea said...

Morning all -

Very slow going for me this morning, but eventually I got it all. Except for the P in KPH/LDOPA. Was thinking about roads and routes, not speed limits, so was stumped; figured it must be from French speaking Canada, but even then, couldn't figure out any french words meaning road that would fit.

Also had ON TOP rather than OUTDO for 31D - chuckled thinking about how much fun it would be to read Lois' post. Then realized I had it wrong. This was my first day with paper and pen now that we're back from vacation, so no red letter help.

My touchpoint was time share Condo. We have a time share in Breckenridge, CO and love to go in summer as much as in winter. The mountains are so incredibly beautiful, and instantly relaxing for me.

Time to make some Easy Mac for the lunchbox thermos. Dennis, I assume Easy Mac is not the mac and cheese recipe you were looking for??

Enjoy the day.

Anonymous said...

I, for one, was dissapointed that Rich and Dan had to resort to so many proper names to construct a puzzle!

Dennis said...

I've always found the proper names to be one of the more enjoyable parts of crosswords, for it's those names that usually evoke memories. If I don't know the name, then it involves research, which is learning, which I enjoy as well. I guess I don't see the distress over using proper names.

Spitzboov said...

Another fun Dan puzzle. Fairly straightforward solving except the SW corner. Finally saw Tyrone Power and the rest fell in. Liked Eden gardener. We lived in Eden, NY years ago. Borrowed the neighbor's tractor and plow to start the garden; something ADAM did not have access to.

REGENT usage is fairly common in NYS. Top education authority is run by a Board of Regents. School students take "Regents exams" to graduate from high school.

Warren said...

Hi C.C. and gang, my wife and I finished the entire puzzle sans the unknown spelling for SHMOOZE we wanted a CH in it too. For the razor, I first tried ATRA and MACH before remembering TRAC II debuted in 1971

Update on our re-pipe: Finished and final walk through ~8PM last night. We have to wait until it's inspected and approved before I can patch the holes in the walls ( I'll do that myself to save a few $'s)

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, Keep it up, Dan Naddor. Having a once-a-week (or so) puzzle that is heavy on names is a treat for me. I really enjoyed it. The names went on and on, and I thought every one of them was great.

I didn't know the theme's ROSANNE CASH song, but it didn't matter. I did know who she is (her daddy, Johnny lived not too far from where we did in Southern CA), and the perps took care of filling it in.

As well as the theme answers, RAOUL, MISS M(idler), (Franz)LEHAR and IRWIN (Shaw) were all well know to me.

I saw The Merry Widow in Vienna about 30 years ago. It didn't matter that it was a very kitschy, touristy presentation, it was still wonderful.

I'm a big Bette Midler fan. I had her "Peggy Lee Songbook" in the car CD player yesterday while I was on my way to the dentist (finally got my temporary tooth!)

I have probably already mentioned at some time that I am not a fan of Phantom of the Opera. Sorry Phantom fans.

About MAU; I read Robert Ruark's "Something of Value", a novel based on the Mau Mau uprising when I was 13. It was a very scary book.

Aside from all the names, I thought TOCCATA and SMOOZE were great fill. Lots of great clues, but no tricks, it was a very straightforward and (for me) enjoyable puzzle.

Hahtoolah said...

Clear Ayes: I, too, am a big Bette Midler fan and I renently down loaded the Peggy Lee Songbook onto me iPod. I love it!

IRISH JIM said...

Greetings CC and all.

Have got to say that Dan Naddor is my favourite constructor.

On first look, his puzzles look impossible, but he gives you enough to get the answers.
Fell into the Atra trap and had Deer for 57 down.Could not think of a voice -DA- so that had to go. Also had KMH for 35D. Unknowns were Toccata and Raoul.

We may be the last country not to have adopted the metric system.

Ca, Read the "Honey Badger" by Robert Ruark many many years ago. I think it was his last novel.

Jimmy S. Carolina

JD said...

Good morning CC and all,

What a fun puzzle, and lots of extras from all of you this am.
Now I know my problem; it's my bozone layer that has prevented me from ever groking the themes.Today it would have helped, although I recognized most of the names when they fell into place (Raoul was the exception, my one inc.fill.)

Tyrone Power was my dream guy after seeing the Eddy Duchin Story.
Sigh........

In CA, ticks can give you Lyme Disease, so it was a gimme.Do you call it Deer Tick Disease? Have you ever had to remove one from your dog? It's disgusting!!Hopefully, it will back out if you press a hot paperclip or match on it; otherwise, you use tweezers and pray a lot.

acrylic--that's the media that WM uses for her beautiful art work.She likes it because it dries faster.

We are also fans of the Divine Miss M. We saw her show in L.V. in Jan. and will soon see Cher. They have been taking turns sharing the stage at Caesar's since Celine Dion left.

Jeanne, it was good to see you here again. How's that grandbaby?

Jerome said...

No, No, No! A thousand times No! One can object to proper names in a puzzle, and that's cool. To each his own, of course. But, in this case, it's totally missing what makes this puzzle special! That Dan has only names in the theme, and 6 of them to boot, is clever to the max. Instead of 6 random phrases that are ONLY CONNECTED because you can insert the word "BAR" in them, you have theme entries that are also connected because they're all tied together by being a proper name. And that, my friends, is a hell of a feat! And on top of that, don't forget all the names have to jive with puzzle symmetry. In this case, two 11 letter names, two 10 letter names, and two 9 letter names.

Dennis said...

Almost missed it -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JIMBO!! Old enough to vote yet?

Jerome, you must stop mincing words.

kazie said...

Jerome,
Methinks thou dost protest too soon. To my knowledge, the only objection to the names today was expressed by anon@9:02. Aren't we ignoring the trolls any more?

Irish Jim,
I think you are right about the metric system. I would add that we are the only developed industrial nation with no affordable health care for all.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Yesterday, I liked the puzzle more than most, today less so. I do admire the theme execution.

I guess my touchstone was (appropriately enough) TOCATTA, though I originally entered. CANTATA.

But half a Kenyan rebel is no better than half a fly. (Sigh.)

Dennis -
Tom is an officer in Air Force intelligence. This is his third deployment to the middle east, scattered over several years. He's somewhere in transit on the way home now, a journey of several days.

Meanwhile, back home, My other step son, Doug, is flat on his back with pnuemonia. He's turnd a ccorner now, I think. He got really sick after we left. These boys's mother has been very tense for some reason. I think she is breathing a little easier now.

We're traveling tomorrow, very busy Friday, and I'm going to the OSU - Michigan game on Sat.

Probably wil be out of touch for a while again.

Cheers!
JzB the in and out trombonist

Chickie said...

Hello All--Another great puzzle from Dan Naddor. I am usually intimidated by proper names, but these all fell into place easily for me. I didn't know Lehar, and that was the only one I had to look up. Mau crossed with that and I was not familiar with the Mau Mau and I should have been.

I initially misspelled Muesle-meusle-so that central west area of the puzzle did give me a problem. JD--that bozone layer has drifted a little bit east of your place and settled over our area!

Warren, I'm glad that your re-piping is finished! We went through the repipe mess some time ago. Our entire tract of homes was plumbed with galvanized pipe which had been exposed to water in the hold of a ship, or so we were told. Therefore our entire tract of homes have had repiping done at one time or another. We're hoping the copper lasts forever!!!

Clear Ayes said...

Jerome, Did anyone other than Anon@9:02 complain about the proper names? I think everyone, even those who aren't name fans, really enjoyed the clever theme tie-in. I liked everything about it.

No poem by GEORGE SAND today, but here's a poem about her, by a devoted admirer.

To George Sand: A Recognition


True genius, but true woman ! dost deny
The woman's nature with a manly scorn
And break away the gauds and armlets worn
By weaker women in captivity?
Ah, vain denial ! that revolted cry
Is sobbed in by a woman's voice forlorn, _
Thy woman's hair, my sister, all unshorn
Floats back dishevelled strength in agony
Disproving thy man's name: and while before
The world thou burnest in a poet-fire,
We see thy woman-heart beat evermore
Through the large flame. Beat purer, heart, and higher,
Till God unsex thee on the heavenly shore
Where unincarnate spirits purely aspire !

- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

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

Kazie & Clear Ayes,
I am glad Jerome protested. There were some misunderstanding about proper names this morning, not just Anon alone.

Anonymous @9:02am,
Jerome said exactly what's in my mind. I myself do not like proper names overload, but those are the theme today. And those name selection made the theme extremely focused (a la Nancy Salomon). Dan could have easily gone with a random CANDY, POWER, PROTEIN, DISCO, LOUNGE, or some other phrases and avoided the proper names.

Warren said...

Hi Chickie,

Nothing lasts forever. Quoting from this link on how long copper pipes should last:
"A conservative service life of 20 years is generally assumed for design purposes, but an actual life of 25 to 30 years, and more in some areas of the U.S., is usually obtained."

That length of time should be enough to last, I hope...

DCannon said...

Yes, Hahtool, I don't like names, but it went faster than I thought it would. At least I had heard of all of them this time. No googles today. I knew George Sand and Tyrone Power right off and the others became clear after just a few fills. I know someone named Rosanna, so I automatically spelled Ms. Cash's name wrong at first. The theme was quite clear early.

SW was a snap for me because I knew alto, Tyrone Power, and Amazon. The rest just fell into place. My pea brain did struggle with "a tad" because I was trying to read it as "at ad" or "ata d" which didn't work. Didn't like the lyme/deer connection, either. It should be the other way around.

Not a big fan of Midler at all. I liked one song that Rossane Cash sang: "The Tennesee Flattop Box"(?) It was cute. The truth is, I'm not a big music fan, I suppose because I have had hearing problems since my teens.

Fred, my all time favorite headline is any one that says "Man killed after crash" or some variant thereof. No, the man was killed "during the crash" or "in the crash." If it says "after," it always makes me wonder who killed him and why.

Lemonade, I gather you were recently married. Best wishes. Hope it is long and happy.

Lowest temp I saw this morning was 28º. It is 67º now - shaping up to be a pleasant day.

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

Jimbo,
Happy Birthday!

Jazzbumpa,
Agree, "half a Kenyan rebel is no better than half a fly". Tell Tom we are all grateful for his service to this country.

PJB,
Re: No BARS. Ditto Anon @6:30am, what an coincidence!

DCannon,
It's Lemonade's son who got married.

Jeannie said...

Yeah!!! A Dan Naddor puzzle. I usually don’t do well with a lot of proper names but I knew all of these with the exception of Tyrone Power (had to hit the g-spot) but enjoyed this puzzle a lot and thought it was a very clever theme. Favorite clues today were “not naked” –decent and “summer lingers through it”- Sep. It seems fall is lingering through Nov as it has been 50 and sunny for about a week. I’ll take it! One little beef I have is you can be laid off without being fired. There are a lot of seasonal workers in MN that are laid off every winter.

Dennis, I am glad you gave the meatloaf a try even though it has mushrooms in it. I am also flattered you found it so good. I almost feel like I made it for you!

DCannon said...

Thanks, C.C. Congratulations to L's son! Mazal tov!

Anonymous said...

Vern said:
Fred--I, too, enjoy headlines. One that seems to have stuck in my head far too long is the main headline in our local paper from years ago, "British Honeymooners Like It Here".

I,too, could not make sense of "at ad" & I keep forgetting that I can't stand Muesli and should really stop buying it.

Can you Mensa folks come up with an unusual definition for "matrix"? See if it matches the one I have.

Anonymous said...

Jeannie, my clue for Sep. is Labor Day mo.

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

Anonymous @1:46pm,
"Summer lingers through September..." is part of lyrics for "Camelot". Jeannie read through my 30D ROUND TABLE comment and mistook it as the original clue. Cute!

Dennis said...

Vern, many matrons?

Joyce said...

Good afternoon C. C. and all. I also agree about Lyme disease and deer tick. This was today's personal touch point for me. A year and a half ago I had a deer tick dug out of my collarbone. Tried to get it myself but those things are so small (no bigger than a sesame seed) that I couldn't grab it with the tweeezers. After a visit to the clinic and a huge preventive dose of antibiotics, I more or less rested easy. They assured me that the meds were 90% effective if given within 72 hours of the bite. Still worry though every time my knees or other joints bother me.

Hatool - glad your mother is recovering

Al said...

@Vern, a clue for Matrix:

Three tales of "Whoa"?

Jeannie said...

C.C. I like your clue better :)

@vern re matrix: Mother to triplets?

Warren said...

Usually Dan Naddor comments on his puzzle? I hope that he's OK Jerome?

Dennis said...

Warren, you read my mind - I was wondering if things were ok. Hope so.

On a different subject, has anyone looked at, or purchased, the new Droid phone? I'm thinking of getting one and I'd like to get some feedback.

lois said...

CC, 'et al'., Greetings from Camp
'Water'loo-oo-oo-se'rs Inc where we have upgraded from a 12 to a 24 step program (c'all'ed 'Floaters Unanimous...or FU for short) that helps our residents getting raw deals from insurance companies. We also offer a special 'high level' accelerated 'step by step',
'inch by inch' seminar on dealing in particular with flood insurance ...a 'cool' program that has received 'high marks' in the area. It helps you come out smelling like a 'rose' and takes the 'ouch' out of being 'nail'ed by those suckers who don't give 'a dam' about the 'decent' folks. It's meeting time now - at the 'bar' and on the 'rock's.


Andrea: cracked me up. Yeah, your idea would've been a great stimulus pkg.

'mir' out!

Anonymous said...

Vern Said:

O.K. but you probably won't like it.
Matrix--What a hooker does between April & June.

Dennis said...

Wow, Vern, you're right - that's truly a groaner.

Chickie said...

Warren, Thanks for the link to the Copper Piping life expectancy. It was interesting.

Matrix, What a mother does to get her children to eat their vegetables.

jimbo said...

Thanks for the B/Day wishes. As to voting, Dennis, Which of the four 21's serves to qualify me? I've been voting, like you say, as often as I'm allowed.

On the puzzle: Had to google 48a (Lehar) and 54d (Irwin) and a couple more just to be sure I had the right answer. Of course I struggled, but with time and a lot of perp help made it through.
Always enjoy "Dan Naddor".

jimbo said...

Thanks for the B/Day wishes. As to voting, Dennis, Which of the four 21's serves to qualify me? I've been voting, like you say, as often as I'm allowed.

On the puzzle: Had to google 48a (Lehar) and 54d (Irwin) and a couple more just to be sure I had the right answer. Of course I struggled, but with time and a lot of perp help made it through.
Always enjoy "Dan Naddor".

Annette said...

Vern: I liked your definition!

Dennis: Your use of "Matron" reminded me that someone in our family started something where anytime someone innocently makes a DF statement, someone will call "Matron". Similar to the way people will say "Jinx" when 2 people say the same thing at the same time.

DCANNON: "TN Flattop Box" is a favorite song for me too, so her name was one of my touch points.

Other touch points were: Clark Bar, since I'm originally from Pittsburgh. I loved the music from Camelot, so fun!

C.C.: Thanks for the shout-out about my condo. I feel like I really belong now that I've been honored by mention on the Answer page!

I didn't know MAU, GEORGE SAND (although I recognized the name after it was filled in), and couldn't get the spelling for muesli at first.

Annette said...

Re: cheating

Lemonade, I wouldn't consider it cheating. If we did, then we'd start questioning whether using red letters under the 'Regular skill level' is cheating. Or if you select 'solve a letter'. Or google. Or do it as a team. Or look at CC's answers.

Do we really need to label ourselves cheaters?

Robin said...

Good Evening all. I've got the flu so not doing the puzzles.

Lois, the beautiful horse is 'Walter' a thoroughbred/Hosteiner cross. That picture was taken when I was 19 in California. He is happily retired in the Sacramento area. BTW, I hope your daughter is continuing to improve.
Argyle, the dogs were very well fed!! They belonged to my Grandfather. That was his old pickup truck, taken at a horse show in the Bay Area. Am I missing a DF thought? If so, forgive me, I am a little under the weather.

Buckeye said...

Just finished watching "The Dream's On Me", the Mercer bio. on TCM, again. Youse folks on the left coast still have a chance to catch it.

Rosemary Clooney was GREAT!!

I must be off!!

Susie said...

Isn't it amazing just how good the editor and constructors are. They are able please and displease someone every day. Without a doubt there is someone unhappy each day because the puzzle is too hard or too easy, or includes foreign phrases, multi word answers, slang, abbreviations, pop culture, old clues, non words, proper names or spelling variations. I think they do a phenomenal job serving this audience that encompasses such a vast geographical area, with a wide age span, and multiple cultural & educational backgrounds. I know that the days I struggle someone else is happy with the difficulty and when I have a good day someone is unhappy with it being too easy. An yet, nearly every day I learn something and find a special enjoyment in the puzzle or a related event during the day. Today it was just a simple question on Jeaopardy when the answer was The Pied Piper of Hamlin. I hadn't thought of that poem in years and yet it showed up twice in two days - the crossword being first.

Just had to weigh in with my comments for a change.

DCannon said...

My touch point was "acacia." Several years ago, we were in Big Bend Nat'l Park, my favorite place in the world. Any trigger of Big Bend memories is special. I kept noticing a wonderful smell and spied a desert acacia tree in full bloom with yellow flowers. It was truly special.

MamaRuth1950 said...

Lyme disease is really common around here (Southeast PA) and we call the carriers deer ticks. Some people,like my doctor, call it Lyme's disease for Lyme, Conn. Almost all of my neighbors have had it at least once. I had a classic bullseye rash which didn't get bad until I was on vacation in Jackson, Wyoming. The doctor there said he only saw Lyme disease in tourists but he gave me a prescription for the antibiotic usually used for Lyme because the rash was red and warm, so it seemed infected. I was lucky to catch it early and avoid the long-term neurological effects. When I got home and called my doctor, she gave me 2 more weeks of Doxycycline.

I don't think of regents as common university officers except in some of the state college systems like NY. Don't NY high school students take Regents' exams at the end of each year or was that only in NYC and back in the 60s and 70s?

carol said...

Hi gang,
Late today(tonight for you right coasters). A Naddor puzzle and I am still here with my V-8 can right beside me but did not have to use today. I was held back a bit by some of the names because I just didn't know who they were/are....but hey, it's no good if you don't learn something each day, right?
Now I am so much smarter, I hope I can get my knitted cap on my head tomorrow.
Dan, I hope you are doing well.

Jimbo, a very, very happy birthday!!!
Are you still bowling?? At least you can vote and buy booze :)

Geez - how can anyone eat something called 'muesli'???

Susie (7:05p) - Good comment!!!

Lois, hysterical as always! Don't you 'love' insurance companies...they take all your premiums, but then it's 'How can we not serve you', or when you file a claim...then 3 months later you get THE letter stating that they are (happily) going to 'NON-RENEW' you. :(

I am with a lot of you in remembering American Bandstand...brought back pleasant memories of rushing home from school to see and hear the latest song/dance. I now know how much was kept off the show due to race and it was a shame. The movie Hairspray covered that period of history rather well.

Hahtoolah said...

Happy Birthday, Jimbo. We've missed you around here. Hope you had a great birthday surrounded by friends and family.

kazie said...

MamaRuth,
I don't know about other states, but I taught in WI 1980-2006 and never heard of Regents' exams.

Jimbo,
I must have missed seeing that it was your birthday. Congratulations! I wish you many more.

Jeanne said...

@JD, the grandson is doing great, celebrated his first b-day last month and is taking his first steps. That first year is amazing. I guess your Truman is 2 yrs. old now and impressing everyone with his accomplishments. How is your newest grandchild?

@Dennis, don't know anything about the Droid phone, but my son's company did some of the animation for the Droid commercial currently on TV and on their web site. I'll see what he knows about it but I think they only worked from a prototype. Have a good night all.

Robin said...

Nite Nite everyone! Achooooo....

JD said...

Jeanne, Truman is 2 and is very typical, telling us what he wants, and doesn't want.He is a joy to watch(well, not always). Grady is even easier.. all smiles and coos while blowing drooling bubbles. I'm so enjoying being a grandma.

Happy birthday Jimbo!!

Anonymous said...

Good night all.

Happy birthday Jimbo. Hope it was a good one.

Enjoyed this puzzle even tho I missed a few in the NW. Seems so obvious when I see CC's answers.

JD said...

Thanks Carol!!

carol said...

JD - You are sooo welcome!!! I love your new picture! :)

Lemonade714 said...

ooh, ooh, how exciting. Does anyone else remember Car 54 where are you?

JIMBO said...

Just returned from a very surprise Birthday party.
I was completely taken in. My daughter was to treat me to a dinner, just the two of us. When we arrived at the "Steakhouse", lo and behold, the whole family was there complete with gifts,cameras,cake and all the food we could eat.
It was a very fun evening and I made out like a "Bandit". Thanks again for all your well wishes
Vaya con Dios

Lemonade714 said...

and happy birthday Jimbo.

MATRIX, the cereal of mothers everywhere.

Jeannie said...

Robin, I don't know how the hell to spell it and Kazie will...Taking a WAG...gesundeit. You know what I mean. My homemade chicken soup recipe for you tomorrow. Problem is, you might need a loved one to prepare it as it takes most of the day.

I am channeling my Mom these days, not so sure what to think of that.

Annette you have become more DF than me and to think I coaxed you out of your shell.

Going to sit in the corner now and drape a shawl over my shoulders.

Lois, Carol, MelissaBee, Robin even when you're sick...CMA until I find my stride again. All of a sudden C.C. thinks my comments are cute, Dennis is calling me the "recipe lady". HELP!!!

kazie said...

Robin and Jeannie,
Jeannie meant "Gesundheit!"

--heit is a common suffix added to adjectives or verbs to turn them into feminine nouns. Kind of like "--ness" in English. Other common such German suffixes are: -keit, -ung, -ei, -schaft, all of which produce feminine nouns.

PJB-Chicago said...

Good late evening, all....
Enjoyed Dan Naddor's puzzle, especially the clever theme. He made the puzzle interesting with clues AND fill, and the names, except LEHAR were all gettable or guessable. I like Bette M's chutzpah and love Rosanne Cash's new CD, called the LIST. Seven Year Ache is one of my favorite songs AND a touchpoint, personally.

My comment earlier re: "no bars" was mere dumb luck, describing the poor internet/phone coverage in my new mini-flat. I am learning just where to place the phone so I get some web access. i marked the spot with tape so I wont forget where to sit on the floor to type.

The new neighborhood is so much quieter than the old one--virtually no
noise from traffic, no tow trucks or drunken BAR fights outside my window.

Interview went well today. Other candidate may have the edge due to her more recent experience leading groups, but i think i have a fair shot because I've done more grunt work in chronic pain & with spouses of the depressed. We'll see. Other options are out there, close by.

Sounds like you had a happy birthday, Jimbo! Keep on celebrating, OK?

See y'all Friday or Saturday.