google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday December 3, 2009 Barry Silk

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Dec 3, 2009

Thursday December 3, 2009 Barry Silk

Theme: PLUG (63A. Ad, or word that can follow the end of 17-, 26-, 43- or 55-Across)

17A. "Imagination at work" company: GENERAL ELECTRIC. Electric Plug. Rare gimme theme entry for me. Still waiting for my GE stock to bounce back.

26A. Fried-dough carnival treat: ELEPHANT EAR. Earplug. Have never tasted Elephant Ear. I wanted CORN FRITTER, which has the same number of letters and ends in R too.

43A. The Doors #1 hit covered by José Feliciano: LIGHT MY FIRE. Fireplug. Here is the clip. I've never heard of José Feliciano. His constant nodding made me dizzy.

55A. "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" author: DAME MURIEL SPARK. Spark Plug. Both the book and the author (Scottish) were strangers to me.

I liked how PLUG ends the grid, good visual image.

Lots of D'oh clues in this puzzle. My favorites are DELI (6D. Sub station?) and RHYMES (38D. Stop and shop e.g.). Both reminded me of the "License to drill?" clue Barry had for DDS (Doctor of Dental Science) in his 2008 Phillies Championship Tribute puzzle. Very clever.

I struggled at the last theme answer. Tough crossing between TORI (59A. Doughnut shapes) and RTE (56D. Way to go: Abbr.) for me. Had a breeze freeze on both. "Way to go," Barry, you got me. I did recognize the torus shape when I googled. Had no idea that its plural form is tori.

Across:

1. Cheese town in the province of Noord-Holland: EDAM. Four-letter Dutch cheese town has to be Edam.

5. Cooper's tool: ADZE. Or adz.

9. Like some potatoes: RICED. How do you like your potatoes prepared? I like oven-baked potato wedges.

14. Snare __: DRUM

15. Powerful 19th century Virginia family: LEES. Of them, R.E Lee appears in our Xword very often.

16. Positive terminal, at times: ANODE. It could be negative terminal at times?

21. Sale condition: AS IS

22. Deceived: LIED TO. What Tiger probably did.

23. Stranded motorist's aid: JACK

25. Cambodian money: RIEL. Pronounced the same as "reel".

30. General on a Chinese menu: TSO. General Tso's Chicken.

33. Fiesta Bowl site: TEMPE. No idea. Arizona State (Sun Devils) is located there as well.

34. Work units: ERGS

35. Group including flower children's children, briefly: GEN X. Stumped me. Flower children refer to those hippies in the 1960's. I was picturing Lyndon Johnson's Daisy Flower Girl ad.

36. Pants fabric: TWILL

38. Actress Blakley: RONEE. No idea. Looks like she's a singer as well.

39. Je t'__: Parisian's "I love you": AIME. And MME (4D. Marseille Mrs.)

41. Drambuie ingredient: HONEY. I've never heard of Drambuie, a honey and herb flavored Scotch whisky.

42. Govt. ID issuer: SSA (Social Security Administration). They issue SSN.

46. Grant and Vanderbilt: AMYS

47. Spotted cat: OCELOT. Hi, buddy, what are you looking at?

50. Exceptional: RARE. Rara in Latin, as in Rara Avis, like Sade or our Kazie.

52. Subway alternative: BUS

58. Cream of the crop: ELITE

60. Merrie __ England: OLDE. And ETON (62A. School founded in 1440). I actually know this trivia.

61. Begat: SIRED

Down:

2. Stowe novel: DRED. Does this book have anything to do with Dred Scott the slave?

3. Quaker Oats trademark: AUNT JEMIMA. Awesome entry.

5. Mount McKinley's state: ALASKA

7. Puzzle center?: ZEES. Two letter Z's in the center of the word puzzle.

8. Subj. taught bilingually: ESL (English as a Second Language)

10. Spy's briefing contents, briefly: INTEL. Intelligence I suppose.

11. Firewood order: CORD. It's been a very mild winter here in Minnesota.

12. Correct, perhaps: EDIT

13. Empire State Building style: DECO

18. "Silent Spring" author Carson: RACHEL. Have heard of the book, not the author.

19. Inventor Howe: ELIAS. Sewing machine inventor.

24. Winesap, e.g.: APPLE. Nope, first encounter with winesap apples.

25. Contrition: REGRET

26. Singer James et al.: ETTAS

27. Explorer aided by Sacagawea: LEWIS. Or Clark.

28. Dogma-rejecting spiritual genre: NEW AGE. All I know about New Age is that Enya and Yanni are New Age musicians.

30. Court bouncer: TENNIS BALL. Oh, tennis court.

31. Show contempt: SNEER

32. Kind of daisy: OX-EYE. Hope this is the kind Jeannie likes.

40. Artistic merit: VIRTU (ver-TOO). Italian for virtue. New to me.

43. Came menacingly into view: LOOMED

44. Large game fish: MARLIN. Barry probably clued it as baseball related (Florida Marlins) originally. He's an avid baseball fan.

45. 1950s-'60s Yankee Boyer: CLETE. No idea. Clete Boyer played third base for the Yankees.

48. City SW of Bogotá: CALI. Maybe Chickie could tell us a bit about Cali, she lived there for two years.

49. Mideast bigwig: EMIR. Those emirs need to clean up the Dubai mess.

50. Scream: RIOT. Did not know riot can mean "scream". I wanted RANT.

51. Opening for dynamic: AERO. Aerodynamic.

53. Pakistani tongue: URDU. I just learned that Urdu is essentially identical to Hindi in its spoken form but in its literary form heavily influenced by Persian and Arabic and written in an Arabic alphabet.

54. Surfboard fin: SKEG. New word to me. Looks like each surfboard has two skegs.

57. How the weasel goes?: POP. Pop! Goes the Weasel. Excellent clue too.

Answer grid.

C.C.

86 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and gang - I actually got through this one pretty quickly which is unusual for me with a Silky, but only because the perps filled in several unknowns for me.

I didn't pick up on the theme until the very end with 'plug', and as I said, I had multiple unknowns, including both authors, 'Lawis' and 'virtu'.

C.C., I tried 'funnel cake' for 26A, which, unlike your 'corn fritter', didn't fit. Also had the same problem as you with 'tori'. Overall, a fun puzzle, and would you expect anything less from Mr. Silk?

Today is National Roof Over Your Head Day.

Today's Words of Wisdom: "Our memories are card indexes consulted, and then put back in disorder by authorities whom we do not control." -- Cyril Connolly

And a couple clever definitions:

- Finance: the art of passing currency from hand to hand until it finally disappears. -- Robert Sarnoff

- Fidelity: putting all your eggs in one bastard. -- Dorothy Parker

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

Dennis,
Had you not mentioned CORN FRITTER yesterday, I would not have plopped it in so recklessly. It's Lewis. Lewis & Clark.

Carol and Eddy,
What you experienced yesterday with the blog post glitch is the same as I did with Clear Aye's 2 posts the day before. The posts just disappeared and then reappeared automatically, at the original post time. I thought I was having hallucinations.

Dick said...

Good morning C.C. and all, I attacked the top 2/3’s of this puzzle making fills quickly and accurately, then I hit the lower 1/3. I came to a complete stop for awhile before I started to, painfully, get one letter at a time and then some of the answers revealed themselves. I had no clue as to the author of “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and finally had to see Mr. G.

As to Tori 59A I have never heard of this word and was not able to find any reference to it being shaped like a donut. There were so many other ways to clue Tori , for example Tori Spelling. Also, I did not like 38D rhymes, bad clue.

Puzzle was interesting and almost doable except for the above. Not one of my most favorite puzzles.

Looks like rain all day so it is a good day to do inside chores.

Hope you all have a great Thursday.

Dick said...

Dennis, great definitions today.

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

Dick,
Maybe you need to be woman to appreciate "Stop and Shop, e.g." for RHYMES.

Robin,
Yeah, I'd be treated like a foreigner if took up American citizenship.

Vern,
Can you share with us your exercise routine? I like your quiet humor.

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

Jeannie,
I echo what Argyle & Hungry in Chicago said, you are our secret recipe. But it's definitely easier to file all your recipes if you have your own blog.

Doreen et al,
If you want to find Jeannie's old recipes on our blog, just Google "Jeannie Meatloaf (or whatever you are looking for) Crossword Corner". It should show up somewhere.

Al said...

C.C. A negative battery terminal is called a cathode, which is two letters longer than anode, so for the purposes of crossword solving, you don't really need to remember whether it is plus or minus, just count letters.

Argyle said...

Rod McKuen's best-known song is "Jean", recorded by Oliver in 1969 for the soundtrack to the film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. This clip is by McKuen himself with pictures and clips from the movie.

Tori- I was trying to parse it as T or I, looking for pastry shaped like a tee. Then I just went to the Dictionary and found this.

Hahtoolah said...

Morning, CC and Friends: I just loved this puzzle. I got all the long theme clues before getting PLUG (I had originally written Urdi as the Pakistani language.

I knew Tori only because my husband is a mathematician. His particular branch of study is topology, which deals with surface shapes, including tori. The example he liked to give is that a donut and a coffee cup are the same topologically. If you could punch an indentation in the donut, and stretch out the hole, you would have a coffee cup. (It made sense when he described it.)

Favorite clue was Sub Station: DELI, but I scratched my head over RHYMES for Stop and Shop.

Also, "Correct, perhaps" lead me astray. I was looking for another word for correct, not to correct something.

I was not aware that Muriel Sparks was a DAME, hence, that clue threw me for a moment.

Speaking for Sparks, According to SparkNotes, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Dred in reaction to the Dred Scott decision.

QOD: If you want to know what G~d thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to. ~ Dorothy Parker

Dennis said...

Kaz, I had a Tim Tam for the first time yesterday; damn, are they ever good! I understand that they're a favorite in Oz, and I can understand why. I found that they're gonna be available in the states until March, so I'll be stocking up early and often.

Dick, thanks.

Jeannie, how 'bout that - you're googleable!

Argyle, thanks for the explanation on 'tori' - I couldn't get this out of my head, which is, of course, one 'i' too many.

Mainiac said...

Good Morning CC and All,

Back at after a bout with something. My doctor joked it was half of H1N1 but he wasn't sure which half! It isn't much fun. The only positive was I could work at home now that we have DSL. I'm only partially buried now!!

I had a very similar experience that Dick had. Dame Muriels Park sent me hacking away with red letters. I did like the grid though with some chuckling duh moments. Way to go! :)

Pouring here today and it looks like we're in for some real December temps soon.

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

Have a great day.

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

Al,
The "at times" clue for ANODE made me think it's might be negative at other times.

Dennis,
Your Japanese gateway link is TORII, two I's, same as Torii Hunter's given name.

MJ,
Thanks for HEDDA yesterday.

Bill said...

Well, this x word went a lot like my keyboarding skills. Hunt and peck!!!!
But I knew that Barry is always solvable, so I kept at it till all the blanks were filled. TORI was there but I doubted that it was right till I got here.
CC, SCREAM AND RIOT, I think refers to having a really good time at something, same as having a BLAST.
A comedian may be so funny that you would have a RIOT at his show.
PUZZLE CENTER was a real head slapper when I finally recognized the answer.
Anyway, Barry, you tried to kick my butt, but I won!!!
CY'all Later

BTW, 54 Degrees here yesterday and motorcycle traffic on the road. In DECEMBER??? WOW

Lemonade714 said...

I bet we do not hear any complaints about this being too easy; I now know where the phrase "smooth as SILK" was coined.

I enjoyed learning about TORUS, and had not thought of RONEE BLAKELY in years; she burst on the scene in the movie Nashville and was, and is a singer, songwriter.

Adding DAME to the clue for the author of Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, was accurate, perhaps, but very tricky.

Well, I am behind on my day, so you all enjoy.

Anonymous said...

I tried funnel cakes. I never heard of corn fritter or elephant ears. But I have heard of a dog treat called pig ears.

I tried Clark for Lewis first.

Tori could've been clued as British political rival of the Labour Party or political party of fmr. PM Margaret Thatcher.

Dennis said...

RSD, I believe that's the 'Tory' party.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

For 50 Down

Scream: Riot

Use it in this context. Something funny, hilarious.

It's a scream! It's a riot!

Make more sense now?

Robyn

Al said...

C.C. I understand the confusion now, how could an anode only be positive "sometimes"? Well, as usual, Wiki supplies the answer. Whether the explanation is understandable or not is the real question:

In a discharging battery or galvanic cell the anode is the negative terminal, where the hypothetic charges constituting a conventional current flow in, and electrons out. Since this inwards current is carried externally by electrons moving outwards, the negative charge moving one way amounts to positive charge flowing into the electrolyte from the anode, i.e., away (surprisingly) from the more negative electrode and towards the more positive one (chemical energy is responsible for this "uphill" motion). If the anode is composed of a metal, electrons which it gives up to the external circuit must be accompanied by metal atoms missing those electrons (cations) moving away from the electrode and into the electrolyte.

kazie said...

Hi to all!

Dennis,
You can buy Tim Tams and anything else from Oz at Australian Catalogue anytime. They import the stuff and sell it here largely to expats, but at what I think are too high a price. But you might want to take a look. I've never actually tried TimTams, but Arnott's are a big wellknown "biscuit" company and I like some of their other products.

My puzzle effort this morning was mixed. I went smoothly until I hit Miss Jean Brodie, which I g'ed, along with TORI, RONEE, OXEYE, and SKEG. Several other unknowns I got with perps (CALI, CLETE, VIRTU, RIEL). Put TAMPA for TEMPE at first.

Thought TENNIS BALL was cute--I was thinking of someone like the guy in legal courts who announces the judge, but couldn't think what he is called.

Anonymous said...

Just one error to note in today's puzzle. For 33A, the Fiesta Bowl moved from Tempe to Glendale several years ago. The clue should have included "former" or something to indicate that. In fact it is NOT in Tempe anymore.

Kevin in Elmhurst, IL.

Spitzboov said...

A not-so-easy but doable Silk puzzle. Lots of bright snappy clues. No break needed and no look-ups either. Perps were very helpful.

South center was last to fall. Torus seemed right with the AERO crossing, so assumed TORI had to be the plural.

ADZE and ZEES were cold lucky early fills.

ANODE - Don't see cathode much; must be too negative!

OXEYE was great fill. Didn't know HONEY was in drambuie. Classy drink, but prefer Grand Marnier.
Wife uses it in cooking and/or deserts frequently.

ERGS is metric equivalent of foot-pounds.

54º here this morning. Enjoy the day.

Tschüß

Spitzboov said...

@ Kazie re: what he is called. I believe you are thinking of Bailiff?

Dennis 2 said...

50 Down RIOT
not "to scream"
but the party was a scream= the party was a riot

Dennis said...

The above is another Dennis, not to be confused with the original...

Warren said...

Hi C.C. & gang, we finished ~85% of today's puzzle before my wife left for work. I finished it online and corrected a mistake for 38A that way, my wife though it was 'Susan'
I picked up on the 'plug' theme before she left.

C.C. you asked how I like potato's?

Here is my recipe for creamy mashed:
I learned this from my mother (rest her soul).

First, find a big pot (with a cover) that will fit the amount of potato’s and fill it part way with cold water.

Peel the potatoes and cut into ~equal small pieces and store in the cold water. (Soaking them in cold water helps to remove starch).

After you’ve peeled and sliced all of the potatoes drain the cold water from the pot and replace it with fresh water and a tad of salt (I use hot water to speed up the boiling point but it doesn’t matter much) and place it over high heat.

It takes roughly 15 minutes (after the pot of water comes to a boil) to cook the potatoes (partially cover the pot and monitor it, adjusting the heat to avoid over boiling). I usually do a taste test after 15 minutes and see if they’re done or not (just the right amount of ‘crumble’ but not too much).

When the potatoes are cooked it’s important to drain them immediately to stop the cooking process. Once I left them soaking too long and got glue instead of potatoes.

Mashing process

Next you need a big mixing bowl, potato masher, sour cream (we use the fat free one), and milk (we use 1%), and some butter too.

You could use a ricer for this part if manual mashing is too difficult. I use a technique I call aerobic mashing but not everyone has the strength for that.

After the initial mash add the butter, sour cream (I put in ~1/3 of a tub for 8 servings), and enough milk (a splash or two is enough) and re-mash to a creamy texture.

I usually under salt the potatoes so everyone can salt to their own liking.

Optional: for this years Thanksgiving I oven roasted two heads of garlic for 10 pounds of spuds and added the mashed roasted garlic to the recipe and everyone loved them.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, Oh, that Barry Silk is a clever one! He had my brain doing cartwheels this morning trying to figure out some of the fill.

I didn't know the novel DRED, Cambodian RIAL, Ronee BLAKLEY (I was thinking of 70's actress/model Susan Blakely, VIRTU, Dramuie's HONEY, TORI or SKEG. "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" is one of my favorite movies, but I had no idea who the author was.

Fortunately, Barry Silk took some pity on us and gave enough gettable perps to make completion possible. This puzzle got a definite sigh of satisfaction when the little cruciverb happy pencil popped up.

Jeannie, If you don't want to commit to a blog, you can post your recipes at Google Docs (Getting Started Guide) using your regular "Jeannie" Google Account ID. Just click on "Creating a Document" and it will guide you through. You can save your recipe documents individually and "Share" each one as a web page link. Here's a sample web page Googe Doc.

JD said...

Woo Hoo, and good morning,
Just printed off the c/w and am excited because it's a silkie which might take me awhile.

Didn't get back to comment last night about Jeannie and her fabulous recipes. Of course we don't want you to leave us, but you know everyone agrees that your recipes are superb and we're honored you share them with us.

...off to tend baby and puzzle :)

carol said...

Hi C.C. and eveyone -

C.C. thanks for the explanation of where my post went yesterday...I thought it might be what happened to CA's posts of a few days ago. Glad it got straightened out and I can see why you were perplexed.

I too had never heard of TORI. I thought there was a mistake in the paper.

Never can remember ol' General Tso. I have seen several spellings of his name on menu's and that is probably why.

Had to chuckle at 45D (CLETE) - I knew it was probably a Southern name...they have such interesting ones! I googled it and sure enough he was born in Missouri...and one of 14 children - yikes!

38D (STOP AND SHOP) threw me too...very clever.

Did not understand 10D (INTEL)

JD said...

Grady slept as I filled and erased, and erased. Fun puzzle!The oddest fills I has were dicier/diced. I kept saying, Would he really repeat...until I saw that it was ricier when I filled anode.I had Susan for Ronee and used for as is, and A one for rare.Skeg,clete, virtu,tori/torus,and ox eye were new to me. I thought elephant ear was a plant.

Argyle, love "Jean". Rod McKuen didn't have a great voice, but his poetry put into words what many of us felt and could not say. Glenn Yarbrough sang more of his songs than anyone's.Here is Stanyon Street

Clear Ayes said...

Dennis, Loved the Dorothy Parker's quote. Of course, the first person I thought of was Elin Woods.

Here's a poem that should be dedicated to Tiger, not so young, but still very foolish.


The Young Fools

High-heels struggling with a full-length dress
So that, between the wind and the terrain,
At times a glimmering ankle would be seen,
And gone too soon. We liked that foolishness.

Sometimes a jealous insect's sting
Bothered the necks of beauties beneath the branches.
White napes revealed in sudden flashes
Were a feast for young eyes wild gazing.

Evening fell, ambiguous autumn evening,
The women who hung dreaming on our arms
Whispered, in low voices, words that had such charms
That our souls were left quivering and singing.

- Paul Verlaine

Lemonade714 said...

CA:

What a nice poem, from a poet unknown to me, though my poetry days are few and far between, now.

I think Fiesta Bowl site is not an error because the clue is not limited to current site, and many Fiesta Bowls, including the first one were played in Tempe. I was surprised to see, they advertise in tandem with The Insight Bowl which is still played at Sun Devil Stadium, rathe than University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.

eddyB said...

Hello all.

I got up late so Kevin in IL beat
me to the comment section.

We lived in Tempe for seven years
(worked for Motorola).
While the Fiesta Bowl started at
Sun Devil Stadium with ASU as the host the first few years, it was moved to the new stadium in Glendale, AZ.

New stadium = bigger stadium = more money.

They want Iowa this 1/4/10.

eddyB

Ps. Current flow is the opposite
electron flow.

Smooth as Silk.

Lemonade714 said...

Oh, one Tiger comment; life is not simple, and I cannot help but wonder how virtuous each of us would be with a billion dollars in assets, with people throwing themselves at us, telling us how wonderful we are. The history of monogamy in mankind is very limited, and there is an old saying "Power Corrupts, and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely." I feel badly for all concerned, especially his two kids, but I really believe the reaction, the fascination and the amount of press coverage is more obscene than his actions. Since every president has been accused of infidelity, why should Tiger be different.

MR ED said...

I thought Aunt Jemima was on the pancake box and a Quaker was on the oatmeal box. Was it changed?
Is Niagra Falls still on the shredded wheat box?

MR ED said...

Lemonade714, my sentiments exactly.

MR ED said...

WOW! We have a "fake" Dennis.

kazie said...

Lemonade @1:00 pm,
Well said. It was discussed on MSNBC this morning too.

CA,
When I think of Verlaine, I always remember the line in Georges Moustaki's "Les amis de Georges" (about Brassens): Ils connaissaient Verlaine, Hugo, François Villon. Thanks for the poem.

I think all your good wishes yesterday had some effect--my cold is getting much better today. Thanks again to all!

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

We're back from an insane trip. Drove 680 miles to the Great Wolf lodge in Williamsburg, VA on Monday. Spent the evening, then Tuesday, and breakfast Wednesday with step-son Tom, recently returned from Afghanistan, and his family. Drove home yesterday, arriving at about 10:00 p.m.

Horrible drives both ways: rain, fog, lots of yuck. Great time in between. GWL has an enormous indoor water park. Lots of fun with the kids.

Clete Boyer's brother Ken was an all-star 3rd baseman for the Cardinals. Unlike Clete, he could hit.

Barry Silk is one of my favorite constructors, and today's entry had a great theme and lots of good stuff in it. But, alas, too many 2nd and 3rd rate fills. Proper names, plurals of proper names, a spelt-out letter, and VITRU?!?

Caused myself some trouble, too. The RARE RIOT cross threw me. Spelled fish as MARLON, and couldn't get my head away from TOROID. Turns out that TORUS is the surface and TOROID is the solid it contains.

Yes a donut is topologically equivalent to a tea cup. And so are you and I.

A funnel cake is gastronomically, but not topologically, equivalent to an elephant's ear.

I am pretty close to the equivalent of a babbling idiot, so I'll sign off for now.

Cheers!
Jzb the driving in the rain trombonist

DCannon said...

Had trouble with this one. The center east section ate my lunch. I had Susan instead of Ronee, so I filled in 38D (stop and shop) as "stores" as in convenience stores. Also, I had "basketball" for 30D, until I finally remembered that the Chinese General was "Tso." I knew 35A should be "GenX" but with all the missteps, it didn't fit. After I finally gave up my pride and went to see Mr. G for another actress that would fit, the log jam cleared right up.

I knew Muriel Spark, so after I had "Odes" for 47D, I knew it had to be "Dame." I trusted the perps for "tori."

Favorite clues were 7D "Puzzle center" and 5A "Cooper's tool."

Had to go to the rheumatologist this morning. He decided I should start using Humira, so I had to go for a chest X-ray to be sure I don't already have TB because that is one of the possible side effects of Humira. It also makes one vulnerable to all sorts of infections. I'm not a happy camper. I hate to have to DEAL WITH things like this. Seems like the older we get, the more things we have to DEAL WITH and the less patience we have to DEAL WITH them. Rant over.

Temp is 34º right now and probably won't get any warmer. Expecting wintery weather later today and tonight.

Anonymous said...

Barry kind of beat me up on the bottom portion today. Never heard of TORI or CLETE which made it very hard. Didn't like RIOT for scream until I later parsed how we had a riot at a party. Some really good clues though. And I simply love Elephant Ears. We used to eat them as kids often.

I quickly got the theme, though I don't think it helped me solve the theme answers much.

CC, I love how you are always so positive about a puzzle even when you struggle with it. What a great attitude.

Lemonade @ 1pm. I totally agree with you. That doesn't make it right, but honestly, it's really none of our business anyway. Lets get beyond this. Who of us doesn't have a skeleton in the closet or two.

DCannon, getting old ain't for sissies. Had my first migraine two days ago (at almost 50 none the less) and still reeling from it all. The docs thought it was a bleeder, but thankfully it wasn't. Now my stomach is killing me from the meds to fix the head. If it ain't one thing, its another. Ya just gotta plug along.

Anonymous said...

Dennis

the plural form is tories.

Buckeye said...

Guday, all. I had many of the same problems today as most of you did - Tori, Skeg, Ronee and Oxeye - but Barry Silk was kind, as Clearayes mentioned, to help us with great perps.

Re: Robin (and other nubies): Thank you for the kind words. I am an inmate, no patient, no RESIDENT, (Ya, that's the ticket) of the Golden Buckeye Retirement Village. It is headed by Dr. Cary Mysack, and overseen (with an iron fist) by Nurse Ratchet. Getting out of here permanently would require a court order, but if you're willing, I'll give it a go. I'd like Arizona - I think.

We have a lot of "interesting" people here, with various and wonderful outlooks on life. I tell stories about them as they develop.

Lemonade714 is correct. I do not think women truly understand the effect they have on men. CA's poem really expresses deep feelings men have for women. It goes beyond sex, but that is always a consideration. Trying to explain it is almost impossible. Men understand the feeling, women misdiagnose it.

Nurse Dixie Normous (Ratchet's assistant) just told me my computer time is almost up so I gotta go. The show last night wasn't all that and a bag of chips. Phil Harmonic isn't all that versatile. A base drum around his neck, cymbals on the inside of his knees and a harmonica doesn't make for great Christmas music. Sounded like a "Dixieland Band" with all the instruments missing.

P.S. Emersom Biggins just stopped over and said, "Glad you writin' to them crossword fellers again, Buckeye. They's some smart folks. I think half of um is in that there menses club".

I must be off!!

Dennis said...

anon@1:56, what's that in response to?

lois said...

Good morning CC et al., Interesting puzzle. So glad to see Barry Silk again. Like Dennis, I wanted funnel cake for 26A -never heard of eating an elephant ear...I just plant mine...and usually close to the ground-that way I can hear when someone's coming. And 'riced' potatoes? Never heard of that either. Learn somethin' new all the time here. I especially liked how 'riced' crossed 'racier' esp in reference to studs...I mean spuds. That really did 'light my fire'. Much more of that and I'll be teaching that weasel more about going
'pop'than he ever wanted to know. New age b-e dam! Old age is a lot more fun. 47A reminded me that I'm going to England soon and am looking forward to some 'spotted dick'...not spotted cat. Gotta run.

Forgot: I like my spuds the same way I like my men..hot and fully loaded.

Enjoy this gorgeous day.

IRISH JIM said...

Good afternoon CC and all.

Had same trouble as others with TORI and RIOT. Had RANT in also.
Last clue was Tennis Ball.Am starting to think "outside the box".

Carol INTEL is short for intelligence.

Had a monsoon here yesterday. Almost 5 ins in 12 hrs. Nearly started to build an ark.

Am also waiting for G E to bounce back. Maybe shedding NBC will do the trick.

And finally Tiger Woods is an idiot who needs his head examined.

Unknown said...

@buckeye My friend, it is always a joy to hear about the goings on at the Home. You certainly have some interesting residents there!

Unknown said...

I see I've become Richard now. Oh, the mysteries of Blogger!

Crockett1947

Anonymous said...

Hi 33a Fiesta Bowl is in Glendale,AZ

Anonymous said...

@DCannon, try rum soaked raisins for your arthritis.

Crockett1947 said...

Now I'm back to normal, or what passes for normal around here!

Jeannie said...

Well, I thought I was going to make it through a Barry Silk puzzle without having to hit the G-spot but alas, up popped Dame Muriel Spark. Sigh. All in all I enjoyed this puzzle though. Didn’t know tori, skeg or clete but the perps took care of them. Loved seeing the drambuie clue. That is my favorite after dinner drink. My favorite clue was “court bouncer” – tennis ball. I took the sceam/riot clue as something being really fun. Like, “that was a riot”, “that was a scream.”

C.C. thank you for the beautiful daisies and yes those are my favorite ones. Also my favorite potatoes are baby reds roasted in olive oil, garlic, rosemary and thyme.

People, thanks for the kind words on the recipes. I wasn’t planning on going anywhere just wondered if the recipes were getting old.

Dennis, not sure if I am googleable but my meatloaf is.

Buckeye said...

Re KQ: Do I understand you are "getting old" at age 49? Girl, I've got t-shirts that old. I've got one from the Chicago World's Fair that I bought just before I got on that big-assed ferris wheel they had there.

Damn, I remember General Tso when he was only a COLONEL!!!!!

IMBO

kazie said...

Lois,
See here for potato ricers. We always do them that way at Thanksgiving, and I use it on top of shepherd's pie so it browns more too.

Buckeye,
You're a RIOT!

D Cannon,
Get a prescription for Imitrex--I always found it to work like a charm on mine. But I never got them after menopause.

Buckeye said...

Come on, Crockett and all you Oregoneonites (see Fred). Where's the hype on the big "Civil War" tonight. Am I going to be the only one watching to see who challenges my Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl? Let's hear some TRASH!!!!

IMBO

Anonymous said...

From Vern:
Had trouble with Quaker Oats trademark as I sat and stared at the Quaker man on my large box of oats for some time. Drawing a line from the top right to the bottom left everything above the line was fine, but below the line reminded me it was again a Thursday puzzle.
I tell my grandkids that the H1N1 flu is actually called the Hini flu and they better be careful where they sit.

Summers bad--gain weight from golf.
Rest of year's great--lose from exercise. (5 - 6x weekly; usually 35 minutes on elllipical (about 2 1/2 miles) & 35 minutes on the treadmill (also about 2 1/2 miles). I will occasionally add 30 minutes on the stationary bike (10+ miles).
(Getting ready for an indoor triatlon in March)

Anonymous said...

From Vern:

As a long-ago typing teacher, I really hate it when I make an error....triathlon!

Anonymous said...

@Kazie, Imitrex for arthritis?

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 3:50, I think Kazie was referring to my migraine and mistakenly referred to DCannon. And yes, they gave me a big ole Imitrax shot and a prescription to boot. As I hit menopause years ago with a hysterectomy, I have not suffered from any headaches since, so this is really out of the blue. Very unusual and scary.

Warren, you are describing my absolute favorite and completely non-fat potatoes, except I add cream cheese also, and then bake them afterwords. Great to prepare ahead of time. It is one of the few things my mother-in-law taught me to cook (she hates cooking) and my kids look forward to from her table. She is a dear woman but a chef she is not.

Buckeye you old coot. I didn't say I was old, just getting there. But thanks for the chuckle anyway. You always brighten the day.

Mainiac said...

Buckeye, Many thanks as usual. LMAO!!

Lemonade, very well put regarding Tiger.

Frankly, I'm glad its finally off the front page. In my Nyquil induced semi coma (prior to getting some antibiotics) I figured she had beaten the shit out of him so he ran his car into a tree to cover the injuries (My wife just shook her head). The price of fame and fortune...I do feel bad for his kids.

Oh! And during a Nyquil hangover the Party Crashers interview was on the Today Show (Sorry if this is already covered ground!). Puke my guts up over the lies! They were so mistreated by the press and wouldn't we see the "truth" when the whole story came out. What I saw was everyone scurrying to cover their collective asses!

Day three of my illness I listened to music. With the antibiotics kicking in and feeling better I got a lot of work done. So much so I went outside to play with the dogs for a bit in the sun. Basically doing nothing, I threw my back out, which sent shooting pains down the front of my leg, a new one for me. Rushed over the my buddy the chiropractor and today I feel nearly 100%.

I've got a renewed appreciation of being a working middle class American and having work! I wouldn't make a very good stay at home Dad, although I did enjoy cooking the boys some eggs before school yesterday.

DCannon said...

Kazie got KQ (migraines) mixed up with me, DCannon (RA.) I'm glad I don't have the headaches - nothing worse to me than that.

Anon, I will try the rum and raisins thing. I have a "recipe" for it. However, I think it is more for osteo-arthritis instead of rheumatoid. Couldn't hurt to try. Someone suggested using cinnamon, which I have been doing. Don't know if it is helping or not.

Jeannie, I cook red potatoes that way frequently. Love 'em! Whoops, I'm hungry again!

Chickie said...

Hello All-- I have less hair and am black and blue, but I did manage to finish today's puzzle. I had the long fills and the answer to the theme, but some of the shorter fills eluded me, mainly in the Middle Eastern section. I had Cho instead of TSO and Susan Blakely instead of Ronee, so nothing would fit.

New words for me today were Tori, and Virtu. There is always something to be learned from a Barry Silk puzzle.

Rachel Carson was a pioneer in the field of Ecology. She had some very (at the time) controversial ideas about the interconnection of plants, animals, and our planet. I took an Ecology I course in college in 1954. We were told that we were pioneers because we were on the cutting edge of this "new" science. Her book, "Silent Spring" is out of print, but is very worth the reading if you can find a copy in your local library.

Argyle said...

Have I got this straight: Wood's wife used an iron but she wanted to hit the driver.

Chickie said...

Buckeye, LOL everyday when you post.

C.C. Thank you for the Google information about finding Jeannie's recipes. I lost all of mine when my computer crashed and so am gradually finding my favorites again. I just copied and pasted the Tomatoe pie and Vodka crust recipes this morning.

Jeannie, didn't know you were Googleable as Dennis put it, did you?

Dennis said...

Argyle, he shoulda kept his wood in his bag.

Also, I understand he's changed his name, but kept it cat-related: Cheetah.

Anonymous said...

@ Dennis:
A 21st century version of Rob't Sarnoff's wonderful quote you provided might read:
BUDGET: The optimistic act of accounting for one's future expenses although there will likely be nothing to expend.

This applies to many entities in commerce and industry, as well as federal/state/local governmental agencies. Households, also.

MJ said...

Hi all,

A great Thursday puzzle! Learned TORI, VIRTU, and SKEG. Many, many unknowns, but as others have said, the perps made them doable.

C.C.-My favorite potato is a baked russet, with a bit of ranch salad dressing and ground black pepper. Yum! But my family's favorite is a casserole we often have for holidays:

Golden Potatoes

In a large (6-qt.) sauce pan, boil 8 medium russet potatoes in jackets. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, in the same pan (wash first) melt:
1/4 c. butter
1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 10-oz. can cream of chicken soup
When melted and creamy, stir in:
2 c. (1 pt.) sour cream
1/2 c. finely chopped green onions
1 tsp. salt

Peel potatoes, and grate into the sauce. Mix lightly. Spoon into a casserole dish approx. 9"x12". (I use 10"x10") Bake, uncovered, at 350 F for 30+ minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Notes: I use "light" sour cream, and "skinny" green onions. Also, since "medium" is an arbitrary size for the potatoes, if you find the casserole too stiff, use smaller potatoes the next time. My family loves it when I use less potatoes, and the result is creamier. Also, I love the fact that this dish can be, and for best results, should be made a day or two ahead. A definite plus for holiday preparations! Cooking time increases when put into the oven chilled ( 40+ minutes). This dish also freezes well, unbaked. Enjoy!

HUTCH said...

I KNOW ZILCH ABOUT ELECTRONICS BUT An AUTO BATTERY HAS A "PLUS" MARKED ON ONE ELECTRODE AND A "NEGATIVE" MARKED ON THE OTHER [+ or -].some older cars were usually grounded negative to the engine block and positive to the starter. but occasionally the reverse was true, positive to the engine block, etc. woe to the unwary mechanic.

Anonymous said...

Dennis, the second. Are you the Dennis from Madison who was on the blog in the spring? If so, welcome back. If not, welcome to a third Dennis.

Glad to find out I can retrieve the recipes. I never copied them when they first appeared because I have too many recipes and do too little real cooking. But then an occasion arises and I think, "I could use Jeannie's recipe if I had it."

Kazie, I hope you are feeling much better.If we get the five inches of snow that is predicted, stay indoors.

I've spent many hours recently, running from store to store trying to find Christmas ornaments. I intend to use ornaments for "place cards" at our Christmas dinner with each person's ornament indicating something about them - vocation, hobby, etc. Yesterday, I knelt on the floor at a kiosk at the Mall and went through a pile of a hundred or so ornaments. It paid off though, because I found one for the photographer grandson that says, "It's all about my camera." I only have four to go out of twenty. Part of the problem is some of the ideas that would be fairly easy, fit too many people - five who are in computer occupations; three drummers and all the grandkids are texting addicts. Now if I can just find some Disney themed ornament for the two great grand kids".

Where is Andrea?

Dot

lois said...

Kazie, thank you for the link to the potato ricer. Yippee, another gadget! Wonder if it'll improve my cooking skills. Can't hurt 'em.

Argyle 4:43 & Dennis 4:59: LMAO funny stuff. Think his wife must've been using something other than a Ping....Cobra perhaps?

MJ said...

@Dot-I love your idea for "place cards"! I'll bet your family will be tickled. Such fun!

@C.C.-BTW, I loved the link to the beautiful ocelot. Thank you for that, and all the other great links on your blog, and the blog itself!

Clear Ayes said...

In this day and age of intense media scrutiny, it is amazing that so many celebrities still believe that he or she will be the one who won't get caught.

Tiger Woods is finding out just how quickly adoring fans and media coverage can turn mean. Usually when a person is so idealized and his/her marriage seems too good to be true, it probably isn't.

My sympathies are with Elin Woods, who may give him a pass on this (these) Oopsies, but it will always be a humiliating chapter in her life. For Tiger, or Bill Clinton, John Edwards, Mark Sanford, or anyone else who has let their wealth and power go to their heads (or other body parts)and have failed to protect their families (the people they claim to love) from their indiscretions, I have no sympathy. (Gee, I'm old-fashioned!)

Mary said...

CC, Jeanie, Warren and MJ,
All your potato recipes sound delicious. Thanks for sharing.

Here's what I learned about Aunt Jemima--

The Quaker Oats Company is the owner of the Aunt Jemima brand, and according to a spokesperson, although there have been three different women who played the part in various promotions, the character was not based on any real person. (Incidentally, the outline of the man on the front of the Quaker Oats containers is likewise the figment of someone's imagination. Had Wilford Brimley been around in the late 1800s, I'm sure his portrait would grace the containers instead.)
from straightdope.com

I took my time with the puzzle drifting in and out of sleep this afternoon. TORI didn't bother me since I'm familiar with the torus/donut shape and a miniscule amount of Latin. ELEPHANT EAR plants are huge, is the carnival treat that big too? I liked Barry's fresh cluing for some common crossword answers (EDAM, ETON, LEE, DECO) Unfortunately I put in TAO instead of TSO so I couldn't get SNEER and the E that I needed to finish RONEE with perps.

carol said...

CA (7:29) Hooray for you, my sentiments exactly!!

Argyle and Dennis: re the above, and your remarks, I did LMAO.

Buckeye: you always make me laugh, thanks!

Irish Jim: thanks for the 'intel' explanation....I thought of that but it just seemed weak.

Crockett: want to put any bets down on our weekend prediction of S**w??? They are still blathering on about it.

Anonymous said...

Clear Ayes:

I've always been perplexed why the women stay (or even appear at a presser with their man). Financial &/or domestic security seems to be a valid motive, but at what price?

In Hillary's case, it seemed to be a continuation of political connections.

For the other recent examples that you cite, we can only ponder unknown motivations.

Chickie said...

Well said CA. I think Old Fashioned is good. We've become rather accepting of things that really aren't acceptable to many. Too bad if the media is hard on people when they misstep. Lessons learned the hard way!

Jeannie, Can you make the Vodka pie crust a day ahead and then the filling the day of an event? I want to take the Tomatoe Pie to an early morning brunch and and I don't think I'll have time to make it before we have to leave.

Jeannie said...

Chickie, by all means you can make that pie crust ahead. Just refrigerate it and make sure to take it out in time to come to room temp before you you roll it out. I even forgot I posted that recipe as it is one of my favorites. It's rich but oh, oh, so tasty. Peeps on this blog, Please don't think these are all my own recipes, as I grew up cooking and baking with a Home Ec teacher that had the opportunity not to work and had the patience to teach me at home. I have a sister younger than me that is the baker. I don't bake unless pressured to. I just share the recipes that I am satisfied after eating. I will confess that I do "tweak" recipes given to me. Does that make them my own? That is why I don't start a recipe blog. I can't also play Giada or Rachael Rae on TV as I can't be that cute everday.

Lois, I like 'em that way too.

Anonymous said...

Never heard of Jose Feliciano, winesap apples and Drambuie? These were easy, easy, easy. I wonder how old you are...ever heard of Feliz Naividad at Christmas time? Jose Feliciano. Winesap apples are terrific but I'm from Ohio. As for Drambuie, the last time I had some, it was in Ireland with a shot mixed in oatmeal. Delicious.

Jeannie said...

Anon, 9:58pm have you not read our blog leaders profile? She is from China and started this blog almost a year ago in an attempt to learn our culture. She is a damned smart lady in my book. Shut up.

Sorry Dennis, I know you would have liked to delete their post. Go for it. Leave mine.

Bill G. said...

Anon 9:58pm, Your arrogance is amazing. I'm guessing you haven't heard a lot of the things that are common knowledge for me. Wanna do a test?

Why don't you sign in with your name? That would be the manly/womanly thing to do.

Anonymous said...

Mary and anyone who hasn't had an elephant ear. They are a pastry, thin flaky and covered with sugar and usually a little cinnamon. They are large and round. We used to call them Crispies also. Check it out at a bakery sometime. I would almost liken it to a pastry crust baked with sugar on it.

Which reminds me, my mom used to take the ends that she would cut off of her pie crusts, cut them up, throw some butter, sugar and cinnamon on them and bake them in the oven. Great way to use the extras. Yum. She also made homemade donuts. Nothing like them, fresh out of the deep fryer.

kazie said...

KQ and D Cannon,
Sorry for the mixup, yes, I was in a hurry and misquoted you. Glad the Imitrex worked--I presume/hope it did. I don't have any experience with arthritis.

Dot,
Thanks for the advice. We heard that it was worse in Madison than out here, but I went to a meeting at 4pm and coming out at 7 was delighted to see the car covered with the white stuff, but then realized I hadn't put the scraper in the car yet. Wiped off what I could with mittened hands, and then waited for the defroster to finish getting the ice off. Luckily only had a short drive home within the town. Now I have the scraper in there!

Lois,
The potato ricers come in two varieties, as the photos show. The ones shaped like a tin can don't always have very strong handles, and if the spuds are a bit stiff, the handles bend and render them useless. The other kind with the curved triangular cross-sectional view are better, but come apart easily for cleaning, so you have to watch they don't do that while in use.

Jeannie said...

I have my Grandma's potato "smasher" as she used to call it. Metal meshes with a firm metal stem with the wooden handle affixed to it. Grommets I think. It's the only thing I will use to "smash" potatoes. It is right up there with my Grandma's cast iron skillet with the top none the less. Oh, I forgot my coveted ceramic bowl set. I use them all the time. I have seen the same bowl set at antique stores going for about $200. I will never sell mine. Too bad I don't have kids.

pjb-chicago said...

Very late solving the puzzle and posting, but still want to chime in for insomniacs and early risers or readers.

Tough trip through the grid for me today. My relative inexperience as a solver made me fall into lots of traps, but once I finally finished, I felt like I'd learned a lot. ADZE and OCELOT I should have known, RIEL I spelled wrong, and DAME Muriel SPARK and CLETE weren't flying anywhere close to my radar screen! ZEES and RHYMES were more clever--or is that "cleverer" than I, but perps bailed me out. That said, I liked the theme and was glad "hair" wasn't in the theme answers because Hairplugs are too gruesome to contemplate over breakfast oatmeal (with 1 tsp of jam) or lunch!

Tiger's news is still meowing all over the internet. His product sponsorships don't appear to be in peril; maybe the safest thing he can do to regain public support is to do what he does best: GOLF WELL.

Here's hoping Friday keeps us on our toes, too.
Snow's been falling here, but not really sticking yet. Time to think of hot cocoa--sans any Drambuie, for me!

PJB-Chicago said...

Yes, that really was me. Google was having a tough go at finding my user info, I suppose.

FYI: I bought my ricer at a garage sale and it's old yet sturdy and easy to clean. One buck fifty was the price, and I can't
make smashed potatoes too well without it. Pan-fried potatoes are a guilty pleasure, but don't need the ricer for those--just a sharp knife, some butter and spices and, most important, 911 on the speed dial JUST in case!

PJB-Chicago said...

Dang, the prior anon. post was definitely NOT me. I don't sling insults without my name attached, and certainly not at people I care about.

Anonymous said...

looks like tiger woods was playing the 19th hole.