google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday January 14, 2010 Ed Sessa

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Jan 14, 2010

Thursday January 14, 2010 Ed Sessa

Theme: SHEEP (65A. Animal family hidden in 17-, 35- and 57-Across)

17A. Hackneyed line: HAVE WE MET BEFORE. After "You look familiar". EWE is embedded.

35A. Chowder base: CLAM BROTH. LAMB is hidden. What is the difference between broth and stock?

57A. Summertime cosmetic mishap: MASCARA MELTDOWN. Sweat. RAM is enclosed.

What an coincidence! Windhover just mentioned last night that kidding and lambing season is about to start.

All of the above hidden animal names are spread between two words. Nice consistency. Simple theme & light theme entries, which allow for plenty of long letter non-theme entries. I counted total 18 seven-letter entries, 12 of them are stacked in in each quadrant. Very Dan Naddor-like.

I was also delighted by the sparkling clues for short answers:

21A. Heros: SUBS. Hero Sandwich.

22A. Male delivery: SON. Playing on "mail delivery".

29A. Killed, in a way: VETOED. Killed "bill".

32A. MA and PA: STS (States). Pun on "Ma and Pa".

53A. Rear admiral's rear: AFT. Oh, the rear of his ship.

30D. Move in high circles?: ORBIT. For the planets.

39D. Talking a blue streak?: PROFANE. "Blue" here means "risqué".

55D. Brest friend: AMIE. Playing on "Best friend". Brest is a seaport in western France.

Easier than our average Thursday, wasn't it? Maybe I just mind melded with the constructor (Thanks, Argyle).

Across:

1. Italian port on the Adriatic: BARI. In southeast Italy. And AMORE (20A. Love, in 1-Across)

5. Los Alamos project, briefly: A-BOMB. Thought of A-TEST first.

10. Newspaper family name: OCHS. Of the New York Times.

14. Yemen's main port: ADEN

15. Roofed patio: LANAI. Literally "roofed patio" in Hawaiian.

23. Frothy fountain drinks: MALTEDS. Partially alliterative clue.

26. Green soldier: RECRUIT. "Green" = inexperienced. Tyro.

31. River in NW France: ORNE. See this map. If flows to the English Channel.

33. Bakery worker with a gun: ICER

34. Spirited equine: STEED

38. "__ moi, le déluge": Louis XV: APRES. Literally "after". Après moi, le déluge = After me, the flood. Just means that nothing matters after he's dead.

41. New Rochelle, NY, college: IONA

42. "Pygmalion" monogram: GBS (George Bernard Shaw)

45. 1975 A.L. MVP and Rookie of the Year __ Lynn: FRED. When he was with the Red Sox. His baseball cards are not worth much. Ichiro is another player who won both MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same year (2001).

46. "The evil that men do lives after them" speaker: ANTONY. From "Julius Caesar". Not a familiar line to me.

48. Brutally harsh: RAW. As weather.

49. __ stone: ROSETTA. Shouldn't "stone" be capitalized?

51. How architects draw: TO SCALE

54. Crimson Tide, briefly: 'BAMA. They just won the BCS Championship.

56. "Flip This House" network: A AND E. I've learned to parse AANDE.

61. Hall of Famer Slaughter: ENOS

62. Book from which the film "What's Love Got to Do With It" was adapted: I, TINA. I know it's Tina Turner's autobiography. Have never heard of the film though.

63. Netman Nastase: ILIE. Alliteration in the clue.

66. Buffoonish: ZANY

Down:

1. Commonwealth off Florida: BAHAMAS

2. Uncompromising: ADAMANT. I am, sometimes.

3. Rises up: REVOLTS

4. At a standstill: INERT. The grammar confuses me. "At a standstill" is an adjective, Kazie?

6. Kapow cousin: BAM. I want Kapow to be in quotation. "Kapow".

8. Come of age: MATURE

9. Like many lobster eaters: BIBBED

10. Galoot: OAF

11. Sense of completeness: CLOSURE

12. Sandra Bullock role, e.g.: HEROINE. Sandra Bullock is always so goofy.

13. Like some candles: SCENTED

18. Agricultural pests: WEEVILS. Here is one. Report please!

19. Corner PC key: ESC. Upper-left corner.

24. Numerical prefix: DECA. Prefix for "ten". As in decathlon.

25. Pipe part: STEM

27. Portnoy creator Philip: ROTH (Philip). Has anyone actually read "Portnoy's Complaint"?

34. Patronizes, as an inn: STAYS AT

35. Hand over: CEDE

36. Canine anchor: ROOT. Canine tooth. Not dog.

38. Popular ski country homes: A-FRAMES. Drew a blank. Easy for snow to slide off the roof I presume.

40. Sits atop: RESTS ON

42. Hiker's snack: GRANOLA. I am so in love with my raw cashew & Medjool dates bar lately.

43. Longtime Steinway rival: BALDWIN. Piano maker. I've only heard of Steinway.

44. Todd of Broadway: SWEENEY. Sweeney Todd.

46. Classic video games: ATARIS

47. "Broadway Joe": NAMATH. Quarterback Joe Namath is nicknamed "Broadway Joe".

52. City near Gibraltar: CADIZ. Here is the map. Quite far from Gibraltar, isn't it?

58. Western KY clock setting: CST. Had no idea that KY has 2 different time zones.

59. Santa Barbara-to-Vegas dir.: ENE. Direction is often my weakness.

60. Slurp (up): LAP

Answer grid.

C.C.

85 comments:

  1. Good morning, C.C. and gang - had a lot of fun with this one; it was pretty simple for a Thursday, but as C.C. pointed out, very clever cluing. Loved the 4 triple-7 stacks. Also, a nice tribute to Windhover with the sheep theme and Kentucky reference.

    The Louis XV answer popped into my head for some unknown reason; again, it's amazing the stuff that sits in our brains' nooks and crannies. Wouldn't it be nice if we could run defrags up there?

    Favorite clues were 'Rear Admiral's rear' and 'Move in high circles'. But they were offset by my least favorite word, 'closure'. Every time someone says they need 'closure', I'd like to provide it to them, but not necessarily as they pictured it.

    Today is Dress Up Your Pet Day. Pictures would be nice.

    Today's Words of Wisdom, and certainly ones I live by: "You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm." -- Colette

    Some thoughts on drinking:

    "A woman drove me to drink, and I didn't even have the decency to thank her." -- W.C. Fields

    "I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day." -- Frank Sinatra

    "I've been SOBER a while. To me, SOBER stands for 'Son-of-a-bitch, Everything's Real.'" -- Kathy G.

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  2. Good morning, a really straight forward, easy Thursday and I agree the fill was mostly fun.

    I have read Portnoy's Complaint as well as many of his books, starting with the popular Goodbye Columbus and the books are an interesting take on the sexual revolution from the perspective of guilt ridden Jewish mentality. Time magazine has suggested this book is one of the best Novels of its time, and the style, using the psychiatrist's couch as the setting, was unique.

    There are movies of both of these books for those who do not read, but the books are also available. They will seem dated, but when written they did push the envelope (whatever the hell that means).

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  3. Good morning, CC and Friends. I loved this puzzle! At first, I thought I was going to be stumped, but after the first pass-through, things began to fall into place. Once I got sheep, I knew exactly what to look for (but not in dressed up, Dennis).

    Favorite clues: Male delivery (SON) and how appropriate that Brest friend was female (AMIE).

    I thought of Mainiac being BIBBED while he ate his lobster on his finest newsprint!

    QOD: We are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is. ~ Kurt Vonnegut.

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  4. "Today is Dress Up Your Pet Day. Pictures would be nice."

    I have no pet, as they do not allow them here in paradise, but it is cold in Buffalo and my grand puppy looked spiff in his new winter coat

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  5. "QOD: We are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is. ~ Kurt Vonnegut."

    Many years ago, my two brothers and I took an English class together in college (yes the teacher was a bit surprised when called the roll the first day, and there were three of us), and read Slaughterhouse Five . We all loved it, and his other books and managed to locate Kurt Vonnegut's phone number, so we called him. We started to tell him how much we liked his work, and he said basically, "Who cares, leave me alone." I guess he wasn't in the mood to help his fellow man that day.

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  6. Good morning C.C. and All, a very fun and enjoyable puzzle today. There were several unknowns today, but they all fell with perp help. I was a bit surprised at how easy today’s puzzle was, it almost seemed like a Monday or Tuesday c/w.

    My favs today were 'Move in high circles' and “Male delivery.” I had no idea who Todd Sweeney was and finally guessed after I had a few perps in place. A and E took a long time to show itself. Some day I will nail that bugger, but again not today.

    Dennis, my hair stands up every time I hear closure. It seems that back in the day when unfortunate things occurred you sucked it up and went on with life. Now every time an unfortunate thing happens they must bring in counselors, have grieving session and it never seems to end. Oh well that is my rant for today.

    Hope you all have a great Thursday.

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  7. Lemonade: I loved Slaughterhouse Five. Vonnegut definitely had a style, but apparently it didn't extend to conversing with his college-aged fans. At least you got a great story out of trying to contact him.

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  8. Good morning, CC,
    Oh how I would have loved to have this puzzle on
    my couch with my morning coffee. But I'll
    see it in a few days.
    Kentucky has two time zones, but three distinct cultures
    Eastern Kentucky ( mountains and coalfields) , Central Kentucky (the horse farms and the Bluegrass region) and Western Kentucky (the Land between the Lakes and larger scale row crop farming) have very little in common except possibly enthusiasm for the UK sports teams and corrupt
    politics.
    Maybe in reference to the latter, two of my favorite quotes from rock music are:
    "The Future's Uncertain and the End is Always Near"
    Jim Morrison, The Doors, Roadhouse Blues.
    and
    "Let us stop talking falsely now, the hour is getting late"
    Bob Dylan, voiced by Jimi Hendrix

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  9. Good morning, C.C. and all,

    I agree that this was a walk in the park this morning. My time was 23 online, and the only unknown was Bari, taken care of by the perp. I agree with Dennis about the fresh cluing. My favorite was talking a blue streak.

    During last Summer's drought here, I never thought I would complain about rain again. However, the change in weather patterns has drenched us for weeks, and we have 4-6 inches forecast for tomorrow. How fickle is the human mind; seldom satisfied with less than perfection.

    I have often complained about cws that have too many name clues. Yesterday, I picked up the NYT Tuesday cw, and found all of the across clues were names! The down clues were regular. I was surprised by how many of the name clues I remembered. It was a new twist in cluing for me, and kind of fun.

    I suppose you Vikings fans are as excited as I am about Sunday's match-up. I predict the winner will go on to the Superbowl.

    Have fun and enjoy life today.

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  10. Good Morning CC and All,

    I had a pretty good time with this one but had some struggles here and there. Spelling was/is a problem today. Thankfully I'm going out into the field and just need to add and subtract. Talking a Blue Streak describes jabbering or yakking to me rather than profanity. I also wrote in Frappes for 23A. Raised all kinds of hell in the NW. I wanted Malts but that didn't fit. Malted? Needless to say red letters saved me in the end with the exception of the theme. Thank you CC.

    WC Fields is a favorite of mine Dennis. Thanks for the reminder and its timely as I've been giving my liver a bit of a reprieve. I may have to change my ways. A friend's wife is a doctor and one evening over dinner we were discussing drinking and the affects on the body. I love her analysis: "The liver is a big organ, it needs exercise."

    10 degrees when I left the house this morning. We've finally got ice so after b-ball games, we'll be setting up tip-ups this weekend. I can't wait!

    Have a great day!

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  11. Um, I don't know why, maybe the insomnia, but this puzzle was absolutely horrible for me. Was just not on the right page and have a busy day ahead so I just quit early. Arg. This will screw up my whole day! Especially after reading how easy it was for everyone else. Thanks guys.

    Lemonade, great story about Vonnegut. At least he didn't fake any enthusiasm! Sounds like how a character in his books would act.

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  12. (from Julius Caesar 3/2)
    "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
    I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
    The evil that men do lives after them;
    The good is oft interred with their bones;
    So let it be with Caesar."

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  13. Not too difficult for a Thursday. No errors or help. 17 minutes.

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  14. Good morning, all.

    Aimee - so happy to read your post. This one was tough for me too. I had a tough time getting traction anywhere, so came here to unlock a few, and then it flowed a little better.

    Stock and broth are similar and often interchangeable, unless you're a really good chef. Stock is usually made by browning bones first before they're simmered, so has a deeper flavor than broth. I always make homemade "stock", although I never brown the bones, so technically it's broth.

    This afternoon I have a funeral for a friend's mom who had a massive brain aneurysm... My friend is dealing remarkably well, as he realizes that his mom lived her life to the fullest - a good reminder to all. In lieu of flowers, they have asked that everyone do as Sara would have liked: hug someone you love, and make a new friend. I thought those were nice sentiments to share here with everyone.

    Make the day!

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  15. Mainiac: the "blue" in talking a blue streak was a pun because blue can also mean risqué.

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  16. AmieeAya,
    Did you see my post to you after yours yesterday? Hope it helps.

    My CW solving went fairly well today after a slow start. But no outside help used, except to check the possible other meanings of PROFANE because, like Mainiac, I misinterpreted the blue streak part and couldn't connect the dots.

    I liked ORBIT and ROOT. Took the longest time getting MASCARA MELTDOWN. I had the RAM as soon as I got the R, because it was the only type of SHEEP left and I was looking for it. But PROFANE was in doubt, and I couldn't come up with LAP for slurp, but eventually it fell. I'm noticing CARAMEL in the middle of that now too.

    Definitely easier than yesterday, but I'd stop at saying a Monday or Tuesday level.

    I did read Portnoy's Complaint. I was bored and kept wishing he'd just get on with his life.

    CLOSURE doesn't bother me. In fact, when tension arises, I always want to talk it through thoroughly to be sure everyone understands each other's viewpoint (especially mine!). It drives my family nuts.

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  17. Forgot to mention this in my post:

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JD - hope it's a great day/year for you. Doing anything special today?

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  18. Mostly an easy puzzle for a Thursday. Only unknown was ITINA; and erred by perping lop for LAP. Theme fills were uncomplicated. Clever clues for AFT, PROFANE, and SON. Have our language lesson with APRÈS and AMIE.

    CADIZ - @C. C., Mapcrow gives the distance from Gibraltar to Cadiz as 60 miles. (near in the eyes of the beholder?) I'm reading "The Pursuit of Victory" by Roger Knight about Adm Nelson's (of Trafalgar) career and by coincidence, last night, read about his blockade of Cadiz.

    Have a good day

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  19. The famous line that started” “To be or not to be. That is the question. The evil that men do…” That was the line Mark Antony delivered after Julius Caesar was slain (Shakespeare)

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  20. C.C.,
    I forgot your question: "at a standstill" seems like an adjectival phrase to me, since it describes a noun. INERT is definitely an adjective, so they would match up.

    I just changed my avatar to show our pet, Trudi, but she is pretty enough without clothing, so I don't dress her up.

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  21. Happy Birthday JD and many, many more!!

    New one for me Hahtool. Thanks for the explanation. I'll try to file that one away for later.

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  22. I always thought "apres moi...." meant that after he was gone there would be chaos.
    I loved this puzzle...just hard enough for me! Got "sheep" first and that made it easier to fill in the long ones.
    Finally sunny and warm here on Sanibel.

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  23. SEE! I told youse that yesterday was Thur. 'Cause it really seemed like Wed today.
    Not nearly as many hurdles today. Took awhile to get a grip but then moved along pretty well. Liked 33a
    - Bakery worker clue. ICER And 29a - VETOED.
    All in all, a good day!!!
    Got a lot to today so:
    CY'all Later

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  24. Hi gang -

    Has some trouble in the NE, but with perseverance and perp help was finally able to achieve CLOSURE.

    Not delighted with the theme, but MASCARA MELTDOWN is just a great image. Should go well with a wardrobe malfunction.

    I liked all the clever clues C.C. mentioned, but found this to be an uneven puzzle: several names, ONES and ICER are Meh! BARI is obscure. My first thought on seeing 28A was, if you have to pull a word out of a quote from some French SOB who died 236 years ago, it's time to tear it up and start over. But APRES is a common enough word that you see it in puzzles occasionally. I started off annoyed by this puzzle, but liked it more the deeper I got.

    Dennis -
    We don't need no stinking pets. We have grandchildren!

    Lemonade -
    No matter how much you push the envelope, it's still stationary.

    I read Portnoy's Complaint, (as the old saying goes, if it's not one thing, it's your mother) but it's been so long, all I remember about it are 1) the liver incident, and 2) something sizzling on a lightbulb.

    Kurt Vonnegut was a reclusive, crotchety old dude. I learned from his very interesting wikipedia page that 1) his brother discovered silver iodide cloud seeding; 2) in 1958 Kurt adopted his sister's three children after she died from cancer two days after her husband died in Newark Bay rail crash; and 3) his personal archives were lost in a 2001 house fire.

    I loved Slaughterhouse Five - both the book, and the movie, with Valerie Perrine as Montana Wildhack.

    Cheers!
    JzB

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  25. Good morning CC and all,

    This was an enjoyable c/w today, sooo much easier for me than yesterday's..more like a Wed, but harder than Mon/Tues.Had to let the perps do their work for me in many cases and then I mumble "a-ha", over and over. For canine anchor, I wanted pole; that is where I would anchor a leash.

    I don't get the pun sts..saints?
    We don't use the term malteds out here, just malts, but have heard it used .

    I agree that Stone should have been capitalized, but it didn't have to be, just like street in some cases.

    Sandra Bullock, for the 1st time, was not goofy in The Blind Side, a terrific feel good film.

    Thanks Dennis, we are driving over to the coast this morning to see the Elephant Seals at Ano Nuevo.No rain in sight, so it should be a fun 2 1/2 hour walk along the beach.This link has a camera so you can see the seals.

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  26. Hi C.C. & gang, my wife and I only manged to finish 1/4 or so of today's puzzle before she had to leave for work. We did get the Sheep and Rosetta before then though...

    I plugged in out answers into the online version and found at least one mistake that way, e.g. I had TBD for TBA 50D.

    For C.C.
    broth vs. stock What's the difference?

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  27. It’s funny how some people here found this easy and some found it frustrating. I must have been on the same wavelength as Andrea and AmieeAya. I found this one a tad bit hard, but kept telling myself it is Thursday after all. Favorite clue was male delivery – son. I still don’t understand MA & PA – sts. Can someone spell that one out for me? Brutally harsh-raw I understand, having had a “raw” last couple of weeks. TFrank, being a HUGE Vikings fan I am hoping that Tony Roma gets back together with Jessica Simpson as his play suffered when they were dating. All in all, I think it’s going to be a great game. I’m glad it’s here. If all goes according to statistics, the Vikes should win as they haven’t lost a home game this year. Windhover, one thing y’all have in common there in KY is that charming accent.

    JD happy, happy Birthday! I hope you pamper yourself today.

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  28. Jeannie said I still don’t understand MA & PA – sts.

    MA and PA are the 2 letter postal abbreviations for Massachusetts and Pennsylvania (states) sts

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  29. Happy Birthday JD!

    Jeannie,
    I was going to explain the states but I got pipped at the post already.

    Jazz,
    I actually had forgotten or never really taken note of the après moi quote, but after getting a perp or two, it was an easy guess--his son, Louis XVI was the one guillotined in the revolution. It's a wonder he didn't care about his own progeny having to deal with the mess, but #XVI was a bit loony so perhaps Dad thought he didn't matter.

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  30. Good Morning All, It seems that it has all been very well said this morning. I also felt this was on the easy side, although I had to skip around from perp to perp to finish up. The process wasn't too difficult and the theme quickly became apparent.

    I did have one "That's can't be right" entry with CHALETS for 38D. I had to work right to left to see my error.

    My "D'oh!" moment was ROOT for "Canine anchor".

    I tend to agree with Diane@9:51 about the meaning of "APRES moi..."

    Neat Vonnegut story, Lemonade714. Apparently, he was quite the curmudgeon. (great writer, though!)

    Fred O@9:10, Your Shakespearean quote started with a Hamlet soliloquy and switched to today's quote from Julius Caesar. Interesting concept, though :o).

    Jazzbumpa, Yes, the "liver incident" is about the only thing I remember about ROTH's "Portnoy's Complaint".

    No dress-up photos of Charley the schipperke. He would be embarrassed and it would interfere with his self-appointed job of patrolling the back yard.

    AND, a very Happy Birthday to JD! Have a good one.

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  31. stock is from bones, broth is from meat.

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  32. ahhh, states...then why is it a pun?

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  33. JD I thought it was a play on MA and PA Kettle.

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  34. By the way Happy Birthday JD. Have a great day!!

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  35. Kazie, YES, thank you for your help yesterday! I didn't realize that everyone could see all my info, which I don't want out there. Funny how even a secretive person let's it all out on the internet.

    JD, it's a pun because MA and PA are like mom and pop, but it's referring to state abbreviations... funny, I couldn't think of anything today (I couldn't even get Rosetta stone even though I knew what word I was trying to think of) but I got this one right away. That's where my head was at this morning~!

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  36. Après moi, le déluge:

    "As a first approach to the saying, note that one is dealing with a nominal phrase, that is, without an explicit verb. The phrase can have two distinct, though related, meanings, according to the verb which we implicitly supply:

    a) On the one hand, if we understand After me the deluge will come, the saying seems to imply, as an assertive affirmation: “After my reign, the nation will be plunged into chaos and destruction.”

    b) The verb could also be understood as a subjunctive concession: After me, let the deluge come (it can come, but it makes no difference to me). In this second case, the speaker asserts that nothing that happens after his disappearance matters to him."

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  37. Thanks Dick and all, for the nice b'day wishes..

    Dick, in that case, what would sts stand for? Rear adm's rear had me goin' too...thought it was bum.LOL!

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  38. Thanks AimeeAya!I need a whole sac of new brain cells!

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  39. Hi C.C. and all -

    Finally! a puzzle I could actually finish! I loved it for that reason alone but I did enjoy all the clever clues: male delivery, MA and PA, move in high circles, talking a blue streak and Brest friend. Guess I was just on Mr. Sessa's wave length today.

    Happy birthday JD - Enjoy those seals today, and have Bob buy you something special!

    Dennis and Dick, I agree with you on the concept of closure today. No wonder so many people under 55 are on Prozac or its ilk. We learned to get past the bad things without pills, counseling, grief sessions or Drs. Geez, a good stiff drink, a good cry and time was all we had or seemed to need.

    Jazz: (10:16) LOL on Portnoy. Funny, the liver and light bulb incidents are all I remember as well. (I read it a looong time ago)

    Kazie, you are right, Trudi is beautiful just as she is.

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  40. For those of you that liked 22A: Male delivery and didn't follow the link to his interview, today's constructor is a pediatrician.

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  41. Off subject here, but please indulge me. If you have been keeping up with the news, you will be aware of the devastating Tuesday earthquake in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.

    There are many responsible international agencies that will accept donations on their internet sites, among them, The American Red Cross, Save The Children and my own favorite Doctors Without Borders.

    You can also text "HAITI" to "90999" and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your wireless bill.

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  42. Happy Birthday, JD. I knew it was coming up soon. Hope you have a great day.

    Thanks for the info on Haiti, CA. Tremmors continue to occur. I am glad to hear that humaritarian efforts are being made.

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  43. Hello All--An enjoyable puzzle today. Not too hard, but just enough clever clues to be a bit challenging for me. I misread Brest friend as Best friend but put in Amie anyway. Doh!

    CA, I also put in Chalet for a-frame, so that corner of the puzzle took a bit of tweaking before I had it filled in.

    Also, thank you for the info on donating to the Hatian Earthquake Victims. There was a warning on the news last evening about scam artists already putting up internet sites for donations. The news anchor cautioned everyone to donate ONLY to known organizations and not over the internet or phone asking for personal info. Be Cautious everyone.

    Happy Happy Birthday JD and many more. Enjoy your trip to the coast to see the Elephant Seals.
    This is a spectacular trip.

    I'm loving all the animal pictures of late.

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  44. JD, I took sts to be an abbreviation for states.

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  45. I've been lurking on this blogsite for quite a while, but decided to finally come out of the shadows. I've enjoyed the puzzle and y'all's comments, so I guess now I'll be adding my 2¢ worth from time to time. I'm not sure about the ID thing, though. Don't know how to add a photo.

    Todays puzzle was a combo of easy and very difficult for me. I guessed 17A immediately, but tried to make it "Haven't we met . . ." NE corner was the last to fall & I needed some help.

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  46. Welcome, Chuck - good of you to join us. Just out of curiosity, how'd you discover this blog?

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  47. CA - thanks for the info on how to help the earthquake victims.

    Chickie - thanks to you too for the warning that there are those scum-balls out there who would try to capitalize on the misery of others. (nothing new)

    Welcome Chuck - I am sure we will enjoy your '2 cents'... maybe you will push it up to a nickle :)

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  48. Regarding your recent column regarding good and evil, the second half of the evil phrase is, "the good is oft interred with their bones."

    William

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  49. kazie--For what it's worth, Louis XVI was not the son of Louis XV but the grandson. His father was Louis-Ferdinand, the only surviving son of Louis XV, who died in 1765, nine years before his father.

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  50. Entropy,
    Amie is the feminine form of ami. Like fiancé and fiancée.

    Bari is the port through which I left Italy on my way to Corfu in 1970. I was so glad to get away from Italian men after a month there! The Greeks were much less wolflike.

    Carol,
    Trudi thanks you for the compliment too!

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  51. Crap!! I thought I had an original comment that could add to today's discussion. But, as usual, someone (Lemonade714) beat me to the punch about Philip Roth. So I'll just add. "What he said".

    The only thing I didn't like about
    "Good Bye, Columbus" was Roth said Ohio State's colors were "red and white" and EVERYBODY knows our colors are "scarlet and gray". Who in the f**k has GRAY as a team color"? Usen Buckeyes!!! After all, if you can have a nickname after a worthless nut, you might as well have gray as a team color.

    Enjoyed today's puzzle. It was a mind bender, and a few years ago I would have hated it. Thanks to all of you on this blog, I've expanded my mind to realize that dexterity is just as important as knowledge. Thanx to all of you. I love ya!!

    I must be off

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  52. Bob,
    Thanks for the correction--I knew I should have looked that up before posting!

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  53. You've probably noticed I have not been commenting much lately. I find that there are too many "pissing" contests about misspelled words, conjugated verbs and extended conversations about which I have no interest.

    This is still the best blog on the Internet, but I find that my humor does not rest easily upon the shoulders of many of our fellow bloggers. Hence, I've retreated.

    I still follow cc daily and I meant it when I said "I love ya"!!

    No need to comment!

    IMBO

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  54. BTW - We had a fire here at GBRV. It seems Dick Fitzright and Tara Dickoff were "getting it on" in the attic without their "KY Silk" and the friction sparked a fire in the insulation. We got it in time; no major damage to report.

    IMBO

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  55. No need to comment?...OK, I won't....oh yes, I will. Isn't that what big sisters do?

    Buckeye, you weren't commenting much, even before you weren't commenting much lately. There are many of us who look forward to Fred's definitions, the visits to "the Home" (glad to hear the gang's OK) and your own curiously fascinating views of life, love and worthless nuts.

    BTW, Maybe gray was decided upon because of lack of decent laundry facilities.

    I absolutely agree about not using posts to correct most grammar and spelling errors, certainly not those of others, and particularly when unasked. Their mostly typos anyway. (I know, I know!) Save your posts for the good stuff, we know what you meant.

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  56. AmieeAya: It’s usually a lack of time or patience that prevents me from completing puzzles. I thought I was defeated early today too, but kept going back to it. I finally finished after googling the 2 sports names, FRED & ENOS. Looking back, I should have been able to guess at them… I hope you’ll be “on the right page” again tomorrow.

    Lots of AHA moments. It was an ENJOYABLE challenge!

    JD: Happy birthday to you!

    Great WOW today. If you’re going to do something decadent, do it all the way!

    Andrea: I like the idea you shared. My grandmother used to say “Come visit me while I’m alive. Laying flowers on my grave will be too late.”

    Buckeye: My college colors were red & gray, but they tried to fancy them up as CRIMSON & SLATE. I haven’t heard the term USENS in years! I thought it was Pittsburgh-ese, but I think more crosses the border between PA & OH than anyone will ever admit! I always enjoy your posts, so please post more often.

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  57. AAHH! Clear Ayes. I knew you would comment, but it fails the sniff test. We are identical twins from different mothers. You got the looks, intelligence, the vagina and personality and I got the right to be your brother. So I KNEW you'd comment. After all, blood is thicker than watchacallit.

    Thanx to you, I have started re-reading poetry and find it as confusing as I did in college. As Bishop Emanual DeCant once said, "If it don't rhyme, it ain't mine".

    You're just "fantisticalogical" (see Fred).

    I love you, my sister - and tell GAH "Hiddy".

    IMBO

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  58. This is not a post, but a p.s. Annette, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati (35 miles from where I live) are "sister cities". Blue collar towns. However, Pittsburgh held through, and Cincinnati sold out to "conservatism". As a screaming "pragmatist", I'm bummed with both cities, but I still think they're both great. If people would think things though, they would find out we all want the same things, but we must compromise. Don't be a ONE issue person!!!

    IMBO

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  59. Is anyone here a journalist? With respect to what CA brought up about the earthquake in Haiti and all the devastation in the country and all the people injured or killed ... A lot of people want to help, but I was just listening to the news and was frustrated that reporters just wanted to complain about how difficult it is to set up their equipment, that they had to sleep on the floors, etc. What are the ethics of journalist reporting under such conditions?

    ReplyDelete
  60. What a great puzzle today! I was ready to struggle this morning and was pleasantly surprised to be able to breeze through it in the newspaper with no online lookups in 20 mins or so.

    So many fun clues, most already mentioned; including the sheep! Especially loved ROOT for canine anchor. Had ROPE at first but quickly realized that wasn't going to work.

    Dennis, all of those 'buzzwords' make me cringe! Closure, out of pocket, all of those verbs turned into nouns and vice versa. Ugh! 30+ years in corporate culture and I still speak English (or at least I think so!). Thank you for allowing me to vent!

    Maniac, please be careful on the ice. We just lost 3 people; grandfather, daughter, granddaughter, to thin ice... and this wasn't a newcomer to the State, snowmobiling, or lake ice. I love it out there myself and especially the years we can say we can walk across to NYS. Haven't seen that in quite a few years though.

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  61. Welcome, Chuck! I'm new too. Only been chiming in the last week. Like you, I 'lurked' in the shadows for a few weeks before I jumped in.

    If you want to add a picture, you can click on your ID which will bring up your profile. On the left will be a button to Edit your profile. Click on that and then scroll down a page or so. You'll see a section labeled 'Photograph'. You can upload a photo by clicking on the link there.

    ReplyDelete
  62. I think all of you that have animals as an avatar should get rid of them. It is kind of ridicilous when you think of it.

    You all have either a child or grandchild whose picture would be more appropriate. Or even a picture of yourself.

    It indicates thar you think more of the animal than anyone else in your life, even yourself.
    And that's sad.

    Anon

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  63. Anon@5:47 When you post your name and a photo of yourself, then we'll talk. Until then, a lot of very sensible people choose not to show their children, grandchildren or themselves to what might be some rather creepy people out there.

    Buckeye, Thanks for noticing.

    GAH and I are off to have dinner at our friendly neighborhood oboists (or is it hautboist?) home.

    Have a good evening all.

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  64. Well said, Clear Ayes! Before you throw stones, have the courage to identify yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Pictures of animals making you jealous, there, anon? Some of them look familiar?

    ReplyDelete
  66. **** @5:47,
    What's really sad is that you have no
    name; either you had one and lost it or else you never had one to begin with. I'd really like to feel
    sorry for you, and if you weren't Such a nosy, opinionated bastard, I probably would. Sorry.

    Buckeye:
    have a drink, my friend, and relax. Anyone, here or elsewhere, with whom your humor doesn't "sit well" or "rest easy" just doesn't have a sense of humor to begin with.
    I have cousins in Columbus (my Uncle emigrated to Ohio in the fifties to find work), so I've been to a few "Suckeye" football games over the years. My football allegiance is generally, "I'm for UK and whoever is playing Ohio State and Tennessee.". Of course being a UK football fan is a good way to learn humility.
    Hahtool:
    I'm pretty sure what was left of "journalistic integrity" was tossed into Walter Cronkite's casket to make sure it never appears again.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Buckeye, there are few posts I look forward to reading more than yours. What makes you think your humor isn't well received by all?

    Just a fair warning - should you persist in not posting, I WILL call Nurse Ratchet @GBRV & inform her that you're having constipation problems. Your call.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Buckeye- you are one of a kind and I enjoy your posts enormously!! You have made me laugh til I had tears...fortunately for me, I do not have any bladder issues. I have followed you and your friends (and love their names) at GBRV with great interest...love all those crazy people!
    Now even though nurse Ratchet thinks you are full of s..t, we know better but I would heed Dennis 'cause I know he'll call her. STAY WITH US!

    Windhover: Right on! If they don't laugh at Buckeye, they are hopeless.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Good evening CC, et al., Fun puzzle with few problems. Agree that 48A stone should've been capitalized. That threw me for a while. That and 'clam broth', which sounds like a personal problem to me, but I'm no chef, but....

    My avatar is tho'. Meet Chef Hobie. He's saying, "Wanna pizza pie?" and gets along w/his 3 dog brothers purrfectly.

    Buckeye: Just name the jerk (or anon) who made you think those bad thoughts and I'll make a really ugly doll in his likeness and stick pins in it. Have a drink, like WH said, and relax. Can I suggest, w/out offending you, some Ky Bourbon Ale? It'll set you free! Or maybe some Buckeye Bourbon balls? A student gave me some for Cmas and they were fabulous! Would compete nicely w/Alec Baldwin's Schwetty Balls. We won't tell Nurse Ratchet, I promise.

    Anon: Remember it's all cognitive. If we don't mind, you don't matter. Bite me.

    Enjoy your night.

    ReplyDelete
  70. Buckeye, do what I do. I glance at some of the comments and just say to myself WTF and just scroll right on down. This hearty MN blondie would miss you tremendously. You know I have a soft spot for you don't you?

    Anon, who gives a rat's ass what you think. You have no credability whatsoever on this blogsite. Go ahead and attack me, it will just get deleted. I have friends in high places.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Buckeye I am a nurse and I (HEART) you.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Buckeye, I think I was one of the first to recognize your humor and it has never stopped. Don't go away as I will miss your daily doses of nurse Ratchet.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Dammit Robin, you swore to GOD that you wouldn't show proof of you, me, Lois, Carol, and Melissabee's fall from Grace. I guess it's all out in the open now. We were starting to get a habit though.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Thanks to all of my followers and friends; but Lois, as much as I love you and your posts, I refuse to eat "Buckeye Balls". I guess it's a hetero "thang". If someone comes up with "Buckeye Boobs" - I'm there.

    As far as taking a drink, I'm an "alcoholicmaniacalrepeater" (See Fred). I don't need nor want alcohol, but once I start I say "What the F***"; if it's still in the bottle, I've failed.

    Long live single malt.

    IMBO

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  75. p,s, Jeannie: practice you cleges. I'll be there. (I need all the help I can get).

    IMBO

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  76. Happy Birthday JD, and many more,

    I have a friend who ran into a disheveled man outside the UN a few years ago while waiting to meet her daughter and son-in-law, and became engaged in an interesting conversation. When the children arrived, she commented on what an interesting person the old man was, and was surprised when her son-in-law told her it was Kurt Vonnegut, who lived nearby and hung out around the park. I liked her story better than mine, but either way he is gone.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Jeannie, I swear to GOD I don't know how our alumni
    picture ended up as my avatar!! I thinks Lois' legs look particularly nice in this photo tho'.

    ReplyDelete
  78. Buckeye darlin' what do you think I do all day sitting behind a desk? I don't just buy some Whoppers and fries. You're all good to go, and I'll be anxiously waiting your arrival.

    ReplyDelete
  79. It's almost certainly Luxor. I recognize his style.

    Anyway, folks, the other day when
    I was at Cosco, I almost bought the 100 Kilo bag of Kirkland Troll Chow, but then I reminded myself that we don't feed them.

    Buckeye - you are truly one of a kind. After you arrived, they broke the mold. Rumor has it, they beat the hell out of the mold maker, too.

    My high school had Scarlet and Gray colors, just like them Buckeyes. And our School song used the melody from "Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame." And it all worked.

    I was a freshman 50 years ago. Yikes.

    Cheers!
    JzB the how in the hell did I get so old trombonist

    ReplyDelete
  80. Thank you Dennis (or whoever) for removing that last Anon piece of ....!

    Good night all.

    ReplyDelete
  81. Happy birthday, JD! I hope the seals sang a little birthday tune to you---or did a little dance.

    @Buckeye: as someone who occasionally traffics in humor, all I can say is I appreciate your posts, and wish I had just a fraction of your chops. If you wrote a book, I'd steal lines from it.

    I love the animal avatars, and if I still had a pet, you know dang well that pup would be greeting you all a few times a week. He'd have his own comments on the puzzle, and I would be his avatar. Disguised, of course.

    Yes, I did the puzzle, made many mistakes, and wondered why "candies" were scented. Time for an eye exam!

    ReplyDelete
  82. I thought 10-A "pre bedtime fare" was kind of lousy.

    ReplyDelete

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