google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday May 7, 2010 Donna S. Levin

Advertisements

May 7, 2010

Friday May 7, 2010 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Made-up Signs - Part of a familiar sign is substituted and the resulting punny phrase is clued with question marked appropriate place name.

17A. Sign at a laundry?: WRING FOR SERVICE. Ring for Service. Crossing PHONES (6D. Ringers). Letter W is added. No sound change.

24A. Sign at a nuclear reactor?: GONE FISSION. Gone Fishing. The only theme entry with no add-letter(s) scheme. Sound change.

42A. Sign at Cape Canaveral?: OUT TO LAUNCH. Out to Lunch. Letter A is added. Sound change.

54A. Sign at the Ukrainian tourism bureau?: WATCH YOUR STEPPE. Watch Your Step. Steppe is the vast grassland plain area in Russia and Central Asia. Letters PE is added. No sound change.

Donna also gives us three baseball references:

46A. Batter's position: STANCE

19D. Fielder's flub: ERROR

29D. Baseball record breaker of 4/8/1974: AARON (Hank). Dennis' favorite all time player. Hank Aaron hits his 715th career home run and breaks Babe Ruth's record.

A few thorny spots here and there. Overall an easier Friday for me. I was on Donna's wavelength most of the time.

Across:

1. More, to a minimalist: LESS. Less is more.

5. Coll. performance barometers: GPAS

9. Boatloads: SCADS

14. Reflection in a cave: ECHO. Thought of the cave echo in "A Passage to India".

15. Its quarter reads "Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers": OHIO. And REEDED (21. Like a quarter's edge). This reed meaning is new to me: make vertical grooves on the edge of a coin/medal. Quarter echo in the two clues.

16. Petty objection: CAVIL

20. Low cells: DUNGEONS. I tend to confuse this word with bludgeon.

22. Uno e due: TRE. Italian for "three".

23. Wilbur Post's buddy: MR. ED

29. Killer __: powerful software: APP. Not aware of this computer jargon.

32. Turkish peak: ARARAT. Landing peak for Noah's Ark.

33. Dept. headed by Tom Vilsack: AGR. Former governor of Iowa. I have his autograph.

34. First king of Israel: SAUL

35. Secondary: MINOR

36. Results of some receptions: Abbr.: TDS (Touchdowns)

37. __ deaf ear: TURN A

38. Soft footwear: MOCS

39. Strong squeezer: BOA. Loved the soft and strong contrast in the two consecutive clues.

40. Wisconsin college or its city: BELOIT. Unknown to me. Is Beloit a Native Indian name? What does it mean?

41. Whatever: ANY

44. Not exactly exact words: OR SO

45. Perps' patterns: MOS. MO = Modus Operandi.

49. CD holder: JEWEL BOX. Terrific answer.

56. Culprit in some food recalls: ECOLI

57. Pro's opposite: ANTI

58. Either "Raising Arizona" director: COEN. The Coen brothers.

59. Like the Taj Mahal: DOMED

60. Exploit: FEAT

61. Eldest daughter of Cronus: HERA. Did not know the eldest trivia. Her mom is Rhea.

Down:

1. Bawdy: LEWD

2. Neutral shade: ECRU

3. Commonly bruised bone: SHIN

4. Track, perhaps: SONG. Tricky clue.

5. Words of encouragement: GO FOR IT. And GET FAR (18. Be very successful). Thought of the courageous Clear Ayes and her always sunny attitude.

7. Pretensions: AIRS

8. Message in a storm: SOS. I wonder what's message in that bottle, Jazzbumpa?

9. Shield from view: SCREEN

10. Submitted: CAVED. Meh, "cave" is part of clue for 14A.

11. All fired up: AVID

12. Rolling "bones": DICE. Bone is slang for dice, I gather?

13. Arctic carrier: SLED

23. "Top Gun" enemy planes: MIGS

24. Third in a sequence: GAMMA. Alpha, Beta, Gamma. Greek alphabet sequence.

25. Sirius' master, in some depictions: ORION. Sirius is the Dog Star. I was unaware that Sirius is part of the Orion Constellation. Have no knowledge about stars.

26. Sluggo's pal: NANCY. The "Nancy" comics. I guessed.

27. Fertility deity: EROS

28. Time's 1977 Man of the Year: SADAT (Anwar). Here is the Time cover.

30. Like the wars between Carthage and Rome: PUNIC. Oh, so the Punic Wars were fought between those two?

31. Subject of the 2003 film "Sylvia": PLATH. About Sylvia Plath. Very depressing movie.

34. Enterprise helmsman: SULU. Of "Star Trek".

36. Miss Gulch's bête noire: TOTO. "The Wizard of Oz".

37. Afternoon service: TEA SET

39. "The Buddy Holly Story" star: BUSEY (Gary). Can't remember his name. Did love the movie though.

40. Screws up: BLOWS IT. Ah, Lois!

42. Prom flower: ORCHID

43. Puzo novel: OMERTA. Gimme. I've read every Puzo novel. Omerta is the the mafia code of silence.

44. Frère de la père: ONCLE. French for uncle. Aunt is TANTE. Frère de la père = Brother of the father.

46. Lang. that gives us "ombudsman": SWED. Oh, good to know.

47. Tex-Mex nosh: TACO

48. Molecule constituent: ATOM

49. Flag Day month: JUNE

50. Solidarity hero Walesa: LECH

51. Gp. led by a Grand Exalted Ruler: BPOE (Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks). Was stumped. I had trouble in this corner.

52. "0" button letters: OPER. Phone button.

53. Princess from Amphipolis: XENA

55. Lummox: OAF. Add one more letter, it becomes flummox (confuse).

Answer grid.

A special "Thank you" to xtulmkr for bringing back "lethologica" to me.

C.C.

81 comments:

Dick said...

Good morning All, no comment on the puzzle as I have not looked at it yet. However, reading yesterday’s comments I have to say I am in complete awe of Clear Ayes for her ability to be so positive and upbeat during this trying period in her life. That there was absolutely no indication of your problem and you are always so positive and funny is an indication of your character and resolve. It is a pleasure to know you albeit from a distance. May your road to recovery continue to be as happy and positive as your recent success in attacking this diabolical disease.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, CC and all. I loved this Donna Levin puzzle. What a great way to end the work week! Some answers just flew into my head, like SADAT being the 1977 Time Man of the Year, and Miss Gulch's Bete Noir = TOTO

Others I had to work at. I really wanted Good At in stead of GET FAR and Ridged instead of REEDED.

My favorite clues were Strong Squeezer = BOA (especially after our conversation about snakes recently), and Low Cells = DUNGEONS.

Where is Wilber Post's Buddy? We haven't seen MR> ED here recently.

E. COLI is short for Escherichia coli. In my former life, I was a research microbiologist and work with this bacterium.

The architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe came up with the catch-phrase "LESS is More". His work reflected this concept as can be seen in hisFarnsworth House. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

QOD: I don't want to be interesting. I want to be good. ~ Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Lemonade714 said...

Good morning to all our healing, healed, transplanted, casted and otherwise healthy band:

Donna Levin puzzles are always fun; being a lover of puns, this was great. I believe C.C., the phrase she was using was GONE FISHIN' and there is no sound change, which makes the theme consistent.

Also, ironic there is a new story about Romaine lettuce recall for and E COLI outbreak, in today's news.

Have not thought about the PUNIC wars since high school Latin, and
"without CAVIL" is a favorite phrase of lawyers and judges in dismissing silly arguments.

I wanted GO GET EM, but my son's trips to Italy showed me that was wrong, and I have only heard of JEWEL CASE.

Happy Mother's Day week end to all you ladies blessed with children, and to all you who are blessed with parents still around.

Spitzboov said...

Good Morning C.C. and all

Another delightful Donna puzzle. Not too difficult for a Friday. Thought her theme words were hilarious and very clever. ERRed with the 'T' on 36a,d. Du'h. Thought LESS, ORSO, and DICE were cleverly clued. Got CAVIL from the perps. The XENA-HERA cross was a WAG. For REEDED wanted 'knurled' but it wouldn't fit.

Count to 3 - in Spanish, TRE; the Greek alphabet, GAMMA. Was Donna in a crowd?

ORION was getable from the clue, but didn't really understand it. Sirius is a bright star in Canis Major, and Orion is a bright constellation containing Betelgeuse and Rigel among others. Must be some other mythology thread.

Enough musing. Enjoy the day.

Lemonade714 said...

Orion the hunter appears in much ancient Greek writing, but I believe the reference today is from Homer's Iliad where Orion is described as a constellation, and the star Sirius is mentioned as his dog. Helps to have a son studying Greek and Latin.

Anonymous said...

Clear Ayes, you are my hero.

Spitzboov said...

L714. thanks.

Logically, Canis Major w/ Sirius and Canis Minor w/ Procyon are the 'dogs' who have a master, Orion. Couldn't make the leap to where a star in Canis has a master. Guess I should stick to engineering.

lois said...

Good Morning CC, et al., No time for the puzzle today but wanted to tell Dennis that my thoughts and prayers are with his friend today. I hope everything goes well for him.

Barry G: glad for the 3 mos reprieve news. Hope things work out to be even better than before.

CA: Congratulations on the completion of the treatments in your battle. Thank you for showing us how to face a life challenge w/grace and courage. You are amazing and have my greatest admiration. I don't think you need lessons on how to celebrate, so Party on! I'll toast to you all wkend. Cheers!

CC: I skimmed the original post to check out the theme and the links and almost busted a gut LMAO with your link for 40D. You make me laugh so hard. Loved seeing the CA coven too. Cute picture.

Brooke Update: Brooke was moved to the 5th floor yesterday and is able to visit w/friends now. She feels great. Amazing!

Dudley said...

Good Morning Puzzlers – This was a fun puzzle! There was something for everyone, and the theme was playful. I found myself jumping all over to get a bit here, a bit there. Interesting that “ombudsman” was just discussed a couple of weeks ago (or so). JEWEL BOX seems like a stretch.

A minor nit to pick: the French word “père” is masculine, so its article has to be “le” instead of “la”; when “de” precedes “le” the phrase contracts to “du” for better pronunciation. The clue would properly read “frère du père”. Otherwise, the clue could be changed to “frère de la mère” and everything would be fine.

To Clear Ayes my hat is off, and I bow deeply. Such courage under fire must be admired!

kazie said...

A very fun but challenging puzzle to day. I g'ed a lot:MR ED, SADAT, BUSEY, TOTO, BPOE. I had no clue who Miss Gulch, Wilbur Post or Sylvia were.

I also object to 'frère de la père. She gave the dad a sex change--what I always told students when they used the wrong gender. It never failed to get them to prick up their ears. It should have been "le frère DU père"

Dudley said...

Kazie - Great minds think alike!

kazie said...

I should have said I had a CAVIL with that, I guess.

Speaking of sex changes, I saw last night that Chastity Bono has finally had a full sex change. I wonder how they do that?

kazie said...

I have to burn another comment because my head isn't in full gear yet. I wanted to say something about Beloit, because I thought it sounded French, but I couldn't find it in the dictionary. so I looked it up on google:
Caleb Blodgett, another of the earliest pioneers and merchants, dubbed this place New Albany but, a citizen committee soon renamed it. Although the exact history remains disputed, it seems that the name Beloit was coined from a French word, Balotte, to mean "handsome ground"; the spelling was then fashioned after Detroit, which the community saw as a great symbol of trade and growth.

The local tribe was actually the Winnebago.

Dudley said...

Speaking of Miss Gulch: her name wasn’t mentioned much in The Wizard of Oz movie, as I recall. Wikipedia gives her first name as Almira; I suppose it was in the book, which I read some 40 years ago.

Even as a child, I hated the scene in the movie where Dorothy’s spineless Uncle Henry didn’t stick up for Toto when the nasty Miss Gulch came to collect the dog. Only the mannerly Auntie Em showed enough steel to give old Gulch a right talking to, for all the good it did. Your opinion?

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi Gang -

Lois - great news!

Fun Puzzle today.

Here is a song for today's theme.

And here is music for the Steppes, played not particularly well by Hungarians. I have to say, we did it better.

We've been playing message in a bottle games with the kids for years. Messages from the Pirate Captain, of course. It started with our first vacation at Cold Water Lake. Usually, it's a scavenger hunt leading to buried treasure
(trinkets) in the little beach at the cottage.

This one, from our Vero trip, said:

Avast me Hearties! I'm glad to see
You're down by the water, just like me.
I travel far and don't mean to boast, But I sail the entire Atlantic coast.

When you splashed in the pool and Ocean blue
You didn't see me, but I saw you.
I think you'd like another chance
To take a whirl at the Pirate's Dance.

This time their is no buried treasure,
But another kind of Pirate Pleasure.
So go find a Mouse and a Magic Castle
It's just a short drive, and not much hassle.

You won't spot me, but Pirates you'll be seein'
If you go for a ride on the Caribbean.
And I'll be watchin' from where I hide
When you sail on that Pirate Ride.
-- The Captain

Sammie said, "It's a good thing I found that bottle, or some other family would have got our trip."

Cheers!
JzB

Jeannie said...

I always enjoy a Donna Levin puzzle and today was no exception. My favorite theme answer was out to launch. There was a little bit of everything in here; Italian, French, Latin, and Greek to name a few. Cavil is a new word for me, and can someone explain jewel box as a CD holder? I managed to finish unaided thanks to the perp help on agr, app, mos, Hera, Punic and of course the French word for “uncle” “oncle”.
My favorite clue today was “track perhaps”- song.

Today is “no pants” day. Hmmm

Al said...

@Jeannie, the correct term is actually "jewel case" not box, but in a sense it could be called a box, albeit a very short one...

From WIKI: According to Philips (company), the name reflects either the generally high quality of the case design compared to initial attempts, or its appearance. According to one publication, initial attempts at packaging CDs were unsatisfactory. When the new design, by Peter Doodson, was found to be "virtually perfect" it was dubbed the "jewel case". Another publication quotes Doodson describing that he "specified polished ribs as they pick up the light and shine" and states that the resulting appearance led to the name.

@Kazie, re Chastity Bono, I don't wonder how, I wonder why.

Al said...

@C.C., make no bones about it, dice have been called bones since the fourteenth century at the latest, for the good reason that they were originally carved from bone.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, Before going on to the puzzle, I want to thank you all for your kind comments. I'm certainly not the best puzzle solver in the world, but I am sure I'm the best at picking a blog that is populated with some the most thoughtful people I could ever hope to meet!

Now, on to the puzzle. It didn't help early on, when I read 15A as "Birthplace of Aviation" and just didn't bother seeing "Pioneers". Let me tell you folks, you can't fit (Kitty Hawk) North Carolina into four spaces, no matter how hard you try.

21A REEDED has never been on my radar, so it was RIDGED until I just couldn't keep it.

24D GAMMA, 25D ORION and 40A BELOIT had to be coaxed out by the perps.

I didn't like JEWEL BOX. It has always been JEWEL CASE. That is the way they are labeled in the stores too. Thanks for the explanation, Al.

I loved seeing the 58A Clue referring to "Raising Arizona". Who would have thought that Nicholas Cage could be so funny? If you like "quirky" and haven't seen it, I recommend it highly.

Dudley, I agree about Uncle Henry. Miss Gulch was pretty formidable, but he CAVED too easily when he gave up TOTO.

Kazie@9:10 and Al@10:11 I don't get it either, but a person really has to be determined to undergo sexual reassignment.

Jazz, what a nice tradition for your family. I loved the pirate poem.

Lois, such happy news about Brooke. It's good to hear she is recovering so rapidly.

JimmyB said...

Is it just me or did this puzzle seem to have a Dan Naddor flair to it? We usually have Donna Levin earlier in the week so we don't see as much of what I loved most about Dan's puzzles: quirky yet satisfying fill. Lots of erasing for me, taking me second or third guesses to make it right. But the challenges were always eventually cleverly resolved.

Never heard of CAVIL, but then I try to keep a safe distance from attorneys and judges. Other words I got but didn't really understand. On the embarrassing side, I knew MR ED.

eddyB said...

Morning all.

@CA. You are more than welcome. \\//

The puzzle provided some much needed chuckles.

The bros' bike shop was in Dayton.
Then there is Wright Pat AFB which was visited many times in my younger days.

eddyB

Andrea said...

Clear Ayes - you are such an inspiration on so many levels. Cheers to you.

Barry - glad to hear the update on your job situation.

One fun fact about Beloit College: every year they publish a list called the Mindset, a fun list about the perspective of the incoming freshman class. For example, most of the class of 2009 was born in 1987. To them, voice mail has always been available, Pixar has always existed, and, importantly for Lois and Brooke, heart-lung transplants have always been possible. Always a fun list to read - although it makes me feel old at times...

Dennis said...

Quick note - my buddy's surgery got put off until next Wednesday, due to a sick doctor and a broken piece of robotic equipment. So he went through a day of no food/sleepless night for naught.

Thanks for the thoughts - I passed them on.

Hopefully back here later today.

Spitzboov said...

Kazie said: Beloit, because I thought it sounded French, but I couldn't find it in the dictionary

Well, at least it has a schwa :-)

Carlos del Oeste said...

Clear Ayes,
I haven't been posting lately—been busy getting ready for my show next weekend. But, I wanted to add my voice to the comments about your cancer, and I am so glad your are past that. My wife passed her 5th year in '09 after her breast cancer. She did lumpectomy, chemo, and radiation, and I was with her throughout all but a few radiation treatments. Just as you, she was a trooper through the whole awful process.
Many Cheers to you!!

Carlos del Oeste

Lucina said...

Good day C.C. and fellow solvers.

Like most of you, I look forward to a Donna Levin puzzle. This was challenging enough to be downright fun with misleading clues, such as "low cells", dungeon, strong squeezer, "boa" (arms was my first fill) track perhaps, "song," and third in a sequence, "gamma". Now that gave me fits because so many options exist for a series! Loved it!

And I loved the theme answers, made me chuckle!

With you, too, I have a cavil with "jewel box", should be "case" and even though I don't know French, I'm familiar with noun/article agreement and "la Pere" sounded strange. Spanish has the same rules for masc., fem. agreement.

Spanish for three is "tres"; isn't "tre" French or Italian?

Lois, wonderful news about Brooke; you and all the family must be elated.

Jazz:
What a fun idea; your family must have a blast at your parties.

Lemonade:
Agreed. The Punic Wars seem like a lifetime ago; high school is but a distant memory.

To those who won't be checking in on Sunday, Happy Mothers Day, all mothers and grandmothers.

Hava a fabulous Friday!

Gunghy said...

Well, BOA was a gimme. Strangely, so were ECRU, CAVIL, DUNGEON and BELOIT . Went with APS, SEDAT and YDS, since PLATH, SADAT and Miss Gulch are all those dreaded names.

Really wanted KIRK for 34D. Hand up for RIDGED. In fact really fought REEDED. Filled in, but never got MRED until I got here. That was a bigger DOH than SKIRE SORT on Weds.

Spitzboov - Sirius is the 'Dog star'. So called because it's the brightest in the constellation. Also Italian is TRE, Spanish is TRES.



Roll dem Bones!!

kazie said...

Lucina,
The clue for TRE is also Italian isn't it? Spanish would be Y instead of E for 'and'. Three in French is trois.

Anonymous said...

I think the connection between Orion and Sirius is in their relative positions in the night sky. They are separate constellations. But the story depicted in the sky, I think, is that Orion, the hunter, with the help of his faithful dog, Sirius, is chasing the bull, Taurus, which is another constellation. If memory serves, when you look at the sky from North America, Taurus the bull is to the right of Sirius, which is to the right of Orion, more or less in line across the sky.

Chickie said...

Hello All--A first run through didn't give me many toeholds in the grid. However, plugging away at small areas, finally gave me Wring for Service, and I then knew to look for some punny answers in the theme fills.

Donna Levin's puzzles have always been a challenge for me and today was no exception. There were so many names that I didn't know. I circle those as I go through the puzzle and I had 9 circled the first go through.

Reeded made sense after I finally filled it in, but I had ridged for the longest time.

CA, I put in N.Car at first instead of Ohio for the Birthplace of Aviation. I've gone through about 6 v-8 cans today alone.

Lois, Such good news about Brooke.

Great clues were Results of some receptions for TDS, and Strong Squeezer for boa. My new word for the day was Cavil. We do learn a great deal here on our blog.

Jazzbumpa said...

I think this explains the use of "box" (however spelt) for CDs.

Cheers!
JzB

WM said...

Sorry I didn't read the blog until this morning...CA WHOO HOO!!!and Congrats! Drank a toast to you last night. You know how I feel dear friend...As always, your post was as gracious and lovely as you are and the response was the blog at its ultimate best.

The 2 bottles French Champagne are waiting for you. Hugs.

Quickly...puzzle was fun and a tad easier for a Friday, but I seem to do well with Donna Levin...zipping through everything until I put in GET FAT for 18D which brought everything to crashing halt in that section...came here, cheated, finished.

Staying home today, just in case, our lovely granddaughter has a mysterious viral infection. She should be fine, but we want to be here in case they need any anything...temperature and rash...Dr. is puzzled, but says it should run its course in about 5 days, so 3 to go. Nothing to be done but keep the fever down. :oP

Jeannie, you are a trooper, good luck on your walk and I hope you get to see your mom soon.

Chickie said...

Jazz, No wonder your grandchildren look forward to your family trips. Such a clever grandpa and a fun reward at the end.

I wanted to wish all the mothers and grandmothers here a very happy Mother's Day. We're off to Chico State U. to see our Grandson perform in "Rent" this weekend. It will be his last school performance as he graduates in two weeks.

Spitzboov said...

Gunghy re: tre; mea culpa. I meant Italian.

Anon @ 12:44: Orion is almost 30º to the right of Sirius and Procyon. Thanks to you and others for describing the mythology involved

seen, not heard said...

re: birthplace of aviation pioneers the wright brothers were born in dayton, oh and neil armstrong was born up th road in wapakoneta, oh. i guess we wanted to honor the bros and did not want to leave out neil(all though he probably would rather we did).

there is a friendly rivalry between ohio and n.c. over this issue that came to a head in 2003 for 100 year anniv of flight.

the first plane was built, tested and revised in dayton. the only thing kittyhawk had was strong wind! most experts suggest that the first true motorized flight occurred in huffman prairie, which became wright field then Wright-Patterson AFB.

TMI?

carol said...

Hi all -

Once again I was able to do a Friday puzzle and still have hair on my head.
I really love Donna Levin's puzzles and today was fun...even if there were those pesky pun thingy's. I actually laughed at all of them, very clever!!!

60A EXPLOIT - I was thinking of using someone. Figures.

Kazie: you'll be proud of me for getting 44D since I only had 1/2 year of high school French. (I didn't realize the gender was incorrect until I read your comment)

Nice to see Sluggo's pal Nancy back again.

Lois: thanks for the update on Brooke, keep 'em coming.

Barry G: I meant to tell you yesterday how pleased I was to hear you got an extra 3 months. It helps to have a bit of a cushion while looking for something else.

Dennis: Sorry your friend had to go through all the pre-op angst for naught. Tell him we are all pulling for him.

Chickie: should we buy stock in V-8??? We sure go through the cans don't we....Dodo, that includes you too :)

Bob said...

No problem with this one today. 20 minutes was enough. Fun Friday puzzle.

dodo said...

Good afternoon, everyone. Since the constructors are not named in our local paper's crossword, I haven't really paid much attention to that until now. I do remember another Donna Levin puzzle not too long ago but don't recall how it went for me. This one I like very much. Refreshing after yesterday!
It went fast with few hangups. I was afraid to put in "Migs" so couldn't figure out "MrEd" because I read Willard Post as Wiley Post!Certainly shows my age as well as a need to dent the V-8 can! Mr. Ed, for pete's sake! Also,hand up for thinking of 'exploit' as a verb!

Kazie and Dudley. my copy of the puzzle does have "frere du pere".
I can't believe a correction was made just in our local paper. I also knew there was a mix-up in "uno e due" and was pretty sure it was Italian, since I knew it wasn't French or Spanish: Troix and tres. But these are just cavils! I love that word, cavil. Hope I can use it sometime!

Another one: Am I correct in thinking that "reeding" is a term also used in architecture describing some kind of woodwork? Some words like that are really old and come from the artisans who worked in different materials. I've forgotten who's our etymologist here.....Jerome? Al?

Jazzbumpa, I repeat my admiration for you and your wife per your parent/grandparenting skills. You are outstanding! I can sympathize with your concerns for Tom. A friend heresent her 2009 high school graduate last January to the Marines which he was determined to do. As far as I know he's still in the USA. Maybe he'll never have to go, but who knows!

Again, Clearayes, you've set an example for all of us in courage and determination. I'm so happy you're clear!

Lucina said...

Kazie:
You are correct, of course. I was referring to Spitzboov's comment "Spanish is tre", but couldn't recall exactly whose it was. I now checked.

CA and Chickie:
i also had NCAR for a long time. It's so hard to give up an answer sometimes or just face the error of my ways.

Please include me in the V8!

Tinbeni said...

Donna Levin, with her puns has become one of my favorite constructors.
Today as FUN.
Fave theme was OUT TO LAUNCH.

I have to confess, I don't remember who was the 2007 Time "Man of the Year." So 1977's SADAT was all via perps.

Jewel Box or Jewel Case I call my CD holder "a shelf" and that compartment between my car seats.

CA Great news. I've added you to my daily toast at Sunset.

Jerome said...

dodo- Yes indeedy, woodwork can be reedy, or reeded, and while forming such woodwork you are reeding. Reeded woodwork are usually pieces of trim around doors, windows, etc. As a long-time carpenter I can tell you that the term is rarely used. More than likely you will hear a phrase such as, "Hey, butthead, we got any more of that whatchacallit stuff... ya know, that trim that looks like ruffles with ridges potato chips?"

Jayce said...

A big thumbs up to you, Clear Ayes!

Enjoyed the clever punning in this puzzle.

Don't remember why they were called PUNIC wars. Gotta go look it up.

Love Borodin's "In the Steppes of Central Asia." Nice lush sound. He sure knew how to orchestrate!

Intersting to learn the origin of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Best wishes to you all.

Clear Ayes said...

LOL, not only was MR ED a gimme, but NANCY was a favorite comic book when I was a little girl. I guess that shows my level of cultural background.

Dennis, sorry to hear about the delay for your friend. In spite of the let down, it is better to be sure that both the doc and the machinery are in top operating condition. That came out sounding like a joke, but it was meant straight up.

Seen not heard, interesting information about the flight rivalry, not TMI at all.

Jazz, best wishes for Tom's safe return from Afghanistan. Life in the military is tough on everyone involved.

Jerome@3:22, I am amazed to find out that you work with my brother-in-law.

tfrank said...

Good afternoon, C.C. and all,

Clear Ayes, you are indeed a tower of strength and a model of encouragement for us all. To bear up under what you have been subjected to for the last year without complaining makes you the stoic of the year in my book. I know a little about how debilitating radiation therapy is, as my sister went through that last year, although she never had to go the chemotherapy route. My prayers will go up you for your continued recovery. As the Bible says in James 5:16, "Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." It is not a matter of how much you believe, but how much the person offering the prayer believes.

I have come to enjoy Donna's puzzles, and today's is no exception. I had my alarm set for 5:15 this morning, but awoke at 4:30. I had the puzzle finished before breakfast, with no look-ups, but with a lot of perp help. My only unknowns were reeded, xena and hera. I made a WAG at who Miss Burch was and got it right. I had heard of Sylvia Plath but forgot the context. I, too, scratched my head at jewel box. The theme clues were fairly easy to figure out.Favorite clue was low cells.

Have a good weekend.

Chickie said...

Jerome, I laughed loudly at your comment about the reeded woodwork. My SIL's are great carpenters, but their favorite word is Whatchacallit?

Dennis, I agree with CA that you are better off waiting on surgery, despite the pre-op inconvenience. I know that I would want to go into that operating room with the most positive outlook there is.

Carol, Have you priced the V-8 stock lately? Is is a good buy? LOL.

Jewel Box is truly a new term for me. We sell our software in Clamshells. I guess they are the poor cousins of the Jewel case. At any rate, they are very safe for shipping a CD to customers.

Lemonade, I loved the link to Gone Fishing. My dad was the ultimate fisherman. For his 90th birthday picture the photographer said to being his fishin' gear and clothes and she took the most wonderful pictures of him sitting in her lush green backyard on a log with his pole, creel, old straw hat with flys, and blue jeans and plaid shirt. It is my all time favorite picture of him.

Al said...

Why coins are reeded

The presence of reeding shows that the coin's edge has not been shaved or clipped. The British numismatic term for the reeded ridged edge is graining and the reeds are called crenellations. Earlier, coins were shaved or clipped to almost half of their minted weight by unscrupulous persons and it is from this phenomenon that we derive the phrase "clip artist" to mean a thief.

seen, not heard said...

forgot to add John Glenn to the list of aviation pioneers born in OH-IO.

speaking of aviation...just saw a clip on espn's pti of a hawk and a moth involved in a dogfight over the twins game last night. guess who turned out to be the red baron?!

the funny thing was it made me think of c.c. and the other twins' fans here. never was much of a blog person and probably will never be one. but, i'm just sayin'....

Hahtoolah said...

JazzB: I just got a chance to check your links. The signs are literally Laughing Out Loud funny. I'd seen some before, but some were new.

kazie said...

Have a look at the picture of the different edge designs on these Euros.
On one trip with students to our sister school, we were taken on a field trip to a fun park where one attraction was a completely dark "bar" where the barhop was blind. We of course were not so familiar with the coins, but he knew exactly what we gave him and brought our drinks and change. It was good for us to feel what it's like to be blind, but we couldn't help wondering if we got rooked in the dark!

Annette said...

JazzB: I could use some of those signs at work!

carol said...

Chickie, the way the market has been lately we could probably get that stock for peanuts...LOL

CA, guess our cultural backgrounds must be similar, I too love Nancy and Sluggo...also Little Lulu, Richie Rich, Little Lotta and Archie. Wow, haven't thought of those is a long time. Makes me thinks of long, black licorice, kool-ade, pop-beads and charm suckers.

windhover said...

tFrank:
Can you not read?
ClearAyes, 5/6/10 (yesterday):
"Expressions of faith on my behalf are not something I am comfortable with"
I have been asked to refrain from addressing you, and I have done so. But today I will not.
Among the things I have learned from my study of the Bible is that public prayer is considered to be a vanity. The instruction was to hide in your closet to pray. If you are truly praying for this woman, which I seriously doubt, it is not necessary for you to puff yourself and your ego up by publicly proclaiming your superiority, as in, it is the belief of the pray-er that matters. HAVE SOME RESPECT!!

Anonymous said...

here we go again

Anonymous said...

Should've been done in an email. No need for the 'showing off' stuff. Very, very poor.

seen, not heard said...

"i have been asked to refrain from addressing you and have done so. but...have some respect. What!?!

hello kettle, my name is pot.

i think CA could/would have spoke for herself if she found it necessary.

Anonymous said...

I've been a long time lurker here, but no more. That's the final straw. THis was strictly an attempt to embarrass by someone who wasn't even part of the conversation.

windhover said...

She did, as I pointed out. And if would rather I use bad grammar to express myself, I can do that.
There seems to be a double standard among you modern day Pharisees. You can pray publicly, quote Scripture, and criticize public figures (Molly Ivins, last week), but when someone calls your sorry asses, you whine "persecution", which makes you purer. Go blow Rush.

Anonymous said...

I hope Windhover realizes what he's just done to CCs blog.

Clear Ayes said...

Geez, how do I "diplomatic" my way out of this one? I don't think it can be done.

I am well aware that there are people who will say to themselves, "I'm going to pray for you whether you appreciate it or not". They've been doing it all over these foothills for the past year. But it has been in private. I would have preferred that it stay that way. But I can't know anyone else's motives. You can't put the cat back into the bag and you can't unpray a prayer.

As far as Windhover's posts go, I know he was angry because he was trying to protect my feelings and my request. He is my friend. So as Ben Franklin said to John Hancock at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."

I'm not going to say anything else on this, except that C.C.'s blog can get over just about anything...and will.

seen, not heard said...

i was feeling all warm and fuzzy with my 5:11 comment, then...

onwards and upward

Anonymous said...

Not this. Disgraceful. Windhover's harangue should've been in an Email, not an attempt to puff himself up in front of everyone.

carol said...

Hey bloggers, and you know who you are
Let's not take this too far.
CA's the best,
Let's honor her request
and give her a toast from the bar. :)

Tinbeni said...

Carol
Just got back watching my sunset.

A Toast with the Avatar to CA, Brooke, and "good health" for all others did come into play.

Now, excuse me, but I have a question about the puzzle.

41A, Whatever, hhe answer ANY.
When in a conversation with my gal-pal, if she says to me "Whatever" I don't think she means ... ANY.

Bill G. said...

To change the subject...

I just got my new iMac plugged in, and after about two hours, it migrated everything on my old computer to the new one flawlessly (as far as I can tell). All the old programs, preferences, settings have been copied. It comes with a wireless keyboard and a wireless mouse. I had to buy a newer Firewire cable.

Anonymous said...

Dennis-
If I'm ever in a trench during war, I'd hope for you to be my fellow combatant. Your loyalty & devotion come through strongly.

Clear Eyes-

Your diplomacy is impressive. Stating your loyalty to such an abrasive and confrontational friend is commendable but I get the impression that, given the opportunity, he'd hang you separately.

dodo said...

Anonymous 6:22 said, "I've been a long time lurker here, but no more! This is the final straw!" Is that a promise?

Lucina said...

Al:
Fascinating info on coins and "clip artist" origin.

Annette said...

Carol: I loved all those comics too! Every once in a while I'll be waiting in a check-out line, and treat myself to an Archie comic. I don't see the others out anymore.

Also, I recently stumbled across some cherry Kool-aid single serve packets that come in a box. You just pour one into a bottled water and are suddenly 6 years old again! They should be nice treats over the summer, without having a whole pitcher.

Bob said...

Jayce: The Romans called the Carthaginians "the Poeni" (pronounced POY-nee), which harks back to their Phoenician origins. Carthage was one of the Phoenicians' many trading outposts scattered across the Mediterranean and grew into their largest. Our word "Phoenician" is derived from "Poeni" = P(h)oeni(cians). The adjective in English turned into "Punic." Rome fought three wars against the Carthaginians (264-241 BC, 218-201 BC, 149-146 BC). The big one was the Second Punic War, in which Hannibal invaded Italy. He won every battle there over a 15 year period before finally being defeated at home near Carthage at Zama. Carthage was destroyed, rather unnecessarily, by the Romans in 146 BC after a long siege.

JD said...

Annette, better yet...get a box of cherry jello and eat it with your wet fingers where NO ONE can see you.LOL! That was a good memory. I just need a few Little Lulu's and Archie comics to complete the scene.

WH, good man!

Parts of this puzzle were fun, but I hate it when I come to a complete stand still, like 29A/31D, and not knowing Beloit. Saul wasn't singing to me either. Jewel box fell into place, but I really wondered about it until I read your multiple lessons.I ending up cheating to finish this evening. I think my GPA just went down a notch or maybe tre.How does ANYONE remember Time's 1977 man of the year until you have a few letters??

Warm wishes to so many of you tonight: Barry& son, Dennis & friend, Jz & son,Lois& friend, CA &GAH,Buckeye & Ms R,and Robin-wherever you are.WM, sounds like she might have roseola, like Grady.

Jerome said...

windhover- So, you're into Puff Daddy rap?

Chickie- Carpenters say "Whatchamacallit" because we can't pronounce "Thingamabob"

Clear Ayes- I worked with your brother-in-law until he fired me for knowing you.

Lemonade714 said...

JD asked "How does ANYONE remember Time's 1977?" Probably nobody remembers, but I put in SADAT, because it had 5 letters, and I knew he had one it at one time many years ago. I then "proved" it with the perps.
I personally believe solving puzzles quickly is not only what you know, but how you use your educated guesses. There are times where I fill in a word, without even reading the clue based on the flow of surrounding letters. I am not always right, but when I am, my time is much quicker.
Guys, gals, anyone?

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

Windhover,
You are asked again here in public: Frank's email address is in his profile. Email him for your personal religious/political discussions.

Jeannie said...

Wow, Anon's except you at 7:53pm are awesome. CA, you know I love you and if I have thought of you often since your revelation. I am kind of miffed that I didn't know of it last May. You choose your friends is all I can say about that, but I consider you one of my cyber friends. People, read deeper into WH's comments. He is well read and has his opinion. CC has asked repeatedly that no one pushes their relgion or politics here.

Sounds like I need to post a recipe or post a pic of my "girls".

Anonymous said...

Tarrajo singning in late. Brady Joe is finally asleep and in no trouble today. I'm not saying he is in trouble every day but he is a handfull. He has a strong sense of what is wrong or right (my fault?) and tends to pass that on to his fellow peers in not so good ways. He starts with narration and the other one starts with pushes/shoves. He doesn't want to be the "pussy boy" so pretty much just contains the guy until he calls ONCLE. I just can't punish him for sticking up for something he believes in.

Help me Dennis, am I wrong here?

Anonymous said...

My chime in for you Clearayes. I can't imagine what you went through and kept it separate from the blog and yet kept your wonderful sunny side up. Jeannie good luck on your walk Sunday (with CA in mind) THANK YOU WHOMEVER SHE'S A cancer survivor, it sounds like she has had her share of YOWIES.

Lucina said...

Lemonade:
You described my technique perfectly. I would say at least 25-30% of my solutions are guesses based on what flows around them. If at any time I have seen or read of them, I can assume they are correct and the perps validate that.

I would find it impossible to retain all those fills from many years of reading, listening, learning.

For me, the fun is in guessing or shaking out the answer by allowing it to reveal itself.

That's all folks. I hope everyone has a good night's rest and feels better in the morning. Good night.

Chickie said...

Jerome, @ 9:32,so that's the reason. I've wondered about that for a long time.

Lemonade, I think that a large part of puzzle solving is using the method you described. Sometimes it is a guess that fits the letters. At times, it may be wrong, but more often than not, it proves to be correct. Then we feel like we have accomplished something, and we have really learned something in the process.

koufaxmaravich said...

Late Friday night comment:

I've been following the blog for several weeks now. I enjoy three aspects very much: words, etymology, and the clues and fills of each puzzle; the tangential topics so many have elucidated for me (astronomy, mythology, geography, carpentry, poetry, aviation pioneers in Ohio, etc.); and the warmth and personal concern bloggers express to celebrate good news or commiserate with those facing challenges. This is truly a wonderfully supportive group.

I enjoyed today's Donna Levin puzzle -- all my comments have been stated by others already.

It seems quite apparent to me that tfrank was expressing in a positive, heartfelt way goodwill to Clear Ayes. Maybe it was not the form she would have wished. If it bothered her terribly, it could have been taken up by her, either publicly or privately.

I found Windhover's "defense" outrageously over the top and way out of line.

It is very clear that if one expresses political, religious or economic views at variance with those held by esteemed WH (as I have in the recent past), one must expect an emotional outburst of vituperation. The rejoinders are not on point, and often deteriorate into general namecalling (e.g., calling teabaggers "sheep"). These are not worthy of a response.

I have numerous friends and acquaintances, and we disagree all the time. But no one viciously demeans the other, we respect what each is saying, and once in a while someone might even change their point of view.

My conclusion is that you, Windhover, are a boor (a churlish, rude, or unmannerly person) and a bully (a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people). Hopefully you can rein in your anger and abide by CC's guidelines.

To Clear Ayes: May May 6 be a happy and healthy anniversary for you for many years to come.

Best wishes for a fun weekend.

Anonymous said...

WH's blogs should be ignored or deleted. His personal attacks are just as injurious as the late night anons. IMHO, he has become a problem to this blog.

Anonymous said...

29 across : Killer app is short for Killer application or a very good and useful application. Normally used for software and computers, App has also entered the common lexicon with iphone, droid and other smart phones.