Theme: Visual Arts - Each two-word phrase starts with a form of visual arts.
17A. Bodybuilder's pride : SCULPTED ABS. Here (for the Ladies) / Here (for the Men)
28A. Melted dip for steamed lobster : DRAWN BUTTER. Where the best lobsters are: right, Mainiac?
42A. Table-ready hearty entrée : CARVED ROAST. Medium rare.
54A. Colorful butterfly : PAINTED LADY. Here is a set of five butterfly photographs from constructor John Lampkin. Here is a sound clip of "The Butterfly and the Rose", a movement from John's 8-movement woodwind quintet called "A Walk Through Shaw's Garden", commissioned and performed by the Equinox Chamber Players and recorded on Albany Records.
Argyle here.
Eighteen 3-letter words but also, eighteen 6-letter words. Four pairs of echo clues.
Notice the black square in the very center of the grid? You won't see a non-theme entry in the middle of a John Lampkin puzzle.
Across:
1. Mr. Potato Head maker : HASBRO.
7. Mickey and Minnie : MICE.
11. Calculator display, briefly : LCD.
14. Find not guilty : ACQUIT.
15. "__ in the Morning": talk show : IMUS. Don Imus, shock jock. (I'll spare you any image.)
16. "Caught you red-handed!" : "A-HA!".
19. Plead for a treat, dog-style : BEG.
20. Barely make, with "out" : EKE.
21. FHA loan : MTGE.. Federal Housing Administration, mortgage.
22. Diver Louganis : GREG.
23. "__-doke!" : OKEY.
25. Melville's sequel to "Typee" : "OMOO".
26. Flirtatious one : TEASE.
27. -, on an AA batt. : NEG. Plus, 54D. +, on an AA batt. : POS. Great clue echos.
30. "Wait a moment" : "ONE SEC".
32. "Dagnabbit!" : "NERTS!". Now there is a word I haven't heard in a while.
33. Quaint horse-pulled winter rides : SLEIGHS.
35. Machine gun syllables : RAT-A-TAT.
39. Psychoanalyst Fromm : ERICH.
41. Surgeon's stitch : SUTURE.
46. "Fill 'er up!" filler : GAS.
47. Say "Ditto" : AGREE. And 51. "__ here": "Ditto" : SAME. Another echo.
48. Catch sight of : ESPY.
49. Goes back out, as the tide : EBBS.
50. Gal. or oz. : MEAS.. Measure.
51. Horse trade : SWAP.
52. Mideast political initials : PLO.
53. "The Lord of the Rings" tree being : ENT. If you see any female Ents, please contact Treebeard, care of Fangorn Forest.
58. Poem of tribute : ODE.
59. Seer's sign : OMEN.
60. __ d': headwaiter : MAÎTRE.
61. Blue : SAD.
62. Blood supplies : SERA.
63. Depletes : USES UP.
Down:
1. Possesses : HAS.
2. Gp. with UNC and Duke, among others : ACC. Atlantic Coast Conference (college sports)
3. Windshield-cleaning tool : SQUEEGEE.
4. Like a heavy parka : BULKY.
5. Ready to pick : RIPE.
6. Mel of the Giants : OTT. Baseball.
7. Central area in a big city : MIDTOWN.
8. "There's no hope for me," in oaters : "I'M A GONER".
9. Dice unit : CUBE.
10. Tee preceder : ESS. S, T.
11. Maze runner : LAB RAT. And 12. Maze runner's incentive : CHEESE. Adjacent clue echo.
13. Cloak go-with : DAGGER.
18. Thompson of "Howards End" : EMMA. A story of class struggle in turn-of-the-century England.
22. Suggests indirectly : GETS AT.
23. Yoko's family : ONOs.
24. __ Ration: dog food : KEN-L. The dog must be well fed by now, what with all the Ken-L ration we've had lately.
25. Prom corsage : ORCHID.
26. "My, my, that's a no-no" : TUT, TUT. Four Ts.
28. One of 90 in a right angle : DEGREE.
29. Like band music : BRASSY. All bands, JzB?
31. Flour strainers : SIEVES. Personally, I'd rather sift my flour than strain it.
34. Having fewer marbles? : SCREWIER.
36. Harbor pushers : TUGBOATS.
37. Saudi, usually : ARAB.
38. Thomas Hardy heroine : TESS.
40. Biblical cry of praise : HOSANNA.
42. Stars' brief film appearances : CAMEOS.
43. Meeting to-do list : AGENDA.
44. Not for kids, as films : R-RATED.
45. Pocket PC entry : APPT.. Appointment, which is why they are called: 52. Pocket PCs, e.g. : PDAs. (personal digital assistant). One more echo.
49. "Dallas" matriarch Miss __ : ELLIE. Dallas was a TV prime time soap opera.
55. Ostrich kin : EMU.
56. Joanne of "All the King's Men" : DRU. All the King's Men is a 1949 drama film based on the novel of the same name. It is the story of the rise of politician Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford) from a rural county seat to the governor's mansion. His affair with Anne Stanton (Joanne Dru) would be scandalous because she's the daughter of an ex-Governor. Joanne Dru was the elder sister of Peter Marshall, the original host of the Hollywood Squares.
17A. Bodybuilder's pride : SCULPTED ABS. Here (for the Ladies) / Here (for the Men)
28A. Melted dip for steamed lobster : DRAWN BUTTER. Where the best lobsters are: right, Mainiac?
42A. Table-ready hearty entrée : CARVED ROAST. Medium rare.
54A. Colorful butterfly : PAINTED LADY. Here is a set of five butterfly photographs from constructor John Lampkin. Here is a sound clip of "The Butterfly and the Rose", a movement from John's 8-movement woodwind quintet called "A Walk Through Shaw's Garden", commissioned and performed by the Equinox Chamber Players and recorded on Albany Records.
Argyle here.
Eighteen 3-letter words but also, eighteen 6-letter words. Four pairs of echo clues.
Notice the black square in the very center of the grid? You won't see a non-theme entry in the middle of a John Lampkin puzzle.
Across:
1. Mr. Potato Head maker : HASBRO.
7. Mickey and Minnie : MICE.
11. Calculator display, briefly : LCD.
14. Find not guilty : ACQUIT.
15. "__ in the Morning": talk show : IMUS. Don Imus, shock jock. (I'll spare you any image.)
16. "Caught you red-handed!" : "A-HA!".
19. Plead for a treat, dog-style : BEG.
20. Barely make, with "out" : EKE.
21. FHA loan : MTGE.. Federal Housing Administration, mortgage.
22. Diver Louganis : GREG.
23. "__-doke!" : OKEY.
25. Melville's sequel to "Typee" : "OMOO".
26. Flirtatious one : TEASE.
27. -, on an AA batt. : NEG. Plus, 54D. +, on an AA batt. : POS. Great clue echos.
30. "Wait a moment" : "ONE SEC".
32. "Dagnabbit!" : "NERTS!". Now there is a word I haven't heard in a while.
33. Quaint horse-pulled winter rides : SLEIGHS.
35. Machine gun syllables : RAT-A-TAT.
39. Psychoanalyst Fromm : ERICH.
41. Surgeon's stitch : SUTURE.
46. "Fill 'er up!" filler : GAS.
47. Say "Ditto" : AGREE. And 51. "__ here": "Ditto" : SAME. Another echo.
48. Catch sight of : ESPY.
49. Goes back out, as the tide : EBBS.
50. Gal. or oz. : MEAS.. Measure.
51. Horse trade : SWAP.
52. Mideast political initials : PLO.
53. "The Lord of the Rings" tree being : ENT. If you see any female Ents, please contact Treebeard, care of Fangorn Forest.
58. Poem of tribute : ODE.
59. Seer's sign : OMEN.
60. __ d': headwaiter : MAÎTRE.
61. Blue : SAD.
62. Blood supplies : SERA.
63. Depletes : USES UP.
Down:
1. Possesses : HAS.
2. Gp. with UNC and Duke, among others : ACC. Atlantic Coast Conference (college sports)
3. Windshield-cleaning tool : SQUEEGEE.
4. Like a heavy parka : BULKY.
5. Ready to pick : RIPE.
6. Mel of the Giants : OTT. Baseball.
7. Central area in a big city : MIDTOWN.
8. "There's no hope for me," in oaters : "I'M A GONER".
9. Dice unit : CUBE.
10. Tee preceder : ESS. S, T.
11. Maze runner : LAB RAT. And 12. Maze runner's incentive : CHEESE. Adjacent clue echo.
13. Cloak go-with : DAGGER.
18. Thompson of "Howards End" : EMMA. A story of class struggle in turn-of-the-century England.
22. Suggests indirectly : GETS AT.
23. Yoko's family : ONOs.
24. __ Ration: dog food : KEN-L. The dog must be well fed by now, what with all the Ken-L ration we've had lately.
25. Prom corsage : ORCHID.
26. "My, my, that's a no-no" : TUT, TUT. Four Ts.
28. One of 90 in a right angle : DEGREE.
29. Like band music : BRASSY. All bands, JzB?
31. Flour strainers : SIEVES. Personally, I'd rather sift my flour than strain it.
34. Having fewer marbles? : SCREWIER.
36. Harbor pushers : TUGBOATS.
37. Saudi, usually : ARAB.
38. Thomas Hardy heroine : TESS.
40. Biblical cry of praise : HOSANNA.
42. Stars' brief film appearances : CAMEOS.
43. Meeting to-do list : AGENDA.
44. Not for kids, as films : R-RATED.
45. Pocket PC entry : APPT.. Appointment, which is why they are called: 52. Pocket PCs, e.g. : PDAs. (personal digital assistant). One more echo.
49. "Dallas" matriarch Miss __ : ELLIE. Dallas was a TV prime time soap opera.
55. Ostrich kin : EMU.
56. Joanne of "All the King's Men" : DRU. All the King's Men is a 1949 drama film based on the novel of the same name. It is the story of the rise of politician Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford) from a rural county seat to the governor's mansion. His affair with Anne Stanton (Joanne Dru) would be scandalous because she's the daughter of an ex-Governor. Joanne Dru was the elder sister of Peter Marshall, the original host of the Hollywood Squares.
57. Nope's opposite : YEP.
Answer grid.
Two more notes:
1) This is the first time that our blog presents a puzzle in a unified way. The puzzle itself, key theme photographic art & music are all provided by the constructor. If you are inspired by John's music or want to learn more about his artistic work, please visit his website.
2) Tomorrow's puzzle involves circles, which are unsupported by LA Times website. A pdf file will be released on the blog Comments section around 9:00pm tonight.
Argyle
56 comments:
Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - well, this was an enjoyable solve, especially for a Monday. I thought the 'arts' theme was clever, especially the way John incorporated one of his many hobbies into it.
I had one slip, putting in 'Rated R' instead of 'R Rated', but the perps quickly fixed that. 'HASBRO' has certainly been popular lately. I got a kick out of 'I'm a goner'. Also, as Argyle points out, several nice cases of echoing in the puzzle. And how can you not like seeing 'nerts'?
Jeannie, got a good recipe w/carved roast beef?
John Lampkin, the butterfly pictures are just outstanding, and the commentary even better. I'm looking forward to checking out your website after the gym this morning, and also looking forward to Lois' comments on one of the pictures in particular.
Today is All or Nothing Day; also Aunt and Uncle Day.
Did You Know:
- The original name for the butterfly was the flutterby.
- The leech has thirty-two brains.
- Every single hamster in the United States today comes from a single litter captured in Syria in 1930.
Good Morning, CC, Argyle and all. This was a fun Monday puzzle. I found a bit of a challenge in the bottom third. I didn't immediately get PAINTED LADY, but since I had all the other theme clues, I realized I needed the PAINTED, which then led me to LADY.
John, your butterfly photos are delightful! Such a treat. Thank you for sharing them with us.
We had HASBRO recently. That must be the hot new crossword fill. Mr. Potato Head reminded me of Toy Story. Has anyone seen the new Toy Story movie in 3D?
In honor of OMOO's author, here is today's QOD: He who has never failed somewhere, that man can not be great. ~ Herman Melville
Good morning all. Fun Monday puzzle.
My first though was six pack abs but needed another letter. Had SI for 31 down and had to wait for more perp help to decide between sieves or sifter.
I loved seeing a Painted Lady butterfly. John thank you for sharing your beautiful photos.
Have a great day all
Was Peter Marshall related to Penny Marshall ... of Laverne and Shirley ?
No relation. Peter Marshall is a stage name.
Good Morning Argyle, CC and All,
Couple of flubs this AM. Spelled Squeegie wrong and had Tsk Tsk for 26D which was really screwing with Drawn Butter until I worked out the erasure a bit. Fun puzzle.
Absolutely right Argyle! Get some bugs right off the boat, hit a tide for some steamahs, invite my in-laws so they bring some fresh corn, throw some newspaper on the table and melt up some buttah! Come on down for a real Lobster Bake. (Last time I did this my wife started cleaning the house!)
I'm hungry now.
Super pictures John!
Have a great Monday!
Argyle et al.,
Well you made all my comments except, I like MICE, Lab RAT and RAT a tat; also OMOO< OMEN and ONOS. A very fun Monday, still solved quickly, but a nice mixture of new fill, TUGBOATS instead of TUGS and a real Corner word, SCRWIER. Add to that music and beautiful pics, and the week is on. Thank you John for stepping up the entertainment level. Have great week all.
Good Morning C.C. and the gang!
Just what I needed to start the week... Mostly easy and obvious with just a few spots to kick me and wake up the brain cells. I was zipping along, putting in the obvious across answers, ignoring the theme clues, got down to 54A and SWALLOWTAIL just begged to be entered. Fortunately, there were some obvious crosses, I picked up the visual arts theme, and PAINTED LADY quickly fell into place.
OMOO and ENT were the only entries that were total unknowns to me, but crosses got them.
Some guys like to describe their SCULPTED ABS as a Six Pack. Me? Keg would be more descriptive...
Have a great Monday and a fantastic week, everyone.
Good Morning Argyle et al.
Great write-up and lovely pictures. I had already visited John Lampkin's web site and listened to snippets of his "Insects" CD - really amusing and creative.
Easy Monday today with no lookups or red letter help (although I too questioned "Sieves" instead of "SIFTER" for 31d.) In my online puzzle, the clue to 27a. looked like "☐, on an AA batt." (I'm not sure if the first character will show up on your screen, but it was a square, not a negative sign as indicated in Argyle’s write-up). But the common clue for 23d. quickly revealed that Mr. Lampkin was going for "NEG" as the answer.
And I didn't get "PAINTED LADY" right away, but perps helped fill it in. We always called those things in the picture "Monarch Butterflys" but now I see the differences. Anyway, they are all beautiful. What a great way to start the week!
Good morning, Argyle, C.C., and all.
What a great puzzle, not to mention the inclusion of the musical and photographic compositions. Wow!
Fun to see words/phrases like SQUEEGEE, SCREWIER, SLEIGHS, and IM A GONER on a Monday.
Learning moment: Joanne DRU. Thank you for the explanation, Argyle.
Thank you, John Lampkin for going above and beyond with today's multi-media presentation.
Enjoy the day!
Argyle, Great write-up and links.
Actually the themes were easy enough. But for a Monday this had some really great stuff.
Liked all the echo clues/answers.
Some exceptional Monday fill:
SQUEEGEE, SIEVES, SCREWIER (my fave), HOSANNA, TUT TUT and of course NERTS (though I wanted nertz!)
Wanted Yup for Nope's Opposite but YEP is acceptable.
I'M A GONER brought a grin.
KEN'L Ration we just had, without the dog food identifier.
Thought the HAS and HASBRO cross was too easy.
All-in-all a FUN beginning for the week.
John: Nice butterfly photo's.
Guday all. I heard good porn names can be derived by using your first pet's name and, as mentioned yesterday, the street where you first lived.
Somehow "Barney Sixteenth" doesn't cut it.
More news in the next few days.
I must be off.
I meant to include links in my previous post, but hit "publish" instead of edit (siggggghhhh). So here are the links:
This is a
“Painted Lady”
And This is a “Monarch” butterfly. Subtle but distinct differences between the two.
That was a very enjoyable Monday puzzle and writeup. Thanks for the butterfly slide show too. I also started off with RATED R but got straightened out quickly. Got NERTZ from somewhere in the back of my brain. If I never hear of IMUS again, it will be fine with me. I just heard that President Obama will be on The View on Thursday. Should be interesting.
Do you know you can order caterpillars, food and a cloth net from the Internet? Great present for grandkids. They watch the caterpillars grow and turn into butterflies. Then they can carefully release them. My grandson has very much enjoyed the process twice now.
The roast beef photo looked good but not as good as a juicy slab of medium rare prime rib served with the bone in at some local restaurants. Mmm... I just made myself hungry!
Buckeye:
You think you've got problems?
Mine would be Pudgy Maple Leaf.
Guess the genre would be plumpers.
Pass.
HeartRx, thanks - I was wondering which one of the two is the type I always see around here, and now I know it's the Monarch.
Buckeye, many, many years ago I lived in a house on Beaver Drive. My last Akita's name was Kody. Kody Beaver definitely fits the bill.
Grump, great line about the 'keg'. I'm very proud of my six-pack, but being modest, I've chosen to keep it hidden under a few layers of fat.
Good day, puzzle people!
Argyle, thank you for your always informative comments and clips; I can still enjoy men's sculpted abs, too.
What fun from John Lampkin! This multimedia presentation certainly makes Monday puzzling much more enjoyable than usual.
I guess I'm the only one who started with HASBRO which was changed in a nanosecond by 1D, HAS.
Thank you, John, for sharing your beautiful photography, comments, and music. It is playing in the background as I type this. It's a haunting melody.
I enjoyed LABRAT and CHEESE next to each other. And hand up for liking NERTS, TUTTUT, and IMAGONER.
Nicely done with fresh clues and fun answers, John.
Bill G, I used to order those butterfly kits when I taught and in fact, they were always Painted Ladies. Kids do enjoy watching the entire process.
This will be my last post for a week as I shall be in the cooler climate (!) of northern California. I shall miss your comments, but will try to catch up later.
Have a wonderful week!
Good morning!
First, a big thank you to C.C. for hosting my photos and helping with the music link, and for generally supporting a multi-media offering. I hope more will follow.
And a special thanks to the Equinox Chamber Players in St. Louis who have commissioned and/or performed three of my Woodwind Quintets and said "Yes!" to the link idea. Five of my favorite ladies!
Thanks Argyle for all the fun stuff you squeeze in. Er...SQUEEGEE in. And thank you all for the kind words and show of support.
HeartRx got the pics correct. Earlier, Mariposa had posted what she thought was a PAINTED LADY, but it was mislabeled on the web and what she posted is an AMERICAN LADY. Very similar species so they are easily confused.
What few realize is that right where you live, no matter where it is, there are at least 75 species flitting about throughout the year. Guaranteed! The reason that few are aware of them is that few look for them. My wife and I got hooked 12 years ago when we had some Great Spangled Fritillaries in our garden, and were blown away by the beauty. Now we chase them throughout the USA and in foreign countries as well.
Happy solving!
Few problems all solved with WAGs and perps. hand up for TSK TSK. But a really fun Monday for me. I got the theme while pausing to wonder about the last one, and realizing it was art-related, jumped to PAINTED and LADY followed quickly.
John,
I love the butterfly photos. They are exquisite, and I can imagine how much patience it takes to catch them like that. Thanks for sharing. I haven't listened to the music yet, but you must certainly be a well-rounded artist.
John thanks for pointing out my error. I see now the butterfly I chose was labeled as an American Painted Butterfly. Guess I should wait for the caffeine to kick in.
HeartRx thanks for getting the picture correct.
Dennis,
Apropos of your "Did you know" gems for today, Mariposa has a Blog called "Flutterbyes" ;-D
Stupendous, John! 33 black squares only, and 26 entries of 6 letters or longer! Wow!
Fresh theme surrounded by super lively fill. It flat-out doesn't get any better than SQUEEGEE and SCREWIER.
Hamster. Rats... meh!
John, Beautiful work, but I must confess to having never registered "nerts". Anyone care to clue me in on the Etymology of the word?
Grumpy, I know how you feel about kegs. I could never limit myself to a six-pack either.
Buckeye's right, Clyde University is not a great porn star. Stretch Jennings or Tucker Columbia, maybe.
The Painted Ladies hatch and mature in the California Deserts each Spring. They then migrate over Sierra and through the Central Valley to their summer breeding site. I got the bright idea of counting them one spring day, but quit after about 100 in a very short time. That was an extreme year.
Dennis, The roast is easy. Spice it to your preference, then stick it in an oven at about 250 for hours on end. The important part is the Yorkshire pudding recipe. I've never managed this one, which was published in 1737:
Make a good batter as for pancakes; put in a hot toss-pan over the fire with a bit of butter to fry the bottom a little then put the pan and butter under a shoulder of mutton, instead of a dripping pan, keeping frequently shaking it by the handle and it will be light and savoury, and fit to take up when your mutton is enough; then turn it in a dish and serve it hot.
This is the one I use:
* 1 cup flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup milk
* 2 Tbsp melted butter
* 2 eggs, beaten*
* 2-4 Tbsp of roast drippings
* If you double the recipe, add an extra egg to the batter.
1 Sift together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Form a well in the center. Add the milk, melted butter, and eggs and beat until the batter is completely smooth (no lumps), the consistency of whipping cream. Let sit for an hour.
2. Heat oven to 450°F. Add roast drippings to a 9x12-inch pyrex or ceramic casserole dish, coating the bottom of the dish. Heat the dish in the oven for 10 minutes.
3. Carefully pour the batter into the pan (or the wells of muffin/popover pans, filling just 1/3 full), once the pan is hot. Cook for 15 minutes at 450°F, then reduce the heat to 350°F and cook for 15 to 20 more minutes, until puffy and golden brown.
4. Cut into squares to serve. Serves 6.
Roast at 250, pudding at 450, hmmmmm.
Hello All--I enjoyed the slightly more challenging Monday CW today. The longer fills like squeegee, Midtown, and I'm a Goner made for a very enjoyable puzzle.
For me, if I don't have to look up anything to get my answers, it has been a good day.
John, what a nice surprise to enhance our puzzle experience today. the butterfly pictures were wonderful and I enjoyed the music to go with them!
The ACC was an unknown so was my learning experience for today.
A fine Monday to everyone.
Hello everybody.
Well, I am a happy happy man from having the privilege of hearing your music, Mr. Lampkin, seeing your photographs, reading the commentary that acompanies them, and of course savoring your delicious puzzle. Thank you!
Thank you, Argyle, for a terrific writeup and links to informative, impressive, and pleasurable web pages.
Thank you, CC, for making this all possible.
As you can tell, I totally loved this puzzle! Excellence at so many levels! It would probably work as well on any other day of the week, too.
OMG, entries such as SQUEEGEE, IMAGONER, RATATAT, MAITRE, etc you just don't see often! Indeed impressive! I even smiled at MIDTOWN :) Like the rest of you, I loved LABRAT and CHEESE, and NEG and POS. Wow!
Okay, now that I've effused all over everybody, I'll pass out towels so you can dry yourselves off, and happily go on my way to face this well-started week.
Great puzzle - great comments and info. I think *nerts* is the slangy comic version of *nuts*. Anyone agree?
Hmmmm, I can't quite tell if "Tippy Custer" works or not.
Gunghy, looks like you're going for All or Nothing today! LOL
Jayce, Thank God for Dennis, He is so good at removing my boo-boos.
Hi group!
Fun puzzle and wonderful pictures from John L. Thanks so much. Also thanks to all for clearing up the difference between the Painted Lady and the Monarch butterflies. We don't see too many of the Monarch's here, at least that is what they look like when the do show up. Are there some that look like the above but have little tail extensions? Swallow tails?
I see entirely too many 'cabbage moths' in my yard, and up until this year, I couldn't have petunias because these 'moths' would lay their eggs on the petunias, and when the little 'worms' hatch they'd eat the flowers. What was a beautiful plant one day would be a pitiful, limp mess the next! Unbelievable how quickly they can ruin a plant.
This year I was able to spray my petunias in time to prevent all that.
32A is a mystery...I have never heard NERTS.
I don't have a pocket PC so had to think long and hard over those answers....did get them all though, so no V-8 can were damaged in the process.
I don't think 6 pack abs look good on women...besides, I'd rather drink my 6 pack. :)
@Jayce, Gungy, and erieruth, nerts comes from censorship of nuts. No, really.
Connection of nuts with the slang "testicle" sense has tended to nudge it toward taboo. "On the N.B.C. network, it is forbidden to call any character a nut; you have to call him a screwball." ["New Yorker," Dec. 23, 1950] "Please eliminate the expression 'nuts to you' from Egbert's speech." [Request from the Hays Office regarding the script of "The Bank Dick," 1940] This desire for avoidance accounts for the euphemism nerts (c.1925).
My goodness, they couldn't say "nuts" but they can call him a bank dick? LOL
I don't know if they still are, but the townhouses in San Francisco that are painted all kinds of bright colors used to be called the "Painted Ladies."
Easy, breezy puzzle today, but I wanted "sifter" until I just couldn't avoid changing it to SIEVES. I didn't know ACC until I came here, but I knew it had to be right becauses of the perps.
All the talk of DRAWNBUTTER/lobsters, CARVEDROAST, and gunghy's recipe for Yorkshire Pudding are doing nothing to SCULT my ABS!
Bye, y'all.
SCULPT
A *bad* Limerick
My collar is driving me nerts -
Dagnabbit, I need some new shirts!
I can't go out shopping
Until I quit stopping
To fill in the clues from the perps!
Wow, what an amazing way to start the week. John, your puzzle was delightful, and the pictures and captions amazing. The music is so nice also.
I too had never heard of NERTS, but what a funny story of how it came to be. Reminds me of the term "friggin" that gets used now. I have had that song Billionaire in my head lately and I don't even like it, particularly because of the use of that word.
Okay, so a poll from the men. Did they like the picture of the ladies ABS? My husband is not fond of women that are so muscular. He prefers them to have a more feminine figure (thank goodness for that or I would be out the door).
Talking about women with "ABS" of steel, has anyone ever seen this lady. She is one of those women with the sculpted body, and the photo is not touched up. I have known her for years, and she has endless energy. She does exercise videos, consults with Prevention magazine, on NBC, on our local shows and sells product through this company, as well as teaching classes at our local health club. I am just curious whether anyone is familiar with her outside of the Twin Cities area.
Looking forward to Jeannie's roast beast recipe.
Erieruth,
I thought it was a good limerick.
As to the NERTS thing, I had just assumed it was a southern drawl-like pronunciation of 'nuts'. We had an acquaintance here years ago whose name was Mona, and the way she pronounced it made us always call her 'Merna' when we mentioned her in absentia.
Good afternoon Argyle, CC, et al., LOVED this puzzle! Loved it, loved it, loved it! Great write up too, Argyle, and links...you are such a 'tease' w/those 'abs' Santa baby, and I thank you sincerely. Always consider it a good 'omen' for the day/week to see such a fine cut of meat, I mean male sample and muscle tone.
John Lampkin: The butterfly pix were fabulous and the write ups even better. Hilarious! Almost ruptured my 'suture's on the rare blues pic AKA push me/pull me - glad you didn't butt into that one, John. That would've been 'sad' to disrupt the ultimate example of one of nature's
'screwier' 'PDAs'. Your karma
'ott' to be 'meas'urably increased in a 'pos' way b/c of your respect for nature's 'hosanna' moments. That poor male probably thought 'O-no'(s), 'I'm a goner' when you came up whereas she was probably cussing his 'brassy' self saying, "'eke!' you said 'one sec'!! S'o-moo've your 'bulky' ass and get me outta here, fool! Step on the 'gas'! O---men!!!"
And the music is also fabulous. What a talent you are! Thank you.
My hot pink cast was 'swap'ped out for a florescent green non weight bearing one this week. Go green was taken to heart. No pain. Yesterday I broke the little toe of my good foot by ramming it into the closet jamb. Very painful. Tomorrow I start 2 days of tests at Johns Hopkins to see why my body wants to return to my birth weight without my permission but am assured it's nothing life threatening. There will be some discomfort, I'm sure. But this morning, I was struggling to get stuff out of the garage for the scheduled DAV pick up man when he drove into the cul de sac. I already had a lot of stuff out. He picked up a bag 2 doors down, saw me, then took off and kept on going. He didn't even slow down. Now that hurt! I just had to laugh. What a hoot! Turned out to be the wrong truck, but initially it struck me as what else? Karma!
Enjoy your night.
Cute limerick! Better'n my "mozzie" ones of last week.
I vote no on your poll. Body-builder muscular women like that don't do it for me.
Dennis: can you delete for me? I don't know why that triplication happened & now don't even have a trash can to use. My computer is weird lately. Thank you .
BTW: I'm going to take full advantage of this 'all or nothing' day...thanks for the additional reason to play around.
Hi gang -
Quick in and out today. A fine, tightly-knit puzzle by the multi-talented Mr. Lampkin.
No time to read comments - maybe later
I imagine the inclusion of so much crosswordese is deliberate and done fo4 some subtle reason that escapes me.
Fine piece of music, too. The LW said it reminder her of fairies - close enough to flutterbies - YEP!
Not all band music is brassy. This is.
IMB0. Cheers!
JzB
KQ, no I haven't heard of her, but then I don't read health magazines.
John Lampkin, terrific puzzle today! Loved the fun fill, echos and new cluing. "I'M A GONER" was my favorite too.
I need to start paying more attention to the butterflies I see around here. Although, listening to the music, I could close my eyes and "see" the butterflies dancing through the garden. Thanks for sharing your artistry and technology with us.
Concerning Peter Marshall: Years ago, I ushered at a local playhouse for a few seasons. The whole time I did it, he was the only star to come out front before the performance to greet the house staff and have a picture taken with us.
Jazz- "A fine, tightly-knit puzzle..."
"I imagine the inclusion of so much crosswordese is deliberate..."
Nothin' like a kiss and a slap in the face at the same time.
Kazie & Jayce - Thanks ...
Limericks are fun to embrace!
They put a smile on my face.
Sometimes they are cute,
Sometimes keep me mute,
And now for the crossword I race!
Another no on Abs like that. If the female wants to sculpt their abs, I prefer something like this.
I do vote yes for the limericks.
KQ, I believe I've seen the health lady in question, or at least ads featuring her. I have the embarrassing habit of reading the "women's" rags while standing in the checkout line and if not her, someone very similar. Health issues aren't one of my issues though, I eat carefully, but subscribe to the philosophy of everything in excess. I still believe I can do anything I could do at 20.
Erieruth, cute limericks! I love limericks too (as if you didn't know) :)
KQ - your 'lady with the abs' looks just fine..it's the ones who take steroids and work to 'look like men' that bother me. I really think most men feel that way too.
Gunghy - I admire your stamina and I am sure your wife loves being with a '20 year old' too. Woo Hoo!
Lois, so glad you are finally going to get your 'problem' checked out. We love you the way you are and don't want you to be reduced to a mere shadow of yourself!
Carol,
If you are in the market for a "20 year old," we can talk. There is a reason I can take off on a 2 week solo ride.
Of course that may also be the reason why I have any stamina left.
Gunghy, sweet as that offer is, I have my own '20 year old' so will have to decline. I am sure you will have no trouble using up your excess energy :)
Al - Thanks for the info on *nerts* - can you believe it??? So, interesting.
Good day, Argyle, C.C. and folk,
Monday, Monday. (The Mamas and the Papas)
John Lampkin, you are a very interesting man! So, is it true butterflies are free? Well, except the Pearly Marble in the high Sierras who has his proboscis stuck.
Today shows us an impressive glimpse of your accomplished talents. Thank you!
I liked the art forms being used in the themes. Inspiring!
@Dennis, ditto/same on ratedr/rrated.
15. "__ in the Morning": talk show : IMUS. Never heard of him/her. I'm sure I'm not missing anything as I can't stand that Howard Stern mentality.
32. "Dagnabbit!" : "NERTS!". Another unknown.
62. Blood supplies : SERA.
Is this an abbreviation for seratonin which is primarily found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, platelets, and central nervous system.
8d. "There's no hope for me," in oaters : "I'M A GONER". Oh, these 'oater' speak entries mean absolutely nothing to me. Where does this oater dialect come from???
25d. Prom corsage : ORCHID I've been to 3 proms and always got tea roses in the corsage.
57. Nope's opposite : YEP. Is this oater speak, too?
I'm out.`
Frenchie, if you're OUT, you probably won't read this. I'm not sure but it sounds as if you don't know what an 'oater' is. If so, it refers to an old western movie with cowboys, horses, sheriffs, posses, etc. They don't seem to be making them much anymore. There is a cable channel that runs old oaters and I enjoy many of them.
Bill G et al,
Here is the pdf file of tomorrow's circled puzzle.
Frenchie,
Sera is plural for serum, ie bags of blood or plasma.
Don Imus is one of those blow-hard talk-show hosts that people either love or hate. He happens to be of the conservative ilk, not that I can handle either side. (Sad that we consider them sides, isn't it?) On the other hand, he did sponsor a record with the proceeds benefiting young cancer victims. It's an Americana/alt-country/folk rock anthology with some incredible artists contributing a song. I dismissed him as inconsequential until I heard that he had actually suggested songs for the performers and that many sang those songs.
5 and out, later.
Don Imus. In what should have been the most beautiful and thrilling moment of their lives, the mostly black players of Rutgers University women's basketball team, after winning the national championship, were dismissed as "nappy-headed hos" by Imus.
Jerome -
There was no slap expressed or implied. There are over a dozen entries, from AHA to YEP - not all of them 3-letter, since ESPY and OMEN qualify - that strike me as being crosswordese.
Perhaps John found it amusing to include this catalog in his puzzle.
But what I meant was that I suspect that a constructor of John's caliber does what he does for a reason, not in some slapdash way.
Sorry if I mislead or offended anyone.
Lo siento,
JzB
C.C.:
Thank you for the access to tomorrow's puzzle. Now I can take it with me on the plane; I had already cancelled the newspaper for the week.
C.C., thank you for thinking of me.
Here's a good 'oater' inclusion. "It's quiet out there tonight."
"Yep, almost too quiet..."
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