google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday July 8, 2010 Dan Naddor

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Jul 8, 2010

Thursday July 8, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: SHOOT (50D. What you can do to the last words of the answers to starred clues, with "the")

18A. *Second most populous city in Michigan: GRAND RAPIDS. Shoot the rapids. Whitewater rafting, for example.

24A. *1980 biopic about boxer Jake La Motta: RAGING BULL. Shoot the bull. Discussion of experiences in perhaps not an entirely truthful manner, in a testosterone-laden contest of one-upsmanship.

35A. *Beachgoer's relief, perhaps: OCEAN BREEZE. Shoot the breeze. Light airy conversation with no directed purpose.

48A. *Studio co-founded by Spielberg: DREAMWORKS. Shoot the works. Let it ride. Bet everything, holding nothing in reserve.

54A. *Phenomenon near the autumnal equinox: HARVEST MOON. Shoot the moon. A bid in several card games, such as Smear, Euchre, Hearts or others, meaning that you will attempt to take all tricks, points, etc, in some cases without the help of your partner.

Even though this was a Naddor Thursday, it didn't seem as difficult to me as the last couple weeks, or maybe I'm just on his wavelength finally.

Hi all, Al here on a very rainy night. For about an hour, I was actually the owner of riverfront property. Water entirely covered the road curb to curb and beyond, and it had quite a current. The poor guy down at the lowest spot in the neighborhood wound up with a basement full of water; it was almost waist-deep near the storm drain there. Luckily I'm located high enough, but my sump pump is still running almost continuously. Oh well, since I'm not going anywhere for a while, on to the puzzle.

Across:

1. Indian title of respect: SRI. Sanskrit for beauty, and as a honorific prefix for kings, heroes, etc. Related to proto-indo-european "kreie" which gives: Kyrie, for Lord. Kyrie eleison means Lord, have mercy.

4. "My Life on the D-List" comic Griffin: KATHY. Brash comedian, she cleans up well.

9. Bowler's challenge: SPLIT. Any two non-adjacent pins with a gap between, as long as the headpin is not standing.

14. P.I.: TEC. A deTECtive, but not part of a police force. A Private eye (I).

15. Refrain from singing about a farm?: EIEIO. A musical refrain, not to suppress an urge. The noun refrain comes from French words meaning "repeat" and "break off", that is, a repeated interruption before a return to the main melody.

16. Low-budget prefix: ECONO. Economy, bigger, faster, cheaper.

17. Draft pick: ALE. Wasn't fooled. "Draft beer, not boys" is one of the slogans used to oppose war involvement, but it could have been a sports team draft.

20. Not follow a fixed route: ROAM. These kinds of charges are costly on a cellphone.

22. Consider: DEEM.

23. Bro counterpart: SIS.

28. Storm sound: CLAP. Of thunder.

29. Wreck, in a way: DERAIL. That would do it all right. In a big way.

30. Callas, for one: SOPRANO. Maria If you look up "diva" in a dictionary, you will find her picture. Had an affair with Ari Onassis.

32. Prenatal test, for short: AMNIO.centesis. Amniotic fluid is checked for chromosomal abnormalities, infections, and Rh blood type incompatibilities.

34. Stampeded toward: RAN AT.

38. Eyes: OCULI. Latin.

40. Kid's sandwich staple: JELLY. I prefer my sandwiches folded, not stapled.

41. Baseman's misplay, maybe: LATE TAG. Baseball, too slow.

44. Deliberately ignoring: DEAF TO. (hands over ears) I'm not listening, la la la la la la la.

47. Rights: DIBS. Children's word to express a claim on something, originally U.S., apparently a contraction of dibstone "a knucklebone or jack in a children's game", of unknown origin.

51. Laura Bush's alma mater: Abbr.: SMU. Southern Methodist University.

52. Hoodwink: FOOL. Literally to blindfold someone.

53. Ill-considered: RASH. German rasch (quick, fast), Old English ræsc (a bolt of lightning)

59. AFL partner: CIO. American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.

60. Beginning: ONSET.

61. "Fiddler on the Roof" dairyman: TEVYE.

62. "Where did __ wrong?": I GO. Or the word for the game of GO, IGO in Japan,WeiQi in China, Baduk in Korea.

63. Big name in cosmetics: ESTEE. Lauder.

64. Floss brand: ORAL-B.

65. QB's stat: INT. Interception. One of the many records that Brett Favre holds.

Down:

1. Whitewater figure: STARR. Kenneth.

2. Prepare for more pictures: RELOAD. Camera memory cards and batteries now instead of film.

3. More than just a cold snap: ICE AGE. Scratt. The saber tooth squirrel.

4. Beer holder: KEG. Temporarily fooled into using MUG at first.

5. Broadcast: AIR.

6. Earl Grey, e.g.: TEA. A black tea with bergamot added, a type of orange, closer in taste to a lemon. Bergamot essential oil has been found to reduce excitotoxic damage (aspartame, MSG) to cultured human neuronal cells in vitro and may therefore have neuroprotective properties.

7. Caste member: HINDU.

8. Peak calls?: YODELS. Swiss, Austrian Alps.

9. Line of pants?: SEAM. This type of misdirection used to hoodwink me when I started doing x-words. Not any more.

10. Angel dust, for short: PCP. PhenylCyclohexylPiperidine

11. Frequently imperiled reporter: LOIS LANE. Anyone who hadn't the sense to recognize someone whose only disguise was removing a pair of glasses was bound to wind up in risky spots.

12. Notre Dame's locale: INDIANA. The city of Notre Dame, Indiana actually has three colleges. The University of Notre Dame (Fighting Irish), Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College. The Notre Dame Cathedral is in Paris, France.

13. Hooch hound: TOSSPOT. Found in the closing song of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Beer/ale used to be served in ceramic "pots". Current use is as a British insult similar to "wanker" or "tosser".

19. Move, in Realtor-speak: RELO. Relocate.

21. The virgin birth and others: MIRACLES.

25. "Your call": NAME IT. Whatever you want, it's yours.

26. Actress Lollobrigida: GINA. A "pneumatic" brunette bombshell.

27. Crêpe-like Russian food: BLIN. Crepes do not use yeast. Blins are allowed to.

28. Gaga over: CRAZY FOR. I wonder how long ago Dan did this puzzle... Crazy and GaGa are certainly synonymous in music today. Actually, if you close you eyes and just listen, her music is kind of catchy...

31. Future attorney's study: PRE-LAW.

33. Vb. target: OBJ. Andy ate oranges. Ate is the verb, oranges, the object.

35. Courtroom interruption: OUTBURST.

36. Mark of Prynne's sin: RED A. The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, Adulteress.

37. Preteens' sch.: ELEM. Elementary, my dear Watson.

38. Part of a comfort simile: OLD SHOE.

39. Alligator relatives: CAIMANS. Scary teeth.

42. Hoo-has: ADOS. Isn't hooha slang for something else entirely?

43. Cave: GROTTO. From Italian grotta, from Latin crypta. Related: grotesque.

45. Gillette razor brand: TRAC II. Is it just me, or does it seem like Dan did a lot of puzzle creation while shaving?

46. Thumbs-up: OK SIGN. The Romans didn't turn their hands upside down, they merely hid or extended their thumb for down or up.

49. Whom Bugs bugs: ELMER. Bunny, Fudd.

52. Gala: FETE. Fest, feast. French en gala, in festive clothing.

55. A quarter of five?: VEE. The letter "V" is one of the four letters of the word "five". A quarter = 1/4.

56. In vitro cells: OVA. Latin eggs, in a lab setting. Literally "in glass".

57. Very thin Olive: OYL.

58. Colo. neighbor: NEB. Nebraska is the only state with a unicameral (one chamber) legislature. Colorado has spent the last century battling Wyoming for the coveted title of "Most Rectangular State".

Answer grid.

Al

77 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, Al, C.C. and gang - always a treat to get a Dan Naddor puzzle with all the fresh clues, even if this one didn't strike me as one of his best. I love the '?' clues, which require thinking outside the box, and this one only had a few.

I did ok until I hit the South; 'Tevye' isn't one I try to remember, and I misspelled 39D as 'cayman', probably thinking of the Porsche spelling. That gave me a WTF moment with 'dybs'. Hadn't seen 'tosspot' in a while. I really tried to figure out the theme before I got to the unifier, but to no avail.

Al, great job as always, and as always, I learned a lot from your blog. Great line about Lois Lane, and I'm in agreement about Lady GaGa - love her music, but her songs tend to become earwigs and hard to shake. Hope you survived the monsoons intact.

Question for the group: how many of you text on a regular basis? I never did, but then two of my friends started texting me on a regular basis, and my phone bill jumped up $50 because I didn't have a 'texting plan'. Do now ($5. per month).



Today is Video Games Day.

Did you know:

- Frank Sinatra once boxed under the name Marty O'Brien.

- Ears of corn always have an even number of rows of kernels.

- Fear of constipation is called coprastasophobia. Fear of clowns is called coulrophobia. Fear of constipated clowns is just weird.

Spitzboov said...

Good Morning all. Al, nice commentary.

Great puzzle from Dan. Not difficult for a Thursday, though. Loved the theme and this one I got early so it helped to fill out the South. Clever clues were for EIEIO, ALE, SEAM, and YODELS. No lookups needed.

Stay cool.

Dudley said...

Morning, Puzzlers -

Good work Al, and hand up for the Lois laugh!

Today's was a good no-peeky that required a bit of thought. I can't believe I fell for the draft pick misdirection!

It's just crazy hot in the upper right corner of America.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning. A fun Dan Naddor puzzle in the same week as a Donna Levin puzzle. I caught on quickly to today's theme.

We saw RED A recently.

My favorite clue was Peak Calls = YODELS.

It took me a while to get RELOADS. Maybe Al wasn't fooled by the Draft Pick, but I had a hard time coming up with the L, which is why I couldn't get RELOADS.

There was a 6-foot alligator, not a CAIMAN, in the lake across from my office a week or so ago.

Dudley, I think it is hotter up your way than it is on the gulf coast. We haven't hit that 100 mark yet.

QOD: Whoever wants to be a judge of human nature should study people's excuses ~ Friedrich Hebbel

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, I do love Dan Naddor's puzzles. Tie that up with one of Al's blogs and we have a winner.

I agree that today's puzzle wasn't particularly difficult for a Thursday, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it.

After 24A I was trying to connect RAGING and 18A RAPIDS into the theme. I didn't get it right until 50D SHOOT was filled in.

The seven and eight letter vertical fill in the NE and SW really impressed me. It can't be easy to find a place for CAIMANS.

Favorite clue today was 15A "Refrain from singing about a farm?" It had me wondering how to stop singing....Oh... that kind of refrain.

Seems a little silly, but I also liked 38A "Eyes". We are so used to seeing LEERS that it took a few seconds to see the OCULI.

Lemonade714 said...

Al wonderfully informative write up; I knew I was on your wavelength, when I saw a link to Watson, and assumed it was to be EMMA. With the new HP coming out soon, it was well done.

I agree this was not a time consuming Naddor, but it was filled with uncommon clues and fill. GRAND RAPIDS, LATE TAG, OK SIGN, OCEAN BREEZE just to name a few. Also it was nice to see JELLY written out instead of in PB&J.

Al, I always believed Notre Dame was in South Bend.

We had OCULIST recently which should have helped with OCULI and DEEM is a favorite of many judges (along with MEET and JUST).

GINA Lollobrigida was one of many beautiful Italian women in movies as I grew up from the timeless SOPHIA LOREN, CLAUDIA CARDINALE and many more.

That's all BRO and SIS

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

A smooth, enjoyable puzzle today. I blew through most of it without pause, but ran into trouble due to misspelling KATHY as KATEY at 4A and putting OGLING instead of OCULI for 38A.

As with Dennis, I also initially put CAYMANS instead of CAIMANS for 39D. On top of that, I was thinking the plural would actually be CAYMEN for some reason...

Other than that, there were no unknowns today and none of the "tricky" clues got me this time around. Peak calls? Line of pants? Refrain from singing about a farm? No sweat.

Mainiac said...

Morning Al, CC and All,

I have the same thoughts as most on the difficulty level but did enjoy the Naddor Grid, as usual. Tevye wouldn't come to me even though I played bass in the pit orchestra for the High School musical (No wonder!). I nailed the theme which helped tremendously. My favorite clue was Very Thin Olive. Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "I yam what I yam". Popeye 1934

Dad laminated this one of Gina and it hangs in the outhouse at Camp.

Have a great Day!

Clear Ayes said...

Mainiac, your father has excellent taste in women, but I believe you all have been gazing soulfully at Jayne Mansfield, rather than Gina Lollobrigida, during your trips to the O.H.

crazyhorse said...

Good Morning CC and all

Fun puzzle with very few lookups. For 35A I couldn't figure out what ice and reeze was. Doh!

Finally figured it out, since iutburst didn't make sense.

Oh, well.

Anonymous said...

I generally found this fun but was stumped by a few - CAIMENS was something I had never heard of before so learn something new every day I guess. Couldn't remember STARR and OBJ had me completely stumped as to what it meant until I came here.

Lemonade, I thought Notre Dame was in South Bend also, but Al is right. It states right on their website that it is in Notre Dame, adjacent to South Bend. I have a friend who has triplets that graduated this year, and two are going to Notre Dame, the other to Boston College. Cha Ching thrice over.

Dennis I text all the time. With teenage kids, you would never communicate with them if you didn't. I have grown to like it most of the time. My mom texts with them too, and they think it is a hoot that their grandma does this. One of my sons had 12,000 texts one month. We have put the kabosh on those kind of numbers now. The kids can be very annoying with their phones though, so we have had to establish some rules to prevent rudeness.

Mainiac said...

Try this one.

Copied the wrong link. I click on it and went "Who's that!" Thanks CA.

Anonymous said...

Good morning Al, C.C. and everyone.
Thanks for the informative write up,Al.
An easy Thursday serving from Mr.Naddor. Everything fell in the right places except that like Dennis, I had Y in CAIMANS instead of I. Quite a coincidence that Fiddler On The Roof was on while doing the puzzle so TEVYE was sort of a given.

Dennis, I don't do much texting either. I don't even have a phone plan. I use the pre-paid thing. I just call my provider if I'm running out of minutes. A 25 dollar refill will last me for months since I don't use my cell phone that often.

Have a good day everyone.

August

Mainiac said...

I refuse to text. The boys tried to get me to but if they can't call and talk to me, we aren't communicating. Cell phones are a pain in the ass. I am required to have one. Both boys are phoneless at the moment because they haven't bought more minutes and they have both (remarkably) adapted using land lines or buddies cells.

Clear Ayes said...

Yup, that is definitely the voluptuous Gina L., Mainiac. Either photo was a win-win.

GAH and I don't text because we don't even have a cell phone. We don't have decent reception here, so we get by with a 20th century land line. We have neighbors who purposely make calls from their car (he drives, she calls), so they can feel they are justifying the monthly charges.

Speaking of cars, it's time to get ready for Costco day. Have a good day.

Tinbeni said...

Al, Excellent informative write-up,
as always.

For a Dan Naddor this was kind of bland. Not the usual puns.
But a FUN solve nevertheless.

CAIMANS was a gimmie. Some people are familiar with Lions, and Tigers, and Bears (Oh my!).
Me? Being a Floridian I'm more concerned with the Gators, and Crocs and Caimans.

Fave today was the simple VEE, "A quarter of five" and the "V" is a five.

Liked how the CRAZY FOR ALE FOOL and TOSS POT all made the scene.

As for texting, never. I figure the phone is in my hand, why not just call and actually converse.

kazie said...

I don't text either, but my younger son sends one occasionally when I'm out of town (the only time I have the cell turned on) and he needs to let me know something.

After two days without the computer again, I now have a new hard drive and things seem to be working well--finally! I just have to make sure everything I need is reloaded, and get the best photos up for you to see. At least I can now work with them again!

I found the puzzle a bit trying today especially in the west. I've never heard of TEC for P.I., and I had LIZARDS for CAIMANS for a long time. However, I did get the theme sooner than usual, but needed the unifier to do it. Had to google SMU and LATE TAG and OLD SHOE would never have occurred to me without perps.

Our older son is now in Germany, starting on that new phase of his work life, but will be back for a week or so in about a month to keep an eye on the movers. His wife is staying on here until her bonus comes in at the end of the month, so we're trying to spend time with her each weekend while she's alone, though she does things with friends too.

Dennis said...

Is it wrong that I knew that was Jayne Mansfield without seeing her face?

Jeannie said...

I think this is the second Dan Naddor puzzle I have ever completed without having to resort to hitting the g-spot. I loved this puzzle. Oculi didn’t stump me because we had Oculist a couple of weeks ago. Some favorites were “refrain from singing about a farm” –EIEIO; “draft pick” – ale, and “one quarter of five” – vee. Tosspot and Tevye were completely WAG’s I obtained with the perps. I grew up about 70 miles from Grand Rapids and am a little surprised that it is the second most populace city in Michigan. I would of thought it would have been Kalamazoo or Battle Creek.

This is my Friday as I am taking my “floating” holiday tomorrow as I had to work on Monday.

Al, I enjoyed reading your educational blog. You do a great job. Glad to hear that you didn’t get any water damage.

I don't text very often. I figure if I have something to say, I'll just dial the number.

Dennis, how did you know that was Jayne Mansfield?

Dennis said...

There were a couple of hints, and that was always her favorite pose.

Tinbeni said...

Dennis
Jayne Mansfield had a face?

Essence of this blog. I learn something everyday.

Charlotte B said...

I have been a lurker for several months and have thoroughly enjoyed this blog! It frequently clears up questions I have about the clues. Great job, Al.

With regard to Gina L. I couldn't believe it was her -- all blond and such. I googled her and got a ton of pictures. It was her all right, about four pages back. It was the only blond pic I saw.

Sounds like several of you live in FL. I'm in Naples. BTW, what is a "perp" - perpendicular?

kazie said...

I forgot to mention too that I really enjoyed Al's write up today--very informative. Thank you!

Jane Mansfield was the one we always heard the old joke about: "Why is her waist so small?" Answer: "Because nothing grows in the shade."

Jeannie,
Enjoy your day off tomorrow. If you go fishing, I hope the mozzies (Oz for mosquitoes) don't carry you off!

Dennis said...

CharlotteB, read C.C.'s sidebar "To solvers" on the main page for info on 'perps' and other terms unique to this blog. She has a lot of good info throughout that sidebar.

Dudley said...

Awright, since Mainiac brought up the subject: a friend with a camp in rural Maine found he had to remove from his outhouse a magazine whose cover photo of a certain woman was unnerving to users of the loo! I think you'll agree when you see this familiar National Geographic cover.


Al - How did you know about the neuro effects of bergamot? Just curious.

TEC as a short for detective: I've come across that only once, in My Fair Lady, Act 1 Scene 1. Henry Higgins is making notes of Eliza Doolittle's horrid speech, and is briefly mistaken for a detective, as in "There's a tec tikin' 'er down over there!". He was exonerated by the superior quality of his shoes.

Texting: I rarely text. It's too slow on my numeric keypad, for one thing. I prefer to call, but some of my "correspondents" expect texting for whatever reason. One good thing is that text messages can sometimes get through when calls cannot, say due to poor connections or saturated service.

Dennis said...

Dudley, yes, that pic would have to go.

Or I couldn't.

Anonymous said...

Just like Penn State isn't in State College anymore. It is University Park now.
No texting on my $6.67/mo cell phone.

Al said...

@Dudley, the NIH has many interesting articles related to nutrition if you have the patience to seek them out.

Bergamot essential oil can also be used as stress relief as used with aromatherapy. There are other claimed health benefits as well.

JD said...

Good morning Al, C.C. and all,

Al, thanks for all of the "extras" today. Interesting about dibs.Tosspot was new to me.

I was amazed that I could finish a Naddor puzzle, although his last one with us was easier too. I still have a hard time seeing 2 word fills;deaf to, ran at,OK sign. Loved the theme, after the fact.Thank goodness for perps which helped with oculi and tevye.

Favorite? of course, EIEIO.
No, I never text. In fact my phone lays dormant as I use it only in emergencies. Anon @11:07, how do you get such a good monthly rate?

Welcome Charlotte! Were you a Golden Eagle?

It is now time to put my cat on pills for a hyper thyroid.Sure hope he will take them. He's down to 7 lbs, but still frisky for 17.
Off to vet's...

Lucina said...

Good day, puzzlers.

Al, thank you for an enjoyable and informative blog as usual.

My hands are up for liking this puzzle but feeling it was easier than usual for Dan Naddor.

And for some misdirection:
peak calls? yodels
more than just a cold snap: ICEAGE
draff pick: ALE (I was thinking basketball since that is all the talk here about the free agents)
a quarter of five: VEE

Nicely done.

RAGINGBULL fell slowely because I had HINDI insead of HINDU but they did all settle in, then the theme dawned.

I am a non texter; in fact, it's blocked on my cell phone which I have only because I teach at night and drive through a rather bad area.

And I'm with you that if someone wants to talk, we talk.

Here, of course, crocodiles and caimans are not a problem, but rattlesnakes are often on the prowl and hikers sometimes find themselves face to face with one.

Ophidiophobia: fear of snakes.

Do we all know that Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay are the parents of Mariska Hargitay of Law and Order?

Kazie:
Cute joke.

Have a delightful Thursday! Jeannie you especially on your day off.

GarlicGal said...

Even after finishing the puzzle I had no idea re: "vee"! Thanks, Al. That and caiman...never heard of it. We don't have too many of those critters in Northern CA.

@ARBAON, the fancy-smancy musical notes? I have no idea how you do that! A friend sent me a birthday wish a while back and I have been doing "copy & paste" whenever the opportunity arises. It works and it makes me look so tech savvy. HaHaHa

Argyle said...

God bless "copy & paste"!

Lucina said...

Welcome, Charlotte!

Bob said...

Fairly easy for a Thursday puzzle. 18 minutes. Not much to comment on.

Seldom Seen said...

my 2 cents worth...texting was something that i would Never do in the past. in fact, i was anti-text! i would tease my friends and family who did text. you would see them hovering over their phones furioulsy typing away on a tiny keyboard and it made me laugh.

well, times have changed. i text a few times a day.

sometimes it's just easier...if i am watching a game and something wild happens i text a buddy... "did you see that catch!" and his reply "unbelievable". Done, conversation over.

sometimes it more polite than a verbal conservation. say you are meeting friends at a crowded restaurant. a simple text "we are in the bar area" is alot easier than shouting into the phone "where are you...talk louder i cant hear you..."

sometimes it's just to relate to the younger relatives. "wow, your uncle just texted you? he must be pretty cool"

i have been converted

anyway enjoy this dibs joke

Crockett1947 said...

JD, I'd like to recommend "Pill Pockets" for your cat. They worked really well with friend Leo. Your pet supply store should have them in a multitude of flavors.

Al, you are a veritable font! I ALWAYS learn something when you blog. And it's usually something that will improve the quality of my life. Thank you!

Text? Nope!

Lucina, I wasn't aware that texting could be blocked! I'll have to look into that. Being face-to-face with a rattler is not my idea of a good time on a hike.

GarlicGal, now you've done it!

Have a great Thursday, everyone!

Bill G. said...

I too am a cell phone dinosaur. I have a TracFone for emergencies, about $100 a year. I have never sent or received a text. My kids always have their phones out on the table in front of them when we get together. Doesn't seem right to me. One time when we were out to lunch, I saw three young women at a nearby table. One of them was ignoring the other two while she was talking on the phone. After a few minutes the call ended and I assumed she would join the other two in conversation. Instead, she stared at her phone for a few seconds, dialed a number and started up a new conversation. If I had been one of her friends, I think I would have gotten up and switched tables.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Maybe a bit on the easy side, but closer to the Dan we have all come to know and love than the last couple of outings. The bilious "Quarter of five?" notwithstanding, I liked this one a lot.

"Refrain from singing a farm song?" was worth the price of admission, all by itself.

TOSSPOT and "Hooch hound" were total unknowns.

The LW insisted we get new phones with texting capability a few months ago. I use it rarely, she does a bit more often. It did come handy for connoitering when we were in Disney World with other parts of the clan, and for back-stage communication at dance comps. It's also a way to get geography-related answers from granddaughter Amanda.

The symmetry that stikes me today is the OK SIGN to RELOAD and SHOOT STARR. He is oh, so photogenic!

I had no idea Grand Rapids is the 2nd largest city in MI.

If coulrophobia is fear of clowns, then what is fear of kohl rabi?

Lurking beneath Lady Gaga's neo-Madonnaesque veneer is a surprisingly talented young lady.

Cheers!
JzB the BREEZE and BULL trombonist

Anonymous said...

Love your site!! I always go to it after I have completed the crossword to check myself. Thanks for all the help!!

One thing, The University of Notre Dame is in South Bend, Indiana, not the city of Notre Dame. I don't think there is a city called Notre Dame in Indiana.

Thanks again for all your insights!!

Gary

Crockett1947 said...

Dan did send me off into the woods looking for Notre Dame. INFRANCE looked good for a short while.

Gary, the address on the Notre Dame web site says Notre Dame, Indiana 46556. And looking up the ZIP code also yields Notre Dame. Welcome to the blog!

wiki answers said...

Gary
The University of Notre Dame is in indiana, in an unincorporated area, wholly owned by the University, called Notre Dame (zip code 46556) just north of the city of South Bend.

Al is never wrong. He looks up things before he posts!

JD said...

Crockett, thanks! The vet recommended those, and Parsley has downed his 1st pill. Cutting it into quarters is a pain.

Lucina, no, I did not know that.

Kazie, loved that joke, and loved that you remembered it.

JzB, great clip on Lady Gaga. She is also very well spoken; have seen a few of her interviews.

shoot-I have to remember to say shoot, instead of the ever so popular sh*#."WHY you sat that Gramma?"Why is now the go word.

carol said...

Hi all...
I thought I was really in for it when I saw Dan Naddor's name and it was Thursday, but surprisingly (to me) I did ok. Not great, since I did have lots of clues I had 'no clue' about.
Caimans are not known here in western Oregon. I had heard of the Cayman Islands, but that did not help at all :) I always learn something (usually more than one thing) here :)

1D was sort of embarrassing for me, I was thinking of whitewater rafting and the other Whitewater did not enter my mind. Even when I read what Al wrote, I didn't know who he was.

August - I'm with you on the pre-paid phone plan. We have Virgin Mobile and only pay $20.00 every 3 months for each of our 2 phones, so it's about $14.00 per month...pretty good rate. We have never sent of received a text msg. I wouldn't even know how, could not care less.

JD: ask your vet to 'liquify' Parsley's meds. We had to do that with Laurel's and I gave it to her in a dropper. It worked beautifully.

Hahtoolah said...

Now I can't get Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" out of my head!

I am glad to see that none of the men out there are caligynephobic.

JazzB - I thought of you when I filled in Grand Rapids.

JD - we recently had to give our cats pills. The pill pockets didn't work with one cat and it was a real struggle. It took two us with her wrapped in a towel to get the pills down her. After we finished the pill regime, a couple of pills dropped out of the towel. She would hold them in her mouth, they would partly dissolve and foam out of the side of her mouth. She did get enough medicine to recover. I hope you have better luck.

Spitzboov said...

Carol: We have Virgin Mobil, too, but if you let them "top-up" automatically with a charge card, it is only $15.00 every three months. So for 2 phones we pay $10.00 per month. We don't text message, either.

Anonymous said...

Good afternoon all,

Al - love your comments on today's puzzle. This is the first one I have had a chance to do all week.

I didn't run into too many problems. A couple I had to get from the perps. I had never heard of a "caiman" before, so I thought I'd check in on the blog to be sure that was correct. Thanks for the picture, Al.

Well, I am having my surgery tomorrow. It was up in the air all week. If I had known I was going to be that sick the night of the Fourth of July, I think I would have had a few drinks so I could at least have enjoyed it a little more. Luckily, I am feeling better and will be able to have my surgery tomorrow. Unfortunately, that means I may not be back on the blog for a couple of days again. I hope everyone is doing well.

carol said...

Spitzboov - thanks for the info on your Virgin Mobile plan...I have always hesitated in letting any company have access to my checking account or credit card but I will look into it.

Vettedoe: all the best on your surgery tomorrow. I hope it is nothing serious! No fun being sick before something like that, then have to face the recovery stage of the surgery.

JD: glad you could get even 1/4 pill down Parsley's throat, we would struggle with Laurel, but she would just hold the pill in her mouth then spit it out somewhere in the house later. The syringe placed in the corner of the mouth really worked. A cat will clench their little jaws together, but there is a pocket in the corner of their mouths they cannot 'close up' and the liquid can be 'shot' in with no problem..(except holding said cat still enough to hit the plunger on the syringe :))

Al said...

@JZB, that was an amazing link for Gaga, thanks. I had to replay it a few times to believe it.

Also, the general term for fear of vegetables (I'm thinking about Dennis here) is called lachanophobia, which says you can append a specific vegetable at the end, so the fear of kohlrabi would be: Lachanophobia Brassica oleracea.

kazie said...

Vettedoe,
I hope it all goes well for you tomorrow.

I just emailed the first installment of pix to C.C., so you'll see those from Alice Springs first. I'm still re-installing camera software to do panoramas before I upload my Sydney ones.

Crockett1947 said...

Pilling the cat is almost as hard as belling the cat. Liquefying meds just resulted in all involved wearing some of the meds mixed with cat spit -- not a fun scene. Carol, that you were successful just boggles the mind. Hahtool, your experience is more in line with mine.

vettedoe, I hope your surgery is completely successful and that you have a rapid and complete recovery.

Anonymous said...

Here's an idea....put the stupid 17 year old cat to sleep.

carol said...

Crockett: LOL, if you hold the cat & stroke the throat, the liquid slides down and voila....sorry you didn't have better luck. Our vet showed us how in a demonstration and then had us 'practice' on Laurel with a syringe of water. Sure was easier than trying the pill. Some cats are great with pills, but ours were. I am sure we could write a few stories about the various experiences we've all had with meds and other fun things kitties naturally hate. I've never owned a dog, but I do know you just have to put a pill in a small wad of something meaty and poof, the the dog had his/her meds down.

Bill G. said...

JD, you can get something from the vet or a pet store called a 'piller.' You put the pill in the end of it, shove it far back in the cat's mouth and push the plunger. The pill is released so far back in the cat's mouth that he/she has to swallow it.
It worked like a charm for us.

Susan said...

This is a test. After several attemts to post a comment, I never see them. Did this get through?

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. Good puzzle today, liked it. Yes Susan, I see you. My wife and I don't text either.

Thank you, Al, for an interesting, informative, and amusing writeup.

Best wishes to you all.

Dennis said...

anon@2:12, you first.

vettedoe, good luck tomorrow.

Regarding texting, I'm hooked now. Very efficient for those quick-hitters, without the 'how're you doing/I'm fine' stuff. And the Droid, with a full keyboard, makes it very easy. Seen, you said it well.

Lucina said...

vettedoe:
Best of luck on your surgery and for your recovery.

JimmyB said...

Al -Great job, as always.

I believe a lot of large universities appear to be located in the "city" of their name just because they have their own post office and zip code. For example, your Stanford student would get mail sent to Stanford, CA 94305 even though no "city" of Stanford exists (it's in the sphere of influence of Palo Alto). I'm sure it's the same for Notre Dame and others.

Dennis - If there's a teenager in the house you have no choice but to get on board the texting train. Especially if you have a teenage son who just got his driver's license and is required to let the folks know when he has arrived safely at his destination. Texting is the most efficient way to do this. Texting from a primitive cell phone like mine is painfully slow, but there's an "app" on my iPad that let's me type out a message on a decent sized keyboard, so I've managed to adapt.

GarlicGal said...

Vettedoe, here's to a grand rapid recovery!! (I'm trying to work in "south bend"...I know there's a pun there somewhere... but it's not happening!)

Jazzbumpa said...

vettedoe -
Hope you have a quick recovery and are back on your feet soon.

Al -
I forgot to commend you on another outstanding and informative write up.

Plus, I am now eagerly awaiting my first opportunity to drop Lachanophobia Brassica oleracea into casual conversation.

Might be tough. I LIKE kohl rabi.

Oh, well . . .

Cheers1
JzB

Bill G. said...

Did any of you try the Jonesin puzzle today? I didn't get the theme.

The electric company came by to change out our meter. The electricity was off for about 15 seconds. Now I've got to reset most of the digital clocks. Aargh!

Anonymous said...

I text my grandchildren, all of whom are in their 20s and 30s, and two of my great grandchildren (15 and 16), happy birthday or happy holiday. That's all. They do the same with me. It's fun, but can get costly. Sometimes I text them asking for a crossword clue answer if it is in their expertise.

Doreen

lois said...

Good evening Al, CC, et al., What a fun Dan Naddor puzzle. Like Carol, I expected to get whipped good w/a Thurs Naddor, but this one was fresh and enjoyable. Loved the Lois Lane comment too, Al. I always thought that was pretty dumb of her not to recognize Superman b/c of just glasses. Now if Clark had a mustache too, I would've really believed it.

My sister went to St. Mary's of Notre Dame and her address was Notre Dame w/its own zip code, not South Bend.

Texting is so convenient. Quick texting is even moreso. Worth it to me.

Had foot surgery yesterday and am narcoleptic today. Couldn't figure out why I couldn't read the blog.. just had to open my eyes. such a blonde moment. So, vettedoe, get ready for some wild stuff. Hope all goes well for you tomorrow.

Enjoy your evening.

ARBAON said...

Finally finished the puzzle...(did it in dibs and dabs.)
"Tossspot" was my new term for today.

Garlic girl: Thanks for the info. ♪♫•*¨*•..•*¨*•♫♪•.¸¸.••*¨*•♫♪•.

I was very glad to start texting. I never liked talking on the phone. (I know, it`s un-female!) With texting, you get only the info you need without all the filler...and it`s at my convenience. I like answering machines for the same reasons.

A teacher asked if a student knew how to spell "farm." The child said " Yes, teacher. It`s e-i-e-i-o."

Hey, I`m blue again!

Al said...

@BillG, I would have called the Jonesin theme for today: "Wedding Vows". I think the author was trying to make that more obscure. Speak the beginning (head) sound of each first word out loud, then the beginning sound of each second word.

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to thank you all for the well wishes. I am hoping to be up and around sometime Saturday, but I don't know if I'll be up to trying the Stumper puzzle.

As for the texting - I used to think it was pretty silly. My husband has to have email and texting on his phone for work. We also have a 20-something son who, once I put unlimited texting on his phone, stopped going over minutes (a bone of contention with me). So when we upgraded and got new phones and added them all on one bill, I was able to do unlimited texting on all the phones and still get a cheaper bill per month. I like it because if I just want to ask DH to grab milk and bread on the way home, I can ask him without having to disrupt his day at work. I just text him and when he gets a free moment, he texts back "OK." I hate to call him at work for simple things only to find out he is in the middle of something important.

Jerome said...

Bill G- The puzzle is titled "Vow your head"

The first word of each theme answer has an I sound. The second word has a DO sound-

IDES DUDES= I DO= A vow

And so on and so forth...

Bill G. said...

Thanks Al and Jerome. Now that you've explained it, I get it. A bit of a stretch for me even though the puzzle had a title.

♪♫•*¨*•..•*¨*•♫♪•.¸¸.••*¨*•♫♪•.

Some of you guys are suffering with heat and humidity. The temperature here is very pleasant what with the June gloom. Just the occasional earthquake though.

I was a a big Sophia Loren fan. Have you seen the famous photo of her staring at Jayne Mansfield's boobs about to pop out of her low-cut dress? Sophia

Seldom Seen said...

ARBAON and vettedoe: i agree that the most appreciative benefit of texting is that "we" control the "flow"

Seldom Seen said...

Bill G.: Thank You!, for that picture. i have never seen that before. i am sure most of our bloggers have. it made my day...

Spitzboov said...

What is the fixation with Gina and Sophia? Rosanna Podesta isn't exactly chopped liver.

Tinbeni said...

Bill G
That deserves a Toast!!!

Spitzboov
That deserves another Toast !!!

(damn, I might be a Toss Pot tonight.)

Anonymous said...

♪♫•*¨*•..•*¨*•♫♪•.¸¸.••*¨*•♫♪•.

Lemonade714 said...

Texting is the best way to cut down on client calls, it is succinct and you do not have to be rude.

Welcome newbies, we have other solvers in Naples. Send Dennis your birthdays, we love to celebrate

Crockett you in the mood to update the Map?

Chickie said...

Hello All--I didn't get to the puzzle until late this evening. A Dan Naddor puzzle is always a treat. I thought that there were just enough out of the box clues to keep it interesting, and I only had to look up one clue. That was Trac II and then the SE corner was finally filled in.

My favorites today were Very thin Olive/Oyl, and Frequently imperiled reporter/ Lois Lane. 1/4 of five was a puzzler for a time. It took me a while to understand the Vee answer.Duh.

Welcome Charlotte B.

Garlic Girl--Clever!

Good luck on your surgery Vettedoe. Rest and Mind the Doctor!

We don't have anything on TV but reports on the situation in Oakland following the verdict in the Police Officer, Meserhle's, trial on the shooting of a young black man named Oscar Grant. It has been mainly peaceful, but the police presence is enormous and so far things have been fairly non-violent. Hopefully things will stay that way.

JD said...

Thanks for all of your suggestions-well, all but one :-). "Parse" had an abscess a few months ago and I had to give him an eye dropper of meds daily. That was insane..but doable on a short term basis. So far he likes these Pill Pockets..he stole the evening one off the kitchen table..ha! ha! If he gets wind of the pill, I will order the stuff that goes in his ear.

Crockett1947 said...

Lemonade, updating the map would not be a problem. I hadn't suggested it because there are some people's locations that aren't valid anymore, so I didn't want to open that particular can of worms.

C.C., what say you?