google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday July 27, 2010 Harvey Estes

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Jul 27, 2010

Tuesday July 27, 2010 Harvey Estes

Theme: OUTER CLOTHES - Circled squares at the end of each theme entry contain the name of a type of outer garment. (Note: LA Times website does not support circled squares, click here to see where the circles are.)

17A. Emergency exit with a ladder : FIRE ESCAPE. Cape. The most iconic is probably Superman's. But here, Santa, meet your match.

60A. Robotic solar system explorer : SPACE PROBE. Robe. For boxers/judges. One for the ladies.

10D. Pioneer's wagon : CONESTOGA. Toga, forum garb. The only one word theme entry. Tell me this wasn't your first image.

32D. Gibbon : LESSER APE. Serape. Mexican wrap, as shown on this festive guy. The only theme entry where the clothing spans two words.

The unifier is placed in the very middle of the grid as two cross-referencing perps:

38A. With 24-Down, category of garments fittingly found in the circled letters : OUTER

24D. See 38-Across : CLOTHES

And a bonus entry at the bottom of the grid:

66A. Put on fancy attire, with "up" : DRESS. Like this. Quite smart looking.

Hey, it's Dennis; my turn in the barrel. Had one stumble in solving this one, which was putting 'Glenda' for 2D.

Just a couple observations about today's offering: this puzzle has only 34 blocks, low for a Tuesday, resulting in an impressive Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) that C.C. used to highlight in Dan's puzzles: 20.

The key themed words are consistently placed too. In this type of circle gimmick, those circled words are not always consecutively placed and can appear anywhere in the theme entries; the beginning, middle or end. A well-done Tuesday puzzle.

Across:

1. "A Death in the Family" author James : AGEE.

5. Name on a fridge : AMANA. I swear, if you only did crosswords, you'd think there was only one brand of Appliances (Amana) and one brand of TVs (RCA).

10. Quote as a reference : CITE.

14. What flags do in the wind : FLAP.

15. Beeper : PAGER. Remember these? Seem so archaic now. The first ones basically just transmitted phone numbers, and you'd put '911' at the end if it was really important. Oh, and we quickly figured out how to send obscene words using just numbers.

16. Jazzy Anita : ODAY. She changed her name from Colton to O'Day, pig latin for 'dough', as in money.

19. Luggage tag datum : NAME.

20. Building additions : ANNEXES.

21. Steamed up : ANGERED.

23. Caesar's "that is" : ID EST.

24. Contract provision : CLAUSE. Not him.

25. "Way cool!" : RAD.

26. Train track : RAIL. Alliteration.

29. Woodland deities : SATYRS. The Nymph pursuers. Wow, so realistic!

32. Atoll enclosure : LAGOON.

34. Demi of "G.I. Jane" : MOORE. Say what you might about her, but she got herself in incredible shape for the movie. Definition like this does not come easily.

35. Frosty's smoke : PIPE . Friend of mine did one of these with a fake blunt instead of a pipe. Neighbors with kids weren't thrilled.

40. Wind blast : GUST. This is what a serious crosswind landing looks like when the wind is gusting perpendicular to the flight path.

41. Up to one's ears (in) : AWASH

43. Aussie lassie : SHEILA . Very topical, given Kazie's recent outstanding slide show.

45. Take a bad turn : WORSEN

47. Razor's cutter : EDGE

48. Homer, to Bart : DAD

51. "Angels & __": Dan Brown best-seller : DEMONS. It precedes The Da Vinci Code and explores the Illuminati. A great read, one that resulted in a few bleary-eyed mornings for me.

53. "Don't even go __!" : THERE

55. Arachnoid zodiac sign : SCORPIO

57. Spiny lizards : IGUANAS. Kinda stately looking, huh?

59. Wrist-to-elbow bone : ULNA. Here. Have we had 'humerus' in a crossword before? Seems like a good crossword word.

62. Kid's summer haven : CAMP.

63. Chart holder : EASEL.

64. Mix with a spoon : STIR.

65. Many a proposal is made on one : KNEE. My first thought was 'bet'.

67. Cops, slangily : HEAT.

Down:


1. Festive gathering : AFFAIR. I'm not sure how 'festive' he's feeling.

2. Witch who helped Dorothy get home : GLINDA. Here.

3. Merited : EARNED.

4. Fencing blades : EPEES.

5. Recess at St. Peter's : APSE. As shown here.

6. PC alternatives : MACS.

7. Turkish title : AGA.

8. Tibet neighbor : NEPAL. Has anyone from our group been there?

9. Sports venues : ARENAS.

11. Challenging words : I DARE YOU. Those words have gotten me in trouble more than a few times. In his interview, Harvey said for non-theme fills, he likes to "work in phrases as much as possible, because I think they're usually more interesting."

12. Not exactly exciting : TAME .

13. Gawked at : EYED .

18. Crowd scene actor : EXTRA. X is the only scrabbly letter in this puzzle.

22. U.S. Pacific territory : GUAM

27. Back in time : AGO

28. Debtor's letters : IOUS

30. B&O and Reading : RRS

31. Filming site : SET

33. Financial aid criterion : NEED

35. Fido's foot : PAW

36. "Letters from __ Jima": 2006 film : IWO. One of the greatest battles in Marine Corps history. They were fighting an enemy that wasn't so much on Iwo Jima, as in it. Cost over 6800 Marine and Army lives to take it, but by securing the island, American bombers were able to use the island as a strategic emergency landing area, coming back from strikes on the Japanese mainland. Saved many pilots and crews.

37. "Sorry about that" : PARDON ME. You betcha.

39. Fix, as a fight : RIG.

42D. Rope fiber source : HEMP.

44. Ease off : LETUP.

46. Spread publicly, with "about" : NOISED. Yeah, it's legit; has anyone ever heard it used?

48. Indicate : DENOTE.

49. Oil-rich peninsula : ARABIA.

50. Most of 49-Down : DESERT. Nice link w/above.

52. Like stock without face value : NO PAR. Story of my golf game.

54. Tough to take : HARSH.

55. Use a straw : SUCK. Uh.......no; not gonna.

56. Scot's family : CLAN. Check out these Scottish clan crests.

57. Tops, as a cupcake : ICES. Hey, if you're gonna indulge, indulge!

58. Salon applications : GELS. You too can look like this.

61. Wall St. group : ASE (American Stock Exchange).

62 comments:

Spitzboov said...

Good morning Dennis and all. Thank you C.C. for posting the puzzle last night.

Easy solve, today. After getting circled letters CAPE and TOGA, OUTER and CLOTHES fell quickly revealing the theme. Favorite theme word was LESSERAPE with SERAPE embedded. Colorful fill. No searches were needed as the perps took care of the few unknowns. Thought of 'Shiksa' briefly before SHEILA became obvious

Enjoy the day.

Argyle said...

You have 17A and 24A chronologically correct: How much for the negatives?

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Thanks for the writeup today, Dennis.

Pretty much a walk in the park for me today, despite the fact that I solved online and couldn't see the circled clues. The only unknown was the ASE acronym at the end, and I didn't even see that while solving since the crosses were so easy.

Have a great one!

Dick said...

Good morning all, an easy solve this am. Only problem was in the SE corner where I entered SIB in lieu of DAD for 48A. I have never watched the Simpson's so I had no clue. Once I got denote the rest fell into place.

The theme fell quickly after completing 17A and 10D which helped with the remainder of the theme answers.

Nice interview CC and a nice write up Dennis.

Hope you all have a great Tuesday.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning. I'm off to a late start this morning, but that's a good thing ~ it means I actually got some sleep last night.

This was an extremely easy puzzle. I zipped through it, then had to go back and read some of the clues to match the fills I had already completed.

My favorite clues today were: Scot's Family = CLAN and Frosty's Smoke = PIPE.

I write a lot of contracts so CLAUSE was a gimme, although for some reason in my office, we generally say Provision instead of Clause.

James AGEE is another crossword staple. A Death in the Family is his autobiographical work.

In honor of James Agee, here is today's QOD: You must be in tune with the times and prepared to break with tradition. ~ James Agee

Lemonade714 said...

Good morning Dennis and everyone:

A nice stroll today, interesting theme and fill and wonderful interview. I never would picture Santa as tighty whitey kind of guy, imagining long johns as his staple. My new friend, the pool iguana is back, but he is a really bright green. I will try and get a good picture, though where I live you do not need a camera by the pool. Sometimes I wish my sunglasses were darker, anyway have a great day

Mainiac said...

Morning All,

Once I got rid of Dull and Ogle for 12D and 13D, I cruised right along. I didn't need the circles to get the theme answers which rates this one more of a Monday difficulty for me.

Great interview as always CC!

Nice work on the write up Dennis.

Have a good one!

lois said...

Good morning Dennis, CC, et al., Excellent job, Dennis. Thanks for all the fun links and esp the fine link with the cutie almost wearing a robe. And that one of Santa made me LOL. Loved the reindeer on the floor beside him. Like Lemonade, the briefs surprised me. I was surprised that Santa didn't have on Cmas themed boxers (like Cmas trees w/huge limbs and big shiny balls), altho' you'll get no complaint from me for viewing the whitey tighties, which leads me to my opinion on Santa's match... from sizing up the situation I'd bet Santa could handle at least a few of those caped Cmas cuties. It'd be fun trying anyway.

Had to LOL and loved seeing 2D Glinda here. Reminded me of "Gaaalinda" from Wicked. Absolutely loved that musical.

Never heard of 'noised about' 46D. Sounds British to me. But straight down the W side we have 'affair',
'paw', and 'suck' which can all cause quite a 'stir' and one huge 'flap' if there's no 'let up' to the 'heat' being 'eyed' causes...not to mention the challenging words 'I dare you'. I love living on the 'edge' and am always up for a challenge. Lucky thing my 'knee's and 'ulna'e are in good shape. However, I'm about to give 'space probe' a whole new dimension.

Enjoy your day and all its challenges.

Vidwan said...

Dennis: very Nice blog ... Very, very informative ! Keep up the good work... your linkups were delightful and oh so, informative. Ironically, my only problem word was 'ASE' ... ( I deal with the NYSE all the time).

Argyle: I finally guessed at what you meant by 'chronologically correct'... fire escape clause ,... ... my god, I never imagined that there were people who could read the crosssword into far more intrinsic ( and deeper, subliminal ) meanings. Well done. Probably, that is why the best cryptographers and decoders have been crossword puzzle solver.


C.C. ... your interview with Mr. Estes ( is that a spanish surname ? ) was absolutely magnificent. We often forget that there IS a person who went through all the trouble and effort and dedication to make up the whole puzzle ... imagining the theme, planning the grid ... we just had the ( relatively easy ... ) pleasure of solving somebody else's handiwork, ( and masterpiece ) ... and to do so for a living ... I can imagine a 100 easier professions, I'd rather be in ! Its just like when I see a female or male model sporting a dress in the Kohls or Target advertising inserts ... aside from the eye catching features ... that is a real person, a real human being, somewhere !

Is it just me, or does anybody else ( sometimes ) forget about the human element behind the scenes ?

Boots said...

Good Morning all! Easy puzzle but fun. I was pleased that Sheila popped out of my memory as it's not a common expression in the US. Iguana was a gimme as we had several that used my hibiscus trees as their daily lunch brunch, but haven't seen any since the cold snap. Lois I was interested in your comment about "Wicked". I was donating blood last week and a platelet donor was watching the CD. I only got to watch half of it but I found the music strident and the actors a little too frantic. After your endorsement, I guess I'll have to watch it again all the way through.
By the way, I'd like to encourage everyone to donate blood and platelets as there is such a need. My niece died of leukemia and needed many units of blood and platelets. Our family can't thank all of the donors enough. They're all heros. So make an appointment now.
Great interview CC and write up Dennis.

Grumpy 1 said...

Great interview, C.C. The puzzle itself was very easy. No bad guesses to throw me off track and no no erasures. That seldom happens to me with an L A Times puzzle.

Dennis's writup was quite entertaining, but Lois's comments were the highlight of the day, I'm still chuckling over some of her associations of the entries.

The only new word for me today was Shiela... had no idea... but the crosses filled it in completely.

Lemonade714, we too had a green iguana that liked to wander the area between our pool and our lake. It disappeared when we had the cold weather around the freezing point in January... probably froze to death... but they are an invasive species here in South Florida, so it will not be sorely missed.

kazie said...

A walk in the park for me too, despite briefly having GLENDA and having to WAG ASE. On seeing that the PDF was available last night, I was too tempted to wait until this morning, so solved it at about 11 pm last night. Having circles sure made the theme easy to find!

Great blog, Dennis. The term 'sheila' is somewhat outdated, would have been more in vogue in my Dad's time, and only ever used by males. To a girl/woman, it's a bit derogatory, or at least that's how I feel about it.

kazie said...

lemonade,
I forgot to remind you that Santa also visits the southern hemisphere where Christmas falls in the middle of summer. The longjohns would definitely be too much with those heavy robes!

HeartRx said...

Good Morning Dennis, C.C. et al.
Great interview C.C. I love getting the perspective of the constructors, since it is usually much broader than the solver's. I often tend to focus on each word, without thinking of the "Theme" or layout of the grid. But I am beginning to appreciate puzzles and those who make them since joining this blog !


This morning's theme and circled clues were a real treat. Great links Dennis ! I never heard 46d. "NOISED" about, but I guess it is legit, as you say. 36d. "IWO" was a simple answer, but I had to stop for a few minutes and go back to this site to recall just how bloody that battle was. We owe so much to our armed services !!

carol said...

Hi all =
Great job Dennis, I enjoyed the links (even the poor Santa on the gurney? - poor schmuck looks like he had too many drinks or Lois got a hold of him :) either way, I'm sure he felt no pain.

Dennis, what is a blunt? (as in the 'fake blunt' you mentioned in your picture of Frosty)

I mixed up 51A and 57A...in looking at 57A, I thought the clue was: "Angels & _" and I put in IGUANAS and thought what a weird name for a book. LOL.

Lois, I have to applaud your comments! Knowing what you are facing and have been through, you still are able to write something to brighten our day. I hope all goes well for you tomorrow...I'll hold you in my thoughts.

Warren said...

Hi Dennis, C.C. & Gang.
Great job Dennis!

I especially liked your link to a crosswind landing, I can still remember (back when I was still flying ~1979) trying to land a small piper cub in a severe crosswind with my niece and nephew in the back. They'd never seen a crosswind landing and I think I scared them a little by the crab approach to the runway.

Anonymous said...

He's baaaacck!

kazie said...

Warren and Dennis,
Yes, I wanted to say earlier too that video of the crab approach in the crosswind was really scary--I didn't think he would make it. I'd have hated to be on that flight.

Lois,
Please know that my thoughts are with you too as you seek a solution to the problems you are going through. I hope all is resolved painlessly and safely.

Anonymous said...

Good morning everyone.

Today's puzzle was much easier for me than Monday's. I truly enjoyed doing this one, which I think is a very clever one.

Thanks for the great write up, Dennis.
And thanks for the interview with Harvey Estes, C.C.. Those constructor comments are always interesting.

Lesser Ape took me a while to figure out. I couldn't see what item of clothing would apply to an ape. Ingenious.

Cheers

melissa bee said...

good morning c.c., dennis, and all,

what a rare and entertaining treat, dennis, great blogging. that crosswind landing had me at the edge of my seat ...

i didn't do the version with the circles, but after seeing the visual and reading the inteview, i wish i had. what a clever idea, and another fine interview, c.c., thanks.

dennis, thanks for the ROBE link, but gawd, he's so YOUNG, i just wanna feed him cookies. coincidentally enough, today is 'take your pants for a walk day,' and as you recently suggested to me on my blogging day, i think it would be appropriate for you set the example. lose the pants and let's see that robe pic.

Tinbeni said...

Dennis, Excellent write-up.
That is one scary landing!

If you are going to have "circles" in the grid shouldn't they have the same symmetry?

This seemed more like a Monday level.
Theme and reveals kind of blah.

Walk up to a lass in a Sydney pub and say "Aren't you a pretty SHEILA" and you will probably get your face slapped.
It's like saying "Aren't you a pretty bitch."
TV & Movies make it sound like it just means girl/woman.
Not to the ladies in Australia.

CONESTOGA was the WOD.
Liked the NO PAR stock next to ASE (Am.Stk.Exchange).
Now I'm wondering if GIBBONS think of themselves as LESSERAPE's.
And THERE is something about PIPE & HEMP, but I forgot.

Argyle said...

Vidwan, that fire escape/escape clause is clever but believe me, I had nothing in mind that cerebral. I was suggesting that Dennis' links were 'chronologically correct'; what Santa would look like after he met his match(you couldn't see Santa's satisfied smile, though).

Chickie said...

Hello All--Having done the puzzle last night at about 11:00 P.M. I had time this morning to linger over the posts and the interview with Harvey Estes.

Thank you, Dennis for a great blog with fun links. Especially liked Santa. Also C.C. for another very insightful interview.

The unknowns today were easily gotten with the perps and I didn't have to look up anything. I had one misstep as I misspelled Glinda, Glenda. Fereescape was a puzzle for a minute or two.

Hatool, a great QOD today. So true, but hard to do.

I have heard the saying nosed about, but not noised about. I had to look this up as I thought I had it incorrect, but knew that nothing could be changed.

The "new" wedding cake is a cupcake tier cake. Many different flavors, iced with beautiful tops. My grandson and his wife cut a small cupcake and each had a half instead of cutting a slice from a big cake. It was certainly a lot easier to serve cupcakes to a large crowd.

Gunghy said...

Really easy today. ASE and O'Day were filled by perps. Central west was the last to fall. I was trying to out-think myself. I didn't parse the APE in 32D and was trying to come up with some fancy scientific name. V8 moment. Same with iguana; Horned toad and Bearded Dragon came first.

Dennis:
1. You nailed it with the toga. Of course, when that film came out several of my fraternity brothers called and wanted to know who ratted us out. i spent more time in the dean's office than I did in class.
2. Fake blunts (joint, doobie) are a staple in classrooms. Usually made with pencil shavings. In the early 70's. the police chief of Oakland gave a talk about drugs to a elementary class. During it, he passed around a tray with a joint on it for the kids to see. It came back with 3, but not his.
3. I DARE YOU is not half as dangerous as HEY, WATCH THIS!
4. 'Noises about' is a staple in the lexicon of some of the old detective novels. It's been so long since I've read it, I can't give an example, but you've probably got to go back to Mickey Spillane or earlier.

Jerome said...

Dennis- I went to Nepal as a consultant in 2003 when the government was drafting new aviation laws. I was a member of the NEPAL PLANE PENAL PANEL.

Spitzboov said...

Jerome: Not only that but that special board was hired by the Swiss through a special diplomatic arrangement and became known as the NEPAL ALPEN PLANE PENAL PANEL.

Anonymous said...

Hello all,

I have been stuck in bed since Saturday. Tried to do the Saturday crossword, but could not even get a toehold, so I gave up. Got Sunday nearly finished, then looked at the answers to give me a kickstart to finish it. My brain is just not focused right now.

I am 6 weeks pregnant, but having some problems. I will see the doctor and have an ultrasound tomorrow. I have a feeling that he is going to keep me in bed a while. If he does, I'm going to see about moving the computer in here with me so I can keep up with you all.

I hope that you are all doing well. I will catch up to you when I can.

JD said...

Good morning Dennis, C.C. et al,

I've missed you, but have had no alone time due to visiting relatives, but did a puzzle here 'n there and caught a few comments. Loved CA's picture and miss her dearly, but she knows that.

Lois, I always skim down to catch your write ups which make me LOL.Whatever is happening tomorrow, I wish you well.

Loved this easy puzzle.The perps helped with Anita O'Day and id est which would have sunk in sooner or later. I'm a little slow on the Latin, right Bob?

Conestoga and Glinda slowed me down as I knew them, but only parts of the word came to mind, so I put the nda until I kept saying something that sounded right,same for the wagon.I didn't have circles, and wish I had read last night.But, loved it anyway.

Enjoyed seeing iguanas..not having them here in CA, it was awesome to see them crawling everywhere in Aruba, and they were VERY large.

Dennis, excellent blogging.Scary clip of plane landing in cross wind. One time in Phoenix, our plane landed on one wheel. Wheeeeee

Enjoy your day

Marge said...

Hi all!
This was an easy puzzle for even me and I loved it. Only had to look up a couple answers. My favorite word was conestoga because when I was young I loved to read books about the pioneers who went west. I thought it would be great fun and never realized how hard and uncomfortable it would be.

Another word was Sheila-it came easily but sorry to say I don't know as much about Australia as I should. One of my favorite books though, was "The Thorne Birds"

Have a great evening all!

Marge

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Dennis - well done! Great links, too.

Looks like that pilot pulled off quite a feat.

I like the echoes: DAD-RAD, and AGO-AGA, also the connections already mentioned.

I suppose an AFFAIR in the DESERT would cause a FLAP or a STIR

We caught up on yard work today. It's either been too hot or raining.

Tired now. Might catch a nap.

Cheers!
JzB

dodo said...

Hi, Dennis, C.C. and everybody,
Nice easy puzzle today, but even though not too challenging, enjoyable. No lookups at all and lots of help from perps. The only glitch for me was 44D where I wrote 'let go' snd that, of course, put the 'g' in 'iguana' in the wrong square, so I needed to ponder that for a minute.

C,C, that was a terrific interview! Estes is an interesting character! And Dennis, I loved your links, and there were so many!

Carol, I laughed at your switching problem; that sort of thing is alway happening to me and I sometimes wonder if it's an eye problem or a reading one, like dyslexia? Not a big deal but curious. And Jerome, I'm still laughing at your Nepal twist, and yours, Spitzboov! Remember the show, "Can You Top This?" Neither do I, maybe it's just in my imagine.

Jerome said...

Tinbeni- The circles are there only to help the solver discover the OUTER CLOTHES words. They are not an integral part of the theme. They exist only as a visual aid.
TOGA, SERAPE, ROBE, CAPE do not have to have the same letter count in this case. Theme placement, black square layout, and the fill are all symmetrical. No broken rules here.

But yes, when you look at the empty grid the circles do look a bit awkward.

Anonymous said...

Jerome and Spitzboov:
RE: Nepal and its mountains ...and plane travel ...

In Sept, 1996 (?), The Johnny Carson show, used to have an "answer and question " session. Johnny gave you the answer ... and you had to figure out the question...

like, Johnny's Answer: "Princess Di "... ?

( Prin Di, had died a couple months earlier in 8/96...)


The Question: What young jewish girls put in their hair ... like jewish american princesses...



Another one was:

Johnny's Answer: "Lookout Mountain." ... ?


The Question: Ron Brown's last words ...


Ron Brown, a cabinet secretary of commerce, under Bill Clinton, was killed ( 4/1996) in a plane crash, in Serbia. The plane hit a mountain...

Frenchie said...

Good Morning C.C., Argyle, and all you fab folk!

Lots of fun yesterday! Today, I didn't use a straw(55d)though some clues/answers gave cause for a bit of flap.(14a)

@Billg, "It's quiet out (53a)there for a morning...makes a man feel on(47a)edge."
LOL

31d My son, Calder, prefers editing and production. However, when money gets tight, he's earned a wage on (31d) set as an (18d)extra. He always enjoys a good of the craft table, too.

25a Frosty's smoke...pipe wanted something like a simpler word for condesate Over thought it.


46d noiser either I don't understand this or I have an error...I've worked for, "The AZ Republic/ Phoenix Gazette," back in the 80's and thought I knew all the journalisn slang...

1d If I was going to have an affair, (1d) I'd (66d) dress festively in a cape (16a) or a robe. (60a
5a I better head over to my Amana's before Dennis has to edit me
One question though, how do I know if I have a (52d) nopar in my portfolio? It doesn't sound like a good thing!

I'm out for now.

Anonymous said...

Frenchie: 'No Par' is a legal term that refers to what the stock is legally issued at. That does not mean that the stock is ( currently ) worth nothing...A lot of General Motors stock was issued at 'no par'. ( OK, its worth nothing now ... but at one time it was worth quite a lot of money).

Without going into a Finance/Accounting/Law course, ... 'no par' just means ... (1) if the co. goes kaput, the creditors can't come back to you, a shareholder, for more money, ... (2) the company saves some State taxes, levied on the issued stock, which is based on issued par value etc.... and a thousand other reasons.

You may want to talk to your stockbroker, but 'no par' is about as relevant to your portfolio, as the color of your stock certificate. ( I don't think they issue ANY paper stock certificates, now, anyway ... ).

Dennis said...

Hey guys - thanks for the nice feedback; C.C. makes us all look good.

Argyle, sorry, Lois already bought the negatives. Speaking of, good luck tomorrow, Lois; you're going to make some doctor's day, no doubt.

HeartRx, nice Iwo link - thanks. Hadn't seen that one before.

MelissaBee, I like cookies too. And regarding your 'challenge', well, you never responded to mine. In other words, ladies first.

Gunghy, loved the 'Watch this!' line. So true.

vettedoe, congratulations and best of luck tomorrow.

Regarding the crosswind landing, it's actually not all that unusual for pilots, although it looks harrowing as hell. Lots of training there. Dudley, care to elaborate?

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

That was an easy puzzle, nothing to remark about there.

About crosswind landings: They look worse than they are to accomplish. Large jets have the advantage of great mass, so they take some of the sharpness out of the wind gusts. An airline pilot ought to be able to do it right. An aircraft has an established crosswind limit; in light aircraft it is usually determined by the available rudder deflection, while jets will generally drag a wingtip (or an engine pod) on the ground at their extremes.

BTW, the old Kai Tak airport was terrible, and has been closed since that video was shot.

Hahtoolah said...

Vettedoe: I wish you all the best with your doctor's appointment tomorrow. My thought are with you. We will be here to encourage you!

Jerome said...

Sometimes we see a clue that we really like and then we find that another constructor uses it. Intellectual property theft? Nah. But I thought you guys might enjoy this. It's an exchange from years ago between Manny Nosowsky and editor/constructor Stan Newman. Manny was a rookie then but has gone on to be the New York Times most prolific constructor.

Nosowsky: "Can I use clues that other constructors have used?"

Newman: You mean you're asking if you can steal someone elses brilliant, clever, and creative clues, essentially claiming them as your own? Well the answer is, 'Only in moderation.'"

Dot said...

Frenchie, Did you discover that you do have an error in 46D? It should be 'noised' rather than "noiser". The Bible uses the phrase "noised abroad" several times as in Act 2:6, on the Day of Pentecost,"Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together...." I don't think I've ever heard 'noised about'.

Vettedoe, I hope all goes well and you are soon able to be up and about.
Congratulations!

I hope there are no cross winds at the Experimental Aircraft Expo in Oshkosh. Almost every year there is at least one plane crash either coming or going. I haven't heard of any this year.

Dot

Frenchie said...

@Dennis-beautiful job! Fun links!
Great follow up to C.C.'s interview. C.C., you have a real knack with interviews. I could see Mr. Estes was very at ease answering your questions.

@Lemonade714, Legally speaking, Briefs 'R You...

Jeannie, vettedoe,
Lois,positive energy to you each!

@Lois and Tinbeni, your turn of phrases makes me laugh!

@Anonymous (3:26 PM)Thank you for writing the explanation and also for writing it in terms I could understand. As I've heard said, "knowledge is power!"

@Dennis, I feel really shy to say what I thought a fake blunt was.

I'm Out.

Frenchie said...

@Dot, thank you for clearing that up for me! It now makes sense! I've learned today, I appreciate it!

Anonymous said...

Anyone: What is IMHO ? Might as well ask.

Anonymous said...

IMHO: How a streetwalker might introduce herself.

Gunghy said...

Anon,
IMHO - In My Humble Opinion.

By the way, if you wonder about little short-hands acronyms like those, you can google them. Early up is acronymfinder.com

Bill G. said...

IMHO is a relative of LOL. It's computer speak for In My Humble Opinion.

I can't remember if I mentioned that President Obama is going to on The View on Thursday morning on ABC. Should be interesting I think.

I am still watching Rizzoli and Isles but I think it's a step down from The Closer and NCIS. I like the two lead actors but the story and the characters aren't that great IMHO.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Gunghy and Bill.G.
IMHO you two are the greatest.

Tinbeni said...

Jerome
FUNNY story.
Earlier, I just thought that since the LAT very rarely has circles (not like the NYT) that today if three theme answers (in the circles) were 4 letters then the fourth answer (in the circles) would also be 4 letters not six. Maybe instead of serape, the outer clothes could have been coat. And that would be the symmetry. No biggie.


Bill G
I too have been watching Rizzoli and Isles, that episode last night would work in New Orleans ... but Boston?
Find it mildly amusing that one 'sub-plot' is these ladies have a difficult time attracting men?
Geez, who are these writers?
Have they seen Angie & Sasha?

JD said...

Vettedoe, CONGRATULATIOS! I hope all works out well for you. Do you have help?Too bad you are not in No. CA.

Bill, I agree with you about Rizzoli. I've been taping it, but it's not my 1st choice. Did anyone watch the 1st part of "Pillars of the Earth" last Thurs? I haven't had time yet, and have no idea when the next 6 hrs will be aired.Such a great book.

Hahtoolah said...

JD: I was not aware that "Pillars of the Earth" had been made into a mini-series (?). I loved the book, along with its sequel, "World Without End." What's wrong with this picture: When we go on vacation, I bring such juicy sagas as Ken Follett novels. My husband, on the other hand brings books like Kagan's "On the Origin of War", and my 17-year old reads Nietzsche for fun!

Bill G. said...

I found an old 'Oater' called "The Sheepman" with Glenn Ford and Shirley MacLaine. It's pretty good so far. Seeing her reminded me of the first movie she made. It was Alfred Hitchcock's "The Trouble with Harry." She was adorable and I was in love! I also really enjoyed "The Apartment."

Gunghy said...

Bill G. - I found a bargain bin somewhere and bought Stagecoach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Comancheros, and a couple of The Duke's war flicks for $5 each. Friends look at my collection and ask, "WHAT IS THIS CRAP?" Of course, I also own Plan 9 From Outer Space, Ed Woods' masterpiece.

Annette said...

Melissa Bee's mention of today being 'take your pants for a walk day' reminded me of an old Dr. Hook song called "You make my pants want to get up and dance!"

Good luck tomorrow, Lois!

vettedoe, congratulations on your wonderful news! Take it easy and we'll be thinking about you.

Has there been a recent increase in the popularity of crossword puzzle? I seem to be hearing them referenced on TV shows more often lately (at least 3 times this week). Even Jeopardy last night had a Constructor as a contestant.

Chickie said...

Vettedoe, Good luck with your appointment tomorrow and many congratulations.

Also, Lois, good vibes to you with your appointment as well. You know that we are all pulling for the best possible outcome.

Lois, I need to say that I truly laughed out loud at your post today. They get better and better.

I'm out for the evening.

Jeannie said...

Hey folks, no time to do the puzzle the wicked foodshow is ruling it's ugly head as well as other things in my life. Dennis, I truly enjoyed your blogging experience today especially your equal opportunity links.

Lois, I am not sure what is looming in your world but I am sure you will meet it "head-on".

Vettedoe, I am so happy for your "new addition". I hope all turns out well for you.

Jazzbumpa said...

I recognized Anita O'Day as someone who sang with Stan Kenton's orchestra. But I was surprised to learn she was doing this before I was born.

There are several examples of her singing on youtube. Here is one I picked at random.

Purdy good stuff.

Cheers!
JzB

Jeannie said...

Oh Dennis, I forgot as I did read the blog the other day when you were looking for the best side dish recipe for roast beef. Here is Jeannie's: Nothing is better than good ole mashed potatoes.

Roast a full clove of garlic:
take a hole head and cut the heads off and wrap it in tinfoil drizzled in olive oil and pepper. Bake it at about 350 degrees for about 45 min. This can be done ahead of time.

Peel about 5-6 Yukon Jack potatoes, quarter and boil, smash them up and add 1 cup of sour cream, 1/2 stick of butter and squeeze the garlic out of the shells into the mix. Smash again and add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!!

MJ said...

Dennis,
Just had to comment that I really appreciated your blog and all the links. So much fun! Thank you.

I have not read comments today, but will try to catch up tomorrow. I've been dealing with a very stressful family situation which I needed to address in a letter. It was difficult to write, but I believe I was successful in accomplishing that task. I hope for a positive resolution.

Night all!

Jeannie said...

Yes, I know Carol, this made your head spin. But if I rememeber right you and Joe DID try the mac n cheese recipe.

JD said...

Hahtool, "Pillars" was just made into an 8 hr mini series for STARZ. I switched HBO to STARZ so I could see it. The 1st episode was on Thursday @10:00. I'm assuming the next one will be this Thursday. Maybe they will rerun the 1st episode beforehand.

Why is Carol's head spinning? Is it the small of garlic?

Bill G. said...

I don't know much about "Pillars" but I am looking forward to it. I enjoyed "The Eye of the Needle," both as a book and a movie.

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

Frenchie,
Your last two comments are identical to the one posted at 2:42pm. So I erased both of them.